Tag Archives: Islam

[I wrote this blog piece  in October 2016, on the eve of the US presidential election. Given all the discussion today of what kind of a system we are trying to protect and restore under Corona Virus, I thought it would be relevant to revisit it on the eve of …

Rumours of a gay character in a new Turkish Netflix series, “Love 101”, have ignited calls for a boycott of the streaming service and sharp criticism from the broadcast regulator. A furore erupted after a now-deleted Twitter account @love101netflix suggested one of the main characters in the show – a …

I’ve written previously about Ammar Al-Masry’s novels Shadows of Atlantis and Throne of Atlantis, so it only seems fair to write about the third and supposedly final instalment in the New World series, Heart of Atlantis (2019). I’d finished reading the novel the previous year but held out on writing …

The Levant News Exclusive – By Emad El-Din Aysha | Mark Sedgwick is Professor of Arab and Islamic Studies at Aarhus University, and Chair of the Nordic Society for Middle Eastern Studies. He studied history at Oxford University, did his PhD at the University of Bergen, and taught for many …

The Moon: A Voyage Through Time“ explores wonder, knowledge, and beauty inspired by the moon through the ages     Toronto, Canada — The Apollo 11 lunar landing on July 20, 1969, was a transformative event for humanity, yet the moon has captivated cultures since the dawn of civilization. “The …

By Emad El-Din Aysha, PhD*   Iritdad or ‘Backwards’ is a science fiction novel by Egyptian author Muhammad Ahmed Al-Nagui, published originally in 2016. As you can probably guess from the title, the novel fits in the time-travel genre. The story is set in the distant future, 2107 to be …

More than two million Muslims gathered at Mount Arafat on Monday for a vigil to atone for their sins and ask God’s forgiveness as the annual Haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia approached its climax. Pilgrims clad in white robes signifying a state of purity spent the night in an encampment …

Deadly protests against Indian rule erupted in several parts of Indian-controlled Kashmir on Sunday following the killings of at least eight rebels in fighting with government forces, officials said. At least two army soldiers were also killed in the fighting. The new round of anti-India protests and clashes, which led …

Egyptian education authorities have suspended two local officials over a party held at a school featuring belly-dancers, a type of entertainment violating school regulations in the conservative country. The head of the school in Giza south of Cairo, where the party had been allegedly held, was suspended pending an investigation …

By Emad El-Din Aysha, PhD   In my infinite absentmindedness, I missed a migration and refugee studies lecture last Monday. This was unforgiveable for someone like me, as a Palestinian, but it had its advantages. The brief lull in my schedule gave me the opportunity to read a book I’d …

Muslim parliamentarians have condemned US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s capital as a threat to the global peace and a violation of the Palestinian nation’s rights. “We consider this measure as a threat to the international peace and security and an all-out violation of the unalienable …

A Belarusian-Israeli convert to Islam was convicted Wednesday of attempting to join the Islamic State terrorist group in Syria. Valentin Vladmir Mazlevski, 40, who was arrested nearly a year ago while trying to travel to Syria via Turkey, was convicted by the Nazareth District Court of contact with a foreign agent, attempting …

The word Crusade is associated with the European Christians of Middle Ages. The declared purpose of the European  Crusades was to reclaim Jerusalem from Muslims. Currently, a Judeo-Christian Crusade is underway to consolidate the territorial claims of Israel, a state instituted by the European Jews with the support of the …

Press Release: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, December 14, 2017, (AETOSWire):   Bin Bayyah commends participants’ efforts to promote peace and tolerance H.E Shaykh Abdallah bin Bayyah concluded the fourth annual Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, which was held in Abu Dhabi between 11-13 December, 2017, with the participation of …

Press Release: Held in Abu Dhabi during 11-13 December Under the Patronage of HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan With the participation of a global elite; the 4th Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies to discuss Global Peace and the Fear of Islam   Al Kaabi: “the Forum …

