I had a security guard grab my camera and threaten to smash it up yesterday for taking a picture of some nuns in a supermarket. The impression I get is that paranoia and suspicion linger on, and that stuff like the above is emblematic of that. As is more often than not the case in this country, it doesn’t need to make rational sense to be a rule, and unlearning the mentality brought about by 50 years of repression is going to take some time…
So even when it’s not the West’s fault, it’s the west’s fault?Sounds like some general justifying their excesses in their own mind so they can get a good night’s sleep…
If you think the political order of the old royal Mandalas is in any way comparable to that of modern nation-states, you’re sorely mistaken. The level of consolidation and the perception of borders simply wasn’t as strong as one would expect to find in a modern nation-state in the westphalian mould.
Only mentioning 1961 in the 1st sentence, the beginning of Ne Win’s isolationist BSPP period does make these questions of ongoing conflicts seem unrelated to out side influences mainly the West and China.
An honest oversight again neglecting the impact of West useless careless post 1988 inputs.
A fact more pertinent to explaining Q1 & Q2.
As for Q3 & Q4 the tragedy of Kayin vs Bamar fate awaits if the West again resort to yesteryear picking on the paranoid leaders of Tamadaw.
The West a champion of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has a tremendous leverage to proper input this time that will assure the forces of cooperation outweigh armed conflict through relentless building up of a citizenry within.
Question:What & why will Tamadaw do next?
Answer: As always Tamadaw is meant to do again illustrated below
Why after so many long decades of raping the land and selling the timber, jade, gems,etc. cheap mainly to the Chinese together for mutual benefit, Than Shwe felt like fighting again?
And Than Shwe it is who makes major decisions. He simply draws somewhat larger area for his minions to work in to meet HIS objectives.
For example, Thein Sein would not even dare to look Than Shwe’s gradson right in the eyes, leave alone formulate all these policies without old man’s blessing or t at the very least tacit consent.
Like someone programs the “Sims” in “Sim City”, human are programmed not to be able to last long with evil intention or deeds. There is always a glaring defect in their plans. On the other hand human are not able to resist committing evil deeds either. Neat game, making/programming human.
That was well captured and used in Harry Potter stories where the most powerful, all-knowing,conquering Lord Voldemort was not capable of understanding “love” paving the way for his own exit.
After conquering and subjugating the people of Burma, the most powerful Lord Than Shwe cannot help making the mistake of putting into reality what he always felt was his due. Total obedience of all souls in the country Burma, especially those low life backward “ethnics” who do not deserve to have total ownership of the resources, waters, land and trade routes in their respective territory. And the Bamar Sit-tut is owned and operated by him and the people giving orders share his attitude.
In some sense, it was exactly the same mental or strategic defect as in 1991 election. We will let it be fair and open election because We WILL win.
For lesser mortals under Than Shwe it became clear quickly that BGF subjugation is not going to do well.
Yet more awash with promises money and usual false promises for power sharing to the elites within the armed groups,they were, quite admirably,able to buy out most of the armed groups, none of which are not even faintly democratic and a lot of them are not really even caring about the people they are supposed to represent.
Kachin does have the added issue of the “Dam” and the “Pipe”. Both are for the Chinese and by extension, the international business communities’ benefit.
If China goes down, The United States will go down. China just has a cold and now Australians are fighting each other for “job losses” in mining sector at this very minute.
In that sense, the Kachin are fighting the war against the rest of the world which does include Aung San Suu Kyi who has no objection whatsoever of the Pipe which is bisecting through the heart of the country like a dagger. Pipe with associated 50 or so battalions.
With the dam threatening to flood the ancestral lands larger than the size of Singapore, if KIA decides to join the other groups to sell out their own people and does not want to fight the Burmse Sit-tut, the Kachin people will.
Where does it lead?
One thing for sure. There is NO intention whatsoever of Than Shwe and the military to regard the “ethnic” as equal level human beings, ever, leave alone power sharing.
And they are very comfortable in their reckoning by tumultouopus cheering and support of the international players tripping over each other to pump Thein Sein’s blood-soaked hands holding the “Burma Entry” keys.
