World seems to have gone insane in the name of God. Violence and extremism take centre-stage in international news and much of it speaks in religious terms. Nevertheless, there are examples of leaders who, in the midst of ongoing conflict, have renounced their former violence in order to engage thei

I have written “Islamic Re Search Foundation” because every now and then some one starts “Re Searching” Islam according to his own understanding of Islam. However what the mode of “Re Search” of Islam may be, it is absolutely important for such people to criticize

The Quran claims that Muhammad is the seal or the last of the prophets:
Muhammad is not the father of any man among you, but he is the Messenger of God and the last (end) of the Prophets. And God is Ever All-Aware of everything. S. 33:40 Hilali-Khan
This has been widely understood to mean that the

Almost two years ago the citizens of London were victims of a great atrocity. Those who perpetrated those crimes would like you to believe that they were inspired by the religion of Islam. Nothing could be further from the truth. There is nothing in Islam that could ever justify these blatant acts o

I read the article of Major Timotheus Nasir “Take the Beam out of Your Eyes” with deep curiosity, because he discusses a social and political cancer in a way that is logical and to the point. His accurate portrait of the persistent malady of corruption at courts of Pakistan is eye-open

My name is Shereen Sharif. I was born in Vancouver, Canada into a Muslim family. Although we participated in a few religious events, my family was not very religious. I am the only Christian in my family and the story that follows is about how I found Jesus.
I have always believed in ``god`` and th

On 26th May 2007, during a Seminar in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, highly derogatory remarks were made against the Pakistan Army, by the Lawyers, in support of the Chief Justice of Pakistan. This Seminar was said to be a usual “Bar Council Meeting or Seminar” that was held in the Confe

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida - In the ongoing tension between the United States and the Arab world, religious fanaticism plays a major role: religious zealots are on the militant frontline in Arab countries and on policy boards in America.
Cultural context plays a role in the development of fanatic

[Paper presented at a conference on the Sachar Committee Report, 19 May, 2007, Trivandrum, organised by the Forum for Social Action]

This presentation is not a rigorously-argued academic paper. Instead, it seeks to offer stray thoughts on the very complex issue of the sociology of Indian Muslim d

Two collections of poems of Stephen Gill have been released lately by two different publishers. One collection is called Flashes; another, Songs Before Shrine.
As the title of the book suggests, Flashes are trilliums in haiku spirit. Haiku is a form of poetry that was originated and matured in Jap

Last year, I was invited to a casual dinner party while in Chicago visiting an old college friend. It was a small and informal affair of professional feminist women. The evening progressed peaceably until another guest asked me how it felt to be submissive: a reference to my marriage to a Muslim Tur

Boston, Massachusetts - Islam is often perceived as a potential threat to democratisation, and justifications for this view tend to repeat ad nauseam the idea that for Islam, there is no separation between politics and religion.
In the West, politics based on individual rights (as opposed to the c

In February 2004, it was reported in the newspaper from Islmabad that “A 60-year-old man shot and killed himself on Wednesday after a court sentenced him to eight years in prison for raping his daughter.” This is a horrible case of incest. These kinds of cases occur frequently in Pakist

The future looks bleak for Christians and other representatives of religious minorities in Pakistan. In fact, the rapid increase in registrations of blasphemy cases against Christians in Pakistan should ring alarm bells to anyone who believes that religious freedom and justice should be available to

The future looks bleak for Christians and other representatives of religious minorities in Pakistan. In fact, the rapid increase in registrations of blasphemy cases against Christians in Pakistan should ring alarm bells to anyone who believes that religious freedom and justice should be available to