29 March 2005

What Updates - Nias's aftershocks

[Geographic]



An employee at the Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysics' office in Jakarta points to a computer monitor showing a graph of the 8.7 magnitude earthquake off the main island of Sumatra March 29, 2005. A massive 8.7 magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia's Sumatra island Monday and killed several people, perhaps dozens, but there were no immediate reports of a tsunami, residents and officials said. Photo by Dadang Tri/Reuters

Hopefully, its will NO tsunami ater all. NO more massive earthquake hit tonight... so the rest of us can sleep well - NO even tremor at all. NO major destructive, again. Will NO of our children will cry for help, again. Will we pray only to Him as usual, all will safe and back to normal. Insya Allah almighty will help us.

May Allah bless who perished and suffered in this earthquake. As for the precaution, we encourage the rest of us getting genuine info only from authorised or govt media. We need to lookup on all other aspect and always be alert. But pls no over react. Ninetnine Network will start on leave tmrw [30th March]. For the certain reason, I'll stop blogging for a while.

Insya Allah, will updating this blog as usual, April 2005 onwards. Thanks all.

When not all "halal" really halal here

[My Malaysiana][InterFaith]

'Halal' label on pork products

By Firdaus Abdullah




(NSTP): It was on sale in a supermarket here in December. Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry officials discovered this when they raided the place following a tip-off.

What they found were 572 cans of minced pork bearing the halal inscription in Jawi.

"The canned minced pork was imported from China and we are still investigating how the item came to be labelled halal.

"This case is being investigated under the Trade Descriptions Act 1972," State Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs director Iskandar Halim Sulaiman said today.

Under the Act, individuals found guilty are liable to a maximum fine of RM100,000 or three years' imprisonment, or both, while companies face a maximum fine of RM200,000.

It is understood that the supermarket had re-labelled the items from China.

The enforcement division also confiscated 62 boxes of frozen chicken parts bearing forged halal logos and inscriptions in a raid on a shop here last Tuesday.

Earlier, Iskandar chaired the State-level Halal Task Force meeting, comprising enforcement officers from Jakim, Sarawak Islamic Affairs Department (Jais), the health and veterinary departments, and officials from the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute.

"The task force will conduct spot checks at premises like slaughterhouses and factories producing food items. Offenders can expect strict and swift action from us," he said.

To date, Jakim and Jais have issued 92 halal certificates throughout Sarawak.

Meanwhile, the acute diesel shortage in the State, particularly in northern towns like Miri, Sibu, Bintulu and Lawas, has prompted immediate action from the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry.

Senior ministry officials from Kuala Lumpur and representatives from other enforcement agencies are expected to hold a high- powered meeting here tomorrow to chart the next course of action to rectify the situation.

Useful Links:
  • Portal e-Halal Jakim - Really need to Upgrade!!!
  • Who's Amina Wadud II

    [InterFaith]

    Suara JAKIM: Agenda Amina Wadud persenda hukum Islam

    Oleh Ghafani Awang Teh

    DALAM sejarah moden Islam, kita melihat muncul pelbagai nama yang menimbulkan kontroversi seperti Mirza Ghulan Ahmad mendakwa ia sebagai Rasul Allah terakhir. Serpihan pengikut Mirza telah mewujudkan ajaran Qadiyani yang memfatwakan sebagai agama baru.

    Kemunculan Mirza di Pakistan mendapat sokongan kuat penjajah British ketika menjajah Pakistan dan India. Kemudian muncul pula Salman Rashdie yang mendakwa al-Quran sebagai ayat syaitan dan diberi perlindungan hebat oleh masyarakat Barat.

    Di Bangladesh pernah muncul Taslima Nasreen yang menulis novel berasaskan mencaci al-Quran. Di negara kita sendiri pernah wujud sekelompok umat Islam tidak mengaku Sunnah Rasulullah dan menerbitkan pula kitab BACAAN.

    Persoalan besar timbul ialah apakah kontroversi yang dikeluarkan oleh orang Islam jahil silih berganti itu menjadi agenda pihak-pihak tertentu atau komplot untuk menghakis peranan ulama dan fuqaha dalam menjaga kesucian dan kekuatan nilai ajaran Islam?

    Pada 18 Mac lalu, umat Islam terkejut dengan laporan berita luar negara yang menyebutkan seorang wanita menjadi imam dan membaca khutbah sembahyang Jumaat yang diadakan di sebuah gereja di Manhattan New York Amerika Syarikat.




    Wanita yang menjadi imam itu ialah Amina Wadud seorang profesor dalam bidang pengajian Islam di Universiti Commonwealth Virginia Amerika Syarikat. Beliau seorang ibu tunggal dan mempunyai lima anak.

    Tindakan kontroversi Amina Wadud mengenai amalan ajaran Islam bukanlah perkara pelik baginya. Beliau pernah menjadi pensyarah di Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia dari 1989-1992 tetapi perkhidmatannya tidak dilanjutkan kerana pandangannya selalu kontroversi.

    Dalam satu Persidangan Perundingan Kepemimpinan Islam Peringkat Antarabangsa Berhubung HIV/Aids di Kuala Lumpur pada 20 Mei 2003, beliau mencaci al-Quran dan Sunnah kerana mendakwa ajarannya berkaitan pendidikan seks menyebabkan HIV/Aids merebak.

    Isu utama dalam tindak tanduk terbaru Amina Wadud ialah menjadi imam sembahyang Jumaat, membaca khutbah dan setiap saf-saf sembahyang Jumaat itu bercampur aduk lelaki dan wanita.

    Tindakan Amina Wadud menjadi wanita Islam pertama di dunia menjadi imam sembahyang Jumaat dan membaca khutbah menerima kecaman ulama di seluruh dunia, antaranya Syeikh Yusuf al-Qardhawi.

    Menurut Syeikh Yusuf al-Qardhawi, fuqaha bersependapat wanita diharamkan menjadi imam sembahyang Jumaat dan membaca khutbah. Pendapat ini berdasarkan pengajaran dan bukan berdasarkan adat sesuatu kaum seperti mana yang didakwa, ketika memberi ulasan lanjut kepada agensi berita Islam Online tentang wanita diharamkan menjadi imam sembahyang kepada makmum lelaki ialah:

  • Tidak pernah terjadi dalam sejarah Islam seorang wanita menjadi imam solat Jumaat dan membaca khutbah;

  • Tidak ada seorang Fuqaha pun bersetuju membenarkan wanita menjadi imam solat Jumaat dan membaca khutbahnya;

  • Sembahyang dalam Islam membabitkan perbuatan pelbagai pergerakan zahir dan batin. Ia tidak mengandungi semata-mata upacara keagamaan serta tidak bercampur aduk antara lelaki dan wanita. Ibadah sembahyang dalam Islam memerlukan tumpuan penuh minda, perasaan dan penyerahan hati khusyuk kepada Allah swt.

  • Islam menggariskan beberapa peraturan untuk menentukan umatnya beribadah kepada Allah swt secara tertib dan beradab bagi mencapai kekhusyukan dalam menunaikan ibadah kepada Allah.

    Selari dengan kehebatan ibadah sembahyang, maka Islam menetapkan beberapa garis panduan dalam melaksanakannya.

    Dalam peraturan menunaikan sembahyang berjemaah lelaki dan perempuan Rasulullah bersabda: "Sebaik-baik saf bagi lelaki ialah saf yang pertama dan seburuk-buruknya saf yang terakhir manakala sebaik-baik saf bagi wanita ialah saf yang paling belakang dan seburuk-buruknya adalah saf yang pertama." - (Riwayat: Muslim).

    Hadis ini adalah hadis sahih. Ini adalah peraturan dan disiplin sembahyang berjemaah dalam beribadah kepada Allah.

    Islam membenarkan wanita menjadi imam kepada makmum wanita saja. Beberapa hadis yang diriwayatkan oleh al-Baihaqi dan Darqatani menyatakan Aisyah dan Ummu Salamah (isteri-isteri Rasulullah) menjadi imam kepada jemaah wanita saja.

    Tempat duduk bagi imam wanita pula adalah dalam saf yang pertama sebaris dengan makmum, tidak terkedepan seperti mana peraturan kedudukan imam lelaki. Tidak ada hadis yang menyebut langsung mengenai wanita boleh menjadi imam sembahyang Jumaat dan membaca khutbah.

    Islam memberi persamaan hak berdasarkan keadilan kepada lelaki dan perempuan. Peraturan pengasingan lelaki dengan wanita dalam ibadah sembahyang menunjukkan Islam adalah agama yang tersusun dan bersistem. Ia sebenarnya memberi kebaikan dan kesejahteraan kepada semua pihak. Mereka menunaikan sembahyang untuk mencapai kekhusyukan sepenuh dan diredai Allah swt. Allah swt menyebut dalam al-Quran bahawa orang Islam yang berjaya ialah mereka yang khusyuk dalam sembahyang (Al-Mukminum:1) dan orang yang lalai dalam sembahyang adalah orang yang kerugian besar. - (al-Maaun: 4).

    Dalam hadis yang diriwayatkan oleh Bukhari dan Muslim pula menyebut kehebatan dan kecemerlangan sembahyang akan menentukan seseorang itu ahli syurga atau neraka. Ternyata bahawa ibadah sembahyang adalah satu ibadah yang paling hebat dan memberi nikmat besar kepada individu yang mencapai kekhusyukan dalam sembahyang. Ketinggian martabat dan hakikat sembahyang dalam pembentukan peribadi umatnya amat nyata apabila Allah swt menyerah sendiri kepada Rasulullah saw mengenai perintah melaksanakan ibadah sembahyang semasa peristiwa Israk-Mikraj.

    Tindakan kontroversi seorang wanita menjadi imam sembahyang Jumaat dan membaca khutbah jelas sekali tidak mengambil kira ketinggian martabat dan kehebatan hakikat sembahyang itu. Oleh itu tindakan tersebut jelas dilihat sebagai tindakan wanita untuk memperjuangkan hak asasi wanita sebagai:

  • Memperjuangkan hak sama-rata lelaki dan perempuan seperti mana yang diamalkan dalam kebebasan pergaulan lelaki dan perempuan seperti mana yang terdapat dalam upacara sembahyang agama lain.

  • Berusaha melanggar disiplin ilmu yang dipegang oleh ulama dan fuqaha yang menjadi benteng kekuatan pegangan nilai umat Islam. Jika usaha ini berjaya maka peranan ulama dan fuqaha dalam mempertahankan nilai Islam akan terhakis.

    Dengar datangnya sesuatu peristiwa baru, umat Islam hendaklah berfikir secara terbuka sebelum menerimanya. Ia juga hendaklah dinilai dan diselidiki dengan ilmu dan panduan yang jelas sebelum mengikutinya.

