Salbiah Ahmad

Stumbling upon a nagging question for the Alliance in 1956 on the role Islam would play in the country after independence, SALBIAH AHMAD also asks that the concern be viewed in a spirit of openness and inquiry.

One of the major problems seen in regards to this, says SALBIAH AHMAD, is the tendency of religious beliefs, which are inaccessible to general public understanding, to be exclusionary, alienating, coercive and politically divisive.

Should the implications of political advertising during election campaigning be subjected to judicial scrutiny? SALBIAH AHMAD makes a case for such a test, given the situation in Malaysia.

A government that is elected to power has a duty and responsibility to represent each and every one of the electorate and not only those who voted for it. A representative government, in other words, guarantees a variety of voices and no domination by the majority, says SALBIAH AHMAD.

An election petition is heard by the two chief justices of the High Court of Malaya, who may and usually do, nominate any judge of the High Court to be the election judge. Thus, SALBIAH AHMAD says, who gets to be election judge pretty much depends upon the two chief justices.

The elections are over - or are they? SALBIAH AHMAD delves into the post-election scenario, drawing from cases past to consider the likelihood of success for petitions present.

Concerns about secularism, religion, democracy, ethics and rule of law cannot be decided on polling day. SALBIAH AHMAD says the work goes beyond the eight shortest days of campaigning in Malaysian history.

Bearing in mind that Pak Lah has barely been in office, it is reasonable to query how much of Islam Hadhari is a change from the Barisan Nasional's Islamisation agenda.

Where ruling elites are so entrenched, SALBIAH AHMAD says corruption should mean the broader moral kind in which the moral health of the body politic is at issue.

As the general election looms, SALBIAH AHMAD works on the words of a judge who stated that "a government is trustee of the people, and being elected by the people, it owes a higher responsibility...it must act honestly and responsibly."

The decision to allow a BN billboard to be erected prior to the polls is reflective of the dominance in the market-pace of ideas of those with greater resources. This, says SALBIAH AHMAD, offends among others, the principle of fairness or equality in free speech.

The 'moral guardians' axe another play deemed unpalatable for Malaysian minds. However, SALBIAH AHMAD contends that free speech and expression are not on the wish-list of those in power.

Islamic scholars are mulling ways of creating a credible discourse of human rights within a rigorous theoretical framework, writes SALBIAH AHMAD in concluding a two-part series.

Religious sceptics argue that human rights challenge the structure of religious bodies, says SALBIAH AHMAD. This is because human rights norms teach liberty and equality, while religious bodies teach authority and hierarchy.

Because of the diversity of legal opinions of sects and schools as well as the new exegesis (like hermeneutics), the Sharia criminal (hudud) can be quite a nightmare, says SALBIAH AHMAD.

Recent global developments in state practice show that while states are conscious of the potential threat to their own security that a massive influx can pose, none claims an absolute right to return a refugee to persecution.

A fundamental tenet in freedom of religion is the protection from coercion, says SALBIAH AHMAD, who argues that this should apply to Muslims who do not subscribe to the 'official' school of belief.

Seniority and politics, says SALBIAH AHMAD, should not deprive lawyers of their right to choose their peers whom they feel are best suited to lead them.

The assumption that men confuse sexual desire with predatory aggression, says SALBIAH AHMAD, reflects a sexist system, not male biology.

The cabinet's intervention in the 'talaq by SMS' issue has over-stepped the boundaries of its jurisdiction, argues SALBIAH AHMAD, who insists that the separation of powers must be respected.

Deterrence does not come with marriage or the criminalisation of sex. SALBIAH AHMAD says it comes with education, respect for values of fidelity and sexual integrity of sexual partners.

We have to struggle to institutionalise a more tolerant and human response to organised protests which stay within the realm of non-violence. These are political processes and not crimes, says SALBIAH AHMAD

If you're considered a non-conformist, don't count o­n your fellow Muslims to defend you. That was what happened to Dr Amina Wadud, a woman scholar and theologian who spoke at an international conference last week, says SALBIAH AHMAD.