Monday, September 28, 2009

Unity not necessarily means only among Muslims: Sapawi



Published on: Wednesday, September 23, 2009







Datuk Sapawi Hj. Ahmad







Sipitang: Hari Raya Aidilfitri should be a platform to further strengthen the existing unity and understanding, said MP Datuk Sapawi Ahmad.

Sapawi who is Umno Sipitang chief said unity and understanding not necessarily means only among the Muslims but others as well.

"Such understanding has enabled the country to continue to prosper and progress, which is being enjoyed by the people," he said at the Umno Sipitang Raya open house here Monday.

Also on hand to greet the more than 3,000 visitors were Lumadan Assemblyman, Kamarlin Ombi who is also Umno Sipitang deputy chief, Sindumin Assemblyman, Ahmad Bujang, Umno Sipitang Youth chief, Yamani Hafez Musa and Umno Sipitang Puteri Chief, Maimunah Sifek.

During the open house, the crowd was entertained by AF champion, Stacy and her brother Chaq who was a finalist of TV3's Mentor talent reality show.

Source : Please click here.

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Friday, September 25, 2009

AS THE ARABS SEE THE JEWS



In conjunction with the 64th UN General Assembly which is currently in progress, I present to you an interesting article entitled AS THE ARABS SEE THE JEWS by the late King Abdullah I (1882 - 1951) of Jordan. - A.S. Kasah


Summary: This fascinating essay, written by King Hussein’s grandfather King Abdullah, appeared in the United States six months before the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. In the article, King Abdullah disputes the mistaken view that Arab opposition to Zionism (and later the state of Israel) is because of longstanding religious or ethnic hatred. He notes that Jews and Muslims enjoyed a long history of peaceful coexistence in the Middle East, and that Jews have historically suffered far more at the hands of Christian Europe. Pointing to the tragedy of the holocaust that Jews suffered during World War II, the monarch asks why America and Europe are refusing to accept more than a token handful of Jewish immigrants and refugees. It is unfair, he argues, to make Palestine, which is innocent of anti-Semitism, pay for the crimes of Europe. King Abdullah also asks how Jews can claim a historic right to Palestine, when Arabs have been the overwhelming majority there for nearly 1300 uninterrupted years? The essay ends on an ominous note, warning of dire consequences if a peaceful solution cannot be found to protect the rights of the indigenous Arabs of Palestine.

I am especially delighted to address an American audience, for the tragic problem of Palestine will never be solved without American understanding, American sympathy, American support.

So many billions of words have been written about Palestine — perhaps more than on any other subject in history — that I hesitate to add to them. Yet I am compelled to do so, for I am reluctantly convinced that the world in general, and America in particular, knows almost nothing of the true case for the Arabs.

We Arabs follow, perhaps far more than you think, the press of America. We are frankly disturbed to find that for every word printed on the Arab side, a thousand are printed on the Zionist side.

There are many reasons for this. You have many millions of Jewish citizens interested in this question. They are highly vocal and wise in the ways of publicity. There are few Arab citizens in America, and we are as yet unskilled in the technique of modern propaganda.

The results have been alarming for us. In your press we see a horrible caricature and are told it is our true portrait. In all justice, we cannot let this pass by default.

Our case is quite simple: For nearly 2,000 years Palestine has been almost 100 per cent Arab. It is still preponderantly Arab today, in spite of enormous Jewish immigration. But if this immigration continues we shall soon be outnumbered — a minority in our home.

Palestine is a small and very poor country, about the size of your state of Vermont. Its Arab population is only about 1,200,000. Already we have had forced on us, against our will, some 600,000 Zionist Jews. We are threatened with many hundreds of thousands more.

Our position is so simple and natural that we are amazed it should even be questioned. It is exactly the same position you in America take in regard to the unhappy European Jews. You are sorry for them, but you do not want them in your country.

We do not want them in ours, either. Not because they are Jews, but because they are foreigners. We would not want hundreds of thousands of foreigners in our country, be they Englishmen or Norwegians or Brazilians or whatever.

Think for a moment: In the last 25 years we have had one third of our entire population forced upon us. In America that would be the equivalent of 45,000,000 complete strangers admitted to your country, over your violent protest, since 1921. How would you have reacted to that?

Because of our perfectly natural dislike of being overwhelmed in our own homeland, we are called blind nationalists and heartless anti-Semites. This charge would be ludicrous were it not so dangerous.

No people on earth have been less “anti-Semitic” than the Arabs. The persecution of the Jews has been confined almost entirely to the Christian nations of the West. Jews, themselves, will admit that never since the Great Dispersion did Jews develop so freely and reach such importance as in Spain when it was an Arab possession. With very minor exceptions, Jews have lived for many centuries in the Middle East, in complete peace and friendliness with their Arab neighbours.

Damascus, Baghdad, Beirut and other Arab centres have always contained large and prosperous Jewish colonies. Until the Zionist invasion of Palestine began, these Jews received the most generous treatment — far, far better than in Christian Europe. Now, unhappily, for the first time in history, these Jews are beginning to feel the effects of Arab resistance to the Zionist assault. Most of them are as anxious as Arabs to stop it. Most of these Jews who have found happy homes among us resent, as we do, the coming of these strangers.

I was puzzled for a long time about the odd belief which apparently persists in America that Palestine has somehow “always been a Jewish land.” Recently an American I talked to cleared up this mystery. He pointed out that the only things most Americans know about Palestine are what they read in the Bible. It was a Jewish land in those days, they reason, and they assume it has always remained so.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. It is absurd to reach so far back into the mists of history to argue about who should have Palestine today, and I apologise for it. Yet the Jews do this, and I must reply to their “historic claim.” I wonder if the world has ever seen a stranger sight than a group of people seriously pretending to claim a land because their ancestors lived there some 2,000 years ago!

If you suggest that I am biased, I invite you to read any sound history of the period and verify the facts.

Such fragmentary records as we have indicate that the Jews were wandering nomads from Iraq who moved to southern Turkey, came south to Palestine, stayed there a short time, and then passed to Egypt, where they remained about 400 years. About 1300 BC (according to your calendar) they left Egypt and gradually conquered most — but not all — of the inhabitants of Palestine.

It is significant that the Philistines — not the Jews — gave their name to the country: “Palestine” is merely the Greek form of “Philistia.”

Only once, during the empire of David and Solomon, did the Jews ever control nearly — but not all — the land which is today Palestine. This empire lasted only 70 years, ending in 926 BC. Only 250 years later the Kingdom of Judah had shrunk to a small province around Jerusalem, barely a quarter of modern Palestine.