    Firman Allah swt di dalam surah al-Hujuraat ayat 6 yang bermaksud: "Wahai orang-orang yang beriman! Jika datang kepada kamu seorang fasik membawa sesuatu berita, maka selidikilah (untuk menentukan) kebenarannya, supaya kamu tidak menimpakan sesuatu kaum dengan perkara yang tidak diingini dengan sebab kejahilan kamu (mengenainya) sehingga menjadikan kamu menyesali apa yang telah kamu lakukan".

    Related Links:
  • Who's Amina Wadud
  • When not all sausage here HALAL VI

    [My Malaysiana][InterFaith]

    When finally thy found its not HALAL actually


    Seized sausages free of pork

    KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): The Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry has confirmed that the sausages and burgers seized from two food-processing plants in Jalan Ipoh and Selayang Baru were free of pork.

    Minister Datuk Mohd Shafie Apdal said DNA analysis conducted by the Chemistry Department in Petaling Jaya on the sausages found that they were made of chicken, while the casing was sourced from chicken, sheep and vegetables.

    "Pork was not detected," he told reporters here yesterday.

    He was announcing the results of the analysis on 150 cartons of chicken sausages seized from the Muller Sausage Haus plant and 65 cartons of chicken and beef burgers confiscated from the Pacific Refrigerating plant in the March 14 raid.

    The results were similar for sausage samples supplied by Muller Sausage Haus to the restaurant in the Ikea furniture hypermarket in Damansara.

    Mohd Shafie said the DNA analysis was conducted based on the MS1500 Halal Food (Production, Handling and Storage) Standard-General Guidelines gazetted on July 10 last year.

    Despite the negative findings, both factories would be charged under Section 15 of the Trade Descriptions Act 1972 for using "halal" logos issued by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department that had expired on Jan 28 last year, he said.

    If found guilty, the companies are liable to a maximum fine of RM250,000.

    When asked whether the companies had been allowed to resume operations, Mohd Shafie said it was up to the companies.

    They could also apply to renew their "halal" logos, he said, adding that the Malaysian Islamic Development Department held the authority to issue the logo.

    He also said that the ministry would continue to carry out checks to ensure that plants producing food for Muslims used ingredients only from "halal" sources.


    From Berita Harian

    Sosej keluaran dua kilang tiada bahan asas babi
    Oleh Rohaniza Idris

    KUALA LUMPUR: Analisis Jabatan Kimia ke atas contoh sosej yang dirampas dari dua kilang di Selayang pada 14 Mac lalu, mendapati tidak ada sebarang bahan berasaskan babi dalam pembuatannya.

    Sebaliknya, ujian deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) itu mendapati empat contoh sarung sosej itu dibuat daripada sumber bebiri, satu daripada tumbuh-tumbuhan, tiga contoh sosej tanpa sarung daripada sumber ayam, manakala tiga sosej bersarung daripada sumber ayam dan bebiri.

    Menteri Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna, Datuk Mohd Shafie Apdal ketika mengumumkan keputusan ujian Jabatan Kimia itu, mengesahkan bahawa tiada sosej dan sarung sosej keluaran kilang Muller Sausage Haus Sdn Bhd dan Pacific Refrigerating Sdn Bhd dibuat daripada sumber babi.

    "Saya berpuas hati dengan analisis DNA yang dilakukan Jabatan Kimia dan berharap dengan keputusan itu, pengguna mendapat maklumat yang jelas berhubung isu sosej ini," katanya pada sidang akhbar khas di ibu pejabat Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia (SSM), di sini semalam.

    Hadir sama timbalannya, Datuk S Veerasingam, Ketua Setiausaha kementerian, Datuk Talaat Husain, Ketua Pengarah Penguat Kuasa kementerian, Datuk Abdullah Nawawi Mohamed dan Ketua Pengarah Jabatan Kimia, Kee Sue Sing.

    Pada 14 Mac lalu, Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna, Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor dan Jabatan Kesihatan menyerbu dua kilang sosej di Selayang itu serta merampas 200 kotak berisi sosej, kotak kosong dengan logo 'halal' yang tidak sah, pelekat dan sarung plastik.

    Selain itu, sebuah restoran di Gedung Perabot Ikea di Damansara Utama, yang dipercayai menjadi pelanggan utama kilang sosej itu, turut diserbu dan 50 kotak berisi produk berkenaan dirampas.

    Mohd Shafie berkata, ujian DNA Jabatan Kimia yang menggunakan teknik 'polymerase chain reaction' pada 23 Mac lalu mendapati sumber sosej keluaran dua kilang berkenaan adalah daripada ayam, manakala sarungnya daripada bebiri,

    "Sampel sosej yang diambil daripada Medan Makan Pasar Raya Perabot, Ikea juga disahkan tidak mengandungi babi," katanya.

    Beliau bagaimanapun berkata, kedua-dua kilang itu tetap akan dikenakan tindakan kerana menggunakan sijil halal Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (Jais) yang sudah tamat tempoh.

    Katanya, kedua-dua kilang itu akan dikenakan kompaun mengikut Seksyen 15, Akta Perihal Dagangan 1972 kerana menggunakan logo yang tidak dibenarkan agensi yang mengeluarkan sijil.

    Akta itu memperuntukkan denda maksimum RM100,000 atau tiga tahun penjara atau kedua-duanya sekali bagi perseorangan dan RM250,000 bagi syarikat korporat yang didapati bersalah.

    Kedua-dua kilang itu masih ditutup selepas diarahkan menutup operasi selama 14 hari oleh Kementerian Kesihatan mengikut Seksyen 11 Akta Makanan 1983 bagi membolehkan siasatan lanjut dijalankan.

    Mohd Shafie berkata, kementeriannya akan terus menjalankan pemeriksaan untuk mengetahui sumber bahan bagi membuat sosej daripada syarikat terbabit sama ada datang daripada sumber halal atau sebaliknya.

    "Kami tidak teragak-agak untuk mengambil tindakan undang-undang jika sumber makanan bukan halal digunakan dalam pembuatan sosej. Keputusan Jabatan Kimia ini membuktikan kementerian sentiasa berlaku adil dalam menentukan sebarang kesalahan dan tidak terburu-buru membuat tuduhan.

    "Bagi kes sebegini, kementerian akan mendapatkan khidmat analisis melalui kaedah DNA untuk mendapatkan kepastian mengenai bukti dan contoh yang diambil. Kita akan memastikan pendekatan ini diteruskan dalam menghadapi kes seumpama ini," katanya.


    From Harian Metro

    Sosej 2 kilang tidak guna bahan haram

    KUALA LUMPUR: Sosej dikeluarkan dua kilang di pinggir bandar raya ini yang sebelum ini meragukan umat Islam serta menimbulkan kontroversi kerana disyaki menggunakan sumber babi, disahkan tidak menggunakan bahan yang diharamkan mengikut Islam.

    Sebaliknya, Menteri Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna (KPDNHEP), Datuk Shafie Apdal, berkata kajian dan analisis Jabatan Kimia terhadap 11 sampel sosej dan sarung sosej dikeluarkan kilang berkenaan mendapati ia dibuat daripada sumber kambing biri-biri, tumbuhan dan ayam.

    Katanya, kajian dan analisis itu dijalankan menggunakan teknik DNA dan berpandukan piawaian MS 1500 Makanan Halal - pengeluaran, pengendalian dan penyimpanan - Garis Panduan Umum yang diwartakan pada 10 Julai 2004.

    "Saya berpuas hati dengan analisis DNA menggunakan teknik Polymerace Chain Reaction (PCR) yang dilakukan Jabatan Kimia dan kini jelas sosej dan sarung sosej yang dikeluarkan dua kilang berkenaan tidak langsung menggunakan sumber babi dan tidak lagi meragukan pengguna dan masyarakat Islam di negara ini," katanya pada sidang akhbar di pejabat Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia, di sini, semalam.


    Related Links:
  • A quick and more sensitive method to identify pork in processed and unprocessed food
  • Keputusan ujian 7 sampel sosej hari ini
  • When not all sausage here HALAL V
  • When not all sausage here HALAL IV
  • When not all sausage here HALAL III
  • When not all sausage here HALAL II
  • When not all sausage here HALAL
  • When earthquake rocks, again

    [Geographic]




    Jakarta (Agencies): A massive earthquake may have killed up to 2,000 people on Indonesia's Nias island, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said today.

    "Roughly, it is expected between 1,000 and 2,000 died," he told El Shinta news radio about casualties from the 8.7 magnitude quake late on Monday night (early today AEST) off the main island of Sumatra.

    "With 80 per cent buildings in Gunungsitoli having been damaged, that could happen," Kalla said.

    Gunungsitoli, the main town on Nias island, was particularly hard hit in the quake which sparked fears of a tsunami in Indian Ocean countries.

    His estimate was in contrast with that of aid agency SurfAid, which quoted the head of Nias' health department as saying there had been only "minimal" deaths.

    Gunungsitoli deputy Mayor Agus Mendrofa was quoted by Metro TV as saying some 10,000 people had fled the town for higher ground.

    Gunungsitoli's population was estimated at around 27,000 before the quake.

    Many were reported buried or trapped in debris.

    "About the victims, we cannot count them now. We only know there are many buildings flattened (and) a big possibility there will be hundreds of people killed," Nias police Sergeant Zulkifly Sirait said earlier.

    Police official Raja Gukguk said authorities were still trying to determine the extent of casualties.

    "We predict that up to 75 per cent (of Gunungsitoli) has been badly damaged ... at least for now 70 per cent of buildings have collapsed," he told Reuters by phone from Gunungsitoli.

    "The situation is still panic because every 15 minutes there are quakes," said Nias deputy police chief Alisman Nainggolan, speaking some six hours after the main quake hit at 2.15am AEST.

    Nias, off the western coast of Sumatra and about 1,400km north-west of Jakarta, is a remote and rugged island regarded as a surfing paradise for a fabled right-hand break.

    Other News:

    "100 per cent" chance of tsunami: expert

    There is a "100 per cent" chance of a tsunami threatening Indian Ocean nations following a massive 8.7 magnitude quake off the coast of Indonesia, a US seismologist said today.

    "My personal view is that a tsunami has a 100 per cent chance of happening," US Geological Survey (USGS) earthquake expert Kerry Sieh told journalists in Los Angeles.

    The US National Weather Service's Pacific Tsunami Warning centre, based in Hawaii, called for "immediate action" against a tsunami following the quake off Sumatra island around 11.15pm (0215 Tuesday AEST).

    The USGS, one of the global leaders in earthquake monitoring, said the quake measured 8.7 on the Richter scale.

