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The Sosilawati murders: It is all about greed

September 15, 2010

Lim Sue Goan

It was a blood-stained Hari Raya. The murder of cosmetic tycoon Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya was a horrible case exposing the human nature of greed and how greed turns humans into devils.

It started with the evil thoughts emerged a year ago. The two lawyer brothers, the prime suspects, and six accomplices allegedly planned a conspiracy by using a “land purchase deal” as the bait and killed at least four people.

They should know that it would be hard to escape when too many people were involved. In addition, four wealthy women were killed at once. They would sure leave traces. However, they were greedy and had been hoodwinked by money.

Sosilawati, who started on a shoestring, did not face business difficulties. It is believed that she fell into the trap because she believed that “land sale promised stunning profit”.

It was reported that a plot of land in Penang was bought for RM25 million and was to have been re-sold for RM200 million. Therefore, together with her driver, lawyer and financial adviser, Sosilawati brought RM4 million for the deal (some reports said she brought gold bricks worth RM5 million). It is believed that the suspects killed them cruelly after finding out what they had brought with them.

The prime suspects are lawyers who own a farm. They should be rich, but they still murdered for money. Also, the woman tycoon would not be killed if she did not believe that the land sale would brought her attractive profit.

It was said that the police was able to solve the case as a suspect had taken a watch of a victim. They had taken the few million ringgit from the victims but still wanted to take the watch.

The murder is all about greed. It reminds me of a case in which Pahang state assembly member Mazlan Idris was murdered by bomoh Maznah Ismail, more commonly known as Mona Fandey, 17 years ago.

To obtain more power, Mazlan sought help of the bomoh and her husband Mohamad Affandi Abdul Rahman to boost his power and political career. Unexpectedly, the couple killed him out of greed, cruelly chopped up his body in 18 parts and hid them in a storeroom of a house under construction.

Before Mohamad Affandi was hung, he advised his son to be a good man.

Mazlan was an educated politician, how could he be so superstitious? It was because he was ambitious and wanted to boost his political career. Just like Mona and the lawyer brothers, he was driven by greed and eventually, met his doom.

Human nature has its dark side. Everyone might be greedy, many people are able to control themselves but some of them just let it grow and turn evil.

I found that more and more Malaysians have become greedy and made presumptuous requests beyond legal and ethical boundaries. Those who are powerful are trying hard to become more powerful and those who are rich are trying recklessly to become richer.

It has turned the country into a mess in which politicians are playing with racial and religious issues, officials receive bribes while the rich become opportunistic. When the housing price bubble bursts, they are going to hurt not only themselves but others as well. Greed will also destroy families and turn family members into enemies.

News reports are inspiring and they show us how people are not able to bear the desire for materials and resulted in various tragedies. (Mysinchew)
Read more at http://www.mysinchew.com/node/44908?tid=12

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Sosilawati murder suspects may have killed 9 others

September 14, 2010

Melissa Goh

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysians are outraged over the murder of cosmetics millionaire Sosilawati Lawiya and three others.

The killings have drawn condemnation from ministers and the legal community, as the prime suspects are lawyers.

Another six estate workers have also been held to assist investigations.

47-year-old millionaire Sosilawati Lawiya and her driver, personal lawyer and a bank officer were killed and their bodies disposed off.

The suspects are believed to have told police that they slit their victims’ throats before torching the bodies and then scattering their ashes in a river.

Police now believe that the four murders are just the tip of the ice berg.

The prime suspects are two lawyers – brothers who are believed to have killed nine others in the past.

The duo have been in legal trouble before and were supposed to have been disbarred.

“I am utterly disgusted. Black sheeps like them give the whole legal profession a murky name. All lawyers feel they have been done in by shady characters like them,” said Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, Malaysia’s Minister for Women, Family and Community Development.

At Sosilawati’s family home in Gombak, Selangor, a string of visitors including supporters came to pay their respects. Many joined her four daughters and two sons in performing prayers.

“She’s a single mum just like me. I am very sad over what happened to her as a woman. She is beautiful and kind’,” said one woman.

