PAS: 'Serbu gereja' bagi tenggelamkan 'masalah' SPR

Ogos 10, 11 2:00pm

Kira-kira 20 orang yang mendakwa mewakili beberapa pertubuhan bukan kerajaan mengadakan demonstrasi di depan pagar Bangunan SUK di Shah Alam, pagi ini.

Kumpulan itu menggelarkan diri mereka Pemuafakatan Waris Melayu Malaysia (Warisan) dan Gerakan Memantau Perkhidmatan Agensi Kerajaan (Gempak).

Sambil memakai topeng Menteri Besar Selangor, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, exco kerajaan negeri, Datuk Hasan Ali dan ahli parlimen Shah Alam, Khalid Samad, mereka membawa mangkuk tandas, penyapu lidi, berus pencuci tandas dan pencuci lantai.

Demonstrasi itu diadakan sebagai sokongan kepada tindakan Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (JAIS) yang menyerbu Gereja Methodist Damansara Utama di Petaling Jaya pada 3 Ogos lalu selepas mendakwa terdapat gerakan bagi memurtadkan umat Islam di negeri itu.

Menurut Bernama, setiausaha Warisan, Zulkifli Shariff, mendakwa mereka tersinggung dan terhina dengan telatah "kebudak-budakan" Abdul Khalid yang tanpa menunggu penjelasan dari JAIS memohon maaf atas serbuan itu.

Kumpulan kecil itu menunjuk perasaan dari pukul 10 pagi dan bersurai kira-kira 20 minit kemudian setelah diarah pihak polis yang bertugas mengawal keadaan.

Sementara itu, PAS mendakwa isu berkenaan sengaja ditimbulkan bagi menenggelamkan isu yang cukup berbahaya kepada negara iaitu kontroversi MyKad dan pendaftaran warga asing di dalam daftar pemilih SPR.

Menurut ahli jawatankuasa PAS Pusat Idris Ahmad (kiri), setakat ini jawapan yang diberikan oleh SPR “diketawakan oleh orang pekak dan buta” manakala media perdana milik Umno dan BN cuba menimbus isu pendaftaran ini.

“Pemimpin Umno dan NGO Umno macam dilanda histeria mengenai isu ini (serbuan JAIS ke atas gereja). Kononnya merekalah pembela agama. PAS istiqamah dan konsisten menentang isu murtad di negara ini.

“Di mana suara Umno dan Utusan ketika isu Noraishah Bukhari, Hartina Kamarudin dan lain lagi? Sejarah telah mencatatkan berlaku penangkapan ISA terhadap pemimpin pemuda PAS dalam operasi lalang 1987 kerana isu Kristianisasi,” katanya dalam satu kenyataan media hari ini.

Menurutnya, PAS juga telah membuat keputusan untuk bertemu secara langsung dengan pihak JAIS dan juga gereja untuk mendapat gambaran sebenar.

“Negara kita ada undang-undang, siapa yang bersalah akan dihukum. Media bukan gelanggang untuk menyelesaikan perkara ini,” katanya.

Dalam nada menyindir Idris berkata beliau berharap pemimpin dan media Umno menyedari bahayanya murtad dan tidak menjadikannya isu politik.

“Tahniahlah kepada pemimpin Umno dan media Umno kerana baru sedar bahayanya murtad. Kita harapkan janganlah kerana politik semata-mata.

“Samalah ketika isu penggunaan nama Allah oleh bukan Islam Umno menjadi juara. Tetapi dalam masa yang sama menentang hukum Allah dan menyekat ajaran Allah diajar di dalam surau dan masjid. Pelik juga Umno, nama Allah dipertahan, hukum Allah dia lawan.,” katanya.

Idris juga mempersoalkan mengapa Umno diam membisu apabila MCA merancang untuk menyaman kerajaan Kelantan pimpinan PAS kerana mengharamkan perjudian di negeri itu.

“Sepatutnya kalau Umno pejuang Islam kena nasihatlah rakan sejawat mereka. Sudah 54 tahun berkawan pun Umno tidak boleh dakwah, bahawa judi itu bahaya pada masyarakat,” kata Idris lagi.

http://malaysiakini.com/news/172557

Police says sorry over shooting as riots spread across Britain

The Guardian

LONDON, Aug 9: A row has broken out between police and the body charged with investigating them over who let down the family of Mark Duggan by failing to keep them informed of what had happened to him. LONDON ON FIRE ... A masked man walks past a burning car outside a store in Hackney, August 8 The family of Duggan, shot dead by police on Thursday, said they were angered by the lack of information they received, and that their upset stoked tensions immediately before Saturday's riot in Tottenham. The circumstances surrounding the death are being investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission. The Metropolitan police apologised to the family on Monday, having earlier said that once the IPCC takes over an investigation, they also take over the role of family support. Deputy assistant commissioner Stephen Kavanagh said: "I want to apologise to the Duggan family because I think both the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and the Metropolitan Police could have managed that family's needs more effectively." Rachel Cerfontyne, the IPCC commissioner leading the investigation, said: "I am very clear that their [family] concerns were not about lack of contact or support from the IPCC. "Their concerns were about lack of contact from the police in delivering news of his death to Mark's parents. It is never the responsibility of the IPCC to deliver a message regarding someone's death." She added that "if necessary" the complaint would become part of the IPCC's investigation. Saturday's riots followed the family's long wait outside Tottenham police station to see a senior officer. Riots spread across Britain Meanwhile, buildings were torched, shops ransacked, and officers attacked with makeshift missiles and petrol bombs as gangs of hooded and masked youths laid waste to streets right across the city. The sheer number of incidents – including in Hackney, Croydon, Peckham, Lewisham, Clapham and Ealing – seemingly overwhelmed the Metropolitan police at times, who had poured 1,700 extra officers onto the streets. Disturbances continued into the early hours on a breathtaking scale, and they spread outside London for the first time with riots reported in Birmingham and Liverpool. David Cameron, forced to break off from holiday in Tuscany, was this morning due to chair a meeting of the government's emergency committee, Cobra. He was travelling on a UK military flight leaving Italy at 3am. Asked why the prime minister had now decided to return, a Downing Street source said: "The situation has become more serious." Officers from Thames Valley, Essex, Kent, Surrey and City of London were drafted in to support the Met. But apparent "copycat" riots continued to spread in the wake of Tottenham's riots on Saturday precipitated by the Duggan's shooting last Thursday. So far 225 people have been arrested and 36 charged. http://en.harakahdaily.net/index.php/berita-utama/world/3298-police-says-sorry-over-shooting-as-riots-spread-across-britain.html

‘Banyak usaha pujuk umat Islam murtad’

Oleh Faiza Zainudin

2011/08/07

Pihak berkuasa agama kurang tegas: Mufti Perak

KUALA LUMPUR: Mufti Perak, Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria, berkata banyak usaha dilakukan pihak tertentu untuk mempengaruhi dan memurtadkan umat Islam di negara ini, namun tiada tindakan diambil pihak berkuasa agama Islam termasuk pimpinan tertinggi bagi menyekat aktiviti berkenaan.

Beliau berkata, keadaan itu menyebabkan bukan saja ramai umat Islam memeluk Kristian, malah ada yang memeluk agama Hindu dan agama lain terutama saudara baru seperti India Muslim.

