Malaysia's version of Bronson's 'Death Wish' vigilantism

Mohd Yunus Mohd Ali may not be the ideal neighborhood crime buster, but he might have the answer to the country's ever increasing snatch crimes, or thieves who resort the easy way out to make a living.

If you have watched Charles Bronson's movies - 'Death Wish' in the 70s then you know what I mean. The film was a major commercial success and generated a movie franchise lasting four sequels over a twenty-year period. Read more here.

Most of the victims of snatch theft are not the rich and famous, where a few extra change may not mean a thing to them. The victims are basically the common people, like you and me, who do not make thousands or even a hundred in a day. They toil their mental and physical energy to make a living for themselves and their family. Then some hoodlums come and snatch it away from them 'senang-senang jer'.

So, even a few ringgit in cash in the wallet or handbag means a lot. That is why some of the victims retort back to snatchers by chasing after the evil-doers to get their belongings back. Some of them claim that their belongings are their dignity - and that giving in to snatch thieves means giving up their dignity or 'rights'.

Now, I'm not advocating or condoning vigilantism. Any act/s outside of legal authority, violently or otherwise, to punish or avenge a crime, is considered crime itself. Furthermore, it is a very dangerous vocation if you do not have the know-how.

But if the police and other authorities are dragging their feet in maintaining peace and order, and that 'vigilantism' is the only way out to protect us and our family, like what this fella did, then what the heck, let's go and get more people to kick-ass.

Izaham - it's better than kick-ing-defella for some trivial 'political' reasons!

A Muslim Living in Kyoto

My initial worries about living in Kyoto for longer than a tourist’s stay (standard 3D 2N) were set aside as I found out during the first week of my stay here. Mr John Bush, the senior administration manager at Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, (who is distantly related to the famous presidents), took me to the Kyoto Muslim Association and the Islamic Cultural Centre which is only about 50 metres away from KPUM.

The association was established in 1987 as a Kyoto University’s student organization and has developed into an Islamic centre with a prayer hall. The Friday prayers are also performed here and is currently protected under the Japanese law of religious corporations.

Kyoto had been Japan’s capital until 1869 when Emperor Meiji moved to Tokyo. To this date it still is a cultural and religious capital of Japan. This is evident by the scattering Buddhist temples, Christian churches, and religious Buddhist and Christian schools in this prestigious traditional capital city.

All the major roads in traditional Kyoto run either horizontally (from east to west) and vertically (north to south), in a very precise manner, it is very easy to find directions and locations. As this very direction-blind writer soon found out, much to her delight! To find the qiblat, which is roughly the direction of Makkah, you simply look at any major horizontal or vertically street and just face westward and slightly to the right. Simple, isn’t it? This is clearly documented in the “Muslim/Muslima Guide book for Living in Kyoto 2009-2010”. What do I have to say, they really are sticklers for rules, order and guidebooks!
There are short of 300 Muslims living in Kyoto, mostly are expatriates and foreigners studying at many universities or working as post-docs or professionals here. There are probably about 40 Japanese Muslims scattered in the city of Kyoto and the nearby areas.

Kyoto Muslim Association organizes activities like the weekly Friday prayers, where the Khatibs and Imam are rotated among the jemaahs. The Eid prayers are often held at a bigger venues i.e Kyoto International Community House or Kyoto Education and Culture Centre. The Iftar Party and Islamic Food Festivals were also held in the past. They also serve as an Islamic library, opens a small convenient shop which stocks halal frozen meats and canned foods. Other services include the shahada ceremony, marriage ceremony ad certificate, Hajj and Adha services.

I had the opportunity to perform my Eid prayers on 26 November 2009 together with about 200 Muslim brothers and sisters at the Kyoto International Community House. I took a subway from Kyoto Station up north and changed at Karasuma Oike for Keage station. I was stopped in Japanese by a middle aged gentleman as I was about to board the train. I could understand the word “Keage” from his mounth and I assumed he must be asking about the direction the train going, so I answered “hait” which I thought would suffice, but he carried on the conversation in more Nihongo than I could master, I had to apologize in English that I didn’t understand much of what he said.

