LATEST ARTICLES
Radical Islamism and Jihad
Al-Zawahiri begins by addressing "Muslim
sisters," particularly those who wear the Hijab, saying the current war
rages against the Islamic Ummah at all levels – militarily, politically,
ideologically, culturally, educationally, or economically and others. He says:
"The reason behind this war is the danger the Muslim Ummah poses to the
existence of the modern global system, which is controlled by the leading
[international] criminals."...
Islam and Politics
“There is only one weapon you have if you don’t like the system or the
government. It’s the only way to bring things into action. It can bring about a
change, help remove someone from power. You can ask them to go, tell them that
you don’t want them,” he says....
Islamic World News
Preacher Abdul Somad under Fire For 'Blasphemous' Remarks Against Christian Cross
Triple Talaq: Plea in Delhi HC Says Law Violates Rights of Muslim Husbands
200 Pak Twitter Accounts Suspended Over Kashmir Posts
Afghans Voice Fears That the U.S. Is Undercutting Them in Deal with the Taliban
Nigeria: Boko Haram - 35,000 Killed So Far in Nigeria - UN
Internet Infrastructure Companies Must Help Keep Extremists Offline
Turkish Army Sends Massive Military Convoys to Idlib to Support Tahrir Al-Sham Terrorists
Compiled By New Age Islam News Bureau
For Details and More News from All Regions, Please Click, ‘Read More'
Islam, Women and Feminism
End Child Marriage 'Hell' for Indonesian Girls, Lawmaker Urges
Al Owais Praises Growing Role of Women In UAE's FNC Elections
Protests by Different Strata in Various Cities Across Iran
London Man Attempted To Punch Disabled Muslim Woman and Ran Off Shouting “P*Ki”
Indian Woman Beaten To Death over Triple Talaq: Family
Sexual Harassment Law Urgently Needed, Says Sisters in Islam
Turkish Red Crescent Leads With Women Humanitarians
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Islam and Politics
Outsiders may wonder how any political movement in India could question
Muslims’ contribution to society. India is a thoroughly multicultural place,
and Muslims have contributed for centuries, even ruling the country at times.
Muslim emperors built some of India’s brightest cultural treasures, including
the Taj Mahal....
Spiritual Meditations
This is the way India has always lived. This was not her weakness but
feminine strength. This is the strength of the superior quality of love and
compassion born out of meditation and spirituality. This is the reason we call
our country Mother India. We call the whole earth Mother Earth. Vande
Mataram...
Islam and the West
The United States is a
wonderful country that thrives on contradictions. It tops the world on economy,
technology, military hardware and propaganda. Its ideals, however, flounder
upon practice because its people excel in doublespeak….
Radical Islamism and Jihad
Though it was the epicentre of all terrorist activities, Pakistan had
long delayed the operation in North Waziristan, as the region also provided
shelter to its own terrorist proxy, the Haqqani Network....
Bangla Section
কাশ্মীরিদের সন্ত্রাসবাদকে ফারজ-এ-আইন (প্রতিটি মুসলমানের জন্য বাধ্যতামূলক দায়িত্ব) হিসাবে বিবেচনা করার জন্য কাশ্মীরিদের প্রতি আপনার বারবার পরামর্শের মাধ্যমে ইসলামী শরিয়া সম্পর্কে আপনার সম্পূর্ণ বোঝার অভাব স্পষ্ট হয়ে উঠেছে । ফারজ-এ-আইন সম্পর্কে প্রাথমিক জ্ঞান ও আপনার কাছে নেই বলে মনে হয়। আমি আপনাকে ফিকহের সবচেয়ে গুরুত্বপূর্ণ দুটি বিদ্যালয়ের (ইসলামিক আইনশাস্ত্র) ফারজ-এ-আইন সম্পর্কিত কয়েকটি সংক্ষিপ্ত সংজ্ঞা উদ্ধৃত করি।...
Malayalam Section
കഴിഞ്ഞ കുറച്ച് ദിവസങ്ങളായി ഞാൻ നിങ്ങളെ ടെലിവിഷൻ ചാനലുകളിൽ കാണുന്നു, ഇസ്ലാമിനെ സമാധാനത്തിന്റെ മതമായി പ്രതിരോധിക്കുകയും ഇസ്ലാമിക് സ്റ്റേറ്റ് എന്ന് വിളിക്കപ്പെടുന്നതിനെ “അൺ-ഇസ്ലാമിക്” എന്ന് വിളിക്കുകയും ഞാൻ പൂർണമായും അംഗീകരിക്കുന്ന വികാരങ്ങളും…
BEST OF BEFORE ARTICLES
Islamic Society
If they
did not want any interference from an un-Islamic government in their Personal
Laws, they should have woken up and acted before the government acted. At
least, with the passing of this Bill, the shops of mullahs running Halala
business will be closed and women will be saved from going through the
indignity of Halala and blackmailing in the name of Triple Talaq....