“Apabila saya dedahkan laporan Persatuan Paderi Malaysia yang mengisytiharkan lebih 230,000 umat Islam memeluk Kristian pada 2008, tiada tindakan diambil, malah kata saya itu didustakan.

“Hakikatnya banyak (murtad), bukan sekadar masuk Kristian tapi Hindu pun ramai, saya tahu banyak usaha dibuat bukan Islam untuk pengaruhi Islam, malah ada mengakui poketnya sentiasa ada RM30,000 hingga RM50,000 bagi mempengaruhi umat Islam memasuki agama mereka,” katanya ketika ditemui selepas majlis pelancaran Siri Bicara Agung Panggung Dakwah di sini, semalam.

Majlis itu dilancarkan Pengarah Jabatan Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan (JAWI), Datuk Che Mat Che Ali.

Harussani berkata, antara strategi diguna gereja mempengaruhi umat Islam termasuk mengadakan aktiviti memberi makanan seperti di sekitar masjid pada waktu solat Jumaat dan Maghrib selain mengedar risalah agama ke rumah dan memberi wang kepada pelajar.

“Pernah terjadi sekumpulan pemimpin dari Subang Jaya termasuk bergelar Datuk berjumpa saya untuk memberitahu ada gereja sebarkan agama pada pelajar, beri duit dan bible dan perkara terbabit dilaporkan pada polis, tapi tiada tindakan. Saya juga hubungi pihak berkuasa, tapi jawapannya, kami nak buat macam mana,” katanya.

Beliau yang kesal dengan sikap itu, meminta pimpinan tertinggi membanteras aktiviti berkenaan daripada menjadi serius selaras kedudukan Islam sebagai agama rasmi negara.

http://www.bharian.com.my/bharian/articles/2011080707163320110807071633/Article

Bolehkah Beri Zakat Kepada Bukan Muslim?

Disiarkan pada Jan 07, 2011 dalam kategori Fatwa

BOLEHKAH BERI ZAKAT KEPADA BUKAN MUSLIM?

Prof Madya Dr Mohd Asri bin Zainul Abidin

Soalan: Prof Madya Dr Asri, saya ingin bertanya mengenai bolehkah orang bukan Islam mendapat peruntukan zakat. Saya difahamkan ada pendapat yang menyatakan golongan muallaf yang berhak dapat zakat itu, ada pendapat kata termasuk yang bukan muslim. Begitu juga fakir miskin. Tapi ada yang beritahu tidak boleh. Sehingga timbul isu politik. Saya rasa di Malaysia ini kita patut faham Islam dengan lebih luas. Harap tuan dapat berikan pencerahan kepada kami.

Nuruddin, Selangor.

Jawapan Prof Madya Dr MAZA: Terima kasih saudara yang bertanya. Usaha saudara dan rakan-rakan untuk memahami Islam dengan lebih luas adalah sesuatu yang terpuji. Apatah lagi dalam isu-isu muamalat yang membabit interaksi antara agama yang memberi impak kepada perkembangan Islam. Untuk menjawab persoalan saudara, di sini saya sebutkan beberapa perkara;

1. Masalah bolehkah bahagian sadaqah wajib atau yang dinamakan zakat diberikan kepada bukan muslim adalah masalah khilafiyyah (perbezaan pendapat) dalam kalangan fuqaha (sarjana fekah). Al-Imam al-Syafi’i r.h (w. 204H) berpendapat tidak boleh. Pendapat yang sama dikeluarkan oleh fuqaha lain. Pendapat ini beliau sebutkan dalam karyanya yang terkenal al-Umm, katanya:

“Golongan muallaf (mereka yang dijinakkan jantung hati) ialah sesiapa yang masuk ke dalam Islam. Tidak diberikan sadaqah (zakat) kepada musyrik untuk menjinakkannya dengan Islam. Jika ada yang berkata: Ketika peperangan Hunain Nabi telah berikannya kepada sebahagian muallaf dari kalangan musyrikin. (Jawapannya) itu adalah pemberian dari harta fai (harta rampasan), atau dari harta Nabi s.a.w sendiri. Bukan dari harta zakat”. (al-Umm, 2/338. Beirut: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-‘Arabi).

2. Pendapat al-Imam al-Syafi’i r.h tersebut telah menjadi pegangan dalam Mazhab al-Syafi’i. Maka, kita dapati tokoh-tokoh dalam mazhab al-Syafi’i akan menegaskan hal yang sama. Ini seperti al-Imam al-Syirazi dalamal-Muhazzab, al-Imam an-Nawawi dalam al-Majmu’ dan lain-lain. Berdasarkan asas ‘kekufuran’ itu menghalang bukan muslim menerima peruntukan zakat, maka –dalam Mazhab al-Syafi’i mereka tidak boleh menerimanya samada atas tiket kefakiran ataupun muallaf.

3. Adapun jika kita melihat pendapat yang lain, sebahagian para fuqaha menyatakan mereka boleh menerima zakat atas peruntukan ‘al-muallafah qulubuhum’ iaitu yang dijinakkan jantung hati mereka kepada Islam. Ini seperti yang dinaskan oleh al-Quran dalam Surah al-Taubah ayat 60. Peruntukan ini merangkumi mereka yang masih kafir dan yang telah menjadi muslim. Kata al-Imam Ibn Qudamah (w. 620):

“Muallaf itu dua bahagian: kuffar dan muslimin yang mana mereka itu pemimpin yang ditaati dalam kaum dan keluarga mereka. Bahagian kuffar ini pula ada dua kelompok: pertama; orang yang diharapkan dia menganut Islam, maka diberikan zakat agar hasrat keislamannya bertambah dan jiwanya cenderung kepada Islam, lalu dia menjadi muslim…kelompok kedua; orang yang dibimbangi kejahatannya. Diharapkan dengan pemberian kepadanya akan menghalang kejahatannya dan mereka yang bersamanya..” (Ibn Qudamah, al-Mughni 9/317. Kaheran: Hijr).

4. Inilah pendapat yang ditarjihkan (dinilai lebih kuat penghujahannya) oleh Dr Yusuf al-Qaradawi dalam Fiqh al-Zakah, Dr ‘Abd al-Karim Zaidan dalam al-Mufassal, juga Dr ‘Umar Sulaiman al-Asyqar dalam kertas Ta’lif al-Qulub ‘ala al-Islam bi Amwal al-Sadaqah dan lain-lain. Maka, berdasarkan pendapat ini boleh diberikan zakat bahagian muallaf kepada bukan muslim yang berpengaruh dalam kaum atau masyarakat mereka yang diharapkan pemberian itu menggalakkan dia atau pengikutnya menerima Islam, atau mengurangkan sikap permusuhan dengan Islam. Pendapat ini disokong oleh pelbagai riwayat yang mana Nabi s.a.w memberikan kepada pemimpin-pemimpin Arab yang masih kafir seperti Sofwan bin Umayyah. Sehingga Sofwan pernah berkata:

“Demi Allah! Rasulullah s.a.w memberikan kepadaku begitu banyak. Dahulunya, dia adalah orang yang paling aku benci. Dia terus memberi kepadaku sehingga dia menjadi orang yang paling aku sayangi” (Riwayat Muslim).

