http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061121/ts_nm/religion_iran_azerbaijan_dc_1
This is the reason for my extreme displeasure. Whatever happened to Islam being a religion of peace and tolerance? The clerics - the ones who (one would hope) would be the best equipped to reply in a rational manner - word for word, point for point, intellectual to intellectual, concept to concept, fact for fact - have instead called for death.
All this fellow did, like Salman Rushdie, was to write. He did not kill or incite anyone to kill anyone, Muslim or otherwise. But his detractors haven't bothered to meet him on the battleground of ideas; instead, they have decided that he should be silenced with extreme prejudice.
This makes me wonder: perhaps they want him killed because their own ideas are intellectually and morally bankrupt, perhaps his views are more valid than theirs, and they know that they cannot prove otherwise. Therefore their reaction is to kill him, so as to preserve their own monopoly on spiritual knowledge and prevent any better view from gaining the upper hand. A sort of "If you can't beat him, then kill him" approach.
I wonder when they'll issue a fatwa against me?
LMT
LawMan's Dogs
Killer Beasts Doing Breakfast
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
The Pope's Visit to Turkey
Pope Benedict XVI is visiting Turkey. Today. Or, well, yesterday, since it is already 1am local time.
This is going to be interesting to watch.
The Pope will fight for the rights of religious minorities in Muslim countries.
He will confront Muslim thinkers about that arm of their religion that genuinely believes that violence against non-believers (and of course, for this particular arm the category of "non-believers" is very wide) is sanctioned by God.
He may attempt a closer relationship (a reconciliation?) between the Greek and Latin Churches, a schism which predates the Protestant Reformation.
I for one am happy to see a Pope who doesn't mince his words, doesn't toe the politically correct line, and who says what needs to be said.
Where fighting for minority rights is concerned, he is not advocating some fresh Crusade, nor does he support religious bigotry. Instead, he is simply being honest about the experience that Christians and other non-Muslims have living in modern-day Muslim-majority countries (we are not talking history here, just modern-day reality). He is asking the Muslim majority-countries for the kind of treatment towards their non-Muslim minorities that Muslims in the minority in the secular West have received and come to take for granted, nay, demand, from their host governments. He is not afraid to annoy and offend, he is only concerned to speak the truth. That's the way it should be.
Where violence by Muslims who explicitly justify their actions by reference to their God is concerned, the Pope, I hope, will be asking some very hard questions of the "Ulama" (term used very loosely here) who wrote that letter explaining the Islamic position to him after he made his now famous (or notorious, of course, depending on your point of view) speech at Regensburg. Why is it that such a significant number of Muslims - perhaps a majority of the total "Umah" in some countries - do NOT behave as might be expected if, as the Muslim scholars claimed, Islam is essentially a peaceful and tolerant religion? Why did these Muslims - followers of a peace-loving religion, it is claimed - feel entitled to commit murder, arson, and vandalism in the name of protecting the "dignity" of their religion, when all that the Pope did was to make a speech in a faraway land where a majority of the population are no longer really Christian, nor anti-Muslim? Did Christians burn their mosques, kill their women and children, destroy their livelihoods on the basis and as a consequence of the Regensburg address?
And finally - on the issue of reconciliation with the Greeks - it is good that the various denominations are finding common ground, as there are bigger fish to fry. It is time for Christians of all stripes, pre- and post- Reformation, to unite and confront the Islamic extremist - both the out-in-the-open Al Qaeda/Taliban variety and the more insidious "quiet Islamist" attempting to slowly drive currently secular countries such as Malaysia into becoming "Islamic" kingdoms or republics. It is time to "fight the good fight" - the Christian JIHAD - by which I mean "STRUGGLE, NOT WAR" which may be "NON-VIOLENT as well as violent" - yep, I can borrow from the Muslim lexicon as well as anyone - to show that non-Muslims are not, for the sake of political correctness, going to back down in the face of increasingly arrogant and unreasonable demands from their Muslim compatriots.
LMT
This is going to be interesting to watch.
The Pope will fight for the rights of religious minorities in Muslim countries.
He will confront Muslim thinkers about that arm of their religion that genuinely believes that violence against non-believers (and of course, for this particular arm the category of "non-believers" is very wide) is sanctioned by God.
He may attempt a closer relationship (a reconciliation?) between the Greek and Latin Churches, a schism which predates the Protestant Reformation.
I for one am happy to see a Pope who doesn't mince his words, doesn't toe the politically correct line, and who says what needs to be said.
