If you were raised in Malaysia, you might have been spooked by stories about the spirit world and the idea of jinns living among us. Author Raidah Shah Idil weaves these legends in her debut novel for young readers titled 'How To Free A Jinn.' The story follows a young girl named Insyirah who has the power to see the spirit world. We speak to Raidah about the inspiration behind her book and the what it's like to bring Malaysian folktales to the international stage.

Other stories we covered:

· Police punishes teenage road offenders with ear-squats: This happened after the group of teenage boys were caught riding bicycles recklessly on the streets in Kuala Lumpur. The punishment, better known here as "ketuk ketampi" has been met with various responses, some laud it but some think it unnecessary (as well as inefficient). James Nayagam, Chairman of the Suriana Welfare Society weighs in on why it doesn't work, while Paramjit Singh Jamir Singh, children court advisor at the Magistrate Court in Penang spoke about how police should handle matters with juvenile offenders.

· Cat mutilations in Universiti Malaya: Earlier last month, corpses of cats were found around the campus with their limbs missing. Authorities have chalked it up to feral stray dogs, but many have argued that the injuries seemed too deliberate. SPCA recently announced a 10k reward for anyone to come forward with credible information. We discuss this with Kelvin Cheah, general manager of SPCA Selangor as well as animal rights activist and lawyer Rajesh Nagarajan.

· The accuracy of our household income classifications: A new study by Khazanah Research Institute shows that our B40, M40 and T20 labels is not as accurate as we think - but we take the conversation even deeper: Are group-based income classification labels even productive? Economist Geoffrey Williams weighs in.

· Welcoming Generation Beta: This new year is special, because we're welcoming a new generation of people, born between 2025 and 2039. We discuss the origins of this generational label, what it means and whether the stereotypes that come with them is worth all the hassle.

Image Credit: shutterstock.com

Produced by: Sudais Ferhard, Alia Zefri, Sneha Harikannan, Tee Shiao Eek

Presented by: Lee Chwi Lynn, Dashran Yohan

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Categories:  politics,  government,  international,  Law/Activism,  controversies

Tags:  how to free a jinn,  malay diaspora literature,  malaysia novels,  police punishment,  ketuk ketampi,  cat mutilations,  income classifications,  generation beta,  generation labels,  mat rempit,  university malaya,  animal welfare,  b40,  m40,  t20,