Before leaving Diyarbakir on 19th December, 2010, for the last stop-over in Turkey, Gaziantep, the Asia to Gaza Solidarity Caravan visited the grave of Ali Haydar Bengi, the local man who got killed in the Israeli attack on flotilla from Turkey on 31 May, 2010, in international waters of Mediterrean

It is Christmas time once again. It is the season of rejoicing; of giving and receiving; of raising our hands in Thanksgiving. My earliest recollections of Christmas festivities are associated with the socks which, we as children (even in Hindu homes), would hang up somewhere (not by the fireside, a

Pakistani society owes much to numerous progressive left-wing individuals, as well as small groups. They unionized industrial and railway workers, helped peasants organize against powerful landlords, inspired Pakistan’s minority provinces to demand their rights, set standards of writing and journali

Muslims have convinced themselves that they are super-humans. They believe that the world should be very attentive to the Muslims’ religious and cultural sensitivities while they can persecute any minority
On an international level, people from every religion exchange greeting cards to commemorate

The 70th annual conference of Association of Surgeons of India (ASICON) being held in All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) campus, New Delhi, India, is showcasing recent and most modern advancements in surgery. More than 7000 surgeons from India and other countries are participating in AS

The TB Photovoice Project, the winner of the 2010 TB Survival Prize, started as a one man's way to deal with the loss of his beloved ones to tuberculosis (TB). By now, it is touching the lives of many people around the world, helping – through pictures and narratives – to empower and raise the voice

After overcoming the initial obstacles in South Asia, where, first the Pakistani government denied visas to some Indians, then Indian government delayed permission to those of its citizens who had obtained visas from the Pakistani government to cross the Wagha border on foot, and the biggest disappo

Oft in the noisy nights, when smog hides the starry lights, the wafting smells of childhood make my world look bright. Those were the days when innocence had not lost its naivety to the allure of the mobile phone, or the ready access to internet porn sites, or the dizzying effect of television reali

An Asia to Gaza caravan is being planned from New Delhi to Gaza during the month of December, 2010, as part of the international effort to break the three year old blockade of Gaza by Israeli forces. This is probably the first time such an ambitious caravan, through land route, has been planned to e

A peacock seems to love the evening namaaz (the Muslim prayer) in a village of Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh. It dances in the courtyard of the mosque throughout the evening prayer. So the locals call it the ‘jannat ka parinda’(the bird from heaven). It spreads its wings and dances in gay ab

The recent spate of misogynist fatwas from the Darul Uloom Deoband proves that some Muslim seminaries are still stuck in the medieval era and have no plans to reform themselves despite the victimising role they play in the lives of the Muslims almost on a daily basis.While one of the fatwas legitimi

Tuberculosis (TB) continues to affect society's most vulnerable - those who live in abject poverty, are marginalized or economically and socially isolated. The poor and vulnerable people are much more likely to suffer from TB due to socioeconomic factors. The poor face significant costs and delays i

To those of us who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s, we know how identity group intolerance caused Americans to fight each other and how it divided our nation. We've been there - done that. We don't want a divided nation again. We remember the past, to provide context to those who want drag our nation

I watched a programme on Asia Bibi and the amendments in Blasphemy Law on 30th November at News Beat and the programme host was Mehar Bukhari of Samaa TV. It is interesting to note that she has invited 2 senior journalists Saeed Chaudhry and Haroon Rasheed to justify that Blasphemy Law is right, and

Aey Aadam K Beto , Main Hawa Ki Beti
Tumharay Adal Ki Muntazir Hu
Mujhe Batao Zameen K Khudaon
Ye Kesi Tumhari Munafqat Hay
Kisi Ko Bakhsha Hay Tum Nay Rutba
Kisi Ko Ruswaiyo Ko Paishaa .
Kisi Ko Maa K Martabath Pay
Bita K Din Raat Poojtay Ho
Kisi Ki Majboorio Ko Tum
Khanaktay Sikko Main

At the forthcoming Biennial Conference of the Irish Forum for Global Health (IFGH) in Maynooth, Ireland, one of the two keynote guest lectures - The John Kevany Memorial lecture - will be delivered by Dr Zeda Rosenberg, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the International Partnership for Microbicides

Isaiah 2:1-5, Romans 13: 11-14, Psalm 122, Matthew 24: 36-44
Advent Waiting-Anhelo-Longing
Yesterday morning I was meeting a young couple in my office to prepare them for their wedding. The gentleman is from India and his fiancée from La Crosse with Norwegian decent. At our meeting we shared th

Three-quarters of all blindness can be prevented or treated. Avoidable blindness poses an enormous challenge to healthcare system, particularly in low- and middle- income countries. There are nine million people in Africa alone with preventable blindness, out of which 50-75% people are blind due to

Overview
As the discord between modern and traditional Muslims is ideological by nature, so is the conflict between Islam and the West. And ideology is more about power, influence and identity than a mere reflection of culture and belief system. While modern Muslim elites are unwilling to concede

The fatwas that the Dar ul-Ulum, Deoband, India’s largest madrasa, dishes out with distressing regularity may or may not be taken seriously by many Muslims, but there is no doubt that they certainly are by the dominant (largely non-Muslim) media. That these fatwas have a curious have a knack of hogg

Dr. Inayatullah, a well regarded intellectual and co-founder of the Council of Social Sciences (Pakistan), was born on June 3, 1931 and passed away recently. He obtained his Master’s degree in Sociology from Michigan State University and a PhD in Political Science from Indiana University in the USA.

The discussions at the recently concluded 41st Union World Conference on Lung Health, in Berlin, brought forth several connections between diabetes and tuberculosis, clearly showing a link between non communicable and communicable diseases. According to Professor Anthony Harries, a seasoned physici

In “The causes of Indian Revolt” Sir Syed Ahmed Khan accused the so-called ‘low’ caste Ansaris, whom he abusively referred to as ‘Julahas’, for ‘being the most active’ in the Revolt.[vi] Ali Anwar argues that the publication of this book in Urdu, and then its translation into English, was a well-des

We just observed the World Diabetes Day and also Children’s Day in India. We are also in the middle of an international conference on Lung Health in Berlin ( 41st Union World Conference on Lung Health, Berlin, Germany. There can be better way to meaningfully link all these events together than by t

Diabetes is a leading threat to public health and, along with other non-communicable diseases (NCDs), is a major contributor to morbidity and mortality globally. The largest burden -- 80% (28 million) -- occurs in low- and middle- income countries, making NCDs a major cause of poverty and an urgent

On the eve of the 41st Union World Conference on Lung Health, being held in Berlin, Germany (11-15 November 2010), the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development (TB Alliance) celebrated its 10th anniversary bash by announcing the launch of the first clinical trial to test a novel tuberculosis regimen,

If we start to ponder in History we came to know that in Pakistan Christianity was first introduced in Punjab .In 1948-50 Pastor John Newton and Pastor Forman started preaching Gospel in Lahore .F C College (Forman Christian College) in Lahore is still a living proof of this fact which is in the nam

Tobacco use, tuberculosis (TB), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are all burgeoning problems in resource poor settings. The evidence of their potentially devastating effects on global public health is increasing and they require a coordinated approach for control. These diseases all

Pakistan, especially Punjab, is ruled by non Punjabis comprising Arabs, Uzbeks, Persians, Pathans. One can now include Kashmiris and Muhajirs as well. Muhajir community comprises two kinds of people. First type people originally belong to Middle East, Iran, Central Asia that came to India as invader

At the tuberculosis (TB) and poverty sub-working group meeting which was held recently in India (29-30 October 2010), the experience of Thailand in responding to TB particularly among those who were poor (or uninsured) was in the spotlight. The government of Thailand along with other partners has ta

The 41st Union World Conference on Lung Health will be held on 11-15 November 2010 in Berlin, Germany, and is expected to be attended by 2500 delegates from over 100 countries. The theme of this year's conference is "Tuberculosis (TB), HIV and lung health: from research and innovation to solutions."