In 63 BC the Jews were conquered by Roman Pompey, and never again had even the vestige of independence. The Roman Emperor Hadrian finally wiped them out about 135 AD. He utterly destroyed Jerusalem, rebuilt under another name, and for hundreds of years no Jew was permitted to enter it. A handful of Jews remained in Palestine but the vast majority were killed or scattered to other countries, in the Diaspora, or the Great Dispersion. From that time Palestine ceased to be a Jewish country, in any conceivable sense.

This was 1,815 years ago, and yet the Jews solemnly pretend they still own Palestine! If such fantasy were allowed, how the map of the world would dance about!

Italians might claim England, which the Romans held so long. England might claim France, “homeland” of the conquering Normans. And the French Normans might claim Norway, where their ancestors originated. And incidentally, we Arabs might claim Spain, which we held for 700 years.

Many Mexicans might claim Spain, “homeland” of their forefathers. They might even claim Texas, which was Mexican until 100 years ago. And suppose the American Indians claimed the “homeland” of which they were the sole, native, and ancient occupants until only some 450 years ago!

I am not being facetious. All these claims are just as valid — or just as fantastic — as the Jewish “historic connection” with Palestine. Most are more valid.

In any event, the great Moslem expansion about 650 AD finally settled things. It dominated Palestine completely. From that day on, Palestine was solidly Arabic in population, language, and religion. When British armies entered the country during the last war, they found 500,000 Arabs and only 65,000 Jews.

If solid, uninterrupted Arab occupation for nearly 1,300 years does not make a country “Arab”, what does?

The Jews say, and rightly, that Palestine is the home of their religion. It is likewise the birthplace of Christianity, but would any Christian nation claim it on that account? In passing, let me say that the Christian Arabs—and there are many hundreds of thousands of them in the Arab World—are in absolute agreement with all other Arabs in opposing the Zionist invasion of Palestine.

May I also point out that Jerusalem is, after Mecca and Medina, the holiest place in Islam. In fact, in the early days of our religion, Moslems prayed toward Jerusalem instead of Mecca.

The Jewish “religious claim” to Palestine is as absurd as the “historic claim.” The Holy Places, sacred to three great religions, must be open to all, the monopoly of none. Let us not confuse religion and politics.

We are told that we are inhumane and heartless because do not accept with open arms the perhaps 200,000 Jews in Europe who suffered so frightfully under Nazi cruelty, and who even now — almost three years after war’s end — still languish in cold, depressing camps.

Let me underline several facts. The unimaginable persecution of the Jews was not done by the Arabs: it was done by a Christian nation in the West. The war which ruined Europe and made it almost impossible for these Jews to rehabilitate themselves was fought by the Christian nations of the West. The rich and empty portions of the earth belong, not to the Arabs, but to the Christian nations of the West.

And yet, to ease their consciences, these Christian nations of the West are asking Palestine — a poor and tiny Moslem country of the East—to accept the entire burden. “We have hurt these people terribly,” cries the West to the East. “Won’t you please take care of them for us?”

We find neither logic nor justice in this. Are we therefore “cruel and heartless nationalists”?

We are a generous people: we are proud that “Arab hospitality” is a phrase famous throughout the world. We are a humane people: no one was shocked more than we by the Hitlerite terror. No one pities the present plight of the desperate European Jews more than we.

But we say that Palestine has already sheltered 600,000 refugees. We believe that is enough to expect of us — even too much. We believe it is now the turn of the rest of the world to accept some of them.

I will be entirely frank with you. There is one thing the Arab world simply cannot understand. Of all the nations of the earth, America is most insistent that something be done for these suffering Jews of Europe. This feeling does credit to the humanity for which America is famous, and to that glorious inscription on your Statue of Liberty.

And yet this same America — the richest, greatest, most powerful nation the world has ever known — refuses to accept more than a token handful of these same Jews herself!

I hope you will not think I am being bitter about this. I have tried hard to understand that mysterious paradox, and I confess I cannot. Nor can any other Arab.

Perhaps you have been informed that “the Jews in Europe want to go to no other place except Palestine.”

This myth is one of the greatest propaganda triumphs of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, the organisation which promotes with fanatic zeal the emigration to Palestine. It is a subtle half-truth, thus doubly dangerous.

The astounding truth is that nobody on earth really knows where these unfortunate Jews really want to go!

You would think that in so grave a problem, the American, British, and other authorities responsible for the European Jews would have made a very careful survey, probably by vote, to find out where each Jew actually wants to go. Amazingly enough this has never been done! The Jewish Agency has prevented it.

Some time ago the American Military Governor in Germany was asked at a press conference how he was so certain that all Jews there wanted to go to Palestine. His answer was simple: “My Jewish advisors tell me so.” He admitted no poll had ever been made. Preparations were indeed begun for one, but the Jewish Agency stepped in to stop it.

The truth is that the Jews in German camps are now subjected to a Zionist pressure campaign which learned much from the Nazi terror. It is dangerous for a Jew to say that he would rather go to some other country, not Palestine. Such dissenters have been severely beaten, and worse.

Not long ago, in Palestine, nearly 1,000 Austrian Jews informed the international refugee organisation that they would like to go back to Austria, and plans were made to repatriate them.

The Jewish Agency heard of this, and exerted enough political pressure to stop it. It would be bad propaganda for Zionism if Jews began leaving Palestine. The nearly 1,000 Austrian are still there, against their will.

The fact is that most of the European Jews are Western in culture and outlook, entirely urban in experience and habits. They cannot really have their hearts set on becoming pioneers in the barren, arid, cramped land which is Palestine.

One thing, however, is undoubtedly true. As matters stand now, most refugee Jews in Europe would, indeed, vote for Palestine, simply because they know no other country will have them.

If you or I were given a choice between a near-prison camp for the rest of our lives — or Palestine — we would both choose Palestine, too.

But open up any other alternative to them — give them any other choice, and see what happens!

No poll, however, will be worth anything unless the nations of the earth are willing to open their doors — just a little — to the Jews. In other words, if in such a poll a Jew says he wants to go to Sweden, Sweden must be willing to accept him. If he votes for America, you must let him come in.

Any other kind of poll would be a farce. For the desperate Jew, this is no idle testing of opinion: this is a grave matter of life or death. Unless he is absolutely sure that his vote means something, he will always vote for Palestine, so as not to risk his bird in the hand for one in the bush.

