<p>A mosque in London has started accepting donations in cryptocurrency Bitcoin, reports said.</p>

<p>News agency Reuters reported while quoting a mosque leader saying that the Shacklewell Lane Mosque in Dalston, east London, has decided to accept bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in a bid to widen its donor base and cut down on currency conversion fees.</p>

<p>"For a donor that already has a bitcoin or an ethereum account, the effort of converting cryptocurrency into say British pounds or dollars can be quite burdensome. The mosque effectively takes the burden on themselves," said blockchain consultant Lukasz Musial, who helped the mosque set up the technology, Reuters reported.</p>

<p>Whether the cryptocurrency&nbsp; Bitcoin is permissible in Islamic law, it has been a constant topic of arguments among the scholars of the Islamic religion.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Media reports last month said that the Sharia Law declared Bition halal in Islamc law. But, Egypt's Grand Mufti has said that it is not permitted as per the Islamic law.</p>

<p>However, Shacklewell's imam Abdalla Adeyemi has defended the mosque's decision.</p>

<p>"Bitcoin is like any other currency. It's accepted by a group of people, We ourselves are not trading. We are not involved, we are a charity," Adeyemi told Reuters.</p>

<p>The Reuters report further quoted mosque saying that it is one of the handful mosques to accept cryptocurrencies out of hundreds in London.</p>

<p>According to the report the mosque is expecting to double its donations this year to more than $13,000.</p>

<p>As per Islamic law, the followers of the religion&nbsp;are obliged to give 2.5 per cent of their wealth to the charity in the holy month of Ramazan.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Bitcoin is cryptocurrency and worldwide payment system. it is the first decentraliszed digital currency in which the system workd with out any intermediary.</p>

<p>The system is designed to work as a peer-to-peer network hwere trancations take place directly between users.</p>

<p>However, the usage of Bitcoin is no accepatable as a legal form of money in the majority of the country.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;</p>


The Shacklewell Lane Mosque in Dalston, east London, has decided to accept bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in a bid to widen its donor base and cut down on currency conversion fees

A mosque in London has started accepting donations in cryptocurrency Bitcoin, reports said. News agency Reuters reported while quoting a mosque leader saying that the Shacklewell Lane Mosque in Dalston, east London, has decided to accept bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in a bid to widen its donor base and cut down on currency conversion fees. "For a donor that already has a bitcoin or an ethereum account, the effort of converting cryptocurrency into say British pounds or dollars can be quite burdensome. The mosque effectively takes the burden on themselves," said blockchain consultant Lukasz Musial, who helped the mosque set up the technology, Reuters reported. Whether the cryptocurrency Bitcoin is permissible in Islamic law, it has been a constant topic of arguments among the scholars of the Islamic religion. Media reports last month said that the Sharia Law declared Bition halal in Islamc law. But, Egypt's Grand Mufti has said that it is not permitted as per the Islamic law. However, Shacklewell's imam Abdalla Adeyemi has defended the mosque's decision. "Bitcoin is like any other currency. It's accepted by a group of people, We ourselves are not trading. We are not involved, we are a charity," Adeyemi told Reuters. The Reuters report further quoted mosque saying that it is one of the handful mosques to accept cryptocurrencies out of hundreds in London. According to the report the mosque is expecting to double its donations this year to more than $13,000. As per Islamic law, the followers of the religion are obliged to give 2.5 per cent of their wealth to the charity in the holy month of Ramazan. Bitcoin is cryptocurrency and worldwide payment system. it is the first decentraliszed digital currency in which the system workd with out any intermediary. The system is designed to work as a peer-to-peer network hwere trancations take place directly between users. However, the usage of Bitcoin is no accepatable as a legal form of money in the majority of the country.

London mosque now accepts bitcoin in donation

<p>A video footage of a man insulting a Muslim woman wearing Niqab in California coffee shop has gone viral on social media recently.</p>

<p>The video is recorded by the woman herself and has been seen by at least 1.6 million times on Twitter.</p>

<p>In video woman name Kathleen Amina Deady was asked by a man standing next to her in line "Is this Halloween or something?" to which Deady responds asked why he would say that. The unidentified man answers her that "because I want to".&nbsp</p>

<p>He then continues saying that he knows she is Muslim and that he does not "like" her religion.</p>

<p>"It says to kill me and I don't want to be killed by you, how's that?",he then asks.</p>

<p>The man and Deady then engage in back and forth during which she draws a comparison between the Bible and The Quran after which the man refuses to respond to her. She also tells him that he is aware that he committing hate speech.&nbsp</p>

<p>After the comments, the supervisor &nbsprefuses to serve the man &nbspas he says that he is "disrupting public place and being very racist."</p>

<p>An off-camera male voice can also be heard yelling at the man and asking him to leave the place.</p>

<p>The footage went viral on social media and has gathered support from people around the world.</p>

<p>The video was posted on Twitter on May 12 by a journalist name CJ Werleman.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">"I'm a Muslim [woman]."<br />
<br />
"I know your religion and I don't want to be killed by you."<br />
<br />
This took place at a cafe in California yesterday. <a href="https://t.co/4WAWKcQDh8">pic.twitter.com/4WAWKcQDh8</a></p>
— CJ Werleman (@cjwerleman) <a href="https://twitter.com/cjwerleman/status/995336596781121536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>&nbsp</p>


The video is recorded by the woman herself and has been seen by at least 1.6 million times on Twitter

A video footage of a man insulting a Muslim woman wearing Niqab in California coffee shop has gone viral on social media recently. The video is recorded by the woman herself and has been seen by at least 1.6 million times on Twitter. In video woman name Kathleen Amina Deady was asked by a man standing next to her in line "Is this Halloween or something?" to which Deady responds asked why he would say that. The unidentified man answers her that "because I want to". He then continues saying that he knows she is Muslim and that he does not "like" her religion. "It says to kill me and I don't want to be killed by you, how's that?",he then asks. The man and Deady then engage in back and forth during which she draws a comparison between the Bible and The Quran after which the man refuses to respond to her. She also tells him that he is aware that he committing hate speech. After the comments, the supervisor &nbsprefuses to serve the man &nbspas he says that he is "disrupting public place and being very racist." An off-camera male voice can also be heard yelling at the man and asking him to leave the place. The footage went viral on social media and has gathered support from people around the world. The video was posted on Twitter on May 12 by a journalist name CJ Werleman. "I'm a Muslim [woman]." "I know your religion and I don't want to be killed by you." This took place at a cafe in California yesterday. pic.twitter.com/4WAWKcQDh8 — CJ Werleman (@cjwerleman) May 12, 2018 ×

Watch: Coffee place refuses to serve man insulting woman in Niqab

<p>Hardline Islamic groups on Wednesday filed a blasphemy complaint against a daughter of Indonesia's first president, accusing her of reciting a poem insulting Islam and prompting fresh concerns over intolerance in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country.</p>

<p>Sukmawati Sukarnoputri, a politician, is the third daughter of Indonesia's founding father Sukarno and the younger sister of Megawati Sukarnoputri, who leads President Joko Widodo's ruling party.</p>

<p>Indonesia is a secular country with significant Christian, Hindu, Buddhist and other religious minorities, but a rise of hardline, politicised Islam and stricter interpretations of the religion have undermined its reputation for tolerance in recent years.</p>

<p>The Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) was among an alliance of hardline groups that reported Sukmawati, as she is usually known, to police over the poem. The same alliance last year accused Jakarta's former Christian governor of blasphemy and spearheaded mass rallies that led to his ouster and jailing, a ruling that many believed was politicised and unjust.</p>

<p>"It's clear there is an insult toward the teachings of Islam in the poem," said Eggi Sudjana, a lawyer and an adviser to the alliance.</p>

<p>"We hoped that Ahok's case would be the last one, but now there are others who dare to insult Islam again," he said, referring to the ex-Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama by his nickname.</p>

<p>Sukmawati apologised for reading the poem, which appeared to favour traditional Indonesian culture and beliefs over conservative Islamic customs like the full veil, in public.</p>

<p>"The poem is a reflection of my concern about the sense of nationalism...and to honour our motherland's rich cultural traditions and diversity," a tearful Sukmawati told a news conference in Jakarta on Wednesday.</p>

<p>"I apologise to Islamic people in Indonesia, especially to those who feel offended by the poem," said Sukmawati, whose family remains highly influential in Indonesia.</p>

<p>FPI's Novel Bamukmin said the alliance appreciated the apology but would not withdraw its complaint.</p>

<p>"There will be no mercy for those who blaspheme," he said.</p>

<p>Rights activists feared the controversy was a sign that religious tolerance and freedom of expression are being eroded in the world's third-largest democracy.</p>

<p>"It's creating an atmosphere of fear," said Andreas Harsono of Human Rights Watch. "People never know when someone could report them to the police for blasphemy against Islam."</p>

<p>Suspects can be jailed for up to five years under the blasphemy laws, which have been criticised by rights groups as draconian and vulnerable to abuse.</p>

<p>Sukmawati's family issued a statement distancing itself from the issue, saying the poem only reflected the writer's personal opinion. A spokesman for President Widodo said the palace "did not want to be associated with the issue".</p>


"It's clear there is an insult toward the teachings of Islam in the poem," said Eggi Sudjana, a lawyer and an adviser to the alliance

Hardline Islamic groups on Wednesday filed a blasphemy complaint against a daughter of Indonesia's first president, accusing her of reciting a poem insulting Islam and prompting fresh concerns over intolerance in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country. Sukmawati Sukarnoputri, a politician, is the third daughter of Indonesia's founding father Sukarno and the younger sister of Megawati Sukarnoputri, who leads President Joko Widodo's ruling party. Indonesia is a secular country with significant Christian, Hindu, Buddhist and other religious minorities, but a rise of hardline, politicised Islam and stricter interpretations of the religion have undermined its reputation for tolerance in recent years. The Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) was among an alliance of hardline groups that reported Sukmawati, as she is usually known, to police over the poem. The same alliance last year accused Jakarta's former Christian governor of blasphemy and spearheaded mass rallies that led to his ouster and jailing, a ruling that many believed was politicised and unjust. "It's clear there is an insult toward the teachings of Islam in the poem," said Eggi Sudjana, a lawyer and an adviser to the alliance. "We hoped that Ahok's case would be the last one, but now there are others who dare to insult Islam again," he said, referring to the ex-Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama by his nickname. Sukmawati apologised for reading the poem, which appeared to favour traditional Indonesian culture and beliefs over conservative Islamic customs like the full veil, in public. "The poem is a reflection of my concern about the sense of nationalism...and to honour our motherland's rich cultural traditions and diversity," a tearful Sukmawati told a news conference in Jakarta on Wednesday. "I apologise to Islamic people in Indonesia, especially to those who feel offended by the poem," said Sukmawati, whose family remains highly influential in Indonesia. FPI's Novel Bamukmin said the alliance appreciated the apology but would not withdraw its complaint. "There will be no mercy for those who blaspheme," he said. Rights activists feared the controversy was a sign that religious tolerance and freedom of expression are being eroded in the world's third-largest democracy. "It's creating an atmosphere of fear," said Andreas Harsono of Human Rights Watch. "People never know when someone could report them to the police for blasphemy against Islam." Suspects can be jailed for up to five years under the blasphemy laws, which have been criticised by rights groups as draconian and vulnerable to abuse. Sukmawati's family issued a statement distancing itself from the issue, saying the poem only reflected the writer's personal opinion. A spokesman for President Widodo said the palace "did not want to be associated with the issue".

Islamic groups report Indonesian politician for reciting 'blasphemous' poem

<p>The Supreme court of India will examine whether the mosque is an integral part of Islam or not while adjudicating the Ayodhya&nbsp;Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi dispute.</p>

<p>Also read:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/ayodhya-dispute-supreme-court-sets-april-6-as-date-of-hearing-36864">Supreme Court sets April 6 as </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/ayodhya-dispute-supreme-court-sets-april-6-as-date-of-hearing-36864">date</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/ayodhya-dispute-supreme-court-sets-april-6-as-date-of-hearing-36864">&nbsp;of hearing of Ayodhya dispute</a></p>

<p>A bench, comprising of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justices Ashok Bhushan and Abdul Nazeer, would also examine whether a five-judge bench is needed to go into the question.</p>

<p>However, the top court declined the demand by a senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan that dispute should also be referred to a larger bench.</p>

<p>The question posed by the court is expected to further delay the long going&nbsp;Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi case verdict.</p>

<p>The court will next hear the case on April 6.</p>

<p>The top court is hearing 13 appeals filed against the 2010 judgment of the Allahabad High Court that that had ruled on a three-way division of the disputed 2.77-acre area at Ayodhya among the parties -- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and the Lord Ram Lalla.</p>

<p>It had dismissed all 32 intervention petitions in the case, including of filmmaker Shyam Benegal, actress Aparna Sen, social activist Teesta Setalvad and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy.</p>

<p>The bench had also directed the registry not to entertain any intervention application in the Ayodhya case.</p>

<p>The Babri Masjid, a centuries-old point of tussle between the Hindus and the Muslims, was built by Mughal emperor Babur in Ayodhya in 1528.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On December 6, 1992, the mosque was demolished by Hindu Karsevaks, claiming that the Ram temple that originally stood there and had been demolished to construct the mosque.</p>


The Supreme court of India will examine whether the mosque is an integral part of Islam or not while adjudicating the Ayodhya dispute

The Supreme court of India will examine whether the mosque is an integral part of Islam or not while adjudicating the Ayodhya Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi dispute. Also read: Supreme Court sets April 6 as date of hearing of Ayodhya dispute A bench, comprising of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justices Ashok Bhushan and Abdul Nazeer, would also examine whether a five-judge bench is needed to go into the question. However, the top court declined the demand by a senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan that dispute should also be referred to a larger bench. The question posed by the court is expected to further delay the long going Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi case verdict. The court will next hear the case on April 6. The top court is hearing 13 appeals filed against the 2010 judgment of the Allahabad High Court that that had ruled on a three-way division of the disputed 2.77-acre area at Ayodhya among the parties -- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and the Lord Ram Lalla. It had dismissed all 32 intervention petitions in the case, including of filmmaker Shyam Benegal, actress Aparna Sen, social activist Teesta Setalvad and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy. The bench had also directed the registry not to entertain any intervention application in the Ayodhya case. The Babri Masjid, a centuries-old point of tussle between the Hindus and the Muslims, was built by Mughal emperor Babur in Ayodhya in 1528. On December 6, 1992, the mosque was demolished by Hindu Karsevaks, claiming that the Ram temple that originally stood there and had been demolished to construct the mosque.

Babri Masjid dispute: Supreme Court to decide whether 'mosque is an integral part of Islam'

<p>New Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said Islam does not belong to Germany and set out hardline immigration policies in an interview published on Friday, as he sought to see off rising far-right challengers.</p>

<p>Seehofer told Bild newspaper he would push through a &quot;master plan for quicker deportations&quot;, in his first major interview since he was sworn into office on Wednesday.</p>

<p>The minister - a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel&#39;s CSU Bavarian allies who are further to the right than her own Christian Democrats (CDU) - said he would also classify more states as &#39;safe&#39; countries of origin, which would make it easier to deport failed asylum seekers.</p>

<p>The statements come after Merkel&#39;s conservatives, and their coalition allies - the Social Democrats - lost ground to the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in elections last year.</p>

<p>Seehofer is particularly keen to show his party is tackling immigration ahead of Bavaria&#39;s October regional election when the AfD is expected to enter that state assembly.</p>

<p>&quot;Islam does not belong to Germany,&quot; Seehofer said, contradicting former German president Christian Wulff who fuelled a debate over immigration in 2010 by saying Islam was part of Germany.</p>

<p>In 2015 Merkel echoed Wulff&#39;s words at a time when anti-immigration campaign group PEGIDA - or Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West - was holding marches.</p>

<p>&quot;Of course the Muslims living here do belong to Germany,&quot; Seehofer said before going on to say Germany should not give up its own traditions or customs, which had Christianity at their heart.</p>

<p>&quot;My message is: Muslims need to live with us, not next to us or against us,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>The government estimates between 4.4 and 4.7 million Muslims are living in Germany. Many of them have a Turkish background and many of the more than a million migrants who have arrived in the country from the Middle East and elsewhere after Merkel adopted an open-door policy in mid-2015 are also Muslims.</p>

<p>Andre Poggenburg, head of the AfD in the eastern state of Saxony, said Seehofer was copying his party with a view to Bavaria&#39;s October regional election: &quot;Horst Seehofer has taken this message from our manifesto word for word,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>The far-left Linke and Greens condemned Seehofer&#39;s message, and the Social Democrats&#39; Natascha Kohnen told broadcaster n-tv: &quot;Saying that incites people against each other at a time when we really don&#39;t need that. What we really need is politicians who bring people together.&quot;</p>

<p>In a coalition agreement, Merkel&#39;s CDU/CSU conservative bloc and the Social Democrats agreed they would manage and limit migration to Germany and Europe to avoid a re-run of the 2015 refugee crisis.</p>

<p>They also said they did not expect migration (excluding labour migration) to rise above the range of 180,000 to 220,000 per year.</p>


'My message is: Muslims need to live with us, not next to us or against us,' new Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said

New Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said Islam does not belong to Germany and set out hardline immigration policies in an interview published on Friday, as he sought to see off rising far-right challengers. Seehofer told Bild newspaper he would push through a "master plan for quicker deportations", in his first major interview since he was sworn into office on Wednesday. The minister - a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's CSU Bavarian allies who are further to the right than her own Christian Democrats (CDU) - said he would also classify more states as 'safe' countries of origin, which would make it easier to deport failed asylum seekers. The statements come after Merkel's conservatives, and their coalition allies - the Social Democrats - lost ground to the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in elections last year. Seehofer is particularly keen to show his party is tackling immigration ahead of Bavaria's October regional election when the AfD is expected to enter that state assembly. "Islam does not belong to Germany," Seehofer said, contradicting former German president Christian Wulff who fuelled a debate over immigration in 2010 by saying Islam was part of Germany. In 2015 Merkel echoed Wulff's words at a time when anti-immigration campaign group PEGIDA - or Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West - was holding marches. "Of course the Muslims living here do belong to Germany," Seehofer said before going on to say Germany should not give up its own traditions or customs, which had Christianity at their heart. "My message is: Muslims need to live with us, not next to us or against us," he said. The government estimates between 4.4 and 4.7 million Muslims are living in Germany. Many of them have a Turkish background and many of the more than a million migrants who have arrived in the country from the Middle East and elsewhere after Merkel adopted an open-door policy in mid-2015 are also Muslims. Andre Poggenburg, head of the AfD in the eastern state of Saxony, said Seehofer was copying his party with a view to Bavaria's October regional election: "Horst Seehofer has taken this message from our manifesto word for word," he said. The far-left Linke and Greens condemned Seehofer's message, and the Social Democrats' Natascha Kohnen told broadcaster n-tv: "Saying that incites people against each other at a time when we really don't need that. What we really need is politicians who bring people together." In a coalition agreement, Merkel's CDU/CSU conservative bloc and the Social Democrats agreed they would manage and limit migration to Germany and Europe to avoid a re-run of the 2015 refugee crisis. They also said they did not expect migration (excluding labour migration) to rise above the range of 180,000 to 220,000 per year.

