Up Katrina Kaif Skirts Row On Visit To Ajmer

Islam, Women and Feminism Covered- Up Katrina Kaif Skirts Row On Visit To Ajmer Philippines massacre: women thought they were safe. They were wrong Progressive Women Protest Billboard for 7th Day Regardless of Male Bullies Overly hairy woman charges job descrimination in lawsuit 'Gender Jihad' in the Service of Women's Rights How a Muslim became a \'co-worker\' of Blessed Teresa A Woman's Act...Brief Report on the VIII Women Playwrights Conference, Mumbai 2009 Multicultural Crime Blotter: Male Medics, Police Touch Muslim Women The Hajj and Women's Dress Muslim women seek even playing field in football KARACHI: Women police station opened Hazrat Hajira in tradition Alex Scott launches Muslim women's sport project Book Review: Position of women under Islamic Law Trouser woman: I may not return to Sudan Report: Women Face Rampant Abuse Photo: Indian film actress Katrina Kaif on her recent and previous visit to Ajmer More...

Islamic Society 'Honour killings' and domestic violence are not exclusive to South Asia Ms Siddiqui dismissed the perception that the problem was more common among certain religious or cultural groups such as Pakistanis or Bangladeshis. She said it was equally widespread across the board, including white families. "Yes, there is a media stereotyping that only women from certain communities are vulnerable but it is not true. We have as many Indian women come to us as from any other background," she said arguing that it would be wrong to put the issue into culture or country–specific boxes... A spokesperson of Imkaan, a national network of women's support groups, accused the British media of "sensationalising" cases involving Asians. "There is an attempt to create the impression that domestic violence is an issue to do with Asians' cultural values. We don't like terms like 'honour killings' while describing murders of Asian women. A killing is a killing and should be treated as such," she said. -- Hasan Suroor More...

Urdu Section Strict purdah of today has nothing to do with Islam: Chapter 23 of Maulvi Imtiaz Ali's classic 'Rights of Women' More...

Islamic Ideology HOW ISLAMIC IS THE ANIMAL SACRIFICE OF "EID AL-ADHA" Not only did the pagan Arabs sacrifice to a variety of Gods in hopes of attaining protection or some favour or material gain, but so, too, did the Jews of that day seek to appease the One True God by blood sacrifice and burnt offerings. Even the Christian community felt Jesus to be the last sacrifice, the final lamb, so to speak, in an otherwise valid tradition of animal sacrifice (where one's sins are absolved by the blood of another).  Islam, however, broke away from this longstanding tradition of appeasing an "angry God" and instead demanded personal sacrifice and submission as the only way to die before death and reach "Fana" or "extinction in Allah." The notion of "vicarious atonement of sin" (absolving one's sins through the blood of another) is nowhere to be found in the Qur'an. Neither is the idea of gaining favour by offering the life of another to God. In Islam, all that is demanded as a sacrifice is one's personal willingness to submit one's ego and individual will to Allah.  One only has to look at how the Qur'an treats one of the most famous stories in the Judeo-Christian world: the sacrifice of Isaac (here, in the Islamic world seen as the sacrifice of Isma'il) to see a marked difference regarding sacrifice and whether or not Allah is appeased by blood. The Qur'anic account of the sacrifice of Isma'il ultimately speaks against blood atonement. See The Holy Quran --- 37:102-107  Notice that the Qur'an never says that God told Abraham to kill (sacrifice) his son. Though subtle, this is very important. For the moral lesson is very different from that which appears in the Bible. Here, it teaches us that Abraham had a dream in which he saw himself slaughtering his son. Abraham believed the dream and thought that the dream was from God, but the Qur'an never says that the dream was from God. However, in Abraham and Isma'il's willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice -- Abraham of his son, Isma'il of his own life -- they are able to transcend notions of self and false attachment to the material realm, thus removing a veil between themselves and Allah, enabling Allah's mercy to descend upon them as the Spirit of Truth and illuminate them with divine wisdom (thus preventing a miscarriage of justice and once and for all correcting the false notion of vicarious atonement of sin). -- Shahid 'Ali Muttaqi More...

