Darul Harb versus Darul Aman: Can Pakistan or Saudi Arabia be considered a Land of peace for Muslims?

Islam and Pluralism30 Jan 2009, NewAgeIslam.ComDarul Harb versus Darul Aman: Can Pakistan or Saudi Arabia be considered a Land of peace for Muslims?Pakistani blogger Mr. Aamir Mughal has raised a very important issue in a comment posted in relation to the article below: Demolish Kafir/ Mushrik/ Munafiq-manufacturing factories, says Sultan Shahin, defending New Age Islam against Talibani onslaughthttp://newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1143 which needs to be debated threadbare- that of Darul Harb and Darul Aman. I live in India. Suppose I were to consider it a Darul Hrab - which of course, I don’t - on the basis of the mere fact of it being a non-Muslim majority country - though it would appear that only so-called Darul Harbs are Darul Amans, lands of peace, in today's...

Stay away from yoga camps: Cut off your nose to spite your neighbour’s faith! Syed Raihan Ahmad Nezami

Islam and Pluralism25 Jan 2009, NewAgeIslam.ComStay away from yoga camps: Cut off your nose to spite your neighbour’s faith! Ever since I read about some Mullahs asking Muslims in India and Malaysia to stay away from yoga camps, I was wondering what could be so threatening about Yoga. Is our faith so brittle that we would cease to remain Muslim if we just learn to do yogic exercises, now recommended by doctors, particularly cardiologists and surgeons after heart by-pass surgery or to those with high blood pressure? In fact Yoga is useful to patients of an assortment of illnesses, and also as a preventive health-care technique. If practised regularly yogic meditational techniques can lead to beautiful and extremely rewarding spiritual experiences too. Now the cat is out of the bag. Maulana...

Demolish Kafir/ Mushrik/ Munafiq-manufacturing factories, says Sultan Shahin, defending New Age Islam against Talibani onslaught

Ijtihad, Rethinking Islam22 Jan 2009, NewAgeIslam.ComDemolish Kafir/ Mushrik/ Munafiq-manufacturing factories, says Sultan Shahin, defending New Age Islam against Talibani onslaughtAs a community we are more reactionary and obscurantist that positive and progressive. We live in fear and denial. There is noting wrong with us; it’s all Jewish conspiracy, Hindu conspiracy, Western imperialist conspiracy, etc. etc. We love living in the past, in the land of pointlessness. So our discussions too are not so much about issues of today as about the bygone past. We revel in discussing ad infinitum the dirty politics of seventh century Arabia and taking sides with one or the other party. We have no present and no plans for the future. As a community, that is. Some individuals, of course, do have plans...

Muslims and Jews: Some vital comparative statistics

Letters20 Jan 2009, NewAgeIslam.ComMuslims and Jews: Some vital comparative statisticsDear Sultan Shahin Saheb, Could you please publish this vital information on New Age Islam? Vital facts and figures are relevant for those who don’t leave a single opportunity to curse Jews. Let us assess their power first and then try to peep into ourselves and know where we stand before them?We are known for maximizing the numbers (Quantity) on this planet rather than producing Quality and feel proud while throwing population data throughout the world but what is the relevance of this BLOCK on this planet? Have we ever produced anything productive in our modern times which could be useful for mankind? Our so-called universities are just pumping engineers, doctors, clerks but we have failed to produce Scientists....

Please credit Americans with some intelligence, Mr. Kanchan Gupta!

Radical Islamism & Jihad18 Jan 2009, NewAgeIslam.ComPlease credit Americans with some intelligence, Mr. Kanchan Gupta!Like Muslims in the mainstream, Hindu fundamentalist ideologues too oppose and point to the dangers of Saudi-isation or Talibanisation of Pakistan and other Muslim societies around the world with the financial help and military backing of the United States and other Western powers. But unlike Muslims, the Hindutva ideologues ascribe the American or larger Western involvement to mere stupidity on their part. They just rue the tragic mistake America is making. Mr. Kanchan Gupta, for instance, laments in the article being reproduced below: “Tragically, the Americans refuse to read the writing on the wall. If the Bush Administration erred in trusting Pakistan, the incoming...