Germans want more direct democracy
A new study says that Germans are becoming less and less interested in traditional, party-based democracy, and want more referendums and more direct influence in political issues. Read More…
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
Westerwelle makes surprise trip to Libya
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle made a surprise trip to the rebel stronghold of Benghazi in eastern Libya on Monday. The symbolic trip was kept secret for security reasons. Read More…
Political Islam
IN order to understand the logic — or the lack of it — behind terrorism, one needs to first understand the interplay of governance structures and radicalisation. Islam has widely been used throughout the Islamic world to mobilise the masses. The ruling elite has utilised it for political purposes ranging […]
Ethics and international affairs
Three events have been reported in the international press that have aroused moral controversy; the bombing of Muammar Gaddafi’s residence in Tripoli, the killing of Osama bin Laden when he was unarmed, the arrest of Dominique Strauss-Kahn for attempted rape when it could be that there was partial consent. How […]
New quakes rock New Zealand’s Christchurch
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AFP) – A series of powerful earthquakes, including one of magnitude 6.0, rocked New Zealand’s stricken city of Christchurch on Monday causing further damage. More buildings came down and there was severe disruption to electricity and water supplies, with Christchurch still recovering from the destruction of the […]
What next for Pakistan
On Sunday 22 May, TTP terrorists attacked the Mehran navy air base in Karachi. In an 18-hour assault, 10 militants stormed the military facility, destroying two US made surveillance planes and killing 12 soldiers. The TTP claimed responsibility for the attack, linking it to Osama Bin Laden’s death. The incident […]
Elections and Islam in Nigeria: the roots of communal clashes
The world’s attention is focused on ongoing revolutions in the Arab World, and the possible role that Islamic movements may play. This is mostly so with regard to transitions from authoritarian regimes. Debates rage on how to curb Sharia law in Western European capitals and the American Mid-West, places where […]
The Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture
Based at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture (AKPIA) is dedicated to the study of Islamic art and architecture, urbanism, landscape design, and conservation – and the application of that knowledge to contemporary design projects. The goals of the program are […]
More work for NGOs despite Arab spring clean
by Abdelhafidh Abdeleli, swissinfo.ch Swiss non-governmental organisations working in North Africa and the Middle East welcome changes underway in the region, but warn that not all problems will be solved. The NGOs say that while more democracy is on the cards, constitutional changes and more social justice are needed to […]
Women driving: Differentiate between luxury and need
By ALI AL-KHISHAIBAN | AL-RIYADH The acceptance or rejection of new ideas in Saudi society is subject to different criteria. These ideas have to go through cultural and social filters before they are accepted or rejected. An example would be riding bicycles, an idea rejected more than 50 years ago […]
Local muftis alone should issue fatwas
By ABDULLAH AL-JAMILI | AL-MADINAH Renowned scholar Sheikh Attieh Salim was one day delivering his religious lessons in the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, when a man stood up and asked him a question that required fatwa (religious edict). Before answering, the sheikh asked the man: “Where are you from?” The […]
Protesters call for end to bloodshed in Syria
By Mohammad Ben Hussein AMMAN – The Islamist movement on Sunday held a protest in front of the Syrian embassy in Amman in solidarity with the popular uprising against the Baath regime in Syria. Several leaders from the Islamic Action Front, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, joined activists […]
King outlines vision for Jordan’s future
AMMAN (JT) – His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday outlined the vision for Jordan’s political reform, which culminates in the formation of governments on the basis of parliamentary majority and political party manifestos. In his address to the nation yesterday, the King highlighted the importance of national unity, stressing that […]
Brazil: Government Vows Crackdown on Cattle Ranchers in the Amazon
Brazilian government officials said Wednesday that they would crack down on cattle ranchers in the Amazon after new data showed that deforestation there had increased by 26 percent in the nine months that ended in April, compared to with the same period a year before. The data showed to that […]
Brazil, After a Long Battle, Approves an Amazon Dam
SÃO PAULO, Brazil — Brazil’s environmental agency gave final approval on Wednesday for a giant hydroelectric power plant in the Amazon rain forest that has been at the center of a protracted battle between the government and environmentalists over the fate of indigenous people. After three decades of planning, the […]
China’s Interest in Farmland Makes Brazil Uneasy
URUAÇU, Brazil — When the Chinese came looking for more soybeans here last year, they inquired about buying land — lots of it.Even as Brazil, Argentina and other nations move to impose limits on farmland purchases by foreigners, the Chinese are seeking to more directly control production themselves, taking their […]
Crews try to put out fire near Lebanon oil refinery-
BEIRUT: Response teams are trying to put out a massive fire that erupted on the premises the Beddawi oil refinery in north Lebanon Sunday which led to the injury of one individual. The fire, which erupted on the premises of the oil refinery near the port city of Tripoli, quickly […]
Eat Broccoli, Prevent Cancer
Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage and cauliflower, contain a chemical called Sulforaphane. This chemical is belongs to family of anti-cancer chemicals made by many plants. This particular chemical has recently been shown to stop cancerous cells from dividing while having no such effect on normal cells. This […]
Ethiopia weighs benefits of foreign ‘land grabs’
In the past few years, massive amounts of land in Africa have been bought by foreign organisations. A new report from the US-based Oakland Institute says that in 2009 alone, foreign investors bought or leased nearly 60 million hectares of land in Africa – an area about the size of […]