Give up Babri Mosque Claim: Hindutva Leader's Appeal to Muslims, Islamic World News, NewAgeIslam.com

Islamic World News

Give up Babri Mosque Claim: Hindutva Leader's Appeal to Muslims

INDORE: Bringing to the fore yet again the party's pet issue, new BJP President Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said the Ram temple in Ayodhya is its soul and appealed to the Muslims to adopt a "generous" attitude by giving up their claim on the disputed site.

In his presidential address at the opening of the two-day National Council here, he also spoke on issues seeking to broadbase support for the party like wooing Dalits and minorities and the need to instill a new work culture in the organisation without resorting to sycophancy.

Leaving no one in doubt about the party's stand on issues like Ayodhya and alleged minority appeasement, 52-year-old Gadkari, the RSS choice for the post, said "the BJP stands fully committed to the construction of a grand temple in Ayodhya".

"Today, I appeal to the Muslim community to be generous towards the sentiments and feelings of Hindus and facilitate the construction of a grand Ram temple. If you (Muslims) give up your claim on the land at the disputed site, we will cooperate in the construction of a magnificent masjid in a nearby land," he said.

Gadkari's remarks are seen as a new attempt by the BJP to revive the Ram Janmabhoomi issue while at the same time making a bid to co-opt the minorities.

The opening session also saw the former President Rajnath Singh apologising to partymen for any wrong decisions taken during his term that witnessed bitter infighting among middle-rung leaders, especially after the Lok Sabha debacle last year.

Gadkari was scathing in his criticism of the Government on its alleged attempts at minority appeasement. He, however, said it was wrong to say that BJP was against Muslims. If it was so, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani would not have made A P J Abdul Kalam the nation's President.

http://newageislam.com/give-up-babri-mosque-claim--hindutva-leader-s-appeal-to-muslims/islamic-world-news/d/2478

How a Thirteenth-Century Islamic Poet Conquered America, Islamic Culture, NewAgeIslam.com

Islamic Culture

How a Thirteenth-Century Islamic Poet Conquered America

Found in Translation: How a Thirteenth-Century Islamic Poet Conquered America

Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī

By Ryan Croken

January 28, 2009

This is, in my opinion, quite harsh treatment of Mr. Barks, who has made tremendous progress in highlighting the shared values of cultures that have forgotten their shared history and humanity. In his defence, Barks has amassed a dedicated following in the Middle East, and despite accusations of cultural insensitivity, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Tehran for his success in making Rumi a hit in places across the United States where many feared that Barack Obama might be a secret Arab-Muslim. What strikes me most about the criticisms against Barks is that they generally accuse him of giving Rumi too friendly of a face—making him too universal, too endearing, too accessible to Americans. It is here that my praise for Barks flows in exactly the opposite direction of the criticism he has attracted. Although Barks may have had to escort Rumi through Ellis Island to import him to the United States, he has shown that one can Americanize an "other" without bastardizing him. The task of a translator working across vast expanses of time and space is not easy, and what Barks has done is beautifully—indeed, wondrously—rendered Rumi into an English that pierces through the souls of millions of Westerners, yet still remains reverently (if only relatively) faithful to the original Persian.

http://newageislam.com/how-a-thirteenth-century-islamic-poet-conquered-america--/islamic-culture/d/1160

Houston imams fringe comments draw criticism, Radical Islamism and Jihad, NewAgeIslam.com

Radical Islamism and Jihad

Houston imams fringe comments draw criticism

by Lomi Kriel

"They went from being this hidden minority group to being a group where their every movement was scrutinized," said Lori Peek, a sociologist at Colorado State University and author of "Behind the Backlash: Muslim Americans after 9/11." In her study of young Muslims, Peek found many recoiled at first, keeping a low profile. Some even rejected their faith.

But then increasingly, they galvanized, she said, seeking to reclaim Islam's image in America, correct misconceptions about their faith and root out bad apples in their community. Forty percent of suspected foiled domestic terror plots since 9/11 were brought to the attention of authorities by Muslims, according to a February study by The Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security in North Carolina.

Peek said young Muslims are saying, "If people are going to be policing our actions, we have to turn inwards and police our own community. It's the only way we can ever fight back against these stereotypes.'"