PETALING JAYA: The Perlis Fatwa Committee has issued an edict which states that the custody of a child be given to the more suitable parent, regardless of religion. State mufti Datuk Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin said the committee found it unfair to determine custody of a child based solely on the parents’ religion, as the overall welfare and interests of the child were paramount. He said the edict could signal a turning point in the way child custody cases were deliberated at the Syariah courts, especially in cases where a parent sought custody of the child upon converting to Islam. “The overall welfare of the child includes his or her physical, moral and emotional needs. The parent who is mo

GEORGE TOWN, July 24 — While he is well known for his consumer advocacy work, Datuk Anwar Fazal is also involved in many organisations and issues. This amiable 75-year-old has founded over a dozen local and global citizens networks covering a whole host of issues from baby food to pesticides to breastfeeding. Though he studied business management at University of Malaya, Anwar has a deep passion for geography, a subject that he believes is connected to everything in the world from weather to social politics to even astronomy. Career-wise, he has been an economics teacher, worked in the City Council of George Town among other jobs and also served for 12 years in the United Nations. Today he i

I have argued time and again that the greatest threat to the Muslim world is not the West, but rather, corruption and incompetence in administration in the Muslim countries themselves. To this argument there were a number of crucial pieces of evidence. First of all, there is a clear inverse correlation between corruption and economic development not just in the Middle East, but globally. Secondly, Muslim countries are among the most corrupt countries in the world, and this maps well to the problems we know well from the region. In this sense, the abundance of natural resources has served to mask much of the problem, as per capita wealth in the region comes out as much higher than it would ha

Recently a law professor phoned me and asked: "Would you be so kind as to send me a copy of the Sharia, preferably as a PDF file?" "I doubt your computer would have enough memory," I replied. Her comment that she also had some external hard drives failed to convince me. She had assumed that the Sharia is a codified book of laws. This is a common misconception, and one that, against the backdrop of the terrorism perpetrated by IS, for example, is leading to quite understandable fears, even among Muslims. Right-wing populist parties play on just these fears – with success, in view of their electoral gains of late. The AfD's anti-Islam programme is just one example: out of hand, they have decla

The G25 wishes to express its deep concern over the Government’s proposal to amend the Legal Profession Act 1976 (LPA), the statute that governs the Malaysian Bar. We understand that the proposed amendments to the LPA are scheduled to be tabled in Parliament in October 2016. The proposed amendments are in the main, as follows; Government to appoint two members of the Bar to sit on the Bar Council to “represent the government" Stringent quorum requirement for all general meetings of the Malaysian Bar and State Bars to be increased to twenty-five percent (25%) of the membership; A complete overhaul of the process of electing the members of the Bar Council that will drastically reduce the numb

THE proposal by the National Security Council to impose visas on Middle Eastern visitors coming to Malaysia has been rejected by the Cabinet. The NSC secretary was blamed for this fiasco for not only making a public statement on the matter but also for failing to consult the relevant ministries and department. As a long retired civil servant, my concern here is not the issue of whether we should impose the visa or not, or if the secretary should take the rap for it. As a civil servant, he should know he would be the most prone to become the sacrificial sheep when the chips are down. What I am most disappointed with is the lack of coordination and consultation in the government machinery’s de

The month of Ramadhan is always special to all Muslims, young and old. While for most it is a time for reflection and intense prayer, for the children it is about new clothes, “duit raya” and fireworks. A six year old girl was happy to come home to announce to her mother that school will be closed for a whole week to celebrate Hari Raya. She went on to say that Hari Raya is only for Malay children. Chinese and Indian children do not celebrate it. Upon overhearing this conversation, for the umpteenth time as I had had to do with my own children a decade ago, I explained that Hari Raya is celebrated by Muslims all over the world and Muslims can be Malay, Chinese, Indian or just any other kind

I read the other day a study about countries that apply Islamic principles in most of their daily lives. The study, conducted by Prof. Hussain Askari of George Washington University entitled “How Islamic are the Islamic Countries,” showed that most of these countries that apply Islamic principles in most of their daily lives are not ones traditionally Muslim with New Zealand ranking first, Luxembourg second followed by Ireland, Iceland, Finland, Denmark and Canada. Malaysia ranked 38, Kuwait 48, Bahrain 64 and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 131. The study, published in the Global Economy Journal, might be shocking to most of us but when we look around us and see the reality of the situation, w

Much has been said and written about the Muslim scholar, Dr Zakir Naik. Many are genuinely concerned about his style of preaching, which they allege impinges abrasively on other religions. Many others link his fiery speeches to potential IS threat and to national security. The media unashamedly sensationalised and tarnished the discourse by reporting that the militants in the terror attacks in Dhaka, Bangladesh, were inspired by Zakir Naik. The Muslim Professionals Forum (MPF) has stood on the sidelines since Zakir Naik’s early presence in Malaysia because we do not subscribe to his dialectical and combative approach, overbearing Islam over others, conscious or unconsciously proselytising, a