Radical Islamism and Jihad
The U.N. Human Rights Council passed a resolution, proposed by Pakistan
on behalf of Islamic states, last March, condemning “defamation of religion” as
a human rights violation. Speaking for the 56-nation Organization of the
Islamic Conference (OIC), Pakistan said that “Islam is frequently and wrongly
associated with human rights violations and terrorism.” It called on states “to
deny impunity” for those exhibiting intolerance of ethnic and religious
minorities, and “to take all possible measures to promote tolerance and respect
for all religions and beliefs.”
However, Mr. President, news reports often emanate from Islamic
countries, particularly Pakistan, of intolerance of and disrespect for minority
religious beliefs. We also see free publication and distribution of Jihadi
literature associating Islam with and indeed promoting human rights violations
and extremist violence. Even school and madrasa text books are not free from
extremist and exclusivist teachings, asking Muslims to stay away from religious
and cultural celebrations of other religious communities. Pakistan’s notorious
anti-blasphemy laws ensure that members of religious minorities are either
lynched by mobs or awarded death sentences on mere accusations of blasphemy.
The case of a Christian lady Aasia Bibi, mercifully out of the country now, has
brought this issue to world’s attention. Ahmadiya Muslims are officially
excluded from Islam and even debarred from claiming to be Muslim in any way.
Like non-Muslim minorities, they too suffer indignities of various kinds in
their daily life. Hundreds of young Hindu girls are routinely abducted and
forcibly converted to Islam and raped in the name of marriage.
While this resolution seeks to protect Islam from defamation through any
association with terrorism, the religion is routinely defamed in Muslim
countries by publication of literature justifying violence against non-Muslim
civilians. The very title of a long essay in the Taliban mouthpiece
Nawa-e-Afghan Jihad was: ‘Circumstances in which the killing of innocent people
among infidels is justified.’
I would, therefore, urge the Council to ask the Muslim countries to
treat intolerance of minorities and Jihadi literature too as defaming the
religion of Islam....
Islam and Politics
Maulana
Tauqeer Raza Khan Barailwi has supported the law on Triple Talaq criminalising
instant divorce as Shariah-compliant as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
(ISIS) had also done this in its Book of Law as per articles in its mouthpiece
magazines like Dabiq and Rumayyia....
The
self-declared custodians of Islam in India like the All India Muslim Personal
Law Board (AIMPLB), Darul Uloom Deoband, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and
Jama’t-e-Islami are warning that India may turn into Darul Harb (land of
war) owing to the ‘forced changes’ in the Islamic Shariah. Such a declaration
would make it mandatory for a Muslim to either migrate to other lands or fight
against the state of India. Nothing could be more irresponsible than this. Even
a mention of Darul Harb in the context of present-day secular,
democratic India and in the present volatile situation is extremely dangerous.
In its March 2009 fatwa issued after Bombay blasts Darul Uloom Deoband had
said: “In Darul Harb territory, jihad is legitimate.” The fatwa added
that “India had ceased to be a Darul Harb with the end of colonial
rule.” Now if it is again declared Darul Harb, will ulema be making Jihad in
India legitimate?...
Islamic Society
Sultan Shahin, Editor, New Age Islam
Sultan Shahin, Editor, New Age Islam
Prophet Mohammad was very emphatic in his views on animal sacrifice: “if you MUST kill, kill without torture.” Unfortunately, this admonition is also ignored. The two million animals that were sacrificed in Saudi Arabia at the end of Hajj yesterday had been brought to the country in most horrible conditions, many of them dying en route.
I personally witnessed the torture animals go through when I was in Karachi on Baqr Eid, a few years ago. The whole city appeared to have turned into a slaughter house. One could hear the cries of goats and sheep for days before Eid, while they were still being traded in city squares and even in roundabouts on major arterial roads. The animals apparently knew what fate was awaiting them. It was the obscenity of the whole scene that I cannot forget. Baqr Eid, the holiest of days, had descended into an orgy of blood-letting, with the “devotion” that God requires completely missing.
The callousness we Muslims display towards animals would give the impression that the religion of Islam is indifferent to the fate of animals. In fact, Islam requires Muslims to protect, not just Human Rights, but HuqooqulIbaad or the rights of all creations of God.
HuqooqulIbaad is considered so important that it is given primacy even over Huqooq Allah or our duties towards God. While God may forgive us for our transgressions, given his Benevolent and Merciful nature, His creations will not even recognise us on the Day of Judgement. So we must fulfil our duties towards creations of God in this very world, since we cannot hope for forgiveness from them on the Day of Judgement.
Muslims should also remember the conduct of the Prophet in treating animals with kindness. On many occasions, during his journeys, he delayed prayers for the sake of first relieving the animals of their burden, and giving them food and water. He would refuse to lead prayers until animals were looked after first. He told several stories of people being forgiven all their sins for having shown consideration for a dog or a cat. According to Imam Abu Dawud, the Prophet forbade the hitting of animals on their faces and branding them. He also forbade sports based on animal fights.
