by Danial Radzmi (@danialrdzm)

The post-screening discussion of Dawkins’ documentary Root of All Evil reveals a microcosm of the religious-secular divide in Malaysia.

It was ironic that highly controversial documentary, Root of All Evil, written and presented by even more controversial militant atheist Richard Dawkins, was screened in the capital city of this pseudo-Islamic state.

Done under the theme of religion and organised by anti-establishment activists, and held in the inconspicious space of Room 50B, a series of films and documentaries were screened (for free, in true Malaysian spirit) during the 8-day Religion Film Week event. Either by cosmic luck or lack of mass marketing, thankfully no innocent lives was harmed (by way of infamous raids by self-anointed ‘guardians of faith’).

True to Richard Dawkins characteristic criticism of faith-based systems, the first part titled The God Delusion explored the rift between faith and reason, and the idea and practice of blind faith and superstition within the context of the three major monotheistic religions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Moving on to the second part, The Virus of Faith focused primarily on the negative effects of religious doctrine on children.

The most interesting bit – the film aside – came during the post-screening discussion. Attended by a rather muhibah mix of (mostly) young Malay Muslims, a few LGBTs, some humanist folks and a couple of (allegedly) PAS members, one could safely generalise the post-screening forum to be an accurate representation of the microcosm of conversations and arguments pertaining religious issues in Malaysia.

Aptly named by moderator Zara Kahan, the audience could be split into groups representing different ‘schools of thought’; the proud atheist (Spec Boy), the peaceful moderates (Adik Tudung Purple), the stiff fundamentalists (Abang Topi), and the progressive humanists (Spaghetti Man).

Spec Boy maintained his position of entirely discounting organised religion while repeatedly airing grievances on his individual liberty (in this case, of his right to have sex with other men). Abang Topi, on the other hand, rather politely asserted the need of coercion and force in religion. He fervently advocated the standpoint of Amr Bi’l Ma’ruf wannahi ‘anil-Munnkar; to enforce that which is accepted by the community and prohibit that which is rejected.

I have high suspicions that he may be an active member of parti skodeng.

The main problem lies not insomuch on the veracity of religious or scientific truth, but in the discourse and narrative by which we communicate and debate our grievances and differences. It is in this grey area that we may find solutions to bridge the widening gap between traditionalists and progressives. Assertions of authority by Spec Boy and Abang Topi, through complete opposite spectrums, are symbolic of the rift we see today between religion and science, faith and reason.

An awkward silence arose when the moderator challenged Abang Topi to rationalise and provide relevant verses in the Quran and Hadith to support his arguments for blind obedience, which he responded to with a long blinking stare.

Sadly, this sort of blind faith is far too common amongst even the most fervent believers. It is symptomatic of a society that, through a rather Lamarckian hereditary behavioural pattern, has grown accustomed to authoritarian feudalism (since the days of ancient Hindu empires to British colonialism and to present day BN-led government).

Dogmatic sermons and assumptions masquerading as facts are wholly accepted without question, spurted from the mouths of parents and ustaz, who in turn heard from their parents and ustaz, who in turn heard from theirs, ad infinitum, ad nauseam. The culture of individual inquiry and rationality, it seems have been long lost, or rather, never been found.

In the spirit of being pragmatic, we can’t possibly perfectly appease both opposing parties. It’s unrealistic to expect Abang Topi the fundamentalist to accept the “I want to have sex with men” philosophy of Spec Boy the atheist, as it is unrealistic to expect secularists to stand for extreme censorship and moral policing.

Where do we draw the line? Where do we find a solution to such a rift? This is where dialogue and discourse comes to play. It is an arena that should not only be dominated by the self-proclaimed elite few, but by the wider community. The foul activities of burning effigies and going on an internet witch hunt for alleged apostates belong to the most infantile of our species.

Spaghetti Man approached the subject of spirituality and religion from a philosophical angle, citing the irrationality of asserting absolute truth vis-à-vis Schrodinger’s Cat, while Adik Tudung spoke out on the need for Muslims to explore their own beliefs through ijtihad – self-learning – and not blindly trail the words of others. She later on asserted that we should all have the right to choose our beliefs.

In this respect, one could find much hope in the Malaysian psycho-social future if there were more Muslims like Adik Tudung Purple. Both of their perspectives are symbolic of much needed rational, compassionate spokespersons for the progression and betterment of society, be it religious or secular.

In Malaysia, freedom of speech and religion is policed by the state and enforced through dubious Syariah laws and further Islamisation of our secular civil institutions. A quick browse at the Federal Territories Syariah Law will show laws that prohibit arbitrary issues like ridicule of Islam, deriding Quranic verses or Hadiths, defiance of religious authorities, opinion contrary to fatwa, disrespecting Ramadhan and failure to perform Friday prayers.

Instead of allowing liberty to think and perform religious duties independently, the state sees it prudent to intrude into the private lives of individuals and impose further restrictions and boundaries, like a parent to their snotty 6 year-old kid, like a shepherd herding mindless cattle.

The civil, intellectual and creative machinery of this nation has been long fossilised. Freedom of speech is curtailed, artistic sensibilities censored, and ultimately, an education system and culture that doesn’t promote free inquiry, open-mindedness and the pursuit of ideas for their own sake. For a society to progress, it requires dynamism and the courage to change and adapt. And for as long as we stay quiet, we will forever be a developing nation in spirit.

By and large, the general consensus – aside from Abang Topi – agreed on freedom to belief and disbelief, separation of religion and state, while championing individual liberty over communal adherence, with a few expressing views leaning toward Pascal’s Wager.

Let’s hope that there are more Adik Tudung Purple and Spaghetti Man out there, and may they procreate responsibly and show our future generation the ropes of inquiry and intellect. In the closing words of The Uncle, a senior citizen attendee, “feel free to think free.”

Related posts:

1. Mixing politics with religion
2. Time for Malaysia’s secular discourse
3. Blind faith has no place in religion

by Dr. Francis Loh

Local newspapers seemingly focus on every other area except for science. Do we not have men of science in Malaysia?

