Search Results (6)

Giant clams are ecologically important coral reef animals, with many species facing imminent local extinction. While many regions have undertaken recent assessments of their biodiversity assets, persistent gaps remain even in otherwise well-surveyed areas. This study sought to understand the geographic distribution of smaller-bodied and morphologically similar giant clams, specifically Tridacna maxima and T. noae, in the eastern Indian Ocean. Due to the difficulties in reliably identifying these species using morphological characters, we confirmed species identity and investigated intraspecific variation using sequence data from the mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit I gene (COI). Seventy whole animal vouchers were newly sampled from a 1500 km span of remote northwestern Australian coastline over a decade, as part of an ongoing coral reef survey expedition of the Western Australian Museum and partners. Tridacna maxima had a limited distribution and was only genotyped from offshore oceanic reefs in the Rowley Shoals and Cocos Keeling Islands. In contrast, T. noae was well established beyond Ningaloo Reef, and was abundant at inshore sites throughout the Pilbara and Kimberley, and even offshore to Ashmore Reef. Phylogeographically, T. maxima did not group with conspecifics from the Western Pacific Ocean, including the east coast of Australia, but instead clustered with individuals from Malaysia, China, Taiwan, and Indonesia; T. noae exhibited a similar pattern. The affinity of Western Australian individuals with representatives from the Indo-Malay region and not eastern Australia will be an important consideration for these commercially important species. Novel haplotypes in both tested species occur in Western Australia. Continued sampling of eastern and central Indian Ocean giant clams, especially to continue to document the range of T. noae, is encouraged to understand connectivity in this basin. Together, these findings contribute to an improved baseline for conservation initiatives of these iconic coral reef animals in Western Australia. Full article

Traditional Malay houses are a significant part of Malay cultural heritage. They depict local culture, customs, and philosophy and symbolize national identity. As a tourism-based facility, traditional Malay houses contribute to the growth of the economic and tourism sectors in Malaysia. Over time, Malay houses have deteriorated owing to human and natural factors. Modernization and urbanization also threaten the existence of Malay houses. These factors, along with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, are the main drivers for Malay houses preservation. The aim of this study is to investigate the state of the art in the preservation of traditional Malay houses through a critical review of current practices and challenges. The results show that considerable efforts have been made by different parties to preserve Malay houses. However, the preservation of Malay houses has neither reached a comprehensive status nor achieved the desired goals. For holistic preservation of Malay houses, a multidimensional preservation approach is recommended, in which engineering and technology, socioeconomic, planning, and management dimensions are all addressed simultaneously, consistent with sustainability principles and local objectives. This study identifies key areas where strategic support and improvements are needed to meet the desired outcomes in traditional Malay houses preservation. These include challenges and aspects overlooked in current practices. Therefore, the study findings can be used by policy and decision makers to guide the planning and management of traditional Malay houses preservation. It also contributes to knowledge translation in practice by discussing current preservation practices and recommending a potential preservation approach. This study highlights future research directions. Full article

Malaysia is known to have a diverse population across the racial and religious spectrums. However, a majority of the population identifies as Malays, and, thus, legally, as Muslims too. Although the development of the Malay identity had begun immediately after World War II, the stark division between Muslims and non-Muslims came out of the 1971 New Economic Policy that prioritized the Malay population in the name of reducing poverty and stabilizing the country. With the Malay-nationalist party United Malay National Organization (UMNO) being in power for six decades, the position of the Malays became undisputed. At the same time, international and domestic development such as the Islamic revival of the 1970s, the Global War on Terror and the splitting of Malay votes in the 2000s further pushed UMNO and, later, the Islamist PAS to redefine Malay identity as part of the larger Muslim ummah under the framework of ‘civilizational populism’. By conflating ethnicity and religion, Islamist and Malay nationalist parties together with their leaders used populist discourses to ensure the people’s continued support, even at the expense of non-Muslim Malaysian citizens. Using process tracing, this article shows that civilizationism is effective to unite the majority Muslim population in a divided country such as Malaysia when policies in place failed to engender unity. As a result, Malay-Muslims sought a community beyond its borders, and with the rise of Islamist politics around the world, it has become much easier for the Malay-Muslims to highlight the plight of Muslims over that of their own co-nationalists for the benefit of domestic politics. Full article

