Farish A Noor

If there is anything the party should learn from this painful episode, FARISH A NOOR says it is that Malaysians value pluralism and democracy above talk of a theocratic state governed by self-appointed moral guardians.

The writer argues why a strong democratic opposition is vital for Malaysia's political health.

State-orchestrated Islamisation has gone badly wrong in this country and the rot must be stopped. To do this, Keadilan must be given a chance come tomorrow.

A rejection of race-based politics will not lead to the end of the world. For many, says FARISH A NOOR, it is the only way to move on to a better world where democratic values may prevail

A call is made to the Islamic party to shed its parochialism and forge alliances with all opposition parties if it's serious about wanting to rule the country.

FARISH A NOOR explains why plural democracy as a political ideology that eschews and rejects all forms of sectarianism exclusivism, notions of racial/religious supremacy can be Malaysia's saviour.

Now that religion has become so thoroughly politicised in Malaysia, writes FARISH A NOOR, there is still a need for those who strive for a secular, pluralist, democratic project to invest their faith in the cause they believe in.

The police force was, is, and should remain a public institution accountable to us, the public. It must not be used by certain elite groupings to maintain their own hold on power.

FARISH A NOOR (who happens to be a columnist for the paper) talks to one of Daily Times's editors, Ejaz Haider, about the trails and tribulations of the paper and the role of the journalist in these troubled times.

Much of the negative perceptions towards Islam and Muslims stem from ignorance. Hence Muslim states should strive to educate the world and not undermine one another.

From foe to friend, Libya is now back in the club of the great and the good. This was the very government accused of everything under the sun - from engaging in terrorist actions to sponsoring terrorist movements.

The publication is in dire straits and Malaysians must dig into their pockets to keep it going. This little sacrifice, says FARISH A NOOR, would be the act of a true patriot.

To take a cursory look at Iraq's fragile political arrangement today, it is somewhat easy to understand why the Iraqis feel they have been left out and cheated of their own political future.

In the age where geographical and temporal boundaries have been rendered irrelevant, the American frontier became the world itself: Next on the list, is space.

Malay ethno-nationalists who harp on and on about how the non-Malays had 'come to conquer' their homeland should remember that thousands of those non-Malays were also victims of the same racist colonial enterprise, says FARISH A NOOR.

Talks of 'Malay unity' - like 'Chinese unity', 'Indian unity' or any other kind of ethnic exclusivism - runs the risk of alienating other racial and religious communities, and ignites a more dangerous political climate, warns FARISH A NOOR.

It is astounding that the country which claims to promote and defend democratic principles worldwide and in its foreign policy can think that it can get away with the things that it is doing now, all being done in the name of the struggle for freedom and justice.

An interview with Professor Nurcholish Madjidis, considered one of the main Islamic intellectual figures in Indonesia.

As Muslims grapple with the question of Islam's relationship with modernity, prominent Iranian intellectual and reformist Abdolkarim Soroush unravels the complex relationship in an interview with FARISH A NOOR.

Once an ally, now the enemy - the rise and fall of ousted Iraqi president Saddam Hussein is also a story of Western collusion and convenience that should not be forgotten.

In this interview with Prof Ebrahim Moosa of Stanford University, FARISH A NOOR poses on the development of Muslim thought, the Islamic reaction against secular modernity and the role of the Muslim intellectual

Malaysians can still believe that the preventable tragedy that is HIV/Aids is a foreign problem affecting outsiders. This, says FARISH A NOOR, is typical of the myopic culture that has come to develop and become normalised in this country.

The myth of collective injury which is present in the mindset of all races and communities in Malaysia remains the basis of our fragmented national consciousness, says FARISH A NOOR.