Forty Dreams Shattered as Girls Prefer Hijab to Education

Muslims Should Establish More Schools And Colleges For Girls. Main Points: 1. 40 Muslim girls skip exams in Udupi. 2. They were barred from entering exam hall in hijab 3. Majority of the girls prefer exams to hijab ---- By New Age Islam Staff Writer 31 March 2022 (Photo: OneIndia for Representative Purpose) ------ The hijab row in Karnataka took its toll on the educational career of forty Muslim girls who preferred hijab to education. They skipped their exam when they were not allowed to enter the exam hall with hijab. These girls had big dreams and wanted to become doctors, engineers, professors, lawyers, judges or fashion designers but now their future hangs in uncertainty. The teachings that had been imparted about veil had made their attitude rigid. The trend of...

Towards a Progressive Islam

By Ghulam Mohiyuddin, New Age Islam 31 March 2022 Modern-day Muslims do not accept the wall that has been created between Islam and modernity. They are in favour of incorporating into Islam the best liberal and fact-based trends in modern thinking. While not all progressive Muslims accept all of the progressive ideas that have been proposed in recent decades, certain trends seem to be gaining more and more acceptance. It may be opportune to identify such trends and seek feedback from others who have been engaged in similar introspection. The following is a simplified listing of the principles that many may consider the appropriate components of Progressive Islam. Some of these principles may seem to some to be contrary to our usual teachings but they are, in my view, consistent with the...

Pakistan: Female Madrasa Teacher Killed for Blasphemy

By Arshad Alam, New Age Islam 31 March 2022 Till The Time Blasphemy Is On the Statute, Such Killings Will Continue Main Points: 1. A female madrasa teacher in Pakistan was killed by her colleagues over accusations of blasphemy. 2. The accused were told in someone else’s dream that the victim had to be ritually slaughtered. 3. There were doctrinal differences between the victim and the accused, although the precise nature of this difference is not known yet. 4. Not just Pakistan but the whole Muslim world should resolve to abrogate the theology of blasphemy. ----- (Representational Photo) ---- A 17-year-old female madrasa teacher in Pakistan was killed for blasphemy by three of her colleagues. The incident occurred in Dera Ismail Khan District, known for its regressive...

Nurflix and Alchemiya: Shariah Compliant Online Streaming Services Seek to Redefine Entertainment

Imams and Preachers Supervise These Online Entertainment Productions Main Points: 1. During the last two years, online streaming services catering to the Muslims have come up. 2. Malaysia's Nurflix was launched from a mosque. 3. UK's Alchemiya was co-founded by Ajmal Masroor Akhtar, a London based Imam. 4. Nurflix produces Shariah compliant drama, religious instruction programmes, programmes for children and women and Islamic music. ----- By New Age Islam Staff Writer 31 March 2022 Nurflix/Facebook ----- For a long time, Muslims were worried about the corruptive influence of immoral content on the internet and on online streaming services. These video-on-demand services offer films that are based on love, sex, violence and promote immorality and perversion in the...

Taliban And Girls' Education: Girls Are Being Deprived Of Their Educational Rights Granted By Islamic Shariah

Girls' Schools Have Been Closed After A Short Duration Main Points: 1. Taliban are in a dilemma over the girls' education. 2. They had earlier said that they would allow girls to go to schools under Islamic limits. 3. Taliban leadership is divided over girls' education ----- New Age Islam Staff Writer 30 March 2022 Photo: Tolo News ---- When Taliban had come to power again in August 2021, they had tried to show that their approach towards women and girls' education has changed. The Taliban leadership had said that they will give women and girls their due place in society and that they would allow girls to go to schools and colleges. They had even opened the schools for a short duration and then closed them again. They have said that they will allow girls to go to schools...

