We, the members of G25, join our friends and colleagues in SUHAKAM and the Islamic Renaissance Front (IRF), as well as the lawyers and academicians, who have spoken out criticizing the detention of Mustafa Akyol at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on 25 September, as he was leaving the country after completing his speaking engagements in K.L. He was accused by Jabatan Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan (JAWI) of violating Section 11 of the 1997 Federal Territories Syariah

I am writing this column from an airplane, on my way from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to my new home, Wellesley, Mass. I’m in a comfortable seat, and I’m looking forward to getting back to my family. About 12 hours ago, though, I was miserable, locked in a holding cell by Malaysia’s “religious police.” The story began a few months ago, when the Islamic Renaissance Front, a reformist, progressive Muslim organization in Malaysia, invited me to give a series of lectures on Islam, re

JOHOR BARU: The Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, has ordered the controversial Muslim-only launderette in Muar to immediately stop its discriminatory practice or risk being shut down by him. “I cannot accept this nonsense. This is Johor, which belongs to Bangsa Johor and it belongs to all races and faiths. This is a progressive, modern and moderate state. “This is not a Taliban state and as the Head of Islam in Johor, I find this action to be tot

I refer to the news report on the police explanation that the reason for the ban by DBKL on the beer festival is that there was a security risk that extremists were planning a terror attack on the event. Congratulations to the police for apprehending the alleged attackers. Its a great comfort to know that our police intelligence is efficient in keeping the public safe from terror attacks. Terror threats and attacks have also become a major problem in many cities in Eur

JAWAPAN​ ​BALAS​ ​BAGI​ ​KRITIKAN-KRITIKAN​ ​TERHADAP​ ​G25 G25 seringkali dilabelkan sebagai liberal oleh kebanyakan pengkritiknya, dan istilah ini telah diputarkan sebagai suatu yang menghina bagi menjelaskan Muslim yang percaya dengan nilai-nilai universal seperti demokrasi, hak asasi manusia, kesamarataan gender, dan menghormati multibudaya dan kepelbagaian. Ianya merupakan satu perkataan yang disalahgunakan oleh autoriti dan ekstrimis agama untuk mengecam sesiapa yang be

G25's Johan Ariffin says PAS should look at Indonesia, which has a large Muslim population and is very tolerant of other races or religions. PETALING JAYA: A member of the G25 group of prominent Malays today questioned PAS’ assurances that the enforcement of Islamic laws would not affect non-Muslims, following the party’s objection to the Better Beer Festival 2017. Johan Ariffin, who is the former deputy director of the Sabah Foundation, pointed out that when promoting PAS pr