In early February 2012, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also Education Minister, expressed dismay over the declining interest in science and mathematics among secondary school students.

A month earlier, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khalid Nordin similarly expressed concern about the declining interest in the sciences at the tertiary level which could “hamper government efforts to improve technological innovations that would make Malaysia a high-income country.”

Upgrading from a medium-income to a high-income country underscores the New Economic Model that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has proposed. Accordingly, the Deputy PM has directed the Education director-general to set up a special committee to study the problem and to recommend ways to achieve the target of having 60 per cent of the students in the science stream and 40 per cent in the arts stream.

Earlier in 2011, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had claimed that a multinational company, after investigative studies, had decided not to invest in Penang on the grounds that it would find it difficult to recruit the required number of engineers it needed to operate its proposed plant on the island. Alas, the merit of his statement got lost when his detractors claimed that he was simply politicking the issue.

In fact, the problem is more acute. According to a recent report by Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, the percentage of students (at the equivalent of eighth grade) in Malaysia who meet the benchmarks set by TIMSS has shown a significant decline at all levels — advanced, high, intermediate and low — between 1999 and 2007.

Even without conducting any study, one can anticipate some of the reasons for this decline. Perhaps there is not enough funding for the sciences in the schools and universities. Perhaps it has to do with how science subjects are taught? Perhaps scientists and science teachers are not being remunerated adequately compared to their counterparts in business and in other disciplines?

Whatever the explanations the special committee might unearth later, one of them surely has to be the lack of publicity given to the sciences and to Malaysian scientists in the local media.

Open your newspaper now. Is there any mention of science or of scientists in Malaysia?

The front pages of all newspapers are full of news, sometimes very irritating news, about the politicians. Even the racist and allegedly corrupt ones get a lot of publicity. Why?

The back pages then highlight our sports people. Some like Nicol David and Lee Chong Wei get the publicity they deserve. Yes, the divers, bowlers, gymnasts, cyclists should get featured too. But most are at best “jaguh kampung”. Why?

When we peruse the middle sections, we read about those in the entertainment industry — the singers, the film stars, the musicians, etc. Often the news is not even about their achievements but the scandals that engulf them. Ever so often the newspapers may feature a writer, an artist, an indie filmmaker deservedly.

Then we have the business pages. On and on, those promoted and demoted as a result of mergers and takeovers are featured. There are pages upon pages of opinions from the captains of industry and finance not only about how their particular sector of the economy is doing, but about how they think the national economy is performing, and even about “what makes them tick.” No wonder every other young Malaysian wants to go into business — big, medium or small.

Then there are the columnists. Some are established in their professions and offer useful comments. But there are an increasing number of them whom we have never heard of. Yet they try to comment about all things. It’s not clear why they have been allocated such space. Whatever the case, it is the odd columnist who writes about science. Probably there are no scientists among all the columnists in all the newspapers in Malaysia.

Now and again the newspapers have reported on how some Malaysian scientists have won gold medals in some world inventors’ contest or exhibition. (Thank goodness, fewer Malaysian scientists bother about these commercialised events these days.) But even when there are such news reports, there is very little discussion about the significance of the invention or discovery that has been awarded the gold medal ‘as science’. Often, the report is simply a news item.

The last time I recall reading about science in the newspapers is with reference to PPSMI, MBMMBI, PAGE! i.e. the teaching of science and mathematics in schools. Ironically, it’s not about the contents of the syllabus, the quality of the teaching, the standard the students have achieved, but about the language the subjects are taught in!

Dear editors, isn’t it time for you to play a role in promoting the sciences? There are, admittedly not many, but still, quite a few local scientists who are involved in cutting-age scientific research in our local universities. Some of them have even been featured internationally.

In this regard, maybe it is time that the achievements, but also the difficulties that Malaysian scientists face in their research, got featured in the local media. Maybe do some serious investigative reporting about the promotion of the sciences in the ministry, in the universities, in industry, as policy in our development plans and annual budgets.

Or maybe invite some scientists to contribute towards a regular column, or an occasional article, on the state of science and scientific research in Malaysia. Some might be wacky types but that should be interesting!

Then maybe more young Malaysians will get excited about the sciences and pursue them as lifelong endeavours. The 60 per cent science-40 per cent arts divide desired by the Ministry of Education is good. But we must also insist on top quality science.

Related posts:

1. Birthing home-grown scientists through English proficiency
2. Muslim Scientists Converge at Conference in Selangor
3. Science, humanities and the ‘third culture’

Anti-Lynas effort has to stop relying on misinformation, exaggerations and emotional threats

Quick, name me another politician who is as passionate in opposing Lynas as Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh.

How about this instead: name me a politician who dared to break ranks on this Lynas issue. Besides that “nuclear scientist” guy. (His name is Che Rosli Che Mat by the way, and he taught nuclear science in UKM.)

If you are like the general public, you might have trouble naming names. Hence, the moment Tan Keng Liang of Gerakan demanded that Pakatan Rakyat politicians just shut up and agree with Che Rosli’s opinion unless they possess scientific arguments, he created an impasse that drew silence from most of his detractors.

Our elected representatives’ poor grasp on science (in this case, some basic nuclear physics) proved to be their undoing. As a result, both sides decided to either opt out or just toe their respective parties’ lines. A crucial environmental issue had effectively transformed into a political row with the government on Lynas’ side and opposition on the other.

To put things into perspective, let us recap what rare earths are, and what they are not. Rare earths by themselves are not radioactive. The by-product from their extraction, however, can contain thorium, and is radioactive. Thorium emits alpha-particles, instead of beta-particles — used usually for cancer treatments — or gamma-particles — the most dangerous of all, or in fiction, turns one into a green angry giant.

Alpha-particles cannot even go through human skin, but materials emitting it are harmful once eaten or breathed in. So, when people talk about the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) being radioactive, they should actually mean its waste is radioactive, not rare earths or the plant itself.

