Singapore muslims doesn't mean its religiously related

I find it hard to grasp how most people can assume that when the word muslim is mention, it has everything to do with religion. There are some muslims who are not religious or who are not practising (depends if they still do call themselves as muslim, which i'm sure some still do) I have friends in my time who are muslims but they are not "religious".

So its interesting to see how Singapore muslim are actually confused when on our site its stated clearly 'singapore muslims". hrmmm..maybe it need to be accompanied with a footnote?? :P
my suspicions comes down to how people define themselves in Singapore. it's probably through their race and culture rather than through their value system. It's common to hear people asking 'what race are you....or where are your from' if you are a Singaporen. There's somehow a stereotypical connotation as soon as you say that you belong to a certain race.

NasiBriyani lounge...where singapore muslim community Think...not necessarily "religious issues"

The next think we found is people think that its a forum site. Perhaps its a failure on our part to not clearly explain this site? something like this.....

"But well, its an Ask Answer site. People ask a question and you guys can answer each others question too....How it works is by having a point system.....read more on how it works."


Also we are currently going through an extensive rewiring. We call it.... "operation refurbishment" . Since 2 of our guys are coming down to Singapore to have a meeting with Singapore muslim community the ordinary joe there (that's where the interesting people are)......we are also hoping do the final fine tuning to our site to make it fully operational. A website is always a work in progress no doubt but there are about about 1/4 bit of add-on which is still in working stages. Hopefully inshallah in a couple of months (by the time that our guys are in Singapore) we'll be able to launch our complete site to the people.

We can't tell exactally what these changes are, but we are sure that it will add more sipce, sugar, chillie and coconut milk into our site. We will really appreciate if you guys have more ideas on how to make this more interesting to let us know.

There haven't been a one stop area for Singapore muslim community on a website. ( moderate muslim, progressive muslim, expats, local muslim, reverts, non practising muslim, x-muslim, pious muslims, creative muslim and many more diversity) So we're really excited to give this to them, but in return to ask them to participate and have fun.

This site is made by the ordinary joe of Singapore muslim for the every type of muslims in Singapore there are. If you will like to meet us in Singapore please drop us a line. details of when we will be there will be given if you are interested to meet us up for a cupa of coffee..and just chat.


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Well our server went down!

Just a quick update.....for those of you who noticed.......our server went down on Wednesday morning.
WEll we had some problem with the guy at the other end who by mistake shut down our site!!

Yes that happened.... don't ask me how...but our site went down for a few hours before it was up again. Siren went off and as we panicked. Sleep was lost as we tried to figure out what was going on as data was boing restored. It's the greatest fear of any webmaster and business owners, to have their site down like that. For a while i thought that we had an exciding increase of hits that the server just couldn't take it and went down. (well that was untrue as it turned out, awwwww) hehe....unfortunate some data was loss for the whole Tuesday :S and i just hope no one answered or ask any new questions on Tuesday.

Sadly our new blog which was almost ready for launching was totally screwed because of this. We've lost all of the work we did and had to set it up all over again!!! Personally I spent a significant amount of time on the blog and was really excited to launch our brand new blog page...sigh

So untill we get the new blog up again....We'll be continuing with blogger, as it might take a few days or even a week more before we can finally use the new blog page.

till then.......w'saalam

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Will be moving this blog to our own server soon...

We are in the middle of moving this blog onto our own server.....so we might not be able to post new entries. Sorry about that. However there's are new questions constantly waiting for your replies. So have a look on our main website and just have fun (:

We will advise soon once we have moved successfully.

TC.W'saalam.


-NB-

What is Love? - hot Question

Currently in our hot Questions..."What is love"?
The all too popular universal question which crosses everyone's mind...some interesting replies were seen here that we think should be posted on this blog.

