Seriously High-Quality Manifesto Suggestions

I don't say this merely because the writer of those suggestions makes Candide references.

Some are tongue-in-cheek, I think.

But quite a few of the points raised are well thought through and deliberated. Granted, some are also a bit vague, but debating them before enacting the laws are, after all, the role of our elected representatives.

My favourites (I appear to prefer the vague ones) are:

Discrimination
1. Institute a law to address discrimination in the private sector with a focus on race, religion, political belief and gender.
2. Minimum mandatory 30 days paternity leave to address gender pay gap and change societal expectations on gender.

Civil liberties
1. Limit the police’s ability to restrict peaceful assemblies.
2. Address discrimination against religious minority.
3. Sosma to be limited towards terror activities only.
4. Sedition Act to be scaled down.
5. Tighter requirements for book banning.
6. Stronger privacy and data protections law and enforcement.

Read them in their entirety at Manifesto promises I would like to see made by the self-proclaimed "reasonably libertarian" Hafiz Noor Shams.

Best Piece That I've Read This Year

In response to the question below, my answer without hesitation, is YES.

By Aidila Razak

Standing up against tyranny of the majority

This isn’t a commentary about how the actions of a group of Malays in Taman Medan, Petaling Jaya on Sunday is un-Islamic.

This is not about another Muslim reeling in embarrassment or anger over the protesters’ antics because really, I don’t need to join the growing chorus of apologetic Muslims.

It is not that piece, not because I don’t think what happened on Sunday was acceptable. In fact, I think the protestors were off their heads and are deplorable.

You don’t need to be a Muslim to know that telling a church to take down their cross is un-Islamic. Indeed, you don’t have to be anything but a decent human being to know that telling people to hide symbols of their faiths is a pretty disgusting thing to do.

The reason I refuse to write this ‘Muslim condemning an un-Islamic act by other Muslims’ piece is that it is greater than that.

What happened on Sunday was not about a bunch of rabid Malays or Muslims, but about a bunch of tyrants and their sense of invincibility as the majority.

What happened last Sunday is the tyranny of the majority, and this is a cause I would rather raise my voice against.

Muslims not the only tyrants

While it is true that Malaysia is a majority Muslim country, and in this Taman Medan instance, the ones guilty of such tyranny are Muslims, Muslims are not alone in pushing their weight around on the basis of their numbers.

Across the South China Sea, Christian residents in Penampang, Sabah may ironically find a sense of camaraderie with the Taman Medan anti-cross protestors.

While protestors say “the cross sign should be removed” in 95 percent Muslim (or so protestors say) Taman Medan, residents of Penampang say the 12.3 percent Muslims who live there should not have a neighbourhood mosque.

They say the yet-to-be-constructed mosque - actually they cannot confirm if the construction within the compounds of local police headquarters will indeed be a mosque - is not a necessity.

Taking up the cause, local elected representative Terence Siambun in a statement said there is a mosque 10 minutes’ drive away so Muslims can just pray there.

"I cannot see how questioning the construction of a mosque in the middle of an area which is predominantly Christian tantamount to being racist or anti-Islam. This is purely a question of necessity,” the PKR rep for Moyog said.

Like Muslims in Penampang, Christians living in Taman Medan also have a church not too far away.

A man met by my colleague at Taman Medan the day after the protest said he now goes to a church about 15 to 20 minutes’ drive away. And to have one set up just three minutes from his doorstep is a delight.

Fear-mongering

I have had the pleasure of reporting from the lovely seaside city of Kota Kinabalu many times in the past few years.

Once, speaking to locals about the Royal Commission of Inquiry on Illegal Immigrants, one man recalled how his relative’s scholarship was frozen after the takeover of the PBS government.

He attributes it to PBS being a Kadazandusun/Murut-based party, and his relative not the same race or religion of the majority.

There is no way to truly verify if this is true, but several witnesses who testified at the RCI cited “oppression” by a “Christian government” as impetus for the mass issuance of ICs in the so-called Project IC.

Could it be just fear mongering by bigots unhappy that Christians are in the seat of power? Or could there actually be truth to discriminatory practices against minorities under a state government of and elected by the majority?

Peddling horror stories seems to have led to the Taman Medan protest, as well.

Going by self-style mediator (and protestor?) Abdullah Abu Bakar’s version of events, Taman Medan residents are fearful that the newly-established church just a stone’s throw away from their homes will start spreading the gospel to Muslim youths.

