Salbiah Ahmad

Malaysia in good faith and in protection of her international image as a UN member hosted the UNHCR. And now, it is turning back on all that.

A marriage contract essentially allows sex to be contracted and negotiated between partners in what we assume to be parties with an equal bargaining position. Herein lies a problem.

When it comes to the IFL debate, all groups, be it the government, the opposition women's wings and NGOs have not looked beyond the pale of fiqh (juristic views/opinions).

A reformation of family law needs a careful investigation between principles and cultural norms.

Apart from the Printing Presses and Publications Act, there are some 40 other laws that repress freedom of information, speech and expression.

I have viewed the cartoons and could not say that my iman (faith) was shaken by the roots. I was not incited to rush out and burn the nearest Danish flag in town. But I am not living in Europe.

Anybody with a memory of 1988 will remember that the removal of the words "judicial power" to Article 121 castrated the judiciary. On this, the former AG still owes the public an explanation.

Sisters In Islam need to sit down and think hard as to where they are heading with their Islamic Family Law campaign. Could they have been a wee bit more diligent?

When Syed Hamid Albar goes to Rangoon next month on his mission of democracy, it is prudent for him to also examine our human rights record on refugees.

State actors speak from a position of political power and often represent themselves as speaking on behalf of an entire nation or an entire culture.

The law's anxiety over homophobia has been identified in research as a factor which has impeded the recognition of the transgendered identity.

The 'Muslim dress' today is powerful because of a personal identity and collective association. Ms Michelle Leslie merely did what she perceived was best in the circumstances.

Published research of impact of natural disasters on women points to the fact that women and men face different challenges during natural disasters.

Even the casual observer may note that the executive is really the body 'wearing the pants' in Malaysia's constitutional democracy, not its legislature.

The mechanical enforcement of legal rules, even if such rules are the product of interpretation of divine texts is not sufficient for the achievement of justice.

While we may need to rethink secularism as separation of religion and state, the fact that secularism may have the ability to safeguard religious and political pluralism has to be noted.

Central to the idea of peace and justice is the Quranic recognition of the concern of human autonomy, especially the freedom of worship, or freedom not to worship.

A consensus should be worked among different groups to promote tolerance and non-discriminatory solutions that would respect difference.

In building a system based on democracy and human rights in our multi-cultural society, we should continue to scrutinise, critique and challenge all our process, both Islamic and civil in origin.

The state and its functionaries should uphold the Federal Constitution and protect the fundamental liberties of its citizens including those in Sky Kingdom. Silence is state complicity of violations.

Democracy requires a media system that provides people with a wide range of opinion and analysis and debate on important issues.

Tough policy questions arise from a recent syariah court decision to convict and cane two Muslim Malaysians for drinking alcohol.