The behavior of the current Egyptian regime is effectively a continuation of Arab practices during their occupation of Egypt in the past 1430 years. The regime lead by Mr. Mubarak for almost 28 years could be described as anti-democratic, discriminatory and oppressive for all Egyptians. Furthermore,

Listening to the radio one day, I was shocked to hear the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) report on widespread occurrence of rape in Afghanistan. As a Muslim who knows that the core of her religion is about justice and mercy, I asked myself how the perpetrators of these a

The challenge of providing basic religious knowledge as part of the American school curriculum needs to be met with a bold, new approach. The separation of church and state has left teachers and administrators loathe to broach the subject of religion in the classroom. However, it is essential to beg

The recent vote in Switzerland banning the construction of new minarets casts an unnecessary shadow on the remarkable history of tolerance, hospitality and integration that is the true story of Switzerland. It is important to remember, however, that this vote in no way changes the fundamental affirm

When Jerusalem was conquered in 635 AD, the second caliph Omar Ibn Al-Kattab refused to pray in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, despite an invitation from the Christian patriarch Sophronius, for fear that his men invoke the precedent to turn the place of worship into a mosque and thus deprive the

Christmas feelings - feelings of special blessings received from God - feelings of higher happiness felt within ...millions enjoy Christmas feelings NOW these days, millions even enjoy the very same true Christmas feelings all year long, day after day and Billions are too busy in filing lawsuits, pu

All Pakistani Christians are raising their voices with unity for one goal: that they should have equal rights in Pakistan, except egotistical members into them. Today no one can deny that the Pakistani Christians are not enjoying equal rights according to the constitution of Pakistan. In spite of th

The world is now beginning to hear and know about Copts and their problems, thanks to the immigration opportunity from Egypt to civilized Western countries initiated a half century ago, but moreover, thanks to technological advances in communications.
In spite of today's new era of communication an

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

At a time when Switzerland’s ban on constructing minarets is making headlines, the musicians of the Rumi Ensemble are showing that cultures can converge into something beautiful.
On Thursday, 8 October, a decommissioned hydroelectric plant on the Swiss banks of the Rhone, now converted into a cult

With almost 58 per cent of Swiss voters recently delivering an electoral surprise by casting ballots in favour of a referendum to ban construction of minarets in their country, it remains to be seen whether the result of the referendum will be good for Switzerland, or even for Europe as a whole.
T

When violence is committed in the name of Islam, the perpetrators often say that Muslims were never meant to enjoy good relations with followers of other religions, specifically Jews and Christians. They invariably quote verses from the Qur’an which they argue prove that Jews and Christians are inhe

Is it ethical for public health advocates to accept funding from pharmaceutical companies, or organizations directly/ indirectly affiliated to them? Should all direct/indirect engagement with Pharmaceutical companies should be declared openly and publicly? The delegates at the 40th Union World Confe

"Basic human rights as enjoyed by others have not benefitted indigenous peoples. Therefore the respect and recognition of the rights of indigenous peoples is critical to our dignity and survival. In particular, implementation of our right to health is essential if we are to stop TB" said Wilton Litt

Israel flag first time waved in the meeting of International Renewable Energy Agency held at UAE which shows designation of equal status to Israel by Arab countries and also its implicit recognition by large Muslim countries of the world. It is to be noted that on official level, no diplomatic relat

Colonel Jaffery narrating the migrations of 1947 writes, “A mutilated old man reached Pakistan on a train and asked him, has Pakistan come? When told it had, he closed his eyes and died’. His destination: The Dreamland of Pakistan.
In an emotional and controversial address to his constituency, th

Despite the substantial number of scholarly works and news stories to the contrary, many people still have the unfortunate misconception that Muslims cannot tolerate, coexist, or cooperate with followers of other religions. This is partly because Muslim extremists themselves often (mis)use Qur’anic

The ongoing militant attacks against Pakistan's civilians, law enforcement and military signal the need not only for increased security in the country but also for addressing the underlying problems that lead to extremism, such as poverty, illiteracy, joblessness and lack of education. It is these p

If past Thanksgivings are any indication, we should be past the turkey coma by now.
But we're probably still nursing an Eid hangover.
This year, sacrifice and consumption collided for Muslim Americans. The blackest shopping day coincided with Eid ul-Adha, one of two major Islamic holidays. It occu

Congress president Maulana Abul Kalam Azad gave the following interview to journalist Shorish Kashmiri for a Lahore based Urdu magazine, Chattan, in April 1946. It was a time when the Cabinet Mission was holding its proceedings in Delhi and Simla. Azad made some startling predictions during the cour

Islamic and secular groups in Turkey have long struggled for political control. Since the median age in Turkey is 27, Turkish youth are caught in the middle of this struggle—but they are also redefining it.
Organisations affiliated with Islamic and secular political groups seek to strengthen their

What do one billion Muslims really think? Despite widespread media coverage of global terrorism by various self-proclaimed "Islamic" groups from America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, little is known about what the majority of the world's Muslims really think and feel. What do Muslims have to sa

If being an educator has taught me anything, it is that the human element of any endeavour cannot be ignored. I don't just teach history–I teach history to 11th graders. Without the students, there'd be no papers to grade, no hoarse voice at the end of the day, no chalk on my pants. I must remain co

Dr Eisuke Fukuma, Director of Breast Cancer, Kameda Medical Centre at Chiba, Japan, has done pioneering work in the field of endoscopic breast surgery and cryosurgery as a nonsurgical ablation.
He was recently in India to attend a conference on Minimal Invasive Surgery, hosted during the 35th Annua

Kashmir dispute is simply this: the people of a large territory which is not part of any existing sovereign state were assured by the entire international community represented by the United Nations that they would be enabled to decide their future by a free vote. It was supported without any di

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) presented to the government on Thursday a list of 248 politicians and bureaucrats, who were alleged to have plundered hundreds of billions of rupees but were cleared by the NAB under the National Reconciliation Ordinance 2007. Luckily, the presidential order

A few days ago, during the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) meetings in Rome, Libyan president, Gaddafi shows us once again the Arab mentality and methods. The Libyan president, instead of spending time with other leaders discussing world hunger, gathered 200 young Italian wom

I recently had the opportunity to visit Gojra and Korian, two towns attacked in the summer by Muslim extremists over the alleged desecration of the Koran by Christians. Four months on and the pain and sense of injustice over those horrific events is still etched on the faces of the Christians who l

Behind the news of suicide bombings and displaced groups in Pakistan, people in the country are working to foster a generation of young people equipped to solve the country's problems.
Shehzad Roy, renowned Pakistani pop star and founder-president of the Zindagi Trust, which works to improve educa

There is a classic Native American story about a grandfather who tells his grandson about the battle between two wolves inside us all–one full of angry, fearful energy and one full of compassionate, benevolent energy.
When the boy asks, "Which wolf wins?" the grandfather replies, "The one you choo

Today is World Diabetes Day – a day to reflect upon why India has become the diabetic capital of the world with 50.8 million (7.1%) of its people suffering from diabetes. It is high time we prepared to combat this menace and curb its spread. As the new President of IDF has rightly remarked that eith

The furore stoked by the media over a recent declaration by a faction of the Jamiatul-Ulema- e Hind declaring the singing of the song Vande Matram to be un-Islamic has, not unexpectedly, been seized upon by vociferously anti-Muslim elements to press their claim of Muslims being ‘anti-national’. The

Women in North Africa have made tremendous progress in promoting and upholding their rights. Women in this region—commonly known as the Maghreb—are at the forefront of the Arab world in terms of individual rights and gender equality, and constitute models for other Arab women to follow. A number of

