Swiss minaret ban 'extreme Islamophobia', Muslims and Islamophobia, NewAgeIslam.com

Muslims and Islamophobia

Swiss minaret ban 'extreme Islamophobia'

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani religious groups on Monday condemned a referendum in Switzerland that saw voters approve a ban on the construction of mosque minarets, calling it 'extreme Islamophobia.'

Switzerland on Sunday voted in favour of a ban on new mosque minarets - the towers or turrets attached to mosques from which Muslims are traditionally called to prayer - prompting dismay and anger in the Muslim world.

'This development reflects extreme Islamophobia among people in the West,' said Khurshid Ahmad, vice president of Jamaat-e-Islami, a Islamic political party that is represented in Pakistan's parliament.

'This also represents very serious discrimination against Muslims.' Pakistan is the world's second most populous Muslim nation.

The far-right Swiss People's Party (SVP) had forced a referendum after collecting a mandatory 100,000 signatures from eligible voters.

Conservative Swiss politicians argued that the minarets were not architectural features with religious characteristics, but symbolised a 'political-religious claim to power, which challenges fundamental rights.'

Ahmad described the Swiss decision as a serious violation of human rights and international law, telling AFP: 'This is an effort to provoke Muslims and prompt a clash between Islam and the West.'

Yahya Mujahid, a spokesman for Islamic charity Jamaat-ud-Dawa - accused of being a front for the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba radical insurgent group - also decried the referendum as a blow for inter-faith harmony.

'This new decision violates the principles of mutual understanding and religious tolerance,' Mujahid said.

'The West never takes respite in claiming to be champions of religious tolerance and inter-faith harmony, but this latest decision shows their bias against Muslims,' he added.

http://newageislam.com/swiss-minaret-ban--extreme-islamophobia-/muslims-and-islamophobia/d/2168

The last days of Mecca and Medina: Saudis are wiping out Islamic heritage, Radical Islamism and Jihad, NewAgeIslam.com

Radical Islamism and Jihad

The last days of Mecca and Medina: Saudis are wiping out Islamic heritage

By Daniel Howden

Saturday, 6 August 2005

Independent.co.uk

It is the same oil-rich orthodoxy that pumped money into the Taliban as they prepared to detonate the Bamiyan Buddhas in 2000. And the same doctrine - violently opposed to all forms of idolatry - that this week decreed that the Saudis' own king be buried in an unmarked desert grave.

A Saudi architect, Sami Angawi, who is an acknowledged specialist on the region's Islamic architecture, told The Independent that the final farewell to Mecca is imminent: "What we are witnessing are the last days of Mecca and Medina."

According to Dr Angawi - who has dedicated his life to preserving Islam's two holiest cities - as few as 20 structures are left that date back to the lifetime of the Prophet 1,400 years ago and those that remain could be bulldozed at any time. "This is the end of history in Mecca and Medina and the end of their future," said Dr Angawi.

Mecca is the most visited pilgrimage site in the world. It is home to the Grand Mosque and, along with the nearby city of Medina which houses the Prophet's tomb, receives four million people annually as they undertake the Islamic duty of the Haj and Umra pilgrimages.

http://newageislam.com/the-last-days-of-mecca-and-medina--saudis-are-wiping-out-islamic-heritage---/radical-islamism-and-jihad/d/1101

Mumbai a stain on Islam: Real 'jihad' means fighting perpetrators of terror, Islam,Terrorism and Jihad, NewAgeIslam.com

Islam,Terrorism and Jihad

Mumbai a stain on Islam: Real 'jihad' means fighting perpetrators of terror

Mumbai a stain on Islam

By Usha Nellore

Nov 29, 08

They have an assortment of grievances. They are furious about India’s hold on Muslim Kashmir, India’s presence in Afghanistan and Iraq, India’s cooperation with the United States in the war on terror and India’s treatment of her Muslim minority. To them their jihad is righteous because it exterminates Hindus who are idolaters and pagans. A few incidental Muslim casualties are sacrifices that must be made to advance the supremacy of Islam and avenge Islamic lives lost in Chechnya, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kashmir, Iraq and Afghanistan.

