HARI Krismas menjelang tiba. Saya dapat merasakan kemeriahannya walaupun saya sedang berada di bandar Lumajang di Jawa Timur, yang jauh dari Jakarta. Di tepi-tepi jalan kelihatan ada yang menjual bahan-bahan perhiasan untuk pokok Krismas. Memandangkan 90% penduduk bandar ini adalah orang Islam, maka saya pun bertanya pada pasangan suami-isteri Muslim yang agak berumur sama ada [...]

A FEW weeks ago, I took an English friend to visit the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur before the zohor prayers. At the entrance, my friend, a practising Christian from the Church of England, was given a purple robe to wear — I assume because he was wearing knee-length shorts and I was in full-length [...]

TAN Sri Rafidah Aziz, 68, has been a towering figure in Malaysian politics for the past three decades. Born in Selama, Perak, in 1943, she became at age 30 Member of Parliament for Kuala Kangsar, and remains the incumbent. In 1987, she was appointed international trade and industry minister. Her political career has not been [...]

IF we were to believe everything the politicians are saying about hudud, we would come to three conclusions. One, that implementing the punishments prescribed under hudud is divine law that no Muslim can question, and hence is inevitable. Two, that hudud cannot be implemented in Malaysia because of the Federal Constitution and our multi-cultural composition. [...]

“SEKUMPULAN WANITA BERSKIRT MINI BERHIMPUN DI JAKARTA”, “PAKAI SKIRT BANTAH GABENOR” Bila baca tajuk berita sedemikian, imej apa yang terus terbayang di fikiran pembaca? Mungkinkah: “Whoo, perempuan seksi!” Atau: “Teruk betul wanita yang berdemo itu kerana pakai mini skirt.” Mungkin: “Inilah bila wanita kebaratan sangat…!” Tetapi, berapa ramai agaknya yang merasa mahu tahu isu apakah [...]

THE normative story of Malaysia goes something like this: in 1961, the newly independent Federation of Malaya’s Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, suggested the formation of a wider federation. This would consist of Malaya, Singapore, Brunei, Sarawak and Sabah. Malayans and Singaporeans agreed, but Sabahans and Sarawakians were not wholly convinced. Neighbouring Philippines objected, asserting [...]