In the sea of family members waiting for loved ones to arrive at the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore Pakistan, I see a familiar face that I have known for over five months only thru pictures, email and phone calls. Pastor Shamshad holding his son Abraham, along with his wife and brothe

Songs Before Shrine -2007
Stephen Gill
Authorpress, New Delhi-India
Pages 114 +xxii; ISBN: 81-7273-384-4

Stephen Gill is a multiple award-winning poet. His poetry is well-known in North America, India and Pakistan, and translated into other languages.
Reading Stephen’s Preface for Son

It was shocking that three MLAs of Ittahidul Muslimin in Hyderabad gatecrashed into the book release function of her book Lajjai translated into Telugu on 9th August and tried to beat up Taslima and shouted slogans using unbecoming words, even using abusing language. And all this in the name of Isla

In traversing a 60-year history, amid the flag-raising ceremonies held across the republic celebrating the independence day of Pakistan, it is especially important in understanding how this country, on the first full day of Yom-e-Istiqlal, is positioned in its current state.
2008 will mark a pivota

Multiple award-winning author Stephen Gill was born in Pakistan, grew in India and has settled in Canada after staying in Ethiopia and England for a while. He has authored more than twenty books, including books of fiction, collections of poems and literary criticism. His poetry and prose have appea

Society is made of human persons influencing human minds, actions and being shaped at the same time by human beings. Beginning, growth and an end is part of living organism, human being are not different in this matter. However there is a difference and that is about change. Human beings are not mer

The current status of Kashmir is of grave international concern. Kashmir is being severely overlooked as a third party while two nuclear powers, India and Pakistan have battled both diplomatically and militarily without cessation.
Since 1947, during the partition of India and Pakistan into two sepa

There is no such word of “HIJAB” meaning head covering for women in the holy Quran. “ Hijab” is not a religious attire. Also modern Muslims believe it is optional. The option to choose wearing of hijab is a fad created by the Wahhabs of Saudi government. It is not a reli

Despite efforts by political rivals to spin the 22 July elections as a confrontation between Islamism and secularism (and the convenient adoption of this rhetoric by some in Europe who conceptualise global affairs and Turkey`s EU membership along these lines), the focus in Turkey was largely on demo

The last three decades have witnessed unprecedented conflict within and among nations, and religion has often been misused and invoked to justify sectarian strife. The United Nations, which was created “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war” sees interfaith dialogue and

Banking sector
When the government started an information-technology (IT) and e-commerce initiative in early 2000, the banks were expected to lead the way into e-commerce. However, banking sector is the leading spender on information communications technology, the most progress in e-commerce has be

Public opinion polls show that while Arab popular support for US foreign policy is at an all-time low, the popularity of American-style higher education in Arab society is at an all-time high. Given the difficulties of obtaining student visas and the higher costs of education in the US, many Arab st

Contrary to how the media generally portrays them, madrasas in India are not entirely opposed to reform. Indeed, the winds of change are being felt even in the portals of the more conservative madrasas, such as the vast network of Deobandi seminaries spread across the country. One such instance is

As the world enters a new age of enlightenment both technologically and intellectually, conflicts plague the earth while large distances between continents vanish as a result of a newly emerging global community. The amalgamation of people with different cultural backgrounds, traditions and values e

Norhan Mohammed, an eleven-year student, loved participating in her school`s swim team, but not anymore. She left the team in May 2006 after she put on a hijab (headscarf), which did not go with her swimsuit.
Mohammed does not regret her decision to put on the hijab. She still has the same freedom