Islam, Women and Feminism 30 Jan 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com Can Women Be Imams? Koranic traditions must be taken seriously, but it is also necessary to ask questions about their contemporaneity too. Following the Friday prayers led by Dr Amina Wadud in New York on 18th March and the emotional public debate to which that event led, I have repeatedly been asked for my view on the matter. I believe the issue may seem simple, but is more complicated than it appears. So I'd like to contribute a few ideas to the discussion, rather than put forward a clear opinion. --Halima Krausen URL of this Page: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamWomenAndFeminism_1.aspx?ArticleID=2434 ------ Can Women Be Imams? By Halima Krausen In the face...

Islam and Politics 30 Jan 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com Pakistan: A hard-pressed president Sensing danger, Zardari and Gilani have moved to stop their party leaders from issuing statements critical of the Supreme Court and the Pakistan Army. This was considered necessary to avoid confrontation with the military, which is Pakistan's most powerful institution, and the resurgent judiciary that is not afraid to take bold decisions and challenge the other pillars of the state. Some of the PPP leaders had earlier given critical statements against the judiciary and Raja Riaz, who is a senior PPP minister in Punjab, went to the extent of saying that no army general can blackmail the PPP as it was the party of the masses. Other PPP leaders demanded reopening...

Books and Documents 30 Jan 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com WOMEN IN ISLAM VERSUS WOMEN IN THE JUDAEO-CHRISTIAN TRADITION: THE MYTH &THE REALITY- Part 8 The Bible did not condemn polygamy. To the contrary, the Old Testament and Rabbinic writings frequently attest to the legality of polygamy. King Solomon is said to have had 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kings 11:3) Also, king David is said to have had many wives and concubines (2 Samuel 5:13). The Old Testament does have some injunctions on how to distribute the property of a man among his sons from different wives (Deut. 22:7). The only restriction on polygamy is a ban on taking a wife's sister as a rival wife (Lev. 18:18). The Talmud advises a maximum of four wives. 51 European Jews continued to practice polygamy until the sixteenth century....

Islam and Politics 29 Jan 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com THE Question Of Zardari Being A Good Muslim Will Have To Be Settled, One Way Or Another BUT THE question of being a good Muslim will have to be settled, one way or another, before the SC. There is a precedent. In 1985 a petitioner challenged the Islamic credentials of a competitor in an election. The CEC held in his favour. But the judges of the Supreme Court threw out the petition with the contempt it deserved, arguing that it was well nigh impossible to determine who was a good Muslim or not. Therefore, given the charged political environment, this SC would have to risk its credibility enormously if it went against the grain of an earlier SC decision on such a contentious issue... Understandably,...

Islamic World News 29 Jan 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com Blair denies 'covert' deal with Bush to invade Iraq 'No Regrets' Blair Heckled At Iraq Inquiry ‘Defeat terrorism and communalism’: Indian PM Manmohan Singh Malaysia charges three over Allah row church fires  Italy moves towards emulating France on burqa ban Govt may allow Islamic banking, eyes $1tn funds Official: 44 militants killed in Pakistan Indonesia arrests militant allegedly involved in market bombing, murder of Christian priest Court overturns Egypt's Islamic schools' niqab ban India’s groupthink on Islam: reflections from jaipur Iranian cleric: More opposition activists should be executed Gun battle in southern Afghan city of Lashkar Gah Israeli PM: Israel...