But if they had nothing to avenge, if the world rolled over at their feet and capitulated they would still fight. Fundamentally these men are bored with their lives. There is so much more excitement in striking fear across the world while global leaders look helpless, in chuckling over the defeat of entire squadrons of intelligence agents, police forces and armies, in being guerrilla warriors across cityscapes than there is in staying home, studying hard, being responsible and making something useful out of themselves.

Most young Islamic militants spring from moderate Islamic homes where parents seem asleep at the wheel. When their sons wear the Muslim garb, read the Koran and attend a mosque, many are hoodwinked into believing that this is a sign of deep spirituality. It may be the first sign of deep hate.

http://newageislam.com/mumbai-a-stain-on-islam--real--jihad--means-fighting-perpetrators-of-terror--/islam,terrorism-and-jihad/d/1032

CHAPTER 6: TABLEEGHI JAMAAT - THE REMEDY OF A MENTAL UPHEAVAL , Books and Documents, NewAgeIslam.com

Books and Documents

CHAPTER 6: TABLEEGHI JAMAAT - THE REMEDY OF A MENTAL UPHEAVAL

by Maulana Arshadul Qadri

CHAPTER 6: TABLEEGHI JAMAAT - THE REMEDY OF A MENTAL UPHEAVAL

By Maulana Arshadul Qadri

They attach so much importance to physical movement that during the course of travel a man is totally detached from his own world or environment, and begins to rely on those people who are his fellow travelers. And to convince any person, this is the best time, where leisure and opportunity is available. Hence, at the very first step of the tour the idea of a disciple-like religious attachment with the Leader (Amir) of the Jamaat is imposed on the person so that none of the co-travelers are mentally free from the captivity of their religious environment.

In this manner, in the very first meeting, like a trust-worthy Murshid (Spiritual Leader), all the control of the program and the hobbies of the companions are transferred to the Ameer. Now this group of the faithful servants, reaching a populated area stays in a Mosque of their choice. After making rounds of the inhabited area, when this group returns, an advisory meeting is held (Mashwara), in which no outsider participates. This is a very delicate moment of attacking the minds and ideas from which it is very difficult for a man to escape.

http://newageislam.com/chapter-6--tableeghi-jamaat---the-remedy-of-a-mental-upheaval-by-maulana-arshadul-qadri--/books-and-documents/d/927

Makkah: Making the holy city smoke-free, Islamic Society, NewAgeIslam.com

Islamic Society

Makkah: Making the holy city smoke-free

Mohammed Rasooldeen I Arab News

RIYADH: Coinciding with the beginning of Ramadan, the Kingdom has launched an intensive anti-smoking campaign in the holy city of Makkah. Worshippers are being urged to make the holy city smoke-free.

“More than 100 health officials and a large contingent of scouts have taken positions around the Grand Mosque in Makkah to raise awareness about the negative effects of smoking,” Dr. Sameer Al-Sabban, executive director of the Anti-Smoking Campaign in Makkah, told Arab News yesterday.

“We have laun-ched this campaign at a time when thousands of local and foreign pilgrims are gathering at the Grand Mosque so that our message can reach the four corners of the globe,” he said.

“It’s a pity that people smoke around the Grand Mosque. Smoking is hazardous to the smokers and to the city’s environment. Officials from the Health Ministry are handing smokers pictures of the Grand Mosque and miswaks (traditional tooth-cleaning sticks),” said Al-Sabban, adding that this is an indirect message to raise awareness that smoking is forbidden in the area.

The health message in the picture is printed in seven foreign languages for the benefit of foreign pilgrims, said Al-Sabban, adding that the officials have been directed to walk around the Grand Mosque’s courtyard from iftar until suhoor.

http://newageislam.com/makkah--making-the-holy-city-smoke-free/islamic-society/d/698

700 women offer namaz at city mosque, Islamic Ideology, NewAgeIslam.com

Islamic Ideology

700 women offer namaz at city mosque

By Ranjit Deshmukh,TNN

15 Aug 2008

Altaf Ahmed, president of the masjid, said the Badi Masjid, as it was known earlier, was built on a plot donated by Cutchi Memon Jamat. It is the oldest mosque in Vidarbha region, he said. The renovation project started after the mosque was served a notice some five years ago by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation, warning that it was in a dilapidated condition.

