The recent surge of baby dumping cases is obviously a grave reflection of an acute social crisis besetting our community. Statistics on the reported abandonment cases are terrifying. How about cases that go unreported? I would say that what we are facing now is just the tip of the iceberg. The actual number of cases…
What exactly is the relation between pleasure and good life, between satisfaction and happiness, between contentment and felicity, between ladhdhah and sa‘adah? According to al-Ghazali, pleasure is “the attaining of the object of desire, while desire is the soul’s inclination to possess the object of its yearning (shawq).” When sensitive and rational faculties function well,…
Some people erroneously think that open-mindedness means to accept all opinions and to avoid making judgement over those opinions. A rational person will not make a blind, hasty or an uninformed judgement nor will he accept ideas and opinions indiscriminately. He will listen to what others have to say and suspend judgement until what is…
Though news of infanticide has been highlighted by the media recently, infanticide is definitely not a new phenomenon. It has been documented among the people of Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome. The Vikings, Irish Celts, Gauls, and Phoenicians are no exceptions. Resnick (1970) conducted a literature review of documented infanticide, dating from 1751 to 1968, from…
With the latest debate concerning the abolishment of the UPSR and PMR, I strongly believe, we Malaysians are no stranger to calls for reform of our educational system. So often have such calls been made that they cannot but leave some general impressions. One such impression is that the system as well as its stake-holders…
The relationship between religion and human rights (what I personally termed ‘human-rightism’) is complicated and likely to remain controversial. To foster a better understanding between them, IKIM took the initiative to organize the seminar ‘Religion and Human Rights: Towards a Better Understanding’ in June. Fifteen papers were deliberated, including a keynote address from Mashood A.…
The relationship between religion and human rights (what I personally termed ‘human-rightism’) is complicated and likely to remain controversial. To foster a better understanding between them, IKIM took the initiative to organize the seminar ‘Religion and Human Rights: Towards a Better Understanding’ in June. Fifteen papers were deliberated, including a keynote address from Mashood A.…
Secularist believes that the quest for moral truths is of the pride of reason: it is the judging of all-whether good or evil, right or wrong-in terms of deduction alone. On the contrary, Muslim believes in guidance (hidayah) as the foundation stone of all good, which one must be willing to accept in humility to…
Human creativity, whether exemplified as invention or innovation, has been a subject of interest to many parties. In whatever form it is manifested, it has to do with novelty. And be the novelty in science, arts, or other cultural realms, and be it ideational or practical, it is only highly regarded if and when it…
The announcement by the Prime Minister of Malaysia during the 12th Syariah Officers Conference in July, 2010 on the appointment of two women as judges in the Shariah court, has been applauded by many women-related NGOs. Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak hoped that “these appointments would enhance justice in all cases, including those involving families and…
