Timeline 2009

Ok, what happened so far? In 2007 The Catholic weekly The Herald came under observation by the Home Ministry and the Ministry of Internal Security. Mid of the year its publication license was withdrawn – but that was just a short incident. After national and international outcry it could publish again, as far as I understood. It was said, that the paper would publish on things beyond its purpose – meaning articles on political issues. In August, the use Allah in the Bahasa Malaysia edition became an issue. That was the year before the disastrous (for the BN) March08 elections. Archbishop Tan Sri Murphy Pakiam filed a civil suit against the Ministry. The printing license for 2008 came belated in February and with conditions on which words were not allowed to be used. Again, the Archbishop took legal action, this time filing a judicial review in which he claimed, that the conditions where beyond the Ministry’s authority and that they would be unconstitutional, going against freedom of speech and autonomy in religious matters. Islamic councils applied for interference, claiming they had own interest in the case – it would after all touch on Islamic matters. The question is here: Is it a case for civil High Court or the local Shariah Courts? Jakim issues a fatwa, stating that Allah can just be used by Muslims. Applications for reviews and stays are filled from both sides till the end of the year. End of the year, the printing permission is issued just for the English, Mandarin and Tamil version of The Herald. Bahasa Malaysia is not allowed until the matter on “the word” is solved. (ev: Eh, so what is The Herald doing in 2008? Publishing in Bahasa Malaysia still? – I think so!)
2009 then…

Malaynice

AND…since I feel a bit bad for constantly bashing Malaysia, here a proof that I can indeed fit in pretty well into a very Malay household.

macik, ev, pakcik, someone else

This is at Pacik Hassims house, somewhere in Balik Pulau on the other side of Penang (Balik Pulau = Back of the Island). I went to some random mosque to get rid of my spare clothes and stuff, before i left and this pakcik was nice enough to take care of the stuff, since there was no one at the mosque. He lives next to it and has a home stay and is also head of the tourism office in the village. We were asked into the house where we had tea and the left-over Ramadhan cakes, served by the pious macik on the left next to me, who was fasting again some fasting days I cannot remember. The man was really nice, was very proud of his tabligh son and – in contrast to my average prejudice towards religiously looking Malays – very open minded and knowledgeable. He said, he was very interested that so many people come from so different places: that Iranian girls don’t wear a scarf and that they pray in a rather interesting way, for example, and that Europeans like to sleep the whole day. He didn’t say it in a judgmental way though, but with interest. I was very happy to have such an encounter on one of my last days in Penang. I should have hung around in the kampung more often!

Pleasure and Pain of Intercourses

and here is, what the white man was burdened with: teaching sexual morals to the natives! Paragraph 377 all over the former British colonies (worth reading is the human rights watch report “This Alien Legacy. The Origins of “Sodomy” Laws in British Colonialism.”! It deals with severals form of “carnal intercourse against the order of nature” and is revised in the respective post-colonial states in one or the other way. Unsurprisingly, Malaysia is doing it the other way, leaving anal and oral sex illegal and even make them more rigorous by criminalizing female-female sex as well – all in the name of gender equality!
And: they even charge you for that, they even put you on trial for consensual carnal intercourse against the order of nature, not for the rather regular khalwat (close proximity of unrelated people of the opposite sex) and zina (pre- or extramarital sex) offences under shariah-law, but for paragraph 377 of the state penal code. So, last January three men where arrested for performing oral sex on a woman, an offense you can earn 20 years in prison for! Interestingly, the article did not say anything about what happens to the woman, since it was apparently more concerned with its three perverts that even work for the government than the lucky woman that had three guys down her thighs!

The White Man’s Burden

The White Man’s Burden
(The United States and the Philippine Islands)

Take up the White Man’s burden—
Send forth the best ye breed—
Go, bind your sons to exile
To serve your captives’ need;
To wait, in heavy harness,
On fluttered folk and wild—
Your new-caught sullen peoples,
Half devil and half child.

Take up the White Man’s burden—
In patience to abide,
To veil the threat of terror
And check the show of pride;
By open speech and simple,
An hundred times made plain,
To seek another’s profit
And work another’s gain.

Take up the White Man’s burden—
The savage wars of peace—
Fill full the mouth of Famine,
And bid the sickness cease;
And when your goal is nearest
(The end for others sought)
Watch sloth and heathen folly
Bring all your hope to nought.

Take up the White Man’s burden—
No iron rule of kings,
But toil of serf and sweeper—
The tale of common things.
The ports ye shall not enter,
The roads ye shall not tread,
Go, make them with your living
And mark them with your dead.

Take up the White Man’s burden,
And reap his old reward—
The blame of those ye better
The hate of those ye guard—
The cry of hosts ye humour
(Ah, slowly!) toward the light:—
“Why brought ye us from bondage,
Our loved Egyptian night?”