I am inclined to dismiss this fear of proselytisation. In fact, logically, if proselytisation is what is feared by the locals, they should welcome the massive cross sign. I imagine that covert conversions are more likely to happen in unmarked places, not one that screams it’s a church.

And truly, if someone really wanted to convince you to leave the faith you were raised in, it would take more than a cross sign.

Likewise, the residents of Penampang can sit tight knowing that their children will unlikely leave the church just because there might be a mosque in their neighbourhood. After all, like Siambun said, there is already one 10 minutes away.

Minority rights always, all the time

Minorities in Malaysia have often decried policies which unfairly favour the majority, and for good reason.

Like the relative of that Sabahan I spoke to, many have raged about bright students from minority races who were denied scholarships or spots in their chosen university courses seemingly due to the colour of their skin.

But unlike the Sabah case, it is likely much easier to prove such discriminatory policies and double standards in law enforcement against the minorities.

The fact that the Taman Medan protest is considered kosher (perhaps the better word would be halal), when a post by a pair of attention-seeking sex bloggers inviting someone to have bak kut teh for buka puasa is sedition, is evidence enough.

But that’s not the point, is it?

The point is, if we want to be angry about the Taman Medan protest, we have to be equally outraged over all manners in which the majority tries to push their weight around.

Growing up in a Malay community, I often hear people around me ask why we must “give face” to minorities. They are minorities after all, I am told, so should not demand too much.

But the strength of society is measured by how it treats its smallest and weakest.

We have to bend backwards to make sure the rights for minorities are upheld for the simplest reason that they are too small to do it on their own.

The Penampang mosque (if it is even indeed a construction for a mosque) is not yet there for residents to protest in front of.

But what if it is built and Christians there hold a noisy protest scaring congregants and demanding the crescent moon symbol be brought down, or for a halt to the azan?

Would you also stand up for that minority, too?

Level-Headed Indonesians

This post is for all the silly Malaysians who look at Indonesian maids and automatically think that Indonesia is a country inferior to Malaysia because they are "poor and uncivilised".

Let me tell you something: The Indonesians, being citizens of the biggest Muslim country in the world, are far more level-headed and balanced than many Malaysians.

The Indonesian president said:

The president of the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, Indonesia, on Thursday called the actions of Islamic State militants "embarrassing" to the religion and urged Islamic leaders to unite in tackling extremism.

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the scale of the slaughter wrought by the extremists in overrunning large swathes of Iraq and Syria and the level of violence being used was appalling.

"It is shocking. It is becoming out of control," he said in an interview with The Australian, a day after IS released a video showing a masked militant beheading US reporter James Foley, provoking worldwide revulsion.

"We do not tolerate it, we forbid Isis in Indonesia," he added, referring to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, as IS was formerly known.

This is a nation that openly denounces ISIS/ISIL as an embarrassment and speaks out against them.

Have any Malaysian Muslim leaders done that?

Now tell me which is a moderate Muslim nation - Malaysia or Indonesia?

DUMC - The Church That Got Raided Over A Dinner

The freaking religious authorities merely walked in without a warrant and seized the function’s programme sheets and questioned the dinner organisers and guests.

They claimed they were there in response to a complaint but never clarified what the complaint was.

This is part of DUMC's press statement.

Click to enlarge

So much for Najib seeking an audience with the pope. Why bother with that when you royally p1ss off the Christians???

Read the whole story here: Jais, cops raid church over multi-racial dinner

Another Religious Custody Battle

We have made it on the NYT for all the wrong reasons - yet again.

Malaysian Custody Dispute Lost Between Courts

KUALA LUMPUR — Through most of their 17-year marriage, M. Indira Gandhi says she and her husband observed rituals that she considered integral to their Hindu faith. Each morning they would pray before a shrine and on Fridays they would fast. During festivals they donned brightly colored, traditional outfits to attend their local temple.

Those were traditions Ms. Gandhi assumed they would be passing on to their three young children.

But nearly a year ago Ms. Gandhi was stunned to discover that her husband had converted to Islam. Her surprise turned to anger when she discovered that, without consulting her, he had also converted their children.

Read the article in its entirety on the website.

Q&A With Azmi Sharom

"Asking the Syariah court to have jurisdiction on the Lina Joy case is wrong because she is not a Muslim," Azmi Sharom postulates.