World Diabetes Day is on 14th November. Diabetes, one the four priority non-communicable diseases (NCDs) identified by the World Health Organization (WHO), remains a misunderstood and neglected epidemic with numbers increasing alarmingly in every region of the world. According to the International D

2010 is Year of the Lungs
With the 41st Union World Conference on Lung Health hardly two weeks ahead of us, the issues which emerged at the 39th Union World Conference on Lung Health in Paris, France, where CNS was present, are worth re-visiting. With 50% of all deaths from lung disease linked to t

Today, Kashmiri-Canadians from coast to coast and Kashmiris all over the world are observing 63rd anniversary of Indian occupation of Kashmir as a “Black Day.” It was exactly 63 years ago, on October 27th, 1947, when the Indian troops invaded and occupied a sovereign nation of Jammu and Kashmir. The

Racism was absent in the earliest church and in the non-Christian society surrounding it. Christians and other subjects of the Roman Empire simply did not make distinctions based on race. In fact, mentions of a person’s skin colour are so rare as to be insignificant. For instance, the Christian B

In examining the human rights challenges of the both anti-Islam movement and religious extremists who rationalize anti-human rights views based on their interpretation of Islam, we must first recognize the impact of intolerance and name-calling in this debate. If we allow such debates to be control

The call for a better, integrated approach to HIV and tuberculosis (TB) care has been getting louder worldwide in the past years. Equally, in terms of advocacy integration of the two diseases is gradually growing. People living with HIV speaking up on TB increasingly help put tuberculosis higher on

Urging media to help focus the attention of society on the inhuman practice of manual scavenging, UNICEF Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) specialist Mr Amit Mehrotra, said that, proper and sustained sanitation drives will surely help in eradication of many killer diseases, including diarrhea, ty

People often associate the Middle East with oil. But in the region’s cities, villages and farms, access to a different resource is becoming rather problematic: water. Addressing this issue can not only ensure a sustainable future, but will also help create conditions for lasting peace.
There is a s

As the Israeli-Palestinian talks stall, the United States should consider this opportunity to reassess the negotiation process more broadly. Previous talks have suffered from lack of both transparency and inclusiveness: for most of the past 20 years, an extremely small group of high-level political

I remember when I was a teenager in Tehran the following verse from the Qur’an was frequently recited after prayers at Al-Anbiyâ, our local mosque: “The Messenger believes in that which has been revealed unto him from his Lord and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in God and His angels and Hi

None other can be the greatest hindrance in the progress of a person then to say, “I know myself better than anybody else.” We never had time to judge ourselves critically. We got less time to pause and ponder about shortcomings of the self. We see what pleases us and hear what pleases our ears and

Having faced ages of neglect, denial and invisibility, "Kothis" (feminised males) are now being mobilized by groups like 'Bharosa' in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (India) to be empowered and demonstrate leadership in reaching out within their community for increasing access to essential services including

That he welcomed two complete strangers knocking on his door on a rainy Parisian summer day is yet one more testimonial to the late Professor Mohammed Arkoun’s kindness and humility. After being greeted on the threshold of their apartment by his lovely wife, we were introduced to him, his son and hi

The Arabic word for olive is zaytun. Qur’anic and Biblical scriptures have deemed the olive an extraordinary fruit due to its many benefits, and call the olive tree a symbol of purity and light. Thus, it is only fitting that the first Muslim college in the United States, carrying the light of knowle

In August 2008, one of the worst communal genocide attempts on the Christian community occurred in Orissa's Kandhamal district, among India's poorest places. Over 100 people including women, differently-abled, children, Adivasis and Dalits were killed. 3 women were gang raped and many were injured.

National Diabetes Obesity and Cholesterol Foundation (N-DOC)” with support from Department Of Science & Technology, Ministry Of Science & Technology and Chronic Care Foundation had organized a Consensus Conference of physicians, endocrinologists, metabolic specialists, cardiologists, paediatricians,

We Indians have a tendency to delve in the past and then either gloat over it or cry over it. We love to waste time and energy, reminiscing about the yesteryears, with scant thoughts of improving our present and future. We do not let 'Bygones be Bygones', but rather cling to them in a sadistic sort

Despite progress made in recent years, tuberculosis (TB) remains a challenge for the world, participants heard at the special opening session of the Second Global Forum on TB Vaccines in Tallinn, Estonia. New vaccines could make a significant difference.
Christopher Dye of the World Health Organiza

This year, on the ninth anniversary of the 11 September attacks, many Americans were scared that violence would ensue as a result of a planned Qur’an burning and the controversy over an Islamic cultural centre, Park51, in lower Manhattan. Thankfully, the day came and went with no major eruptions of

Religious leaders should advocate the spirit of God’s words, which make no distinction between colour and creed and are found in all religions’ divine revelations. It is God’s will that our societies be culturally and religiously diverse, as He says in the Qur’an: “And if thy Lord had willed, He ver

Whether or not one believes that religion unites or divides communities, it is unarguably a fundamental element in the formation of human society. As such, it is understandable that religion can be an important element when it comes to resolving conflicts.
Our experience in the Arab Group for Musl

With just a year to go, the countdown to the UN Summit on Non Communicable Diseases (to be held in September, 2011 in Brussels) has already begun. The Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) Alliance, (consisting of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), World Heart Federation, Union for International

Catholic Church is the largest disciplined faith based organization in the world with its seemingly clear ideology and implementation strategy. It has always stood against corruption, injustice and never turned face against death if that could restore justice. On the other side it has also a long h

While the build up to the renewed Israeli-Palestinian negotiations – the first direct talks in almost ten years to be brokered by the United States – was largely greeted with an excess of pessimism on the part of many observers, the fact that they have been resumed is, on its own, something of an ac

Jalaluddin Haqqani has become one of the most feared ‘pawns’ in the chess game occurring along the Pak-Afghan border. In effect, Haqqani moves more like a bishop in employing a seasoned offensive strategy that he has perfected during the course of the last 30 years. Calculated. Defined. Never in the

Although our President Obama says that having as many Muslims to build a Mosque in America is just like allowing other nations and practicing religions to have the freedom to worship. Question is what’s the rationale behind this? Why does a religion that empowers jihad, martyrdom, and suicide bomber

I am a man of faith. I have been a Christian pastor for 25 years in the United Methodist Church. It is out of this deep commitment to the principles of my faith that I felt I needed to do something – anything – in response to the potential hate crime that was going to be perpetrated by a church, the

Every year Eid ul-Fitr, the celebration marking the end of Ramadan, happens on a different day, approximately 11 days earlier than the year before. This year, it arrived last Thursday in some parts of the world, but most of us celebrated on Friday, depending on which night the new moon was sighted b

I have developed an overwhelming urge to tell everyone I meet I’m a Muslim.
As a Muslim woman who doesn’t wear a headscarf, I’m often mistaken for a Latina and other ethnicities that my features match. But as anti-Muslim sentiment has risen across the United States, so has my urge to say: “Hey Amer

Panchtantra is a literary work per excellence. It has the framework that encompasses fable narrative to prove its premise. It is an art of narrative fiction which leaves its mark even on the literary styles of contemporary writers as on Gautam Bhattia’s Panchtantra: A Twenty First Century Parable.

As Muslims all across the globe are celebrating the holy month of Ramadan, the people of Kashmir are under siege. The Indian occupation forces have imposed round-the-clock curfews and severe restrictions on civilians’ movement; as a result they are unable to even pray in mosques or to have access to

The Indian saga of communal clashes and provocative speeches by people vested with power; dates back to first assault on Buddhists by King Pusyamitra Sunga in 180 BCE. He declared hundred dinara,(Money of that time), for those brings the head of a Buddhist monk. It is also believed that Muslim and C

Here is a story that may sound familiar: a leader of a Muslim community tried to build a mosque with the support of his mayor, but his request drew national protests and was denied. This story occurred in Switzerland several years ago, but because it played out during national elections there, it of

In these times, it is essential to engage in interfaith and intercultural dialogue, given the way our world is evolving. With post-modern globalisation there has been a decline in the belief in the philosophy of progress: the secular theory of salvation no longer has the answers to existential conce

At the time these lines are being written, a very important basketball event is taking place in Turkey: the 2010 World Championship held by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). As a basketball fan, I will risk making a prediction: this year there will be two winners, Greece and Turkey.
D

People with diabetes are at a high risk of tuberculosis (TB). "There are several studies that have been done, there are systematic reviews that have been done which indicates that people with diabetes might have 2 to 3 times higher risk of getting TB" said Dr Anil Kapur, President of the World Diabe

Recognizing the compelling need to improve prevention, treatment, care and support services for children with diabetes, the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF) has scaled up initiatives to address both types of diabetes among children: type-I and type-II, said Dr Anil Kapur, President of WDF, who spoke

