Muslim Issues

‘Does God Hate Women’ by Jeremy Stangroom and Ophelia Benson cites attitudes to women and criticises Mohammed’s marriage An academic book about religious attitudes to women is to be published this week despite concerns it could cause a backlash among Muslims because it criticises the prophet Muhammad for taking a nine-year-old girl as his third wife. The book, entitled Does …

Sri Lanka’s 26 year old war is finally over. An ending that heralds an era free of suicide bombings, insecurity, and extravagant defense budgets. After what seemed like an eternity to many Sri Lankans, the world witnessed a truly mass celebration when the country’s Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim peoples set aside differences of every kind to welcome the end to …

At Jharkhand Governor Syed Sibte Razi’s Iftar party last Ramzan, former chief minister Shibu Soren came dressed as an Arab sheikh. He wanted to showcase his secular credentials at the photo-op. And he succeeded, too, as pictures of ‘sheikh Soren’ appeared in the media. But he did not realise that Indian Muslims didn’t wear such dress. Was he taken in …

There has perhaps been no modern-day law that has irked so many, and particularly human rights activists, as the harsh penalties inflicted for blasphemy in certain Muslim countries like Pakistan. The harshness of these rulings which do not give the accused the opportunity to repent certainly call for review. Islam is a religion of love where repentance is always possible …

INTERVIEW/PROF. DR BALADAS GHOSHAL. How has global Islamic resurgence affected Indian Muslims? Globalisation, the internet and the global war on terror have affected Indian Muslims. There is also a victim mentality growing out of their sense of insecurity, which makes them ghettoised, and an attempt to search for scapegoats instead of looking into their weaknesses. Is the consolidation of Muslim …