"It would be like asking me to resolve a personal dispute I may have with Jaya (sitting next to him on the panel) in a military court. Impossible! Because we're not in the military - he's too old and I'm a hippie!"

Azmi had us in stitches but nodding with feeling at his logic.

Taking God's Name In Vain

This morning when I was listening to the news on the radio, it was implied that PAS was very much against this issue of Catholics using the word "Allah" to refer to God.

Upon reading Harakah, I have discovered (and straight from the horse's mouth) that this isn't the case at all.

PAS has no issue with Malay-speaking Christians using the word "Allah".

Umno raih simpati rakyat isu 'Allah'
Muhammad Yusri Amin

KOTA BHARU, 6 Jan: Mengapa pemimpin Umno menjadi kelam kabut dengan isu penggunaan nama Allah oleh Herald, sedangkan dalam masa yang sama mereka memisahkan agama dan politik.

Persoalan tersebut dilontar Menteri Besar Kelantan, Tuan Guru Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat setelah melihat Umno tiba-tiba nampak serius dengan isu tersebut.

“Tahukah mereka pengertian nama Allah itu sendiri sedangkan pegangan pemimpin Umno memisahkan agama dan politik.

"Mereka sanjung perkataan Allah swt tak boleh guna sembarangan, tetapi dalam pada yang sama mereka menyebut agama lain dan politik lain,” katanya pada ceramah isu semasa di Medan Ilmu malam tadi.

In fact, the article goes on to explain that UMNO is milking this issue for their own political benefit.

They need the support of Malays badly and they will stoop to anything to get it.


It also makes for an excellent distraction from the serious problems plaguing our country.

While the citizens are busy fighting between themselves over this trivial issue, the politicians are busy getting their hands dirty.

So, if any of you got that false impression about PAS, as I did - now you know.

Tunku Abdul Rahman's Great Grand-Daughter

Most of our Prime Ministers were crap leaders. Some made the distressing folly of reproducing - hence presenting us with the likes of Hishamuddin Hussein and Najib Razak.

We have heard more than our share from those buffoons. I personally don't want or need to hear anymore from them.

But we've had one good Prime Minister - the first, and the father of independence, Tunku Abdul Rahman.

It appears that the good genes have been passed on in the form of what looks like an average young Malaysian kid.

She is no ordinary kid though - she has amazing insight into what ails our nation.

Read what Tunku's great grand-daughter has to say about the Malaysian situation.

------------------------

Sharyn Lisa Shufiyan, 24
Conservationist

“Both my parents are Malay. My mum's heritage includes Chinese, Thai and Arab, while my dad is Minangkabau. Due to my skin colour, I am often mistaken for a Chinese.

I'm happy that I don’t have the typical Malay look but I do get annoyed when people call me Ah Moi or ask me straight up, "Are you Chinese or Malay?"

Like, why does it matter? Before I used to answer "Malay" but now I'm trying to consciously answer Malaysian instead..

There's this incident from primary school that I remember till today. Someone told me that I will be called last during Judgement Day because I don’t have a Muslim name.

Of course, I was scared then but now that I'm older, I realise that a name is just a name. It doesn’t define you as a good or bad person and there is definitely no such thing as a Muslim name. You can be named Rashid or Ali and still be a Christian.

I’ve heard of the 1Malaysia concept, but I think we don’t need to be told to be united. We've come such a long way that it should already be embedded in our hearts and minds that we are united.

Unfortunately, you can still see racial discrimination and polarisation. There is still this ethno-centric view that the Malays are the dominant group and their rights must be protected, and non Malays are forever the outsiders.

For the concept to succeed, I think the government should stop with the race politics. It's tiring, really.

We grew up with application forms asking us to tick our race. We should stop painting a negative image of the other races, stop thinking about 'us' and 'them' and focus on 'we', 'our' and 'Malaysians'.

No one should be made uncomfortable in their own home. A dear Chinese friend of mine said to me once, "I don’t feel patriotic because I am not made to feel like Malaysia is my home, and I don’t feel an affinity to China because I have never lived there..

I know some Baba Nyonya friends who can trace their lineage back hundreds of years. I'm a fourth generation Malaysian. If I am Bumiputra, why can’t they be, too? Clearly I have issues with the term.

I think the main reason why we still can’t achieve total unity is because of this 'Malay rights' concept. I'd rather 'Malay rights' be replaced by human rights. So unless we get rid of this Bumiputra status, or reform our views and policies on rights, we will never achieve unity.

