Datin Paduka Datin was an oracular deity also associated with oaths and justice worshipped in pre-Islamic northern Arabia The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "I ...

Marina binti Tun Dr. Mahathir (born 9 June 1957) ( Jawi: مرينة بنت محاضر) is a

Malaysian Malaysian may refer to: * Something from or related to Malaysia, a country in Southeast Asia * Malaysian Malay, a dialect of Malay language spoken mainly in Malaysia * Malaysian people, people who are identified with the country of Malaysia regard ...

socio-political activist and writer. She is the eldest child of the 4th and 7th

Prime Minister of Malaysia The prime minister of Malaysia ( ms, Perdana Menteri Malaysia; ms, ڤردان منتري مليسيا, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset) is the head of government of Malaysia. The prime minister directs the executive branch of the fede ...

, Tun Mahathir Mohamad and

Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah binti Haji Mohamad Ali ( Jawi: سيتي حسمه بنت محمد علي; born 12 July 1926) is the spouse and wife of Mahathir Mohamad, the 4th and 7th Prime Minister of Malaysia. She played the role of Spouse of the Prime ...

. She graduated from the

University of Sussex , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil , ...

Career

Marina is a leader in many non-governmental organizations such as the Malaysian AIDS Foundation and is an active socio-political

blog A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order ...

ger. She also writes in her bi-weekly column called ''Musings'' in

The Star ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

newspaper since 1989. Some of her pieces in the column have been published in her books such as ''50 Days: Rantings by MM'', published in 1997 and ''Telling It Straight'', published in 2012 by

Editions Didier Millet Editions Didier Millet is a publisher of illustrated general and reference books, emphasising strongly on Southeast Asia. The company also produces books and catalogues for museums, galleries, corporations and other institutions. The company was ...

. The latter is a selection of her articles published in her column between 2003 and 2012. It includes a foreword by Dr Farish A. Noor, a local political scientist and historian. It contains 90 articles which are written thematically including a special written introduction on the topics discussed in the book. It also includes two previously unpublished articles. She is an active campaigner for women's rights. In 2006 she has described the status of

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

women in Malaysia as similar to that of the Black South Africans under

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

. Marina has called for an end to discrimination based on sexual orientations in 1998 and 1999. She had appeared in Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's Documentary released in late 2009 with the rest of the members of the Mahathir Family. In 2010, she was awarded UN Person of The Year for her volunteer work in combatting HIV/AIDS. In 2016 Marina denounced the destruction of

Malaysian culture The culture of Malaysia draws on the varied cultures of the different people of Malaysia. The first people to live in the area were indigenous tribes that still remain; they were followed by the Malays, who moved there from mainland Asia in anc ...

and traditions by what she perceives as ' Arab colonialism'. In January 2018, following a viral incident of a Muslim man slapping a Muslim woman for not wearing a hijab, Marina warned that

Islamization Islamization, Islamicization, or Islamification ( ar, أسلمة, translit=aslamāh), refers to the process through which a society shifts towards the religion of Islam and becomes largely Muslim. Societal Islamization has historically occur ...

of Malaysia will tear the country apart. She referred to Islamization as "another form of colonisation, a concept that has never been known to being non-violent".

Personal life

On 7 June 1998 Marina married Tara Sosrowardoyo, a renowned Indonesian photographer. They have two daughters and a son.PASSAGE
. Asiaweek (16 July 1999) Previously, she was married to Didier Roussille, a Frenchman. Marina and Didier have a daughter, Ineza Roussille.

Bibliography

*50 days : Rantings, ZI Publications Sdn. Bhd, 2009. *Hidden voices : true Malaysian experience of AIDS, as editor, with Wan Zawawi Ibrahim, Malaysian AIDS Councils, 1999. *In Liberal Doses, Star Publications, 1997. *Eyes : a photographic journey through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, with Rene Burbi and Leonard Lueras, Eyes on Asian, 1993. *Telling It Straight, EDM Pte Ltd, 2012. *The Apple and the Tree: Life as Dr Mahathir's Daughter, Penguin Books, 2021.

Awards and accolades

Honours of Malaysia

* : **

MY-SEL Order of the Crown of Selangor - Knight Commander - DPMS

Knight Commander of the

Order of the Crown of Selangor The Most Illustrious Order of the Crown of Selangor (Bahasa Melayu: ''Darjah Kebesaran Mahkota Selangor Yang Amat Mulia'') is an order awarded by Sultan of Selangor as a reward for general services to the sultan and state of Selangor. It was foun ...

(DPMS) – Datin Paduka (1999)

Foreign honours

* : **

Knight of the

National Order of the Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

(2016) In 2016, Marina was conferred the ''Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur'' by the French government for “her voice and charisma to many causes”, citing her work with the

Malaysian AIDS Council Malaysian AIDS Council ( ms, Majlis AIDS Malaysia, abbrev: MAC) was established in 1992 under the Ministry of Health (MOH) with a mission to represent, mobilise and strengthen non-governmental organisations and communities who were working wi ...

and with migrants as examples. Marina became one of eight Malaysians to receive the award so far.

References

External links

Rantings by MM
- Personal Blog
The Star Online: ColumnistsMalaysia’s Résumé - Marina Mahathir
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahathir, Marina 1957 births Living people People from Kedah Malaysian people of Malay descent Malaysian people of Minangkabau descent Malaysian people of Indian descent Malaysian people of Malayali descent Malaysian activists Malaysian women activists Malaysian journalists Malaysian women journalists Malaysian bloggers Malaysian women bloggers Mahathir Mohamad family Children of prime ministers of Malaysia Critics of Islam Former Muslim critics of Islam Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Anti-Islam sentiment in Malaysia