Gambia’s State House Mosque Imam Fired
(JollofNews) – A senior Gambian Muslim cleric who recently called for the expulsion of Ahmadis and a complete ban on its teaching in the country has been relieved from his […]
Religion under our Constitution of Pakistan
Source: The Daily Times By Yasser Latif Hamdani The most important reason why it is not supposed to be a theocratic constitution is because it seeks to enable Muslims to […]
Freedom of speech: Academics in the US hit out at HEC memo
ET: NEW YORK: Pakistani academics based in the United States have dismissed as draconian a Higher Education Commission (HEC) circular calling for heads of public and private degree awarding institutions to impose limits on formal or informal discussions. The circular —issued on October 28 with signatures of Prof Dr Mansoor Akbar […]
Islamic State fears grow in Pakistan and Afghanistan
ET: ISLAMABAD: The Islamic State organisation is starting to attract the attention of radicals in Pakistan and Afghanistan, long a cradle for militancy, unnerving authorities who fear a potential violent contagion. Far from the militants’ self-proclaimed “caliphate” in Iraq and Syria, the name of IS has cropped up several times in […]
Editorial: Lukman and Jokowi — A Force for Change- for Minorities
By Jakarta Globe on 12:50 am Oct 31, 2014 President Joko Widodo’s decision to retain Lukman Hakim Saifuddin as minister of religious affairs may have been a concession to the minister’s party, as some have argued, but it appears to be paying off in a big way for the people. Lukman has […]
By the Numbers: Pakistan’s Perilous Religious Laws
FP: Pakistani Christian Aasia Bibi’s death sentence for blasphemous activity has shone a spotlight on the perilous situation for religious communities in Pakistan. The country’s laws repress religious freedoms for all and are vigorously enforced, especially against religious minorities. In addition, an alarming level of violence against the religious “other” is plaguing […]
Questioning the Faith in the Cradle of Islam
FP: JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — Ahmed al-Ghamdi’s long, bushy beard and red-checked headscarf are emblems of his conservative approach to Islam, which is no surprise for a man who once supervised the Saudi religious police in the holy city of Mecca. But it was something surprising about Ghamdi that brought […]
PM Cameron presses Pakistan over imprisoned Scot on Blasphemy charges
Herald Scotland: DAVID Cameron has pressed his Pakistani counterpart over the case of a mentally ill Scot shot in the country while in a maximum security prison. DAVID Cameron has pressed his Pakistani counterpart over the case of a mentally ill Scot shot in the country while in a maximum […]
Princeton holds academic discussion on religious extremism in Pakistan
NJ.com: PRINCETON — On October 17, over 130 people, including dozens of professors and students, attended a special academic discussion held in Princeton about religious extremism in Pakistan. The event, moderated by Princeton Professor of Economics Dr. Atif Mian, included two distinguished panelists: Pakistani journalist and commentator Raza Rumi and […]
Poison in the body politic
The News: Forty years ago, Pakistan’s parliament passed the Second Amendment to the 1974 Constitution, declaring Ahmadis as non-Muslims. The move, taken presumably under Saudi pressure, has led to far-reaching consequences that are tearing the country apart. Pakistan’s Ahmadi citizens, who first supported the call for the new nation and […]
India ‘love jihad’ claims fuel Hindu-Muslim tensions By AFP
Dawn: NEW DELHI: When a Hindu woman tearfully claimed to national media recently she had been kidnapped, raped and forcibly converted to Islam, India’s religious hardliners seized the chance to hike their “love jihad” fears. Hardline Hindu activists, encouraged by the media attention, claimed scores of Muslim boys were attempting […]
Blasphemy charges: Court orders Sindh Leader of Opposition Khursheed Shah to appear on Oct 28
ET: KARACHI: A lower court on Thursday issued notice to the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah in response to an application levelling blasphemy charges against him. District and sessions judge Chaudhry Waseem Iqbal directed Shah – who represents Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) – to appear before […]
National Security Policy, PPO against shariah: Council of Islamic Ideology
Daily Times: ISLAMABAD: Islamic Ideology Council’s (IIC) Chairman Maulana Muhammad Sheerani on Wednesday provisionally termed the Pakistan Protection Ordinance (PPO) and National Security Policy against the shariah, media reports said.The final edict will be announced after consulting the legal, defence and political experts. Maulana Sheerani also said that women cannot […]
My father was an Ahmadi serving the Pakistan Air Force
ET: Mr Butt may just be another random killing for some, but for Ahmadis, it’s the gradual destruction of the country they’ve given their best heroes to protect. On October 14, 62-year-old Mr Latif Alam Butt, an Ahmadi retired Pakistan Air Force (PAF) serviceman was gunned down at Kamra Air base, Attock […]
The Lahore court’s decision to uphold Asia Bibi’s death penalty is far from just
Guardian: In November 2010, Asia Bibi, a Christian mother of five, was sentenced to death in Pakistan. Her crime was allegedly insulting the prophet Muhammad during an argument with some Muslim neighbours. The case caused an international outcry; politicians and international human rights organisations took it up; lawyers appealed. Today, the […]
The Reason You Can’t Always Hear the Moderate Muslim Voices
Huff Post: by Atiya Abawi — Every day I hear and see the calls for moderate Muslims to speak out and stand up to extremism. And moderate Muslims should and do just that when they see their religion being hijacked. In my work as a professional journalist and author who […]
Think the Islamic State is bad? Check out the ‘good guys’
Global Post: SULIMANIYAH, Iraq — Executing hundreds of prisoners without trial. Arbitrarily arresting villagers along sectarian lines. Hanging bodies from power lines to instill fear in the local community. Gunning down dozens of civilians as they gather to pray. If this sounds like a checklist for the Islamic State, or […]
Lawmakers target ISIS propaganda on Russian social networks
Russia Today: Russian MPs are asking prosecutors to block Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) films on Russian websites and social networks to prevent the spread of radical Islamist ideas, along […]
What is the most blatant lie taught through Pakistan textbooks? By Herald Exclusive
Herald Dawn: Nationalism and patriotism in Pakistan are contested subjects. What makes us Pakistanis and what is it that makes us love our land and nation? The answers to these questions vary widely depending on who is being asked. A large part of our national identity stems from our sense […]
Saudi Arabia sentences reformist Shiite cleric to ‘crucifixion’
thestar.com: Raising fears of renewed sectarian tensions in the region, Saudi Arabia’s top court has sentenced a charismatic opposition leader to death for speaking out against the kingdom’s ruling family. Nimr Baqer al-Nimr, a reformist cleric, has repeatedly called for an end to corruption and discrimination against minorities. He has […]