A real dialogue (All pics courtesy of Mas Hamzah) AS a Muslim foreigner coming to Malaysia from the Arab world, I was filled with curiosity and excitement at the chance to witness Islam in a country like Malaysia which we look up to as a developed, thriving Muslim country rich in cultural and religious diversity. [...]

Malaysians are being told to be afraid (© Marcelo Terraza / sxc.hu) “BE afraid. Be very afraid.” That, in essence, was what the protestors against a Hindu temple relocation in Shah Alam were saying. But they were not just saying it to their Hindu neighbours in Section 23, Shah Alam. They were also saying it [...]

THE Malaysian Bar is disappointed with Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein‘s response to the demonstration outside the Selangor secretariat building on 28 Aug 2009. By not denouncing the offensive actions of some of the demonstrators and instead accepting their weak explanation, he has trivialised the seriousness of the incident. It is also disquieting that [...]

Hindraf vigil on 27 Sept 2008 ON 25 Nov 2007, the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) burst into public consciousness through a mammoth street rally. Few doubt that Hindraf was pivotal in swinging Indian Malaysian votes away from the Barisan Nasional (BN) three months later in the March 2008 general election. On 2 July 2009, [...]

(Updated 30 April 2009, 12.35am) KUALA LUMPUR, 29 April 2009: The coalition of Muslim non-governmental organisations known as Pembela has described the cabinet decision against unilateral conversion of minors as “knee-jerk” and “lacking in sense”. “The decision only temporarily alleviates the anxieties of one party, but creates more anxieties and questions for other parties,” Pembela [...]

PETALING JAYA, 21 April 2009: The DAP wants the cabinet to discuss the issue of unilateral conversion of children to Islam by one parent, and for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to issue a policy statement about it. DAP national adviser Lim Kit Siang said the issue was an old one, and the failure [...]