Facing far-right challenge, minister says Islam doesn't belong to Germany

<p>Islamic headscarves and veils continue to be the subject of intense debate in Europe. Countries&rsquo; approaches toward the burqa and niqab, which cover the face, range from tolerance in the UK to an outright ban in France. Reactions of Muslim women to restrictions have varied, including protests by some, reluctant acceptance by others and also support for bans.</p>

<p>But what happens when a woman who has worn a niqab, sometimes for years, makes the decision to leave it behind?</p>

<p>Hanane and Alexia &ndash; whose names are pseudonyms to protect their identity &ndash; were both born in France. Hanane grew up in a non-practicing Muslim family, while Alexia converted to Islam at age 22. For five years they both wore a niqab. Hanane began in 2009, just before France banned the full-face veil, while Alexia adopted it later. Once ardent defenders of the right to wear the niqab, both women have now completely abandoned it. But the transition took place gradually and was accompanied by a growing distance from extreme Salafist ideology.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>&lsquo;Start living again&rsquo;</strong></p>

<p>On January 10, during the New Year&rsquo;s discount sales in France, Alexia and I met near Paris&rsquo; Gare du Nord train station. She wanted to buy clothes and &ldquo;start living again&rdquo;. In the first shop she bought four slim pairs of pants and a trim jacket. She then tried out some Nepalese clothes designed for Western tastes, including a colourful jacket and pants with huge bell bottoms.</p>

<p>As she came out of the dressing room, Alexia gauged herself in front of the mirror: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s really me, I finally feel like myself again after years of being locked up.&rdquo; With her hair brushing her face, she looked like a modern woman, fully alive. I was impressed with her metamorphosis: it&rsquo;s hard to imagine that she wore a niqab for five years and was one of the most radical women I&rsquo;d ever met.</p>

<p>I met Alexia in August 2011 in the context of my research on the full-length veil during a demonstration by the Salafist group Forsane Alizza (literally Knights of the Pride) in a city near Paris. She was wearing a niqab and presented herself as the wife of one of the group&rsquo;s leaders.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Alexia remembers that time:We considered all Muslim supporters of the French Republic to be unbelievers. We were doing the takfir (excommunication) against those who did not practice like us. We were opposed to the taghout (idolatry in the broad sense), i.e., the state and institutions. We defined ourselves as gh&ucirc;lat, which means &lsquo;extremists&rsquo; in Arabic.</p>

<p>Estimates of the number of women who wear the niqab vary widely, from a few hundred to several thousand. In terms of even France&rsquo;s Muslim population the percentage is tiny.</p>

<p><strong>&lsquo;The niqab was protecting me&rsquo;</strong></p>

<p>I&rsquo;ve known Hanane even longer than Alexia. We met during a January 2010 demonstration of women in niqab at the Place de la R&eacute;publique in Paris and then in front of the National Assembly. She and others were protesting a proposed measure that would outlaw concealing one&rsquo;s face in public.</p>

<p>At the beginning of 2017, Hanane reached out to ask me to help her write a book about her life. In the book she&rsquo;d like to write, Hanane doesn&rsquo;t want to denounce the niqab, but to tell the story of the rapes she says were repeatedly inflicted by her father-in-law. To her, they help explain her involvement in Salafism.</p>

<p>Religion brought a lot that helped me escape from the trauma of rape. I was 19 to 20 years old when I started wearing the niqab, I took it off when I was 25. The further I went, the more I wanted to cover myself. The niqab protected me, I liked hiding from men. I could see them, but they couldn&rsquo;t see me.</p>

<p>Unlike Alexia, who decided on her own to begin wearing a veil, Hanane remembers the influence of her social circle at the time:</p>

<p>We were a bunch of girlfriends and wore niqab almost all at the same time. In our group the earliest was Ayat Boum&eacute;di&egrave;ne, who adopted it more than two years before the law. At first everything was normal with her, and then she started to organise gatherings to encourage us to take up arms. It was her husband, Ahmadi Coulibaly, who turned her head &ndash; he was low-key until he went to jail. Ayat wanted to introduce me to a man she said I should marry, she really pushed hard. He was later imprisoned for murder. Thank goodness I didn&rsquo;t give in &ndash; I&rsquo;d be in Syria today.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On January 9, 2015, Ahmadi Coulibaly attacked the Hyper Cacher market near Paris. Boum&eacute;di&egrave;ne left Paris one week earlier, and was spotted at the Istanbul airport. She remains at large. Coulibaly killed five people during his attack and died when the police assaulted the grocery store in which he was holding hostages.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>&lsquo;I felt like I was getting out of jail&rsquo;</strong></p>

<p>When France banned full-length veils in 2010, some of the women who wore the niqab switched to the jilbab, which covers the whole body except the face, while others gave in to public pressure and ceased wearing it. Both Alexia and Hanane are different: they say they&rsquo;ve turned the page completely.</p>

<p>Alexia has even become a fierce opponent of the Islamic veil and Salafism. She continues to define herself as a Muslim but reads the texts with a critical eye. Hanane admits that she has become less diligent in her rituals: &ldquo;I often skip prayers or make them late. Some days I don&rsquo;t even have time to pray. When I wore the niqab I was a little more regular, even though I was often late.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Both say they&rsquo;ve put aside the more radical texts they once favoured, and no longer frequent fundamentalist websites. But this process didn&rsquo;t happen all at once &ndash; it took several months. Alexia says she decided to remove the niqab on the advice of the man who shared her life at the time. A convert to Islam and Salafism, he was a supporter of conservative dress for women, but nonetheless suggested she cease wearing the niqab:</p>

<p>When he saw my physical condition, he asked me to remove the niqab &ndash; he feared for my health. I had worn it to please Allah, but because of the lack of sunlight I wasn&rsquo;t synthesising vitamin D any more &ndash; my health was failing. I followed his advice, but it&rsquo;s been long and hard.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Alexia remembers:&nbsp;When I took the niqab off, I felt like I was getting out of jail. But that doesn&rsquo;t mean I was released &ndash; I still felt bad. It takes years to get by and I haven&rsquo;t finished cleaning my head yet.</p>

<p>Hanane abandoned her veil after the attacks on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in 2015 because she feared for her safety, facing more and more insults in the street. She said the hardest part has been the exclusion from her social circle.&nbsp;Since I removed my veil, many of my Muslim sisters no longer want to talk to me. I find them stuck-up and unfair, because anyone can choose to take off their veil. A few rare ones talk to me, but it&rsquo;s not like it used to be.</p>

<p>For a long time Alexia would put her veil back on when returning to her old neighbourhood in northeast Paris where social and religious conservatism is strong in certain communities. Then she finally changed her life entirely.</p>

<p>My life began to change when I enrolled in a gym, which allowed me to get out of the Salafist social networks that were my only source of socialisation before. Then I got a job and then I finally said goodbye to my past.</p>

<p>And it was at this job that she met the man whom she would marry. He is not Muslim and the civil marriage took place at city hall, an unthinkable choice for this woman who once hated French institutions.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>A bitter taste</strong></p>

<p>In hindsight, neither Alexia nor Hanane spoke of their &ldquo;exit&rdquo; from the niqab as a liberation. Instead, the experience has left them with a bitter taste. They say they were convinced at some point in their lives of the importance of wearing a full-length veil: Alexia believed that she was achieving Muslim perfection and giving meaning to her life &ndash; she imagined meeting the pious and virtuous man who would save her from her life as a single mother. For Hanane, the goal was to heal the wounds of an adolescence torn apart by family trauma and foster care.</p>

<p>Alexia now feels that this period cost her years of her life and expresses anger at the propaganda coming from Saudi Arabia. She blames the entire system that indoctrinated her, even though she acknowledges it was, in a sense, voluntary. According to her, the Islamic State benefits from the naivety of those who believe they are committed to Salafism for legitimate reasons.</p>

<p>Even if they&rsquo;ve both renounced the niqab, neither Hanane nor Alexia support the 2010 ban. Hanane told me recently: &ldquo;The law is counterproductive. The only way out is by yourself. The ban will never convince any woman to take it off.&rdquo; Alexia has the same reaction, saying that the law that has led some women to cut themselves off from society and that some might adopt it as a rebellious gesture.</p>

<p>Testimonies of those who&rsquo;ve chosen to &ldquo;leave the niqab behind&rdquo; are rare. The number of women who have adopted it is extremely low, and the ones who then choose to renounce it must often sever their old relationships and adopt what is in many ways a new identity &ndash; they change their e-mail addresses, phone numbers and move on completely. For them the full-length veil has become something firmly in the past, representative of a transitional stage in their lives.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;</em></p>


When France banned full-length veils in 2010, some of the women who wore the niqab switched to the jilbab, which covers the whole body except the face, while many others ceased wearing it.

Islamic headscarves and veils continue to be the subject of intense debate in Europe. Countries’ approaches toward the burqa and niqab, which cover the face, range from tolerance in the UK to an outright ban in France. Reactions of Muslim women to restrictions have varied, including protests by some, reluctant acceptance by others and also support for bans. But what happens when a woman who has worn a niqab, sometimes for years, makes the decision to leave it behind? Hanane and Alexia – whose names are pseudonyms to protect their identity – were both born in France. Hanane grew up in a non-practicing Muslim family, while Alexia converted to Islam at age 22. For five years they both wore a niqab. Hanane began in 2009, just before France banned the full-face veil, while Alexia adopted it later. Once ardent defenders of the right to wear the niqab, both women have now completely abandoned it. But the transition took place gradually and was accompanied by a growing distance from extreme Salafist ideology. ‘Start living again’ On January 10, during the New Year’s discount sales in France, Alexia and I met near Paris’ Gare du Nord train station. She wanted to buy clothes and “start living again”. In the first shop she bought four slim pairs of pants and a trim jacket. She then tried out some Nepalese clothes designed for Western tastes, including a colourful jacket and pants with huge bell bottoms. As she came out of the dressing room, Alexia gauged herself in front of the mirror: “It’s really me, I finally feel like myself again after years of being locked up.” With her hair brushing her face, she looked like a modern woman, fully alive. I was impressed with her metamorphosis: it’s hard to imagine that she wore a niqab for five years and was one of the most radical women I’d ever met. I met Alexia in August 2011 in the context of my research on the full-length veil during a demonstration by the Salafist group Forsane Alizza (literally Knights of the Pride) in a city near Paris. She was wearing a niqab and presented herself as the wife of one of the group’s leaders. Alexia remembers that time:We considered all Muslim supporters of the French Republic to be unbelievers. We were doing the takfir (excommunication) against those who did not practice like us. We were opposed to the taghout (idolatry in the broad sense), i.e., the state and institutions. We defined ourselves as ghûlat, which means ‘extremists’ in Arabic. Estimates of the number of women who wear the niqab vary widely, from a few hundred to several thousand. In terms of even France’s Muslim population the percentage is tiny. ‘The niqab was protecting me’ I’ve known Hanane even longer than Alexia. We met during a January 2010 demonstration of women in niqab at the Place de la République in Paris and then in front of the National Assembly. She and others were protesting a proposed measure that would outlaw concealing one’s face in public. At the beginning of 2017, Hanane reached out to ask me to help her write a book about her life. In the book she’d like to write, Hanane doesn’t want to denounce the niqab, but to tell the story of the rapes she says were repeatedly inflicted by her father-in-law. To her, they help explain her involvement in Salafism. Religion brought a lot that helped me escape from the trauma of rape. I was 19 to 20 years old when I started wearing the niqab, I took it off when I was 25. The further I went, the more I wanted to cover myself. The niqab protected me, I liked hiding from men. I could see them, but they couldn’t see me. Unlike Alexia, who decided on her own to begin wearing a veil, Hanane remembers the influence of her social circle at the time: We were a bunch of girlfriends and wore niqab almost all at the same time. In our group the earliest was Ayat Boumédiène, who adopted it more than two years before the law. At first everything was normal with her, and then she started to organise gatherings to encourage us to take up arms. It was her husband, Ahmadi Coulibaly, who turned her head – he was low-key until he went to jail. Ayat wanted to introduce me to a man she said I should marry, she really pushed hard. He was later imprisoned for murder. Thank goodness I didn’t give in – I’d be in Syria today. On January 9, 2015, Ahmadi Coulibaly attacked the Hyper Cacher market near Paris. Boumédiène left Paris one week earlier, and was spotted at the Istanbul airport. She remains at large. Coulibaly killed five people during his attack and died when the police assaulted the grocery store in which he was holding hostages. ‘I felt like I was getting out of jail’ When France banned full-length veils in 2010, some of the women who wore the niqab switched to the jilbab, which covers the whole body except the face, while others gave in to public pressure and ceased wearing it. Both Alexia and Hanane are different: they say they’ve turned the page completely. Alexia has even become a fierce opponent of the Islamic veil and Salafism. She continues to define herself as a Muslim but reads the texts with a critical eye. Hanane admits that she has become less diligent in her rituals: “I often skip prayers or make them late. Some days I don’t even have time to pray. When I wore the niqab I was a little more regular, even though I was often late.” Both say they’ve put aside the more radical texts they once favoured, and no longer frequent fundamentalist websites. But this process didn’t happen all at once – it took several months. Alexia says she decided to remove the niqab on the advice of the man who shared her life at the time. A convert to Islam and Salafism, he was a supporter of conservative dress for women, but nonetheless suggested she cease wearing the niqab: When he saw my physical condition, he asked me to remove the niqab – he feared for my health. I had worn it to please Allah, but because of the lack of sunlight I wasn’t synthesising vitamin D any more – my health was failing. I followed his advice, but it’s been long and hard. Alexia remembers: When I took the niqab off, I felt like I was getting out of jail. But that doesn’t mean I was released – I still felt bad. It takes years to get by and I haven’t finished cleaning my head yet. Hanane abandoned her veil after the attacks on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in 2015 because she feared for her safety, facing more and more insults in the street. She said the hardest part has been the exclusion from her social circle. Since I removed my veil, many of my Muslim sisters no longer want to talk to me. I find them stuck-up and unfair, because anyone can choose to take off their veil. A few rare ones talk to me, but it’s not like it used to be. For a long time Alexia would put her veil back on when returning to her old neighbourhood in northeast Paris where social and religious conservatism is strong in certain communities. Then she finally changed her life entirely. My life began to change when I enrolled in a gym, which allowed me to get out of the Salafist social networks that were my only source of socialisation before. Then I got a job and then I finally said goodbye to my past. And it was at this job that she met the man whom she would marry. He is not Muslim and the civil marriage took place at city hall, an unthinkable choice for this woman who once hated French institutions. A bitter taste In hindsight, neither Alexia nor Hanane spoke of their “exit” from the niqab as a liberation. Instead, the experience has left them with a bitter taste. They say they were convinced at some point in their lives of the importance of wearing a full-length veil: Alexia believed that she was achieving Muslim perfection and giving meaning to her life – she imagined meeting the pious and virtuous man who would save her from her life as a single mother. For Hanane, the goal was to heal the wounds of an adolescence torn apart by family trauma and foster care. Alexia now feels that this period cost her years of her life and expresses anger at the propaganda coming from Saudi Arabia. She blames the entire system that indoctrinated her, even though she acknowledges it was, in a sense, voluntary. According to her, the Islamic State benefits from the naivety of those who believe they are committed to Salafism for legitimate reasons. Even if they’ve both renounced the niqab, neither Hanane nor Alexia support the 2010 ban. Hanane told me recently: “The law is counterproductive. The only way out is by yourself. The ban will never convince any woman to take it off.” Alexia has the same reaction, saying that the law that has led some women to cut themselves off from society and that some might adopt it as a rebellious gesture. Testimonies of those who’ve chosen to “leave the niqab behind” are rare. The number of women who have adopted it is extremely low, and the ones who then choose to renounce it must often sever their old relationships and adopt what is in many ways a new identity – they change their e-mail addresses, phone numbers and move on completely. For them the full-length veil has become something firmly in the past, representative of a transitional stage in their lives. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: French Muslim women felt freed not covering their face

<p>A rapper in Muslim-majority Malaysia is under police investigation for allegedly insulting Islam with a Lunar New Year video that features dancers wearing dog masks and performing suggestive moves, reports said Monday.</p>

<p>The video features controversial rapper Wee Meng Chee, known by his stage name Namewee, sitting on a chair in front of a domed building and mimicking barks of canines from around the world.</p>

<p>Several black-clad dancers wearing masks of dogs -- an animal considered unclean in Islam -- gyrate around him, with two of them mimicking a &quot;doggy-style&quot; sex move.</p>

<p>The video, which marks the start of the Year of the Dog currently being celebrated across Asia, generated accusations that it was filmed in front of a mosque in the administrative capital Putrajaya.</p>

<p>National police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun reportedly said a probe had been launched into the artist -- who is from the country&#39;s ethnic Chinese minority -- for hurting religious feelings and &quot;transmitting offensive communications&quot;.</p>

<p>Namewee, who is reported to be abroad, faces up to a year in jail if found guilty.</p>

<p>In a YouTube video, the rapper denied having insulted Islam and said that the domed building visible in the background was the prime minister&#39;s office, not a mosque.</p>

<p>&quot;The reports saying I insulted Islam are not true,&quot; he said. &quot;We did not film the music video at any place of worship. It was done in an open area.&quot;</p>

<p>The probe was launched after complaints from Muslim groups and public criticism from the deputy prime minister over the video, which has more than 700,000 views on YouTube since being released on February 10.</p>

<p>Lunar New Year is a major celebration in Malaysia, where a quarter of the population are from the Chinese diaspora, but the Year of the Dog has proved sensitive.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Some shops have avoided displaying canine imagery in their decorations for fear of causing offence.</p>

<p>Namewee has repeatedly been at the centre of controversy. In 2016, he was detained for several days for allegedly insulting Islam over a video partly filmed inside a mosque.</p>

<p>Malaysia generally practises a moderate form of Islam but religious tensions have escalated in recent years, with concerns growing over a rise in conservative Islamic attitudes.</p>


The video features controversial rapper Wee Meng Chee, known by his stage name Namewee, sitting on a chair in front of a domed building and mimicking barks of canines from around the world

A rapper in Muslim-majority Malaysia is under police investigation for allegedly insulting Islam with a Lunar New Year video that features dancers wearing dog masks and performing suggestive moves, reports said Monday. The video features controversial rapper Wee Meng Chee, known by his stage name Namewee, sitting on a chair in front of a domed building and mimicking barks of canines from around the world. Several black-clad dancers wearing masks of dogs -- an animal considered unclean in Islam -- gyrate around him, with two of them mimicking a "doggy-style" sex move. The video, which marks the start of the Year of the Dog currently being celebrated across Asia, generated accusations that it was filmed in front of a mosque in the administrative capital Putrajaya. National police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun reportedly said a probe had been launched into the artist -- who is from the country's ethnic Chinese minority -- for hurting religious feelings and "transmitting offensive communications". Namewee, who is reported to be abroad, faces up to a year in jail if found guilty. In a YouTube video, the rapper denied having insulted Islam and said that the domed building visible in the background was the prime minister's office, not a mosque. "The reports saying I insulted Islam are not true," he said. "We did not film the music video at any place of worship. It was done in an open area." The probe was launched after complaints from Muslim groups and public criticism from the deputy prime minister over the video, which has more than 700,000 views on YouTube since being released on February 10. Lunar New Year is a major celebration in Malaysia, where a quarter of the population are from the Chinese diaspora, but the Year of the Dog has proved sensitive. Some shops have avoided displaying canine imagery in their decorations for fear of causing offence. Namewee has repeatedly been at the centre of controversy. In 2016, he was detained for several days for allegedly insulting Islam over a video partly filmed inside a mosque. Malaysia generally practises a moderate form of Islam but religious tensions have escalated in recent years, with concerns growing over a rise in conservative Islamic attitudes.

Malaysian rapper probed over Lunar New Year dog video

<p>Women are finally coming out with their sexual harassment incidents without any hesitation, all thanks to the &quot;MeToo&quot; movement. This time its several women in Islam who have spoken up about sexual experiences at Hajj.</p>

<p>Even holy places are not safe for women anymore. Even at Hajj, at&nbsp;the&nbsp;city of&nbsp;Mecca, where people perform their religious Islamic duties.</p>

<p>Women have now come out to talk about the horrid instances while&nbsp;carrying out&nbsp;<i>tawaf&nbsp;</i>around the Kaaba during&nbsp;their pilgrimage to Mecca.</p>

<p>It all started when a woman named Sabica Khan took to Facebook to share her #MeToo moment at Hajj, and found out that she wasn&rsquo;t alone.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Here is her post from a week back:</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false"><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="746" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fsabeeca.khan%2Fposts%2F10215090052034351&amp;width=500" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" width="500"></iframe></div>
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<p>This led to an Egyptian-American feminist and journalist Mona Eltahawy to share her story which dated years back - when she was 15, she is now 50 years old. She was also first talked about her experience of sexual assault during Hajj in 2013.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I have shared my experience of being sexually assaulted during Haj in 1982 when I was 15 in the hope that it will help fellow Muslim women break silence and taboo around their experience of sexual harassment/abuse during Haj/Umra or in sacred spaces. Let&rsquo;s use <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MosqueMeToo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MosqueMeToo</a> <a href="https://t.co/uDsZFDolgX">https://t.co/uDsZFDolgX</a></p>
&mdash; Mona Eltahawy (@monaeltahawy) <a href="https://twitter.com/monaeltahawy/status/960701491328712706?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">In 2013, I was 1st person to talk about being sexually assaulted at Haj on Arabic-language <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Egyptian?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Egyptian</a> primetime TV show. In 2015, I wrote about it in my book. I&rsquo;m talking about it now &amp; will keep talking about it until Muslim women are safe from sexual harassment &amp; assault at Haj <a href="https://t.co/uDsZFDolgX">https://t.co/uDsZFDolgX</a></p>
&mdash; Mona Eltahawy (@monaeltahawy) <a href="https://twitter.com/monaeltahawy/status/961693550747537412?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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<p>She is the women behind the famous #MosqueMeToo, which has caught several people&#39;s attention and soon became a trending topic on Twitter.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Thank you again to fellow Muslim women who have shared their own experience at Haj. Love and solidarity. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MosqueMeToo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MosqueMeToo</a> <a href="https://t.co/uDsZFDolgX">https://t.co/uDsZFDolgX</a></p>
&mdash; Mona Eltahawy (@monaeltahawy) <a href="https://twitter.com/monaeltahawy/status/960970557603885056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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<p>Muslim men and women from around the world started using the hashtag yesterday and in less than 24 hours it was tweeted 2,000 times. It has gone on to become one of the top ten trends of Farsi Twitter.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MosqueMeToo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MosqueMeToo</a> shows once again that sexual harassment and assault has nothing to do with female modesty. It is not because of what a woman is wearing it is because of how men are taught to look at and think of women.</p>
&mdash; Faranak Amidi (@Faranak_amidi) <a href="https://twitter.com/Faranak_amidi/status/961657700940681218?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I stand with my sisters who&#39;ve experienced sexual assault in environments they thought would be safe. Terrible people can inhabit holy spaces. It is telling of their own character. As Muslims it is our duty to advocate for our sisters who are facing injustice. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MosqueMeToo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MosqueMeToo</a></p>
&mdash; Hanan (@Onecoldcreative) <a href="https://twitter.com/Onecoldcreative/status/961283707234533376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I find it hard to think about Umrah now, something that should have been one of the best memories in my life and should have brought me closer to God just ruined me <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MosqueMeToo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MosqueMeToo</a></p>
&mdash; Mariha Syed (@MarihaSyed) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarihaSyed/status/960995477486366721?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I read about <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MosqueMeToo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MosqueMeToo</a>. It brought me to horrible memories during Hajj 2010. People think Mecca is the holiest place for Moslems so nobody would not do something bad. Totally wrong.</p>
&mdash; Anggi Lagorio (@AnggiAngguni) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnggiAngguni/status/960992880570568704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I was 10 years old and I thought my sister was gripping my hips as not to lose me in the huge crowd after Jumaa prayer. But my sister was next to me and those turned out to not be my sister&rsquo;s hands.<br />
<br />
He didn&rsquo;t move until she elbowed him away.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MosqueMeToo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MosqueMeToo</a></p>
&mdash; K R (@NewtmasGrape) <a href="https://twitter.com/NewtmasGrape/status/962040126665707521?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>