The question:-

Okay, perhaps, it's shallow, superficial, somewhat unneccssary,
or for many... downright avoidable.
but what is it?
how many forms of it are there?
how do you know it?
is it really a fine line between hate?
coz i wonder whether humans really need it, want it, crave it...
or is it a contemporary emotion where you're simply programmed to feel what wider society wants you to seek...... read more>>

The Replies:

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by masalle:
we all do feel love but the way we express it is simply learned and consequently i guess those cues are what people define as love, i suppose. the meanings, forms, expressions and expectations of love have changed, as the concept of love mo..............read more >>
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by EbOnYTiGReSS:
sorry... but i'd be inclined to disagree with mr. adler...that's probably because that if society does not get what this whole love thing is....(and i mean really, being on the rebound doesnt mean that you get it)then why is it that we like to tell ourselves that .............read more >>
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by foonoosh:
I just have a simple answer for the first question.
To me, love is the purest form of emotion there is. It is unconditional and beautiful. Love is what one feels between a husband and a wife, a daughter/son to her.............read more >>
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by sultana:
good question..something which i've been trying to figure out all my life. i've been wanting to post a reply to this question a while back as soon as i get some time to articulate my thoughts which i soon realise that i will never be able to :D....................................read more >>
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Why not join the FUN ? REPLY to this question :)



In relation to the above post, one of our member attached this interesting video to watch.
Hellen Fisher:-"The science of Love"

            

developer who?

The first post on this blog mentions;

...I'm hoping for the developer of this site to also use this blog to post announcements on what the NB: lounge team have in store and plan to improve on...

Well, here I am :) yours truly (aka 'WM' or webmack), the little soul who has contributed with some pieces of a foreign language not spoken by mortals (programming code) to bring this idea to you all to see and use.

Its raw, a bit different and maybe a little weird, but its my best work yet from a fair few years of working with websites. Over the months of helping to realise the dream of individuals behind this, i've fallen in love, multiple times with the result and also with the individuals themselves :p

The process itself has been far from easy, as my dear friend NB would vouch ;) but it has been rewarding as well, through each interesting question you all have asked and replied to.

Well moving along, I'd like to give a bit of a technical insight into NB:Lounge and highlight a few recent features we have added and fine tuned for your enjoyment...


The site is built upon a clean and logical structure (which is reflected in the markup) of topics and questions. A nice sprinkling of AJAX, simple scripts and some solid CSS ties everything together to make it interactive. Special mention to the designer who was able to visualise what was required and work with me and my quirks (NB will again certify that this is no easy task)

New Questions component

A smooth question fader that showcases the newest questions in the site randomly. It also serves as the intro to what the site is about and leads on to the start now page.

Ask, Sign up Form help tips

Cheeky and helpful tip boxes to explain and ease the completion of all forms on the site.

Email question to a friend

AJAX based pop out component under each question that allows you to send the question to your friends by email.

Topic list fly-out

A quick way to jump to any topic. Fast loading, and some transparent CSS magic for eye candy :)

So folks, thats it for now. Until next time... have fun.

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Note: If you have any comments, suggestions or improvements about the features on NB:Lounge, please share it with us in our Feedback and Suggestions Question.
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Discover Muslim Heritage and Inventions....

Here are some interesting information on Muslim heritage, history and inventions. I know some Muslims are just stuck in Islam's glorious days, but the purpose of me putting up this website is for everyone to find out the significant impact Islam has brought upon into our current times. Is useful to know, learn understand and research...with the hope that our Muslim people will come to a realisation that in order to be progressive in Research and Development is to never stop Asking questions and think.....even if its out of the box. That's the only way creativity arises & towards discovery.


http://www.1001inventions.com - 1001 inventions
http://muslimheritage.com/ - Muslim heritage



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Share your favroute links (without point) on NB: lounge

Do you know that members can post any useful or funny links on our website without using your points?

to share funny links:
go to : site support >> funny links
http://www.nasibriyanilounge.com/ans...

to share helpful links:
go to: site support >> helpful links
http://www.nasibriyanilounge.com/ans...


Have fun :)


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Japanese card trick

This was mailed to us. Check out this tricky Japanese card trick, watch it closely ;)

Cyril has a fishy card trick


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Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity?