Where fighting for minority rights is concerned, he is not advocating some fresh Crusade, nor does he support religious bigotry. Instead, he is simply being honest about the experience that Christians and other non-Muslims have living in modern-day Muslim-majority countries (we are not talking history here, just modern-day reality). He is asking the Muslim majority-countries for the kind of treatment towards their non-Muslim minorities that Muslims in the minority in the secular West have received and come to take for granted, nay, demand, from their host governments. He is not afraid to annoy and offend, he is only concerned to speak the truth. That's the way it should be.
Where violence by Muslims who explicitly justify their actions by reference to their God is concerned, the Pope, I hope, will be asking some very hard questions of the "Ulama" (term used very loosely here) who wrote that letter explaining the Islamic position to him after he made his now famous (or notorious, of course, depending on your point of view) speech at Regensburg. Why is it that such a significant number of Muslims - perhaps a majority of the total "Umah" in some countries - do NOT behave as might be expected if, as the Muslim scholars claimed, Islam is essentially a peaceful and tolerant religion? Why did these Muslims - followers of a peace-loving religion, it is claimed - feel entitled to commit murder, arson, and vandalism in the name of protecting the "dignity" of their religion, when all that the Pope did was to make a speech in a faraway land where a majority of the population are no longer really Christian, nor anti-Muslim? Did Christians burn their mosques, kill their women and children, destroy their livelihoods on the basis and as a consequence of the Regensburg address?
And finally - on the issue of reconciliation with the Greeks - it is good that the various denominations are finding common ground, as there are bigger fish to fry. It is time for Christians of all stripes, pre- and post- Reformation, to unite and confront the Islamic extremist - both the out-in-the-open Al Qaeda/Taliban variety and the more insidious "quiet Islamist" attempting to slowly drive currently secular countries such as Malaysia into becoming "Islamic" kingdoms or republics. It is time to "fight the good fight" - the Christian JIHAD - by which I mean "STRUGGLE, NOT WAR" which may be "NON-VIOLENT as well as violent" - yep, I can borrow from the Muslim lexicon as well as anyone - to show that non-Muslims are not, for the sake of political correctness, going to back down in the face of increasingly arrogant and unreasonable demands from their Muslim compatriots.
LMT
New Line Cinema ("The Lord of the Rings") releases "The Nativity". Read all about it here...
http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=22127
By "here", of course, I mean the above link. It's an article about the genesis of the movie. Here's an extract, to show you the tone or style of the article; Christian readers will agree that there really is something for everyone in this show...
"Genesis of a script
“The Nativity Story” was written by Mike Rich, a former radio news announcer in Portland, Ore. His previous medium-budget films, “Finding Forrester” (2000), “The Rookie” (2002) and “Radio” (2003), had all done well at the box office, but Rich wanted to move outside the sports genre for his next feature. “As a screenwriter, I love stories about ordinary people who do extraordinary things; this is my consistent theme as a cinematic storyteller. And I had always wanted to write ‘The Nativity Story,’ which is about ordinary people who did extraordinary things,” he told me in an interview.
In December 2004, both Newsweek and Time ran cover articles about Christ’s birth. This sparked Rich’s interest in taking a different approach to the Christmas story. Early in 2005, his father, Jack, passed away at the age of 67. This event, said Rich, made him feel that he could take on a subject of such magnitude “to write more spiritually about things that matter, because my father was always a strong supporter of my writing and the stories I was trying to tell. He was a great father, who held a very special place in his heart for the Christmas season.”
Rich belongs to the Southwest Bible Church near Portland. His wife, Grace, and their three children, Jessica, Caitlan and Michael, are Catholics and active members of St. Cecilia Parish in Beaverton, Ore.
When Rich began researching his topic, he knew that the primary source material was very limited, mostly chapters 1 and 2 of the gospels of Matthew and Luke. Over the 11 months he prepared to write the script, what he calls the “nuts and bolts” phase of screenwriting, he consulted the works of Jewish scholars, as well as books by Raymond Brown (Birth of the Messiah), Peter Richardson (Herod: King of the Jews and Friend of the Romans) and John Meier (A Marginal Jew), all Catholic biblical scholars.
“I felt a little trepidation as I approached the actual writing,” Rich admitted. “If I kept only to the gospels, I would have a 20-minute movie. So I decided to tell the story of Mary’s journey from the perspective of character. I realized it would take some speculation and visualization to do this, and at the same time I was committed to staying completely true to the story and faithful to its tone.”