Known in the local business circle as the queen of halal cosmetics, Sosilawati was said to be worth more than US$30 million.

Her range of beauty products – under the brand name Nouvelle Visages – are sold in 300 outlets across Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore.

Since her tragic death, her eldest daughter Erni Dekritawati has taken over as the new managing director.

The 25-year-old is rumoured to have inherited the estate which her mother built from scratch.

She is believed to have received many business proposals since the news of her mother’s death broke.

But for the moment, all she wants is time to mourn her loss, and for authorities to find the culprits. – CNA

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Sosilawati murder: Police find weapon in river

September 13, 2010

Murder suspect brought to a law firm to retrieve files

UPDATED KUALA LANGAT (Star)- A sharp weapon, believed to have been used in the murders of cosmetics millionaire Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and three others, has been found in a river.

After hours of searching for evidence in Sungai Kanchong, near here, Tuesday, the Marine Police scuba unit found what appeared to be a knife.

Six divers began searching the river for evidence at 9am and found the curved, sharp-bladed weapon around 4.30pm.

Police have declined to comment on the matter.

Two suspects, in handcuffs, were seen at the riverbank as the divers searched the river.

Police and forensic department personnel and the scuba unit left the scene at 5pm.

Later, around 6pm, three Fire and Rescue Department vans were seen entering Ladang Gadong, near Tanjung Sepat, believe to be the scene of the murders.

The most gory murders since the Altantuya killing in 2006

Sosilawati, 47, was murdered together with CIMB bank officer Noorhisham Mohammad, 38, driver Kamaruddin Shamsuddin, 44, and lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abdul Karim, 32. Their remains were found on Sunday night.

Earlier in the day, the main suspect in the murders was taken by police to his law firm in Banting, near here, to retrieve files.

The man, believed to be the mastermind behind the murders, entered the office about 11am.

After about two hours there, police took the suspect to his house, which is near the office.

Earlier, the suspect and police were unable to enter the office as the key did not match the padlock. However, the main shutters were opened later.

The suspect was accompanied police personnel from the serious crime unit and the forensics team.

Curious onlookers gathered around the area to witness the goings-on while the police, including those in plain clothes, were on alert.

Members of the media were also seen waiting outside the office.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin condemned the murders of Sosilawati and three others as an “inhumane act”.

“No one in their right mind would resort to taking another life even in the most extreme cases,” he said in a statement.

“I believe the authorities will do their best to ensure the murderers are brought to justice. I seek the public’s cooperation to remain calm and assist the authorities in solving the case as soon as possible.”

Muhyiddin also extended his condolences to the families of the victims.

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Sosilawati – a rags to riches tragedy

September 13, 2010

Sosilawati – had once tapped rubber

KUALA LUMPUR – Relatives and friends of murdered Malaysian millionaire Sosilawati Lawiya said her life was a rags to riches story, as they mourned her death.

Police said on Sunday that she and three of her associates, who had been missing since Aug 30, were held at a poultry farm, beaten and burnt and their ashes thrown into a river in Selangor.

The sixth child of a labourer, Madam Sosilawati tapped rubber trees during her school days for pocket money. She even went door to door to sell cosmetic products, years before she became a successful entrepreneur by starting the Nouvelles Visages brand of beauty products.

Her younger sister, Ms Rosnani Lawiya, 45, told the New Straits Times that her elder sibling had never dreamt of becoming a millionaire, let alone building a business empire.

“As a teen, all Kak Wati wanted was to help our family to prosper. We were poor, proper meals were hard to come by, yet we were happy,” she said.

Chain of beauty and spa

After completing her studies, Madam Sosilawati, who hailed from Batu Pahat in Johor, worked as a saleswoman in a supermarket before becoming a hotel clerk.

She then moved to Kuala Lumpur in search of better prospects and found a job as a secretary in a bank when she was 20.

A year later, she married a bank manager, bearing him six children before divorced 12 years later, the New Straits Times said.