A million people around the world are marching for peace. In the past few weeks alone, they walked through the streets of Sarajevo, Zagreb and Gendema, on the Sierra Leone-Liberia border. At the same time, halfway around the world, others marched in Mexico City.
Next on the agenda? New York, Paris

During her recent visit to Pakistan, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton emphasised the need to foster a relationship of respect between the United States and Pakistan. Although Pakistan's civilian government and military establishment are closely allied with the United States in efforts to stop A

In the immediate aftermath of the 5 November Fort Hood killings, some media commentators, alerted by gunman Major Dr. Nidal Malik Hasan's Muslim name, immediately described the murders as a manifestation of his religious beliefs, reinforcing many Americans' fears about Islam. In a moment like this o

In Thailand, more than 3 million people are living with diabetes. There is an urgent need to scale up the diabetes prevention and education, says Wittaya Kaewparadai, Minister of Public Health, Thailand.
According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), diabetes education and prevention is

The international system is spinning to please part of the world. A great number of western people simply call it political correctness. Others, including myself, consider it attacking certain beliefs, or simply attacking Christianity.
In the beginning of October, the United Nations Human rights co

GROWING up in Zimbabwe, diabetes (a polygenic disease characterized by abnormally high glucose levels in the blood) was something that the old people always talked about, and the fear of the disease grew over me like a giant baobab.
To describe a person with diabetes, the old people would say in lo

For culture vultures, it borders on the banal to say that Iran deserves attention for a number of things that have nothing to do with nuclear programmes or the controversial attitudes of its head of state.
High-profile filmmakers; a vibrant modern literary scene that has produced works as diverse

"Where are the moderate voices from the Arab world?"
This common lament often leads to nostalgic evocations of the Golden Age of Islam. US President Barack Obama recently harked back to this period of Islamic enlightenment, innovation and tolerance in his June 2009 Cairo speech, in which he attempt

In the years since the terrorist attacks that shook Casablanca on 16 May 2003, a number of observers posited a causal relationship between the existence of slums and the unleashing of terrorist violence based on a warped interpretation of the Qur'an. According to them, social deprivation is the idea

I attended my first Reading Abrahamic Scriptures Together (RAST) session in September 2008, during the first month of my doctoral studies in Islamic religion. RAST is a group that meets twice a month to read and discuss a theme or figure in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and the Qur'an. A frien

US President Barack Obama is currently being attacked by friend and foe alike for his willingness to seek common ground on issues ranging from healthcare to North Korea.
"The common ground is not always the high ground", writes Leon Wieseltier in the New Republic. "It informs the other side that w

My generation grew up at a time when colonial hang up was at its peak. Our older generation had been slaves and had a huge inferiority complex of the British. The school I went to was similar to all elite schools in Pakistan. Despite gaining independent, they were, and still are, producing replicas

The timing for the screening of an environment documentary - 'Negotiating Justice' - could not have been more appropriate. The film, which talks about India's negotiating position in crucial Copenhagen meet, has been nominated for Fifth CMS Vatavaran Wildlife and Environment Award - popular as India

Access to justice is a major concern in Pakistan. Pakistan was ranked 134 in the world, lower than Rwanda and Libya, in the 2008 annual Corruption Perception Index released by Transparency International. In fact, one reason some communities in the North West Frontier Province cautiously welcomed the

Al-Azhar University in Cairo is one of the oldest and most respected Sunni religious institutions in the world. It works hard to uphold the image of Islam by supporting tolerance, urging Muslims to avoid extremism and rendering edicts on the proper behaviour for Muslims—such as respect for one’s nei

Educating children in a conflict zone is no simple matter. More often than not, those responsible for the curricula succumb to the masters of war and adopt a pedagogical approach that exacerbates rather than diffuses strife. Israel, unfortunately, is no exception.
Consider the way Jewish and Pales

Egypt has a long-standing history of feminism, but gender-related problems in the country are far from resolved. Issues affecting society as a whole, including corruption, poverty and illiteracy, affect women in particular.
Egyptian women suffer in different ways. Marriage is sometimes imposed on

This month saw the launch of a report authored by a theologically diverse group of leading British Muslims entitled "Contextualising Islam in Britain". The scholars and practitioners who contributed to the report, published by Cambridge University, sought to answer a deceptively simple question: Wha

One of the most pressing dilemmas facing Afghanistan today is the gap between Afghan and Western views on what constitutes an effective political system and a functional nation-state. For the majority of Afghans, life revolves around their immediate community. Authority is exercised by local leaders

In mid-August, just prior to the start of Ramadan, the Yemeni government launched an all-out offensive on rebel positions in the northern governorate of Sa'ada. Leaving no doubt as to its intentions, the government dubbed the campaign “Operation Scorched Earth”. The fighting between the government a

Every Friday, Muslims, especially men, gather in their local mosques for the noon prayer and a sermon known as the khutba. When attending these prayers in different mosques around Jakarta—the capital of a diverse and largely tolerant country—I sometimes hear preachers deliver sermons expressing hatr

The place: "somewhere in Afghanistan or elsewhere". The setting: a small room with a black-and-white photo on the wall and a mattress on the floor. Lying on it is a motionless man, paralysed by war injuries and fed intravenously through a tube. Next to him, a woman who holds his hand in one of hers

It was a gasp of surprise that the Nobel Peace Prize has gone to president of the United States of America who has served his nation not even for a year and who has not demonstrated anything worthwhile, except in his statements for disarmament. The question is why the Academy was in a rush to hono

What necessitated Pakistan to give ‘greater political autonomy’ to Northern Areas, when such a move was urgently needed in Balochistan, where normal life is almost paralyzed after recent surge in violence and instability?
Islamabad’s recent maneuver to give “greater political autonomy” to the North

Pakistani Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani told the media last week that US drone strikes will not be allowed in the province of Balochistan, where the United States is reportedly turning to fight the militant group, Quetta Shura, which allegedly provides much of the leadership of th

The man on the television appears enraged, talking fast, yelling and demanding Muslims follow the "right path of faith." Not too far, at a nearby table, two young Egyptian girls, shrouded in their colourful hijabs, or headscarves, watch the white-clad sheikh speak. They turn to each other and their

James 5: 13-20
The Letter of James says, “Are any cheerful?” Our town this week has plenty of cheerful dudes. The hustle and bustle of thousands celebrating Oktoberfest makes our city buzz. We may ask, “Pray when you are cheerful, but why? Is beer and bratwurst not enough to cheer my spirit?”

A growing outrage is palpable from the civil society against the abuse of media's credibility to arrest Chhatradhar Mahto, the leader of Lalgarh movement in West Bengal, India.
The West Bengal police and authorities disguised as a fake media representative and with the assistance of a local media p

When the European Commission announced in October 2004 that Turkey had met the criteria for starting membership negotiations, it became front-page news worldwide. Turkey attracted international attention because of its geo-strategic importance, and because it is the first Muslim-majority EU candidat

Under US President Barack Obama's Administration, the United States has vigorously re-engaged in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and made commitment to Palestinian statehood a national security and foreign policy priority. Obama has said that it is "absolutely crucial" to American interests to

The announcement that Turkey and Armenia have decided to establish diplomatic relations is a significant measure, the importance of which goes beyond the relationship between the two countries: it could also catalyse Turkey's accession bid to the EU and improve Armenia's standing in the region.
In

The nation of Indonesia is blighted by Islamists who desire to destroy moderate versions of Islam because militants desire to install a new society based on dhimmitude and Islamic supremacy. Therefore, Islamic clerics like Abu Bakar Bafasyir support the implementation of Islamic Sharia law and his

Is US President Barack Obama's Administration providing less support for human rights and political reform in the broader Middle East—or is it merely adopting a different tone about promoting democracy?
A number of recent reports and studies demonstrate that there is a perception in the United Sta

