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A panel of judges at the Court of Appeal today lambasted an Islamic authority for raiding a bookstore for a book that only got banned weeks later, with one judge labelling the action as self-indulgent.

In a high profile case, the Federal Territory Islamic Affairs Department (JAWI) prematurely raided a branch of Borders bookstore in May 2012 for Irshad Manji’s “Allah, Liberty and Love”, a book banned by the Home Ministry three weeks later. Read more »

Malaysia is prepared to lose its talent through its race-based policies in order to maintain the dominance of one race, said Lee Kuan Yew in his new book which was launched tonight in Singapore.

And although Malaysia has acknowledged the fact that they are losing these talents and is making an attempt to lure Malaysians back from overseas, such efforts may be too little too late, he said.

"This is putting the country at a disadvantage. It is voluntarily shrinking the talent pool needed to build the kind of society that makes use of talent from all races. Read more »

The Catholic Lawyers’ Society held its annual retreat in the city of Kuching in Sarawak from 29th August to 1st September 2014.

The venue was the peaceful setting of the Home for Retired Priests situated in a suburb of Kuching. 

The members (and spouses) who attended the retreat were privileged to have as their retreat director the Archbishop of Kuching, Most Rev. John Ha. Read more »

The Women’s Desk of the Archdiocesan Office for Human Development and the Catholic Lawyers Society organised the inaugural ‘Women’s Empowerment Symposium’ at Premiere Hotel, Klang.

The symposium began with Mass which was celebrated by Fr. Jestus Pereira.

After a brief tea break, the first session of the symposium entitled ‘Am I a Malaysian by law?’ took place. Read more »

It is by God’s grace that we are gathered here today, to continue raising our “Mamangkis” as Anak Negeri of this land.

We thank God for the unity of the churches in voicing out our common concerns.

Indeed, we are at the crossroad of many internal and external challenges to us as a multiracial and multi-religious society and as a Christian community. Read more »

Lawyers are disputing the National Registration Department’s (NRD) requirement of a Shariah court order before it will remove the status “Islam” from the records of Malaysians, contending that the rule was arbitrary and unconstitutional.

Although acknowledging a Federal Court decision that says the NRD has the right to impose the requirement, the lawyers stressed that bureaucracy should not prevent anyone from exercising their constitutional right to religious freedom.

Read more »

The two judges who had advised the attorney-general (A-G) on unilateral child conversions have disqualified themselves from hearing two contentious interfaith custody cases.

Datuk Linton Albert, who chaired the three-man bench, told the Court of Appeal that Datuk Mohd Zawawi Salleh and Datuk Umi Kalthum Abdul Majid had opted out to avoid conflict of interest.

"I have consulted them and they have recused themselves because justice must also be seen to be done." Read more »

Former chief justice Tun Abdul Hamid Mohamad, who has come under fire for his incendiary comments that the position of Islam is under threat in Penang, had revealed his racial and religious prejudice in a decision on a civil case which he heard as a High Court judge in the 90s, says a former federal court judge.

Retired Federal Court judge Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram said he had sat on a Court of Appeal bench in 1996 which came across Hamid’s decision in a civil case that belied his prejudice. Read more »

The High Court today ordered the eight “Allah” CDs which the Home Ministry confiscated more than six years ago to be returned to clerk Jill Ireland.

Kuala Lumpur High Court (Appellate and Special Powers) judge Justice Zaleha Yusof quashed the Home Minister’s decision to seize the religious CDs on the grounds that the CDs used prohibited terms and breached Malaysia Islamic Development Department (Jakim) guidelines.

She also ordered the CDs returned to the owner. Read more »

On 22nd June, the Catholic Lawyers gathered together at the church of St Paul the Hermit, Batang Berjuntai, (Bestari Jaya) on the occasion of the feast of St Thomas More, the patron saint of the society.

In conjunction with the feast day and in line with our motto as Catholic Lawyers Society (CLS), and living out its faith through love and service, the Catholic lawyers chose to celebrate the feast of their patron, by way of service. Read more »