About this Talk

Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining (and profoundly moving) case for creating an education system that nurtures creativity, rather than undermining it. With ample anecdotes and witty asides, Robinson points out the many ways our schools fail to recognize -- much less cultivate -- the talents of many brilliant people. "We are educating people out of their creativity," Robinson says. The universality of his message is evidenced by its rampant popularity online. A typical review: "If you have not yet seen Sir Ken Robinson's TED talk, please stop whatever you're doing and watch it now."

About Sir Ken Robinson

Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson challenges the way we're educating our children. He champions a... More »

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Member only promotion till 13th MAY

Yes our newletter is out for this month. For those who didn't receive it, its probably because of one of the following:-

- you gave us a wrong email address or
- it went to you junk filter......
- you're not a member yet :P
- or simply... you can't be stuff to read our monthly ('hot goss') updated ;)


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So the word is out that we're having a member only promotion . From now till 13th MAY, for each question asked and each reply a member gives to other members....you will receive 50 points. That's an easy deal to accumulate more points, especially if you are running out of points to use for yourself ! :D

We also hilighted our Top scorers in this month!! We got our first top scorer sultana to reach 1225 points followed by masalle and smilerumez at 625 pts and 400 pts respectively. (see right side of blog, scroll down a bit to check out our Hall of Fame board) There's some steep competition going on guys. ;)


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If you do view our site now....we have made some obvious changes on the page . We're still continuing to make improvements on our site gradually. From your valuable feedbacks and inputs...we're able to see what our members want and would like to have in cooperated onto Nasi Briyani: lounge.

Thanks guys. Nasi Briyani lounge team love that you care about this website.

Also in our later post, we'll be explaining more about a new idea we have called "Grow our website" you can be a part of it too! click on image to find out more. :)



till then..take care. w'saalam


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Investigating Halal Meat

Here's a nice website "Islamic concern.org" that investigate the source of our Halal meat. Its give a good basis to start our own research into the food that we consume (even in Singapore) if it violates the key Islamic principles.
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Quote:

The purpose of this section of the site is to show what many Muslims have long suspected: Eating meat, dairy products, and eggs under today’s mechanized factory-farming conditions responsible for vast environmental conflicts with Islamic teachings of kindness to animals. Not only that, animal industries are also pollution and destruction and also contribute to many deadly human diseases, also in violation of key Muslim values.

source: http://www.islamicconcern.com/halalliving.asp

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Some of the many sections to look into(click):

Investigating halal meat
Halal standard slaughtering doesn't need Animals Awake
The sacrifise of "eid al-Adha"
Pork in your milk?

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Singapore food manufacturers enjoying sweet taste of success in UAE

Singapore food manufacturers are enjoying the sweet taste of success in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — the largest Middle-Eastern market for the Republic's food exports.

Seventeen Singapore firms — including sauce supplier Kwong Cheong Thye — raked in as much as $19 million worth of sales during last month's Gulfood 2007 in Dubai.

This was unveiled by IE Singapore on Sunday, as it prepares to promote the overseas growth of Singapore food — from authentic hawker fare to modern ethnic food — at the Tasty Singapore Food Festival in Dubai this week.

"We see good potential for Singapore food manufacturers in the UAE," said IE Singapore deputy chief executive officer Ted Tan.

"Singapore food manufacturers already enjoy a good reputation in the Middle East for premium food quality, high food safety standards and innovation. The recognition of Muis' Halal Certification System and certificates is an important development that will further boost Singapore's food exports to the UAE," he added.

Last year, IE Singapore worked with the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, or Muis, and Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to obtain the agreement of the UAE's General Secretariat of Municipalities to recognise Muis' Halal Certification System and Halal certificates.

Food exports to the UAE hit $102 million last year, a 31 per cent rise from 2005, ranking the region as Singapore's 13th largest food and beverage export market.

