Islam, Women and Feminism29 Apr 2011, NewAgeIslam.ComWomen and Islam in Indonesia: Reformers, Resisters and DevoteesDevout women contribute to public face of piety in contemporary Indonesia. Their search for spiritual knowledge, however, and the way they spread it in their families is quite different to the religious pattern of men. The search for spiritual knowledge of these women and the way they spread it in their families, is quite different to the religious pattern of men, who, partly because they have less time, think it enough to attend the mosque once a week. -- Susan BlackburnWomen and Islam in Indonesia: Reformers, Resisters and DevoteesBy Susan BlackburnWomen's agency is central to all aspects of Islamic life in Indonesia, yet female...

Islam and the West29 Apr 2011, NewAgeIslam.ComSlow Death of Sanity: Middle East continues under Western imperial gripThe “intensity of the Western imperial grip on the region, over the past century” continues, says the Marxist historian and polymath Perry Anderson in a luminous summing up of the current situation. “From Morocco to Egypt, colonial control of North Africa was divided between France, Italy and Britain before the First World War, while the Gulf became a series of protectorates and Aden an outpost of British India. After the War the spoils of the Ottoman Empire fell to Britain and France, adding what became under their callipers Iraq, Syria, the Lebanon, Palestine and Transjordan, in the final great haul of European territorial...

Urdu Section29 Apr 2011, NewAgeIslam.ComThree Theatres of the Arab WorldI have in my focus three distinct dramas being played out. From North Africa – Tunis, Egypt – to Jordan and Syria is one theatre. This is the arena of positive evolution. Then there is the GCC theatre. Saudi Arabia is the spider in this web, its tentacles deep in Bahrain and Yemen, two countries it shares border with. The third is something of a solo number with Muammar Gaddafi dancing between minefields being inexpertly laid by an Anglo-French pair of plotters. The Americans, having had their fingers burnt in Iraq, are clearly keen not to be seen conferring martyrdom on another Arab despot. In an excellent interview with a journalist who specialises in Africa, Fareed Zakaria...

Islam and Environment29 Apr 2011, NewAgeIslam.ComEnvironment: Our ResponsibilityAs we do on many issues, Saudis and Americans can work to meet these challenges together. The cooperation between KACST and IBM on solar desalination is a perfect example. President Obama summed up our need to act as responsible caretakers of our environment very nicely when he said, "This is the moment when we must come together to save this planet."-- James B. SmithEnvironment: Our ResponsibilityBy James B. SmithIn the US, we continue to advance the work begun on that first Earth DayEACH April, the world celebrates Earth Day. Earth Day was first organized in 1970 in the United States when 20 million Americans took to parks and auditoriums to draw attention to...

Islam and Spiritualism29 Apr 2011, NewAgeIslam.ComBlueprint of the Divine…. world, has a negative connotation in Islam. The real meaning of this Arabic word is to reach out for something you can never grasp. Despite the negative connotation, Muslims are prohibited from decrying this world. The Prophet said, “Do not curse the world for God created it and it is a means of reaching Him.” -- Sadia DehlviBlueprint of the DivineBy: Sadia Dehlvi Apr 23, 2011 Humanity is part of the cosmos, writes Sadia DehlviAn Islamic tradition attributed to Prophet Jesus states, “The world is a bridge; so pass over it to the next world, but do not try to build on it.” The word duniya or world, has a negative connotation in Islam. The real meaning of this...

Islamic World News29 Apr 2011, NewAgeIslam.ComSuicide bomber kills 10, wounds 17 in Iraq mosqueExplosion hits cafe in Morocco, 15 deadBahrain court sentences Shia protesters to deathSyria tried to build nuclear reactor: IAEA chiefPakistan tests Hatf-8 cruise missilePakistan drops US, embraces China as new arms partner: ReportPML-Q supports division of Pak-Punjab provinceLibya angers Tunisia as war briefly crosses borderBahrain sentences four to die over police killingHundreds of Shiites protest in east Saudi ArabiaSyria protests toll is 500'Pakistani soldier killed in explosion at campSeveral shops gutted after blast in NATO tanker: JalalabadWoman injured in Gujranwala blastPak: Karachi firing kills three, injures two4 Bahraini protesters sentenced...