That ill intention of the international business communities will this time meet a different kind of response.From low land Burmese. And that will have effect on the way the Kachin issue ends up as well.
The Candlelight Protests and Lapadaung Demonstration, both of which gain nothing, are the hints.
The fact that all the “enlightened” people- politicians, journalists, etc are so excited about Obama and Clinton coming to Burma and average Joe on the street could not give a dog’s patoot is also a hint.
I am surprised that any discussion of natural resources and the development thereof was absent from your text (perhaps they were in the speech), because control of natural resources appears to me to underlie all four of your questions. Remember, this war started because of the Myitsone Dam. I realize that is not the sole cause, but it was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Kachins were losing their lands and livelihoods, the KIO/KIA had no choice but to oppose the Burmese military or lose their creditability with the Kachin people. The fighting quickly spread to the Northern Shan State, particularly the area where a gas pipeline to China is being built, and recently the Hpakant jade mines have been the scene of heavy fighting.
The military regime and any successor central government, whether headed by Thein Sein or Aung San Suu Kyi has to have access to the natural resources, not only in the Kachin region but in the other ethnic minority areas, to develop the country. Until those resources and also important trade routes are firmly under control, there is little incentive for the central government to stop fighting. Maybe that is part of the reason Aung San Suu Kyi hasn’t been that critical of the war; maybe she is not as idealistic as we thought.
If control of natural resources is one of the roots of this conflict, then I think the fourth question is somewhat irrelevant. I for one certainly hope that an end to this conflict will result an inclusion of the until now marginalized ethnic minorities in Burma’s political, cultural and economic structure, but history shows that increased democratization and economic opportunity can be expanded for one segment of a country’s population while simultaneously being denied to others. Look at the US. While political franchise and economic opportunity expanded for the white population, Native Americans were subjected to genocide and theft of land, African Americans were enslaved and their labor appropriated, and Chinese and Hispanics were exploited for the benefit of the dominant ethnic group. Looking at the recent US elections, one could make the argument that such a system still has widespread support. Why should we expect the Burmese to do better?
Haven’t you ever heard of King Anawyahtar’s First Burmese Empire, Bayinnaung’s Second, and Alaungphayar’s Third Burmese Empire.
You don’t need to go too far. Just visit Thai National Museum in Bangkok. Thailand was colonized by only one country, Burma. We Burmese already had had thousand years old country well before English came.
If you read any book about First Anglo-Burmese War (1824-26) written by British army officers, you will find they referred that war as a great war between two empires, Britsh and Burmese. Haven’t you ever heard about famous Burmese general Maha Bandoola.
Your remark that Burma wasn’t a consolidated political entity before British is totally false. That’s the problem with you so-called Westerner experts, badmouthing Burma though you don’t really know Burma that well!
I do not doubt that book critic Tim Rackett and book author Michael K. Jerryson could understand what they say or write to each other, because apparently they do from Rackett’s commentary on the very interestingly titled book “Buddhist Fury”.
But I must wonder whether Messrs. Rackett and Jerryson communicate to their wives (or family) at their dinner tables in their particularly convoluted ‘phd’ dictions and styles to get their days’ events told.
If the book is nonsense from the start, neither heavy breathing or really tedious grammar can make the nonsense disappear.
Why is it important to think outside the box, dogma and commonsense? Concepts and theory are necessary as a tool kit to tackle imortant problems not elitism or intellectual masturbation? I cannot stand post modernism personally I was raised on Foucault
Sorry if you feel offended. Apologies. There was no assumption of your own personal knowledge.
Simply to give some explanation because as you stated “many” do misunderstand the serious difference of the two belief systems, both called Buddhism.
For example, many were disappointed Dalai Lama did not intervene when there was Buddhist- Muslim clash happened in Burma, and is happening now.
Fact is Burmese Buddhist as a rule would not have in store much reverence to Dalai Lama even to the level of average “westerner”.
So it was intended for, and only for the people who might not know the differences, not meaning to imply any level of understanding various schools of Buddhism by the on going discussants or effect the line of reasoning’s of the main thread, hence eavesdropper.