As the holy month of Ramadan comes to a close, Muslims all over the world prepare for the joyous occasion known as Eid ul-Fitr, the three-day-long feast that marks the culmination of the month of fasting. Muslims celebrate two main holidays each year: the first, Eid ul-Fitr, follows the month of Ram

Salman Ahmad, Pakistani rock musician and founder of the popular band Junoon (as well as doctor, author and film maker) explained last Saturday night to the standing-room-only crowd in the General Assembly of the United Nations that it was a video which pushed him into action. The video, of two men

It is in India and neighbouring countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh, alone, where Muslim women are oppressed, rest of the Muslim dominated nations give equal status and rights to women. This is how the Muslim minorities feel in this Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. These Muslim minorities also feel

This year, 11 September was proclaimed the National Day of Service and Remembrance, symbolically concluding a nationwide summer of service movement, United We Serve. This programme was launched by US President Barack Obama to encourage Americans to volunteer in their communities, and Muslim American

As young Pakistanis, my friends and I often sit and discuss the country's political and developmental issues. With some dismay, we acknowledged one day that Pakistanis generally wait for others to get things accomplished because they feel hopeless after having voiced their concerns for over 60 years

Ramadan, which began on 22 August, offers an opportunity to reflect upon the surge in religious observance and ritual across the Muslim and Arab worlds and what the future might bring. For the last three decades, an Islamic revival has held the Muslim and Arab worlds in its grip. Although religious

The Founder of Pakistan the Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in his presidential address to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan on August 11, 1947 said, “You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place or worship in this State of Pakistan.

Eight years into what was once called the "Global War on Terror", Western policymakers show a growing recognition that combating violent extremists requires more creative tools. In struggles of this sort, military solutions can have the unintended consequence of exacerbating radicalisation rather th

This year, which marks the 8th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, has prompted many conversations on how the world has changed since. Many of these changes are bleak indeed: relations between America and the Muslim world suffered from wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and terrorist attacks from L

In recent years—and especially since 11 September—many self-proclaimed experts have tried to place Muslims in the United States under a microscope for examination and analysis. But this 11 September, The Domestic Crusaders, one of the first major Muslim American plays, will present complex Muslim Am

Henny Kreeft is the leader of the Netherland's Muslim Party (NMP). In this interview with freelance writer Eren Güvercin he talks about his unusual route to NMP leadership and the main goals of his party.
Mr. Kreeft, why was the NMP founded?
Henny Kreeft: The initial idea for a party came from two

The goal is to be pictured! Lately I noticed that many self proclaimed Coptic leaders are acting suspiciously. In order to clarify facts to our readers and Copts,
I decided to analyze the facts which occurred before and during the last Mubarak visit to Washington. My intention is neither to critici

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, several Central Asian republics gained their independence, including the Republic of Uzbekistan. In addition to gaining independence, Uzbekistan also inherited a faltering command economy and an authoritarian political system. To improve economic and political

The Islamic insurgency in Southern Thailand is ongoing and political and military leaders in Thailand appear to be at a loss because of many internal political and economic convulsions. Yet it is clear that radical Islamists desire an independent state and this state is meant to be Muslim to the cor

Contrary to the universality of trickle down effect as is drummed up in development economic theory, the RSPs deliberate other way round and tend to strike the tunnel so as to tune up macro economic positivities and reverse the adversaries. Through micro interventions, these RSPs are persist in bein

Three out of twelve letters of the Federal and Provincial governments of Pakistan are lying before me. I shall try to put some light only on these three letters. One can guess how the governments in Pakistan have been discriminating and playing fouls with the innocent minorities of Pakistan. Represe

Three months before the Copenhagen meet on Climate Change, when all nations concerned about impacts of degrading climate are scheduled to meet, India is creating an environment within the country to strengthen its position for negotiation at the Summit in December.
"We have nothing to feel defensiv

On 31 July, Pakistan's Supreme Court announced that former President General Pervez Musharraf's decision to impose emergency rule in November 2007 was unconstitutional, and police filed a report against him on 10 August for unlawful detention of Supreme Court judges, whom he had detained in an attem

Although Israelis and Palestinians have been meeting and communicating at a grassroots level to better understand one another and work toward a more peaceful future, the initiatives that bring them together do not receive the recognition that they deserve. Until a comprehensive solution to the Israe

I had to rub my eyes a few times to be sure that what I was seeing was real. The setting: downtown Ramallah. The event: International Youth Day. The participants were wearing white T-shirts with logos on the front and back, and red hats.
Palestinians from all over the West Bank were participating i

Sitting in my Tokyo apartment two years ago and planning a worldwide trip, I only considered travelling through Lebanon, Syria and Jordan as a means to get from Turkey to Egypt. The thought of travelling through the Middle East both terrified and intrigued me.
The majority of the news I heard from

Senior journalists have pledged to set up an information hub, with all data and other information relating to children's issues. These journalists, associated with 'Media for Children' - a joint initiative of Media Nest and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) - have asked the UNICEF to use its c

I went to Khushpur for the 5th death anniversary of my beloved daddy James Paul but suddenly I heard the ringing of Church bells. The sound of these bells was not charming because when these bells ring with a little pause it means there is funeral of some one in the church.
I walked to the church b

The future of Afghanistan–and with it, global security–is being decided as the results from the 20 August Afghan elections are trickling in, with current president Hamid Karzai taking only a marginal lead over his main contender, Abdullah Abdullah. However, news reports of election fraud, including

After decades of conflict and repressive policies, Turkey appears to be taking crucial steps toward introducing a peace initiative to resolve longstanding unrest among its Kurdish population. But for any plan to succeed, it cannot be simply another state-run, unilateral initiative that fails to take

The Darul Uloom Nadvatul Ulema, Lucknow’s fatwa against iftar parties hosted by political organisations has come as a dampener against the annual wooing of the minority community by the political parties.
The fatwa was issued on August 18, 2009 on a query made by (retired) Colonel MJ Shamsi. In th

Iran is amongst those unfortunate countries of the Middle East where authoritarian regimes frequently use unyielding measures to gag the press in order to prevent free flow of information. Media watchdog Reporters without Borders Press Freedom Index puts Iran at number 152 out of 173 countries. The

On 27 July 2009, about three months after the Obama administration unveiled its new comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan and three weeks before the Afghan presidential election scheduled for 20 August, the Taliban published a book outlining a code of conduct for its members. The book—containing 13

Riots erupted in a village near Gojra in Pakistan’s Punjab province on 31 July when it was alleged that three Christians desecrated pages of the Holy Qur'an at a wedding, claims that the Pakistani police later reported as unfounded. As a result, dozens of houses in an enclave called Christian Town w

Turkey has been plagued with multiple unwieldy coalition governments whose divisiveness has sparked regular military intervention. To understand the dynamics at the heart of Turkey’s current political landscape, and how the Justice and Development Party (AKP) has established itself at the political

A new report released on 29 July 2009 sponsored by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has blamed environmental, political, economic and social problems, together with the Middle East’s vulnerability to external occupation or military intervention, for hindering development in the Arab wor

Article 25 (1) of the Constitution of Pakistan describes” All citizens are equal before law and are entitled to equal protection of law.”
Constitution of any state is a sacred book and it is for the entire nation. It is without any bias, prejudice or discrimination against any individual, caste,

"Media must take up cudgels for victimized children. Sans allegiance to any powerful lobby and simply because they are not a vote bank, these children seem to be on nobody’s priority list. Media must speak for them," urged leading human rights advocate Tulika Srivastava.
She asked the media to st