She switched jobs again and became a cosmetics agent to feed her children. In 1994, Madam Sosilawati made it big, using her savings to start the Nouvelle Beauty Centre with an authorised capital of RM500,000 ($216,000) and an issued capital of RM200,000.

Her luxurious home

Within 10 years, she had 300 stores and stockists throughout the country including Brunei, Singapore and Thailand, the New Straits Times reported.

Police said eight people have been arrested in connection with the murder case. Two of those nabbed – reportedly the masterminds – are brothers who are also lawyers specialising in land deals. The remaining six are their farm workers.

Like Madam Sosilawati, the brothers reportedly had humble beginnings, graduating with law degrees and frequently donating food and clothes to the poor.

However, their reputations are stained by rumours of “unsavoury” tactics during land deal negotiations, reported The Star newspaper.

The elder brother, who has a “datukship”, is facing a probe in Penang and Bukit Aman for land fraud and cheating cases involving millions of ringgit, it said.

Police are also investigating if the brothers are responsible for the disappearance of four other people, including an Indian millionaire who had opened a restaurant with them. – AGENCIES

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Sosilawati murders the most gruesome since Altantuya

September 13, 2010

The missing millionairess hogged media headlines

Malaysia Chronicle

Pakatan Rakyat leaders condemned the brutal murders of cosmetics millionaire Sosilawati Lawiya and three of her associates, saying they were the most gruesome since the remains of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu were discovered in 2006.

PAS vice president Mahfuz Omar slammed the police for their slowness in linking the case to four other individuals who had gone missing last year.

“Only after intense media attention and after the victims had apparently been burnt to death and turned into ashes did our police connect the murders to another missing-persons case that took place last year and is still unsolved,” Mahfuz told Malaysia Chronicle.

Mahfuz urged newly-appointed Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar to beef up investigative and policing procedures. He advised the police to identify the ‘Datuk’ lawyer linked to the Sosilawati murder and reveal the motive behind the killings as soon as possible.

He also questioned why the police chose to announce the murders even before DNA testing confirmed the identities of the victims.

“Otherwise the people will think the murders are related to another high-profile politician just like the Altantuya case,” Mahfuz said.

Second most cruel only to Altantuya’s killing

Altantuya was the 28-year translator who had allegedly acted as a go-between for Prime Minister Najib Razak and his close friend Razak Baginda in the Malaysian government’s purchase of two overly-priced Scorpene submarines. She was shot and her body bombed to piece to avoid identification in a jungle clearing in Selangor.

Police comb the farm for signs of Sosilawati

Initially, the Malaysian authorities denied her existence but after huge public outcry, two of his former bodyguards together with Razak Baginda were tried for her murder. Razak was acquitted but the bodyguards have been sentenced to hang. Nevertheless, speculation remains rife as to who were the real master-minds who ordered her death.

Sosilawat, the 47-year old founder of the popular Nouvelle Visages line of cosmetics, was reported missing on August 30 along with her driver, lawyer and a bank officer, after going to discuss a land deal in Banting, Selangor.

“I can say that Sosilawati Lawiya and three others are believed to have been murdered and their bodies burnt with ashes strewn in a river near the coast of the south-western part of the state,” Criminal Investigations Department head Bakri Zinin told a press conference on Sunday.

“Police have detained eight suspects in the case and they provided information that led us to the location where the remains were found.We will have to do a DNA analysis to fully determine the identity of the remains but we are confident these are the remains of the four.”

Intense media attention

According to Bakri, one of the detainees was a 38-year-old lawyer who is believed to be the mastermind and who owned the land where the bodies were allegedly burnt. He said the lawyer, who was handling a land deal for Sosilawati, was also being investigated over the disappearance of four other people who had been reported missing in 2009.

Sosilawati’s disappearance has been on the front pages of local newspapers for the past week as police carried out a nationwide search for her amid fears that she had been abducted and murdered.

Last week, a 34-year old schizophrenic man said to be related to Najib’s wife, Rosmah Mansor, was acquitted of killing four family members and decapitating his father at their homes in Gemencheh earlier this year.

