Rudyard Kipling"
“When you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldier”
General Douglas MacArthur"
“We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.”
“It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.” “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
“The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .” “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
“Nobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim lauds the construction of the Madani Mosque in Masjid India, calling it a “victory”.
He
also credits ministers and agencies involved in the negotiations,
adding that they demonstrated the wisdom, strength, and nobility of
Islam.
Anwar also took some time to meet the Dewi Sri
Pathrakaliamman Temple committee chairperson briefly after performing
the symbolic groundbreaking ceremony of the proposed mosque.
Prime
Minister Anwar Ibrahim has described a planned construction of the
Madani Mosque at the heart of Masjid India, as a “victory” after a
decade of stalled development.
Rakyat Tertindas : I am an Indian and I swear I will never ever vote for this Anwar ever again. I am sure my fellow Indians who feel the same betrayal will never ever vote for this chameleon again.
Proarte : This is for those who are not blind to reason, decency and fairness to consider. When the early Arab Muslims invaded Jerusalem they occupied the Temple Mount, the holiest place of Jewish worship.
They went on to build the Al - Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount. It was an illegal structure built without planning permission from the local Jewish community.
Because the Arab invaders were ruthless and powerful, the Jews could not oppose the desecration of the Temple Mount by the building of al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock.
The Arabs then demolished Jewish temple structures and then banned Jews from worshipping in their own holiest place of worship.
Would Anwar Ibrahim understand if Israel "politely and in a civilised manner " calls for the relocation of the al-Aqsa Mosque to a location within Jerusalem but away from the Temple Mount in order that Jews can reclaim their rightful and ancient place of worship?
Israel's argument is that the al-Aqsa Mosque has not shown any evidence of planning permission and that it has been illegally occupying the Temple Mount which has been a Jewish place of worship for 3000 years.
The Muslim claim to Jerusalem. : One comparison makes this point most clearly:
Jerusalem appears in
the Jewish Bible 669 times and Zion (which usually means Jerusalem,
sometimes the Land of Israel) 154 times, or 823 times in all. The
Christian Bible mentions Jerusalem 154 times and Zion 7 times.
In
contrast, the columnist Moshe Kohn notes, Jerusalem and Zion appear as
frequently in the Qur'an "as they do in the Hindu Bhagavad-Gita, the
Taoist Tao-Te Ching, the Buddhist Dhamapada and the Zoroastrian Zend
Avesta"—which is to say, not once.
Proarte : There is no nobility to a religion or a prime minister who abets the destruction of a 130 year Hindu temple.
The temple ranks to be one of the oldest religious place of worship in Kuala Lumpur.
It is even older than the Masjid Jamek which was designed by an Englishman called Arthur Hubback in the Indo-Saracen style , being a direct transplant of Indian mosque designs. It was paid for by the British.
There is nothing ‘ Malay ‘ in the style suggesting there was no Malay presence to speak of in Kuala Lumpur during its early beginnings when it was being developed by Chinese, Indians and the British.
The Indians were brought over to provide labour for plantation and construction sector.
Make no mistake, much of historical Kuala Lumpur, the Government Offices ( renamed Sultan Abdul Samad Building ), the Selangor Club, the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station, Masjid Jamek, Majestic Hotel, Chinese Assembly Hall, St Mary’s Cathedral - were all built in large part by Indian labourers.
To casually “ relocate “ a Hindu temple which was the place of worship of Indians who provided the hard labour to build all the grand structures of historical Kuala Lumpur and which has been a continuous place of worship for 130 years is a crime against the cultural and religious heritage of Indians in Malaysia.
There is no nobility in a religion or a prime minister who adds salt to the wound of forced relocation, by building a mosque in its place and officiating in the ground breaking ceremony. This is nothing short of religious, racial and political arrogance.
Naming the mosque “ Madani “ is unfortunate because Madani will now forever be associated with disrespect of Hindus and their sacred buildings.
The willing participation of Anwar Ibrahim in the destruction of a 130 year temple, by officiating at the groundbreaking ceremony of a mosque which is to be built on the rubble of a temple sacred to the Hindus of Kuala Lumpur, will be a shameful blot on his character.
The spirit of “ Reformasi “ will be demolished just like the demolition of the temple. The Constitution guarantees non-Muslims the right to worship is peace and harmony.
To demolish a 130 year place of Hindu worship is unconstitutional and therefore DBKL was wrong, arrogant and heartless to sell the land to a private entity knowing it wanted to build a mosque in its place.
No civilised city council, government or religion would arrogantly countenance the demolition of a 130 year old heritage structure sacred to the Hindu community which played a vital role in the development of the capital city of a nation.
Who was responsible and why was the decision made to sell DBKL land on which stood a heritage structure? The answers have not been forthcoming. Frankly, it stinks to high heaven,
Anwar should be strongly advised to reverse his support of the demolition of the Hindu temple to build a Madani mosque in its place.
The optics is horrible for the world to witness. All civilised and decent people, Muslims included, feel the pain and sorrow of the Hindus in Jalan Masjid India. They feel what Anwar is abetting is unjust, unholy and ignoble.
What is sad is that the name “ Madani “ and the mosque in Jalan Masjid Indian will be associated with causing Islamophobia.