Where do you think Muslims and Christians celebrate Christ's birth together? One of the answers is: where it is least expected, in Pakistan.
In December last year, the Gulshan Centre for the Study of Islam and Christianity in Mansehra partnered with a local madrasah (an Islamic religious school) t

A number of public figures and governments in the Arab world are advocating for the implementation of specific legislation to regulate the content and use of digital media. Specifically, they want to implement a system in which blog or website creators must “declare” that they are creating a blog or

In the midst of European antipathy regarding Turkish accession to the EU, Turkey is attempting to chart an alternative path to secular democracy and economic prosperity. Yet Turkey should go one step further and question the unbridled axiom that, without Europe, it is destined to the scrapheap of Mu

When the Taliban fell in 2001, my family and I were already settled in Pakistan after having fled our home country, Afghanistan, like so many others. The new political landscape born in 2001 brought newfound hope to Afghans, including my family. I remember the mounting enthusiasm for women’s rights

A group of Canadian imams have issued a declaration of principles that states their position on a number of issues including the sanctity of life, working for the common good of humanity, gender equity and civic engagement.
“In a time of heightened tension between the Muslim world and the West, Can

What drives a Western born-and-bred youngster, with all the privileges of an education, a modern lifestyle and freedom of speech, to violently attack his fellow countrymen? The growing phenomenon of home-grown radicals highlights the need to understand the root causes of such violence and develop a

In developing countries TB remains the third leading cause of death among women of reproductive age (15-44 years), disproportionately affecting pregnant women and the poor. This calls for immediate action to address the suffering caused by TB and to eliminate the disease as a leading killer of women

There is a direct link between TB and poverty. It is indeed a vicious cycle, as one begets the other. The stark reality is that tuberculosis saps the economy of the community, which in turn increases the likelihood of contracting TB. This point emerged several times during the recently concluded Ope

The Panchtantra is one of the earliest books of fables. Its influence can be seen in The Arabian Nights, The Canterbury Tales and most notably in The Fables of La Fontaine. Panchtantra, a book composed about two thousand years ago, needs to be re-examined today for its gender biased ideology.
In

Though there has not been a serious debate over whether a religious leader should enter into active politics at all, some sections of political leaders, followers of different religions and opinion makers around the globe send out their dissent notes whenever a religious leader speaks out his mind o

The 4th Open Forum Conference was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 18th and 19th August to address key issues in developing new drugs for tuberculosis, which kills nearly 2 million people every year and is becoming increasingly resistant to the current drugs. The conference, with a special focus on

The government of Israel recently announced its willingness to cooperate with a UN investigation into the raid on the Freedom Flotilla in which eight Turks and a US citizen of Turkish origin were killed. However, Ankara’s insistence that Israel admit its role as an instigator and Israeli Prime Minis

“It looks like the number of people affected in this [Pakistani flooding] crisis is higher than the Haiti earthquake, the tsunami or the [2005] Pakistan earthquake. And if the toll is as high as the one given by the [Pakistani] government, it’s higher than the three of them combined,” Maurizio Giuli

In early July this year, the Prime Minister of Malaysia Najib Razak announced that two women had been appointed judges in the country’s Syariah Courts. One of two court systems in Malaysia, these courts rule on cases that are subject to sharia law, which is based on Islamic principles.
Women’s gro

The Open Forum 4 on key issues in tuberculosis (TB) drug development is all set to begin in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (18-19 August 2010). This Open Forum 4, will raise and address key issues in TB drug development, with a special focus on regulatory affairs. The Forum will include sessions on the curre

The state of Pakistan is facing the most difficult and unmanageable time of its history. Terrorism and religious extremism have been damaging the socio-political structure of Pakistan, its relations in the region and across the globe, or the last few years. The recent floods have escalated some of t

In Albert Einstein’s Rabbi: A Tale of Science and the Soul we read, “If we understand that God is the ultimate power in the Universe, and if we think we know what God wants, it can become intoxicating. There is a danger in all religions for that feeling of absolute power to become pervasive and corr

In spite of July temperatures in Baghdad that exceed 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) and are exacerbated by a severe lack of electricity, the daily topic of conversation among Iraqis is still the formation of the government and related issues. The controversial outcome of the 2010 Iraqi national

Last week New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg stood with representatives of local faith groups and declared that “there is no neighbourhood in this city that is off-limits to God’s love and mercy.” Personally, as a Christian who fully supports the proposed Muslim community centre near Ground Zero, Pa

Filled with sacrificed blood
Historical achievement of a fearless pack
Facing terrors of losing its concord
But still protecting foe’s back
Blessed with beauty
Realm promoting amity
Dwells in me the hard working souls
Often bothered by the rake-off cores
Stand up for me I am your need
T

On August 15, we celebrate the Independence Day. On that day, in 1947, Prime Minister Nehru proclaimed a tryst with destiny, “a moment which comes but rarely in History when we step from the old into the new, when an age ends and the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance”
The coloni

War On The Kafirs
The broad Sunni-Shia division does not explain all of it
• Most Sunnis adhere to the Hanafi school of jurisprudence. Only 5 per cent of the country’s population belongs to the Ahle Hadith sect or Wahhabis.
• The Sunnis are subdivided into the Barelvi and Deobandi s

As the Pakistani media has become more influential, government efforts to curtail it have become more creative. In early July, the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting proposed a new media code of conduct. The bill calls for a ban on graphic footage of terrorist attacks and forb

Terrorism is brutal and devastating, and its ultimate goal is fear. Terrorists hope to set allies against each other, and build tension between compatriots. The atrocities carried out by terrorists on September 11, 2001 were particularly devastating and, in many ways, the fear generated by the attac

When do Jews pray? Do they have a prayer book? Which direction do they face when they pray? These questions were directed to a Canadian Jew by his new Syrian-born Muslim friend.
They met at the annual Society for Scriptural Reasoning conference held at Huron University College in London, Ontario i

Public Service Guarantee Act 2010 is the first-of-its-kind in the country. I think that it is the historic victory of the people in Madhya Pradesh. It has thrown a challenge to the State Governments and Central Government which finds it difficult to amend the constitutional safeguards provided to th

In June, at the latest loya jirga (a grand assembly comprised of tribal leaders) meeting in Kabul, 1,600 local Afghan leaders endorsed a social reintegration programme for low-level Taliban insurgents willing to renounce violence, accept the Afghan Constitution and return to their homes with potenti

Despite of AIDS programmes prioritising men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) and transgender people as high risk communities, not only the existing services are reaching appalling low numbers of MSM and trangender people, but also the funding for programmes targeting these communities is shockingly, name

The proposal for a Muslim community centre called the Cordoba House, two blocks from where the World Trade Centre stood, has unleashed a torrent of emotions. The New York Times described some of the speech emerging from debates in the media and during protests against the centre as “vitriolic commen

Looking at the shape of the art world's character today, there is one aspect that clearly stands out. Modern art's trajectory, which remains centred in Northwestern Europe and the United States, is experiencing a shifting of axis. Countries long exempt from participation, such as Turkey, are eager t

For fans of Sex and the City – a television series and movie centred on the lives of four single women living in New York City – the summer movie sequel Sex and The City 2 promised fashion, fun, friendships and more. Viewers who watched it when it premiered on 15 July in Lebanon felt it delivered on

In Somaliland’s 26 June presidential elections, voters were faced with a pivotal choice in determining their future prosperity, security, freedom and peace. On that date, which marked the 50th anniversary of Somaliland’s independence from British rule, citizens voted to change the current regime tha

The beginning of 2010 saw much violence directed towards Indonesia’s religious minorities. On 3 January, a group called the People Communication Forum burnt down the Filadelfia Church, a house of worship for the Protestant Batak Christians in Bekasi, West Java. In a separate instance, extremist grou

In this age of widespread misperceptions that Islam is a religion of violence and intolerance, an Islamic peace education curriculum, addressing peacebuilding from an authentic Islamic perspective, is essential.
A group of 35 Muslim educators from eight countries came to Mindanao, the second large

“What is it like to live in Egypt as a Western woman?” During the years I lived in Cairo, I was often asked this question while visiting my native Finland, or when travelling outside the Middle East.
My short answer was “different”.
In fact, I was asked this so many times that I decided to write