    It was the biggest aftershock since the December 26 quake in the same region that measured 9.0 on the Richter scale and caused a tsunami which left nearly 300,000 dead or missing in countries surrounding the Indian Ocean.

    The epicentre of the new quake was about 205km west of Sibolga on Sumatra and 245km south-west of the Sumatra city of Medan.

    An earthquake over 8.0 on the Richter scale is strong enough to cause massive damage and loss of life.

    Australian seismologists also said today the earthquake could still produce a tsunami as big as the Boxing Day event.

    The Bureau of Meteorology said a 25cm tsunami hit Australia's remote Cocos Island early today and bigger tidal surges were expected to strike Australia's west coast.

    Phil Cummins of Geoscience Australia said that although no major tsunami had yet been reported near the quake epicentre off Indonesia's Sumatra island, a big tidal surge could still be heading across the Indian Ocean towards Africa.

    "I would say there is still potential for this to have generated a large tsunami," Cummins said.

    The bureau initially reported the tsunami measured just 10cm at Cocos Island, located in the deep waters of the Indian Ocean south of Sumatra, but later upgraded that to 25cm.

    "That's fairly big for the deep ocean," Cummins said.

    An alert had been issued for a 1m surge expected to hit the west Australian coast.

    That is the same size as a wave that struck the area after the December 26 quake.

    Asked if the east coast of Africa could still be struck by a major tsunami from the latest quake, Cummins said: "I would say it's still something we have to regard as a possibility."

    "We've seen the thing at Cocos Island and that really does tell us we have to exercise caution," he said. AFP

    Another Links:
  • Seismic Monitor
  • Lethal quake rattles tsunami zone - BBC
  • Quake kills at least 300 on Indonesian island - CNN
  • Indon VP: Earthquake may have killed up to 2,000 in western Indonesia - The Star
  • Gegaran pada 8.2 skala Richter turut dirasai di Malaysia - Utusan
  • 28 March 2005

    How cops claim thy have reducing snatch thefts case

    [Crimes]

    KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): Snatch thefts dropped by 26.9% in the country last year, with the police attributing this to more patrols in strategic areas.

    A total of 11,536 cases were reported last year, compared with 15,798 in 2003, after the police boosted their presence in the cities.

    Internal Security and Public Order Director Deputy Comm Datuk Othman Talib said the success in curbing such thefts was also due to growing public awareness.

    "Our studies show that snatch thieves strike mostly in quiet areas or housing estates, so we beefed up our presence in these areas and this has had a positive effect," he said.

    In George Town, which is popular with tourists, the number of such cases dropped by 20% with increased police patrols, he added.

    But DCP Othman said there was also a slight increase in the overall national crime index, with 156,455 cases reported last year compared with 156,315 in 2003.

    Between January and February this year, the index fell by 2.27% or 557 cases over the same period last year.

    There were also 161 fewer violent crimes, while crime against property was down by 396 cases over the same period.

    However, rape cases increased from 1,471 in 2003 to 1,718 last year.

    Motorcycle thefts also rose from 50,212 to 51,560 cases.

    When weak Pope unable to speak on Easter Sunday

    [InterFaith]

    VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - An ailing Pope John Paul appeared at his window to bless the faithful on Easter Sunday but in a dramatic episode that brought tears to the eyes of many, he failed in his attempt to speak.

    When aides brought a microphone to the Pope's mouth he made a few sounds and breathed heavily but was unable to pronounce any words.




    The Pope sat at his window for about 15 minutes listening to the end of an Easter Sunday service before he tried to speak. He looked uncomfortable and put both hands to his face.

    After failing to speak, the man once known as "The Great Communicator" gently patted the arms of his chair in an apparent sign of disappointment and frustration.

    "This is provoking infinite sadness and tenderness in me," said Maria Celeste Caruso, one of the tens of thousands of people in an overcast St Peter's Square.

    The highly emotional scene, broadcast live on television, came after his secretary of state, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, presided at the solemn Easter Sunday service for the Pope.

    During the mass, the Pope's window was left open, as a sign of his spiritual link with the faithful below. His coat of arms was left hanging outside and the curtains wafted in the breeze.

    Then the 84-year-old Pope, sitting and wearing his traditional white cassock, was rolled up to his window and waited while Sodano read the Pontiff's "Urbi et Orbi" message, Latin for "to the city and to the world."

    When Sodano finished, a priest announced the Pope would give the crowd a special blessing. But all he could do was move his hand in the sign of the cross.

    It was the first Easter Sunday service not presided over by the Pope in the 26 years since he became Roman Catholic leader.

    Pilgrims had tears in their eyes as they watched the Pope, many with hands grasped tightly in prayer.

    "Knowing how much he suffers and how hard it is for him to speak, for me it was so beautiful. It moved me very much," said Matthew, a pilgrim from Boston. "He's such a strong force and wonderful example for our Church."

    The last time the Pope spoke in public was two weeks ago on the day he left the hospital where he underwent a tracheotomy operation on Feb. 24 to relieve severe breathing problems.

    Sunday morning was the last of a string of services the Pope had skipped during the most important season in the Church's liturgical calendar.

    "This has been the saddest Holy Week that I can remember," said Sister Reina, a nun from Argentina.

    PRAYING FOR A MIRACLE

    Father Salvatore Murra, a priest from Argentina, was hopeful for a miracle.

    "The Pope is in the hands of the Lord and that is the best place to be. I hope God performs a great miracle for the Pope. Can't you see all these prayers rising up from right here to God asking for that?," he said, raising his arms to the sky.

    Walter Veltroni, the mayor of Rome and a former communist, said he was shaken.

    "What the Pope lived through today was something that transmitted extraordinary intensity and emotion," he said. "The message in his discomfort and pain is a message of hope."

    In the address read by Sodano, the Pope said Easter gave nourishment to those who "hunger for truth, freedom, justice and peace."

    He decried the continuing violence around the world, saying it had left many places "drenched in the blood of so many innocent victims."

    He called for "peace for the countries of the Middle East and Africa, where so much blood continues to be shed; peace for all of humanity, still threatened by fratricidal wars."

    The Pope asked God to help "the multitudes who are even today suffering and dying from poverty and hunger, decimated by fatal epidemics or devastated by immense natural disasters."

    WHAT'S THAT Easter BRITON



    A woman hangs Easter eggs on an 'Easter tree'. More than half of British people have no idea why Easter is celebrated, a survey revealed. (AFP/DDP/File/Norbert Millauer).

    25 March 2005

    What's really Good today

    [My Malaysiana][InterFaith]

    For me it's another plain and busy day @ office. I'll back to Malacca today [after work]. What a pleasant weekend I hope. Mom, [and all friendly Malaccan] I'm backkk. [Nak buat apa pulak weekend ni].

    Wonder whether imam Prof Amina Wadud will perform it again. Whatever'lah, to that poor unorganised mockery movement. We know ur real intention and purposes. and sure, We know WHO and WHO behind all of this.

    OK, Have a very Good Friday today and Easter Sunday to all Catholic and Christian Ninetnine Network reader and mates. What actually really good today. See yaa.

    Related Links:
  • Why is it called Good Friday
  • 24 March 2005

    Where's the JOB

    [My Malaysiana]

    From The Star

    Plenty of jobs available

    BY GEOFFREY LIP

    PETALING JAYA: Plenty of jobs are available for graduates but many cannot fit into the positions because they lack the language and communication skills that their prospective employers are looking for.

    Malaysian Employers Federation president Md Jafar Abdul Carrim suggests that these graduates discuss with their prospective bosses about taking up the jobs although they had not been trained for them.

    He said a programme to equip graduates with language skills to make them more suitable for employment was needed.

    "Many graduates lack the necessary communication skills, like language or presentation ability.

    "Graduates should also be interested in applying for jobs they have not been trained for."

    Md Jafar said employers want workers who can think well, make good presentations and communicate effectively.

    He added that the federation would like to see universities taking steps to ensure their graduates' progress and eventually gain employment.

    As regards employers' role, he said they should set up an apprentice programme for those who are not job-ready to get the necessary basic training but, he added, this required government support to provide allowances for trainees and fiscal incentives for employers.

    JobsDB Malaysia marketing and business development manager Sangeeta Bai said that just because job seekers had a degree did not mean jobs "would come knocking on their door."

    "This attitude must change and job seekers should try to gain as much experience as possible from internships and to learn as much as possible about the types of jobs they are applying for," she said.

    She said retraining schemes would help graduates get jobs.

    "These will allow them to enter the job market not just with simple qualifications but with some experience as well.

    "Not only will the employers be happy as they will be getting candidates with experience but graduates too will be happy as they can enter the job market with a better understanding of what is expected of them," she said.

    JobStreet.com chief executive officer Mark Chang said there was a disparity between the skills requirements now and those of 10 years ago for the same jobs.

    "Even though the job category is not so different from what it was 10 years ago, the skills requirements are much higher now," he said.

    He added that expectations differed between employers and employees and this was why graduates' education needed to match the industry requirements.

    "Industries transform and evolve quickly and the education of graduates needs to match this," said Chang, adding that retraining would be good in the short term to equip graduates with the proper skills.

    He said he would like to see this retraining conducted by universities.

    How Aussie can be a nation of addicts

    [My Australasia]

    We love coffee, chocolate, playing computer games and more than two thirds of Australians say they routinely ignore chores to do something more fun.

    Survey results released on Wednesday found 95 per cent of Australians admitted to having an everyday addiction.


    The survey, by Reader's Digest, found just about every one of us admits to "a harmless everyday compulsion - something we do or buy not because we have to but because we find it just too hard to resist".

    The survey, taken by 750 adults, was split into three categories: eating, retail therapy and time out activities.

    According to the poll, 41 per cent of Australians regularly shop for "treats" rather than essentials, with nearly one third of those shoppers keen bargain hunters.

    Women were more likely than men to consider themselves shopaholics, many stating that clothes and accessories were their weaknesses.

    Men prefer to treat themselves to hobby items and DVDs or videos.

    The survey found 67 per cent of Australians routinely ignore essential tasks in favour of "time out" activities.

    One quarter will watch television, another quarter will surf the internet, while 29 per cent opt for playing computer or video games.

    Sixty per cent of those polled said they regularly crave certain foods and drinks.

    Coffee topped the addiction among almost one-third of people and chocolate was a close second, followed by soft drinks and chips and lollies.

    One in 10 people said they were addicted to exercise.

    Many also said they were addicted to seafood, nuts and "fresh crunchy fruit". AAP

    How parents 'could pick babies' sex

    [Sci Medical & Health]

    From BBC

    Parents undergoing IVF could be allowed to select the sex of their baby under proposals put forward by MPs.

