Christians have been told that they should turn the other cheek and adhere to the ban on the use of “Allah”. Some others have also opined that Christians should back down so that temperatures don’t rise any further over this contentious issue. But the “Allah” issue, if uncontested, has far wider ramifications for all Malaysians than just Christians losing their constitutional right to worship peacefully.
non-Muslims
“Allah”: The PR’s failure
Shape of a Pocket by Jacqueline Ann Surin
IT’S not hard at all to be distressed by the BN federal government over the way the “Allah” issue has developed. That said, following the Jais raid on the Bible Society of Malaysia, it is equally troubling to see the PR’s failure in demonstrating it will and can uphold non-Muslims’ constitutional rights.
Hudud and freedom of religion
Reductio ad Absurdum by Chan Kheng Hoe
MUCH has been said about hudud law. I take my hat off to Muslims who have come out openly to oppose its implementation. It must take a lot of courage to stand against conventional wisdom and religious teachings, and these people must be applauded. However, that does not make me anti-hudud. On the contrary, I […]
Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: De-politicising hudud
By Deborah Loh
HUDUD. One is either for or against its implementation in Malaysia – or so the prevailing political discourse goes. But what are we missing in between? Have proponents of hudud adequately justified their position, and how they would apply the Islamic penal code in today’s society? Can those who oppose it ever imagine a human […]
“Syariah court has no legitimacy for non-Muslims”
By Ding Jo-Ann
Corrected 11.35am on 25 Aug 2010 ON 20 Aug 2010, a three-person bench of the Court of Appeal unanimously denied the application of S Kaliammal, the widow of Mount Everest climber M Moorthy, to determine her late husband’s religious status. Moorthy passed away on 20 Dec 2005 after entering into a coma. Just before his […]
Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: Will PAS and Umno ever unite?
By Ding Jo-Ann
AS part of its “Malay unity” rhetoric, Umno has been making overtures to PAS once again to have unity talks. PAS was a component party of the Barisan Nasional from 1974 to 1978, before the cooperation broke down and PAS left the coalition to become part of the federal opposition. Despite being rebuffed, Umno continues […]
Non-Muslim rights: What Rais can do
By Teo Nie Ching
Umno leaders should stop pretending that they are sensitive to Chinese [Malaysian] rights. There are sufficient gambling avenues available to non-Muslims to indulge their habits. The non-Muslim communities have never requested for more opportunities to gamble. […]
PAS Supporters Club split
By Deborah LohKUALA LUMPUR, 4 June 2009: The PAS Supporters Club or Kelab Penyokong PAS (KPP) for non-Muslims has been separated into Indian and Chinese clubs, but this has not received final approval from the party’s central working committee. Outgoing PAS Youth chief Salahuddin Ayub said the separation was a trial to find the best mechanism for […]
PKR’s Zulkifli slams Gurdwara Council
By Zedeck SiewPETALING JAYA, 4 June 2009: PKR parliamentarian Zulkifli Noordin has slammed the Malaysian Gurdwaras Council for its statement criticising the syariah courts. “What people like (Malaysian Gurdwaras Council president) Jagir Singh need to do is to start learning to respect decisions of the Syariah Court, even if it is not in one’s favour,” said Zulkifli […]
Call for PAS supporters’ club to be legal entity in party
KOTA BARU, 3 June 2009: The PAS Supporters’ Club, whose members comprised non-Muslims, has called on the party’s spiritual leader, Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, to accept the club as a legal entity in PAS. Its deputy chairman, Yeap Kok Seng, said this was to avoid the forming of factions based on the ethnic […]