Papers around the world have speculated that Hosni Mubarak, the 82-year-old Egyptian president, is suffering from terminal stomach and pancreatic cancer and may not live to see the next presidential elections. This has once again raised the crucial question of political succession in Egypt, the Arab

Have you ever heard of Bhim Sen Sachar? Surely not. In the elections to the last Punjab Assembly before independence, he was elected from the Lahore city seat in a predominantly Muslim constituency, and he won a resounding victory. The run up to 1947 was not all hate after all.
Our children are ne

Lucknow-based Swami Lakshmi is not, as his last name might suggest, an orthodox Brahminical priest. He heads the ‘Hindu-Muslim Unity Front’, dedicated to promoting harmony between Muslims and Hindus. His way of promoting the cause is somewhat unique: exploring and highlighting what he regards as the

Egyptians are tired of the problems that have persisted for decades: the corruption and bribery that paralyse the nation’s law enforcement and legal system; the perpetual poverty that 20 per cent of the population suffers from; the nearly constant 10 per cent rate of unemployment; and a flawed educa

The recent controversy over the Freedom Flotilla heading to Gaza with humanitarian aid has sparked heated debates in every venue where people exchange their opinions, online and off.
However, it isn't only the violence that occurred on the flotilla that deserves our attention, but also the attitud

Blogs are becoming increasingly popular in Lebanon as they cover the political and social landscape, expressing society’s demands. As a result, blogs and online groups have become a true political tool in the hands of civil society to promote causes online.
Many web actors, mainly bloggers, are wor

When it comes to determining what is appropriate for a free press to report and publish, government regulation by any name is censorship. And censorship, especially in a democracy, is a slippery slope indeed. This would appear to be the path the Pakistani government is tracing with its efforts to ba

Greek word "phobos" which we get in English as "phobia" meaning Fear. The literal meaning of fear is to be afraid of or anxious about something. Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger. In Bible two types of threat is mentioned, fear of God and worldly fear, which includes fea

This Fourth of July, Americans gathered at barbeques, watched firework displays and remembered the men who assembled in Philadelphia to sign the Declaration of Independence in 1776. For many, the celebrations serve as a reminder of the value of freedom, of a country forged by the people in direct op

Until recently, Kyrgyzstan – a landlocked country in Central Asia with an 80 per cent Muslim population – was one of the safest countries in Central Asia. However, its neighbour Uzbekistan which has a 90 per cent Muslim population, has suffered from many problems, such as religious extremism. These

In recent weeks, Turkey has been internationally reappraised after a Turkish Gaza-bound aid ship raided by Israeli troops led to nine deaths, and a Turkish-Brazilian brokered deal foreshadowed a “no” vote on sanctions in the UN Security Council over Iran’s nuclear programme.
These events have inci

Much has been written in recent years, particularly by a new generation of Muslim women writers, about gender-justice from within an Islamic framework. This no longer remains a mere academic exercise, though. Across the world, and, now, in India, too, activist groups are seeking to spread this messa

It is striking how, despite India’s vast Muslim population, very few Indian Muslim women there are who have made a mark in the field of Islamic scholarship and social activism. Mumbai-based Uzma Naheed is one of these rare women. I had long wished to meet her, and it was by chance that I did so at a

At a 2008 conference for Britain’s National Union of Teachers, a resolution was passed declaring that state schools should have the flexibility and adaptability to accommodate the faith-based needs of parents and children. Unfortunately, such measures often cause reactionary backlash from fringe gro

The past 20 years have been witness to several positive developments amongst Morocco’s civil society, demonstrating that organisations in this sector can inform national policy in this ever-evolving country.
Morocco experienced dramatic changes in the 1990s when economic difficulties and social pre

A few weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal published an article with the catchy title “Intrigue in Turkey’s bloodless civil war”. It was referring to the ongoing “cold war” climate between Turkey’s Islamic-leaning ruling party – the Justice and Development Party (AKP) – and the country’s old laicist e

When I made the decision to move to Vienna, I was unprepared for the repercussions my attitude, behaviour and opinions would have in forming and influencing European perceptions of women from Saudi Arabia, a country that is at a crossroads between modernity, globalisation, liberation, empowerment, h

Tural Koç is feeling rather pleased with himself. The administrative head of the Islamic University of Rotterdam (IUR) has just taken a major step towards gaining state approval for his university. Following close consideration of content and formal requirements, the Dutch accreditation authority ha

The “Inspired by Muhammad” campaign was launched a few weeks ago to highlight British Muslims who are contributing to UK society. The campaign, sponsored by the UK-based Exploring Islam Foundation – which publishes creative resources and materials on Islam, aims to break down misconceptions by showi

My first experience with writing started with blogs. Through blogging, my view of the world started to change; I was no longer dependent on the censored lens of the mainstream media.
My window to the world, my escape and even the vehicle to my enlightenment, blogging is the only means of communicat

On 18 May, Samira Souedian, the Lebanese widow of an Egyptian, was refused the right to pass Lebanese citizenship to her four children by the Lebanese Court of Appeal, despite previously winning her case in a district court in June 2009.
Women protesters took to the streets in support of Samira’s

When it comes to the Muslim world, the media often focuses on foreign policy, terrorism and the differences between the Muslim world and the West. But in the book 1001 Inventions: Muslim Heritage in Our World, University of Manchester’s Professor Salim Al-Hassani draws a different picture of Muslims

My country is facing many challenges. It now stands literally at an unprecedented and dangerous crossroads. America is being torn this way and that by those on the left and the right; by older, more settled families and new immigrants; by Democrats and Republicans. The very livelihood and health of

The ships seized by Israeli armed forces en route to Gaza have made headline news these past weeks. Much of the coverage has focused on the ships from the flotillas that were unsuccessful in their attempts to deliver aid to Gaza. However, in a weird twist, it is #Flotilla – a widely read collection

Until recently, the Christians and other non-Islamic religious groups and sects were indeed a silent minority of Pakistan, and they existed as people who were stereotyped and taken for granted by the mainstream majority, not to mention, belittled and ridiculed at every opportunity. It is a welcome s

The recently concluded Municipal bodies elections in West Bengal seems to have brought firebrand Mamata Banerjee, whose Trinamool Congress is the second largest group in India's ruling UPA alliance and is also Union Railway Minister, one step more closer to the chair of the Chief Minister of West Be

The first verdict of the Bhopal gas tragedy after 25-years of wait on June 7 came as a rude shock to its victims and all other law abiding citizens across the glob. It is a wake up call to people across the glob to build safeguards against the industrial disaster in the corporate world. The Bhopal t

Franz Magnis-Suseno is a German-born Jesuit Priest and Professor of philosophy in Indonesia. In this interview with freelance writer Anett Keller, the naturalised Indonesian citizen talks about religious tolerance and the definition of blasphemy in Indonesia.
A series of developments in Indonesia o

When organisers from the International Solidarity Movement, which aims to support and strengthen Palestinian popular resistance to the Israeli occupation, consulted us at the California-based Metta Center for Nonviolence about attempting to break the naval blockade of Gaza in 2007, its first year, w

The tragic bloodshed aboard the MV Mavi Marmara aid ship has, justifiably, provoked criticism about Israel’s use of force against civilian populations. It has also, if somewhat tardily, refocused the international community’s attention on the need for an immediate end to the siege on Gaza.
Louise

I had a golden opportunity to visit a few families in different parts of United States (US). While enjoying their hospitality I asked about their family life. This helped me to understand that their family life is very different from the Hollywood film stories. Until this interaction my idea about

Hazami Barmada, President and CEO of Al-Mubadarah Arab Empowerment Initiative, Programme Advisor for the Aspen Institute Global Initiative on Culture and Society, Founder and Executive Director of the Iraqi Orphan Initiative, and Founder and President of the American Muslim Interactive Network, rece

When Turkish director Semih Kaplanoðlu’s film Honey won the Golden Bear award in the 2010 Berlin Film Festival this February, international film critics turned their attention to Turkish cinema.
Honey is the final part of Kaplanoðlu’s trilogy, which narrates three stages of the life of a man in re

“We need a cultural revolution between Arabs and Jews,” proclaims Said Abu Shakra, founder of the first Arab contemporary art gallery in Israel. “I believe art is a catalyst for social change. It empowers communities and contributes to progress. Wherever there is culture, pride and a sense of belong