Che Rosli had a point when he accused his colleague of being unscientific. The same accusations can be directed towards a segment of public with anti-Lynas sentiments too, who are prone to exaggerations and scare-mongering with their appeals to emotions. It is understandable though that they would go to such lengths. After all, the consequences might be too big to bear. But are such tactics justified?

After the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, the industry has struggled to regain its credibility. Nothing illustrates this difficulty more than some anti-Lynas activists who discredit themselves by bringing this topic up. Comparing rare earth plants to nuclear power plants reeks of desperation, and is just downright sinister. No radioactive fuel is used, nor will meltdown happen, in a rare earth plant.

Closer to home, anti-Lynas activists point to the abandoned Asian Rare Earth (ARE) plant by Mitsubishi Chemicals in Bukit Merah. This comparison is unfair, for two major reasons. First, ARE was built more than 25 years ago, which in technological terms, is ancient. Second, ARE was built to extract the rare earth yttrium from mining leftover monazite, which can contain eight to 10 per cent thorium. In comparison. Lynas claims that LAMP will not be processing monazite, but mineral from the Mount Weld mine which is prized for having very low radiation, containing 0.17 per cent thorium.

The bulk of this fear can be attributed to the level of distrust against our ruling government and local authorities. A number of Malaysians just do not trust ourselves to run something that involves nuclear science. You’d have to wonder what these people have to say about our nuclear agency which has been running a nuclear reactor in Bangi since 1982.

As noted by columnist Hafiz Noor Shams, the government has been guilty of exaggerating the economic benefit of LAMP. A 12-year tax holiday, accepting collateral money from Lynas and keeping the public in the dark until New York Times broke the story — these are easy ammunition for anyone to shoot down a government that is increasingly being distrusted by the public.

Lynas, too, is no less shady. Their rush to complete the plant in more cost-effective Malaysia instead of Australia is tainted with suspicions of cost-cutting from two of their contractors. UGL Ltd and AkzoNobel have pointed out major flaws within the concrete containment area, which Lynas promised would spare local soil and groundwater from toxic contamination.

Considering that rare earth is now indispensable in our lives — we need to get them from somewhere, somehow — what we are left with now is a case of “not in my backyard.” Until LAMP starts operating and Molycorp restarts its California site, China holds the world ransom by controlling 97 per cent of the world’s supply. Complete disregard for environmental and legal concerns means an even worse fate for the Chinese.

Like many other Malaysians, I do wish for a cleaner and greener Malaysia, but it should go beyond a partisan affair. Che Rosli might only be a nuclear scientist (the Lynas effect is a more multi-faceted issue) but at least he had the conviction to go against party line and bring forth his own arguments.

Why aren’t there more BN politicians questioning the environmental impact of LAMP? Shouldn’t the PR politicians go beyond “if we are the federal government, we’ll shut Lynas down”? Will anyone take Tan Keng Liang’s challenge and come up with a factual retort instead of shouting “RADIOACTIVE!” over and over again?

Stopping Lynas and saving Malaysia… they don’t always need to be the same thing.

Related posts:

1. Press statement by MOSTI on the Japan earthquake issue
2. The folly of false messages
3. The Nuclear Club and the 21st century

by Monyet King

Monyet King asks a tonne of questions about a hypothetical PAS takeover. Will they care about other issues besides those that concern religion (and women’s clothing)?

Last week, PAS Youth made a big fuss about Valentine’s Day (BTW, this is an annual fuss). I don’t agree with them but I agree it is their right to make that fuss. The other day, PAS made a fuss about banning cinemas in Bangi because in their opinion cinemas will lead to vice.

Last year, PAS made a big fuss about several concerts by foreign artists and the selling of alcohol in Selangor and Kedah. PAS in Kelantan has always been intrigued by how women dress – and has dress codes and what not. I don’t agree with them but I agree it is their right to make that fuss. I respect all their views although I do not agree with many of them.

I also note that PAS’ major concerns always seem to revolve around women’s clothing, cinema, alcohol, women clothing, dating, showing skin, sex, women clothing, etc. etc. And their solutions always seems to be same – ban this and ban that, get women to dress up properly and walla… the problems will go away.  Well, that’s their right and position. I guess we will have to live with that for some time.

I actually have bigger concerns.

PAS is no more a small backyard political party. It is a party that harbours an ambition to run the country one day. It has run Kelantan for almost twenty years. It ran Terengganu for one term. It is running Kedah now. It has 22 MPs in the Parliament. PAS is a big fish. Ikan besar.

PAS is not a religious department like JAIS or JAKIM. As a party that harbours an ambition to run the country, it has to have the skills, experience, interest, and responsibility in all matters that concern the people of Malaysia. Not only on issues of religion and morality. Not only about women’s clothing. Not only about concerts. Not only about alcohol.

For it to run the country one day (as it hopes), it has to understand, get involved, develop skills and knowledge in all matters that are of concern to the people of Malaysia. In all matters – science, trade, finance, banking, sports, education, agriculture, biotechnology, defence, environment, human rights, international law and politics, aviation, etc. etc.

I don’t know what is PAS’s position with regards to other things is. Or whether PAS even has a stand at all? Or whether PAS appreciates the importance of these issues?

I hope someone from PAS will clarify the party’s position. If I knew the answers, it will help me make a better decision when I vote in the coming general election. It will help me decide whether or not to convince my friends to vote for PAS.

What is PAS’s position on these issues assuming one day it forms the Federal government?

Internet
Will PAS censor the internet? There are millions of web pages that are not in line with PAS’ so-called “virtues”. BN has not censored the internet (although from time to time some dungu minister will suggest it is time to censor). Will PAS leave the internet alone? [ed’s note: the government did attempt to block numerous file-sharing sites]

Sports
Will PAS support and promote sports or will it kill it? For example, FINA will not allow swimmers to wear sarong while taking part in the Olympics games. Will PAS bar qualified Muslims from swimming in the Olympic Games? How about bodybuilding and weightlifting? Will PAS allow Malaysians bodybuilders or weightlifters to compete at the world level wearing tiny briefs (for some reason, PAS has never objected to male bodybuilders wearing tiny briefs)? Will PAS encourage sports in our schools?