The Seremban High Court discharged Rashidi Ismail on the grounds of insanity and ordered him to be detained at the Kajang Prison at the pleasure of the Yang DiPertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan.

Rosmah, who has never denied or confirmed the relationship, was not in court but family members including Rashidi’s 59-year old mother welcomed the judgment as an Aidilfitri gift.

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Killers of cosmetics tycoon also killed Indian restauranter?

September 13, 2010

Police have detained 8 suspects so far

(Sify) – Police in Malaysia are investigating whether two brothers suspected to be behind the murders of a woman tycoon and three others had earlier killed an Indian national.

Police did not identify the Indian national but said he had been ‘missing’ and that he had opened a restaurant in partnership with two lawyer brothers who are the main accused in the murder of businesswoman Sosilawati Lawiya.

Sosilawati, 47, who founded the Nouvelles Visages cosmetic company, was reported missing Aug 30. Police suspect the murder took place as a property deal that she was negotiating Aug 28 fell through.

The lawyer brothers are among the eight suspects detained and being investigated.

Police comb the farm belonging to the lawyers

Federal Criminal Investigation Department director Bakri Zinin said at least four of the suspects confessed to the murders, New Straits Times reported Monday.

He also revealed that the lawyer brothers have earlier been involved in similar cases in which their clients had ‘gone missing’.

Bakri said police were investigating four similar disappearances linked to the brothers in the past one year.

‘One of the four earlier victims was an Indian national reported missing several months ago,’ Bakri said.

‘The suspects have indicated that the same modus operandi had been used in the other cases over the last one year,’ he said.

Police are also probing the whereabouts of the RM four million ($1.2 million) which Sosilawati was said to have been carrying, The Star newspaper said on its website.

The businesswoman and her three male companions were allegedly held at a poultry farm, beaten and murdered and their remains burnt to ashes.

The three other victims were Sosilawati’s lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abdul Karim, 32, banker Noorhisham Mohammad, 38, and driver Kamarudin Shansudin, 44.

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Penny Wong – when grit and talent triumph over hypocrisy, racism

September 12, 2010

KK-born Penny – Hakka dad, Aussie mom

Malaysia Chronicle

News that Penny Wong was made Australia’s Finance Minister created a stir in Malaysia, where she was born, especially at a time when her country of birth is going through one of its most tumultuous spates of racial and religious bigotry.

To the ethnic Chinese in Malaysia, Penny’s rise to such a high position in the Australian Cabinet symbolizes the system of meritocracy and equality that they crave for but have been largely deprived of as a result of 53 years of Malay political dominance under the Umno-BN government.

Indeed, many talented Malaysian Chinese are still fleeing their country of birth, seeking better educational and economic opportunities, and perhaps equally important peace of mind, in places like Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and the United States. Instead of improving, racial relations have only gotten worse in the Southeast Asian country, with ultra-Malay rights groups and many Umno leaders now openly proclaiming and insisting on supremacy over the other races.

Senator Penny Wong with her partner Sophie Allouache

Be that as it may, Penny or Penelope Ying-yen Wong could not have had an easy ride in what is basically still a largely White Australia, despite its better leveled playing field.

The 42-year old Wong is Australia’s first openly gay federal Cabinet minister and has made no bones about how gay and racial discrimination have set her back in the past. Still, her courage and her talent probably saved her from ignominy.

“By virtue of who I am, prejudice and discrimination are things I have first-hand knowledge of,” Penny said in a recent interview with an Australian daily.

“When I entered the parliament, I did actually think very carefully about how to handle being Asian and gay and in the parliament, because it hadn’t been done before. Part of the reason I did that was because I thought it was very important to show that you should never be ashamed of who you are.”

Being part Chinese, she is no stranger to the racism that flares up occasionally in the Land Down Under. Nevertheless, Wong has managed rise above her obstacles to become the first Asian-born Australian federal minister. Before entering Parliament, she was a barrister and solicitor in Adelaide and an adviser to the Carr Government in New South Wales.

