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Category Archives: Malaysia
Join us for an afternoon with Zairil Khir Johari, MP
Mr Zairil Khir Johari has written widely on various issues about Malaysia. Most of his writings can be found on his website: http://www.zairil.com. We post on this blog an article by him published earlier in Malaysia Insider on “Secularism and a more honest Islam”.
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Video of Talk by Dato’ Noor Farida Ariffin at London School of Economics, 13 May 2015
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Why liberalism is a dirty word
By Farouk A. Peru Malaysia Insider 3 June 2015
It really fascinates me to see how words acquire different meanings when used in different contexts. In the context of Western socio-political discourse at present, it is “liberal” to be supportive of gay marriages. “Liberal” here has a positive connotation as promoted by their mainstream media although right-wing media portrays it negatively. It is the opposite case in Malaysia though. At home, “liberal” is connotatively portrayed by the mainstream media in a very negative manner. Liberal is a term projecting distaste and derision. To be a ‘liberal’ insinuates that one is a stooge of the West, the perennial enemy of the conservatives. In that sense, Malaysia is like Saudi Arabia. The liberals of Saudi Arabia are thought of in the same manner.
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Reflections: ISLAMISTS’ POP CULTURE – “Oley – Hudud Allah”
By Lay Observer 4 June 2015
Seldom does one emerged from a seminar feeling that one has learnt something entirely new. That’s how many of us felt after attending Dr Dominik Muller’s (Goethe-University Frankfurt) seminar at the SOAS Centre for Southeast Asian Studies on PAS and Pop Culture.
For many, PAS and Pop Culture are contradiction of terms, and the title is a mouthful: Islamist Politics and Popular Culture in Malaysia: Negotiating normative change between Sharia Law and electric guitars.
But after the first few slides presented by Dr Muller, an anthropologist, the audience knew they were hearing something counter intuitive. These slides unfortunately cannot be reproduced in this article for copyright reasons.
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Pop-Islam and PAS Youth Wing
By Mat Muzzim
To understand the recent postures of Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (Parti Islam Se-Malaysia commonly known as PAS) on the issues of Hudud, the usage of Allah and the Selangor Mentri Besar appointment, one needs to understand the historical roles played by the PAS Youth Wing, its legacy and the “resurgence” of Islam in Malaysia.
The PAS Youth Wing as an heir to the present conservative ulama faction has a bearing upon the future direction of PAS’ ideological and political orientation. It is instrumental in applying modern management and marketing practices in designing, producing and popularising Islamic popular culture, merchandise and sermons to the younger generations.
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The inexorable pursuit of an Islamic State
BY AHMAD FAROUK MUSA New Mandala 18 November 2012
If there is anything unmistakably clear from the recent muktamar or general assembly of the Islamic Party of Malaysia – PAS – is that despite the acceptance of the concept of tahalluf siyasi or political consensus among the three major components of the opposition front – Pakatan Rakyat – PAS’ ambition in establishing an Islamic State and implementing hudud laws is unwavering, if not more resolute.
It appears rather incongruous that despite the acceptance of Buku Jingga or Orange Book as a comprehensive framework of the opposition front on how to govern the country when they come to power, PAS seems to have a higher agenda – to transform the multiracial and multi-religious country into a full-fledged Islamic state with Islamic laws.
Islamic laws and hudud were never mentioned in Buku Jingga and neither was the establishment of Islamic State. PAS even came out with its own manifesto “Nation of Care and Opportunity”. However this concept of a benevolent state is not well received by many PAS members themselves. Reason being, the so-called Erdoganists in PAS mainly mooted it. Recent spate of debate about the concept of Islamist Democrat – a term popularised by the Erdoganists – between the ulama faction and the young Turks clearly proved that they are considered contaminants in the “pure and pristine” PAS struggle.
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A glimpse into our quasi-Islamic future
By Zurairi AR 29 March 2015 MalayMailOnline
There was a time when it was hard to imagine Malaysia as anything even resembling an Islamic state.
Our administration was sufficiently secular, and Article 3 of the Federal Constitution that states Islam as religion of the federation meant the recital of prayers before official events.
Shariah courts were somewhere people went to get divorced, and religious authorities were people who officiated at weddings.
There was a lull where even Islamist party PAS pledged to work towards a “benevolent state” to ensure the welfare and interests of all citizens, regardless of religion.
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Noor Farida of G25 rocks the LSE
By Farouk A. Peru, Malaysian Insider 20 May 2015
I am not a big fan of the long trek to London School of Economics (fondly referred to as the LSE).
During rush hour, the London underground is usually packed to the hilt with commuters going to and from the city. It has become such an unpleasant experience for me that I prefer to wait till late just so I can have a more comfortable commute.
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Risk of religious sensitivity getting blown out of proportion
By Ghui , The Online Citizen
Religion, multi-culturalism and race are oft-cited reasons for retaining the draconian Internal Securities Act in Singapore. It is also the frequent explanation given for criminal charges against troublesome individuals and various defamation suits levied against pesky opposition politicians.
Ho Juan Thai and Tang Liang Hong were invariably slapped with terms like “Chinese chauvinist”, “anti-Christian” or “anti-Muslim. Indeed, race and religion are such delicate issues that they are probably easy fodder for manipulation.
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Fighting to keep Utusan independent
By Mariam Mokhtar Malaysiakini 18 May 2015
The arrest of Said Zahari, the former editor-in-chief of Utusan Melayu, who was born on May 18, 1928, remains one of the world’s most infamous incarcerations, and its implications are still being felt today. Despite the various accusations, including that of being a communist, and other conspiracy theories to justify his detention, Said Zahari was never charged in court.The true impact of his incarceration on the independence of Utusan Melayu, media freedom and governance of Malaysia, is not realised by many Malaysians.
Said Zahari led the Malays to defend the integrity of Utusan Melayu and stop it from becoming the propaganda arm of Umno. This is highly significant because it was Malays who fiercely resisted a take-over by politicians during a 100-day strike at Utusan Melayu in Malaysia and Singapore in 1961.
If Said Zahari had not been locked away for 17 years, what sort of paper would Utusan have become today? More importantly, what sort of country would we be living in now?
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