In any event, Palestine can accept no more. The 65,000 Jews in Palestine in 1918 have jumped to 600,000 today. We Arabs have increased, too, but not by immigration. The Jews were then a mere 11 per cent of our population. Today they are one third of it.

The rate of increase has been terrifying. In a few more years — unless stopped now — it will overwhelm us, and we shall be an important minority in our own home.

Surely the rest of the wide world is rich enough and generous enough to find a place for 200,000 Jews—about one third the number that tiny, poor Palestine has already sheltered. For the rest of the world, it is hardly a drop in the bucket. For us it means national suicide.

We are sometimes told that since the Jews came to Palestine, the Arab standard of living has improved. This is a most complicated question. But let us even assume, for the argument, that it is true. We would rather be a bit poorer, and masters of our own home. Is this unnatural?

The sorry story of the so-called “Balfour Declaration,” which started Zionist immigration into Palestine, is too complicated to repeat here in detail. It is grounded in broken promises to the Arabs—promises made in cold print which admit no denying.

We utterly deny its validity. We utterly deny the right of Great Britain to give away Arab land for a “national home” for an entirely foreign people.

Even the League of Nations sanction does not alter this. At the time, not a single Arab state was a member of the League. We were not allowed to say a word in our own defense.

I must point out, again in friendly frankness, that America was nearly as responsible as Britain for this Balfour Declaration. President Wilson approved it before it was issued, and the American Congress adopted it word for word in a joint resolution on 30th June, 1922.

In the 1920s, Arabs were annoyed and insulted by Zionist immigration, but not alarmed by it. It was steady, but fairly small, as even the Zionist founders thought it would remain. Indeed for some years, more Jews left Palestine than entered it—in 1927 almost twice as many.

But two new factors, entirely unforeseen by Britain or the League or America or the most fervent Zionist, arose in the early thirties to raise the immigration to undreamed heights. One was the World Depression; the second the rise of Hitler.

In 1932, the year before Hitler came to power, only 9,500 Jews came to Palestine. We did not welcome them, but we were not afraid that, at that rate, our solid Arab majority would ever be in danger.

But the next year — the year of Hitler — it jumped to 30,000! In 1934 it was 42,000! In 1935 it reached 61,000!

It was no longer the orderly arrival of idealist Zionists. Rather, all Europe was pouring its frightened Jews upon us. Then, at last, we, too, became frightened. We knew that unless this enormous influx stopped, we were, as Arabs, doomed in our Palestine homeland. And we have not changed our minds.

I have the impression that many Americans believe the trouble in Palestine is very remote from them, that America had little to do with it, and that your only interest now is that of a humane bystander.

I believe that you do not realise how directly you are, as a nation, responsible in general for the whole Zionist move and specifically for the present terrorism. I call this to your attention because I am certain that if you realise your responsibility you will act fairly to admit it and assume it.

Quite aside from official American support for the “National Home” of the Balfour Declaration, the Zionist settlements in Palestine would have been almost impossible, on anything like the current scale, without American money. This was contributed by American Jewry in an idealistic effort to help their fellows.

The motive was worthy: the result were disastrous. The contributions were by private individuals, but they were almost entirely Americans, and, as a nation, only America can answer for it.

The present catastrophe may be laid almost entirely at your door. Your government, almost alone in the world, is insisting on the immediate admission of 100,000 more Jews into Palestine — to be followed by countless additional ones. This will have the most frightful consequences in bloody chaos beyond anything ever hinted at in Palestine before.

It is your press and political leadership, almost alone in the world, who press this demand. It is almost entirely American money which hires or buys the “refugee ships” that steam illegally toward Palestine: American money which pays their crews. The illegal immigration from Europe is arranged by the Jewish Agency, supported almost entirely by American funds. It is American dollars which support the terrorists, which buy the bullets and pistols that kill British soldiers — your allies — and Arab citizens — your friends.

We in the Arab world were stunned to hear that you permit open advertisements in newspapers asking for money to finance these terrorists, to arm them openly and deliberately for murder. We could not believe this could really happen in the modern world. Now we must believe it: we have seen the advertisements with our own eyes.

I point out these things because nothing less than complete frankness will be of use. The crisis is too stark for mere polite vagueness which means nothing.

I have the most complete confidence in the fair-mindedness and generosity of the American public. We Arabs ask no favours. We ask only that you know the full truth, not half of it. We ask only that when you judge the Palestine question, you put yourselves in our place.

What would your answer be if some outside agency told you that you must accept in America many millions of utter strangers in your midst—enough to dominate your country—merely because they insisted on going to America, and because their forefathers had once lived there some 2,000 years ago?

Our answer is the same.

And what would be your action if, in spite of your refusal, this outside agency began forcing them on you?

Ours will be the same.

Source : Please click here.




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Thursday, September 24, 2009

Important that ethnic labels are not tampered with






By: Amde Sidik

I NOTICE an upsurge in enthusiasm lately in discussing the subject of ethnics in Sabah. Couldn't make out why? Perhaps this is partly due to the media. They get fed up with the routine subjects, for example the never-ending political debacles ever since after the last general election.
Many people feel demoralised. Even their thinking capacity is geographically reduced to only knowing what is going on in the five opposition States.

Four, if Perak is excluded due to Shakespearean-style political dramas we see these days.

Maybe there is a real need for Sabah and Sarawak to tell the nation that they have plenty to talk about in terms of ethnicities.

Our leaders should be reminded both in Borneo and Peninsular that they must take cognition, don't just hantam (strike) with couldn't-care-less attitude. Ethnicity may be a trivial subject for them but may mean differently to local people.

Our multi-ethnic society has been a source of inspiration and an achievement. We have lived harmoniously without being suspicious of one another for hundreds of years but now even talking about it is becoming a taboo. What more about religion.

A couple of months ago there was much discussion on Kadazan/Dusun issue. Suffice to say that many opinions were proffered by eminent people like Datuk Fauzi Patel, Datuk Ayub Aman, Datuk Dr Herman Luping, etc.

I must give credit to the Daily Express for exploring the subject in the context of where the Kadazandusun community went wrong over its labelling due to a mistake before just before independence by Tun Fuad Stephens, as also admitted in 1967.

Our archives, museum and library alike should keep proper inventory so that in the future our young can see and evaluate our status based on the records. In this respect what the Daily Express had done by inviting those who witnessed the events to speak about it enhances our understanding of Sabah's post-independence history.

