MuslimMatters.org Discourses in the Intellectual Traditions, Political Situation, and Social Ethics of Muslim Life

The hijab has been a prominent target; the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Showkat Ali, spoke out against the veil, incredibly stating, “only those who have ugly faces use religion to cover it.” In a number of state educational institutions, headscarves have been banned, including at Rajshahi University’s Social Welfare Department, Chittagong Nursing College, and Kushtia Women’s College. The ruling party has also made moves to secularize the nation’s constitution. Read More »

An OpEd by Mezba Mahtab, a Bangladeshi-Canadian blogger based in Toronto. Read More »

Islamophobia is stupid: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4   The Messenger of Allāh said, “The believer does not defame, abuse, disparage, nor vilify.” (al-Tirmidhi) So it is official, Islamophobia IS stupid! Well, at least the Associated Press (AP) rejected the term (along with Homophobia ... Read More »

...the Qurʾānic verse is an endorsement of the fundamental principle of libertarianism, the Nonaggression Principle. This principle is articulated in the Maryland Libertarian Party Constitution (of which I am co-author): “No person or group has the right to initiate force or fraud against any other person or group to seek to attain their values.” This common sense principle is accepted by everyone in their daily lives, except for murderers, thieves, and con artists. Read More »

The second installment in the Eye on Burma series by Fiza Asar. Read More »

MuslimMatters is pleased to announce a new, regular series on the ongoing Rohingya crisis in Burma presented by Fiza Asar, a talented communications professional based in the United Kingdom. She is extremely interested in the “other”-ing of certain peoples by media and the interplay of media with politics, culture and ... Read More »

America was still coming to terms with the murderous rampage in Aurora when the savage shootings at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin took place on the 5th of August. We were reminded yet again of the horrors of Columbine and those of Norway. We were reminded of the bestiality that ... Read More »

From the NYTimes  TWO years ago, John O. Brennan, President Obama's top adviser on counterterrorism, spoke to members of a Muslim student group in a packed auditorium at the law school where I teach, offering his audience the White House's position about what jihad does and does not mean. Later ... Read More »

The current state of the Arab Republic needs no introduction; with the number of fatalities escalating to hundreds on a daily basis under the authoritarian rule of President Bashar Al Assad, and more recently with the heavyweights China and Russia vetoing a draft UN security council resolution pressing for his immediate resignation, all news bulletins are pointing Middle East-wards. Read More »

The accusations against Anwar al-Awlaki were very serious, but as a citizen, he deserved a fair trial and the chance to face his accusers in a court of law. Whether he deserved any punishment for his speech was a decision that a jury should have made, not the executive branch of our government. The killing of this American citizen is not only unconstitutional, but hypocritical and counterproductive. Read More »