INTERNATIONAL

Dear friends,  this is a fascinating article. The commonsense of the matter is given in the Egyptian Grand Mufti’s view that the Koran , more specifically parts of it, should be read through “the prism of the era”, meaning that some Koranic provisions take into account varying cultural practises in different societies at different times. The most potent argument against …

Jakarta – It is not only important to explain what Islam really is, but it is also important to make a distinction between what Islam involves, and what people have incorrectly associated with and attributed to it. What is the relation between Islam and the actions of people that practice the Muslim faith? In my opinion there are many things …

The upcoming Presidential election in Iran has gripped the nation in unprecedented ways even by Iranian standards. Iran’s democracy has truly come of age given the appetite with which it is followed by the public from every walk of life.  Iranians are mesmerized by the prospect of their candidate of choice reaching the highly prestigious and cherished office of President …

Far-right Dutch extremist Geert Wilders lost a legal bid Wednesday to stop his pending trial for inciting hatred and discrimination against Muslims. “The attorney general is of the opinion that there are no grounds” for a further appeal, the Dutch Supreme Court said in a statement. Lawyers for Wilders had sought to overturn a ruling by the Amsterdam Court of …

Think of the devil, they say, and the devil appears. Just when Ram Sena earned the obloquy of ‘Mangalore’s Taliban’, the Taliban fighters actually appeared on the centre stage of our television screens and global geo-politics. This time, they came with a peace deal which instead of providing relief has sent jitters across the world. Peace in exchange of Sharia, …

  Late last week, according to the BBC Arabic news website, a report was submitted to the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon about the scale of destruction Israel inflicted on UN installations in Gaza. This was also mentioned on a BBC news bulletin on 1 May, but I could find little trace of this story anywhere else. The brief news …