Indonesia’s anti-terrorism agency signed a memorandum of understanding with eight Muslim organizations to study programs that could help prevent attacks fueled by religious extremism. Among the groups to sign the agreement was Nahdlatul Ulama, the country’s biggest Muslim group. The memorandum calls for discussions about religious radicalism without providing details […]
MANADO, Indonesia (Xinhua) – The 43rd ASEAN Economic Ministers and Related Meetings opened here on Wednesday afternoon, involving ministers in charge of economic, commerce, trade and investment in ASEAN member states and dialogue partners. Representatives are about to continue their work on building the time-bound ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by […]
Metro News The military in Israel issued a call for battlefield rabbis in what is described as a campaign to promote religious values in frontline ranks. The move was announced in “Bamahane,” the military’s official weekly magazine. Read more
Once the preserve of hard-line preachers, hatred toward Muslim sect now appears to be spreading among pockets of ordinary Indonesians CIKEUSIK, Indonesia — When Dani bin Misra was released from prison last week after serving just three months for smashing in the skull of a member of a Muslim sect, […]
Immigrants of Chinese descendant played a major role in converting the people to Islam. VIVAnews – History has it that the early wave of Chinese Muslims migration into Indonesia was not intended to spread the teachings of Islam. Welfare was the main reason they came into the archipelago. The voyage […]
Israel’s got the defense technology. China is in the market. But Israeli defense executives are wary of getting their hands sullied again, burned once by the US looking warily over its shoulder at advanced weapon sales it forced Israel to cancel. Nevertheless, when Chen Bingde, chief of the General Staff […]
By ROGER HARRISON | ARAB NEWS The value of dates as food has long been known and a simple analysis establishing them as a source of protein, glucose, vitamins and minerals is fact. Far less of an established fact is the folkloric record of their medicinal properties. As with many […]
By P.K. ABDUL GHAFOUR | ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) on Sunday opened the newly established international terminal at Prince Muhammad International Airport in Madinah that can handle 35 flights daily. “The new terminal has the capacity to accommodate 600 passengers per hour,” GACA said, […]
The British Foreign Office has condemned Israel’s plan to build 930 new housing units in the illegal settlement of Har Homa in the southern East al-Quds (Jerusalem). “I condemn yesterday’s announcement by the Government of Israel to approve the construction of over 900 housing units which will expand significantly the […]
Jakarta Globe: Indonesia’s two largest Muslim groups count a third of the country’s population as followers, but appear to be losing ground in shaping the national conversation about Islam. Drowned out by the raucous voices of Islamic political parties and confrontational hardline groups, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah are being […]
After Ramadan will come Eid. Everyone looks forward to wear new clothes… therefore, get ready…
The mayor of Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius, has been filmed using an armoured vehicle to crush a car parked illegally in a cycle lane. “That’s what will happen if you park your car illegally,” Mayor Arturas Zuokas, an avid cyclist, says in a clip posted on the Vilnius City website. The […]
Two homes used as churches were burned to the ground in Riau on Tuesday night, a report said. The incidents are the latest in a series of attacks on minority religious groups in Indonesia that have prompted international condemnation, including from the United States and European Union. The homes were […]
By Rami G. Khouri The Daily Star For those many honest people around the world perplexed by the variations and inconsistencies in so many aspects of the current citizen revolts across the Arab world, historical analogies may be a good starting point to understand the full dimensions and implications of […]
JAKARTA, August 2 (Xinhua) — Indonesia will host the ASEAN Women Students Conference in the capital city of Jakarta in 2012 to encourage women’s participation in the world’s peace. Chairwoman of Women Corps of the Indonesian Islamic Students Movement Irma Muthoharoh told Xinhua after a discussion with the People’s Consultative […]
Associated Press – JERUSALEM (AP) — A museum on the road separating Jewish west Jerusalem from the Arab neighborhoods in the city’s east is attracting a daring group of artists from Middle Eastern nations that shun contact with Israel, trying to erode political barriers through art. It’s been a years-long […]
By MUHAMMAD HUMAIDAN | ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: Tarahum, the national organization for the welfare of prisoners, ex-convicts and their families, is organizing Umrah trips for 1,000 of its registered members in Qunfudha this month. “A number of ex-convicts and relatives of prisoners are being sent for Umrah in Ramadan in […]
RAMALLAH/OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (Agencies) – Jordan Times. Palestinian officials say they plan to begin mass marches against Israel’s occupation of the West Bank on September 20, the eve of a largely symbolic UN vote expected to recognise their independence, the Associated Press reported. Palestinian official Yasser Abed Rabbo said leaders hope […]
By Hani Hazaimeh, Jordan Times AMMAN – Although thousands of domestic helpers have been exempted from paying millions of dinars worth of accumulated work and residency permit fees under several government initiatives to streamline the sector, obstacles are still preventing hundreds from returning to their countries. Since the beginning of […]