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Malay Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Malay Mail
Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami cleared to contest Bangladesh polls after top court overturns ban
DHAKA, June 1 — Bangladesh today restored the registration of the largest Islamist party, allowing it to take part in elections, more than a decade after it was removed under the now-overthrown government. The Supreme Court overturned a cancellation of Jamaat-e-Islami's registration, allowing it to be formally listed as a political party with the Election Commission. 'The Election Commission is directed to deal with the registration of that party in accordance with law,' commission lawyer Towhidul Islam told AFP. Jamaat-e-Islami party lawyer, Shishir Monir, said the Supreme Court's decision would allow a 'democratic, inclusive and multi-party system' in the Muslim-majority country of 170 million people. 'We hope that Bangladeshis, regardless of their ethnicity or religious identity, will vote for Jamaat, and that the parliament will be vibrant with constructive debates,' Monir told journalists. After Sheikh Hasina was ousted as prime minister in August, the party appealed for a review of the 2013 high court order banning it. Today's decision comes after the Supreme Court on May 27 overturned a conviction against a key leader of Jamaat-e-Islami, ATM Azharul Islam. Islam had been sentenced to death in 2014 for rape, murder and genocide during Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. Jamaat-e-Islami supported Islamabad during the war, a role that still sparks anger among many Bangladeshis today. They were rivals of Hasina's father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman of the Awami League, who would become Bangladesh's founding figure. Hasina banned Jamaat-e-Islami during her tenure and cracked down on its leaders. In May, Bangladesh's interim government banned the Awami League, pending the outcome of a trial over its crackdown on mass protests that prompted her ouster last year. — AFP
BBC News
11-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Taliban suspends chess in Afghanistan over gambling concerns
The Taliban government in Afghanistan has banned chess until further notice due to fears the game is a source of gambling. Officials said the game has been prohibited indefinitely until its compatibility with Islamic law can be is the latest sport to be restricted by the Taliban. Women are essentially barred from participating in sport at seizing power in August 2021, the Taliban has steadily imposed laws and regulations that reflect its austere vision of Islamic law. On Sunday, Atal Mashwani, the spokesman of the Taliban government's sports directorate, said chess in Islamic sharia law is "considered a means of gambling"."There are religious considerations regarding the sport of chess," he told AFP news agency."Until these considerations are addressed, the sport of chess is suspended in Afghanistan." How the Taliban stormed across Afghanistan in 10 daysThe Taliban's broken promises One cafe owner in Kabul, who has hosted informal chess competitions in recent years, said he would respect the decision but it would hurt his business."Young people don't have a lot of activities these days, so many came here everyday," Azizullah Gulzada said. "They would have a cup of tea and challenge their friends to a game of chess."He also noted that chess is played in other Muslim-majority countries. Last year, the authorities banned free fighting such as mixed martial arts (MMA) in professional competition, saying it was too "violent" and "problematic with respect to sharia"."It was found that the sport is problematic with respect to Sharia and it has many aspects which are contradictory to the teachings of Islam," a Taliban spokesperson said last competitions were effectively outlawed in 2021 when the Taliban introduced legislation prohibiting "face-punching".