Hakka dad, Aussie mom

Penny was born on November 5, 1968, in Kota Kinabalu, capital of Sabah, East Malaysia to a Malaysian Chinese Hakka father and an Australian mother She moved to Australia at the age of eight with her mom and younger brother Toby, after her parents separated. Toby went on to become a chef in Adelaide, South Australia. Although her father does not live in Australia, they keep in touch.

In Parliament

After spending a year on exchange in Brazil, Wong studied Arts/Law at the University of Adelaide. When she was 18, she seized control of the Labor Club from a faction controlled by George Karzis. While at university, she worked part-time for the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union.

She also became involved in political activism at university, winning a position on the National Executive of the National Union of Students. Wong has been a delegate to the South Australian Labor Party State Convention every year since 1989, with the exception of 1995. Her time at university was one where a substantial number of contemporaries became Australian politicians. Senator Natasha Stott Despoja was a contemporary and former boyfriend Jay Weatherill, a senior minister in Mike Rann’s South Australian Government among many others.

Wong graduated from university in 1992, and continued on with the CFMEU, working as an industrial officer, gaining admission to the bar in 1993. During 1995 and 1996, she acted as an advisor to the timber union and the newly-elected New South Wales state government, specialising in the area of forest policy in the middle of the fierce 1990s environmental battles over logging in NSW. On returning to Adelaide, she began practising law, won a position on the ALP’s state executive, and also took on work as a legal officer with the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union.

First in many things

With ex-prime minister Kevin Rudd

She has held a number of firsts in Australian politics. Wong was the first Australian Minister for Climate Change and Water. Her appointment was amended on 26 February 2010, by the Prime Minister, to the Minister for Climate Change, Energy Efficiency and Water. This change in the Government’s cabinet was brought about by the controversy of the Home Insulation Program (HIP). On 13 September 2010 she was sworn in as Minister for Finance and Deregulation in the Gillard Labor cabinet. She has been a member of the Australian Senate since 2002, representing South Australia.

Wong ran for pre-selection for the Senate in 2001, and was selected for the top spot on the Labor party’s South Australian ticket. Wong is a member of EMILY’s List Australia, the support network for Labor women, and, until appointment as a minister following the 2007 election, sat on a number of Senate committees, primarily those related to economics.

With Prime Minister Julia Gillard

In June 2005 Wong was appointed Shadow Minister for Employment and Workforce Participation and Shadow Minister for Corporate Governance and Responsibility. Following the reshuffle in December 2006, she became responsible for the portfolios of Public Administration and Accountability, Corporate Governance and Responsibility, and Workforce Participation.

In November 2007, in the wake of the Labor Party victory in the 2007 election, Wong was appointed Minister for Climate Change and Water. As a result of this promotion, she is the highest ranked politician representing South Australia. She accompanied Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to Bali for the international climate change talks. Wong led final negotiations as Chair of the United Nations Working Group in the closing days of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in December 2007, shortly after her appointment as Minister for Climate Change and Water.

On September 11, 2010, Prime Minister Julia Gillard – herself Australia’s first woman premier – announced Wong’s promotion to succeed Lindsay Tanner as Minister for Finance.

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‘Datuk’, two others arrested in Sosilawati murder probe

September 12, 2010

BANTING (Malaysian Insider) — Police have confirmed the arrest of a “Datuk” lawyer and two brothers in connection with the murder of cosmetics millionaire Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and three others missing with her, saying today the four were burnt and the ashes scattered at a river near Ladang Gadong in Tanjung Sepat near here.

CID Director Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Zinin said today police are still trying to obtain forensic confirmation to identify the dead.

He said this at a press conference held at the Banting police district headquarters here, hours after newly-installed Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar said “more than four people” have been arrested in connecting with the case.

Sosilawati’s relatives at the farm

Sosilawati, 47, her driver Kamaruddin Shamsudin, 44, CIMB Kampung Baru officer Noorhisham Mohammad, 38, and lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abdul Karim, 32, were reported missing since August 30 after going to Banting, Selangor, for a land purchase matter.

Police are also investigating several other kidnap-murder cases based on the statements given by the suspects arrested so far.