Islamic World News Over 2m Perform Haj: Muslims Urged To Shun Terrorism Emerging Stocks, Currencies Decline on Dubai Debt Concern Norway accuses Iran of confiscating Ebadi's Nobel Dubai Debt Troubles Push Down Stocks in U.S and Asia Swiss to vote on mosque minarets ban Eid al-Adha holiday means travelling for Muslims Obama sends Haj, Eid greetings to Muslims Eid-El-Kabir - Doma Urges Muslims to live in peace with one another India votes against Iran in International Atomic Energy Agency Iran Censured Over Nuclear Program by U.N. Watchdog Anti-Taliban leader killed in Pak bomb attack Anti-Taliban Leader Killed in Pakistan Merkel's former minister resigns over Afghan civilian deaths Will Obama bow to the inevitable? Sexual Mutilation Alleged in Philippines Massacre Saeed slams suicide attacks Govt spying on Muslims under Prevent agenda Kashmiri braveheart felicitated in Mumbai Omar Sheikh posed as Pranab, rang Zardari Iran Punishes Its People to stifle legitimate dissent Iran's Supreme Leader Calls for Renewal of Revolutionary Spirit MARSEILLE, FRANCE -- unease over mosque projec Indonesia: A new territory falls to radical Islam Religious and secular groups unite to launch anti-discrimination coalition GAZA-- Future of Palestinian dialogue unclear: official KUALA LUMPUR: Council: Why should Banggarma go to the Syariah Court? Attack on Muslim in Grundy County may not be a hate crime Grundy Sheriff wants hate crime indictment in beating of Muslim Rattling the Cage: Welcome, Obama, to the March of Folly Bangladesh: An obligation of a nation of conscious Top militant Abdullah Shah Mehsud held 'Pak: Indian media acted hysterically' Mumbai attacks become lucrative venture War of words as judge says Kasab lawyer lied Nine Saudi soldiers missing in Yemen fighting Islamic bond problems herald due-diligence era Shalit negotiations suspended for Muslim holiday Best Buy's Muslim Holiday Thanksgiving Ad Boner Compiled By Aman Quadri More...

War on Terror Mumbai 26/11 should be the last Pakistani game: Home Minister P. Chidambaram "I have been warning Pakistan," Home Minister P. Chidambaram said in a speech early this month, "not to play games with us. The last game should be the Mumbai attacks. Stop it there…If terrorists from Pakistan try to carry out any attacks in India, they will not only be defeated but will be retaliated against." In the wake of November's carnage, Islamabad assured the United Nations Security Council that it would proscribe the Lashkar's parent organisation, the Jamaat-ud-Dawa. A year on, it is yet to do so. Key suspects believed to be involved in the Mumbai attacks, like Lashkar military commander Muzammil Bhat, have not been held. Worse, offices of the Lashkar and groups like the Jaish-e-Mohammad continue to function; and their propaganda magazines, so critical to recruitment, are still being published. Home Minister Chidambaram's words point us in the direction of just why these issues need to be taken seriously: another major terrorist attack on India could have consequences that would destabilise both countries, and could conceivably precipitate a regional crisis. In both Islamabad and New Delhi, Mr. Chidambaram's speech was interpreted as a warning that India would respond to future mass-casualty attacks by targeting jihadist bases and logistical facilities in Pakistan. That, in turn, could snowball into a conflict that would bring misery to all of the peoples of South Asia. No rational person would seek such an outcome, but another major terrorist attack could generate a hawkish public mood in India that politicians would not be able to resist. India, Pakistan, and the world must beware of the possibility that the last shots of last November's maximum terror attacks on Mumbai might not yet have been fired — and do all that is in their power to avert a far larger tragedy. – Editorial in The Hindu, New Delhi More...

Islam,Terrorism and Jihad Pakistan still wondering if Lashkar-e-Taiba is a 'Strategic asset' or a liability Pakistanis afraid of the "Nightmare scenario" of another terror attack on India There is a real worry within the military and the intelligence agencies, these analysts say, that if there is another attack of a similar nature in India, it could trigger an India-Pakistan at a time when its forces are tied up battling the Taliban on the western borders. This, they say, is a "nightmare scenario" that the Pakistani authorities are trying their best to avoid.  "Some corners of the establishment may still hold the view that the LeT can be used as a 'strategic asset,' but there is a lot of internal thinking on this, lots of questions are being asked internally about this. My information is that in the majority view, they are now seen more as a liability," said Amir Rana, author of A-Z of Jihad, and head of the Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies. -- Nirupama Subramanian More...

