OCEANBIRU: ON BEING CALLED AN ISLAMOPHOBE; CIRCUMCISION; A SICKNESS CALL DEPRESSION AND REWARD MONEY.

The warong kopi has been accused of being an Islamophobe. We are no Islamophobes. We seek only to bring the fears of the silent majority to the fore. Today, we are even more convince of their intolerance to any freedom of expression. Sans real political power in their hands Islamists purrs as kittens, once in power they are prowling lions looking to extend their territorial limits. Witness the demands of their Islamists compatriots in Aceh, Indonesia and in Sudan where they have called for the implementation of Sharia laws for all regardless of their faith.
This week in Malaysia, Islamists and their powerful allies have bared their fangs against liberalism, pluralism and the celebration of festive harmony. Our founding fathers have given us a democratic system based on pluralism where each distinct ethnic, religious, and cultural groups coexist harmoniously despite their different interests, convictions and lifestyles. Now unelected officials are demanding that Muslim pluralism be put away and are herding their community into their gates of exclusivity. “Negara Ku” is inching closer to a theocratic country controlled by a radical minority.

CRISIS PROFILE : Draft law on Indonesia's Aceh province to impose Islamic law on all residents.
Source- (AP, May 11, 2006)

Jakarta, Indonesia - A bill proposed by lawmakers on the tsunami-ravaged Indonesian province of Aceh would impose Shariah, or Islamic law, on all non-Muslims, the military and police, a local law enforcement official said.
Sharia took effect last year in Aceh, a predominantly Muslim region on the northernmost tip of Sumatra island. It banned drinking, gambling, adultery and other behavior deemed immoral under Islam. But it had only applied to Muslims.
The latest bill, submitted to the national parliament for debate, is expected to be adopted by the 550-seat house by the summer after facing initial resistance.....
Although around 97 percent of the population is Muslim, Aceh is also home to Hindus, Buddhists and Christians.

CRISIS PROFILE: Hope and horror in southern Sudan
Source

What was the fighting all about? Khartoum's countrywide imposition of Sharia - Islamic law - in 1983 was one of the main factors leading to insurrection in the south by groups including the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA). Often depicted as a conflict between the Arab, Muslim north - where the country's capital is located - and the black animist or Christian south, war was fuelled by divisions over control of oilfields and political power as well as religious issues.
Note: Under the Comprehensive Peace agreement signed on 9th January 2005 Northern Sudan will continue to be under Sharia laws but this will cease to apply to Sourthern Sudan.

To court, to court for a piece of skin.

Parents take circumcision feud to court
Source

A divorced couple are fighting each other in a US court over whether their eight-year-old son should be circumcised.
The mother wants it to remedy a recurring and painful inflammation she says the boy has endured during the past year. But the father says the child is healthy and unnecessary circumcision could cause him long-term physical and psychological harm.
In 1999, the American Academy of Pediatrics reversed its support for routine infant circumcision, citing questionable benefits and evidence that circumcised men have less penile sensitivity.
The percentage of male babies circumcised has fallen from an estimated 90 per cent in 1970 to about 60 per cent today.

The Warong Kopi is surprised that the Star paper has found it appropriate to reinforce the common held notion that depression sufferers are violent. That could not be further from the truth. Take a look at any daily news and you will see that ..... the “normal folks” are the real violent ones.
In Malaysia, 10% of the population suffers from depression. As it is no respecter of status, creed or race - almost everybody will know of someone who is suffering or has suffered from depression. Depression is a sickness like the common cold or even cancer. No one in their right mind will ask the sick person to be strong and to snap out it "on demand". Likewise no one should ever condescendingly suggest to a depressed person to "be more strong mentally" and to snap out from it. The causes of depression are many. Some may be due to genetics and some because of chemical inbalances in the brain.
Unfortunately in Malaysia, depression has been in the past and still is – stigmatised with violence, mental weakness and the mental institutions at Tampoi and Tanjung Rambutan. The government must do much more to erase such misconception. The newspaper's should even be more circumspect in their portrayal of mental health issues and the sufferer's continual shadow - their “black dog”.

Links : General - Some famous people; More famous personalities: A Malaysian blog on - My Battle with Depression; From the medical angle - Psychological Perspectives; Discussion on Depression