I picked this Reuters report in the Borneo Bulletin on Thursday 12 July 2007.

Here is the scanned article:

To download article, click here
It may be bit hard to read so let me reproduce some key quotes:

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (Reuters) -Malaysia’s sports minister, a Muslim
woman with a martial-arts black-belt, likes to lead by example: she does not wear a headscarf and insists that Muslim sportswomen do not have to cover up either.

…Azalina told Reuters…that Muslim sportswomen were free here to dress just like their non-muslim rivals…..

“It’s never been an issue in Malaysia” she said, declaring that women of all ages should and so, feel free in this country to “wear shorts and jump around.“

…I am quite thankful that the people of Malaysia are still open minded……

..Azalina, who is a member of Sisters in Islam, a group that lobbies for womens right….

There you go. If one needed a good definition of Islam Hadhari, a Minister has just defined it. The Minister’s key points:

1. Leadership by example – do what your Minster does as that true way of doing things

2. Muslims should follow the lead of non-muslims, after all if they can do it, so can we

3. Malaysia is a great country – feel free to do what ever you wish…be open minded

In addition, this article really put into perspective SIS definition of womens rights I guess.

I really hope that the Perak and Perlis Mufti’s take this up and I will be the first to put up my hand if she is looking for a non open minded Malaysian.