Clipmarks | arifsali's 'muslims' clips

Saudi king asks for religious reconcilliation

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 07:15:54 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

At an interfaith conference, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has exhorted followers of the world's leading religions to shun extremism and embrace reconciliation.

King Abdullah's comments came at the start of a Saudi-sponsored gathering in Spain, that aims to bring Muslims, Christians and Jews closer together.

King Abdullah said that history's great conflicts were not caused by religion itself but by its misinterpretation.

He said: 'The tragedies we have experienced throughout history were not the fault of religion but because of the extremism that has been adopted by some followers of all the religions, and of all political systems.'

The Saudis have billed the gathering as strictly religious, with no political leanings.

Tags: religion, extremism

Say No To Terrorism

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 22:05:45 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.yehhumnaheen.org

The Yeh Hum Naheen Foundation is a Pakistan based non-profit organisation that was established under the Societies Act of Pakistan in October 2007, with the following key aims:

To reinforce the point that Islam is a peaceful faith that promotes tolerance and harmony.
To develop an awareness among people regarding the issues of the growing radicalization of Pakistani youth.
To promote better understanding and co-existence of Muslims around the world among non-Muslim communities.
To convey that the majority of Muslims do not support the rise in terrorism, and to deny Muslims the opportunity for involvement in terrorist activities.
To show the positive impact of Pakistan and Muslims around the world, and remove the distance between east and west through media education.

Tags: pakistan, terrorism, muslims

The Islam you don't hear about

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 05:27:04 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: blogs.usatoday.com

A trip to Indonesia — home to more than 200 million Muslims — reveals a faith that hardly resembles the one Americans have come to know in the blood-soaked years since 9/11.

After the 9/11 attacks, Americans put out a call for moderate Islam. Many Muslims answered that call, but few Americans heard them. Early this month, I traveled to Asia to see what Islam looks like on the ground there, and to listen to what Muslims themselves have to say about their religion, terrorism and the United States. What I found surprised me.

I went to Asia because Islam is by no means a Middle Eastern phenomenon. In fact, Asia is home to most of the world's Muslims. I focused on Indonesia because there are more Muslims in Indonesia than in any other country — roughly three times as many as in Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan and Iraq combined.

Tags: indonesia, islam, muslims

Pakistani sentenced to die for blasphemy

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 21:24:45 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.newsvine.com

A Pakistani judge sentenced a Muslim man to death Wednesday on charges he insulted Islam's Prophet Muhammad, a court official said.

Falk Sher, a court administrator, said Judge Shoaib Ahmad Roomi also sentenced the man, Shafeeq Latif, to life in prison and fined him $75,000 on a separate charge of desecrating pages of Islam's holy book, the Quran, in 2006.

Latif was accused of making derogatory remarks about Muhammad.

The trial was held in the eastern city of Sialkot after police arrested him in a nearby village.

Latif's lawyer was not immediately available for comment, but Sher said the defendant had the right to appeal.

Under Pakistan's blasphemy laws, anyone who insults Muhammad can be punished by death. Scores of people, including Muslims and minority Christians, are facing trial under the laws, which human rights groups have demanded be abolished.

New York-based Human Rights Watch urged the government on Tuesday to abolish the death penalty

Tags: pakistan, law, religion, blasphemy

Arab Scholar Claims 'Star of David Stolen from Muslims'

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:49:23 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: I don't know the validity of such claim, just clipping as I find it interesting.

Clip Source: www.israelnationalnews.com

(IsraelNN.com) According to reports in the Asharq al-Awsat daily newspaper, an Egyptian scholar, Dr. Abd-al-Rahman Reihan, claims that archaeological evidence in Dahab in the Sinai Peninsula shows that the Star of David, traditionally thought to be a Jewish symbol, is actually Muslim. Reihan claims that several incidences of the Star of David occur as a decoration in Muslim archaeological sites across the Sinai during the Fatimid/early Crusader period (969-1187).

Reihan has previously claimed that the menorah (another traditional Jewish symbol) is in fact a Roman invention from the times of the Emperor Titus.

Jewish scholars have dated the earliest archaeogical evidence to a figure named Yeshayahu ben Asayahu in early 7th century from the city of Sidon, in modern-day Lebanon.

