“You Are Not Qualified To Talk About Islam”: How to Respond to Attempts to Close the Public Domain

By Farish A. Noor

“You are not qualified to talk about Islam”. How many times have I heard and read that same line, again and again? And more often than not, the same sentence is uttered or written by precisely the sort of self-trained autodidact whose own knowledge of Islam came from whatever he or she read on the internet or some cassette he bought at the local market.

It has become rather commonplace for conservative Muslims – as well as conservative Christians, Hindus, Buddhists and Jews – to claim monopoly over the discourse of Islam and to try their best to close off the space of public discourse on all matters religious for the sake of protecting the integrity and sanctity of that discourse. Or so we are told. But one can also argue that such attempts at restricting the participation and contribution of others in a discursive arena that is hotly contested is little more than a conventional and predictable attempt at censorship and the narrowing of the Muslim mind.

A recent case in point is the attempt to once again label the Muslim feminist movement Sisters in Islam of Malaysia as a group of ‘western-educated’ ‘liberal’ feminists who have no right to speak on matters Islamic. And once again we are in a paroxysm of anxiety as to how to deal with such accusations. Continue reading ““You Are Not Qualified To Talk About Islam”: How to Respond to Attempts to Close the Public Domain”

Where in France have you gone to, Tee Keat, that you dare not announce your overseas programme and travel plans?

My three questions (No.52 to No. 54 on the 18th day in the current series) to Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat on the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal today are:

No. 1. – Where in France have you gone to, Tee Keat, that you dare not reveal to Parliament and the Malaysian public your actual programme of activities in Paris and your travel plans?

Is it because you know that if your overseas programme is made public, you will be nailed as an utterly irresponsible Minister who could run away from his first duty to account to Parliament on the “scandal of scandals”, the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal on the most ridiculous pretext of an overseas trip.

When was your Paris programme finalized. Didn’t you know in advance that the June meeting of Parliament would start yesterday and that the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal will be high on the parliamentary issues of priority?
Continue reading “Where in France have you gone to, Tee Keat, that you dare not announce your overseas programme and travel plans?”

Parliament twitter on the “annual begging season” for PSD s’ships by top-scorers

@limkitsiang

06/16/2009 11:09 AM
From Nazri, 2,000 PSD foreign s’ships for 2008 SPM students – 1,100 bumiputeras and 900 non-bumiputeras. Cost RM659 million.

06/16/2009 10:44 AM
On why govt not spending more 4PSD s’ships 4topscorers when RM12.5 billion in PKFZ scandal can give places for >1,000 students,no answer.

06/16/2009 10:36 AM
Nazri trotted out standard govt line on this issue n refused 2respond when asked why list of 400 s’ships awarded on merit not made public.

06/16/2009 10:34 AM
I asked why there is still “annual begging season” 4top scholars 4PSD s’ships after 1Malaysia anncd by Najib, which must mean colour-blind?
Continue reading “Parliament twitter on the “annual begging season” for PSD s’ships by top-scorers”

Advice to PM Najib to adopt new politics

By Dr Chen Man Hin, DAP Life Advisor

PM NAJIB MUST GIVE UP PLAYING OLD POLITICS OR HIS 1 MALAYSIA VISION WILL VANISH

One must admit that PM Najib has been trying very hard to push his vision of 1 Malaysia to gain the support of the people, but the people are not seen to resonate to his call. These are the reasons.

HE LACKS SINCERITY. He claims that he wants unity so that we are one people. The next moment he proceeded to Perak and engineered a coup de’tat to take over the PR state government. He has achieved it with the support and co-operation from royalty, the judiciary, the attorney chambers, the police, the election commission and the bureaucracy. Instead of unity, he has created disunity among the people.

HIS 1 MALAYSIA WAS INTENDED TO UNITE THE WHOLE NATION TO CONSIST OF ONE PEOLE, ONE NATION. However at the same time, he continues to support Umno’s policy of ketuanan Melayu. How is it possible for the people to be one people, when at the same time he allows a political party of which he is president to struggle for a divisive ketuanan Melayu policy?
Continue reading “Advice to PM Najib to adopt new politics”