Mohammad Redzuan Othman

The Rohingya Refugee Crisis and Bangladesh-Myanmar Relations:

The Rohingya refugee crisis is a contentious issue that has strained Myanmar-Bangladesh relations since the late 1970s. The Rohingya crisis emanated from the military juntas widespread violations of human rights in Myanmar against the Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine. Rendered stateless, the Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh and other neighboring countries to take refuge. Years of negotiation have failed to resolve the Rohingya refugee crisis. This research note proposes the need for intensive bilateral and multilateral negotiations, a prospect which is likely to be facilitated by the process of democratization in Myanmar.

Democratic Consolidation and Credibility of Governance Institutions in Bangladesh

In recent years efforts have been made to improve governance by ensuring institutional performance and policing for greater transparency to sustain liberal democracy in Bangladesh and elsewhere. Since gaining independence in 1971, The People’s Republic of Bangladesh has been driven by internal power struggles and economic chaos, while attempting to develop a democratic society. A predominately Islamic country, Bangladesh’s representative government is battling poverty and rampant corruption. Although this study appreciates what Bangladesh has achieved so far, it seeks to deviate from the general trend that romanticizes Bangladesh’s democracy and its recent connection with new governance parameters. This study attempts to identify some of the major paradoxes that Bangladesh’s democracy is faced with. All these factors will be analyzed in the context of a contemporary notion of governance and democracy in Bangladesh.

The Role of Egyptian Influences on the Religious Dynamics and the Idea of Progress of Malaya's Kaum Muda (Young Faction) before the Second World War

Egyptian influences related to progress spread in Malaya before the Second World War through the journals published and the religious schools established by the Kaum Muda (The Young Faction). The Kaum Muda traced its origin from the reformist thinking of Muḥammad Rashīd Riḍā who published the journal al-Manār from 1898 in Egypt. To disseminate their reformist thought, the Kaum Muda published al-Imām from 23 July 1906, a journal that was directly influenced by al-Manār. Apart from publishing journals, the Kaum Muda, particularly its staunchest exponent, Sayyid Shaykh al-Hadi, also published books and novels with reformist themes, particularly on women’s emancipation. As well as using printed media to convey their messages, the Kaum Muda used modern religious education known as madrasa education, which was associated with reformist thinking, to spread their ideas and bring progress to Malay society.Egyptian influences related to progress spread in Malaya before the Second World War through the journals published and the religious schools established by the Kaum Muda (The Young Faction). The Kaum Muda traced its origin from the reformist thinking of Muḥammad Rashīd Riḍā who published the journal al-Manār from 1898 in Egypt. To disseminate their reformist thought, the Kaum Muda published al-Imām from 23 July 1906, a journal that was directly influenced by al-Manār. Apart from publishing journals, the Kaum Muda, particularly its staunchest exponent, Sayyid Shaykh al-Hadi, also published books and novels with reformist themes, particularly on women’s emancipation. As well as using printed media to convey their messages, the Kaum Muda used modern religious education known as madrasa education, which was associated with reformist thinking, to spread their ideas and bring progress to Malay society.

The Dynamics of Social Capital and Recent Political Development in Malaysia

The political landscape in Malaysia has been changing since the late 1990s with a gradual rise in resistance from civil society and the opposition parties. Domestic politics have become more contentious recently, particularly evidenced by the advent of a strong civil society and a multi-cultural opposition coalition. Thus, the social capital stimulated by ICTs and CSOs has played a vital role in strengthening and empowering the role of the opposition parties in Malaysia. This study seeks to understand how ICT-driven social capital has facilitated the surge in the opposition movement by situating the political use of social capital in a broader socio-political context. Hence the dramatic political change has been intertwined with the dynamics of social capital and creation of a public sphere accelerated by the rapid growth of ICTs in the country. By analyzing recent voting patterns, this study demonstrates that ICT-driven social capital does have a great impact on the changing political landscape in Malaysia, particularly in shaping voting behavior and political participation of Malay and non-Malay citizens in domestic politics.

