What the Sam Hill?!

Morality policing in Malaysia has certainly gone lopsidedly loony.

Who would have imagined a mere staff of Borders charged before the Syariah High Court for “distributing by way of selling the book entitled, Allah, Liberty and Love (The Courage to Reconcile Faith and Freedom”).

WTH???!

Technically, the charge could well be valid since Nik Raina Nik Abdul Aziz was the Mid Valley outlet’s store manager, but logically, neither the books by Irshad Manji nor the outlet, Borders, are hers to start with.

Nik Raina faces a RM3,000 fine or a maximum of two years' jail or both under Section 13(1) of the Syariah Criminal Offences Act (Federal Territories) 1997, if convicted.

Am really not sure how the charge is worded but going by the Star’s phrasing of “distributing by way of selling”; it seems to be one of strict liability. Legal eagles would definitely be able to explain this to all us layman.

A store manager, huh?

Didn’t have the balls to go after the real owner, is it? Borders, according to the Star, belong to Berjaya Books Sdn Bhd.

Look at the penalty for God’s sake and tell me if it’s just?

A bookstore staff…

Did she have like total control over the outlet? Over the procurement of all books?

How many books do Borders have in stock?

The one at the Curve in Damansara seems to have like a billion books from the most innocent My First ABC to the horrendously explicit Brian Azzarello’s 100 Bullets series (to cite an example).

But of course, the latter isn’t something that is "deemed to be against the Islamic Law (Hukum Syarak)" even if it does feature gratuitous sex and violence every other issue.

Is Nik Raina’s charging to set an example? Couldn’t she be just slapped with a mere warning to take the books out within a certain period - her convictions on the book’s contents and the banning act notwithstanding?

How in heaven’s name are Muslims supposed to show that Islam is the perfect Addin when you have something so logically, chronically unjust?

What others see is the authorities picking on the easiest of targets to make an example of.

Someone like Nik Raina. 

Gobsmackingly Audacious

Not a day goes without something interesting happening in Malaysia Truly Asia.

One of the latest would be news of a “Non-Muslim only" concert featuring Fergie and the Black Eyed Peas happening on Sept 25 in Sunway Lagoon.

With a stroke of the mighty authoritarian pen, there are now two classes of people in the country, adding further to segmentation vis a vis race and political affiliations.

Apparently, this was a decision due to the concert being sponsored by a brewery, AND since there is a severe slump in domestic tourism counter, some leeway (read: bending backwards) was apparently made.

Huh?

This is just so wrong.

For one, it in principle discriminated a whole group of people (never mind the theological justifications).

The concert is “expected to boost the tourism industry affected by the recession and the A(H1N1) flu outbreak”.(Quoted from The Malaysian Insider)

Give me a break, please.

Fergie and her gang have got a strong following in this region.

What if Muslim fans from our regional neighbors want in? To help do their domestic tourism boosting bit, that is.

What then? Do we say: Sorry, No Muslims Allowed.

See how sick that reads?

(MI says the go-ahead comes with restrictions against selling "the brew" or displaying the brewers logo and what not.

That makes it all so-very okay, doesn't it?)

The Arthur's Day concert is one of four to celebrate the brewery’s 250th anniversary.

As such, it could not have been an impromptu, out of the blue, decision but one that is long in the planning.

The reason for choosing Malaysia truly Asia is probably this: “…one of the top 10 (brewer brand) consuming countries in the world with the bitter available anywhere.” (ditto)

Ahh…

So you can calculate the amount of clout involved in this decision making.

And the date chosen for this concert? A few days after the Aidil Fitri celebrations.

I, too, enjoy Fergie’s songs but I can hear the smack right across the Peninsular.

This is just so sick.

One country. Multiple standards.

So very sick.