    A Commons Science and Technology Committee report said more decisions about fertility treatment should be made by patients and their doctors.

    The MPs also called for the regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, to be disbanded.

    And they said "taboo" research, such as implanting human cells into animals, should be considered, with regulation.

    The report looks at issues across the field of reproductive health.

    It said there was no "compelling evidence" to prohibit couples undergoing IVF being able to choose to have a girl or boy if that was what they felt was necessary to "balance out" their family.

    Fertility expert Lord Robert Winston said he could not see issues with parents being able to choose their babies' sex, and that the numbers who would want to do so would be very small.

    He told BBC Radio 4: "People will not go through IVF to choose the sex of their baby and even if they did it would not in any way, I think, damage the fabric of our society."

    The MPs also suggest there should no longer be a need to consider the suitability of parents under "welfare of the child" considerations when approving couples for IVF treatment, because it is discriminatory.

    The committee's report also said that decisions about whether to allow embryos to be checked for genetic conditions, or to see if they are a match for a sick sibling- so-called "designer babies" - should be taken out of the hands of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).

    Instead, patients and their doctors should decide if it should be used in their case, under the auspices of a local ethics committee, the report said.

    Standards

    Committee member Dr Evan Harris said: "This is no different to the way in which clinical decisions are made in other areas.

    "We are 15 years down the line with IVF. It should no longer be treated differently."

    The report says the HFEA, which currently also oversees the work of fertility clinics and issues licenses for medical cloning research, should be disbanded.

    It calls for a new body, a Regulatory Agency for Fertility and Tissues, to be set up in its place which would ensure clinics and laboratories maintained set technical and management standards.

    It also says there should be stronger professional regulation, and more government and Parliamentary consideration of ethical and legal issues.

    The MPs' report also says controversial areas of fertility research should not be shied away from.

    It says the creation of so-called "chimeras", where human cells are placed into an animal foetus, could be useful.

    The report also attacks rules to be introduced on April 1 to remove anonymity from sperm and egg donors.

    The Science and Technology committee did not unanimously back the report. Five MPs did not attend the meeting where the report was passed, and have called the final report "unbalanced".

    'Maintaining safety'

    Alison Murdoch, chair of the British Fertility Society said: "Fifteen years ago IVF was novel and not generally accepted. In 2005, nearly 2% of all babies born in the UK are conceived with the help of assisted reproductive technologies.

    "It is appropriate, therefore, that regulation is more consistent with that applied to other clinical treatments. The select committee takes us a step further in this direction."

    Suzi Leather, chair of the HFEA, said the report made "bold and challenging recommendations".

    She said the HFEA was pleased the MPs recognised the necessity for an independent regulator, and added: "The big question for the fertility and research sectors in the future is how we will maintain patient safety, public confidence and minimise risks from developing technologies."

    A Department of Health spokesperson said: "We are undertaking a review of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, which will include a public consultation later this year.

    "We will carefully consider the recommendations of the Science and Technology Committee as part of that review."

    When finally Bridgestone accepts Ferrari blame

    [My Australasia]

    Tyre manufacturer Bridgestone has admitted that it is to blame for Ferrari's poor showing in Malaysia.

    World champion Michael Schumacher came seventh in last weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix while also failing to finish in the opening race in Australia.

    "The responsibility for such a negative result is undoubtedly down to our tyres," said Bridgestone's technical director Hirohide Hamashima.

    "We have learnt a lot from this defeat and we are ready to respond."

    Ferrari are currently in fourth place in the constructors championship with 10 points, 16 behind Renault, while Schumacher is in 11th place in the standings with two points.

    Renault have won both races so far this season and are one of the seven teams in Formula One that use Michelin tyres.

    "The fact that Fernando Alonso and Jarno Trulli lapped a couple of seconds faster than us is certainly not explainable by different fuel loads," Hamashima added in Gazzetta dello Sport.

    "There are no attenuating circumstances, it was a lesson for us but a healthy one.

    "Obviously we have had long discussion with Ferrari to create tyres of a new generation and we are counting on having found some that will allow us quickly to be competitive again."

    Ferrari are still using last year's car but will test their new F2005 before deciding whether to introduce it at the Bahrain GP on 3 April.

    23 March 2005

    Why Muslim must very particular with cleanliness

    [InterFaith]

    Received this articles from my ole' mates from Jogjakarta. Worth to read, but sorry it's in Bahasa. Someone out there want to translate it for the rest of us?

    Jika diberi pilihan antara HALAL dan HARAM - sebagai contoh bahan makanan, sudah tentunya sebagai seorang MUSLIM kita akan cenderung memilih yang HALAL bukan? Namun adakalanya, sampai satu ketika, kita berada dipersimpangan untuk menentukan samada ianya HALAL atau sebaliknya. Was-was dan ketidakpastian membuat keputusan inilah yang akhirnya menjerumuskan kita kepada perkara yang SYUBHAT.

    ILMU adalah salah satu langkah penyelesaian, selain daripada merujuk kepada yang lebih mengetahui. Sebagai mengambil langkah yang selamat, seeloknya elakkanlah diri dari terlibat dengan perkara-perkara yang SYUBHAT sedaya upaya kita. Sememangnya dugaan Allah terhadap keimanan kita datang dalam berbagai cara.

    Rasulullah SAW. bersabda, "Sesungguhnya yang HALAL itu jelas dan yang HARAM itu jelas. Di antara keduanya ada perkara yang SYUBHAT yang kebanyakan manusia tidak mengetahuinya. Barang siapa yang menjaga dari yang SYUBHAT, bererti dia telah menjaga din dan kehormatannya, dan barang siapa yang terjerumus dalam SYUBHAT bererti dia telah terjerumus kepada yang HARAM. Sebagaimana seorang pengembala yang mengembala di sekitar larangan, maka lambat laun akan masuk ke dalamnya. Ketahuilah bahawa setiap pemerintah memiliki daerah larangan. Adapun daerah larangan Allah adalah apa yang diharamkan-Nya." (HR Bukhari & Muslim).

    Selamat membaca dan memperolehi manfaat darinya InsyaAllah,

    Kepentingan memilih makanan dan minuman yang bersih serta halal, sangat dititikberatkan dalam Islam. Ini bertujuan memastikan makanan dan minuman itu tidak memudaratkan manusia.

    Rasulullah saw bersabda, yang bermaksud: "Wahai orang beriman, makanlah barang yang bersih daripada apa yang kami kurniakan kepada kamu." (Hadis riwayat Muslim)

    Makanan yang suci dan bersih akan menjamin kesihatan yang baik. Justeru, di samping memilih makanan berzat dan berkhasiat, sebaik-baiknya pada masa yang sama, perhatian perlu diberi terhadap kebersihan dan kesuciannya dari segi syariat agama.

    Sabda Rasulullah, yang bermaksud: "Setiap daging yang tumbuh daripada makanan yang haram, maka api nerakalah yang layak baginya." (Hadis riwayat at-Tirmizi)

    Islam begitu menitikberatkan kesihatan umatnya. Seseorang mukmin yang sentiasa prihatin kepada kebersihan dan kesucian makanannya setiap hari, pasti akan lahir dalam dirinya nur keimanan yang membantunya menjaga kebersihan diri secara keseluruhan termasuk pakaian, tempat tinggal dan tubuh badan.

    Dalam ibadat asas agama itu sendiri iaitu solat, aspek terpenting yang ditekankan ialah kebersihan diri. Allah tidak akan menerima solat hamba-Nya dalam keadaan kotor dan hina. Ini sesuai dengan maksud hadis Rasulullah yang diriwayatkan Ibnu Hibban iaitu: "Menjadi bersihlah kamu, kerana sesungguhnya Islam itu bersih."

    Pemilihan makanan bersih dan halal menjadi keutamaan dalam ajaran Islam. Allah berfirman yang bermaksud: "Makanlah apa yang dikurniakan Allah kepada kamu daripada benda yang halal lagi bersih. Bersyukurlah dengan nikmat Allah jika kamu benar-benar menyembah Allah."

    "Sesungguhnya Allah hanya mengharamkan kepada kamu memakan bangkai, darah, daging babi dan binatang sembelihan bukan kerana Allah. Maka sesiapa yang dalam keadaan yang terpaksa memakannya, sedang dia tidak sengaja dalam mencarinya, sesungguhnya Allah Maha Pengampun lagi Maha Penyayang." (Surah an-Nahl, ayat 114-115).

    Makanan yang haram sama ada ia daripada bahan yang dicampur najis atau benda bersumberkan punca yang tidak halal, akan mendatangkan tiga bahaya besar kepada pemakannya.

    Pertama, makanan itu akan mempengaruhi jiwa pemakannya sehingga dia lebih gemar membuat kejahatan dan maksiat serta benci kerja kebajikan dan ketaatan. Kedua, sebarang doanya tidak akan dimakbulkan Allah. Ketiga, dia akan mendapat keseksaan neraka Allah pada hari akhirat kelak.

    Apa juga bentuk makanan yang halal dan bersih perlu diikuti dengan peraturan memakannya. Makanan seimbang umpamanya, akan dapat menghindarkan seseorang daripada dijangkiti penyakit.

    Rasulullah begitu menekankan soal pemakanan kepada sahabatnya. Baginda bersabda, pada diri setiap insan itu hendaklah diisi dengan keperluan sesuai dan sama pada setiap masa. Ini supaya apa saja bentuk makanan yang masuk ke dalam perut, bukan saja dapat dinikmati kelazatan dan nikmatnya, malah membolehkan seseorang itu melakukan ibadat dengan tenaga dikeluarkan.

    Rasulullah menyarankan agar perut manusia diisi dengan satu pertiga air, satu pertiga makanan dan satu pertiga lagi udara. Ini bukan saja bertepatan dengan metod ilmu sains dan kesihatan, malahan ia perlu diamalkan oleh setiap manusia. Insya-Allah, jika cukup jumlah yang disarankan Rasulullah itu, pasti kita bukan saja akan dapat berasa nikmat kenyang, malahan hidup kita akan lebih mendapat rahmat dan keredaan Allah.

    Dari aspek adab pemilihan makanan pula, mukmin perlu menghindarkan diri daripada mengambil makanan yang sudah lama terbuka dari tin yang berkarat, makanan layu dan sebagainya. Kita memakan sesuatu jenis makanan untuk mendapat sejumlah tenaga yang mencukupi daripada zat yang terkandung didalamnya.

    Islam dan ilmu kesihatan begitu rapat hubungannya. Makanan atau minuman awal yang masuk ke dalam perut seseorang bayi adalah susu ibunya. Selain terjamin kebersihan dan suci dari segi syariat, susu ibu adalah pemangkin terawal untuk menyemai kasih sayang di antara seorang ibu dan anaknya.

