SINGAPORE – Columnists and bloggers are calling him Singapore's Tiger Woods _ not for his golfing skills but for an extramarital affair that has tarnished the image of the city-state's most beloved film director.
On Thursday, in a news conference reminiscent of Wood's confession on live television last month, director Jack Neo, admitted to cheating on his wife, culminating a week of revelations about a two-year relationship Neo had with a 22-year-old model.
Other aspiring actresses and models, including a 16-year-old, have told local tabloids this week that Neo aggressively tried seducing them, including promising to make them stars in his movies.
"It's all my fault," Neo, 50, said before covering his face with his hands and crying. "Please give us a chance."
Neo's wife of 27 years, Irene, was by his side. She said she forgave her husband and would stay with him. She broke down after speaking and collapsed while walking away. She had to be carried from the stage amid a blaze of photographer's flash lights.
"I've already been hurt," she said through tears. "I really need your blessings."
Neo gained fame as a comedian on Singapore television in the 1990s and later directed popular Chinese and English-language movies _ such as "Money No Enough" and "I Not Stupid" _ that celebrated the importance of family among other topics.
His latest, "Being Human," opened in Singapore last week.
The government has recognized Neo with public service and cultural awards and he shares a blog with Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo, who wrote on Sunday that Singaporeans should "rally around Jack, his wife and his children."
Others have been quick to distance themselves from Neo. Mitsubishi Electric Asia on Wednesday dropped Neo as a spokesman for the company's StarMex air conditioners.
"It amounts to Singapore's very own version of the Tiger Woods sex scandal," said Chia Han Keong, a columnist at newspaper My Paper. "Just like Woods, his act of unfaithfulness to his wife has elicited far more reprehension than perhaps he would have expected."
Woods ended three months of silence last month and confirmed he had extramaritial affairs, at a televised public statement not attended by his wife, Elin. The golf superstar lost a number of advertising sponsors and says he is taking leave from the sport while working to save his marriage.
Neo's saga began Saturday when Wendy Chong, a model who had small roles in two Neo movies, told a Chinese-language tabloid she has been his girlfriend for two years and confronted Neo's wife last week.
"Aw come on, that girl is young enough to be your daughter," wrote blogger Victor Koo. "Jack seems to be playing Tiger Woods."
Newspapers have published allegations of more affairs and quoted actresses who say they spurned his advances.
Maelle Meurzec, 21, said that after a small role in Neo's 2004 movie I Do I Do, he bombarded her with text messages and told her to meet him at hotels.
She turned him down.
"This guy is supposedly promoting family values but he can't even hold himself back from sending text messages to a 16-year-old," Meurzec told the New Paper.
___
Associated Press writer Chun Han Wong contributed to this report.
Islam has taken a firm and decisive stance against Zina(fornication or adultery). Allah, the Almighty, commands in explicit and unequivocal words:(And come not near unto adultery. Lo!itis an abomination and an evil way)(Al-Isra’ 17: 32).
Thus, Islam not only prohibitsZina, but also closes all the avenues and means leading to it. This is achieved by prohibiting every step and means leading to stimulating desires, opening ways for illicit sexual relations between men and women, and promoting indecency and obscenity.
In his response to your question,Sheikh AhmadKutty, a senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:
Adultery in Islam is one of the most heinous and deadliest of sins. Its enormity can be gauged from the fact that it has often been conjoined in the Qur’an with the gravest of all sins:shirkor associating partners with Allah.
The enormity of this sin is no small measure due to its dire consequences affecting individuals, families, and societies. Among these are that it entails infidelity and erodes the trust and tranquility that are the foundations of a fulfilling family life; it dissipates one’s energies; it undermines peace at home; it corrodes the purity of one’s soul and hence destroys one’s faith; finally, it exposes the person to the wrath of Allah, thus resulting in eternal damnation.
It is no wonder then that Allah and His Messenger have sounded dire warnings against adultery in so many ways. To list only a few instances:
Allah says in the Qur’an,(And come not near unto adultery. Lo!itis an abomination and an evil way)(Al-Isra’ 17: 32).
(And the servants of the Beneficent) are those who do not invoke another god with Allah, and who do not…commit fornication/adultery, for whoever does that shall receive the penalty; for him shall the torment be doubled on the day of resurrection, and therein he shall abide forever, disgraced, save him who repents and believes and does good works; those, Allah shall change their misdeeds into good works. And Allah is Forgiving, Compassionate)(Al-Furqan: 68-70).
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,“Whoever guarantees me that he will guard his chastity, I will guarantee him Paradise”(Al-Bukhari).
AbuHurayrahreports that the Messenger of Allah said,“No one commits adultery while still remaining a believer, for faith is more precious unto Allah than such an evil act!”In another version, it is stated,“When a person commits adultery he casts away from his neck the bond that ties him to Islam; if, however, he repents, Allah will accept his repentance”(Al-Bukhari, Muslim, AbuDawud, An-Nisa’iand others).