5. Walaupun Mazhab al-Syafi’i dan selainnya menyatakan bahawa nas Surah al-Taubah itu bermaksud mereka yang sudah menganut Islam dan kisah Nabi s.a.w memberikan harta kepada pembesar-pembesar Arab yang masih kafir itu diambil dari peruntukan selain zakat, namun di sana ada ayat al-Quran lain yang menunjukkan bahawa Nabi memberikan sadaqah (zakat) kepada bukan muslim. Firman Allah dalam Surah al-Taubah ayat 58-59: (maksudnya)

“dan antara mereka ada yang mencelamu (wahai Muhammad) mengenai (pembahagian) sedekah-sedekah (zakat); oleh itu jika mereka diberikan sebahagian daripadanya (mengikut kehendak mereka) mereka suka, dan jika mereka tidak diberikan dari zakat itu (menurut kehendaknya), (maka) dengan serta merta mereka marah. Dan (alanglah baiknya) kalau mereka berpuas hati dengan apa yang diberikan oleh Allah dan RasulNya kepada mereka dan berkata: “cukuplah Allah bagi kami; Allah akan memberi kepada kami dari limpah kurniaNya, demikian juga RasulNya; Sesungguhnya kami sentiasa berharap kepada Allah”.

Kata Dr ‘Umar Sulaiman al-Asyqar:

“Nas ini amat jelas bahawa golongan ini yang mendapat sadaqat (zakat), pemberian tersebut adalah untuk menjinakkan jantung hati mereka kepada Islam. Pastinya belum menganut Islam jantung hati yang orang mencela Rasulullah s.a.w mengenai zakat”. (ibid).

Ertinya, mereka itu belum menganut Islam, jika tidak, mana mungkin mereka mencela Rasulullah s.a.w kerana itu perbuatan yang kufur. Justeru, ayat ini memberi maksud Rasulullah s.a.w memberikan zakat kepada bukan muslim untuk dijinakkan jantung hati mereka pada zaman baginda.

6. Bagi saya, pendapat yang membolehkan zakat bahagian muallaf diberikan kepada bukan muslim dengan tujuan dakwah adalah lebih kukuh dan sangat relevan untuk masa kini. Hari ini Islam disalahfahami dan dituduh sebagai agama yang negatif. Pemberian zakat kepada muallaf yang sudah muslim dan belum muslim dapat membantu memelihara keindahan Islam. Jika kita bimbang aktiviti dakwah agama lain yang menggunakan sumbangan kewangan dan bantuan, mengapa tidak kita mengamalkan pendapat para ulama yang membolehkan pemberian zakat muallaf kepada mereka yang bukan muslim untuk menarik minat mereka kepada Islam?!

7. Selain dari peruntukan zakat kepada bukan muslim atas nama muallaf, para ulama juga berbeza pendapat tentang peruntukan zakat fakir miskin kepada bukan muslim. Jumhur (majoriti) berpendapat tidak boleh. Namun, Dr Yusuf al-Qaradawi mentarjihkan bahawa ia dibolehkan (lihat: Fiqh al-Zakat, 2/707) . Antara dalil dalam hal ini, Saidina ‘Umar ketika membaca firman Allah dalam Surah al-Taubah ayat 60 itu: (maksudnya)

“Sesungguhnya sadaqat (zakat) itu untuk golongan fakir…”, beliau berkata: “Di zamanku ini mereka itu adalah Ahli Kitab (Yahudi dan Kristian)” (Riwayat Ibn Abi Syaibah).

8. Para sarjana fekah bersepakat bahawa peruntukan zakat tidak boleh diberikan kepada kuffar yang memerangi Islam atau golongan kafir harbi. Ini berasaskan firman Allah: (maksudnya):

“Allah tidak melarang kamu daripada berbuat baik dan memeberikan sumbangan harta kepada orang-orang yang tidak memerangi kamu kerana ugama (kamu), dan tidak mengeluarkan kamu dari kampung halaman kamu; Sesungguhnya Allah mengasihi orang-orang yang berlaku adil. Sesungguhnya Allah hanyalah melarang kamu daripada menjadikan teman rapat orang-orang yang memerangi kamu kerana ugama (kamu), dan mengeluarkan kamu dari kampung halaman kamu, serta membantu (orang lain) untuk mengusir kamu. dan (ingatlah), sesiapa yang menjadikan mereka teman rapat, maka mereka itulah orang-orang yang zalim”. (Surah al-Mumtahanah 8-9).

Namun bagi yang tidak memerangi Islam; samada mereka warga negara umat Islam, atau yang ada perjanjian keamanan dengan kerajaan umat Islam, atau anak-anak dan kaum wanita kafir harbi yang bapa mereka memerangi tetapi mereka tidak terlibat, boleh diberikan peruntukan zakat muallaf atau fakir miskin ini.

9. Institusi zakat sebenarnya, jika berperanan dengan betul akan membangun umat Islam, dakwah Islam dan membina imej yang baik untuk masyarakat Islam. Jika zakat diuruskan dengan baik, banyak yang dapat dilakukan. Hanya kepada Allah tempat kita mengadu!

http://drmaza.com/home/?p=1325

Pengemis dan zakat salah siapa

Dr Rajiee Hadi

DALAM nota pendek ini saya mahu merujuk bicara tentang aspek wang zakat.Dan saya hanya menumpukan sumber zakat fitrah sahaja sebagai sumber ekonomi bagi membantu golongan lslam daif.

Walaupun kita ketahui pendapatan daripada zakat terus mengalir saban waktu bagi meningkatkan ekonomi ummah banyak daripada pelbagai termasuk dana bersumberkan zakat pendapatan, zakat perniagaan,haiwan,wang,harta,barangan kemas dan lain-lain namun ini belum lagi termasuk sumbangan dana dan peruntukan kerajaan, derma dan sedekah daripada orang ramai,NGO dan organisasi tertentu.

Hasil pendapatan ini biasanya akan diamanahkan atau diwakafkan ataupun diselenggarakan oleh jabatan-jabatan agama negeri masing-masing sama ada di bawah pengurusan Majlis Agama lslam negeri dan juga Baitulmal.

Sekilas pandang betapa cantiknya susun atur carta organisasi aliran pendapatan dan dana untuk membantu umat lslam agar tidak hidup merempat yang mana boleh menghampiri atau menjurus ke arah kekufuran.

Soalnya, jika di Malaysia kita ambil contoh titik tolak bermulanya pada hari kemerdekaan negara, 31 0gos 1957 hingga kini; anehnya masih kita 'dihebahhebohkan' dengan sang pengemis yang berkeliaran di sana sini, sang fakir yang merempat 'Bersamamu' hidup dalam kemiskinan, keluarga daif,dan orang kurang upaya (OKU),saudara baru dan seumpamanya yang miskin lara, mengemis dan mendamba berjurai air mata hiba hinggakan ironisnya mengharapkan bantuan di pihak gereja katolik atau mana-mana badan bagi menagih simpati.Apa sudah jadi wang zakat itu?

