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PARLIMEN AKAN BUBAR 2 MINGGU LAGI ?

2012-03-04T00:48:00.003-08:00

Mengikut maklumat, angin bertiup kencang bahawa Parlimen akan dibubarkan dalam masa dua minggu.

Apakah Benar ? Apakah ada sudah bersedia ?

Beberapa perkembangan politik yang berlaku sejak akhir-akhir ini memberi petanda bahawa Pilihan Raya Umum Ke-13 (PRU-13) kini sudah semakin hampir.

Terbaru adalah laporan yang menyatakan bahawa pembahagian kerusi antara parti komponen Barisan Nasional (BN) dijangka selesai sepenuhnya menjelang akhir bulan ini. Sebagai gabungan yang mewakili pelbagai parti, pemimpin BN sudah tentu perlu mempersetujui formula pengagihan kerusi yang adil sebelum memutuskan calon yang akan bertanding.

Pada peringkat awal ini, Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak yang juga Pengerusi BN dan timbalannya, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin akan turun padang menemui pemimpin BN di seluruh negara bagi mendapatkan maklum balas mengenai pembahagian kerusi itu.

Selepas pengagihan itu dipersetujui pada peringkat negeri, barulah satu mesyuarat diadakan pada peringkat pusat bagi mengemaskinikan dan mempersetujuinya secara sebulat suara.

Perkembangan itu mungkin satu petanda penting selain beberapa petanda lain yang menyokong ramalan berkenaan. Petanda lain ialah apabila Perdana Menteri memberi bayangannya dalam pertemuan dengan pemimpin Barisan Nasional Sabah di Kota Kinabalu Khamis lalu, dengan menyatakan bahawa lawatannya itu mungkin yang terakhir ke negeri berkenaan sebelum pilihan raya umum dan beliau hanya dapat ke sana lagi jika sempat.

Pemerhati politik turut berpendapat bahawa perdebatan terbuka di antara Presiden MCA, Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek dengan Setiausaha Agung DAP, Lim Guan Eng Sabtu lalu yang memberi kelebihan kepada BN seharusnya menjadi petanda bahawa MCA sudah menerima semula sokongan daripada masyarakat berkenaan.

“Ia memberi ruang kepada MCA menerangkan kedudukan sebenar parti berkenaan dalam mewakili kaum Cina di negara ini dan membetulkan persepsi mengenai parti terbabit selama ini,” kata Pensyarah Sains Kemasyarakatan Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Dr Mohamad Zaini Abu Bakar.

Dr Zaini menambah, kenyataan Ketua Pembangkang, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim mengenai Israel juga memberi kelebihan kepada BN, menyebabkan pemimpin pembangkang, seperti Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat berbelah-bahagi dengan Anwar dalam sokongannya kepada negara Yahudi terbabit.

Bagi ahli politik yang bercita-cita untuk dicalonkan sebagai wakil rakyat, ramalan mengenai pilihan raya ini seharusnya mendorong mereka untuk membuat persediaan lebih rapi bukan saja dari segi mental dan fizikal tetapi juga hubungan mereka dengan pengundi.

Bagi calon baru, pilihan raya umum ini tentunya menjadi titik tolak penting sementara yang sudah lama berkhidmat, kenalah bersedia jika tidak dipilih semula.

Pengalaman PRU-12 mengajar pemimpin BN bahawa mereka kena lebih berhati-hati dalam pemilihan calon. Apapun, kriteria paling penting ialah pemimpin dan ahli hendaklah mempunyai tahap kesetiaan tinggi kepada parti.

Barisan Nasional dikatakan tidak teragak-agak untuk menutup pintu kepada pemimpin atau ahli yang tidak mengendahkan soal kesetiaan ini. Ini bermakna bakal calon hendaklah bersedia menjadi wakil rakyat berkesan untuk pengundi di kawasan yang diwakilinya, bukan sekadar menjadi batu loncatan untuk mendapat kemudahan tertentu yang lebih menarik.

Dalam lawatan yang diadakan, Najib dan Muhyiddin mengadakan perbincangan tertutup secara berasingan dengan pemimpin UMNO dan Barisan Nasional pada peringkat negeri dan menjelaskan betapa pentingnya parti berkenaan mencapai kemenangan selesa dalam PRU-13 dan menebus kembali kawasan yang tewas dalam PRU-12.

Mesej Perdana Menteri adalah jelas: rakyat mempunyai pilihan sama ada memilih kerajaan BN yang membawa bersamanya program transformasi untuk rakyat atau memilih reformasi jalanan yang didukung pembangkang.

Sekiranya rakyat memilih transformasi, ia bermakna mereka mahukan supaya kesejahteraan diteruskan. Reformasi dan demonstrasi akan hanya menjejaskan keselamatan dan membangkitkan rasa cemas terutama di kalangan pelabur asing. Ia juga akan membantutkan agenda pembangunan negara.

Rakyat kini berada di persimpangan dalam menentukan masa depan negara. Pilih BN atau pembangkang. Transformasi pembangunan dibuat secara berhemah dan sistematik.

Reformasi menuntut untuk melakukan perubahan menerusi demonstrasi jalanan.

Dalam membuat pertimbangan ini, sudah tentu rakyat perlu melihat pada rekod pencapaian kedua-duanya. Satu pernah terbukti kemampuannya dan satu lagi masih belum diuji sepenuhnya.

Kalau adapun kerajaan pembangkang di beberapa negeri, rekod mereka masih kabur dan belum meyakinkan.

Justeru pembahagian kerusi dan penentuan siapa menjadi calon boleh menang atau ‘winnable candidate’ amat penting dalam pilihan raya ini.

Setiausaha Agung Barisan Nasional dipetik sebagai berkata pihaknya kini masih mengadakan pertemuan dengan pemimpin di lima negeri iaitu Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, Sabah dan Sarawak. Pertemuan diadakan pada semua peringkat termasuk akar umbi bagi mendapatkan maklum balas berhubung calon yang sesuai dan boleh menang.

Perbincangan mengenainya dijangka selesai akhir bulan ini tetapi pembahagian kerusi di kalangan parti komponen masih belum diketahui. Mungkin akan ada perubahan dari segi kuota atau pengagihan kerusi antara parti komponen.-21/2/2012 -Berita Harian

What's Next? NATO vs Pakistan

2012-01-19T00:48:00.001-08:00

November 28, 2011

What's Next?

NATO vs Pakistan

by TARIQ ALI

The Nato assault on a Pakistani checkpoint close to the Afghan border which killed 24 soldiers on Saturday must have been deliberate. Nato commanders have long been supplied with maps marking these checkpoints by the Pakistani military. They knew that the target was a military outpost. The explanation that they were fired on first rings false and has been ferociously denied by Islamabad. Previous such attacks were pronounced ‘accidental’ and apologies were given and accepted. This time it seems more serious. It has come too soon after other ‘breaches of sovereignty’, in the words of the local press, but Pakistani sovereignty is a fiction. The military high command and the country’s political leaders willingly surrendered their sovereignty many decades ago. That it is now being violated openly and brutally is the real cause for concern.

In retaliation, Pakistan has halted Nato convoys to Afghanistan (49 per cent of which go through the country) and asked the US to vacate the Shamsi base that they built to launch drones against targets in both Afghanistan and Pakistan with the permission of the country’s rulers. Islamabad was allowed a legal fig-leaf: in official documents the base was officially leased by the UAE – whose ‘sovereignty’ is even more flexible than Pakistan’s.

Motives for the attack remain a mystery but its impact is not. It will create further divisions within the military, further weaken the venal Zardari regime, strengthen religious militants and make the US even more hated than it already is in Pakistan.

So why do it? Was it intended as a provocation? Is Obama seriously thinking of unleashing a civil war in an already battered country? Some commentators in Islamabad are arguing this but it’s unlikely that Nato troops will occupy Pakistan. Such an irrational turn would be difficult to justify in terms of any imperial interests. Perhaps it was simply a tit-for-tat to punish the Pakistani military for dispatching the Haqqani network to bomb the US embassy and Nato HQ in Kabul’s ‘Green Zone’ a few months back.

The Nato attack comes on the heels of another crisis. One of Zardari and his late wife’s trusted bagmen in Washington, Husain Haqqani, whose links to the US intelligence agencies since the 1970s made him a useful intermediary and whom Zardari appointed as Pakistan’s ambassador to Washington, has been forced to resign. Haqqani, often referred to as the US ambassador to Pakistan, appears to have been caught red-handed: he allegedly asked Mansoor Ijaz, a multi-millionaire close to the US defense establishment, to carry a message to Admiral Mike Mullen pleading for help against the Pakistani military and offering in return to disband the Haqqani network and the ISI and carry out all US instructions.

Mullen denied that he had received any message. A military underling contradicted him. Mullen changed his story and said a message had been received and ignored. When the ISI discovered this ‘act of treachery’, Haqqani, instead of saying that he was acting under orders from Zardari, denied the entire story. Unfortunately for him, the ISI boss, General Pasha, had met up with Ijaz and been given the Blackberry with the messages and instructions. Haqqani had no option but to resign. Demands for his trial and hanging (the two often go together when the military is involved) are proliferating. Zardari is standing by his man. The military wants his head. And now Nato has entered the fray. This story is not yet over.
TARIQ ALI’s latest book is The Obama Syndrome: Surrender at Home, War Abroad.

How Onion Can Save Your Life

2011-12-19T23:08:00.001-08:00

PLEASE READ TO THE END: IMPORTANT
In 1919 when the flu killed 40 million people, there was this doctor who
visited the many farmers to see if he could help them combat the flu.

Many of the farmers and their family had contracted it and many died.

The doctor came upon this one farmer and to his surprise, everyone was very
healthy. When the doctor asked what the farmer was doing that was different
the wife replied that she had placed an unpeeled onion in a dish in the rooms
of the home (probably only two rooms back then). The doctor couldn't believe
it and asked if he could have one of the onions and place it under the microscope.
She gave him one and when he did this, he did find the flu virus in the onion. It
obviously absorbed the bacteria, therefore keeping the family healthy.

Now, I heard this story from my hairdresser in Arizona .. She said that several
years ago many of her employees were coming down with the flu and so were
many of her customers. The next year she placed several bowls with onions
around in her shop. To her surprise, none of her staff got sick. It must work.
Try it and see what happens. We did it last year and we never got the flu.

Now there is a P.S. to this for I sent it to a friend in Oregon who regularly
contributes material to me on health issues. She replied with this most interesting
experience about onions:

Thanks for the reminder. I don't know about the farmers story, but I do know
that I contracted pneumonia and needless to say I was very ill. I came across an
article that said to cut both ends off an onion put it into an empty jar, placing
the jar next to the sick patient at night. It said the onion would be black in the
morning from the germs. Sure enough, it happened just like that: the onion was
a mess and I began to feel better.

Another thing I read in the article was that onions and garlic placed around the
room saved many from the black plague years ago. They have powerful
antibacterial, antiseptic properties.

This is the other note.

Lots of times when we have stomach problems we don't know what to blame.
Maybe it's the onions that are to blame. Onions absorb bacteria is the reason
they are so good at preventing us from getting colds and flus and is the very
reason we shouldn't eat an onion that has been sitting for a time after it has
been cut open.
LEFT OVER ONIONS ARE POISONOUS

I had the wonderful privilege of touring Mullins Food Products, Makers of
mayonnaise. Mullins is huge, and is owned by 11 brothers and sisters in the
Mullins family. My friend, Jeanne, is the CEO.

Questions about food poisoning came up, and I wanted to share what I learned
from a chemist.

The guy who gave us our tour is named Ed. He's one of the brothers. Ed is a
chemistry expert and is involved in developing most of the sauce formula.
He's even developed sauce formula for McDonald's.

Keep in mind that Ed is a food chemistry whiz. During the tour, someone asked
if we really needed to worry about mayonnaise. People are always worried that
mayonnaise will spoil. Ed's answer will surprise you. Ed said that all
commercially-made Mayo is completely safe.

"It doesn't even have to be refrigerated. No harm in refrigerating it, but
it's not really necessary." He explained that the pH in mayonnaise is set at
a point that bacteria could not survive in that environment.. He then talked
about the quintessential picnic, with the bowl of potato salad sitting on
the table and how everyone blames the mayonnaise when someone gets sick.

Ed says that when food poisoning is reported, the first thing the officials
look for is when the 'victim' last ate ONIONS and where those onions came
from (in the potato salad?). Ed says it's not the mayonnaise (as long as it's not
homemade Mayo) that spoils in the outdoors. It's probably the onions, and if
not the onions, it's the POTATOES.

He explained, onions are a huge magnet for bacteria, especially uncooked onions.
You should never plan to keep a portion of a sliced onion.. He says it's not even
safe if you put it in a zip-lock bag and put it in your refrigerator.

It's already contaminated enough just by being cut open and out for a bit, that it
can be a danger to you (and doubly watch out for those onions you put in your
hotdogs at the baseball park!) Ed says if you take the leftover onion and cook it
like crazy you'll probably be okay, but if you slice that leftover onion and put on
your sandwich, you're asking for trouble. Both the onions and the moist potato in
a potato salad, will attract and grow bacteria faster than any commercial
mayonnaise will even begin to break down.

Also, dogs should never eat onions. Their stomachs cannot metabolize onions.

Please remember it is dangerous to cut an onion and try to use it to cook the next day.
It becomes highly poisonous for even a single night and creates toxic bacteria which
may cause adverse stomach infections because of excess bile secretions and even
food poisoning.

Kisah Ka'abah

2011-12-06T22:44:00.001-08:00

Kisah Ka’abah yang tidak ramai ketahui

Sedikit maklumat berkaitan Kaabah…

1. Mekah adalah kawasan yang mempunyai graviti paling stabil.

2. Tekanan gravitinya tinggi, dan di situlah berpusatnya bunyi-bunyian yang membina yang tidak boleh didengar oleh telinga.

3. tekanan graviti yang tinggi memberi kesan langsung kepada sistem imun badan untuk bertindak sebagai pertahanan daripada segala serangan penyakit.

4. graviti tinggi = elektron ion negatif yang berkumpul di situ tinggi=doa akan termakbul kerana di situ adalah tempat gema atau ruang dan masa serentak.

5. Apa yang diniatkan di hati adalah gema yang tidak boleh didengar tetapi boleh dikesan frekuensinya. Pengaruh elektron menyebabkan kekuatan dalaman kembali tinggi, penuh bersemangat untuk melakukan ibadat, tidak ada sifat putus asa, mahu terus hidup, penyerahan diri sepenuhnya kepada Allah.

6. Gelombang radio tidak boleh mengesan kedudukan Kaabah.

7. Malah teknologi satelit pun tidak boleh meneropong apa yang ada di dalam Kaabah. Frekuensi radio tidak mungkin dapat membaca apa-apa yang ada di dalam Kaabah kerana tekanan graviti yang tinggi.

8. Tempat yang paling tinggi tekanan gravitinya, mempunyai kandungan garam dan aliran anak sungai di bawah tanah yang banyak. Sebab itu lah jika bersembahyang di Masjidilharam walaupun di tempat yang terbuka tanpa bumbung masih terasa sejuk.

9. Kaabah bukan sekadar bangunan hitam empat persegi tetapi satu tempat yang ajaib kerana di situ pemusatan tenaga, graviti, zon magnetisme sifar dan tempat yang paling dirahmati.

10. Tidur dengan posisi menghadap Kaabah secara automatik otak tengah akan terangsang sangat aktif hingga tulang belakang dan menghasilkan sel darah.

11. Pergerakan mengelilingi Kaabah arah lawan jam memberikan tenaga hayat secara semula jadi daripada alam semesta. semua yang ada di alam ini bergerak mengikut lawan jam, Allah telah tentukan hukumnya begitu.

12. Peredaran darah atau apa saja di dalam tubuh manusia mengikut lawan jam. Justeru dengan mengelilingi Ka abah mengikut lawan jam, bermakna peredaran darah di dalam badan meningkat dan sudah tentunya akan menambahkan tenaga. Sebab itulah orang yang berada di Mekah sentiasa bertenaga, sihat dan panjang umur.

13. Manakala bilangan tujuh itu adalah simbolik kepada tidak terhingga banyaknya. Angka tujuh itu membawa maksud tidak terhad atau terlalu banyak. Dengan melakukan tujuh kali pusingan sebenarnya kita mendapat ibadat yang tidak terhad jumlahnya.

14. Larangan memakai topi, songkok atau menutup kepala kerana rambut dan bulu roma(lelaki) adalah ibarat antena untuk menerima gelombang yang baik yang dipancarkan terus dari Kaabah. Sebab itu lah selepas melakukan haji kita seperti dilahirkan semula sebagai manusia baru kerana segala yang buruk telah ditarik keluar dan digantikan dengan nur atau cahaya yang baru.

15. Selepas selesai semua itu baru lah bercukur atau tahalul. Tujuannya untuk melepaskan diri daripada pantang larang dalam ihram. Namun rahsia di sebaliknya adalah untuk membersihkan antena atau reseptor kita dari segala kekotoran supaya hanya gelombang yang baik saja akan diterima oleh tubuh.

The Problem is not Debt, It is Interest

2011-11-24T19:17:00.001-08:00

Anthony Migchels
Activist Post

How do we know this?

Consider a mortgage. We borrow $200k, and after 30 years we will have payed about $500k. So we pay $300,000 interest over the loan.

What would happen with our purchasing power if we only needed to repay the principal? It would mean we would have $10,000 per year more purchasing power during the 30 years we repay the mortgage. Our credit would greatly improve, because our liabilities would be much smaller.

Interest is payed to those who have money, and payed by those who don't and therefore need to borrow. Interest is therefore a wealth transfer from poor to rich.

Margrit Kennedy, a German monetarist, has quantified this wealth transfer in Germany. Her conclusions: the 80% poorest Germans pay 1 billion euros per day (365 billion per year) in interest to the richest 10%. The next richest 10% pay about as much interest as they receive.

Also, within the 10% brackets the same wealth transfer is happening, so the poorest 8% of the richest 10% pay interest to the richest 1%.

It stands to reason that the situation is more or less the same everywhere. This means that the poorest 80% Americans pay about 1.5 trillion dollars per year to the richest 10 percent.

This is the key driver centralizing wealth in the hands of the plutocracy.

Another problem with interest is that it is not transparent who pays what. The strange thing is that even if you don't have any debts at all, you will still lose up to 45% of your disposable income through interest.

Producers incur 'capital costs'. They pass these costs on to their customers. The amount of interest they pay on the loans to finance their production differs per sector. But it transpires that on average 45% of the prices we pay can be related to cost for capital.

Now, back to the debt.

Is it reasonable that one should be able to get a mortgage? Is there something intrinsically wrong with the debt?

It is probably quite useful for the large majority of the people to be able to get a mortgage. Most people would not be able to buy their own homes if they were not able to go into debt.

Another important aspect is that in the case of a mortgage the creditor incurs no risk at all; he has the house as collateral.

And who is the creditor? In most cases a bank. A bank basically is a credit facility. However, the bank has made us believe that it is their credit, that we are borrowing their money.

This is not the case. Credit is the result of collateral and future income. A person has about 30 to 40 productive years and in that timespan an average American will make about 1 or 2 million dollars.
This future income is what makes the bank provide the credit.

But this future income is not the Bank's; it's the individual's income. It is therefore their credit.

So banks capitalize the credit of the population.

We know that in the current construct all this interest is being raked by the banks by creating the money at the time the money is loaned out through Fractional Reserve Banking.

We consider it unfair that the bank has the right to create money. Therefore, a full reserve gold standard is propagated. Not only taking away the iniquity of money creation, but also the nasty habits of banks going broke by overleveraging themselves.

But if we take out a mortgage in a full reserve gold bank, we would still pay $500k for a $200k home. We would still lose 45% of our disposable income through interest passed on in prices.

To further the above points I'll leave you with a little thought experiment.

What would happen if.........

We would nationalize all banks. This would not be unfair; they are all busted and they already needed 16 trillion in Federal Reserve handouts. They are still all under water.

We would weed out all the B.S. Derivatives would all be canceled, all the funny financial products gone.

We would maintain real debts by businesses and consumers, mortgages, and the national debt.
But we would cancel all interest payments from now on. Of course, savers would also no longer receive interest, but keep in mind that the average American loses far more in debt service than he gains in interest on his savings.