Muslim men and women from around the world started using the hashtag yesterday and in less than 24 hours it was tweeted 2,000 times. It has gone on to become one of the top ten trends of Farsi Twitter

Women are finally coming out with their sexual harassment incidents without any hesitation, all thanks to the "MeToo" movement. This time its several women in Islam who have spoken up about sexual experiences at Hajj. Even holy places are not safe for women anymore. Even at Hajj, at the city of Mecca, where people perform their religious Islamic duties. Women have now come out to talk about the horrid instances while carrying out tawaf around the Kaaba during their pilgrimage to Mecca. It all started when a woman named Sabica Khan took to Facebook to share her #MeToo moment at Hajj, and found out that she wasn’t alone. Here is her post from a week back: × This led to an Egyptian-American feminist and journalist Mona Eltahawy to share her story which dated years back - when she was 15, she is now 50 years old. She was also first talked about her experience of sexual assault during Hajj in 2013. I have shared my experience of being sexually assaulted during Haj in 1982 when I was 15 in the hope that it will help fellow Muslim women break silence and taboo around their experience of sexual harassment/abuse during Haj/Umra or in sacred spaces. Let’s use #MosqueMeToo https://t.co/uDsZFDolgX — Mona Eltahawy (@monaeltahawy) February 6, 2018 × In 2013, I was 1st person to talk about being sexually assaulted at Haj on Arabic-language #Egyptian primetime TV show. In 2015, I wrote about it in my book. I’m talking about it now & will keep talking about it until Muslim women are safe from sexual harassment & assault at Haj https://t.co/uDsZFDolgX — Mona Eltahawy (@monaeltahawy) February 8, 2018 × She is the women behind the famous #MosqueMeToo, which has caught several people's attention and soon became a trending topic on Twitter. Thank you again to fellow Muslim women who have shared their own experience at Haj. Love and solidarity. #MosqueMeToo https://t.co/uDsZFDolgX — Mona Eltahawy (@monaeltahawy) February 6, 2018 × Muslim men and women from around the world started using the hashtag yesterday and in less than 24 hours it was tweeted 2,000 times. It has gone on to become one of the top ten trends of Farsi Twitter. the #MosqueMeToo shows once again that sexual harassment and assault has nothing to do with female modesty. It is not because of what a woman is wearing it is because of how men are taught to look at and think of women. — Faranak Amidi (@Faranak_amidi) February 8, 2018 × I stand with my sisters who've experienced sexual assault in environments they thought would be safe. Terrible people can inhabit holy spaces. It is telling of their own character. As Muslims it is our duty to advocate for our sisters who are facing injustice. #MosqueMeToo — Hanan (@Onecoldcreative) February 7, 2018 × I find it hard to think about Umrah now, something that should have been one of the best memories in my life and should have brought me closer to God just ruined me #MosqueMeToo — Mariha Syed (@MarihaSyed) February 6, 2018 × I read about #MosqueMeToo. It brought me to horrible memories during Hajj 2010. People think Mecca is the holiest place for Moslems so nobody would not do something bad. Totally wrong. — Anggi Lagorio (@AnggiAngguni) February 6, 2018 × I was 10 years old and I thought my sister was gripping my hips as not to lose me in the huge crowd after Jumaa prayer. But my sister was next to me and those turned out to not be my sister’s hands. He didn’t move until she elbowed him away. #MosqueMeToo — K R (@NewtmasGrape) February 9, 2018 ×

#MosqueMeToo becomes top trend on Twitter after women share sexual harassment stories at Hajj

<p>The Danish government on Tuesday proposed a ban on Islamic full-face veils such as the niqab and burqa in public spaces, making it likely to become the next European country to restrict the wearing of the religious garment.</p>

<p>&quot;It is incompatible with the values in Danish society and disrespectful to the community to keep one`s face hidden when meeting each other in public spaces,&quot; Justice Minister Soren Pape Poulsen said in a statement.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;With a ban on covering the face, we are drawing a line in the sand and underlining that in Denmark we show each other trust and respect by meeting face to face,&quot; he added.</p>

<p>The niqab is a full veil with a small slit for the eyes, while the burqa is a full veil that covers the head and body with a mesh screen over the eyes.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The proposal is to be assessed by non-governmental human rights organisations and possibly re-written to take their remarks into consideration.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The centre-right government is expected to present a bill to parliament in the spring.&nbsp;</p>

<p>With the support of the country`s second largest party, the anti-immigration Danish People`s Party, the proposed legislation is likely to be adopted.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A violation of the ban would lead to a fine of 1,000 kroner ($166, 134 euros).&nbsp;</p>

<p>Repeated violations would be fined up to 10,000 kroner.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The proposed ban says the &quot;burqa, niqab and balaclavas where only eyes and mouth are visible are examples of clothes that hide the face&quot;.</p>

<p>But covering the face in a recognisable manner, such as wearing winter clothing, sports gear and masks for festivities, are exempted.</p>

<p>It is not known how many women wear the niqab and burqa in Denmark.</p>

<p>&quot;I don`t think there are many who wear the burqa here in Denmark. But if you do, you should be punished with a fine,&quot; Poulsen told reporters, according to news agency Ritzau.</p>

<p>The full-face veil is a hot-button issue across Europe.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The European Court of Human Rights last year upheld a Belgian ban on wearing it in public.&nbsp;</p>

<p>France was the first European country to ban the niqab in public places with a law that took effect in 2011.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Spain`s highest court annulled in 2013 a ban on the full-face veil in public buildings that had been brought in three years earlier by the northeastern region of Catalonia.&nbsp;</p>


'It is incompatible with the values in Danish society and disrespectful to the community to keep one`s face hidden when meeting each other in public spaces,' Justice Minister Soren Pape Poulsen said

The Danish government on Tuesday proposed a ban on Islamic full-face veils such as the niqab and burqa in public spaces, making it likely to become the next European country to restrict the wearing of the religious garment. "It is incompatible with the values in Danish society and disrespectful to the community to keep one`s face hidden when meeting each other in public spaces," Justice Minister Soren Pape Poulsen said in a statement. "With a ban on covering the face, we are drawing a line in the sand and underlining that in Denmark we show each other trust and respect by meeting face to face," he added. The niqab is a full veil with a small slit for the eyes, while the burqa is a full veil that covers the head and body with a mesh screen over the eyes. The proposal is to be assessed by non-governmental human rights organisations and possibly re-written to take their remarks into consideration. The centre-right government is expected to present a bill to parliament in the spring. With the support of the country`s second largest party, the anti-immigration Danish People`s Party, the proposed legislation is likely to be adopted. A violation of the ban would lead to a fine of 1,000 kroner ($166, 134 euros). Repeated violations would be fined up to 10,000 kroner. The proposed ban says the "burqa, niqab and balaclavas where only eyes and mouth are visible are examples of clothes that hide the face". But covering the face in a recognisable manner, such as wearing winter clothing, sports gear and masks for festivities, are exempted. It is not known how many women wear the niqab and burqa in Denmark. "I don`t think there are many who wear the burqa here in Denmark. But if you do, you should be punished with a fine," Poulsen told reporters, according to news agency Ritzau. The full-face veil is a hot-button issue across Europe. The European Court of Human Rights last year upheld a Belgian ban on wearing it in public. France was the first European country to ban the niqab in public places with a law that took effect in 2011. Spain`s highest court annulled in 2013 a ban on the full-face veil in public buildings that had been brought in three years earlier by the northeastern region of Catalonia.

Denmark proposes ban on Islamic full-face veil in public

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Olivier Roy has written a number of books on Islam, radicalism and violence. The latest book &#39;Death and Jihad&#39; brings observations of this seminal thinker into one piece. The book dissects into contemporary Islam by looking into issues, such as migration, terrorism, jihad and disassociation of culture from religion. To begin with, Olivier Roy makes a radical departure from the run of the mill analysis of Islam. He concludes in the beginning that it is not radicalisation of Islam but Islamisation of radicalism which is causing violence in Europe and other parts of the western hemisphere.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Olivier argues that jihad, instead of being a collective responsibility, has become a personal obligation in modern time, creating a rupture in Islamic history. This perceived duty does not respect traditional rules associated with going to jihad. The choices jihadis make are modern in origin and not Islamic in nature. Before leaving for jihad, the protagonists neither take permission from the parents nor settle obligations mentioned in the Islamic law.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;ISIS is explained in the form of an apocalyptic discourse which nullifies the sense of time. The book argues that ISIS is projected as a-historical geography divorced from historical reality as the destination for hijira (hegira). It is, for this reason, global jihad remains disconnected from West Asia and even from the question of Palestine. The new state of ISIS remains imaginary and classical at the same time which is marked by transmission of brutality that is played out like a well-rehearsed play.</p>

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<p>Jihad and Death by Olivier Roy (WION)</p>
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<p>There is no doubt that the appeal of ISIS lured thousands of newly radicalised recruits to fight the dirty war in West Asia. The book argues that in a society where transmission of traditional knowledge, language and religion remains alive, few jihadis are born. He cites the example of Turkey whose contribution in global jihad has been minimum. In case of ISIS, it is argued, that it often happens before coming in the contact of a local madrasa. It happens directly through the Internet which is replete with half-baked knowledge of Islam.</p>

<p>&nbsp;For many, the argument would be surprising but the empirical evidence suggests that phenomenon of ISIS is very much a product of globalisation of religion where local cultures are being ripped away from the parent body of religion. The ripping away creates insular groups who look for redemption through extreme acts of violence.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&ldquo;By chasing religion away from public sphere, it has got assigned it to the radicals,&rdquo; says Roy. The first thing which Islamist did in Afghanistan was to attack the traditional structure of society, dominated by Khans, and attacking history which was both Islamic and non-Islamic in origin. ISIS has fine-tuned this discourse where life becomes an exercise in death.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;It also resembles certain structural changes (not sameness) within the Indian context. Hinduism and Islam are two very different religions and cannot be compared but both have undergone unprecedented change under the rubric of modernity and globalisation. It can be said that the persistent effort to push Hinduism away from public life laid the foundation of Hindutva, which reclaimed the public space less like a devout and more like a political order.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>It is to say that if religion has the potential to modify liberal democracies and then liberal democracies have reinvented religion by the process of codification and vote. For example, Brahmins and upper-class Muslims may enjoy cultural privileges but political authority percolated to OBCs who came below the defined upper castes.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>It should worry both the Hindutva brigade and the secular liberal constituency. It should worry the Hindutva lobby lest the shape and mind of our religious eco-system become more intolerant. It should also concern secular liberals, for the fact, that despite enlightened values, it failed to accommodate the question of faith which rests within Indian civilisational imagination.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;The difference between Hinduism and Islam apart from the structure and a book is also that of the concept of takfir. The concept differentiates between a Muslim and the Muslim who follows the tenet of Islam properly. The new interpretation led to the killing of thousands of non-Sunni Muslims in past 60 years. It is the root cause of Shia-Sunni violence.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;In the Indian context, it has started to take rues of not Indian enough as Hinduism does not have the concept of takfir. This tension is being reflected by the debate on nationalism and intolerance but has not reached a level which is being witnessed in Islamic societies. The difference is that Hindus in India have reclaimed the public space through electoral methods without large-scale violence and disruptions such as we witnessed in Tunisia and Egypt. The majority in India has neither changed the Constitution nor the law as it remains committed to the larger ideals of the Constitution but the feeling of being the first citizen or community has been asserted. &nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;The thrust of the argument in the book is that the current trouble in the Islamic world is a creation of the Shia-Sunni divide which continues to shift form and alliances, eventually leading to bloodshed. Sunnis in the current scenario feel alienated from the Shia state of Iran, Shia dominated Iraq, Shia affiliated Syria and Houthis of Yemen, plunging the region into a state of turmoil. It is argued that the scenario was further vitiated by de-Baathification of Iraq which led to thousands of trained Sunnis becoming unemployed and forming core of the ISIS terrorism.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;The book argues that radicals in the system should be allowed to speak.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;This position in other nations would lead to an ethical and moral dilemma. What if Kashmiri terrorists or radicals are given a public platform to speak? What was our reaction to the JNU controversy? Should Naxalities be invited for public debates? The ethical and moral choices would vary from state to state and region to region but the fact remains &quot;jihadi killings&quot; within the Muslim world surpasses the casualties which have taken place in the non-Muslim countries.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;His book also poses questions to multi-ethnic nations like India, where despite riots and rise of cultural nationalism, Islamic terrorism has not been able to create a big geographical footprint. It has exported few people to the ISIS but not replicated the pattern witnessed by Belgium and France where second-generation converts were attracted in large numbers to the Islamic State.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;His work is about how religion and faith have interacted with secularised environments over a period of time, creating new tyrannies of both religious and secular in nature.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;This book is for those who want to understand the structure of Islamic violence in a modern state which is fundamentally different from medieval times. It is a book for those who want to understand the power of globalisation and its ability to change imagination of historical entities like religion without altering a word from the original text.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;The only thing wanting is an explanation as to what is the platform which Roy is talking about. What is the platform from which radicals can air their feeling? What will be the consequence of it? Is Islam compatible with modernity? These are the questions which the world has to deal with today. As far as the book is concerned, it is a delight to read Roy.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Book: Jihad and Death: The Global Appeal of Islamic State</p>

<p>Author: Olivier Roy</p>

<p>Publisher: Hurst &amp; Company, London, 2017</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)</em>&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>


The current trouble in the Islamic world is a creation of the Shia-Sunni divide which continues to shift form and alliances, eventually leading to bloodshed.

Olivier Roy has written a number of books on Islam, radicalism and violence. The latest book 'Death and Jihad' brings observations of this seminal thinker into one piece. The book dissects into contemporary Islam by looking into issues, such as migration, terrorism, jihad and disassociation of culture from religion. To begin with, Olivier Roy makes a radical departure from the run of the mill analysis of Islam. He concludes in the beginning that it is not radicalisation of Islam but Islamisation of radicalism which is causing violence in Europe and other parts of the western hemisphere. Olivier argues that jihad, instead of being a collective responsibility, has become a personal obligation in modern time, creating a rupture in Islamic history. This perceived duty does not respect traditional rules associated with going to jihad. The choices jihadis make are modern in origin and not Islamic in nature. Before leaving for jihad, the protagonists neither take permission from the parents nor settle obligations mentioned in the Islamic law. ISIS is explained in the form of an apocalyptic discourse which nullifies the sense of time. The book argues that ISIS is projected as a-historical geography divorced from historical reality as the destination for hijira (hegira). It is, for this reason, global jihad remains disconnected from West Asia and even from the question of Palestine. The new state of ISIS remains imaginary and classical at the same time which is marked by transmission of brutality that is played out like a well-rehearsed play. Jihad and Death by Olivier Roy (WION) × There is no doubt that the appeal of ISIS lured thousands of newly radicalised recruits to fight the dirty war in West Asia. The book argues that in a society where transmission of traditional knowledge, language and religion remains alive, few jihadis are born. He cites the example of Turkey whose contribution in global jihad has been minimum. In case of ISIS, it is argued, that it often happens before coming in the contact of a local madrasa. It happens directly through the Internet which is replete with half-baked knowledge of Islam. For many, the argument would be surprising but the empirical evidence suggests that phenomenon of ISIS is very much a product of globalisation of religion where local cultures are being ripped away from the parent body of religion. The ripping away creates insular groups who look for redemption through extreme acts of violence. “By chasing religion away from public sphere, it has got assigned it to the radicals,” says Roy. The first thing which Islamist did in Afghanistan was to attack the traditional structure of society, dominated by Khans, and attacking history which was both Islamic and non-Islamic in origin. ISIS has fine-tuned this discourse where life becomes an exercise in death. It also resembles certain structural changes (not sameness) within the Indian context. Hinduism and Islam are two very different religions and cannot be compared but both have undergone unprecedented change under the rubric of modernity and globalisation. It can be said that the persistent effort to push Hinduism away from public life laid the foundation of Hindutva, which reclaimed the public space less like a devout and more like a political order. It is to say that if religion has the potential to modify liberal democracies and then liberal democracies have reinvented religion by the process of codification and vote. For example, Brahmins and upper-class Muslims may enjoy cultural privileges but political authority percolated to OBCs who came below the defined upper castes. It should worry both the Hindutva brigade and the secular liberal constituency. It should worry the Hindutva lobby lest the shape and mind of our religious eco-system become more intolerant. It should also concern secular liberals, for the fact, that despite enlightened values, it failed to accommodate the question of faith which rests within Indian civilisational imagination. The difference between Hinduism and Islam apart from the structure and a book is also that of the concept of takfir. The concept differentiates between a Muslim and the Muslim who follows the tenet of Islam properly. The new interpretation led to the killing of thousands of non-Sunni Muslims in past 60 years. It is the root cause of Shia-Sunni violence. In the Indian context, it has started to take rues of not Indian enough as Hinduism does not have the concept of takfir. This tension is being reflected by the debate on nationalism and intolerance but has not reached a level which is being witnessed in Islamic societies. The difference is that Hindus in India have reclaimed the public space through electoral methods without large-scale violence and disruptions such as we witnessed in Tunisia and Egypt. The majority in India has neither changed the Constitution nor the law as it remains committed to the larger ideals of the Constitution but the feeling of being the first citizen or community has been asserted. The thrust of the argument in the book is that the current trouble in the Islamic world is a creation of the Shia-Sunni divide which continues to shift form and alliances, eventually leading to bloodshed. Sunnis in the current scenario feel alienated from the Shia state of Iran, Shia dominated Iraq, Shia affiliated Syria and Houthis of Yemen, plunging the region into a state of turmoil. It is argued that the scenario was further vitiated by de-Baathification of Iraq which led to thousands of trained Sunnis becoming unemployed and forming core of the ISIS terrorism. The book argues that radicals in the system should be allowed to speak. This position in other nations would lead to an ethical and moral dilemma. What if Kashmiri terrorists or radicals are given a public platform to speak? What was our reaction to the JNU controversy? Should Naxalities be invited for public debates? The ethical and moral choices would vary from state to state and region to region but the fact remains "jihadi killings" within the Muslim world surpasses the casualties which have taken place in the non-Muslim countries. His book also poses questions to multi-ethnic nations like India, where despite riots and rise of cultural nationalism, Islamic terrorism has not been able to create a big geographical footprint. It has exported few people to the ISIS but not replicated the pattern witnessed by Belgium and France where second-generation converts were attracted in large numbers to the Islamic State. His work is about how religion and faith have interacted with secularised environments over a period of time, creating new tyrannies of both religious and secular in nature. This book is for those who want to understand the structure of Islamic violence in a modern state which is fundamentally different from medieval times. It is a book for those who want to understand the power of globalisation and its ability to change imagination of historical entities like religion without altering a word from the original text. The only thing wanting is an explanation as to what is the platform which Roy is talking about. What is the platform from which radicals can air their feeling? What will be the consequence of it? Is Islam compatible with modernity? These are the questions which the world has to deal with today. As far as the book is concerned, it is a delight to read Roy. Book: Jihad and Death: The Global Appeal of Islamic State Author: Olivier Roy Publisher: Hurst & Company, London, 2017 (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: What jihad has to do with Islam

<p>Turkey`s broadcasting watchdog has fined a TV station nearly one million lira ($266,000) over footage of young girls dancing in shorts in a talent competition after viewers complained of &quot;child abuse&quot;, a board member said on Thursday.<br />
<br />
Citing moral dangers for the children, it penalised TV8 channel for footage in the &quot;Yetenek Sizsiniz&quot; (&quot;You Got Talent&quot;) programme which showed a group of girls, aged from 7 to 11, who peformed in shorts and tank tops, the board member who did not want to be named told Reuters.<br />
<br />
The move by the Turkish Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTUK) is likely to further anger government critics, who accuse President Tayyip Erdogan and his Islamist-rooted ruling AK Party of trying to roll back secularism and civil rights for minorities, gay people and women.<br />
<br />
Last year, hundreds of Turkish women marched in Istanbul to protest against violence and threats from men demanding they dress more conservatively.</p>

<p>RTUK ruled that the footage had violated its ethical broadcast regulations and fined the channel 2 percent of its advertising revenues, amounting almost to 1 million lira.<br />
<br />
The regulations state that &quot;programmes which contain content that could harm the physical, mental and moral development of children and youth cannot be broadcast&quot;.<br />
<br />
RTUK said in a report that it had received complaints that the channel had exploited the children in an &quot;immoral&quot; show.<br />
<br />
&quot;There were reactions from citizens for making minor children, aged 7-8, dance half-naked for ratings, amounting to child abuse,&quot; the report said.<br />
<br />
Turkey`s Family and Social Policies Ministry said the children were &quot;dancing with clothes that were not appropriate for their age and development level.&quot;<br />
<br />
Hurriyet newspaper said RTUK also fined several music channels for broadcasting a music video which it described as &quot;one tick below an erotic film.&quot;<br />
<br />
The video of the &quot;Sifir Tolerans&quot; (&quot;Zero Tolerance&quot;) song by Belgium-born singer Hadise depicts the artist in intimate scenes with her male co-star. The video includes scenes of the singer in a bed with the male actor and in a bathtub.</p>

<p><iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sui9MKrDnQk" width="560"></iframe></p>


"Yetenek Sizsiniz" ("You Got Talent") programme showed a group of girls, aged from 7 to 11, performing in shorts and tank tops

Turkey`s broadcasting watchdog has fined a TV station nearly one million lira ($266,000) over footage of young girls dancing in shorts in a talent competition after viewers complained of "child abuse", a board member said on Thursday. Citing moral dangers for the children, it penalised TV8 channel for footage in the "Yetenek Sizsiniz" ("You Got Talent") programme which showed a group of girls, aged from 7 to 11, who peformed in shorts and tank tops, the board member who did not want to be named told Reuters. The move by the Turkish Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTUK) is likely to further anger government critics, who accuse President Tayyip Erdogan and his Islamist-rooted ruling AK Party of trying to roll back secularism and civil rights for minorities, gay people and women. Last year, hundreds of Turkish women marched in Istanbul to protest against violence and threats from men demanding they dress more conservatively. RTUK ruled that the footage had violated its ethical broadcast regulations and fined the channel 2 percent of its advertising revenues, amounting almost to 1 million lira. The regulations state that "programmes which contain content that could harm the physical, mental and moral development of children and youth cannot be broadcast". RTUK said in a report that it had received complaints that the channel had exploited the children in an "immoral" show. "There were reactions from citizens for making minor children, aged 7-8, dance half-naked for ratings, amounting to child abuse," the report said. Turkey`s Family and Social Policies Ministry said the children were "dancing with clothes that were not appropriate for their age and development level." Hurriyet newspaper said RTUK also fined several music channels for broadcasting a music video which it described as "one tick below an erotic film." The video of the "Sifir Tolerans" ("Zero Tolerance") song by Belgium-born singer Hadise depicts the artist in intimate scenes with her male co-star. The video includes scenes of the singer in a bed with the male actor and in a bathtub.

