News from Home, World and the Vatican

DAP has lashed out at an RTM1 report which linked opposition leaders to the "Murtads in Malaysia & Singapore" Facebook group.

It was shown on its 8pm prime-time news slot last night.

DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua said in a statement that Information, Communications, and Culture Minister Rais Yatim must take responsibility for what he termed as "the most despicable piece of incendiary false news reporting on national TV, and ensure that those responsible for it are sacked immediately". Read more »

Former Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin said that one of the 12 Muslims who were present at the Damansara Utama Methodist Church's Aug 3 event had denied having converted to Christianity.

While the woman did concede that there were others who have embraced Christianity, she had remained faithful to Islam.

The conversions, Asri said, was the fault of the country's Islamic institutions for failing to help underprivileged Muslims. Read more »

The Malaysian Bar cautiously welcomes the announcement earlier this week of the formation of a “Jawatankuasa Pendengaran” (“the committee”) to resolve the controversy surrounding the raid undertaken by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (“JAIS”) on a multi-faith community thanksgiving event held at Damansara Utama Methodist Church (“DUMC”) in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, recently.

According to media reports, the committee will be headed by the Menteri Besar of Selangor, with the Mufti of Selangor and his deputy as members. Read more »

Why did the Vatican become the Vatican? What was this place originally? What used to be there?

Vatican, in ancient times, was the name of a hill in Rome, which was situated on the right bank of the River Tevere.

It was an unsound and damp place with stretches of wild, uncultivated fields. Agrippina the Elder had created gardens there and Emperor Nero had built a small private circus. Read more »

Muhamad Hj Burok, the lawyer representing the 12 Muslims who were present at a Thanksgiving Dinner held at Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) on Aug 3, has called on all to stop harassing his clients.

Muhammad in his press statement said that, “this unfortunate controversy is being fanned in various print and electronic media including blogs in a manner that incites tension amongst Malaysians.” Read more »

The Hudson New York reports that there are more Islamic mosques being built in France than Roman Catholic churches.

It reports that there are more than 2,000 mosques in France in just the past ten years. By contrast, the Roman Catholic Church in France has built only 20 new churches during the past decade, and has formally closed more than 60 churches. Read more »

The Selangor state government today said it will set up a syura, or consultative council, to “resolve” the controversial raid by the Selangor state Islamic department (Jais) on a church in Petaling Jaya earlier this month.

Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim said the three-member council will include state mufti Tamyes Abdul Wahid, his deputy Abdul Majid Omar and Khalid himself. Read more »