General Douglas MacArthur"
“We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.”
“It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.”
“Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
“The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .” “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
“Nobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
Malaysiakini : Pasir Mas member of Parliament Ahmad Fadhil Shaari, who presented
on the religion cluster, urged Putrajaya to ensure that all top
government positions to be held only by the Malays. “This includes
positions such as chief justice, attorney-general, chief secretary,
inspector-general of police, chief of defence forces and other strategic
positions such as the prime minister, deputy prime minister, chief
ministers and menteri besar, finance minister, defence minister and
education minister".– at the Malay Dignity Congress, Kuala Lumpur, 2019
COMMENT | A sneak peek into the former attorney-general's soon to be released memoir reveals a
tantalising tidbit of how the old maverick attempted to pressure him to
resign because of “Malay opposition”. Of course, like everyone else, I
wonder why the Pakatan Harapan political elite would nominate a
non-Malay and then be “surprised” by the reaction from the “Malay
community”.
You see, the old maverick is always cultivating such
tensions. Tommy Thomas should resign because he was a target of Malay
opposition. Lim Guan Eng wanted to resign to ease tensions. Meanwhile,
Anwar Ibrahim is not a suitable candidate for the prime minister's post
because the Malays reject him for being a liberal.
Dr Mahathir Mohamad, as reported in Berita Harian: “Anwar keluar-keluar (Umno), dia buat parti liberal. Dia nak dapat sokongan daripada DAP, maka dia ajak DAP masuk, PAS masuk. Falsafah dia liberal". The
former Harapan prime minister added that this was why the majority of
Malays rejected Anwar and why he (Mahathir) was needed to court the
Malay vote.
This is an exegesis by Safi Kaskas about a similar-sounding verse
Some ignorant people, Muslims and others, read this verse from the Qur'an and think that they found somethings that Muslims are trying to hide. I don't hide anything and I urge everyone to educate themselves.
Believers, do not take the Jews and Christians as allies. They are only allies with one another, and whoever allies himself with them becomes one of them. God does not guide such unjust people. (5:51)
In his commentary, Al-Tabari explains that this verse is about two of the Prophet's companions; Obada Bin Al-Samet of Bani Hareth of the Khazraj and Abdullah Bin Ubay Bin Saloul. The ruling is specific and is to be applied in a context similar to the historical context.
In response to a similar question, Shaykh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi wrote about this topic extensively: “The answer is that these verses are not unconditional, to be applied to every Jew, Christian, or non-Muslim. Interpreting them in this manner contradicts the injunctions of the Qur'an which enjoin affection and kindness to the good and peace-loving peoples of every religion.
The Qur’an says concerning the Christians: “you will find that the nearest in affection towards the believers are those who say, “We are Christians,” because there are priests and monks among them, and because these people are not given to arrogance. (5:82).
When the Jewish tribes broke their covenant with the Prophet and betrayed the Muslims, both of these companions came to the Prophet, Obada Bin Al-Samet decided to forsake his relationships and interests with the Jews while Abdullah Bin Ubay Bin Saloul refused and he put his own personal interest ahead of the Muslims ‘best interest.
Although this verse makes a general statement, the ruling is specific and is to be applied in a context similar to the historical context. The verses cited above (verse 5:51) were revealed in connection with those people who were hostile to Islam and made war upon the Muslims. Accordingly, it is not permissible for the Muslims to support or assist them - that is, to be their ally- nor to entrust them with secrets at the expense of his own religion and community.
This is an exegesis by Safi Kaskas about a similar-sounding verse
Some ignorant people, Muslims and others, read this verse from the Qur'an and think that they found somethings that Muslims are trying to hide. I don't hide anything and I urge everyone to educate themselves.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا الْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَارَىٰ أَوْلِيَاءَ ۘ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ ۚ وَمَنْ يَتَوَلَّهُمْ مِنْكُمْ فَإِنَّهُ مِنْهُمْ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ ﴿المائده٥١﴾
Believers, do not take the Jews and Christians as allies. They are only allies with one another, and whoever allies himself with them becomes one of them. God does not guide such unjust people. (5:51)
In his commentary, Al-Tabari explains that this verse is about two of the Prophet's companions; Obada Bin Al-Samet of Bani Hareth of the Khazraj and Abdullah Bin Ubay Bin Saloul. The ruling is specific and is to be applied in a context similar to the historical context.
In response to a similar question, Shaykh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi wrote about this topic extensively: “The answer is that these verses are not unconditional, to be applied to every Jew, Christian, or non-Muslim. Interpreting them in this manner contradicts the injunctions of the Qur'an which enjoin affection and kindness to the good and peace-loving peoples of every religion.
The Qur’an says concerning the Christians: “you will find that the nearest in affection towards the believers are those who say, “We are Christians,” because there are priests and monks among them, and because these people are not given to arrogance. (5:82).
When the Jewish tribes broke their covenant with the Prophet and betrayed the Muslims, both of these companions came to the Prophet, Obada Bin Al-Samet decided to forsake his relationships and interests with the Jews while Abdullah Bin Ubay Bin Saloul refused and he put his own personal interest ahead of the Muslims ‘best interest.
Although this verse makes a general statement, the ruling is specific and is to be applied in a context similar to the historical context.
The verses cited above (verse 5:51) were revealed in connection with those people who were hostile to Islam and made war upon the Muslims. Accordingly, it is not permissible for the Muslims to support or assist them - that is, to be their ally- nor to entrust them with secrets at the expense of his own religion and community.
This point is explained in other verses.