MALAYSIANS are no strangers to censorship. So many things get censored in this country, local or foreign: books, films, television shows, theatre performances. The items censored are sometimes perplexing. For example, current reruns of the 1990s family sitcom The Nanny on the Hallmark Channel are missing out on the slightly risqué jokes and overtly Jewish [...]

AH, the Islamic state. What is the Islamic state, actually? Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad once said Malaysia was one already. PAS disagrees and wants to turn Malaysia into a real Islamic state. The DAP staunchly does not want an Islamic state. And Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) … well, the PKR jury on [...]

BEFORE President Barack Obama, there was presidential candidate Rev Jesse L Jackson, Sr. Although the Baptist minister had previously worked for Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, many were sceptical of his chances when he wanted to run for US president in 1984. Observers — including from his Democratic Party — thought he would garner fringe [...]

Shirin Ebadi (all pics © Shahram Sharif / flickr) PETALING JAYA, 19 Dec 2008: Nobel Laureate Dr Shirin Ebadi has still not been re-invited to Malaysia despite Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim’s retraction of a ministry-recommended ban. “Absolutely nothing. We have not received any invitation, or oral or written, formal or informal apology [...]

KUALA LUMPUR, 11 Dec 2008: Malaysia might miss its chance to hear the first Muslim woman Nobel Peace laureate speak. None of the Malaysian universities appear keen to invite Shirin Ebadi, despite the Foreign Ministry retracting its ban on the Iranian lawyer and human rights activist from speaking here. Ebadi was to deliver a keynote [...]