“I wanted to write during the Advent season so I could be immersed in its spirit,” Rich said. “Shortly after Thanksgiving in 2005, I made my way through my home office – there is barely a path to get from the door to my desk because it is surrounded with research and junk,” he said with a laugh – “with a sense of peace and purpose. This is not always the case, because scripts are difficult to write. But I began each day by playing Amy Grant’s song ‘Breath of Heaven,’ what she calls ‘Mary’s Song,’ about Mary contemplating the wondrous thing that had happened to her. I also surrounded myself with figurines from the crèche to visualize what I wanted to write.”
Rich typically writes no more than five hours a day. He spends the rest of the day formulating the next day’s scenes. He takes a very disciplined approach to writing. Many people are surprised to learn that most screenwriters write no more than four pages a day – four minutes in film time. A two-hour movie is based on a 120-page script."
Readers will find the background to the movie fascinating - I hadn't heard anyone describe herself as a "Texas Presbyterian" before (Catherine Hardwicke, the director); Keisha Castle-Hughes, who plays Mary, is pregnant at the age of 16 and unmarried. She claims she is "free" but her "grandparents are Catholic". The only American actor in the movie is Oscar Isaac, who plays "the most silent man in sacred scripture" - Joseph, the husband of Mary, (NOT he of Arimathea) a.k.a. Jesus' "father".
Nativity plays are common in Catholic (and some other denominations') Christmas celebrations. "New Evangelicals" in particular, might want to google for further information on Nativity plays before watching the movie.
LMT
By "here", of course, I mean the above link. It's an article about the genesis of the movie. Here's an extract, to show you the tone or style of the article; Christian readers will agree that there really is something for everyone in this show...
"Genesis of a script
“The Nativity Story” was written by Mike Rich, a former radio news announcer in Portland, Ore. His previous medium-budget films, “Finding Forrester” (2000), “The Rookie” (2002) and “Radio” (2003), had all done well at the box office, but Rich wanted to move outside the sports genre for his next feature. “As a screenwriter, I love stories about ordinary people who do extraordinary things; this is my consistent theme as a cinematic storyteller. And I had always wanted to write ‘The Nativity Story,’ which is about ordinary people who did extraordinary things,” he told me in an interview.
In December 2004, both Newsweek and Time ran cover articles about Christ’s birth. This sparked Rich’s interest in taking a different approach to the Christmas story. Early in 2005, his father, Jack, passed away at the age of 67. This event, said Rich, made him feel that he could take on a subject of such magnitude “to write more spiritually about things that matter, because my father was always a strong supporter of my writing and the stories I was trying to tell. He was a great father, who held a very special place in his heart for the Christmas season.”
Rich belongs to the Southwest Bible Church near Portland. His wife, Grace, and their three children, Jessica, Caitlan and Michael, are Catholics and active members of St. Cecilia Parish in Beaverton, Ore.
When Rich began researching his topic, he knew that the primary source material was very limited, mostly chapters 1 and 2 of the gospels of Matthew and Luke. Over the 11 months he prepared to write the script, what he calls the “nuts and bolts” phase of screenwriting, he consulted the works of Jewish scholars, as well as books by Raymond Brown (Birth of the Messiah), Peter Richardson (Herod: King of the Jews and Friend of the Romans) and John Meier (A Marginal Jew), all Catholic biblical scholars.
“I felt a little trepidation as I approached the actual writing,” Rich admitted. “If I kept only to the gospels, I would have a 20-minute movie. So I decided to tell the story of Mary’s journey from the perspective of character. I realized it would take some speculation and visualization to do this, and at the same time I was committed to staying completely true to the story and faithful to its tone.”
“I wanted to write during the Advent season so I could be immersed in its spirit,” Rich said. “Shortly after Thanksgiving in 2005, I made my way through my home office – there is barely a path to get from the door to my desk because it is surrounded with research and junk,” he said with a laugh – “with a sense of peace and purpose. This is not always the case, because scripts are difficult to write. But I began each day by playing Amy Grant’s song ‘Breath of Heaven,’ what she calls ‘Mary’s Song,’ about Mary contemplating the wondrous thing that had happened to her. I also surrounded myself with figurines from the crèche to visualize what I wanted to write.”
Rich typically writes no more than five hours a day. He spends the rest of the day formulating the next day’s scenes. He takes a very disciplined approach to writing. Many people are surprised to learn that most screenwriters write no more than four pages a day – four minutes in film time. A two-hour movie is based on a 120-page script."
