“Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.”

- Margaret Mead

I seem to be writing many articles on Islam of late. Some readers have emailed me asking if this was because of my rejection of the policies of PAS, while others have accused me of being anti-Islam.

Firstly, I am not writing about Islam but rather Islam as defined by the Umno establishment and the opposition, both of which I reject. There is a diversity of thought in Islam the world over and although sinister forces would impose their dogma on the faith, there is still a vibrant discourse ignored by the mainstream press in search for easy heroes or villains in the faith.

Secondly, I am not anti-Islam, I think that a strong case could be made that I am anti-organised religion, but I am the most Muslim-friendly commenter around. I believe that a Muslim should be free to define his or her religion in any way they see fit, with no interference from the state as long as that definition does not trespass on the rights of anyone else, including other Muslims...