Islam No Joking Matter, Malaysian Stand-up Comics Say amid Creeping Conservatism

Comedian Harith Iskander speaking at The Cooler Lumpur
Festival in Kuala Lumpur, June 13, 2015.

MALAY MAIL ONLINE: KUALA LUMPUR, June 14 — Jokes about race, religion and sex often form the magic bag of comedians worldwide but Malaysian comics are giving Islam a wide berth for fear of arrest and even death, as conservatism takes roots in this multicultural nation.

Comedian Jason Leong said he and fellow comics have lampooned Christianity and Buddhism, but not Islam, the predominant religion in Malaysia.

“What is difficult is making jokes about Islam, or as my friend calls it, Muslimism; we don’t wanna get arrested, we don’t wanna die,” Leong told a packed audience at a session titled “Killing Sacred Cows: Comedy in the Age of Offence” at the Cooler Lumpur Festival here yesterday.

Another popular comedian Harith Iskandar, who was also at the session, said topics related to Muslim culture would have to be packaged in layers so as to have safeguards.

“If someone is videotaping it, we could get into serious trouble, regardless of whether I myself am a Malay-Muslim,” he said. » | Boo Su-Lyn | Sunday, June 14, 2015

Irshad Manji’s Book to Be Banned If It Contravenes Teachings of Sunnah Wal Jamaah
BORNEO POST: KUALA LUMPUR: The government will issue a ban on Irshad Manji’s book and publication if their content contravened the teachings of the Sunnah Wal Jamaah, Home Ministry Publication and Quranic Text Control Division secretary Abd Aziz Md Nor said.

Irshad’s book, entitled ‘Allah, Liberty and Love”, which was translated into Malay language, had also been forwarded to the Malaysian Islamic Development Department to be studied.

“This is because the book is believed to have contained elements that can deviate Muslims from their faith and elements which insulted Islam,” he said in a statement here. Read on and comment » | Tuesday, May 22, 2012

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Saudi Writer Hamza Kashgari Detained in Malaysia Over Muhammad Tweets

THE DAILY BEAST: A young Saudi blogger whose tweets about the Prophet Muhammad inflamed Islamists—who are calling for his execution—reportedly has been detained in Malaysia. It is not clear if he will be extradited to Saudi Arabia. Mike Giglio exclusively interviews Hamza Kashgari.

Update: The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Hamza Kashgari has been detained in Malaysia. He was detained yesterday at the Kuala Lumpur International airport, the Journal reports, citing Malaysia’s state news service.

A friend of Kashgari’s, who asked not to be named, told The Daily Beast on Wednesday that she had accompanied him to the airport and witnessed his detention. “We were just watching him, waiting for him to pass the immigration checkpoint. Once he submitted his passport, they asked him to step away for a few minutes,” the friend said, still noticeably shaken. “And suddenly these two people without uniforms just arrested him.”

It remains unclear why Kashgari is being held or whether he will be extradited to Saudi Arabia.
Last week, just before the anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad’s birth, Hamza Kashgari, a 23-year-old Saudi writer in Jidda, took to his Twitter feed to reflect on the occasion.

“On your birthday, I will say that I have loved the rebel in you, that you’ve always been a source of inspiration to me, and that I do not like the halos of divinity around you. I shall not pray for you,” he wrote in one tweet.

“On your birthday, I find you wherever I turn. I will say that I have loved aspects of you, hated others, and could not understand many more,” he wrote in a second.

“On your birthday, I shall not bow to you. I shall not kiss your hand. Rather, I shall shake it as equals do, and smile at you as you smile at me. I shall speak to you as a friend, no more,” he concluded in a third. » | Mike Giglio | Friday, February 10, 2012


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"Le jeune imam", l'émission de télé-réalité qui fait un tabac en Malaisie
Les candidats de l'émission attendent le verdict des juges. Photo : Le Point
LE POINT: Ils ont entre 18 et 27 ans et vivent coupés du monde pendant dix semaines : huit jeunes hommes s'affrontent pour être sacrés le "meilleur imam" dans une émission de télé-réalité qui rencontre un grand succès en Malaisie. Le vainqueur d'"Imam Muda" ("Le jeune imam") sera récompensé par un pèlerinage, tous frais payés, à La Mecque, une bourse pour étudier dans une université saoudienne et un poste dans une mosquée importante de Malaisie.

Il lui faudra pour cela être le dernier en lice des épreuves éliminatoires qui testent leurs connaissances de l'islam. Les candidats, qui étaient dix au départ, ont ainsi dû réciter des versets du Coran, effectuer les ablutions sur deux morts et convaincre des jeunes de se détourner du sexe hors mariage et de la drogue.