One note of caution though, don't modify and change the written history, nobody can update history, one can only update where one keeps it.

In my experience with university students today, about 80-90 per cent of our first year students aren't even sure when Malaysia was formed. Was it 31st August 1957 or 1963 or 16th September 1963?

When asked what made them confused about the date, their answer is that's what they read in the text books. My response to them usually is to ask them to throw away that textbook.

Back to discussing about ethnics, what intrigued me was when Tan Sri Bernard Dompok in the Daily Express interview on the Kadazan-Dusun issue mentioned the word Kedayan. Which later he corrected the spelling from Kedayan to Kadayan. But before anything else, changing the spelling like this, in my experience, was difficult enough. Let alone changing the meaning. An example, I've been writing all this while word Kadayan, not Kedayan in many official or unofficial materials. I know for sure the spelling of Kadayan is without an "e".

The fruit of my labour only begins to emerge after very long years, meaning today, if anyone finds that something isn't right about his or her ethnic, I would say only he or she knows best and should be allowed to amend before it creates more confusion.

In the case of Kadazan or Dusun issue or vice versa, which is a slightly different argument, I would consider it really is up to an individual to decide. I can only anticipate that the young are interested to know the origin of the dispute and have the legitimate right to search.

On the issue of name of Kadazan since the word Kadazan is relatively new, (compared to Dusun), why has it overshadowed the word "Dusun" and why is perhaps what bugs their mind. When Dompok said, that people in Inobong called them as Kadayan, so too in his part of Penampang called Kadayan, he says that a letter "z" in Kadazan actually is pronounced as "Y" makes it Kadayan.

So as far as I can tell, those who asked me question about Dompok's statement, and from what I understand, he was only talking about the word Kadayan and was not talking about Kadayan as an ethnic.

Some years back an official from KDCA said to me that in Dusun Lutod, the word Kadayan means a guidance or escort. This definition is akin to the explanation found in Javanese language. This is, perhaps, why there is continued debate about the origin of Kadayan.

Kadayan were thought to be from Java island, but as of now, in as long as no one can prove it, I would say Kadayan couldn't be from Java. I would love to see someone overwrite and rewrite the present history. That would be more challenging.

In Sabah, local Sabahan Muslims don't usually identify themselves as Malay, all too often, they prefer to be identified by their ethnic origin, which they feel perfectly happy. Yet though, most ethnics aren't obsessed about it, it isn't something they bring home and quarrel about.

A few years back I met one dark skinned guy married to my relative This guy when ever we met always speak Kadayan and his Kadayan is far better than mine, to my astonishment. One fine day, I found out that he was, in fact, a Bajau from Kota Belud. That was fun and an unsusual discovery.

The moral of my story is whether one wants to be called Kadazan, Kadayan, Dusun, and Bajau alike, it really depends on one choice. My Bajau relative is comfortable being called Kadayan.

My journalist friend in Sarawak asked my view recently because the Iban, Bidayuh, Kenyah and a few more ethnics are talking about changing their name "Orang Ulu" (group name of the above) to something else.

In their mind is Lun Daya. Of course, in Sabah we have such an ethnic called nearly similar, the Lundayeh in Sipitang and Tenom.

The reason for the re-branding, according to him, is that the name Orang Ulu is too archaic, and doesn't sound glamour. He also experienced once in peninsular, when asked about his race, he replied he is from Orang Ulu.

To his surprise none of his friends from peninsular had an inkling. He was asked if Orang Ulu is equivalent to Orang Utan. That infuriated him.

Borneo has a population of over nine million, the majority are Dayaks and second largest group is called coastal Malay (mostly Muslim) comprising many smaller ethnics, including, Banjarese, Kutai, Tidung in East Kalimantan and Baju, Melanau, Brunai, Kadayan, etc, in the West Coast of Borneo. While the Bugis are not local as they are from Sulewasi.

The Borneo Dayak comprise many other ethnics as in the case of Orang Ulu of Sarawak, usually referred to those from the interior or highland but once they move to the coastal area they either call themselves Banjarese or Malay. This is perhaps why many Banjarese are also aren't Muslims.

The Dayaks and the coastal Malays had no trouble living harmoniously for many hundred years. They identify themselves as locals of the island, but thing can get nasty as in the Madura incident.

Recently there was another clash in Nunukan, just south of Tawau between one group that had been around for centuries and another perceived as "outsiders".

Source : Sila klik disini.

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Sunday, September 20, 2009

UCAPAN TAKZIAH BUAT KELUARGA CHARLES AYUB

Charles Ayub Tabed,58 seorang sahabat dan kenalan yang saya kenali sejak dibangku sekolah telah meninggal dunia pada hari Ahad, September 13, 2009 di Sipitang. Beliau meninggalkan seorang isteri, Anna Sali dan lima orang anak.

Semasa di bangku sekolah, beliau amat aktif dibidang sukan terutamanya sukan bola sepak. Disamping itu beliau adalah salah seorang pengasas Persatuan Kebudayaan Lundayeh Sabah dimana beliau telah menyandang jawatan Setiausaha Agung pertama persatuan tersebut pada tahun 1979. Dengan kesempatan ini saya ingin menyampaikan ucapan takziah saya kepada keluarga mendiang, semoga tabah menghadapi situasi ini.

Berikut ialah maklumat lanjut mengenai perkara tersebut dari akhbar tempatan Daily Express.

Former Govt printing Dept Director passes away
Published on: Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Sipitang: Former Sabah Director of the Government Printing Department, Charles Ayub Tabed (pic), passed away at the age of 58 at his hometown early Sunday.
He is survived by his wife Anna Sali and five children.

He was also a former State footballer and one of the four Lundayeh boys selected to represent Sabah in the Burnly Cup and Borneo Cup in 1971 and 1972.



Tabed was responsible for setting up a body to take care of the welfare of people from villages in Tenom and Sipitang when they visited sick family members at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Later, he helped form the famous Dayeh United Football and Hockey Clubs.

He was responsible for drafting the constitution of the Persatuan Lundayeh Sabah and later became its first secretary-general and eventually elected as one of its presidents.

In honour of his dedication and commitment to his job, Tabed was awarded the ADK in 2000 and ASDK in 2007 by Head of State Tun Ahmadshah Abdullah.

Sumber : Sila klik di sini.