Science
Will PAS continue the teaching of modern mainstream science in our schools? Will it ban the teaching of Darwinian evolution? Will PAS allow the teaching about reproductive health? Will it increase the amount of time given to science subjects or will it reduce them? I am assuming (I could be wrong) that PAS will not allow the teaching of Maths and Science in English because I have never heard senior PAS leaders speak in English.

International trade and finance
What is PAS’s position on international trade?. Malaysia is a trading nation. We are the 17th largest trading nation in the world and we trade with almost all countries in the world. The bulk of our trade is with “infidel” countries. I need to know whether if and when PAS runs the Federal government, this trend will continue? Or will PAS only want to focus on trading with Islamic countries? I am asking because I don’t know and because PAS has never made its position known.

Women’s rights
Will PAS uphold the rights and promote the progress of women in Malaysia? One thing the BN government has done reasonably well is the education of women. Women now account for almost 70% of students in our universities. Women now outnumber men in our civil service. Many women are heads of departments or ministries. Women outnumber men in my office (and in all positions). Will PAS allow this trend to continue? I may be somewhat out of touch but I cannot for the monkey in me name a single female leader from PAS.

Casino at Genting
PAS leaders have, a number of times in the past, threatened to close down the casino at Genting Highlands. Assuming PAS comes to power at the Federal level, will it close Genting down? Genting Highlands is now the single biggest tourist attraction in Malaysia – it attracts well over 15 million visitors per year (and the Arabs are fond of Genting).

Such a small area on top of a mountain attracts more people than most other attractions in Malaysia combined. It is probably one of the largest taxpayers in the country – the money which is used to build our schools, hospitals, roads, and mosques. Not forgetting that Genting Highlands and its supporting businesses probably employ over 100,000 Malaysians. So what is PAS’s position?

Cinema and entertainment
I know this is a petty thing. However seeing the ferocity with which the PAS assemblyman for Bangi has objected to cinemas, I wonder how PAS will react to not only cinemas but all other forms of entertainment if and when it controls the Federal government. Will concerts still be allowed? Will dancing be allowed? Will PAS allow the current TV programmes?

Segregated schools and colleges
Will PAS permit the Chinese and Tamil schools to continue? How about sekolah berasrama penuh that only caters (well, 99%) to Malay students. Will PAS make UiTM take in all Malaysians or will the party choose to maintain the segregation? Sekolah agama are also segregated schools – so can we assume PAS will support segregated schools? – segregated either by race or religion. Or will PAS go further by segregating boys and girls in our schools? Can someone please explain.

Environment
Will PAS be pro-environment? Will it seek to protect our forests, wetlands and wildlife? I specifically ask this because the PAS government in Kelantan has done a really bad job. The rape of Lojing Highlands in Gua Musang has continued for more than 25 years. Last year, Nik Aziz threatened to carry out logging in Taman Negara.

When PAS governed Terengganu, there were no improvements in the conditions at the marine park islands. PAS government in Kedah has yet to do anything with regards to environmental protection. Azizan actually threatened to log the biological rich Ulu Muda Forests.

Nik Aziz once threatened to shoot all the tigers in Kelantan. So, can someone from PAS explain its position with regards to our forests, wetlands, and wildlife?

There are many other issues. Hudud, Sale of alcohol. How will PAS tackle to soaring cost of healthcare? How will PAS deal with the rising influence of China and India? How about biotechnology? What is PAS’s position on Dalai Lama? What is PAS’s position on Taiwan viz China?

I am asking all these questions simply because I do not know the answers. I have never heard PAS leaders publicly speak about these things. PAS may already have decided its position on the above but I don’t know.

So, if someone from PAS can explain the party’s position with regards to the above, it will be very helpful to me and I am sure to thousands of Malaysians. So that when we vote for or against PAS (and by association Pakatan Rakyat), we know what to expect in the future.

Monyet King says
Politicians are having an easy ride in Malaysia. Most of them pander to the crowd and rarely have firm positions on many issues. They give you vague answers, then twist and turn the matter when cornered or caught in a tricky situation.

Although the above issues are directed at PAS, these questions could easily be directed towards MCA or UMNO or DAP or PKR. Unfortunately, most of them will not stick their neck out and state their stand firmly.

Find Monyet King’s political position here. 

Related posts:

1. Our own homegrown apartheid
2. When women are their own worst enemies
3. Interview with Dr Zuriati Zakaria

by Marina Mahathir

We learn much folk wisdom – some couched in semi-superstition – either from other people or simply from experience.

I used to muse that there seems, these days, to be a lack of common sense, the wisdom that comes from basic knowledge and experience. Everyone seems to be more interested in fantasising about imaginary things or providing far-out solutions when simpler ones may do.

People in leadership positions seem to have the least common sense of all, probably because they think people expect something different from them instead of the obvious.

I am reminded of this more and more lately. People are so obsessed with getting from A to Z that they skip over B and C and don’t realise that the wisest outcome is in fact D.

So we get, for example, people who think the ultimate goal is to bring out a website in English but who forget that in order to do that, one needs to first find someone competent in English to do it.

Or who, without checking a simple encyclopedia, wish the wrong people greetings for a religious festival. All it takes is some care and common sense.

There are of course worse examples. Sometimes it makes better sense to say nothing than to open one’s mouth and disclose that one’s head is full of rubbish. It can be jaw-droppingly embarrassing for all observers, if not for the one speaking.

Sometimes we can’t blame those laying out such nonsense. Common sense comes from having some basic knowledge handed down from teachers and guides, as well as lived experiences and just plain intelligence.

Getting websites so excruciatingly mistranslated or sending out wrongly targeted tweets is not so much the fault of whoever wrote them but whoever supervises them.

If supervisors and leaders have not had the sense to lay down some basic rules and procedures, then it’s not surprising that such faux pas happens.

I recently had a request for an interview for a student research project. Reading their proposed project, I was appalled by the entire premise of their topic, one so nonsensical that had it been a foreign university, they would have been laughed out of their room.

