Malaysia – Selangor Ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj rebuked Religious Affairs Minister Datuk Idris Ahmad for warning Muslims from attending Bon Odori next month. Idris was urged to attend so he might learn to distinguish between culture and religion, an unusual and direct criticism from a ruler. His Highness does not want politicians to exploit religious sensitivities for selfish …

ASEAN – According to Malay Mail, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, the ruler of Selangor, has issued a proclamation stating that the Bon Odori festival would take place in July as scheduled. This comes after the Minister of Religious Affairs, Datuk Idris Ahmad, said that Muslims should not participate in the Japanese festivities. He based his statement on the fact that …

Malaysia – A local Malay language expert Professor Emeritus Datuk Asmah Omar said that the term Bahasa Melayu cannot be replaced with Bahasa Malaysia. According to Berita Harian, a Malay grammarian informed the International Symposium on Bahasa Melayu that altering the language’s name would completely erase its past. “The name of a language is significant because it contains information about …

Malaysia – After one of his party colleagues criticized Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh for wearing a hijab, a DAP leader today warned that Malaysians either accept the country’s variety and moderation or face irrelevance. Sheikh Umar Bagharib Ali, vice-chief of the Johor DAP, said such characteristics were critical given Malaysia‘s multiculturalism. “We must not only respect others’ cultures, religions, and …

Cockfighting or sabong in the Philippines has been known as the country’s public interest, a fixation even. It’s a male-arranged blood sport that is really wild – uproarious, tumultuous, and testosterone-driven. Devotees can go through a really long time in the field; others even concentrate on their gamecocks than to their spouses. Basic entitlements activists are against it. However, a …