Turkish council fines TV channel over girls in shorts in talent show

<p>Shortly after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj reacted to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/sushma-swaraj-to-take-up-sikhs-forced-conversion-with-pak-government-27239">reports of the forced conversion of Sikhs to Islam</a> in Hangu, Pakistan, Islamabad denied any such incident.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Swaraj had on December 19 shared an article by the Pakistani media on her Twitter handle.</p>

<p>The piece had reported on the &quot;forced&quot; conversion&nbsp;of Sikhs to Islam in Hangu, Pakistan.</p>

<p>&quot;We will take this up at the highest level with the Government of Pakistan,&quot; the minister had tweeted.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">We will take this up at the highest level with Government of Pakistan. <a href="https://twitter.com/IndiainPakistan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IndiainPakistan</a><br />
Sikh community in Hangu &lsquo;being forced to convert&rsquo; <a href="https://t.co/HiWuVmBzbj">https://t.co/HiWuVmBzbj</a></p>
&mdash; Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) <a href="https://twitter.com/SushmaSwaraj/status/943040163319463942?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>On Thursday, Pakistan denied any forced conversion of Sikhs to Islam in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.</p>

<p>Mohammad Faisal, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan, said it as an incident of &quot;misinformation&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Faisal also expressed Pakistan&#39;s commitment to the freedom of religion.&nbsp;</p>


External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had on December 19 shared an article on the issue by the Pakistani media on her Twitter handle

Shortly after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj reacted to reports of the forced conversion of Sikhs to Islam in Hangu, Pakistan, Islamabad denied any such incident. Swaraj had on December 19 shared an article by the Pakistani media on her Twitter handle. The piece had reported on the "forced" conversion of Sikhs to Islam in Hangu, Pakistan. "We will take this up at the highest level with the Government of Pakistan," the minister had tweeted. We will take this up at the highest level with Government of Pakistan. @IndiainPakistan Sikh community in Hangu ‘being forced to convert’ https://t.co/HiWuVmBzbj — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) December 19, 2017 × On Thursday, Pakistan denied any forced conversion of Sikhs to Islam in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. Mohammad Faisal, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan, said it as an incident of "misinformation". Faisal also expressed Pakistan's commitment to the freedom of religion.

Pakistan denies 'forced' conversion of Sikhs to Islam

<p>Banaras Hindu University (BHU) on Saturday found itself in midst of controversy after questions on Triple Talaq, Halala and Alauddin Khilji appeared in examination papers.</p>

<p>The MA History paper had questions such as: What is Halala in Islam?; The rate of wheat fixed by Alauddin Khilji; Discuss about Teen Talaq and Halala as a social evil in Islam.</p>

<p>The students alleged that the university administration was trying to impose a particular ideology through education.</p>

<p>&quot;The university found nothing wrong with the set of questions asked. I felt that the questions were offensive,&quot; Vikas, a student in the University, told ANI while claiming that it was a veiled attempt to divide the students.</p>

<p>However, BHU History Assistant Professor Rajiv Srivastava disagreed with students&#39; opinion.</p>

<p>&quot;If students are not taught and asked about such things then how will they know about it? When they are taught medieval history these things automatically become a part of it. History has been distorted and we need to teach these things to them so that they know the &#39;real&#39; history,&quot; he told ANI.</p>

<p>He further questioned the examination pattern of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and added that Islam has demerits which must be raised.</p>

<p>&quot;When we teach history of Islam, we will have to teach such things as well. People like Sanjay Leela Bhansali won&#39;t teach history to students,&quot; the professor asserted.&nbsp;</p>


The students alleged that the university administration was trying to impose a particular ideology through education.

Banaras Hindu University (BHU) on Saturday found itself in midst of controversy after questions on Triple Talaq, Halala and Alauddin Khilji appeared in examination papers. The MA History paper had questions such as: What is Halala in Islam?; The rate of wheat fixed by Alauddin Khilji; Discuss about Teen Talaq and Halala as a social evil in Islam. The students alleged that the university administration was trying to impose a particular ideology through education. "The university found nothing wrong with the set of questions asked. I felt that the questions were offensive," Vikas, a student in the University, told ANI while claiming that it was a veiled attempt to divide the students. However, BHU History Assistant Professor Rajiv Srivastava disagreed with students' opinion. "If students are not taught and asked about such things then how will they know about it? When they are taught medieval history these things automatically become a part of it. History has been distorted and we need to teach these things to them so that they know the 'real' history," he told ANI. He further questioned the examination pattern of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and added that Islam has demerits which must be raised. "When we teach history of Islam, we will have to teach such things as well. People like Sanjay Leela Bhansali won't teach history to students," the professor asserted.

Questions on Triple Talaq, Alauddin Khilji in BHU trigger controversy

<p>The last week of November saw lots of emotions, shocks and surprises in the Supreme Court of India and among the news media and social media for a 24-year-old woman named Akhila Ashokan @ Hadiya. Hadiya is a budding Homeopath doctor, whom the Supreme Court had &lsquo;helped&rsquo; to get back to Salem, Tamil Nadu for completing her course.</p>

<p>The question is, why a Hindu adult woman who converted into Islam attracted so much attention from researchers, lawyers, social scientists and media? Is it because she first embraced Islam (allegedly) for her own interest in the religion, then did a &lsquo;love marriage&rsquo; to a Muslim amidst ongoing court case for Habious &ndash; corpus which was filed by her parents, which was later annulled by the Kerala High Court within a few weeks of the marriage? Or because of the &lsquo;Islamphobia&rsquo;? or because of the Supreme Court&rsquo;s decision to free her from parent&rsquo;s custody to go to the college and &lsquo;meet whomever she wants to meet&rsquo;?</p>

<p>Noticeably, her love affair (including marriage) was not the only love affair which was pulled to the court by the parents of adult women in India. Lata Singh, Babli Rani, Divya and &nbsp;Kaushalya were some of the prominent adult women who did love marriages during the period from 2000 to 2016 and were dragged to the courts mostly against their wishes by the parents and the circumstances.</p>

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<h5>The failure of the High court to save an inter-caste love marriage between two adults sent a disastrous message to the society.</h5>
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<p>While in Lata and Babli&rsquo;s case, the court respected the right to choose their husbands according to their own choice, in Divya&rsquo;s case, the court failed to reunite the couple. Court had put emphasis on the allegation of &lsquo;brainwashing&rsquo; of Divya by her &lsquo;lover&rsquo; turned husband. Reluctant Divya returned to her mother, and the very next day the news media reported about the death of Ilavarasan, her husband. Reportedly, he committed suicide.</p>

<p>The failure of the High court to save an inter-caste love marriage between two adults sent a disastrous message to the society which witnessed the gruesome murder of V. Shankar, a young Engineering graduate in broad daylight. He was murdered because he married Kaushalya, whose parents were vehemently against inter-caste love marriages.</p>

<p>In Hadiya&rsquo;s case, the Kerala High court annulled the love marriage and questioned her intention to embrace Islam. Supreme Court, however, did not touch the issue of annulment of marriage but relieved her from the designation of &lsquo;detenu&rsquo;. She was no more made &lsquo;bound to be in her parent&rsquo;s custody&rsquo; only.</p>

<p>In my earlier research*, I had observed that &ldquo;In Indian value system, love marriages against the wish of the family members or the elders of the community or society are considered an extreme form of revolt against the established family/ community or social norms. The social mindset has been so set also because of the historical past in India where local invaders from different tribes as well as non-Hindus including Muslims and Christians had from time to time invaded cities and destroyed the socio-economic and cultural structure of the existing societies.</p>

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<p>The fear of sexual exploitation of unmarried young girls by foreign settlers, including Muslim and other colonial rulers and grabbing of the property in the name of forceful dominance, was one of the key factors for many Indian societies from different geo-locations to restrict marriages within the sect.&rdquo;</p>

<p>While this can be said to be the base of the mindset behind dragging the married daughters to the court to give a judicial stamp over the opinion of the parents, in my opinion, the courts should start approaching the inter-caste and inter-religious love marriages from Therapeutic Jurisprudential perspectives. The modern holistic concept of Therapeutic jurisprudence (TJ) was developed by Professors David Wexler and Bruce Winnick in 1980&rsquo;s. This jurisprudence speaks about law&rsquo;s healing power. It gives much emphasis on the mental well being of people and law and its agents&rsquo; role in the same. TJ practitioners and researchers explain that the judges, lawyers, police, social workers, including restorative justice practitioners are the agents of the law.</p>

<p>As may be seen in Hadiya&rsquo;s case, while Kerala High court showed its concern for conversion to &nbsp;radicalisation, the senior lawyers in Supreme Court reportedly requested the Supreme Court to understand that Hadiya is not a subject of POCSO Act, neither that of juvenile justice care and protection of children Act (which has extended its scope to cover juvenile offenders who may fall within the delicate age group of above 18 and under 21) and she may be matured enough to understand the consequences of her commitments.</p>

<p>As per news media report, Kerala has observed a sudden growth in radicalisation&nbsp;of terror organisations. Hence, the High Court very naturally turned its concern towards &lsquo;why&rsquo; and &lsquo;how&rsquo; &nbsp;the conversion took place. But the judicial process and dealing with the woman in question by the judges, the lawyers and the police probably made her lose confidence in law&rsquo;s welfare power.</p>

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<p>One particular portion of Kerala High Court attracts my attention here: Akhila @Hadiya was prohibited from using mobile phones while she was &lsquo;ordered&rsquo; to stay at a certain hostel and only parents were allowed to meet her. Maybe the High Court felt that through the Internet and digital communication technology she may be influenced or radicalised to have a deeper belief in destructive, misleading concepts. But then, look at the consequence: clearly, she got married in spite of the best efforts of the court and the parents.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>What failed here? In my opinion, it is the communication between the judges and the woman which was not therapeutic as per therapeutic jurisprudential ideology. The latter part of the judgement rather showed the anger and frustration of the court over the woman&rsquo;s decision to marry in haste while the case was ongoing. Now, can the court stop an adult individual to get married to a person she has chosen? Probably not.</p>

<p>The court can at the most counsel the individual to be careful with her decision. Again, there is a difference between stopping an adult individual to get married and annulling a marriage due to a technical lacuna in the execution of the marriage.</p>

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<p>Kerala High Court did not do the former. The Supreme Court did not look into the later. However, the Supreme Court in its interim order freed her from the &lsquo;preventive&rsquo; custody of her parents; &lsquo;preventive&rsquo; because she is now allowed to meet anyone and talk to anyone while completing her course in the college. This indeed is a therapeutic jurisprudential approach, whereby, the court has considered the aspects of freedom of speech acquire and right to privacy of the woman for her mental wellbeing.</p>

<p>However, the annulment of marriage would be a subject for Supreme Court after the consideration of NIA report. As such, Supreme Court still has avenues open for counselling Hadiya to take a matured decision in her life. Hadiya would not be legally punished for choosing a wrong man if in case the NIA report of her estranged husband indicates him as a threat to the security of the nation. But she would have undergone enough mental traumas for her choices in life because of family pressure, societal pressure and the wide media coverage which termed the whole episode as &lsquo;love jihad&#39;. The court may, therefore, turn its concern towards Hadiya as a victim of circumstances and not exclusively as that of &lsquo;love jihad&rsquo;.</p>

<p>We know that love is blind. We also know that forceful prevention of adults from falling into emotional commitments may have disastrous consequences, especially in this Internet age. She can be prevented from marrying and living forever with one Muslim man who may have the connection with banned organisations, but she may not be prevented from getting connected with groups of religious fanatics who may try to take revenge by influencing her broken heart. The court, therefore, should not neglect her as &lsquo;leftover&rsquo; party after deciding over the issue of annulment of the marriage.</p>

<p>* Titled &ldquo;Love Marriages, Inter-Caste Violence, and Therapeutic Jurisprudential Approach of the Courts in India&rdquo; (co-authored with professor K. Jaishankar, published in Halder D., &amp; Jaishankar K. (Eds.) (2017). &quot;Therapeutic Jurisprudence and Overcoming Violence against Women&quot;. Hershey, PA, USA: IGI Global. ISBN: 978-1-5225-2472-4.)</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).</em></p>


In Indian value system, love marriages against the wish of the family members or the elders of the community or society are considered an extreme form of revolt against the established family/ community or social norms

The last week of November saw lots of emotions, shocks and surprises in the Supreme Court of India and among the news media and social media for a 24-year-old woman named Akhila Ashokan @ Hadiya. Hadiya is a budding Homeopath doctor, whom the Supreme Court had ‘helped’ to get back to Salem, Tamil Nadu for completing her course. The question is, why a Hindu adult woman who converted into Islam attracted so much attention from researchers, lawyers, social scientists and media? Is it because she first embraced Islam (allegedly) for her own interest in the religion, then did a ‘love marriage’ to a Muslim amidst ongoing court case for Habious – corpus which was filed by her parents, which was later annulled by the Kerala High Court within a few weeks of the marriage? Or because of the ‘Islamphobia’? or because of the Supreme Court’s decision to free her from parent’s custody to go to the college and ‘meet whomever she wants to meet’? Noticeably, her love affair (including marriage) was not the only love affair which was pulled to the court by the parents of adult women in India. Lata Singh, Babli Rani, Divya and Kaushalya were some of the prominent adult women who did love marriages during the period from 2000 to 2016 and were dragged to the courts mostly against their wishes by the parents and the circumstances. The failure of the High court to save an inter-caste love marriage between two adults sent a disastrous message to the society. × While in Lata and Babli’s case, the court respected the right to choose their husbands according to their own choice, in Divya’s case, the court failed to reunite the couple. Court had put emphasis on the allegation of ‘brainwashing’ of Divya by her ‘lover’ turned husband. Reluctant Divya returned to her mother, and the very next day the news media reported about the death of Ilavarasan, her husband. Reportedly, he committed suicide. The failure of the High court to save an inter-caste love marriage between two adults sent a disastrous message to the society which witnessed the gruesome murder of V. Shankar, a young Engineering graduate in broad daylight. He was murdered because he married Kaushalya, whose parents were vehemently against inter-caste love marriages. In Hadiya’s case, the Kerala High court annulled the love marriage and questioned her intention to embrace Islam. Supreme Court, however, did not touch the issue of annulment of marriage but relieved her from the designation of ‘detenu’. She was no more made ‘bound to be in her parent’s custody’ only. In my earlier research*, I had observed that “In Indian value system, love marriages against the wish of the family members or the elders of the community or society are considered an extreme form of revolt against the established family/ community or social norms. The social mindset has been so set also because of the historical past in India where local invaders from different tribes as well as non-Hindus including Muslims and Christians had from time to time invaded cities and destroyed the socio-economic and cultural structure of the existing societies. The fear of sexual exploitation of unmarried young girls by foreign settlers, including Muslim and other colonial rulers was one of the key factors to restrict marriages within the sect. × The fear of sexual exploitation of unmarried young girls by foreign settlers, including Muslim and other colonial rulers and grabbing of the property in the name of forceful dominance, was one of the key factors for many Indian societies from different geo-locations to restrict marriages within the sect.” While this can be said to be the base of the mindset behind dragging the married daughters to the court to give a judicial stamp over the opinion of the parents, in my opinion, the courts should start approaching the inter-caste and inter-religious love marriages from Therapeutic Jurisprudential perspectives. The modern holistic concept of Therapeutic jurisprudence (TJ) was developed by Professors David Wexler and Bruce Winnick in 1980’s. This jurisprudence speaks about law’s healing power. It gives much emphasis on the mental well being of people and law and its agents’ role in the same. TJ practitioners and researchers explain that the judges, lawyers, police, social workers, including restorative justice practitioners are the agents of the law. As may be seen in Hadiya’s case, while Kerala High court showed its concern for conversion to radicalisation, the senior lawyers in Supreme Court reportedly requested the Supreme Court to understand that Hadiya is not a subject of POCSO Act, neither that of juvenile justice care and protection of children Act (which has extended its scope to cover juvenile offenders who may fall within the delicate age group of above 18 and under 21) and she may be matured enough to understand the consequences of her commitments. As per news media report, Kerala has observed a sudden growth in radicalisation of terror organisations. Hence, the High Court very naturally turned its concern towards ‘why’ and ‘how’ the conversion took place. But the judicial process and dealing with the woman in question by the judges, the lawyers and the police probably made her lose confidence in law’s welfare power. It is the communication between the judges and the woman which was not therapeutic as per therapeutic jurisprudential ideology. × One particular portion of Kerala High Court attracts my attention here: Akhila @Hadiya was prohibited from using mobile phones while she was ‘ordered’ to stay at a certain hostel and only parents were allowed to meet her. Maybe the High Court felt that through the Internet and digital communication technology she may be influenced or radicalised to have a deeper belief in destructive, misleading concepts. But then, look at the consequence: clearly, she got married in spite of the best efforts of the court and the parents. What failed here? In my opinion, it is the communication between the judges and the woman which was not therapeutic as per therapeutic jurisprudential ideology. The latter part of the judgement rather showed the anger and frustration of the court over the woman’s decision to marry in haste while the case was ongoing. Now, can the court stop an adult individual to get married to a person she has chosen? Probably not. The court can at the most counsel the individual to be careful with her decision. Again, there is a difference between stopping an adult individual to get married and annulling a marriage due to a technical lacuna in the execution of the marriage. Therapeutic jurisprudential approach whereby the court has considered the aspects of freedom of speech acquire information and right to privacy of the woman for her mental wellbeing. × Kerala High Court did not do the former. The Supreme Court did not look into the later. However, the Supreme Court in its interim order freed her from the ‘preventive’ custody of her parents; ‘preventive’ because she is now allowed to meet anyone and talk to anyone while completing her course in the college. This indeed is a therapeutic jurisprudential approach, whereby, the court has considered the aspects of freedom of speech acquire and right to privacy of the woman for her mental wellbeing. However, the annulment of marriage would be a subject for Supreme Court after the consideration of NIA report. As such, Supreme Court still has avenues open for counselling Hadiya to take a matured decision in her life. Hadiya would not be legally punished for choosing a wrong man if in case the NIA report of her estranged husband indicates him as a threat to the security of the nation. But she would have undergone enough mental traumas for her choices in life because of family pressure, societal pressure and the wide media coverage which termed the whole episode as ‘love jihad'. The court may, therefore, turn its concern towards Hadiya as a victim of circumstances and not exclusively as that of ‘love jihad’. We know that love is blind. We also know that forceful prevention of adults from falling into emotional commitments may have disastrous consequences, especially in this Internet age. She can be prevented from marrying and living forever with one Muslim man who may have the connection with banned organisations, but she may not be prevented from getting connected with groups of religious fanatics who may try to take revenge by influencing her broken heart. The court, therefore, should not neglect her as ‘leftover’ party after deciding over the issue of annulment of the marriage. * Titled “Love Marriages, Inter-Caste Violence, and Therapeutic Jurisprudential Approach of the Courts in India” (co-authored with professor K. Jaishankar, published in Halder D., & Jaishankar K. (Eds.) (2017). "Therapeutic Jurisprudence and Overcoming Violence against Women". Hershey, PA, USA: IGI Global. ISBN: 978-1-5225-2472-4.) (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Opinion: Love Jihad, Islamophobia or just love?