Jajupur is a village in Sandila Tehsil, P.S. Atrauli, of Hardoi District of UP. 107 dalit landless families were allotted land pattas in 1976 by the Gram Sabha but till today the dalits have not been able to cultivate their fields. The reason is that a politically influential feudal family of the ne

The Gojra Tragedy is another shameful incidence of religious intolerance and violence in Pakistan. This is not the first time that the majority class has physically expressed their aggression against minority groups in this country. The history of Pakistan is replete with incidents of Shia-Sunni cla

Religious pluralism is a major feature of Lebanese society and key to its political system, which requires the distribution of key positions in the state to different religious communities. Although many feel that Lebanon has outgrown this political structure, this system has served the country well

Hamzah Desa, a 42-year-old Thai Muslim, sits cross-legged on the veranda of his one-room wooden house in Kampung Che Bilang in Satun, a Muslim-majority province in southern Thailand.
It's a typical Sunday afternoon in his village. A handful of villagers wearing headscarves are buying papaya salad a

I spent summers as a young boy in Damascus, while my fellow Syrians were flocking to my coastal hometown of Tartous to savour the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Despite the heat of Damascus, my summers there were always special.
The Damascene diversity was riveting. Every Friday morning, my gran

“I am weak and my parents taught me to respect every religion,” Bernard, 15 year old Pakistani boy expressed these views on the Gojra tragedy. “Apart from being poor, weak and knowing the punishment I will never think of desecrating the Quran. It is a holy book and gives the message of peace and har

Despite growing global pressure for the release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar (Burma), she was sentenced to another 18 months' house arrest by a court in Rangoon.
"It is another big blow to democracy struggles in Burma" said Dr Sandeep Pandey, Magsaysay Awardee (2002) and lead

The recent incidents in Gojra are a grim reminder of how existing half laws can be manipulated for personal and political ends. Besides loss of life, property or the reputation of the country, it also reflects an opportunist political system in which strange bedfellows can be espoused for political

The Global Community is shocked to watch on their news the horror scenes of the brutality of Islamic militants against Christians in the Gojra area. It is not the first time such heinous crimes have been committed; there is a long list of the systematic persecution of the Christian minority in Paki

The proposed introduction of the Land Acquisition (Amendment) and Resettlement and Rehabilitation Bills by United Progressive Alliance (UPA) on the last day of the Budget Session despite of the objections by struggling peoples movements and one of the UPA key allies Trinamool Congress smacks of a co

The worst fears of some of us have now been confirmed. Pakistani society, politicians and media has always been talking about the involvement of Indian intelligence agency RAW in fomenting trouble inside Pakistan . First it was in Sindh, particularly in Karachi . Now people say there is no doubt abo

In his 4 June speech to the Muslim world from Cairo, US President Barack Obama started his discussion of religious freedom by pointing out that "Islam has a proud tradition of tolerance".
Citing its long history of protecting religious minorities as well as his own experience growing up in overwhel

Pandith’s appointment is an opportunity, not a panacea by Anja Manuel
In July 2009, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton named Farah Pandith the Special Representative to Muslim Communities. It is a historic step. Pandith's experience – and the new responsibility she is taking on with this role – si

Israel has repeatedly asked Arab countries to recognise it and engage in peaceful relations. Most of them rejected these appeals, with the exception of Egypt in 1977 and Jordan in 1994.
However, in 2002 the Arab League announced an unprecedented historical initiative for a comprehensive peace trea

At first glance, Turkish newspapers’ appear to depict women in one of two ways: either as fashion objects, exhibiting the latest bikinis and glam rags or, on the other hand, as victims of brutal crimes.
Upon closer inspection, however, and despite a lack of women in the news industry, coverage of g

In the recently concluded general elections for the 15th Parliament in India, there was a growing movement in the citizens to become proactive towards cleansing of politics in the country. The social activists not only launched campaigns to educate people about their right to vote in a democracy, t

On US Independence Day weekend, 45,000 Muslims gathered in the nation’s capital for the annual convention of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), a membership organization that contributes to the betterment of the Muslim community and society at large. The theme of this year’s convention was

Violence in China’s northwest region of Xinjiang has attracted worldwide attention in the past few weeks. With 192 dead and over 1,721 injured, the scale of violence is among the most severe in decades. While the impact of some Uighurs’ demands for independence cannot be dismissed entirely, the bigg

Many see Saudi Arabia as a closed society, with little religious diversity. In recent years, however, King Abdullah's immense interfaith dialogue efforts have begun to change this view. His three interfaith initiatives last year – the Mecca Appeal for Interfaith Dialogue, the Madrid World Conference

There is a pervasive view in the media today that Islam does not support pluralism. Sadly, we often hear how difficult it is for non-Muslim minorities to live in peace and harmony in Muslim countries. Violent extremists who misuse Islamic theology to justify terrorist attacks have exacerbated prejud

Though this is her fifth visit to the Lucknow, state capital of Uttar Pradesh, Kristin Kjaeret, Director FoodFirst Information and Action Network (FIAN) Norway, an international human rights organisation campaigning for right to feed oneself, maintains that things have not changed even now.
In a ca

During the Assembly elections 2007, the people of Uttar Pradesh (U.P.) India and especially the Dalits voted Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to absolute majority. They expected that this time with a stable government she will be able to take U.P. out of the quagmire of underdevelopment and back

Vocabulary
Bara-based: Bara is a commercial area of Peshawar, NWFP, PAKISTAN
Final Note: It is a verbal message of the militant as per of the version of the minorities’ elders but there are proves of written text also which the elders either have kept secret or are reluctant to show it publicly

- Education till class twelfth should be compulsory for each child in India.
- Each village in the country should have not only primary schools but also higher secondary schools.
- Teachers should teach with affection and support so that students do not feel scared of them in putting up their quer

Sikkim, that tiny outcrop in the eastern Himalayas, is a little jewel that makes an interesting contribution to the bewildering cultural and ethnic diversity of India. On the face of it, Sikkim has always seemed an idyllic, lost- in- the clouds abode of beatific Buddhist monks and smiling inscrutabl

When it comes to democratic development in the Arab world, the ball is now squarely in the court of Islamic opposition movements. US President Barack Obama has spoken. Defying expectations that he would downplay domestic affairs and democracy promotion in favour of a more realist outlook, Obama used

While in Sarajevo to receive the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding's 2006 Peacemaker in Action award at a religious peace makers' conference, Azhar Hussain stayed up late every night talking to local taxi drivers. In addition to an appreciation for good stories, he conversed with the

Pakistan is in the middle of its largest operation against the Taliban in the troubled Swat Valley and adjacent areas.
Although a small first wave of refugees has begun to return as part of the government's efforts, up to 2.5 million people are believed to have fled the once quiet, scenic mountain

On 11 August 1947, a newly-formed Pakistan had its first session of the Constituent Assembly, which was formed to write Pakistan's constitution and serve as its first parliament. Joginder Nath Mandal, a Hindu from a caste that traditionally had been socially marginalised, was nominated as its chairm

Rohini Singh is still waiting for justice to be done after being brutally physically abused by the police constable Subhas Mishra, who entered and ransacked her home and also misbehaved with her two minor daughters, all because she was asking for protection against the harassment and domestic violen

Today in Pakistan there are two extremes: there are those who wish to impose a rigid, literalist interpretation of religion and then there are the world-weary agnostics who are blindly averse to anything having to do with religion. Both mindsets are dangerous as they both lead to a spiritual vacuum.

