'Space for religious talks must remain open'

In Malaysia, she said, "Space for debate has grown, and there is no turning back."

The battle of ideas to define what is Islam and what is not, she said, "can only be done ... where there is freedom of speech, freedom of expression and press freedom. "The fact that Islam is increasingly shaping and redefining our lives means all of us have to engage with the religion if we do not want it to remain hijacked by those who preach hatred, intolerance, bigotry, misogyny."

Anwar, the current executive director of the above non-governmental organisation, was one of the speakers yesterday, the second and last day of the 6th Asian-European Editors Forum held by the Singapore office of the Konrad Adenaur Foundation and The Jakarta Post.