Haj rule-breakers could cost Malaysia its quota, minister warns
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Mohd Na'im Mokhtar said Saudi Arabia had previously suspended pilgrims from 14 countries due to visa violations.
'I have issued this warning many times before. Don't let our stubbornness in breaking rules set by the Saudi government to cause problems for other Haj pilgrims now and in the future.
'If this happens again, it's not just the individual who will face consequences, but the entire country may be affected. This includes a possible reduction or suspension of our Haj quota,' he told reporters after launching the Al-Falah Pavilion at the 46th Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair here today.
He was commenting on media reports that 63 Malaysians have been deported from Mecca since May 24 for not possessing valid Haj visas.
Mohd Na'im said such violations could also lead to severe consequences for the individuals involved, including fines of up to 100,000 Saudi riyals and being blacklisted from entering the kingdom for at least five years.
However, he said Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) has not received any official complaints regarding the deportations so far.
Meanwhile, on reports of alcohol parties held at two five-star hotels in Melaka, Mohd Na'im said such events were inappropriate under Islamic law, especially at hotels with halal certifications.
'The organisation of events that go against Islamic teachings such as this should be subject to action by the relevant authorities, especially the body that issued the halal certification,' he said.
Yesterday, Melaka Education, Higher Education and Religious Affairs Committee chairman Datuk Rahmad Mariman said the state Islamic Religious Department (JAIM) had revoked the Malaysian Halal Certification (SPHM) for two hotels in Banda Hilir, after they were found to have hosted alcohol parties two weeks ago. — Bernama
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Even if our balance of trade is in favour of the US – as with Australia, Singapore, and Brazil – we'd still be hit by tariffs under one pretext or another. Trump is not beyond tearing up trade agreements he doesn't like, even those that he himself had signed earlier. Why? Because in spite of all the claims about fixing the balance of trade, the main reasons tariffs are being imposed by the US are quite simple. One is that Trump is a bully who enjoys the disruption he creates. He gets people all worked up in an uproar and then sits back and enjoys the spectacle. Once that has become normalised, he'll do something even more outrageous. And the cycle repeats again and again. So, expect more outrageous claims and accusations and threats, whether about trade or about anything else at all. Using up all the oxygen in the room has worked for him before, and he's just replaying his old favourites. The other, even more important reason, is tariffs have become the ideological nirvana of the extreme right MAGA Americans. These people, many of whom actually regard taxation as theft by the state against its citizens, have already passed laws that'll bring down the taxes of the ultra-rich, who are often their supports or their donors. Back to the 19th century Meanwhile Trump has spoken about setting up an External Revenue Service to handle tariffs, much like the Internal Revenue Service that now handles income taxes. The goal is to reduce the income taxes to nothing, and derive all the revenue needed to run the country through tariffs alone. Everything else, such as bringing back manufacturing, is just a distraction, especially the outright lies that it's the foreign countries and not local US citizens and businesses who will actually pay the tariffs. The America that Trump wants to make great again isn't the America that sent men to the moon, or helped win World Wars I and II. He's harking all the way back to the 19th century, before income taxes were introduced, when tariffs were the government's chief revenue earner. So, tariffs would be imposed by Trump on other countries no matter what. That they would wreak havoc on the US and global economy is not something that keeps him awake at night. It is delusional to think we could sweet talk our way out of them. Here's a way forward we need to consider. No country has borne the brunt of the US's economic and political aggression more than their closest neighbour, Canada, which now faces multiple tariffs, including 50% tariffs on steel and aluminium – two of its biggest exports to the US. Such a level of tariffs would be devastating on Canada – but the country has recognised that danger early enough and is pivoting away from the US, to other more friendly parts of the world, especially Europe and Asia. 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