Nurul Izzah Anwar is one of the youngest MPs elected into Parliament and one of the giant killers of 2008. Her alter ego in the contest was none other than the Cowgate Minister; who lost badly but retained her deposit and was appointed into cabinet through the Senate becaue of her Wanita Umno position. However, …
In the philosophy of science, there is one really big action word: Anthropomorphise; which is when one uses human traits, attributes or thought patterns, and frameworks to describe another object of focus. Therefore when we talk about the ideal of ‘God\’ as an almighty or spiritual being that exists independent of all human existence, it …
I have no choice but to respond to Wong Chun Wai\’s (WCW) column in The Sunday Star as published in Malaysia Today with the title, ‘Keep faith out of politics\’. My reason: Oriental Hearts and Mind Study Institute (OHMSI) was a co-organiser of the Islamic State Dialogue, together with the Islamic Renaissance Front. WCW\’s comments make us infamous! Usually, …
My definition of politics is: “Any intervention into time and space with a view to make change happen”. By “faith” I mean an internal and personal value that guides one’s behaviour based on one’s belief or faith system. The specific object of one’s faith is a non-issue. To get into that dialogue would be the …
I was too upset to write about the abuse of Gaza by the Israeli nation’s military forces. The differing worlds and worldviews also seemed to be frozen by shock, or was complete connivance vide the United Nation general assembly and the Security Council about these attacks by both sides? But, would that not be a …
Human beings have two virtues that make us distinct and different from other animals; and even if we are all creations of the same creator. Both values relate to the concept of human dignity and freedom of conscience. Only humans have a conscience; of knowing the difference between the experience of today, and the meaning …
Malaysians generally believe in a ‘close one eye’ culture. What does this mean? It actually originates from ‘kesian dia, bagi chance-lah’ , an attitude prevalent in the traditional Malaysian worldview. These words truly reflect the gentle, genteel and nuanced Malay culture of grace and finesse which is still found, but maybe only in traditional kampongs. They engender …
I was at the final Advent Service within the month of preparation for Christmas. The pastor preached about belief and unbelief, and therefore I have decided to borrow some of his teachings from scriptures, and also address some of my own thinking and reflections about the above topic. My real concern is focused on the …
Islamic governance of modern nation-states is now at an experimental crossroads. Since the Iranian revolution, and the subsequent experimentation of an Islamic republic of governance, we are now facing the changing nature of newer and more definitive models of modern governance of Islamic populations, organised as nation-states. Egypt, in their post-revolution against feudalism, is the …
