PETALING JAYA, 21 July 2010: A landmark study on polygamy in Malaysia has cast doubt on whether husbands in polygamous marriages are able to treat their wives and children equally as intoned by the Quran. The study, conducted by Sisters in Islam in collaboration with academics from several local universities, found that while almost 80% […]
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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 […]
The role of intra-faith dialogue
By Shanon ShahWe need more intra-faith dialogue (© arte_ram / sxc.hu) DISCUSSIONS on religious issues, or a lack thereof, are increasingly defining public policy and society in Malaysia. A few key words are enough to jog memories — the cow-head protest, the whipping sentence on Muslims for drinking alcohol, Christians and the word “Allah”, concert banning, and […]
“Islamic focus on punishment misguided”
By Shanon ShahPERTH, 2 Nov 2009: The focus on punishment of personal sins in Islam is misguided, a professor of Islamic Studies said. SaeedProfessor Abdullah Saeed was partly referring to calls from certain Muslim groups to uphold the caning sentence on Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno in Malaysia for consuming alcohol. Saeed is currently the Sultan of Oman […]
A day with the “deviants”
By Shanon ShahCorrected at 4:30pm, 30 Sept 2009 “FROM what we see, Islam [in Malaysia] appears like a one-way religion. But in the Quran, it’s not like this. Even if someone apostates, it’s not another human being’s right to persecute them,” Ainul Yakin Muhd Zin, 41, tells The Nut Graph. Perhaps this is why the sect that […]
Upholding diversity in Islam
By Deborah LohDr Hamidah Marican SISTERS in Islam (SIS) has a new executive director, Dr Hamidah Marican, who took over the helm from Zainah Anwar on 6 July 2009. Over the past 21 years, the outspoken organisation which promotes justice and fairness in the name of Islam, has often been targeted for attacks by those who deem […]
Flipping on whipping
By Shanon Shah“The punishment must be more educational rather than causing hurt to a woman to make her reform… So far nobody, not even a male, has been whipped under the Syariah in Malaysia.” PAS central working committee member and Titiwangsa Member of Parliament Dr Lo’ Lo Mohamad Ghazali, on the Kuantan Syariah Court’s whipping sentence on […]
No medical evidence Saiful Bukhari was sodomised
By Zedeck Siew(Pic by Sanja Gjenero / sxc.hu) KUALA LUMPUR, 18 June 2009: A medical report by Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) has found no evidence of anal penetration of Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, raising real doubts about the credibility of his sodomy charge against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The findings of the report, disclosed by Anwar’s lawyers […]
Hudud, and more
By Yow Hong ChiehTHE current conversation about PAS’s plans for an Islamic state and the ipso facto imposition of syariah is incomplete. With everyone latching onto hudud as the locus for debate, it would seem the larger picture has been obscured somewhat. This inquiry into the implications of syariah will begin with an examination of a couple of […]
Nga: Reports for reciting Quranic verse baseless
IPOH, 7 April 2009: Perak DAP secretary Nga Kor Ming regards the police reports lodged against him for reciting a verse from the Quran at a ceramah in Bukit Gantang last Saturday, as baseless. “Islam is Malaysia’s official religion while the Quran contains invaluable knowledge. The Quran teaches mankind to be fair and compassionate,” he […]
