The Malaysian Insider :: Features

Activity programmes do little to get kids moving, says study

Posted: 28 Sep 2012 11:01 PM PDT

A new British study finds that activity programmes for kids, such as extra-curricular exercise clubs, have little impact on children's overall daily activity, and hence on obesity rates. — Reuters pic

NEW YORK, Sept 29 — According to new research out this week, programmes designed to get kids moving have little impact on children's overall daily activity — with results equivalent to just an extra four minutes walking or running per day. To fend off soaring obesity rates, experts say that is clearly not enough.

Published in the British Medical Journal, the findings also showed that children who attended extra-curricular exercise clubs or PE classes did less activity at home afterwards.

Researchers from Plymouth University in the UK looked at 30 studies, involving more than 14,300 participants, that monitored activity levels of children under 16.

Brad Metcalf, lead author of the study, told the BBC that "extra-curricular PE lessons could often be far from energetic." He adds, "A PE lesson can be 10 minutes of running, 10 minutes of walking, and 20 minutes of standing in a queue waiting for your turn."

Also the BBC reports that kids may feel encouraged to snack more at home afterwards because they feel they have been more active, "or parents may decide not to take their children to the park because they believe they have already had their exercise for the day."

However new US research published this July in the journal Paediatrics finds that kids who play on several sports teams are nearly 40 per cent less likely to be obese. "Team sport participation had the strongest and most consistent inverse association with weight status," wrote researchers from the Hood Center for Children and Families at Dartmouth in Lebanon, New Hampshire.

In addition, the researchers also found that teens who walked or biked to school more than three days a week had a 33 per cent lower risk of obesity than those who took the bus or rode in a car.

The CDC in the US and NHS in the UK both recommend that school-aged children get at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. — Reuters

A letter from Indonesia: Shiites in Southeast Asia

Posted: 28 Sep 2012 07:45 PM PDT

A poster of Shiite leader Musa al-Sadr, who went missing in Libya in 1978, is seen in front of a poster of Pope Benedict XVI at roadside, — Reuters pic

SEPT 29 — Over Eid Fitri in Indonesia, news about the persecution of Shiite Muslims blared out daily in the Jakarta Post, Kompas and Jakarta Globe, to name a few. It has become more violent, and it is very surprising for a country like Indonesia, which has a reputation of being open-minded and inclusive. Over 80 per cent of Indonesians are Muslims, and many still practice animist rituals and beliefs alongside their Muslim faith, and there are reputedly many inter-faith marriages. The Shiite Muslim persecution could well be the unveiling of a new Muslim Indonesia, which is of intolerance.

On August 26, 2012, Shiites in East Java were chased out of their homes, torched, killed by machetes, and are now believed to be in hiding in nearby forests and other areas in Sampang, Madura. In spite of the violence they faced, the Shiites have expressed wanting to go back to work, and homes. They are not transplanted Indonesians from other areas; they were born and bred in Sampang. They're as native as a native can get, and yet their faith has ostracised a community against them.

United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is now in Jakarta for talks on the US-Indonesia Comprehenseive Partnership. The Human Rights Watch reported in its website on September 2, 2012, that "… (Clinton) should raise concerns about religious minorities and political prisoners with the Indonesian … and (she) should press the Indonesian government to take concrete steps to address rising religious intolerance," said John Sifton, Asia advocacy director. "Indonesia needs to recognize that oppressive laws and policies against religious minorities fuel violence and discrimination."

Indonesian authorities have failed to adequately address increasing incidents of mob violence by militant Islamist groups in Java and Sumatra against religious minorities, including the Ahmadiyah, Christians, and Shia Muslims, The Human Rights Watch stated.

Earlier this month, The Jakarta Post reported,"Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali says converting Shiite Muslims to the Sunni Islam followed by most Indonesians would be the best way to prevent violent outbreaks between the sects in Sampang, East Java." He referred to "the local religious leader in Ciaruteun village in Bogor, West Java, who persuaded 15 members of the minority Muslim Ahmadiyah sect in March 2011 to convert to the form of Islam practiced by most Indonesian Muslims."

For the layman seeking to understand the Shiite-Sunni divide, a good primer would be Reza Aslan's book, No God but God. In short, the divide is about familial politics versus the Caliphates. The divide began when followers of The Prophet Mohammaed (PBUH) disagreed on the leadership of Islam, upon the Prophet's death. Shiites believe that it should be Ali, the late Prophet's son-in-law, to take up the rein. This war still persists until today.

The Malaysian scenario

Now while it would seem that the Shiite Muslims of Indonesia are true Indonesians, what of the Shiites of Malaysia?

There is a small minority of Shiite Muslims (about 40,000 to 50,000) in Malaysia. Islam arrived in the country and around the region in the 12th century (or even as early as the seventh). Traders from India, Middle East and China came to trade, not conduct missionary work, though there were a few missionaries who came to the new land. Who can say that the traders were Sunni Muslims, when history has alluded that some of the traders themselves were recent converts? Shiite Muslims are not a contemporary phenomenon.

Now, what of the recent arrivals of Iranians and Iraqis who have been changing the food and neighbourhood landscapes? Middleeastern fare is popular with Malaysians and tourists, and areas like Ampang and Bukit Bintang, once the havens of Caucasian expatriates, is dotted with Arab supermarkets.

There are about 60,000 Iranians living in Malaysia, and according to Property Report Asia, are some of the biggest property buyers. Many participate in the Malaysian My Second Home Programme. With their arrival (and food palate), come a new life that Malaysian Muslims are not comfortable with. Many Iranians keep dogs. For the canine-phobic observant Malaysian Muslim, seeing a dog in the home of a Muslim is akin to seeing the devil. Our young women swoon over Middle Eastern men's exotic looks. Locals can't understand it.

Let us assume that some, if not many of these Persian residents are Shiite Muslims. Add ours to the fore. Consider these:

• What will the Malaysian government do now, when it is reliant on trade and business with these countries? Creating new mosques just for the Shiite foreigners is not a solution. That would be preferential treatment based on business.

• The government and Malaysians will now have to seriously consider assimilation. Will Malaysia practise selective migration - choosing only Sunni Muslim professionals such as doctors, lawyers and such - so that there is no divide among Sunni Muslim Malaysians?

• Does Malaysia focus on assimilation or integration? Is she able to when she cannot manage her own racial politics?

• Will the international Shiite community have access to our resources, which is denied to Malaysia's own Shiite Muslims?

• To integrate into Malaysian life, will intermarriage be allowed, especially with a Sunni Malaysian and Shiite expatriate/immigrant?

• Lastly, will Shiite Muslims in Malaysia be persuaded to convert to the Sunni path?

• While Indonesia Shiite Muslims want dialogue, it does not look that the Malaysian Shiite Community will be afforded an opportunity.

Sabtu, 29 September 2012

The Malaysian Insider :: Features

The Malaysian Insider :: Features

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