But then I realised that it’s not the students’ fault. Such a research proposal should really not have passed by their supervising faculty at all.

Their lecturer should have questioned them much more, made them read more background material to come up with something that made better sense.

Then I had the awful realisation that maybe the lecturer, too, thought it was a topic worth researching.

In our lifetime we learn much folk wisdom either from other people or simply from experience. Some are couched in semi-superstition.

Our mothers would tell us not to cut our fingernails at dusk. It may have sounded a bit mystical but the real lesson was that if we cut them at a time when the light was bad, the chances are we’re likely to cut ourselves.

Or we would be told to close our mouths with our hands when we yawned so that the Devil would not enter our bodies, when in fact it was so that we would not rudely display our open mouths to other people.

When dealing with the public, simple psychology will often do. Nobody really likes to be berated all the time. Often gentle persuasion works better.

Most people have a certain innate sense of decency and justice, so will tend to take the side of the underdog. Thus wielding a stick too heavy-handedly over someone much weaker will only elicit sympathy for that person.

Being humble, even if suspect, usually wins over arrogance. Doesn’t take a genius to figure that out.

But repeatedly, all we see is the opposite of such common sense. Perhaps some people feel the need to be too clever, or assume that the audience must be simply too stupid.

This is the worst mistake of all. If there’s one of you and millions of them, chances are there are probably lots of people much smarter than you out there and they’ll outgun you with brains any time.

The trouble is, like those students, once there is no common sense at the top, the bottom takes the same cue and loses all ability to think clearly, too. Whatever is the prevailing logic on high, no matter how absurd, becomes everyone’s logic, too.

The illogic when unquestioned is accepted as gospel. Thus a talk becomes a seminar, a party becomes an orgy, a gathering a riot. The simple matter of supporting evidence is ignored.

Where on earth will this collective stupidity lead us?

Will it make us stand tall and proud as Malaysians, punching above our weight, as someone put it, all round the globe? Or will it make us increasingly isolated and provincial?

Or don’t we care?

Related posts:

1. Common sense and logic
2. Lending credence to stories
3. What should I do here? (or a simple guide to our new site)

Leave sex education to the sex educators, not those who find sex filthy

Forget that when people think about sexual prowess, they don’t automatically think keropok lekor. Forget that the amount of Tongkat Ali additive available in health supplement products is too little to work. The fact that Terengganu thinks it’s a prudent idea to sell Tongkat Ali-laced keropok lekor reflects that there is a sizable demand for it.

Perhaps it is time to admit that our society is obsessed with sex. More accurately, we are obsessed with ubat kuat-kind of sexual performance, but not so much the aspects that would benefit from sex education.

Last month, my fiancee and I attended the nationally-mandatory two-day kursus kahwin. If anything, we were looking forward to the class about sexual health, in particular family planning. Instead, we were left unsatisfied (your mileage might vary).

How many kids do you think can a woman bear in her lifetime? Six? 10? By some dubious mathematics, a preacher suggested that women can bear 30 kids in their lifetime, and therefore the participants must breed as many children as biologically possible.

“If you don’t breed, we Malays will be over-run in numbers by the non-Malays. We will then lose our voting power,” he explained. “Just look at Singapore, where Muslims are the minority.”

It sounded like a bad joke, but many of the participants took the advice to heart. The preacher also warned against masturbating: “Your testes are gifts from God, the human race will disappear if you don’t take care of your sperm.”

“You only have 30 million sperms in your ejaculate, you need as many of them as possible to inseminate the egg,” he urged sternly. I hesitated to tell him that’s not exactly how it works.

This emphasis on performing as a way to prove your manliness, and delivering babies upon babies is in stark conflict with the attitude towards unmarried couples who are expected to remain chaste.

All too often we see the outrage towards abandoned newborns, with the “offending” young mothers usually named and shamed in the papers (the fathers are rarely shamed, if at all). During festivities, we hear moral crusaders raiding cheap hotels to catch young couples in khalwat red-handed. More outrage, but no solutions would be offered, save for some chastisement and tired reminder to abstain from sex… well at least until you get married.

This is what happens when society pretends that young people only have sex on Valentine’s Day, and not the other 364 days.

The approach to abstinence ties in with the reluctance to let youths know the existence of protection, lest they have more sex. By trying to keep sex “secret” this also indirectly affects married couples, who are not only rarely educated on the options available for them, but at the same time are urged to procreate for the good of race/religion/all of the above.

If I’m not mistaken, the pharmacy in MidValley Megamall’s Carrefour only sells condoms inside a glass cabinet. In order to buy a box, one needs to hassle the pharmacy cashier for the key to the cabinet, and then have the cashier wait beside oneself while choosing what to buy. Unnerving for some, especially if it’s their first time.

I remember an anecdote of a Ministry of Health officer who was tasked to educate villagers about family planning, specifically about using condoms. While she was explaining how to wear one, she used a broomstick to illustrate the erect penis.

A couple of months later, when she came back she found that some mothers with a large number of children were still getting pregnant. She checked, and found out that the villagers had slung the condoms on their broomsticks!

It is easy to laugh at such stories, but ask ourselves, are our friends and family aware of these facts, and if asked, would we mind explaining?

The latest blow by the authorities of course, is ordering Where Did I Come From off the shelves, an illustrated (some say too heavily illustrated) sex education book by British author Peter Mayle. It was published 38 years ago, only to be stopped by the Home Ministry a few days ago.

Umno Youth community complaints bureau chairman Muhd Khairun Aseh explained that he has received many complaints that the book is available in the children’s section for those below the age of 12, despite having cartoon illustrations of the human genitalia.

Well, that is the precise point isn’t it? The book IS meant for children to understand where they come from (it says so obviously in its title). Would you suggest that we keep our children forever in the dark with the same old lies until they stumble upon the facts through porn?

Maybe that is how parents are urged to educate (or rather NOT educate) their kids on sex, especially with remarks like “the book might be suitable for children at the writer’s country of origin, but is still not suitable in Malaysia.”