On 6 June some organisations, such as Stop Islamization of America, Jihad Watch and the Tea Party movement, have planned a demonstration in New York to protest the building of a cultural and community centre called the Cordoba House, two blocks from the World Trade Center site. The founder of the ce

What happened in Lahore is truly one of the saddest and heart wrenching incidents I have ever experienced as a Pakistani. When places of worship no longer carry the sanctity they deserve, the stark divide in religious ideology is made clear in Pakistan. After wandering around various blogs and rea

Today there is an urgent need to organise the workers in the Catholic Church. We are familiar with associations, clubs, cooperatives, trade unions etc. organized for social, economic and cultural welfare of their membership. In Christian circles, traditional associations such as Confraternities, Sol

The schools in America , no doubt, are places of learning in true sense where both the students and teachers learn from each other. While the students learn about the lessons they are taught in the Classes, their teachers learn about their talents, study methods, food habits and skills among many th

This month marks the 12th anniversary of a critical event in recent Indonesian history – the May 1998 riots. Following the death of four university students who were participating in a protest to demand the resignation of President Suharto, people took to the streets, rioting and looting.
Though m

In a span of just over a month two incidents rocked my city of Jacksonville, Florida, garnering wall-to-wall coverage in local media: the first was my nomination to the Jacksonville Human Rights Commission (JHRC), whose mission is to promote fair treatment and equal opportunity for all people regard

After years of stymied efforts, reform in Saudi Arabia is focused on women’s rights. A recent survey by the Researchers Center for Women’s Studies in Riyadh examining Saudi newspapers and websites showed that from mid-January to mid-February 2010 some 40 per cent of articles in print media and 58 pe

I will be the first to defend anyone's right to express their opinion, no matter how offensive it may be to me. Our nation has prospered because Americans value and respect diversity. But freedom of expression does not create an obligation to offend or to show disrespect for the religious beliefs or

Discriminatory practices against religious minorities in Muslim-majority countries are an ongoing issue. For example, in Saudi Arabia non-Muslims cannot build places of worship, nor can they bring their religious scriptures into the country without having them confiscated by Saudi customs. And in so

When we speak of ‘Minority Images in the Indian Print Media’ there are two broad areas to be addressed. The first is the coverage in print -- and images on television and the electronic media – of minorities and how these images have contributed to a process that has strengthened negative stereotyp

It is well conventional fact that no nation can steps forward without education . People can not get privileged skills and guidance without education . Pakistan has the lowly literacy velocity in the world; it is not more than 26% . The governments have been provided that funds but these allocations

In late March, global landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the CN Tower in Toronto, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome's Colosseum and Egypt's pyramids all stood in darkness, along with more than 4,000 cities in 128 countries that officially switched off their electricity to pledg

Naif Al-Mutawa, creator of a highly successful comic series that is published in eight different languages and will soon appear on television screens all over the United States, has been ranked one of the 500 Most Influential Muslims by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center in Jordan. He has wo

"Reason is a light which is certainly needed to illuminate the darkness, but it can also be useful in full daylight." - Mohammed Abed al-Jabri (27 December 1936 – 3 May 2010)

Mohammed Abed al-Jabri, who was born in Figuig, Morocco on 27 December 1936 and died on 3 May 2010, was without doubt on

In Bethlehem’s Manger Square, under a full moon, two lovers recite Palestinian national poet Mahmoud Darwish’s words of affection and longing. Where they stand, shadows cast on the stones of Christ’s birthplace unite and then the scene shifts to a meeting at a sports club. Debate flares over which g

Most of the media coverage surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict focuses on stories of violence and despair. Little is known about the growing Palestinian-led non-violent movement that has united rival Palestinian factions, including Fatah and Hamas, and encouraged hundreds of Israelis to cro

It is undoubtedly exotic in its looks, but to the naive passerby the only thing that may seem truly extraordinary about this building in Palembang, the capital city of the Indonesian province South Sumatra, is its colourful architecture. The structure, which resembles a temple, is painted in deep re

When confronted with free speech as an act of self-expression, authoritarian powers throughout history have tried to assert their legitimacy and remove threats to their rule through censorship. To achieve this, the censor has had to be quicker than the pen.
This task was relatively easy in the day

It was around a decade ago that I first met Maulana Waris Mazhari or Waris-ji as I now call him) when I was researching for a book on madrasa education in India. Winding my way through the warren of clogged, narrow lanes in the congested Muslim ghetto of Batla House in New Delhi, I chanced upon a b

Mothers are an asset, they radiate purest form of love from their heavenly existence, their faces reflect love and only love, their smiles can heal wounds and the warmth of their hands can set everything right. Mothers are angels on earth, their presence among us signifies how much God loves and car

The press and media of communication have turn out to be big business to the degree that they can not become gratis of economic constraints while the media worker have suffered a great deal from the policies adopted by media properties. Media being any material pertaining to news , bill board , or t

The concept of vocation is central to the Christian belief and in particular Catholic Church. Even though today vocation is seen in a broader sense of the use of ones gifts in their profession, family life, church and civic commitments for the sake of the greater common good. But we talk about it in

After resigning in the wake of bloody anti-government protests that left 86 dead and more than 1,500 wounded, the exiled former President of Kyrgyzstan Kurmanbek Bakiyev told reporters in Belarus last month that he was still the country’s legitimate leader. The United Nations, United States, Russia,

In recent years, the words and actions of extremists claiming to commit violence in the name of Islam, time and again through the media, has arguably caused great harm to Islam’s peaceful reputation. It is in this context that Dr. Tahir ul-Qadri, a prominent Islamic scholar from Pakistan, issued his

A group of young Bosnian Muslim students from the Faculty of Islamic Studies at the University of Sarajevo recently performed their evening prayer in a Franciscan monastery in Sarajevo. And they did it on invitation from young Franciscan students and friars.
For some, this event might appear sensa

Living in Malaysia for almost two years has given me new insight into the socially constructed and highly subjective categories of “East” and “West”.
Here in Malaysia, I am – like any other “white” person – a “Westerner” from the West with Western ideas. My individuality is lost in translation.
Ma

Jews do not traditionally destroy texts that include the name of God – even when they are no longer needed. Such texts are kept in the synagogue in a special room called the geniza (hiding place in Hebrew). Over 100 years ago, the geniza of the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo was opened, and extraordina

Social stratification, likewise in other societies, is in our society as well a major issue. The class system of our society not only divides the individuals in terms of wealth but also in other rations of society and life.
The upper-class which is the wealthy one and has the power tends to hold t

In discussions about the status of non-Muslims in Muslim-majority countries one issue that has been hotly debated is that of the jizyah tax. Much has been written, by both Muslim as well as non-Muslim scholars, on jizyah. Most non-Muslim scholars see jizyah as a symbol of what they regard as the deg

Cancers in all forms are causing about 12 per cent of deaths throughout the world. In the developed countries, cancer is the second leading cause of death accounting for 21% (2.5 million) of all mortality. In the developing countries, cancer ranks third as a cause of death and accounts for 9.5% (3.8

Given the amount of violence and instability in countries with Muslim majorities, such as Iraq and Afghanistan, some people mistakenly assume the violence stems from Islamic teachings, when in fact Islam does not condone such actions. The media does not help the matter, often focusing on the activit

Interfaith dialogue is criticised by some religious leaders as a conspiracy designed to merge all religions into one. Certain individuals and communities fear the loss or weakening of their religious identities as a result of engaging in dialogue and interacting with followers of other faiths.
The

Abdelkader Haidara is a man who answers his emails quickly. But alongside his connections to the modern world, he is also at home in an entirely different epoch: the centuries when his hometown of Timbuktu was a stronghold of Islamic scholarship.
Some 100,000 ancient manuscripts testify to this epo

Like many other European countries, Spain is grappling with the issue of its diverse immigrant communities. However, unlike most of its neighbours, Spain has a rich diverse heritage that it can draw lessons from.
“There are currently 192 nationalities living in Spain. However, there is a general fe

Last Thursday, on the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, I found myself thinking back to my first hiking trip to New York’s Bear Mountain. I was six years old. Having grown up in Brooklyn, New York, I thought the entire world was a sea of concrete buildings. But that trip changed my reality. I remember