Kepada para pemegang amanah yang alim warak di jabatan atau majlis-majlis agama atau baitulmal apakah sudah jadi dengan wang zakat? Adakah membina kolej universiti,premis dan wisma yang didirikan atas logo lslam boleh mengeringkan derita air mata sang peminta?

Amat memalukan jika yang menjadi keutamaan dikebelakangkan manakala yang tidak wajib dimercukan.Biarlah tanggungjawab kerajaan persekutuan dan negeri yang telah sedia ada peruntukan untuk agama lslam selaras dengan Perlembagaan Negara membangunkan masjid,sekolah,kolej dan sebagainya melaksanakan tanggung jawabnya. Dalam erti kata lain usah diusik wang zakat selagi ada kemiskinan dan kelaparan umat lslam.

Bayangkan andainya pada tahun 1957 zakat fitrah yang dikenakan setiap individu lslam sekitar seringgit. Sekiranya umat lslam ketika itu 12 juta anggarannya kita mengumpulkan RM12 juta! Masakan sang fakir miskin papa kedana berjumlah 10-15 juta ketika itu/ Tidak mungkin.

Rasa-rasanya sekitar 10% penduduk lslam yang dalam kategori fakir dalam lingkungan 1.2 juta pada masa itu. Kerana semiskin-miskin orang Melayu pada zaman itu ada punya rumah sendiri,tanah dan dusun warisan sendiri yang boleh diusahakan untuk bercucuk tanam.Saya percaya wang zakat fitrah yang terkumpul dalam satu tahun sahaja,RM12juta PADA TAHUN 1957 boleh menyelesaikan isu sang fakir dalam negara Persekutuan Tanah Melayu ketika itu. lngat ini hanya anggaran kasar sahaja.

Justeru bagaimana pada era kini wang zakat fitrah RM6-7 setiap individu manakala penduduk lslam berjumlah hampir 20 juta? Dengan kiraan yang mudah anda boleh gambarkan berapakah wang yang terkumpul. ltu belum lagi merangkumi hasil mahsul zakat dan sumber-sumber yang lain.

Alangkah beruntung dan bertuahnya umat lslam.Nota ini cuma mahu mencetuskan minda kritis pembaca secara permukaan dan dasarnya sahaja. Dan alangkah indahnya umat lslam daripada semua lapisan masyarakat,latar kepakaran dan kemahiran berganding usaha dan memfokuskan kebajikan ummah tanpa tertipu dek kebendaan semasa.Dan masa inilah kita memikirkan sebuah negara impian yang berkebajikan untuk kesejahteraan rakyatnya!

Presiden Persatuan Pengamal Pendikan, Kuala Lumpur.

http://bm.harakahdaily.net/index.php/letter/4820-pengemis-dan-zakat-salah-siapa

Murtad: Umno tolak mentah-mentah usul PAS

Abdul Aziz Mustafa

KUALA LUMPUR, 10 Ogos: Lakonan Umno kononnya mahukan akta mencegah murtad langsung tidak boleh dipercayai kerana inisiatif mengenai perkara itu berkali-kali ditolak, kata Naib Presiden PAS, Salahuddin Ayub.

"Saya bercakap mengenai pengalaman peribadi kerana dalam sidang Parlimen yang bermula pada Mac 2006, saya mengemukakan rang undang-undang persendirian yang dinamakan Rang Undang-Undang Murtad.

"Rang undang-undang itu bukan sahaja tidak dipedulikan oleh ahli-ahli Parlimen Umno malah ditolak mentah-mentah," katanya.

Selepas itu, kata Ahli Parlimen Kubang Kerian itu, sekali lagi beliau mengemukakan usul yang juga meminta Dewan Rakyat mewujudkan undang-undang mencegah murtad seperti meminda Perkara 11(1) Perlembagaan Persekutuan dengan memasukkan peruntukan yang jelas menghalang individu Islam daripada secara bebas mengisytiharkan diri keluar daripada agama Islam.

"Usul itu juga tidak dipedulikan oleh kerajaan dan ahli-ahli Parlimen Umno," katanya

Menurut Salahuddin, usaha yang dibawa oleh pihak PAS mengenai perkara itu dibuat berkali-kali selepas Presiden PAS sendiri, Datuk Seri Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi Awang selaku Ahli Parlimen Marang mengemukakan usul dan rang undang-undang persendirian untuk mencegah murtad.

Pada 25 Mac 1988, Tuan Guru telah mengemukakan usul untuk membincangkan gejala murtad, tetapi ditolak.

Selepas itu, pada 2 November 1999, Tuan Guru juga tidak dibenarkan membentang rang undang-undang ahli persendirian untuk mencegah murtad.

"Penolakan usul dan rang undang-undang persendirian mengenai murtad yang berlaku berkali-kali itu membuktikan Umno langsung tidak berminat untuk mencegah jenayah syariah paling serius itu.

"Sebab itulah umat Islam tidak seharusnya tertipu dengan gelagat gerombolan kuda tunggangan Umno yang kini nampak benar menunjuk-nunjuk kononnya mereka mahu mencegah murtad," tegas Salahuddin.

Beliau juga berharap rakyat menolak lakonan dan permainan gerombolan kuda tunggangan Umno itu kerana mereka adalah hipokrit sebenar.

"Amat hipokrit apabila bercakap hendak menentang gejala murtad tetapi pada masa yang sama menjadi kuda tunggangan Umno yang berkali-kali menolak usaha untuk mencegah murtad.

"Menolak inisiatif dan usaha untuk menentang murtad melalui peruntukan undang-undang dan perlembagaan hakikatnya menentang dan memusuhi usaha mencegah jenayah syariah paling serius itu," kata Salahuddin.

Beliau juga mempersoalkan di mana suara Umno ketika umat Islam bangkit menentang kes-kes murtad seperti kes Aishah Bukhari, Hartina Kamaruddin dan Lina Joy.

"Malah Umno juga berdiam diri ketika umat Islam bertindak menentang pindaaan 121 (1A) Perlembagaan Persekutuan dan ketika 10 menteri dari Barisan Nasional bertindak mempertikaikan perkara 121 (1A) itu dengan tujuan untuk membunuh kuasa mahkamah Syariah serta membolehkan mahkamah sivil memansuhkan keputusan mahkamah Syariah," katanya.

Dengan sejarah sedemikian, Salahuddin sekali lagi meminta umat Islam menolak hipokrit yang cuba berlagak hero yang kononnya memperjuangkan Islam dan kepentingan umat Islam.

http://bm.harakahdaily.net/index.php/headline/4815-murtad-umno-tolak-mentah-mentah-usul-pas

Akta Jenayah Akidah bukti Umno tidak ikhlas

Abdul Aziz Mustafa

KUALA LUMPUR, 9 Ogos: Saranan mewujudkan Akta Jenayah Akidah semakin membuktikan sikap tidak ikhlas Umno mempertahankan Islam, kata Naib Presiden PAS, Datuk Mahfuz Omar.

"Cadangan itu bukan sahaja ketinggalan zaman, malah semakin membuktikan sikap tidak ikhlas Umno dalam isu-isu berkaitan kepentingan Islam atau dalam usaha-usaha mempertahankan Islam.

