“If there is a need to appoint one, I would suggest non-partisan ulama, like Datuk Seri Harussani Zakaria.” KULIM-Bandar Baru Member of Parliament Zulkifli Noordin names the Perak mufti as his candidate of choice to lead Pakatan Rakyat. Zulkifli, no stranger to controversy, was responding to a blog posting by Datuk Zaid Ibrahim. Zaid had […]
Malaysia
A letter to readers
By Deborah LohDear reader… (© Cierpki / sxc.hu) Dear reader, The year is drawing to a close and it is giving me cause to reflect on our relationship. Thank you for your support as well as your criticism. There were times when it stung, but in the larger scheme of things, I hope it has made me […]
Sordid game of politics
By Farish NoorSILLY season seems to still be around in Malaysia. First we were forced to witness the spectacle of the bust-up that never was among MCA leaders. And last week, we were treated to a display of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) leaders posturing. First these leaders got on their respective soap-boxes to spout, only to step […]
Understanding our rights
By Deborah LohMyConstitution campaign logo (© MyConstitution / Facebook)PERAK. Party-hopping. Frogs. Who by now doesn’t know about the Perak constitutional crisis. Awareness has also been stirred about the right to freedom of association and the rights of voters to choose based on a candidate’s party. Federal-state relations are receiving prominence now that the opposition controls at least […]
Malaysian musicals rock
By Marina MahathirWHATEVER anyone wants to say about the Malaysian theatre scene, when it comes to musical theatre, I think we are getting somewhere. PGL the Musical promotional picture (source: pglthemusical.com.my) I have seen three different musicals at Istana Budaya — P Ramlee the Musical, Puteri Gunung Ledang (PGL) the Musical and lately, Cuci the Musical — […]
The confident Malay
By Deborah LohCorrected on 17 Nov 2009 at 11.30am DESPITE stepping down in 2008 as executive director of Sisters in Islam (SIS) which she co-founded and led for two decades, Zainah Anwar has not retired from her commitment to women’s rights and justice. Currently project director of Musawah, a global movement for equality and justice for Muslim […]
Keeping PR together
By Deborah LohDatuk Zaid Ibrahim DESPITE flare-ups in PAS and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Pakatan Rakyat (PR) is on track to becoming a formal coalition, says Datuk Zaid Ibrahim who was tasked with developing a common manifesto for the opposition coalition. PR’s application to be registered with the Registrar of Societies was submitted last week, and the […]
Yahudi, Islam dan kejujuran
Oleh Shanon ShahGary D Bouma“SAYA perlu jujur sepenuhnya apabila membincangkan siapa saya, kemusykilan dan kepercayaan saya, dan bukannya mempamerkan wajah Kristian atau sebagainya yang direka-reka,” kata Profesor Emeritus Gary D Bouma. “Jika saya tidak jujur, orang akan bertanya: Apa yang sedang disembunyikan?” Bouma ketika itu sedang berucap dalam Dialog Antara Agama Kelima anjuran kerajaan Australia di Perth […]
Torture by any other fashion
By Jacqueline Ann SurinIF we were to believe everything we read, one would think that torture or degrading behaviour, if done differently, would no longer constitute torture or degrading behaviour. Indeed, this is what Pahang’s Mufti Department would want Muslims and non-Muslims to believe. Scan of New Straits Times report on syariah caning On 26 Oct 2009, the […]
“Emerging dominance” of Islam in M’sia
By Shanon Shah and Koh Jun LinKUALA LUMPUR, 4 Nov 2009: Malaysia is a country witnessing the “emerging dominance” of Islam even though it was not always a Muslim-majority country, the chair of a United Nations (UN) body on inter-religious relations said. Gary D BoumaProfessor Emeritus Gary D Bouma¸ who is Unesco Chair in Inter-religious and Intercultural Relations — Asia Pacific, […]