Scholarly men and women strive to achieve great knowledge by attending college and working towards a degree. Many students know exactly what field of study they want to excel in and they have high expectations of becoming a creative, productive human being. Choosing to achieve excellence is wise but

As we focus on our vocation as workers during this Workers Day, which is also celebrated as the feast of St. Joseph the Worker, it is time for us to reflect on the apostolate of labour. This also invites us to reflect in worker that was present in Jesus Christ the Worker. Jesus Christ started his wo

‘JIHAD’, with its imbued wrong meaning, became a notorious word in the West after 9/11. Terror now has an overwhelming presence in parts of the Muslim world, including Pakistan , Afghanistan and Iraq . Violence there seems at times to be out of control as it is Muslims themselves who are targeted by

With the twin goals of student development and promoting knowledge and understanding vis- à-vis the Arab world, the Model Arab League (MAL) draws around 2,000 American students to 14 annual conferences nationwide. Megan Geissler, the MAL Programme Coordinator who engineers these conferences, says th

Science fiction fans may remember how humans and aliens communicated with one another using a five-tone musical motif in the 1977 film Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The movie was also one of the first to portray space aliens as friendly – albeit different – neighbours, rather than enemy invade

The arts profoundly reach our common core, transcend cultural barriers and link us together for a greater good. These are the reasons why Genesis at the Crossroads, a Chicago-based non-governmental organisation dedicated to bridging cultures through the arts, created The Saffron Caravan Quartet, a m

Contrasting with the general pessimism regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the 77-year-old former Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Michel Sabbah continues to believe in harmonious Christian-Muslim coexistence in Palestine and shared his thoughts with reporter Laurent Grzybowski.
What is the si

Mike Abel is the author of this work and retains all rights in this work
When you have personal victory in any situation, your spirit lifts and you feel good about yourself and about nearly everyone around you. When you have private pain, you need the time and the space to cope and work through the

In the context of Allama Mohammad Iqbal, today the contradictory couplet, ‘reverence and relevance’ engenders Shakespearean ‘saucy doubts’ quite pathetically. For, if we substitute ‘and’ with ‘versus’, then all the combinations sound irksome at some point on a plane with the coordinates ‘reverence a

(Translated from Urdu by Yoginder Sikand/Noor Mohammad Sikand)

Suicide attacks have become a fairly frequent phenomenon today. Many of them are the handiwork of disgruntled Muslim elements. Indeed, in some countries what are known as fidayeen attacks undertaken by Muslim groups have become so co

The way mainstream media has covered major events of the past two decades leaves much to be desired. After the 9/11 attacks, rigid, insular debates and discussions too often replaced free and open discourse, creating an environment ripe for the rise of blogs.
The prominence of a “good” versus “evil

Except for a casual mention of Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian lands and the tensions they recently caused in US-Israeli relations, my Passover Seder last week was very spiritual –another adventure for this Muslim.
After 9/11, as some Americans started to learn more about Islam, I emba

Across Europe, discussions are taking place about what local Muslim women wear – specifically the niqab (face veil), burqa (a garment that covers the body, head and face) and the hijab (headscarf). More recently the debate has been taken up in the Canadian province of Quebec. And, as in Europe, the

When is a terrorist not considered a terrorist? When the US media identifies him or her as a “Christian". And when is a terrorist group not considered a terrorist group? When the US media calls it an "anti-government militia".
Exceptionalism is alive and well when it comes to reporting on violence

The educative value of literature can not be denied. Real education does not mean that you are passing a few Universtiy examinations. Education is not simply an equipment to enable us to near our means of livelihood .True education lies in the development of one's intellectual and spiritual faciliti

I see cheerful mobs turning into graveyards, Mothers crying over their sons scattered bodies and to every heart shaking sight we have become so ignorant that now if we see a news of some bomb blasts we stop for a while say, “OH!” and move on to our favorite T.V show. I don’t understand that who is

Less than two weeks after the death of Mohammed Sayed Tantawi, the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar University, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak appointed Tantawi's successor to the most senior post at the 1,000-year-old university, the oldest and most revered seat of learning for many Sunni Muslims.
Ahmed

A closer look at the pattern of Pakistani immigration to Italy and integration into Italian society indicates that it’s the distance – and not the difference – between the two cultures that has proved to be the most stringent barrier in cultural integration.
It is words like terrorism, burqa and w

In a report published last month on violent crimes committed against women in 2009, Karam Saber Ibrahim, Executive Director of The Land Center for Human Rights, a Cairo-based non-governmental organisation, spoke of a belief that some Egyptians continue to hold, that “women are fundamentally lacking.

The 7 March elections in Iraq remain a topic of interest around the world as both former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and current Prime Minister Nouri Maliki scramble to create coalitions that would give them a 163-seat majority in parliament. As many feared, violence has marred post-election Iraq wit

Even one year after the enforcement of the Smoke free law in India, more than 50 per cent of the places are out of compliance across India.
An air quality monitoring study was conducted by Voluntary Health Association of India, The Uttar Pradesh Voluntary Health Association, and several other toba

It’s not a magnetic law of attraction. It’s more related to human life. It is one of the better known universal laws. The theory behind the Law of Attraction is that we create our own realities. We attract things we want and we also attract things we don't want. We attract the people in our lives, t

In my first news of this village, I had highlighted the situation of tuberculosis (TB) in Ganga Jamuni village, situated around 110 KMs from the state capital of Uttar Pradesh. However, in this article I would like to share one more healthcare-threatening aspect that how women of this village are be

In the beginning of the Lenten Season I happened to talk a good friend of mine in a metro city. It was Ash Wednesday so we began talking with the special rituals of the day. He told me that he and his wife attended the special prayer services but his son chose to remain at home. He pointed that hear

The churches contribution to workers goes way behind the year 1891, when Pope Leo XIII released the first encyclical of the Catholic Church, Rerum Novarum, when he made us aware of the rights and dignity of labour. Rerum Novarum focused on the workers contribution to the Catholic Church. Thus the Eu

From last 9 years are struggling for our pride, fighting to remove the label of terrorist. Islam is considered to be the most dangerous religion in the world. Muslims are not even considered human these days. There are always some cruel intimates in a society but that doesn’t mean that the whole soc

The Importance of the Resurrection for Christian Faith
Can we call Christians Easter people or people of “the eighth day,” the day of the new creation, the day of the Lord’s Resurrection from the dead?
Does Resurrection stands as the great hope of the People of God of the New Covenant, the Churc

Iraqis say Allah kareem (God is generous) as a way of expressing trust in the hands of fate to take care of them in an uncertain future. As the shape of Iraq’s new government slowly comes into focus after the second national elections since the fall of Saddam Hussein, there is reason for Iraqis to f

At 9:20 am on 10 March, a routine office meeting was shattered by the sound of armed militants storming World Vision's office in northwest Pakistan. The gunmen opened fire and detonated a bomb, destroying the office as they left. Six World Vision staff members, including two women, were killed. Eigh

In the halls of the United Nation's New York bureau, officials have been considering a proposal to unify the UN’s many organisations promoting women’s equality and rights into a single “gender entity”. This entity would have a greatly increased budget – exactly how much is still being debated – and

Following five years of tense relations between the United States and Syria, the Barack Obama Administration has appointed a new ambassador to Damascus – the current Deputy Ambassador to Iraq, Robert Ford. The nomination shows the central importance of Iraq to US-Syria relations. The US war on Iraq

Even after seven years of launching the programme, there is no awareness about this scheme even in different stakeholders, forget about the farmers. A study done by Gorakhpur Environmental Action Group in Uttar Pradesh revealed that only 5% farmers know about crop-insurance scheme whereas 95 % of th

It was supposed to be an exercise in cross-cultural reporting: find a story that would highlight the common humanity shared by all nations and peoples.
As a Jordanian and an Israeli we were a logical pairing. Our countries are neighbours supposedly at peace, yet both are part of a regional conflict

A bearer of hope, Pakistani American rock star Salman Ahmad’s recent memoir, Rock & Roll Jihad: A Muslim Rock Star’s Revolution, is suffused with the warmth of spirituality and the author’s deep-rooted faith in God. “We can only wake up each day and go out and plough the fields, armed with our God-c

Veiled Voices is a film filled with loud, bright stories that enlighten an audience in need of authenticity about Islam in general and the lives of Muslim women in particular. Brigid Maher, a director, cinematographer and editor who teaches in the Film and Media Arts Division at American University