If debts are repaid, the money supply deflates; to maintain a stable money supply we would give out as much new credit as there are loans being payed off.

What would this mean? A direct end to the depression, because enormous purchasing power in the economy would be released. Consumers would be twice as rich, prices would collapse because capital costs are gone.

The credit of the people borrowing from the banks would massively improve, immediately putting an end to solvency problems of these banks. There would be no more bailouts.

The Government would have an immediate windfall of $700 billion per year, which is what it currently loses on debt service. But the Government, too, loses half of its disposable income to capital costs through prices. Not to mention the increased tax income from an exploding economy. So it is likely that without any austerity the deficit would disappear quite soon.

The banks would be reorganized; many people, especially the expensive 'traders' and 'investment bankers' would all be gone. All that would remain are the people running day-to-day banking services. Therefore, the costs of these banks would be much lower. These costs can (and must) be passed on to debtors, but they would be low.

I believe that managing a risk-free loan like a mortgage should cost no more than max. 10% over thirty years, so you would pay maybe $220k for $200k home.

There would be no more bailouts, no more bonuses. The wealth transfer from poor to rich would end overnight.

All these benefits would go to Main Street. It would imply a major decentralization of economic power, which is also a key point.

Of course, it would disown the trillionaires, but, hey; I say enough is enough.

Now, I'm not saying that this is what we should do at this point. This is just a thought experiment.

It shows it is not debt that is the problem, but interest. It shows that it is not a full reserve gold banking system we need, but interest-free credit.

Of course, with this analysis we have not addressed inflation, which is strongly on the minds of most proposing full reserve gold-backed currency. We will deal with that next time.

Anthony Migchels is an Interest-Free Currency activist and founder of the Gelre, the first Regional Currency in the Netherlands. You can read all of his articles on his blog Real Currencies.

The Globalization of Poverty and the New World Order

2011-09-14T20:57:00.000-07:00

by Michel Chossudovsky
In this new and expanded edition of Chossudovsky’s international best-seller, the author outlines the contours of a New World Order which feeds on human poverty and the destruction of the environment, generates social apartheid, encourages racism and ethnic strife and undermines the rights of women. The result as his detailed examples from all parts of the world show so convincingly, is a globalization of poverty.
This book is a skilful combination of lucid explanation and cogently argued critique of the fundamental directions in which our world is moving financially and economically.
In this new enlarged edition –which includes ten new chapters and a new introduction-- the author reviews the causes and consequences of famine in Sub-Saharan Africa, the dramatic meltdown of financial markets, the demise of State social programs and the devastation resulting from corporate downsizing and trade liberalisation.

Michel Chossudovsky is Professor of Economics at the University of Ottawa and Director of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG), which hosts the critically acclaimed website www.globalresearch.ca . He is a contributor to the Encyclopedia Britannica. His writings have been translated into more than 20 languages.

Published in 11 languages. More than 100,000 copies sold Worldwide.

"In its entirety, the book can and should be read by all with an interest in world peace and the causes of poverty." Frances Hutchinson, The Ecologist
"This concise, provocative book reveals the negative effects of imposed economic structural reform, privatization, deregulation and competition. It deserves to be read carefully and widely."Choice, American Library Association (ALA)

"The current system, Chossudovsky argues, is one of capital creation through destruction. The author confronts head on the links between civil violence, social and environmental stress, with the modalities of market expansion." Michele Stoddard, Covert Action Quarterly

"This detailed study by an economics insider shows the consequences of "reforms" in various parts of the world, reveals a clear pattern of callous neocolonialism. Definitely red-pill material." Richard K. Moore, Whole Earth.
"As Michel Chossudovsky, author of The Globalisation of Poverty, has pointed out, an entirely undemocratic world body "has been casually installed in Geneva, empowered under international law with the mandate to 'police' country level economic and social policies". This amounts to a "repeal of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights", providing "legitimacy to trade practices which border on criminality [including] the patenting of human life forms". John Pilger, New Statesman.

"More than just an austerity program, Chossudovsky believes the conditions the IMF demands of countries - with little choice but to accept - are draconian...He also believes the IMF is getting its direction from the wealthy Wall Street investment banks which act as informal policy advisers and more formally, help structure and deliver bailout packages. "There are powerful financial actors behind this," he says. While Chossudovsky, author of The Globalization Of Poverty, is careful not to suggest a conspiracy, he says large multinational corporations and investment houses benefit from the chaos in countries like South Korea and Indonesia once their currencies are devalued." Laura Eggertson, The Toronto Star

"Michel Chossudovsky is one of the leading intellectuals of the antiwar movement, perhaps the best, as I find he works his tail off in documenting the material he presents and is rigorous in his analysis." Jude Wanniski, Polyconomics.
"Chossudovsky gives us a clear analysis of how the International Monetary Fund has well served this corporate plan. He gives us case studies of the ''restructuring'' and subsequent impoverishment of the people in countries like Somalia, Peru and Russia. He lays out the blueprint for the rest of the world." Briarpatch
"... I recommend to all interested in our political and financial future, unemployed or in work, to buy or borrow, one of the most informative books on the consequences of global poverty, written by Michel Chossudovsky." Stan Kent, Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph

"University of Ottawa economist Michel Chossudovsky calls our era a global ''cheap labour economy''. The underlying problem is only made worse by IMF-sponsored reforms that impoverish millions of people. Economic Justice Report
"Michel Chossudovsky, offers in his book The Globalisation of Poverty an impressive presentation of the destructive effects macroeconomic restructuring has had on Yugoslavia and its 24 million people." Paul Surlis, National Catholic Reporter

Read Review of First Edition
Read Review of First Edition (Covert Action Quarterly)
Reviews by readers who purchased the First Edition
Reviews by readers who purchased the Second Edition
Recent Amazon Reviews of the Second edition
"Battling Mainstream Economics" by Juliet ONeill (Biographical sketch of Michel Chossudovsky), Ottawa Citizen
Read mainstream media review: The Voice of America (VOA)
Links to Michel Chossudovsky's writings (Google Search)

See also Michel Chossudovsky's book entitled America's War on Terrorism, 2nd Edition

Michel Chossudovsky is the 2003 Recipient of the Human Rights Prize of the Society for the Protection of Civil Rights and Human Dignity, Berlin, Germany.

Globalization of Poverty, (German edition) was classified No. 2 in the Top Ten "best" non-fiction titles in Germany, July 2002, by a panel of writers, journalists and scholars.

He is seven times recipient of the Project Censored Award , Sonoma University School of Journalism, California (2000 (double award), 2001 (double award), 2002, 2004, Nominated for 2005). His website, Global Research (Canada) was granted the Democracy Media Award in 2002, 2003 and 2004 by GoodWriters.net.

Photos of Michel Chossudovsky

The Globalization of Poverty in its First and Second editions has been published in eleven languages. Ten English language editions and co-editions in the US, UK, Canada (2 editions), Australia, Malaysia, South Africa, India, Philippines (2 editions)), French (2 editions), German, Spanish, Portuguese (two editions, Brazil and Portugal), Finnish, Turkish, Japanese, Korean, Italian (2 editions), Arabic.

Bilderberg Group - WHO RUNS THE WORLD AND WHY YOU NEED TO KNOW IMMEDIATEL

2011-09-14T02:11:00.001-07:00

By Carolyn Baker

Monday, 01 October 2007

A review of The True Story Of The Bilderberg Group, By Daniel Estulin

"It is difficult to re-educate people who have been brought up on nationalism to the idea of relinquishing part of their sovereignty to a supra-national body." Bilderberg Group founder, Prince Bernhard

***

As a rhetorical question, can someone please explain to me how it is that progressive liberals such as John Edwards and Hillary Clinton, as well as do-gooder humanitarians with multiple social projects ongoing such as the Rockefellers and every Royal House in Europe, can perennially attend Bilderberg meetings apparently knowing that the final objective of this despicable group of hoodlums is a fascist One World Empire?

~Daniel Estulin (P.318)~

Daniel Estulin is a Madrid-based journalist and an investigative reporter who took on the daunting and dangerous task of researching the Bildeberg Group, and who offers his findings in The True Story Of The Bilderberg Group, recently published by Trine Day. Equally intriguing as his harrowing tales of being followed and nearly killed on a couple of occasions while working on the book, is the manner in which Estulin connects the dots between the Bilderberg Group, world events, notable politicians and corporate tycoons and the two other secretive monsters of the ruling elite, the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and the Trilateral Commission (TC). The project lasted fifteen years and was motivated by Estulin's curiosity about how it is that the mainstream media has never covered in depth the meetings of the Bilderberg Group whose combined wealth exceeds the combined wealth of all U.S. citizens.

What Estulin's book makes clear is that the group, along with the CFR and TC, has become a shadow government whose top priority is to erase the sovereignty of all nation-states and supplant them with global corporate control of their economies under the surveillance of "an electronic global police state." (xv)

The author emphasizes that not all members of the group are "bad" people, and he implies that membership is structured somewhat like concentric circles in a target scheme with in inner core and various levels of relationship between that core and the outer circles of membership. Almost every famous player in politics and finance in the world is a member of one of the three organizations mentioned above, and their political affiliations range from liberal to conservative, for example, George W. Bush, George Soros, Gerald Ford, George McGovern, Jimmy Carter. Of this private club, Estulin says:

This parallel world remains unseen in the daily struggles of most of humanity, but, believe me, it is there: a cesspool of duplicity and lies and double-speak and innuendo and blackmail and bribery. It is a surreal world of double and triple agents, of changing loyalties, of professional psychotic assassins, brainwashed black ops agents, soldiers of fortune and mercenaries, whose primary sources of income are the dirtiest and most despicable government-run subversive missions-the kind that can never be exposed.(15)

This world, according to Estulin, is so perverse and evil that "it has left an indelible mark on my soul". (16) How not? Because the Bilderberg Group and its two other triplets, the CFR and the TC have set about to loot the entire planet. Their members run the central banks of the world and are poised to control discount rates, money-supply, interest rates, gold prices, and which countries receive or do not receive loans. Membership is by invitation only, many of the earliest members being handpicked, not from right-wing groups but from among none other than the Fabian Socialists who ultimately supported global government.

Another chilling quote Estulin includes is from William Shannon:

The Bilderbergers are searching for the age of post-nationalism: when we won't have countries, but rather regions of the Earth surrounded by Universal values. That is to say, a global economy; one World government (selected rather than elected) and a universal religion. To assure themselves of reaching these objectives, the Bilderbergers focus on a ‘greater technical approach' and less awareness on behalf of the general public.

THE BILDERBERG BAPTISM OF BILL CLINTON

In 1991 Bill Clinton attended the Bilderberg Conference in Baden-Baden where Estulin asserts that he was "anointed" to the U.S. presidency, and shortly thereafter he took an unexpected, unannounced trip to Moscow. It appears, says Estulin, that he was sent there to get his KGB student-era, anti-Vietnam war files "buried" before he announced his candidacy for president which happened some two-and-a-half months later. Today, Clinton is a member of all three groups: Bilderberg, CFR, and TC. Hillary Clinton is a member of the Bilderberg Group.

Estulin points out that "almost all of the presidential candidates for both parties have belonged to at least one of these organizations, many of the U.S. congressmen and senators, most major policy-making positions, especially in the field of foreign relations, much of the press, most of the leadership of the CIA, FBI, IRS, and many of the remaining governmental organizations in Washington. CFR members occupy nearly all White House cabinet positions."(80) When one considers that most prominent members of mainstream media are also members of what Edith Kermit Roosevelt, granddaughter of Theodore Roosevelt called "this legitimate Mafia", how can we assert that Americans obtain their news from independent sources?

For example, The News Hour with Jim Leher is the cornerstone of PBS's programming. Leher is a CFR member, and when one examines the funding of the news hour by: Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) whose chairman Dwayne Andreas was a member of the Trilateral Commission; Pepsico, whose CEO Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi is a Bilderberger and TC Executive Committee member; and Smith Barney which is interlocked with Citigroup, a global financial services company that is a member of the Bilderberg Group, the CFR, and the TC, what kind of "news" should one expect from Leher's News Hour? Consider also that many of the journalists on the News Hour: Paul Gigot, David Gergen, William Kristol, and William Safire are members of one or more of the three groups. (153)

Likewise, when we consider the membership in one or more of these groups of almost every American president since the inception of these organizations, we can no longer pretend that any Democratic or Republican presidential candidate offers the American people an alternative to ruling elite global hegemony.

In fact, Estulin's research reveals that "the Council on Foreign Relations creates and delivers psycho-political operations by manipulating people's reality through a ‘tactic of deception', placing Council members on both sides of an issue. The deception is complete when the public is led to believe that its own best interests are being served while the CFR policy is being carried out."(117)

And what happens if the "anointed ones" become too autonomous? One chapter in the book, "The Watergate Con-Game", answers that question. In it Estulin suggests that Richard Nixon was set up by the Council on Foreign Relations of which he was a member because of his insubordination and unwillingness to submit to the shadow government. Presumably, Nixon's demise was carefully crafted to demonstrate to subsequent Chief Executives the price they would pay for disregarding the agenda of those who anointed them.

THAT WAS THEN, THIS IS NOW

In the book's final pages, Estulin's research waxes increasingly relevant to the present moment in history. He asks: "Why would David Rockefeller and other U.S. Trilateralists, Bilderbergers and the CFR members want to dismantle the industrial might of the United States?" (184). He then launches into a summary of the economic history of the twentieth century and makes one of the most powerful statements of the entire book: "What we have witnessed from this ‘cabal' is the gradual collapsing of the U.S. economy that began in the 1980s." (187)

In case you haven't noticed, this "gradual collapse of the U.S. economy" is no longer gradual, and what Estulin is asserting confirms a great deal of the assertions made by Catherine Austin Fitts that the current housing bubble explosion/credit crunch/mortgage meltdown has its roots in the 1980s. James Howard Kunstler has also written recently in his blog entitled "Shock and Awe" that the great American yard sale has begun. In other words, as an engineered economic meltdown drives hundreds of thousands and eventually millions of businesses and individuals into bankruptcy, key players in the Big Three ruling elite organizations can buy up the train wreck left behind for pennies on the dollar-a brilliant fast-track strategy for owning the world.

In the final months of 2007 we are witnessing the stupendous success of the Big Three's strategy for planetary economic hegemony as the cacophony of their carefully engineered global economic cataclysm reverberates across America and around the world. It was never about buyers who didn't read the fine print when taking out liar loans. It was always about silver-tongued, ruling elite politicians and central bankers, anointed by the shadow government, who ultimately and skillfully stole and continue to steal governments from people and replace them with transnational corporations.

No one could have said it better than David Rockefeller, founder of the Trilateral Commission, a Bilderberg member and board member of the Council On Foreign Relations in his Memoirs:

Some even believe we are part of a secret cabal working against the best interests of the United States, characterizing my family and me as ‘internationalists' and of conspiring with others around the world to build a more integrated global political and economic structure-one world, if you will. If that's the charge, I stand guilty, and I am proud of it.

If you want to know who really runs the world and the lengths to which they will go to establish their globalist hegemony, you must read Estulin's well-documented The True Story of The Bilderberg Group.

The Global Economic Crisis: Central Banking at the Centre of Power

2011-09-12T02:31:00.000-07:00

Excerpt from, "The Global Economic Crisis: The Great Depression of the XXI Century"

By Andrew Gavin Marshall - Global Research

Introduction

To understand the historical context of the current crisis, it is pivotal to address the nature of the most vital and powerful force within the capitalist global political economy: the central banking system. One of the least understood, most widely ignored, and mysteries of capitalism, the central banking system, is also the source of the greatest wealth and power, essentially managing capitalism – controlling the credit and debt of both government and industry.

Any notion of a "free market" must be dispelled in its true meaning, for as long as the central banking system has been dominant, central bankers have managed and controlled capitalism for the benefit of the few and at the expense of the many. Comprehending the nature of central banking is necessary in order to understand the nature of the current economic crisis.

The Origins of Central Banking

Central banking has its origins in the development of bank-issued money, which falls under three categories: (1) Deposit money subject to written check or oral transfer; (2) Bank-issued paper money (bank notes); and (3) Bank-issued legal tender paper money. In 1609, the Bank of Amsterdam was founded "as a bank of deposit slipping secretly into the practice of monetary issue towards the middle of the 17th century." At the same time, "the goldsmiths of England are generally supposed to have introduced both deposit money and the earliest English unofficial bank note." And importantly, "In Sweden we find what are widely regarded as the first true bank notes in Europe being issued in 1661 by a private bank founded by Johan Palmstruch."[1]

As early as 1656, "the Bank of Amsterdam violated the one-hundred per cent reserve principle and, thus, created money," while "the goldsmiths in England became active as lenders in 1640." Further, the State Bank of Sweden "was founded November 30, 1656, and to Palmstruch, its founder, is attributed the first use of bank bills as credit money, not fully covered by the coin reserve."[2]

As economist John Kenneth Galbraith explained in Money, "The process by which banks create money is so simple that the mind is repelled. Where something so important is involved, a deeper mystery seems only decent. The deposits of the Bank of Amsterdam just mentioned were, according to the instruction of the owner, subject to transfer to others in settlement of accounts," and thus "the coin on deposit served less as money by being in a bank and being subject to transfer by the stroke of a primitive pen." Further, "another stroke of the pen would give a borrower from the bank, as distinct from a creditor of the original depositor, a loan from the original and idle deposit." Galbraith elaborated:

The original deposit still stood to the credit of the original depositor. But there was now also a new deposit from the proceeds of the loan. Both deposits could be used to make payments, be used as money. Money had thus been created. The discovery that banks could so create money came very early in the development of banking. There was that interest to be earned.[3]

Expanding on this notion of money-creation, economist Rupert J. Ederer explained, in regards to the Bank of Amsterdam, that both the depositor "and a borrower could affect a purchase with the same money at the same time, [thus] we had here some increase in the quantity of money." However, "the more serious infractions followed when the Bank began to lend money to the government of Amsterdam and eventually succumbed to the temptations offered by the [Dutch] East India Company." As Ederer articulated, "What this bank did surreptitiously was soon to be institutionalized and to form the essence of a new monetary technique." Thus, this bank established a "new monetary era":

A marvelous new power probably equal to the potentialities of the discovery of coinage had evolved. The Bank had created money literally for over a hundred years without being discovered. Even after it was discovered, the Bank could have continued in operation in this new way except for public prejudice. The public was not yet ready to accept a money with no guarantee save the word of public authorities. It had been too seriously and too frequently misled in the past, and, paradoxically enough, it had fled to the banks for a more efficient money. Out of this flight grew the private money creation which is the essence of modern commercial banking.[4]

The Bank of England

As John Kenneth Galbraith explained in regards to the Bank of England, "Of all institutions concerned with economics none has for so long enjoyed such prestige," as "most of the art as well as much of the mystery associated with the management of money originated there. The pride of other central banks has been either in their faithful imitation of the Bank of England or in the small variations from its method."[5] As economist Rupert J. Ederer explained, it was with the founding of the Bank of England "which constituted the first complete official approval of money issue by private interests. In other words, private money-issue became a socially and legally sanctioned institution during the 17th century."[6]

Ederer analyzed the history leading up to the creation of the Bank of England in his book, Evolution of Money. He explained that the slippage of the process of money creation from public to private hands "was but another manifestation of the intense struggle of king vs. parliament going on there at the time." Ederer elaborated:

It had been customary in 17th century England for the wealthy classes to deposit their surplus metallic money in the London Tower for safe-keeping. Here, they felt confident, it was safe. This confidence was dealt a rude blow when King Charles I in need of money to conduct a civil war which he had precipitated with Scotland confiscated the hoards. As it was, Charles refused to release these funds until the merchants agreed to make him a loan. He did not repay the loan except after a long delay marked by sharp and bitter protests. The depositors had learned their lesson and would look for another safe-deposit bank. Most suited to the task, it seemed, were the vaults of the goldsmiths.[7]

The goldsmiths, being savvy businessmen, "served notice to their depositors that they would accept money on deposit only on the condition that they could lend it out." The goldsmiths developed a cunning method of managing the money, as the smith would issue a "warehouse receipt" to depositors wishing to withdraw money, which was "a document showing that a certain quantity of metallic money was left on deposit by ‘X’ and could be claimed by him upon presentation of the receipt." Ederer explained:

These receipts were at first scrupulously honored thus establishing confidence that the money would always be available. As a result, the clientele whose original intention was to get away from using the sensitive and impractical coins, simply began circulating the receipts.[8]

The main obstacle to this development of money-creation was the state, as "Kings had insisted on the sole right to issue the monetary media ever since coinage began. Surrender of that right was fraught with dangers for the public welfare and for the very existence of the states involved." So the question was, as Ederer postulated, "How could these monarchs be induced to surrender or, at least, to share this power with private interests? The answer lay in the financially exposed position in which many monarchs found themselves during the 17th and 18th centuries because of constant wars and uprisings. They needed money desperately."[9]

In England, King Charles II "borrowed what money the smiths were able and willing to lend at 12 percent. The repayment was to come in the form of taxes which were to be paid directly to the goldsmiths." However, businessmen and other powerful interests did not want a return to coinage, having grown accustomed to the use of receipts, which had allowed their businesses to flourish. Naturally, there was a growing desire for banks to emerge, following on the heels of the example in Amsterdam. However, all that was needed "was a king who was especially in need of funds for some royal venture. When this monarch appeared, certain alert interests would be able to foist upon the public a system of private money issue."[10]

This opportunity emerged with King William and Queen Mary following the long war with Louis XIV, at a time in which the mercantile interests "had money that they were willing to lend on their own terms, and they were also aware of how lucrative banking in the new style could be, that is, when it involved the right to create money."[11] William was born a Dutch prince, whose mother was sister to King Charles II of England. He came to power in England in 1689 following the Glorious Revolution, in which King James II was forced to flee, which involved an invading Dutch army and resulted in the establishment of a constitutional monarchy and the English Bill of Rights, marking an end to the absolute monarchist era and the beginning of an era in which power was shared between monarch and the parliament.

