ANDREA PLATE WRITES — American women know well the indignity of being defined, and best-known, by the men they marry. But Huma Abedin, author of the utterly readable, just published memoir And/Both: A Life in Many Worlds (Scribner), is no ordinary woman; nor did she marry a nice ordinary man,…
ABEER ABUNAYYAN WRITES — In 2018, Prince Mohammed bin Salman lifted the ban on theaters that had been in place for 35 years. The ban had originally been in place due to social pressure from conservative Islamists to limit public entertainment, particularly theaters that had mixing between men and women. However,…
ZANE KRPAN WRITES — The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, has been received extremely well since he won the 2014 election. His approval rating in August of 2020 was an astounding 78% and it has actually been higher in the past (Poll). In comparison to other world leaders, this…
Following the brutal massacre in two mosques in New Zealand earlier this month, Asia Media staffers penned their thoughts on what it means to be an ally to the Muslim community, and how the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, exemplifies it. MUHAMMAD ALOTHMAN WRITES– “Welcome Brother,” the first…
LAMA AL-TAHER WRITES– The central government in China, led by President Xi Jinping, recently warned citizens not to fall for ‘spiritual anesthesia,’ or in other words, religion. Despite their condemnation, faith-based worship appears to be on the rise. With a surge in religious observance, the country is projected to have…
TIARA SALVABILLA WRITES – Alchemiya, the so-called “Netflix for Muslims,” is making a play for Asia. The video on demand (VOD) service is known for shedding positive light on Muslims and Muslim culture. Since its launch in 2014 it has gained thousands of users from 10 different countries and is…
ELIZABETH SOELISTIO WRITES – Sure, Tinder and OKCupid are good for finding a mate. But what if you’re after mates, plural? To make up for the lack of polygamy features in most dating websites and mobile apps, Lindu Pranayama created AyoPoligami which literally translates to “Let’s do polygamy.” Since AyoPoligami…
ELIZABETH SOELISTIO WRITES – Thousands turned out in protest last month demanding the governor of Jakarta be locked up for allegedly insulting Islam. The governor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, better known as Ahok, is in the middle of a tight reelection campaign that will finish in April. Voting results in the…
MICHELLE VARINATA WRITES – Somewhere in the Twitterverse, Felix Siauw, a young Muslim religious motivational speaker, tweets: “These days many Muslim women take selfies without shame. There are usually nine frames in one photo with facial poses that are just – my goodness – where’s the purity in women?” (Translated from…
NICK ARMER WRITES – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced earlier this week that the U.S. strategy to defeat the Islamic State is “working”. It is hard to imagine how funding the organization’s expansion into Iran and Pakistan is helping to achieve national goals. Unfortunately, the American campaign to…
SHUTING LI WRITES – Who are the Uighurs and why have they become such an issue in East Asia? Here is a simplified analysis – absent of ideology, slant and misunderstanding – that you won’t normally find in the mainstream news media. First of all, we must note that conflict in…
ASIA MEDIA STAFF WRITES – While Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is still contemplating the decision to join the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the country has ramped up its own online efforts in the fight against religious extremism. Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Teo…
Editor’s Note: On 27 June, we published the following analysis of the very important nationwide elections in Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous nation – and a secular democracy with more Muslim citizens (by far) than any other country. Our analysis concluded with an endorsement for president in that contest.…
Tom Plate writes in his syndicated column: Since almost no one is coming to the defense of President Barack Obama, whose opinion poll numbers continue to slide, why don’t I give it my best effort? After all, back in 2002, before the actual invasion of Iraq, the then-senator from Illinois…
AHMAD ALKHUZAM WRITES – Protests continue in Bahrain as the authorities prepared for the Muslim holiday on October 15. The recent unrest has caused several serious injuries to civilians. One such case is Abdullah Yassin, who was hospitalized after suffering a shotgun wound from the authorities. The recent demonstrations, which started on…
MARLENA NIP WRITES – Malaysian officials won’t take any risks with Western bands bashing Allah and the Quran. The Communications and Multimedia Ministry has denied Lamb of God, a U.S.-based heavy metal band, a permit to perform in Kuala Lampur. Tour promoter Livescape Asia had scheduled a concert featuring the Grammy-nominated band…
