MORAL policing of Muslims is unfortunately hardly new in Malaysia. But on 3 Aug 2011, the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) went a step further by entering the Petaling Jaya-based Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC), purportedly to investigate a complaint. Christian leaders and secular bodies such as the Bar Council and some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) [...]

Gurdwara Sahib Sentul was stoned and had a glass door damaged (Stock pic source: morguefile.com) THIS is not another commentary on “Allah” and its usage, nor is it about the attacks against churches, a Catholic school and a Sikh gurdwara after the issue spiralled out of control. It is instead about the private dilemma the [...]

THE “Allah” controversy and subsequent arson attacks on churches are making local and international headlines, casting a dark pall on Malaysia. In the face of this discord, a group of young people banded together in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, 9 Jan 2010, to spread a message of hope. They held placards that read “Everything’s gonna [...]

THE cowardly and utterly senseless act of a group of misguided, chauvinistic bigots in torching at least three churches in the Klang Valley this morning must be condemned in no uncertain terms by all peace-loving Malaysians. This act of arson, committed presumably in the name of Islam, desecrates the very religion it purports to protect. [...]

(Pic by Mateusz Stachowski / sxc.hu) NOW and then, journalists should engage in a little navel-gazing. Caught in the tide of chasing news deadlines, we forget to take time to question the methods we employ in news gathering, writing and presentation. What is at stake when we don’t question our own practices is our public [...]

PETALING JAYA, 13 July 2009: Al Islam magazine clearly violated journalistic ethics when it went undercover at a Catholic mass and partook of the holy communion, the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) said today. “I don’t question the subject matter of the story, which was about finding out about alleged conversions of Muslims to Christianity. [...]