Readers will find the background to the movie fascinating - I hadn't heard anyone describe herself as a "Texas Presbyterian" before (Catherine Hardwicke, the director); Keisha Castle-Hughes, who plays Mary, is pregnant at the age of 16 and unmarried. She claims she is "free" but her "grandparents are Catholic". The only American actor in the movie is Oscar Isaac, who plays "the most silent man in sacred scripture" - Joseph, the husband of Mary, (NOT he of Arimathea) a.k.a. Jesus' "father".
Nativity plays are common in Catholic (and some other denominations') Christmas celebrations. "New Evangelicals" in particular, might want to google for further information on Nativity plays before watching the movie.
LMT
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Kidnap of 150 at Baghdad institution
http://f332.mail.yahoo.com/dc/launch?.rand=fneqh61op28e6
http://article.wn.com/view/2006/10/01/Gunmen_Kidnap_26_Workers_in_Baghdad_s/
This must be the saddest thing. Academics - who could be more harmless? And yet, this war is all about ideas. The ideas of an unenlightened, Dark Ages mentality attempting to return the entire Arab and Muslim (including sizable non-Muslim population - but since they are something less than human it's ok to ignore them) world to some mythical Golden Age that never existed, against the ideas of modern day 20th Century nations (including sizable - yes, very sizable - non-Anglo-Saxon, non-Caucasian populations. I don't see your average ethnic Tamil, Japanese or Chinese looking very "Whitey", do you?
Removal from the human gene pool in a violent, permanent and highly prejudicial manner appears now to be the only practical solution for the kidnappers and their ilk, once caught. We can hope for neuron-synapse-brain-wave-altering technology, but the current state of the art in this area just isn't there yet.
LMT.
http://article.wn.com/view/2006/10/01/Gunmen_Kidnap_26_Workers_in_Baghdad_s/
This must be the saddest thing. Academics - who could be more harmless? And yet, this war is all about ideas. The ideas of an unenlightened, Dark Ages mentality attempting to return the entire Arab and Muslim (including sizable non-Muslim population - but since they are something less than human it's ok to ignore them) world to some mythical Golden Age that never existed, against the ideas of modern day 20th Century nations (including sizable - yes, very sizable - non-Anglo-Saxon, non-Caucasian populations. I don't see your average ethnic Tamil, Japanese or Chinese looking very "Whitey", do you?
Removal from the human gene pool in a violent, permanent and highly prejudicial manner appears now to be the only practical solution for the kidnappers and their ilk, once caught. We can hope for neuron-synapse-brain-wave-altering technology, but the current state of the art in this area just isn't there yet.
LMT.
Monday, November 06, 2006
ATTENTION ALL SNOBS: good wine comes cheap
This is just here to rub the noses in. Aristocratic, well-bred noses, that is. Every once in a while I do obtain some satisfaction out of puncturing balloons.
BBC News Online is on the web at bbc.co.uk/news
Sun, 5 November, 2006, 14:07 GMT Supermarket fizz sparkles in test Some supermarket own-brand champagnes are as good or better than some of the more well-known names, according to food critic Egon Ronay. He hailed as "excellent" three bottles of supermarket bubbly priced between £14 and £18 a bottle. The judgement on the drinks - one from Marks and Spencer and two from Sainsbury's - comes as UK supermarkets grab a bigger slice of the market. They took 64% of all sales in the year to October, from 59% a year ago. 'Wonderful thing' After trying 30 different types of supermarket champagne, Mr Ronay said that the range and quality was "a revelation". "It would certainly be a mistake to buy the well-known brands just because of the name on the label when some of the supermarket champagnes stand up to them very well," he said. His favourites were M&S Champagne de St Gall Premier Cru Brut, Sainsbury's Vintage 1999 Blanc de Blancs Brut and Sainsbury's Blanc de Noirs Brut. "Those which were in the first three are as good or better than some of the best," Mr Ronay said. "Psychologically, because they are lower in price, people may think they are not as good - which would be a mistake. "It is a wonderful thing that some of these excellent champagnes cost so little." According to research firm AC Nielsen, UK customers spent £301.64m on champagne from shops, supermarkets and off-licences over the past year. Of that amount, £192.73m was spent in the major supermarkets and the likes of M&S and Lidl. BBC News Online is on the web at bbc.co.uk/news
BBC News Online is on the web at bbc.co.uk/news
Sun, 5 November, 2006, 14:07 GMT Supermarket fizz sparkles in test Some supermarket own-brand champagnes are as good or better than some of the more well-known names, according to food critic Egon Ronay. He hailed as "excellent" three bottles of supermarket bubbly priced between £14 and £18 a bottle. The judgement on the drinks - one from Marks and Spencer and two from Sainsbury's - comes as UK supermarkets grab a bigger slice of the market. They took 64% of all sales in the year to October, from 59% a year ago. 'Wonderful thing' After trying 30 different types of supermarket champagne, Mr Ronay said that the range and quality was "a revelation". "It would certainly be a mistake to buy the well-known brands just because of the name on the label when some of the supermarket champagnes stand up to them very well," he said. His favourites were M&S Champagne de St Gall Premier Cru Brut, Sainsbury's Vintage 1999 Blanc de Blancs Brut and Sainsbury's Blanc de Noirs Brut. "Those which were in the first three are as good or better than some of the best," Mr Ronay said. "Psychologically, because they are lower in price, people may think they are not as good - which would be a mistake. "It is a wonderful thing that some of these excellent champagnes cost so little." According to research firm AC Nielsen, UK customers spent £301.64m on champagne from shops, supermarkets and off-licences over the past year. Of that amount, £192.73m was spent in the major supermarkets and the likes of M&S and Lidl. BBC News Online is on the web at bbc.co.uk/news
There is No Compulsion in Religion. Amen.