Jordan’s King Abdullah voiced his concern Wednesday over US President Donald Trump’s plans to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the US embassy there, saying the city is key to regional stability. Trump’s expected announcement has prompted a chorus of criticism and concern from regional and world figures — …

By Farhana Qazi Who has the right to issue a fatwa, an Islamic ruling, is an important question that is confused by born-again scholars and unlearned authority figures. Today, there are thousands, if not millions, of Muslim scholars issuing legal edicts on wide-ranging subjects. What’s troubling is that hardliners as well …

Ahmet Selim Tekelioglu (AT): Thank you, Professor Sachedina for agreeing to speak to Maydan. You are a Professor of Religious Studies and a senior scholar at the Ali Vural Ak Center for Global Islamic Studies at GMU. At the same time you hold the Endowed IIIT Chair in Islamic Studies …

By Farhana Qazi Most people I know would go crazy if they had to live in a place without full-time access to the Internet. But this is exactly what is happening in Indian-occupied Kashmir, where local residents–especially in the southern region–are constantly threatened with media blackout, Internet shutdowns, and curfews …

A rights group has called for targeted sanctions and an arms embargo against the Myanmar military in response to an offensive that has sent 410,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing to Bangladesh to escape what the United Nations has branded ethnic cleansing. The latest spasm of violence in western Myanmar’s Rakhine State …

By Farhana Qazi Millions of Muslims have been forced out of their homes, and the world is still waiting for Aung San Suu Kyi to help end the military operations against Myanmar’s Rohingya minority. Among those who oppose Suu Kyi is Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the veteran South African Anglican leader and …

Pressure mounted on Myanmar on Tuesday to end violence that has sent more than 300,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing to Bangladesh, with the United States calling for protection of civilians and Bangladesh urging safe zones to enable refugees to go home. The government of Buddhist-majority Myanmar says its security forces are …

By Farhana Qazi For many Americans, the evil attacks on September 11, 2001 was a day of unforgettable grief. On that day, I was at one of the largest U.S. military bases, and as the only Muslim female officer, I worked around the clock to help piece together the ugly …

By Farhana Qazi We live in unpredictable times and many people I’ve met are struck by anxiety and fear of not knowing when the next attack will take place, which is why I have given lectures on how to live fearlessly in an age of terrorism to general audiences. Fear is …

The inventor put down the newspaper, frustrated. Food sales were skyrocketing and prices flying out of control in Egypt, as was to be expected, during the holy month of Ramadan. The very month people were supposed to be eating ‘less’ in because they were fasting. This has got to stop. …

Islam, Orientalism, and Intellectual History: Modernity and the Politics of Exclusion since Ibn Khaldun By Mohammad R. Salama *** Reviewed by Ziad Hafez ———————————————– London, I.B.Tauris, 2011, 274 pages ISBN 978 1 84885 005 7 (US$99)   This is a major book to have in one’s library in general and …

Authorities in Urumqi ban women from wearing the burqa in the wake of a series of deadly clashes and attacks in China’s far west The Levant News — The capital of China’s most Muslim region has banned residents from wearing the burqa in “an effort to curb growing extremism”. Women …

By GIANCARLO ELIA VALORI — The autonomous region of Xinjiang, in the People’s Republic of China – with a relative majority of Turkmen Muslim people (45%) and the Han Chinese who since 1949 have risen from 6% to 41% of the population – is an issue not only for China, …

The Levant News — by Graham E. Fuller — Pope Francis is on a roll. He has already roiled the waters of western thinking on economics and society by touching on the dangers of western capitalism drifting into socially destructive greed. He has now turned his focus to an even …

THE LEVANT NEWS — By Graham E. Fuller — It is hard to find even the smallest silver lining in the ongoing series of jihadist outrages that now proliferate with each daily news report. The immoral and cynical exploitation of religion (a constant of human history) is ultimately about power …

