The Murder of a Self-Declared Prophet in Peshawar: Why Pakistan Must Repeal Its Blasphemy Laws

By Arshad Alam, New Age Islam 31 July 2020 A man accused of blasphemy and facing trial for the last two years, was shot dead right in front of the judge inside a court room in Peshawar. Tahir Shamim Ahmad thought that he was a Masih and that God spoke to him in his dreams. He also proclaimed himself to be the Mujaddid who had come to warn people that the end times was near.   Tahir Shamim Ahmad, had claimed he was Islam's prophet ---- The killer, Khalid, immediately surrendered and declared that had killed the man because he (Naseem) had dishonoured Prophet Muhammad. He added that Islam demanded that such a person should be killed and that he was just following the demands of his religion. Ahmad Naseem...

God Expects Abrahamic Spirit of Sacrifice Not Show of Wealth on Eid ul Adha

By S. Arshad, New Age Islam 31 July 2020 The sacrificial festival (Eid ul Adha or Baqar Eid) is observed every year on the tenth of Dhul Hajja, the month of Islamic pilgrimage or Hajj. The festival of sacrifice was ordained to all the Abrahamic religions as has been mentioned in the Quran: "And for ever religion we have appointed a rite (of sacrifice) that they may mention the name of Allah over what He has provided for them of (sacrificial) animals. (Al Hajj:36)    Muslims offer Eid al-Adha prayers at the Jama Masjid (Grand Mosque) in the old quarters of Delhi October 16, 2013. ---- Therefore, Muslims sacrifice a cow, a camel or a goat commemorating Prophet Abraham's readiness to sacrifice his son Ismail...

Mysterious Silence of Indian Ulema on ISIS Magazine Voice of Hind’s Serious Attempt to Radicalise Indian Muslim Society

New Age Islam Special Correspondent 30 July 2020 Terrorist and militant groups have thrived in Muslim majority countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria etc because in a Muslim majority society, the Islamic governments consider extremism and militantism only another way of Islamic life in which militantism and extremism or intolerance against non-Muslims is interpreted as jihad and a sizeable section of Muslim intelligentsia overtly or covertly supports this interpretation based on the exegeses of some prominent Islamic scholars of the middle ages. Terrorist organisations like Al Qaida, Taliban, Al Shabab, Sipah-e- Sahab, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Hizbul Mujahideen, Al Nusrah and ISIS are the product of this extremist...

Hagia Sophia, Religious Tolerance and Nation-States

By Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander, New Age Islam 30 July 2020 The destruction, conversion and restoration of places of worship are not something new in history. Religion has been an important part of every civilization. The faith of ruler was supposed to be followed by his subjects too. Any deviation or call for a new religion was opposed vehemently if it was antagonistic to official religion.   Saint Sophia museum in Istanbul ----- Religious books document the struggles that prophets had to go through for opposing the official religion and many were put to death for their beliefs. The story of Islam is not different either. Caliphs under the divine mandate carried out conquests and the people of these lands were supposed to...

Thoughts on Migration in The Light of The Quran

By S. Arshad, New Age Islam 29 July 2020 Since the beginning of civilisation, Man has been compelled to leave his place of birth or ancestors to look for better living conditions or for livelihood. Sometimes man had to leave his Homeland due to war, calamities or oppression. Sometimes an entire community had to migrate. Individuals have had to migrate for various reasons. In modern times too, communities and individuals migrate for the reasons mentioned above.   Uyghurs in Australia protesting against Cultural genocide of Chinese Uyghurs by Chinese government Photo courtesy theconversation.com ----- In modern times, however, there is a section of people who do not migrate due to disasters or oppression. They migrate to a place...