Reading the letter by Blue Rider, I would like to come to the defence of malaysiakini .

My contributions to malaysiakini - articles and letters providing an alternative from a Muslim viewpoint to the dominant liberal perspective in the website - have frequently being published, such as the recent ' The veil and secularism ', ' To bikini or not to bikini' and ' The Serambi Mekah debate' .

Letters and articles (such as the letter by Blue Rider himself), and by other readers and contributors, have been published in criticising malaysiakini for defending Islam or PAS. Therefore to say that malaysiakini deliberately attacks Islam is a grave misunderstanding.

This does not deny the fact that malaysiakini has a generally liberal perspective. This is only expected due to the nature of its content, which is generally in English and accessible online, therefore attracting a more multiracial and urban readership.

Thus people who want to come to the defence of Islam should make use of malaysiakini and send their contributions, as I have done in the past.

How can we blame malaysiakini when people who want to provide an alternative viewpoint do not come forward with their arguments?

I have articulated the need for Islamists to come to a dialogue with the plural society, including liberals, in my article, ' Criticisms and suggestions for PAS '.