Now, the monarch, desperate for funds, had to look to private interests, and the answer came from a Scotsman named William Patterson:

Speaking for the wealthy London businessmen he offered to lend money amounting to 1,200,000 pounds at 8% interest, provided that the lenders be granted a charter to establish a bank of issue. On their behalf he demanded the right to issue notes in an amount equal roughly to the amount of the debt, which would circulate as money.[12]

These notes "would go out as loans to worthy private borrowers. Interest would be earned both on these loans and on the loans to the government. Again the wonder of banking."[13] The plan initially being put through Parliament in 1691 met opposition from the King and goldsmiths. However, it was eventually passed in 1694, and thus, the Bank of England was created.[14]

In 1833, Parliament passed legislation that made the Bank of England have the only legal notes of tender, granting it a partial monopoly, as other banks still had notes in circulation. With the Bank Act of 1844, "the issues of all the other banks were limited to the amounts in circulation at that time." Confidence grew in the bank, acting as the government’s banker and agent, "and when the widespread establishment of joint-stock banks in England began in 1826, the Bank of England had already come to be regarded as the custodian of the cash reserves of the private banks, and thus of the country’s gold reserves." Eventually, the bank entered into the role of being the "lender of last resort" and had the responsibility to "maintain not only the currency but also the credit system of the country."[15]

The Bank of France

In 1788, the French Monarchy was bankrupt, and as tensions grew between the increasingly desperate people of France and the aristocratic and particularly monarchic establishment, European bankers decided to pre-empt and co-opt the revolution. In 1788, prominent French bankers refused "to extend necessary short-term credit to the government,"[16] and they arranged to have shipments of grain and food to Paris "delayed" which triggered the hunger riots of the Parisians.[17] This sparked the Revolution, in which a new ruling class emerged, driven by violent oppression and political and actual terrorism. However, its violence grew, and with that, so too did discontentment with the Revolutionary Regime, and its stability and sustainability was in question. Thus, the bankers threw their weight behind a general in the Revolutionary Army named Napoleon, whom they entrusted to restore order.

Napoleon then gave the bankers his support, and in 1800, created the Bank of France, the privately owned central bank of France, and gave the bankers authority over the Bank. The bankers owned its shares, and even Napoleon himself bought shares in the bank.[18] In 1803, Napoleon granted the Bank of France the exclusive right of issue, abolishing competition, "and so the Bank of France assumed the role of the central bank." However, "the Bank’s independence was scarcely altered. At the time when it assumed the role as the country’s central bank, representatives of the 200 principal shareholders were still free to make policy themselves."[19]

The bankers thus sought to control commerce and government and restore order to their newly acquired and privately owned and operated empire. However, Napoleon continued with his war policies beyond the patience of the bankers, which had a negative impact upon commercial activities,[20] and Napoleon himself was interfering in the operations of the Bank of France and even declared that the Bank "belongs more to the Emperor than to the shareholders."[21] With that, the bankers again shifted their influence, and remained through regime change, while Napoleon did not.[22]

The Rothschilds ascended to the throne of international banking with the Battle of Waterloo. After having established banking houses in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Vienna and Naples, they profited off all sides in the Napoleonic wars.[23] The British patriarch, Nathan Rothschild, was known for being the first with news in London, ahead of even the monarchy and the Parliament, and so everyone watched his moves on the stock exchange during the Battle of Waterloo. Following the battle, Nathan got the news that the British won over 24 hours before the government itself had news, and he quietly went into the London Stock Exchange and sold everything he had, implying to those watching that the British lost.

A panic selling ensued, in which everyone sold stock, stock prices crumbled, and the market crashed. What resulted was that Rothschild then bought up the near-entire British stock market for pennies on the dollar, as when news arrived of the British victory at Waterloo, Rothschild’s newly acquired stocks soared in value, as did his fortune, and his rise as the pre-eminent economic figure in Britain.[24]

As Georgetown University History professor, Carroll Quigley wrote in his monumental Tragedy and Hope, "the merchant bankers of London had already at hand in 1810-1850 the Stock Exchange, the Bank of England, and the London money market," and that:

In time they brought into their financial network the provincial banking centers, organized as commercial banks and savings banks, as well as insurance companies, to form all of these into a single financial system on an international scale which manipulated the quantity and flow of money so that they were able to influence, if not control, governments on one side and industries on the other.[25]

Creating a Central Bank of the United States: The Federal Reserve

The history of the United States from its founding through the 19th century to the early 20th century was marked by a continual political battle revolving around the creation of a central bank of the United States. Mercantilists such as Alexander Hamilton, who was the first Treasury Secretary, were in favor of such a bank, and his advice won over George Washington, much to the dismay of Thomas Jefferson, who was a strong opponent to central banking. However, "[Alexander] Hamilton, believing that government must ally itself with the richest elements of society to make itself strong, proposed to Congress a series of laws, which it enacted, expressing this philosophy," and that, "A Bank of the United States was set up as a partnership between the government and certain banking interests,"[26] which lasted until the charter expired in 1811.

Again, during the tenure of Andrew Jackson (1829-1837), the primary political struggle was with the entrenched financial interests both domestic and from abroad (namely Western Europe), on the issue of creating a central bank of the U.S. Andrew Jackson stood in firm opposition to such a bank, saying that, "the bank threatened the emerging order, hoarding too much economic power in too few hands," and referred to it as "The Monster."[27] Congress passed the bill allowing for the creation of a Second Bank of the United States, however Andrew Jackson vetoed the bill, much to the dismay of the banking interests.

It was in the latter half of the 1800s that "European financiers were in favor of an American Civil War that would return the United States to its colonial status, they admitted privately that they were not necessarily interested in preserving slavery," as it had become unprofitable.[28] The Civil War was not based upon the liberation of slaves, it was, as Howard Zinn described it, a clash "of elites," with the northern elite wanting "economic expansion – free land, free labor, a free market, a high protective tariff for manufacturers, [and] a bank of the United States. [Whereas] the slave interests opposed all that."[29] The Civil War, which lasted from 1861 until 1865, resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths, during which, "Congress also set up a national bank, putting the government into partnership with the banking interests, guaranteeing their profits."[30]

As Lincoln himself stated:

The money powers prey on the nation in times of peace and conspire against it in times of adversity. The banking powers are more despotic than monarchy, more insolent than autocracy, more selfish than bureaucracy. They denounce as public enemies all who question their methods or throw light upon their crimes.

I have two great enemies, the Southern Army in front of me, and the bankers in the rear. Of the two, the one at my rear is my greatest foe. As a most undesirable consequence of the war, corporations have been enthroned, and an era of corruption in high places will follow. The money power will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until the wealth is aggregated in the hands of a few, and the Republic is destroyed.[31]

Throughout much of the 1800s and into the 1900s, the United States suffered several economic crises, one of the most significant of which was the Great Depression of 1873. As Howard Zinn explained:

The crisis was built into a system which was chaotic in its nature, in which only the very rich were secure. It was a system of periodic crises – 1837, 1857, 1873 (and later: 1893, 1907, 1919, 1929) – that wiped out small businesses and brought cold, hunger, and death to working people while the fortunes of the Astors, Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, Morgans, kept growing through war and peace, crisis and recovery. During the 1873 crisis, Carnegie was capturing the steel market, Rockefeller was wiping out his competitors in oil.[32]

Massive industrial consolidation by a few oligarchic elites was the rule of the day, as J.P. Morgan expanded total control over railroad and banking interests, and John D. Rockefeller took control of the oil market, and expanded into banking. Zinn explained:

The imperial leader of the new oligarchy was the House of Morgan. In its operations it was ably assisted by the First National Bank of New York (directed by George F. Baker) and the National City Bank of New York (presided over by James Stillman, agent of the Rockefeller interests). Among them, these three men and their financial associates occupied 341 directorships in 112 corporations. The total resources of these corporations in 1912 was $22,245,000,000, more than the assessed value of all property in the twenty-two states and territories west of the Mississippi River.[33]

In the early 20th century, European and American banking interests achieved what they had desired for over a century within America, the creation of a privately owned central bank. It was created through collaboration of American and European bankers, primarily the Morgans, Rockefellers, Kuhn, Loebs and Warburgs.[34]

After the 1907 banking panic in the U.S., instigated by J.P. Morgan, pressure was placed upon the American political establishment to create a "stable" banking system. In 1910, a secret meeting of financiers was held on Jekyll Island, where they planned for the "creation of a National Reserve Association with fifteen major regions, controlled by a board of commercial bankers but empowered by the federal government to act like a central bank – creating money and lending reserves to private banks."[35]

It was largely Paul M. Warburg, a Wall Street investment banker, who "had come up with a design for a single central bank [in 1910]. He called it the United Reserve Bank. From this and his later service on the first Federal Reserve Board, Warburg has, with some justice, been called the father of the System."[36]

Senator Nelson W. Aldrich, "in the early years of the century, was by common calculation the most influential man in the Senate." He "had an unabashed commitment to high tariffs, sound money, [and] the untrammeled operations of big bankers and to all other measures which would, with reasonable certainty, enhance the wealth or power of the already rich, a community that very definitely included Aldrich himself." Further, his daughter married John D. Rockefeller, Jr.[37]

In 1912, Aldrich "introduced legislation to establish a National Reserve Association along with fifteen regional associations. These would hold the reserves – the deposits – of the participating banks. To them the banks would turn for loans, including rescue in a time of emergency. All would be solidly under the control of the bankers whom they comprised." Although, when the System was finally created, "the ultimate legislation was the work not of Aldrich and his fellow Republicans but of the Democrats."[38]

President Woodrow Wilson followed the plan almost exactly as outlined by the Wall Street financiers, and added to it the creation of a Federal Reserve Board in Washington, which the President would appoint.[39] It was two days before Christmas in 1913 that "Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Reserve Act into law. It provided not for a central bank but for as many as twelve – the number later chosen. Washington guidance was to be by a Federal Reserve Board of seven, of which the Secretary of the Treasury and the Comptroller of the Currency were to be ex officio members. The powers of the board were slight. The regional idea had, in fact, triumphed, and the real authority lay with the twelve banks."[40] The regional banks:

...were each to be governed by a board of nine directors, six of whom were to be selected by the participating or member banks, although only three of these could be bankers. The remaining three were to be appointed by Washington.[41]

The Federal Reserve, or Fed, "raised its own revenue, drafted its own operating budget and submitted neither to Congress," while "the seven governors shared power with the presidents of the twelve Reserve Banks, each serving the private banks in its region," and "the commercial banks held stock shares in each of the twelve Federal Reserve Banks."[42]

Notes

[1] Rupert J. Ederer, The Evolution of Money, Public Affairs Press, 1964, p. 102.[2] Ibid., p. 103.[3] John Kenneth Galbraith, Money: Whence it Came, Where it Went, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1975, p. 18-19.[4] Rupert J. Ederer, op. cit., p. 118-119.[5] John Kenneth Galbraith, op. cit., p. 30.[6] Rupert J. Ederer, op. cit., p. 103.[7] Ibid., p. 119-120.[8] Ibid., p. 120-121.[9] Ibid., p. 121-122.[10] Ibid., p. 122.[11] Ibid., p. 122.[12] Ibid., p. 123.[13] John Kenneth Galbraith, op. cit., p. 31.[14] Rupert J. Ederer, op. cit., p. 123.[15] M.H. De Kock, Central Banking, 3rd edition, Staples Press, London, 1969, p. 12.[16] Donald Kagan, et. al., The Western Heritage. Volume C: Since 1789, Ninth edition, Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007, p. 596.[17] Curtis B. Dall, F.D.R: My Exploited Father-in-Law, Institute for Historical Review, 1982, p. 172.[18] Carroll Quigley, Tragedy and Hope: A History of the World in Our Time, New York, Macmillan Company, 1966, p. 515; Robert Elgie and Helen Thompson (eds.), The Politics of Central Banks, New York, Routledge, 1998, p. 97-98.[19] Robert Elgie and Helen Thompson (eds.), The Politics of Central Banks, New York, Routledge, 1998, p. 98.[20] Carroll Quigley, op. cit., p. 516.[21] Robert Elgie and Helen Thompson, ed., op. cit., p. 98-99.[22] Carroll Quigley, op. cit., p. 516.[23] Sylvia Nasar, "Masters of the Universe", The New York Times,

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04E3D6123AF930A15752C0A9669C8B63, 23 January 2000; BBC News, "The Family That Bankrolled Europe", http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/389053.stm, 9 July 1999.[24] New Scientist, "Waterloo Windfall", New Scientist Magazine, Issue 2091,http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg15520913.300-waterloo-windfall.html, 19 July 1997; BBC News, "The Making of a Dynasty: The Rothschilds", http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/5099.stm, 28 January 1998.[25] Carroll Quigley, op. cit., p. 51.[26] Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States, Harper Perennial, New York, 2003, p. 101.[27] Michael Waldman, My Fellow Americans: The Most Important Speeches of America’s Presidents, from George Washington to George W. Bush, Longman Publishing Group, 2004, p. 25.[28] Dr. Ellen Brown, "Today We’re All Irish: Debt Serfdom Comes to America", Global Research,http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php
[29] Howard Zinn, op. cit., p. 189.[30] Ibid., p. 238.[31] Steve Bachman, "Unheralded Warnings from the Founding Fathers to You", Gather,http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId= 281474977031677, 19 June 2007.[32] Howard Zinn, op. cit., p. 242.[33] Ibid., p. 323.[34] Murray N. Rothbard, "Wall Street, Banks, and American Foreign Policy", World Market Perspective,http://www.lewrockwell.com/rothbard/rothbard66.html, 1984.[35] William Greider, Secrets of the Temple: How the Federal Reserve Runs the Country, New York, Simon and Schuster, 1987, p. 276.[36] John Kenneth Galbraith, op. cit., p. 121-122.[37] Ibid., p. 120-121.[38] Ibid., p. 122.[39] William Greider, op. cit., p. 277.[40] John Kenneth Galbraith, op. cit., p. 123-124.[41] Ibid., p. 124.[42] William Greider, op. cit., p. 50.

Governments Buying Gold

2011-09-07T19:04:00.001-07:00

Venezuelan gold mining companies had until recently been forced to sell 50% their gold production to the government for their reserves. This was increased last month to 100%. It accompanied President Chavez’s nationalization of the mining industry. This lays the country open to the seizure of foreign-based assets belonging to Venezuela, including all its gold. To guard against this Chavez has ordered that all the country’s gold held in foreign vaults be repatriated back to the country. The tonnage involved is 365 tonnes. This is a huge amount. While it seems political opportunism guided the decision, it was an excellent investment move. In the ground inside Venezuela sits around 1,000 or more tonnes of gold, which over time will take Venezuela’s gold reserves above those of Switzerland, once it is mined.

Other Countries Following

This is a small country, whose exports are 95% oil. It can sell these to any nation including China, ignoring any Western consequences. At the same time it is switching out of the euro, pound and the U.S. dollar into the BRIC nation’s assets. In doing so it is cutting itself off from a decaying flat growth, debt-bound developed world and investing in growth and gold. This leaves the country’s reserves a growing portfolio, dependent for its cash flow on the evergreen cash cow, oil. Small countries may be seeing the wisdom of Venezuela’s reserves. They may be tempted to follow that example.

We said this in one of our daily reports…

Kazakhstan, a relatively small producer, announced that its own local gold production would now be bought by the government for its gold reserves.
We have long believed that China, to a greater or lesser extent, has been doing this for some years now. Its local production is rising by the year and it’s the world’s largest gold producer now at well over 300 tonnes.
Russia has been buying local and foreign production as well for years now.

Taken individually the tonnages being talked of may not individually have a huge effect on the gold price; taken collectively, however, a different story emerges. At this moment in time we are talking of the above countries local production in excess of 550 tonnes in total. When you consider that world gold production is around 3,000 tonnes per annum, 550 tonnes is 18% of annual gold production. Is this the end of the story? Who can tell, but the pattern is tempting to all gold-producing nations when the nature of their reserves is too dependent on the U.S. dollar, a currency in decline.

What Next?

Some may see the moves of the small countries to be consistent with the political unpopularity of the nations involved. Some may look at the larger countries doing this as simply diversifying their reserves. From a prudent, responsible aspect such moves ensure a good supply of gold into reserves at market prices without causing the gold price to react to every purchase when discovered. The net effect is simply to lower the volume of supplies to the world market. Please note too that the four gold producing nations we have mentioned are seeing a growth in their production on an annual basis. Many other producers are seeing their gold production decline. This must result in the percentage of gold production going straight into a nation’s reserves rising while the amount available to growing demand is declining.

Imagine if Australia or South Africa followed suit. With the price of gold rising and the value of the U.S. dollar falling, it makes good financial sense to hold onto the gold being produced locally. Imagine if Britain had not sold its gold at the lowest price seen in nearly 35 years [$275] and held onto it until now. The six-fold rise in its value would be a welcome development in these darkening economic days.

It’s getting increasingly difficult to give reasons why gold-producing nations should not retain their locally-produced gold and even more difficult to explain why they should sell that gold for U.S. dollars.

Conditions Compel Leading Nations to Follow

Will other nations follow suit? We think that they will, but would hesitate to say when or who. Central Bankers feel more advantage to paper money as do politicians. Gold comes with a monetary discipline that is anathema to them. But we are sure that where a central banker finds his nation dependent on the hard currencies of the world, the temptation may prove far too much.

But even the U.S. and Canada –should their currencies lose importance and position in the global economy—will no doubt follow suit. When? Certainly the tipping point will be when the Chinese Yuan ascends the stage as a global reserve currency or when oil producers accept most currencies in payment of their oil. Or it may be when the stimulant of money creation becomes too much for the surplus nations to accept. We are closer than you think.

What influence on the Price and Supply of Gold?

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Legal Notice / Disclaimer

This document is not and should not be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe for any investment. Gold Forecaster - Global Watch / Julian D. W. Phillips / Peter Spina, have based this document on information obtained from sources it believes to be reliable but which it has not independently verified; Gold Forecaster - Global Watch / Julian D. W. Phillips / Peter Spina make no guarantee, representation or warranty and accepts no responsibility or liability as to its accuracy or completeness. Expressions of opinion are those of Gold Forecaster - Global Watch / Julian D. W. Phillips / Peter Spina only and are subject to change without notice. Gold Forecaster - Global Watch / Julian D. W. Phillips / Peter Spina assume no warranty, liability or guarantee for the current relevance, correctness or completeness of any information provided within this Report and will not be held liable for the consequence of reliance upon any opinion or statement contained herein or any omission. Furthermore, we assume no liability for any direct or indirect loss or damage or, in particular, for lost profit, which you may incur as a result of the use and existence of the information, provided within this Report.

