Well-Respected Social Activist Toni Kasim Dies

I'm sad to announce the demise of a well-known women's activist Toni Kasim at 5am this morning. She was suffering from duodenal cancer (cancer in the beginning section of the small intestine) and succumbed to her illness at her sister's house in Batu 3, Shah Alam.

I knew her personally when I attended a workshop on creative scriptwriting organized by Kakiseni.com last October in 2007. She was a participant too. It was a brief encounter but she was very friendly, jovial and smiled a lot. And through the discussions we had I could tell she was very passionate in her work and beliefs. Only later I found out that she was a respected social activist focusing mainly on gender equal rights and have been serving more than 20 years! Indeed a great lost to our community.

Zaitun 'Toni' Kasim may God bless your soul. Al-fatihah.