.... and so, it is ok to create a reasonable apprehension of violence to Indian children about to take their first Holy Communion. I guess we should all look on the bright side: the police, for once, were on the side of the good guys, the ones with any sense at all in this, and the Pious, God-fearing, Self Righteous, "We-Shall-Be- Saved-and-You-Shall-Burn" Muslim Heroes of Ipoh attempting to save their fellow co-religionists from Apostasy by, if necessary, violence, and against those co-religionists' free will to boot, were taught a lesson in humility, not to mention actually getting their basic facts right.
The Star Online: Print Edition < Previous | Home | Print Edition | Next > Monday November 6, 2006 Cops to probe baptism SMS By CHAN LI LEEN IPOH: The police are investigating a rumour which spread like wildfire through SMS, claiming that a group of Muslims will be baptised at a church here. As a result, a large crowd gathered at the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Silibin from 7.30am yesterday to protest against the alleged baptism only to find out that it was actually the first Holy Communion for 98 Indian children. State police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Aziz Bulat said the police would verify how the SMS had started. “There could be some people out there who have a personal agenda to create disharmony among the races,” he said when met at the church. DCP Aziz said the police had also received the text message and had, therefore, placed the Federal Reserve Unit on standby since 7am. He advised the public to be wary of such messages. “Don't accept everything you read or hear as total truth,” he said, adding that he would call on all involved parties to help with the investigation. The protesters, who included members of opposition parties and non-governmental organisations, gathered for some four hours and refused to disperse initially despite warnings from the police. They finally started to leave at 11.20am after Deputy OCPD (II) Supt Lai Yong Heng issued a stern warning. Perak Religious Department director Datuk Jamry Sury, who was present to monitor the situation, said the department would also investigate the incident. “We will take action against the culprit,” he added. Perak Pusat Khidmat Islam secretary Mohd Nazri Sahad said he was there to check if there was any truth to the message. The police were still on standby at the church last night. Father Fabian Dicom, spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Penang, which covers Perak, said the church was extremely concerned that a group of people had been sowing ill-will through rumours. “We are concerned as to how others have come to believe these rumours,” he added. He noted that the incident had also infringed on the church members' right to worship. “The Catholic Church has always believed that dialogue is the best platform to resolve issues and as such is extremely disappointed that there was no attempt whatsoever for dialogue,” he said. < Previous | Home | Print Edition | Next > Copyright 1995-2006 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd
The Star Online: Print Edition < Previous | Home | Print Edition | Next > Monday November 6, 2006 Cops to probe baptism SMS By CHAN LI LEEN IPOH: The police are investigating a rumour which spread like wildfire through SMS, claiming that a group of Muslims will be baptised at a church here. As a result, a large crowd gathered at the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Silibin from 7.30am yesterday to protest against the alleged baptism only to find out that it was actually the first Holy Communion for 98 Indian children. State police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Aziz Bulat said the police would verify how the SMS had started. “There could be some people out there who have a personal agenda to create disharmony among the races,” he said when met at the church. DCP Aziz said the police had also received the text message and had, therefore, placed the Federal Reserve Unit on standby since 7am. He advised the public to be wary of such messages. “Don't accept everything you read or hear as total truth,” he said, adding that he would call on all involved parties to help with the investigation. The protesters, who included members of opposition parties and non-governmental organisations, gathered for some four hours and refused to disperse initially despite warnings from the police. They finally started to leave at 11.20am after Deputy OCPD (II) Supt Lai Yong Heng issued a stern warning. Perak Religious Department director Datuk Jamry Sury, who was present to monitor the situation, said the department would also investigate the incident. “We will take action against the culprit,” he added. Perak Pusat Khidmat Islam secretary Mohd Nazri Sahad said he was there to check if there was any truth to the message. The police were still on standby at the church last night. Father Fabian Dicom, spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Penang, which covers Perak, said the church was extremely concerned that a group of people had been sowing ill-will through rumours. “We are concerned as to how others have come to believe these rumours,” he added. He noted that the incident had also infringed on the church members' right to worship. “The Catholic Church has always believed that dialogue is the best platform to resolve issues and as such is extremely disappointed that there was no attempt whatsoever for dialogue,” he said. < Previous | Home | Print Edition | Next > Copyright 1995-2006 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd
Chinese NOT marginalized in Malaysia: and here's the proof
Look carefully at the text in bold: So, err, when exactly is he coming back to Malaysia? Again?