The juxtaposition of the views of President Obama and President Sarkozy on the wearing of the veil by Muslim women can tempt us into easy condemnation of one position and praise of the other. Through one prism, their positions could be characterised as respect for religious freedom on the one hand,

Like a dilapidated house, the US-Syria relationship has been in need of repair and renovation for years. Since President Obama's 20 January inauguration call for engagement with "adversaries", slow but steady and serious work by both sides has begun to restore the structure and substance of the rams

The International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) and the World Heart Federation (WHF) called today on the UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to take immediate action to avert the fastest growing threat by non-communicable diseases (NCDs) to global hea

2 Samuel 5: 1-5, 9, 10, Psalm 48, 2 Cor. 12: 2-10, Mark 6:1-13
This has been a great weekend of the celebration of July Fourth, a powerful icon in the history of our nation. It is the anniversary of our nation’s birth, the date of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia sayi

"The new strategy for economic growth in poor countries should not, as today, focus on increasing exports and liberalizing international trade, but should foster internal demand through job creation and pay raises resulting from a social bottom line." –from Global Development, by Frans Doorman, 1998

In the hours following Michael Jackson’s death, people around the globe shared common pain, resuscitated old vinyl records stored in their basements and stayed up later than usual watching 1980s VHS or Youtube videos of Thriller and Billy Jean. Michael Jackson was adored by a wide spectrum of global

Since the 1970s, France has been evolving into a culturally and ethnically diverse country, though this has gone largely unnoticed. Yet throughout this process, entire populations on the margins of the privileged circles have been left out of the country’s economic progress, and in the 1980s and 199

According to a poll recently conducted by the University of Maryland and Zogby International, Germany’s popularity is on the rise in the Arab world. The poll revealed that large segments of Arab society approve of Germany’s potentially greater role in world politics. Twenty-three percent of Arabs in

Think Lucknow and the mention to the city of nawabs will be incomplete sans mention of Khushbir Singh Shaad, Lucknow’s very own local shayar (poet).
Known for his six book s on poetry complete with brilliant thought provoking muse penned both in Hindi and Urdu, Shaad has also penned verses for

It is heartening to note that the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD), under the able guidance of Sri. Kapil Sibal, wishes to overhaul the education system in the country. It envisages replacing marks with grades (already been done by some Boards), having a ‘one nation -one board principle

On the international day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking, drug users gathered outside Shastri Bhavan (New Delhi, India), to reject “sham” programmes for addiction and demand meaningful involvement in policies. Protesting torture and cruelty in de-addiction centres, drug users called upon

The day before November's US presidential election, I was checking my bags in at the San Francisco airport. I handed my driver's license to the woman behind the counter and told her my name. When she looked at me, I could tell there was confusion and apprehension behind her mask of polite profession

I find it difficult to know and understand what's really going on in Iran. Every time I log on to the internet and go to reputable news sites, Iran is making headlines.
But I am still confused and ignorant about whether the election results are legitimate or not, and whether the majority of Irania

This Sunday was as good as they get. It started with my morning paper – usually a distressing experience but, today in the weekend section, I saw pictures of people at two different events wearing the green ribbons that I had designed as an expression of support for our troops and our nation.
Thes

Umarkot, the birthplace of Moghul Emperor Akbar and a city of large Hindu population, is one of the few towns in Pakistan where religious festivals such as Holi and Diwali are celebrated by both Hindus and Muslims. Holi and Diwali are considered to be a particularly Hindi festival. However both Hind

It sees itself as one of the Middle East's most liberal countries, but Lebanon's lack of female politicians sticks out like a sore thumb. While Lebanese women today enjoy senior positions in the private sector, political appointments have all but eluded them.
Lebanese women were granted suffrage i

At my mosque, like almost all mosques across the country, women pray upstairs or at the back of the prayer hall. Watching elderly and pregnant women, often with young children attached at the hip, painstakingly traverse the back entrance and hike up concrete stairs evokes a cognitive dissonance with

France currently has the largest Muslim community in Europe with approximately five million people (i.e., about eight percent of the total population), most of whom hold French nationality. This sociological and demographic fact has raised many questions regarding the level of integration or exclusi

Shakespeare said, ‘as butterflies to the wanton boys are we to gods, they kill us for their sport.’ The plight of the economy and its remnants speak volumes about economic drone attack albeit executed inadvertently as far as consequences are concerned. The gods, the wanton boys are vainglorious with

Aha! To be in the land of the Pharaohs and of Cleopatras; to breathe deep the air of ancient civilization ; to marvel at the pristine blue of the Red Sea; to let the senses reel under the inexplicable experience of a cruise on the Mother of All Rivers.
My stay in Egypt was a mixture of discovery a

Mark 4: 26-34
Theologian Sallie McFaque, in her work Speaking in Parables summed up the essence and expertise of Jesus as a parable-teller when she said: “We are not told about the graciousness of God in a parable, but are shown a situation from ordinary life which has been revolutionized by grace.

The men in the forces sporting blues, greens and whites certainly have an enviable lifestyle. The respect comes with the job as does the adventure peppered with an aura of safeguarding the country’s frontiers. To top it all there’s always the glamour of donning a uniform as well.
Sounds good? Sure

According to a repot contained in the books of Hadith, once, during a battle, a Muslim received a grievous injury on his head. The next morning, the man needed to have a bath, but for him to do so was dangerous, for it could make his wound ever more severe. He turned to some of his fellow Muslims an

Dystopian predictions of Ray Bradbury in the science-fiction novel Fahrenheit 451 not withstanding, it turns out that enhancing communication technologies can empower rather than enslave the masses. Indeed, the past century of Iranian history, complete with its revolutions and democracy-building, ha

The debate over the integration of the Muslim community into Swiss society is not new and has long been the subject of considerable political tension. The most recent controversy is no different and has already fuelled a heated discussion on whether the construction of minarets in Switzerland should

Can religion comprise a country's all-encompassing identity? How does connecting religion to a particular place affect our perception of that place?
Outsiders' views about a religion can be shaped by the way it is linked to a certain nation or geographical area, and in a world where religion is at

The Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) pose a serious threat to the economic and social sovereignty of Pakistan. Ironically speaking, neither of the two sovereignties is predominantly existent; for, by and large the economic sovereignty has long been usurped by donors through the instruments of Pak

US President Barack Obama is being criticised for choosing Cairo as the venue for his speech to the Muslim world. According to some human rights and pro-democracy activists, this validates autocratic governance in general and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's regime in particular.
Yet, where woul

Since the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri in 2005, US policy toward Lebanon has evolved into a robust one whose mantra – a sovereign and independent Lebanon – is now the cornerstone of the US-Lebanon relationship.
This policy has translated into tangible levels of support for st

Many learned people have stood in this hall and spoken of the values that are shared between the Abrahamic faiths. That is not my purpose today. I want to talk – I hope in a spirit of humility and respect – from my perspective as Foreign Secretary, about the political process of building coalitions

Islam and the Muslim world have both become critically important in the national and international affairs of America. The lack of American Islamic scholars creates a barrier to properly understanding Islam and its relationship to modern American society.
Twenty years ago, it was enough for medical

Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao’s Labor Day 2009 Message, “Work is both a RIGHT & a DUTY” was very meaningful. It focused on the RIGHT & DUTY of the worker. The effect of Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization has badly affected the worker and this is seen when workers are robbed of their emp

The budget 2009-10 is dogging after the poor, and certainly many of its pages would be dog-eared. Curbing inflation must be at the anvil and ironically speaking the anvil may be the worthy plight of the poorest!
According to the first quarterly of SBP, the July-Sep 2009 revenue stands at Rs 385 bil

A Thai Rock Band group by the name of Mulatto is really creating waves these days in Thailand. It can really be called a smoke free and environment friendly band, as all its members are non smokers. They come from different backgrounds but all have one thing in common – none of them ever liked the s

