Poster Pisau Cukur (Semua gambar oleh Red Films) “OH my Dior!” Saya tersenyum lebar seorang-seorang lepas menonton filem Pisau Cukur baru-baru ini. Mula-mula saya ragu-ragulah juga sebelum pergi ke panggung wayang. Terus terang saya nyatakan di sini, saya memang meminati karya gandingan Lina Tan (penerbit), Rafidah Abdullah (penulis) dan Bernard Chauly (pengarah). Malah, saya amat […]
Shanon Shah
In pursuit of censorship
By Shanon ShahMALAYSIANS 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 […]
We build this city
By Shanon ShahON 27 Oct 2009, four journalists — from the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia — were taken to dinner in Perth, Australia, by a representative of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Walking down the banks of the Swan River, the four, including this writer from The Nut Graph, could not stop remarking […]
The meaning of “Malay”
By Shanon ShahAnthony Milner“BIAR mati anak, jangan mati adat.” Quoting the Malay proverb that places culture above one’s child, Prof Anthony Milner argued on 21 Oct 2009 during a lecture in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) that Malay-ness was defined by civilisation, and not descent or bloodlines. The lecture by Milner, who is Basham Professor of Asian History […]
Yahudi, Islam dan kejujuran
Oleh Shanon ShahGary D Bouma“SAYA perlu jujur sepenuhnya apabila membincangkan siapa saya, kemusykilan dan kepercayaan saya, dan bukannya mempamerkan wajah Kristian atau sebagainya yang direka-reka,” kata Profesor Emeritus Gary D Bouma. “Jika saya tidak jujur, orang akan bertanya: Apa yang sedang disembunyikan?” Bouma ketika itu sedang berucap dalam Dialog Antara Agama Kelima anjuran kerajaan Australia di Perth […]
Should governments fear diversity and dissent?
By Shanon ShahBrian McKinnon Class Brothers 2008 Acrylic and foam on canvas 152 x 91cm (Artwork courtesy the artist and Indigenart — Mossenson GalleriesImage © the artist, courtesy Indigenart — Mossenson Galleries) THERE is a visual artwork by an Aboriginal Australian artist, Brian McKinnon, called Class Brothers. It is a striking political poster art, and has a […]
“Emerging dominance” of Islam in M’sia
By Shanon Shah and Koh Jun LinKUALA LUMPUR, 4 Nov 2009: Malaysia is a country witnessing the “emerging dominance” of Islam even though it was not always a Muslim-majority country, the chair of a United Nations (UN) body on inter-religious relations said. Gary D BoumaProfessor Emeritus Gary D Bouma¸ who is Unesco Chair in Inter-religious and Intercultural Relations — Asia Pacific, […]
Overriding the religious state
By Shanon ShahZalman Kastel leading a multi-faith prayer A POPULAR former state mufti has just been arrested by the Islamic religious authorities. A Muslim woman who drank alcohol must be whipped. Those who question the sentence on her must be silenced. The proposed relocation of a Hindu temple was met by a Muslim-led protest threatening bloodshed. Christians […]
The role of intra-faith dialogue
By Shanon ShahWe need more intra-faith dialogue (© arte_ram / sxc.hu) DISCUSSIONS on religious issues, or a lack thereof, are increasingly defining public policy and society in Malaysia. A few key words are enough to jog memories — the cow-head protest, the whipping sentence on Muslims for drinking alcohol, Christians and the word “Allah”, concert banning, and […]
“Islamic focus on punishment misguided”
By Shanon ShahPERTH, 2 Nov 2009: The focus on punishment of personal sins in Islam is misguided, a professor of Islamic Studies said. SaeedProfessor Abdullah Saeed was partly referring to calls from certain Muslim groups to uphold the caning sentence on Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno in Malaysia for consuming alcohol. Saeed is currently the Sultan of Oman […]