World's Richest Governments

2011-08-08T21:00:00.001-07:00

We know the world's richest man is Carlos Slim Helu of Mexico, followed by Bill Gates and Warren Buffet of USA. (Or is it Buffet before Gates?) You'll have to check with Forbes for the rest.

How about governments?

Which government is the richest (having most money that is, in US$)?

If you are expecting North American and European nations, you might be disappointed.

While the countries may look rich, wealthy European nations can't withstand a prolonged major financial crisis, just like Greece.

The USA might have the biggest economy, but the American government is not at all rich;

(in fact, it can't even take out US$150bn if asked to now without resorting to borrowing.)

To date the US government has borrowed $14.5 trillion!

The UK, likewise, while the country/people are well off, the government isn't. The UK government's debt stands at $9 trillion now!

The World's Richest Governments immediately after the 2008-2009 financial crisis are: -

1. P R of China

National reserves: $2,454,300,000,000

2. Japan

National reserves: $1,019,000,000,000

3. Russia

National reserves: $458,020,000,000

4. Saudi Arabia

National reserves: $395,467,000,000

5. Taiwan (ROC)

National reserves: $362,380,000,000

6. India

National reserves: $279,422,000,000

7. South Korea

National reserves: $274,220,000,000

8. Switzerland

National reserves: $262,000,000,000

9. Hong Kong, China

National reserves: $256,000,000,000

10. Brazil

National reserves: $255,000,000,000

Here are the rest, in million US$:

11 Singapore / 203,436

12 Germany / 189,100

13 Thailand / 150,000

14 Algeria / 149,000

15 France / 140,848

16 Italy / 133,104

17 United States / 124,176

18 Mexico / 100,096

19 Iran / 96,560

20 Malaysia / 96,100

21 Poland / 85,232

22 Libya / 79,000

23 Denmark / 76,315

24 Turkey / 71,859

25 Indonesia / 69,730

26 United Kingdom / 69,091

27 Israel / 62,490

28 Canada / 57,392

29 Norway / 49,223

30 Iraq / 48,779

31 Argentina / 48,778

32 Philippines / 47,650

33 Sweden / 46,631

34 United Arab Emirates / 45,000

35 Hungary / 44,591

36 Romania / 44,056

37 Nigeria / 40,480

38 Czech Republic / 40,151

39 Australia / 39,454

40 Lebanon / 38,600

41 Netherlands / 38,372

42 South Africa / 38,283

43 Peru / 37,108

44 Egypt / 35,223

45 Venezuela / 31,925

46 Ukraine / 28,837

47 Spain / 28,195

48 Colombia / 25,141

49 Chile / 24,921

50 Belgium / 24,130

51 Brunei / 22,000

52 Morocco / 21,873

53 Vietnam / 17,500

54 Macau / 18,730

55 Kazakhstan / 27,549

56 Kuwait / 19,420

57 Angola / 19,400

58 Austria / 18,079

59 Serbia / 17,357

60 Pakistan / 16,770

61 New Zealand / 16,570

62 Bulgaria / 16,497

63 Ireland / 16,229

63 Portugal / 16,254

64 Croatia / 13,720

65 Jordan / 12,180

66 Finland / 11,085

67 Bangladesh / 10,550

68 Botswana / 10,000

69 Tunisia / 9,709

70 Azerbaijan / 9,316

71 Bolivia / 8,585

72 Trinidad and Tobago / 8,100

73 Yemen / 7,400

74 Uruguay / 8,104

75 Oman / 7,004

76 Latvia / 6,820

77 Lithuania / 6,438

78 Qatar / 6,368

79 Cyprus / 6,176

80 Belarus / 6,074

81 Syria / 6,039

82 Uzbekistan / 5,600

83 Luxembourg / 5,337

84 Guatemala / 5,496

85 Greece / 5,207

86 Bosnia and Herzegovina / 5,151

87 Cuba / 4,247

88 Costa Rica / 4,113

89 Equatorial Guinea / 3,928

90 Ecuador / 3,913

91 Iceland / 3,823

92 Paraguay / 3,731

93 Turkmenistan / 3,644

94 Estonia / 3,583

95 Malta / 3,522

96 Myanmar / 3,500

97 Bahrain / 3,474

98 Kenya / 3,260

99 Ghana / 2,837

100 El Salvador / 2,845

101 Sri Lanka / 2,600

102 Cambodia / 2,522

103 Côte d'Ivoire / 2,500

104 Tanzania / 2,441

105 Cameroon / 2,341

106 Macedonia / 2,243

107 Dominican Republic / 2,223

108 Papua New Guinea / 2,193

109 Honduras / 2,083

110 Armenia / 1,848

111 Slovakia / 1,809

112 Mauritius / 1,772

113 Albania / 1,615

114 Kyrgyzstan / 1,559

115 Jamaica / 1,490

116 Mozambique / 1,470

117 Gabon / 1,459

118 Senegal / 1,350

119 Georgia / 1,300

120 Panama / 1,260

121 Sudan / 1,245

122 Zimbabwe / 1,222

123 Slovenia / 1,105

124 Moldova / 1,102

125 Zambia / 1,100

126 Nicaragua / 1,496

127 Mongolia / 1,000

128 Chad / 997

129 Burkina Faso / 897

130 Lesotho / 889

131 Ethiopia / 840

132 Benin / 825

133 Namibia / 750

134 Madagascar / 745

135 Barbados / 620

136 Laos / 514

137 Rwanda / 511

138 Swaziland / 395

139 Togo / 363

140 Cape Verde / 344

141 Tajikistan / 301

142 Guyana / 292

143 Haiti / 221

144 Belize / 150

145 Vanuatu / 149

146 Malawi / 140

147 Gambia / 120

148 Guinea / 119

149 Burundi / 118

150 Seychelles / 118

151 Samoa / 70

152 Tonga / 55

153 Liberia / 49

154 Congo / 36

155 São Tomé and Príncipe / 36

156 Eritrea / 22

Big national reserves doesn't guarantee prosperity however, for instance, the yearly expenses for China's government is $1.11 trillion, their government must always think of economic growth and making more money. The PRC overspent $110bn last year, much of it towards modernizing their military, if it goes on like this their reserves can only last for 22 yrs.

The Malaysian gov't overspent $13bn last year, if it goes on like this their reserves can only last for 7 yrs.

The Singaporean government overspent $3bn last year, much of it rescuing their banks from financial crisis, if it goes on like this their reserves can last 68 yrs.

The Swiss gov't overspent $1bn last year, if it goes on like this their reserves can last 262 yrs.

A country normally can borrow up to 100% its GDP. A very strong industrial country or very financial stable nation can borrow up to perhaps 200% its GDP, debts over 250% GDP the country is bankrupt.

Greece's debt is 113.40% GDP, in danger as it is not considered a strong industrial or financial country, as we already know.

Iceland’s debt is 107.60% GDP, also in crisis as it is not so strong industrially or financially.

Singapore’s debt is 113.10%, not in hot water due to its global financial hub status, and also its financial strength. It's onlydangerous for Singapore when it reaches 200%.

Japan’s debt is 189.30%, still under radar as a powerful Industrial nation. It needs to panic only at around 200%.

The US has the world largest debt, but it is only 62% of its GDP, it is not in any immediate danger of bankruptcy.

Zimbabwe’s debt is 282.60% GDP, it is a bankrupt nation.

Malaysia’s debt is currently At 53.70% GDP.

Hong Kong and Taiwan are doing pretty good with debts at 32-37% GDP.

South Korea is even better with debts at 23.5% GDP.

China is very stable with debts at 16.90% GDP.

Russia is like a big mountain with debts @ only at 6.30% GDP.

There are only 5 countries with no debt, and all comparatively small:

Brunei, Liechtenstein, Palau, Nieu, and Macau (China)

Bancor: The Name Of The Global Currency That A Shocking IMF Report Is Proposing

2011-07-25T01:25:00.000-07:00

Sometimes there are things that are so shocking that you just do not want to report them unless they can be completely and totally documented. Over the past few years, there have been many rumors about a coming global currency, but at times it has been difficult to pin down evidence that plans for such a currency are actually in the works. Not anymore. A paper entitled "Reserve Accumulation and International Monetary Stability" by the Strategy, Policy and Review Department of the IMF recommends that the world adopt a global currency called the "Bancor" and that a global central bank be established to administer that currency. The report is dated April 13, 2010 and a full copy can be read here. Unfortunately this is not hype and it is not a rumor. This is a very serious proposal in an official document from one of the mega-powerful institutions that is actually running the world economy. Anyone who follows the IMF knows that what the IMF wants, the IMF usually gets. So could a global currency known as the "Bancor" be on the horizon? That is now a legitimate question.

So where in the world did the name "Bancor" come from? Well, it turns out that "Bancor" is the name of a hypothetical world currency unit once suggested by John Maynard Keynes. Keynes was a world famous British economist who headed the World Banking Commission that created the IMF during the Breton Woods negotiations.

The Wikipedia entry for "Bancor" puts it this way....
The bancor was a World Currency Unit of clearing that was proposed by John Maynard Keynes, as leader of the British delegation and chairman of the World Bank commission, in the negotiations that established the Bretton Woods system, but has not been implemented.
The IMF report referenced above proposed naming the coming world currency unit the "Bancor" in honor of Keynes.

So what about Special Drawing Rights (SDRs)? Over the past couple of years, SDRs have been touted as the coming global currency. Well, the report does envision making SDRs "the principal reserve asset" as we move towards a global currency unit....
"As a complement to a multi-polar system, or even—more ambitiously—its logical end point, a greater role could be considered for the SDR."

However, the report also acknowledges that SDRs do have some serious limitations. Since the value of SDRs are closely tied to national currencies, anything affecting those currencies will affect SDRs as well.
Right now, SDRs are made up of a basket of currencies. The following is a breakdown of the components of an SDR....
*U.S. Dollar (44 percent)
*Euro (34 percent)
*Yen (11 percent)
*Pound (11 percent)

The IMF report recognizes that moving to SDRs is only a partial move away from the U.S. dollar as the world reserve currency and urges the adoption of a currency unit that would be truly international. The truth is that SDRs are clumsy and cumbersome. For now, SDRs must still be reconverted back into a national currency before they can be used, and that really limits their usefulness according to the report....

"A limitation of the SDR as discussed previously is that it is not a currency. Both the SDR and SDR-denominated instruments need to be converted eventually to a national currency for most payments or interventions in foreign exchange markets, which adds to cumbersome use in transactions. And though an SDR-based system would move away from a dominant national currency, the SDR’s value remains heavily linked to the conditions and performance of the major component countries."

So what is the answer?
Well, the IMF report believes that the adoption of a true global currency administered by a global central bank is the answer.

The authors of the report believe that it would be ideal if the "Bancor" would immediately be used as currency by many nations throughout the world, but they also acknowledge that a more "realistic" approach would be for the "Bancor" to circulate alongside national currencies at first....

"One option is for bancor to be adopted by fiat as a common currency (like the euro was), an approach that would result immediately in widespread use and eliminate exchange rate volatility among adopters (comparable, for instance, to Cooper 1984, 2006 and the Economist, 1988). A somewhat less ambitious (and more realistic) option would be for bancor to circulate alongside national currencies, though it would need to be adopted by fiat by at least some (not necessarily systemic) countries in order for an exchange market to develop."

So who would print and administer the "Bancor"?
Well, a global central bank of course. It would be something like the Federal Reserve, only completely outside the control of any particular national government....

"A global currency, bancor, issued by a global central bank (see Supplement 1, section V) would be designed as a stable store of value that is not tied exclusively to the conditions of any particular economy. As trade and finance continue to grow rapidly and global integration increases, the importance of this broader perspective is expected to continue growing."

In fact, at one point the IMF report specifically compares the proposed global central bank to the Federal Reserve....
"The global central bank could serve as a lender of last resort, providing needed systemic liquidity in the event of adverse shocks and more automatically than at present. Such liquidity was provided in the most recent crisis mainly by the U.S. Federal Reserve, which however may not always provide such liquidity."

So is that what we really need?
A world currency administered by an international central bank modeled after the Federal Reserve?
Not at all.
As I have written about previously, the Federal Reserve has devalued the U.S. dollar by over 95 percent since it was created and the U.S. government has accumulated the largest debt in the history of the world under this system.

So now we want to impose such a system on the entire globe?
The truth is that a global currency (whether it be called the "Bancor" or given a different name entirely) would be a major blow to national sovereignty and would represent a major move towards global government.
Considering how disastrous the Federal Reserve system and other central banking systems around the world have been, why would anyone suggest that we go to a global central banking system modeled after the Federal Reserve?

Let us hope that the "Bancor" never sees the light of day.
However, the truth is that there are some very powerful interests that are absolutely determined to create a global currency and a global central bank for the global economy that we now live in.
It would be a major mistake to think that it can't happen.

Ucapan Anwar Paling Kontroversi di LSE : ‘Religion and Pluralism in a Divided World’

2011-07-12T07:02:00.000-07:00

Berikut merupakan terjemahan ucapan Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yang paling kontroversi di London School of Economics (LSE) pada 18 Mac 2010 yang sedang hangat diperdebatkan di kalangan golongan intelektual Malaysia.

Ucapannya itu bertajuk “Religion and Pluralism in a Divided World” (Agama dan Pluralisme Antara Dua Dunia).
Walaupun ucapan ini telah ditarik balik di blognya, namun ucapan asal masih boleh diakses di laman newasiarepublic.com, manakala rakaman Audio ucapannya boleh didengari di sini