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Thursday, September 17, 2009

SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDIL FITRI. MINAL AIDZIN WAL FAIDZIN

Dalam kerendahan hati ada ketinggian budi. Dalam kemiskinan harta ada kekayaan jiwa. Dalam kelembutan lidah ada juga keterlanjuran kata. Dalam gurau dan senda ada khilaf dan dosa. MOHON AMPUN DAN MAAF DI ATAS SEGALANYA. EID MUBARAK.












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Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Pusat Pengajian Tahfiz Al-Quran As-Syatibiyah

Aie ku balajaa di Maktab Sabah mulanya (1971 -1972), pembangunan dan bandaa Kota Kinabalu inda ya macam kaang anie. Jalan daie Tanjung Hauu ka Kota Kinabalu sabuting nganya, Jalan Mat Salleh / Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman. Jalan Coastal masa atu balum ada.

Jadi bila aie anam atau aie minggu ka KK tah kami amai-amai naik bas daie Gurdwara, Sikh Temple di hadapan Bangunan Persekutuan kaang anie. Di atas bukit atu asrama Maktab Sabah. Jadi bila naik bas lalu Jalan Mat Salleh / Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman sudah hampiee ke KK (subalah kanan atas buhuu) atu kalihatan tia Gaeja SDA (Seventh Day Adventist) dian salib (pangkah uja Kadayan) nya basaa hantap tapampang atas bangunan gaeja atu.

38 tahun salapas atu, kaang ani taya, inda lagi ada salib atas bangunannya! Jadi masjid taya. Kaadaan baaubah, bangunan yang mulanya Gaeja SDA kaang ani jadi Masjid dan Pusat Pengajian Tahfiz Al-Quran As-Syatibiyah taya. Basaa pahala jalama yang mbali tanah dian bangunan atu. Atu tah yang didamaie amal jariah bapanjangan yang inda pandai putus masipun jalamanya nuhun sudah. Wallahu alam.






Ini adalah satu-satunya bangunan gereja yang telah dijadikan Masjid Kota Kinabalu (atas bukit). Asalnya gereja SDA Seven Days, pada tahun 80-an telah dibeli oleh Tun Mustapha lalu dijadikan Masjid. Sekarang dijadikan lokasi sementara Pusat Tahfiz As-Syatibiyah di Bandaraya Kota Kinabalu




















Bila ada asanya yang kan baamal jariah, Sumbangan boleh disalurkan melalui MAYBANK2U ke dalam akaun PUSAT PENGAJIAN TAHFIZ AL-QURAN AS-SYATIBIYAH
NOMBOR AKAUN MAYBANK : 160214045547
Dan letakkan alamat email assyatibiyah@gmail.com

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Sunday, September 13, 2009

PUASA ENAM HARI BULAN SYAWAL

Maklumat dibawah ini dipetik dari laman web Jabatan Mufti Kerajaan Negeri, Negeri Sembilan Darul Khusus

1. Apakah fadhilat puasa enam hari bulan Syawal?

Sunat puasa enam ini berdasarkan sabda Baginda yang maksudnya :

" Sesiapa yang berpuasa Ramadan kemudian diikuti dengan puasa enam hari pada bulan Syawal, seolah-olah dia berpuasa sepanjang tahun." (Hadis riwayat Muslim).

Mengerjakan puasa sunat sebanyak enam hari dalam bulan Syawal setelah berpuasa Ramadan sebulan penuh diibaratkan oleh Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam sebagai berpuasa sepanjang tahun kerana sebulan puasa Ramadan itu menyamai puasa sepuluh bulan dan puasa enam pula menyamai dengan 60 hari atau dua bulan. Jika dicampurkan sepuluh bulan dengan dua bulan, maka genaplah ia setahun, itulah yang dimaksudkan dengan puasa sepanjang tahun. Perkara ini dijelaskan lagi dalam sebuah hadis, sabda Baginda yang maksudnya :


"Berpuasa sebulan (disamakan) dengan sepuluh bulan puasa, dan berpuasa enam hari selepasnya (disamakan) dengan dua bulan puasa, maka kedua-duanya itu (jika dicampurkan) genap setahun." (Hadis riwayat Al-Darimi).


Berdasarkan hadis di atas juga, sebahagian ulama menjelaskan bahawa puasa enam hari dalam bulan Syawal diberikan ganjaran yang sama dengan ganjaran puasa di bulan Ramadan, kerana setiap kebajikan itu dibalas atau diberikan dengan sepuluh kali ganda. Sebagaimana juga mereka mengatakan : "Membaca Surah Al-Ikhlas itu sama dengan membaca sepertiga Al-Quran.

Sabda Rasulullah saw,

Yang bermaksud, "Sesiapa yang berpuasa Ramadan kemudian diikuti dengan puasa enam hari pada bulan Syawal, keluar (dihapus) dosanya seolah-olah dia baru dilahirkan oleh ibunya.

2. Seseorang mukmin yang mengqada'kan puasa fardhu dalam bulan Syawal untuk tujuan dapat fadhilat puasa enam hari dalam bulan Syawal, bagaimana pandangan Islam tentang perkara ini?

Bagi sesiapa yang mengqada'kan puasa fardhu dalam bulan Syawal akan mendapat puasa enam hari dalam bulan Syawal sekalipun dengan niat qada' sahaja. Sekiranya dia berniat qada' berasingan dengan niat puasa enam hari bulan Syawal itu adalah Afdhal.


Hal ini ditasybihkan dengan pendapat tentang solat sunat Tahiyyat al-Masjid. Seseorang itu memperolehinya sama ada dengan solat fardhu atau solat sunat yang lain sekalipun tidak berniat solat Tahiyyat al-Masjid Tahiyyat al-Masjid.

3. Seseorang muslim yang sedang berpuasa sunat enam hari di bulan Syawal pada waktu yang sama dia meraikan Aidil Fitri (ziarah atas undangan atau menyambut tetamu) dalam keadaan dirinya berpuasa, bagaimana penyelesaian yang Islam anjurkan untuk dua keadaan ini?

Sebagai maklumat awal:

• i. Haram berpuasa pada awal Syawal. Sehubungan dengan itu, kebanyakan orang mengambil peluang pada hari tersebut untuk memenuhi undangan dan berziarah.

• ii. Puasa sunat enam hari bulan Syawal boleh dilakukan secara berturut-turut atau berasingan dalam bulan Syawal.

• iii. Ia merupakan puasa sunat dan bukannya wajib.

• iv. Bagi seorang isteri perlu mendapatkan keizinan daripada suaminya.


