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| Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (centre) with the Malaysian team that delivered aid to villagers in Kampung Rakapram in Cambodia on Wednesday. On the left is Cambodia’s mufti, Kamaruddin Yusof @ Sos Kamry. Pic by V. Shuman |
By V. SHUMAN
New Straits Times (Malaysia)
EARLY RAYA GIFT: Zahid hands over clothes, generators to Cambodians
KUALA LUMPUR: THOUSANDS of Muslims in Cham district in Cambodia got an early Hari Raya Aidilfitri surprise when they received goodies from a humanitarian team from Ma-laysia on Wednesday.
The team, led by Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, presented clothes, books and generators, worth RM500,000, to residents of Kampung Rakapram and surrounding villages.
Zahid was joined by representatives from Yayasan Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia (Yadim), Polytechnic Education Department employees and reporters, who had been in Phnom Penh for the Asean Defence Ministers' Meeting.
The arrival of the convoy was greeted by more than 1,000 Muslim Cambodians.
Zahid said the villagers were united with a majority of Malaysians by Islam.
"I feel privileged to be here with my brethren. This trip, although my first, will not be my last.
"I see a great opportunity for people here to come work in Malaysia and will discuss this issue with Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam," he said to applause from the crowd.
"If the women are willing, they can undergo training and come work for Muslim families in Malaysia."
He said this would provide more jobs to the villagers and help resolve the maid shortage issue in Malaysia.
He said there were also plans to provide scholarships to Muslim Cambodian students to study in Malaysia.
The Royal Malaysian Air Force provided an aircraft to ferry the team and its cargo.
Last year, 10,000 copies of the Quran, translated into Khmer, were delivered to people in Cham district.
The journey to Rakapram village, 120km from Phnom Penh, was long and arduous.
However, the spirit of the Malaysian team remained high, especially when its members met the villagers, most of whom work in nearby farms.
The team's visit was a reprieve for the Muslim minority in Cambodia, said the country's mufti, Kamaruddin Yusof @ Sos Kamry.
"We have had Malaysians extending aid to us before, but this is the first time a minister has come."
Kamaruddin said Cambodians, particularly Muslims, had flourished since the end of Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot's regime.
"There used to be 700,000 Muslims in the country prior to 1975. When Pol Pot was in power between 1976 and 1979, the number dropped to 300,000, as many people were killed or fled the country.
"Now there are about 500,000 Muslims here and we are thriving."
3 comments:
Every races and religions reach out to every corners of the world the help out their own....except Cambodian.
Kuwaiti gets 10 years for Twitter blasphemy
Lawyer: Sentence was the maximum that 26-year-old man could have received
KUWAIT — A Kuwaiti man was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Monday after he was convicted of endangering state security by insulting the Prophet Mohammad and the Sunni Muslim rulers of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain on social media.
Shi'ite Muslim Hamad al-Naqi pleaded innocent at the start of the trial last month, saying he did not post the messages and that his Twitter account had been hacked.
The written verdict, delivered by Judge Hisham Abdullah, found Naqi guilty of all charges, a court secretary told Reuters. The sentence was the maximum that 26-year-old Naqi could have received, his lawyer Khaled al-Shatti said.
The judge found him guilty of insulting the Prophet, the Prophet's wife and companions, mocking Islam, provoking sectarian tensions, insulting the rulers of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain and misusing his mobile phone to spread the comments.
"The prison sentence is long but we have the chance to appeal," Shatti said.
Under Kuwaiti law, the defense can file an appeal within 20 days of the verdict and jail sentences have been reduced in the past for similar convictions.
The civil plaintiff arguing the case against Naqi, as well as some Kuwaiti politicians, had called for Naqi to be executed in a case that stoked sectarian tensions in the Gulf state.
"This verdict is a deterrent to those who insult the Prophet Mohammad, his companions and the mothers of the believers," civil plaintiff Dowaem al-Mowazry said in a text message.
He had argued in court that Naqi must be made an example of.
Dozens of Sunni Muslim activists and lawmakers protested against Naqi shortly after his arrest and he was attacked in jail by a fellow inmate, according to the Interior Ministry.
Sectarian tensions
Naqi did not appear in court on Monday. He was in the central prison where he has been held since his arrest in March, the court secretary said. He appeared in previous sessions in a wooden and metal cage, guarded by armed men in black balaclavas.
The activists who protested against him accused Naqi of links to Shi'ite regional power Iran, something he has denied.
Shi'ites are thought to number between 20-30 percent of Kuwait's 1.1 million nationals. Vocal members can be found in senior positions in parliament, media and business.
Jerry the mouse in DUBAI, UAE.
The youns planted yet another killer in Cambodia in the next generation. These muslims will do anything in the name of their prophet. Did you know that their religion is faceless, no statues? Would you want them to ban all statuues of the Bhudda?
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