A British Islam
Guardian: The embarrassing turnaround by Marks & Spencer (Report, 24 December), revoking their policy to allow Muslim personnel not to handle alcoholic or pork products, must be applauded. It’s a major triumph […]
Two cheers for human rights
Source: BBC Human rights are important, but they will never be a solution to ending conflict, writes John Gray. When we hear reports of nightmarish atrocities being committed in Syria, it’s easy to respond by thinking these horrors could be prevented if only the country had a government that respected […]
Questions to ask for New Year
Source: CNN So I invite you, whatever your stage of life, to explore these questions. Ask them of yourself. Talk with family and friends about them. Write and share your reflections. Feel free to adapt and revise the questions to suit your circumstances. And let us know on Twitter what the experience […]
The world in 2014: Balancing the rebalancing act
NEW YORK — The world’s largest corporations, many of them based in theUnited States, enter the new year with real trepidation. Autumn’s drumbeat of better US economic news — lower […]
Turkey: Army will not get involved in politics
Source: BBC Turkey’s military has said it does not want to get involved in “political arguments”, amid a major political corruption scandal. The crisis has forced Prime Minister Recep Tayyip […]
Is Mikhail Kalashnikov in Hell? The man was confident he would not go there
BY ROBERT FISK, THE INDEPENDENT I always had a soft spot for old Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov, who died just before Christmas. When I met him, his Siberian eyes were as […]
The ring around Erdogan has gotten tighter.”
Source: NY Times: “Now it seems the situation has changed completely,” said Kerem Oktem, a Turkey expert and research fellow at the European Studies Center at the University of Oxford. “It seems the ring around Erdogan has gotten tighter.” Later, as a dramatic day came to a close, Mr. Erdogan […]
Muslim Bus Driver Saves Woman in Labor
OnIslam & Newspapers Thursday, 19 December 2013 00:00 CAIRO – A London bus driver has managed to save the life of a woman in labor, rushing her to the hospital […]
Mystery early human revealed by DNA data
Source: BBC DNA analysis of early human remains from a Siberian cave has revealed the existence of a mystery human species. A team of researchers speculates that this could have […]
Aga Khan IV: A visionary philanthropist and passionate champion of Muslim heritage
“In Islam, the Holy Quran offers explicit direction to share resources beyond one’s requirements, and to care for the poor and those in need.” These are the words of His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan, Aga Khan IV and spiritual leader of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims, upon receiving the […]
Taliban Revenge: The Plight of Germany’s Afghan Staff
By Nicola Abé, Matthias Gebauer and Anders Somme Hammer SPIEGEL.DE Berlin is under pressure following the murder of a former Afghan interpreter who worked for the German army. The Taliban […]
Taliban Revenge: The Plight of Germany's Afghan Staff
By Nicola Abé, Matthias Gebauer and Anders Somme Hammer SPIEGEL.DE Berlin is under pressure following the murder of a former Afghan interpreter who worked for the German army. The Taliban […]
IMMIGRANTS' PERSPECTIVES: Iraq ‘is our responsibility; we are all Iraqis’
by Abdelhafidh Abdeleli, swissinfo.ch December 18, 2013 – 11:00 Iraq has seen a massive escalation in violence since April 2013, when 50 people were killed by Iraqi security forces at […]
IMMIGRANTS’ PERSPECTIVES: Iraq ‘is our responsibility; we are all Iraqis’
by Abdelhafidh Abdeleli, swissinfo.ch December 18, 2013 – 11:00 Iraq has seen a massive escalation in violence since April 2013, when 50 people were killed by Iraqi security forces at […]
Maintaining Russian Power: How Putin Outfoxed the West
By Christian Neef and Matthias Schepp SPIEGEL.DE In one of his many foreign-policy successes this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin has used power politics and blackmail to bring Ukraine back […]
Pope Replaces Conservative U.S. Cardinal on Influential Vatican Committee
By JIM YARDLEY and JASON HOROWITZ NEW YORK TIMES ROME — Pope Francis moved on Monday against a conservative American cardinal who has been an outspoken critic of abortion and […]
‘Mission accomplished’ in Afghanistan? No, just a diversion from Catherine the Great – Cameron could not say the Afghan war has been a brutal exercise in nihilistic futility
BY Matthew Norman THE INDEPENDENT Tuesday 17 December 2013 When making a seasonal visit to British troops in Afghanistan, there were many things that the Prime Minister could not conceivably […]
As we move towards the Great War’s centenary, it’s time to recognise the reality of its horror. Beneath the headstones, there are sometimes just bits of human beings
BY ROBERT FISK, THE INDEPENDENT Why do we want to commemorate the centenary of the Great War? Because it marked the destruction of the “flower of English manhood”? An odd thought, since it also marked the crushing of the “flower” of French and German manhood. The war’s ultimate tragedy, of […]
The sad and puzzling story of Abbas Khan, the British doctor found dead in Syrian jail What prompted the death of a man whose life was more valuable to Assad than any other foreigner’s in Syria?
BY ROBERT FISK, THE INDEPENDENT I first met Fatima Khan in the Syrian embassy in Beirut early this year. She was pleading for a visa so that she and her daughter Sara could visit Damascus and seek news of her missing son. I knew nothing of Abbas Khan, but – […]
Singles, sexuality, and faith
by Dr Aslam Abdullah Source: islamicity.com By: Dr Aslam Abdullah Source: http://www.islamicity.com/ Living together before marriage is generally accepted as a normal practice in the USA and Europe. Pre-marital sex in American and European societies has become the norm. Though adultery is illegal in 23 U.S. states, no one has […]