His face showed relief, and he said “Oh good, my Japanese is also not so good”. Then he asked whether I was going to Keage, and I said yes, I was going to attend the Eid prayers. And so did he. When he saw a tudung-clad lady, he naturally assumed I was going the same way he did. He has been to the International Community House many times to attend the prayers but he has forgotten the way, blaming it on his old age. I introduced myself and found to my surprise he was not Japanese, but a senior academic Egyptian at Doshisha University. As we got down and out of the subway station, we were joined by many other Muslims.

We walked past the majestic Westin Miyako Hotel, in the crisp cold autumn morning to the Hall. We were greeted by Elif-san, who is the association’s manager ad instructed to go straight up to the Hall since the takbir and tahmid would soon begin. As I was settling down with my sajadah and telekung, I met Fatimah and her daughter who were also one-month old Kyoto residents, who hailed from Kuala Lumpur. Her husband was on a sabbatical research leave and they have actually lived 12 years earlier in Okinawa.

Unfortunately we were only among the 5 Malaysians who were there. I understand many other Muslim Malaysian students were not attending since it was a working Friday. Most of the jemaah were Indonesians, Arabic, Indian or Pakistani, based on the smattering of foreign languages I heard around me. The takbir and prayers were led by an Arabic Imam and the khutbah was delivered in English and doa in Japanese. After the prayers there were trays of pot luck dishes which were Arabic delicacies contributed by the gracious jemaah. My stomach was growling in hunger since I did not have any breakfast before coming and I was clearly missing my customary nasi himpit, rendang and kuah kacang on that Raya morning!

Professor Samir, my new Egyptian friend introduced me to a young Japanese gentleman who was also a university student named Hasan Nakamura, who I found out had just said his shahadah a day earlier. Masha Allah!

Professor Samir is a lecturer in Arabic and Cultural studies and his main interest is on theology. He later told me that he has been in Japan for 5 years and has taken a second wife, a local woman. He asked me over to his house at Shijo (the Fourth avenue) later to sample some Arabic and Japanese food. He made his own cheese!

Food is a subject of major concern to all Muslims, especially in Kyoto since halal restaurant is practically non-existent. Traditional Japanese did not consume much meat, as they were mostly Buddhists. However post-war era and modernization have turned their style of living to embracing the western culture of eating meat and pork, being the cheapest meat is largely used in all dishes.

A lot of food, even the onigiri (rice ball) frequently has pork extracts. Most ingredients are displayed on the packaging, the only problem being a guanjin, one cannot read it since 99.9% it is written in intricate Japanese writing. The guidebook given to me by Elif-san does provide some crash course in the salient words to look for at the labeling i.e pork, beef, chicken, mutton, animal fat extracts, gelatin, liquour, etc.

Now, if you think the stuff is quite simple, you’re dead wrong. The Japanese has three systems of letters. The hiragana, a completely phonetic alphabets which has 50 characters. Another phonetic alphabet is katakana, which has the same sounds as hiragana, but different written forms. Borrowed words from foreign languages are written in katakana. The third system is the Chinese characters, kanji, which are originally pictorial letters and has about 500 basic characters which can be combined to mean different things. It says you could combine kanji characters to make up to 2,000 words!

I’d have to admit practicing religion in this place could be challenging especially when most Japanese have not mingled much with the other ethnic races around them. Most have not traveled outside their society perimeters. Located at the far eastern region, they are almost exclusive to their own. May be out of admiration, they have always assimilated with the United States of America, more than the rest of the world, including their Asian friends. South East Asian geography in itself could be an enigma, what more the variable demography, and the different religious practices or beliefs that are associated with us!

Bakiah: Still learning new words with each new day: “Kyoto-oh, ai shi tek imas” (I love Kyoto).

