Many perceive the doctrine of human rights as a set of legal standards which determines the national and international order. Some regard it as being above their State constitutions and various other codified laws, even nobler than any religious scriptures. It seems that a kind of a new universal jurisprudence entirely based on human rights…
The Supreme Court’s (SC) judgement in the case of Che Omar Che Soh v. PP (1988 – later referred to as Che Omar) is considered a landmark case concerning the interpretation of the status of Islam as enshrined in Article 3 of the Constitution of Malaysia. At the time, the SC was the highest court…
Jim Baker, a modern writer on the history of Malaysia and Singapore, categorically states in his A Popular History of Malaysia and Singapore: Crossroads (2008) that the most distinctive features of the two countries are their multiracial populations. He describes that the majority of the population, i.e. the Malays, have inhabited the land for almost 2500 years. The…
Last October I attended the ASEAN-Canada Dialogue on Interfaith Initiatives held in Surabaya. The delegates were from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Lao PDR, Myanmar and the Ambassador and officials from the Canadian Embassy in Jakarta. The Dialogue’s aims were to review concrete activities and initiatives in order to minimize social…
In the middle of July, I attended a dialogue session on human’s civil and political rights held at the office of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM). I have some observations to share. It is no exaggeration to say it would appear that the current discourse on human rights has been regarded by certain…
Being a multiracial country, the formation of a ‘Malaysian Nation’ has been the concern of many since Merdeka. It has become the talk of politicians of the successive ruling government coalitions, the opposition, academics, intellectuals, professionals, private bodies, NGOs and even ordinary individuals. A lot has been translated into action, some have shown positive impact…
Imposing Islamic law on non-Muslims? Answer: A big ‘NO’. It should not have been an issue utterly misconceived in the first place. All the hue and cry surrounding it, I believe, was due to the misrepresentations made by Muslims as well as non-Muslims which created confusion in both communities, and which lead to a considerable…
The fact that Islam is easy and simple does not mean that it is a simplistic or an immature religion at all. Firstly, its theological principles are receptive of reason, sensible and comprehensible even to the minds of common people. Secondly, in the legal sphere, Islam comprises two closely interrelated qualities: strict adherence (azimah) and…
(Note: This version differs from the one published in The Star as a number or paragraphs have been omitted obviously due to space constraints. Those missing sections are here indicated by double square brackets [[ ]]). My article, “Islam is simple and easy,” basically pertains to the matter of prayer during air travel and in…
Islam is not difficult. When I was teaching at the Ahmad Ibrahim Kulliyyah of Laws, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), most of my students-if not all-were amazed when I remarked that Muslims are not to pray when traveling long distances on airplanes; that Muslim surgeons may choose to combine (jama’) their prayers if they are…