<p>Every year, at the very end of Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year, and at the end of the Passover Seder, Jews all over the world recite, &ldquo;Next year in Jerusalem.&rdquo; The City, older than Bible, is at the heart and mind of all practising Jews. Jerusalem, more than any other city, stands as the symbol of the &#39;Promised Land&#39; as the Jews survived expulsion by the Romans, slavery in the land of the Pharaohs and the Holocaust in Europe. At the end of the Second World War, many Jewish survivors of Hitler&#39;s concentration camps came back to settle in and around Jerusalem.&nbsp;</p>

<p>For long, the Jewish stakeholders around the world had been trying very hard to gain a recognition for the Holy City as Israel&#39;s capital. But they have faced tough luck so far. Even Israel&#39;s closest ally, the US had been refusing to grant capital status to Jerusalem primarily because of the sensitivity of the matter.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Battle for Jerusalem</strong></p>

<p>Palestinians and Israelis have been fighting over Jerusalem ever since the state of Israel has been established. Israel&rsquo;s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has himself asserted that Israel is in the midst of a &ldquo;battle for Jerusalem&rdquo;. While political and religious acrimony over the city has caused much bloodshed among members of both the communities, the lives of the Jerusalem&#39;s citizens have been almost inextricably intertwined.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The primary flashpoint in Jerusalem is the sacred compound in the Old City, known to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif and to Jews as the Temple Mount. The religious topography there is meaningful for the current conflict. Islamic structures stand on the Haram today and are used on a daily basis. The Jewish holy places exist primarily in archaeology and memory. Worship focuses on a remaining fragment of the Second, or Herod&rsquo;s, Temple, known as the Western Wall. A fragile modus vivendi has existed since 1967 that enables Jews to pray below at the Wall and Muslims above on the esplanade.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Such entwined existence is ubiquitous because the two communities, over the ages, have lived there in harmony as well as in discord. So much so that when violence breaks out it has become impossible to spare anyone community from sufferings such attacks entail. In 2014, for instance, when an attack took place in West Jerusalem at a synagogue, killing four Jewish worshippers, it also resulted in the death of Israeli Druze Zidan Saif.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Saif, incidentally, was not an Israeli Jew.&nbsp; He belonged to a distinct branch of Islam whose members often serve in Israel&rsquo;s police or armed forces. Saif&#39;s funeral was attended by the President of Israel and a large number of ultra-orthodox Jews.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>My city, your city, our city</strong></p>

<p>President Trump&#39;s announcement in support of making Jerusalem the capital city of Israel will further weaken the fragile balance on which Jerusalem sustains itself. The decision has the potential to embroil the different religious communities in bloody violence. Particularly because just like the Israeli state, in May 2017, the Palestinian group Hamas presented a document that proposed the formation of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Giving to the demand of one community over the other, particularly when one-third of the population of Jerusalem is actually Muslim, and with a large number of Christians living in the area too, tantamounts to playing with fire. But Trump to fulfill his election promises and to pacify a large number of his orthodox influential voters is ready to let an already volatile region go further the extremist way.&nbsp;</p>

<p>But as Trump does not seem to care, it seems similar dogged determination has taken over supporters of the Zionist cause living in Israel too.&nbsp;Shumel Rosner, an expert in the Israeli politics and Israeli-Palestinian conflict, for instance, writes in the New York Times that the Israelis will not be deterred by threats of violence or by actual violence itself. Indeed as per the words of Rosner, the US declaration in support of Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel is a truly Trumansque moment. The author is here referring back to President Truman&#39;s decision to support the partition of Palestine, though the C.I.A. warned the President that &ldquo;armed hostilities between Jews and Arabs will break out if the U.N. General Assembly accepts the plan to partition Palestine into Jewish and Arab states.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Whose city is it anyway?</strong></p>

<p>Jews, Muslims and Christians all the three communities have very long and intimate association with Jerusalem. For historical reasons, one community might have come before the other, but their histories overlap for a significant stretch of time.</p>

<p>Jews had been praying facing Jerusalem for time immemorial.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It is Jerusalem that matter most to the Christians, more than Bethlehem and Nazareth. This was where Christ preached, ate the Last Supper with his disciples before his death, where he was arrested, put on trial, condemned to death, crucified, and died, a man mocked and tortured by the occupying Romans. It is where, Christians believe, his tomb was found empty and he rose from the dead. Jerusalem, they say, is the &#39;sacred heart&#39; of the Christian story.</p>

<p>Jerusalem&#39;s pivotal place in the religious and political history of Islam is equally undeniable. According to Islamic tradition, the prophet travelled miraculously from Mecca to Jerusalem and then upwards through the seven heavens, culminating in a direct conversation with, and/or vision of, God. Before his ascension, he led all the previous prophets of God, including all the Biblical and Israelite prophets, in prayer. Islamic rule over Jerusalem lasted for 12 centuries, longer than any other rule, whether Israelite, Roman, Persian or Christian.</p>

<p>President Trump should have shown better judgement on the matter. He needed to have shown more nuanced appreciation towards the shared history of the region. But characteristically to his rash and provocative nature, Trump went ahead without heeding the advice of the world community.&nbsp;</p>

<p>We can just hope that Jerusalem in spite of its newfound recognition will continue to be a place of harmony for all peoples. And, instead of being the political capital of nation-state, it will be the emotional center of a multicultural universe. After all, the root meaning of Jerusalem is shalom- a city of peace. &nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).</em></p>


To fulfill his election promises and to pacify a large number of his orthodox influential voters, Trump is ready to let an already volatile region go further down the extremist way.?

Every year, at the very end of Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year, and at the end of the Passover Seder, Jews all over the world recite, “Next year in Jerusalem.” The City, older than Bible, is at the heart and mind of all practising Jews. Jerusalem, more than any other city, stands as the symbol of the 'Promised Land' as the Jews survived expulsion by the Romans, slavery in the land of the Pharaohs and the Holocaust in Europe. At the end of the Second World War, many Jewish survivors of Hitler's concentration camps came back to settle in and around Jerusalem. For long, the Jewish stakeholders around the world had been trying very hard to gain a recognition for the Holy City as Israel's capital. But they have faced tough luck so far. Even Israel's closest ally, the US had been refusing to grant capital status to Jerusalem primarily because of the sensitivity of the matter. Battle for Jerusalem Palestinians and Israelis have been fighting over Jerusalem ever since the state of Israel has been established. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has himself asserted that Israel is in the midst of a “battle for Jerusalem”. While political and religious acrimony over the city has caused much bloodshed among members of both the communities, the lives of the Jerusalem's citizens have been almost inextricably intertwined. The primary flashpoint in Jerusalem is the sacred compound in the Old City, known to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif and to Jews as the Temple Mount. The religious topography there is meaningful for the current conflict. Islamic structures stand on the Haram today and are used on a daily basis. The Jewish holy places exist primarily in archaeology and memory. Worship focuses on a remaining fragment of the Second, or Herod’s, Temple, known as the Western Wall. A fragile modus vivendi has existed since 1967 that enables Jews to pray below at the Wall and Muslims above on the esplanade. Such entwined existence is ubiquitous because the two communities, over the ages, have lived there in harmony as well as in discord. So much so that when violence breaks out it has become impossible to spare anyone community from sufferings such attacks entail. In 2014, for instance, when an attack took place in West Jerusalem at a synagogue, killing four Jewish worshippers, it also resulted in the death of Israeli Druze Zidan Saif. Saif, incidentally, was not an Israeli Jew. He belonged to a distinct branch of Islam whose members often serve in Israel’s police or armed forces. Saif's funeral was attended by the President of Israel and a large number of ultra-orthodox Jews. My city, your city, our city President Trump's announcement in support of making Jerusalem the capital city of Israel will further weaken the fragile balance on which Jerusalem sustains itself. The decision has the potential to embroil the different religious communities in bloody violence. Particularly because just like the Israeli state, in May 2017, the Palestinian group Hamas presented a document that proposed the formation of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. Giving to the demand of one community over the other, particularly when one-third of the population of Jerusalem is actually Muslim, and with a large number of Christians living in the area too, tantamounts to playing with fire. But Trump to fulfill his election promises and to pacify a large number of his orthodox influential voters is ready to let an already volatile region go further the extremist way. But as Trump does not seem to care, it seems similar dogged determination has taken over supporters of the Zionist cause living in Israel too. Shumel Rosner, an expert in the Israeli politics and Israeli-Palestinian conflict, for instance, writes in the New York Times that the Israelis will not be deterred by threats of violence or by actual violence itself. Indeed as per the words of Rosner, the US declaration in support of Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel is a truly Trumansque moment. The author is here referring back to President Truman's decision to support the partition of Palestine, though the C.I.A. warned the President that “armed hostilities between Jews and Arabs will break out if the U.N. General Assembly accepts the plan to partition Palestine into Jewish and Arab states.” Whose city is it anyway? Jews, Muslims and Christians all the three communities have very long and intimate association with Jerusalem. For historical reasons, one community might have come before the other, but their histories overlap for a significant stretch of time. Jews had been praying facing Jerusalem for time immemorial. It is Jerusalem that matter most to the Christians, more than Bethlehem and Nazareth. This was where Christ preached, ate the Last Supper with his disciples before his death, where he was arrested, put on trial, condemned to death, crucified, and died, a man mocked and tortured by the occupying Romans. It is where, Christians believe, his tomb was found empty and he rose from the dead. Jerusalem, they say, is the 'sacred heart' of the Christian story. Jerusalem's pivotal place in the religious and political history of Islam is equally undeniable. According to Islamic tradition, the prophet travelled miraculously from Mecca to Jerusalem and then upwards through the seven heavens, culminating in a direct conversation with, and/or vision of, God. Before his ascension, he led all the previous prophets of God, including all the Biblical and Israelite prophets, in prayer. Islamic rule over Jerusalem lasted for 12 centuries, longer than any other rule, whether Israelite, Roman, Persian or Christian. President Trump should have shown better judgement on the matter. He needed to have shown more nuanced appreciation towards the shared history of the region. But characteristically to his rash and provocative nature, Trump went ahead without heeding the advice of the world community. We can just hope that Jerusalem in spite of its newfound recognition will continue to be a place of harmony for all peoples. And, instead of being the political capital of nation-state, it will be the emotional center of a multicultural universe. After all, the root meaning of Jerusalem is shalom- a city of peace. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Opinion: Trump is wrong; Israel alone can't claim Jerusalem

<p>Over 200 people were killed and many more injured in an attack on a Sufi mosque in Egypt&rsquo;s North Sinai region on Friday. The assault began with a bomb exploding as people were finishing their Friday prayers. As people fled and ambulances arrived, militants opened gunfire on them. It is the deadliest ever attack on civilians in Egypt&rsquo;s modern history.</p>

<p>This is not the first time a cherished Sufi site and Sufi worshipers have been the target of extremists. Earlier this year, in February, a bomb exploded at the tomb of a Sufi saint, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, in southeastern Pakistan. In 2016, combatants of the so-called Islamic State distributed images of the supposed execution of a Sufi teacher. The same year, the Pakistani Taliban murdered a popular Sufi singer of Pakistan, Amjad Sabri. In 2010 the tomb of another Sufi saint Data Ganj Bakhsh was bombed in Pakistan.</p>

<p>In the past, IS has claimed responsibility for some attacks against Sufis and their institutions, although no one so far has claimed responsibility for Friday&rsquo;s murderous assault.</p>

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<p>A devotee prays at the tomb of Sufi saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Pakistan. (Reuters)</p>
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<p>As a scholar of Muslim and Hindu traditions, I&rsquo;ve long appreciated the various and influential roles that Sufis and their tombs play in South Asian communities and many communities elsewhere in the world. From my perspective, the repercussions of the deplorable violence in Egypt and elsewhere go far beyond the scores of bodies strewn around the damaged shrine and the devastated families.</p>

<p>Many Muslims and non-Muslims around the globe celebrate Sufi saints and gather together for worship in their shrines. Such practices, however, do not conform to the Islamic ideologies of intolerant revivalist groups such as Islamic State. On the contrary, IS finds these practices threatening. Here&rsquo;s why.</p>

<p><strong>Who are the Sufis?</strong></p>

<p>The origins of the word &ldquo;Sufi&rdquo; come from an Arabic term for wool (suf). It references the unrefined wool clothes long worn by ancient west Asian ascetics and points to a common quality ascribed to Sufis &ndash; austerity.</p>

<p>Commonly Muslims viewed this austerity as stemming from a sincere religious devotion that compelled the Sufi into a close, personal relationship with God, modelled on aspects of the Prophet Muhammad&rsquo;s life. This often involved a more inward, contemplative focus than many other forms of Islamic practice.</p>

<p>In some instances, Sufis challenged contemporary norms in order to shock their Muslim neighbours into more religiously intentional lives. For example, an eighth-century female Sufi saint, known popularly as Rabia al-Adawiyya, is said to have walked through her hometown of Basra, in modern-day Iraq, with a lit torch in one hand and a bucket of water in another. When asked why she replied that she hoped to burn down heaven and douse hell&rsquo;s fire so people would &ndash; without concern for reward or punishment &ndash; love God.</p>

<p>Others used poetry in order to express their devotion. For example, the famous 13th-century Persian poet and Sufi leader Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi relied upon themes of love and desire to communicate the yearning for a heartfelt relationship with God. Yet others, such as such as Data Ganj Bakhsh, an 11th-century Sufi, wrote dense philosophical tracts that used complicated theological arguments to explain Sufi concepts to Islamic scholars.</p>

<p><strong>Sufi veneration</strong></p>

<p>Many Sufis are trained in &ldquo;tariqas&rdquo; (brotherhoods) in which teachers carefully shape students.</p>

<p>Rumi, for example, founded the famous &ldquo;Mevlevi&rdquo; order best known as &ldquo;whirling dervishes&rdquo; for their signature performance.</p>

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<p>This is a ritual in which practitioners deepen their relationship with God through a twirling dance intended to evoke a religious experience.</p>

<p>Some Sufis &ndash; men and, sometimes, women &ndash; came to gain such a reputation for their insight and miracles that they were seen to be guides and healers for the community. The miracles associated with them may have been performed in life or after death.</p>

<p>When some of these Sufis died, common folk came to view their tombs as places emanating &ldquo;baraka,&rdquo; a term connoting &ldquo;blessing,&rdquo; &ldquo;power&rdquo; and &ldquo;presence.&rdquo; Some devotees considered the baraka as boosting their prayers, while others considered it a miraculous energy that could be absorbed from proximity with the shrine.</p>

<p>For the devotees, the tombs-turned-shrines are places where God gives special attention to prayers. However, some devotees go so far as to pray for the deceased Sufi&rsquo;s personal intercession.</p>

<p><strong>A place of interfaith worship?</strong></p>

<p>So, why do some groups like the so-called Islamic State violently oppose them?</p>

<p>I argue, there are two reasons: First, some Sufis &ndash; as illustrated by Rabia, the Sufi from Basra &ndash; deliberately flout the Islamic conventions of their peers, which causes many in their communities to condemn their unorthodox views and practices.</p>

<p>Second, many Muslims, not just militants, consider shrine devotion as superstitious and idolatrous. The popularity among Muslims and non-Muslims of tomb veneration alarms many conservative Muslims.</p>

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<p>Devotees light oil lamps at the shrine of Muslim saint Data Ganj Bakhsh in Lahore, Pakistan. (Reuters)</p>
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<p>When a Sufi tomb grows in reputation for its miraculous powers, then an increasing number of people begin to frequent it to seek blessings. The tombs often become a gathering place for Hindus, Christians, Sikhs and people from other faiths.</p>

<p>In South Asia, special songs of praise &ndash; &ldquo;qawwali&rdquo; &ndash; are sung at these shrines that express Islamic values using the imagery of love and devotion. In other regions, other traditions of devotion have emerged, while zikr (&ldquo;litany recitation&rdquo;) is widely popular.</p>

<p>However, despite the divergent ideologies and goals that differentiate them from one another, intolerant Islamist groups such as the Taliban and the so-called Islamic State reject shrine worship as well as dancing and singing as un-Islamic (hence the Pakistani Taliban&rsquo;s assassination of the world-famous qawwali singer Amjad Sabri). In their view, prayers to Sufis are idolatrous.</p>

<p><strong>Success of Sufi traditions</strong></p>

<p>Sufi customs reflect a vastly underreported quality about Islamic traditions in general. While some revivalist Muslim movements such as the Wahhabis and other Salafis see only one way of being Muslim, there are others who embrace the diversity of Islamic traditions.</p>

<p>Many Muslims proudly defend Sufi customs such as shrine devotions because they are so integral to Muslim and non-Muslim communities, not only in South Asia but in various regions of the world. Today, about 15 percent of Egypt&rsquo;s population belong to Sufi orders or practice Sufi traditions. They play crucial roles in their locale and region. For many, Sufi sites offer an Islamic expression of what it means to love God.</p>

<p>In fact, historically, in many regions of the world Sufis have been highly successful in adapting Islamic theologies and practices to local customs for non-Muslims. For this reason, Sufi traditions have been credited for the majority of conversions to Islam in South Asia.</p>

<p>It is only with the global expansion of Islamist revivalist groups in the last century that the urge to absolute conformity has become so strong and pervasive. Even so, a majority of Muslims continues to accept a diversity of Islamic practices.</p>

<p>Given the popularity of Sufis, it&rsquo;s no wonder the so-called Islamic State objects to such models of Islamic pluralism. The ferocity of the recent attack in Egypt and the possible involvement of a suicide bomber demonstrate not only the strength of beliefs in this regard but also how influential IS and other extremists judge both the prominence and the popularity of Sufi traditions.</p>

<p>This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" rel="nofollow" target="blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/who-are-the-sufis-and-why-does-is-see-them-as-threatening-73431" rel="nofollow" target="blank">original article</a>.</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).</em></p>


A new attack on a Sufi mosque in Egypt drives home the hatred of Islamic State and other some other Muslim groups for the Sufi traditions of inclusiveness and mystical worship

Over 200 people were killed and many more injured in an attack on a Sufi mosque in Egypt’s North Sinai region on Friday. The assault began with a bomb exploding as people were finishing their Friday prayers. As people fled and ambulances arrived, militants opened gunfire on them. It is the deadliest ever attack on civilians in Egypt’s modern history. This is not the first time a cherished Sufi site and Sufi worshipers have been the target of extremists. Earlier this year, in February, a bomb exploded at the tomb of a Sufi saint, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, in southeastern Pakistan. In 2016, combatants of the so-called Islamic State distributed images of the supposed execution of a Sufi teacher. The same year, the Pakistani Taliban murdered a popular Sufi singer of Pakistan, Amjad Sabri. In 2010 the tomb of another Sufi saint Data Ganj Bakhsh was bombed in Pakistan. In the past, IS has claimed responsibility for some attacks against Sufis and their institutions, although no one so far has claimed responsibility for Friday’s murderous assault. A devotee prays at the tomb of Sufi saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Pakistan. (Reuters) × As a scholar of Muslim and Hindu traditions, I’ve long appreciated the various and influential roles that Sufis and their tombs play in South Asian communities and many communities elsewhere in the world. From my perspective, the repercussions of the deplorable violence in Egypt and elsewhere go far beyond the scores of bodies strewn around the damaged shrine and the devastated families. Many Muslims and non-Muslims around the globe celebrate Sufi saints and gather together for worship in their shrines. Such practices, however, do not conform to the Islamic ideologies of intolerant revivalist groups such as Islamic State. On the contrary, IS finds these practices threatening. Here’s why. Who are the Sufis? The origins of the word “Sufi” come from an Arabic term for wool (suf). It references the unrefined wool clothes long worn by ancient west Asian ascetics and points to a common quality ascribed to Sufis – austerity. Commonly Muslims viewed this austerity as stemming from a sincere religious devotion that compelled the Sufi into a close, personal relationship with God, modelled on aspects of the Prophet Muhammad’s life. This often involved a more inward, contemplative focus than many other forms of Islamic practice. In some instances, Sufis challenged contemporary norms in order to shock their Muslim neighbours into more religiously intentional lives. For example, an eighth-century female Sufi saint, known popularly as Rabia al-Adawiyya, is said to have walked through her hometown of Basra, in modern-day Iraq, with a lit torch in one hand and a bucket of water in another. When asked why she replied that she hoped to burn down heaven and douse hell’s fire so people would – without concern for reward or punishment – love God. Others used poetry in order to express their devotion. For example, the famous 13th-century Persian poet and Sufi leader Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi relied upon themes of love and desire to communicate the yearning for a heartfelt relationship with God. Yet others, such as such as Data Ganj Bakhsh, an 11th-century Sufi, wrote dense philosophical tracts that used complicated theological arguments to explain Sufi concepts to Islamic scholars. Sufi veneration Many Sufis are trained in “tariqas” (brotherhoods) in which teachers carefully shape students. Rumi, for example, founded the famous “Mevlevi” order best known as “whirling dervishes” for their signature performance. × This is a ritual in which practitioners deepen their relationship with God through a twirling dance intended to evoke a religious experience. Some Sufis – men and, sometimes, women – came to gain such a reputation for their insight and miracles that they were seen to be guides and healers for the community. The miracles associated with them may have been performed in life or after death. When some of these Sufis died, common folk came to view their tombs as places emanating “baraka,” a term connoting “blessing,” “power” and “presence.” Some devotees considered the baraka as boosting their prayers, while others considered it a miraculous energy that could be absorbed from proximity with the shrine. For the devotees, the tombs-turned-shrines are places where God gives special attention to prayers. However, some devotees go so far as to pray for the deceased Sufi’s personal intercession. A place of interfaith worship? So, why do some groups like the so-called Islamic State violently oppose them? I argue, there are two reasons: First, some Sufis – as illustrated by Rabia, the Sufi from Basra – deliberately flout the Islamic conventions of their peers, which causes many in their communities to condemn their unorthodox views and practices. Second, many Muslims, not just militants, consider shrine devotion as superstitious and idolatrous. The popularity among Muslims and non-Muslims of tomb veneration alarms many conservative Muslims. Devotees light oil lamps at the shrine of Muslim saint Data Ganj Bakhsh in Lahore, Pakistan. (Reuters) × When a Sufi tomb grows in reputation for its miraculous powers, then an increasing number of people begin to frequent it to seek blessings. The tombs often become a gathering place for Hindus, Christians, Sikhs and people from other faiths. In South Asia, special songs of praise – “qawwali” – are sung at these shrines that express Islamic values using the imagery of love and devotion. In other regions, other traditions of devotion have emerged, while zikr (“litany recitation”) is widely popular. However, despite the divergent ideologies and goals that differentiate them from one another, intolerant Islamist groups such as the Taliban and the so-called Islamic State reject shrine worship as well as dancing and singing as un-Islamic (hence the Pakistani Taliban’s assassination of the world-famous qawwali singer Amjad Sabri). In their view, prayers to Sufis are idolatrous. Success of Sufi traditions Sufi customs reflect a vastly underreported quality about Islamic traditions in general. While some revivalist Muslim movements such as the Wahhabis and other Salafis see only one way of being Muslim, there are others who embrace the diversity of Islamic traditions. Many Muslims proudly defend Sufi customs such as shrine devotions because they are so integral to Muslim and non-Muslim communities, not only in South Asia but in various regions of the world. Today, about 15 percent of Egypt’s population belong to Sufi orders or practice Sufi traditions. They play crucial roles in their locale and region. For many, Sufi sites offer an Islamic expression of what it means to love God. In fact, historically, in many regions of the world Sufis have been highly successful in adapting Islamic theologies and practices to local customs for non-Muslims. For this reason, Sufi traditions have been credited for the majority of conversions to Islam in South Asia. It is only with the global expansion of Islamist revivalist groups in the last century that the urge to absolute conformity has become so strong and pervasive. Even so, a majority of Muslims continues to accept a diversity of Islamic practices. Given the popularity of Sufis, it’s no wonder the so-called Islamic State objects to such models of Islamic pluralism. The ferocity of the recent attack in Egypt and the possible involvement of a suicide bomber demonstrate not only the strength of beliefs in this regard but also how influential IS and other extremists judge both the prominence and the popularity of Sufi traditions. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Opinion: Terrified of Sufis, the IS attacked mosque in Egypt

