View Point

read this article and think it over if you want to be anti- Islam Dear 'Muslim' Terrorist, A letter to a would-be terrorist. What exactly did you think you'd be gaining? Like for real, did you think your name would be up in lights? Did you think people would think you're the savior of the Muslim world or something? Did you think you were correcting all the injustices against Muslims in the world or even avenging them? No you're rather pathetic. First of all you did not think at all when you 'concocted' your stupid plan. Did you even bother to read about what Islam said about the issue? Yeah, don't bother reading some lone crazy Fatwa someone like you with wacky ideas and has no backing came up with. But did you even bother to ask a single real scholar of Islam? Like the hundreds and thousands of mainstream Islamic scholars out there. --Guess what they say-- That killing innocent people is Haram . Wow didn't get that bulletin did you. What's tha...

What is your answer to this question? Let us give our ears to Maulana Muhammad Ali, he responded very logically at the Round Table conference in 1930: "Where God Commands I am a Muslim first,a Muslim second,and a Muslim last and nothing but Muslim.My first duty is to my maker.But where India is concerned,where India's freedom is concerned,where the welfare of India is concerned I am an Indian first,an Indian second and an Indian last and nothing but an Indian" can we take proudly this stance to Islam and India ? I can .i am a Muslim ..an Indian ..i would like to be a real follower of Maulana Muhammad Ali... Do u want to be?

M. Fethullah Gülen's name gains daily prominence in the wake of ever-widening discussions and scholarly researches into the changing political and religious climate of Turkey today. Those hoping to influence future Turkish foreign policy invoke Gülen's ideals of tolerance and dialogue (see for example Turkish Islam and the Secular State: The Gülen Movement). Because Gülen also plainly denounces political extremism, especially the violent kind that calls itself and all too often dupes media outlets into calling it "Islamic", would-be players on the emerging political scene link their name to his, marking their moderate stance without having to criticize extremists themselves. Further, because Gülen's name also gains gravitas through frequent linkage in the academic arena with ancient Sufi sages, these proto -politicians can also lend themselves an air of erudition steeped in traditional values and reverence for the past. Through association with Gülen's ...

Tariq Ramadan What is unfolding before our very eyes is a sharp “clash of perceptions.” If we do not exercise due caution we stand to forfeit not only our confidence (in ourselves and in our fellow citizens) but also our freedoms These last few weeks, we have seen heated debate over the banning of the overly prominent minarets in Switzerland; there have been complaints against ‘offensive’ religious garb in Holland and England, and in the past, there have been curious decisions involving the removal of Christmas trees in the United States and Canada. Is something catching? At every turn, we are confronted with impassioned and irrational reactions that either feed into a sense of victimhood among those who see islamophobia wherever they turn, or that magnify the feeling that a country’s cultural homogeneity is at risk, that is being colonized by a foreign religion. So acute has this sensitivity become that legal or artistic authorities anticipate negative reactions, and take preventiv...

The Islamic position on homosexuality has become one of the most sensitive issues facing Muslims living in the West, particularly in Europe. It is being held up as the key to any eventual “integration” of Muslims into Western culture, as if European culture and values could be reduced to the simple fact of accepting homosexuality. The contours of this de facto European culture is in a state of constant flux, shifting according to the topic of the day. Just as some insist, as do the Pope and certain intellectuals—often dogmatic and exclusivist defenders of the Enlightenment—that Europe’s roots are Greek and Christian (thus excluding Muslims), so several homosexual spokesman and the politicians who support them are now declaring (with an identical rejection of Muslims) that the “integration of Muslims” depends on their acceptance of homosexuality. The contradiction is a serious one: does Christianity, which forms the root structure of European culture, and which purports to embody Euro...

Tariq Ramadan is very much a public figure, named one of Time magazine’s most important innovators of the twenty-first century. He is among the leading Islamic thinkers in the West, with a large following around the world. But he has also been a lightning rod for controversy. Indeed, in 2004, Ramadan was prevented from entering the U.S. by the Bush administration and despite two appeals, supported by organizations like the American Academy of Religion and the ACLU, he is still barred from the country at this time. In What I Believe, Ramadan attempts to set the record straight, laying out the basic ideas he stands for in clear and accessible prose. He describes the book as a work of clarification, directed at ordinary citizens, politicians, journalist and others who are curious (or skeptical) about his positions. Aware that that he is dealing with emotional issues, Ramadan tries to get past the barriers of prejudice and misunderstanding to speak directly, from the heart, to his Muslim ...

Jesus: the Muslim prophet by Mehdi Hasan Christians, perhaps because they call themselves Christians and believe in Christianity, like to claim ownership of Christ. But the veneration of Jesus by Muslims began during the lifetime of the Prophet of Islam Christians, perhaps because they call themselves Christians and believe in Christianity, like to claim ownership of Christ. But the veneration of Jesus by Muslims began during the lifetime of the Prophet of Islam. Perhaps most telling is the story in the classical biographies of Muhammad, who, entering the city of Mecca in triumph in 630AD, proceeded at once to the Kaaba to cleanse the holy shrine of its idols. As he walked around, ordering the destruction of the pictures and statues of the 360 or so pagan deities, he came across a fresco on the wall depicting the Virgin and Child. He is said to have covered it reverently with his cloak and decreed that all other paintings be washed away except that one. Jesus, or Isa, as he is known i...

Bollywood film seeks to bring new perspective to world that remains in throes of intolerance. In MY NAME IS KHAN, Bollywood superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol Devgan inhabit the most challenging roles of their careers. Rizvan Khan is an honourable Muslim man from India, living with Asperger ’s Syndrome, who falls unconditionally for the beautiful Mandira , a Hindu single mother living out her version of the global dream of success. Yet, when an unspeakable act of cowardice tears their family apart, Khan selflessly embarks on a powerful journey through a contemporary America that is as complex as the terrain of the human heart. He innocently becomes that most unlikely act of defiance, one of peace and compassion. He provides a sobering reality that touches the lives of every person he crosses. In the name of the woman he loves, a curious stranger will introduce himself to the world simply by saying, “My name is Khan, and I am not a terrorist.” The film, by Fox Searchlight Picture...

Introduction As a complete way of life, Islam has provided guidelines and rules for every sphere of life and society. Naturally, a functioning economic system is vital for a healthy society, as the consumption of goods and services, and the facilitation of this by a common medium of exchange, play a major role in allowing people to realize their material and other goals in life. Islam has set some standards, based on justice and practicality, for such economic systems to be established. These standards aim to prevent the enmity that often occurs between different socioeconomic sections. Of course, it is true that the gathering of money concerns almost every human being who participates in transactions with others. Yet, while these standards recognize money as being among the most important elements in society, they do not lose sight of the fact that its position is secondary to the real purpose of human existence, which is the worship of God. An Islamic economic system is not neces...