Islam and Indic Tradition: The Barmakids of Baghdad

By Arshad Alam, New Age Islam 30 March 2022 A Buddhist Family Fundamentally Influenced The Islamic Knowledge System Main Points: 1. The Barmakids were the chief priest of the Buddhist temple at Balkh, present day northern Afghanistan. 2. They served at high positions in the courts of Abbasid caliphs like al Mansur and Harun al Rashid 3. They were fundamentally instrumental in transmitting Indian medicinal knowledge to the Arabic and Persian world ------ In the dominant reading of Islam, it appears that the religion almost sprouted out of nowhere. God spoke to Muhammad who eventually struggled and established Islam in the Arabian Subcontinent. Revisionist historians have taken another view; that no religion can just arise in a social and ideological vacuum. These historians...

Debunking Islamophobic Myths About 26 Wartime Verses Of Quran Considered Militant And Exclusivist: Part 2 On Verse 9:28

Responding To Questions About The Impurity Of The Polytheists As Stated In Verse 9:28 Main Points: 1. That the polytheists are unclean refers to the polytheists of Makka. 2. The divine declaration that "polytheists are unclean" alludes to their polytheism, betrayal of peace treaties, and religious persecution. 3. This prohibition has been interpreted by Hanafi, Shafii, Maliki and Hanbali in a variety of ways. ----- By Kaniz Fatma, New Age Islam 30 March 2022 The following verse is also used to incite anti-Islamic sentiment: “O you who have believed, indeed the polytheists are unclean, so let them not approach al-Masjid al-Haram after this, their [final] year. And if you fear privation, Allah will enrich you from His bounty if He wills. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Wise”. (9:28) Several...

Contrary To The Current Communal Narrative, Temples, Mosques And Dargahs Have Been A Part Of India's Syncretic Culture For Centuries

Temples And Dargahs Never Divided People Of India Main Points: 1. Many temples and mosques are located side by side for centuries. 2. Many temples were built by Muslim kings and Nawabs. 3. Many Dargahs are visited by both Hindus an Muslims. 4. Nawab Shuja-ud-Daula donated land for Hanumangarhi temple. 5. In Kashmir, many temples are maintained by Muslims. ---- New Age Islam Staff Writer 30 March 2022 Temple ---- The recent call for ban on Muslim traders in the premises of Hindu temples has stirred a controversy. The move has religio-political undertones and so the move is being opposed even by Hindus who keep India's centuries old syncretic culture close to their heart. Temples, mosques and Sufi shrines called Dargahs have never divided the Hindus and Muslims,...

Minorities in Sindh of Pakistan under Constant Fear of Security and Survival: Report

A Report Chattan, Srinagar 30 March 2022 Translated from Urdu by Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam Sindh [Pakistan], March 29 (MNN): As a result of the psychological and social effects of hate speech, minorities in Pakistan's Sindh province live under constant fear for their security and survival. The study, titled “Hate Speech: A Subtle Discrimination!” was carried out by the National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), a statutory body of the Catholic Bishops' Conference. Trends of Religious Hate Speech in Sindh reported that Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Shia, and Ahmadi minorities are constantly threatened, according to The News International. The study proposed that the government establish monitoring, regulating, and standardisation methods for religious sermons, speeches, and...

A Tribute to the First Martyr of Urdu Journalism Maulvi Mohammad Baqar

Delhi Urdu Akhbar Founded By Maulvi Mohammad Baqar Was the Pioneer in Modern Urdu Journalism Main Points: 1. Maulvi Baqar was killed by the British for his nationalist views. 2. Maulvi Baqar was known for neutral reporting. 3. Maulvi Mohammad Baqar was the first to do Spot reporting. ---- New Age Islam Staff Writer 29 March 2022 [A sketch of Maulvi Baqir’s execution. He and other scholars were tied to canons and were publicly blown away] ----- Although Urdu journalism in India started with the weekly Urdu newspaper Jam-e-Jahan Numa of Calcutta in March 1822, the Urdu journalism took its distinct shape with the publication of Delhi Urdu Akhbar in 1838. Jam-e-Jahan Numa was more of a cultural and literary Urdu magazine and did not publish content on politics or current...