Thaksin Shinawatra (the fugitive disgraced former Thai PM) and Hun Sen share one other dark predilection, in addition to both’s documented extra-judicial killing bent. Thaksin and Hun Sen are both hard-core practising Khmer voodooists. Could those dark voodoo spirits beckoned and sought by Thaksin/Hun Sen been partly responsible for the both leader’s extra-judicial killing rampage?
I think there was mis-understanding of the statement. Yes. One does not required to be Buddha to end the circle of birth at all. But Buddha as is accepted in the Theravada Buddhism are the very end of the circle for themselves. Four have been in this world. One more is to come.
But one dose not need to be a Buddha to end the circle. Right. and that was not the suggestion.
“The end of the monsoon season has seen the Burma Army repairing supply roads to their bases in Karen State. This has caused Karen army officers to question the strategy behind the rebuilding of the supply roads when the government is supposed to be withdrawing its troops from the region.
The Burma Army began repairing the transportation road into Thandaung Township, Karen State at the beginning of November.
A Karen National Union officer in its Brigade 2 confirmed with Karen News that the Burma Army’s Infantry Battalion 1, 5, and 35 and Light Infantry Battalion 108 have increased their presence in the region.
“LIB 108 is responsible for the road’s security while the other three Battalions are repairing the road. This is not a sign of (a ceasefire agreed) retreat. They are sending their rations as they did previously.”
The KNU Brigade 2 officer told Karen News that the Burma Army is resupplying instead of preparing for retreat as in the ceasefire agreement between KNU and the government.
The repaired road is 96 kilometers long, and the section between Taungoo-Bawgali-Maungtaikyi is complete.
Local villagers in the region said the Burma Army based in KNU controlled areas in Nyaunglebin and Papun are also repairing supply roads.
The Karen officers question the strategy behind the rebuilding of the supply roads when the government is supposed to be withdrawing troops.”
The idea of stirring up a hornets’ nest of 63 post-modernists fills me with childish glee. I’d be bitterly disappointed if it was only one of them clicking 63 times.
Being at a Thai university with many Muslim students, I asked them whether the food in the two big cafeterias is “halal” so that they can have their lunches and dinners there. They said, yes, it is. However, all the shops look just typically Thai from my perspective. And hygiene is certainly not their priority.
With the torrent of questions you pose, I gather you are deeply interested in the mechanics of halal certification. As someone who is not affiliated with Malaysia’s Halal certification board, I can share with you some basic ideas about what is involved.
For a product to be certified halal, elements, instruments, and storage involved in the making of the product must be free from impurity (or things that are considered haram). Workers in the manufacturing of halal products must also adhere to a strict code of hygiene and again be pure of impurities. Manufacturers must also obtain a halal license and maintain its validity throughout the production of its products.
I’m not sure if an actual imam would be involved. Mainly because an imam is a leader in prayer and not necessarily trained in the legalities, auditing, and certification minutiae of halal products.
I believe that there is a level of rationality in the elimination of doubt when it comes to the halal hygiene of the supply chain. So long as things – which includes the shelves they sit on in shops to the lorries that deliver the goods – are believed to not have come in contact with impurities. There is a way of dealing with cleaning impurities in Islam.
There is no hidden history of non-consummables that can be considered halal. Like I said in the article above, it’s a recent phenomenon brought upon by late capitalism and also by market opportunities opened up by transnational trade between Muslim countries. The industrial sophistication of the halal certification process can be attributed to this recent trend.
Make-up. Halal make-up has been in existence in Malaysia for decades. Think make-up slogans that assure you ‘tanpa was was’ or without moral doubt that has been around for a long time. Alcohol content in some make-up (and make-up removal) has got to do with it. There are certainly specific halal make-up brands in Malaysia, like Safi. International make-up companies are taking up the halal thing as well. There is a French perfume company whose name escapes me that produces only halal, alcohol-free perfume. So yes, you are able to find halal make-up internationally if you look hard enough.