Sekiranya dia didatangi tetamu hendaklah dia meraikan tetamunya. Sunat dia berbuka puasa sunat tersebut. Hal ini sebagaimana sabda Rasulullah,

Yang bermaksud, Sesiapa beriman dengan Allah dan Hari Qiamat maka muliakanlah tetamunya.

Ini kerana tetamu yang datang membawa rezeki kepada tuan rumah. Sabda Rasulullah,


Yang bermaksud, Wahai manusia! Janganlah kamu membenci kehadiran tetamu. Sesungguhnya mereka datang membawa rezeki dan apabila keluar (pulang) membawa dosa ahli rumah tersebut keluar.

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Monday, September 7, 2009

MENYEMPURNAKAN ZAKAT FITRAH






"Rasulullah SAW telah mewajibkan zakat Fitrah sebagai pembersih bagi orang-orang yang berpuasa dari perbuatan yang tidak berguna dan dosa serta sebagai makanan bagi orang-orang miskin”







Oleh: Wan Marzuki Wan Ramli

Seiring dengan kedatangan Ramadhan Al-Mubarak, salah satu lagi kewajipan umat Islam adalah mengeluarkan zakat. Pensyariatannya telah ditetapkan oleh Islam sejak diutuskan baginda Rasulullah SAW lagi.

Seseorang muslim yag melaksanakan kewajipam berzakat ini sebenarnya akan merasa lebih tenang dan damai hatinya kerana telah berjaya melalui proses pensucian dengan mengeluarkan sebahagian hak Allah yang diamanahkan kepada sipemiliknya kepada sebahagian individu lain yang memerlukannya.

Zakat fitrah hukumnya fardu ain ke atas setiap umat Islam yang cukup syarat-syaratnya. Jumlah zakat adalah bersamaan sekilogram dari makanan yang mengenyangkan bagi sesebuah negara. Bagi kita di Malaysia sudah tentulah beras kerana ianya menjadi makanan ruji semua penduduknya.

Waktu-waktu tertentu umat Islam mengeluarkan zakat fitrah adalah seperti berikut:

- Waktu Harus dari awal bulan Ramadhan hingga akhir bulan tersebut.

- Waktu Wajib ialah selepas terbenamnya matahari pada hari akhir Ramadhan.

- Waktu yang paling afdal pula ialah selepas solat Subuh pada hari terakhir Ramadhan.

- Waktu Makruh ialah selepas terbenamnya matahari pada hari raya Aidilfitri.

Dalil pensyariatan zakat fitrah antaranya ialah sabda Rasulullah SAW dari riwayat Abi Daud yang bermaksud: Rasulullah SAW telah mewajibkan zakat Fitrah sebagai pembersih bagi orang-orang yang berpuasa dari perbuatan yang tidak berguna dan dosa serta sebagai makanan bagi orang-orang miskin”

Dalam al-Quran pula Allah Taala telah berfirman dalam surah at-Taubah ayat 103 yang bermaksud: ”Ambillah sedekah atau zakat dari sebahagian harta mereka, dan berdoalah sesungguhnya doa kamu itu (menjadi ) ketenteraman jiwa bagi mereka. Dan Allah Maha Mendengar lagi Maha Mengetahui.”

Orang-orang yang berhak menerima zakat pula adalah seperti berikut:

Orang-orang miskin yang mempunyai harta sebanyak satu keperluannya atau tidak mencukupi

- Amil, iaitu orang yang dilantik untuk menguruskan pungutan dan pembahagian zakat.

- Muallaf, iaitu orang yang baru memeluk agama Islam.

- Hamba, iaitu orang yang mahu menebus diri dari tuannya.

- Orang yang berhutang dan hutang itu bukan untuk tujuan maksiat tetapi untuk kepentingan masyarakat dan keperluan hidupnya.

- Untuk kegunaan pada jalan Allah (Fi Sabilillah), iaitu bagi setiap tentera yang berjuang kerana Allah atau kegiatan amal seperti membina masjid, rumah anak yatim dan sebagainya.


Zakat Fitrah Fixed At RM5 To RM8 Nationwide
Thursday, 20 August 2009 22:19

The zakat fitrah (tithe payment per person in Ramadan) rates have been fixed at RM5 to RM8 nationwide, depending on the price of rice in the market.

Selangor, Perak, Kedah and Penang have set the rate at RM7 per person.


The increase in Selangor is by RM1.80 from RM5.20 last year, with the State Islamic Religious Department (Mais) expecting to collect RM12 million from zakat this year.

Zakat fitrah per person is fixed according to the staple food item of a country and in Malaysia, it is equivalent to the price of 2.27kg of rice.

In Terengganu, it is fixed at RM5, RM7 and RM8, depending on the price of the rice consumed. The rates were RM6, RM7 and RM8 last year.

The state’s religious authorities have appointed 1,247 amil (tithe collectors) this year.

Johor has set two rates, RM5 for those who consume the normal rice and RM7.50, the more expensive rice. Only one rate was set last year — at RM6.50.

The zakat fitrah in Sabah is RM6.60, Negeri Sembilan RM6.50, Melaka RM6.30, and Sarawak and Perlis, RM6.

Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam, who is also advisor to the State Islamic Religious Council (Main), said the rate was fixed based on the current price of the super local rice.

The zakat fitrah for Kelantan and the Federal Territories have not been announced.

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Friday, September 4, 2009

NUZUL al- Quran Dan Lailatul Qadar

NUZUL al- Quran Dan Lailatul Qadar

Sirah

Nuzul al-Quran dan Lailatul Qadar
Oleh; Dr. Samsu Adabi Mamat
Jabatan Pengajian Arab dan Tamadun Islam
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

Nuzul Al-Quran

Peristiwa nuzul al-Quran menjadi satu rakaman sejarah dalam kehidupan Nabi SAW hingga seterusnya berperingkat-peringkat menjadi lengkap sebagaimana kitab al-Quran yang ada pada kita hari ini. Peristiwa Nuzul al-Quran berlaku pada malam Jumaat, 17 Ramadan, tahun ke-41 daripada keputeraan Nabi Muhamad SAW. Perkataan ‘Nuzul’ bererti turun atau berpindah dari atas ke bawah. Bila disebut bahawa al-Quran adalah mukjizat terbesar Nabi SAW maka ianya memberi makna terlalu besar kepada umat Islam terutamanya yang serius memikirkan rahsia al-Quran.

