In the midst of unstoppable secularization, religion is still significantly influential to the majority of people. The ‘Global Index of Religiosity and Atheism,’ a poll carried out by the WIN-Gallup International (July 2012) reports that 59% of the world’s population is religious, 23% are not religious, and 13% are atheists. Religion is not just a…
Verse 256 of Chapter 2 (al-Baqarah) in the Noble Quran states that “There shall be no compulsion in religion.” This verse establishes a very fundamental principle that nobody can be coerced to accept or embrace Islam. According to Abdullah Yusuf Ali, a modern Muslim Quranic commentator, compulsion is incompatible with religion. He reasons that religion…
By and large educated Muslims do not dispute the importance and significance of thinking in their life and religion. Since human creativity, whether exemplified as invention or innovation, has to do in large part with thinking, it is also commonplace that they regard it highly. Problems and disputes begin to arise, however, when they come…
The string of media reports on crimes and ethical problems in the society of late are somewhat disconcerting. Contemplating on them would lead one to a deeper psychological question; are human beings bad by …
We need to view reality holistically because many problems today require solutions that are not only multidisciplinary in nature but also these solutions fundamentally require ethics and values which often lie outside of the scope of the field being looked at. We have a situation where the continuing demise of the once ‘dependable’ stands of…
God says in the Holy Quran : “To those weak of understanding make not over your property, which Allah hath made a means of support for you, but feed and clothe them therewith, and speak to them words of kindness and justice. Make trial of orphans until they reach the age of marriage; if then…
In the history of mankind, religion has been the main supporter of environmental protection. Islam emphasizes the necessity and importance of environmental protection so that man can live in harmony with nature, as well as to achieve sustainable development, enrich life on earth, and make best use of available resources. Islam talks not only of…
The term civil society refers to the wide array of non-governmental and not-for-profit organisations that have a presence in public life. They express the interests and values of their members or others, based on ethical, cultural, political, scientific, religious or philanthropic considerations. Civil society organisations are essentially the so-called “intermediary institutions” such as professional associations,…
Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses. Jyllands-Posten’s cartoon of the Prophet. Qur’an burning by Christian Dove World Outreach Center. The Innocence of Muslims film. While unbelievers’ position is understandable, the above-mentioned representative sampling of individuals and institutions are not only ranged against the Prophet Muhammad, but further derided his message and scoffed at all that are sacred…
As calls for reform of our educational system become louder and more frequent by days, the recently released Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013-2025: Preliminary Report, itself a serious undertaking, is laudable. Recognising that “thinking skills” is among the six key attributes needed by every Malaysian student to be globally competitive, the Education Ministry spells out therein,…
