The pact of Hudaibya

Source: Dawn Author: Nilofar Ahmed SOME time after the migration of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and his followers to Madina, the Makkans banned the entry of the believers in Makkah, even for the purposes of Haj or umrah. The Muslims yearned to visit the Kaaba to perform the pilgrimage. After about […]

Blasphemy Law: Coming a full circle

Source: Dawn.Com It was bound to happen. When you have a vaguely worded law with so many loopholes, and a clergy hell bent on defining religion in asphyxiating, rigid boundaries, its supporters and enablers were bound to get scorched themselves. The law was eventually going to come and bite them […]

Bekasi municipality officially bans Ahmadiyyah

Hans David Tampubolon, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The Bekasi municipality has officially banned the religious practice of the Ahmadiyah sect on Thursday, a move pluralists deemed as the legitimation of a violation of the spirit of the Constitution. The head of the Bekasi Agency for State Unity, Politics and Community […]

Defining “Cult,” Defining “Christian”

Source/Credit: Religion Dispatches By Joseph Laycock Last weekend, pastor Robert Jeffress found himself in political quicksand when he called Mormonism a cult. Scholars of Mormonism along with evangelicals and progressive Christians responded that Mormonism is a legitimate faith and not a cult. But by debating whether Mormonism is a cult, […]

Intolerance in the curriculum

Source/Credit: The News (International) By Kamila Hyat There have been several shocking incidents over the past week or so that go only to highlight the kind of intolerance we are facing in our society and the manner in which this is spreading. Worst of all the spirit of hatred has […]

Speakers at Muslim conference noted for disparaging gays and Jews

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1068726–speakers-at-muslim-conference-noted-for-disparaging-gays-and-jews?bn=1 Daniel Dale Urban Affairs Reporter Four of the six speakers scheduled to appear at an upcoming Muslim conference at a downtown hotel have made anti-gay or anti-Semitic remarks. The “Calling the World Back to Allah” conference is part of the “Canada Launch Tour” of the Islamic Education and Research […]

Malta│Changes of Society and Church

Credit/Source:  / Wednesday, October 12, 2011 , by KUrt-Sansone Changing norms of society hurting Church’s bottom line Calling the faithful: The Church needs more support as it contends with falling income and higher expenditures. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier  With donations and collections forming the bulk of the Maltese Catholic Church income, the […]

We need united stand against intolerance

By EKMELEDDIN IHSANOGLU The horrific and tragic incident that happened in Norway reminds us again of the importance of combating religious intolerance and promoting cultural understanding. Anti-Islam and anti-Muslim attitudes and activities, known as Islamophobia, are increasingly finding place in the agenda of ultra-right wing political parties and civil societies […]