USM professor Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid says the extremist Islamisation of the 1990s was a result of teachers produced from the 'salafist' mould. SUBANG JAYA: An academic has warned of an extremist strand of Islam that may have an adverse effect on religious harmony in the country, saying it was a byproduct of local teachers who were subjected to a “salafist” interpretation of Islam as promoted in Saudi Arabia. Professor Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid, a political scientist from Universiti Sains Malaysia in Penang, said during the mid-90s, such an understanding of Islam had led to an agressive Islamisation process that also transformed national schools in the country. “What happens to a student who i

Merdeka celebrations is a time for the nation to reflect on both its achievements as well as the challenges it faces. With global volatility and domestic political disruptions, the question we pose our guests is if the Civil Service is a resilient foundation on which governance rests. Whether from the vantage point of the Treasury or Bank Negara (part of the Public Service), our guests share their experience of serving the nation but also weigh in on the pressing matters for reform that can address problems in the service. BFM

Firstly, we would like to pay tribute to a dear friend, colleague, founding member and former treasurer of he Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE), Mahiyudin Abdul Rahman, who passed away on Aug 12. Mahiyudin was a committed and caring person who tirelessly volunteered his time and energy to undertake PAGE’s activities. Constant of faith and generous in heart, with an ever-cheerful and gregarious personality, Din, as he was fondly referred to, was an unfailing source of encouragement with his solid reliability and background support. He will be greatly missed by all of us at PAGE. Semoga Allah swt kurniakan rahmat dan hidayah di atas pemergian Allahyarham ke rahmatullah. Recently, PAGE M

While I enjoyed Namewee’s 60th Merdeka music video of Malayan stereotype depicting Malay, Chinese and Indian with the names Ali, Ahkao and Muthu, they have spoiled the fun video by the ending with actors “wishing Malaysia 60th Independence Day….60 years today we have been living together”. What a major blunder! It’s like the “Ola Bola” film all over again where the filmmakers try to rewrite history by changing the narrative. It’s not a Malay who scored the winning goal and qualified Malaysia for the Moscow Olympics, but a Chinese named James Wong from Sabah. Namewee’s video has since garnered more than 1.5 million views, a huge audience by any count and hence the more reason to get history r

AN approach to Syariah that lacks "a just balance" and "compassion" has triumphed yet again. By withdrawing a clause that would have put an end to the unilateral conversion of children by the parent who has converted to Islam, the government has failed to prioritise the well-being of the child which is an important principle of Islamic jurisprudence. Since unilateral child conversions have generated so much friction and caused so much pain for so many years, the new bill presented to Parliament on Aug 8 which legitimises such acts is a huge disappointment. To be fair to the government, as soon as Datuk Seri Mohd Najib assumed the prime ministership in April 2009, he made an earnest attempt t

Islamic Renaissance Front says the government and Islamic religious authorities should ask if the problem lies in the way they administer Islam or the way Islamic teachers approach Islam. PETALING JAYA: The government and the religious authorities should find out why Muslims are leaving the faith if they are concerned about such matters, according to an Islamic think tank. Islamic Renaissance Front chairman Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa suggested several reasons, including the dogmatic teachings of Islam, the seemingly repressive way in which the religion is being administered and the rigid way religious teachers approach the subject. “If the problem is in the way Islam is represented by the current

Apabila isu ada kelompok Melayu yang dikatakan murtad dibangkitkan oleh beberapa pihak kebelakangan ini, ia mengingatkan saya kepada artikel yang pernah saya tulis beberapa tahun dahulu semasa saya menjadi fellow di OCIS, Oxford. Jemput baca; MURTAD DAN BANDAR OXFORD Saya menganggap Bandar Oxford ini jauh lebih indah dari kebanyakan bandar lain di UK dan Eropah, termasuk London. Bahkan tiada bandar yang seumpamanya di dunia muslim kita. Ia sebuah bandar ilmu. Kebanyakan mereka yang sibuk berjalan pantas di jalan-jalan Oxford ini ialah pelajar, pengajar dan pengkaji. Lebih empat puluh kolej ilmu bersejarah lagi berprestij di bandar ini. Penuh sejarah, penuh sumbangan melahirkan tokoh-tokoh be