Tags: egypt, archaeology

Islamic body issues fatwa against terrorism

Sat, 31 May 2008 20:38:02 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

NEW DELHI: Thousands of Muslims gathered in New Delhi on Saturday to denounce terrorism, with leading Islamic seminary Darul Uloom issuing a fatwa declaring it as the "most inhuman crime".

"In its (Islam) eyes, on any part over the surface of the earth spreading mischief, rioting, breach of peace, bloodshed, killing of innocent persons and plundering are the most inhuman crime," read the fatwa, issued here at an Anti-Terrorism Conference.

The conference, organised by Jamiat-Ulma-I-Hind, saw the participation of clerics, scholars and religious leaders of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs besides 70,000 people from across the country.

Reading out the fatwa, Deoband's cleric Riyasat Ali Bijnouri, quoted Holy Koran as saying: "Do not mischief on the earth after it has been set in order."

"Islam loves peace. Islam rejects all kinds of unjust violence... and does not allow it in any form," the fatwa said.

Tags: islam, terrorism, peace

3 European Muslims in America!

Mon, 26 May 2008 23:35:03 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.iht.com

For Karim Zéribi, the highlight was shaking the hand of the candidate Barack Obama. For Ali Zahi, it was meeting the basketball star, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, his childhood hero. And Mohamed Hamidi still cannot quite believe that the minaret of a mosque he saw in Washington was taller than that in the village of his parents in Algeria.

Hamidi, a well-known blogger, Zahi, a local politician and Zéribi, the founder of a recruitment agency, are all French, Muslim and under 42. Each grew up, and works, in suburbs that became emblematic of the rioting that rocked France for three weeks in 2005.

And, during recent months, all three joined the small but growing ranks of young minority leaders in Europe invited to the United States on 21-day, tailor-made trips organized by the U.S. State Department - tours that softened their view of a superpower generally distrusted and disliked in their communities.

Tags: united states, europe, muslims

"Arab = Muslim = Terror = War"?

Thu, 22 May 2008 22:51:35 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: Via Eboo Patel's blog

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

Many people mistakenly assume that all Arabs are Muslims or that all Muslims are Arab. Neither of these assumptions are correct.

Worse yet, Arabs and Muslims are continuously and incorrectly associated with terror and war.

[Video]

Tags: arab, islam, muslims

See what Arab women are up to...

Thu, 22 May 2008 22:50:58 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: Via Eboo Patel's blog

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

What are Arab women up to? Well, every day they're making bold choices. Their participation in the workforce is increasing, and the fields that they are going into are sometimes even groundbreaking...

[Video]

Tags: arab, islam, muslims, women

Muslim Youth Try Humour to Rout

Wed, 21 May 2008 20:16:51 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: "Most people hear fatwa and they think of Don Muhammad Corleone issuing a hit on some poor infidel,"

Clip Source: www.ipsnews.net

"There are almost 1.2 billion Muslim people in the world. And at least 15 of us are not terrorists. It could even be more than that. Maybe even a lot more," quipped Obaida Abdul-rahim, 28, owner of the Muslim t-shirt business Phatwa Factory.

The Calgary, Canada-born Abdul-rahim runs one of several Middle Eastern-accented t-shirt businesses that have sprung up in saucy retort to the outpouring of anti-Muslim sentiment in years after 9/11. From Rootsgear's "100 percent Randomly Searched at the Following Airports" (followed by a map of U.S. airports) and casualdisobedience.com's "Enemy Combatant" tees, to the lighter "Lebanese Princess", and "Allah's Little Angel", they are getting their message across.

"I'd like Muslims to know that it's okay to laugh, and non-Muslims to know that we have a sense of humour," he said.

Tags: humor, muslims

At Friday prayers, imams to slam terror

Wed, 21 May 2008 01:32:59 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

LUCKNOW: The fight against terror is now going to get a Quranic stamp and clerics are going to raise their voice at Friday prayers.

The Movement Against Terrorism (MAT), a new front of moderate clerics, will exhort imams at mosques across north India to use the Friday prayer to speak out against the murderous Islamic groups.

It also attempts to answer the oft-heard criticism that Muslim clerics, even the more moderate ones, aren’t seen as doing enough to condemn terrorism.