Thanks Ohn for weighting-in on my comment. I do believe my addressee was “Annie” rather than “Ohn.” Annie was discussing about the Thai belief system which was misrepresented and I feel I must elucidate of what she has written.
Yes, I do aware of the Great Vehicle-Mahayana Buddhism. Many Western writers have misunderstood and mistook that Shakayamuni Buddha (in the tradition of the Mahayana) continues a perpetual rebirth. This notion is incorrect and even the Dalai Lama has acknowledged that Shakayamuni Buddha is not subject to the cycle of life and death. The Bodhisattvas, on the other hand, who are destining to become the next Buddha, are the one who are subjected to the cycle of rebirth at their own wills. Their goal is to help deliver all transient-being from the realm of suffering.
Now, please don’t assume that I am incapacitated. Your statement, “A simple intersession by (an) eavesdropper,” makes you sound like a bullying old harridan or a misguided elitist. I can choose to submit (to the Mandala) of whatever I see fit. However, it is the Mandala who will choose to publish my comments.
All that R.N. England said was that academic prose is often turgid, and the comment gets a red flag by NM readers? National sentiment can be mobilized in poisonous ways, and that is as true in Australia and Sri Lanka, suggests Bruce Kapferer (Legends of People, Myths of State, recently reissued). This happens on and off in Thailand, and in many other countries. I don’t know about finding the “cause” of this particular violence, the military made several outrageous moves and then the PM praised them for it. Pointing to Buddhism as implicated may simply make secularist westerners feel good about them selves.
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Does anybody know…
I had a security guard grab my camera and threaten to smash it up yesterday for taking a picture of some nuns in a supermarket. The impression I get is that paranoia and suspicion linger on, and that stuff like the above is emblematic of that. As is more often than not the case in this country, it doesn’t need to make rational sense to be a rule, and unlearning the mentality brought about by 50 years of repression is going to take some time…
Will Karen State go to war again?
So even when it’s not the West’s fault, it’s the west’s fault?Sounds like some general justifying their excesses in their own mind so they can get a good night’s sleep…
Will Karen State go to war again?
If you think the political order of the old royal Mandalas is in any way comparable to that of modern nation-states, you’re sorely mistaken. The level of consolidation and the perception of borders simply wasn’t as strong as one would expect to find in a modern nation-state in the westphalian mould.
Four questions about the Kachin war
Nich
Q1 & Q2 pertain to present quagmire.
Only mentioning 1961 in the 1st sentence, the beginning of Ne Win’s isolationist BSPP period does make these questions of ongoing conflicts seem unrelated to out side influences mainly the West and China.
An honest oversight again neglecting the impact of West useless careless post 1988 inputs.
A fact more pertinent to explaining Q1 & Q2.
As for Q3 & Q4 the tragedy of Kayin vs Bamar fate awaits if the West again resort to yesteryear picking on the paranoid leaders of Tamadaw.
The West a champion of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has a tremendous leverage to proper input this time that will assure the forces of cooperation outweigh armed conflict through relentless building up of a citizenry within.
Question:What & why will Tamadaw do next?
Answer: As always Tamadaw is meant to do again illustrated below
http://karennews.org/2012/11/burma-armys-road-repairs-raise-many-questions.html/
Four questions about the Kachin war
Questions one might certainly ask, Nich.
Why after so many long decades of raping the land and selling the timber, jade, gems,etc. cheap mainly to the Chinese together for mutual benefit, Than Shwe felt like fighting again?
And Than Shwe it is who makes major decisions. He simply draws somewhat larger area for his minions to work in to meet HIS objectives.
For example, Thein Sein would not even dare to look Than Shwe’s gradson right in the eyes, leave alone formulate all these policies without old man’s blessing or t at the very least tacit consent.
Like someone programs the “Sims” in “Sim City”, human are programmed not to be able to last long with evil intention or deeds. There is always a glaring defect in their plans. On the other hand human are not able to resist committing evil deeds either. Neat game, making/programming human.
That was well captured and used in Harry Potter stories where the most powerful, all-knowing,conquering Lord Voldemort was not capable of understanding “love” paving the way for his own exit.
