I did not wish to comment on the merits of Abdul Rahman Abdul Talib's arguments against Syed Alwi Ahmad , in the on-going debate about whether or not there should be attempts to reinterpret Islam in the context of present-day circumstances.

However I felt constrained to intervene when I read his claim that "scientific proof has shown that corporal punishment is effective in curbing violent crime." From what I know, all empirical evidence shows that capital punishment does not have any effect in reducing violent crime. It would be good if Abdul Rahman would enlighten us regarding this assertion of his.

Having now jumped into the fray, I would also like to request Abdul Rahman to explain what exactly he means by the rather grandiose statement that "To allow one to jump in and out of Islam as he or she pleases would entail severe legal and systemic complications within the framework of a comprehensive system of life (italics added)".

And the logic of his assertion that "abolishing laws on apostasy will only render Islam a mere belief-system ... contradict(ing) the true nature of Islam, which is a complete way of live encompassing every aspect of a human's social and individual domain", seems too intricate, for simple minds to comprehend. I somehow feel that Islam was never meant to be so complicated (sigh!).