So, what do you want to watch?

Trying to determine if a TV programme is threatening to one’s faith can be a real challenge. YOU can read very interesting things in the news these days, some of which can be rather puzzling. At a conference on entertainment and Islam recently, a paper presenter said that many people have asked him how to tell...

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True leaders

I AM often asked if there will ever be a woman Prime Minister in this country. My answer to that is always no. The current system is stacked against women, regardless of whichever party they might be in. It is difficult for women to become Prime Minister on their own merit. But it is interesting to me that...

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Warriors who lack vision

IMAGINE if you will, a band of warriors making their way through some tall grass. They are armed to the teeth because they are convinced that within the dense foliage, there are untold numbers of hostile parties ready to attack them at any time. As they make their way, not the least bit quietly, their nerves...

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Silence doesn’t always mean assent

The trouble with silence is that nobody knows what it means, so we can only make up reasons. I READ a curious piece of news the other day where one of our bigwigs said that by not criticising us, President Barack Obama is actually supporting us with his silence. I don’t even know where to start with this apart...

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Don’t let hatred lead to injustice

Sometimes it feels like we are being asked to despise an ever-growing list of people and things. LAST Sunday, an extraordinary young man organised an extraordinary event. Having lived his life being afraid of dogs, he decided to overcome this fear and help others to do the same by inviting people to get to know...

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A ‘cult of unthinking’ is spreading

We always seem to think that we have no choice when it comes to doing evil, but plenty of choice to do good things that we then don’t exercise. THERE are times when I just want to give up. One of those times recently was when I saw a tweet calling on people not to buy the latest Proton model because its name...

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An era coming to an end

A lot of strange things have been going on that must surely be a sign of the end of something. THERE is a belief among some people that one of the signs of the end of times is when really strange things start to happen. I was never one of those because often “strange” can be quite subjective. There are some...

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A mockery of statutory rape law

When legislation is clear on crimes yet law enforcers ignore them, the public loses its sense of what is lawful and what is not.  THERE were two stories I read recently which were published side by side. One was about a 71-year-old man caught in a khalwat situation with a 14-year-old girl. Next to it was...

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Why some societies collapse

Sometimes, political and social problems arise out of some very basic issues of survival. I LIKE to read odd books sometimes. In particular, I like to read books about the human condition, not so much the philosophies behind it but as much as can be learnt from reality as possible. One of the authors I really...

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Do the brainwork before pressuring Israel

To be effective in calling for change, there needs to be an organised strategic campaign with an educational component. THESE are emotional times. My, these are emotional times. Nerves are frayed, amidst grief, tension and a general feeling of loss and depression. We’ve had a bad year undoubtedly and there’s...

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'Hidden hands' steering our path

Some claim these unseen hands operate through us being a democratic nation, where we get to vote our leaders into power and also have a say in what we want for our country. LET me first wish everyone Selamat Hari Raya, maaf zahir batin. This Ramadan has been a particularly sad one with the MH17 tragedy, especially...

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Heartening lessons from Japan

While there are bigots there too, they are seen as mostly cranks and don’t get much airplay in the media. SOMETIMES you need distance to have some perspective. I was just in Tokyo again to speak at a women’s conference. One night I had the opportunity to have dinner with some 80 Malaysians living, studying...

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We've got walking time-bombs

Our concern should make us look at the state of our young men today, particularly the Muslim men at the bottom of the social scale. SO we finally stepped over the line. When the first Malaysian suicide bomber died in Syria, we finally put to rest the idea that Malaysian Muslims would never do this. For so long,...

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