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

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

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 ma

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 understandabl

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 meet

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 civi