Addressing ‘Anti-Muslimism’ and ‘Islamophobia’

By Wasim Iqbal, New Age Islam 30 July, 2015 Not long after it was announced that the former Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam had died, large posters bearing his picture and grieving his demise sprouted up all across the town that I am presently visiting. Many of these were in slums and lower-middle class localities. People had probably pooled in money to have these pictures put up as a mark of respect and love for the departed soul. Clearly, Abdul Kalam was a ‘People’s President’, who struck a deep chord even with the poor, from whose ranks he had himself emerged. He was definitely one of the most widely-respected leaders that India has ever had. The late Indian President had a very obviously ‘Muslim’ name, but that did not prevent vast numbers of Indians, irrespective of caste, class...

Sufi Maxim for Self-Authenticity: Never Crave To Become Another Person, Just Be Your Honest Self!

By Prof. Henry Francis B. Espiritu, New Age Islam 30 July, 2015             It is really futile to compare ourselves with others—be it in our success or in our failures. How could we ever compare ourselves with others? They are not us and we are not them! Our paths of life are totally different from each other. We cannot even judge another person until we are truly able to see the experiences he or she went through in life. How could we ever envy the success of another when we have not seen the struggles, the hurts and the pains that the person went through before he or she reaches that particular level of success in his or her life? Are we willing to go through what the other...

The Meaning of 'Hadith'

By Louay Fatoohi 30 July, 2015 Article Reproduced on New Age Islam from the Author’s Blog by His Permission  The term “Hadith” is one of the most used Islamic terms by both Muslims and non-Muslims. But despite its importance, there is often a good deal of ambiguity about what it exactly means. It is often used inconsistently and inaccurately. This article aims at clarifying the exact meaning of this term. The noun “Hadith” occurs in the Qur’an twenty three times (4.42, 4.78, 4.87, 4.140, 6.68, 7.185, 12.111, 18.6, 20.9, 31.6, 33.53, 39.23, 45.6, 51.24, 52.34, 53.59, 56.81, 66.3, 68.44, 77.50, 79.15, 85.17, 88.1). Its plural form “Ahadith” is found five times (12.6, 12.21, 12.101, 23.44, and 34.19). In these twenty...

Multicultural Folly of Denying ‘Islamist Ideology’ In Terrorism

By Janet Albrechtsen July29, 2015 It’s so rare for a politician to climb out on a limb that the very notion of a brave political speech has almost become an oxymoron. So let’s give credit where it is due. Last week, British Prime Minister David Cameron confronted a tough debate with brutal honesty. For too long, Western leaders have danced around the real reasons for the rise of Islamic State. From US President Barack Obama to Tony Abbott, Western leaders have shied away from telling it like it is, choosing instead mealy-mouthed political correctness and cultural infirmity. Speaking at Birmingham’s Nine¬stiles School, Cameron said this: “In the past, governments have been too quick to dismiss the religious aspect of Islamist extremism...

For the Mideast, It’s Still 1979

By Thomas L. Friedman July 29, 2015 I started my career as a foreign correspondent in Beirut in 1979. I didn’t know it at the time, but 1979 turned out to be one of the great vintage years for foreign news — particularly from the Middle East. It set in motion the most important dynamics still shaping that region today. In fact, it’s been 1979 for 36 years. And the big question about the Iran nuclear deal reached this month is, Will it ultimately be a break from the history set in motion in 1979, and put the region on a new path, or will it turbo-charge 1979 in ways that could shake the whole world? What happened in 1979? For starters, there was the takeover of the Grand Mosque in Mecca by Islamist extremists who challenged the religious...

Beheading the Behemoth

By Kunwar Khuldune Shahid July 30, 2015 Even radical pacifists would have trouble not rejoicing at the death of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) and Sipah-e-Sahaba founder Malik Ishaq, who along with the reported 13 other terrorists, was killed in an encounter early Wednesday morning. That the BBC quoted Afghan officials as claiming yesterday that the Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar has been dead for over a couple of years – a claim that is being investigated – will give everyone more cause to rejoice. That’s two massive heads of the South Asian Islamist monster beheaded on the same day, along with senior LeJ leader Ghulam Rasul Shah who was among the 13 that were killed yesterday as well. The extreme absolutists might condemn the...

What Does Islam Say About Being Gay?

By Mustafa Akyol July 28, 2015  On June 29, Turkey’s 12th Gay Pride Parade was held on Istanbul’s crowded Istiklal Avenue. Thousands marched joyfully carrying rainbow flags until the police began dispersing them with water cannons. The authorities, as has become their custom since the Gezi Park protests of June 2013, once again decided not to allow a demonstration by secular Turks who don’t fit into their vision of the ideal citizen. More worrying news came a week later when posters were put up in Ankara with a chilling instruction: “If you see those carrying out the People of Lot’s dirty work, kill the doer and the done!” The “People of Lot” was a religious reference to gays, and the instruction to kill them on sight was attributed...

The Terror of Fighting Terror

By Rafia Zakaria 29 July, 2015 ON Saturday, July 25, The New York Times published a report on the conditions in Pakistan’s covert internment centres where those suspected of affiliation with the Pakistani Taliban are detained. Those incarcerated in these special prisons usually return dead or do not return at all. According to the report, their relatives have filed 2,100 petitions in the Peshawar High Court. Most have not produced any results; thousands hence occupy the murky category of being ‘disappeared’ persons. Sometimes, when a body is returned, the report says, there is pressure to refuse an autopsy or undertake a quick burial. The report alleges there is little public outcry in Pakistan on this issue. Indeed, the metric...

Is Domestic Violence Less Prevalent In Arranged Marriages?

By Murtaza Haider July 30th, 2015 Many Muslim societies believe domestic violence against women to be less prevalent in arranged marriages. Empirical evidence from Pakistan, however, paints a rather nuanced picture. For centuries, parents of young Muslim women have forced their daughters into arranged marriages, often with their cousins, to protect land holdings or conform to their tribal customs. Parents conveniently assume, and the brides are made to believe, that by marrying their cousins, young women will not be subject to domestic violence, that strong familial ties will guard against such violence. Marital Bliss Or Marital Blisters? The Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) in 2012-13 interviewed over 13,500 ever-married...

APJ Abdul Kalam: Philosopher-Scientist and a Great Inspiration

By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan Jul 28, 2015 APJ Abdul Kalam, former President of India, was a man of integrity. Intellectually, he was scientific in temper and morally, a very humble person. He was born into a poor South Indian family which could not even afford to pay his school fees. But he worked very hard and continued with his education, and consequently went on to become a highly respected aerospace scientist in the country.  Abdul Kalam was not “born with a silver spoon in his mouth;” yet he was born with a great “incentive spoon” which was responsible for his tremendous success. His self-motivation and high ideals helped him, and he rose to the highest office of the country to become the president of India. Kalam’s life...

Senate Report Leaves Bitter Taste With Canadian Muslims

By Amira Elghawaby July 10, 2015 Reading this week’s Senate interim report on countering terrorism was spit-out-your-cereal unbelievable. Thankfully most Canadian Muslims were likely observing their Ramadan fasts when news of it broke; but it’s enough to make anyone lose their appetite. The report is contradictory in places, nonsensical in others, and at times based on unsubstantiated claims. None of this should come as much surprise to those who watched the at-times farcical Senate hearings which led up to it. A parade of pseudo-experts on national security, including activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a woman who has never lived in Canada but was asked to pontificate about the country’s Muslim communities, were woven into a line-up that...