Take up the White Man’s burden—
Ye dare not stoop to less—
Nor call too loud on Freedom
To cloak your weariness.
By all ye will or whisper,
By all ye leave or do,
The silent sullen peoples
Shall weigh your God and you.

Take up the White Man’s burden!
Have done with childish days—
The lightly-proffered laurel,
The easy ungrudged praise:
Comes now, to search your manhood
Through all the thankless years,
Cold, edged with dear-bought wisdom,
The judgment of your peers.

by Rudyard Kipling (1899)
severed brilliantly to justify imperialist enterprises across the world back in the good old days and becomes more and more up to date in these days

neuigkeiten…

Celik schreibt eine Ethik-Klausur und wird als Terrorist verdächtig – vermutlich nicht wegen dem Inhalt, sondern weil Celik Celik heißt.
Die Bremer Kaufleute lassen keine Frauen in ihre heiligen Hallen. “Jedes kaufmännische Mitglied darf einen Gast einladen, von dem wird eine großzügige Spende zugunsten bedürftiger Kapitäne und ihrer Witwen erwartet.[...]Einzige Bedingung für alle Beteiligten: Sie müssen männlich sein.” Das sagt die Tradition, das ist seit 400 Jahren schon so! Aber, hört, hört, es ist eine Revolution im Gange: “Erstmals in der Geschichte spielten Frauen eine derart große Rolle und “wir werden mit dieser Neuheit richtig umgehen, nur wird das seine Zeit brauchen”.”
Gute deutsche Tradition! Schade, das Hermann und Friedrich nicht Celik heißen und die guten deutschen Männer nicht ihrer White Man’s Burden nachgehen müssen!

Freiheit

Der neue Stern am deutschen Parteienhimmel, “Die Freiheit”, bekommt also keinen Raum für ihren Landesparteitag in Berlin. Dass eine Sprachschule “Die Freiheit” nach dem sie sich informiert haben lieber doch nicht in ihrem Haus haben will, wundert mich nicht. Mich wundern eher die taz-Kommentare, die alle samt von “Freiheits-”liebenden verfasst wurden und zwischen denen sich keine einzelne Gegenstimme findet. Stammtisch-bürgerliches, christliches Gedeutsche, was zielgerichtet gegen den Islam und nicht gegen “Volksfremde im Allgemeinen” wettert, scheint selbst der_m tageszeitungsleser_in nicht viel auszumachen.
…

Update: aber die Freiheit bekommt Werbung auf der Temasek Review , “Singapore’s Leading Socio-Political Blog”. Leider haben sich die Damen und Herren Temasek-Review noch nicht zu meiner Nachfrage geäußert, wie diese rechtspopulistischen Honks in ihr Konzept “independent and alternative coverage on socio-political affairs in Singapore” zu liefern, passen. Immerhin hat sich der ewige gute Vater Singapores und der einzige Minister Mentor der Welt, Lee Kuan Yew, in nahezu sarrazinistischer Weise im Januar 2011 zu seinem Kracher-Buch “Hard Truth to Keep Singapore Going” wie folgt geäußert: ““I think we were progressing very nicely until the surge of Islam came, and if you asked me for my observations, the other communities have easier integration — friends, intermarriages and so on, Indians with Chinese, Chinese with Indians — than Muslims. That’s the result of the surge from the Arab states,” said the former Prime Minister of Singapore.
“I would say today, we can integrate all religions and races except Islam. I think the Muslims socially do not cause any trouble, but they are distinct and separate,” he added.”

zahnarzt

heute beim zahnarzt gewesen. alleine, obwohl ich wusste, dass etwas schlimmes passiert: zahn abschleifen für eine krone – bin ja schon alt. kaum sind die zweiten da, gibts auch schon die dritten. zähne scheinen wie handys, sie halten einfach nicht mehr so lange wie früher. alleine also. ich ging ganz souverän hin, ohne auch nur dran zu denken, lieber doch nicht hin zu gehen. ich weinte erst, als an der kreuzung mehringdamm/großbeerenstraße war, obwohl ich den ganzen weg vom kottbusser damm lief. die sprechstundenhilfe war etwas unfreundlich und ging nicht weiter auf mein geweine ein. ich laß focus. was für eine dreckszeitung, aber ich war sehr abgelenkt. ich ging ein angsthäufchen machen auf der praxistoilette. als ich wieder kam, stand sie schon da, die bedrohliche, kleine, mütterlich wirkende zahnärztin. “ja, es geht mir gut”, “ja, ich gehe schon mal rein (auf die schlachtbank)”! ich ging rein und weinte. Ich legte meine tasche und brille ab und weinte wieder kurz. ich setzte mich auf den stuhl und die böse frau mit der netten stimme reichte mir ein taschentuch. “halten sie das fest, das beruhigt!” ich weinte, hickste, schneuzte, hickste und war irgendwann fertig. es gab viele spritzen. das war schön. zahnarztspritzen machen, dass es hinterher weniger weh tut. ich weinte trotzdem und lachte dann aus scham. dann war mein mund betäubt. ich bekam einen abdruck oben, das war eklig und ich wollte kurz brechen. die bedrohliche frau verschwätze mir die zeit. ich spülte den mund aus und spuckte weit über das bereitstehende becken, weil eine mundhälfte betäubt war. jede tat, als hätte sie nichts bemerkt und das brechgefühl ging vorüber. mein abdruck sei schön, wurde mir versichert. dann schliff sie meinen zahn ab. vom fühlen-hören her wie jede andere bohrung, nur länger. geradezu langweilig. ich rezitierte und döste. er wurde mir gezeigt und sah eklig aus. klein, abgeschliffen, gelb und rot vom blut. wir machten zwei “sehr schöne” abdrücke von meinem unterkiefer und setzten das ersatzteil ein. dann war alles vorbei und ich war sehr stolz!