For my merdeka wish, I'd like for Malaysians to have more voice, to be respected and heard. I wish that the government would uphold the true essence of parliamentary democracy. I wish for the people to no longer fear and discriminate against each other, to see that we are one and the same.

I wish that Malaysia would truly live up to the tourism spin of 'Malaysia - Truly Asia'.

Candlelight Vigil At Dataran Merdeka

This is about freedom of religion and the right to coexist without having limitations imposed.

Date: 5th September 2009
Time: 6.45pm
Venue: Dataran Merdeka

It is not a gathering organised by BN, so expect some police brutality. This one is not for the faint-hearted, but if you have the guts, come along.

I will be reporting the events on my blog, so those of you at home come back later for updates.

'Confused' Is The Right Word

It can be frustrating to live with confused people. I know how it feels.

Bernice Chauly: Her love-hate conundrum with Malaysia

by Prodita Sabarini, The Jakarta Post, Ubud, Bali

Malaysian multi-talented artist Bernice Chauly loathes and loves her country at the same time. She says she loves her home country but she is also toying with the idea of moving to Bali.

In Ubud, Bali, she told The Jakarta Post: "I thought of moving to Bali. But it's not that easy. It would need a leap of faith." She was in the Island of the Gods for the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival last month.

Being a single mother of two daughters, her children come first when considering moving to another country.

"It's an exciting time (being in Malaysia). It's a really frustrating time as well. I'm not going to leave. If I leave it must be for a good reason. I love my country, it's my home," she said while sitting in an antique wooden Balinese chair in one of Ubud's resorts.

She looked beautiful in a simple elegant black tunic dress. She wore thick-rimmed glasses that gave her a slightly nerdy character, her straight, long black hair tied behind her head.

This year she published her second collection of poems, The Book of Sins, independently. Her first one, Going There and Coming Back, was published in 1997.

Chauly is an actor, filmmaker, photographer, writer, lecturer but foremost a poet. She is also one of the many Kuala Lumpur-based talented artists struggling to create works of art in an unsupportive atmosphere under an authoritarian government.

Malaysia has some of the toughest censorship laws in the world. The authorities exert substantial control over the media and can impose restrictions in the name of national security.

"I have a love-hate relationship with my country. It's a great country but I think our politicians are running it into the ground and creating a lot of stress and turmoil for people such as myself who want to continue to live, work and create (works of art) in Malaysia. But it's becoming really really hard, because you have a sense of frustration that things are just not going to get better," she said.

"The situation in Malaysia is very bad, very uncertain. There's no bloodshed but it's brewing. All it would take is one small stupid incident to ignite some sort of riot. A lot of racial tension has been building since the election.

"I don't want to sound like a prophet of doom, but things are really really bad. I'm really worried about the future of Malaysia. It's very worrying and I think people are trying to downplay it as much as they can."

Malaysian politics have been in turmoil this year. The March election shook five decades of status quo with voters shifting from the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition parties to opposition parties.

Meanwhile, racial tensions have caused minority groups in the multiethnic and multireligious country to rally against discrimination. Ethnic Malays comprise some 60 percent of the population. The Chinese constitute around 26 percent, while Indians and other nationalities make up the rest.

In November last year about 5,000 ethnic Indians held a rare rally organized by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf); a larger one with some 10,000 protesters occurred in Febr. 2008. The Malaysian government banned Hindraf in mid-October. The state also jailed vocal anti-government blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin in September.

The authoritarian quality of the rulers has made some artists leave the country.

"A lot of people are leaving. A lot of artists, a lot of people with great talent in this country, because they don't want to live under that (repression)," she said.

For others who have stayed, they must find creative ways to produce art that, at the same time, does not betray their idealism.

For Chauly, it is by using English. She uses English in her daily life. Her poems and prose are mostly in English, with one or two written in Malay.

Born from a Punjabi father and a Chinese mother, English is her first language. But that is not the only reason she uses the language. According to her, writing in English in Malaysia is somewhat safer.

"Just in terms of the ratio, English-speaking Malaysians and English-reading Malaysians are a very small minority. When you write in Malay you're appealing to a very large cross section of Malaysian society and if you're saying something that is subversive and politically offensive or slightly provocative then you're in trouble. And the police will investigate you.