A Short-Message-Service (SMS) hotline was launched in New Delhi, India to provide round-the-clock free tuberculosis (TB) support service to TB patients. This SMS helpline is being managed by ex-TB patients.
Earlier on World Health Day (7 April 2009), a unique partnership was forged in a community

Tobacco is the only consumer product which is grown and available legally and is lethal for human beings. At the current rate, the number of smokers dying every year in the world is likely to reach (10 million) 1 crore by 2020.
In India tobacco kills 1 million (10 lakhs) people annually.
Tobacco d

When tragedy strikes children of underprivileged homes whom do they turn too? Victims of unfortunate circumstances they are forced to be deprived of the their basic right to survival.
Worse still their families have no answers to questions like where do poor families who cannot afford treatment see

The Islamic Republic of Iran is taking advantage of a lapse in American politics when President Obama is formulating his new Middle East policies to actualize its expansionist policies in the Middle East. Just a few days after the summit meeting of American president with the presidents of Afghanis

Pope Benedict's visit to the Middle East last week has accentuated the need to improve relations between Muslims and Christians at multiple levels. Despite sharing a common Abrahamic lineage, both faith communities have a chequered history of relations going back to the Crusades. While the Qur'an re

It is not only important to explain what Islam really is, but it is also important to make a distinction between what Islam involves, and what people have incorrectly associated with and attributed to it.
What is the relation between Islam and the actions of people that practice the Muslim faith? I

I wish I could talk with Geert Wilders, the Dutch politician who was responsible for the controversial 2008 film Fitna, for his scathing reaction to a speech by the Netherlands Ambassador for Indonesia Nikolaos van Dam at a graduation ceremony of Qur'anic Studies in Indonesia.
Van Dam's speech app

In response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Akhil Maharashtra Muslim Khatik Samaj, stating that there were Dalits within Muslim community who needed reservation and demanded inclusion in the SC list, the Supreme Court has issued notice to the Centre seeking its reply. Further, the jud

Kanshi Ram and Mayawati started their politics with “Tilak, Traju aur Talwar- inko maro jute char” (beat the Brahmins, Banias and Thakurs with shoes) and “Vote hamara raj tumhara nahin chalega” (we won’t allow you to rule us with our vote). Besides this, in order to attract Dalits (Scheduled Castes.

Maybe it is time to take a break from the usual self bashing and look at ourselves from a different angle. We have been taking plentiful stock of what we have been doing wrong. Maybe taking stock of what we are demonstrably capable of may lead us to a different starting point.
I can remember two

Jonathan Mann awardee (2008) Dr Binayak Sen, who is a well-known paediatrician and human rights defender, will complete two years on 14 May 2009 in a Raipur prison on false charges of abetting Maoist activity in Chhattisgarh, sedition, and waging war against the State. This committed advocate of civ

In an attempt to restore peace in the restive Swat Valley, the Pakistani government signed a controversial peace deal in March with the Taliban-backed group Movement for the Enforcement of Shari'a (TNSM). In the following month, the Taliban extended its grasp beyond Swat to within 60 miles of Islama

On 18 April, the Somali parliament unanimously passed a bill to adopt Islamic law as national legislation. The real issue is not the adoption of Islamic law alone, but how it interpreted and implemented, and whether there can be national consensus on exactly what constitutes Islamic law in Somalia.

El Salvador, Benin and other low- and middle-income countries have a special reason to celebrate World Asthma Day on Tuesday, 5 May, this year. A purchasing mechanism run by the Paris-based International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) is making it possible for these countrie

Which one is the greater challenge?
That there are Taliban in Swat or that the police and judiciary fall short of minimum standards.
To say that a militia of a few thousand fighters at best, is likely to run over a 600,000 strong Pakistan Army stretches creduility. Even the mighty Rustum feared t

More than 300 million people around the world have asthma, and the disease imposes a heavy burden on individuals, families, and societies.
The Global Burden of Asthma Report, indicates that asthma control often falls short and there are many barriers to asthma control around the world. Proper long-

A Muslim American woman, standing next to her new American Zionist friend, lit a candle on 20 April – Holocaust Remembrance Day – in honour of those who perished during the Holocaust.
The flame was placed at the centre of an image of the Earth printed on cloth, as Jews, Muslims, Druze and others fr

Often referred to as the “Switzerland of Pakistan”, Swat Valley – located 100 miles northwest of Islamabad – has a rich history. It has witnessed the arrival and departure of several cultures, religions and peoples for well over 2,000 years. It is the home to several of the Buddha’s relics, includin

The fall of large swathes of territory in Pakistan’s lawless north-west to the marauding Taliban, who, through an agreement reached with the Pakistani authorities, are now forcibly imposing what they regard as shariah laws in the region, has added a new dimension to the convoluted politics of Pakist

WHO and the United States Government have declared public health emergencies due to confirmed human cases of a new influenza virus - swine influenza (H1N1). Several countries including Canada have officially reported cases of influenza A/H1N1 infection.
There are no restrictions of regular travel

Dear Nazir:
First of all congrats on your new book. Its always good to know at least some one is making effort to raise voice for Christian community. I haven’t read the whole book but skimmed through some chapters. I would say the writing style seems as if you are only sharing your success stories

It is simple really.
No conspiracy against a country can succeed, if the country is not weak from within.
Strong law enforcement can thwart any number of efforts on the part of individuals or militant groups to destabilize the country.
Rule of law in the civilian population is enforced by the p

Turkey has strong ties both with its Muslim history and with secularism, understood as not mixing religion with politics. After decades of struggling between these two identities, this strategic NATO ally and EU contender has developed a hybrid identity that encompasses both. As a result, Turkey has

People with a hammer only see nails. This well-worn maxim aptly describes the United States' relationship with Afghanistan and Pakistan over the past several decades. As early as 1954, the United States identified the country as a bulwark against regional encroachment by the Soviet Union when Pakist

On the morning of 8 April, a US-flagged cargo ship – the Maersk Alabama – carrying US government food aid destined for Africa was hijacked by Somali pirates 300 miles off Somalia's coast. Eventually, the crew and the ship escaped to safety, while Captain Richard Phillips was taken hostage by the pir

The intellectual, writers and columnists through media have very convincingly elaborated the clarity of ‘thoughts and objectives’, which Taliban want to achieve in Pakistan, which has left the nation perplexed. Any sane person cannot disagree with the realistic view that Taliban want to take this co

Earlier this month the Group of Twenty (G-20) leaders had announced a USD 1.1 trillion booster-dose into the world economy by the end of 2010 through multilateral institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Health advocates believe that critical reforms are needed for IMF policies to pr

Not only modern lifestyles are causing un-brindled exploitation of natural resources upsetting the ecosystem and upping the global warming, but also the national policies in India related to environment are not in tune with International mandate to save the planet Earth.
"Corporatisation of natural

People of Pakistan and people of the US operate in such different contexts that it is hard to imagine that their fates are somehow linked.
The people of Pakistan standing up to restore their chief justice was a history changing event. This reference point for people power, publicized properly, has

Passover is a time for millions of Jewish families to remember the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt over three thousand years ago. As the Jewish community celebrates Passover this week, each family will open their Haggadah – a Jewish religious text that sets out the order of the Passover meal, or Seder

Those who think that Algerians have been passive victims of their country's political problems need look no further than the Algerian women's movement for a change of mind. Twenty-five years ago, a unique relationship developed between Algeria and the non-profit organisation, Women Living Under Musl

US President Barack Obama's recently revealed counter-insurgency strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan is likely to precede a more aggressive campaign in northwest Pakistan, as illustrated by the decision to send thousands of additional troops to the "AfPak" region by the end of the year.
In a diff