<p>The young Egyptian imam who survived the Sinai mosque massacre that killed 305 people vowed Sunday from his hospital bed to go back and resume the sermon he never finished.</p>

<p>Mohammed Abdel Fattah, 26, was delivering the Friday sermon at the North Sinai Rawda mosque when blasts erupted.</p>

<p>&quot;I was only two minutes into my sermon when I heard two explosions outside the mosque, and then I saw worshippers running in horror,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>&quot;Then people entered the mosque and began firing at everyone who was still standing,&quot; the preacher said from his hospital bed in the Nile Delta town of Al-Husayniya.</p>

<p>Abdel Fattah -- who has been imam for two years at the Rawda mosque frequented by Sufis -- said his sermon on that tragic day was about &quot;Mohammed, the prophet of humanity&quot;.</p>

<p>The imam fell from the raised minbar, or pulpit when the attack broke out and was trampled by worshippers who tried to flee the carnage.</p>

<p>And when he hit the ground, people stepped over him, before the bodies of those shot by the attackers piled on top of him, pinning him down and preventing him from lifting his head to see what was going on.</p>

<p>&quot;As soon as the shooting started I fell. I didn&#39;t see or feel anything except for the two or three bloodied bodies that fell on top of me,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Among the first casualties was 62-year-old Fathy Ismail, the mosque&#39;s muezzin who called the faithful to prayer.</p>

<p>Authorities said up to 30 militants in camouflage clothing and flying the black banner of the Islamic State group surrounded the mosque and opened fire on the faithful during the main weekly prayers.</p>

<p>Abdel Fattah suffered bruising, but his health appears to be improving and he hopes to be back on his feet to continue the sermon that was brutally interrupted.</p>

<p>&quot;If my health allows it, I will return next Friday week (to Rawda mosque) and finish my sermon,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>A frame bearing Koranic verses hangs above his hospital bed.</p>

<p>The imam said it was a gift he received from a visiting delegation of Coptic Christians the day after Friday&#39;s attack.</p>

<p>The attack is thought to have been carried out by the jihadist Islamic State group because the mosque is associated with followers of the mystical Sufi branch of Sunni Islam.</p>

<p>IS has branded Sufis heretics for seeking the intercession of saints.</p>

<p>&quot;About a year ago, we heard rumours concerning threats against people who organise celebrations for the birth of Prophet Mohammed,&quot; Abdel Fattah said on Sunday.</p>

<p>The imam declined to say whether he, himself, belonged to the Sufi community.</p>

<p>&quot;I am a servant of God and his Prophet,&quot; he said when asked about his faith.</p>

<p>Five members of his family were by his bedside, including his 65-year-old father Abdel Fattah Mahmoud, a retired sheikh from Cairo&#39;s Al-Azhar, Egypt&#39;s highest institution of Sunni Islam.</p>

<p>Mahmoud said he had tried to persuade his son from going to work in North Sinai, a restive region, but then he recalled a Koranic verse that says no one will die unless it is God&#39;s will.</p>

<p>Egypt&#39;s North Sinai-based IS branch has killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers, as well as civilians accused of working with the authorities, since the July 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.</p>

<p>&quot;Not only is Sufism under threat, but all of Islam and the whole of the Arab region is under threat,&quot; said Mahmoud.</p>

<p>His son&#39;s survival &quot;is a blessed miracle&quot;, he added.</p>


Mohammed Abdel Fattah, 26, was delivering the Friday sermon at the North Sinai Rawda mosque when it was attacked

The young Egyptian imam who survived the Sinai mosque massacre that killed 305 people vowed Sunday from his hospital bed to go back and resume the sermon he never finished. Mohammed Abdel Fattah, 26, was delivering the Friday sermon at the North Sinai Rawda mosque when blasts erupted. "I was only two minutes into my sermon when I heard two explosions outside the mosque, and then I saw worshippers running in horror," he said. "Then people entered the mosque and began firing at everyone who was still standing," the preacher said from his hospital bed in the Nile Delta town of Al-Husayniya. Abdel Fattah -- who has been imam for two years at the Rawda mosque frequented by Sufis -- said his sermon on that tragic day was about "Mohammed, the prophet of humanity". The imam fell from the raised minbar, or pulpit when the attack broke out and was trampled by worshippers who tried to flee the carnage. And when he hit the ground, people stepped over him, before the bodies of those shot by the attackers piled on top of him, pinning him down and preventing him from lifting his head to see what was going on. "As soon as the shooting started I fell. I didn't see or feel anything except for the two or three bloodied bodies that fell on top of me," he said. Among the first casualties was 62-year-old Fathy Ismail, the mosque's muezzin who called the faithful to prayer. Authorities said up to 30 militants in camouflage clothing and flying the black banner of the Islamic State group surrounded the mosque and opened fire on the faithful during the main weekly prayers. Abdel Fattah suffered bruising, but his health appears to be improving and he hopes to be back on his feet to continue the sermon that was brutally interrupted. "If my health allows it, I will return next Friday week (to Rawda mosque) and finish my sermon," he said. A frame bearing Koranic verses hangs above his hospital bed. The imam said it was a gift he received from a visiting delegation of Coptic Christians the day after Friday's attack. The attack is thought to have been carried out by the jihadist Islamic State group because the mosque is associated with followers of the mystical Sufi branch of Sunni Islam. IS has branded Sufis heretics for seeking the intercession of saints. "About a year ago, we heard rumours concerning threats against people who organise celebrations for the birth of Prophet Mohammed," Abdel Fattah said on Sunday. The imam declined to say whether he, himself, belonged to the Sufi community. "I am a servant of God and his Prophet," he said when asked about his faith. Five members of his family were by his bedside, including his 65-year-old father Abdel Fattah Mahmoud, a retired sheikh from Cairo's Al-Azhar, Egypt's highest institution of Sunni Islam. Mahmoud said he had tried to persuade his son from going to work in North Sinai, a restive region, but then he recalled a Koranic verse that says no one will die unless it is God's will. Egypt's North Sinai-based IS branch has killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers, as well as civilians accused of working with the authorities, since the July 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. "Not only is Sufism under threat, but all of Islam and the whole of the Arab region is under threat," said Mahmoud. His son's survival "is a blessed miracle", he added.

Egypt mosque massacre: Imam vows to return to finish sermon

<p>A former model accused her husband&nbsp;of physically abusing her for not giving&nbsp;into his demand for converting to Islamism.</p>

<p>The ex-model, Rashmi, residing in Mumbai said that her husband,&nbsp;Asif Shahbazkar, has been torturing and forcing her to convert to Islam for the past couple of years.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Shahbazkar,&nbsp;who has married another&nbsp;Hindu woman half her age after giving in to his demand to convert to Islam, has now asked Rashmi to leave the house, reports said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&ldquo;He is now trying to evict me from our marital home. I am facing a serious threat to my life,&rdquo; she told.</p>

<p>&quot;I am a Hindu. I didn&#39;t give into his pressures,&quot; she added.</p>

<p>A case has been registered against the model&#39;s husband and his second wife by the Bandra Police. &nbsp;</p>

<p>Rashmi married in 2005 and gave birth to their son in 2010.</p>


Shahbazkar,?who has married another?Hindu woman half her age after giving in to his demand to convert to Islam, has now asked Rashmi to leave the house

A former model accused her husband of physically abusing her for not giving into his demand for converting to Islamism. The ex-model, Rashmi, residing in Mumbai said that her husband, Asif Shahbazkar, has been torturing and forcing her to convert to Islam for the past couple of years. Shahbazkar, who has married another Hindu woman half her age after giving in to his demand to convert to Islam, has now asked Rashmi to leave the house, reports said. “He is now trying to evict me from our marital home. I am facing a serious threat to my life,” she told. "I am a Hindu. I didn't give into his pressures," she added. A case has been registered against the model's husband and his second wife by the Bandra Police. Rashmi married in 2005 and gave birth to their son in 2010.

Man booked for forcing first wife to convert to Islam

<p>Muslim holy-men or Sufis devoted their lives to the love of God. Organised in many groups and chains of lineages from early centuries of the rise of Islam in Arabia, Sufism spread to almost all of the known parts of the world. Sufism, true to its meaning as love for all His creations, translated into service to humanity through a variety of ways, including charitable endeavours and healing practices.</p>

<p>Following notions of egalitarianism and brotherhood preached by Prophet Muhammad and formidable early figures, such as Hazrat Ali, the Sufis defied hierarchies, patriarchal norms and various other forms of discrimination, and gracefully handled painful aspects of social reality. In doing all these, they were able to attract a large following, wherever they settled.</p>

<p>Islamic fundamentalists have always criticised the Sufis for compromising theological positions, especially in transcending the dichotomy between a monotheistic concept of the unity of God (tauhid) and monistic understanding of non-duality (wahdat-ul-wujud, or unity of existence). The latter proposition sounded like advaita monism, which in turn meant that Sufis were quickly able to straightaway connect with India&rsquo;s longstanding Vedantic philosophy.</p>

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<h5>Sufi premakhayan, such as the one on the legendary Padmini or Padmavati has now become so controversial that the original author of the narrative, Sufi-poet Malik Muhammad Jaisi, must be turning in his grave.</h5>
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<p>The Sufis also supplemented Perso-Arabic spiritual idiom with their poetry of love in Indian vernaculars, such as Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, or Bengali. Common grounds, thus, explored could be seen in the popularity of medieval yogic texts such as Amritkund in Sufi circles and its Sufic interpretations.</p>

<p>Questions have been frequently raised about Sufi accommodation and appropriation of ideas from the non-Islamic environment to the extent of losing Islamic identity. The possibilities here were two-fold: Either subsumption in Hindu or yogic mysticism or winning converts to Islam.</p>

<p>Sufis conformed to the traditional Muslim emphasis on shari&lsquo;at, generally understood as Islamic law, and, yet, confidently appropriated yogic and other forms of Indian mystical practices. It led to the medieval yogi, Gorakhnath&rsquo;s declaration that Sufi darwesh belonged to Allah&rsquo;s caste (jati), as they knew the door to his house.</p>

<p>The widely appreciated language of love runs into trouble with the language of power and hate, which survives on dividing people. The skeptics are, understandably, surprised that Sufis&nbsp;were able to sing the poetry of love, despite being Muslims. Sufi premakhayan, such as the one on the legendary Padmini or Padmavati has now become so controversial that the original author of the narrative, Sufi-poet Malik Muhammad Jaisi, must be turning in his grave.</p>

<p>Further, the ulama, theologians or custodians of Sunni Islam, have for long opposed music, mahfil-i sama or qawwali, which is central to Sufi practice across lineages or orders, leading to a variety of responses from cynical contestations and aggressive defence to widespread popularity.</p>

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<h5>Sufis also consistently defied political control and authority or negotiated for their own sacred or spiritual space.</h5>
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<p>Surviving attacks from reformists within Islam and flourishing even in contexts when mosques can be demolished, state machinery permitting, the Sufis sought to break the binaries of man/woman, high-caste/low-caste, master/slave, etc. Thursday evening visitors to the shrines have always included rulers, ministers, politicians, bureaucrats, thugs, criminals, rich and poor. Boundaries and barriers were broken &ndash; all are equal in the eyes of the saint and His Lord.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Sufis also consistently defied political control and authority or negotiated for their own sacred or spiritual space.</p>

<p>This was different from the usual approach of say opportunist scholars who are ready to crawl when asked to bend. Once a visiting young scholar told Hazrat Nizamuddin that he had recently completed his education and started hanging around the ruler&rsquo;s court so that he was able to find employment to support himself.</p>

<p>Nizamuddin remarked that knowledge is a great thing in itself, but if it becomes the source of livelihood and for which a scholar has to beg from door to door, it loses respect it should otherwise command. As a young scholar (alim), Nizamuddin himself had looked for work in Delhi before becoming a full-time Sufi, starting with a difficult life in poverty. But then, poverty (faqr) and complete dependence on the will of God (tawakkul) is a matter of pride in Sufi traditions.</p>

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<h5>Some fascinating anecdotes reveal how vibrant Sufi traditions remain relevant and continue to flourish even in most violent political contexts causing widespread social churning.</h5>
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<p>For Muinuddin Chishti, the patron saint of Hindustan, listening to the grievances of the poor, feeding the hungry and helping the needy included the best forms of prayers. The Sufi recommended river like generosity, affection like that of the sun, and modesty and hospitality of earth. He thought it was possible through controlling the lower-self, nafs, and cultivating the heart, qalb, which included renunciation, or tark-i duniya, that is, to rise above materialistic desires through meditational-cum-bodily practices and acquire supernatural powers which can be used in the service of the people.</p>

<p>Majority visitors to Sufi shrines do approach the saints buried there seeking blessings and benediction. Some fascinating anecdotes &ndash; recorded in Sufi literature from the very early period and orally transmitted among generations of devotees &ndash; reveal how vibrant Sufi traditions remain relevant and continue to flourish even in most violent political contexts causing widespread social churning.</p>


Sufis also consistently defied political control and authority or negotiated for their own sacred or spiritual space.

Muslim holy-men or Sufis devoted their lives to the love of God. Organised in many groups and chains of lineages from early centuries of the rise of Islam in Arabia, Sufism spread to almost all of the known parts of the world. Sufism, true to its meaning as love for all His creations, translated into service to humanity through a variety of ways, including charitable endeavours and healing practices. Following notions of egalitarianism and brotherhood preached by Prophet Muhammad and formidable early figures, such as Hazrat Ali, the Sufis defied hierarchies, patriarchal norms and various other forms of discrimination, and gracefully handled painful aspects of social reality. In doing all these, they were able to attract a large following, wherever they settled. Islamic fundamentalists have always criticised the Sufis for compromising theological positions, especially in transcending the dichotomy between a monotheistic concept of the unity of God (tauhid) and monistic understanding of non-duality (wahdat-ul-wujud, or unity of existence). The latter proposition sounded like advaita monism, which in turn meant that Sufis were quickly able to straightaway connect with India’s longstanding Vedantic philosophy. Sufi premakhayan, such as the one on the legendary Padmini or Padmavati has now become so controversial that the original author of the narrative, Sufi-poet Malik Muhammad Jaisi, must be turning in his grave. × The Sufis also supplemented Perso-Arabic spiritual idiom with their poetry of love in Indian vernaculars, such as Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, or Bengali. Common grounds, thus, explored could be seen in the popularity of medieval yogic texts such as Amritkund in Sufi circles and its Sufic interpretations. Questions have been frequently raised about Sufi accommodation and appropriation of ideas from the non-Islamic environment to the extent of losing Islamic identity. The possibilities here were two-fold: Either subsumption in Hindu or yogic mysticism or winning converts to Islam. Sufis conformed to the traditional Muslim emphasis on shari‘at, generally understood as Islamic law, and, yet, confidently appropriated yogic and other forms of Indian mystical practices. It led to the medieval yogi, Gorakhnath’s declaration that Sufi darwesh belonged to Allah’s caste (jati), as they knew the door to his house. The widely appreciated language of love runs into trouble with the language of power and hate, which survives on dividing people. The skeptics are, understandably, surprised that Sufis were able to sing the poetry of love, despite being Muslims. Sufi premakhayan, such as the one on the legendary Padmini or Padmavati has now become so controversial that the original author of the narrative, Sufi-poet Malik Muhammad Jaisi, must be turning in his grave. Further, the ulama, theologians or custodians of Sunni Islam, have for long opposed music, mahfil-i sama or qawwali, which is central to Sufi practice across lineages or orders, leading to a variety of responses from cynical contestations and aggressive defence to widespread popularity. Sufis also consistently defied political control and authority or negotiated for their own sacred or spiritual space. × Surviving attacks from reformists within Islam and flourishing even in contexts when mosques can be demolished, state machinery permitting, the Sufis sought to break the binaries of man/woman, high-caste/low-caste, master/slave, etc. Thursday evening visitors to the shrines have always included rulers, ministers, politicians, bureaucrats, thugs, criminals, rich and poor. Boundaries and barriers were broken – all are equal in the eyes of the saint and His Lord. Sufis also consistently defied political control and authority or negotiated for their own sacred or spiritual space. This was different from the usual approach of say opportunist scholars who are ready to crawl when asked to bend. Once a visiting young scholar told Hazrat Nizamuddin that he had recently completed his education and started hanging around the ruler’s court so that he was able to find employment to support himself. Nizamuddin remarked that knowledge is a great thing in itself, but if it becomes the source of livelihood and for which a scholar has to beg from door to door, it loses respect it should otherwise command. As a young scholar (alim), Nizamuddin himself had looked for work in Delhi before becoming a full-time Sufi, starting with a difficult life in poverty. But then, poverty (faqr) and complete dependence on the will of God (tawakkul) is a matter of pride in Sufi traditions. Some fascinating anecdotes reveal how vibrant Sufi traditions remain relevant and continue to flourish even in most violent political contexts causing widespread social churning. × For Muinuddin Chishti, the patron saint of Hindustan, listening to the grievances of the poor, feeding the hungry and helping the needy included the best forms of prayers. The Sufi recommended river like generosity, affection like that of the sun, and modesty and hospitality of earth. He thought it was possible through controlling the lower-self, nafs, and cultivating the heart, qalb, which included renunciation, or tark-i duniya, that is, to rise above materialistic desires through meditational-cum-bodily practices and acquire supernatural powers which can be used in the service of the people. Majority visitors to Sufi shrines do approach the saints buried there seeking blessings and benediction. Some fascinating anecdotes – recorded in Sufi literature from the very early period and orally transmitted among generations of devotees – reveal how vibrant Sufi traditions remain relevant and continue to flourish even in most violent political contexts causing widespread social churning.