    Akhlak yang bakal dijelmakan oleh anak itu adalah melalui susuan ibunya. Tabiat si penyusu akan dipindahkan kepada anak yang menyusu. Jika salihah si ibu yang menyusukan, Insya-Allah akan lahir anak yang berakhlak mulia dan terpuji. Sebaliknya, jika minuman awal yang diberi kepada bayi itu daripada susu haiwan, dikhuatiri akhlak bayi akan menjadi sebaliknya.

    Islam juga melarang amalan berlebih-lebihan dalam mengambil apa juga jenis makanan dan minuman, malah yang digalakkan adalah sifat bersederhana ketika makan. Rasulullah bersabda yang bermaksud: "Tiada bahaya yang lebih dibenci Allah daripada perut yang penuh dan ketat dengan makanan yang halal."

    Kebanyakan penyakit bermula daripada salah pilih makanan, termasuk makan secara melampaui batas. Dalam hadis Rasulullah, Baginda bersabda maksudnya: "Perut adalah sumber penyakit dan berpantang adalah sebaik-baik ubat. Biasakanlah setiap tubuh dengan apa yang lazimnya."

    Justeru, makanlah sekadarnya, sebagaimana anjuran Rasulullah, iaitu 'makan sebelum lapar dan berhenti sebelum kenyang.' Apa yang tersirat di sebalik nasihat Baginda itu ialah bersederhana, iaitu apabila seseorang itu makan dalam keadaan yang terlalu lapar, sudah tentu dia akan makan dalam keadaan lahap dan melampau sehingga membawa kemudaratan kepada dirinya.

    Sementara 'berhenti sebelum kenyang' pula membawa hikmah besar, iaitu jika seseorang makan dalam keadaan gelojoh dan lahap, pasti ia sukar berhenti. Ini kerana seleranya tidak dapat dikawal lagi. Apabila seseorang itu sudah sendawa, ia menunjukkan perutnya sudah cukup dengan isi yang diperlukan oleh tubuh, untuk diproses dan ditukar menjadi tenaga. Tetapi apabila perut terus diisi dengan makanan sehingga terlalu sarat, sukarlah 'kilang' dalam perut untuk memprosesnya.

    Hakikatnya, Allah begitu murka kepada hamba-Nya yang suka melampau batasan, termasuk dalam soal pemilihan, adab dan cara makan. Mereka yang melampau batas akan dibalas Allah dengan pelbagai jenis penyakit, sama ada ia menimpa individu tertentu atau menyerang manusia secara keseluruhan.

    Harus kita insaf bahawa kelalaian dan kealpaan kita mengurus dengan baik segala nikmat dan anugerah kurniaan Allah, akan membawa padah kepada diri kita sendiri.

    Wallahu'alam.

    Related Link:
  • Why Muslim can't eat pork
  • What news update for smoker

    [Sci Medical & Health]

    Update 1:

    Gov't to Cover Smoking Cessation Programs
    By KEVIN FREKING, Associated Press Writer

    WASHINGTON - You're never to old to quit smoking, government officials said Tuesday, announcing that Medicare will immediately start covering the cost of counseling for certain beneficiaries who want to quit tobacco.

    Medicare's new smoking cessation program "has great potential to save and improve lives for millions of seniors," said Mark McClellan, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

    Not every Medicare beneficiary qualifies for the new benefit - only those who have an illness caused by tobacco use or complicated by tobacco use.

    Medicare officials said Tuesday they did not have an estimate of how much the new program would cost or how many people would be eligible for it. It covers only counseling sessions, not the cost of nicotine patches and gum or products pitched to help smokers quit. About 300,000 senior citizens die annually from smoking-related illnesses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    Medicare operated a pilot program for smoking cessation in seven states between November 2002 and December 2004. The official who oversaw it, Jim Coan, said the government paid about $32 for each counseling session, which usually lasted from three to 10 minutes. The maximum amount of claims that could be submitted per participant was four per year.

    Coan did not have cost estimates for the program. He said about 7,500 people participated, far short of the goal that had been set for the program.

    The new nationwide benefit covers only those with smoking-related illnesses or complications. In the pilot program, any Medicare beneficiary living in the seven states - Alabama, Florida, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma and Wyoming - could participate.

    Dr. Ronald Sturm, a senior economist with the RAND Institute, a nonprofit research group, said Medicare's decision to limit the annual benefit to two cessation attempts per year - each including a maximum of four counseling sessions - would limit the program's costs.

    Still, elderly people who have smoked throughout much of their life aren't typically the best candidates to quit smoking - unless they are facing a life-threatening scenario.

    "Will they quit smoking in their last few years? Not likely," Sturm said. "It's not going to change much. It's not going to cost much."

    Officials at the American Medical Association applauded the government's move. They said seniors actually have a better chance of successfully quitting smoking than do people in other age categories.

    "Studies have shown that seniors who try to quit smoking are 50 percent more likely to succeed than all other age groups, and seniors who quit can reduce their risk of death from heart disease to that of nonsmokers within two to three years after quitting," said Dr. Ronald Davis, an AMA trustee.


    Update 2:

    Medicare Offers Counseling to Help Smokers Quit

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Older Americans who want to quit smoking can receive counseling through Medicare to help them kick their tobacco habit, but only if they suffer from certain diseases or health problems, government officials said on Tuesday.

    Officials for Medicare, the nation's health insurance program for the elderly, said those who stop smoking can still improve their health even if they smoked for years.

    "The evidence fully supports the hope that seniors with diseases and health effects caused by smoking and tobacco use can quit, given the right assistance," said Mark McClellan, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

    Not all enrollees will benefit, and the new coverage will not pay for drugs, patches or other products touted to curb smoking. Such medications, if they are a prescription, could be covered under a Medicare drug benefit that starts in 2006.

    To receive the counseling, Medicare patients must suffer from heart or lung disease, weak bones, cataracts or other diseases caused or worsened by tobacco use.

    It would also cover patients taking insulin or other medicines that can be less effective with smoking, including drugs to treat high blood pressure, depression and blood clots.

    A CMS spokesman could not immediately say how many of the 41 million elderly enrolled in Medicare would qualify for the benefit.

    The American Medical Association (AMA) said most seniors would probably be able to claim the benefit because there are so many health problems among smokers.

    "Because there are so many tobacco-related illnesses and adverse health effects from tobacco use, the AMA believes the majority of seniors who smoke will be covered under the new Medicare policy," said AMA trustee Ronald Davis.

    About 9 percent of Americans age 65 and older smoke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A 2001 CDC report found about 38 percent of smokers age 65 to 74 and 30 percent of those 75 and older had tried to quit during a one-year period.

    Tuesday's decision finalizes the coverage first announced in December and allows patients to seek help from any provider, not just those trained in smoking cessation techniques as first proposed.

    Partnership for Prevention, a coalition of pharmaceutical companies, patient adequacy groups, state health departments and others, asked Medicare to consider paying for counseling.

    John Clymer, president of the coalition, said talking with patients can provide an inexpensive way to curb the habit and eventually save on other costs. "We also expect that, over 10 years, this is going to prevent over 30,000 premature deaths, and it's cheap," he said.

    Sorry, both of this news come from State... So how about our MOH's besides just on million RM Tak Nak! fancy unefective and wasting campaign.

    When my Blogpatrol start counting - again

    [WWW & Technology]

    Blogpatrol have finally announce thr new upgraded counter. New software and server to serve us, blogpatrol user much more better.

    News from them:

    New Features for BlogPatrol!

    7 New Counters - 3 new stealth counters and 4 new show counters.
    Top 100 List - BlogPatrol's Top 10 is now the BlogPatrol Top 100.
    More Activity and Technology Tracking - Longer histories and more counts.
    Password Protected Stats Pages - Improved security and privacy of your blog stats.

    See also my another weblog H S A J B . org new features. Any comment about this template. See you there.

    20 March 2005

    When the smoke is going up at Sepang

    [My Malaysiana]

    The smoke not just come from thr machice exhaust and burned tyre... Its actually fog haze mate... When the smoke is going up at Sepang, tht why no copters watch today. Not so clear view and its quite danger.

    So, where's that Italian machine now. What wrong with this Roman technologies... Maybe ur machine need to be recycle. Big clap to Renault team for their second vict.

    Its OK for third [3rd] place, William - even Aussie Mark have not finishing his race. Let see how urs at Bahrain next two weeks. G'day!

    From Xinhuanet

    KUALA LUMPUR, March 20 - The Renault F1 Team showed their early domination in the World Formula One Championship when Fernando Alonso won the Malaysian F1 Grand Prix at the Sepang F1 Circuit near here on Sunday.

    This is the second consecutive victory for Renault this season after their other driver Giancarlo Fisichella captured the season-opening Australian Grand Prix two weeks ago with Alonso finishing third.

    The 24-year-old Spaniard, who started the race from pole position after topping the chart in the first and second qualifying sessions, led all the way to the finishing line to takethe chequered flag by clocking one hour 31 minutes and 33.736 seconds.

    Alonso, who started his career with Renault as a test driver in2000 and became the team's main driver in 2003 alongside Fisichella, has raced in 52 Grand Prixs with one victory and threepole positions.

    His previous best record at the Malaysian Grand Prix was in 2003 when he grabbed the pole position and finished third in the race.

    Alonso, who is also the youngest Grand Prix winner in F1 history when he won the Hungarian GP in 2003 at the age of 22, left Jarno Trulli of Toyota 24.327 seconds behind with the latter registering 1'31:58.063s.

    Third was Nick Heidfeld in a Williams BMW who clocked 1'32:05.924s.

    Alonso made two quick pit stops at laps number 21 and 40 duringthe 56 laps over 310.408 KM at the circuit, and dominated the racefrom the beginning, leaving the second and third places to be contested by Trulli and Fisichella.

    Renault's hopes of a second double podium in a row was dashed 18 laps from the finish when Fisichella, who was in contention forthe third spot, collided with the overtaking Australian driver Mark Webber in a Williams at Turn 15.

    Trulli had a chance to lead the race in laps 41 and 42 but Alonso did not allow his closest rival to break through.

    "Physically, it was a very demanding race and I really felt howhard it had been on the podium afterwards. But it's a great feeling to win here and the way I was able to do it demonstrates that we are competitive with our rivals this season," Alonso told reporters.

    "Everything went well from start to finish - the car, the engine and the Michelin tyres," Alonso added.

    Alonso has 16 points to Fisichella's 10 while Renault lead the constructor's standings with 26 points to Toyota's 12.