"But if you write in English, you know (that) they don't really care. As long as it's not too offensive and it's not too overtly political and provocative, it's actually still OK. It's allowed."

She said that her book, The Book of Sins was not subversive in a political way but that it was too personal. "Too personal can be very subversive. You don't talk about yourself in Malaysia. My poems are very, very personal, almost to the point of being subversive."

The Book of Sins deals with issues of relationships, love, identity and motherhood.

She is currently writing a memoir she began 20 years ago, which will take shape in different genres. "It can be a play. It can be a novel. A series of a memoir. A series of vignettes. But it's one complete family story."

Chauly said that her memoir was an attempt to voice her complexity. Her late father was born Hindu and her late mother Buddhist. They raised her a Catholic.

"I'm Malaysian but I'm not Malay. I'm Muslim by virtue of conversion for my ex-husband. It's really complicated. Now that I'm divorced I still have to remain a Muslim. If I want to marry again, I have to marry a Muslim. It's a very strange situation."

She said that her memoir-in-progress was also an attempt to address a certain sense of place.

That is "because Malaysians are very confused".

Race And Islam

By Farish Noor

It is odd, to say the least, that after more than 14 centuries there remain some people who claim to be Muslims but have not internalised the universal values of Islam. Odder still there remain those who on the one hand can embrace Islam’s universal claim of brotherhood (and sisterhood) but still cannot get around to understanding the simple idea that Islam and racism do not mix.

Evidence of such discrepancies can be found pretty much everywhere these days. It has, sadly, become the normative cultural norm in so many Muslim societies today that those who are fair are better off and given the privileges that they feel is the natural right of all light-skinned people. It is also interesting to note that Muslims tend to rejoice whenever a white American or European converts to Islam, but seem less enthusiastic in their recognition of the fact that thousands of Africans and Asians are converting to Islam every year.

Furthermore when it comes to governance and politics, it remains painfully clear that some Muslims still place blood and race above competency and merit till today; and that despite their profession of faith they remain embedded in the stagnant mode of racialized thinking that operates on the basis that some races are better than others.

Read more.

More Body-Snatching In This Rotten State

It's no secret that KTemoc is anti-PKR, while Jed Yoong displays very startling signs of being anti-DAP.

And I? I have been accused of being anti-PAS.

Even a friend who was reading my blog said, "Although you start off by apologizing that you are going to blast PAS, your blog takes a very friendly approach to such blasting."

Point taken, Kev :-)

PAS can be misogynistic, among other things, and that usually makes me see red.

But at least PAS cannot be accused of this: making claims on dead bodies over alleged conversions to Islam.

I don't rightly claim to know who these "religious authorities" are, but PAS hasn't come forward to claim responsibility over them. They could be some random minions of the government who just generally lack a sense of direction in life, aren't getting laid, or have ants in their pants.

Seriously, these bastards are pathetic.

A man commits suicide -- hangs himself. For whatever reason.

His distraught family sends him to the hospital for a post-mortem.


You'd think they've had enough grief for awhile? But no. Enter the religious authorities who claim that the man had mysteriously converted, though there was no mention of it to his family.

And this latest case is even more lacking in credibility, because there is no signature, thumbprint or any other evidence to indicate or prove that there was, indeed, a conversion on the part of the dead man, Elangesvaran.

So the family filed an injunction in High Court to prevent these religious buffoons from claiming the body and burying it simply because there are all these vague notions floating that claim he may be Muslim.

It's their relative after all, and it would mean much more if they gave him the final farewell.

Now if this was a normal, reasonable country, this case would be heard in a civil court, which would in effect, be a level playing field.

But again, no.

The religious authorities sneakily bring their case to a Syariah Court, which, in an equally dirty manner rules in favour of the religious authorities.

This is unethical and frankly illegal, because the ruling of a Syariah Court should only apply when both parties are Muslim. The dead man's family was undisputably Hindu.

And yet, based on this asinine ruling, the poor fool was eventually buried in the Parit Buntar Muslim cemetery by complete strangers.

I once had an ex-colleague, with whom I was prone to having profound discussions.

This time the discussion was about big events like weddings and funerals and the cost incurred in hosting them. I was in particular, complaining about weddings.

Lisa looked straight in my eye and said, "Hon, weddings are never about you - they're about your parents!" It took me a while to digest that before I inquired, "And funerals?"

She paused for a moment. "Funerals are for those you leave behind." And today, I understand what she meant. It's about closure. It's about paying your last respects. It's about saying goodbye.

