The reported case of a Taiwanese employer forcing three Muslim workers from Indonesia to eat pork drove labour activists and migrant workers to the streets to demand respect for their religious freedom. Rallying in front of the Bureau of Consular Affairs, 21 Indonesian caregivers appealed to their Taiwanese employers to respect their religious practices. In addition to being forced to eat the forbidden meat, many workers also complained that their employers do not give them enough time to per...

Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said brain drain from the Muslim world to developed Western countries is a serious concern affecting the competitiveness of Muslim countries. He further said that the phenomenon would ruin Muslim nations’ long term economic growth and development, if not checked. “To reverse the brain drain, we need to create the right liberal ecosystem to stimulate creativity and put in a fair reward system to encourage hard work in our s...

“Countries today are not measured by their wealth,” said Dr Fathy Saoud, the president of Qatar Foundation, opening a stem cell forum hosted by Weill Cornell Medical College. “They are measured by what they produce, including research and ideas.” Among medical researchers, stem cells are hot. Leading scientists are closing in on breakthroughs and lauding the cells’ potential to treat, even cure, some of the world’s most serious medical problems, including c...

Malaysia has legalised sports betting. The reasoning put forward is to curb illegal gambling and boost government revenue. Ministry of Finance has issued Ascot Sports a licence that will allow it to offer bets in the English Premier League season. Berjaya, a conglomerate with holdings ranging from lottery to casino operations, will reportedly acquire a 70 per cent stake in Ascot Sports. The company will launch products based on internationally popular sporting events including football, baske...

Dalai Lama had an encouraging meeting with several prominent American Muslims in Indiana University jointly searching common grounds for sustained relationships. He and several Muslim leaders issued statements recognising a potential breakthrough in relations between the two religions that encompass much of Asia and count nearly two billion people as followers worldwide.  “All major religious traditions (are seeking) something beyond words,” said the Dalai Lama, the 74-year-o...

Iran will ship its low enriched uranium to Turkey in exchange for 20-per cent uranium under a nuclear fuel swap agreement finalised in a tripartite meeting of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Iran’s nuclear programme.

The second German Islam Conference is to bring together 34 individuals and groups representing both government bodies and Muslims. But the absence of two groups at the discussion table has led to criticism.  A government-sponsored conference on Islam in Germany will convene without two major organisations that represent the country’s Muslims. The Central Council of Muslims in Germany (ZMD), which represents an alliance of Sunni mosques throughout Germany, said that it would boycott...