"Nampak benar bila Umno nak tonjolkan diri sebagai jaguh, akta mengenai murtad pun dicadangkan.

"Tetapi bila hal berkaitan Islam tidak menguntungkannya dari segi politik, Umno bukan sahaja tidak mahu menyokong malah menentang dan memfitnahkan habis-habisan seperti yang berlaku terhadap Rang Undang-Undang Jenayah Syariah (Hudud dan Qisas) Negeri Terengganu dan Enakmen Kanun Jenayah Syariah (II) Kelantan 1993," kata beliau.

Ahli Majlis Tertinggi (MT) Umno, Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi hari ini dilapor mencadangkan agar Akta Jenayah Akidah diwujudkan bagi memastikan tiada usaha memurtadkan umat Islam berlaku di negara ini.

"Cadangan itu ketinggalan zaman. Di mana Umno ketika (Presiden PAS, Datuk Seri) Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi (Awang) berusaha mencadangkan rang undang-undang berkaitan di dalam Parlimen?

"Bukan sekali, malah dua kali Umno dilihat berkonspirasi mengetepikan perbincangan dan cadangan rang undang-undang mengenai murtad.

"Inilah contoh sikap lidah bercabang Umno dan bermuka-muka seolah-olah mahu membela Islam sedangkan terbukti sebelum ini mereka bukan sahaja tidak mahu melakukannya malah menentang serta memfitnahkan usaha memartabat dan melaksanakan hukum Islam," kata Mahfuz.

Ahli Parlimen Pokok Sena itu membangkitkan, pada 25 Mac 1988, Presiden PAS selaku Ahli Parlimen Marang telah mengemukakan usul untuk membincangkan gejala murtad, tetapi ditolak.

Selepas itu, kata Mahfuz lagi, pada 2 November 1999, Tuan Guru juga tidak dibenarkan membentang rang undang-undang ahli persendirian untuk mencegah murtad.

Bagi beliau, apa yang berlaku sudah lebih dari mencukupi untuk membuktikan Umno mahu menerima usaha-usaha lebih konkrit untuk membela kepentingan Islam kecuali apabila bertepatan kepentingan politiknya untuk mempengaruhi undi orang-orang Melayu.

Ditanya mengenai usaha PAS untuk bertemu Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (Jais) dan gereja Methodist Damansara Utama berikutan serbuan Jais ke atas gereja tersebut baru-baru ini, Mahfuz berkata usaha tersebut adalah selaras dan sebahagian dari usaha berdialog dengan pelbagai pihak yang sentiasa ditekankan serta diamalkan oleh PAS sejak lama dahulu.

"Dengan dialog sedemikian, saya yakin banyak perkara boleh dibincangkan dengan sikap yang lebih matang dan muhibbah termasuk keselarasan tindakan dengan Perlembagaan Malaysia di mana Perkara 11 (4) perlembagaan tersebut melarang penyebaran ajaran bukan Islam kepada orang-orang Islam,” katanya.

http://bm.harakahdaily.net/index.php/berita-utama/4812-akta-jenayah-akidah-bukti-umno-tidak-ikhlas

Bukan Islam turut terima sumbangan Ramadhan

Rizal Tahir

KOTA BHARU, 9 Ogos: Biarpun bulan Ramadan hanya disambut oleh umat Islam sahaja, namun kerajaan Kelantan itu tidak melupakan masyarakat bukan Islam di negeri itu.

Sempena majlis Iftor Ramadan dan sumbangan kepada golongan miskin anjuran Perbadanan Menteri Besar Kelantan (PMBK) itu, seramai 6 orang bukan Islam yang terdiri dari kaun Cina, India dan Siam turut menerima sumbangan berkenaan.

Mereka yang mewakili 25 Dewan Undangan Negeri di negeri itu menerima sendiri sumbangan dari Menteri Besar, Tuan Guru Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat yang diadakan di Masjid Kota Darulnaim, di sini malam tadi.

Pada masa yang sama Kifalah Sdn Bhd turut menyumbang sebanyak RM1.5 juta kepada penerima untuk pemberian awal Ramadan.

Hadir sama, Ketua Eksekutif, Ir Mustapha Salleh , Adun serta pemimpin masyarakat.

Tuan Guru ketika berucap pada majlis itu berkata, pentingnya golongan terbabit dijemput sama pada majlis berbuka puasa agar mereka dapat melihat keindahan Islam.

“Pada masa yang sama kita juga dapat memupuk rasa kasih sesama masyarakat pelbagai kaum,”ujarnya.

Sementara itu, Abdul Shakur Sharrie ketika ditemui berkata, sumbangan berkenaan hanya untuk awal Ramadan.

“Kita akan meneruskan sumbangan kepada penerima yang lain, iaitu pada pertengahan dan akhir Ramadan,”ujarnya.

http://bm.harakahdaily.net/index.php/berita-utama/4809-bukan-islam-turut-terima-sumbangan-ramadhan

Pemuda PAS Kelantan desak Najib ke mahkamah

Rizal Tahir

KOTA BHARU, 9 Ogos: Dewan Pemuda PAS Kelantan mendesak Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak dan Isteri Rosmah hadir ke mahkamah sebagai saksi bagi memenuhi permintaan bekas Timbalan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Ketuanya, Abdul Latif Abdul Rahman (gambar), ketika dihubungi memberitahu Najib dan Rosmah amat wajar ke mahkamah sebagai saksi demi untuk menegakkan keadilan terhadap kes liwat Anwar yang sedang dibicarakan sekarang.

Beliau berkata demikian ketika mengulas tindakan Mahkamah Tinggi Kuala Lumpur semalam membenarkan dua permohonan Anwar untuk menemubual 15 saksi termasuk Najib dan Rosmah bagi kes perbicaraan liwat yang sedang dihadapinya.

Latif bagaimanapun berkata sekiranya kata dua diberikan kepada Najib dan Rosmah kemungkinan mereka tidak akan menghadiri mahkamah dengan mudah.

“Jadi Dewan Pemuda PAS Kelantan mendesak agar keduanya hadir ke mahkamah demi untuk menegakkan keadilan serta menyelesaikan isu yang berlarutan.

“Tahniah kepada mahkamah di atas keputusan itu, namun kita berharap kehadiran Najib dan Rosmah dapat menyelesaikan masaalah yang entah bila akan berakhir,”ujarnya.

Sebelum ini, Peguam Cara Negara II, Datuk Mohamed Yusof Zainal Abiden berkata Najib, Rosmah, Musa Hasan (bekas IGP) dan bekas ketua polis Melaka Datuk Mohd Rodhwan Yusof akan hanya ditemubual jika mereka disapina.

Pada 1 Ogos lalu, Anwar memfailkan notis usul kedua di Mahkamah Tinggi Kuala Lumpur memohon mahkamah mengeluarkan perintah untuk pihaknya menemu bual 10 saksi alibi.

