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)

Muslim Clergy Opposes Badawi's Proposal on Conversion
INDIA eNEWS: Senior Islamic leaders of Malaysia have rejected a proposal by Prime Minister Abdullah Amad Badawi that requires non-Muslims wishing to convert to Islam to inform their family before doing so.

Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) director-general Wan Mohamad Sheikh Abdul Aziz said it was decided at a recent conference that met to streamline Syariah*, the Islamic laws and civil laws.

'Based on Syariah laws, there is no 'nas' (quotations from the Quran to prove or settle a point) compelling a person wishing to convert to Islam to inform the family before doing so,' Wan Mohamad said in a statement Monday.

The conference also decided that the need to inform loved ones should be left to the discretion of the person wishing to convert.

Wan Mohamad said present Syariah laws on conversion and related matters were sufficient and the present practices should be continued.

'Nevertheless, provisions for registration, custody and the education of converts need to be formulated in a more effective manner,' The Daily Star quoted him as saying Tuesday.

Wan Mohamad added under the Syariah laws, the duties and responsibility of the convert towards his non-Muslim parents did not stop after the conversion.

Badawi had said the government would introduce a regulation requiring non-Muslims wishing to convert to Islam to inform their family before doing so.

He said this would prevent problems of families disputing the conversion of their loved ones when they die. Muslim Clergy Opposes Badawi's Proposal on Conversion >>> | April 29, 2008

*Shari’ah

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

"Death to Wilders!", Say Malaysian Protestors
JIT: Malaysian protesters yesterday called for Dutch filmmaker Geert Wilders to be sentenced to death for insulting the Koran, at a rally organised by the Islamic party PAS.

About 150 demonstrators marched several kilometres (miles) in the rain to the Dutch embassy from a mosque near the iconic Petronas Twin Towers, under the watchful eyes of police.

"Muslims should put out a death sentence on Wilders for slandering Islam. Wilders has insulted the Koran," said Reduan Mohamad Nor, a senior member of PAS, which is part of Malaysia's opposition alliance.

"We are here to condemn Wilders. He has insulted our Prophet Mohammed. Are we ready to die to defend the Koran? Reduan yelled as the crowd cheered "Allahu Akbar" or "God is great." Malaysian Protesters Call for Death for Dutch Filmmaker >>> | April 5, 2008

IRNA:
Anti-Islamic Campaign Has Opposite Effect: Spokesman

Mark Alexander

"Long Live Islam", "Crush the Netherlands", Say Malaysian Muslim Protestors
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Malaysian Islamists protested Friday against a 15-minute film made by a Dutch lawmaker that has caused outrage across the Muslim world, saying the short was insulting and blasphemous.

About 50 members of the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party gathered outside the Dutch Embassy in Kuala Lumpur for about 30 minutes in torrential rain shouting "Long live Islam" and "Crush the Netherlands." Riot policemen watched nearby but did not take any action against the protesters.

Talking to reporters after the rally, party youth leader Riduan Mohamad Nor said Geert Wilders' film "Fitna," meaning "ordeal" in Arabic, showed his contempt for Muslims.

"He wants to insult Islam, insult our prophet, insult our Quran," Riduan said.

"Fitna" intersperses verses of the Quran with scenes of terrorist attacks. It was released on the Internet last month, sparking demonstrations by Muslims worldwide. Muslim Protestors Protest against Dutch Lawmaker for Insulting Quran >>> Associated Press | April 4, 2008

Mark Alexander

Shari’ah Strikes Again! Malaysian Woman Jailed for Tea-Pot Worshipping!
THE TELEGRAPH: A sharia court in Malaysia jailed a woman for joining a "tea-pot worshipping" cult.

Kamariah Ali, a 57 year old former teacher, was arrested in 2005 when the government of the Muslim majority country demolished the two storey high sacred tea pot and other infrastructure of the "heretical" Sky Kingdom cult.

For the eccentric sect, which emphasised ecumenical dialogue between religions, the tea pot symbolized the purity of water and "love pouring from heaven".

But in Malaysia, despite constitutional guarantees of freedom of worship, born Muslims such as Mrs Ali are forbidden from converting to other religions. Woman jailed for 'worshipping tea pot' >>> By Thomas Bell, South East Asia Correspondent

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Malaysia at the Crossroads

Hat tip to The Anti-Jihadist for drawing my attention to this excellent, but disturbing, video*:

WATCH VIDEO
*Consider it a wake-up call. A reality check. It's how things will be here, too, if we don't mind the store.

If you wish to comment on this video, please do so HERE

Mark Alexander

Malaysia Considers Hardline Islamic Law
THE TELEGRAPH: Hardline Islamic law could be introduced across Malaysia under reforms proposed by the country's chief justice.

As the nation in south-east Asia celebrated 50 years of independence from Britain yesterday, its government was preparing to discuss a plan that would revolutionise the legal system put in place by its former colonial administrators.

As Kuala Lumpur witnessed celebrations that included parades, fireworks and a fighter-jet fly-by attended by the Duke of York, the proposal pointed to the deep differences which locals say are poisoning social relations beyond the glitter and skyscrapers of Malaysia's modern capital city.

Ahmad Fairuz, the chief justice, told an Islamic conference in Kuala Lumpur that 50 years of independence had failed to free Malaysia from the "clutches of colonialism". Sharia law should be "infused" into the gaps created by abolishing common law, he said.

