THE last few days of Ramadan bear witness to a mass exodus of city folk. The balik kampung phenomenon has become an annual event when people leave big cities like Kuala Lumpur to return to their home towns. Big cities virtually empty out. If one wants to see a Kuala Lumpur void of cars, then…
FROM space Earth looks like a great blue gem. This planet that we live on is a gift from God to mankind. Everything has been created by God in due proportion and each has a unique role to play. Upset this balance and we will be upset too. Looking back at history, we can see…
THE gold dinar has become a topic of interest to many people, especially those in the financial sector. Ever since Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad suggested its use for trade among Muslim countries, several seminars have been organised to discuss it. The international seminar organised by the Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (Ikim)…
SCIENCE seems to be a word that scares many people. Certain images are conjured up and associated with science. One such image is that science is a difficult discipline of knowledge that only people with thick glasses and unkempt hair are able to understand. This stereotypical view of science has discouraged many students from taking…
WISE men have said that more often than not, youth is wasted on the young. This aphorism is ironic in that it is often uttered by those who no longer possess the gift of youth. Perhaps the reminder of the Prophet of Islam rings true in this instance: “Utilise five things before five other things…
THE information age is now a reality, patterned according to the positive experience of the Internet. With its wide-reaching capability, the Internet is not only used to retrieve information, but also to add information to the world communication network. One can find in it a plethora of input and experiences from thousands of people of…
WE are four days away from the first anniversary of the tragedy of Sept 11. This modern-day tragedy has sent shockwaves across the world impacting almost every aspect of our lives. For Muslims, life has been difficult as Islam has since been perceived in a negative light. The first couple of years of the 21st…
WE are now in the month of August which has been designated as Independence Month (Bulan Kemerdekaan). As a gesture of patriotism, Malaysians are, therefore, encouraged to put up the Jalur Gemilang or national flag at their homes, offices and vehicles. This is a simple symbolic act to show one’s love for the country of…
THE first revelation to the Prophet Muhammad some 1,400 years ago begins with the word iqra’. This Arabic word can be translated as “read”, thus signifying the importance of knowledge in Islam. As has been mentioned time and again, reading is the key to knowledge. Islam has indeed highlighted the simple fact that to live…
ONCE again, the United States has been rocked by a corporatequake. Less than a year after the Enron scandal, the country – and the rest of the world – is feeling the effects of the WorldCom scandal. Much like Enron, the WorldCom debacle has sparked countless analyses and debates on the issue of business ethics…
