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The Chai Corner

Muslim Businesses – To support or not to support

In this edition of the Chai Corner, I want to share some thoughts about the topic of Muslims and Muslim businesses. Do we actively support them no matter what or do we deal with them as we would with any other business?

As a general principal, it makes sense to positively support Muslim businesses. It also makes sense to support non-Muslim businesses which make an effort to provide for, or accommodate, Muslims; halal restaurants and so on. This, in my view, is one thing which the Islamic community is particularly poor at. An attitude seems to pervade the Muslim consciousness whereby the priority is “me”. What’s in it for me? Why should I join or support that person? In other words, the focus is on the individual and what benefit is in a particular act for the individual.

How Did We Get Here?

Maternity Legislation 2010 - Legislative removal of every women’s right to choose homebirth

By Sarah Mehmet with Yolande Williams, Registered Midwife

We’re always hearing about abuses of human rights in overseas countries, more often than not, Muslim ones. The oppression of women anywhere is loudly decried by Western nations and rightly so. Wars have been waged on a pretext of “liberating the women”. Burkha bans and the like are put in place. But what about women oppressed and robbed of their human rights here at home? With the passing of the new Maternity Legislation, we are seeing it made official: the loss of birthing women’s choice concerning their own bodies and babies.

Christians saying ‘Allah’? No worries, mate!

By Kawthar Girach

Musings by the QMT Political Editor based in Singapore

Being based in Singapore, I am privy to the ensuing debate, come conflict, regarding the use of the word ‘Allah’ by Christians just across the causeway in Malaysia. It all began when the Malaysian High Court struck down a ban on the use of the word ‘Allah’ by non-Muslims in late December. The usage by the Christians wasn’t in any way derogatory; they were merely referring to God. But what ensued was a disturbingly un-Islamic outbreak of violence and attacks on Christian churches, coupled with protests that the use of the word ‘Allah’ is solely for Muslims.