THE report “Varsity students opt for cleaning job” (The Star, Aug 7) about students taking up cleaning jobs to earn income in between their studies may sound trivial in comparison to other exciting news that grab our attention. To the students, it’s a big relief that they are able to get such part-time jobs to supplement what they get from their families. For students who come from poor families, such opportunity to earn income means a lot to their ability to complete their university studies. Students who go through the experience of fending for themselves early in life will learn a lot about the value of money and the need to be thrifty in their expenditure. As they go through the chores o

Dr Heba Raouf Ezzat calls for more common sense, and not mere memorisation. KUALA LUMPUR: The Muslim world is facing an annihilation of ideas or what an Egyptian scholar termed as “ideacide”, resulting in public discourses and the struggle for greater rights being muted. Political scientist Dr Heba Raouf Ezzat said one reason for this can be tracked to the fragmented education inherited from the colonial era, resulting in society’s shallow understanding of Islam today. She said among the problems is an Islamic education system that has been reduced to memorisation of the verses of the Quran, without emphasising the spirit of the holy book in order to understand contemporary problems.“Sometim

Juristic opinion in the Muslim legal tradition is human-made, changing over time and in different circumstances to ensure that justice is always done. THERE are hundreds, if not thousands of fatwas issued by the various State Fatwa Councils and the National Fatwa Council. And many of them differ from each other. Many states have declared smoking as haram; Selangor and Penang gazetted this fatwa which makes it then a criminal offence for any Muslim to smoke in those two states. I must say I haven’t heard of anyone being arrested and charged with the offence. The criminal justice system and the prisons might just be overwhelmed given the tens of thousands of Muslims who continue to merrily smo

PUTRAJAYA, Aug 5 (Bernama) -- The Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah said the Malay rulers were in the best position to protect the interests of the people from being hit by 'waves of power struggle'. He said the Royal Institution was a continuation of tradition in maintaining the nation's identity, a symbol of sovereignty which is the crown of the nation. "The Malay Rulers are in the best position to protect the interests of the people,"he said at the 'Memperkukuh Pasak Negara: Ke Arah Wasiat Lebih Tersurat' or 'Strengthening National Pillar: Towards A More Tangible Will' Convention here today. He said the basic things, especially those touching on Islam and the Malays which had been

THE CLARION CALL Where are my brothers and sisters, My friends of yester years? Who together built this nation With a democratic constitution? The time has come for us to rise In unison and in one voice To save our beloved nation For our future generations. We have to fight against corruption, And call for clean administration. We have to fight against nepotism, And abuse of power and cronyism. We have to install good governance, And law and order maintenance. We have to fight religious bigotry, And preserve racial unity. We have to get rid of corrupt leaders As well as their boot lickers. We have to remove kleptoracy, And re-establish true democracy. Only then can the future be assured, And

Banning a book published by G25 has not only increased the book popularity and curiosity; it might even be a best seller. The ban was signed by Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on June 14. The gazette read “…which is likely to be prejudicial to public order, likely to alarm public opinion and likely to be prejudicial to public interest… throughout Malaysia.” After the ban was announced, G25 members have been deluged with calls from friends and associates asking where they can get a copy. A check Amazon.com shows “Breaking the Silence, Voices of Moderation, Islam in Constitutional Democracy” is available. Many people are angry with the ban. While we ban moderate intellectual writin

Dear Sir, Last week you gave an outstanding speech to international investors at the Invest Malaysia 2017 conference. I am sure many were impressed with the economic achievements that have been accomplished to date under your leadership. However, I do believe that some of the facts that you quoted would require some further elaboration. Please allow me to do so, especially since one would not want to provide misleading information to foreigners who may not know any better about this beloved country of ours. You started your speech saying that you introduced the New Economic Model (NEM) seven years ago at the very same conference, with a plan that has worked and is continuing to work. Perhaps