From the category archives:

Religion

Religion As I View It

by Asghar Ali Engineer

It has happened in the history of all religions that the founders’ Herculean efforts to create a new world are reduced to naught by those who convert religion into an immutable formal theology to retain their control over power.

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Wearing Burqa Will Now Be A Crime?

by Asghar Ali Engineer

This is for the first time that women would be penalized for wearing burqa. Earlier France had banned Muslim girls wearing hijab in schools. It argued that these religious symbols interfere with its commitment to secularism and its secular culture.

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Interview: Nasr Abu Zayd On A Humanistic Reading Of The Islamic Tradition

by Yoginder Sikand

Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd is a well-known Egyptian Islamic scholar. Controversies about his academic work led to a court decision of apostasy and the denial of the appointment. A hisbah trial started against him Islamist groups and he was declared a heretic (Murtadd) by an Egyptian court.

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Mewat Witnessing A Great Educational Revolution

by Yoginder Sikand

Despite its proximity to Delhi, Gurgaon and Jaipur, Mewat is one of the most impoverished regions in northern India. Lack of education in Meos was wide spread but now young Meos are striving for ‘modern’ education. Dozens of ‘modern’ schools run by Meos have mushroomed all over Mewat. Increasing number of girls are enrolling in these and in government-run schools and many ulema are on the forefront of promoting ‘modern’, in addition to religious education among the Meos.

Science, West And Islamic Origin Of Science

by Asghar Ali Engineer

Ilm (knowledge) must be taken in its most comprehensive sense and not be confined only to religious knowledge. The ‘Ulama should not mean only those who specialize in diniyat but all those who have expertise in modern secular sciences. The ‘Ulama who have no knowledge of modern sciences have no right to lead us. Only those who have knowledge of modern world along with that of Islam have right to show us the way.

Minarets Banned In Switzerland – A Challenge And An Opportunity

by Mohib Ahmad

Minarets are not a requirement for mosques but Muslims are and successful communities are built not upon symbols but individuals. Muslims should use this opportunity to build alliances, reach out to local communities and proactively engage in civic activities in addition to performing their religious duties. Only by addressing the fears that led to the passing of this odious ban can there be a meaningful resolution to this issue.

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Destiny’s Night

by Rakhshanda Jalil

While the entire period of Ramzan is a time of fasting and praying, Shab-e-Qadr or Lailat ul-Qadr is the most blessed of all nights. It falls on a night that no one can pinpoint with any certainty. Yet the faithful who have prayed through the night say that the heart always knows when communion has been reached.

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Islamic Perspectives Of Inter-Community Relations

by Yoginder Sikand

Islam teaches that all human beings, irrespective of community or race, are children of the same set of primal parents, and, so, are bound together by their common humanity. This basic Islamic teaching stresses the need for consciousness of our common humanity and of us being brothers unto each other.

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Joint Statement: Pakistani Taliban’s treatment of Sikhs

by Editor

Indian Muslim leaders denounce the Jizya imposed by the Taliban on Sikhs and call it barbaric

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The Threat Of Political Islam

by Sadia Dehlvi

The trail of terror continues with cricketers as the latest target. The Mumbai and Lahore attacks, public executions and the murder of over a thousand civilians in the Swat valley by Taliban style terrorists are horrifying examples of atrocities committed by militant groups thriving on political Islam.

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