Have we ever thought that this might be the exact reason why other countries do not whine so much about teenage pregnancies and abandoned babies? Have we ever thought that maybe, maybe after all these years of ineffective approach, we might want to try something more practical instead of wishful thinking?

I say let’s leave sex education to the sex educators, those who regard sex as it is: a pleasurable way of connecting two consenting adults, and an essential biological process from which we give birth to our next generation. Do not leave it to those with the gutter porn mentality — those who find sex dirty, something one should be ashamed and shy of.

Let me start with myself: teach me about sex. And when my future children start asking where did they come from, I’ll give them a straight answer. Isn’t that, after all, what responsible parents should do?

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Mencari petunjuk Yang Maha Kuasa mengikut logik kalimah Tuhan dalam kulat kayu.

Saya masih ingat di suatu petang tahun 1992, saya sedang bermain bola dengan kawan saya sambil tergelak-gelak budak perempuan sedang main skipping. Dalam saya sedang berangan untuk menjadi Bruce Groebellar, dan kawan saya sedang berangan untuk jadi Mokhtar Dahari, lagi seorang kawan saya berlari-lari seperti tak cukup tanah bagai Chicken Little berlari untuk memberitahu seluruh kampung yang langit akan runtuh. Saya terpinga-pinga melihat kawan saya itu, kenapa dia berlari bagai tak cukup tanah?

“Tak lama lagi nak kiamat! Tak lama lagi nak kiamat!” sama seperti Chicken Little dan cerita langit nak runtuhnya, dia datang membawa khabar derita. Buktinya dia membawa sebuah kepingan surat khabar Bacaria, dan menunjukkan gambar-gambar bentuk awan yang berbentuk wanita sedang terbakar dalam api neraka, gambar kalimah Allah dalam bentuk awan, dan juga awan yang berbentuk pelbagai lagi bentuk. Pada ketika itu, saya yang baru nak berangan nak jadi Bruce Groebellar terus melupakan angan-angan tersebut, memandangkan surah dari kawan saya — dunia dah nak kiamat.

Tapi semasa usia saya berusia lebih kurang 17 tahun, saya mendengar surah di Amerika bahawa mereka terjumpa kerusi kayu yang berkulat membentuk muka Jesus Christ. Kemudian saya juga ada mendengar surah di India bahawa seorang budak ada tanda lahir yang sama seperti Dewa Shiva. Jadi, saya mempersoalkan diri saya — apakah tanda-tanda ini tidak hanya tertakluk kepada satu ugama? Kalau Islam mendakwa bentuk-bentuk awan itu adalah petunjuk dari ugama mereka, bagaimana yang lain ini?

Lama-lama saya give up untuk mendengar cerita-cerita ini. Saya pun tak pasti yang mana satu cerita ini benar. Cerita awan bentuk kalimah Allah, cerita akar kayu, cerita urat daging lembu, cerita Jesus pada kulat kayu, cerita lebah berbentuk kalimah al-Quran — dalam djaman teknologi Adobe Photoshop ini segalanya boleh dijadikan cerita.

Pokok ini menyerupai perempuan seksi - perempuan seksi adalah Tuhan?

Kini naik satu level lagi — video sejadah berdiri dan juga video ikan berenang dengan kalimah Tuhan di siripnya. Menjadikan saya berfikir sejenak, apakah Tuhan Yang Maha Kuasa itu nak menunjukkan kuasa dengan menayangkan kalimah di sirip ikan atau gambar Jesus di kulat kayu? Takkan itu je yang mampu Dia lakukan?

Kenapa Dia tak mampu hapuskan kemiskinan — hampir 1 billion manusia tidak ada bekalan air bersih. Kenapa Dia tak mampu hapuskan peperangan dengan membalikkan bumi Amerika dan mengembalikan Amerika ke zaman batu? Kenapa Dia hanya menunjukkan Kuasanya pada sirip ikan, kulat kayu, lebah ataupun sejadah berdiri? Saya pun tak pasti sejadah berdiri ini adalah lawak tapai troll siapa yang cuba mahu membuat lawak — tetapi yang sedih adalah masyarakat kita untuk percaya ini semua?

Saya pernah menghabiskan satu hari yang paling membazir dalam hidup saya — menengok awan bentuk apa. Kadang-kadang saya tengok awan ni bentuknya arnab, eh, takkan Tuhan itu adalah seekor arnab? Kemudian saya lihat awan itu berubah menjadi bentuk udang pula. Ah, baru semalam saya makan udang masak petai — takkanlah Tuhan boleh dimakan? Kemudian ia berubah-ubah kepada pelbagai bentuk sehingga hari sudah larut malam.

Kesimpulannya — saya tak nampak bahawa petanda awan berbentuk kalimah ini adalah petanda besar dari Yang Maha Kuasa – tetapi kita sendiri yang tunjukkan ia supaya kita rasa itu petandanya.

Pada petang tadi, saya nampak awan itu berbentuk seperti Liverbirds logo pasukan bolasepak Liverpool FC. Kalaulah saya nampak awan berbentuk Liverbirds itu sehari selepas final Champions League 2005 di Istanbul (perlawanan paling dramatik dalam sejarah), saya dengan beraninya menulis ugama saya dalam borang pendaftaran saya sebagai seorang yang berugama “Kopites”. Kalau nak mengikut logik kalimah Tuhan dalam kulat kayulah.

by Cob Nobbler (@comradenami)

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Our first Darwin Day event was a success, despite a minor stir online.

Unscientific Malaysia held our first Darwin Day celebration on Sunday, February 12, to remember Charles Darwin — one of the most influential and misunderstood man in science.

Darwin Day usually celebrates the life and works of Charles Darwin, but also in general pays tribute to science and reason which guided his discoveries.

The event started with an introduction by Zurairi AR, our founder and editor, who recapped the earlier points made in his article “In denial over evolution, in denial over science“. He stressed the damning statistics that slightly over half of Malaysians surveyed in 2008 thinks that evolution is false.