War on Terror Mumbai 26/11: India's Was The Best Possible Riposte A year ago this week, the world was horrified by the scenes unfolding on 24-hour news channels in the heart of one of Asia's great cities. Those who were there, or who witnessed it on television, will never forget those image — especially those from the Taj Mahal Hotel on Mumbai's waterfront. The cold-blooded killers who planned the attack had deliberately sought to make it as public and horrifying as possible, in the hope of terrorising all who saw it. It is hard for rational, civilised people to understand what could drive young men to carry out such atrocities -- or what sort of people could dream up such macabre plans. But, a year on, it seems clear that this was an effort to spark conflict in the region -- and that it failed in this aim... It was quickly recognised that the Mumbai attacks emanated from Pakistan. The British government has been working with the Pakistani authorities over the last year to try to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice, and further such attacks do not happen. I don't say this simply through empathy for the victims and their families of bombings and shootings across South Asia -- of which there are far too many -- but because terrorism with roots in this region also has a huge impact on my country. As I have said before, three quarters of the most serious terror plots being investigated by U.K. authorities have links to South Asia. Unless and until this threat is dismantled, people in Europe and Asia will continue to face the sort of indiscriminate killing that we saw in London in 2005 and in Mumbai last year.  –Sir Richard Stagg, U.K. High Commissioner to India More...

Islamic Society From Karachi, with love The foundation of tolerance that was such a part of our lives was valued because it was often tested. In the early nineties, Karachi was torn and bleeding from ethnic violence between migrants from India and indigenous Sindhis over control of the city. Karachi was rocked with shootings that often killed hundreds in the span of a week. Curfews would be imposed in various parts of the city and schools like ours in the centre of the city would often be closed... Women's bodies, always a mirror of the politico-religious landscapes of a city have again become testaments of these changing climes. In years past, women in burqas existed side by side with women in brightly coloured shalwar kamiz but the latter are now harassed by the former. My mother, who has worn shalwar kamiz without covering her hair her whole life, was lectured by another woman at a park about how she ought to wear a hijab. A cousin was spat upon at a traffic light because she has short hair. Another friend was threatened with an acid attack for wearing capris in a crowded market. The onslaught has begun here; in a place where diversity of religious practice, if not ethnic diversity, was heretofore taken for granted. Women swathed in black are everywhere; and while it is difficult to tell whether their new garb is the product of intimidation or choice it is tangible presence pointing to the constriction of psychological and cultural vibrancy which was such a trademark of Karachi. Mumbai's ghost remains ever-present in this new Karachi; whether it is the sweet shops that sell delicacies from there, or the Bollywood blockbuster screened at one of the new cinemas or the many boutiques that promise clothes straight from Bombay. Last year's catastrophic attack in Mumbai broke the heart of many children raised by its ghosts in Karachi; children who have envisioned Mumbai as a realisation of all they hope for in their own city. Perhaps also it made those who live in Mumbai also realise how the ravages of terror have harangued its estranged twin where a second generation is now growing up with terror and insecurity as a historical constant. There is much that Karachi and Mumbai have in common, megacities peopled by those fuelled as much by dreams and ambition and food and water; they both tread the tightrope between the harshness of survivalism and the tempering kindness of strangers in crowds. Yet as their political narratives fall farther apart and the generation that kept the ghost of Karachi alive fades into the past, their estrangement threatens to become a permanent break. It is this possibility; so proximately real, that represents the most terrible tragedy to befall both Karachi and Mumbai. -- Rafia Zakariaa 1 Comments More...

Current affairs India's 26/11 was not America's 9/11 India just doesn't feel the same way that America did about 9/11, and no number of borrowed phrases — "Lest We Forget", anyone? — will change that. And we should be glad of that. Because the feverish atmosphere that American public life had that year was in no way a good thing. Individuals made misjudgements then that they have since regretted; and so, far worse, did the organs of government, rushing panicked into policies since repudiated — such as "water boarding" of detainees — and which have now been blamed by officials on the paranoia that seemed everywhere those months... Nevertheless, India's response in general, both at the level of the state and of the average citizen, has been thankfully free of the hysteria that, understandably, was everywhere in America after 9/11. --Mihir S. Sharma More...