"Quran does not endorse terrorism in any way. And so we must make it a point to propagate this during speeches everywhere, including Friday afternoon prayers," said Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangi Maheli, the Naib Imam of Eidgah Aishbagh and a member of the executive committee of All-India Muslim Personal Law Board.

Rasheed said the recently launched campaign is already getting under the skin of terror groups.

Tags: religion, india, muslims

Student Says Death Verdict Followed Torture To Coerce Confession

Tue, 20 May 2008 03:30:14 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.rferl.org

An Afghan journalism student sentenced to death for allegedly insulting Islam has rejected the charges and told an appeals court in Kabul that he was tortured into a confession.

"As a human being, a Muslim, and a descendant of the family of the Prophet Muhammad, I will never allow myself to insult my ancestor or my religion," Kambakhsh told the court, according to RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan. "These are things of which I have been unfairly accused. This accusation is unlawful and I don't know why they did this to me."

The hearing was adjourned until May 25 to allow 24-year-old Sayed Parwez Kambakhsh to consult with an attorney and prepare a written defense.

Kambakhsh was condemned to death by a court in Balkh Province in January at a summary trial for blasphemy at which he had no legal representation.

Kambakhsh supporters protest in Kabul after his death sentence was announced in January

Tags: afghanistan, blasphemy, muslims

Practising Muslims 'will outnumber Christians by 2035'

Fri, 09 May 2008 22:01:55 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: Go ahead, get scared!

Clip Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Practising Muslims will outnumber worshipping Christians in Britain within 30 years, according to research published today.

By 2035, there will be about 1.96 million active Muslims in Britain, compared with 1.63 million church-going Christians, according to calculations by Christian Research, a think- tank.

The figures are published in the latest in a series of reports entitled Religious Trends.

The think-tank has warned that 4,000 churches could close by 2020 if congregations continue to shrink at current rates.

According to the most recent figures from the Church of England, regular Sunday, weekly and monthly attendance each fell by one per cent in 2006.

Fewer than a million people attend church every Sunday.

Although at the last count there were only 1.6million Muslims living in Britain – compared to 41million Christians – experts have suggested Muslims are more likely to practise their faith.

British Muslims perform their traditional prayers

Tags: muslims, britain, christian, religion

Indonesians use Koran to teach environmentalism

Tue, 06 May 2008 18:52:18 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: Whatever works!

Clip Source: www.iht.com

Sitting cross-legged in the dirt beneath a canopy of jungle vegetation, Nasruddin Anshory, with his Koran open in front of him, was telling a group of visitors about their ordained responsibility to protect the environment.

"As a Muslim," he said, "you have to do something."

His visitors were a mix of people from universities and mosques all over the island of Java, seeking to broaden their understanding of Islam. Off to the side were several students from Gajah Mada University nearby, eagerly taking notes in preparation for their dissertations, all of which will focus on promoting conservation through Islam.

Nasruddin founded Ilmu Giri, an Islamic school devoted to environmentalism, five years ago. But in the past couple of years, as global awareness of climate change and related problems has increased, interest in the school has swelled.

Tags: environment, muslims, islam, quran, indonesia

The OTHER global religious leader visiting America

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 00:07:57 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: Reza Aslan
Author, “No god but God”

Clip Source: ac360.blogs.cnn.com

The media spotlight on Pope Benedict’s first trip to the United States seems to have completely overshadowed the American tour of another global religious leader, the Aga Khan.

The Aga Khan is the spiritual leader of some 20 million Ismaili Muslims.

But don’t let the clothes and the fabulous riches fool you. The Aga Khan is not only a devout and transcendent man of deep religious faith, he is also one of the most generous philanthropists in the world.

His Aga Khan Development Network is a massive charitable fund dedicated almost entirely to caring for the poor. He runs nearly 200 hospitals. He funds thousands of schools, charities, arts programs, museums, and theaters.

For those of us who are sick and tired of media pundits always asking, “where are the moderate Muslim leaders,”

why there are no “Muslim Mandela’s” out there, the Aga Khan, and the millions of modernist, democratically minded, reformist, and pluralist Muslims who follow him, are the perfect answer.

Tags: religion, leadership, islam