Berikut disertakan terjemahan ucapan Anwar yang kontroversi tersebut:-

Biarlah saya bermula dengan baris (puisi) yang penuh padat makna rahsia dari gubahan T.S. Eliot, bertajuk ‘Burnt Norton’
Pergi, pergi, pergi kata burung itu: Umat manusia tidak mampu lagi menanggung realiti.
Tetapi saya katakan tanggunglah, sesungguhnya, kita mesti lakukannya, ia merupakan realiti sebenar di dunia kita hari ini, bahawa golongan-golongan agama tertentu menganggap hanya ajaran asasi tertentu (fundamental doctrines) sahaja yang membawa ke arah jalan keselamatan (salvation).
Pandangan yang ekslusif ini (yang mengangap hanya satu agama sahaja benar), malangnya telah tersebar secara meluas dalam hubungan antara agama-agama dan juga di kalangan mereka yang sama agamanya.
Dalam kalangan masyarakat Kristian, kita diperlihat kemunculan perpecahan-perpecahan dan akibat dari pergolakan-pergolakan yang timbul berpunca daripada sikap dan kefahaman tertutup (exclusivity) ini.
Di kalangan umat Islam, fahaman kumpulan Sunni, Shi’ah dan Sufi mempunyai sejarah yang penuh dengan kepelbagaian turun naiknya dan terus menerus menunjukkan kepada dunia satu senario keganasan dan pertumpahan darah.
Tentangan terhadap Muslimin yang berpindah ke Eropah menjadi lebih pahit lagi berikutan peristiwa selepas 9/11 dan 7/7, yang menguntungkan parti-parti politik sayap kanan, (hasil) daripada pusingan baru ‘xenophobia’ (kebencian dan ketakutan rakyat asing) dan kempen menakut-nakutkan (kepada ancaman militan Islam).
Pengharaman Perancis terhadap ‘burqa’ (wanita muslim memakai jubah yang hanya nampak mata) menimbulkan emosi yang amat hangat dari kedua belah pihak, tetapi ramai Muslimin menggaru-garu kepala mereka dengan kehairanan apabila Switzerland mengharamkan kubah-kubah (pada masjid di sana).
Kembali ke belakang, dalam abad ke 13, seorang penyair sufi Jelaluddin al-Rumi menulis dalam Masnawinya (Koleksi Puisi Arab-Parsi) :
Lampu-lampunya adalah berlainan, tetapi Cahaya itu adalah sama, ia datang dari Seberang Sana; Seandainya kamu terus menerus melihat pada lampu, kamu akan tersesat; kerana dari sana muncul pelbagai bilangan dan kemajmukan (plurality).
Bait (puisi) itu adalah sangat relevan kepada kita hari ini. Walaupun terdapat perdebatan-perdebatan yang penuh dengan kebencian berlaku (hari ini) yang menghubungkan agama dengan konflik dan diskriminasi, (tetapi) yang menjadi hakikat bahawa tahap pengalaman keagamaan peribadi akhirnya kembali kepada konsep universal tertentu.
Dari mana datangnya manusia? Apa matlamat hidupnya? Apa yang berlaku selepas meninggal dunia?
Jalan kerohanian itu akan membawa kita kepada satu pencarian universal tentang kebenaran dan usaha untuk mencapai keadilan serta sifat keunggulan.
Kita bergembira mengecapi keindahan, (baik) di dalam diri kita sendiri dan juga di sekeliling kita. Kita rindu kepada ilmu pengetahuan, kedamaian dan keselamatan di tengah-tengah misteri dan ketidaktentuan alam semesta.
Dalam dunia kita yang terpecah-pecah yang diisi dengan keburukan, keganasan dan ketidakadilan, agama memberikan kesempatan kepada semua umat manusia untuk merealisasikan nilai-nilai yang menyatukan kemanusiaan, walaupun terdapat kepelbagaian dalam negara, iklim dan budaya.
Dante (Dante Alighieri) – seorang daripada penyair-penyair agung dalam tradisi Kristian – menyebut banyak perkara dalam hal ini (pluralisme).
Dengan dikelilingi oleh konflik dalam masyarakat yang merobek landskap para penduduk luar kota negara Itali pada abad ke 14, Dante yang amat arif tentang konflik untuk mendapat kuasa di antara golongan ‘Lords Temporal’ dan ‘Lords Spiritual’ (Golongan yang Memerintah dan Golongan Penguasa Agama Kristian pada waktu itu).
Apabila (Dante) melihat kerosakan yang ditimbulkan daripada usaha untuk menyelesaikan pembahagian dan perpecahan itu, beliau melihat satu penyelesaian yang bukan hanya bersifat secara politik semata-mata.
(Dante) menulis dalam ‘Monarchia’ (esei politik yang ditulis dalam bahasa Latin) menyatakan bahawa tujuan terakhir kehidupan manusia adalah pencapaian matlamat dua kali ganda – kebahagiaan dalam kehidupan duniawi dan juga kebahagiaan dalam kekal (akhirat) dengan berada dalam limpahan nur melihat Wajah Tuhan.
Mencapai dua matlamat agung ini menghadapi kesukaran yang besar:
‘Hanya apabila gelombang-gelombang kerakusan yang menggoda itu ditenangkan dan umat manusia berehat santai dalam ketenangan dan kedamaian‘
Pandangan Dante tentang keamanan sejagat boleh dicapai hanya apabila bangsa-bangsa di dunia bersatu dalam sebuah kerajaan planet yang tidak berbelah bahagi.
Sudah tentu, ini merupakan satu impian utopia, tetapi dengan sifatnya yang datang dari Eropah maka patut diberikan perhatian bahawa impian ini bukannya impian Eropah untuk menguasai yang lain berada di bawahnya.
Juga beliau (Dante) tidak membayangkan Gereja berkembang meluas di luar daripada tembok-temboknya.
Pemerintah yang mempunyai kuasa dalam landskap yang utopian ini adalah Fakulti Akal Manusia, yang menghubungkan visi Dante secara langsung dengan pandangan falsafah tokoh-tokoh agung intelektual lslam termasuk al-Farabi dan Ibn Rushd.
Sudah tentu dalam sistem Dunia Order Baru perkara demikian itu tidak pernah berlaku. Sebaliknya jika masih ada warisan abadi Pemikiran Pencerahan (Enlightenment Thought) yang berterusan dalam geopolitik dunia, itu hanya dalam bentuk yang terpecah-pecah, empayar-empayar dan dinasti-dinasti kepada individu, yang saling berlumba-lumba untuk mengatasi di antara satu sama lain, dan bukannya penyatupaduan yang lebih besar.
Banyak sudah darah yang tumpah untuk mencipta dan kemudian mempertahankan sempadan- sempadan (kuasa). Walaupun ada usaha-usaha sesetengah pihak untuk memurnikan bumi-bumi mereka, sempadan-sempadan yang digariskan di sekitar negara-bangsa (tetapi) telah dikaburkan pula dengan munculnya sistem pengangkutan dan komunikasi moden.
Dunia hari ini mungkin lebih bersifat pelbagai dan bersepadu (integrated) daripada apa yang berlaku pada zaman keemasan Islam di Sepanyol, di mana orang-orang Kristian, Yahudi dan Muslim hidup dengan aman damai dalam suasana hidup bersama (co-existence). Tetapi sukar pula untuk kita menyatakan (pada zaman moden ini) bahawa kesan yang mendominasi dari saling berhubungan ini (connectivity) adalah keamanan dan keharmonian.
Pada hari ini, kebebasan beragama (freedom of religion) yang tidak ada Pluralisme Agama (religious pluralism), adalah tertanam teguh sebagai kebebasan dalam perlembagaan dalam negara-negara demokrasi.
Dengan demikian, maka memihak kepada sesuatu agama (tertentu sahaja) dan tidak yang lain atau memberikannya kedudukan yang mengorbankan yang lain boleh dianggap sebagai bertentangan dengan semangat pluralisme agama.
Namun perkara ini masih berlaku walaupun dalam negara-negara demokrasi yang teguh kedudukannya di Eropah, manakala di Timur Tengah pula dan di Asia Tenggara, sikap bercanggahan di antara dua perkara yang saling berlawanan ini disifat sebagai perkara lumrah yang biasa berlaku(taken for granted) sehingga akhir- akhir ini.
Sebab itulah, maka wacana tentang pluralisme agama (religious pluralism) mesti berhadapan dengan persoalan dasar berkenaan dengan kebebasan beragama (freedom of religion) dan dikaitkannya dengan kebebasan hati nurani manusia (freedom of conscience).
Persoalan yang timbul adalah, adakah kepelbagaian agama yang menjadikan dunia yang terbahagi-bahagi itu menjadi lebih terbahagi-bahagi lagi sifatnya, ataupun penafian terhadap kebebasan beragama yang menjadi penyebabnya.
Saya percaya bahawa saya bukan keseorangan dalam membuat kenyataan tentang pluralisme agama untuk berkembang subur dalam dunia yang terbahagi-bahagi sifatnya ini, maka adalah perkara yang tidak boleh diterima dari segi moral apabila seseorang itu berkata kepada orang lain yang mereka mempunyai sistem kepercayaan lain (yang lebih benar) daripadanya:
Kami beriman kepada Tuhan kami dan kami percaya kami benar, anda percaya kepada Tuhan anda, tetapi apa yang anda percaya adalah tidak benar.
Kalaulah kenyataan Qur’an bahawa ‘tidak ada paksaan dalam agama’ itu tidak mempunyai erti apa – apa, maka bermaksud perbuatan memaksakan kepercayaan seseorang ke atas orang lain bukanlah bersifat Islamik. Tetapi apabila kita menyatakan demikian bukanlah bermakna kita menafikan realiti kepelbagaian agama kerana Al Qur’an menyatakan perkara itu dengan nyata sekali.
‘Wahai ahli kitab, sesungguhnya Kami jadikan kamu lelaki dan perempuan dan menciptakan kamu berbangsa-bangsa dan bersuku-suku supaya kamu saling kenal mengenali di antara sesama kamu. Sesungguhnya yang paling mulia dalam kalangan kamu ialah yang paling bertaqwa. Sesungguhnya Allah Maha Mengetahui, Maha Menyedari Dengan Mendalam “.
Kitab Agama Sikh Guru Granth Sahib memberitahu kepada kita bahawa orang yang mampu melihat semua jalan-jalan kerohanian (spiritual paths) membawa kepada Yang Satu (the One Shall) akan menjadi bebas merdeka tetapi orang yang menyatakan kepalsuan akan turun ke dalam api neraka dan terbakar di dalamnya. Orang yang berbahagia ialah orang yang disucikan dan mereka berterusan tenggelam dalam nikmat Kebenaran (absorbed in Truth).
Apa juga agamanya, sama ada Islam, Kristian, Sikh, Hindu dan banyak lagi yang lain, saya percaya bahawa kebenaran-kebenaran yang lebih tinggi (higher truths) yang mengatasi amalan- amalan semata (mere practice) dan ibadat (ritual) semuanya terpusat atas kebenaran yang satu itu (singular truth): bahawa dari Tuhan kita datang dan kepada Tuhan kita kembali.
Tetapi terdapat pemimpin-pemimpin agama tertentu di dunia yang terus menerus membuat dakwaan yang eksklusif (exclusivist claims) yang mereka memiliki kebenaran yang kekal abadi (the eternal truths) berbanding dengan penerimaan terhadap kebersamaan (commonality) yang boleh mengikat di antara kita.
Kalaulah kita menerima bahawa (kita) boleh menjadi kesatuan dalam kepelbagaian, maka pluralisme agama adalah satu tenaga penyatuan tersebut, (dan) bukannya faktor perpecahan. Itulah jalannya untuk kita keluar daripada kegelapan kepada cahaya, daripada perang kepada damai, daripada kebencian dan kejahatan kepada kasih sayang dan kebaikan.
Tentang Muslimin pula, mereka masih berterusan bermasalah dengan menolak nilai kebebasan bersuara (free speech), kebebasan media (free press), demokrasi, dan kebebaasan hati nurani (freedom of conscience).
Mereka (umat muslimin) memandang budaya pluralisme agama sebagai satu bahagian daripada konspirasi agung oleh ‘pihak lain’, terutamanya Kristian, untuk mengembangkan ajarannya dan menjadikan Muslimin memeluk agama Kristian. Pluralisme Agama juga dilihat sebagai jerat bagi menyeludup masuk demokrasi ala Barat melalui pintu belakang.
Tetapi (pendapat itu) sebenarnya merupakan suatu penyelewengan apabila dilihat mengikut perlaksanaan hukum Islam. Di luar daripada kepentingan polisi awam, memang tidak ada kewajipan agama untuk mengenakan undang-undang dan nilai-nilai Islam ke atas seluruh masyarakat.
Sistem Millet Uthmaniah berdiri sebagai satu contoh sistem yang diwujudkan oleh negara Islam yang didasari oleh prinsip hormat menghormati dan pengiktirafan kepada hak-hak bukan Islam untuk mengikut ajaran-ajaran agama mereka secara bebas merdeka.
Memang diakui bahawa perkara ini penting untuk menjaga keharmonian dalam persekitaran masyarakat yang pluralistik, dari sebuah kerajaan yang sedang berkembang.
Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jauziyyah, seorang fakih Hanbali dalam abad ke 8 memberitahu kita gambaran yang lebih jelas lagi.
Dalam kes perkahwinan amalan agama Zoroaster yang orang-orang lelakinya digalakkan mengawini ibu-ibu mereka, ini merupakan amalan yang dari segi moralnya amat menjolok mata kepada umat Muslimin.
Namun apabila ditanya tentang bagaimana negara Islam memandang kepada perkahwinan amalan agama Zoroaster itu, ibn al-Jauzi menegaskan bahawa itu merupakan hak-hak orang Zoroaster (dan) kes-kes mereka tidak akan dibawa ke dalam mahkamah-mahkamah Syariah, serta menganggap amalan sedemikian itu sebagai dibenarkan dalam tradisi undang-undang mereka. Maka, katanya, negara Islam tidak berhak untuk campur tangan dalam hal itu.
Adalah malang sekali jika sesetengah daripada kebijaksanaan-kebijaksanaan kesarjanaan klasik Islam dilupai. Simpulan ideologi yang bersikap rigid (rigidity) masih merupakan penghalang kepada kemajuan dan pembaharuan.
Muslimin hendaklah membebaskan diri mereka daripada amalan-amalan lama yang menggunakan klise dan menjaja-jajanya (cliche-mongering) serta mengenakan label-label kepada orang lain, dan bergerak melewati kepentingan-kepentingan kelompok yang sempit. Penemuan semula terhadap pluralisme yang asal dalam Islam sangat-sangat diperlukan.
Al Qur’an menyatakan ‘Katakanlah: Dia adalah Allah, Tuhan Yang Satu yang menjadi tumpuan pertolongan kepada semua.
Seorang daripada sarjana Taurat yang teragung pada Zaman Pertengahan, terkenal juga dengan nama Arabnya, Abu ‘Imran Musa bin ‘Ubaidullah Maimun al-Qurtubi, dalam menghuraikan keesaan Tuhan dalam agama Yahudi berkata: Tuhan adalah Esa,tidak ada yang menyerupaiNya.
Apabila merujuk kepada ungkapan (dalam Kristian) ‘Maha Suci Nama Engkau’ (“hallowed be thy name”) dari Lord’s Prayer, (Matt.6:9) mendiang Swami Prabhavananda menulis bahawa nama Tuhan boleh dipandang sebagai mantra, yang apabila diulang-ulang, memberi kekuasaan rohaniah dan menyucikan kalbu dan minda orang yang menyebutnya.
Dengan amalan ini, maka ‘nama’ Tuhan dialami sebagai hidup dan penuh kesedaran, seperti seseorang itu bersama dengan Tuhan-dan pencerahan rohani akan dicapai’.
Dari segi sejarahnya, Muslimin menganggap Al Qur’an sebagai tertumpu kepada Akal dan juga Roh manusia. la menentukan susunan sistem dalam alam, prinsip-prinsip dan keyakinan-keyakinan, dan ia menuntut pemeriksaan yang teliti dan menyeluruh tentang semua perkara itu supaya dengan itu, kita boleh mencapai kepastian tentang kesahihan dakwaan-dakwaan dan mesejnya.
Tinjuan ini semestinya, tidak boleh tidak, membawa kepada kesedaran terhadap prinsip-prinsip yang abadi tentang Tawhid terhadap Tuhan yang daripadanya pula keluarnya Hukum Yang Rabbani.
Tetapi syariah itu bukannya semata-mata dipahat pada batu (cast in stone),(yang bermaksud statik) dan ia (syariah) itu mengalami evolusi (perubahan) secara dinamis. Demi untuk menjaga jalan menengah (a middle ground), maka unsur utama dalam metodologi (kaedah) Islam mesti dinilai semula dalam perspektif yang menyeluruh (holistic) yang akan menjadi menarik, mengikut kaedah yang bersifat universal dan kekal abadi.
Dikatakan bahawa pluralisme dalam dunia yang terbahagi-bahagi ini akan menambah lagi perpecahan kepuakan yang membawa pula kepada suara yang diulang-ulang tentang ‘pertembungan tamadun’ (clash of civilizations) yang telah dan masih meletihkan seperti pukulan ‘gendang purba’ itu. Pekara ini nampaknya seperti metafora yang menarik kepada imaginasi sejarawan dan ahli-ahli sains politik.
Hasilnya adalah satu pertembungan sudut pandangan tentang sejarah, persepsi, dan gambaran-gambaran yang kemudiannya pula membawa kepada penafsiran yang kerap kali bercanggah, bukan sahaja tentang sejarah, tetapi juga pandangan dunia (world views)
Bagaimanapun, sebagaimana yang dinyatakan oleh Eliot:
“Sejarah boleh berupa sebagai perhambaan, sejarah (juga) boleh pula berupa sebagai kebebasan”.
Oleh itu, kita mesti membebas diri kita daripada penipuan konsep tentang pertembungan tamadun dan menumpukan semula perhatian kita kepada pertembungan yang sedang menggelegak dalam umat Islam itu sendiri.
Kita melihat berlaku suatu pertembungan yang lebih berbahaya dan membimbangkan dalam tamadun Islam (intra-civilizational), iaitu antara yang lama dan baharu (the old and the new), lemah dan kuat(the weak and the strong), moderat dan fundamentalis (the moderates and the fundamentalists), dan modernis dan traditionalis (modernists and the traditionalists).
Seandainya kita melihat sejarah sebagai perhambaan, kita boleh mengabaikan perspektif sejarah dan meletakkannya ke dalam alam akademik berdasarkan kepada alasan bahawa kita sudah pun berada di abad ke 21.
Turki dan Indonesia sedang merintis jalan ke arah demokrasi bagi umat Islam untuk menjadi ikutan. Kemasukan segera Turki ke dalam Kesatuan Eropah merupakan suatu kenyataan yang jelas tentang tahap demokrasi liberal itu dicapai, namun, sayangnya, halangan-halangan yang dibuat oleh sesetengah negara-negara ahli Kesatuan Eropah itu sangat jelas menunjukkan isyarat wujudnya Islamophobia (ketakutan melampau kepada Islam).
Di Asia Tenggara, Indonesia telah pun berjaya mencapai garis penamat (dalam amalan demokrasi), manakala negara jiran-jirannya yang Muslimin (termasuk Malaysia) masih lagi terlekat pada tahap permulaan jalannya.
Maka sejarah sebenarnya adalah kebebasan (freedom) jika kita bersedia untuk mendapat pelajaran daripadanya.
Hari ini jihad dilaungkan oleh pihak-pihak tertentu untuk menghalalkan perbuatan-perbuatan ganas dalam pelbagai bentuk dan rupanya, hingga mengaburkan di antara garis jihad dan keganasan (jihad and terrorism).
Mujurlah adanya pentadbiran Presiden Obama, maka kita telah melihat sesetengah perubahan ketara berbanding dengan polisi Presiden Bush yang mengamalkan sifat percanggahan yang memilih bulu, dalam memerangi keganasan, iaitu memberi sokongan kepada para autokrat (kuku besi) di Dunia Islam di satu pihak, dan menjadi jaguh kebebasan dan demokrasi (freedom and democracy) di satu pihak yang lain pula.
Walaupun selepas lebih setahun semenjak pentadbiran Obama itu berperanan, kita masih lagi menanti untuk melihat perubahan-perubahan yang penting (substantive) dalam isi (substance) polisi luar negara Amerika berkaitan hubungan dengan Dunia Islam.
Dalam Islam, kebebasan dianggap sebagai salah satu matlamat yang paling tinggi daripada undang-undang Ilahi yang sama elemennya dengan demokrasi berperlembagaan untuk menjadi imperatif moral dalam Islam – iaitu kebebasan hati nurani (freedom of conscience), kebebasan untuk bercakap menentang kezaliman (freedom to speak out against tyranny),(dan) seruan untuk pembaharuan dan hak ke atas pemilikan (a call for reform and the right to property).

Sebagai penutupnya, biarlah saya sekali lagi menyebut apa yang saya selalunya simpan untuk nukilan dari Eliot’s Four Quartets:

Apa yang kita sebut sebagai permulaan kerapkali ia bahagian akhirnya
Dan membuat satu bahagian akhir adalah (juga) membuat satu permulaan
Bahagian akhir adalah tempat kita bermula.

Malaysia 2013 ?? unleash riots... moslems, ..must read !

2011-07-06T09:31:00.000-07:00

2013 ILLUMINATI BLUEPRINT (TOP SECRET REVEALED)

There are two Illuminati blueprint which I think should be told to the masses (obtained from local Illuminati defector). The first is regarding our own backyard, the second is more about what will happen in the future which is prophecy about the True Cross. Believe it or not, up to you. Now, what might the Illuminati have for us in less than 10 years in the future? Local anti-illuminati watchers already been told about another blueprint to unleash riots in the Malaysian Capital, and so far I've seen steps already been taken towards this plan assisted by Illuminati Sleepers from both Opposition and UMNO side.

The truth is, Anwar will never ever be the next Prime Minister of Malaysia. No way, the Illuminati will not allow it because it will defeat the RAHMAN prophecy which some believes a sub-prophecy by Thomas Carlyle. Believe it or not if you want, Anwar Ibrahim is not here to lead the Malay, he is being used only to execute the first stage of the plan.

The Illuminati already conduct their research and is well informed that Muslim Governance by the Malay can easily be defeated if all non-Malays united together towards the next polling box.

According to the CIA's 2004 information about Malaysia, the population as at 2004 is was consisting of Malay 50.4%, Chinese 23.7%, indigenous 11%, Indian 7.1%, others 7.8%. In 2008 the figures already changed and by 2013 then we the Malays probably outnumbered by non-Malays by a few percents.

The 50% Malays is further division by multiple political movements. Some supports UMNO, some went to PAS, others are worshiping the Statue of Brahma Anwar Ibrahim while the rests either stand on the fence or joined non-Malays based party such as DAP and other smaller parties like in Sabah & Sarawak.

Therefore in short, if all Chinese and Indian parties leave Barisan Nasional and join forces with DAP, then the non-Muslim league armed with strong financial provision will have enough strength to wrestle the political power from the Malays. And if that really happened then DAP will no longer need PAS and Anwar Ibrahim to fish the supports from the Malays/Muslim Population.

The blueprint revealed what will be done on or before 2013. After the completion of the first stage on the 12th General Election by which Anwar and KJ being pawned by Illuminati to cause the defeat of Barisan Nasional in 5 major states, the next stage in no longer about winning the hearts of the Malays voters but is more concentrated towards winning the hearts of non-Malays voters.

In the next few years before the next general election we will witness this trend growing. DAP and the rest of opposition leaders (including the idiot Anwar) will be vocal in the parliament in their attempt to be seen as the latest kung fu / tamil hero for the Chinese and Indian community. These issues of Ketuanan Melayu, Immigrant Cina, Isu Murtad, Etc will be harped again and again and again with no sight at end. All Illuminist sleepers within UMNO and Barisan Nasional will carried out the mission in tandem with their colleagues in the Opposition.

With the growing attention and supports gained from the younger generation of Chinese and Indian, the Malays supporters from PKR will be abandoned in stages. State's Policy will be made to favor the non-Malays thereafter causing rift and dissatisfaction amongst Malays to PKR and PAS. The depletion of supports towards PKR and Anwar Ibrahim is intentional to weaken the PKR as a major voice of Opposition Front. Like I said earlier, they never intended for Anwar to be the next PM, they're just using him to gain the supports from Malays who put them on seat in Parliament today.

The final stage towards the next apartheid is the racial tension which will lead to riots. The next riots which will happen on the 13th day of that month and will mimic the complete profile of what happened on 13th May 1969. Only this time instead of a clash between a Chinese Youth and the Malays, the clash will be between the Indian and the Malays gangsters pretending to be heroes for their respective races. The riot will bloodiest in the Capital but will have shockwave effect towards the country. The police and army which are dominated by Malays will have to use unthinkable force to control the situation. Their efforts however will not be portrayed as heroics but as instead as tyranny.

The situation within UMNO is not helping either, the Prime Minister will be cornered by the Opposition, the Coalition and even by his own cabinet under the incitement of one of his minister who is a son-in-law of former Prime Minister. Therefore by the time the riots ended, all non-Malays political parties will abandoned Barisan Nasional and swear their allegiance with DAP.

By this time, Anwar Ibrahim, PAS and the rest of Malays in PKR today is no longer needed by DAP. They will be abandoned completely after the winning of the 13th general election. PAS will be accused of being extremist, dangerous and harassed under the law which actually similar to ISA whereas Anwar Ibrahim will finally be affirmed as a fifteen years homosexual sodomist (1997 - 2013). All incriminating evidence previously kept secret by his DAP lawyers will be revealed by unknown source. DAP will now have excuses not to nominate him as Prime Minister despite the fact that the Opposition winning the 13th General Election.

As predicted, with UMNO being abandoned by the Coalition and all non-Malays (and even some Malays who blame the government for being incompetent when handling the riots) voting against UMNO and the Government, more than 2/3 majority in the Parliament will be won by DAP in a landslide majority, reminiscing the glorious days when UMNO under Tun Mahathir.

If things go wrong for us, then after the 13th General Election, the Illuminati will finally control our government. Due to our own stupidity we will have the first ever non-Malay Prime Minister. Secularism and separation of faith from governance will be initiated with the 2/3 Majority to amend the article 3(1) of the Constitution regarding Islam as official religion and due to secularism everywhere, our children will be tempted to worldly demands.

Most people assume that if this country is ruled by DAP, then we will be the next Singapore (?). Some people might breathe easily imagining that because things are not so bad in Singapore. Despite being ruled by Chinese, we still hear the Singaporean Malays praising their government. Some ungrateful Malay Singaporeans who reside in Malay even openly willing to say that the Singapore Government is better than Malaysian Government (?).