Overall, Singapore food exports to the Middle East witnessed a 16 per cent rise over 2005, to reach $252 million, said IE Singapore. -


taken from: The Halal Journal

Thoughts : Singapore (Islamic Issues)

http://stillhaventfound.org

It's refreshing to read a post from this blog which doesn't generalise Muslims as a Terrorist. There are non-muslim who do know the difference between Islam and terrorism and based their insights on facts rather than some random bluntly hateful racist comments.

click below to read more:
Thoughts : Singapore (Islamic Issues)


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DBS Bank, Middle East partners to open1st Islamic bank in Singapore

Singapore- DBS Bank and its Middle East partners will soon open Singapore's first Islamic bank selling only shariah-compliant products, DBS said on Saturday. DBS, Southeast Asia's largest bank, will be the majority shareholder in the joint venture, which will also have "prominent investors from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries," its statement said.

These include six Arab states, including Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

DBS has engaged four leading Islamic finance scholars to advise it. Shariah law prohibits banks from charging interest on money and investing in companies associated with gambling, tobacco or alcohol.

Other financial players such as Malaysia's Mayback offer Islamic products alongside conventional ones.

Chief executive Jackson Tai said there are great opportunities for DBS to grow its Islamic corporate banking services in Asia, the Middle East and elsewhere, The Straits Times said. He acknowledged the local market for retail banking products is limited.

DBS wants to play a "lead role in intermediating capital flows between Asian issuers and Gulf investors," he was quoted as saying.

Its first foray into Islamic finance came last year. DBS was granted a licence to operate at the Dubai International Financial Centre and has opened a branch there.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore is prepared to grant a new bank licence to a DBS joint venture to set up the bank, DBS said.

It will initially offer services for corporate, capital market and private banking clients.

© 2006 - dpa German Press Agency
from: The raw story.com

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similar news:

http://info.maybank2u.com.sg/corporate_info/media_release/.....
http://www.japantoday.com/jp/news/402433
http://webcenters.netscape.compuserve.com/celebrity/story.jsp?idq=....

The South East Asia Youth: Quran Reading competition - 1428/2007

Brunei Darussalam will host the Musabaqah Tilawatil Quran for ASIAN Youth 1428H/2007M from April 11 to 13 at the Plenary Hall, International Convention Centre in Berakas.

Participants will be representing coutries from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Phillipines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam.

Representing Singapore will be Mirza Aslam b Md. Rowter. Lets give our warmest support to our participant.

BACKGROUND:

The first competition was organised in 2000, the second in 2003 and followed by in 2005. The competition is held bi-annually for both male and female readers

OBJECTIVES:

• To inculculate friendship, brotherhood and cooperation amoung youth in Southeast Asian
• To assist and upgrade the quality of Al-Quran reading among youth in Southeast Asian
• To continue upgrading the quality of Al-Quran reading from youth level to adult level either national or international

DATE OF COMPETITION:
The 4th South East Asian Youth Al-Quraan Reading Competiton will be held from
April 11 - 13, 2007
The ceremony will commence by 7.45pm each night.

VENUE:
International Convention Centre, Berakas, Brunei Darussalam.

More info : South East Asia Youth Al-Quraan Reading competition 2007 Brunei Darussalam

1st Annual Australian Islamic Conference

THE FIRST ANNUAL AUSTRALIAN ISLAMIC CONFERENCE to be held in Melbourne between April 6 – 8, 2007.
Entry is now FREE
Don't miss out, please arrive early to guarantee your place. Food and beverages can be purchased at the venue.

Start & Finish Times:
Friday April 6: 4 pm – 8pm (why not arrive early & visit the conference Bazaar)
Saturday April 7: 9.00am – 8pm
Sunday April 8: 9.00am – 8pm

Conference Program:
The 2007 AAIC Program is now available at www.mercymission.org.au

Venue:
The conference will now be held at Economics & Commerce Building, the University of Melbourne. Please visit www.mercymission.org.au for a map of the conference venue. On-street parking is available around the University on Royal Parade, Grattan Street and Swanston Street.

Family Friendly Environment:
All are welcome. Mothers will be able to care for their children in a women-only room. Food and beverages can be purchased at very reasonable prices in the conference Bazaar area, which will also contain a variety of stalls ranging from clothing to books to health & beauty products to community services. Children's entertainment will also be provided insha-Allah.

Simple missed informed or just a seriously Ignorant & bitter person with a vengence?? our first hate mail !