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) further said:“[Under Islamic laws in an Islamic state] It is not lawful to shed the blood of a Muslim except for one of three sins: a married person committing fornication, and in just retribution for premeditated murder, and [for sin of treason involving] a person renouncing Islam, and thus leaving the community [to join the enemy camp in order to wage war against the faithful].”(Al-Bukhari, Muslim, AbuDawud,Tirmidhi, and An-Nasa’i)
During his ascension, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was escorted by Jibreel and shown different types of punishments meted out to those guilty of various major offenses. While recounting the various scenes shown to him, he said,“Then Jibreel took me and we passed by a group of people with terribly inflated bodies emitting worst foul smells just like that of open sewers; when I enquired who they were, he replied, ‘These are those who commit adultery!’”(IbnKhuzaymah)
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“Faith is like a shirt that Allah places on those He chooses; but whoever commits adultery his shirt will be taken off from him; if he were to repent sincerely, Allah will place it back on him.”(Al-Bayhaqi)
“There are three types of sinners that Allah will not speak to on the Day of Resurrection; neither He will purify them nor will He even look at them; rather they will suffer severe punishment: an older person who commits adultery, a king or ruler who lies to his subjects, and a poor person who acts arrogantly!”(Muslim and An-Nasa’i)
“When adultery becomes rampant in a nation Allah will expose them to His chastisement.”(AbuYa`la)
“When promiscuous behavior becomes rampant in a nation, Allah will send upon them such (strange) diseases that their own ancestors never heard of.”(At-Tabarani)
“There are seven categories of people who will be granted protection under the shade of Allah on the Day when there is no other shade;… among them is a young person who is seduced by a woman of great beauty and wealth and yet he rejected her advances saying ‘I fear Allah!’”(Al-Bukhariand Muslim)
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,“O mankind! Beware of fornication/adultery for it entails six dire consequences: three of them relating to this world and three to the next world. As for the three that are related to this world, they are the following: it removes the glow of one’s face, brings poverty, and reduces the life-span. As for its dire consequences in the next world they are: it brings down the wrath of Allah upon the person, subjects him to terrible reckoning, and finally casts him in hell-fire”(Al-Bayhaqi).
The enormity of this sin is no small measure due to its dire consequences affecting individuals, families, and societies. Among these are that it entails infidelity and erodes the trust and tranquility that are the foundations of a fulfilling family life; it dissipates one’s energies; it undermines peace at home; it corrodes the purity of one’s soul and hence destroys one’s faith; finally, it exposes the person to the wrath of Allah, thus resulting in eternal damnation.
It is no wonder then that Allah and His Messenger have sounded dire warnings against adultery in so many ways. To list only a few instances:
Allah says in the Qur’an,(And come not near unto adultery. Lo!itis an abomination and an evil way)(Al-Isra’ 17: 32).
(And the servants of the Beneficent) are those who do not invoke another god with Allah, and who do not…commit fornication/adultery, for whoever does that shall receive the penalty; for him shall the torment be doubled on the day of resurrection, and therein he shall abide forever, disgraced, save him who repents and believes and does good works; those, Allah shall change their misdeeds into good works. And Allah is Forgiving, Compassionate)(Al-Furqan: 68-70).
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,“Whoever guarantees me that he will guard his chastity, I will guarantee him Paradise”(Al-Bukhari).
AbuHurayrahreports that the Messenger of Allah said,“No one commits adultery while still remaining a believer, for faith is more precious unto Allah than such an evil act!”In another version, it is stated,“When a person commits adultery he casts away from his neck the bond that ties him to Islam; if, however, he repents, Allah will accept his repentance”(Al-Bukhari, Muslim, AbuDawud, An-Nisa’iand others).
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) further said:“[Under Islamic laws in an Islamic state] It is not lawful to shed the blood of a Muslim except for one of three sins: a married person committing fornication, and in just retribution for premeditated murder, and [for sin of treason involving] a person renouncing Islam, and thus leaving the community [to join the enemy camp in order to wage war against the faithful].”(Al-Bukhari, Muslim, AbuDawud,Tirmidhi, and An-Nasa’i)
During his ascension, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was escorted by Jibreel and shown different types of punishments meted out to those guilty of various major offenses. While recounting the various scenes shown to him, he said,“Then Jibreel took me and we passed by a group of people with terribly inflated bodies emitting worst foul smells just like that of open sewers; when I enquired who they were, he replied, ‘These are those who commit adultery!’”(IbnKhuzaymah)
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“Faith is like a shirt that Allah places on those He chooses; but whoever commits adultery his shirt will be taken off from him; if he were to repent sincerely, Allah will place it back on him.”(Al-Bayhaqi)
“There are three types of sinners that Allah will not speak to on the Day of Resurrection; neither He will purify them nor will He even look at them; rather they will suffer severe punishment: an older person who commits adultery, a king or ruler who lies to his subjects, and a poor person who acts arrogantly!”(Muslim and An-Nasa’i)
“When adultery becomes rampant in a nation Allah will expose them to His chastisement.”(AbuYa`la)
“When promiscuous behavior becomes rampant in a nation, Allah will send upon them such (strange) diseases that their own ancestors never heard of.”(At-Tabarani)
“There are seven categories of people who will be granted protection under the shade of Allah on the Day when there is no other shade;… among them is a young person who is seduced by a woman of great beauty and wealth and yet he rejected her advances saying ‘I fear Allah!’”(Al-Bukhariand Muslim)
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,“O mankind! Beware of fornication/adultery for it entails six dire consequences: three of them relating to this world and three to the next world. As for the three that are related to this world, they are the following: it removes the glow of one’s face, brings poverty, and reduces the life-span. As for its dire consequences in the next world they are: it brings down the wrath of Allah upon the person, subjects him to terrible reckoning, and finally casts him in hell-fire”(Al-Bayhaqi).
Read more:http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaE&cid=1119503548032#ixzz0hvx2VDEu
No comments:
Post a Comment