Bakri told reporters that the first four suspects who were nabbed on Friday had revealed that they were involved in similar cases within the past year.

“We’re now investigating, based on the first four suspects’ statements that there might be other cases,” he said, but was quick to add that the lead was purely based on their testimonies and not any solid evidence.

The police believe Sosilawati and her companions may have been killed and their bodies burned following the discovery of charred remains at a poultry farm in Tanjung Layang, Morib yesterday night.

The police learned that their ashes may have been scattered along a river near the farm.

Bakri refused to confirm speculation that charred remains found in a Morib poultry farm last night belonged to the missing people, stressing that the forensic team is still collecting evidence on the crime scene.

Sosilawati had told one of her daughters that she was going on a business trip to Banting for three days and was said to be carrying a large amount of cash.

It is learnt that Sosilawati’s relatives have arrived in Banting to provide DNA samples to the forensic team which is based in a Banting restaurant four kilometres from the farm.

Last Monday, police found her BMW at Angsana Apartment in USJ 1, Subang Jaya and the BMW of Ahmad Kamil in front of a hotel in Subang Jaya but the missing millionaire has not been seen since she was spotted buying Raya cookies at a shop in Kampung Sungai Lan, Banting on September 2.

Earlier, police cordoned off a site at the poultry farm that was said to belong to one of the suspects, where excavation work was expected to be carried out today.

It is believed that police recovered several items belonging to the four missing people at the same farm.

Bakri said several suspects including a lawyer with a “Datuk” title and two brothers, who are owners of the farm have been held in connection with Sosilawati’s disappearance since Aug 30.

He said it was information from the public and the press that had led to the swift arrests.

“One of the information we received was that one of them was wearing a watch similar to one of the missing persons,” he said.

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Idul-Fitr: End of the Beautiful Days

September 9, 2010

Islam is for all

Al-Amin Ciroma

Idul-Fitr marks the end of the month of Ramadan. Muslims say farewell to the blessed month, the month of Allah, the month in which the glorious scripture, the ultimate mandate for mankind, the Holy Qur’an, was revealed. The month that has most beautiful days and ever fragrant nights.

We leave the month of seeking nearness to Ar-Rahmaan (the All-Merciful), the school of Iman (faith) and an opportunity to recharge our spiritual batteries.

In the previous nights, we prayed, offered charity and attended lectures. What will happen now? Have we fulfilled the requirements of Taqwa (fear of God) and graduated from this school with an ‘A’ grade diploma of the God-fearing?

The night of Idul-Fitr is a majestic night. It is beneficial to keep awake for Ibadah (worship) as this night is of equal importance as the night of Laylatul-Qadr, the queen of the nights.

The Eid must not just mark the ‘end’ of Ramadan. Rather, it should be a new beginning, where we emulate our character and Islamic values, which we have focused upon for the past 29 or 30 days.

We are like a child out of the womb, pure and innocent. Eid is the day of victory as we have succeeded in subduing our desires and purified ourselves. Let us not wash away our good deeds and revert to our merry old ways. Let the mosques still overflow with worshippers, let the Qur’an be the most essential part of our lives instead of letting it gather dust on our shelves. Our condition should be better than before Ramadan.

Eid is not just a ritual that provides us with an excuse to enjoy ourselves. It represents important values and participating in them, we seek to please the Almighty Allah and attain nearness to Him.

Idul-Fitr is a great day of festival for Muslims. It is a day of rejoicing and being happy. But for whom?

Is it the day of rejoicing for those who simply put on new clothes and wear perfume? Or is it the day of being happy for those who were eagerly waiting for the release of the greatest enemy of mankind, the Satan, from his captivity so that they all revert to committing sins?

Unfortunately, many Muslims abstain from sins during the month of Ramadan, but come Eid, they go back to what they were before! Cassettes of prayers, which were in their cars during the holy month, are thrown back into their cases and replaced with those, which are unlawful, by Shari’ah.

The forbidden places from which they had abstained for month long, are infact the same places they go to celebrate Eid.