‘Al-Quran’ bererti bacaan atau himpunan. Di dalamnya terhimpun ayat yang menjelaskan pelbagai perkara meliputi soal tauhid, ibadat, jinayat, muamalat, sains, teknologi dan sebagainya. Kalimah al-Quran, sering dicantumkan dengan rangkai kata ‘al-Quran mukjizat akhir zaman’ atau ‘al-Quran yang mempunyai mukjizat’. Malah inilah sebenarnya kelebihan al-Quran tidak ada satu perkara pun yang dicuaikan atau tertinggal di dalam al-Quran. Dengan lain perkataan segalanya terdapat di dalam al-Quran. Firman Allah:

Dan tidak seekor pun binatang yang melata di bumi, dan tidak seekor pun burung yang terbang dengan kedua sayapnya, melainkan mereka umat-umat seperti kamu. Tiada Kami tinggalkan sesuatu pun di dalam kitab Al-Quran ini; kemudian mereka semuanya akan dihimpunkan kepada Tuhan mereka (untuk dihisab dan menerima balasan). (Al-An’am:38)

al-Quran adalah hidayah, rahmat, syifa, nur, furqan dan pemberi penjelasan bagi manusia.. Segala isi kandungan al-Quran itu benar. Al-Quran juga dikenali sebagai Al-Nur bererti cahaya yang menerangi, al-Furqan bererti yang dapat membezakan di antara yang hak dan batil dan al-Zikr pula bermaksud yang memberi peringatan.

Dalam sejarah kehidupan Nabi SAW ayat al-Quran yang mula-mula diturunkan Allah kepada Nabi Muhammad SAW melalui perantaraan malaikat Jibrail ialah lima ayat pertama daripada surah Al-‘Alaq. maksudnya:

”Bacalah (wahai Muhammad) dengan nama Tuhan mu yang menciptakan (sekalian makhluk), Ia menciptakan manusia dari sebuku darah beku; Bacalah, dan Tuhan mu Yang Maha Pemurah, -Yang mengajar manusia melalui pena dan tulisan, -Ia mengajarkan manusia apa yang tidak diketahuinya.” (al-‘alaq:1-5)

Hubungan Lailatul Qadar dan Nuzul al-Quran

Lailatul Qadar pula ialah suatu malam pada bulan Ramadhan yang begitu istimewa sekali fadilatnya. Malam al-Qadar adalah suatu malam yang biasanya berlaku pada 10 akhir Ramadhan dan amalan pada malam itu lebih baik baik dari 1000 bulan.

Apakah kaitannya malam al-Qadar dengan nuzul al-Quran? Sebenarnya al-Quran dan malam Lailatulqadar mempunyai hubungan yang rapat antara satu sama lain sebagaimana yang diterangkan di dalam kitab Allah dan hadis Rasulullah SAW di antaranya firman Allah SWT

Maksudnya: Sesungguhnya Kami telah menurunkan (Al-Quran) ini pada Malam Lailatul-Qadar, Dan apa jalannya engkau dapat mengetahui apa dia kebesaran Malam Lailatul-Qadar itu? Malam Lailatul-Qadar lebih baik daripada seribu bulan. Pada Malam itu, turun malaikat dan Jibril dengan izin Tuhan mereka, kerana membawa segala perkara (yang ditakdirkan berlakunya pada tahun yang berikut); Sejahteralah Malam (yang berkat) itu hingga terbit fajar! (al-Qadar:1-5)

Mengikut satu pandangan, ayat ini diturunkan berdasarkan satu riwayat dari Ali bin Aurah, pada satu hari Rasulullah SAW telah menyebut 4 orang Bani Israel yang telah beribadah kepada Allah selama 80 tahun. Mereka sedikit pun tidak derhaka kepada Allah, lalu para sahabat kagum dengan perbuatan mereka itu. Jibril datang memberitahu kepada Rasulullah SAW menyatakan bahawa Allah SWT menurunkan yang lebih baik dari amalan mereka. Jibril pun membaca surah al-Qadar dan Jibril berkata kepada Rasulullah ayat ini lebih baik daripada apa yang engkau kagumkan ini menjadikan Rasulullah SAW dan para sahabat amat gembira.

Dalam hadis yang lain Aishah juga meriwayatkan bahawa Rasulullah SAW bersabda bersedialah dengan bersungguh-sungguh untuk menemui malam Lailatul qadar pada malam-malam yang ganjil dalam 10 malam yang akhir daripada bulan Ramadhan.

Panduan

Dari maklumat serba sedikit di atas tadi sebenarnya banyak boleh dijadikan panduan kepada umat Islam seluruhnya. Antara panduan berkenaan ialah seperti:

1. Tidak ada perkara yang tidak terdapat dalam al-Quran

2. Ayat pertama diturunkan ialah ‘iqra’ iaitu ‘baca’ dan Tuhan mengajarkan manusia melalui perantaraan Pena dan Tulisan.

3. Kelemahan umat Nabi Muhammad beribadat maka dianugerahkan satu masa yang apabila kita mendapatkannya kita akan digandakan pahala melebihi seribu bulan.

Apabila disebutkan bahawa tidak ada perkara yang tidak terdapat di dalam al-Quran itu maka ianya memberikan makna bahawa segala ilmu pengetahuan yang merangkumi fardu ‘ain dan fardu kifayah dalam segenap aspek kehidupan merangkumi ekonomi, sosial, perundangan, pendidikan, sains dan teknologi dan lain-lain, segalanya terdapat dalam al-Quran. Tafsiran, kupasan analisa dan penyelidikan membolehkan umat Islam maju mendahului umat-umat lain di dunia ini.

Manakala penurunan al-Quran pula didahului dengan suatu kalimah ‘iqra’’ iaitu ‘baca’ di mana membaca adalah kunci kepada penerokaan ilmu. Selepas itu pula Allah mengiringi dengan ayat yang bermaksud; Yang mengajar manusia melalui pena dan tulisan, -Ia mengajarkan manusia apa yang tidak diketahuinya.” Keadaan ini menguatkan lagi bahawa pembacaan dan penulisan itu menjadi antara perkara yang paling penting dalam penguasaan ilmu pengetahuan. Di mana sebagaimana diketahui umum melalui satu ungkapan bahawa: “ilmu pengetahuan dan teknologi itu adalah kuasa”.