If you are one of people who assume as such than you are dead wrong because the PAP situation in dealing with Singaporeans is different if DAP ever rule Malaysia. Any government in the world knows that in order to please its people means cashing out tax-payers money. If the money in the treasury is abundant then all parties can be pleased. So in the case of Singapore where the Malays are only 13.9% from the whole population, the government does have more than enough money to spend on the priority Chinese before spending the surplus on the Malays and other non-Chinese. The Malays there don't know they're only enjoying surplus. Considering the fact that Singapore is smaller, easier to monitor and more cost effective to administer, therefore even if the Singaporean Government only spent 10% on the Malays they're still happy with it.

The situation will be completely different if DAP rule Malaysia. It does not matter how much money we have in the treasury, most of it will have to be spent on the prioritize Non-Malays first, which already consisting of 49.6% of the population (maybe more) and considering that Malaysia is large with 13 states and 3 Federal Territories to foot the bills, then one can imagine that there will not be much left as surplus to be spent on Malays and on Islamic Institutions.

When the ruling government is consisting of those from the MAJORITY ETHNIC then the closest scenario is Malaysia today (not perfect for some but still home sweet home). But when the ruling government is consisting of those from the MINORITY ETHNIC, then the closest modern example should be the South Africa during the days of the apartheid or Ethiopia when ruled by minority ethnic Tigrayan. Other examples are such as when China was ruled by a minority ethnic group the Manchus or during the days when the Balkans were ruled by minority ethnic Serbians.

Actually you can research yourself on what had happened when a country is ruled by minority ethnic. I can assure you most of it does not treat well the majority ethnic.

I'm not trying to be racist or bias here. But that's what history had told us so far about the any country ruled by minority ethnic. And there's no reasonable explanation to it. It's just pure human tendency to rebel against those he perceived responsible for taking over his rights. There' no point arguing about it. That's simply how people think when they dominate the volume but not the governance.

So for the Malays who keep harping on Ketuanan Melayu, please bear in mind that the so-called Ketuanan Melayu remain exists only as long as our cabinet ministers is mostly Malays and our Prime Minister is also a Malay. Once that no longer exists, then our Ketuanan Melayu also will vanish. And for the Non-Malay whom might have read this, just know that Malaysia being taken over by DAP is not another Singapore in the making. A difference in population will create different political outcome. Malaysia being ruled by ethnic minority will not be as peaceful as and better than when it was ruled by UMNO.

The multiracial harmony enjoyed by our elders will not exists if DAP rule this nation. It's not possible unless DAP are willing to spend the taxpayers money towards Malays as much as what UMNO had spent OR if the majority of Malays suddenly love doing business and prosper economically the like of the Chinese Business Community today.
Think about that.

(I write about the Prophecy of the True Cross lain kali lah… Penat)

(daripada arkib peribadi afterdark di http://one.xthost.info/afterdark/.)

BARISAN NASIONAL’S SLEDGE HAMMER REACTION TO THE BERSIH RALLY

2011-07-04T09:12:00.000-07:00

Prime Minister Najib will be the ultimate loser in the coming General
Election and will be ousted just like his predecessor, Tun Abdullah Badawi.
By Matthias Chang

There are four main factions in UMNO, three of which are determined to prevent
the PM’s faction from gaining an overwhelming upper-hand and a repetition of
“Pak Lah’s political theatrics” – when the family, in-laws included ruled supreme.
This is so typical of “Malay politics”. Can you imagine the wannabes waiting for
15 years or more to have a bite at the political cherry?

The era of Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad was an exception and only because he
was a visionary and a pragmatic leader, and an act that is hard to follow. The
trend for all future leaders will assuredly be one term, as there are just too many
in the queue to be the next prime minister.

The Prime Minister is a seasoned politician, adept at surviving the back-stabbing
and double-dealings inherent in all political power-grabs. So why is he reacting in
such a high-handed manner to the Bersih challenge?

A heavy-handed reaction – threats of incarceration under the Internal Security
Act, threats of unleashing sectarian / racial violence by the likes of Perkasa, the
unnecessary posturing by UMNO Youth and its irrelevant leader, Khairy (off to
join the Gaza Flotilla to get some brownie points where he has no credibility in
advancing the just struggles of the Palestinians), the raid of Bersih’s office and
the confiscation of its materials etc., but no police action against UMNO Youth’s
disorderly conduct outside PKR’s headquarters even when they threatened to
burn down the building – indicates the administration’s one track mentality in
solving problems, not that the Bersih Rally is a problem.

The hype and exaggeration of the consequences of the Bersih Rally – civil
commotion, financial losses in the RM billions, the takeover of the government,
the revival of communism etc. – is another symptom of an administration under
siege and devoid of any creative response to what is otherwise a non-issue.

To declare that it is a crime and or illegal to wear any clothing in yellow bearing
the logo “Bersih” is sheer stupidity. And the Home Minister is a lawyer by training!
If such clampdown is to demonstrate the power of UMNO and nothing else, then
the year long campaign that we are “1Malaysia” rings hollow and that the Barisan
Nasional government has no faith in its policies especially its “Economic Transformation Programme” (ETP), the political crown jewel of Najib’s
administration.

If Barisan Nasional needs brute force to cow the people to vote for it, as opposed
to using rational arguments and sound policies, it will be the end of the Barisan
Nasional. The Barisan Nasional would be giving the Opposition a walk over in the
next General Election.

The Election Commission is an independent agency. This is the mantra that the
BN government never ceases to affirm.

Everyone is for a free and fair election.

The 2008 General Election is the best evidence that elections were conducted
fairly, as the Opposition took over five state governments and reduced the BN
two-thirds majority in Parliament, a historic achievement by the Opposition
Coalition.

Bersih has assured the nation that the rally would be peaceful and its intention is
to deliver a memorandum for a fair and clean election to the King.

We shall hold them to their word and promise.

How long would the Bersih Rally be, in the absence of any police action? At the
most, one and half hours, and thereafter, they would have to disperse, again
peacefully. End of the story. Nothing happens, no news worthy of a headline in
the front page of the local mainstream media or for that matter the foreign media.

The police can agree to a pre-designated route to avoid creating traffic jams and
unnecessary inconvenience to the public.

There is no need for the deployment of the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) or the
military. What is needed is traffic police to assist the organizers.

This is all that is required.

Any leader associated with the Bersih Rally would lose credibility if they allow the
rally to turn ugly or violent. In those circumstances, the security forces would
have every justification to take stern action and they can be deployed quickly.

Let us not make a mountain out of a mole-hill!

My advice to the Prime Minister is simple. Be at the gate of the Agong’s palace to
stand in solidarity with the participants and show support for their civic-
mindedness and assure all those peaceful participants that every effort will be made to ensure a fair and clean election as was the case in 2008 and all
previous elections.

Why is there a need for Perkasa to have a counter-rally, when it is not even part
of the Barisan Nasional? Whether BN likes it or not, Perkasa is perceived as
being thuggish and provocative. It may have a role in serving a Malay agenda
(rallying Malays to vote for UMNO), but it will not be able to deliver the Malay
votes. It is a sad reflection of UMNO that it needs Perkasa, an external force to
rally Malay voters and when its leader is not even a member of UMNO, but an
“independent” Member of Parliament. This is really pathetic!

Why must UMNO Youth behave in a manner that is perceived as racial and
repugnant?

Perkasa undermines the Barisan Nasional. It cannot deliver on its own merits
and has no mass following, if UMNO members do not join its ranks.

I challenge Perkasa to deliver 50,000 members to march peacefully to the
Agong’s palace to assure the entire nation that they too are for fair and clean
elections, not on the 9th
July 2011 but on a separate occasion so that we can see
for ourselves the true strength of Perkasa and whether it genuinely reflects the
aspirations of the Malay community and the Barisan Nasional.

If Barisan Nasional wants to commit suicide and lose the next General
Election, then follow Perkasa’s sectarian bravado and Khairy’s infantile
opportunism.

If Barisan Nasional insists on adopting the sledge hammer approach to the
Bersih Rally, they will lose the next election. The blowback will be intense and
unforgiving. And if Najib is naïve and foolish enough to declare an emergency
and launch another Operation Lalang, the Chinese and Indian voters will
abandon Barisan Nasional in droves and whatever efforts thus far to win back
their allegiance will go up in smoke. This is a given.

Remember also that as a Muslim country, we are also a target of the neo-cons’
agenda. Those outside forces who are hell bent to destabilize Muslim countries
are waiting for an excuse to subvert Malaysia.

The Bersih Rally is a non-issue and can be diffused quietly and without any
fanfare.

I trust common sense will prevail.

Costly Mistakes People Make With GPS And Cell Phone

2011-07-02T07:17:00.001-07:00

With all the new electronic technology - this experience gives all of us something to think about.

GPS
A couple of weeks ago a friend told me that someone she knewhad their car broken-into while they were at a Football game.

Their car was parked on the green which was adjacent to the football stadium and specially allotted to football fans. Things stolen from the car included:
a garage door Remote Control,
some money and
a GPS which had been prominently mounted on the dashboard.
When the victims got home, they found that their house had been ransacked and just about everything worth anything had been stolen.

1. The thieves had used the GPS to guide them to the house. 2. They then used the Garage Remote Control to open the garage door and gain entry to the house. 3. The thieves knew the owners were at the football game, they knew what time the game was scheduled to finish and so theyknew how much time they had to clean out the house. 4. It would appear that they had brought a truck to empty the house of its contents.

Something to consider if you have a GPS -

don't put your home address in it. Put a nearby address (like a store or gas station) so you can still find your way home if you need to, but no one else would know where you live if your GPS were stolen.
MOBILE PHONES
I never thought of this.......
This lady has now changed her habit of how she lists her names on her mobile phone after her handbag was stolen.
Her handbag, which contained her cell phone, credit card, wallet... Etc...was stolen.
20 minutes later when she called her husband from a Pay Phone telling him what had happened, he said 'I received your text asking about our Pin Number and I've replied a little while ago.'
When they rushed down to the Bank, their money was already withdrawn. The thief had actually used the stolen cell phone to text 'Hubby' in the Contact List and got hold of the Pin Number.. Within 20 minutes he had withdrawn considerable amount of money from their Bank Account.
Moral of the lesson:
Do not disclose the relationship between you and the people in your Contact List.
Avoid using names like Home, Honey, Hubby, Sweetheart, Dad, Mom, etc....
And very importantly, when sensitive info is being askedthrough texts, CONFIRM by calling back.
Also, when you're being text by friends or family to meet them
somewhere, be sure to call them back to Confirm that the Message came from them.

If you don't reach them, be very careful about going places to meet 'family and friends' who text you.

Wake Up Project - Project Hackers

2011-06-29T09:39:00.001-07:00

Kita dikejutkan dengan serangan rangkaian sesawang oleh pengodam-pengodam Malaysia dan Anonymous. Mungkin ini sebagai protes pada pihak kerajaan Malaysia kerana menyekat laman laman sesawang muat turun. Artikel ini bukan untuk mengajak kita semua untuk mengenali pengodam-pengodam ini, tetapi sekadar mahu mengaitkan isu semasa ini dengan perancangan The Hidden Hand melalui petunjuk kad Permainan Illuminiti.

Seperti yang pernah kita ketahui. Serangan 9/11 telah pun dicatatkan di dalam kad permainan Illuminiti. Mereka secara terang-terangan memberitahu kita mengenai perancangan mereka tetapi mungkin kita sekadar memandang sepi atau memang kita tidak mengetahui akan perkara ini.

Kali ini dengan isu semasa dan petunjuk Kad Permainan Illuminiti saya mengajak kalian berfikir adakah perkara ini sebagai suatu kebetulan atau pun ia sememangnya rencana yang dirancang oleh mereka dalam perlaksaan NWO dan kedatangan tahun 2012? Lain-lain informasi, sila klik Di sini

Think About It

Israel's Next War, How Soon?

2011-06-26T22:35:00.000-07:00

Articles - Islam and Politics

Thursday, 27 Jamadil Akhir 1431

by Imran Hossein

I fear that Israel will move swiftly to exploit to her advantage soon-to-occur world-wide hysterical fear of calamitous consequences of the major Gulf of Mexico oil leak that has already caused very large quantities of oil to flow into the Gulf – most of it still under the surface of the water - with simultaneous release of very large and perhaps even more dangerous quantities of gas. Both oil and gas are highly flammable, and experts will have to pronounce concerning the possibility of a deliberate or accidental ignition of all of this oil/gas and the horrendous consequences of such an explosion for the world. Is it possible, for example, that we can experience an extended period of darkness in the Americas in which black clouds will prevent the entry of sunlight?
Those who today possess a significant influence, if not control, over most of the world’s information media, may soon begin to inundate us with fearsome doomsday predictions concerning the possible consequences of the unplugged oil-well leak. This is likely to rise to a crescendo as possible consequences begin to materialize.
The universal distraction that will thus be created could provide, I believe, a perfect opportunity for Israel to launch yet another war that would seek to arrest her declining image and fortunes in world opinion. This is the clear message conveyed through the recent reckless and murderous attack on the Gaza Aid Flotilla that resulted in 9 deaths and in injuries to 50 others.
My book entitled Jerusalem in the Qur’an explained the Islamic view of Israel’s mysterious imperial agenda in which a Pax Judaica will eventually replace the current Pax Americana and the previous Pax Britanica. We argued in that book that Israel cannot replace USA as the third and last ruling State in the modern world, and a false Messiah cannot then lay fraudulent claim from Jerusalem to be the true Messiah, unless Israel wages a big war that would be the ruin of USA. Israel’s leaders may already be convinced that the longer they wait to initiate such war/wars, the more would the strategic environment in which the Zionist State is precariously located, continue to deteriorate to her disadvantage.It is almost certain that the next Israeli war would target Iran and Pakistan in order to destroy their nuclear installations (to the great embarrassment and abiding dismay of Pakistan’s obstinate secular intelligentsia). Israel will almost certainly also seek to provoke regime-change in Turkey through a military coup-d’état. Ultimately Israel will seek such an expansion in the territory of the State as would encompass the (false) Biblical frontiers of the Holy Land (see my book entitled The Religion of Abraham and the State of Israel – A View from the Qur’an).
It is because the Iranian and Turkish governments are anticipating such an Israeli attack, and because they also know that Zionists would work overtime to ensure that USA/UK/NATO also enter the war in support of Israel, that Iran and Turkey have been exploring building an alliance - long-anticipated – with Russia. It will not be far-fetched to also anticipate that China will eventually join such an alliance.
We addressed this subject in our recent book entitled An Islamic View of Gog and Magog in the Modern World in the following words:

“A coming nuclear attack on Pakistan, ostensibly in response to alleged terrorist activity, but actually to destroy that country’s nuclear plants, would convince Russia that she would eventually suffer the same fate unless she responds vigorously to Western (NATO) encirclement and intimidation. That is the recipe for eventual world-war. It is in that context that we can understand and anticipate the fulfilment of the prophecy concerning the conquest of NATO-controlled Constantinople (i.e. modern-day Istanbul):

Prophet Muhammad said: “Lataftahanna al-Qustantiniyya wa lani‘ma al-amiru amiruha wa lani‘ma al-jayshu dhalika al-jaysh.”
“Verily you shall conquer Constantinople. What a wonderful leader will her leader be, and what a wonderful army will that army be!”
(Ahmad, Bukhari)

Russia’s most immediate strategic military goal in any contest with the West would have to be conquest of Constantinople that would permit access for the Russian navy to the Mediterranean Sea and thus to Israel. That conquest is likely to be achieved through the alliance between Rum (i.e., Russia) and the Muslims as prophesied by the blessed Prophet (sallalahu ‘alaihi was sallam).”

It appears to us that the contours of that coming world-war are already being delineated. On the one side would be the Zionist western alliance, led eventually by Israel, and on the other side would the alliance of Russia and China with Turkey and Iran. In my book on Gog and Magog in the Modern World I have recognized such a war to be the ‘Gog and Magog’ world-war to which the Qur’ān has directed subtle attention (Qur’ān, al-Kahf, 18:99).
Finally we can anticipate a monstrous act (or several acts) of false-flag terrorism to occur within the next few months to help build such public opinion around the world as would assist Israel in the war she is eagerly waiting to launch.
In my previous essay on Israel’s Piracy Gaza’s Starvation and our Muslim ‘Berlin Walls' I commented that Muslims must launch a do-or-die struggle to rid themselves of the pro-Israeli Egyptian, Saudi, Pakistani (and other) governments and Armed Forces that control the world of Islam on behalf of the enemies of Islam and of mankind.
I further commented that such governments and Armed Forces in the Muslim world have built their own ‘Berlin Walls’ to protect themselves from their own people. They have sponsored their own so-called experts to hoodwink and deceive the Muslim masses into embracing them as champions of Islam who, with help from Disneyland, will soon conquer India. And unless and until those neo-‘Berlin Walls’ protecting the Egyptian, Saudi and Pakistani governments and Armed Forces are demolished, the ropes around the necks of Muslims will continue to become tighter and yet tighter.

I believe this is the right time for Turkish Muslims to launch the struggle to demolish their own massive Berlin Wall that was constructed to protect the greatest friend that Zionism (which created Israel) has ever had in history. He was more hostile to Islam than the Euro-Zionists, and a greater friend of Zionism/Israel than even Britain’s Winston Churchill, Arabia’s ‘Abdel ‘Aziz Ibn Saud or Pakistan’s General Pervez Musharraf. Without Mustafa Kamal’s destruction of the Ottoman Islamic Caliphate (Khilafah) and its substitution with the modern secular republican State, an impostor Euro-Jewish State of Israel could never have been created in the Holy Land, nor could it have survived to this day.

Those Muslims who cannot be persuaded otherwise, and who obstinately continue to legitimize the system of modern secular republican States with their blasphemous votes in elections, should be left to answer to their Lord-God on Judgment Day. The rest of us must persevere in our struggle to restore the Islamic Caliphate (Khilafah) confident with the assurance that our struggle will eventually succeed with the advent of Imam al-Mahdi (‘alaihi al-Salam).

http://www.imranhosein.org/articles/islam-and-politics/234-israels-next-war-how-soon.html

Japan not hit by 9.0 quake? False flag nuclear weaponry actually destroyed Fukushima, claims report

2011-06-13T07:39:00.000-07:00

(NaturalNews) What if the alleged 9.0+ magnitude mega earthquake that was said to have hit off the coast of Japan back on March 11 never actually happened, and the resultant tsunami that destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was actually a deliberate, false flag attack using nuclear weapons? Freelance journalist Jim Stone offers compelling evidence that the official story we have all been told concerning the disaster is a phony coverup for a concerted attack against Japan, possibly for offering to enrich uranium for Iran.

An actual 9.0+ mega-quake would have leveled the whole country of Japan

Consider first the massive impact of an actual 9.0 magnitude earthquake, which would have been about 100 times more powerful than the 6.8 magnitude Great Hanshin earthquake of 1995 that destroyed much of the city of Kobe, located about 12.5 miles from the epicenter, and that killed more than 6,400 people. If the March 11 earthquake in Japan was actually a 9.0, it would have devastated everything within a 1,000-mile radius of the epicenter -- and yet the city of Sendai, for example, which is only about 48 miles from the epicenter, suffered virtually no structural damage whatsoever.

Truth be told, the only areas that suffered any significant damage at all were areas hit by the tsunami, which included the Fukushima nuclear plant. Besides the immense damage that occurred at the tsunami-hit nuclear plant, there was virtually no seismic damage in any other towns or cities near the epicenter that were not hit by the tsunami, which suggests that the earthquake could not have been anywhere close to a 9.0. According to Stone's review, the size of the earthquake that hit off Japan's coast actually registered at only about a 6.67 magnitude, according to some readings, while the tsunami that ensued was the equivalent of what would have occurred during an actual 9.0.

Cities and towns hit by tsunami appeared strangely unaware that it was even coming

Another factor to consider is that the towns and cities hit by the tsunami appeared to be largely unaware that it was even coming until moments before it arrived. If a 9.0 earthquake had actually hit as claimed, these areas would have not only experienced monumental destruction beforehand, but people living in them would have already been evacuating the area between when the earthquake supposedly hit, and roughly 40 minutes later when the tsunami actually arrived.