Islamic World News
‘You’ll
See Several Steps For J&K, Ladakh Soon’, Says Mukesh Ambani At Reliance AGM
Pak
Rangers Skip Eid Tradition at Attari-Wagah Border, Say No Sweets for BSF
After
Ivanka Trump Wishes Muslims 'Eid Mubarak' On Twitter, Critics Remind Her Of
Father's Muslim Travel Ban
Khalilzad
Hopes This Will Be The ‘Last Eid Where Afghanistan Is At War’
Israel
May ‘Spark A War’ If It Joins US-Led Flotilla In Persian Gulf, Iran’s Navy
Chief Warns
Compiled
By New Age Islam News Bureau
For Details And More News From
All Regions, Please Click, ‘Read More'
Islamic Society
Islam neither allows forced conversion nor accepts
the faith of those who are forcibly converted to Islam. Forced conversion can’t
create love and faith in one’s heart, as Islamic faith is not related to
outward following of rituals, but rather it is a matter of acceptance by
heart....
Radical Islamism and Jihad
Dr
Ayman al-Zawahiri, you should have sought to understand the philosophy of
Kashmiriyat that reigns in Kashmir before writing your latest missive. The
Muslims of Kashmir have traditionally understood the message of Islam much
better than the fundamentalists and exclusivists who present Islam as a
totalitarian, fascist, political ideology of world domination, which seeks to
eliminate all the scores of religions sent by God before Prophet Mohammad. This
is the reason why even those Kashmiri politicians who now advocate secession
have contested elections for the legislative Assemblies constituted under
India’s secular and progressive constitution. This is the reason why only a few
Kashmiri youth have taken to the path of terror, which you call Jihad. Most of
the terrorism seen in the state of Jammu and Kashmir has been part of a proxy
war waged by neighbouring Pakistan for its own ends. Pakistan, of course, has
turned export of terrorism to a fine art, affecting all corners of the globe....
Islamic Ideology
Qital was used for the battles that were fought during the initial years
when the opponents of Islam were hell-bent on wiping out Muslims. The word Jahd
(struggle or strive) has been used for peaceful propagation of faith both
physically and financially....
Debating Islam
Reform of Muslim personal law is the need of the hour. A demand for this has been made for decades in conferences, seminars and marches, organised by several progressive Islamic organisations including New Age Islam Foundation. These demands need to be intensified and peaceful demonstrations organised on a large scale, demanding that the government reform these laws. It will inevitably be opposed and equally inevitably expose the two-facedness of Islamic fundamentalists in the country. This would lead to a much needed debate on the hypocrisy of our ulema.
Faced with a barrage of questions, the ulema have now decided to challenge the progressive Muslims on their theological knowledge and more importantly, the courage, to stand up to their beliefs. At the same time, they are blaming them for encouraging courts to intervene, while taking their regular subversive position that courts and government should not intervene in matters of Muslim Personal Law as it is a matter of faith.
Rather than being cowed into silence or even dismiss this challenge as an effort to obfuscate matters, progressive Muslims should pick up the gauntlet and battle it out. This should be used as a great opportunity to breach the total stagnation that has prevailed in Islamic theological debates in the country. This will not only help the victims of our Anglo-Mohammedan Personal Law but also help open up issues related to violent extremism that is attracting our youth more and more in the absence of debate. For instance, accepting that triple talaq is not a part of Quranic teachings or even Hadith (sayings of the Prophet). A classical Muslim scholar, Hafeez Nomani, has asked if Quran alone is legitimate Islamic scripture and whether a bid’at (innovation) like triple talaq ordered by the second Caliph Hazrat Umar cannot be considered legitimate. He then goes on to ask that if triple talaq cannot be accepted, as it is a bid’at, then what about Quran, which in its present form is itself an innovation ordered by the same caliph and completed by the third Caliph Hazrat Usman.
These are among the issues that Muslims need to debate urgently for the wider good of the community as well as the nation and the world. We must never forget the solemn warning issued by Canadian scholar Winfred Cantwell Smith in mid-20th century that a healthy, functioning Islam is crucial for world peace. Clearly, the Islam today is not healthy and functioning. So it is not only the Muslims but the nation at large that should welcome an opportunity to debate and understand Islamic theological issues.
Radical Islamism and Jihad
I didn’t see you questioning the notorious
tele-evangelist Dr. Zakir Naik when he said: “all Muslims should be terrorists”
or when he said: “Quran allows Muslims to have sex with female slaves.” Indeed,
you all kept quiet when Naik made hateful remarks like the following: “People
in the west eat pork and hence behave like pigs. Pigs are the only animals in
the world that invite their friends to have sex with their partners. Westerners
also do the same.” Naik has made insulting other religions in the guise of
comparative study or interfaith dialogue his speciality. But I find almost the
entire fraternity of Muslim ulema coming out in his defence when it was
discovered that his discourse inevitably inspired several people around the
world who took to the path of terrorism.
Worst of all, you and all other ulema kept quiet
when Maulana Abdul Aleem Islahi of Hyderabad asked Muslims to pray for the
Islamic State. In a press release available online he said: “Condemnation of
their (Islamic State’s) action may not be called sagacity and will be
considered against the spirit of Islam. … they have tried to fulfil the dream
of a large section of Muslims and their determination has infused a new life
into the concept of Caliphate. Their announcement (of caliphate) has surpassed
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and Maulana Abul Ala Maududi’s powerful writings and
speeches about Caliphate and has realized the concept practically. …..