After conquering and subjugating the people of Burma, the most powerful Lord Than Shwe cannot help making the mistake of putting into reality what he always felt was his due. Total obedience of all souls in the country Burma, especially those low life backward “ethnics” who do not deserve to have total ownership of the resources, waters, land and trade routes in their respective territory. And the Bamar Sit-tut is owned and operated by him and the people giving orders share his attitude.
In some sense, it was exactly the same mental or strategic defect as in 1991 election. We will let it be fair and open election because We WILL win.
For lesser mortals under Than Shwe it became clear quickly that BGF subjugation is not going to do well.
Yet more awash with promises money and usual false promises for power sharing to the elites within the armed groups,they were, quite admirably,able to buy out most of the armed groups, none of which are not even faintly democratic and a lot of them are not really even caring about the people they are supposed to represent.
Kachin does have the added issue of the “Dam” and the “Pipe”. Both are for the Chinese and by extension, the international business communities’ benefit.
If China goes down, The United States will go down. China just has a cold and now Australians are fighting each other for “job losses” in mining sector at this very minute.
In that sense, the Kachin are fighting the war against the rest of the world which does include Aung San Suu Kyi who has no objection whatsoever of the Pipe which is bisecting through the heart of the country like a dagger. Pipe with associated 50 or so battalions.
With the dam threatening to flood the ancestral lands larger than the size of Singapore, if KIA decides to join the other groups to sell out their own people and does not want to fight the Burmse Sit-tut, the Kachin people will.
Where does it lead?
One thing for sure. There is NO intention whatsoever of Than Shwe and the military to regard the “ethnic” as equal level human beings, ever, leave alone power sharing.
And they are very comfortable in their reckoning by tumultouopus cheering and support of the international players tripping over each other to pump Thein Sein’s blood-soaked hands holding the “Burma Entry” keys.
That ill intention of the international business communities will this time meet a different kind of response.From low land Burmese. And that will have effect on the way the Kachin issue ends up as well.
The Candlelight Protests and Lapadaung Demonstration, both of which gain nothing, are the hints.
The fact that all the “enlightened” people- politicians, journalists, etc are so excited about Obama and Clinton coming to Burma and average Joe on the street could not give a dog’s patoot is also a hint.
Does anybody know…
Maybe they were anticipating technology like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQIMGV5vtd4&feature=youtube_gdata_player ??
Does anybody know…
I’m not sure, but even the TSA is worried about them.
Four questions about the Kachin war
I am surprised that any discussion of natural resources and the development thereof was absent from your text (perhaps they were in the speech), because control of natural resources appears to me to underlie all four of your questions. Remember, this war started because of the Myitsone Dam. I realize that is not the sole cause, but it was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Kachins were losing their lands and livelihoods, the KIO/KIA had no choice but to oppose the Burmese military or lose their creditability with the Kachin people. The fighting quickly spread to the Northern Shan State, particularly the area where a gas pipeline to China is being built, and recently the Hpakant jade mines have been the scene of heavy fighting.
The military regime and any successor central government, whether headed by Thein Sein or Aung San Suu Kyi has to have access to the natural resources, not only in the Kachin region but in the other ethnic minority areas, to develop the country. Until those resources and also important trade routes are firmly under control, there is little incentive for the central government to stop fighting. Maybe that is part of the reason Aung San Suu Kyi hasn’t been that critical of the war; maybe she is not as idealistic as we thought.
If control of natural resources is one of the roots of this conflict, then I think the fourth question is somewhat irrelevant. I for one certainly hope that an end to this conflict will result an inclusion of the until now marginalized ethnic minorities in Burma’s political, cultural and economic structure, but history shows that increased democratization and economic opportunity can be expanded for one segment of a country’s population while simultaneously being denied to others. Look at the US. While political franchise and economic opportunity expanded for the white population, Native Americans were subjected to genocide and theft of land, African Americans were enslaved and their labor appropriated, and Chinese and Hispanics were exploited for the benefit of the dominant ethnic group. Looking at the recent US elections, one could make the argument that such a system still has widespread support. Why should we expect the Burmese to do better?
