Malaysia
Anger in Malaysia over shoes bearing logo resembling Arabic word for God. Company head apologizes
By Associated Press — April 8, 2024
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) —The Islamic department said if evidence that the logo was deliberately created to mimic the word “God” in Arabic, legal action will be taken to prevent similar future incidents.
Malaysian convenience store owners charged over ‘Allah’ socks that angered Muslims
By Associated Press — March 26, 2024
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Allah is an Arabic word for God, and many Malaysian Muslims found it offensive to associate the word with feet.
My Malaysia ordeal shows how religion can fuse with populist nationalism to silence dissent
By Ahmet T. Kuru — March 5, 2024
(The Conversation) — Religion and nationalism were once ideologies at odds. Now, they are increasingly bedfellows, with populism often the glue.
Malaysia’s top court invalidates state’s Islam-based laws on incest, sodomy and other offenses
By Eileen Ng — February 9, 2024
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — The court said that the state could not make Islamic laws on those topics because they are covered by Malaysian federal law.
Two Malaysian filmmakers are charged with offending the religious feelings of others in banned film
By Associated Press — January 18, 2024
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — The film, which debuted at a regional film festival in 2021, revolves around a young Muslim girl who explores other religions to figure out where her ailing mother would go when she dies.
Like many hajj traditions in a pandemic year, Zamzam water gets a reboot
By Joseph Hammond — July 21, 2021
(RNS) — In an effort to keep COVID-19 transmission to a minimum, Saudi authorities have deployed 20 robots to serve bottles of Islam's holiest water to often bemused pilgrims.
Malaysian Buddhists celebrate Vesak from home during pandemic
By Alexandra Radu — May 7, 2020
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (RNS) — With all temples in Malaysia closed to the public in an effort to curb the coronavirus outbreak, the country’s 5.4 million Buddhists — the second largest faith group in the mostly Muslim nation — observed Vesak, or Buddha Day, from home this year.
At Diwali, a Malaysian family mixes local traditions with ancient Hindu rituals
By Alexandra Radu — October 30, 2019
(RNS) — For one Malaysian family descended from Indians who migrated from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the rituals of Diwali have been renewed every year for four generations.
Malaysia women’s march meets disapproval from religious, political authorities
By Alexandra Radu — March 13, 2019
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (RNS) — Several hundred people marched in Malaysia's capital on Saturday (March 9) to mark International Women's Day in an event organized by activist groups and local NGOs and criticized by politicians and religious groups for its inclusion of LGBT activists.
In Malaysia, Lunar New Year keeps ethnic Chinese in touch with ancient customs
By Alexandra Radu — February 12, 2019
PANANG, Malaysia (RNS) — For ethnic Chinese Malaysians, Lunar New year celebrations can be both raucous street festivals and private, family affairs, a time to clean the house, pay debts and start fresh.
Malaysian Buddhists celebrate Vesak
By Alexandra Radu — May 31, 2018
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (RNS) — In Malaysia, as it is across the Buddhist world, a holiday celebrating the Buddha's birth, death and enlightenment is celebrated with floats, burning joss sticks and lotus-shaped candles. The national holiday, also known as Buddha Day or Buddha's birthday, bring together Buddhist communities from many of the country's widely diverse ethnic and social groups.
Photos of the Week
By Kit Doyle — May 19, 2018
This week’s gallery includes images from the start of Ramadan, protests over the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, and more.
A Malaysian animist group gives thanks to spirits of the sea
By Alexandra Radu — February 27, 2018
CAREY ISLAND, Malaysia (RNS) — The ceremony takes place over four days, in which shamans and villagers visit different points on the rivers and seashores where boats have sunk in the past.
21 boys who died in Islamic school fire buried in Malaysia
By Jerome Socolovsky — September 16, 2017
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — The pre-dawn blaze Thursday at a three-story 'tahfiz' school, where Muslim boys study and memorize the Quran, blocked the lone exit from the dormitory, trapping students behind barred windows.
‘Gay moment’ stays put as Malaysia to release ‘Beauty and the Beast’ without cuts
By Reuters — March 21, 2017
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (Reuters) Walt Disney blockbuster 'Beauty and the Beast' will be released in Malaysia this month without any cuts, the company said on Tuesday, after censors had earlier asked for the removal of a 'gay moment' in the movie.
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