Recently in our mail box, .........we've received a Hate email from the following group; Australian Islamist Monitor. According to the email, since we've linked their website to our blog their 'hits' have since sky rocketed which was very quickly followed by other hateful ideas about Islam.

Read the email below and also our reply.

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Name: Blue Heeler
Subject: Australian Islamist Monitor

Message:
As a founder of AIM, I am pleased to see you have noticed us. Many thanks for advancing our cause! Our "hits" are going through the roof! Your work has directed so many "habash" and "kufar" to our site, I think we should vote you an honorary membership! It is typical of Muslims that they see any criticism as "fear of Islam".

Only a philosophy with so much error, foolishness and outright lying would fear the honest scrutiny of its basic tenets. Islam cannot tolerate close inspection because, under the glare of vigorous intellectual examination, it fails every test. It is a cult - nothing more, nothing less - which relies on fear and coercion to survive. You, personally, probably suffer Stockholm Syndrome.

I can understand. It would be terrifying to have any questions about Islam and face death for asking the obvious. Christianity, on the other hand, despite its faults and human failings, has a 2000 year history of the most vigorous debate and self-criticism. Islam would do well to emulate that heritage of honesty and self-examination..... but it cannot, as the first person to suggest such a path would get a fatwah!!! We do not fear you or your primitive religion.

You will find that most of our members know more about Islam then the average dummy who goes to the mosque on Fridays and unthinkingly repeats every hate-filled rant from the local Imam. It is because we do understand Islam so well, that we are determined it shall have no place in our society. It is axiomatic - that a society based on Judeo-Christianity cannot exist with an Islamic society. You know that - so do we.

Your propaganda does not alter the facts. Islam promotes death. J/C based societies promote life. Chalk and cheese. It is also a reality that we, in Australia, have a very clearly defined separation of church and state - something Islam will never allow. It is the reason the Ummah is in such a deplorable and decrepit state. Once the petro-dollar influence wanes, (and "peak oil" has been reached), Islam will return to its insular and barbaric state, and we in the West will continue to ignore you as best we can.

If we are unable to convince you to get back in your box, we will defeat you militarily and force you to stop your insanity. It is also self-evident that all Islamic societies, internationally, lag so far behind Anglosphere ~ J/C based societies, that it would be criminal were we to allow Islam to take root. Our forebears did not struggle and persevere - that we should surrender without a fight. Your Internationalist "leaders" declared war. We accept. Islamisation will not happen in Australia. AIM exists to ensure Islam is thrown out of our country. You are more than welcome to wallow in your primitivism, but it will not happen here.

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Our Reply:

hi,

Its nice to see you getting some traffic through our blog. We just put your link amongst other blogs that we found interesting. Would you like to put a link to us on your website so we can get some "hits" as well? Maybe you could even do a write up on us as an honorary member. serious. You could write about how we promote self examination..
(http://www.nasibriyanilounge.com/about.asp)

you can continue to make assumptions as to whether we have 'fear' of so called honest criticism. I’m sorry you haven't been able to get answers, or come across any Muslim who can explain to you what Islam is. If you really know more than the average Muslim dummy, you would look beyond your local imam who gives hate speeches. If J/C based societies promote life, how come you talk of military violence and death?

Islamisation in Australia.. hmm..you should look up some stats from the census etc. At the rate at which the Muslim population is growing here, unless AIM and other groups do something pretty drastic, by the year 2050, Australia will be an *Islamic* nation.

cheers,
NB:lounge

Some other new findings

Here are some anti-Islam website who are very uneasy and insecure about Islam. (duhh!) Guess a saying goes "If we fear the unknown then surely we fear ourselves. Bryant H. McGill". Anyway have a look at them.




http://islammonitor.org/

Please read their about page as well as objectives.

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This one below is quite amusing actually.
check out this thread: http://www.b3ta.com/board/5619948

So if you have any interesting sites or any input to contribute to this blog, drop us a line.

W'saalam.

Are Singapore Muslim backboneless?

We've receive an interesting question and rather long question i may add, recently. We thought that we'll post it on our blog for Muslim in Singapore (or abroad) to read and probably reply and respond.