"My father late Haji Abdul Majid Saik and former president of the masjid late Haji Mohd Aslam Ismail Sait played a key role in this project," Ahmed said. The mosque has three floors and has been fully airconditioned. It now has a total capacity of 2500 and a huge underground parking. A lot of exquisitely etched and fused glass was also used for beautification.

During renovation, the mimber (a sort of podium) for Imam and grills of the old mosque were left untouched. Similarly, the hauj (water tank) used by the devouts to wash their hands and face was also retained.

Ahmed said that it was double bonanza on August 15 as it happened to be a Friday and also the country's Independence Day. Hence, the day was chosen for inaugurating the renovated mosque.

http://newageislam.com/700-women-offer-namaz-at-city-mosque/islamic-ideology/d/566

Tolerate Sharia, yes, but never respect it, Islamic Sharia Laws, NewAgeIslam.com

Islamic Sharia Laws

Tolerate Sharia, yes, but never respect it

By Minette Marrin

Last week he gave a speech to a large audience at an east London mosque about the place of sharia in resolving disputes. He must have known, from the experiences of the Archbishop of Canterbury, that no matter what he said, his speech would be inflammatory; as Usama Hasan, an imam and an adviser to the Islamic Sharia Council here said at the time, it is very difficult to have a sensible discussion about sharia here because the subject is “like a red rag” to the public mind.

So, if such an important Establishment figure as Phillips takes it upon himself to stir up this nest of hornets, he must surely have something extremely important to say or to recommend. Yet – and this is the mystery – he appeared to be saying nothing new at all.

The headlines following his speech sounded predictably alarming: “British Muslims should be allowed to live by sharia law”, “Law chief backs the use of sharia law to solve disputes in UK”, “Sharia law could have UK role” and so on. No one quite said “sharia to be let in through back door shock”, but that was the general impression.

http://newageislam.com/tolerate-sharia,-yes,-but-never-respect-it/islamic-sharia-laws/d/177

Truth has no path, and that is the beauty of truth; it is living, Islamic Ideology, NewAgeIslam.com

Islamic Ideology

Truth has no path, and that is the beauty of truth; it is living

By JIDDU KRISHNAMURTI

Truth has no path, and that is the beauty of truth; it is living. A dead thing has a path to it because it is static, but when you see that truth is something living, moving, which has no resting place, which is in no temple, mosque or church, which no religion, teacher, philosopher, nobody can lead you to — then you will also see that this living thing is what you actually are: your anger, brutality, violence, despair, the agony and sorrow you live in. In the understanding of all this is the truth, and you can understand it only if you know how to look at those things in your life. And you cannot look through an ideology, through a screen of words, through hopes and fears.

So you see that you cannot depend upon anybody...there is no guide, no teacher, no authority. There is only you — your relationship with others and with the world — there is nothing else. When you realise this, it either brings great despair, from which comes cynicism and bitterness, or, in facing the fact that you and nobody else are responsible for the world and for yourself, for what you think, what you feel, how you act, all self-pity goes. Normally we thrive on blaming others, which is a form of self-pity.

http://newageislam.com/truth-has-no-path,-and-that-is-the-beauty-of-truth;-it-is-living/islamic-ideology/d/317

Imams back Advani on Ram Mandir issue , Current affairs , NewAgeIslam.com

Current affairs
Imams back Advani on Ram Mandir issue

By Kumar Uttam

When the Centre is battling for survival, AIOIM has put up five 'open questions': 1. Who can be the alternative? What are the options available before the masses? 2. If UPA and its constituents have failed to deliver what initiative is required to be taken by the NDA? 3. Is there a specific need to make Muslim backwardness an issue to target 'secular politics' and its negative fallout on community? 4. Are Muslims ready to make a shift? 5. How Imams of Mosque and their organisation can facilitate the required transformation?

The AIOIM answers them all. "The BJP and its allies can be the alternative provided common issues are highlighted. Social and economic issues are targeted. Communal issues are not focused."