schön eigentlich...leider nicht gedreht

die betäubung hielt lange an. es war lustig. die lippe war taub, nur der finger fühlte die lippe, aber die lippe fühlte den finger nicht zurück. das piercing waberte so zu sagen in der luft. spät am abend ging es wieder gut. eigentlich sieht es hübsch aus mit dem schmuck. bis die keramikkrone kommt habe ich diesen metalaufsatz bestimmt lieb gewonnen. er macht mich schön und passt gut ins gesamtmundbild.
gute nacht

poisonous christmas

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak went for a christmas party at the Archbishops house. The regular crowd of Malaysian online news producers took it up and wondered if or if not the Archbishop obeyed the wish to remove crosses, not singing christmas songs and do not read from the bible.
“According to Kok, who is also Selangor senior exco, the Prime Minister’s Office’s had issued a directive for crucifixes to be removed from the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) Christmas event on 25 Dec, where Prime Minister Najib Razak was a guest.
The directive, she said, also prohibited Christian prayers and hymns during the event that was held at the Catholic Church Archbishop’s residence.”

The official side denys that these instructions were given (in that particular form), the catholic side claims that they (the Catholic community present) kept singing chorals and surely read from the bible. Christians are disappointed from either Najib or Archbishop or both, ev is definitely too bored to evaluate further. … But just in case I have to get back to that…you never know – after all, the Allah-mess is still in the game for a potential thesis! At least for my beloved Utusan-crowed it makes sense: ““Imagine if the prime minister was not cautious when entering the ‘house of worship’, pictures of the prime minister with a crucifix over his head would surface. It will be politicised by the opposition,” said Tee [Ridhuan Tee, writer of the article in Utusan, evseins].” If it would be Bali I’d suggest, that Mount Agung would explode and bury dozens of villages under tons of ashes…

I agree that religious texts can be hyper dangerous – i didn’t know that “Silent night” can be, too. My gandma and I sang the wrong verse of “O du fröhliche” in church on Christmas…she still believes that she is celebrating the birth of the savior – Good Lord! she could have easily ended up becoming an atheist!! … And thinking about it, I wonder what’s wrong with my still-not-shaken monotheism, after the all the temples I visited…
what a dangerous world out there – no wonder I never go out and prefer to hang around in the www.

This from art-harun.blogspot.com is a comment worth reading!

every year new year

new year celebration ahead. i dislike! i basically dislike all scheduled and-now-everyone-is-happy-and-having-the-best-party-ever occasions. for years, i play board games with a bunch of other new-years-refugees and its good. this year, i work and its good too. even the pre-work-sparkling-wine-drinking is to much for me, but i will attend. i will not fight my way to work at 0.00 – im afraid i might not reach safely. starting from 28 dec i discover an evil desire to send the kids living on the so-called “gaza-strip” (aka sonnenallee) back to palestine until 1 jan. they could join the merry rocket throwing over there and wouldnt have to attack me and other by-passers on their way to the subway. even though feeling bad and politically incorrect (unless i would be a dedicated anti-deutsche), i induldge in this 3-day-racism and prepare myself to become a frustrated grandma.
yesterday i even said a 100%-grandma saying: “oh my god, cant this boy wear jeans that fit! these are way to big and will slip any minute!” i was embarrassed. i mumbled it and the person next to me could hear it. i look like 16 and think like 61! i am more and more convinced i have schizophrenic tendencies.
i am even about to stop drinking. i had 1,25 beers yesterday and i didnt enjoy. i barely smoke. i go to bed at midnight. thats how 2010 is ending. i wonder what is to come in 2011…

Anyone reckoned the Asian Cup?
Malaysia indeed boleh, beat Indonesia in the second final 4-2 and is Winner of the Asian Cup 2010. Congratulations! A new public holiday to celebrate the victory of their nasty neighbour on one side of the Straits and national grief on the other side of the Straits. Not even Gudel, the Indonesian version of Paul, that moved to Seaworld in Ancol did her job well.
297 high class comments that are excellent proof of indolaysian brotherhood can be read here!