    Malaysian Grand Prix defending champion, who is also seven-timeworld champion, Michael Schumacher of Ferrari failed to defend hiscrown here when the German ended in seventh spot with a time of 1'32:53.724s.

    This is the second blow for Schumacher who failed to get any point in the Australian Grand Prix where he did not complete the race.

    "Of course, seventh place is not exactly worth celebrating but I feel that I did the best I could have done today, coming up fromthe 13th on the grid. My car ran reliably and with no problems," Schumacher said.

    Related Links:

    Who's Amina Wadud

    [InterFaith]

    She's now be the 1st ever Muslim woman who leads Friday prayer. Yes, Friday prayer or solat Jumaat mate - mixup man and woman side by side. Ermm, like Catholic asking "woman Pope" for Sunday blessing in Vatican. So awful and unacceptable right? Or you are liberal enough to accept such a move. Think carefully what will be next.

    May God will bless you and ur suporter, Prof... To all my muslim brothers and sisters, what's going wrong HERE actually.

    From EarthTimes.org

    Woman professor leads Muslim prayer, irks Islamic leaders
    By Darya Zarin




    Gender inequality in Islam took another beating when a female professor, Amina Wadud, led a Muslim prayer service attended by 80 to 100 men and women in New York. The move has invited flak from Islamic leaders in the Middle East, who feel that this is a violation of long-held traditions.

    Wadud, who teaches Islamic studies at Virginia Commonwealth University in Vancouver, held the prayer service in Manhattan at Synod House at the Cathedral of St John the Divine. "The issue of gender equality is a very important one in Islam, and Muslims have unfortunately used highly restrictive interpretations of history to move backward," Wadud said, adding that the prayer service was 'symbolic of the possibilities within Islam'.

    She asserted her intentions to 'remove the artificial and sometimes extremely inconvenient restrictions on the entry and participation of women' in Islam. Sharply criticized by religious leaders from Muslim countries, Wadud also received malicious calls and emails, said Saleema Abdul-Ghafur of Progressive Muslim Union, the main organizer of the event.

    According to Asra Nomani, another activist supporting Wadud, the event aimed at putting the spotlight on gender inequality in not only day-to-day Muslim life but also its spiritual aspect. Nomani said that she and Wadud were standing up for their rights as women in Islam. "We will no longer accept the back door or the shadows. At the end of the day, we'll be leaders in the Muslim world," she said.

    Meanwhile, around 15 protestors gathered outside the church to oppose the event. One man also tried to enter the hall, but was not allowed in by policemen who were guarding the congregation against any untoward incidents.




    Wadud, who is an African American, is a convert to Islam. She is also the author of Quran and Woman: Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman's Perspective.

    According to Wadud, the Holy Quran contains no objection to women prayer leaders. To substantiate her claim, she cited the incident mentioned in the Holy Quran about Prophet Muhammad who allowed Umme Warqa to head a prayer of followers of both genders at her residence.

    However, Muslim illuminati Hafiz Abdur Rehman Madani has contented that Muslim women are prohibited not only from leading prayers but also from standing among males in a mosque.

    From Islam Online

    Woman-led Friday Prayer Sparks Furor in US




    NEW YORK, March 19, 2005 - An American woman led on Friday, March 18, a mixed congregation of men and women in New York in the Friday prayer against a backdrop of protests and calls of blasphemy from American Muslims.

    More than a hundred men and women knelt in adjacent rows, with no curtain to divide them as Amina Wadud, an associate professor of Islamic studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, led the prayer.

    The Adhan (call to prayer) was raised by another woman, Suehyla El-Attar, who did not wear hijab, The New York Times reported.

    The prayer was held at the heavily-guarded Synod House at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Manhattan, after several mosques refused to host it.

    Wadud conducted the service primarily in English with verses of the Noble Qur'an read in Arabic.

    Her controversial sermon centered on the idea that men and women should treat each other as equals.

    "I don't want to change Muslim mosques. I want to encourage the hearts of Muslims to believe that they are equal," CNN quoted Wadud as telling a crowded news conference before the prayer.

    She said she wished to remove "artificial and inconvenient restrictions" imposed on Muslim women.

    Furor



    For the most part, New York City Muslims have been unreceptive to the event, but many proposed outside, said The Times.




    "That woman does not represent Islam at all. This is blasphemy, and the penalty for blasphemy is death and that is what this woman deserves," the American daily quoted a protester named Nussrah as saying.

    Another protester said that Wadud was trying to change the Noble Qur'an.

    "If Islam goes with what you feel, then it is not a religion, it is an option. We are against her because she is trying to offend 1.4 billion Muslims and as a Muslim it is our duty to forbid what we see as evil," the protester, who refused to be named, told Voice of America radio.

    "I am against what she is saying because it has never been allowed, since the 14th century until now all the religious scholars never allowed a woman to be an imam," in Friday prayer, a woman protester added.

    The protesters further carried placards with one of them reading: "Mixed-Gender Prayers Today, Hellfire Tomorrow."

    Read also:
  • Women Leading Prayer:The Ultimate Aim?
  • Can a Woman Act as Imam or Deliver Jum`ah Khutbah?
  • A Woman Leading Other Women in Prayer
  • Muslim Women Can Lead Some Prayers: Scholars
  • A Woman Leading Congregational Prayer
  • 18 March 2005

    When not all sausage here HALAL V

    [My Malaysiana][InterFaith]

    After all, so what the solution... We don't want to talk more... No need to pointing here and there. Its more about our priciple and responsibility mates.

    InsyaAllah, I'll blog on how we can set such a STANDARD on this matter. Im sure Its not just tamper-proof holographic logo or just addup more personnel... and finally we'll forget and keep repeat iT again and again. Ninetnine Network will off for this weekend.

    See yaa @ F1 Sepang [Go Williams! Go!]... Im not a force of nature... Only a tiny piece of this unique hectic my Malaysiana.

    When not all sausage here HALAL IV

    [My Malaysiana][InterFaith]

    From only six [6] now iTs become one thousand six hundred [1,600] personnel will eyes on this matter. Jakim and the rest of us for sure will happy with this... and for sure illegal VCD and DVD peddler will much more happier. Ehemmm, for sure they'll thanks God for that PorkSausage.

    From Utusan Malaysia

    1,600 penguat kuasa halal - Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri diberi tugas sepenuhnya

    KUALA LUMPUR 17 Mac - Kabinet mengarahkan Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna (KPDNHEP) mengambil alih tugas membanteras penyelewengan tanda halal sepenuhnya daripada Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (Jakim).

    Arahan itu berkuasa kuasa mulai semalam.

    Dengan keputusan ini bermakna Jakim kini hanya bertanggungjawab terhadap pengeluaran sijil halal sahaja.

    Sebaliknya, kementerian itu akan menggerakkan 1,600 anggota penguat kuasanya di seluruh negara 'turun padang' melaksanakan undang-undang tegas terhadap pengusaha premis makanan yang tidak bertanggungjawab.

    Menterinya, Datuk Mohd. Shafie Apdal berkata, sebelum ini, pihaknya hanya membantu Jakim menurunkan kuasa mengikut Akta Perihal Dagangan (1972) untuk Jakim menjalankan pemeriksaan.

    "Tetapi semalam (mesyuarat Jemaah Menteri), kita putuskan hal penguatkuasaan terletak kepada KPDNHEP," katanya selepas menyampaikan hadiah kepada pemenang pertandingan Bayar dan Menang Kad Berbayar di sini, hari ini.

    Jakim, yang sebelum ini turut bertindak sebagai agensi penguatkuasaan berhubung penggunaan sertifikasi halal, semalam dilaporkan hanya mempunyai enam pegawai penguat kuasa bagi memeriksa dan memantau pelanggaran peraturan halal di seluruh negara.

    Berikutan itu, pegawai daripada bahagian penguat kuasa KPDNHEP serta Jakim, yang mempunyai senarai yang telah diberikan sijil terbabit, mengadakan pemeriksaan di seluruh negara bagi memastikan tidak berlaku penyalahgunaan dan pihak yang diberikan kebenaran menggunakan tanda tersebut, mematuhi sepenuhnya syarat-syarat yang ditetapkan.

    Mohd. Shafie berkata, mereka yang didapati bersalah menyalahgunakan sijil serta tanda halal, boleh didenda RM250,000 serta penjara tiga tahun bagi syarikat, manakala individu pula boleh didenda RM100,000 serta penjara tiga tahun mengikut Akta Perihal Dagangan 1972.

    "Semua kilang-kilang pemprosesan makanan, restoran dan kompleks menjual makanan yang memproses dan menjual makanan halal, akan diperiksa dengan kerjasama Jakim," katanya.

    Beliau berkata, dengan keputusan jemaah menteri semalam, KPDNHEP akan meningkatkan aktiviti penguatkuasaan memandangkan mereka dapat menggunakan sepenuhnya peruntukan undang-undang sedia ada.

    "Bagaimanapun, ini tidak bermakna Jakim tidak akan menyertai operasi kita lagi, mereka masih akan turut serta," katanya.

    Beliau berkata, bahagian penguat kuasa KPDNHEP turut meminta kerjasama pihak berkuasa tempatan bagi membantu sebarang operasi pemeriksaan premis makanan memandangkan kebanyakan premis terletak dalam bidang kuasa mereka.

    Mohd. Shafie turut meminta orang ramai yang mempunyai maklumat tentang mana-mana pihak yang mengambil kesempatan daripada penggunaan tanda halal supaya melaporkan perkara itu kepada bahagian penguat kuasa.

    "Kita akan ambil tindakan tegas terhadap pihak yang terbabit, pemeriksaan akan dipertingkatkan dengan penguatkuasaan lebih menyeluruh supaya perkara seperti ini tidak akan berlaku pada masa depan,'' katanya merujuk kes sebuah kilang membuat sosej di Selayang, Selangor menggunakan apa yang dipercayai usus babi sebagai sarung sosej dan menggunakan tanda halal tidak sah.

    Selain itu, beliau turut menegaskan bahawa penjual serta pemilik premis makanan tidak mempunyai sebab untuk tidak mengetahui sama ada makanan yang dijual di premis mereka halal atau sebaliknya.

    "Tidak ada sebab tidak tahu. Jika mereka telah guna logo halal, mereka patut memastikan sama ada ia sah. Mereka boleh semak dengan Jakim," katanya.

    Mengenai tindakan terhadap dua kilang pemprosesan di Selayang yang dikesan menggunakan usus haiwan dipercayai babi sebagai sarung sosej, Mohd. Shafie berkata: "Biar ia berjalan mengikut proses undang-undang. Tapi kita mahu beritahu orang ramai bahawa kita memandang serius perkara itu".