Senarai terbaru itu membabitkan dua nama berprofil tinggi, termasuk bekas pengarah eksekutif Institut Penyelidikan Ekonomi Malaysia, Mohamad Ariff Abdul Kareem dan ketua pegawai operasi Bursa Saham Malaysia, Omar Malek Ali Merican.

http://bm.harakahdaily.net/index.php/berita-utama/4805--pemuda-pas-kelantan-desak-najib-ke-mahkamah

Anak: Laporan bedah siasat Baharudin 'bercanggah'

Salhan K Ahmad
Ogos 9, 11
2:10pm

Keluarga kepada allahyarham Baharudin Ahmad mengemukakan satu akuan bersumpah ke Mahkamah Tinggi berhubung dakwaan percanggahan dalam laporan bedah siasat ke atas jenazah tersebut.

Akuan bersumpah itu dikemukakan semalam untuk dimasukkan bersama dengan dengan notis usul yang difailkan sebelum ini bagi memaksa Pejabat Peguam Negara menjalankan inkues terhadap kematian lelaki berkenaan.

Permohonan siasatan khas itu dibuat susulan kepada laporan polis yang dibuat balu allahyarham, Rosni Malan pada 17 Julai lalu yang mendakwa bahawa kematian Ahmad (foto kiri) disebabkan oleh tindakan polis semasa perhimpunan berkenaan.

Anak perempuan Baharudin, Ummi Mirza dalam akuan bersumpah itu pula menyebut bahawa sebab kematian tersebut bukanlah sebab-sebab nyata yang ditentukan melalui siasatan terhadap jenazah ayahnya.

Sebaliknya, sebab kematian itu perlu meliputi "semua perkara yang perlu untuk membolehkan sesuatu pendapat dibuat (mengenai) bagaimana ayah saya menemui ajalnya."

Katanya lagi, sebab kematian itu boleh "disebabkan atau dipercepatkan oleh perbuatan atau (perbuatan yang tidak dibuat) yang menyalahi undang-undang" oleh mana-mana individu, kumpulan atau ejen kepada mana-mana badan.

Laporan 'bercanggah'

Akuan bersumpah berkenaan mendakwa, laporan perubatan yang diperolehi oleh keluarkan mangsa berkenaan mengandungi maklumat yang bercanggah dengan apa yang diberitahu oleh doktor yang memeriksa jenazah sebelum ini.

Laporan yang menyebut sebab kematian Ahmad sebagai serangan jantung "acute myocardial infarction" itu antara lain menyatakan bahawa bahagian paru-paru mangsa didapati tersumbat.

Walhal, beliau sebelum ini diberitahu bahawa bahagian paru-paru itu tidak tersumbat, kata Ummi Mirza, 25.

"Saya diberitahu oleh pakar forensik tersebut sebelum ini bahawa 'paru-paru kelihatan sihat', namun laporan bedah siasat menyatakan 'sangat bengkak dan tersumbat'," akuan bersumpah itu dipetik.

Ummi Mirza dalam dokumen yang diperakui semalam itu juga menyebut bahawa beliau melihat tanda gigi di sebelah kiri atas bibir dan juga lebam di sekeliling kawasan tersebut.

Katanya, beliau diberitahu oleh pakar berkenaan bahawa bahagian trakea jenazah ayahnya itu juga sedikit tersumbat.

Beliau diberitahu bahawa keadaan itu mungkin berlaku akibat tindakan memasukkan tiub ke dalam rongga berkenaan.

"Tapi laporan bedah siasat menyatakan (bahagian trakea itu) 'jelas dan tidak tersumbat'," kata Ummi lagi dalam dokumen berkenaan.

Tambahnya, laporan yang diperolehi itu menyatakan bahawa bahagian mulut mangsa tidak mengeluarkan cecair.

"Namun (keadaan itu) berbeza dengan apa yang saya nampak pada bibir arwah sebelum post mortem. Malah pada saat memandikan jenazah beliau, saya juga masih dapat melihat lebam pada bibir tersebut," kata Ummi lagi dalam dokumen sama.

Baharudin, 59, didakwa rebah semasa menyertai perhimpunan di perkarangan KLCC pada 9 Julai lalu, dan disahkan meninggal dunia sebaik dibawa ke jabatan kecemasan, Hospital Kuala Lumpur pada jam 5.10 petang.

Bedah siasat ke atas dijalankan kira-kira lima jam kemudian oleh dua orang ahli patologi di hospital sama.

http://malaysiakini.com/news/172440

London tries tripling police presence to end riots

By DAVID STRINGER - Associated Press,RAPHAEL G. SATTER - Associated Press | AP – 2 hrs 8 mins ago

A Miss Selfridge shop burns in Market Street in Manchester city centre, England, …

London residents wait to be allowed through a police cordon to help council workers …

LONDON (AP) — Thousands more police officers flooded London streets Tuesday in a bid to end Britain's worst rioting in a generation as nervous shopkeepers closed early and some residents stood guard to protect their neighborhoods. The unrest spread across central and northern England on a fourth night of violence driven by poor, diverse and brazen crowds of young people.

Scenes of ransacked stores, torched cars and blackened buildings frightened and outraged Britons just a year before London is to host the summer Olympic Games, and brought demands for a tougher response from law enforcement.

London's Metropolitan Police department put thousands more officers in the streets and said that by Wednesday there would be 16,000 — almost triple the number present Monday. Dozens of police were seen combing through the Canning Town area of east London as officers hunted for potential new flash points, but the department acknowledged it could not guarantee an end to the violence.

Though London saw no new unrest late Tuesday, but the chaos spread to other cities. A police station in the central England city of Nottingham was firebombed by a 40-strong mob, and hundreds of youths battled police in the northwestern city of Manchester.

Stores, offices and nursery schools across London closed early amid fears of fresh rioting. Many usually busy streets had an eerie calm as cafes, restaurants and pubs also decided to shut down for the night.

Many shops had their metal blinds pulled down, while other business owners rushed to secure plywood over their windows before nightfall.

Some London residents prepared to defend their homes and stores. Outside a Sikh temple in Southall, west London, residents stood guard and vowed to defend their place of worship if mobs of young rioters appeared. Another group marched through Enfield, in north London, aiming to deter looters.

In east London's Bethnal Green district, convenience store owner Adnan Butt, 28, said residents were tense.

"People are all at home — they're scared" of the rioters, he said.

London's deputy assistant police commissioner Steve Kavanagh vowed that large numbers of officers would remain on London's streets until calm was restored.

"We will continue with this additional policing for as long as is necessary. Our priority remains protecting the public and restoring order to our streets," he said.

In Nottingham, police said rioters had hurled firebombs though the window of a police station in the Canning Circus area of the city, but that there were no reports of injures. Eight men were arrested at the scene, where firefighters doused a blaze.

In Manchester, hundreds of youths rampaged through the city center, hurling bottles and stones at police and vandalizing stores. A women's clothing store on the city's main shopping street was set ablaze, along with a disused library in nearby Salford. Looters targeted stores selling designer clothes and expensive consumer electronics.

Neither Manchester nor Nottingham had previously been involved in unrest. There also was minor unrest for the first time in the central England locations of Leicester, Wolverhampton and West Bromwich.

Britain's riots began Saturday when an initially peaceful protest over a police shooting in London's Tottenham neighborhood turned violent. That clash has morphed into a general lawlessness in London and several other cities that police have struggled to halt with ordinary tactics. While the rioters have run off with sneakers, bikes, electronics and leather goods, they also have torched stores apparently just for the fun of seeing something burn.