The Magen Abraham synagogue, in the heart of downtown Beirut, is bustling with renovations. Workmen are busy returning this 80-year-old place of worship to its former splendour, although the local Jewish community has dwindled dramatically – from over 22,000 prior to 1958 to less than 300 by the end

The concept of mission comes from the Great Commission of Lord Jesus to his disciples to make disciples from all nations. ( St. Matthew 28:19-20). The material supports initiated by the apostles and the missionaries were originally aimed at helping the lesser privileged people and to demonstrate the

TB cure is still a distant reality for these villagers
Around 110 kilometers of state capital of Uttar Pradesh, residence of Ganga Jamuni village are fighting against-tuberculosis (TB) since their three generations. This is the third generation of TB cases in many families of this village. ‘My fore

A text of the talk presented by Dr. Stephen Gill, at the international conference on Sufism and Peace
held from March 14 to March 16 organized by Pakistan Academy of Letters in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Peace wombs the fetus of wisdom and the flowers of beauty. Peace is the path of prosperity and

As a Christian leader, you are held to high moral, ethical, and social standards. As a leader, you are held to high standards, but as a Christian leader, that bar is raised even higher. Why? Because both the Christian and non-Christian social environment has tended to expect that Christians measure

Philippians 3: 4b-14, John 12: 1-8
“I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14
Last month I loved watching the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. We watched them as we know these are the best of best athletes, rigorously trained t

In his presidential address to the nation on 11th August 1947, Quaid-e-Azam, the founder of Pakistan, remarked:
“You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste o

Dr. Tahir ul-Qadri, a Pakistani Islamic scholar visiting the United Kingdom, recently released a 600-page fatwa, or non-binding opinion in Islamic law, against terrorism. This fatwa might actually have an impact. It is comprehensive, direct and does not dodge any of the issues. It has come at a time

According to a recent Gallup poll, a majority of Americans still have little to no knowledge of Islam's basic tenets. More disheartening, if not outright frightening, is that even given this avowed lack of knowledge, a sizeable percentage of US citizens nonetheless maintain a negative perception of

Fatmire Bajramaj is the carefree young face of women's football in Germany. A Muslim Kosovan, her eventful life story recalls the hit English film Bend it like Beckham, in which a girl footballer strikes out against ethnic prejudices and her family's reservations.
Bajramaj, known commonly as Lira,

Last week, six relief workers in Mansehra, a city in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP), died after an attack on their office. In 2008, gunmen killed four staff members of another international aid agency. Charities and international aid organisations are under constant threat in Pakista

The birthday of the prophet Muhammad, which fell on 26 February this year, is celebrated by Muslim communities throughout Indonesia with religious services and other special events. In Java, the event has taken on a unique form in the Sekaten Festival. The week-long cultural festivals are hosted in

A major breakthrough in medical science has been achieved, as panacea for all diseases has been found in the form of umbilical cord blood stem cells. It is the greatest life saving medicine, as it can cure diseases like Leukemia, diabetes, cerebral palsy and the list is endless. If any organ of the

Winston Churchill said, "Democracy is the worst form of government except for all those others that have been tried." And the same very sage also said, “The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter." What has the average voter in Pakistan to say about the

FORGIVENESS
We just sang Frederick Faber’s Hymn:
There’s a wideness in God’s mercy
Like the wideness of the sea.
There’s a kindness in his justice
Which is more than liberty.
This hymn speaks of “welcome for the sinner” and “graces for the good.” It speaks of “plentiful redemption” and “the s

The declining sex ratio over the past several years shows that girls and women not only face indignities and gender inequality in society, they are even denied the right to be born if their families do not wish so. In fact many families do not wish their women folk to deliver baby daughters.
Femal

Catholic Church is rated as the most organized organizations in the world. Its top ranking office bearers spend much of their time in planning meetings. The reports of these meetings would provide us with beautiful strategy to implement but there would be no word about the budget. One might feel why

Winston Churchill said, "Democracy is the worst form of government except for all those others that have been tried." And the same very sage also said, “The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter." What has the average voter in Pakistan to say about the

Launched by a small group of non-partisan civic-minded citizens called Laïque (Secular) Pride, the March for Secularism will bring Lebanese together on 25 April in support of secularism, and to bring attention to the letter and spirit of the Lebanese Constitution. Participants will walk from the Bei

At the end of 2009, King Abdullah II of Jordan dissolved Parliament halfway through its four-year term, claiming that it was handling legislation poorly. Prime Minister Samir Rifai assured local media that parliamentary elections would take place no later than the end of 2010. In the midst of this c

Iranian women's groups and other organisations are fighting a much discussed proposed law which they say would encourage polygamy by allowing a man to take a second wife without the permission of the first under certain circumstances. The proposal comes at a time when the country has been rocked by

A critical component of Indonesia's democratic future involves recognition of the special role of Islam in the state. Because most Indonesian Muslims want their government to respect Islamic customs even if they do not support the creation of an Islamic state, the line between support for and opposi

On 10 March, three Muslim women will be honoured alongside philanthropist Melinda French Gates and human rights activists Panmelo Castro from Brazil and Rebecca Lolosoli from Kenya, by Vital Voices Global Partnership, a Washington, DC-based organisation that works to empower women around the world.

Communal violence has been a burning problem faced by Christians in many North Indian States but it remained un-addressed for years. The anti-Muslim riots in 1992 united the Muslims to face the fanatics. The increased violence in Southern states and prolonged violence in Khandmal, Orissa has made t

The Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF) signifies a new approach to addressing persistent regional imbalances in rural development and strengthening local self-governance across India in 250 districts including 27 States. Truly this is a significant scheme in the history of Panchayti Raj.

Abdul Malik Rigi was arrested and delivered to Iran on 23 Feb 10, at a time when the Islamic Republic was extremely vulnerable and even some people thought that it could have collapsed in the early days of Feb, at the anniversary day of Iranian Islamic Revolution. A leaked letter indicates that the

Luke 13: 1-9

“No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did.”(Luke 13:3)
The slaughter of the Galileans in Luke chapter 13 verse one is not mentioned in any source outside the Gospel of Luke. In general, Jewish sources from the first century CE portray Pilate’s tenure a

A commercial driver is generally a driver of trucks, buses, tow trucks, trailers and other vehicles meant to carry more than 16 persons or a vehicle like a truck meant to transport heavy materials. Such a driver requires a Commercial Driver’s License or CDL in order to operate such a vehicle with a

While addressing a Hindu Samagam on the eve of Holi at Lal Parade ground in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat said that ‘Not Hindu ? You are not Indian.’ His logic is faulty and it is a blatant negation of Indian Constitution and disrespect to the secular fabric of India . It is to be

On Wednesday, 17th February 2010, the Catholic community begins the season of Lent- a time for fasting & abstinence, this is a time for reconciliation, a time to introspect our role as Ambassadors and Apostles of Lord Jesus Christ, not just in our homes and parishes but moreover in our society,

Deterrence is a subject studied feverishly in all academic and policy making forums of South Asia. Yet there remains a visible deficit in comprehension and practice of the concept. Few realise that the only tangible case in which deterrence as a stand alone worked was the Korean War; not against the

Studies show that poor educational attainment and professional underachievement are prevalent amongst young British Muslims. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation, an independent development and social research charity, found that British Muslims are less upwardly mobile than their Hindu, Christian and Jew

Islam has been practiced in Bosnia for centuries. Freelance writer Claudia Mende asks Armina Omerika, an expert in Islamic studies at the University of Erfurt in Germany, whether the Bosnian Islamic tradition could serve as a model for the integration of Muslims in other European societies.
How has

A complex and rampant phenomenon in Egyptian society, sectarian violence has been infesting Egypt for a long time, spawned as a result of a host of economic, social and cultural woes.
There is a direct and undeniable link between the emergence of these tensions on the Egyptian political landscape a

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s recent visit to Turkey was a milestone in Lebanese-Turkish affairs.
For the first time, Hariri and a Lebanese delegation of eight ministers met with Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmet Davutoðlu, Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Turkish Prime Minister Tayy

From 25 to 27 January, Indonesia and the United States took steps to strengthen their socio-cultural ties by co-hosting their first bilateral interfaith dialogue in Jakarta.
The meeting was attended by a 20-member delegation from the United States, which included US government officials, bishops a