Allama Iqbal, the poet-philosopher philosophized; and not theologized every phenomenon of human life be it religion, sociology or economics. As far economics, in the capacity of a philosopher he prioritized his concern endorsing to the overall impact of economics on human life at large, hence his di

They may not be as suave as Nafisa Ali all set to wow Lucknow on a Samajawadi Party (SP) ticket to Lok Sabha or the messiah of the dalits as the Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) Supremo, Bahen Mayawati but this elections the mahila brigade in city of Nawabs are gearing up to be heard and how!
Down tro

This month in the year 1979, the Hindu-Muslim violence in Jamshedpur took the lives of 108 people. The number of dead could have easily been 114, but as it turned out, my family and I survived the mayhem, to write about it thirty years later.
This unfortunate event occurred when I was at the tende

Before I say about my topic, I would like to introduce my self I am an advocate and always try my best to help our churches through their posters. Nowadays I am studying in LLM final at S M Law College and I have to write about my thesis which I wish to highlights the lack of legislation in respect

It was indeed refreshing to hear the views of Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer, a Right Livelihood award recipient, on the politics of terrorism. He rightly believes that terrorism is not born of any religion, but is the outcome of political situations.
In India, the demolition of the Babri Masjid triggered

"Mullah Omar has given the green light to talks", Abdullah Anas, a Taliban mediator, explained recently to The Sunday Times. "A big, big step has happened. For the first time, there is a language of peace on both sides."
Everything seems to point to the fact that those involved in the secret strate

As a Muslim American, I realise that my diploma from the Hebrew Academy of Toledo is an unusual credential. But in the context of my family and our identity, it makes perfect sense.
My mother emigrated from India to the United States in 1963, settling in northwest Ohio two years before the quota la

Prior to the advent of Islam, women were widely regarded as non-entities in many societies around the world. Indeed, it has taken centuries for women to gain rights equal to those of men, at least in theory, if not in practice. But the struggle for complete gender equality has not ended.
Within th

An organized and managed stock market stimulate investment opportunities by recognizing and financing productive projects that lead to economic activity, mobilize domestic savings, allocate capital proficiency, help to diversify risks, and facilitate the exchange of goods and services. Undoubtedly,

The marriage, under pressure, of Mukhtaran Mai, the courageous woman who stood up to the atavistic tribal laws of Pakistan after being honour-raped by a gang of human beasts, has brought into focus the enormity of the gender bias prevailing in Muslim societies, particularly through the misuse of the

The countries that report high burden of tuberculosis (TB), particularly, drug-resistant strains of TB, are the ones not moving fast enough to provide life saving treatment. According to the International medical humanitarian organization, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) or doctors without borders, l

An argument could be made that the Middle East, as the birthplace of the Abrahamic religions, is a centre of dialogue between Muslims and Christians. Where their holiest places of worship and pilgrimage exist, Muslims and Christians have provided models of historical co-existence and cooperation. Bu

Politics is never dull in Pakistan. Over the past few weeks, it has been inspirational too.
On 16 March, I watched people flock to the home of Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry. A tense standoff between the government and a coalition of opposition groups over Chaudhry's reinstatement as chief justice of P

How is it that one religion – Islam – seems capable of undermining women and promoting them at the same time?
Anyone attempting to take stock of the position of women in the Muslim world cannot help but be confused. One finds stories in the media all the time about injustices committed against Mus

Despite of African governments declaring tuberculosis (TB) as an emergency, Africa as a region, faces the largest funding gap of USD 10.7 billion to fully implement the Global Plan to Stop TB by 2015. This fact came in spotlight when the TB funding in Africa required to meet the TB-related targets o

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Ankara last week and praised Turkey as a leader in the Middle East and for playing a constructive role in the region. She also announced US President Barack Obama's plan to visit Turkey in April, heightening speculations about which Muslim country Obama

On Nowruz, the day when Iranians celebrate the coming of spring and the new Iranian calendar year, US President Barack Obama took the helm of American foreign policy towards Iran and dramatically communicated his will to chart a new course away from the failed policies of the past. "My administratio

"We simply must stop TB. This succinct but compelling message implies a shared responsibility for unified action at all levels, by health-care providers, national and international partners and communities to control and eliminate TB", said Dr. Samlee Plianbangchang, World Health Organization (WHO)'

Water constitutes about three fourths of the earth’s surface, but only less than one percent of it can be used by its inhabitants. Most of it is salt water oceans (about 97%) and 2% of it is contained in glaciers. With every country seeking to satisfy its ever increasing water needs from shrinking a

Thailand had relatively strong tobacco control policies for years but for effective implementation, it was vital to seek cooperation and strengthen tobacco control initiatives in other countries in the South-East Asia (SEA).
“After working with Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) foundation in Thail

This semester I am teaching a course about Aristotle, democracy and law on a University of London campus which has large numbers of Muslim students. Over the past few weeks, two of them approached me – independently, and at different times. They both asked, a bit nervously, whether Aristotle's philo

In 2003, I met Afghan President Hamid Karzai under somewhat unusual circumstances. The Rand Corporation, my employer, and Sesame Workshop had teamed up to create an Afghan version of Sesame Street. We were designing short video episodes to be shown to the new generation of post-Taliban Afghan school

It is important to begin with a clarification. The topic does not imply in any way that religion is only about protest and power. There is no denying that religion is far more complex and comprehensive than that. It embodies so many other dimensions of life. It speaks to death and the hereafter.

There is no power like girl power. This can’t ring more true when it comes to empowering young adolescent girls in rural India.
What began as self help girl group, a unique concept taken up by UNICEF Lucknow, today is one of the most powerful tools young adolescent girls are using to protect thems

On 8 March, International Women's Day marked women's accomplishments and challenges in achieving equality.
One of the most profound challenges women continue to face, however, is domestic violence, as painfully illustrated by the recent murder of Aasiya Zubair by her husband, Muzzamil, in New York

With Obama administration adopting a progressive outlook toward climate change, a consensus seems likely this year among the high income countries about post-Kyoto mitigation commitments. With growing realization that drastic and early greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions cut will be necessary in order to

The 14th World Conference on Tobacco or Health (WCTOH) got an official kick start on the 8th of March, at the National Centre Of Performing Arts in Mumbai. The programme started with the typical Indian invocation to Lord Ganesha and goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswati (may be in keeping with the Interna

Right now, a new kind of a battle is going on in India. For the first time since Independence, Muslims of a whole region right in India’s heartland—the district of Azamgarh in Poorvanchal (East Uttar Pradesh)—have launched an Independent mass movement. Till date, from its own resources, the Ulema Co

The season of Lent began on Ash Wednesday, with a reminder that, "Dust you are, and into dust you shall return" and as we pass through this season, we are reminded of God's divine love through the Stations of the Cross, Sundays of Lent that focuses on our renewal & reconciliation, the ministry of pr

The West seems stunned by the sudden turn of events in Pakistan. The Pakistani government recently negotiated a truce with The Movement for Enforcement of Shari’a (TNSM), endorsed by the local Taliban in Pakistan, to introduce shari’a-based law in the tribal Malakand area.
The Chief Minister of th

Morocco owes its image of a modern Muslim nation to Sufism, a spiritual and tolerant Islamic tradition that goes back to the first generations of Muslims and has sustained the religious, social and cultural cohesion of Moroccan society for centuries. Sufism provides answers to some of the most compl

Located at Shanthapuram, a township in the Mallapuram district some eighty kilometers from Calicut, the Jamia al-Islamiya is one of the largest Islamic seminaries in Kerala. Established in 1955 by activists associated with the Kerala unit of the Jamaat-e Islami, and considerably expanded since then

Whatever became of Sin?
Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. 1 Peter 3:18
For the next two Sundays I would like to speak on the subject, Whatever Became of Sin? The word sin has strong negative connotations. For many of us

The vitamin A supplementation of infants and children can potentially reduce child mortality by over 20 per cent, said Howard B. Schiffer, founder and President of Vitamin Angels in an interactive community health literacy programme organized hardly 25 kilometers away from the state council house of

-RTI Service centres will be set up in UP.
-200 computer cells will be constituted aswell in various districts to provide assistance to people wanting to get information online.
-Govt staff will be trained to update and feed the websites providing information of various departments.

