Asia

Jerusalem holy site is reopened amid tension

Israeli police have reopened a key Jerusalem holy site after its closure amid tensions following the shooting of a prominent right-wing Jewish activist. The Temple Mount/al-Haram al-Sharif was reopened ahead of Muslim Friday prayers, but with restrictions on worshippers as a security measure. Meanwhile the Palestinian suspected of wounding Rabbi […]

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 […]

Islam and hadiths: Sifting and combing

Economist: IN GREAT spiritual traditions, followers are often presented with two distinct phenomena: a supreme moment of divine revelation, and a tradition spanning many centuries in which teachers or clerics have distilled the contents of that revelation and delivered it to their contemporaries. Most people think of Islam, especially in […]

Isis in Syria: General reveals the lack of communication with the US – and his country’s awkward relationship with their allies-by-default

A senior officer of Bashar al-Assad’s regime talks to Robert Fisk about his army’s brutal struggle with Isis, in a dirty war whose challenges include widespread atrocities ROBERT FISK DAMASCUS Wednesday 29 October 2014 Phones were ringing through the army headquarters in central Damascus and a veteran of Syria’s 1982 […]

Why She Removed the Veil

Source: The daily Beast. No piece of cloth throughout history has sparked more controversy as the veil. Many Muslim women are forced to wear it daily. The hijab has a spectrum, of course, from its most radical embodiments, the niqab, which covers the entire face, to loose fitting headscarves. Saudi […]

Rediscover ‘Islamic principles’ to overcome economic challenges [Khaleej Times, Dubai, United Arab Emirates :: ]

Dubai: Muslim countries need to concentrate on efforts to rediscover Islamic principles and promote regional cooperation in order to successfully overcome economic challenges. This was stated by Malaysian Minister of International Trade and Industry Mustapa Mohamed during a panel discussion at the 10th World Islamic Economic Forum in Dubai. Calling […]

Isis attack on Idlib: Assad’s army leaders ‘slaughtered’ as jihadists nearly take Syrian provincial capital

by Robert Fisk, The Independent Syria almost lost its second city to the jihadists of Isis and Jabhat al-Nusra last night when hundreds of fighters stormed into the provincial capital, Idlib, captured the newly installed governor’s office and began beheading Syrian army officers. By the time government troops recaptured the […]