(Source: openclipart.org) WHAT possessed them? That’s the question I’d like to ask the protesters who desecrated a cow head on 28 Aug 2009 after Friday prayers to object the building of a Hindu temple in Section 23, Shah Alam. We know that it’s not Islam that teaches intolerance of and disrespect toward other religious beliefs, […]
Muslims
Islamic vs liberal values
By Zedeck Siew“MALAYSIAN society is faced with a collision of values,” says new Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (Abim) president Muhamad Razak Idris. “There are two elements in this conflict. First, the rise of commitment to living according to Islamic religious values. Second, the increasing influence of liberal ideas, due to globalisation.” Razak, a lecturer at Universiti Kebangsaan […]
Whipping Kartika
By Deborah LohTHE Pahang Syariah High Court‘s sentencing of Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno to whipping and a RM5,000 fine for drinking beer has thrown up all kinds of issues. As pointed out by the Joint Action Group for Gender Equality (JAG) in a 25 Aug 2009 memorandum to the prime minister, “the implementation of these [syariah] laws […]
Merdeka and the Malay rulers
By Clive KesslerMap of Malaya (Source: britishempire.co.uk) LOOKING forward, at the conclusion of the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka’s recent Prof Syed Hussein Alatas Memorial Seminar, to Merdeka Day, the Raja Muda of Perak recalled another anniversary. On the threshold of independence on 5 Aug 1957, the Malay rulers issued a declaration, their last political testament before the […]
“I am an extremist”
By Wong Chin HuatJeff Ooi (Pic by Joi Ito / Wiki commons)I AM an extremist because I am a friend of Jemaah Islah Malaysia (JIM). In his capacity as the chief of staff for Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, DAP’s Jelutong Member of Parliament Jeff Ooi had called for Parti Keadilan Rakyat member Mohd Razali Abdullah to […]
The furore over Al Islam
By Deborah Loh(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 […]
Speed up talks on unity govt: Muhyiddin
Muhyiddin (File pic courtesy of theSun) KUALA KRAI, 19 June 2009: Umno wants talks on a unity government to be sped up and asks PAS leaders to forget past conflicts in the interest of the unity of Muslims in the country. Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said today he wanted the talks to […]
Najib: M’sia welcomes Obama’s plan
PUTRAJAYA, 11 June 2009: Although United States President Barack Obama is keen on forging closer relations with the Islamic world, what is important now is to take concrete actions to realise the plan, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. “I think his speech was good, but it is important to back it with concrete […]
Islamic state
By The Nut Graph teamAH, 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 […]
Islamic state, actually
By Shanon ShahPAS delegates lined up to salam with the incoming and outgoing leadership after the muktamar officially closed on 7 June 2009 WITH PAS, it was never really about “progressives” versus “conservatives”, or “professionals” versus “ulama”. It is, and always has been, about setting up an Islamic state. And so, given Malaysia’s dramatically shifting political landscape, […]