But Elangesvaran Benedict's family never got to say goodbye.

Understanding PAS Ideology

So much for wanting to abstain from slamming PAS. It looks like I stormed in with guns blazing as soon as I got started.

But I want to reiterate that my criticism of PAS does NOT mean that I have written it off as beyond hope.

Frankly, I appreciate that PAS sacrificed much of its ideology during the recent election campaigns so as to keep with the main focus of a united opposition.

I know that may be considered dodgy to some, and untruthful to others, but I believe it is the greater good that matters. I would take PAS over BN anyday - hands down.

Don't know about you, but I prefer that my elected representative isn't corrupted, doesn't lie blatantly to my face, doesn't blow-up Mongolian translators, and doesn't engage in paedophilia.

Those of you living in other countries may be shaking your head in consternation.

Yes, we Malaysians tend to have low standards when it comes to our MPs and state assemblymen. But hopefully, that will change soon.

There are a lot of good candidates out there who can potentially represent the people truthfully and sincerely. It's just that politics has nasty connotations (some of them well-deserved) attached to it, causing people to be hesitant about being involved.

So far, PAS has been mostly good for its word and it's easy to dispel the attempts of the tabloids (often confused as mainstream media in Malaysia) at defamation.

Recently, the suspiciously pro-BN/UMNO Malaysian Insider claimed that PAS was contemplating a possible collaboration with UMNO.

Now, unless PAS has decided to trade in religious moral values for an avaricious and profligate lifestyle, that's not going to happen.

It's a crying shame that religion is the basis for this political party. I have always believed in the separation of church and state.

Or in the case of Malaysia, mosque and state. :)


The problem with enforcing religious principles on the people one governs is that not everyone may subscribe to one's particular religion.

PAS can separate lines in supermarkets, usage of swimming pools, prohibit nightclubs and cinema, even alcohol. But it cannot stop people from watching porn, indulging in illicit sex and viewing/reading any other material on the internet.

Unfortunately, forbidden fruit is the most appealing. Ask Adam and Eve.

And the number one forbidden fruit for PAS members and leaders, in my honest opinion, is the subject of sex.

Men around the world have been repulsed by their own sexuality. Even Gandhi wasn't spared as he made bizarre attempts to control his desires, to the extent of embarking on celibacy.

He was a great man who preached non-violence and led India to independence from the British, but he still had some strange ideas.

I guess PAS is no different. Its approach is to desexualise the woman and make her unappealing as possible to any man who is not her husband.

If it applied to me, I would object strongly. But it doesn't. And some Muslims women (to whom it applies) have absolutely no issues covering up fully.

There is NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT.

Jailed 2 Years For Apostasy

The Sky Kingdom may not have been the most remarkable of religions. Some call it a cult, others call it just plain cuckoo.

But at the end of the day, they were a harmless communal bunch whose only "crime" was the rather over-sized tea-sets they had in their compound.

I'd be very happy to leave them quite to themselves. After all, they do have the right to do as they please as long as they don't encroach on any laws.

Obviously, the sanctimonious Islamists don't share my view. They got together to vandalise the commune in what I presume was one of their attempts to "curb the deviation of Islam".

The mob reportedly tossed Molotov cocktails, slashed car tires with machetes, broke the windows of several homes, and partially scorched religious structures, including a giant teapot and an umbrella-shaped building.

Malaysian police have failed to arrest anyone involved in the attack.

This is one situation I suppose both BN and PAS would be in agreement with.

One particular former religious teacher, Kamariah Ali has been jailed for 2 years.

Why?

“The court is not convinced that the accused has repented and willing to abandon any teachings contrary to Islam.

“The accused had also failed to response when I greeted her with Assalamualaikum during the start of the court proceeding and this shows that Kamariah has not repented,” he said.

You mean there are not enough criminals in Malaysia and our jails are so empty that you need to throw in people who don't share your views of Islam??

If our jails aren't being used, I can think of a few politicians in BN who could qualify for the space. For instance, the close-one-eye in Jasin, the racist paedophile in Melaka, and all those miscellaneous corrupted fools who have misappropriated government funds.

But no, you reserve it for a harmless woman under the charges of apostasy from Islam.

Sweet.

This is the government we have elected.

This is the freedom of religion we possess.

And they say Malaysia is a modern, progressive Islamic country??

Spare me.