    External Links:
  • 1,600 pantau logo halal KPDNHEP ambil alih penguatkuasaan daripada Jakim
  • Pelekat logo `Halal' boleh dibeli dengan mudah
  • Ministry to monitor firms manufacturing halal products
  • Why Muslim can't eat pork

    [InterFaith]

    Thy ask and Im try my best to ans. Maybe someone out there can giv much more better info than this.

    Why Muslim can't consume pork or even PorkSausage.

    You want to know?? Good scientific explanation
    [Adakah anda ingin tahu. Satu penjelasan saintifik yang bagus.]

    Bob: Tell me why is it that a Muslim is very particular about the words Halaal and haraam; what do they mean?
    [Terangkan kepada saya kenapa orang Islam ni sangat mementingkan dan begitu teliti dengan istilah 'Halal dan juga Haram' apa sebenarnya maksud perkataan-pekataan tersebut.]

    Yunus: That which is permissible is termed Halaal and that which
    is not permissible is termed Haraam and it is the Quran which draws the distinction between the two.
    [Halal bermaksud perkara yang dibenarkan dalam Islam manakala haram pula bermaksud perkara yang tidak dibenarkan dalam Islam dan al Quranlah yang telah menggariskan perbezaan diantara keduanya.]

    Bob: Can you give me an example?
    [Boleh awak beri saya contoh?]

    Yunus: Yes, Islam has prohibited blood of any type. You will agree that a chemical analysis of blood shows that it contains an abundance of uric acid, a chemical substance which can be injurious to human health.
    [Islam telah melarang memakan apa jua jenis darah kecuali darah ikan dan belalang kalau tak silap saya). Kamu tentu akan setuju bahawa satu analisis kimia terhadap darah menunjukkan ia mengandungi banyak asid urik, iaitu bahan kimia yang merbahaya pada kesihatan manusia.]

    Bob: You're right about the toxic nature of uric acid, in the human being it is excreted as a waste product and in fact we are told that 98 percent of the body's uric acid is extracted from the blood by the kidneys and removed through urination.
    [Kamu benar berkaitan dengan toksik semulajadi yang terkandung dalam asid urik ni. Di dalam badan manusia, ia digolongkan sebagai bahan kumuh/buangan,malahan kami diberitahu bahawa 98 peratus dari asid urik ini diekstrak/ditapis daripada darah oleh buah pinggang dan dibuang melalui sistem perkumuhan.]

    Yunus: Now I think that you'll appreciate the special prescribed
    method of animal slaughter in Islam.
    [Sekarang saya rasa kamu akan dapat merasai betapa beruntungnya satu cara istimewa dlm Islam berkenaan penyembelihan binatang.]

    Bob: What do you mean?
    [Apa maksud kamu.]

    Yunus: You see, the wielder of the knife, whilst taking the name
    of the 'Almighty', makes an incision through the jugular veins, leaving all other veins and organs intact.
    [Maksudnya, ketajaman pisau, menyembelih dengan menggunakan nama Allah yang Maha Besar, menyembelih pada urat leher, ini semua akan menyebabkan organ-organ penting lain pada haiwan tidak rosak.]

    Bob: I see, this causes the death of the animal by total loss of blood from the body, rather than an injury to any vital organ.
    [Jadi kematian pada haiwan adalah melalui cara hilangnya darah secara keseluruhan daripada tubuh haiwan tersebut dan bukannya dengan mencederakan pada organ-organ penting yang lain.]

    Yunus: Yes, were the organs, example the heart, the liver, or the
    brain crippled or damaged, the animal could die immediately and its blood would congeal in its veins and would eventually permeate the flesh. This implies that the animal flesh would be permeated and contaminated with uric acid and therefore very poisonous; only today did our dieticians realize such a thing.
    [Ya, sebagai contoh, sekiranya organ jantung, hati, atau otak retak atau rosak, binatang itu akan mati dengan cepat dan darahnya akan menjadi kental dalam salur darah dan ini secara perlahan-lahan akan menyebabkan ia meresap ke dlm daging. Ini akan menyebabkan daging diresapi dan tercemar dengan asid urik menyebabkan ia menjadi amat beracun dan baru sekarang pakar-pakar diet menyedari akan hal ini.]

    Bob: Again, while on the topic of food; Why do Muslims condemn the eating of pork or ham or any foods related to pigs or swine.
    [Bercakap mengenai makanan ni,kenapa orang Islam ni menolak untuk makan daging khinzir @ sebarang makanan yang berkaitan dengannya.]

    Yunus: Actually, apart from the Quran prohibiting the consumption
    of pork
    , bacon (pig flesh); in fact the Bible too in Leviticus chapter 11, verse 8, regarding swine it says," of their flesh (of the swine, another name for pig) shall you not eat, and of their carcass you shall not touch;they are unclean to you. Further, did you know that a pig cannot be slaughtered at the neck for it does not have a neck; that is according to its natural anatomy. A Muslim reasons that if the pig was to be slaughtered and fit for human consumption the Creator would have provided it with a neck. Nonetheless, all that aside,I am sure you are well informed about the harmful effects of the consumption of pork, in any form, be it pork chops, ham, bacon.
    [Sebenarnya, ada bahagian daripada Al-Quran melarang penggunaan daging khinzir ini. Malah dalam Bible sendiri dalam Leviticus, chapter 11, verse 8, berkaitan dengan daging khinzir. Mengikut Bible, janganlah kamu makan, dan bangkainya janganlah kamu sentuh, ia adalah tidak bersih untuk kamu. Tahukah juga kamu bahawa seekor khinzir tidak boleh disembelih pada lehernya kerana ia sendiri sebenarnya tidak mempunyai leher jika kita nak tengok dari anatomi semulajadinya. Bagi orang Muslim sekiranya khinzir itu boleh disembelih dan sesuai utk keperluan manusia, maka Tuhan tentunya akan menjadikan khinzir itu mempunyai leher. Apapun, tanpa melihat pada semua itu, saya yakin bahawa kamu tentu tahu betapa daging khinzir ini, walau dalam apa jua bentuk pun akan memberikan kesan yang merbahaya.]

    Bob: The medical science finds that there is a risk for various disease as the pig is found to be a host for many parasites and potential diseases.
    [Sains perubatan mendapati bahawa khinzir ini merupakan hos/perumah bagi pelbagai jenis parasit dan berisiko kepada terhadap pelbagai jenis penyakit.]

    Yunus: Yes, even apart from that, as we talked about uric acid content in the blood, it is important to note that the pig's biochemistry excretes only 2 percent of its total uric acid content, the remaining 98 percent remains as an integral part of the body.
    [Ya, malah selain daripada itu sebagaimana kita berbincang mengenai kandungan asid urik dalam darah tadi, didapati khinzir hanya membuang 2 peratus daripada kandungan asid uriknya sebagai bahan kumuhan dan baki 98 peratus lagi akan kekal sebagai sebahagian dari tubuhnya.]

    Reference:
  • Morgan, M.R.A., McNerney, R., Chan, H.W-S. and Anderson, P.H. (1986) Ochratoxin A in pig kidney determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). J. Sci. Food Agric., 37, 475-480.

  • Anderson, P.H., Webb, G.A.H., Jackman, R. and Morgan, M.R.A. (1984). Ochratoxicosis and ochratoxin A residues in pig's kidneys - a pilot survey. In: Proceedings of Fifth Meeting on Mycotoxins in Animal and Human Health (eds. Moss, M.O. and Frank, M.) Surrey University Press, pp. 23-29.

  • Ochratoxin A [Google|Yahoo]

  • Ochratoxicosis [Google|Yahoo]

    Useful Links:
  • Why Pork is Haram
  • AFIC - halal pages
  • Halal: List of Halal and Haram Food Ingredients
  • Eating Meat Stamped "Halal" in a Non-Muslim Country
  • 17 March 2005

    When not all sausage here HALAL III

    [My Malaysiana][InterFaith]

    ...because only 6 [six] people hav resposible on all of this for the whole country. What a poor my Malaysiana.

    Maybe we have more on illegal VCD and DVD or on tracking illegal workers besides for such "important" thing for Muslim like this... Think again if we still want promote Malaysia as a Halal Food hub of the region. [or just simply forget iT!!!]

    Again, what's Islam Hadhari [in this country] really mean to me... Im totally confused now.

    From Berita Harian

    Hanya enam pantau halal
    By Shamshul Azree Samshir

    PUTRAJAYA: Ketika umat Islam menyuarakan kebimbangan berhubung penyalahgunaan logo halal, ramai mungkin tidak tahu Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (Jakim) cuma mempunyai enam pegawai penguat kuasa bagi memantau pengeluaran dan penjualan produk berkenaan di seluruh negara.

    Ketua Pengarahnya, Datuk Mustafa Abdul Rahman ketika mendedahkan perkara itu berkata, bahagian penguat kuasa Jakim pada awalnya mempunyai dua penguat kuasa dan kini meningkat kepada enam pegawai yang bertanggungjawab mengawal selia barangan halal dan haram.

    "Mereka kerja siang malam, kadangkala sampai jam 3 atau 4 pagi. Cuma saya nak kata kita sekarang perlu lebih ramai pegawai.

    "Jabatan cukup memahami kebimbangan pengguna Islam apabila satu demi satu kes penjualan makanan yang diragui kesuciannya dibongkar serta dilaporkan media seperti penjualan sosej menggunakan usus babi.

    "Kita tahu langkah paling berkesan membendung masalah itu ialah melalui pemantauan yang lebih ketat. Namun, Jakim berhadapan masalah mendesak iaitu kekurangan tenaga penguat kuasa," katanya pada sidang akhbar di sini, semalam.

    Mustafa mengulas desakan umat Islam supaya kerajaan bertindak segera berikutan kes dua kilang memproses sosej di Selayang yang didapati menggunakan usus babi sebagai sarung bahan makanan.

    Isnin lalu, dua kilang terbabit diserbu dan diarah ditutup selama dua minggu, berkuat kuasa serta merta. Sebuah kilang terletak di Kompleks Selayang manakala satu lagi berhampiran Pasar Borong Selayang.

    Antara barang dirampas ialah 200 kotak berisi sosej, kotak kosong dengan logo 'halal' yang tidak sah, pelekat dan sarung plastik.

    Selain itu, sebuah restoran di gedung perabot terkemuka di Damansara Utama, yang dipercayai menjadi pelanggan utama kilang sosej itu turut diserbu dan 50 kotak berisi produk berkenaan dirampas.

    Kelmarin, Menteri Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna, Datuk Mohd Shafie Apdal, berkata kerajaan akan menyegerakan penguatkuasaan penggunaan logo halal baru yang dilengkapi ciri keselamatan lebih ketat bagi mengelak lebih ramai peniaga menipu pengguna.