Various video clips and photos in towns and cities about to be hit by the approaching tsunami reveal that business was largely taking place a usual just minutes before it hit. People are shown walking around, buildings are intact, and little appears to be out of place, despite the fact that a mega-quake has supposedly just occurred. Take a look for yourself at Stone's information, as well as photos and videos captured, and think to yourself whether or not the official story makes sense in light of what actually took place (http://www.abeldanger.net/2011/05/j...).

The damage at Fukushima, and particularly at non-operational Reactor 4, could not have occurred simply from flooding or an earthquake

According to Stone's analysis, the damage that took place at the Fukushima nuclear facility could not have been the result of just flooding or even a 9.0 earthquake, assuming that one actually occurred. High-resolution aerial images of the damaged plant taken on March 24 show not only a completely missing Reactor 3, despite ongoing reports that it was still there, but also a completely demolished Reactor 4.

Remember the massive explosion that took place at Reactor 3 just a few days after the tsunami hit? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw2A...) Blamed on hydrogen buildup, this disastrous event could not have occurred as a result of damage caused by the earthquake or tsunami because a special emergency hydrogen stack designed specifically to deal with hydrogen buildup had been installed at Fukushima following the disastrous Three Mile Island accident. This special hydrogen stack does not require electricity to run, so it was fully operational during the time of the explosion and would have mitigated any hydrogen buildup.

And what about the mysterious Reactor 4 explosion, which occurred despite the fact that the reactor had been de-fueled, and was allegedly non-operational? Even in a worst-case scenario where its fuel rods completely melt down, the type of explosion that would follow would not be capable of literally disintegrating Reactor 4's thick, concrete walls, which is what actually occurred. And Reactor 4 was so heavily damaged by this explosion that it was expected to literally collapse.

So what caused these massive explosions in Reactors 3 and 4 to occur? According to Stone, nuclear weaponry was used to forcibly demolish these structures. Magna BSP, a security firm, allegedly installed massive "security cameras" inside the reactors prior to the disaster. These cameras weighed over 1,000 pounds, and look oddly similar to uranium gun-type nuclear bombs (http://www.jimstonefreelance.com/co...).

When you put two and two together, it appears as though nuclear weapons disguised as security cameras may have been used to blow up Fukushima's reactors. Perhaps this explains the reason for the information blackout on Reactor 4 that occurred in the days following the disaster (http://www.naturalnews.com/031758_F...).

Add to the mix a nuclear-induced tsnuami and corresponding earthquake, and you have the perfect scapegoat for deliberately targeting a nuclear facility and blaming it on natural causes.

A critical analysis of the facts actually makes the official story look like a conspiracy theory

Before dismissing this information as just another wacky conspiracy theory, take the time to review Stone's analysis, and think critically about the basic laws of physics in light of the information we have been told by the media. Would a real 9.0 earthquake have left nearby cities that were not hit by the tsunami undamaged? Why did the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) withhold crucial information about Reactor 4 for so long? And why did such massive damage occur from supposed explosions that, in reality, could not have physically caused them?

These and other questions raise doubt about the official story concerning the Japan earthquake and tsunami. Of course, the reasons why anyone would inflict this type of disaster on purpose is a different subject entirely, but that the disaster appears to have been deliberately caused is a possibility that every critical-thinking person would do best to consider.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/032692_Fukushima_earthquake.html#ixzz1PAQ8wUJg

Pakistan, China and Bin Ladin

2011-06-10T01:27:00.000-07:00

Articles - Islam and Politics

Wednesday, 21 Jamadil Akhir 1432

And so they scurry around in a vain attempt to save themselves by reaching out to embrace the Saudis who are as guilty as themselves in lust for Yankee pleasures.

The rich secularised westernized elite who control decision-making in Pakistan’s government as well as the Armed Forces have long looked down with disdain and contempt at scholars of Islam whom they scornfully dismiss as Mullahs! They control the Pakistani news media and use it to propagate and promote whatever is deviant, false and corrupt while steadfastly covering the truth. They would be scandalized by our firmly-held belief that the Qur’an and Sunnah should play pivotal roles in the conduct of state as well as in the formulation of foreign policy; and they yet persist in the frivolous and absurd claim that the Pakistan over which they rule is an ‘Islamic’ Republic.
Deaf dumb and blind they have consistently found it expedient to ride (first class) on a US-Dollar (Green-Back) rainbow while traveling back and forth between Islamabad and Washington and formulating pro-American policies and taking pro-American decisions on matters pertaining to strategic affairs. As a consequence they now have the blood of hundreds (maybe thousands) of innocent Pakistanis on their hands – killed in bombing raids still being conducted by US drones and by the Pakistan Air Force on behalf of their Zionist paymasters. An independent investigation will certainly confirm the innocence of the overwhelming majority of those so killed.
They consistently and disgracefully thwarted every effort that Muslims of Pakistan made throughout that country’s history to enforce Allah’s Law which prohibited, among so many other things, Riba (i.e., money being lent on interest). They would most probably stare with uncomprehending eyes in response to any claim that the Pakistani Rupee, like all other paper money in the world today, is utterly bogus, fraudulent and Haram, and functions as an instrument of legalized theft of the wealth and sweat of the masses.
Time has now run out for them. The horrendous evil implications of their godlessness, their misguided conduct of state, as well as their evil choice of foreign policy now stares them in their bloated faces as the miserably poor suffering and enraged masses prepare to lynch them for their utter betrayal of both Islam and Pakistan.

The sense of desperation that was so clearly exposed in the recent comical American announcement of the assassination of Usama bin Ladin in Pakistan indicates that those who have been waging unjust war on Islam for the longest while have now run out of options in their zealous irrational obsession to deliver to Israel the rule over the world.
It is now almost certain that they will exploit this so-called Bin Ladin event to launch a long-planned brazen attack on their so-called ally. The attack would be launched primarily for the purpose of destroying Pakistan’s nuclear weapons and nuclear plants so that Israel can launch without fear of any nuclear threat, her pre-planned wars to subdue the Arabs and Muslims.
But the attack on Pakistan would also be meant to lure China into a war to protect a Chinese-constructed (soon to be naval) port at Gwadar on the Pakistani coast facing the Gulf of Oman. In fact war with China would offer opportunity for USA to both demonetize the US dollar, as well as impose an oil blockade that would prevent China’s access to Arab and Iranian oil, thus delivering two crippling blows to the Chinese economy.
Is it possible that pragmatism will prevail, and that despite the recent Chinese declaration of support for Pakistan, China will accept the loss of Gwadar as well as massive investments in Baluchistan and stay out of a war with NATO when Pakistan is attacked? If she does so however, China may well be eventually confronted with a US Naval Base in Gwadar as the first fruit that NATO will reap from an independent Baluchistan. Such a naval base would certainly reduce China economically and militarily to a status far less than a super-power.

The diplomats and generals in Islamabad who have less than a passing acquaintance with the Qur’an and Ahadith are unlikely to have any knowledge of Islamic eschatology, and as a consequence they probably would not know of the end-time prophecy of Prophet Muhammad (sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) in which he prophesied an Islamic alliance with Rum (i.e., modern-day Russia). Nor would they know that the Prophet declared that the ‘horns of Satan’ were located in the Najd from whence the Saudi rulers have emerged. And so they scurry around in a vain attempt to save themselves by reaching out to embrace the Saudis who are as guilty as themselves in lust for Yankee pleasures.

The Qur’an has declared quite firmly that Allah Most High does not intervene to change the condition of a people, regardless of who they may be and how bad their condition, unless and until they, the people, bestir themselves to change their own condition (Qur’an, al-Ra’d, 13:11). As a consequence it should be clear that unless Pakistanis take immediate steps to rid themselves of their corrupt secular westernized political and military leaders, and then follow the sensible and intelligent examples of Turkey and Iran in attempting to build a collective strategic alliance with Rum (i.e., Russia), Pakistan’s moment of bitter truth would have arrived. A Russian declaration of support for Pakistan similar to the Chinese declaration, will certainly force NATO to pause yet again in its never-ending quest to deprive the world of Islam of a nuclear deterrent.

http://imranhosein.org/articles/islam-and-politics/275-pakistan-china-and-bin-ladin.html

Pemain Bolasepak Wanita Iran dihambat keluar di Amman

2011-06-07T21:11:00.000-07:00

AMMAN-Media massa Barat menonjolkan bagaimana air mata dan sujud para pemain bola sepak wanita Iran yang tidak bersedia mengorbankan kemuliaan mereka sebagai Muslimah ketika mengikuti pertandingan pemilihan Olimpik 2012 yang bakal diadakan di London. Pihak pengurusan Bahrain Berjaya membantah dan menggagalkan pertandingan team bolasepak wanita Iran ketika perlawanan dengan team Jordan pada Jumat 3 Jun di Amman baru-baru ini dengan alas an team dari Iran mengenakan pakaian Islam dan berjilbab.

Setelah keputusan berat sebelah itu, para pemain Team Iran bersama-sama menyanyikan lagu kebangsaan Iran, kemudian berlari menelilingi padang sambil mengibarkan bendera Iran. Setelah itu mereka bersujud di atas bendera Iran dan meninggalkan padang dengan mata berkaca-kaca.

Keputusan pihak pengurusan Bahrain itu sangat mengecewakan apabila kedua team sudah siap masuk di padang untuk memulakan pertandingan. Namun sikap team Iran membuat para pemain Team Jordan dan juga para penonton terharu. Mereka memberi sokongan dengan bertepuk tangan mengiringi para pemain Iran ketika keluar padang.

Peristiwa tersebut mendapat sorotan meluas dari media massa Barat termasuk BBC, New York Times, Xinhua, dan bahkan Times of India. Dalam berbagai laporan disebutkan, "Team bola sepak wanita Iran dilarang mengikuti pertandingan pemilihan Olimpik 2012 London kerana memakai pakaian Islam.""Berdasarkan ketetapan FIFA, dilarang menutupi leher dan telinga ketika bertanding, namun Persatuan Bola sepak Kebangsaan Iran menyatakan bahwa pihaknya telah mendapat persetujuan dari FIFA dua tahun lalu bahwa Team Wanita Iran itu dapat bermain dengan tetap mengenakan jilbab." Team bolasepak wanita Iran berada dalam ranking terbaru FIFA naik dua tangga dikedudukan 51 dunia.

Setelah pembatalan tersebut, team tersebut segera meninggalkan Amman menuju Teheran. Team Iran itu menduduki tangga pertama dan telah bersedia untuk memasuki babak kedua. Ketua Persatuan Kebangsaan Bolasepak Iran, Ali Kaffashian, menyatakan sangat sedih dengan peristiwa tersebut dan menyatakan, pihaknya akan merujuk hal tersebut kepada FIFA. Kaffashian menegaskan bahwa Iran sebelumnya telah mendapat persetujuan dari ketua FIFA agar para pemainwanita Iran dapat tampil dengan mengenakanpenutup kepala khas untuk menjaga nilai-nilai Islam.

Apakah tindakan kekal untuk berpakaian sebagai muslimah dan kekal menjaga maruah yang dipilih pemain bolasepak wanita Iran itu satu tindakan bodoh? Bagi setengah orang mungkin Ya. Tetapi itulah nilai yang dipertahankan oleh pihak Iran. Syabas dan tahniah diucapkan. Yang banggang tu… si pembantah tu ingat dari Negara kapir. Tetapi dari Negara Bahrain yang rakyatnya pakai jubbah siang & malam. Dan kenapa pula perlu disyaratkan membuka aurat untuk para pemain? Yelah!!! Sukan seperti ini dirangka undang-undang dan peraturan oleh Yahudi & Nasara. Ada matlamat dan kehendak mereka. Bagi mereka yang sanggup mengikuti kehendak mereka, maka terkorbanlah nilai-nilai agama Islam itu sendiri. Sama seperti Negara Eropah hari ini. Mereka mengenakan denda kepada yang mengenakan jilbab tetapi tidak bagi yang berbogel.

E-coli infected spinach is a conspiracy

2011-06-03T10:07:00.001-07:00

Hello fellow seekers of truth. I have been looking at the threads here on above top secret for atleast a year and I have decided to start posting my own theories. This might be long but please bear with me. And also please excuse me if it takes me time to respond to questions or comments I will keep checking this thread after I post it and try to respond to everyone.

I believe that there is something strange about the recent E-coli outbreak in organic foods, primarily in spinach and a case of botulism in Bolthouse Farms carrot juice. The FDA started a criminal investigation into two California farms to see whether unsanitary criminal conduct caused the case of e-coli. Upon investigation no trace of E-coli was found, nothing was found to be out of order compared to the standards. In normal fashion E-coli is contracted through beef products handled in unsanitary conditions that is infected with e-coli passing it on to its consumer. Cows become infected with E-coli when they consume the feces of other sick cows. So how does E-coli mysteriously appear then disappear from a farm where its spinach was infected by it. If a cows feces did this it would have been in manure form in the soil growing the spinach. On commercial farms manure is ordered or obtained in mass quantities. Then using that manure in the mix vast fields containing the manure grow the spinach. Your telling me in the matter of a week an e-coli outbreak occurs in several states and then vast amounts of e-coil infected manure disappear at the same time. Pardon my humor but this is a big load of Bull. And it just so happens that on September 17th , 2006 it was announced that a US scientist is about to release a new effective test kit to test food for E-coli. It is going to start being bought up by the food industry then made available to test for E-coli in food at home. Tests like this are very scientific and take years to develop and with a sudden outbreak of organic foods this miracle product is announced simultaneously. The facts are it is strange to begin with that a disease normally contracted through infected beef shows up in spinach. Add to it that the culprit manure is nowhere to be found. And then here comes the miracle cure test kit. If the spinach became infected to the point of making people seriously ill then it was infected after the growing process. In all likeliness it was poisoned with E-coli and allowed to be consumed so a market could be created for a new medical industry food testing product. Look at who stands to gain from this and who is tarnished. The corporate medical industry will make tons of money from selling the product. The chemicals created to preserve foods and other food additives also are handled in the same industry. Tarnishing the reputation of the organic foods industry scares people away from it and attracts them to the chemically treated foods. They want you to fear natural healthy food and trust chemically tainted food while at the same time sell the world a new product. Because it wasn’t just Americans that became the guinea pigs for this business venture, Canada and Mexico also received tainted spinach. Put yourself into the position of these scientists and businessmen. Wouldn’t you love to have a few extra million or possibly billion dollars in your bank account?

2 more Bank shut-down in Washington

2011-05-23T00:25:00.000-07:00

Regulators shut down 2 Georgia banks, 1 in Washington state for 43 US bank failures this year

On Friday May 20, 2011, 9:55 pm EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Regulators shut two banks in Georgia and a smaller bank in Washington state Friday, lifting to 43 the number of U.S. bank failures this year in the wake of a gutted economy and mounds of soured loans.
The pace of closures has slowed, however, as the economy improves and banks work their way through the bad debt. By this time last year, regulators had closed 73 banks.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. seized Atlantic Southern Bank, based in Macon, Ga., with $741.9 million in assets; First Georgia Banking Co., based in Franklin, Ga., with $731 million in assets; and Summit Bank in Burlington, Wash., with $142.7 million in assets.
CertusBank, based in Easley, S.C., agreed to assume the assets and deposits of Atlantic Southern Bank and First Georgia Banking. Columbia State Bank, based in Tacoma, Wash., is assuming the assets and deposits of Summit Bank.
In addition, the FDIC and CertusBank agreed to share losses on $585.1 million of Atlantic Southern Bank's loans and other assets, and on $452.1 million of First Georgia Banking's assets. The agency and Columbia State Bank are sharing losses on $113.4 million of Summit Bank's assets.
The failures of Atlantic Southern Bank, First Georgia Banking and Summit Bank are expected to cost the deposit insurance fund $273.5 million, $156.5 million and $15.7 million, respectively.
Georgia has been one of the hardest-hit states for bank failures. Sixteen banks were shuttered in the state last year. The two shutdowns Friday brought to 12 the number of bank failures in Georgia this year.
California, Florida and Illinois also have seen large numbers of bank failures.
In 2010 regulators seized 157 banks, the most in a year since the savings-and-loan crisis two decades ago.
The FDIC has said that 2010 likely would mark the peak for bank failures.
There were 140 bank failures in 2009, costing the insurance fund about $36 billion. The failures last year cost around $21 billion, a lower price tag because the banks that failed in 2010 were smaller on average. Twenty-five banks failed in 2008, the year the financial crisis struck with force; only three were closed in 2007.
From 2008, the year the financial crisis struck, through 2010, bank failures cost the fund $76.8 billion. The deposit insurance fund fell into the red in 2009, and its deficit stood at $7.4 billion as of Dec. 31.
The FDIC expects the cost of resolving failed banks to total around $52 billion from 2010 through 2014.
Depositors' money -- insured up to $250,000 per account -- is not at risk, with the FDIC backed by the government. That insurance cap was made permanent in the financial overhaul law enacted last July.
The number of banks on the FDIC's confidential "problem" list rose to 884 in the final quarter of last year from 860 three months earlier. The 884 troubled banks is the highest number since 1993, during the savings-and-loan crisis.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Regulators-shut-2-Ga-banks-1-apf-747150132.html?x=0

Hukum Zakat Pendapatan

2011-05-20T01:05:00.000-07:00

Artikel ini saya petik dari blog seorang pendakwah Indonesia yang menetap di Australia http://hamiludd2kwah.multiply.com/ . Saya kira sangat penting kita memahami hukum zakat pendapatan dengan jelas. Sekiranya ia memang wajb, makin wajiblah kita mengeluarkannya begitu juga sebaliknya. Jika ada kesukaran memahami bahasa Melayu Indonesia, saya cuba terangkan semampunya. Semoga kita semua mendapat pencerahan. Amin.

Untuk menentukan apakah zakat profesi(zakat pendapatan) disyariatkan atau tidak oleh Islam, terlebih dahulu harus dipahami bahwa zakat adalah ibadah yang telah ditetapkan tata caranya oleh syariat, baik yang berhubungan dengan syarat-syaratnya, pihak yang wajib menunaikan serta yang berhak menerima, jenis benda yang wajib dizakati, kadar, dan cara-cara pendistribusiannya. Syariat Islam telah menetapkan jenis-jenis binatang yang wajib dizakati, misalnya sapi, kambing, domba, dan onta; maupun yang tidak wajib dizakati semacam unggas (burung, dan ayam), udang, jengkerik, belut dan sebagainya; meskipun dipelihara dalam jumlah yang besar. Syariat juga telah menetapkan jenis-jenis tanaman yang wajib dizakati, dan mana yang tidak wajib dizakati. Tidak ada zakat untuk fakihah (buah-buahan), sayur mayur, terung, lobak dan lain sebagainya. [Lihat Dr. Wahbah Zuhaili, al-Fiqh al-Islamiy Adillatuh)

Akan tetapi, jika unggas, buah-buahan dan sayur-mayur tersebut dijadikan komoditas perdagangan, maka penjual wajib membayar zakatnya. Akan tetapi, zakat yang dikeluarkannya bukan dari zakat ternak atau zakat sayur-mayur dan buah-buahan, akan tetapi zakat perdagangan. Tidak ada zakat bagi mobil, maupun bangunan. Namun, jika mobil dan bangunan itu dijadikan barang dagang, maka keduanya wajib dizakati. Sebab, kedua barang tersebut telah dijadikan komoditas perdagangan, sehingga berlaku zakat perdagangan.

