The War within Islam
A rapidly increasing coarseness of feeling and language against Ahmadis does not bode well for Indian Muslims in particular, and for India, in general. Read More
Rising Literacy and a Shrinking Birth Rate – A Look at the Root Causes of the Arab Revolution
In a SPIEGEL interview, French social scientist Emmanuel Todd discusses the demographic roots of the Arab revolution, which he argues was spurred by rising literacy and rapidly shrinking birth rates. He also muses on the ghost of Osama bin Laden, arguing “al-Qaida was already dead,” and on why he believes Germany is not […]
First habitable planet discovered
By Yahoo! A planet 20 light years away is the first outside our solar system to be declared ‘habitable’ by scientists. The rocky ‘exoplanet’ Gliese 581d meets key requirements for sustaining Earth-like life, including rainfall and possibly even watery oceans. The planet orbits a red-dwarf star similarly called Gliese 581, […]
Are one in three Africans really middle class?
(CNN) — One out of three Africans are now middle class, according to a new report — but can that really be true? A report released last week by the African Development Bank (AFDB) said that Africa’s middle class — defined as people spending between $2 and $20 a day […]
Russia to sell 34 helicopters to China by August
MOSCOW – Russia will finalize the sale of 34 transportation helicopters to China by August, the Interfax news agency reported Friday. The Mi-171 helicopters are being built in a plant in Russia’s Buryat republic. The plant is a part of the Russian Helicopters holding. The plant’s CEO, Leonid Belykh, said the contract […]
Open Letter to President Obama from an American Muslim Family
Dear President Barack Obama, Along with many American Muslims, my family and I listened to your speech today on the Middle East and North Africa. While I appreciate your encouraging statements to the people of the Muslim world — particularly to those who are currently fighting for dignity and civil […]
Punishment for Apostasy and Islam
It is extremely unfortunate that there are many people and scholars, including, some Muslims, who believe that the punishment for apostasy in Islam is a death penalty. In some Muslim countries they practise this and punish the apostate with killing. As I have mentioned above that Islam declares that “There […]
Infographic: A Look At The Size And Shape Of The Geosocial Universe In 2011
Thanks to Jesse Thomas of interactive design agency JESS3, we now have an updated look at the structure of the geosocial universe as it exists in anno domini 2011. It wasn’t so long ago that the International Astronomical Union booted Pluto out of the solar system or that MySpace was overtaking […]
First mosque in modern Spain
The Basharat Mosque (span.: Mezquita Basharat; the name means “good news”) was inaugurated on September 10, 1982 in Pedro Abad, in the Spanish comarca of Alto Guadalquivir, province of Córdoba by Mirza Tahir Ahmad (late), fourth Caliph of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (currently fifth Caliph Mirza Masroor Ahmad heads the Community). The mosque is the center of Ahmadiyya-Movement in […]
The golden age of Jewish Culture in Spain.
The Golden age of Jewish culture in Spain, also known as the Golden Age of Arab (or Moorish) Rule in Iberia, refers to a period of history during the Muslim rule of the Iberian Peninsula (the former Roman and Visigothic Hispania) in which Jews were generally accepted in society and […]
Netanyahu rejects withdrawal to ‘indefensible’ 1967 borders
Israel; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday Israel would object to any withdrawal to “indefensible” borders, adding he expected Washington to allow it to keep major settlement blocs in any peace deal. In a statement after President Barack Obama’s speech outlining Middle East strategy, Netanyahu said before heading to […]
Indonesian Team On Top of the World After Everest Summit
A group of Indonesian climbers on Friday took in the view from the top of the world when they summited Mount Everest. The team of four — Broery Andrew Sihombing, Janathan Ginting, Xaferius Frans and Sofyan Arief Fesa — were accompanied by a Japanese guide and two Sherpas on their […]
Floodwaters to linger in Mississippi town for weeks, forecasters say
Vicksburg, Mississippi (CNN) — Residents eager to put behind a historic flood that submerged much of Vicksburg face a long and slow goodbye, forecasters said Friday, predicting that the river could remain out of its banks until at least mid-June. The Mississippi River is not expected to return to its […]
Testing genes for athletic prowess
IN AN era of helicopter parents eager to exploit every competitive edge for their children, at least two companies have begun selling tests that claim to help match youngsters with the sports they are genetically programmed to play best. The DNA scans, the first of an expected wave of […]
Peace is the hardest, but best, option in the Middle East
With Fatah and Hamas joining hands in the occupied territories and Palestinians breaching the Syrian frontier, Israel may feel its situation is more precarious than ever. The latest window of opportunity for peace in the Middle East may be closing, and the popular choice is always to dig in. Yet […]
Stephen Hawking, science and sharia
I remember reading the book (A Brief History of Time) when it was first published in 1988 and I found it fascinating and even enthralling. It inspired in me an awe towards the immenseness of the cosmos and the insignificance of human knowledge at the same time it awakened in […]
Patterned imagination of Muslim Africa in contemporary culture
Magic Squares at the Textile Museum: God is also in the details. Initiation shirt from Burkina Faso, mid to late 20th century, a centrepiece of the exhibition “Magic Squares” at the Textiles Museum of Canada. The square is never square. Squares can even be hip. Squares embrace the greatest games. […]
Calls for sharia law in Australia under fire
Deep divisions over the future of Islam in Australia have emerged after calls for the adoption of sharia law in submissions to a federal parliamentary inquiry into multiculturalism. Citing existing Government support for Islamic banking and laws governing halal meat – and backing from the Archbishop of Canterbury – Muslim […]
Geert Wilders cannot define Islam
We were stunned to read Jonathan Kay’s column describing Geert Wilders’ extreme polemics against Islam and Muslims (“Geert Wilders’ problem with Islam,” May 9). It contained unsupported hyperbole from the Dutch politician, such as “if you would strip the Koran of all the negative, hateful, anti-Semitic material, you would end […]