│Azril Mohd Amin's personal views
Kuala Lumpur, Dec. 12, 2009 — The Malaysian Muslim Lawyers Association announced at its 22nd Annual General Meeting in Kuala Lumpur that lawyer Hj. Zainurijal Abu Bakar has been elected to become its 5th president, succeeding Tan Sri Abu Zahar Ujang.
Continue reading “Malaysian Muslim Lawyers Association Elects New Leadership”
Islam is really vast, and most of us forget that it extends so far beyond our local communities. The first blessing of Hajj is to remind us of this reality. Another blessing is that, if you must travel the world, you might as well travel to the very gates of heaven and hell. Al Qur’an never dissociates these two ultimate realities, and in Makkah they are also both close to us. Among other things, our Taqwa will increase and we may even become more fearful upon return. There is nothing wrong with this.Continue reading “Reflections on Hajj”
The United Nations concept of human rights is unacceptable to Muslims. The points where they clash are numerous, yet Muslims seem afraid to focus on these points, perhaps for fear of upsetting the international “powers that be”. When Abdullah Badawi formulated his “Islam Hadhari”, for example, he carefully avoided all these points in his “Ten Principles”, thereby robbing “Hadhari” of any distinctively Islamic identity. Undoubtedly, he was trying to “sell” Islam to the world in some moderate, essentially emasculated form.Continue reading “How Islam and Universalist Humanism clash”
This story originally appeared here.
As Asia leads the global economy in recovery, it is time for Asian companies to shift from supporting supply to creating their own market opportunities. Asian companies are now spending more time and resources in building their own brands.Continue reading “Shape the World Conference guides Asian brands to shape market opportunities”
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in partnership with Islamic Outreach-ABIM, organized a seminar entitled, ‘Protection and Assistance of Civilians Affected by Complex Emergencies and Armed Conflicts.’ It was held at the Equatorial Hotel, Kuala Lumpur on October 14, 2009.
The following story is based on a true experience by a dear friend whom I had invited to “iftar” during the recent Ramadhan. The event was held in one of the halls at Kuala Lumpur’s Masjid Negara. For all of Malaysia’s enlightenment, she still designs some mosques that are quite inaccessible for “warga emas”, or senior citizens, who may be a bit walking-impaired. This was my worry but with all sincerity I had hoped that my friend would attend the event. And more importantly, the following incident has made me reflect upon what we call as da’wah bil hal – inviting people to Islam through our personal good qualities and actions. This is indeed is Rasulullah (may peace be upon him)’s lifelong practise. His moral conduct had drawn many people to love and embrace Islam. His trustworthiness and amanah had long since impressed the community of Quraisy Arabs. So much so that he was named Al-Amin, the Truthful One.
There are a number of approaches which one might take when considering the freedom of religion in Malaysia, in terms of human rights. However, as delineated below, there will invariably be problems inherent in applying a Universalist perspective to the Islamic worldview. Given the constraints of time and space in this instance, then, the focus will be primarily on the Islamic perspective on the issues.
Continue reading “A brief perspective on religious freedom in the Malaysian context”
Press Release: Bangkok (October 16, 2009): More than 30 Muslim NGO activists and representatives from Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Cambodia today gathered in the capital of Thailand to discuss the impact and implications of three conflict-torn regions in Southeast Asia and called for ASEAN and ASEAN member governments to undertake new and renewed efforts to tackle the conflicts.
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