Malay Mail
10-05-2025
- General
- Malay Mail
Life after death? Most Malaysians say yes — but not in ancestral spirits or sacred mountains and crystals, Pew study shows
KUALA LUMPUR, May 10 — A majority of Malaysians believe in life after death and the existence of a spiritual world beyond what can be seen, according to a global survey by Pew Research Center that sheds light on the spiritual and religious beliefs of people across 36 countries. The report released earlier this week also found that despite Malaysia's lower gross domestic product per capita compared to many Western nations, the country's lower level of ancestral worship challenge conventional assumptions made by secularisation theory. 'Economics is not the only factor at play – the religious makeup of a country also has a role,' said the report. 'For instance, the Muslim-majority countries of Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia and [Türkiye] also are among the less wealthy countries in our survey, yet people in those countries are among the least likely to say ancestors can interact with the living in these ways.' The survey, conducted between January and May 2024, found that 76 per cent of Malaysian adults believe there is definitely or probably life after death, aligning closely with other Muslim-majority countries in the region. In addition, 66 per cent of Malaysians said they believe there is something spiritual beyond the natural world, even if it cannot be seen — a belief shared by majorities in most countries surveyed, regardless of religious affiliation. However, Malaysians were among the least likely to believe that ancestral spirits could influence the living, compared to countries in sub-Saharan Africa or Latin America. Malaysia also displayed a strong overlap between religion and spirituality, with most Malaysians who said religion was very important in their lives also expressing belief in spiritual energies. Malaysia ranked among the top countries in terms of belief in God, with 98 per cent of respondents affirming their belief in a higher power, consistent with the strong religious identity among Malaysian Muslims, Christians, Hindus, and Buddhists. Other findings included: 48 per cent of Malaysians believe parts of nature like mountains, rivers, or trees can have spiritual energies — lower than in neighbouring Southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines or Thailand. 53 per cent believe animals can possess spirits or spiritual energies. This view is more common among younger adults across many countries. 28 per cent believe inanimate objects like crystals, jewels, or stones can hold spiritual energy, below the global median. 76 per cent of Muslims pray five times a day, compared to 91 per cent in Nigeria, Indonesia and Sri Lanka (84 per cent), Singapore (67 per cent), India (51 per cent), and Türkiye (31 per cent). Only 29 per cent of Malaysians wear or carry religious symbols, unlike in neighbouring Thailand (63 per cent). However, Malaysians are unique where more men (33 per cent) than women (23 per cent) wear religious symbols or items. The report highlighted that beliefs in spiritual concepts like ancestral spirits, reincarnation, and magical forces are often shaped by both religious teachings and cultural traditions. The Pew report included responses from over 50,000 adults globally, using a combination of phone and face-to-face interviews. In Malaysia, the survey was conducted via telephone interviews with a nationally representative sample.
Malay Mail
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
From Partition to present, India and Pakistan's fraught journey of conflict
ISLAMABAD, May 8 — India said it attacked nine sites in Pakistan including in the disputed territory of Kashmir yesterday in response to the killing of 26 people, mostly tourists, on its part of Kashmir last month that it blamed on Pakistan. Pakistan said its response to the Indian missile strikes was underway. India's latest action adds to a long list of military conflicts between the nuclear-armed neighbours. Here is a look at some of the key clashes: 1947: First war over Kashmir Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan were born in August 1947 after the British ceded colonial control of the subcontinent, and months later the two new countries were at war for control over the scenic Himalayan territory of Kashmir. India claimed Kashmir as its then Hindu ruler acceded to Delhi, while Pakistan cited popular support from the region's Muslim majority as a basis for its claim. Fighting raged for months, until the United Nations intervened to establish a ceasefire line in 1949, leaving both countries with control of a part of the territory. Both still claim the entire region. 1965: Second war over Kashmir Still seeking control over Kashmir, Pakistani forces crossed into India's portion of the disputed region, in response to which India launched a military incursion across the boundary. The fighting spread outside Kashmir into many settled boundary areas, seeing pitched battles involving both ground and air forces, and some of the biggest tank battles in history. 1971: War over East Pakistan The neighbours fought their third war over Pakistan's eastern wing, where regional groups were seeking independence from the federal government. Thousands of people died in the conflict, which ended in India helping the region secede, creating the independent country Bangladesh. 1999: Kargil War The countries faced off in the high-altitude region of Kargil after Pakistani troops infiltrated Indian-administered Kashmir. It was the first clash since both officially gained nuclear weapons capability, raising the risks of a catastrophic war. Both sides suffered hundreds of casualties before Indian forces reclaimed the territory, and international intervention stopped the fighting. 2016: Uri Attack India said it conducted "surgical strikes" on alleged Islamist militant launchpads in Pakistani territory after gunmen stormed an Indian military base in Kashmir's Uri region. Islamabad said there had been no Indian incursion into its territory and there was no retaliation by Pakistani forces. 2019: Pulwama Attack India conducted air strikes on what it said was a militant training camp near the Pakistani town of Balakot in response to a suicide car bombing in Kashmir's Pulwama area. Pakistan, which said the planes had bombed an empty hillside and not a camp, launched a retaliatory incursion into Indian airspace that led to a dogfight between the two air forces, leading to the capture of an Indian pilot. The situation cooled after he was released days later. — Reuters