The recent discovery of attempted terrorist plots by Muslims in America has prompted overreaching accusations of radicalisation of an entire religious group. As a consequence, pressure is mounting on Muslim American leaders to engage in elusively defined counter radicalisation.
But rather than spe

Scholar and author Omid Safi is best known to many Muslim Americans as being at the forefront of the Progressive Muslims movement, which finds in Islamic spirituality a powerful voice for social justice and pluralism. In his latest book, Memories of Muhammad: Why the Prophet Matters (Harper Collins)

At long last, a series of conferences and engagements has given us tentative hope for the resolution of the 62-year-old Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan. If these efforts reach their goal, it could not only transform long-troubled relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, but als

It is a question many people ask themselves at the advent senior citizen hood, how to get a berth in heaven? I thought it would be better to look from a wider perspective. I recently had been to a National Consultation on Communal Violence Bill 2009,(CVB), in Delhi organized by ANHAD. The “CVB” is t

Hindi Zahra is the new face of a young generation of emancipated, cosmopolitan singers and songwriters from North Africa. Her album Handmade is due to be released in late February.
Born in Khouribga in southern Morocco, Zahra describes herself as an inveterate nomad: "From the time I was a small c

At an international conference on “Islam and the Media” organised by the Center for Media, Religion and Culture at the University of Colorado-Boulder in January, many of the participants, including myself, examined the negative stigma attached by the media to Islam and Muslims, especially after 9/11

The bipartisan Kerry-Lugar Bill, named after US Senators John Kerry and Richard Lugar, provides a multi-year, super-sized economic aid programme to the people of Pakistan. This is the right approach to improve US-Pakistan relations. The majority of Pakistanis distrust the United States because they

Perhaps one of the most misunderstood and stereotyped countries in the world is Saudi Arabia, particularly when it comes to its women.
Some of the negative perceptions surrounding Saudi women could be justified. After all, we are the only country that does not allow women to drive, though the gove

A recent report by researchers at Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) states that the number of Muslim Americans vulnerable to radicalisation is small, but not negligible. Since 9/11, a total of 139 Muslim Americans have been arrested on terrorism charges, some

The social teachings of Christ influenced millions of people around the world. The members of the Catholic Church have responded well to this clarion call to develop this world from the socio-economic point of view based on justice and peace. It is being guided by the words of Christ , “He who has t

Over the past decades, numerous polls have demonstrated that the majority of Egyptians want shari’a—or Islamic principles—applied to parts of their country's legal system. Egypt’s constitution reflects this: Article 2 of the constitution states that shari’a is the principle source of legislation.

“Talent, like love, is only useful in its expenditure.” This quote from Martin Luther King, Jr. was brought to light on 23 January, when the Inner City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) brought its signature arts and culture event, Community Café, to New York City. Ibrahim Abdul Matin quoted King to prov

There is much that we can learn from the recent attacks on several churches in Malaysia spurred by the use of the word Allah–the Arabic word for God–by Malaysian Christians, dividing an otherwise diverse society.
The row started when government authorities moved to ban the import of religious book

The American people and their openness to Muslim communities will in many ways determine the success of US President Barack Obama's global engagement initiative, which he launched on his inauguration day a year ago by calling for a "new way forward" with Muslims. Change will depend in large part on

On January 12th the nation of Haiti was devastated by an earthquake the magnitude of 7.0, the largest earthquake on that besieged island state in 200 years. The next morning we received a personal note from a Haitian Episcopal priest from Port-Au- Prince:
“There is no Cathedral. The entire Holy T

Even as a Jew in New York, I know what it is like to be Muslim in France.
While studying abroad in the French city of Strasbourg in 2007, I decided to grow a bushy beard. Little did I know that in France only traditional Jewish and Muslim men don anything but the most finely trimmed moustache or g

Alas, it happened again. An extremist Muslim attacked a Westerner to punish him for mocking Islam. This time, the victim was the Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, whose controversial caricature of the Prophet Muhammad had sparked a worldwide storm five years ago. A 28-year-old man of Somali origin

The year 2010 has started off as a difficult one for Muslim-European relations. Switzerland’s 29 November referendum banning the construction of minarets is still producing an outcry in the country and abroad. Critics point not only to the discriminatory character of the vote against Swiss Muslim mi

Afghan President Hamid Karzai will unveil new reconciliation efforts with the Taliban at this week’s London Conference on Afghanistan’s political future. After US President Barack Obama’s announcement of another troop surge last month, Afghans have been asking: “Where is the diplomatic surge to addr

Isolation in some cultures, ethics and moro-social values is taken as a curse whereas, some take it as privacy. Isolation in certain conditions and times is may be very good and results exceedingly positive, but it may not be always the same. Any nation, group or individual left in isolation dies so

Many people wonder what relevance shari'a–Islamic principles– has in the modern world. In Morocco it has influenced national laws, especially the civil code and family law, primarily in a positive sense. Coupled with the country’s tradition of tolerance and openness, this has provided the Moroccan g

A new year begins, but last year’s “1Malaysia” campaign, which promotes multiculturalism and understanding between religious and ethnic communities throughout Malaysia, is still going strong.
The mere need for this kind of public campaign for unity and the recent violence marking the beginning of t

At a time when many have despaired of hope for Jewish-Muslim understanding due to the ongoing impasse in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, nearly 200 Muslims and Jews gathered in Paris recently to say: “Now is the time to build ties of friendship and understanding between our faiths for the sake of

Muslims and Christians together constitute over 50 percent of the world. If they lived in peace, we would be halfway to world peace. One small step we can take towards fostering Muslim-Christian harmony is to tell and retell positive stories and abstain from mutual demonisation.
I propose to remind

A previously divided region has a new symbol of hope: the recently reopened train line between Sarajevo and Belgrade. Many young Serbs, Croats and Bosnians who don't remember the Bosnian war of the early 1990s hope to travel on this train, which serves as a physical link between Serbia and Bosnia.

Recent surge of violence in both parts of contentious state of Jammu and Kashmir has fuelled the concerns about the expansion of Taliban network in the Himalayan region. Despite significant increase of terrorist operations in India and Pakistan during the last few years, Jammu and Kashmir remained r

Jerusalem is a central point of reference for the three great monotheist faiths. King David made the city the political and religious capital of Israel, creating a centre for Judaism within and beyond the region. Jerusalem is a holy city for Christians as the place of Jesus of Nazareth’s teaching, c

What keeps Pakistan afloat? How—despite its seemingly precarious political existence and the gloom and doom spread by the highly politicised media, as well as the horrendous bomb blasts—does the country manage to survive?
The immense reserves of resilience the people have are striking. In the fore

Atop a mountain in the Syrian heartland lies a monastery where the message of Christian-Muslim unity is alive and well.
Cooled by eastern-blowing winds from the mountains dividing Lebanon and Syria, Deir Mar Musa is perhaps an unlikely place to find the seed of intercultural and inter-religious und

In recent years, Morocco, Egypt, and Turkey have trained and appointed a new group to the ranks of religious guides: women. Women religious guides, referred to as murshidat in Arabic, reach a demographic that might otherwise not be available–or receptive – to male imams, such as women and children,

The Islamic state is a controversial issue in the West, as recent news confirms. Last October, an imam was killed and six men arrested by the FBI in Detroit for allegedly conspiring to establish an Islamic state in the United States. In the United Kingdom, government officials worry that extremist g

As this new decade begins, many are still scratching their heads and wondering how US President Barack Obama, who has just escalated a distant war that quite possibly cannot be won, can have merited the esteemed Nobel Prize for peace. But if Obama can begin to lead the world into a new era of the Go

On 1 December 2009 the Treaty of Lisbon–the agreement reforming European Union institutions–was ratified, making the European Charter of Fundamental Rights (ECFR), a document that lays out the entire range of civil, political, economic and social rights of EU citizens and residents, legally binding.

Whenever terrorism strikes in Pakistan and innocent lives are lost, people wonder which Islamic injunctions the perpetrators abused to justify their acts. The North West Frontier Province of Pakistan, where I reside, has been particularly volatile recently, and people are increasingly appalled by th

The election of Northern Areas Legislative Assembly has completed the most considerable constituent of the Constitutional Package enforced by the Government of Pakistan to empower the local population in Pakistan Controlled Gilgit-Baltistan region, however, allegations of massive procedural irregula