Just as, when a person goes to a college, or a university and at the completion of his course, he receives his award marking his achievement, we must understand that, the holy month of Ramadan is a spiritual university where we are being trained to achieve Taqwa i.e. piety.

The day of Idul-Fitr is when Allah is awarding us for our achievements.

On the day of Eid al-Fitr, Imam Ali bin Abi Talib delivered a sermon in which he said: “O people! Verily this day of yours is the day when the righteous are awarded and the wretched are losers. It is a day which is similar to the one on which you shall be standing (before your Lord).

“Therefore, when you come out of your homes to go to places of your prayer, remind yourselves about the day when you (your souls) shall come out of your bodies to go to your Lord.

“When you stand on places of your prayer, remind yourselves of your standing in presence of your Lord (on the day of Judgement). And when you return to your homes (after prayer), remind yourselves about your returning to your homes in Paradise.

“O Servants of Allah Almighty! Verily, the minimum reward for those men and women who fasted (during Ramadan), is an Angel, who calls out to them on the last day of the month of Ramadhan (saying): O Servants of Allah! Rejoice the glad tiding that all your previous sins have been forgiven. Therefore, watch out in those things which serve as your re-creation (on this day and days to follow)”.

May all our worship, prayer and remembrance of Allah and other good deeds be accepted and rewarded in this life and the life hereafter. May the auspicious days of Eid festivities be the event of joyful celebration and may Allah shower you with blessings for a happier and healthier life to cherish many such festivities in the years to come.

May Allah accept our efforts and give us Tawfiq (perservrance) to serve Him with sincerity.

The one who loves to meet his Lord in peace must be prepared to struggle and labour himself, his pen and his wealth in the way of Islam and the way of our beloved Prophet Muhammad.

We are committed in our efforts to promote a platform for a healthy society which adheres to the tenets of peace, justice and freedom. – Harakahdaily

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Vatican calls proposed Koran burning `Outrageous and Grave’

September 9, 2010

Rev. Terry Jones’ disgraceful plan

(Bloomberg) – The Vatican condemned a Florida pastor’s plan to burn Korans on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said burning the Islamic holy book is a “disgraceful plan.”

The terrorist attacks “cannot be counteracted by an outrageous and grave gesture against a book considered sacred by a religious community,” the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue said today in an e-mailed statement. Every religion “has the right to respect and protection.”

Terry Jones, pastor of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, told CNN yesterday that he’s “weighing” what to do after U.S. General David Petraeus, commander of international coalition forces in Afghanistan, warned the event would endanger U.S. troops. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs yesterday echoed the general’s warning, saying the Koran burning would put U.S. troops “in harm’s way.”

In a video posted on the church’s website, Jones said the event was in response to anti-American sentiment expressed by some Muslims abroad. Sept. 11 is the ninth anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York City and the Pentagon that killed almost 3,000 people.

‘Solidarity’

The anniversary calls for “deep sentiments of solidarity” with the victims of the attacks and their families, according to today’s statement from the Vatican.

“We are hoping that the pastor decides not to do this,” Clinton told an audience at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington today.

Pope Benedict XVI sparked criticism from the Muslim world after delivering a lecture at the University of Regensburg in Germany on Sept. 12, 2006. He cited a 14th-century text that described Mohamed as a prophet who brought “evil and inhuman” things, “such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.”

Benedict hadn’t intended to offend Islam, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said after the lecture. The pope expressed regret twice for his comments, saying he had quoted “a medieval text” that did not “express in any way my personal opinion.”

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altfa's Blog

Archive for the ‘General’ Category

The Sosilawati murders: It is all about greed

Sosilawati murder suspects may have killed 9 others

Sosilawati murder: Police find weapon in river

Sosilawati – a rags to riches tragedy

Sosilawati murders the most gruesome since Altantuya

Killers of cosmetics tycoon also killed Indian restauranter?

Penny Wong – when grit and talent triumph over hypocrisy, racism

‘Datuk’, two others arrested in Sosilawati murder probe

Idul-Fitr: End of the Beautiful Days

Vatican calls proposed Koran burning `Outrageous and Grave’

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