He ended his brief with excerpts taken from notjustatheory.com explaining that evolution is not “just a theory”, which included the joyous final line:

“Evolution is not just a theory, it’s triumphantly a theory!”

The guest speaker, Dato Hamzah Majid was next. The chairman of Cempaka Holdings — which owns the Cempaka Schools — gave some remarks on the life of Darwin. He lamented that after two centuries, Darwin is accepted only by the world community of scientists, and not by the world at large.

Hamzah’s defiant quote resonated with the audience, “I do not just ‘believe’ in Darwin, since believing requires faith. That is not science, and with that we would not be scientists.”

Unscientific Malaysia’s resident biologist and co-founder Hawa O was supposed to present on the misconceptions about evolution, but wasn’t in good health. Instead, she recommended a TED talk by medical ethicist Harvey Fineberg on the next step of evolution:

Dodya Lim then promoted the play boom by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb which was described as an explosive comedy inspired by the wonders of science. Pik-Svonn Liew of ChowKit Kita also promoted the Religion Film Week 2012 which is going on along this week.

Among the most memorable moments was a plea by our writer Zeffri Yusoff, who urged fellow sceptics and science lovers to breed so their voices will not be lost. The audience also had the chance to hold a short video conference with the celebration of Darwin Day in Singapore.

One of the goals of Hari Darwin 2012 was to raise the awareness of science and evolution among the public, and we were glad to see many people tweeting about the day, with our without the hashtag #HariDarwin:

Selamat #HariDarwin semua,igt, hari Darwin bukan utk uncle Janggut sahaja.tapi sebagai apresiasi dunia sains

— Qusyairi Hashim (@qusyairihashim) February 11, 2012

Read Origins of the Species. It’s just RM9.90 since it’s a classic. Don’t worry. I still pray 5x per day after reading it. #HariDarwin

— Izwan Zakaria (@throngz) February 12, 2012

I do not agree that religion and Darwin’s theory is mutually exclusive. Doing so challenges the omnipotence of God. #haridarwin

— dyap38 (@dyap38) February 12, 2012

aku harap hari darwin tak akan jadi trend.bodoh ke apa kau salute orang yang cakap manusia dari monyet

— Danial Sharom Nizan (@Danialsn) February 12, 2012

Selamat #HariDarwin. I wish one of u guys jadi theorist/researcher/scientist yg proven.dont just sat there talk crap n feels educated..heh

— HafeezNazri (@HafeezNazri) February 12, 2012

We hope that in the future, we can work more in educating the public and ourselves on the theory of evolution, and combat the rampant misconception about it.

Thank you to Nook (@NookMalaysia), an anti-office co-working space, for lending a hall for us to organise the event. Find out more about them at nook.my

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by Pepper Lim (@PepperLim)

Unscientific Malaysia correspondent Pepper Lim’s experience in Singapore on Darwin Day.

Every year, on the 12th of February, people all over the world are invited to celebrate Darwin Day and his renowned theory of evolution. Darwin’s theory earned him a place in history as one of the greatest scientists in history and also the scorn of religious people.

I went down to Singapore with a small group of Malaysians to join the celebration organised by the Humanist Society of Singapore (HSS).

We arrived in Singapore late Saturday afternoon, just in time to freshen up to join a group of hospitable humanists for dinner. At a Japanese restaurant close to Clarke Quay, we talked about cameras, Facebook, Whitney Houston, and rock climbing. Surprisingly, no one talked about Darwin!

Charles Robert Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, England on 12 February, 1809. He graduated from Cambridge with a Bachelor of Arts before embarking on a 5 year voyage aboard HMS Beagle serving as a naturalist. After studying the animal specimens he brought back from his sea voyage around the world, he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection. He expounded this theory in his book, On The Origin of Species, was sold out when it was first published in 1859. His theory made him a superstar of science and Darwin Day has been celebrated all over the world since Darwin’s death in 1882.

On Sunday morning, the small group of Malaysians visited the Art Science Museum and strolled through an exhibition of The Titanic and Cartier watches. Then we made our way to Toa Payoh where the Darwin Day celebration was held. Like typical Malaysians, we were late. But the kind Singaporeans patiently waited for us before starting.

As we rushed into Harmony Room at One People Singapore, the first thing that caught my eye was cookies laid out on a table. Each cookie was decorated with either a “Darwin fish” (a fish with legs) or a finch (a bird studied by Darwin).

Two speakers presented two interesting topics for the audience. Through the magic of the Internet, Terence Tan hooked up video conferencing via Skype for a group of Malaysians who had organised Hari Darwin in Bangsar so they could see the celebration in Singapore.

Dr John Elliot, an Associate Professor from National University of Singapore, presented a talk entitled Can Morality Evolve?. He described how humans attain consciousness via a gradual process starting about 5 million years ago. Humans naturally do good things and not evil because it is beneficial to their own survival. Good deeds are usually reciprocated. This can also be found in the animal kingdom where vampire bats will share their meal with those unlucky to find a meal knowing, in future, they would receive a favour in return.

After the first talk, we were given a short break. Everyone quickly made a beeline for the Darwin Day cookies! It was gone in a matter of minutes and I did not get a chance to take one.

While at the break, I met with Liyan Chen, one of the organisers, and asked her why she helped organise Darwin Day. She told me, “It is to remember the man who contributed so much to our understanding of ourselves as human beings.” I agree; it is mind blowing to realise we evolved over millions of years.

I asked Mark Kwan, a member of the HSS, if there were any resistance to Darwin Day and he told me, “Many religious organisations oppose the idea of evolution, preferring to believe man was created by God. For me, I prefer to see the evidence before I call it fact; and evolution is fact.”

After the break, Dr John Van Wyhe, a senior lecturer of Biological Sciences & History in National University of Singapore, debunked some commons myths surrounding Darwin. Many people think Darwin was so afraid for his theory that he kept it secret for 21 years; this is not true. Another myth says Darwin recanted his view that man evolved from apes and accepted the story of God creating human beings. Again, this is not true.