Life in Japan… Imadesuka (Is there Any?)

After a month being a Kyoto resident, I felt it timely, to have this writing done. In fact you could say I had to rise to the challenge of enduring some time away from Facebook addiction.

I have been impressed again and again by the Japanese…. kinda cliché you would say…, but it’s true, so true. I’ve heard so many stories, so many renditions, but to experience it all on my own, before my very own eyes, certainly took me to a higher platform of deep admiration for this beautiful country and its people.

First, the Japanese are very artistic. Ever heard of that? Yes, they present art in so many forms. They could live with so little space around them by making everything in miniature forms. Small iron, small ironing board, compact book cases, small lockers! I was indeed very pleasantly surprised when my supervisor said he would try to find me a locker, and …. it turned out to be just 6 cm wide! Even my Deuter notebook backpack couldn’t fit into that. When you purchase things, you would be rest assured that each individual item will be gift wrapped and care is given to make them look beautiful and presentable.

My friend, Yokobe san took us to a traditional Japanese cookies house and I had the opportunity to witness the most artistic cookie making in the process. Since it was autumn close to winter time, the 2 types of cakes in the offering were made to look like autumn leave and a snow capped mountain. Simply marvelous! We had ‘matcha’ green tea which is usually served during tea ceremony with the cakes. The whole experience was just so beautiful!

The most useful word in Japan would be “Sumimasen” which I would loosely translate into “excuse me”, or “I’m sorry to bother you” or “please forgive me”. You could hear “sumimasen” everywhere whether someone wants to pass you, or need your help, or even when in the elevator when they need to get out before you do (i.e I’m so sorry for taking your time, but I need to get on this floor before you). Even when they need to ask for help, after saying “Arigato gozaimas” (Thank you very much), they would end with the infamous “Sumimasen” i.e I thank you for your help, please forgive me for taking your time.

The courtesy reaches out to the time when you ride the escalator. Usually one line would form on the escalator (depends on the right or left, I’m still confused), this is so that whoever is in a hurry could pass you easily and be on their way faster. This courteous attitude is their Holy Grail, you would see them forming queues everywhere! Have you ever seen 2 lines formed in front of a lift?

Like any other advanced countries, Japan’s public transport is exceptionally efficient and cheap. The fast bullet train “shinkansen” connects the major cities. The rapid trains include the limited express airport trains the “haruka”, and the intercity local and special rapid trains, depending on the number of stops each make. The subway trains are very convenient city traveling albeit less panoramic and slightly more expensive.

The standard rate for all city buses is 220 yen for adults and 110 for children. You always board through the back door and get down the front door where you drop your coins in the fare machine. Since they don’t have small change, you can change your 1,000 yen note or 500 yen coin at the machine before you pay.

The city buses are quite small with limited seats, needless to say are reserved for the needy i.e elderly, handicapped, pregnant women and ladies with children, these seats are called “Priority Seats” and often times those not belonging to the group when they board a bus will not take these seats but prefer to be standing instead. And if you think their elderly uncles and aunties would simply accept your offer, think again! The writer’s goodwill offer to give up her seat has been declined numerous times with “arigato gozaimas” and saying something like “my stop is just the next station”.

Must be their stubborn pride at admitting that they are old and need the seat more than the next person. My husband jokingly said it was the prominent tummy and my pregnant appearance! I wasn’t, by the way. On the occasions that my offer was accepted, I was flooded with continuous “arigato gozaimashi ta!” (I thank you for what you have done), all the way before and after and on the way getting down, that often embarrassed me.

I think this is one country that is truly handicapped-friendly, especially to the blind, seeing from an eye doctor’s POV. At the stations, pedestrian walkways and bus stops, there are indicators on the surface of the roads to signal impending stops, lifts, turns, etc. All lifts are equipped with Braille coded indicators to the up, down, open, close, number of floors, etc. If a blind man wants to cross a street, there’s a button on the side which could be pressed, I think it provides some kind of signaling.

