The doctrine of human rights basically concerns the so-called ‘fundamental rights’ of every person to justice, equality and freedom. As adopted by the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR, 1948), it proclaims that all men and women, regardless of their social, economic or political background and status, are “born free and equal in…
One of the reasons for the global expansion of Islam has been its openness to all. Over the years, Muslim civilization displayed its openness in a constant dialogue with other cultures and civilizations. This openness was promoted by the spirit of religious and cultural tolerance prevailing in the expansion of the Arab-Muslim influence, which stretched…
Global consumption of water is doubling every 20 years due to human population growth. If this trend persists, by 2025 the demand for fresh water will rise by 56 percent and as many as two-third of the world’s population will be living with serious water shortage. According to the Fortune Magazines, “water will be to…
A Malaysian delegation led by IKIM’s Diretor General attended the Cebu Dilaogue on Regional Interfaith Cooperation for Peace, Development and Human Dignity, held from the 14th until 16th of March 2006 in the Philipines. The Dialogue was held in the Shangri-la Hotel, Cebu at Macatan Island was jointly organized by the host country, Indonesia, Australia…
“And that is He who made the sun shining…” (Surah Yunus verse 5). One of the environmental issues that are constantly debated on is that of greener energy alternatives. The National Environment Week which ended on 27 October last week highlighted this point more than ever. There is no denying that energy is important in our…
IN MY recent discussion with Gen (Rtd) Ahmed Fakhr, a distinguished Egyptian military strategist and adviser to the Prime Minister of Egypt, he revealed his thoughts on the conflict in the Middle East. He is also the head of the National Centre for Middle East Studies and chairman of the International Centre for Future and…
WHAT are stem cells, embryonic stem cells and blastocysts? Why has the research on embryonic stem cells become a religious and political issue instead of a scientific issue? In the United States, many Christian groups (namely Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and the Fundamentalists) oppose embryonic stem cell research because they believe that a human blastocyst is…
The recent uproar in connection with the Islamic family law amendment, passed by Parliament, is indeed a very interesting development. Firstly, the issue has been portrayed as if a battle of the sexes had been proclaimed such that it seemed the two sides of the debate were on a collision course right from the beginning.…
THE Third National Agriculture Policy (1998-2010) focuses on agriculture programmes which emphasise agro-forestry, mixed farming, rehabilitation of marginal plants, recycling of organic waste, mulching, cover cropping, organic farming, composting and soil and water conservation. According to the Statistics Department’s Monthly Statistical Bulletin, the food bill increased from RM3.5bil in 1985 to RM11.3bil in 2000 and it…
The guideline on Islamic REITS (real estate investment trusts) recently issued by the Securities Commission is a step in the right direction. It should be viewed in the context of the regulatory body’s continuing efforts to develop Islamic capital markets in line with the government vision to make Malaysia a leading player in Islamic finance.…