L'émission "fera date car elle propose une approche rafraîchissante de l'islam", estime Azman Ujang, un expert des médias. L'ancien grand imam de la mosquée nationale de Kuala Lumpur, qui supervise l'émission, espère que les candidats vont jouer un "rôle modèle" pour "lutter contre la décadence sociale et morale qui affecte les musulmans". Flagellation pour adultère >>> AFP | Vendredi 02 Juillet 2010

Dark Age Alert! Malaysian Churches Attacked with Firebombs
THE GUARDIAN: Three churches in Kuala Lumpur attacked after court reverses ban on Christians using the word 'Allah' to mean 'God'

Muslims protest against a court decision that allows a Catholic newspaper to use the word 'Allah' to describe the Christian God in its Malay language editions. Photograph: The Guardian
Three Malaysian churches were attacked with firebombs, causing extensive damage to one, as Muslims pledged today to prevent Christians from using the word "Allah", escalating religious tensions in the multiracial country.

Many Malay Muslims, who make up 60% of the population, are incensed by a recent high court decision to overturn a ban on Roman Catholics using Allah as a translation for God in the Malay-language edition of their main newspaper, the Herald.

The government had said that Allah, an Arabic word that predates Islam, was exclusive to the faith. It refused to make an exception, even though the Herald's Malay edition is read only by Christian indigenous tribes in the remote states of Sabah and Sarawak.

At Friday prayers at two main mosques in downtown Kuala Lumpur, young worshippers carried banners and vowed to defend Islam.

"We will not allow the word Allah to be inscribed in your churches," one shouted into a loudspeaker at the Kampung Bahru mosque. About 50 other people carried posters reading "Heresy arises from words wrongly used" and "Allah is only for us".

"Islam is above all. Every citizen must respect that," said Ahmad Johari, who attended prayers at the National Mosque. "I hope the court will understand the feeling of the majority Muslims of Malaysia. We can fight to the death over this issue." >>> Associated Press | Friday, January 08, 2010

Un débat autour du mot «Allah» dégénère en Malaisie
Crédits photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Trois églises ont été détruites par des bombes vendredi, dans ce pays où la polémique enfle sur l'emploi du nom d'Allah pour désigner le dieu du christianisme.

Trois églises ont été la cible de bombes incendiaires vendredi en Malaisie, où le débat autour de l'utilisation du mot «Allah» par les non-musulmans fait rage, opposant la population malaise musulmane aux minorités d'origine chinoise et indienne, qui pratiquent notamment le christianisme.

L'affaire n'est pas récente, et puise ses racines en mai 2008, date à laquelle le haut conseil national de la fatwa avait ordonné que l'appelation «Allah» soit uniquement employée par les musulmans. Il avait en effet estimé qu'un tel usage de ce mot par des catholiques risquait de semer la confusion parmi les musulmans, présents à 60% dans le pays. >>> F.G. (lefigaro.fr) avec AFP | Jeudi 08 Janvier 2010

Muslim Woman to Be Caned for Drinking a Beer
BALTIMORE SUN BLOG: A 32-year-old Muslim woman, a model, was sentenced this week to six strokes with a rattan cane for drinking a beer in a nightclub.

Word of this event, reported by the Associated Press in Australia and picked up The Huffington Post, comes from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Consuming alcohol is a religious offense in Malaysia only for Muslims, who make up nearly two-thirds of the population, reports say. Offenders are prosecuted in Shariah courts, which handle cases mainly related to family and moral issues for Muslim.

Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno was sentenced Monday to six lashes and a fine of 5,000 ringgit ($1,400) for consuming alcohol.

Earlier news sources reported the woman would appeal the sentence. But yesterday the blog Nuraiana A. Samad's 3540 Jalan Sudin said the woman had decided not to appeal. There seemed to confusion, however, over who would strike the blows. Technically, she has to be in prison to be caned. She is not in prison.

The caning inflicts more shame than corporal punishment, a Malaysian official claims. Easy for him to say. [Source: Batimore Sun Blog] | Rob Kaspar | Comment here

Bombenanschläge auf zwei Hotels in Jakarta: Mindestens 9 Todesopfer und 50 Verletzte
NZZ Online: Zwei Bombenanschläge auf die Hotels Ritz-Carlton und JW Marriott in der indonesischen Hauptstadt Jakarta haben mindestens 9 Todesopfer und 50 Verletzte gefordert. Unter ihnen befanden sich auch zahlreiche Ausländer.

Am frühen Freitagmorgen haben Terroristen Bombenanschläge auf zwei Luxushotels in der indonesischen Hauptstadt Jakarta verübt. Je ein Sprengsatz explodierte fast zeitgleich in der Lobby des «JW Marriott» und in einem Restaurant des «Ritz-Carlton». Die beiden Hotels liegen praktisch nebeneinander im Stadtzentrum und werden gerne von ausländischen Geschäftsleuten frequentiert.

In einer vorläufigen Opferbilanz der Regierung war die Rede von 9 Toten und 50 Verwundeten. Unter den Verletzten befanden sich mindestens 16 Ausländer. Getötet wurde zudem der Chef der indonesischen Vertretung des Schweizer Zementkonzerns Holcim. Verschiedene Medien kolportierten allerdings unterschiedliche Opferbilanzen. Genauere Angaben sind wohl erst später zu erwarten. >>> Kurt Pelda, Kuala Lumpur | Freitag, 17. Juli 2009

Malaysian Man Fights Baby's Secret Conversion to Islam
ASIAONE NEWS: KUALA LUMPUR - An ethnic Chinese Malaysian has gone to court to fight the secret conversion of his 15-month-old daughter by his estranged Muslim convert wife, his lawyer said Thursday.