Perkara ketiga ialah hikmah dari anugerah malam al-qadar kepada umat Nabi Muhammad SAW sebagai umat akhir zaman. Mengetahui kelemahan umat Islam akhir zaman ini dalam beribadah maka dianugerahkan satu peluang di mana ibadah yang dilaksanakan pada malam itu digandakan sehingga 1000 bulan. Bermakna kiranya kita dapat melaksanakan ibadah dengan penuh keimanan di 10 akhir Ramadhan, kita akan berpeluang mendapat malam al-Qadar. Ini akan menjadikan kita seolah-olah beramal ibadah selama 1000 bulan iaitu sekitar 83 tahun. Menjadikan kita seolah-olahnya menghabiskan seluruh hidup kita dan usia kita dalam ibadah.

Bagi mencari malam-malam yang berkemungkinan sebagai malam al-qadar, maka kalangan ulama ada menyatakan bahawa, malam-malam yang ganjil yang tersebut ialah malam 21, 23, 25, 27 & 29 dari bulan Ramadhan. Dalam pada itu terdapat juga beberapa hadis yang menyatakan bahawa malam al-qadar itu pernah ditemui dalam zaman Rasulullah SAW pada malam 21 Ramadhan. Pernah juga ditemui pada malam 23 Ramadhan. Terdapat juga hadis yang mengatakan bahawa baginda Rasulullah SAW. menjawab pertanyaan seorang sahabat yang bertanya mengenai masa Lailatulqadar supaya ianya bersedia dan menghayatinya. Baginda menjelaskan malam Lailatulqadar itu adalah malam 27 Ramadhan. Dari keterangan-keterangan di atas dapatlah kita membuat kesimpulan bahawa malam Lailatulqadar itu berpindah dari satu tahun ke satu tahun yang lain di dalam lingkungan 10 malam yang akhir dari bulan Ramadhan. Yang pastinya bahawa masa berlakunya malam Lailatulqadar itu tetap dirahsiakan oleh Allah SWT supaya setiap umat Islam menghayati 10 malam yang akhir daripada Ramadhan dengan amal ibadat. Dengan beribadah di sepuluh malam terakhir itu, mudah-mudahan akan dapat menemuinya sebagai bekalan kehidupan akhirat.

Kesimpulan

Sebagai kesimpulannya marilah kita sama-sama menghayati nuzul al-Quran ini sebagai suatu peristiwa besar yang penuh makna dan hikmah. Kita seharusnya melihat al-Quran itu sebagai ‘kitab induk’ panduan Ilmu pengetahuan untuk memajukan manusia seluruhnya. Memajukan manusia yang lebih penting adalah memajukan umat Islam terlebih dahulu melalui penguasaan ilmu pengetahuan dan teknologi. Membaca al-Quran itu adalah suatu ibadah. Sekarang bolehlah kita panjangkan ‘membaca’ al-Quran itu kepada menganalisa, mengkaji, menyelidiki dan mencari rahsia ilmu pengetahuan di dalam al-Quran dan seterusnya menghasilkan penulisan-penulisan yang akhirnya memajukan dunia ini dan khasnya memajukan umat Islam dan seterusnya mengeluarkan umat Islam dari belenggu kelemahan dan penghinaan. Umat Islam juga perlu mempertingkatkan amal ibadah terutamanya mengejar anugerah Tuhan yang tidak terhingga kepada umat Islam akhir zaman. Beribadah di 10 akhir Ramadhan memberikan kita peluang keemasan ganjaran pahala seolah-olah beribadah sepanjang hidup kita iaitu 1000 bulan (sekitar 83 tahun).

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Tuesday, September 1, 2009










Surah Yunus Ayat 37 yang bermaksud, Al-Qur'an ini tidak mungkin diada-adakan oleh selain daripada Allah, tetapi ia adalah satu pengesahan bagi apa yang sebelumnya, dan satu penjelasan Kitab, yang di dalamnya tiada keraguan, daripada Pemelihara semua alam. - Surah Yunus Ayat 37


Surat Toha Ayat 2 yang bermaksudnya, Kami tidak menurunkan al-Qur'an kepada kamu supaya kamu menjadi sengsara. - Surat Toha ayat 2

Artikal-artikal Terbaru di Fast Forward

Berikut adalah artikal-artikal terbaru yang saya tampilkan di blog saya http://darahkedayan.blogspot.com/

1. Panduan Sembahyang Sunat Tarawih
2. Lafaz Takbir Raya
3. Sebuah Puisi Indah Nukilan Sdra Hipani Alwi dan
4. ANUGERAH ILAHI TERISTIMEWA DI BULAN RAMADAN AL-MUBARAK

Sila klik disini.

Coldest, driest, calmest place on Earth found

Coldest, driest, calmest place on Earth found
It's at bottom of the world, more than 13,000 feet high on Antarctic Plateau



updated 8:56 p.m. ET Aug. 31, 2009



Chinese researchers survey Dome A in the Antarctic, a geographical feature about 90 miles from Ridge A.






The search for the best observatory site in the world has led to the discovery of what is thought to be the coldest, driest, calmest place on Earth — a place where no human is thought to have ever set foot.

To search for the perfect site to take pictures of the heavens, a U.S.-Australian research team combined data from satellites, ground stations and climate models in a study to assess the many factors that affect astronomy — cloud cover, temperature, sky-brightness, water vapor, wind speeds and atmospheric turbulence.

The researchers pinpointed a site, known simply as Ridge A, that is 13,297 feet high up on the Antarctic Plateau on the continent at the bottom of the world.

The study revealed that Ridge A has an average winter temperature of minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 70 degrees Celsius) and an extremely low amount of water in the air.

The site is also extremely calm, which means that there is very little of the atmospheric turbulence that elsewhere makes stars appear to twinkle.

"It's so calm that there's almost no wind or weather there at all," said study leader Will Saunders, of the Anglo-Australian Observatory in Australia.

All these elements combine to make the perfect recipe for an astronomical observation post: "The astronomical images taken at Ridge A should be at least three times sharper than at the best sites currently used by astronomers," Saunders said. "Because the sky there is so much darker and drier, it means that a modestly sized telescope there would be as powerful as the largest telescopes anywhere else on earth."

The site would even be superior to the best existing observatories on high mountain tops in Hawaii and Chile, Saunders said. Researchers assert that a telescope at the site could take images nearly as good as those from the space-based Hubble telescope.

Located within the Australian Antarctic Territory, the site is 89 miles from an international robotic observatory and the proposed new Chinese "Kunlun" base at Dome A, a higher point on the Antarctic Plateau.

The finding was detailed on Aug. 31 in the Publications of the Astronomical Society.

Source : Please click here.