Malaysia? BACK when he was deputy prime minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak pledged that Malaysia would become “a role model to the Islamic world”. He said this in the middle of the 2009 Kuala Terengganu by-election, which Najib’s Barisan Nasional (BN) eventually lost to Pakatan Rakyat (PR). Najib’s pledge was poetic, since a “role model” […]
islam
Confusion over ISA banner
By Shanon ShahPETALING JAYA, 26 March 2010: Two Muslim groups who are opposed to the Internal Security Act (ISA) are distancing themselves from a banner that implicates their endorsement of the Act. Jemaah Islah Malaysia (JIM) and the Malaysian Muslim Youth Movement (Abim) have both denied that they agreed to a banner which read, “ISA is the […]
Hee Loy Sian (PJ Selatan)
By Ding Jo-AnnPETALING Jaya Selatan Member of Parliament (MP) Hee Loy Sian’s response to the MP Watch: Eye on Parliament project, which asks all 222 MPs six questions. (source: parlimen.gov.my)Name: Hee Loy Sian Constituency: Petaling Jaya Selatan Party: PKR (Opposition) Years as MP: Since 2008 Government position: None Party position: Selangor vice-chairperson Central leadership council member Membership […]
Friday sermons to Islam’s rescue
By Shanon Shah“Marilah kita hidup di negara ini dengan hormat-menghormati antara satu sama lain. Budaya ini akan menjamin kesejahteraan dan kebahagiaan. Jika ada pihak lain yang tidak mahu hidup hormat-menghormati, sudah pasti akan berlaku kemungkinan permusuhan, pergaduhan dan pembunuhan yang pastinya kesemua sekali akan rugi negara akan musnah. Hentikanlah menghina Islam, kerana Islam adalah ciptaan Allah.” THE […]
The price of speaking up
By Jacqueline Ann Surin(Pic by circo de invierno @ Flickr) CONSIDER this. Despite the available evidence of Al Islam‘s unethical undercover report in which the magazine’s Muslim journalist spat out the holy communion to photograph, no action is going to be taken. The Attorney-General’s Chambers decided this despite the police reports and a memorandum lodged by Catholics about […]
Boon for upholding Islam
By Shanon Shah“I hope there will be no more issues arising from the caning sentence which can be imposed by the syariah court on Muslim women to protect the sanctity of Islam.” HOME Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, anticipating the public’s questions about the feasibility and fairness of the caning of three Muslim women for “illicit sex”, […]
Scholar: Don’t define ethnicity by religion
By Ding Jo-AnnMoucarryKUALA LUMPUR, 5 Mar 2010: Defining an ethnic group in religious terms can lead to oppression and arrogance, an Islamic studies expert said at a public lecture about Islam and Christianity in the Middle East. Speaking at an International Institute for Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS) lecture on 3 March, Dr Chawkat Moucarry said such definitions […]
Who speaks for Islam?
By Deborah LohCAN non-Muslims speak about Islam? For that matter, can faithful, practising but non-scholarly Muslims, or Muslim women, or Muslim human rights activists, speak about Islam? As long as the fundamentals of Islam are given due respect, can’t there be room for comment or to express concern about aspects in the implementation of Islamic law, which, […]
Perils of questioning Islam
By Shanon Shah“If Muslims themselves do not respect the decision by the syariah court and offer contradicting views on the matter, how do we make non-Muslims respect our laws[?]” SELANGOR mufti Datuk Mohd Tamyes Abdul Wahid, on why Muslims shouldn’t question the caning of Muslim women. (Source: Don’t question syariah caning sentence on women, New Straits Times, […]
Normalising caning
By Ding Jo-Ann and Patrick Kratzenstein(Corrected at 3:10pm, 8 March 2010) “The public and world community no longer needs to fear caning as a punishment under the syariah because it is not cruel but instead educates the offenders. It also provides awareness and teaches the offenders to repent and not repeat the acts.” Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, who […]