The Court of Appeal’s ruling in support of the government’s ban on non-Muslims using “Allah” was not unexpected. Dr Wong Chin Huat spells out the judgment’s far-reaching implications and posits that Sabahans and Sarawakians are the ones who are now poised to show Putrajaya what Malaysia needs most.
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“Allah” issue: The battle over Bahasa
Work in Progress by Hwa Yue-YiThe “Allah” issue is likely to spark partisan jockeying and deep division until we build consensus on a fundamental question. Is our national language of Bahasa Melayu – or is it Bahasa Malaysia – the language of all Malaysians or does it just belong to those who profess Islam and practice Malay customs?
Seksualiti Merdeka: Threat to national security?
Holding Court by Ding Jo-AnnON 1 March 2012, the High Court dismissed Seksualiti Merdeka‘s leave application to judicially review a police ban on their annual festival. The November 2011 festival was banned under section 27A(1)(c) of the Police Act. The section (since superseded by the Peaceful Assembly Act) allowed the police to stop any activity on private premises “likely […]
Muslim women can’t join beauty pageants?’
By Ding Jo-Ann“Adalah haram bagi wanita Islam menyertai apa-apa jenis pertandingan ratu cantik.” Selangor fatwa gazetted 11 May 1995. (Source: e-fatwa.gov.my) Click on image for bigger version (Source: Ann Fiona Ratu Cantik 1Malaysia 2010, Utusan Malaysia, 24 May 2010) Read previous Found in Quotation The Nut Graph needs your support
Tracking Rais
By Deborah LohI THOUGHT of Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim the other day and reflected on the impact that man has in my life. He affects my work since I rely heavily on the internet. He affects my entertainment choices since I almost would not have been able to attend the Arthur’s […]
In limbo over Indonesian maids
KUALA LUMPUR, 4 Aug 2009: The uncertainty of getting Indonesian maids is causing much uneasiness among Malaysian women, who work outside the home, who have grown dependent on them. A random Bernama survey revealed that many women who earn a living outside the home have taken leave to tend to their homes while others are […]
Penang bans polystyrene at official events
PENANG, 15 June 2009: Penang has banned the use of polystyrene boxes and plates in all of its official functions. State executive councillor for health, welfare, caring society and environment, Phee Boon Poh, said the use of polystyrene boxes as food containers raised health as well as environmental concerns. Polystyrene boxes and plates could retain […]
Petition against PAS resolution faces glitch
PETALING JAYA, 15 June 2009: The online public petition that was launched last week to urge PAS to retract its call for action against Sisters in Islam (SIS) has been moved to another site because of technical glitches. SIS senior manager Maria Chin Abdullah said that people from different cities in the world had encountered […]
Zaid: SIS need not drop “Islam”
By Shanon ShahPETALING JAYA, 11 June 2009: Former Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Zaid Ibrahim has hit out at calls for Sisters in Islam (SIS) to drop “Islam” from its name. Zaid “Most probably those who make such demands are not familiar with SIS’s activities,” Zaid said in a posting on his blog today. He […]
PAS should accept diversity
By Ivy JosiahIS PAS ready for non-threatening, open dialogue with dissenting voices within civil society? The recent resolution by PAS to investigate and possibly ban the women’s rights group Sisters in Islam (SIS) suggests that PAS needs a reminder to react democratically to opposing views. This is not an unfamiliar call that civil society and political parties […]