www.wansaiful.com

Speaker: Dr. Abdelwahab El-Affendi

Venue: Abrar House, 45 Crawford Place, London W1H 4LP (nearest tube: Edgware Rd or Marble Arch)

Date: 6.45 - 8.45pm, Friday 6th June 2008

Join us for the launch of the second edition of Dr. Affendi’s book, published by Malaysia Think Tank London (2008), and a discussion around this important theme. Dr. Affendi will present a critique of modern Islamic political thought on the “state,” in the form of a three-part dialogue with the West, with Islamic tradition and with 20th-century Muslim thinkers.

The author discusses the divide between Islamic values and the basic principles that guide Western political thought. He traces the development of Muslim constitutional practice and considers the current debate on the nature and desirability of an “Islamic state.” He separates the problems that are internally-derived from the by-products of Western culture.

Dr. Affendi argues that if Islamic values were brought to bear internationally, the entrenched dogmas of Western political thought as much as both the tradition-bound and modernist trends of Muslim thinking would have to be revised.

FREE ENTRANCE - ALL WELCOME.

We look forward to seeing you there. This presentation is in association with the UK branch of the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), the Malaysia Think Tank London and The City Circle

Copies of “Who Needs an Islamic State?” will be available for sale at the special discounted price of ?9. A selection of titles published by the IIIT will also be available.

Also, to see our updated list of all forthcoming City Circle events over the next two months please click on future events.

For more information, please contact
usama@thecitycircle.com, 07980 834340

www.my-islamic-state.com

Malaysia Think Tank London and the City Circle invite you to the London launch of Who Needs an Islamic State?

Speaker: Dr Abdelwahab El-Affendi
Date: Friday, 6 June 2008.
Time: 6.45pm - 8.45pm.
Venue: Abrar House, 45 Crawford Place, off Edgware Road (nearest tube station is Edgware Road)

Visit www.my-islamic-state.com for further information.

I heard that Tun Mahathir is coming over to the UK this week. He will be speaking in Manchester on Saturday, and in London on the 23rd.

I am hoping to go to the one in Manchester, but am still not sure as I will be flying off to Washington DC that weekend - will be spending a few days in DC before attending the Heritage Resource Bank and Atlas Liberty Forum, both in Atlanta.

Two events in Singapore and Malaysia. Please follow these links for further info:

1. Singapore event with ISEAS.

2. Malaysia event with MPF.

For further details of the book, visit www.my-islamic-state.com

Reflections on Malaysia’s Checks and Balances
The Role of the Press

The Malaysia Think Tank London released a report – Press Freedom in Malaysia – in early March. Contributors include Datuk Azman Ujang, Prof Madya Dr Azmi Sharom, Sonia Randhawa, and ‘Abidin Muhriz. The report is available for free download from www.malaysiathinktank.org

How has the mainstream press changed since 8 March and how will it evolve? What are the challenges to the press as democratic space increases? Will greater press freedom facilitate cooperation or foster conflict with bloggers? Join us in this special event to examine the role of the press as one of the check and balance institutions in a liberal democracy.

Date: Saturday 12 April 2008
Time: 2.30pm - 4.30pm
Venue: Bilik Etika, Institut Integriti Malaysia, Off Jalan Duta, 50480 KL

Chair: Datuk Azman Ujang, Chairman, Malaysian Press Institute and General Manager, Bernama

Speakers:
Zanon Ahmad, Political Editor, theSun
Karim Raslan, Group CEO, KRA Group
S Vicknesan, Editor, Malaysiakini.com

To attend, please register by sending an email to register@malaysiathinktank.org

Co-organised by the Malaysia Think Tank London, the Malaysian Press Institute, and the Malaysia Institute of Integrity

VISIT www-my-islamic-state.com FOR FURTHER DETAILS

Patrick Henry (1736-1799), American revolution leader:

The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government — lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.

Omar Khan’s post on his blog remidned me of the book ‘Waging the War of Ideas’, by John Blundell, which you can download in full below.

In particular, pay close attention to the story on page 17, and in particular paragraph 3, which I quote below:

1946: Recently demobilised from Britain’s Royal Air Force, highly decorated fighter pilot Antony Fisher finds in the Reader’s Digest a condensation of F. A. Hayek’s classic critique of socialism,
The Road to Serfdom. It confirms his own worries about his country’s tilt toward socialism.

Travelling to London, Fisher seeks out Hayek at the London School of Economics (LSE). ‘What can I do? Should I enter politics?’ he asks. With Fisher’s war record, good looks, gift for speaking, and excellent education, it is no idle question.

‘No,’ replies Hayek. ‘Society’s course will be changed only by a change in ideas. First you must reach the intellectuals, the teachers and writers, with reasoned argument. It will be their influence on society which will prevail, and the politicians will follow.’

1949: Ralph Harris, a young researcher from the Conservative Party, gives a Saturday afternoon lecture in a small village in southeastern England. Fisher – now a farmer – is present and loves what he hears. Taking Harris aside after the meeting, he explains his ideas for an organisation to make the free-market case to intellectuals. ‘One day,’ he says, ‘when my ship comes in, I’d like to create something which will do for the non-Labour parties what the [socialist] Fabian Society did for the Labour Party.’ Harris is excited. ‘If you get any further,’ he says, ‘I’d like to be considered as the man to run such a group.’

The book was first published and 2001, and was republished in 2007.

It was this book that inspired me to do something to spread freedom and liberty Malaysia.

Click here to download the full book.

I have just finished watching Amazing Grace. If you haven’t seen it, you should. Great film.

Some may say that the film, and slavery generally, is indicative of what would happen in a capitalist world. I disagree. Taking people away from their home without their consent is like kidnapping. And forcing people to work in unacceptable conditions is simply unacceptable. Both are not in line with capitalist or classical liberal ideas. Rather, capitalism and classical liberalism are about mutual acceptance and mutual agreement.

As a tribute to William Wilberforce’s struggle for liberty and freedom, here’s Amazing Grace:

As always, Saifulislam posted another well-written entry which you can see here. My comment is a bit long, so I will post it in my blog as below.

There was one comment on that entry that I want to pick on. It goes like this:

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