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
Clinton raises women’s driving ban with Saudis
WASHINGTON – US.Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a strong advocate of women’s rights, has raised Saudi Arabia’s ban on women driving with the kingdom’s foreign minister, the State Department said on Monday. Clinton spoke to Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal on Friday to discuss a range of regional […]
Temples In Japan’s Earthquake Hit Region Awarded Unesco World Heritage Status
Resident’s of Japan’s earthquake-hit Tohoku region were given reason to celebrate on the weekend when UNESCO granted Hiraizumi’s Buddhist temples and related properties Cultural World Heritage Site status on Saturday 25 June. On Friday 24 June, UNESCO had granted the Ogasawara Islands off Tokyo Natural World Heritage site status, meaning […]
US took bodies of militants in Somalia after strike
NAIROBI, Kenya: US military forces landed in Somalia to retrieve the bodies of dead or wounded militants after a US drone strike targeted a group of insurgents, Somalia’s defense minister told The Associated Press on Friday. The operation is at least the second time US troops have landed in Somalia […]
Should all shops close during prayers?
By MARIAM NIHAL | ARAB NEWS Locals claim it is not an Islamic law but a man-made one which may hurt people in medical emergencies JEDDAH: Residents in the Kingdom have expressed concern over a rule that halts all activity during prayer times, and called for pharmacies and convenience stores […]
Local Press: Foreigners with Saudi wives deserve fair deal
By ABID KHAZINDAR | AL-RIYADH Our country is unique in more ways than one. One distinctive feature is that our country does not allow its citizens to marry other nationalities unless they meet certain conditions and have permission from the Ministry of Interior. The reason is that many a problem […]
All set for the Jerash Festival
By Hana Namrouqa AMMAN – Scores of prominent Arab singers as well as local and international dance and music troupes will take part in the Jerash Festival for Culture and Arts, organisers announced on Saturday. Planning for the festival’s cultural and artistic activities is completed and Jerash is ready to […]
Jordan-Saudi summit in Jeddah today
AMMAN (JT) – His Majesty King Abdullah will pay a working visit to Jeddah today for talks with Saudi King Abdullah Ben Abdul Aziz. Talks between the two leaders will focus on means to develop bilateral relations and joint cooperation, a Royal Court statement said. King Abdullah and the Saudi […]
First Boeing 787 flies to Japan
The new passenger aircraft from US aerospace giant Boeing, the 787 Dreamliner, flew to Japan for the first time on Sunday morning. Read more
Ahmadiyya Muslims gather in Harrisburg to advocate peace, patriotism
A Florida pastor who burned the Quran after a mock trial and guilty verdict in March missed the whole point of Islam’s most holy book, an imam said Saturday at a national Muslim convention in Harrisburg. “The Quran is the word of God,” Imam Mubasher Ahmad, head of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community […]
Iraq takes over billions in oil revenue set aside by U.N.
(CNN) — Iraq took control Friday of billions of dollars in oil revenues set aside by the United Nations following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, money intended to be used build up the country’s economy. The U.N. Security Council hand over of the Development Fund for Iraq […]
Syrian president sacks governor of restive province
(CNN) — The Syrian president sacked the governor of a restive province, a day after tens of thousands of anti-government protesters took to the streets of its capital. President Bashar al-Assad discharged Dr. Ahmad Khaled Abdul-Aziz from his post as governor of Hama province, the third provincial governor to be […]
Prehistoric Lake dwellings make world heritage list
by Armando Mombelli, swissinfo.ch The prehistoric lake dwellings of the alpine region are to be added to the Unesco World Heritage List, as proposed by Switzerland and five other European countries. These sites provide a unique glimpse of life in the earliest agricultural settlements from 5,000 to 500 BC. They […]
Murder in the Name of God
A policy debate on the rise of extremism internationally and its impact on Britain, House of Commons, 18 May 2011. The event was co-hosted by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK and the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Community. Speakers were: The Attorney General, The Rt Hon DOMINIC GRIEVE […]
Two Swiss reportedly kidnapped in Pakistan
Armed men on Friday kidnapped two Swiss in south-west Pakistan, news agencies reported. The two Swiss entered Baluchistan province from neighbouring Punjab province around 5pm local time and “had been registered by police at a check point” as tourists from Switerland, a local police official said. Their abandoned vehicle was […]
Women’s Rights in the Arab World – Are Saudi Women Next?
Nowhere in the world are women’s lives more regulated than they are in Saudi Arabia. But, writes Mai Yamani, Saudi women activists are beginning to eloquently demand the removal of restrictions and an end to women’s dependency The unexpected visibility and assertiveness of women in the revolutions unfolding across the […]
Pius ordinations ahead of Williamson appeal
The controversial ultra-conservative Catholic group, the Pius Brotherhood, has ordained four new priests just two days before Bishop Richard Williamson’s appeal against his conviction for Holocaust denial. Bishop Bernard Fellay of the Saint Pius X Society, a Swiss-based Catholic fraternity, ordained the four men at a seminary in Zaitzofen, near […]
Contest in Pak’s Punjab univ: An ode to Osama
Two months after the covert US raid that killed Osama bin Laden, posters emblazoned with images of the burning World Trade Center towers appeared at the country’s largest university advertising a literary contest to glorify the slain al-Qaida chief. Times of India LAHORE: Two months after the covert US raid […]
Welcome advice from Islamic clerics in Egypt
The rector of what is arguably the world’s oldest university, a bastion of Sunni scholarship with international influence, has come out in favour of a modern, democratic, constitutional Egyptian state, though there may be some trouble in the fine print. Ahmed el-Tayyeb, […]
Darul Uloom asks Saudi Arabia to ban Ahmadiyas from Mecca visit
MUMBAI: Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband has asked the Saudi Arabian government to ban Ahmadiyas (Qadiyanis) from visiting Mecca and Medina to perform Haj and Umrah (mini-Haj). Ahamdiyas have been declared non-Muslims in countries like Pakistan and face persecution. The seminary’s vice-rector, Maulana Abdul Khaliq Madrasi, has alleged that many […]