Malaysian Muslims Fast For Darfur

[NATO AIR]

more evidence for the hope that the SE Asian model of Islam will be the future for Islam.

http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2004/9/26/features/8967763&sec=features

Fast to help children of Darfur

CALLING all BRATs, go on a fast and raise funds for the children of Darfur.

Under the Fast for Fund campaign launched by Sunrise Bhd and The Star’s BRATs last Wednesday, participants are encouraged to fast up to 10 hours and get sponsors to pay them a minimum of RM20 for each hour they fast.

Interested BRATs can start getting sponsors, and begin their fast anytime from now till Oct 3. The fast could last an hour, or 10 hours, depending on how much sponsorship one gets, and how well one copes.

BRATs could also get together on Oct 2 and fast together for six hours at the ceremony marking the close of the campaign at Plaza Mont Kiara.

The collection from the campaign will be handed to the Save the Darfur Children Fund at the end of the 10-day campaign in a ceremony at Plaza Mont Kiara.

To mark the closing of the campaign, the public can convey their messages to the children on a large mural that would later be handed to Mercy Malaysia, which plans to put it up at a proposed play centre. There will also be on-the-spot quizzes with prizes sponsored by Sunrise Bhd.

There will also be an exhibition of photographs by The Star photographer Art Chen who was recently in Darfur with journalist Sira Habibu to document the people's plight.

Cheques should be made out to Mercy Malaysia (Maybank account no: 5621-7950-4126) and sent to Save the Darfur Children Fund, Star Publications (M) Bhd, Menara Star, 15, Jalan 16/11, Section 16, 46350 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. All donations are tax-exempted.


BRATs in Klang Valley, please call Avril Chan (017-6522945) Julienne Lau (012-3210494) or Tan Ee Von (012-9028896) to collect your pledge cards. BRATs in Penang, please e-mail Phoa Kelene at [email protected] for details. If you have any queries about contributing to this project, please e-mail [email protected]

 

[Comrade]

more evidence for the hope that the SE Asian model of Islam will be the future for Islam.

I remember Malaysia's last Prime Minister saying the Jews run this whole show and wonder how many Muslims there would lump in Darfur with all the Jews' evil conspiracies for every one fasting flower child.

It better than nothing, but you gotta love these fasting schedules:

Interested BRATs can start getting sponsors, and begin their fast anytime from now till Oct 3. The fast could last an hour, or 10 hours, depending on how much sponsorship one gets, and how well one copes.

What are these people, ravenous eaters? After an hour the pressure to EAT gets too much, lol!

BRATs could also get together on Oct 2 and fast together for six hours at the ceremony marking the close of the campaign at Plaza Mont Kiara.

Wow, SIX whole hours! I can do that in my sleep!

[participants are encouraged to fast up to 10 hours and get sponsors to pay them a minimum of RM20 for each hour they fast.

You get paid every hour you don't eat! Now thats what I call, 'Fast' cash!

Ba-Dum!

 

[Avatar4321]

Sponsors for fasting...thats a new one.

When we fast for Church we give up the money we would have spent on food for the day for the poor. ive never heard of fasting with sponsors though. doesnt seem like much of a sacrifice. especially if its only 6 hours. but i suppose its better than nothing.

 

[NATO AIR]

its for charity for teenagers to help children in darfur by gaining sponsorship from adults. they're teenagers mostly, not grown mature adults. frankly, given the mental state of many of the sailors i serve with and teenagers i know and love (sex, girls/boys, parties, fun, sleep, possessions, status), getting most of them to fast for an hour would be as impossible as getting jabba the hut to willingly donate to the jedi orphan fund (or any other charity for that matter)

its not perfect, but its better than silence or open support for the sudanese government.

i find the SE Asian blend of Islam to be generally open to democracy (look at Indonesia's recent peaceful elections), generally open to foreigners and diverse groups (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc) and headed towards greater economic, social and political prosperity.

It is a lot better than the Arab blend.

We should be supporting and having more of a dialogue with these Muslims (despite their leader's mistakes, like the Malaysian PM you mentioned) rather than focusing all our energies on the Middle East.

The Middle East is worthy of great attention and effort,but we should also upgrade and recalibrate our efforts in SE Asia and India.

 

[onedomino]

its for charity for teenagers to help children in darfur by gaining sponsorship from adults. they're teenagers mostly, not grown mature adults. frankly, given the mental state of many of the sailors i serve with and teenagers i know and love (sex, girls/boys, parties, fun, sleep, possessions, status), getting most of them to fast for an hour would be as impossible as getting jabba the hut to willingly donate to the jedi orphan fund (or any other charity for that matter)

its not perfect, but its better than silence or open support for the sudanese government.

i find the SE Asian blend of Islam to be generally open to democracy (look at Indonesia's recent peaceful elections), generally open to foreigners and diverse groups (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc) and headed towards greater economic, social and political prosperity.

It is a lot better than the Arab blend.

We should be supporting and having more of a dialogue with these Muslims (despite their leader's mistakes, like the Malaysian PM you mentioned) rather than focusing all our energies on the Middle East.

The Middle East is worthy of great attention and effort,but we should also upgrade and recalibrate our efforts in SE Asia and India.

NATO, I agree that the Islamic countries in Southeast Asia are generally more moderate (how could they possibly be less moderate?) than the Arab brand of Wahhabism or extreme Shi'a Islam as practiced in Iran. Nevertheless, the existing Malaysian attitudes as characterized by its former Malaysian Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, border on neo-Nazism.

http://www.adl.org/Anti_semitism/Malaysian_1.asp

 

[NATO AIR]

i agree there are problems with their viewpoint (these are long held myths about jews that NEED to be addressed and debunked, its happening in singapore but i'm not sure about the rest of SE Asia right now)

nevertheless, for the record, i consider the ADL and its ilk to be heavily corrupted by a sickening lack of respect for free speech or even valid debate. criticize israel in nearly any fashion and you earn a rebuke from the ADL and/or its ilk.

(i know this well, a few years ago i was pulled out of a college debate sponsored by a jewish student organization and a christian student organization by a moderator because i said the israelis had violated the oslo accords as badly as the palestinians did... when presented with valid evidence from CNN,BBC, CIA World Factbook and academia reports about Israeli violations on issues like settlements, military operations, land, etc etc, we were both told we were being anti-semetic and asked to leave the debate forum)