Padmavati: Sufi-poet Malik Jayasi, must be turning in his grave

<p>Islamic finance is enjoying a surge in popularity, with 14 per cent annual growth in recent years. And the interest in sharia-compliant stocks and bonds is growing across the non-Muslim as well as Muslim world.</p>

<p>My recent research shows that there is a good reason for this growth. In fact, Islamic markets were not rocked by the 2007-08 financial as much as conventional markets and can be considered a new safe haven for investors.</p>

<p>The popularity of Islamic financial instruments among Muslims is not surprising. Islamic law prohibits any forms of interest (riba) or gambling (qimar). Transactions that lack transparency (gharar) are also banned. In finance, this means that the vast majority of assets and popular trading strategies (such as short-selling and speculation) are prohibited according to Islam.</p>

<p>To circumvent this problem Islamic banks issue sharia-compliant bonds known as sukuk. Conventional bonds involve a contractual obligation to pay bondholders interest and principle on a certain date. When sukuk bonds are sold to investors the money is used to invest in an asset, of which the bondholders have partial ownership. Payments to sukuk bondholders them comes from whatever after-tax profit is made on the asset. When they reach maturity, the issuer is contractually obliged to buy the bond back at the value it was bought for.</p>

<p>There are also sharia-compliant stocks, which must comply with risk-averse criteria such as a low debt to income ratio. Plus, the company should have limited engagement with activities that are considered sinful in Islam, such as alcohol and tobacco. So Islamic stocks are attractive for Muslim investors, but also for non-Muslim investors since these assets can be seen as more ethical.</p>

<p><strong>Wider benefits</strong></p>

<p>There are two popular beliefs that attract non-Muslim investors to choose sharia-compliant assets. First, Islamic financial instruments can offer higher profits than non-Islamic assets. For example, for borrowers, high demand for ethical assets increases the marketability of sukuk in comparison to conventional bonds.</p>

<p>Second is the idea that Islamic financial markets are decoupled from conventional markets. There is a belief that the markets move in opposite directions during crisis periods so when conventional markets decline, Islamic ones grow. So, Islamic markets offer an important way for investors to diversify their portfolios and protect themselves against downturns in conventional markets.</p>

<p>As a result, Islamic finance is often placed in the category of alternative finance, with good potential for risk reduction. I and colleagues in the US, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia decided to put this idea to the test. After all, Islamic bonds are, generally speaking, not much different from traditional bonds in terms of their structure. And Islamic stocks are often affected by the same global risk factors as conventional stock markets such as the crude oil price and the volatility index.</p>

<p><strong>A safe haven</strong></p>

<p>There have been a number of financial crises to rock stock markets over the years. The last two decades have seen the 1997 Asian financial crisis, 1998 Argentinian crisis, 2007-08 US and UK financial crisis to name a few. This causes significant volatility across markets, causing substantial losses for investors. They are therefore constantly searching for markets that are less influenced by crisis shocks.</p>

<p>In a recent study, we compared Islamic indexes with their conventional counterparts during crisis periods in last two decades, across five regions: the US, UK, Canada, Japan, eurozone and the Asia-Pacific. We found that during turbulent periods the Islamic indexes decoupled from non-Islamic markets.</p>

<p>There was a limited spillover of the crisis shock from conventional indexes to Islamic ones and so they did provide an opportunity for risk reduction. For example, with Canada&rsquo;s Islamic and conventional indexes, during tranquil periods the volatility spillover from conventional to Islamic index reaches close to 40 per cent. But after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Canadian Islamic index receive just 10 per cent of volatility. This reflects the fact that volatility levels are quite similar during tranquil periods, but there is a separation when turbulence hits conventional markets.</p>

<p>These results are also true for the global financial crisis and the eurozone debt crisis. The behaviour of the net volatility spillovers between Islamic and conventional markets shows that the Islamic indexes move against conventional indexes during the turbulent periods.</p>

<p>Shariah-compliant assets will not save investors entirely from loses &ndash; it does not act as a cushion against all financial shocks that affect the conventional markets. And, in periods of economic stability, investors would not benefit much from investing in Islamic markets, as the correlation between Islamic and conventional markets is high during calm periods. But, nonetheless, Islamic markets have been less heated by global financial shocks and so can claim the status of a new safe haven, particularly from a non-Muslim investor&rsquo;s perspective.</p>

<p>Photo Credit: Shutterstock</p>

<p>This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" rel="nofollow" target="blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-islamic-financial-markets-are-a-safe-haven-in-conventional-market-crises-84243" rel="nofollow" target="blank">original article</a>.</p>


Islamic markets were not rocked by the 2007-08 financial as much as conventional markets

Islamic finance is enjoying a surge in popularity, with 14 per cent annual growth in recent years. And the interest in sharia-compliant stocks and bonds is growing across the non-Muslim as well as Muslim world. My recent research shows that there is a good reason for this growth. In fact, Islamic markets were not rocked by the 2007-08 financial as much as conventional markets and can be considered a new safe haven for investors. The popularity of Islamic financial instruments among Muslims is not surprising. Islamic law prohibits any forms of interest (riba) or gambling (qimar). Transactions that lack transparency (gharar) are also banned. In finance, this means that the vast majority of assets and popular trading strategies (such as short-selling and speculation) are prohibited according to Islam. To circumvent this problem Islamic banks issue sharia-compliant bonds known as sukuk. Conventional bonds involve a contractual obligation to pay bondholders interest and principle on a certain date. When sukuk bonds are sold to investors the money is used to invest in an asset, of which the bondholders have partial ownership. Payments to sukuk bondholders them comes from whatever after-tax profit is made on the asset. When they reach maturity, the issuer is contractually obliged to buy the bond back at the value it was bought for. There are also sharia-compliant stocks, which must comply with risk-averse criteria such as a low debt to income ratio. Plus, the company should have limited engagement with activities that are considered sinful in Islam, such as alcohol and tobacco. So Islamic stocks are attractive for Muslim investors, but also for non-Muslim investors since these assets can be seen as more ethical. Wider benefits There are two popular beliefs that attract non-Muslim investors to choose sharia-compliant assets. First, Islamic financial instruments can offer higher profits than non-Islamic assets. For example, for borrowers, high demand for ethical assets increases the marketability of sukuk in comparison to conventional bonds. Second is the idea that Islamic financial markets are decoupled from conventional markets. There is a belief that the markets move in opposite directions during crisis periods so when conventional markets decline, Islamic ones grow. So, Islamic markets offer an important way for investors to diversify their portfolios and protect themselves against downturns in conventional markets. As a result, Islamic finance is often placed in the category of alternative finance, with good potential for risk reduction. I and colleagues in the US, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia decided to put this idea to the test. After all, Islamic bonds are, generally speaking, not much different from traditional bonds in terms of their structure. And Islamic stocks are often affected by the same global risk factors as conventional stock markets such as the crude oil price and the volatility index. A safe haven There have been a number of financial crises to rock stock markets over the years. The last two decades have seen the 1997 Asian financial crisis, 1998 Argentinian crisis, 2007-08 US and UK financial crisis to name a few. This causes significant volatility across markets, causing substantial losses for investors. They are therefore constantly searching for markets that are less influenced by crisis shocks. In a recent study, we compared Islamic indexes with their conventional counterparts during crisis periods in last two decades, across five regions: the US, UK, Canada, Japan, eurozone and the Asia-Pacific. We found that during turbulent periods the Islamic indexes decoupled from non-Islamic markets. There was a limited spillover of the crisis shock from conventional indexes to Islamic ones and so they did provide an opportunity for risk reduction. For example, with Canada’s Islamic and conventional indexes, during tranquil periods the volatility spillover from conventional to Islamic index reaches close to 40 per cent. But after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Canadian Islamic index receive just 10 per cent of volatility. This reflects the fact that volatility levels are quite similar during tranquil periods, but there is a separation when turbulence hits conventional markets. These results are also true for the global financial crisis and the eurozone debt crisis. The behaviour of the net volatility spillovers between Islamic and conventional markets shows that the Islamic indexes move against conventional indexes during the turbulent periods. Shariah-compliant assets will not save investors entirely from loses – it does not act as a cushion against all financial shocks that affect the conventional markets. And, in periods of economic stability, investors would not benefit much from investing in Islamic markets, as the correlation between Islamic and conventional markets is high during calm periods. But, nonetheless, Islamic markets have been less heated by global financial shocks and so can claim the status of a new safe haven, particularly from a non-Muslim investor’s perspective. Photo Credit: Shutterstock This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Islamic financial markets are safe haven during market crises

Religious intolerance has exacerbated polarisation

Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism. That’s in order of the alphabet, not of preference, or greatness. These major world religions were either founded by prophets who trod the earth or, evolved through the mists of ancient mythology. And they contain one, common message: tolerance, even of those who choose another God. In terms of followers, the world’s biggest religions are Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. Then there are other small but equally global faiths, Judaism and Buddhism. The last, especially, is legendary for its consistency in preaching and largely practicing compassion. Some choose a mosque. Others a temple. Some attend churches, others frequent synagogues. × Some choose a mosque. Others a temple. Some attend churches, others frequent synagogues. We inhabit the same cities, eat the produce of the same earth, work at similar jobs. We hang out at my place for Diwali, his for Christmas, hers for Id, yours for Rosh Hashanah. At least that’s what most thought till - it all began to change. It’s Christians vs, Muslims, Muslims vs Jews, Buddhists vs Christians, Hindus vs Muslims today. It’s either my way or - the highway. You either worship my God or - I’ll force you to do so. Religious tolerance is yesterday’s news. Polarisation is the hallmark of today’s world. Be it in society or politics, in the classroom or the boardroom, religious intolerance is polarising the world today. Christianity: "One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables, let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another?" That’s the Sixth Book of the New Testament - the Bible, the holy scripture for 2.2 billion people in the world ie, 31.5 per cent of the globe’s population. But way back in the 12th century, early practitioners of the faith opened one of the worst chapters in the history of Christianity: the Inquisitions. This kind of 'portable' religious court was first held in France. It was a period marked by witch-hunt, lynching and forcible conversions. By the end of the 14th century, hundreds of Jews were killed in Spain and later across its South American colonies. × The intention was to prosecute Catholics who were attracted by other churches. The practice soon spread to other countries like Spain and Portugal. Those colonial powers took it to the next level. They began to hold harsh, cruel inquisitions in their colonial properties in Africa, Asia and the America. Their favourite targets were those Jews and Muslims who had converted to Christianity only to find that the Catholic colonial masters hauled them again: this time, to question their commitment. By the end of the 14th century, mistrust had turned into deep hatred. Hundreds of Jews were killed in Spain and later across its South American colonies. Historians say the Portuguese were far worse. Their inquisition began in 1536 and soon, a cruel and tyrannical version moved to Brazil and - to Goa, their tiny colony on India’s West Coast. In Goa, the chief targets were Hindus and Muslims. First, there were conversions by force. Anyone who resisted was tortured or burnt alive. Those who converted but practised Indian rituals soon faced harsh inquisitions because the slightest deviation raised doubts about their commitment to Christianity. This tyranny began in 1560 and continued for 252 years. Anyone in Goa could be tortured merely for possessing a Hindu religious symbol. In the late 1800s, the inquisitions also hunted down practitioners of witchcraft, cult-leaders and even bigamists. The horrors are depicted vividly in Guardians of The Dawn, a bestselling historical novel set in Portuguese Goa. WION spoke to Richard Zimler, its author. "We’re talking about fundamentalists even way back then. That’s the danger and there is a need for all of us to oppose fundamentalism of any kind. The Portuguese would not allow anyone who had converted to Christianity to continue to practice their traditional religion," he says. "My book did very well in Portugal. There were some who said I was painting Portugal in a bad light but I am happy to expose the truth and fight against fundamentalism". Mindless executions, forcible conversions, unmitigated cruelty and violence towards all who oppose them. These are the hallmarks of terror groups like the Islamic State (I.S.) today. Only their God has a different name, as does their holy book. Zimler agrees that today's violence is nothing but a repeat of the crusades. The Inquisitions gradually stopped but - anti-semitism persisted. Indeed, hatred for Jews pervaded even literature and the fine arts and didn’t escape many of the world's greatest writers. Like William Shakespeare's clichéd caricature, that of the greedy moneylender, Shylock. Or Charles Dickens' conniving villain, Fagin. That xenophobia reached its pinnacle under Adolf Hitler. The Holocaust is one of the worst genocides known in the history of mankind. × In a cold-blooded and systematic operation that included instruments of torture and factories of death that boggle the mind, 6 million innocent Jewish men, women and children were killed. The Holocaust is one of the worst genocides known in the history of mankind. And three generations of Germans continue to struggle with the question: how could their forefathers have allowed Hitler and his Nazis to carry out this unbridled manslaughter? "Crimes against humanity should never be forgotten," said German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a sombre memorial service for the victims of the Holocaust. "We have the perpetual responsibility to transmit the knowledge of the atrocities committed in the past and to keep alive their memory." Unsurprisingly and given that murderous past, Germany and all EU member-states have grounded their constitutions firmly in the tenets of the European Convention on Human Rights. Germany has more than adhered to its own, by taking in millions of refugees fleeing from troubled countries, even economic refugees in the guise of persecution. But is darkness really a thing of the past in Europe? There has been a steady rise of the extreme right-wing all over the Continent again in recent years. Its graph rose upwards even and especially during a crippling recession. And when refugees on the run from the US-led war in Syria and Iraq started pouring into Europe in 2015, even Scandinavian countries with the most magnanimous asylum policies, like Sweden, began to see a rise in neo-Nazi popularity. Today, Europe is simmering with intolerance. Xenophobia even finds representation in various provincial parliaments. There are the Swedish Democrats, there is the Alternative for Germany, there is the Front National in France, there’s the Freedom Party in Austria which is slated to form the next coalition government. Since the September 11 attacks in New York in 2001, there have been more than 900 terror strikes in Europe. × And much like in the United States, there’s a new scapegoat here in Europe too: Muslims. When France’s right-wing leader Marine Le Pen was asked by a television interviewer whether Muslim people should be allowed to wear headscarves, she said, "No I am opposed to headscarves being worn in public places. France is not burqinis on the beach. France is Brigitte Bardot". Since the September 11 attacks in New York in 2001, there have been more than 900 terror strikes in Europe. The fact that most were at the hands of Islamist terror groups like the Islamic State has only fanned the fires of religious intolerance. Islam: "For you is your religion, and for me is my religion". That’s what the Quran says, possibly the most hotly debated holy book of all in recent times. Islamist terrorism is wreaking havoc and spilling rivers of blood across the world. The criminals have several motives, to convert the entire world to Islam and reduce women to subservience. They swear by the Quran and that’s unfortunate because by doing so, they are maligning millions of tolerant Muslims too. The Quran also makes one thing very clear, "There shall be no compulsion in the religion". So how and when did this fanaticism begin? This unholy ‘holy war’, or ‘jehad’? Where does the Quran tell its followers to kill innocents in the name of faith? Or is everyone except Islamist terrorists, many of whom are nurtured, trained and armed by Pakistan to target India misreading the Quran? Are millions of moderate Muslims living in La-La Land? Many scholars point to the West’s own unholy Crusades to enforce Christianity around the world. Some of the unholiest Crusades were in Islamic countries, including in the Middle East, where Islam was born. Thirty-five years ago, the Iranian Revolution changed the fabric of Iranian society. But it also changed the geopolitics of the Middle East and redrew the map of global alliances. × Much like the cosmopolitan capitals of the west, Iran was a turnpike on the global map of the swinging sixties, mini skirts, bars, the races, balls, concert halls, fashion, theatre and emancipated women working alongside men, and dressed as they pleased. So when and how, did all that change, and was the change really all that bad? Are those elements really the criteria, as the West likes to believe of a stable and democratic society? When Iran’s Islamic Revolution brought radical changes, were the Iranians quite relieved to be rid of a tyrannical regime? Thirty-five years ago, the Iranian Revolution changed the fabric of Iranian society. But it also changed the geopolitics of the Middle East and redrew the map of global alliances. It was a populist Shia uprising that replaced the dictatorial monarchy with an Islamic theocracy. And it was unique and surprised the world because it carried none of the usual hallmarks of a revolution: War, financial crisis, national debt or a weak army. A renowned scholar of Iranian studies, Dr Majid Tafreshi spoke to WION and explained what led to the Revolution and beyond. "In the 40s and 50s, the then-new King Mohammed Reza Shah had good relations with the Olama (Ullema / clergy) but after the death of an Ayatollah in the early 60s, that relationship turned confrontational", says Dr Tafreshi. "Then came the new phenomenon Ayatollah Khomeini. He was a charismatic character and had dedicated followers. Gradually, he became the political and religious leader in Iran. An early confrontation of the Shah in 1963 was put down. But though most people took that as a sign that the Shah was in control, 1963 was, in reality, the beginning of the end of the Shah and monarchy in Iran." Predictably, the inordinate interest in Iran’s affairs on part of the West. They wanted to control the Shah whose importance had grown along with that of Iran’s oil reserves. A revolution and an ouster of the Shah at that point in time was considered "highly inconvenient". Dr Tafreshi says that this is the reason why the United States government tried hard to prevent an uprising. Afghanistan changed from a secular state into a turbulent republic, struggling to strike a compromise between conservative Islam and Western-style modernity and remains to this day, in search of its true identity. × But it met with no success. The revolution changed the face of Iran drastically. It also inspired similar uprisings across the Middle East. There is western perception about life in today’s Iran. But there is also the Iranian determination to never bow to western hegemony. To experience what life in Iran is really like, observers would do themselves a favour by avoiding media reports emanating in the West and experiencing it for themselves. During the 7th century, Caliphate Arabs made their way onwards to Afghanistan. That country’s subsequent history has seen many constitutional changes including the establishment of the Sharia as the state religion in 1931. By 1977, Afghanistan’s constitution had twice been tweaked and made more secular to use a contested word. By then, Afghanistan was fully modelled along the lines of a modern country with a penal code and civil law. Islamic movements in Afghanistan were born in the late fifties but had remained relatively passive. By the late seventies, they gained in popularity among sections of the population which felt alienated by Western-style democracy. By the time the Soviet Union invaded in support of a communist force in Kabul, there was a solid resurgence of the Islamic movement. But from the birth of a unified mujahedin to push out a foreign invader to a radical Islamist Al Quaida, Taliban and now the Islamic State is a long leap of the leap for the imagination. But happen it did. Afghanistan changed from a secular state into a turbulent republic, struggling to strike a compromise between conservative Islam and Western-style modernity and remains to this day, in search of its true identity. Hinduism: Valmiki’s Ramayana, the epic poem on the banishment of God Rama, describes the god as one "who cared for equality to all". × ‘’For those who live magnanimously, the entire world is a family.” This is stated in the Upanishads, Hinduism’s ancient philosophical texts that are said to have been compiled between 800 and 500 BCE, ie, before the birth of Jesus Christ. The message is repeated in various ways in other Hindu religious texts, even after reformers began to question some of its practices and beliefs. Valmiki’s Ramayana, the epic poem on the banishment of God Rama, describes the god as one "who cared for equality to all". Hinduism has been the mothership of many other new religions – Jainism, Buddhism – and has always been viewed as a way of life, a tolerant philosophy, more than as a diktat to worship a particular set of divinities. Critics of Hinduism point to its division of society into castes and the inequality that persists between those castes, even in modern India. Other scholars claim that the caste system, in ancient times, was merely an administrative division of people according to their professions. In the seventy years since India’s independence, laws have been passed, the abhorrent concept of ‘untouchability’ long stands banned. Surely a radical improvement? Not according to former police officer and Dalit rights activist, S.R. Darapuri. "The rigours of the caste system in the past have undoubtedly been very harsh", Darapuri told WION. "There was a lot of distance between various castes and the lower caste was subjected to much discrimination. It is true caste rigors have slackened to an extent in modern India. The caste system doesn’t seem to work particularly in the urban context. In rural India, the law has not been able to overcome caste discrimination. The caste system has the religious sanction of Hinduism. As long as Hinduism remains in its present form, the caste system will continue because there is no Hindu who has no caste. × When untouchability was abolished, the practice decreased to an extent. But it still very much exists. The caste system has the religious sanction of Hinduism. And as long as Hinduism remains in its present form, the caste system will continue because there is no Hindu who has no caste. Indeed, it is the religious duty of a Hindu to observe caste practices and obligations. Darapuri emphatically dismisses the racial theory on the origin of caste and points to Dr Ambedkar’s book, The Untouchables. In it, the author of India’s Constitution cites the anthropological evidence that lower and higher castes belong to the same racial stock. The activist makes no bones to point that the division of labor theory about caste holds no water too. After all, he argues, if it caste originated only to distinguish professions, then surely it ought to change when an individual change his area of work. "The caste system is one of superiority and inferiority", sums up Darapuri. Though the caste system can even be discerned even among converts to other religions in India, caste wars were essentially a Hindu phenomenon. To other foreigners like Arab traders who came landed in Kerala, the relationship with the Hindus was good. Soon Arab and Persian traders began to settle in Gujarat. Ismaili Islam took root in the western Indian state. But by the 12th century, a different kind of Islam, one more strident and eerily similar in zeal and ferocity to the Christian Crusades, began to arrive in Northern India. Sindh in today's Pakistan became a province of the Umayyad caliphate. Then came Mahmud of Ghazni, leaving a bloody trail of loot, plunder and murder along with his way. He conquered Punjab and his marauding armies even reached Gujarat. By the end of the 12th century, the Delhi Sultanate was born. Then came the Mughals, some cruel and zealous about forcing conversion, others benign and more bent on creating an integrated society. But those were harsh conquerors, ancient times. By the time the last Mughal was overthrown by the British Empire and before the latter could indulge one more time in its classical game of Divide and Rule that saw India and Pakistan separate, Muslims and Hindus had come together with one common goal: to shake off British rule. And succeed they did. But what happened decades later? For an old mosque to be destroyed? For riots to erupt between India’s Hindus and Muslims? Call it the debut of religion in politics, lay it at opportunism’s door. If there is one religious teaching that focuses entirely on the principle of tolerance and non-violence, it is Buddhism. × Judaism and Buddhism: "The Torah was given to mankind in order to establish peace," reads an excerpt from Judaism's holy book. But the Jews of Israel continue to live in one of the most turbulent regions in the world. Followers of Judaism don't outnumber Christians, Muslims or Hindus. And yet, it is their controversial politics that continues to take centre-stage in the global arena today. "One is not called noble who harms living beings", reads the Dhammapada. One of the Buddha's most renowned followers, Emperor Ashoka, carried that message forward: "The faiths of others all deserve to be honoured for one reason or another". If there is one religious teaching that focuses entirely on the principle of tolerance and non-violence, it is Buddhism. And yet, there are militant factions even among followers of Gautama Buddha. In Sri Lanka, where radicalised monks have targeted Muslims and other minorities. In Myanmar, where the Rohingya Muslim minority has borne the wrath of similarly militant Buddhists. What happened to the world's most gentle religion? If Buddhists can be polarised, is there any hope left for the rest of the world? This is the second article of WION's three-part series "Poles Apart". The first article was published on 17/10/17.

