JOHOR BARU: The Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, has ordered the controversial Muslim-only launderette in Muar to immediately stop its discriminatory practice or risk being shut down by him.

Wednesday, 27 Sep 2017

By Wong Chun Wai

“I cannot accept this nonsense. This is Johor, which belongs to Bangsa Johor and it belongs to all races and faiths. This is a progressive, modern and moderate state.

“This is not a Taliban state and as the Head of Islam in Johor, I find this action to be totally unacceptable as this is extremist in nature,” he said.

His Majesty said he also ordered the state Islamic religious affairs committee chairman Abdul Mutalip Abd Rahim, the religious council and the district council to investigate the matter.

The Sultan added that he had also spoken to Mufti Johor Datuk Mohd Tahrir Samsudin as well as state exco for religion Abd Mutalip Abd Rahim over the matter.

“I want the owner to apologise to me and the people of Johor. He has made Johoreans very angry and embarrassed because this is not the Johor we want.

“The owner has gone against the vision of a united, harmonious, moderate and tolerant Johor. If he still insists on carrying on the Muslim-only practice, he can leave Johor. I suggest he set up shop in Afghanistan. His thinking is sick and goes against everything that Johor stands for.”

His Majesty, who was visibly upset, said he and his family members were “deeply appalled” by the action of the launderette owner, saying if this was not stopped, it would lead to more narrow-minded actions in the name of Islam.

Pictures of the launderette went viral last week when it was reported that it had a sign saying that only Muslims were allowed to use its machines.

He said the owner had first put up his Muslim-only notices and after the issue became controversial, the owner put up a new sign to say it was “Muslim-friendly.”

“Don’t try to be clever. It’s still the same. The owner needs to have his brains cleaned up.

“I want to put a stop to such extremism. Extremism has no place in my state. We take pride in being Bangsa Johor and I want to know where the owner of this launderette learn his Islam? Islam teaches the faithful to be tolerant and respect other people and faiths,” he said at Istana Bukit Serene here yesterday,

On Monday, Johor Prince Tunku Idris Sultan Ibrahim expressed dismay over the launderette’s move, asked: “Is this for real? I’m appalled” in his Instagram.

The Sultan said the mosques in Johor were open to non-Muslims, for example, as long as they were properly dressed and he could not imagine non-Muslims being banned from entering the mosques, saying he was concerned over rising religious extremism.

“I wonder where this launderette owner washes his clothes when he is overseas? Is he saying only the clothes of Muslims are clean and those of non-Muslims are unclean? That’s what he means, I believe.

“From now on, I am directing the state executive council and all the councils to insist that any business owners who carry out such blatant discriminatory practices should have their licences revoked. Don’t mess around with your narrow-minded religious prejudices.”

His Majesty added that he could not keep quiet on the issue, as if this was allowed to go unnoticed, “then next we will have taxis for only Muslims or non-Muslims.”

He said he also did not want other races to carry out similar actions.

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/09/27/dressing-down-for-launderette-open-it-to-all-or-just-close-shop-angry-johor-sultan-tells-owner


I am only being a good Muslim, says laundry owner

MUAR: The owner of the “Muslim-only” launderette here said he was only trying to be a good Muslim.

Wednesday, 27 Sep 2017

The 40-year-old owner, who declined to be named, said he set up the launderette from the Muslim point of view to cater to the demand for such services.

“For Muslims, it is not just about clean clothes but cleanliness as a whole. I am just providing an avenue for Muslims to do that,” he said.

He added that he did not expect the issue to be blown out of proportion and become such a sensitive topic. He hoped non-Muslims would understand the Muslim point of view and teachings.

“Muslims include Chinese and Indians as well so the launderette does not racially discriminate,” he said.

He said non-Muslims have a lot of choices and self-service launderettes were available nearby, including one that was some 300m from his outlet.

Meanwhile in Gelang Patah, MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said businesses should not use religious sensitivities and racial differences in their operations as it might lead to a negative domino effect.

“A launderette should be open to all.

“We should be understanding of each other and not use our differences to break the ties in our multi-cultural society,” he said after launching the Alibaba Global Course in Forest City yesterday.

Liow said the launderette’s actions to restrict its customers to a certain religion could start a bad chain reaction.

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/09/27/i-am-only-being-a-good-muslim-says-laundry-owner/

Dressing down for launderette

JOHOR BARU: The Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, has ordered the controversial Muslim-only launderette in Muar to immediately stop its discriminatory practice or risk being shut down by him.

Wednesday, 27 Sep 2017

“I cannot accept this nonsense. This is Johor, which belongs to Bangsa Johor and it belongs to all races and faiths. This is a progressive, modern and moderate state.

“This is not a Taliban state and as the Head of Islam in Johor, I find this action to be totally unacceptable as this is extremist in nature,” he said.

His Majesty said he also ordered the state Islamic religious affairs committee chairman Abdul Mutalip Abd Rahim, the religious council and the district council to investigate the matter.

“I want the owner to apologise to me and the people of Johor. He has made Johoreans very angry and embarrassed because this is not the Johor we want.

“The owner has gone against the vision of a united, harmonious, moderate and tolerant Johor. If he still insists on carrying on the Muslim-only practice, he can leave Johor. I suggest he set up shop in Afghanistan. His thinking is sick and goes against everything that Johor stands for.”

His Majesty, who was visibly upset, said he and his family members were “deeply appalled” by the action of the launderette owner, saying if this was not stopped, it would lead to more narrow-minded actions in the name of Islam.

Pictures of the launderette went viral last week when it was reported that it had a sign saying that only Muslims were allowed to use its machines.

He said the owner had first put up his Muslim-only notices and after the issue became controversial, the owner put up a new sign to say it was “Muslim-friendly.”

