Nouman Ali Khan on Islam and Politics, in Malaysia "There's a relationship between Islam and Politics but the way that the Muslims talk about it is not very true to the text of the Quran...we can have the most Islamic government but still the most unislamic society. And it means nothing to Allah عز و جل"

The prophet Muhammad would be appalled by how current Islamic Fundamentalists are treating women under their control. This suppression is done in the name of Islamic Law, known as Sharia. But the current suppression of women is shaped by cultural and history. It has little basis in the Quran and it is certainly not consistent with anything we know about what Muhammad taught or how he treated women. Of all the founders of the great religions - Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Islam and Judaism — Muhammad was easily the most radical and empowering in his treatment of women. Arguably he was history’s first feminist. This is of critical importance because if there is one single thing that A

THE making, amending or repealing of a law is Parliament’s primary function. Whether it is an ordinary Act of Parliament (like the Road Traffic Act), or a law to combat subversion or emergency, or a constitutional amendment, the legislative proposal must go through the fires of scrutiny in both Houses of Parliament. Subsidiary legislation: Regret­tably, the above theory does not apply to delegated (or subsidiary) legislation, which is made by persons or authorities outside of Parliament on the explicit authority of a parliamentary statute (the parent law). In fact, for every one statute passed by Parliament, there are on average 15 to 20 pieces of subsidiary regulations framed by the executi

PETALING JAYA: Islamic scholars need to speak up against “self-interpreted” shariah laws, says Islamic Renaissance Front (IRF) Director Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa. Speaking to FMT, Farouk said there was a difference between “the sacredness of shariah” and “fiqh” (Islamic jurisprudence) which is interpolated based on human construct. Using PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang’s bill as an example, Farouk said such laws and bills should be open for debate as the laws were human interpretations. “It is basically human interpretation, so they are not divine and they are not sacred. We have to be able to differentiate the two aspects – what is sacred and what is interpreted based on one’s own understanding,

The pleasures of living in a multicultural, racial and religious country are many - multiplicity of voices, experiences, food. But it’s not without its problems. Here today to discuss negotiating those tensions is a man who lived through the formation of our country, and who has dedicated his life to public service - Tan Sri Alwi Jantan, former Director-General of the Public Service Departments. BFM podcast

Lecture slides by Adjunct Professor Dato Mohamed Redzuan bin Mohamed Kushairi, School of Internnational Studies, Universiti Utara Malaysia. Photos by UUM

History as a subject can be a contentious issue. It can be used to serve the agenda of either the government of the day or the authors who may want to promote a certain ideological or political world view. The Malaysian education system has seen so many variations of history textbooks over the years with different generations of students exposed to different content. When I compare my daughter’s current Form 3 national school history textbook to what I learnt in Form 3 in 1987, I see so many disparities between the two. There have been so many alterations to the content, topics, tone and manner of the book, its views and perspective of Malaysian and world history. The need to review the hist

THE G25 commends the recent media statement by the Chairman of the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) who emphasised the need to protect religious freedom, in line with the Federal Constitution, after the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) arrested 50 Shiite Muslims over the observation of Ashura, the 10th day of Muharram. The subject of contention is that Sunnis and Shiite Muslims observe Ashura differently. On this day, Sunni Muslims in Malaysia commemorate Prophet Musa when God drowned the Pharaoh and his people while rescuing Musa and his people from the oppression of the Pharaoh. Muslims are encouraged to fast on the 9th and 10th day of Muharram, according to the tradition prop

PETALING JAYA: The Federal Constitution is interpreted differently by various groups because there is no preamble that clearly defines the nation’s charter, a Negri Sembilan prince said. Tunku Zain Al-‘Abidin Tuanku Muhriz said this might have exacerbated the present situation of having to reclaim the supreme law of the land. “Of course, countries which have a preamble still have problems, but there are limits as to how the Constitution should be understood,” he said. The founding president of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) Malaysia said this at the inaugural lecture “Reclaiming our Federal Constitution – Preserve, Protect & Defend” at University of Malaya yesterday

The Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) has emphasised the need to protect religious freedom after the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (Jais) arrested 50 Pakistanis who were Shiite Muslims. The Pakistanis were arrested while participating in Ashura, an annual ceremony celebrated by Shiite Muslims. “Suhakam refers to the arrest of 50 Shiite Pakistani nationals by Jais for allegedly participating in a religious ceremony. “In keeping with its overall mandate, Suhakam maintains the position that everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. “This right shall include the freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice and freedom, either individual

SINGAPORE: Inter-religious harmony in Malaysia is being threatened by the assertion of a more exclusivist Muslim identity among the religious and political elite. Taking Muslim-Hindu relations as an example, scholar Syed Farid Alatas says there is a need for Muslims in Malaysia to think more about who their Hindu countrymen are. The associate professor in the departments of sociology and Malay studies at the National University of Singapore suggests they look for guidance from Muslim scholar Abu al-Rayhan Al-Biruni. Syed Farid Alatas says this in an opinion piece in the Straits Times. He says although Malaysia is a Muslim-majority country, the understanding of many Malaysians since independe

Constitutional Monarchy in Malaysia presentation document

I WOULD like to join the voices of support from prominent corporate and political leaders for the suggestion made by Datuk Seri Nazir Razak to establish a National Consultative Council 2 (NCC2). The aim of the NCC2 is to deliberate on the urgent issues facing the country and for all parties to come to a national consensus on the reforms needed to strengthen the country’s social and economic stability and ensure its success as a truly united nation. Although Malaysia today is not facing an emergency like the one after the 1969 racial riots, and while the country has achieved tremendous economic success since then under the New Economic Policy, it nevertheless continues to face all kinds of ch

PETALING JAYA: The G70 Coalition has commended some of the proposals outlined by the National Consultative Committee on Political Financing, but have also identified three areas of concern. Among the contentions of G25-led Coalition of 70 members for Political Financing Reforms is the proposal not to have limits on donations to and expenditure by parties. "While we acknowledge that individuals and companies have the right to support political parties, this right cannot be to the detriment of the fundamental principle of creating a level playing field during elections," they said in a statement Tuesday. The G70 viewed the proposal as an undermining of the reforms' primary objective, which is

OCTOBER 3 — G25, a group of moderate Malaysians concerned about the peace and national unity among the various races, issues this public statement to support the suggestion from Dr Chandra Muzaffar that the Rukunegara be made the preamble to the Malaysian Constitution. The Rukunegara is the national ideology for creating a united and prosperous country and it is therefore appropriate that it be elevated to be the preamble to the constitution, which is the supreme law in our parliamentary democracy. Dr Chandra’s suggestion is timely in view of the current state of national unity which is still fragile despite the country achieving remarkable progress in its 60 years of economic development. W

KUALA LUMPUR: Proposed laws on political funding may see politicians given a freer hand in determining how much to spend for campaigns, including raising funds through online crowdfunding. Putting a cap on political expenditure was unrealistic and unfair as it was a subjective matter which differed from each constituency to the next, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Senator Datuk Paul Low. “For example, if you are a candidate in a rich urban area, you may need to spend only RM70,000, but if you are a candidate in Sarawak which covers a vast area, your transport costs alone will be more than RM70,000. “So placing a cap on spending for party or candidate would be unfair and sho