KUALA LUMPUR: Hana Cheng is a Muslim convert. She wears a headscarf and believes women are equal to men in Islam. For her, Islam was a personal choice. Being in Malaysia was instrumental for her conversion, she believe, because the “country is tolerant about religion.” For her, the killing of an Afghan woman by the Taliban for alleged adultery underscores why she fears for women in other Islamic countries. “Here in Malaysia we have a great system where women are free to wear what they want and live a peaceful life for the most part, away from anti-Islamic statements,” the housewife of a leading businessman in Kuala Lumpur told Bikyamasr.com. “But so many women face hardships because the men want to control everything.” The public execution of an Afghan woman in Afghanistan recently has led to a massive outpouring of commentary and the usual Islamophobic statements about Islam. For Hana, and her two friends, one unveiled and wearing a short skirt, Islam is “more open in Malaysia.” These women, all in their 30s, well-traveled, educated and by most estimates liberal, believe that world should look more towards Malaysia's example of Islam as a bearer of tolerance and understanding. “Sure we have our problems, but what country doesn't,” said Iman, a childhood friend of Hana and by her own description, a “party girl.” At 32, she is unmarried and enjoys a drink after work. “I am still Muslim. I believe in what is important, but here in Malaysia we don't force any faith on people. There are issues about censorship and blasphemy we should get over, but for the most part, every Malaysian, Muslim or not, has their own personal freedom,” the 31-year-old copywriter at an advertising firm in the capital told Bikyamasr.com. For her, the killing of the Afghan woman is the “worst kind of violence.” She argued that “the man doesn't get killed. Why? This is ridiculous and shows that the world, and the Islamic world, should understand that we cannot force people to act one way or another. It isn't right.” For women in Malaysia, the killing in Afghanistan has hit home. They feel a connection with the woman. They believe that the media doesn't usually see Malaysia as an Islamic country and this “is wrong.” “If the media truly did their honest reporting on Islam across the world, they would see that we in Malaysia and our neighbors in Indonesia are more open and tolerant about religion and this could go a long way in creating dialogue and understanding on how to create a better world,” added Cheng.
