Books and Documents
It has been abused by one and all ranging from rulers to clandestine
cults to justify and legitimize their actions all in the name of Jihad, and observing
commandments of Islam. The mainstream corporate media has used it to reinforce
the stereotypical image of Muslims as violent people for whom still the sword
is the dominant force....
And the stories encompass the Middle East and Central Asia, as well as
India, Indonesia, Russia and the United Kingdom. Kamaly’s unusual selection
might raise eyebrows, while historical scholars may frown at the simplification
of complex histories into fast-paced narrations of these extraordinary women's
lives….
Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru wanted a no-war pact with Prime Minister
Liaquat Ali Khan. The mere fact that it was actually discussed measures for us
the “normal” goodwill that existed despite the years of quarrelling during the
Pakistan Movement….
‘What, with twenty-two-and-a-half years of life expectancy and five pice
per person per day of national income? We’ve had enough of Rama and Krishna.
Not that I do not admire these great figures of our traditions, but there’s
work to be done. And not to clasp hands before idols while misery and slavery
beleaguer us.’....
For others, it may offer a
healthy antidote to the relentless and duplicitous dual diet(s) of Diriliş:
Ertuğrul and piety induced by Maulana Tariq Jameel (discerning readers may note
that the resemblance to another irksome Maulana in the letter itself, which is
of course entirely fictional) favoured and advocated by our own Prime Minister
of Naya Pakistan during the current Ramazan season....
Islam and its Holy scripture Quran, was revealed to change this scheme
of things. Instead its message of liberation, empowerment and freedom was
bogged down by the patriarchal interpretation of its message. This patriarchal
interpretation has been a norm for most Ulama. They have justified it in the
name of Islam….
ElifShafak takes a piercing, unflinching look at the trauma women’s
minds and bodies are subjected to in a social system determined by patriarchal
codes. Surely, we can say that in the lines of Zarbakht Bilal “The Forty Rules
of Love is a mesmerizing blend of love, religion and spirituality” ….
In 1772, Warren Hastings, then governor, enforced that all Indians would
be subject to Indian law and that the approach to this law would be text-based
rather than based on local custom. Medieval Islamic Law varied in theory and
practice widely between the four Sunni and two major Shia schools and was
fundamentally constructed on different principles with different goals from
English law…..
Relationship Between Religion and Love
Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander, New Age Islam
In the jargon of legal
jurisprudence, sectarianism, prejudice and hate, love is rendered oblivious
from the mainstream. Sufis among others discuss, engage and articulate the
narrative of Love among Muslims....
Islamic
Revivalist Movements particularly Jamaat e Islami (JeI) witnessed many phases
in South Asia. In different countries it adopted different methodologies to
achieve its goal of establishing the Islamic state. It’s founding ideologue
Mawlana Abul Ala Mawdudi (1903-1979) was an influential scholar, writer and political
activist whose legacy and works are still open for debate....
The discourse on women
rights in Islam is a contested one. For traditionalists the scope of women’s
activities is confined just to her home and hearth. Child rearing, raising
them, taking care of home are the priorities. The economic activities of women and
working outside her home are curtailed in this discourse. For this economic
freedom, women have to surrender few rights and a narrative mired with
patriarchy emerges. ….
Several Western books have dealt with the Arab left and communism in the
region (especially in Palestine and Egypt) but much about the subject is still
shrouded in mystery. There is more
literature about Arab communism and socialism in Arabic but much of it is
written by their opponents. ...
What we require is a vivid life portrait of this foremost persona of the
twentieth century, a personality-driven narrative covering the period from his
birth to death, along with salient aspects of his contemporary legacy, in order
to lay bare the bold and inspirational nature of his story, revealing the blood
with which the Preamble was written….
Religion has the potential to offer this meaning and solace to the
disturbed souls on the one hand and on the other it does interact with
institutions. The relationship between science and religion, secularism and
religion, politics and religion is entangled in debates, discussions and
deliberations about the scope, influence, impact and interaction of the two….
These names have not only devoted
their lives to curing patients but have also written novels and short stories,
and rendered into Urdu some masterpieces of world literature....
The
Muslim world today is rife with violence. The violence is rooted and justified
mostly in the name of religion. Each sect, group and community of Muslims have
found legitimacy for their violent struggles from a certain reading and
interpretation of Islamic scriptures particularly the Holy Quran. The verses
are interpreted in such a manner that they build a certain narrative that
justifies and legalizes violence in the name of Islam….
A premise suggested at the outset is that actions of politicians and
bureaucrats dealing with the consequences of partition were determined by a
variety of considerations: one of the critical priorities for both governments
in the midst of all the chaos and violence of riots,…
He crucially argued that they should disregard traditional authorities –
governments, religious scholars, tribal leaders, parents – in matters of jihad.
There have been extremist training camps named after him in Syria, mosques in
Yemen, the West Bank, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Gaza and Sudan….
The mystical book expounds the profound meanings of Sufi teachings and
is often dubbed as ‘a manual for Sufis’. Written originally in Arabic and
translated into Persian by Izzuddin Muhammad, Awaarif-ul-Maarif became very
popular in the Islamic world as it tries to reconcile the differences between
Tariqah (Sufism) and Shariah (the Islamic law) ….
Barren
sandy desert, extremely hot climate, and scarcity of water resources made the
heartland of the Arabian Peninsula an inhospitable abode for man
since ancient times. Its original people were pagans, except for some
Unitarians (ahnaf) who contemplated on the Oneness of God. In the post
Judeo-Christian era, pockets of wet fertile land attracted Jewish and Christian
settlers from the adjoining regions, and became isolated centres of trade and
commerce. However, the vast stretches of the desert heartland that only
sustained a nomadic life, remained in a primitive state until the advent of
Islam. The nomadic tribes had preserved their ancestral paganism, with each
tribe having its own idol; and the Ka‘ba, a cubical shrine at the heart of an
ancient sanctuary (Haram) in Mecca, was the centre of idol worship. The
nomadic Arabs were largely unlettered, had no notion of central state or
kingdom, and their social and moral norms were based on traditions (Sunnah) and
dictated by the struggle for survival. .....
Although Islam came to
India after it had played out its progressive role, and its leadership had been
wrested from the learned and cultured Arabs, the revolutionary principles of
the days of its origin and ascendancy were still inscribed on its flag; and a
critical study of history might reveal that the Muslim conquest of India was
facilitated by similar native factors as In the case of Persia and the
Christian countries….
Critics were full of praise, with Variety calling it
“an eye-opening thriller brew of corruption, cover-up and real-world courage”.
Alec Baldwin tweeted his approval, praising the “numbing and beautiful” film.
“The truth is being dismembered in Washington,” he wrote.,,,
AI Kandi, AI Hassan, AI
Farabi, Avicena, Al Gazali, Abubakr, Avempace, Al Phetragius. (The Arabian
names are so contracted in historical works written in European languages)—these
are names memorable in the annals of human culture; and the fame of the great
Averroes has been immortalised as that of the man who made the forerunners of
modern civilization acquainted with the genius of Aristotle...
What prevents the recognition of the presence of critique in Islam is
the “inability of our prevalent frameworks,” an important example of which is
“the Enlightenment legacy” which understands critique as being that “of
religion other than Christianity,” rather than it occurring “from within
non-Christian religion”...
Atheists often raise these sorts of questions in their critique of the
concept of God. If God were really true and if God were truly powerful, good
and just, as is claimed by those who believe in God, surely God wouldn’t have
permitted ‘innocent’ people to suffer, they would say....