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