G25, a group of concerned citizens, has issued several statements on moderation in Islam and the transparency and integrity of the system of governance in Malaysia. We believe both are important issues for upholding the image of Malaysia as a progressive country which respects the constitutional rights of the people and their expectations for justice in the administration of law and order. G25 has issued statements on the importance of sustaining strong institutions which are allowed to undertake their functions independent of political interference. In this context, the appointment of the Chief Commissioner of MACC, in our view, is a matter of significant national interest and whoever is ap

Saya gembira mendengar bahawa terjemahan Melayu dari buku saya akan diterbitkan tak lama lagi. Sebelum para pembaca menghabiskan masa menelaah buku saya, saya ingin memberikan sedikit latar belakang tentang sejarahnya, dorongan saya dalam menulisnya dan keterbatasannya. Buku “Islam, Secularism and Liberalism Democracy: Toward a Democratic Theory for Muslim Societies” [Islam, Sekularisme dan Demokrasi Liberal: Membentuk Teori Demokratik Untuk Masyarakat Muslim] berasal daripada disertasi kedoktoran yang saya tulis dan berjaya dipertahankan di University of Toronto pada tahun 2005. Ia melalui beberapa penyemakan dan pertama kali diterbitkan sebagai sebuah buku pada tahun 2009, oleh Oxford Univ

Those who enjoy privileges and positions have to show their spine if Malaysia is to take the right road, says K Haridas. The default culture is so pervasive and powerful that many are sucked into this from a perspective of self-interest. Why is there a need to change a culture when those in power stand to gain? It is their self-interest that drives this culture. Such a culture then perpetuates itself. What is it that defines this default culture? Power, patronage, money, nepotism and corruption are hallmarks of this default culture. This is so evident today in Malaysia that any talk of integrity is at best ‘window dressing’. Although there are good intentions as marked by the Rukunegara, 1Ma

With no clear indication as to where Hadi’s Bill is heading, retired judge Datuk Mohd Hishamudin Yunus says if Parliament were to pass the Bill, it would be abdicating its constitutional responsibility. A RETIRED judge, who has served in both the civil Court of Appeal and the Syariah Court of Appeal, sees the Private Member’s Bill tabled last month by PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang as a “blank cheque” to the state legislatures. If the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) (Amendment) Bill 2016 were passed, says Datuk Mohd Hishamudin Yunus (pic), state legislatures “now may create any offence as they deem fit, and may prescribe any form of sentence, however severe or harsh, as the

LIKE many Malaysians, I am disturbed by the current developments and directions our country is taking. Race and religion seem to be used as tools to gain popularity and leverage by individuals who appear to be oblivious to the negative repercussions that may ensue. This motley group of people comprises politicians, religious leaders and spokespersons of minor NGOs. They believe that by doing so, they will move the whole nation closer to God. Some have caused irreparable damage by encouraging Muslim parents not to vaccinate their children. This is the height of absurdity and reflects the huge knowledge gap they seem to have on the benefits of vaccination. Granted there may be side effects but

Never before has our beloved nation witnessed such an excess of religious and racial strife since the bloody days of May 13, 1969. The latest fatwa (religious edict) of the mufti of Pahang is one such gross aberration to the values of equality, diversity, mutual respect and harmony espoused by the teachings of the Quran and the authentic traditions of the Prophet (pbuh). And unless this malicious abuse of religious authority is checked with an effective and just political and societal governance, we are surely on the slippery slope towards anarchy. The term harbi as defined by the fuqaha (Muslim jurists) since the early writings of Muhammad bin Hasan al-Shaibani and Imam al-Awza’ie in their

G25 amat kesal dengan kenyataan Mufti Pahang, Datuk Seri Dr Abdul Rahman Osman berhubung dengan DAP dan kafir harbi. Pada kami kenyataan Mufti Pahang ini amat merbahaya, mengelirukan dan bercanggah dengan semangat perlembagaan persekutuan. Kami menyatakan demikian berasaskan fakta-fakta berikut: Istilah kafir harbi adalah istillah yang merujuk kepada orang-orang kafir yang derhaka kepada Negara bangsa Madinah dalam zaman Rasulullah SAW dahulu. Jiwa Negara bangsa majmuk Madinah yang dibina Rasulullah SAW dan para sahabat pada keseluruhannya berasaskan semangat Al-Quran Surah Al Saba’ ayat 15 yang membawa erti kepada “sebuah Negara yang baik dan diampuni oleh Allah SWT” secara komprehensif. Su