“Don’t try to be clever. It’s still the same. The owner needs to have his brains cleaned up.

“I want to put a stop to such extremism. Extremism has no place in my state. We take pride in being Bangsa Johor and I want to know where the owner of this launderette learn his Islam? Islam teaches the faithful to be tolerant and respect other people and faiths,” he said at Istana Bukit Serene here yesterday,

On Monday, Johor Prince Tunku Idris Sultan Ibrahim expressed dismay over the launderette’s move, asked: “Is this for real? I’m appalled” in his Instagram.

The Sultan said the mosques in Johor were open to non-Muslims, for example, as long as they were properly dressed and he could not imagine non-Muslims being banned from entering the mosques, saying he was concerned over rising religious extremism.

“I wonder where this launderette owner washes his clothes when he is overseas? Is he saying only the clothes of Muslims are clean and those of non-Muslims are unclean? That’s what he means, I believe.

“From now on, I am directing the state executive council and all the councils to insist that any business owners who carry out such blatant discriminatory practices should have their licences revoked. Don’t mess around with your narrow-minded religious prejudices.”

His Majesty added that he could not keep quiet on the issue, as if this was allowed to go unnoticed, “then next we will have taxis for only Muslims or non-Muslims.”

He said he also did not want other races to carry out similar actions.

Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/09/27/dressing-down-for-launderette-open-it-to-all-or-just-close-shop-angry-johor-sultan-tells-owner/

Speak up in defence of everyone’s rights

I REFER to the news reports on the explanation by the police that the reason for DBKL banning the beer festival was because of a security risk and that extremists were planning a terror attack on the event.

Letters

26 September 2017

Congratulations to the police for apprehending the alleged attackers. It’s a great comfort to know that our police intelligence is efficient in keeping the public safe from terror attacks.

Terror threats and attacks have also become a major problem in many cities in Europe and America where mentally deranged individuals, social drop-outs, radical groups and fanatics take their personal frustration and political and religious ideology to the streets, hoping to catch the prime time TV news and become instant celebrities.

Some of the attacks are deadly and include fundamentalists expressing their hatred for Western values and lifestyles through bombing of civilian targets on the promise by their religious leaders that those who sacrifice their lives would be rewarded with eternal pleasure in heaven.

Whatever the threats, Western authorities do not respond with panic measures to ban public gatherings, football games, music and beer festivals and entertainment centres as doing so would only lend credence to the terror groups and religious fundamentalists. Instead, Western leaders reiterate the need for the civilian population to face the threats with vigilance and go on with their daily life as usual.

These countries are determined to stand by their values of freedom and show to the hate groups that the Western democratic way of life will not change whatever the threats. These countries are confident that the terror organisations will not win because their people are united in defending the values they hold dear.

The DBKL ban on the beer festival is a major disappointment and a setback for human rights. It is worrying to see that DBKL is giving support to the anti-social elements who want to dictate our lifestyles according to their religious beliefs. Malaysians are becoming worried about the pattern in DBKL to bend to pressure groups and cancel permits for music and cultural festivals at the last minute, causing financial loss to the organisers. Tourism, food and entertainment businesses will surely be concerned over whether there is a future for them in the economy.

We are seeing political and religious groups making demands for Muslims to be treated separately from other Malaysians at public laundry shops and toilets, supermarkets and cinemas, and for liquor sales to be outlawed in Muslim-majority residential areas. The DBKL ban on the beer festival has encouraged these groups to be more brazen in their demand.

We can learn about leadership in facing up to extremist threats from the Muslim mayor of London. Each time there is a tragedy, the mayor would respond bravely, standing in front of world TV to describe the attack on London as an attack not only on Britain but also on humanity. He would call for cooperation with the police so that justice would be done quickly to uphold the rule of law. And he would ask all Londoners to stand united and show to the world that the terrorists will be defeated.

In Malaysia, our leaders 47 years ago introduced the Rukunegara containing the five principles for uniting Malaysians with shared values of respect and tolerance for our diversity and multiculturalism. Our Prime Minister in his recent visit to the White House to meet the president of the United States mentioned to the world that Malaysia believes in tolerance and moderation. In his recent Maal Hijrah message, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak again reminded Malaysians about moderation in all things that we do. It is timely that our politicians and administrators take heed of his plea for moderation.

As Malaysia is a democracy, all groups have a right to make suggestions for their community, but any suggestion that will lead Malaysians to lead separate lives should be handled with care as each administrative action to ban an event on grounds of race and religion can be divisive.

As the beer festival is not the first such ban, there is a perception that Malaysia is becoming increasingly intolerant of other cultures. It will also create the impression that while the top leaders speak about tolerance and moderation, the little napoleons are free to do as they wish to pander to the pressure groups. The impression is that mob rule is becoming the norm at the lower levels of government.

Our KL mayor should stand up to say that the cultural and entertainment life of the city cannot be held to ransom by racial and religious bigotry. The economic life of the city will collapse if there is uncertainty over whether permits will be approved and then cancelled at will the moment an event becomes a sensitive issue.

The Government is spending billions to make KL one of the most liveable cities in the world. It is becoming more beautiful with all the trendy architecture, modern infrastructure and nice landscaping that make the city lively day and night. All this beauty will go to waste if the city administrators give way to the few religious ideologists who want to impose their conservative values on our lifestyles. KL must not be allowed to become a hermit city with no life.

Malaysian Muslims need to be vocal to defend the rights of all races and show that they want to continue to coexist in a multicultural society with the diverse lifestyles that make a city great.

TAN SRI MOHD SHERIFF MOHD KASSIM

Kuala Lumpur

Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/letters/2017/09/26/speak-up-in-defence-of-everyones-rights