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