By: Abu Aaliyah (Surkheel Sharif) The Prophet remarked: 'The best of you is the one who learns the Qur'an and teaches it to others.'1 For Muslims, notwithstanding the sheer beauty of its composition and its cadences, the Qur'an is a repository of revealed teachings, a roadmap for the journey through life, and a fountain of timeless truths to meditate upon; deepening ... Read More »
An 'Īd gift was delivered to Nabila Rahman's home by Americans last year. A gruesome gift that blew her grandmother's body into pieces on a magical day that was supposed to be filled with joy. Nine-year old Nabila didn't get a rousing welcome that her country mate Malala Yousufzai received because she didn't fit the war on terror agenda. A ... Read More »
Part Two [Part One of this debate can be viewed here] Although the pseudo-controversy surrounding the niqāb is at the vanguard of the tabloid agenda, we must ask ourselves why it is that in a liberal democracy, wherein religious freedom of its minorities should be protected, there seems to be an attack on these religious symbols of Muslims; whether it ... Read More »
The cold, almost bitter response of Pakistanis towards Malala can be a bit puzzling. This reaction is not just from radical elements but also from the general populace. Explanations for this reaction have ranged from jealousy to conspiracy. Tehmina Kazi, Director of British Muslims for Secular Democracy, focuses on the jealousy part: “The criticism is ostensibly about how Malala's message ... Read More »
By now you have probably already heard of the harem of Tunisian sex-warrior slaves heading to Syria in order to give up their young bodies to the appetites of deprived rebels to fulfill jihad al-Nikkah — “Sexual Jihad" — and are coming back to the country with bellies full of Jihadi babies. Unfortunately for what seems to be that blind spot people have when it comes to stories on Muslims and sex, there doesn’t seem to be any evidence of Tunisian female warriors going to fight a holy sex war. Read More »
Part One Once again a 'piece of cloth' (Niqab) has dominated our newspaper headlines and discussions on the internet. On Monday, Liberal Democrat Home Office minister Jeremy Browne called for a “national debate” as to whether or not Muslim women should be banned from wearing the niqab, especially in places of public social interaction. His call was echoed by Conservative ... Read More »
The political discourse in Canada over the past few weeks has been dominated by Quebec government's proposal for a secular 'Charter of Values', put forth by the ruling Parti Quebecois (PQ). The most controversial aspect of the proposal is the ban on civil servants wearing religious clothing to ensure 'religious neutrality' of the state. The debate reached its climax this ... Read More »
As horror stories of another massacre in Syria trickled in last week, western governments initiated their textbook game of diplomatic ping-pong. Condemnations were issued, outrage expressed and vows renewed. This has been the cycle since the war started. We hear of massacre after massacre, it makes the headlines; politicians express their disgust with Assad and all is forgotten after a ... Read More »
Notice: Some of the following images and videos are very graphic and violent Hundreds or thousands dead, thousands wounded and millions terrorised. When numbers become this large, it becomes difficult to digest the scale of the massacre that took place and is still taking place in Egypt today. Stalin once very perceptively said, “the death of one man is a ... Read More »
George Bush's “war on terror” continues to deliver. Even if the context is different, the slogan continues to haunt civilians, especially Muslims. But the latest chapter doesn't include an American army attacking a Muslim nation; rather Muslims who have branded their own as terrorists—people with whom they share heritage and race. The Egyptian interim government, led by American-trained Sissi, is ... Read More »
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