War on Terror For Pakistan army, it's still good Afghan Taliban vs. bad Pakistani Taliban The Pakistani army has no love for Islamic extremists now, but it differentiates between the Afghan Taliban, which it sees as a potential ally in a pro-Pakistan Afghanistan if US efforts there fail, and the Pakistani Taliban, which is viewed as a threat to the state. In reality, the two Taliban groups and al-Qaida are closely allied. Both Taliban groups acknowledge the Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar as head of the essential jihad against Western forces in Afghanistan. Even though Afghan Taliban leaders are careful not to fight alongside their Pakistani brothers in South Waziristan, they would be happy to see larger parts of the NWFP controlled by the Pakistani Taliban so that their own base areas could expand.... To avoid a regional debacle and the Taliban gaining even more ground, Obama needs to fulfill the commitment he made to Afghanistan in March: to send more troops — so that US-NATO forces and the Afghan government can regain the military initiative — as well as civilian experts, and more funds for development. He must bring both India and Pakistan on board and help reduce their differences; a regional strategy is necessary for any US strategy in Afghanistan to have a chance. The United States needs to persuade India to be more flexible toward Pakistan while convincing Pakistanis to match such flexibility in a step-by-step process that reduces terrorist groups operating from its soil so that the two arch-enemies can rebuild a modicum of trust. --Ahmed Rashid More...

Current affairs Babri demolition: "Non-event" to orchestrated movement Buried in the 1,000-odd pages of the humongous volume is the fascinating story of the Ayodhya dispute's transformation from an unsung "non-event" to an orchestrated movement that finally, and inevitably, led to the destruction of the dilapidated 16th century mosque whose survival and security became over time the touchstone of India's secular constitutional framework.... Whether or not the "loh purush (iron man)" was aware of the plan to destroy the Masjid on December 6, 1992 will never be known. Justice Liberhan himself takes the view that Mr. Advani may not have been involved in the actual decision-making. He calls him -- as also Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Murli Manohar Joshi -- a "pseudo-moderate" who became a willing tool in the hands of the RSS. Ultimately, it is immaterial whether or not Mr. Advani was involved in the cataclysmic climax. As is clear from the elaborate evidence laid out by Mr. Justice Liberhan in his report, the kar sevaks had become a Frankenstein's Monster created jointly by the RSS, the BJP and other parivar affiliates. The stage was irreversibly set for the "non-event" of the 1980s to turn into a tragedy of epic proportions. --Vidya Subrahmaniam More...

Urdu Section If only we had Ibrahim's faith today! By Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani More...

Spiritual Meditations Bestsellers, new weapons of religious wars Just a few years ago, it seemed curious that an omniscient, omnipotent God wouldn't smite tormentors like Mr Richard Dawkins, Mr Christopher Hitchens and Mr Sam Harris. They all published best-selling books excoriating religion and practically inviting lightning bolts. Traditionally, religious wars were fought with swords and sieges; today, they often are fought with books. And in literary circles, these battles have usually been fought at the extremes. Fundamentalists fired volleys of Left Behind novels, in which Jesus returns to earth to battle the Anti-Christ (whose day job was secretary-general of the United Nations). Meanwhile, devout atheists built mocking websites like www.whydoesGodhateamputees.com. The site notes that though believers periodically credit prayer with curing cancer, God never seems to regrow lost limbs. It demands an end to divine discrimination against amputees. This year is different, with a crop of books that are less combative and more thoughtful. One of these is The Evolution of God, by Mr Robert Wright, who explores how religions have changed — improved. He notes that God, as perceived by humans, has mellowed from the capricious warlord sometimes depicted in the Old Testament who periodically orders genocides...  As for Christianity, Mr Wright argues that it was Saint Paul — more than Jesus, an apocalyptic prophet — who emphasised love and universalism and built Christian faith as it is known today. Saint Paul focused on these elements, he says, partly as a way to broaden the appeal of the church and convert Gentiles. Wright detects an evolution toward an image of God as a more beneficent and universal deity, one whose moral compass favors compassion for humans of whatever race or tribe, one who is now firmly in the anti-genocide camp. Wright's focus is not on whether God exists, but he does suggest that changing perceptions of God reflect a moral direction to history — and that this in turn perhaps reflects some kind of spiritual force. -- Nicholas D. Kristof More...

Urdu Section Does Islam restrict women from meeting people freely: Chapter 22 of Maulvi Imtiaz Ali's classic 'Rights of Women' More...

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Asadullah Syed