    Beliau berkata, pihaknya juga akan mendapatkan maklumat daripada Jakim berhubung perkembangan terbaru cadangan menguatkuasakan penggunaan logo halal baru yang mula diperkatakan tahun lalu itu.

    Mustafa mengesahkan Kabinet juga sudah mengarahkan Jakim memperkemaskan pemantauan terhadap pengeluaran produk halal dan haram, tetapi menegaskan pihaknya kini berhadapan dengan masalah kekurangan pegawai penguat kuasa.

    Sehubungan itu, katanya, Jakim sedang berusaha mendapatkan tambahan 120 penguat kuasa bagi membolehkan tindakan lebih tegas dan terancang dikendalikan.

    "Kita sedang menyiapkan kertas permohonan kepada Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam (JPA) dan amat berharap ia diluluskan segera. Kita akan mempercepatkan semua usaha bagi mendapatkan lebih ramai kakitangan penguat kuasa.

    "Kabinet sudah mengarahkan Jakim memperkemaskan pemantauan terhadap pengeluar produk halal dan haram. Itulah yang sedang kita usahakan termasuk mengemukakan kertas cadangan lengkap kepada JPA untuk dipertimbangkan," katanya.

    Mustafa berkata, enam pegawai penguat kuasa yang ditugaskan sekarang, meskipun mendapat bantuan 73 pegawai jabatan agama Islam negeri, tidak mencukupi bagi memantau pengeluaran dan pengedaran produk halal dan haram, termasuk kira-kira 1,000 produk yang mempunyai logo halal.

    "Sehingga November tahun lalu, 586 premis diperiksa di seluruh negara dan jumlah itu dianggap membanggakan jika mengambil kira faktor keupayaan dan jumlah logo halal yang dikeluarkan jabatan," katanya.

    Beliau berkata, caj yang dikenakan bagi semua pihak mendapatkan logo halal daripada Jakim amat minimum, iaitu antara RM100 hingga RM700 yang boleh ditanggung pengeluar terutama syarikat besar.

    "Kita mengenakan bayaran RM100 bagi pengusaha industri kecil dan sederhana mendapatkan logo halal. Begitu juga pengusaha restoran yang dikenakan RM100 bagi setiap dapur yang digunakan," katanya.

    Mustafa berkata, Jakim kini di peringkat akhir menyiapkan kertas cadangan memperkenalkan logo halal yang dilengkapi cip keselamatan khas bagi mengelak penggunaan tanda palsu.

    "Kita jangka kertas cadangan itu dapat disiapkan bulan depan.

    "Sehubungan itu, kita akan mengadakan pertemuan dengan semua pengeluar termasuk persatuan pengilang bagi mendapatkan maklum balas bagaimana logo halal baru boleh digunakan," katanya.

    Related Links:
  • When not all sausage here HALAL
  • When not all sausage here HALAL II
  • TPM mahu pihak salah guna logo halal dihukum
  • Jakim tidak mampu pantau - Mahu 120 orang lagi pegawai periksa tanda halal seluruh negara
  • When not all sausage here HALAL II

    [My Malaysiana][InterFaith]

    From Harian Metro: KL

    Nyaris makan sosej babi di kafe
    By Mohd Nur Asnawi Daud

    KUALA LUMPUR: Seorang lelaki nyaris termakan roti sosej diperbuat daripada usus haiwan disyaki babi yang dibelinya di sebuah kafe di Jalan Ampang, di sini, pagi semalam.

    Roti sosej yang siap untuk dimakan dan dimasukkan perencah secukup rasa itu dijual dengan harga RM5.90 dipercayai dibekalkan sebuah syarikat pengeluar di Selayang yang diserbu pihak berkuasa, Isnin lalu.

    Bagaimanapun, dia bernasib baik kerana berasa ragu-ragu sebelum memakan roti itu dan merujuk kepada Persatuan Pengguna Islam Malaysia (PPIM) untuk mendapatkan kepastian sama ada makanan itu dibuat menggunakan usus binatang dan tidak halal dimakan umat Islam.

    Tindakan kafe terbabit secara terangan tidak mengendahkan arahan pihak berkuasa supaya penjualan sosej diperbuat daripada usus binatang itu dihentikan segera.

    Malah, kilang yang dipercayai menjadi pembekalnya sudah diserbu Isnin lalu dan diarahkan menghentikan operasi dua minggu bagi membolehkan siasatan dijalankan.

    Koordinator Projek Persatuan Pengguna Islam Malaysia (PPIM), Noor Nirwandy Mat Noordin, berkata kegiatan kafe berkenaan terbongkar selepas pihaknya menerima aduan daripada pengguna berkenaan.

    "Hasil pemeriksaan kami terhadap sosej yang diberikan pengguna berusia lingkungan 30-an itu mendapati ia dibuat menggunakan usus binatang disyaki babi.

    "Sepatutnya mereka (peniaga) lebih peka dan tidak menjual sosej terbabit kerana syarikat pengeluarnya sudah diarahkan menghentikan operasi," katanya ketika ditemui selepas membuat laporan polis di Ibu Pejabat Polis daerah Gombak, di sini, semalam.

    Beliau berkata, pihaknya kesal terhadap apa yang berlaku dan kedegilan pengusaha kafe terbabit yang masih menjual sosej terbabit walaupun ia tindakan tidak bertanggungjawab syarikat pengeluar bahan makanan itu dihebahkan media sejak beberapa hari lalu.

    Menurutnya, pihak PPIM akan menjalankan siasatan lanjut untuk memastikan sosej yang disyaki menggunakan usus binatang itu tidak dipasarkan kepada umat Islam.

    "Mereka seolah-olah tidak mengendahkan amaran pihak berkuasa dan tidak peka dengan sensitiviti masyarakat Islam di negara ini.

    "Apa yang diperhatikan, pelanggan mereka juga terdiri orang Islam yang tidak dibenarkan memakan makanan sedemikian," katanya.

    Nirwandy berkata, pihaknya menggesa tindakan lebih tegas dikenakan terhadap kafe berkenaan kerana tidak mengendahkan amaran pihak berkuasa yang menggesa penjualan sosej yang menggunakan usus binatang itu dihentikan segera.

    Dalam serbuan di sebuah kilang di Selayang Isnin lalu, pihak berkuasa berjaya membongkarkan kegiatan kilang memproses daging sosej yang dikesan menggunakan usus haiwan disyaki babi sebagai sarung.

    Malah, kilang berkenaan juga didapati menggunakan logo halal palsu pelbagai jabatan agama pada bungkusan produknya sebelum diedarkan secara meluas ke beberapa pusat beli-belah terkemuka tanpa disedari pengguna Islam.

    Siasatan mendapati pemilik kilang juga dipercayai turut membekalkan hampir 4,000 sosej sehari ke sebuah pasar raya di Damansara.

    Susulan serbuan itu, pihak berkuasa turut membuat rampasan produk berkenaan di sebuah lagi kilang pengeluar barangan makanan yang menggunakan sijil halal tamat tempoh juga di Selayang.

    From Berita Harian

    Sosej: Mapan lapor polis
    By Nazmi Yaakub

    SELAYANG: Majlis Permuafakatan Angkatan NGO-NGO Malaysia (Mapan) membuat laporan polis terhadap dua kilang pengeluar sosej kerana menipu pengguna dengan menggunakan sarung kulit sosej daripada usus babi, di Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah (IPD) Gombak, semalam.

    Pemangku Pengerusi Mapan, Datuk Dr Maamor Osman, berkata laporan polis juga akan dibuat terhadap pengurusan medan selera sebuah gedung perabot terkenal di Mutiara Damansara, di Petaling Jaya kerana masih menjual produk berkenaan.

    "Laporan polis perlu kerana isu sosej menggunakan sarung daripada usus babi menimbulkan kegusaran penduduk, terutama yang beragama Islam.

    "Malah, peniaga bukan Islam yang tidak terbabit dan sentiasa mematuhi peraturan, turut menerima kesan buruk sehingga perniagaan mereka jatuh mendadak," katanya pada sidang media di IPD Gombak di sini semalam.

    Isnin lalu, sebuah kilang di Kompleks Selayang dan sebuah berhampiran Pasar Borong Selayang diserbu pihak berkuasa serta diarah tutup selama dua minggu, berkuat kuasa serta-merta.

    Antara barang dirampas ialah 200 kotak berisi sosej, kotak kosong dengan logo 'halal' tidak sah, pelekat dan sarung plastik.

    Serbuan dibuat Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (Jais), Bahagian Siasatan dan Pendakwaan Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna (KPDNHEP), Kementerian Kesihatan serta Persatuan Pengguna Islam Malaysia (PPIM).

    Dr Maamor berkata, pengeluar sosej tidak mengendahkan laporan media dan seolah-olah mencabar serta menghina Sultan kerana ia berkaitan dengan agama dan budaya.

    "Oleh itu, pihak berkuasa mesti mengambil tindakan tegas kerana mereka menjadi barah dan duri dalam daging serta sabotaj terhadap ekonomi negara.

    "Malaysia dipandang sebagai peneraju era pembangunan Islam yang sederhana dan sepatutnya menjadi model kepada penghasilan makanan halal," katanya yang juga Setiausaha Agung PPIM.

    Beliau berkata, Mapan akan menemui Dewan Perniagaan Islam Malaysia dan Persatuan Peguam Muslim bagi membincang serta merangka draf bagi menangani isu makanan halal negara ini.

    "Draf itu akan diusulkan kepada kerajaan bagi menangani isu penting ini secara berkesan," katanya.

    Mengenai pelanggan sosej terbabit, Dr Maamor berkata, pihaknya mendapati sekurang-kurangnya 29 premis melanggannya, termasuk hotel ternama di Lembah Klang.

    "Kami sudah membuat serbuan sebuah premis di Mutiara Damansara dan mendapati masih dijual," katanya.

    Sementara itu, Koordinator Projek PPIM, Noor Nirwandy Mat Noordin, berkata pengguna boleh memeriksa sendiri sosej yang dibeli bagi memastikan ia tidak diperbuat daripada usus babi.

    "Sosej yang menggunakan sarung usus babi boleh dikenali kerana mempunyai lapisan nipis yang boleh dibuang apabila dipotong.


    Pengguna yang mempunyai maklumat boleh menghantar khidmat pesanan ringkas (SMS) kepada 019-3591000 dengan memberikan nama dan alamat pengeluar yang disyaki menipu pengguna.

    Mereka yang mahu mendapatkan keterangan lanjut boleh menghubungi PPIM di talian 03-42533600.

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