Historically, Western colonial rulers constructed and widely propagated the narrative of women's subjugation under Islam to gain legitimacy for their occupation over Muslim lands as well as to undermine Islamic governance in order to maintain domination over the region and its resources. In modern times, Western politicians and government continue to use the rhetoric of ‘Women's Rights' and the rallying cry of ‘saving the Muslim woman' from the ‘oppression of…

The movement of feminism in Malaysia as in similar developing countries or in the West has the same goal for women globally - to establish equality in terms of the economic, education, politics, or social spheres of life. However, many Malaysian women are not comfortable in labelling themselves feminists due to the connotation and concept of feminism that is considered alien and contains Western elements. Some parties condemn feminism as…

As the media cameras began to roll on the Charlie Hebdo attack, Muslims globally held their breath, anticipating yet again another cycle of assault on their Islamic beliefs. They were not wrong. As details of the incident emerged, so did the bombardment of condemnatory and accusatory statements from journalists and politicians alike, that Islam's strong rejection of any insult against the Prophet (saw) or its sacred tenets was somehow to…

Recently, America's Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), officially issued extracts of the report about the CIA conduct towards prisoners in the so-called ‘War on Terror'. The entire report extends to about 6000 pages, though only 400 of its pages were allowed to be published. However, these 400 pages are enough to reveal the inhumane and cruel face of the Western governments. According to the report, the prisoners were deprived of sleep…