Then, I was invited to say a few words and I took the opportunity to thank the HSS for being a gracious host. To give them an idea of what is happening in Malaysia, I invited Colin Shafer, a lecturer at Taylor’s College, to give his views on scepticism in Malaysia. He said many Malaysians would readily believe something without first checking out the facts and without thinking it through. Nevertheless, groups like Unscientific Malaysia are promoting science and scepticism.

All too soon the event came to an end and we parted ways promising to connect again on Facebook until the next Darwin Day.

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by Obefiend (@obefiend)

The truth about Valentine’s Day is more heretical to its supposed Christian origins than local dailies would want you to believe.

Every year without fail we will start seeing articles condemning Valentine’s Day as a day that should not be celebrated by Muslims in Malaysia. One of the most used and rehashed (they rehashed the article annually since god knows when) story is St Valentine was a martyr who died helping the Christians took over Cordoba from the Muslims during Queen Isabella’s reign.

Because of his sacrifice the day that he was buried is celebrated as St Valentine’s Day. Because of this Valentine’s Day is “haram” to most Muslims as celebrating it is akin to celebrating the downfall of Muslim empire in Spain. Sounds plausible right? Nope, it’s wrong and pure fiction.

First of all, there is no St Valentine in Spain during Queen Isabella’s (1451 –1504 AD) lifetime. In fact the only Valentine in Spain history was the brother of Saint Fructus, who died stopping the Moor’s advance into Spain in 751AD. This is a discrepancy of over 700 years between the supposed “Valentine” who helped defeat the Muslims (The Moors) and the St Valentine during Queen Isabella’s reign. Saint Fructus and his brothers’ sacrifice are remembered every October 24, during the St Fructus Feast Day. So clearly this is not the Valentine that we are looking for.

In Christendom history, there have been 7 recorded St Valentines and 11 separate Valentine’s Day that occurred on different days throughout the year. The first Valentine’s Day was in honour of Valentine of Rome (also known as Valentine of Terni) who was a priest martyred in 269AD. Not much is known about this St Valentine other than he was a priest who was buried in Via Flaminia on the 14 February.

The lack of background story regarding this first St Valentine lead historians to believe that Valentine’s Day was created to suppress the pagan celebration of Lupercalia, a very ancient Roman pastoral festival, observed on 13 February through 15 February to avert evil spirits and purify the city. If you haven’t already known about this, early Roman Christians assimilated their pagan celebrations with their Christian beliefs. For example the pagan celebration of sun worshipping on 25 December is converted into Christmas Day despite the fact Jesus was actually born on 17 June.

It also should be noted that the early Valentine’s Day had nothing to do with neither love nor romance. This brings us to the modern day’s version of Valentine’s Day.

It is generally accepted that the modern VDay celebration started in the 19th century when a woman by the name of Esther Howland started designing cards for VDays. The celebration started in England before spreading around the world like it is today. In the ‘50s, lovers started exchanging more than just cards and the commercialisation of VDay as we know it today started. In the ‘80s DeBeers started linking diamonds with VDays and many men end up broke so that their significant others may have the in vogue diamond VDay gift.

As you can see, the modern day VDay is now perverted beyond recognition from its Christian (or is it Pagan?) origin. I would say that the modern day VDay is not even the same VDay as celebrated in 269AD or Rome for that matter. The date and name might be the same but the one being celebrated now is totally different. Sort of how Christmas and Easter are now considered “not Christian enough” by fundamentalist Christians.

Thanks to commercialism, a lot of the religious celebration is now no more than a day for capitalists to make a quick buck out of them. Only in VDay can you see a man buying roses and chocolates at twice the normal price. The free market can be such a dick come Valentine’s Day!

So why do we keep seeing factually wrong articles in Muslim-owned newspaper when VDay is just days away? I guess this is another case of fictional oral history being passed around for years and years before eventually accepted as fact. The fact that it’s repeatedly printed in magazines, newspaper, and forwarded emails only reinforces the idea that the story is legit.

“Bai.. gua baca ni dulu dalam majalah Al Islam dan Berita Harian bai. Takkan dia nak tipu so ni mesti fakta sohih ni! Apa je dia dapat dengan menipu”

“Tapi takkan ko tak nampak banyak lobang dalam cerita ni. Takda fakta langsung cuma 2-3 cerita disambung jadi satu.Tarkih pun tak ada padanan”

“Ni la kamu….. termakan dakyah setan! Pergi la sambut kalau nak masuk neraka“

“Kenapa lak aku masuk neraka kalau sambut VDay?”

“Pasal ada hadith – Sesiapa melakukan perbuatan menyerupai sesuatu kaum, maka ia termasuk bersama golongan itu”

“So you are telling me if I celebrate New Year, World Cup, AIDS day, Diabetes Day, Hari Pahlawan, Hari Guru , Hari Persahabatan dan segalanya aku masuk neraka la yek. Macam tu?”

“Ko ni memandai lah. Hari yang diilhamkan kaum kafir je haram”

“Abis ko ingat hari-hari yang aku listkan tadi tu siapa yang reka? Graduation day pun kaum kapir yang start dulu. Yang baling Mortar Board Hat masa graduation tu kapir yang start dulu! Masuk neraka la kamu nanti!“

*********************

Majlis Fatwa should issue a fatwa on playing “mercun” during Ramadan and the two Hari Rayas. Using the same arguments they used against Valentine, I say a ban on it is long overdue.

First of all the tradition of burning fireworks is heretical in origin. The Chinese believe that by setting off fireworks they can ward off evil spirits. This is clearly not in line with the holy Islamic beliefs. Only “ayat-ayat Al-Quran” can ward off evil spirits. Not carbide and manganese stuffed into cylindrical rockets!

Furthermore plenty able-bodied Muslims were killed and maimed due to homemade “mercuns”. To add to this, the burning of fireworks disturbs the sleep of many Malaysia regardless of religion. They are just bloody annoying.

Editor’s note: This article was originally posted on Obefiend’s blog, but it has since been deleted during a site attack.

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