Will Karen State go to war again?
Haven’t you ever heard of King Anawyahtar’s First Burmese Empire, Bayinnaung’s Second, and Alaungphayar’s Third Burmese Empire.
You don’t need to go too far. Just visit Thai National Museum in Bangkok. Thailand was colonized by only one country, Burma. We Burmese already had had thousand years old country well before English came.
If you read any book about First Anglo-Burmese War (1824-26) written by British army officers, you will find they referred that war as a great war between two empires, Britsh and Burmese. Haven’t you ever heard about famous Burmese general Maha Bandoola.
Your remark that Burma wasn’t a consolidated political entity before British is totally false. That’s the problem with you so-called Westerner experts, badmouthing Burma though you don’t really know Burma that well!
Review of Buddhist Fury
I do not doubt that book critic Tim Rackett and book author Michael K. Jerryson could understand what they say or write to each other, because apparently they do from Rackett’s commentary on the very interestingly titled book “Buddhist Fury”.
But I must wonder whether Messrs. Rackett and Jerryson communicate to their wives (or family) at their dinner tables in their particularly convoluted ‘phd’ dictions and styles to get their days’ events told.
If the book is nonsense from the start, neither heavy breathing or really tedious grammar can make the nonsense disappear.
Review of Buddhist Fury
Why is it important to think outside the box, dogma and commonsense? Concepts and theory are necessary as a tool kit to tackle imortant problems not elitism or intellectual masturbation? I cannot stand post modernism personally I was raised on Foucault
The power of spirits
Sorry if you feel offended. Apologies. There was no assumption of your own personal knowledge.
Simply to give some explanation because as you stated “many” do misunderstand the serious difference of the two belief systems, both called Buddhism.
For example, many were disappointed Dalai Lama did not intervene when there was Buddhist- Muslim clash happened in Burma, and is happening now.
Fact is Burmese Buddhist as a rule would not have in store much reverence to Dalai Lama even to the level of average “westerner”.
So it was intended for, and only for the people who might not know the differences, not meaning to imply any level of understanding various schools of Buddhism by the on going discussants or effect the line of reasoning’s of the main thread, hence eavesdropper.
Cambodia’s death squads
Thaksin Shinawatra (the fugitive disgraced former Thai PM) and Hun Sen share one other dark predilection, in addition to both’s documented extra-judicial killing bent. Thaksin and Hun Sen are both hard-core practising Khmer voodooists. Could those dark voodoo spirits beckoned and sought by Thaksin/Hun Sen been partly responsible for the both leader’s extra-judicial killing rampage?
The power of spirits
I think there was mis-understanding of the statement. Yes. One does not required to be Buddha to end the circle of birth at all. But Buddha as is accepted in the Theravada Buddhism are the very end of the circle for themselves. Four have been in this world. One more is to come.
But one dose not need to be a Buddha to end the circle. Right. and that was not the suggestion.
Will Karen State go to war again?
Thought this was worth sharing. The Tatmadaw is digging in deep when they should be doing the exact opposite.
http://karennews.org/2012/11/burma-armys-road-repairs-raise-many-questions.html/
“The end of the monsoon season has seen the Burma Army repairing supply roads to their bases in Karen State. This has caused Karen army officers to question the strategy behind the rebuilding of the supply roads when the government is supposed to be withdrawing its troops from the region.
The Burma Army began repairing the transportation road into Thandaung Township, Karen State at the beginning of November.
A Karen National Union officer in its Brigade 2 confirmed with Karen News that the Burma Army’s Infantry Battalion 1, 5, and 35 and Light Infantry Battalion 108 have increased their presence in the region.
“LIB 108 is responsible for the road’s security while the other three Battalions are repairing the road. This is not a sign of (a ceasefire agreed) retreat. They are sending their rations as they did previously.”
The KNU Brigade 2 officer told Karen News that the Burma Army is resupplying instead of preparing for retreat as in the ceasefire agreement between KNU and the government.
The repaired road is 96 kilometers long, and the section between Taungoo-Bawgali-Maungtaikyi is complete.
