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Asia | Malaysia | Leadership

Rafidah: Why should I be prime minister?

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Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz said today that being a prime minister doesn’t make her a better person, as she urged society not to pressure women to aim for only top leadership posts. The former international trade and industry minister in the Mahathir administration said women’s personal choices should be respected and that society shouldn’t “mourn” a woman leaving a CEO post to raise a family. “I’ve been asked this question [if] I should be prime minister. Whatever for?” Rafidah said at the Global Transformation Forum here organised by BFR Institute, a subsidiary of governme
Asia | Malaysia | Activism

Women tell UN to give them a seat at peace table

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Two women from war-torn countries chastised the United Nations on Tuesday for failing to back up its commitment to involve more women in peace efforts with action. The rebuke came as the UN Security Council adopted a revamped version of a 15-year-old resolution that highlights the role of women in peacemaking and calls for measures to increase their participation. "Women are the first victims of war, but they hold the key to peace," Julienne Lusenge, who heads a coalition of women's organisations in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, told the 15-member council. "There will neve
Asia | Malaysia | Culture

Malaysian Women Face Rising Pressure From Muslim ‘Fashion Police’

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Women in Malaysia, long seen as a moderate Islamic nation, have been denied entry to government buildings on the grounds their skirts were too revealing, fanning fears of growing conservatism in a country with large non-Muslim minorities. Prime Minister Najib Razak's reluctance to intervene on the sudden enforcement of a dress code, analysts say, shows the liberal-minded leader is unwilling to stand up to conservatives at a time when he is battling allegations of corruption. Ethnic sensitivities can often trigger dispute in Malaysia, particularly as none of those criticized for their cloth
Asia | Malaysia | Culture

Outrage Over Farah Ann Abdul Hadi’s Leotard: Women “Must Prioritize The Islamic Codes In Sports Attire” [Video]

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Malaysian gymnast Farah Ann Abdul Hadi took home gold medals from the 2015 Southeast Asian Games in the women’s floor exercise and women’s team events, but it seems the Muslim community can only focus on her leotard. Criticized for exposing her “aurat,” or her genital area, her criticizers feel she should cover up better, slamming Farah on social media for wearing a traditional gymnast’s leotard. In addition to her two gold medals, Farah Ann Abdul Hadi also brought home silver in the female individual events, plus three bronze medals — quite an achievement for any athlete. A
Asia | Malaysia | Business

Women on boards of public companies way behind 30% target, says Najib

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Malaysian women only make up 16% of the boards of public companies, far behind Putrajaya's target of 30% women participation in top positions by 2016, said Datuk Seri Najib Razak. The number of women sitting on listed boards is even more abysmal, registering at only 10.3%. "I wanted to see women make up 30% of the boards of all public companies. But, on this, we are currently behind target,” said the prime minister when launching the “Lead the change – getting women on boards” event in Kuala Lumpur today. Unlike some countries which legislate a quota of women in top position
Asia | Malaysia | Crimes

The rise of female gangsters in Malaysia

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Far from being a mere adornment on the arms of the gangsters, the women gangsters in the country are fast establishing a notorious name for themselves. Authorities are saying that the women gangsters make up about 12% of the current gang strength and account for about 10% of the crime. These women gangsters were involved in about 10% of assault, robbery, providing “protection” and drug-related crimes reported in the country last year, said United Malaysia Crime Prevention Organisation chairman A. Balakrishnan. “Gangs like 36, 21, 24, 555, 303, 04, 08 and Satu Hati have their wom
Asia | Malaysia | Crimes

Citing false rape claims, Hizbut Tahrir says women must prove sexual assault

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Women are required to prove rape under Islamic criminal law, Hizbut Tahrir Malaysia (HTM) said today as the hardline Islamist group claimed that most sexual assault cases involve false accusations. HTM also told a seminar on hudud that Islam does not accept DNA evidence and that one of the ways of proving rape instead is by obtaining either two male witnesses, or one male and two female witnesses. “The danger is that if the woman wants to betray other people, she commits adultery with a man, but when she regrets it, she reports to the police saying she was raped,” HTM spokesman U
Asia | Malaysia | Business

Women Shariah Finance Student Ranks Swelling on CEO Role Models

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The only educational institute dedicated to Islamic finance is seeing a surge in female students from around the world, helping fill a shortage of experts in a global industry set to double to $3.4 trillion by 2018. Malaysia’s International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance, better known as INCEIF, saw total enrollment rise 67 percent in two years to 507 in 2014, of whom 185 were women, its President Daud Vicary Abdullah said in a March 9 interview at the campus in Kuala Lumpur. In 2012, the number of females was about 80. The university is attracting students not only from Shariah
Asia | Malaysia | Culture

Women petition against gov’t ‘taxing their periods’

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A petition has gone viral urging the Malaysian government to revoke a new 6 percent goods and services tax (GST) on all feminine sanitary products. “Women should not be taxed for the purchase of sanitary products that help in our biological need to menstruate,” the initiators of the campaign said. While the government may be fully justified in taxing services and products for the country’s profit, it should not extend to feminine sanitary products that “we need on a monthly basis.”
Asia | Malaysia | Corruption

Malaysian police arrest daughter of jailed opposition leader Anwar

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Malaysian police arrested the eldest daughter of jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim for alleged sedition on Monday, a move slammed by critics as a crackdown on dissent. Nurul Izzah Anwar, a lawmaker and a vice president of her father's People's Justice Party, was to be detained overnight because of a speech she made last week in Parliament, said Fahmi Fadzil, the party's communications director. Police did not specify which part of the speech — which questioned Anwar's jailing — was seditious, and told Nurul Izzah's family that the detention was to facilitate investigations, F

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