Saudi Arabia king swears in first women on Shura Council
BBC: Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah has sworn in 30 women to the previously all-male Shura Council, seen by many as a major step in female participation in public life in […]
‘Outrage’, indeed!
Source: ET We were ‘outraged’ by the killing of well over a hundred — we’ll never know the exact number — Hazara Shia, including women and old men and little children, slaughtered in a massive explosion caused by an estimated 1,000 kilogrammes of explosives in Hazara Town, Quetta, where they […]
Bomb blasts in India’s Hyderabad: Live updates
ET 8:18pm Police official Anurag Sharma said that 11 casualties are confirmed with 23 people injured. He added that post-blast investigation team of NSG and NI are on their way. “Our men are here to control the situation.” A lot of onlookers are gathered at the site. Manmohan Singh has […]
In Indonesia, religious blends only improve families
STORY SUMMARY A new survey by the Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace identifies which Indonesian provinces have the most instances of religious intolerance, demonstrating that the issue is unfortunately a real problem in the country. Many people initially find it hard to believe that in Indonesia, home to the […]
Desolation gains a foothold in Bkirki (among Lebanese Christians)
STORY SUMMARY By Michael Young The Daily Star Put aside for a moment that Christian approval of the Orthodox plan Tuesday seemed a natural misstep for a community bathed in self-doubt about its own future, as Christian numbers have declined. The reality is that the largest Christian community, the Maronites, […]
Tolerance, cooperation cornerstones in interfaith dialogue — King of Jordan
AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday underlined the need to promote tolerance and cooperation as basis for dialogue and understanding among all followers of the three monotheistic religions. […]
Saudi Arabia: US secretary of state arriving for key talks
RIYADH : ABDUL HANNAN TAGO ARABNEWS Thursday 21 February 2013 US Secretary of State John Kerry will visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the first week of March as […]
Picture of the Day: Shias will Continue to be Murdered until they Address Ahmadiyya Muslim Persecution
Source: Twitter Picture by Tahir Imran Comment by Abdul Alim: This picture summarizes the contradictions in Pakistan. While Shias protest against murders of their fellows in Quetta after the grissly […]
Rallying in Shahbagh Square, Young Bangladesh Finds Its Voice
Source: Time Magazine. By Jason Motlagh / Dhaka A young girl’s call pierces through the din of the packed square. Like the macabre billboards that loom above featuring bearded old men in nooses, and the blood red headbands worn by scores of participants, her demands are direct and full-throated: “Hang […]
Root out Lashkar-e-Jhangvi LeJ as a whole – by Dr. Taimur Rahman (Laal Band)
Source: The Local It is not enough to launch an operation against the individual perpetrators of the Quetta bombings, it must root out the entire Lashkar e Jhangvi from Pakistan. And those captured must be sentenced, not released. These terrorist attacks escalated when the Supreme Court released the leader of […]
Balkanization of Afghanistan beckons
Source: Asia Times. By Derek Henry Flood In his February 12 State of the Union address, President Barack Obama outlined the beginning of the end of American participation in Afghanistan’s now decades long civil war. The US would endure a phased troop withdrawal meant to halve the presence of American […]
Indonesia to Host Islam-Christianity Conference
The Jakarta Globe: Indonesia will host a conference of Asian Muslim and Christian leaders from Feb. 26 to March 1, a report said on Wednesday. Under the theme “Bringing a […]
Pakistan, Shia Genocide and 1974
Lutf Blogs: Pakistan, Shia Genocide and 1974 Muhammad Hanif, a popular novelist and journalist tweeted recently about a discussion he had with a young man at a vigil for the Quetta massacre victims. They disagreed upon the year when the Shia killings started in Pakistan. The young man insisted that it all […]
Cameron Calls Colonial-Era Massacre in India ‘Shameful’
Source: NY Times. By GARDINER HARRIS NEW DELHI – Britain’s prime minister laid a wreath at the site of a notorious 1919 massacre that cost the lives of hundreds of Indians and has long been seen as one of the British Empire’s most shameful episodes. David Cameron was the first […]
‘Islam compatible with modernism’ Emeritus Professor of Islamic Studies at the Duke University
Bruce Lawrence, Emeritus Professor of Islamic Studies at the Duke University, delivering a lecture on ‘Rethinking Islam within modernity’ | P Ravikumar/Express Source: Indian Express. If modernism meant a framework […]
Students seek to alter stereotypes about Islam in interfaith discussions
by Muath Freij | Feb 19, 2013 | 22:09 AMMAN — Students from over 10 schools across the country on Tuesday reflected on their experience in exchanging views with their […]
Turkey defies allies to pursue energy ties with Iraqi Kurds
Fulya Ozerkan ARABNEWS Wednesday 20 February 2013 Turkey is defying Washington and Baghdad in developing a broad energy partnership with Iraqi Kurds as it pushes to secure affordable oil and […]
Jordan’s new political experiment
Osama Al Sharif ARABNEWS Wednesday 20 February 2013 For the first time in Jordan’s modern political history, a new process of selecting the kingdom’s next prime minister was launched this week amid confusion and speculation about the nature of the new “mechanism.” King Abdallah has asked his Chief of the […]
PAKISTAN: Sectarian killings — the nexus between Saudi Arabia and the army of Pakistan is now being openly discussed
AHRC: The Asian Human Rights Commission strongly protests the murders of members of the Hazaras Shia community. A series of bombings in Hazaras town, Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, claimed many lives, all of them members of the Shia Community. This recent blast on February 17 is the second […]