The Right t

The new US Ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, identified Kashmir as one of the world’s hot spots and bracketed it with contested regions such as the Balkans and Golan Heights during her testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations committee last month.
Likewise, in an interview with Tim

In the past two decades, a movement of some 30 Turkish non-governmental women’s rights organisations has spearheaded legal, political and social change to promote equality and eliminate violence against women. Change, however, is not coming easily as these NGOs try to battle ingrained traditional vi

The arrangements for agricultural extension in India have grown, over the last five decades, in terms of activities, organizational types and available manpower. However, public investments in agriculture, (investments in irrigation, rural roads, rural electrification, storage, marketing, agricultur

Like the rest of the world, Indonesians watched recent events in Gaza with concern. Thousand of Indonesians participated in demonstrations and fundraising events. These activities were, to some extent, important ways to show disagreement with Israeli military actions and call for an immediate ceasef

In second grade I had a pen pal named Annie from Simsbury, Connecticut. She was a student at one of the schools in my town.
We wrote letters to each other every week and talked about our hobbies, families and schools. At the end of the year, we met in person and I discovered I had a new friend.
H

Bishop Timetheous presents some key points to rebut Mr. Durrani's suggestion that setting up a “Christianland” in Pakistan would be the ultimate answer to stop persecution against Christians.
However, I truly expected more from a Bishop than a simple tongue lashing and “worldly” reasoning. For y

President Zardari says “Pakistan’s survival is at stake” By Bashy Quraishy

“Taleban have established themselves in large parts of Pakistan and are trying to take over the country. Pakistan’s survival is at stake” So said the President Of Pakistan Mr Asif Ali Zardari to an American TV Channel w

Quite right – the Obama administration is gearing up to pressure the Europeans to put more men in boots on the ground in Afghanistan.
Quite right – the Europeans don't want to engage in a war of attrition – à la Russians in Afghanistan in the 1980s or like the United States in Vietnam a decade and

Faiz in terms of essence that emanates from his poetry shoulders the responsibility of those chosen few social intellectuals who out of their mystic and not sadistic predisposition have endeavored to reform collective social conscience. Brass of such humanists could be Persian poets Saadi and Rumi i

In the clamour for asking the Pakistani government to take decisive action against the terrorist organizations in that country and shut down their camps we forget one thing. The civilian government in Pakistan is probably simply not in a position to do what we except from it. It is a well known fact

In the first ever incident of its kind the state of Uttar Pradesh is struggling with its growing disabled population. As grim as that sounds the fact remains that a single seven year old blind and deaf destitute child has become a huge challenge for not only the government of UP but its citizen's at

As policymakers in Washington assess the best way forward in Afghanistan, they should heed advice from thousands of Afghan civil society leaders working to improve their country. While divided in their support for a troop surge, Afghan civil society leaders are unanimous in wanting a shift in the US

At the fourth Leishmaniasis World Congress in Lucknow, India, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said that there is a serious need to expand availability of effective treatments and diagnosis for visceral leishmaniasis (kala azar) in order to reduce the present burden of disease and resistance to treatm

Respectfully, Mr. Munjid, I can not agree with your supposition that the main message of Hijra, Hannukah and Christmas are all equally about “spiritual breakthrough........starting point for the establishment of a new social order that is supported not by blood, ethnic and cultural affiliation, but

If he was not attending to needy patients in Lucknow today he would most likely have been a washerman in his birth place, Ballia district of eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Hailing from the ‘dhobi’ caste, which is one of the Scheduled Castes, Manish, as a student of Standard IX in Ballia was not very comfo

Lalitpur UP: The only emotion one feels standing in the neonatal care centre in Lalitpur is of disbelief, as doctors prepare to discharge a newly born baby weighing no less than 750 gms. Barely fitting the size of the doctor's palm, the little girl child is hale and hearty as she is handed over to h

Big fish eat the small fish. Looks like the PML (N) is all set to swallow the tasty and ripe Black Coats. PML (N) couldn’t find a better opportunity than the ensuing Long March to strike with full might. Ever since the return of the exiles from Jaddah, the brothers have been playing their cards astu

Shankar Singh was a tout at the Road Transport Office earlier and used to get people’s work done by paying bribes to the officials and take his own cut. Today he is a right to information activist working with a team in Kanpur to check corruption not just at the road transport office but also at oth

"…I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life giving my time, money and skills to worthwhile endeavours where I could make a difference. I didn’t know exactly what I would do, but I wanted to help save lives, solve important problems, and give more young people the chance to live their dreams" (1)

I introduce myself as the chairman of the Group called 'Goldenagro'. We have two companies at Mongla EPZ (Export Processing Zone). Recently, on 25th August 2008, one of the factories suffered big damage due to a fire and I had to travel to Dhaka for a meeting with the MD of our insurance company. Be

Shortly after Israel began its air strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza, one of Boston's Muslim community leaders sent an email to a diverse array of interfaith colleagues in the Boston area to convey his organisation's position on the bombing campaign and indicate that its members would be participatin

It would be an understatement to say that relations between Muslims and non-Muslims have been strained since 9/11. Here in the United Kingdom, a poll found that 26 percent of the population admitted to being “hostile to Muslims”; in the United States, one in five Americans said that they would not w

On 23 January 2009, the Group of Ministers (GoM) in India will again meet to assuage concerns of tobacco lobby on pictorial warnings, health activists apprehend.
This group of ministers (GoM) consists of: Pranab Mukherjee (External Affairs Minister), Kamal Nath (Commerce and Industry Minister), Pri

Late last month, the Islamic New Year, 1430 Hijra, was observed immediately following Christmas and Hanukkah. In a world where conflicts often have a religious spin, these consecutive events should be interpreted as a positive sign, even an opportunity, for Jews, Christians and Muslims to embrace on

The United States and Pakistan have to work together in various areas to improve their chances of success in the campaign against extremism.
There is one issue specifically which, if addressed by the United States, could positively impact all these areas: the missing persons of Pakistan — people p

Can minorities enjoy equal opportunities so long these laws remain?
Campaign against unjust laws
Although Pakistan was founded as an Islamic state when it came into being in 1947, its constitution did not distinguish between Muslims and non-Muslims. Sadly, non-Muslims who once enjoyed a safe and p

International attention has focused on Pakistan like never before in the weeks following the Mumbai attacks. To quote Bruce Riedel, a former CIA officer and adviser to President-elect Barack Obama, “All of the world’s nightmares come together in Pakistan.”
Assuming the world does not have the optio

As she prepares for her role as Secretary of State, Senator Hillary Clinton and the rest of the Obama foreign policy team should consider how a new American-Iranian relationship might advance American interests in Iraq and Afghanistan, and conceivably even the Arab-Israeli peace process.
This will

"I am the first woman farmer in my block who started cultivation 15 years back," said 45 years old Aisha Begum Khatoon of Hridaypur village in Ambedkarnagar district. When she picked up the hoe for the first time, all the villagers rebuked her for treading on a man's domain. However, she decided to

Soon after the cartoons about Muhammad hit the head lines in early 2006 another controversy captured the world's attention. In Afghanistan, Abdul Rahman was charged with the 'capital offense' of apostasy for converting to Christianity. The controversy surrounding the trial seemed as if it might trig