Go big. Go bold. Go radical. Or you may as well go home.

A video on Islamophobia.

Tags: religion

Often we hear Malaysians who have gone to overseas to further their studies came back with the conclusion that Malaysians are terribly stuck with 3rd world mentality, despite having 1st world facility. It is not the Malaysians really, rather it is the government who is stuck with such cookie-cutter mentality, though there are some 'loyal' citizens who decided to join in too.

Although the Malaysian government is made up of fellow Malaysians, we have to be able to distinguish between the two by acknowledging the fact that not all Malaysians are involved, or allowed to be involved, in policy making.

Malaysian Government has problems dealing with criticism. Whenever our policy is being criticized by the western (most of the time it is U.S.) someone from the government will make statements that sounds like this: “It is funny how the U.S. talks about democracy when they themselves are disrespectful of other country’s right”. Then they start blabbering about issues like Iraq, nuclear weapon, so on and so forth. Shouldn't they at least ponder upon the criticism presented to them and work on it to improve their policy, rather than dismissing it because it comes from an unworthy...

Tags: government, race, religion

Back in Malaysia I have never asked myself, neither have I been asked by others why Muslims have to wear hijab, why is Muhammad our last prophet, what is the logic behind our 5-time prayers, why doesn’t Islam allow homosexuals, why can't Muslims withdraw from Islam, and many other issues pertaining Islam which non-Muslims would surely want to know. If only they could have an interfaith dialogue with us Muslims.

Too often these questions are taken for granted which results in shallow understanding of Islam among Muslims. And this could be the explanation for the staggering amount of Muslims choosing to leave the religion, or “murtad”.

It is high time for Malaysia to allow interfaith dialogue to take place. The government’s attitude of banning this type of talk, book or even movies like Fitna, are doing more harm than good to Islam. The argument that it could threaten the harmony among Muslims can no longer be sustained. The world needs to understand us as much as we need to understand the world, but they can't do that if we don't allow them to. This policy of banning such talk is backfiring us if you haven't noticed. How else could...

Tags: religion

Sisters In Islam (SIS) are again outraged that Kelantan has issued directives on dressing for women. The latest is the Kota Baru Municipal Council's circular asking Muslim women not to use heavy lipstick nor wear high-heels as they could lead to immoral activities. Read more here.

Wait a second, why so serious SIS? Why are you so outraged over something so harmless such as this? What is so surprising about “guidelines on how Muslims should dress”, after all, they are just guidelines. Are you reading it as an “order”?

Besides, did you not read the Quran my dear Ms Norhayati Kaprawi? What is it about the guide that you haven’t already know? For Heaven sake, the directives on dressing for women are from Allah. Even my 10 year-old niece is familiar with it. It is not something new if you have been reading the Quran you know.

I am aware that one of your objectives is to create public awareness on issues of equality, justice, freedom, dignity and democracy in Islam, but you are totally going towards an opposite direction. Are you trying to say that the guideline will somehow make women less equal than man?...

Tags: religion

Does Islam need the law to protect itself?

Does Allah expect us to punish those who does not perform his/her 5 times prayer?

Does Allah expect us to punish those who eat in the fasting month of Ramadhan?

Does Allah expect us to punish those who refuse to pay his/her zakat?

Does Allah expect us to punish those who refuse to perform haj?

And finally, does Allah expect us to punish those who leave Islam to embrace other religion?

We human beings, are in no position to answer any of these questions as we cannot speak on behalf of Allah. So the issue now becomes “whether we could?” Is it within our capacity to deem someone as sinful and therefore punish them?

Imagine yourself manufacturing a laptop. Only you would know everything about that laptop. Only you would know what the laptop should do, how it should function, and whether it is functioning the way it should.

The same concept applies to humans beings. Allah is our creator. He creates us, therefore he knows everything about us. He tells us what to do and what not to do, and only He is able to monitor our deeds i.e. whether what...

Tags: religion