THE LEVANT NEWS– BY Dr. Haytham Mouzahem — An-Najaf city is located southern of Iraq about 160 km south of Baghdad. Including the shrine of Imam Ali Bin Abi Talib (599-661 CE), the Shia’ called it the city of ”An-Najaf al-Ashraf” which means the holy city of An-Najaf. Imam Ali …

The Levant News – New York By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz– In the international war on ISIS, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, a hidden silver lining is emerging: serious self-criticism within Muslim society and growing convergence of opinion of world leaders on ISIS. Regrettably, these two recent developments are not serious enough …

The Fifth Pillar of Islam: The Pilgrimage (Hajj) Play article audioDownload audio Description: The merits and various rites performed in Hajj, the fifth of the five obligatory fundamental Muslim practices. By Imam Kamil Mufti Published on 13 Feb 2006 – Last modified on 04 Jan 2015 Viewed: 176309 (daily average: …

The Levant – – The Takfiri ideology has besmirched the reputation of Islam, said Iran’s Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani.  “Terrorism and the Takfiri current have dominated the world public opinion and have tarnished the image of Islam, and [Takfiris] are committing countless crimes under the banner of Islam,” Larijani said …

By Dr. Haytham Mouzahem — The hawza (seminary) in Najaf, which consists of religious schools where Shiite clerics are trained, was founded by the most prominent Shiite religious scholar, Sheikh Muhammad al-Tusi, in 1028 — even though some tend to believe that the hawza was established in Najaf decades before …

By Graham E. Fuller – Source: grahamefuller.com – I applaud President Obama’s efforts to avoid provoking further Islamophobia in America. But I part company with him in his well-intentioned efforts to avoid using the term “Islamic extremism.” This is not about blame, it’s about analysis. In simplest terms, right now, …

By Graham E. Fuller – Source: grahamefuller.com – Can’t we ever learn? Here goes the White House again, appointing a “new” task force designed to “blunt the ISIS message.” Washington seems to believe that a main source of ISIS success to date lies in American failure to get the right …

Special Report – On a Sunday in early June Muhammad Qatta, a roadside coffee-seller in the Syrian city of Aleppo, refused to serve a would-be freeloader. Even the prophet himself would have to pay, he said. Some bearded rebel fighters overheard him. Crying blasphemy, they shot him dead. Muhammad was …

By Graham E. Fuller Published first on Graham Fullet’s Blog – ISIS has particularly targeted Shi’a as a key part of their brutal onslaught against any practice of Islam that does not conform to their narrow ahistorical interpretation view of their religion. We hear a lot from western commentators about …

The Levant Exclusive – By Khaled Mohammed Abdou* – The Sufi: The traveller in the way of love To be human first and before anything, to realise the meaning of “within you the big world exists”. To remember that no matter how high or low, awake or heedless, forgetful or …

THE LEVANT – Top Saudi leaders joined representatives of other faiths in condemning violence by the so-called Islamic State (IS) at a conference organized in the Austrian capital by the King Abdullah International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID) on Wednesday. The KAICIID was founded in October 2011 by …

THE LEVANT – By Jake Flanagin – Though Muslims make up only 14.4 percent of India’s total population, the country maintains “the world’s second-largest Muslim population in raw numbers (roughly 176 million),”according to a 2013 report by the Pew Research Center. That’s a little more than 11 percent of the world’s total Muslim …

THE LEVANT – During his appearance on Real Time With Bill Maher this past Friday, Ben Affleck slammed the host for his “gross” and “racist” views on Islam and spoke out against Islamaphobia in a heated debate about the religion. The Oscar-winning star of Gone Girl spoke out against what he …

THE LEVANT – Ayatollah Hoseyn Nouri-Hamadani, a renowned source of emulation, has stressed that the Islam of Takfiri groups, such as the Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan and ISIL in Iraq and Syria, is a completely wrong understanding of Islamic religious teachings. He added that these Takfiri groups have perverted Islam …