Author Archives

Zia H Shah

He is a physician practicing in Upstate New York. He is the Chief Editor of the Muslim Times, which has more than 43,000 followers in Twitter. He is also Chair of Religion and Science for the Muslim Sunrise, the oldest Muslim publication in North America. He has authored more than 400 articles on Islam, Christianity, Secularism and Religion & Science. Follow in Twitter: @The_MuslimTimes

In Defense of Antidepressants

  IN terms of perception, these are hard times for antidepressants. A number of articles have suggested that the drugs are no more effective than placebos. Last month brought an especially high-profile debunking. In an essay in The New York Review of Books, Marcia Angell, former editor in chief of […]

US targets Iran – via Iraq

The United States says that Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias were responsible for the deaths of 15 US servicemen in Iraq in June – a two-year high. Reviving Washington’s friction with Tehran over Iraq may have more to do with deteriorating relations over Iran’s nuclear program than with uncertainty over US troop […]

Taliban deliver hammer blow to NATO

The assassination on Tuesday of Ahmad Wali Karzai, President Hamid Karzai’s half-brother, smashes to bits the notion that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is winning the war in Afghanistan. The Taliban are now rid of the major pro-Washington actor not only in Kandahar province but in the whole south of […]

Pakistan bristles at failed label

Pakistan may be taking a deleterious turn, especially as the United States plans to pull out of Afghanistan by 2012 and threatens to withdraw military aid from the country, but its media has reacted indignantly to claims that put it on the same scale as the poorest African countries. Foreign […]

Genesis of gender discrimination

Addressing the constraints women face in the labour market requires gender-sensitive market regulations. It is a matter of common observation that women are doing various household jobs like babysitting, cooking, cleaning, etc, outside their homes, but such employment is not covered through labour legislation or social security laws A baby […]

Visa Delays Put Iraqis Who Aided U.S. in Fear

By TIM ARANGO BAGHDAD — Terrorism fears in the United States are all but halting visas for Iraqis, even those who risked their lives aiding the American war effort, making them especially vulnerable ahead of the planned American military withdrawal. The Obama administration has required new background checks for visa […]

Ahmedi community slams govt over killing of minority member

Staff Report LAHORE: Representatives of the Ahmedi community and human rights activists have slammed the government over religiously motivated killing of an Ahmedi advocate, Malik Mabroor Ahmad, while demanding immediate action against the culprits. Jama’at Ahmadiyya Pakistan spokesperson Saleem ud Din stated on Tuesday that the well-known Ahmedi lawyer was assassinated in a religiously motivated attack […]

In Indonesia, civil society is keeping tolerance alive

By Testriono, The Daily Star Recent cases of religious intolerance in Indonesia have led some observers to worry that U.S. President Barack Obama’s praise of religious tolerance in Indonesia during his visit in November 2010 was exaggerated. Public statements and decrees from Indonesian government officials have discredited religious minority groups […]