Carpenter Hoo Ying Soon, 28, is also challenging the temporary custody granted to his wife by a sharia court in this Muslim-majority nation.

Lawyer Tang Jay Son told AFP Hoo only learned of his wife and child's secret conversion two days ago through a sharia court notice, which said the woman had become a Muslim on January 28 and his infant daughter on February 3.

"They also served him an interim court order... that grants the wife a temporary custody over the child and the reason for that is because the child is already a Muslim," Tang said.

"But we have to bear in mind that the child was converted to Islam without Hoo's knowledge and consent as a father."

The couple - originally both Buddhists who married in 2007 and live in central Negri Sembilan state- separated in September last year, the lawyer said.

He said the parents took turns to look after their daughter, who has now been given the Muslim name Nurul Syuhada Chew Abdullah. >>> AFP | Thursday, March 5, 2009

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – USA)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardcover – USA)

Muslim World Wants to Shut Down West’s Freedom of Speech
Cartoons courtesy of the Infidel Blogger’s Alliance
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: A Muslim political leader urged Western governments Monday to hit out more strongly against acts that are offensive to Islam.

Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary-general of the 56-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference, warned there seemed to be a growing "campaign of hate and discrimination" against Muslims by a small number of individuals and organizations.

In a speech to a conference in Kuala Lumpur on improving ties between Muslims and the West, Ihsanoglu praised Western nations for criticizing acts such as the recent release of an anti-Quran film by a Dutch lawmaker, but said more should have been done.

"Mere condemnation or distancing from the acts of the perpetrators of Islamophobia will not resolve the issue, as long as they remain free to carry on with their campaign of incitement and provocation on the plea of freedom of expression," Ihsanoglu said.

Earlier this year, the release of the film "Fitna" by Dutch politician Geert Wilders sparked protests by Muslims for showing images of terror attacks interspersed with text from the Quran.

Ihsanoglu also urged the media to reject "proponents of hatred and intolerance totally," citing other incidents such as the republishing in Denmark of cartoons considered an insult to the Prophet Muhammad. Muslim Leaders Urge Western Governments to Condemn Acts that Insult Islam >>> (Associated press) | June 9, 2008

DAILY TIMES (Pakistan):
Pakistan to Ask EU to Amend Laws on Freedom of Expression >>> By Tahir Niaz | June 8, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Dust Jacket Hardcover, direct from the publishers (US)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback, direct from the publishers (US)

Malaysia's Islamic Court Makes Landmark Ruling to Let Muslim Convert Return to Buddhism
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: A Malaysian Islamic court allowed a Muslim convert Thursday to return to her original faith of Buddhism, setting a precedent that could ease religious minorities' worries about their legal rights.

Lawyers said the Shariah High Court's verdict in the northern state of Penang was the first time in recent memory that a convert has been permitted to legally renounce Islam in this Muslim-majority nation.

A rising number of disputes about religious conversions has sparked anxiety among minorities — predominantly Buddhist, Christian and Hindu — because in the past, courts virtually always ruled against people seeking to leave Islam.

Penang's Shariah court, however, granted Siti Fatimah Tan Abdullah's request to be declared a non-Muslim. She embraced Islam in 1998 because she wanted to marry an Iranian, but claimed she never truly practiced the religion.

"I am very happy," Siti, a 39-year-old ethnic Chinese cake seller, told The Associated Press by telephone. "I want to go to the temple to pray and give thanks."

The Shariah court, which governs Muslims' personal conduct and religious lives, ruled that Siti's husband and Islamic authorities failed to give her proper religious advice.

"So you can't blame her for her ignorance of the teachings and wanting to convert out," said Ahmad Munawir Abdul Aziz, a lawyer for the Islamic Affairs Council in Penang.

Minority leaders hailed the verdict as a step to protect religious rights. Malaysia's Islamic Court Makes Landmark Ruling to Let Muslim Convert Return to Buddhism >>> Associated Press | May 8, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – USA)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardcover – USA)

Islamic Fashion: ”From Drab to Dramatic”
Photo courtesy of The Star
THE STAR: There’s more to the Islamic dress than just black robes.

THE recently concluded Kuala Lumpur-Jakarta-Dubai Islamic Fashion Festival (IFF) was proof of an Islamic fashion renaissance. The runways at the tri-country fashion event were bursting with colour, with traditional garments like the burqa, jibab [jilbab] and abaya being transformed from drab to dramatic.

The festival, an attempt to turn Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and Dubai into Islamic fashion capitals, attracted top designers from Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Among them were Malaysia’s Datuk Tom Abang Saufi and Radzuan Radziwill, Indonesian designer Ghea Panggabean, Pakistani Deepak Perwani and UAE’s Shabana Asif. Colour and Pizzaz >>> By S Indramalar

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)