Local villagers in the region said the Burma Army based in KNU controlled areas in Nyaunglebin and Papun are also repairing supply roads.
The Karen officers question the strategy behind the rebuilding of the supply roads when the government is supposed to be withdrawing troops.”
Review of Buddhist Fury
The idea of stirring up a hornets’ nest of 63 post-modernists fills me with childish glee. I’d be bitterly disappointed if it was only one of them clicking 63 times.
Malaysia’s commodified Islam
Being at a Thai university with many Muslim students, I asked them whether the food in the two big cafeterias is “halal” so that they can have their lunches and dinners there. They said, yes, it is. However, all the shops look just typically Thai from my perspective. And hygiene is certainly not their priority.
Malaysia’s commodified Islam
With the torrent of questions you pose, I gather you are deeply interested in the mechanics of halal certification. As someone who is not affiliated with Malaysia’s Halal certification board, I can share with you some basic ideas about what is involved.
For a product to be certified halal, elements, instruments, and storage involved in the making of the product must be free from impurity (or things that are considered haram). Workers in the manufacturing of halal products must also adhere to a strict code of hygiene and again be pure of impurities. Manufacturers must also obtain a halal license and maintain its validity throughout the production of its products.
I’m not sure if an actual imam would be involved. Mainly because an imam is a leader in prayer and not necessarily trained in the legalities, auditing, and certification minutiae of halal products.
I believe that there is a level of rationality in the elimination of doubt when it comes to the halal hygiene of the supply chain. So long as things – which includes the shelves they sit on in shops to the lorries that deliver the goods – are believed to not have come in contact with impurities. There is a way of dealing with cleaning impurities in Islam.
There is no hidden history of non-consummables that can be considered halal. Like I said in the article above, it’s a recent phenomenon brought upon by late capitalism and also by market opportunities opened up by transnational trade between Muslim countries. The industrial sophistication of the halal certification process can be attributed to this recent trend.
Make-up. Halal make-up has been in existence in Malaysia for decades. Think make-up slogans that assure you ‘tanpa was was’ or without moral doubt that has been around for a long time. Alcohol content in some make-up (and make-up removal) has got to do with it. There are certainly specific halal make-up brands in Malaysia, like Safi. International make-up companies are taking up the halal thing as well. There is a French perfume company whose name escapes me that produces only halal, alcohol-free perfume. So yes, you are able to find halal make-up internationally if you look hard enough.
The power of spirits
Thanks Ohn for weighting-in on my comment. I do believe my addressee was “Annie” rather than “Ohn.” Annie was discussing about the Thai belief system which was misrepresented and I feel I must elucidate of what she has written.
Yes, I do aware of the Great Vehicle-Mahayana Buddhism. Many Western writers have misunderstood and mistook that Shakayamuni Buddha (in the tradition of the Mahayana) continues a perpetual rebirth. This notion is incorrect and even the Dalai Lama has acknowledged that Shakayamuni Buddha is not subject to the cycle of life and death. The Bodhisattvas, on the other hand, who are destining to become the next Buddha, are the one who are subjected to the cycle of rebirth at their own wills. Their goal is to help deliver all transient-being from the realm of suffering.
Now, please don’t assume that I am incapacitated. Your statement, “A simple intersession by (an) eavesdropper,” makes you sound like a bullying old harridan or a misguided elitist. I can choose to submit (to the Mandala) of whatever I see fit. However, it is the Mandala who will choose to publish my comments.
-“All that is gold does not glitter”-G/G
Review of Buddhist Fury
All that R.N. England said was that academic prose is often turgid, and the comment gets a red flag by NM readers? National sentiment can be mobilized in poisonous ways, and that is as true in Australia and Sri Lanka, suggests Bruce Kapferer (Legends of People, Myths of State, recently reissued). This happens on and off in Thailand, and in many other countries. I don’t know about finding the “cause” of this particular violence, the military made several outrageous moves and then the PM praised them for it. Pointing to Buddhism as implicated may simply make secularist westerners feel good about them selves.