Here's the Question on "Singapore muslim are weekling & backboneless!!"

Why do people in Singapore celebrate ritual things ie, Eid and our Prophet (pbuh) Birthday while not doing anything to get their rights to practice Islam properly in Singapore? Are Singapore muslims cowards?

I know our Prophet (pbuh) and his companions never celebrated the Prophet (pbuh) birthday, and i also know that the scholars said that its a good thing to celebrate it. (well opinions differ among scholars as always)

However, my question has nothing to do about the act of celebration but more toward how a Singapore muslim society have allowed themselves to be treated like crap.

If Muslims in Singapore thinks that they are allowed to fully peacefully practice their religion... (or that they have freedom) i think they are in denial. Having mosques all over the country OR sprouting religious/Islamic classes, or just being allowed to exist in the country as being called a Muslim Society, are not a symbol of freedom to practice their religion. Having our way of life (Islam) being reduced and ridiculed to simply ritual and faith is very condescending. Even more disturbing to see that happening in Singapore. Muslim in Singapore have forgotten or probably didn't know that Islam isn't just an act of ritual. Muslim people in Singapore are not fully thriving because Islam is not being practice in its complete form.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying to wage a war or change the country to a Islamic shariah. No i'm not saying that at all. I'm saying that Muslims should have their rights met. If Muslim in the west can thrive and practice their religion fully...than a country like Singapore should be even better. The mentality of Singapore Muslim people is just wired wrong by years of censorship and god knows what.

(just one of the many example) People are not able to go to school or work in some companies with their hijab on! What kinda crap is this!! Who have allowed this to happen? Even if some Muslim do not agree with the aspect and the need for wearing Hijab (or other things they don't agree) They should be supporting the each other in issues like this. It's nothing wrong with wanting this kinda thing. What is the harm with wanting to cover up more? It's obvious that there is a lack of respect and understanding for Islam by Muslims as well as non- muslims themselves) These are some of the signs of how week Muslims in Singapore have been in educating themselves as well as people around them on how to treat them right, justly and fairly. basically they are treated as shit. The everyday muslim people have not educated their future generation, lived in a cocooned environment and seriously lack any understanding of what Islam truly is even if they think that they are living their daily lives as Muslim.

Why do people in Singapore celebrate all these ritual stuff while not using their time to transcending what Islam really is. ( and i don't mean attending more religious classes, that's not gonna help the community in fully thriving as a citizen in a country) Although Muslim Singaporean may not like to what extend they are allowed to practice their religion, while living in a country which is turning more towards anti-Islam (Singapore)....why are they simply complaining , taking it all in, live passively, taking the back seat or even worst accepting their 'fate' and acting like a victim in all of these things that are upon them.

Singapore Muslim are at fault for letting this gone for as long as it have. Yes this includes ESPECIALLY people who go to the mosque and pray 5 times a day, and they who do all the ritual things that Islam require of us, they who teaches Islamic studies, they who preaches to other Muslim what is right and wrong. Don't think that you are doing anything good by just praying/preaching and any allowing such things to happen in your community. Everyone who call themselves Muslim are every bit at fault for the situation you a facing. You guys should step up to the plate and be honest to see what is really going on around you! Don't Muslim in Singapore have any dignity and self respect left in themselves? They are letting themselves being told, dominated and bullied by someone who thinks knows what is right or even acceptable as Singapore Muslim community?

Don't they feel ashamed, as a Muslim living in south east Asia, surrounded by Muslim countries around them, that they have allowed someone else to think for them, promoted themselves as the lesser race/ religion/ culture. Which resulted them not being able to have their rights/voice to practice their own faith. In contrast to that, their muslim brothers and sisters in the west have more freedom to be themselves and practice their religion freely, although the county is not an Islamic country? What an irony.

What do Singapore Muslims say about this? or don't they have a mind and a voice of their own to think and speak up any more?

please read this below link/article to get what i'm saying . :)

http://islamicsydney.com/story.php?id=1320
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/070401/5/singapore267830.html

REPLY AND READ MORE