While Islamic Scholars Are Busy Declaring One Another Kafir, Muslim Governments Have Left 18 Million Muslim Refugees Living In Confinement or In Refugee Camps to Fend For Themselves

By S. Arshad, New Age Islam 29 March 2022 Political and Religious Conflicts, Mostly Sectarian Clashes Are At the Root of the Muslim Refugee Crisis Main Points: 1. Muslims of Palestine and China live in open air prisons. 2. A big population of Muslims of Myanmar, Syria, Libya and Afghanistan live as refugees. 3. 24 million Muslims live as refugees or prisoners in the world. ---- Syrian refugees wait to enter Jordanian side of the Hadalat border crossing, a military zone east of Amman.(Khalil Mazraawi / AFP / Getty Images) ----- There are more than 50 Muslim majority countries in the world and there are other dozens of countries where Muslims constitute a considerable part of the population. The Muslim majority countries except the Asian and African countries are rich...

200 Years of Urdu Journalism: Urdu Journalism Needs To Come Out Of the Thrall of Religion

Over The Years, Urdu Journalism Has Degenerated In Terms Of Content And Language. Main Points: 1. The first Urdu newspaper is said to be Jam-e-Jahan Numa in 1822 2. Another important Urdu newspaper was Dilli Urdu Akhbar. 3. Maulvi Mohammad Baqar was the first Indian editor hanged by the British government. 4. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was the most popular Urdu journalist before Independence. 5. Mirza Bedar Bakht editor of Payam-e-Azadi was also hanged for publishing anti-government writings. ----- New Age Islam Staff Writer 28 March 2022 The first Urdu newspaper is said to be Jam-e-Jahan Numa which was launched on 27th August 1822 though it was not a fully Urdu language newspaper. The newspaper had pages in Persian too. Therefore, Urdu journalism has completed 200...

Stranger to History: Aatish Taseer’s Journey through Islamic Lands

By Mohammad Ali, New Age Islam March 25, 2022 Main points: 1. This essay reviews Aatish Taseer’s book, Stranger to History 2. It focuses on three main points that the reviewer thought important and are shared by a larger number of Muslims across the world ----- Stranger to History (2009) is an account of the journey through Western to Eastern Islamic lands in Asia. The author, Aatish Taseer, embarked upon this journey to understand what it means to be a Muslim in the modern world. Taseer begins his adventure from Turkey to Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Pakistan. Each country represents a unique relationship—which is determined by their political realities—with Islam and offered an array of experiences that Taseer has talked about in this book. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (d.1938),...

Despite Losing His Young Son in Riots, Maulana Imdadullah Rasheedi Refuses To Bear False Witness against the Accused

The Accused Were Acquitted For Lack Of Clinching Evidence Main Points: 1. Maulana Imdadullah Rasheedi's son had been killed in communal riots in 2018. 2. Maulana Rasheedi had appealed to Muslims not to avenge his killing. 3. Pintu Yadav and Vinay Tiwari had been arrested as the accused. 4. Maulana Rasheedi refused to bear false witness against them. 5. The two accused were acquitted by Asansol District Court. ----- By New Age Islam Staff Writer 28 March 2022 Maulana Imdadullah Rashidi (left) got one last gift from his son Sibghatullah — his Madhyamik certificate ------ Asansol in West Bengal had witnessed a communal riot on the occasion of Ramnavmi in March 2018 in which some people from both the Muslim and Hindu community were killed and property was destroyed....

Islam and the Indic Tradition: The Contribution of Mir Fenderiski

By Arshad Alam, New Age Islam 28 March 2022 Little Is Known About the Iranian Scholar Who Was Steeped In Indic Religious Tradition Main Points: 1. An Iranian, Mir Fenderiski was a poet, Sufi and a philosopher translator of Indic knowledge. 2. He knew Sanskrit and wrote a commentary on Yoga Vashishta 3. Eventually, he adopted some of the precepts and practices of Hinduism like vegetarianism and non-violence. 4. Around the same time, a similar effort was being undertaken by Dara Shikoh ------ Abul Qassim Fenderiski/Findiriski (1562-1640) ----- The Mughals in India and the Safavids in Iran were almost contemporaries. The Mughals, especially since Akbar had the policy of using Persian at all levels of bureaucracy. He invited a number of scholars from Iran for this purpose,...