Rioters, able to move quickly and regroup to avoid the police, have been left virtually unchallenged in several neighborhoods, plundering stores at will.

Police said they were considering the use of plastic bullets — blunt-nosed projectiles designed to deal punishing blows to rioters without penetrating the skin. Such weapons, formally called baton rounds, still are used to quell riots in Northern Ireland but have never been used by police on Britain's mainland.

The government rejected calls by Conservative lawmaker Patrick Mercer and some members of the public for strong-arm riot measures that British police generally avoid, such as tear gas and water cannons.

"They should have the tools available and they should use them if the commander on the ground thinks it's necessary," Mercer said.

Police did offer advice on what actions people could legally take to defend homes from attack. "As a general rule, the more extreme the circumstances and the fear felt, the more force you can lawfully use in self-defense," London's police department said in advice circulated late Tuesday.

In central England, police said they had made five new arrests amid violence Tuesday in Birmingham — which also suffered rioting on Monday — and had dispersed a small group of people who torched two cars in the center of West Bromwich, a nearby town. About 20 people were arrested following rioting in the central city of Wolverhampton, police said.

Riots and looting has flared across London from gritty suburbs along the capital's fringes to the posh Notting Hill neighborhood. The disorder has caused heartache for Londoners whose businesses and homes were torched or ransacked, and a crisis for police and politicians already staggering from a spluttering economy and a scandal over illegal phone hacking by a tabloid newspaper that has dragged in senior politicians and police.

"The public wanted to see tough action. They wanted to see it sooner and there is a degree of frustration," said Andrew Silke, head of the criminology department at the University of East London.

So far more than 560 people have been arrested in London and about 100 charged — including an 11-year-old boy — and the capital's prison cells were overflowing. Several dozen more were arrested in other cities. The Crown Prosecution Service said it had teams of lawyers working 24 hours a day to help police decide whether to charge suspects.

Silke said it will be hard to control the rioting until police make larger numbers of arrests.

"People are seeing images of lines of police literally running away from rioters," he said. "For young people that is incredibly empowering. They are breaking the rules. They are getting away with it. No one is able to stop them."

The unrest has been Britain's worst since race riots set the capital ablaze in the 1980s. "No one should wake in this wonderful city of ours to see such scenes of devastation and violence," Kavanagh said early Tuesday, as police and lawmakers surveyed the damage.

London's beleaguered police force noted that it had received more than 20,000 emergency calls on Monday — four times the normal number. Scotland Yard has called in reinforcements from around the country and asked all volunteer special constables to report for duty.

A soccer match scheduled for Wednesday between England and the Netherlands at London's Wembley stadium was canceled to free up police officers for riot duty. Britain's soccer authorities said they were in talks with police to see whether this weekend's season-opening matches of the Premier League could still go ahead in London.

Police launched a murder inquiry after a man found with a gunshot wound during riots in the south London suburb of Croydon died of his injuries Tuesday, and arrested three people on suspicion of the attempted murder of a police officer hit by a car.

A total of 111 officers and 14 members of the public had been hurt so far in the rioting, including a man in his 60s with life-threatening injuries, police said.

Prime Minister David Cameron — who cut short a holiday in Italy to deal with the crisis, reversing an earlier decision to remain on his vacation — recalled Parliament from its summer recess for an emergency debate Thursday on the riots. He described the scenes of burning buildings and smashed windows as "sickening," but refrained from tougher measures such as calling in the military to help restore order.

"People should be in no doubt that we will do everything necessary to restore order to Britain's streets and to make them safe for the law-abiding," Cameron told reporters after a crisis meeting at his Downing Street office.

Other politicians visited riot sites Tuesday — but for many residents it was too little, too late.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg was booed by crowds who shouted "Go home!" in Birmingham, while London Mayor Boris Johnson — who flew back overnight from his summer vacation — was heckled on a shattered shopping street in Clapham, south London.

Johnson said the riots would not stop London from "welcoming the world to our city" for the Olympics.

"We have time in the next 12 months to rebuild, to repair the damage that has been done," he said. "I'm not saying it will be done overnight, but this is what we are going to do."

Violence broke out late Saturday in the low-income, multiethnic district of Tottenham in north London, after a protest against the fatal police shooting of Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old father of four who was gunned down in disputed circumstances Thursday.

Police said Duggan was shot dead when officers from Operation Trident — the unit that investigates gun crime in the black community — stopped a cab he was riding in.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission, which is investigating the shooting, said a "non-police firearm" was recovered at the scene, but that there was no evidence it had been fired — a revelation that could fuel the anger of the local community.

An inquest into Duggan's death was opened Tuesday, though it will likely be several months before a full hearing.

Duggan's death stirred memories of the 1980s, when many black Londoners felt they were disproportionately stopped and searched by police. The frustration erupted in violent riots in 1985, during which a police officer was stabbed to death.

Relations have improved since then, but tensions remain and many young people of all races mistrust the police.

Seeking explanations for the unrest, some pointed to rising social tensions in Britain as the government slashes 80 billion pounds ($130 billion) from public spending by 2015 to reduce the country's huge budget deficit, swollen after the country spent billions bailing out its foundering banks.

But many rioters appeared simply to relish the opportunity for unchecked violence Monday night. "Come join the fun!" shouted one youth as looters hit the east London suburb of Hackney.

In Croydon, fire gutted a 140-year-old family run department store, House of Reeves, and forced nearby homes to be evacuated. "No one's stolen anything," said owner Graham Reeves, 52. "They just burnt it down."

Many Londoners emerged on Tuesday with brooms to help sweep the streets of broken glass, rallying to the aid of those whose homes or premises had been vandalized.

The riots could not have come at a worse time for police — a year before the Olympic Games, which Scotland Yard says will be the biggest challenge in its 182-year history.

Cameron's government has slashed police budgets under its austerity program. A report last month by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary said the cuts — a third of which have already taken place — will mean 16,000 fewer police officers by 2015.

Scotland Yard is also without a full-time leader after chief Paul Stephenson quit last month amid a scandal over the ties between senior officers and Rupert Murdoch's British newspapers, which are being investigated for hacking phone voicemails and bribing police for information. The force's top counterterrorism officer, John Yates, also quit over the hacking scandal.

__

Jill Lawless, Danica Kirka, Meera Selva, Sheila Norman-Culp and Stephen Wilson contributed to this report.

http://news.yahoo.com/london-tries-tripling-police-presence-end-riots-190621772.html

Social media used to spread Britain's riots

By PAISLEY DODDS - Associated Press,RAPHAEL G. SATTER - Associated Press | AP – 1 hr 8 mins ago

A woman walks past a damaged supermarket in Ealing, west London, after a night of …

A woman walks past a damaged supermarket in Ealing, west London, after a night of …

LONDON (AP) — Some of the text messages read like real-time rallying calls for rioters.

"If you're down for making money, we're about to go hard in east London," one looter messaged before the violence spread.

Others direct troublemakers to areas of untapped riches — stores selling expensive stereo equipment, designer clothes, alcohol and bicycles.

Most show a portent of even worse things to come.

Encrypted messages sent via BlackBerrys are being used by mobs to encourage rioting across Britain — mayhem born of an incendiary mixture of conditions that converged during Europe's sleepy summer vacation season.