THE VICISSITUDES OF MALI’S EMPIRE

This article begins with a discussion of Mali’s great dynasties comprising three main empires: Mali’s Empires, Ghana’s Empires and Songhai Empires. The second part examines how these empires which occupied the Savannah region influenced it with the gold trade, Islamic scholarship and manuscripts. These manuscripts exist in Malian main institutions such as Ali Ahamad Institute in Gao and University of Timbuktu today. The article then examines the empires’ rise and the impact of its fall on the French colonial penetration of Mali in the 1850s. Both developments have an interesting historical setting which this article examine. First, the historical development of Mali’s dynasties; and second, the historical development of French slave trade and colonial agenda in Mali where the foreign regime conspired and forced Malian dynasties to fall. Indeed this factor was considered as reasons for their fall. Different tribes of Mali which existed at the time were in fact the base for the origins of Mali’s empires. In this ancient era, they mainly concentrated on different business interactions and religious activities for national interests and Islam throughout the Savannah, which was much influenced by their trade and transactions for Mali’s economic integration including Islamization of the region.

Keperluan dan Persediaan dalam Perjalanan Menuntut Ilmu: Sejarah Pemergian Pelajar Melayu ke Kaherah, 1910-an Sehingga 1950-an

The number of Malay students who had studied in Egypt shown a sharp increase since 1920’s. Despite facing many challenges and obstacles, the number of Malay students studied in Egypt increased since then rapidly. This article discusses the challenges and obstacles faced by Malay students studied in Egypt, especially at al-Azhar University, Cairo from 1910’s to 1950’s. Based on the library research, this study examines and analyzes the primary sources and secondary sources related to the challenges and obstacles faced by these students to further their studies in Egypt. This study also found that the departure of Malay students from Malaya to Cairo exposed them to a variety of challenges, either before embarking for the trip, or upon arriving in Egypt, particularly the process of obtaining their passport and visa. Despite of such challenges, the number of Malay students studied in Egypt continued increasing sharply since 1920’s, which proved that the Malay students, in spite of the challenges and obstacles faced continued to travel to Egypt in pursuit of religious knowledge at al-Azhar University, Cairo.

Contributions of Egypt Alumni in education and literature in Malaya and Indonesia, 1920s-1970s

Since the 1920s, there was a drastic increase in the number of students from Malaya and Indonesia studying in Cairo, especially al-Azhar University. These students were actively involved in societies and magazine publishing, as well as in student activism. When they returned home, many contributed to the development of various fields, including education and literature in Malaya and Indonesia. Among the earliest, was Muhammad Fadhlullah Suhaimi who was involved in the establishment of Arabic schools in Singapore, Johor and Kelantan. He also founded a college in Wonosobo, East Java. In Indonesia, an Egyptian university alumnus who played an important role in education was Abdul Kahar Muzakkir. He was directly involved in the establishment of the IAIN Sunan, Yogyakarta. Abdul Wahab Abdullah was active in newspaper and magazine journalism as well as religious book publishing and literature in Malaya. Muhammad Fadhlullah himself was appointed as writer of a magazine Temasek and a Malay newspaper, Utusan Melayu. In Indonesia, Mahmud Yunus wrote many religious books and published Quranic tafsir. After Indonesia and Malaya achieved independence, Egypt alumni continued to contribute significantly in the field of education and literature.

KEMAL ATATURK DAN PEMBAHARUAN DI TURKI: POLEMIK DALAM AKHBAR DAN MAJALAH MELAYU PADA TAHUN 1920-AN DAN 1930-AN

The rise of Kemal Ataturk (1881-1938) as President of the Republic of Turkey in 1924 resulted in him being regarded as a highly respected political leader among the Malays. This is clear from the extensive coverage on him given by Malay newspapers and magazines. This article will focus on the polemics evident in the Malay newspapers and magazines of the period revolving around Kemals modernisation plans. In the early stages, most of the Malay newspapers and magazines supported Kemals establishment of the Republic of Turkey and his modernisation programmes. However, support for Kemals modernisation plans reduced considerably when it became obvious that the modernisation programmes began to marginalize Islam and the elements of secularism became clear. Several controversial issues related to the modernisation programmes that were clearly against Islamic teachings eventually gave rise to polemical discussions in the Malay newspapers and journals.