In conservative, mostly Malay-Muslim Malaysia, transgender people are frequently articulated in mainstream Muslim and Christian discourses as gendered anomalies and recalcitrant religious dissidents. Due to the fact that normative gender identities and expressions are generally indexed as valid and, thus, ‘successful’ indicators of social and religious coherence among Malaysians, transgender people who are unable and/or unwilling to abide by regimes of gendered and religious normativity are regarded with scorn as simultaneous failures in gender and religion. By framing my analysis and theorising of selected narratives from two Malaysian Roman Catholic transgender men through Judith/Jack Halberstam’s concept of the queer art of failure, I argue that some transgender men of faith actively repudiate such disdainful perceptions by embracing gendered and religious failures, an intellectual resolution which they then translate into strategic customisations of their own spirituality and ethical living. These customisations, anchored in an unshakeable belief in God’s loving support and their inherent value in God’s eyes despite ecclesiastical disapproval, are acts of subversion that respond impertinently to and defy hegemonic ideologies of gender and religion, and re-imagine alternative knowledges, values, powers, and pleasures towards meaningful forms of liveability. Full article

Relationship-oriented questions have always been at the crossroads of ethnoreligious identity, religious freedom, religious conversion, religious prejudice, and religious pluralism throughout Muslim-Buddhist co-existence in the sixth century within the Malay Archipelago. Other faiths could be freely practised except for propagation towards Muslim communities with Islam being the religion of the federation. This study aimed to explore Muslim-Buddhist relation types and the issues underpinning the following themes: history, identity, and concerns. Content and thematic analysis as well discourse analysis were utilised as the study method for data collection and evaluation. The data were thematically analysed with ATLAS.ti, a qualitative analysis software. Resultantly, the Muslim-Buddhist interaction pattern in Malaysia has occurred (culturally and religiously) from the early establishment of both religious communities. This relation, which has shifted in ethnoreligious orientation at every interaction level, opens more avenues and complexities requiring holistic management. Full article

Positive smoker identity (PSI) is a construct that evaluates the degree of smokers’ positive thoughts, images and feeling about smoking behavior and culture. PSI encompasses the indicators related to tobacco denormalization strategy, which is one of the four WHO tobacco endgame strategies. PSmoQi is a newly validated instrument which could reliably assess PSI. This study’s objectives were to determine the prevalence of positive smoker identity and its associated factors using PSmoQi. A sample of 253 smokers from government agencies in Kota Bharu City, Malaysia were recruited using invitation letters sent to their head of agencies. Data collection was done in a briefing session voluntary attended by the smokers. Factors associated with PSI were analyzed using Multiple Logistic Regression. The prevalence of smokers with positive smoker identity was 72.3%. Factors associated with positive smoker identity were older age (Adjusted Odds ratio; AOR: 1.042; 95% confident interval; CI: 1.004, 1.081); p = 0.028), higher smoking self-concept scale Malay version (SSCS-M) score (AOR: 1.216; 95% CI: 1.112, 1.329; p < 0.001), higher heaviness index (AOR: 1.002; 95% CI: 1.001, 1.004; p = 0.011) and lower educational attainment (AOR: 0.458; 95% CI: 0.233, 0.900; p = 0.024). This study shows a high prevalence of PSI among smokers from government agencies in Kota Bharu City. Factors such as age, SSCS-M score, heaviness index and educational attainment influenced the level of positive smoker identity in a smoker. The finding would contribute an evidentiary guideline in screening smokers for smoking cessation clinic enrollment to achieve the best interventional outcome, as well as it would provide an objective indicator for tobacco denormalization status in a population. Full article