Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Online Ranting

One week ago an ex-army officer from the general staff was first to snipe at an ex-assistant director of the NTUC staff for her erroneous accounting of nuptial arrangements at a void deck. The curious part to his Facebook post alludes to noise pollution broadcasted by a minority ethnic group. This can't be true, since their religious practices have always taken into account consideration for others in the community within hearing range. One scholarly website on the relevant subject, "Islam Q and A" , expresses this well:
Question:
Is it better for us to use the indoor loudspeakers for taraaweeh and tahajjud prayers, or to use the outdoor loudspeakers so that people in the streets and neighbouring houses can hear?

Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Outdoor loudspeakers should not be used for the prayer, whether that is for taraaweeh, tahajjud or any other prayers such as Fajr, Maghrib and ‘Isha’, because that leads to many negative consequences and causes disturbance to the neighbours of the mosque.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen was asked:
In recent times it has become very common for the imams of mosques to use outdoor loudspeakers, which are usually placed in the minaret and the volume is set very high. By doing this, some mosques disturb one another in the prayers in which Qur’aan is recited out loud, by using these loudspeakers for the recitation. What is the ruling on using loudspeakers for the prayers in which Qur’aan is recited out loud when the sound from the minaret will disturb other mosques?

He replied:
What you have mentioned about using loudspeakers on the minaret for the prayers in which Qur’aan is recited out loud is something that is not allowed, because it causes a lot of disturbance for the people in houses and other mosques nearby. Imam Maalik (may Allaah have mercy on him) narrated in al-Muwatta’ (178), from Sharh al-Zarqaani in Baab al-‘Aml fi’l-Qiraa’ah (How Qur’aan is to be recited) from al-Bayaadi Farwah ibn ‘Amr – may Allaah be pleased with him – that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went out to the people when they were praying, and their voices were loud in recitation, and he said: “ A worshipper is conversing with his Lord, so let him think about the One with Whom he is conversing. Do not raise your voices above one another when reciting Qur’aan.” 

Maybe the brigadier general happened to have had a bad hair day at the keyboard. But something else must be amiss when Lee Bee Wah (member of parliament, Nee Soon GRC) made her own personal rant on her Facebook pages, “Can we use the strength and power of the 60% good Singaporeans and residents who do not litter to put pressure and change the bad habit of the other 40% litterbugs?”

That's not unlike Mitt Romney castigating the 47% who won't vote for him, ever. Even if Lee's 60/40 divide is not politically motivated as widely speculated online, do we need another excuse to test the delicate fabric of our multi-racial, multi-cultural milieu by introducing a new social division? This coming on top of the confabulation on xenophobia, brought about by a flawed immigration policy which challenges our limited living space and ill prepared infrastructure.

The last time Lee had to apologise in public (“I sincerely apologise for causing any grievances, any stress.”) was for having blown up in Beijing, ranting that table tennis team manager Antony Lee was responsible for a game loss and should be fired. Do you think she will ever make amends for branding Singapore as being made up of 40% litterbugs? Dream on.

19 comments:

  1. LBW is born in Malaysia, same as Amy Cheong. Her insensitive remarks puts her in the same league as Seng Han Thong and Goh Chok Tong. Hope she kick some own goals come next GE and drag PAP down with her.

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    1. Goh Chok Tong and her can kick own goals but it won't drag them down in next GE. It did not happen in Marine Parade GRC. It won't happen in her GRC, just like in Mah Bow Tan's and Wong Kan Seng's, where it seems that too many voters are daft.

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    2. I have no problem with that. Let PAP continue kicking own goals then and be confident about winning elections.

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  2. LBW Comments was based on study by Ministry of Environment and can be seen in the detailed FB comments.

    Nothing to do with political ratio.

    Further, She stated "Singaporeans and residents of Singapore", please do Note the word "AND".

    Regards

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    1. You know what she is implying. As the chinese saying goes, "There is bones in her speech".