Tatkala berkomentar terhadap zakat tanaman, Hasan al-Bashriy, Tsauriy dan Imam Sya’bi berpendapat bahwa tidak wajib zakat kecuali pada jenis-jenis yang mempunyai keterangan yang tegas yaitu: gandum, padi, biji-bijian, kurma dan anggur. Yang lainnya tidak wajib, karena tidak ada keterangannya. Imam Syaukani berpendapat bahwa pendapat madzhab ini adalah pendapat yang paling rajih. [Sayyid Sabbiq, Fiqh Sunnah, bab Zakat] Ibnul Qayyim berpendapat, “Tidak ada tuntunan dari Nabi saw untuk memungut zakat dari kuda, baghal, keledai, tidak pula dari sayur-sayuran, semangka, krambaja, buah-buahan yang tidak ditakar dan disimpan, kecuali anggur dan kurma. Sebab, Rasulullah saw telah mengambil zakatnya sekaligus, tanpa memisahkan yang basah dan kering.”[ibid, bab zakat]

Dalam sebuah hadits riwayat Daruquthniy dituturkan, bahwasanya ‘Abdullah bin Musghirah bermaksud memungut zakat dari hasil tanah Musa bin Thalhah berupa sayur-sayuran. Musa bin Thalhah berkata, “Kamu tidak boleh memungutnya, karena Rasulullah saw tidak pernah mengatakan bahwa tidak wajib zakat pada sayur-sayuran”. [HR. Daruquthniy, dan Al-Hakim, hadits mursal dan kuat]

Atsram meriwayatkan, bahwa seorang pejabat pada masa Umar mengirim surat kepadanya tentang kurma, dimana dinyatakan oleh pejabat itu bahwa buah persik dan delima lebih banyak dan berlipat ganda hasilnya daripada buah kurma. Umar membalas surat itu, bahwa tidak dipungut zakat dari padanya, sebab, itu termasuk pohon berduri.[Sayyid Sabbiq, Fiqh al-Sunnah, bab zakat]

Untuk itu, para ‘ulama terdahulu beristinbath, bahwa jika tidak ada nash sharih yang menyatakan benda ini, hewan ini, atau tumbuhan ini wajib dizakati, mereka tidak menzakati benda, tumbuhan, maupun hewan tersebut. Dengan kata lain, tidak ada zakat pada jenis benda yang tidak ditetapkan oleh syariat. Jika seseorang menetapkan bahwa benda ini, tumbuhan ini, atau hewan ini harus dizakati, sedangkan syara’ tidak menetapkannya, sungguh ia telah mensejajarkan dirinya dengan Sang Pembuat Hukum (syaari’) itu sendiri.

Demikian pula mengenai zakat profesi. Sesungguhnya, Islam tidak pernah mensyariatkan zakat profesi. Ini bisa kita lihat dari kenyataan, bahwa para fuqaha dan ahli tahqiq ternama, tidak pernah membahas masalah ini (zakat profesi) dalam kitab-kitab fiqh mereka. Padahal, pada saat itu, profesi pegawai negara, misalnya qadliy, pencatat, dokter, dan sebagainya sudah ada, baik sejak zaman shahabat hingga masa tabi’iin. Namun, tidak ada satupun dalil yang menunjukkan bahwa Rasulullah saw menarik zakat berdasarkan profesi mereka, misalnya profesi petani, nelayan, dokter, dan sebagainya. Bahkan, sikap generasi awal-awal Islam menolak pemungutan zakat jika jenisnya tidak ditentukan oleh nash syara’. Mereka juga tidak pernah berdalil dengan alasan keadilan dan kesetaraan, apalagi berdalil bahwa hasil dari hewan ini, atau tumbuhan ini, atau profesi ini lebih besar, sehingga tidak adil jika tidak dikeluarkan zakatnya. Sebab, alasan-alasan semacam ini hanya lahir dari hawa nafsu, bukan dari akal yang dibimbing oleh syariat Islam.

Perhatikan riwayat-riwayat ini:

Dalam sebuah hadits riwayat Daruquthniy dituturkan, bahwasanya ‘Abdullah bin Musghirah bermaksud memungut zakat dari hasil tanah Musa bin Thalhah berupa sayur-sayuran. Musa bin Thalhah berkata, “Kamu tidak boleh memungutnya, karena Rasulullah saw tidak pernah mengatakan bahwa tidak wajib zakat pada sayur-sayuran”. [HR. Daruquthniy, dan Al-Hakim, hadits mursal dan kuat]

Atsram meriwayatkan, bahwa seorang pejabat pada masa Umar mengirim surat kepadanya tentang kurma, dimana dinyatakan oleh pejabat itu bahwa buah persik dan delima lebih banyak dan berlipat ganda hasilnya daripada buah kurma. Umar membalas surat itu, bahwa tidak dipungut zakat dari padanya, sebab, itu termasuk pohon berduri.[Sayyid Sabbiq, Fiqh al-Sunnah, bab zakat]

Dari riwayat-riwayat ini bisa diketahui, bahwa para shahabat tidak pernah memungut zakat dari sesuatu yang tidak ditentukan nashnya secara jelas, meskipun hasilnya berlimpah ruah, atau berlipat ganda. Ayam yang dipelihara dalam jumlah ribuan bahkan jutaan, tidak boleh dipungut zakatnya. Sebaliknya, kambing yang jumlahnya 50 ekor harus ditarik zakatnya.

Sayangnya, seiring dengan dominasi system ekonomi kapitalis di dunia Islam, ada sebagian kaum Muslim yang berusaha melawan dominasi itu dengan cara-cara yang salah dan tidak Islamiy. Misalnya, sebagian orang ngotot mewajibkan zakat profesi dengan alasan, hasilnya bisa digunakan untuk mendanai dan menyokong perjuangan Islam. Ada pula yang beralasan, jika pemerintah saja mewajibkan pajak penghasilan, mengapa kaum Muslim tidak mewajibkan pula zakat profesi?

Atas dasar itu, persoalan ini (zakat profesi) harus dikaji kembali secara mendalam berdasarkan al-Quran dan hadits, agar tersingkap dengan jelas, mana yang benar dan mana yang salah.

Dalil Pihak Yang Mewajibkan Zakat Profesi

Adapun dalil yang digunakan oleh pihak yang mewajibkan zakat profesi, adalah :

1. Berhujjah dengan apa yang disebut dengan maal al-mustafaad . Mereka menyatakan bahwa terhadap maal al-mustafad harus dizakati sebesar 1/40 begitu diterima. Mereka juga menyandarkan pada pendapat-pendapat para shahabat, semisal Ibnu ‘Abbas, Ibnu Mas’ud, dan Mu’awiyah; sebagian tabi’in misalnya al-Zuhriy, al-Hasan, Makhul, dan al-Bashriy.

2. Mereka juga mengqiyaskan zakat profesi dengan zakat uang dan harta, bahkan ada pula yang mengkaitkan dengan zakat hasil pertanian. Mereka beralasan, jika petani saja harus mengeluarkan zakat ketika panen, sedangkan hasilnya tidak seberapa dibanding profesi seorang dokter, insinyur, dan lain-lain, maka betapa tidak adilnya jika zakat profesi tidak disyariatkan.

Kritik atas Zakat Profesi.

a. Pendapat Shahabat Bukanlah Dalil Syara’

Pada dasarnya riwayat-riwayat yang berbicara tentang maal al-mustafaad, semuanya berstatus hadits mauquf, yakni hanya bersambung pada thabaqat shahabat belaka. Dalam konteks seperti ini, maka hadits-hadits tersebut tidak bisa dijadikan hujjah untuk membenarkan adanya zakat profesi, sebab ia didasarkan pada pendapat para shahabat. Pendapat shahabat bukanlah dalil syara’, dan tidak absah digunakan sebagai hujjah. [Taqiyyuddin al-Nabhani, al-Syakhshiyyah al-Islaamiyyah, juz III, hal.478].

Imam Syafi’iy menolak berhujjah dengan pendapat para shahabat. Beliau berkata, “Tidak diperkenankan memberi hukum atau berfatwa melainkan berdasarkan berita yang benar yang berasal dari al-Quran dan al-Sunnah..”[Dr. Abdul Wahab Khalaf, ‘Ilm al-Ushuul al-Fiqh]

b. Seandainya status hadits tentang maal al-mustafaad tidak perlu dipersoalkan, maka al-maal al-mustafaad yang tersebut di dalam hadits-hadits tersebut tidak seketika diambil zakatnya ketika diterima, akan tetapi berbicara pada konteks yang lain; yakni ketika telah sampai nishab dan haul. Adapun hadits yang digunakan hujjah dalam masalah maal al-mustafad adalah sebagai berikut:

Pertama, Hubairah bin Yaryam berkata, “’Abdullah bin Mas’ud telah memberi kami sebuah baju, kemudian ia mengambil zakat dari baju itu.” [Abu ‘Ubaid, al-Amwal, hal.504]

Kedua, dari Yazid dari Hisyam bin Hisaan dari ‘Ikrimah, dari Ibnu ‘Abbas, dituturkan bahwasanya ‘Ikrimah bertanya kepada Ibnu ‘Abbas tentang seorang laki-laki yang memperoleh harta (al-maal al-mustafaad). Ibnu ‘Abbas berkata, “Ia harus mengeluarkan zakat saat ia menerimanya.”

Terhadap hadits yang pertama, Abu ‘Ubaid dalam kitab al-Amwal menyatakan, “Menurut saya, berdasarkan hadits riwayat dari Abu Bakar dan ‘Utsman, maka maksud dari riwayat ‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud ini adalah keduanya memungut zakat tatkala harta tersebut telah wajib dizakati sebelum pemberian, bukan tatkala seseorang itu menerima pemberiannya.”

Pengertian semacam ini ditunjukkan oleh hadits lain yang diriwayatkan oleh ‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud sendiri: “Siapa saja yang menerima harta (maal –mustafad) maka tidak ada zakat di dalamnya hingga mencapai haul.”[Imam Dzahabi mengomentari hadits ini, bahwa di dalam isnadnya terdapat Khusaif bin ‘Abdurrahman al-Jazariy al-Haraniy Abu ‘Aun salah seorang mawaliy Bani Umayyah; dan ia dilemahkan oleh Imam Ahmad. Namun, Ibnu Mu’in berkata ia adalah laki-laki yang baik dan terpercaya]

Adapun hadits yang kedua, ‘Abu ‘Ubaid berkomentar sebagai berikut,”Orang menafsirkan –atau sebagian orang– bahwa yang dimaksud oleh Ibnu ‘Abbas adalah harta emas dan perak. Menurut saya, maksud dari perkataan Ibnu ‘Abbas di atas tidaklah demikian. Saya adalah orang yang lebih faqih dibandingkan mereka (orang yang menafsirkan dengan emas dan perak). Sebab, penafsiran semacam itu bertentangan dengan pendapat umat Islam. Menurut saya, bahwa yang dimaksud oleh Ibnu ‘Abbas adalah zakat atas apa yang keluar dari tanah. Sebab, penduduk Madinah menamakan tanah-tanah mereka dengan harta (al-amwaal). Kami tidak menjumpai satupun hadits di dalam sunnah yang menyatakan bahwa harta wajib dizakati ketika diterima, kecuali apa yang keluar dari tanah. Seandainya maksud dari perkataan Ibnu ‘Abbas tidaklah demikian, sungguh saya tidak tahu apa maksud dari haditsnya.” [Pentahqiq kitab al-Amwal,Mohammad Khalil al-Haraas menyanggah pendapat Abu ‘Ubaid ini dan menyatakan bahwa yang dimaksud oleh Ibnu ‘Abbas adalah harta tersebut tumbuh sedikit-demi sedikit, Jika ia telah mencapai haul dan terpenuhi nishabnya, maka harta tersebut harus dikeluarkan zakatnya tatkala telah mencapai nishab]

Pentahqiq kitab al-Amwaal, Mohammad Khalil al-Haraas, dalam cacatan kaki, menyatakan, “Hadits ini (hadits riwayat Ibnu ‘Abbas/hadits kedua) diriwayatkan oleh Ibnu Abi Syaibah, maknanya adalah jika harta tersebut telah mencapai nishab, maka ia harus dikeluarkan zakatnya dan tidak harus menungguh tercapainya haul, kemudian baru dikeluarkan zakatnya).

Dari komentar Abu ‘Ubaid di atas bisa disimpulkan, bahwa maal al-mustafaad yang termaktub dalam riwayat Ibnu ‘Abbas, Ibnu Mas’ud, dan lain-lainnya, tidak serta merta ditarik zakatnya ketika diterima, akan tetapi ketika telah mencapai nishab dan haul.Abu Ubaid dalam kitab al-Amwal menuturkan beberapa riwayat tentang al-maal al-mustafad yang selalu dikaitkan dengan haul.

Ashim bin Dlamrah dari Ali ra, bahwanya ia berkata, “Tidak ada zakat bagi al-maal al-mustafad hingga ia mencapai haul (tersimpan selama satu tahun).”[HR. Abu Dawud, Imam Ahmad, dan al-Baihaqiy]

Hadits serupa juga diriwayatkan oleh Nafi’ dari Ibnu ‘Umar.[HR. Daruquthniy dan Ibnu Abi Syaibah].

Riwayat senada juga dituturkan oleh Qatadah dari Jabir bin Zaid dari Ibnu ‘Umar. [Abu ‘Ubaid, al-Amwal, hal.503-504]Mohammad bin ‘Uqbah berkata,”Saya bertanya kepada Qasim bin Mohammad tentang zakat. Ia berkata, “Adapun Abu Bakar, jika seorang laki-laki hendak mengambil pemberiannya, ia bertanya, apakah orang tersebut memiliki harta yang layak untuk dizakati. Jika orang itu menyatakan bahwa ia memiliki harta yang layak untuk dizakati, maka Abu Bakar balas mengambil sebagian harta yang hendak ia ambilnya.. Jika laki-laki itu menyatakan bahwa ia tidak memiliki harta yang layak untuk dizakati, maka Abu Bakar menyerahkan pemberiannya kepada laki-laki itu.

Riwayat senada juga diketengahkan oleh Mohammad bin Abu Bakar. Dalam riwayat lain dituturkan, bahwasanya Ibnu Abi Salamah meriwayatkan dari ‘Umar bin Husain dari ‘Aisyah anak perempuan dari Qudamah bin Madzmuun, perempuan itu berkata, “’Ustman bin ‘Affan jika mengeluarkan pemberian, ia mengirimnya kepada bapakku. Kemudian ia berkata, “Jika kamu memiliki harta yang wajib dizakati, maka kami akan membuat perhitungan dari pemberianmu.”Ini menunjukkan bahwa, pembahasan maal al-mustafaad, terkategori dalam zakat maal (emas dan perak) yang mensyaratkan adanya nishab dan haul. Para ‘ulama sepakat bahwa haul menjadi syarat bagi zakat maal.

Berbeda dengan zakat profesi yang dikenalkan oleh Yusuf Qaradlawiy. Sesungguhnya ia telah memasukkan zakat profesi dalam kategori maal al-mustafaad, dan menariknya begitu diterima; bisa bulanan, harian, mingguan, tergantung diterimanya harta tersebut. Menurutnya, gaji dokter,insinyur, wiraswastawan dan sebagainya terkategori maal al-mustafaad. Oleh karena itu, ia harus ditarik zakatnya begitu diterima, yakni 1/40-nya. Sesungguhnya, pendapat semacam ini adalah pendapat ganjil yang tidak pernah dikenal oleh ‘ulama-‘ulama masa awal Islam. Bahkan, maksud dari maal mustafaad yang diriwayatkan oleh Ibnu ‘Abbas dan Ibnu Mas’ud sama sekali berbeda dengan zakat profesi yang diketengahkan oleh Yusuf Qaradlawiy.

Benar, ada beberapa harta yang diperselisihkan para ulama mengenai syarat haulnya. Ada harta-harta tertentu yang penarikan zakatnya dilakukan begitu diterima, tanpa harus menunggu haul. Namun ada pula, yang harus menungguh hingga mencapai nishab dan haul. Contoh harta yang tidak mensyaratkan adanya haul adalah, zakat pertanian, rikaz, dan barang temuan. Namun, ini tidak berarti, bahwa kebolehan zakat profesi –tanpa syarat haul— harus diakui karena ulama berselisih pendapat tentang syarat haul. Tidak boleh dinyatakan demikian. Sebab, tidak ada satupun dalil yang menunjukkan bahwa untuk maal al-mustafaad langsung bisa ditarik ketika diterima, akan tetapi harus menunggu haul dan nishab –kami telah memaparkan seluruh dalil tentang maal mustafad yang dikaitkan dengan nishab dan haul.Adapun riwayat-riwayat lain yang menyanggah pendapat Qaradlawiy adalah sebagai berikut.

Dari Mukhaariq, dituturkan bahwa Thaariq telah berkata, “Pada masa ‘Umar harta pemberian-pemberian kami tidak dikeluarkan zakatnya, hingga kami mengeluarkan zakatnya.”Abu ‘Ubaid berkata, “Hadits ini menunjukkan bahwa zakat tidak diambil dari pemberian kecuali harta yang telah dimiliki oleh mereka. Seandainya pemberian itu harus dizakati, tentunya Umar akan mengambil zakat darinya.” [Abu ‘Ubaid, al-Amwaal, hal.505]

c. Jika tidak ada dalil yang menunjukkan dengan sharih tentang wajibnya zakat profesi, maka seorang muslim tidak boleh menetapkan adanya zakat profesi.

Seorang muslim tidak boleh berpandangan, bahwa tidak disyariatkannya zakat profesi adalah bentuk ketidakadilan dan kedzaliman. Sebab, petani yang pendapatannya tidak seberapa tetap dikenai zakat ketika panen, sedangkan dokter, insinyur dan profesi lain ‘yang tidak terlalu berat” dibandingkan profesi petani justru tidak ditarik zakatnya. Mungkin kita bisa memberikan ilustrasi yang serupa untuk menangkis syubhat ini. Rasulullah saw telah menarik zakat dari unta, sapi, kerbau, kambing dan domba; namun beliau tidak menarik zakat pada kuda, keledai, baghal, dan sebagainya. Rasulullah saw bersabda, “Telah maafkan bagimu mengenai kuda dan hamba sahaya, dan tidak wajib zakat pada keduanya.”[HR. Ahmad dan Abu Dawud]. Tentunya kita tidak mungkin berfikiran, “mengapa peternak domba ditarik zakatnya sedangkan peternak kuda atau keledai tidak ditarik, bukankah ini tidak adil? Jika kita berfikiran seperti ini, berarti kita telah menyangsikan keadilan hukum yang telah digariskan oleh Allah dan RasulNya.

d. Adapun pengqiyasan antara zakat profesi dengan zakat hasil pertanian, maupun zakat maal, adalah tertolak.

Sebab, tidak ada ‘illat dalam zakat hasil pertanian, sehingga layak untuk diqiyaskan pada profesi selain petani. Adapun mengenai ‘illat adanya keadilan dan kesetaraan, sesungguhnya ‘illat semacam ini tidak bernilai sama sekali untuk membangun hujjah. Sebab, ‘illat yang absah digunakan untuk qiyas adalah ‘illat syar’iyyah, bukan ‘illat ‘aqliyyah. Padahal, tidak ada satupun dalil yang menunjukkan bahwa ‘illat zakat adalah untuk kesetaraan dan keadilan. Selain itu, zakat hasil pertanian tidak boleh diqiyaskan dengan zakat profesi karena petani harus mengeluarkan zakat tatkala ia memanennya. Pendukung zakat profesi menyatakan, bahwa saat panen sama dengan saat gajian, jadi seorang dokte ketika gajian harus ditarik zakatnya juga. Sesungguhnya qiyas semacam ini adalah qiyas serampangan yang didasarkan pada hawa nafsu belaka. Sesungguhnya, nash yang berbicara tentang zakat hasil pertanian tidak mengandung ‘illat sama sekali, sehingga layak digunakan dalil untuk qiyas.

Perhatikan firman Allah swt, “Keluarkanlah zakat biji makanan itu pada hari panennya.”[al-An’aam:141]. Nash ini berbicara pada konteks khusus, yakni zakat biji makanan, dan tidak berbicara pada aspek yang lain. Oleh karena itu, hukumnya hanya berlaku pada konteks biji makanan, dan tidak boleh dianalogkan dengan yang lain. Selain itu, nash ini tidak menunjukkan adanya ‘illat sama sekali. Padahal syarat utama qiyas adalah adanya ‘illat. Lantas, apa bisa kita mengqiyaskan sesuatu yang tidak ada ‘illatnya?

Dengan demikian, zakat profesi adalah bentuk peribadatan baru (bid’ah) yang tidak pernah dikenal baik di zaman Rasulullah, shahabat, maupun ulama-ulama terkenal. Bahkan, mereka tidak pernah menyinggung masalah ini dalam kitab-kitab fiqh mereka. Ini menunjukkan bahwa zakat profesi tidak pernah disyariatkan di dalam Islam. Jika demikian, kita bisa menyimpulan bahwa zakat profesi harus ditolak demi menegakkan hujjah dan kebenaran.