Malaysia's non-Muslim Chinese and Indian communities, who form 40 per cent of the population, are alarmed at creeping Islamisation.

Abdul Badawi, the prime minister, this month joined other leaders for the first time in denying what the British-authored constitution has said for 50 years - that Malaysia is a secular state.

Sharia law already operates in some Malaysian states and is occasionally applied to non-Muslims, as in July when Islamic officials forcibly separated a Hindu-Muslim couple with six children after 21 years of marriage.

The majority ethnic Malays are defined as Muslim by law and forbidden from converting.

Racial tensions are already high due to official discrimination in favour of Malays, who enjoy better employment opportunities, preferential loans and lower house prices.

Dr Mohd Hatta, of the Islamic Party, welcomed the latest proposal in principle, but said: "The chief justice should be enforcing laws, not making them."

Meanwhile, dissent is increasingly harshly repressed. Journalists and bloggers say they are tailed by police and their phones are tapped. [Source: Malaysia considers switch to Islamic law By Thomas Bell in Kuala Lumpur]

Mark Alexander

Is Darkness
About to Fall on Malaysia?

Photos courtesy of the TimesOnline

With many thanks to the Anti-Jihadist from Pedestrian Infidel, where I first saw this article:

TIMESONLINE: Over a drink of green coconut at what used to be called the Passionate Love Beach until his Islamist party came to power and scrapped the name, state minister Takiyuddin Hassan outlines the victories in the war on sin.

To the south, in Kuala Lumpur, the capital, celebrations are starting for Malaysia’s 50th year as an independent state. Its proud achievements are modern universities, a buoyant economy and a respected place in the world as a moderate Islamic nation.

Mr Hassan’s party boasts a different set of achievements: banning mini-skirts, chastising unmarried couples and renaming Kota Bharu’s favourite beauty spot. They also closed down nightclubs, banned nearly all bars except a few Chinese restaurants, where no Muslims are allowed, and refused to let a proposed cinema open unless there were separate sections for men and women.

In a sign of their clout, the American pop diva Gwen Stefani has agreed to wear traditional costumes in her Malaysian concert next week after conservative Muslim youths protested at the “indecent dressing and obscenity” of her skin-baring act. An Islamic opposition party demanded that her show next Tuesday should be cancelled.

The platinum blonde star has agreed to cover up in the hope of heading off further protests.

As it celebrates 50 years of independence on August 31, Malaysia is once again debating just how Islamic it should be. Older Malays bemoan a younger generation that has become puritanical, self-righteously declining to attend social functions where alcohol is served. Headscarves, rare 20 years ago, are worn by almost all Malay women now, although often in combination with tight jeans. Islam’s war on sin dims bright lights in a nation torn between cultures (more) By Nick Meo in Kota Bharu

Mark Alexander

Shockingly, Disgustingly, Immorally Revealing!
THE GUARDIAN: Religious police in Malaysia have detained a Muslim singer and her band, accusing her of baring too much flesh during a recent performance at a nightclub.

Siti Noor Idayu Abd Moin's sleeveless white top exposed a triangle of skin on her back, prompting officials to charge her with "revealing her body" and "promoting vice".

The artist, who plans to contest the allegations, was released on £145 bail and ordered to appear before the sharia court in the northern town of Ipoh early next month. But Noor Idayu, 24, was bemused by the charge that her top was too skimpy and said it was a style she would feel comfortable wearing in public during the day. Malaysian band detained after singer's top reveals bare skin (more) By IanMacKinnon

Mark Alexander

Destroy Salman Rushdie! Destroy Britain! Hardliners Chant in Protest in Malaysia
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE – KUALA LUMPUR: Protests against the award of a British knighthood to Salman Rushdie, whose novel "The Satanic Verses" outraged Muslims, spread from Pakistan, Iran and the Taliban movement to Malaysia on Wednesday.

Supporters of Malaysia's hard-line Islamic party protested near the British Embassy, chanting "Destroy Salman Rushdie" and "Destroy Britain."

Some 30 members of the opposition Parti Islam se-Malaysia urged Britain to withdraw the honor or risk the consequences.
"This has tainted the whole knighthood, the whole hall of fame of the British system," Hatta Ramli, the party treasurer, said after the group handed a protest note to embassy officials.

"The British government must be responsible because it has created a sudden feeling of anger not just on Salman Rushdie but on the British government," he said. "They have to bear the consequences." Protests spread to Malaysia over knighthood for Salman Rushdie (more)

NDTV.COM:
Bounty of 80,000 pounds on Rushdie's head

Mark Alexander

Malaysia Demonstrates Its Commitment to Human Rights: Refusal to Grant a Person’s Right to Convert Out of Islam Into Christianity
MIDDLE EAST TIMES: KUALA LUMPUR -- The woman at the center of a religious controversy in Malaysia has accused the country's highest court of denying her fundamental rights in rejecting her bid to be legally recognized as Christian, her lawyer confirmed Thursday.

Lina Joy's comments came a day after Malaysia's Federal Court rejected her attempt to win recognition of her conversion from Islam.

Joy, 43, had sought the removal of the word "Islam" from her national identity card.

But the Federal Court, the highest secular legal body, threw out her case and said that only an Islamic Sharia tribunal could legally certify her conversion. Malaysian woman criticizes court in religious row (more)

NZZ:
Verdikt gegen die Religionsfreiheit

Mark Alexander