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  3. To be fair, TCJ didn't call it noise pollution; that seems to be your interpretation. He seemed to be simply stating a fact.

    The Hajjah Fatimah Mosque at Beach Road used to broadcast a prayer at breaking dawn every day when I was much younger. I don't know if the practice has continued or stopped as I moved out of the area years ago. I liked it because it was delivered in a beautiful sing song voice which was quite uplifting to start the day even though I didn't understand the words, but have to recognise the reality that not everyone might think the same all of the time. The same goes for the "burning of offerings, void deck funerals and weddings, increased parking during Friday prayers or Sunday morning worship" which TCJ also mentioned. I think the point was that everyone should learn to give and take, and learn how to embrace diversity as our lives are richer for it. I think that includes diversity of perspectives.

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    1. Have you learnt to enjoy seeing spits from those talents from PRC?

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    2. Last time less than 2 million population, easier to give and take.Now over crowding with 5.3 millions. Who gives, who takes? Not so easy lah. Still thinking of squeezing in some more. 6 million reached, then how? 6.5m? 7m? 7.5m?

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    3. anonymous 12:32
      Hope you are not jumping on bandwagon of
      PRC or foreigner- bashing at every opportunity
      Where's is your backup that only PRC spit?
      I have seen more locals,especially older folks spit more than PRCs on everywhere.

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    4. I agree. Elderly locals spit more. But I see more PRCs eating and littering in public transport. Bangalahs hogging reserve seats. Ang Mohs riding reckless fast in parks. They anti-social behaviour bring us Singaporeans down to their level. PAP should educate them before allowing them come into our country. Singapore is going back to third world status.

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    5. Years of education on social behaviour has been thrown down to the drains with the influx of foreigners. Look at our roads and parks. They are clean no more. Who is responsible for bringing so many FT into Singapore?

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    6. 10 years ago, friends from France visited and were full of praise for the clean beaches. They recently left after 2 days of a planned 3 days stop-over. Why were the clean beaches full of Aqua water bottles, the jogging track full of yankees 9who like to call frenchies frog leg eaters) cyclists speeding along insouciant of strolling public and overcrowded tourists places? It was a lousy deal to them, and good for us, because for the MIW, money talks. first the frenchies and canadians realize its a bad place, then the PRC tourists realize it has lost its "snob value" like the LV bags they now scorn. And finally, we'll get our country back when the real culprits who throw Aqua water bottles leave. Guess who threw the PEG bottles?

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  4. Looks like Malaysian Chinese are into our politics and they want it their way..

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  5. If more immigrants is what it takes to wake up the daft 60% ... then I'm all for a population of 10 million.
    Anything but the PAP.

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    1. actually at the speed at which the zillionaires in white are plundering, there might yet be hope some of those 60% and the newcomers who served NS in the last few years might finally see light. Spread the message, be a good "AoP-evangelist" (AoP=any other party). And hope more LBW and FMH commit the political hara-k.

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  6. Usually the poor quality MP are the ones who likes to speak more to garner more attention, as they won by piggy back on a GRC.

    LBW had to prove that she can get gold by any other means. However, it backfired because honest Singaporeans would rather wait a hundred years for the genuine Singaporean to win a gold rather than cheating by getting a foreigner to win the gold for us.

    With the lost and waning popularity, her next 60-40% spout was also misplaced. Even by further trying to get NEA support of the definition of 60-40%, she was grasping at straws.

    How sad, when one forgoes ones' values, and yearns for the gold at all cost.

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    1. The Malaysians must be having a good laugh to see Spore being shown the way to win medals by a former Malaysian citizen who in all probability is viewed as a misfit for political office.
      But sadly for majority of Sporeans, Lee BW is considered worthy by PM Lee and with such standard of judgement, the PM will be more desperate to keep the GRC system.

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  7. ape@kinjioleaf10/17/2012 2:15 PM

    Apparently, En Lee has not received the circular that reads'Don't politicize every initiative'

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