Syrian opposition to name hajis
RIYADH: ARAB NEWS Tuesday 11 June 2013 The Kingdom has decided to give Syria’s opposition National Coalition the right to process applications of Syrians wishing to perform Haj to Makkah, […]
Haj 2013: Fewer pilgrims likely
JEDDAH: ARAB NEWS Tuesday 11 June 2013 The Haj Ministry is currently planning to considerably reduce the number of foreign and domestic Haj pilgrims this season, a reliable source has […]
World-class Madinah pilgrim city to house 200,000 faithful
JEDDAH: P.K. ABDUL GHAFOUR ARABNEWS Tuesday 11 June 2013 A state-of-the-art pilgrim city will be established in Madinah on an area of 1.6 million square meters along Hijrah Road with […]
British report reveals Israel’s arms exports to Pakistan
Dawn: Israel has exported security equipment over the past five years to Pakistan and four Arab countries, Israeli newspaper Haaretz quoted a British government report as saying. In addition to […]
Science is the last best hope for religion in the modern world
Huff Post: Religion in America is in trouble, and science can help save it. Conventional wisdom suggests otherwise, saying that science is more likely to kill religion than rescue it. I’m convinced that science is the last best hope for religion in the modern world. The God Wars pit those who […]
A quiet waiver for Pakistan from the Obama administration
CS Monitor: On Sept. 13, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton quietly, and without explanation, issued a “national security” waiver on conditions for Pakistan military aid. While in years past the Obama administrationasserted that Pakistan had made progress in combating terrorism, thereby meeting aid conditions set by Congress, that apparently simply wasn’t possible after recent events: Osama bin […]
The God I Don’t Believe In
Huff Post: Rabbi Richard A. Block. The most refined condensation of Jewish thinking about God is found in our liturgy, whose prayers address a personal God with whom we can communicate, collectively and individually. When all is said and done, there are three Jewish prayer themes: Wow! Help! and Thanks! […]
People Are Overly Confident in Their Own Knowledge, Despite Errors
ScienceDaily: Overprecision — excessive confidence in the accuracy of our beliefs — can have profound consequences, inflating investors’ valuation of their investments, leading physicians to gravitate too quickly to a diagnosis, even making people intolerant of dissenting views. Now, new research confirms that overprecision is a common and robust form […]
Pakistan: CJ takes suo motu notice of ‘blasphemous content’ on internet
Dawn:ISLAMABAD: The top judge of Pakistan on Monday took suo motu notice on “ever increasing blasphemous material circulating on the internet,” indicated by a British national of Pakistani origin, said a press release issued by the Supreme Court. Barrister Amjad Malik, the applicant, prayed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry would […]
A 20-Minute Bout of Yoga Stimulates Brain Function Immediately After
Source: Science Daily Researchers report that a single, 20-minute session of Hatha yoga significantly improved participants’ speed and accuracy on tests of working memory and inhibitory control, two measures of brain function associated with the ability to maintain focus and take in, retain and use new information. Participants performed significantly […]
Switzerland: Somali girls with hijab permitted to come back to school
Two Somali girls are again allowed to attend school lessens after country-wide criticism- with their hijab. One teacher from the Primary School in Au-Heerbrugg had previously sent the girls home. […]
Unity and fun at Islamic Heritage Festival on Saturday at Penn’s Landing
Source: articles.philly.com Halal Hustler T-shirts and Muslim Princess tote bags were for sale, as were funnel cakes and fried chicken. At the Islamic Heritage Festival on Saturday at Penn’s Landing, […]
Malaysia: Two Who Allegedly Insulted The Prophet Mohammad (saw) On Facebook, Identified
Source: malaysiandigest.com KEMAMAN: The Communication and Multimedia Ministry has identified the two individuals who allegedly insulted Prophet Muhammad through Facebook on Friday. Its minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek said Sunday they […]
Kuwaiti woman jailed for ‘insulting’ emir tweets
Source: BBC A Kuwaiti court has sentenced a woman to 11 years in jail for insulting the emir and calling for regime change on social networking site Twitter. Huda al-Ajmi, a 37-year-old teacher, has been also convicted of misusing her mobile phone. She can appeal against the sentence. Kuwait has […]
Islamic economy higher committee tackles plans
Sunday, June 09, 2013 – Dubai—The initiative to transform Dubai into the world’s capital of the Islamic economy is progressing steadily with confidence towards the goals as scheduled, said Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, Chairman of the Executive Office of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime […]
Assad may prevail in Syria’s civil war – Israeli minister
June 10, 2013 – 15:07 By Dan Williams JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, may prevail in the more than two-year-old uprising against him, Israel’s intelligence minister said on Monday. Though the assessment was quickly disavowed by others in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s […]
Qatari leaders expected to step down – sources
June 10, 2013 – 14:09 By Regan Doherty DOHA (Reuters) – Qatar’s powerful prime minister is preparing to step down as part of a wider power transition that may also […]
Spending cuts likely deeper in 2014
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) There’s been a lot of concern about the effects of the spending cuts under the so-called sequester this year. But it’s likely that federal spending will soon go down even further in many ways. That’s because, barring action by lawmakers, the cap on total defense and domestic […]
Ensure that blasphemy law is not misused
Source: ET Speaking of women and minorities, the president said that they are the most vulnerable segments of the society and the state must protect them. He added that the government should ensure that blasphemy law is not misused for personal gains. Admitting that dialogue can alone ensure peace, Zardari, […]
It’s a mistake to separate faith from development
theguardian: by Sophie Ayling. Religious groups the world over have been trying to improve the welfare of poor communities long before such work became a branch of international development. However, with the ascent of secular enlightened thinkers and later Marxist doctrine, faith-based organisations have been viewed with scepticism because of […]