The Preliminary Report of the Malaysia Education Blueprint announced by the Prime Minister and deliberated further by the Deputy Prime Minister recently opens new horizons to the country’s future education and will bring it to a new level. The transformation, which will take place in thirteen years involving three waves, nine key areas and eleven…
In a recent conference that brought together scholars, professionals and academicians of various religions to speak on interfaith harmony, a young man undergoing training as a religions trainer asked the question “what is the function of religion today?”. It took everyone by surprise but what is of significance is not only the question but also…
Mankind, by the nature of his creation, is predominated with the love of wealth, and therefore, he may purportedly claim that he is the absolute owner of his wealth. The holy Quran has enlightened this matter, whereby Allah the all-Mighty says: “Indeed mankind, to his Lord, is ungrateful. And indeed, he is to that a…
On June 30 this year, The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared Lenggong Valley in Hulu Perak as a world heritage site. This declaration was made following the discovery of artifacts’ which were more than 1.8 million years old through excavation works by the country’s archaeologists and the beauty of this site…
In the midst of the excitement in celebrating Aidilfitri, one must not forget another forthcoming celebration — Merdeka Day. While the former rejoices the spiritual journey and striving in the way of God during the month of Ramadan, the latter calls for every citizen to commemorate the feeling of love towards the country and be…
Libertines aspire after the type of freedom which thrives on the absence of laws, including God’s or moral laws. In reality, lawless liberty is at best an animal or brutish freedom. As Jean Jacques Rousseau (d. 1778) points out, casual good-pleasure and self-indulgence have no difference from the kind of freedom the beasts of the…
In conjunction with the 20th anniversary of IKIM, the Institute organized an international conference on “Reorienting the Muslim Mind: Charting the Future” on 10 – 11 July 2012. The conference’s objectives include to identify the real problem(s) besetting the Muslim community today, how to deal with the problems, and to offer explanation or answers to…
The blessed month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim lunar calendar, has been back for more than a week already. And Muslims worldwide are observing one of the five pillars of Islam, the obligatory fasting throughout the days of this month. The Arabic terms for fasting—sawm or siyam—basically means self-restraint (kaff or imsak),…
The incident of a couple attacking a policeman with a sword in front of the Prime Minister’s department has become a cover story recently. The man, who was shot and later on died, also claimed himself as Imam Mahdi. While the real cause of the incident is still under investigation, the natural immediate reaction is…
By now the majority of us would agree that climate change is largely a man-made phenomenon. Some would even be more brutal by saying that it is a self inflicted wound. The greatest challenge we currently face in addressing climate change is our collective lack of proper awareness and collective efforts in arresting it or…