Many of the masked or hooded youths have been photographed typing messages on their cellphones while flames engulf cars and buildings.

Conditions have been perfect for the unrest. Britain's economic outlook is bleak, youths are out of school and unemployed, police ranks have been depleted by summer vacations, and social media sites — coupled with dramatic video of the rioting — have bolstered a mob mentality and spread disobedience.

Alcohol has also played a part. Some of Tuesday night's rioters bragged of booze-fueled rampages. Britain has a culture of binge drinking with a recent surge in alcohol-related diseases among the young. The legal age to purchase alcohol in Britain is 18.

BlackBerry's messaging system is popular among youths because it's free, compatible with multimedia and private, compared with Facebook and Twitter. Its encrypted messages give troublemakers an added benefit: Police aren't able to immediately trace message traffic the way they can with regular cellphones.

Social media have been a potent force in fueling the riots that began Saturday in London's boroughs and later spread to other cities such as Birmingham, Liverpool, Leeds and Bristol. Messages have also been sent via regular texts and on Facebook.

One 18-year-old boy was detained Tuesday for allegedly encouraging violence on Facebook. Community members alerted police to the posts, according to police superintendent Athol Aitken. The teenager is expected in Dundee court on Wednesday.

But the social networks also have provided refuge for fearful residents and shop owners who say police efforts have been feeble and slow. Twitter is helping to pinpoint areas of violence, organize community cleanup groups and alert people of alternative routes they can use.

BlackBerry said it was cooperating with police, but shutting down the messaging system could penalize more than just the troublemakers. More than 45 million people use the BlackBerry messaging system worldwide. President Barack Obama is said to use the same secure system to communicate.

"We feel for those impacted by recent days' riots in London," Patrick Spence, a Blackberry managing director of global sales and regional marketing, said in a statement. "We have engaged with the authorities to assist in any way we can."

The company declined to answer further questions about providing data to police or how a message service suspension might work.

David Lammy, a lawmaker from the Tottenham area where the rioting began, called for BlackBerry to suspend its messaging service. On Tuesday, hackers compromised BlackBerry's blog site in response to the company saying it would cooperate with police.

Britain's riots began after last week's police shooting of Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old father of four. According to British media, one of the last messages that Duggan sent was via BlackBerry's messaging system, also known as BBM.

"The Feds are following me," he allegedly wrote to his girlfriend, according to The Daily Telegraph.

Some of the rioters have laughed off claims that the unrest was sparked by any one grievance. One man who identified himself only as "Zed" said the riots were "just an excuse for everyone to smash up the place" and that stuff "tastes better when it's free."

Britain is full of contrasts between the haves and have-nots, where areas of soot-stained apartment buildings are a stone's throw from Buckingham Palace. It is also a place where the class system is imprinted on the country's social fabric, seen clearly in the political and business elite.

"You have groups who are highly technically integrated but socially completely outclassed and alienated," said Rodney Barker, emeritus professor of government at the London School of Economics.

Prime Minister David Cameron, known for his posh accent and privileged education, is thought to have lost votes in last year's election because he was seen as too much of an elitist who couldn't understand the common man.

The past year has seen mass protests against the tripling of student tuition fees and cuts to public sector pensions. In November, December and March, small groups broke away from large marches in London to loot. In the most notorious episode, rioters attacked a Rolls-Royce carrying Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, to a charity concert.

"This is an uprising of all people — black, white, gay, straight," said a man who identified himself as Bryn Phillips, 28, who picked through the ruins of a convenience store in east London on Monday night.

According to July figures from Britain's Office of National Statistics, one in five 16- to 24-year-olds is unemployed — the highest rate of youth unemployment in some 20 years. Overall unemployment rates, however, have remained stable.

"These young people, who seem to have no stake in society, are trashing their own communities," said lawmaker Diane Abbott, whose Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency has seen a lot of the trouble. "We cannot continue to have increasing numbers of looters on the streets night after night."

Hot-tempered youths are fueled by temperate and drier-than-normal weather. One middle-aged man carrying a recycling bin full of beer bottles and soft drinks Monday night blamed the government's planned spending cuts — some of the harshest cuts since World War II designed to slash Britain's multibillion-pound (multibillion-dollar) deficit.

"People are traumatized by the cuts," he said, identifying himself only as Joe.

Cameron condemned the violence and warned that 16,000 police officers would take back the country's streets. More BlackBerry messages were encouraging weekend protests.

"This is definitely not the 1980s," said London School of Economics political scientist Tony Travers, referring to past race riots and other unrest. "And it is not the same as the instance that occasionally happened in French suburbs. Tottenham and other areas are relatively poor (but) they are not areas of unremitting poverty."

Britain's police force has been weakened by budget cuts and summer vacations. It's also no secret that most officers don't carry guns, and water cannons and tear gas haven't been used in years. Officials said they may be forced to use plastic bullets to control the crowds if violence persists.

"Different people have different views about the causes, but there is no excuses for it," said Labour leader Ed Miliband.

(This version CORRECTS Updates with details of youth arrested in connection with Facebook incitement; Corrects youth is 18 instead of 16; Adds BlackBerry statement and class quote from professor; Raises reference to rioters bragging about drunken rampages; AP Video.)

http://news.yahoo.com/social-media-used-spread-britains-riots-190457225.html

London adds more police amid ongoing riots

By Zachary Roth | The Lookout – 4 hrs ago

Senior National Affairs Reporter

British Prime Minister David Cameron has been in emergency meetings with his Cabinet Tuesday, after rioters burned buildings and smashed storefronts across London and beyond in recent days.

The riots began over the weekend in Tottenham, north London, but quickly spread to other parts of the city, as well as beyond the capital. The unrest was initially triggered by the killing by police of Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old man. But the rioters, predominantly young people, also appear to be responding to recent cuts to social services, and to the unusual heat of this year's summer in Britain. There are now around 16,000 police officers dispatched to the streets of London to attempt to halt the riots, the Guardian reports.

In what has emerged as the iconic image of the mayhem so far, a woman jumped to safety from a burning building in Croydon, south London. Amy Weston, the photographer who took the shots for London's Wenn picture agency, described the scene to The Guardian. (You can watch a video report on the incident in the clip above.)

"A man in a white shirt was screaming that a girl was at the window and that she was ready to jump," said Weston. "He ran towards her, but riot police had appeared and pulled him back, and they went to her instead."

"As soon as she dropped, the crowds pushed back and there was no way to see what happened to her," she continued. "I remember hearing people screaming that there were more people in the building. The crowds started getting angry with each, with one group blaming another group for starting the fire."

In Enfield, north London, rioters set fire to a Sony warehouse, destroying its stock of CDs and vinyl records.

The riots offer a major test for London's Metropolitan Police, rocked by recent allegations that some cops worked with the media company News International to hack into personal cellphone voice mailboxes. And they come just a year before London aims to put its best foot forward when it hosts the 2012 Olympic Games--which will bring an enormous influx of tourists from around the globe and elaborate security challenges.

REUTERS/Luke MacGregor - Police officers in riot gear block a road near a burning car on a London street.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/iconic-image-london-riots-190313631.html