The Star Online: Print Edition < Previous | Home | Print Edition | Next > Monday November 6, 2006 Malaysian wins Rhodes Scholarship MELBOURNE: A Malaysian student who teaches debating at an Islamic college here and performs stand-up comedy in his spare time, has won the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. Lee Hann Leng, a final year student at University of Melbourne who is pursuing double degrees in law and commerce, will go to Britain next year to start his PhD programme in Economic Geography at Oxford University. An outstanding student, keen sportsman and community volunteer, Lee, 25, was also a runner-up in the 2006 Campus Comedy State Final. At Oxford, the Malacca-born Lee will research geographical patterns of economic growth in China and the Asia-Pacific region. “China is very important to Australia and the Asia-Pacific region in general, so a greater understanding of economic changes and outlook in that country are really important. “On returning to Australia, I would like to work in foreign policy or maybe in politics. I'm hoping a few jokes along the way will help,” he quipped. On his off-campus work, Lee said: “I provide drama lessons and homework support for young people within the YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association). “A lot of our students are recent migrants from the Horn of Africa. Their English skills are limited, so I think it is especially important that the system caters for their needs.” He also coaches students in debating at the East Preston Islamic College where there are many Malaysian students. Lee said he owed a lot to his parents Lee Song Wa and Lan Fong who were a great source of inspiration. The two-year Rhodes Scholarship is one of the most prestigious awards offered to students and selection is based on excellent academic, sporting and community service records. Past Australian Rhodes scholars include former prime minister Bob Hawke, former governor-general Sir Zelman Cowen and current Opposition Leader Kim Beazley. – Bernama < Previous | Home | Print Edition | Next > Copyright 1995-2006 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd
The Star Online: Print Edition < Previous | Home | Print Edition | Next > Monday November 6, 2006 Malaysian wins Rhodes Scholarship MELBOURNE: A Malaysian student who teaches debating at an Islamic college here and performs stand-up comedy in his spare time, has won the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. Lee Hann Leng, a final year student at University of Melbourne who is pursuing double degrees in law and commerce, will go to Britain next year to start his PhD programme in Economic Geography at Oxford University. An outstanding student, keen sportsman and community volunteer, Lee, 25, was also a runner-up in the 2006 Campus Comedy State Final. At Oxford, the Malacca-born Lee will research geographical patterns of economic growth in China and the Asia-Pacific region. “China is very important to Australia and the Asia-Pacific region in general, so a greater understanding of economic changes and outlook in that country are really important. “On returning to Australia, I would like to work in foreign policy or maybe in politics. I'm hoping a few jokes along the way will help,” he quipped. On his off-campus work, Lee said: “I provide drama lessons and homework support for young people within the YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association). “A lot of our students are recent migrants from the Horn of Africa. Their English skills are limited, so I think it is especially important that the system caters for their needs.” He also coaches students in debating at the East Preston Islamic College where there are many Malaysian students. Lee said he owed a lot to his parents Lee Song Wa and Lan Fong who were a great source of inspiration. The two-year Rhodes Scholarship is one of the most prestigious awards offered to students and selection is based on excellent academic, sporting and community service records. Past Australian Rhodes scholars include former prime minister Bob Hawke, former governor-general Sir Zelman Cowen and current Opposition Leader Kim Beazley. – Bernama < Previous | Home | Print Edition | Next > Copyright 1995-2006 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)