It suggested the NDA to make a very strong peoples' movement against the Government of the day on its failure to check rise in prices of essential commodities. "Next election is neither on passion nor on development. It is simply on inflation and its impact on the men on streets," said AIOIM.

http://newageislam.com/imams-back-advani-on-ram-mandir-issue-/current-affairs/d/134

Ahmedi Persecution in Pakistan (Part 1): Police Act As Worship Place Looks Like a Mosque, Islam and Sectarianism, NewAgeIslam.com

Islam and Sectarianism

Ahmedi Persecution in Pakistan (Part 1): Police Act As Worship Place Looks Like a Mosque

by Rana Tanveer

The policemen etched out the verses at the main gate and entrance to the main hall. They were about to tear down the minarets, about five feet high, at the main gate too, but local Ahmedis convinced them to give them a day to cover them as demolishing them would have damaged the whole structure.

An Ahmedi familiar with the matter said that for several days, “irrelevant people” had been instigating non-Ahmedis in the area to complain about the place of worship. He said that they had applied to the local police for the registration of an FIR. He said that the deputy superintendent of police (DSP) concerned had met both sides on Tuesday and they had reached a compromise whereby no case would be registered provided the verses and minarets were removed.

http://www.newageislam.com/islam-and-sectarianism/rana-tanveer/ahmedi-persecution-in-pakistan-(part-1)--police-act-as-worship-place-looks-like-a-mosque/d/7256

Ahmedi Persecution In Pakistan (Part II):Worship Place No Longer Resembles a Mosque, Islam and Sectarianism. NewAgeIslam.com

Islam and Sectarianism

Ahmedi Persecution In Pakistan (Part II):Worship Place No Longer Resembles a Mosque

by Rana Tanveer

The police on Wednesday had removed some tiles with the Kalma and Quranic verses from the building entrance. They had planned on tearing down the flattened dome as well but agreed to give Baitul Hamd administration a couple of days to ensure that any resemblance to a mosque was removed.

Fazal Ahmed, a member of the administration committee, told The Express Tribune that though they had tried their best to make sure that the worship place’s entrance does not look like that of a mosque, it remained to be seen if the complainants and the police would be satisfied. “They might still object and demand that the flattened dome be removed altogether.”

http://www.newageislam.com/islam-and-sectarianism/rana-tanveer/ahmedi-persecution-in-pakistan-(part-ii)-worship-place-no-longer-resembles-a-mosque/d/7271

Whirling Dervishes: The Dance Of The Devout, Islamic Culture, NewAgeIslam.com

Islamic Culture

Whirling Dervishes: The Dance Of The Devout

by Sara Evans

The Museum of Wooden Artefacts and Stone Carving (Adliye Bulvari; 351 3204; open 9am to noon, then 1.30pm to 5.30pm; closed Mondays, admission around L2): once known as the Ince Minare Medresesi; inside you’ll find an octagonal minaret, an amazingly ornate doorway and wonderful carvings.

Sahib-i Ata Mosque (Larende Caddesi; open 9am to noon, then 1pm to 5pm; closed Mondays, free admission): functioning mosque complex with grand gateways and beautiful blue Seljuk tile work. Originally built in late 1280s, but restored in 13th-century style after it was destroyed by fire in 1875.

Alaaddin Mosque (Alaaddin Tepesi; open daily 8.30am to 5.30pm; free admission): Konya’s most important religious building after the Mevlâna Museum – an Arab-style edifice begun in the 12th century, with various additions and embellishments, including marble columns and stonework reused from Roman and Byzantine buildings.

http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-culture/sara-evans/whirling-dervishes--the-dance-of-the-devout/d/7304

''Quran School'': The Intercultural Theatre Project

Islamic Culture

''Quran School'': The Intercultural Theatre Project

by Susanne Kappe

This impression is communicated by more than just the Sunni community's Christmas greeting poster stuck on a column of the Fatih Mosque, or by the imam who relates the story of the revelation of the Koran in the local Mannheimer dialect and promises to reward his patient listeners with gummi bears. The children shouting outside in the playground as we sit in the mosque's impressive prayer room and the hip-hop music playing in the street also convey this sense of a life both vivid and perfectly normal.

http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-culture/susanne-kappe/--quran-school----the-intercultural-theatre-project/d/7322