What’s That You’re Wearing? A Guide to Muslim Veils
NY Times: They are banned in France, mandated in Saudi Arabia and a fashion statement in Indonesia. Veils for Muslim women come in all sizes, shapes and colors — and with […]
Author Archives
Dr. Abdul Alim
Dr. Abdul Alim is a national of Pakistan and is a physician with specialization in Public Health from University of Texas at Houston USA. He is a member of the reformist, democratic and moderate Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam which inspires his deep commitment to Human Rights, Social Justice, Peace and Secularism. He is an author and Editor on Islam, for The Muslim Times (www.themuslimtimes.Info), a global blog highlighting the positive and true character of Islam as a basis for peace building.
Professionally he is a member of Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and UN Development Policy Network. He has more than 20 years of work experience in development management related to governance in social sectors, more specifically in public policy, programme planning, and monitoring and evaluation. For the last 15 years he has worked with the United Nations in the developing world covering countries in South Asia, South East Asia, CEE/CIS, and the Middle East.
What Christianity Could Have Learnt From the Prophet Muhammad
http://amsa.org.uk; This series, entitled ‘Islam and Slavery’ will examine the practice of the Prophet Muhammadsa with regards to the institution of slavery. It will compare the success of his policies and teachings with those of other individuals and groups, and will allow the reader to formulate a judgment as to […]
A French journalist infiltrated a jihadist cell: ‘I never saw any Islam in this affair, only lost, frustrated, suicidal, easily manipulated youths’
Paris (AFP) – A French journalist infiltrated a cell of would-be jihadists, filming them with a hidden camera as they plotted an attack in the name of the Islamic State group, before they were arrested, he told AFP. The journalist, a Muslim using the pseudonym Said Ramzi, carried out the […]
Cognitive Dissonance? Misunderstanding Islamic Radicalization in Pakistan
Diplomat: The turbulence seen in Pakistan since the turn of the year has spawned a keen effort, on the part of forward-thinking liberals, to disassociate everyday Pakistanis from the rampant extremism that plagues the country. Their views represent a counter narrative to the likes of firebrand cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz […]
Germany AfD conference: party adopts anti-Islam policy
BBC: The German right-wing party Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) has adopted an explicitly anti-Islam policy. Delegates at a party conference adopted a ban on minarets, the call to prayer and the full-face veil, saying Islam was “not part of Germany”. A delegate who called for more local dialogue with Muslim […]
How anti-Muslim are Americans? Data points to extent of Islamophobia
The Guardian: Who exactly was Donald Trump appealing to when he called on Monday for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States”? Quite a few people, according to a YouGov poll conducted earlier this year which found that 55% of surveyed Americans had an “unfavorable” opinion […]
Poll: Pakistan in dire need to learn from Turkey on matters of law and religion
Epigraph: There are at least 75 verses of the Holy Quran promoting justice and fair play. No verse of the Quran should be interpreted against absolute justice or there will […]
Turkey Islam: PM issues secular pledge on new constitution
BBC: He said Turkey’s secular and democratic character was “not up for debate”. His comments came a day after a key member of the ruling AK party (AKP) called for secularism to be taken out of the constitution. Parliamentary speaker Ismail Kahraman, who is overseeing the draft charter, said Turkey […]
Shakespeare’s complex views of the Islamic world
Economist Blogs: 1616 deserves attention as the year in which William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes died—it also saw the first sustained and documented contact between the Islamic world and Britain. The life of Britain’s most celebrated writer coincided with significant diplomatic relations between Protestant England and Muslim dynasties in […]
Lindsay Lohan, Winston Churchill, and the long history of flirting with Islam
Lindsay Lohan, the American actress, is said to be “exploring” Islam. Speculation was first stirred by a photograph of the celebrity carrying a copy of the Koran while completing a stint of community service. This week, in an interview with the Sun, Lohan told the British tabloid that she was indeed reading Islam’s […]
German Anti-migrant Party Seeks to Curb Jewish and Muslim Ritual Slaughter
Haaretz.com: Germany’s leading right-populist party has included the banning of some Jewish and Muslim rituals and symbols in its convention platform. The anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party, or AFD, in the program to be presented at its party convention April 30-May 1 in Stuttgart, called for an end to the […]
Significant increase in hate propaganda against Ahmadiyya community, says report
Tribune: LAHORE: Year 2015 proved to be another harsh year for Pakistan’s Ahmadiyya community. According to an annual report of released by Jamaat-e-Ahmadia here on Monday, two members of the community were killed for their religious beliefs, a factory and several of their houses were burnt, and their social lives became tougher […]
Media speculates over Lindsay Lohan ‘converting to Islam’
Al-Arabiya: Media reports have speculated that Hollywood actress Lindsay Lohan – whose career has been marred by stories of drug use and drink driving offences – is considering whether to convert to Islam. Rumors began swirling after Lohan, 27, was pictured last year holding an English translation of the Quran. […]
Isis documents leak reveals profile of average militant as young, well-educated but with only ‘basic’ knowledge of Islamic law
The Independent: Male, 26, single, quite well-educated but not an expert on the Quran – this is the profile of an average fighter joining Isis. Analysis of thousands of entry documents leaked from the terrorist group has provided vital new insight into the background and expertise of its international jihadists. […]
Prime Minister backs anti-extremism campaign after shopkeeper death
BBC: Prime Minister David Cameron has given his full support to a campaign against extremism following the killing of a Muslim shopkeeper in Glasgow. Asad Shah, 40, was stabbed last month. He was an Ahmadiyya, a group known for its peaceful interfaith concerns. Murder accused Tanveer Ahmed, 32, from Bradford, […]
Making a case for secularism
pakistantoday.com.pk: It’s been a long time coming “How can we save Pakistan from secularism?” was one of the questions at an exam I attended earlier this week. Isn’t it mind-boggling? The political idea which many in Pakistan have been struggling for years to popularize has been portrayed as something vile, […]
Are Ahmadis Muslims? Let us ask Prophet Muhammad
Huff Post: An Ahmadi Muslim shopkeeper, Mr. Asad Shah, was recently stabbed to death in Glasgow, UK. Mr. Tanveer Ahmad, a Sunni Muslim of Pakistani origin, claimed he committed the act because Asad had “disrespected Islam.” In his eyes, Asad was a blasphemer. The Sunni extremist group, Almi Majlis Tahaffuz […]
Muslims Are Standing Up To Extremism
http://original.antiwar.com/: Following every Islamist terror attack on a Western soft target, like the recent one in Brussels, we hear the same refrain from certain corners: “Why won’t Muslims stand up to Islamic extremism?” The rhetorical question is meant to imply its own answer: that Islam is unavoidably a religion of […]
Islam incompatible with German constitution, says AfD party
RNS: BERLIN — The anti-immigration party, Alternative for Germany, said Islam is not compatible with the German constitution and vowed to press for bans on minarets and burqas at its party congress in two weeks’ time. The so-called AfD punished Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats in three regional elections last […]
Scottish Muslim groups fail to attend Ahmadi anti-extremism event
Guardian: Ahmadi Muslims in Scotland have launched an anti-extremism campaign following the death of the Glasgow shopkeeper Asad Shah, despite the failure of other prominent Muslims to attend the event. Representatives of the Glasgow Central Mosque and the Muslim Council of Scotland were invited to attend the launch alongside other […]