Once a blind man boarded a bus that I boarded, what a spectacle to witness! First the bus driver said something, may be she announced that a handicapped person is on board, then a whole row of people were standing up, wanting to give up the seats, what a scene!
The best thing is, even the digital toilet is Braille-coded for bidet, flushing, cleaning, flushing sounds, etc. Just amazing!

The samurai spirit is still entrenched in their sub-cortical zones, despite hundreds of years have passed. I don’t need to elaborate how serious they are with their job. They are so dedicated to fulfilling a given task to the best of their ability, such is the “Gambate” spirit, which is loosely translated as “Strive hard” or “Fight till the end”.

Here you would hear “Hait” (yes!) whenever an instruction is given and everyone shuffles and runs at every corner, as time is the essence and a job must be done quickly and accurately. Right until now I’m still carried away with my “yeay, huh huh?, okay….” And a litany of relaxed expressions which are associated with the western culture, but nay, here they would hail “Hait!” in a very firm and convincing way. The other famous words you often hear out of students or co-workers would be “wakarimas ta!” which means “I can understand that!” often following some kind of instructions given and you will be presented with a 90-degree bow and be assured that it would be done to the best of their ability.

The supermarket worker feels the company she/he works for is part of theirs, that they would even stop from doing their chore and wishes you “Arigato gozaimas” and series of words of graciousness for stopping by at their outlets and picking/purchasing their goods. Nobody feels irritated or cumbersome to show a “Guanjin”(an outsider or foreigner) where a carton of milk is located, all smiles and “Arigato gozaimas!!”. At the end of the day, they will ‘lelong’ their perishables like some scene at pasar borong, all smiles, cheerful and encouraging you to have a look, a taste and hopefully buy them!

At the cashier, they will not take your money from your hand, instead you must put down your notes on the table. Then they will make a statement like “2,300 yen out of a given 5,000 yen. And the balance is 2,700 yen…” first they will count the notes, “1,000, 2,000 yen and cents 700… “ and show to you the exact counting of the money, and this is practiced everywhere I go, it’s really an eye opener.

And hey, did I mention nobody slouches in a seat here? They even sleep in an upright position on the train and on the bus! No decent ladies would cross their legs too, instead they will sit straight with legs keep tight. Everyone sits rigidly to show awareness and respect. All doctors welcome and bow to patients and in return, all patients young or old bow until they get out of sight or the room.

Trustworthiness? My friend dropped her very expensive mobile phone on the beach. We went back there 2 times looking for it, I was feeling hopeless by then. But hey, 2 weeks later she received a letter asking her to collect the phone at a police station! Valuable things can be seen untouched in the most open spaces, old ladies with sling bags or hand bags walking like jaybirds happily on the street, you can see very expensive cameras being put on a sling on a shoulder everywhere without being threatened half to death by snatch thieves. The most important thing is - everyone feels safe here.

Cleanliness? I think this is another trait deeply implanted in their psyche. No littering, no spitting and they just clean their litters away. I once witnessed an old lady eating a salted egg at a café. The egg is actually cooked with salt that you could see the salt crystals outside the egg shell. First she put a piece of serviette paper on a plate, then she brushed the salt debris so that it all falls on the tissue paper. Then she cracked the egg shell, she took a few bites and rub on the salt for eating. After finishing she folded the paper into four then eight and put it all away, carried her bowls and glass back to the counter! It was like some kind of a ritual!

Another admirable practice I have witnessed here are the umbrella plastic covers that are usually supplied at the entrance of any building during the rain. Needless to say, this protects the floor from the water dripping from the umbrella which frequently cause the floor to become slippery and unsafe for others, and also dirty. This practice helps the cleaners happy, they can do other meaningful job save mopping the floor over and over again. Pretty smart, don’t you think?

The young generation sport highly fashionable hairdos and dressing. Their street fashion could compete with any European dress code and put them to shame. You rarely see unbecoming plain t-shirts, tattered jeans or overlarge tees around here. Their youth pay exceptional and meticulous attention to their appearance.

One thing I noticed amiss here on the buses or trains was the constant ringing of hand phones which thoroughly bugged me back home. Not forgetting those who speak so loudly over the receiver narrating to everyone their itinerary! Talking loudly on the phones, listening to loud music and doing anything which is considered disturbing to other passengers are just not visibly done here, although I failed to find any signs of restriction. I think this is just another demonstration of showing consideration towards others, which seems to be the utmost importance in this country.

To sum up all this admiration and the feeling of awe I have in me at the moment towards Japanese, I need to mention here that they do not have a particular religion. By their own admission, they are not a religious population. But culture and long standing tradition have made them a very civilized and highly advanced country. And at the throngs of success and the highest and sophisticated technology, they still display good moral values and remain ordinary, courteous and respectful.

Bakiah: Still learning their traits and tricks….

Is mainstream media endorsing Blogs?

Utusan Malaysia today splashed a front page 'news quote' with the title "Isu Nik Aziz: Reaksi gesaan letak jawatan, pinda doa dan blog". Three quotes were highlighted and at the bottom end of the quotes is a lead to the page of the complete write-up of the news.

On the page mentioned (page 4) the whole story was not about the revelation or unraveling of the 3 issues above, but about the main subject: Nik Aziz and his "ill-doings". The sources of the story that was mentioned were from two blogs: unspinners.blogspot.com and kickdefella.wordpress.com.

The former blog owner today thanked Utusan for giving him/her/them/whatever credit that was due to the blog. Read here.

Now, what appalled me is that the whole story on the short write-up centers on some (or two rather) blog postings from an unnamed weblog (or source): unspinners.blogspot.com.

I tried to unravel the name/names of the owner/owners of this blog but couldn't find any. The only available names were their contributors with nicks such as: Cakap Pasal, Teruna Kelana, Abang Bulanja, Yeop Kanjieri, Tok Mat Sampan, Ipin Jual Sayur, Ranting Special, Marlborough Man, S Samad Sempit, Malaysia Betul, Friends of Teoh Beng Hock

Does this mean that the mainstream media (or Utusan rather) is now endorsing blogs even though it was an unnamed source? Well, at least if it wasn't a very credible source like MalaysiaToday, it can still be related to a named source or person: the infamous Raja Petra Kamaruddin.

Now, watch this space as I unravel more 'mystery' about how the mainstream media is now looking at blogs and in a way 'endorsing' their credibility.

Fatine - Pondan Malaysia Glamer di UK

Kosmo! secara 2 hari berturut-turut (28 & 29 November 2009) menyiarkan berita sensasi seorang maknyah Malaysia mengahwini seorang rakyat Britain di London. Fatine atau nama sebenarnya Mohammed Fadzil Min Bahari, seorang jurusolek artis mendapat perhatian Ian Young semasa mat salleh itu bekerja di Malaysia pada 2006. Pada Disember 2008, Ian membawa Fatine ke UK dan pada Mei lalu, mereka berkahwin mengikut upacara perkahwinan sivil di London. Berita perkahwinan mereka adalah antara berita yang menjadi tumpuan akhbar The Sun di Britain sejak enam bulan lepas.



Pada hemat saya sememangnya isu ini disensasikan oleh media Britain sebab dalam banyak contoh di kalangan wanita Malaysia yang disunting oleh lelaki Britain, belum pun pernah dihebohkan mengenai kes wanita Malaysia menukar agama mereka disebabkan berkahwin dengan lelaki berlainan agama (atau berkahwin dalam upacara sivil). Dalam kes ini, maknyah Fatine ini tiada pilihan sebab dia tidak boleh kahwin dalam upacara Islam, walaupun dia berkeinginan agar 'suami'nya Ian memeluk Islam.

Kini media di Malaysia pula yang mensensasikannya....

Meminjam lirik lagu S.M.Salim..."APA NAK JADI....!"