'In the name of the Father'

<p>In the beginning, there were cave fights: over food, shelter and objects. Then came civilisation, the &quot;Age of Reason&quot;, the realisation that man&nbsp;was far superior to other living creatures in one unique way. He was endowed with the powerful tool of intellect, a brain more sophisticated than anything technology can ever beat.</p>

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<p>When man began to share spaces, towns and cities were born. When man began to argue, politics came into being and when prophets were born around the earth, mankind&rsquo;s other peculiar endowment - religion was born. Crimes were committed, wars have shattered the world. But somehow and over at least this past century, milk went with water, wine with salt, as long as there was mutual respect, it was a matter of personal choice. That freedom of choice, it seems, is a thing of history today. Now, it&rsquo;s black versus white, Islam versus Christianity versus Hinduism versus Judaism. It&rsquo;s Democrat versus Republican, BJP versus Congress. But what&rsquo;s different about today? That it&rsquo;s either my way or the highway. You are either with us or against us. Choices are yesterday&rsquo;s news, polarisation is the hallmark of today&rsquo;s world.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
White versus black, Caucasian versus Asian. American civil rights leader Martin Luther King ominously described it as the &quot;starless midnight of racism.&quot; Be it in the USA or Japan, in Europe or Africa, in India or China and for all the superior abilities man is endowed with, racial discrimination has run like a bad genetic strain through all societies in the world.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<strong>America:</strong></p>

<p>White supremacy has led to horrific crime in the history of North America, yet somewhere down the line, reasoning and rationale did gain the upper hand. Take one of the world&rsquo;s most famous civil rights activists, Martin Luther King Jr. His belief was Christianity, his tactics drawn from everywhere. King persisted with civil disobedience till African-Americans and other minorities were granted equal rights in the country. He overturned segregation laws in Georgia and helped organise protests both in Alabama and Washington, where he delivered his most famous speech of all.</p>

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<p>&quot;And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream,&quot; the legendary rights activist declared. &quot;It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed, that all men are created equal.&quot;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Martin Luther King&rsquo;s repeated civil disobedience movements were successful because he combined his own value system with that of others who inspired him like Mahatma Gandhi. The Mahatma had once remarked that South Africa, where he had lived in his earlier years, would be a &quot;howling wilderness without the Africans&quot;. The Ku-Klux-Klan hasn&rsquo;t gone away, neither have the Nazis in Europe. There were and are descendant groups of both around the world. Tough laws temper their outbursts, the hate they preach is mostly restricted to their paranoid but small folds.</p>

<p>But statistics show that white supremacy in the United States has been on the rise. And not coincidentally, since 2016, making it seem as though divisive statements by President Donald J. Trump, first on campaign trail&nbsp;acted as a reassurance. It began to seem as though under Trump, racists will be able to speak their minds freely and have nothing to fear. Coincidence? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Residents of a town in Alabama woke up to flyers in November 2016, the day after the United States elected their new president. &quot;Join the only group that has ever stood for the white man&quot;, it read. &quot;Black radicals have reverted back to savages&quot;, read another.</p>

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<p>On the same day, swastikas and pro-Nazi graffiti appeared in Philadelphia. Sprayed inside a boys&rsquo; bathroom in a Minnesota school were the following messages: Go back to Africa, whites only, White America and Trump train, &quot;make America great again&quot;. Between November 2016&nbsp;when the United States voted for a new president&nbsp;and August 2017, there have been more than 450 recorded incidents of unabashed racism directed against Jews, Chinese, Asians &ndash; in short, anyone who is not Caucasian.</p>

<p>It would be absurd to lay the resurgence of racism at President Trump&rsquo;s doorstep alone. The US President&rsquo;s argument that democracies must allow all including racists to be heard, is a valid point. It&rsquo;s a successful tactic, the same employed by African-American jazz musician Daryl Davis to neutralise many white supremacists&nbsp;by engaging or befriending them. But here&rsquo;s a thought could Trump&rsquo;s incendiary talk have polarised American society by acting as a magnet to what already lay simmering beneath the genteel surface of the political correctness that has dominated public speech and opinion over the past several decades?</p>

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<p>It seemed that way some weeks ago when white supremacists took to the streets in Charlottesville and violence erupted. Significantly, they felt no need to disguise themselves. The masks were off and so were the white hoods. Alec Kerrigan and &ldquo;Reverend&rdquo; James Logsdon were enthusiastic participants in Charlottesville. Both spoke to WION&rsquo;s Andy Roesgen and unsurprisingly, hatred of immigrants from India seems to be the &quot;new normal&quot;.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&quot;The problem with races such as Indians entering the country is that they don&rsquo;t integrate at large&quot;, Kerrigan told WION. They build their own communities and don&#39;t trust their neighbours and they give less to charity. Wages for software engineers in America would be 10 per cent higher if H-1B visas&nbsp;(given to Indian software engineers) were not implemented. In other words, bringing in highly-skilled immigrants from other countries is bad for the highly-skilled natives.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Racism watchdog Southern Poverty Law Center told WION that &nbsp;Reverend James Logsdon&#39;s &quot;Creativity Movement&quot; is neither holy nor creative. It&rsquo;s nothing but a hate group. Here&#39;s what Logsdon told WION.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&quot;Indian immigration is not similar to any other racial group, not Mexicans or Arabic Muslims because Indians don&#39;t come here and commit crimes, they don&#39;t come here and rape or kill like you see with Mexicans and the worse elements. You have a lot of highly educated Indians in the medical field in America who do benefit our society. But you also have a lot of them who come with degrees that are falsified, education documents that are falsified, they get IT jobs and they&#39;re trained by other people who have been here longer to do the jobs properly, essentially getting into the country by lying and taking American jobs.&quot;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
But why was Logsdon in Charlottesville during the riots? After all, that demonstration had nothing to do with Indian software engineers and all to do with protecting America&rsquo;s white architectural heritage, statues of erstwhile supremacists.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&quot;No, I personally don&rsquo;t care about old statues,&quot; argued Logsdon. &quot;But I understand what they were fighting for. Imagine for the sake of argument, that political correctness affected all of the people in India and affected the caste system. And they decided that the Hindu system was racist and oppressive and the people pushing political correctness decided that all the statues that honoured their gods and their system were to be forcibly torn down. How would Indians feel about that? This is the type of thing that&#39;s happening in America today. They&#39;re trying to destroy any semblance of our culture and our history. No matter how you feel about being good or bad, our history is our history. You should not tear those things down, just to make them feel better in their safe spaces.&quot;</p>

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<p><strong>Europe:</strong><br />
&nbsp;<br />
It&rsquo;s the geographical venue of one of the worst genocides in the history of mankind, the Holocaust under Germany&rsquo;s Nazis saw 6 million men, women and children murdered. They were not armed separatists, nor criminal mafia. Their biggest crime is that they were born Jewish, not within Europe&rsquo;s Christian majority. Germany learned its lessons and remains deeply repentant. And yet, rightwing movements are on the rise. There were more than 900 terror attacks by Islamist terror groups in Europe between 2001 and 2017. But that&rsquo;s not the only reason. There&rsquo;s also a certain, God-given superiority that colonising forefathers from France, the UK and the Netherlands vested in themselves.</p>

<p>To racist British citizens, all South Asian migrants are &quot;Pakis&quot;, to some xenophobic French, northern Africans are &quot;dirty Arabs&quot;, to Dutch supremacists, foreign migrants are &quot;scum&quot;. The United Kingdom, Portugal, The Netherlands, Spain and France&nbsp;rapaciously exploited North Africa, South America, sub-Saharan Africa and much of Asia including and especially India. When nations grow more powerful than others off stolen wealth, their citizens feel endowed with divinity. But the recession, unemployment and fiery rhetoric from those who rule or aim to rule, are natural catalysts for polarisation.</p>

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<p><strong>Asia:</strong><br />
<br />
But is racism restricted to countries where the majority population is white? Not at all. Let&rsquo;s take a look at South East Asia. Indians have been in Malaysia since medieval times. People of Indian origin constitute 86 per cent of Malaysia&rsquo;s total population of 31.19 million. Here, it&rsquo;s brown versus brown. It&rsquo;s been largely peaceful. And yet, growing radicalisation of the country&rsquo;s Islamic majority through an alien brand of Wahabi Islam has resulted in growing polarisation. Temples built hundreds of years ago on private land have been demolished. There&rsquo;s growing religious paranoia and inflammatory rhetoric mainly under Saudi Arabian influence. It has caused a backlash. Hindus are mobilising themselves. Sanjeev Ramakrishnan and his NGO Mywatch, fight against such discrimination.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&quot;There is very clear discrimination in education when the maximum number of seats are given to Malays and next to Chinese. Indians hardly get any seats. Major courses like medicine and law are not given to Indians. I ask why they don&rsquo;t go on merit? I am a Malaysian and by race I am Indian. But if I bid for a government contract, I must have a Malay partner with a 51 per cent stake in the business. They should surely not award contracts based on race&quot;</p>

<p>Ramakrishnan says this is true of every walk of life in Malaysia. People of different races live peacefully in Malaysia but the people who rule are us are trying to create a divide. Recently in a school, cups for drinking water were separated for Muslims and non-Muslims. We are fighting for the right to live as Malaysian. We are not refugees here, we are not immigrants here. My grandfather came from India but my father was born in Malaysia. So, I think I am rightfully Malaysian. A lot of Indian don&rsquo;t have citizenship even if they are born here. But more Pakistani and Bangladeshi are now coming to Malaysia and are being given citizenship. Politicians in parliament have said, &quot;if you don&rsquo;t like Malaysia get out, go back to India.&quot;</p>

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<h5>Indians are more affluent today, travelling a lot more today, seeing a lot more of the world today. And yet, African students in India have borne the brunt of blatant racism, not in some remote village but right in the heart of India&rsquo;s capital New Delhi.</h5>
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<p>We are obsessed with fair skin, a hangover of the British Raj when it all started. The belief that the white man, his white skin, must be superior in many ways. It&rsquo;s strange because, in Hindu mythology, gods like Krishna and Shiva are painted blue. This blue is meant to indicate skin so black that it appears blue. To be dark-skinned in ancient India, was to be beautiful and god-like. But that&rsquo;s far from the case in modern India. When it comes to brides and bridegrooms, fair skins come at a premium. That&rsquo;s now begun to take on dismaying proportions. Indians are more affluent today, travelling a lot more today, seeing a lot more of the world today. And yet, African students in India have borne the brunt of blatant racism, not in some remote village but right in the heart of India&rsquo;s capital New Delhi.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<strong>Polarisation</strong>: A pandemic, a frightening phenomenon. Whether we blame it on President Donald Trump, or, on the rise of the rightwing in Europe; whether we blame it on Saudi Arabian influence in the far east, or, on growing affluence and arrogance in India, there is no doubt that communities and races are huddling together, displaying absolute intolerance for the mere existence of any other than their own kind. Racism is not the only manifestation. There&rsquo;s that other powerful catalyst of hate i.e. Religion.</p>

<p><em>This is the first of WION&#39;s three-part series &quot;Poles Apart&quot;.</em></p>


Growing affluence and heightened arrogance is the reason why human race is in distress

In the beginning, there were cave fights: over food, shelter and objects. Then came civilisation, the "Age of Reason", the realisation that man was far superior to other living creatures in one unique way. He was endowed with the powerful tool of intellect, a brain more sophisticated than anything technology can ever beat. Choices are yesterday’s news, polarisation is the hallmark of today’s world. × When man began to share spaces, towns and cities were born. When man began to argue, politics came into being and when prophets were born around the earth, mankind’s other peculiar endowment - religion was born. Crimes were committed, wars have shattered the world. But somehow and over at least this past century, milk went with water, wine with salt, as long as there was mutual respect, it was a matter of personal choice. That freedom of choice, it seems, is a thing of history today. Now, it’s black versus white, Islam versus Christianity versus Hinduism versus Judaism. It’s Democrat versus Republican, BJP versus Congress. But what’s different about today? That it’s either my way or the highway. You are either with us or against us. Choices are yesterday’s news, polarisation is the hallmark of today’s world. White versus black, Caucasian versus Asian. American civil rights leader Martin Luther King ominously described it as the "starless midnight of racism." Be it in the USA or Japan, in Europe or Africa, in India or China and for all the superior abilities man is endowed with, racial discrimination has run like a bad genetic strain through all societies in the world. America: White supremacy has led to horrific crime in the history of North America, yet somewhere down the line, reasoning and rationale did gain the upper hand. Take one of the world’s most famous civil rights activists, Martin Luther King Jr. His belief was Christianity, his tactics drawn from everywhere. King persisted with civil disobedience till African-Americans and other minorities were granted equal rights in the country. He overturned segregation laws in Georgia and helped organise protests both in Alabama and Washington, where he delivered his most famous speech of all. Martin Luther King’s civil disobedience movements were successful because he combined his own value system with that of others who inspired him like Mahatma Gandhi. × "And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream," the legendary rights activist declared. "It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed, that all men are created equal." Martin Luther King’s repeated civil disobedience movements were successful because he combined his own value system with that of others who inspired him like Mahatma Gandhi. The Mahatma had once remarked that South Africa, where he had lived in his earlier years, would be a "howling wilderness without the Africans". The Ku-Klux-Klan hasn’t gone away, neither have the Nazis in Europe. There were and are descendant groups of both around the world. Tough laws temper their outbursts, the hate they preach is mostly restricted to their paranoid but small folds. But statistics show that white supremacy in the United States has been on the rise. And not coincidentally, since 2016, making it seem as though divisive statements by President Donald J. Trump, first on campaign trail acted as a reassurance. It began to seem as though under Trump, racists will be able to speak their minds freely and have nothing to fear. Coincidence? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Residents of a town in Alabama woke up to flyers in November 2016, the day after the United States elected their new president. "Join the only group that has ever stood for the white man", it read. "Black radicals have reverted back to savages", read another. There have been more than 450 recorded incidents of unabashed racism directed against Jews, Chinese, Asians × On the same day, swastikas and pro-Nazi graffiti appeared in Philadelphia. Sprayed inside a boys’ bathroom in a Minnesota school were the following messages: Go back to Africa, whites only, White America and Trump train, "make America great again". Between November 2016 when the United States voted for a new president and August 2017, there have been more than 450 recorded incidents of unabashed racism directed against Jews, Chinese, Asians – in short, anyone who is not Caucasian. It would be absurd to lay the resurgence of racism at President Trump’s doorstep alone. The US President’s argument that democracies must allow all including racists to be heard, is a valid point. It’s a successful tactic, the same employed by African-American jazz musician Daryl Davis to neutralise many white supremacists by engaging or befriending them. But here’s a thought could Trump’s incendiary talk have polarised American society by acting as a magnet to what already lay simmering beneath the genteel surface of the political correctness that has dominated public speech and opinion over the past several decades? Wages for software engineers in America would be 10 per cent higher if H-1B visas were not implemented. × It seemed that way some weeks ago when white supremacists took to the streets in Charlottesville and violence erupted. Significantly, they felt no need to disguise themselves. The masks were off and so were the white hoods. Alec Kerrigan and “Reverend” James Logsdon were enthusiastic participants in Charlottesville. Both spoke to WION’s Andy Roesgen and unsurprisingly, hatred of immigrants from India seems to be the "new normal". "The problem with races such as Indians entering the country is that they don’t integrate at large", Kerrigan told WION. They build their own communities and don't trust their neighbours and they give less to charity. Wages for software engineers in America would be 10 per cent higher if H-1B visas (given to Indian software engineers) were not implemented. In other words, bringing in highly-skilled immigrants from other countries is bad for the highly-skilled natives. Racism watchdog Southern Poverty Law Center told WION that Reverend James Logsdon's "Creativity Movement" is neither holy nor creative. It’s nothing but a hate group. Here's what Logsdon told WION. "Indian immigration is not similar to any other racial group, not Mexicans or Arabic Muslims because Indians don't come here and commit crimes, they don't come here and rape or kill like you see with Mexicans and the worse elements. You have a lot of highly educated Indians in the medical field in America who do benefit our society. But you also have a lot of them who come with degrees that are falsified, education documents that are falsified, they get IT jobs and they're trained by other people who have been here longer to do the jobs properly, essentially getting into the country by lying and taking American jobs." But why was Logsdon in Charlottesville during the riots? After all, that demonstration had nothing to do with Indian software engineers and all to do with protecting America’s white architectural heritage, statues of erstwhile supremacists. "No, I personally don’t care about old statues," argued Logsdon. "But I understand what they were fighting for. Imagine for the sake of argument, that political correctness affected all of the people in India and affected the caste system. And they decided that the Hindu system was racist and oppressive and the people pushing political correctness decided that all the statues that honoured their gods and their system were to be forcibly torn down. How would Indians feel about that? This is the type of thing that's happening in America today. They're trying to destroy any semblance of our culture and our history. No matter how you feel about being good or bad, our history is our history. You should not tear those things down, just to make them feel better in their safe spaces." The United Kingdom, Portugal, The Netherlands, Spain and France rapaciously exploited North Africa, South America, sub-Saharan Africa and much of Asia including and especially India. × Europe: It’s the geographical venue of one of the worst genocides in the history of mankind, the Holocaust under Germany’s Nazis saw 6 million men, women and children murdered. They were not armed separatists, nor criminal mafia. Their biggest crime is that they were born Jewish, not within Europe’s Christian majority. Germany learned its lessons and remains deeply repentant. And yet, rightwing movements are on the rise. There were more than 900 terror attacks by Islamist terror groups in Europe between 2001 and 2017. But that’s not the only reason. There’s also a certain, God-given superiority that colonising forefathers from France, the UK and the Netherlands vested in themselves. To racist British citizens, all South Asian migrants are "Pakis", to some xenophobic French, northern Africans are "dirty Arabs", to Dutch supremacists, foreign migrants are "scum". The United Kingdom, Portugal, The Netherlands, Spain and France rapaciously exploited North Africa, South America, sub-Saharan Africa and much of Asia including and especially India. When nations grow more powerful than others off stolen wealth, their citizens feel endowed with divinity. But the recession, unemployment and fiery rhetoric from those who rule or aim to rule, are natural catalysts for polarisation. There’s growing religious paranoia and inflammatory rhetoric mainly under Saudi Arabian influence. It has caused a backlash. Hindus are mobilising themselves. × Asia: But is racism restricted to countries where the majority population is white? Not at all. Let’s take a look at South East Asia. Indians have been in Malaysia since medieval times. People of Indian origin constitute 86 per cent of Malaysia’s total population of 31.19 million. Here, it’s brown versus brown. It’s been largely peaceful. And yet, growing radicalisation of the country’s Islamic majority through an alien brand of Wahabi Islam has resulted in growing polarisation. Temples built hundreds of years ago on private land have been demolished. There’s growing religious paranoia and inflammatory rhetoric mainly under Saudi Arabian influence. It has caused a backlash. Hindus are mobilising themselves. Sanjeev Ramakrishnan and his NGO Mywatch, fight against such discrimination. "There is very clear discrimination in education when the maximum number of seats are given to Malays and next to Chinese. Indians hardly get any seats. Major courses like medicine and law are not given to Indians. I ask why they don’t go on merit? I am a Malaysian and by race I am Indian. But if I bid for a government contract, I must have a Malay partner with a 51 per cent stake in the business. They should surely not award contracts based on race" Ramakrishnan says this is true of every walk of life in Malaysia. People of different races live peacefully in Malaysia but the people who rule are us are trying to create a divide. Recently in a school, cups for drinking water were separated for Muslims and non-Muslims. We are fighting for the right to live as Malaysian. We are not refugees here, we are not immigrants here. My grandfather came from India but my father was born in Malaysia. So, I think I am rightfully Malaysian. A lot of Indian don’t have citizenship even if they are born here. But more Pakistani and Bangladeshi are now coming to Malaysia and are being given citizenship. Politicians in parliament have said, "if you don’t like Malaysia get out, go back to India." Indians are more affluent today, travelling a lot more today, seeing a lot more of the world today. And yet, African students in India have borne the brunt of blatant racism, not in some remote village but right in the heart of India’s capital New Delhi. × We are obsessed with fair skin, a hangover of the British Raj when it all started. The belief that the white man, his white skin, must be superior in many ways. It’s strange because, in Hindu mythology, gods like Krishna and Shiva are painted blue. This blue is meant to indicate skin so black that it appears blue. To be dark-skinned in ancient India, was to be beautiful and god-like. But that’s far from the case in modern India. When it comes to brides and bridegrooms, fair skins come at a premium. That’s now begun to take on dismaying proportions. Indians are more affluent today, travelling a lot more today, seeing a lot more of the world today. And yet, African students in India have borne the brunt of blatant racism, not in some remote village but right in the heart of India’s capital New Delhi. Polarisation: A pandemic, a frightening phenomenon. Whether we blame it on President Donald Trump, or, on the rise of the rightwing in Europe; whether we blame it on Saudi Arabian influence in the far east, or, on growing affluence and arrogance in India, there is no doubt that communities and races are huddling together, displaying absolute intolerance for the mere existence of any other than their own kind. Racism is not the only manifestation. There’s that other powerful catalyst of hate i.e. Religion. This is the first of WION's three-part series "Poles Apart".

'The colour of hatred'

<p>Indonesian police have pledged to bar Islamist groups from staging a rally on Friday at the Borobudur Buddhist temple in central Java to protest against the persecution of Myanmar&#39;s Rohingya Muslims.</p>

<p>Islamist groups say they plan the demonstration close to the stupa-topped Borobudur temple, which dates from the 9th century and is a popular tourist site, to call for an end to violence against the religious and ethnic minority in Myanmar.</p>

<p>Indonesia has the world&#39;s largest population of Muslims and there have been a number of anti-Myanmar protests in Jakarta and the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur over the treatment of Buddhist-majority Myanmar&#39;s roughly 1.1 million Rohingyas.</p>

<p>Almost 125,000 Rohingyas have been forced to flee clashes between Rohingya insurgents and the army in the northwest Rakhine state. Tens of thousands have crossed the border into neighbouring Bangladesh.</p>

<p>&quot;The action at Borobudur temple will be prohibited,&quot; National Police Chief Tito Karnavian told reporters, according to media.</p>

<p>&quot;This is not just part of the heritage of Indonesia, but that of the world. There is no need for protests in response to the Rohingya conflict because the Indonesian government is taking action on it already.&quot;</p>

<p>Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi on Monday met Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi and top security officials to call for a halt to the bloodshed. Marsudi was due in Dhaka, the Bangladeshi capital, on Tuesday.</p>

<p>Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif expressed &quot;deep anguish at the ongoing violence against the Rohingya Muslims&quot; and urged the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to take &quot;immediate and effective action to bring an end to all human-rights violations against innocent and unarmed Rohingya Muslim population&quot;.</p>

<p>An organiser of Friday&#39;s planned protest said the groups wanted to protest peacefully near the Borobodur temple to show Indonesia&#39;s tolerance.</p>

<p>&quot;The Borobudur is an extraordinary symbol of tolerance,&quot; said Anang Imamuddin. &quot;We want the world to know that it is in a majority Muslim country but it is safe. Buddhist monks are safe here too.&quot;</p>


Islamist groups say they plan the demonstration close to the stupa-topped Borobudur temple, to call for an end to violence against the religious and ethnic minority in Myanmar.

Indonesian police have pledged to bar Islamist groups from staging a rally on Friday at the Borobudur Buddhist temple in central Java to protest against the persecution of Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims. Islamist groups say they plan the demonstration close to the stupa-topped Borobudur temple, which dates from the 9th century and is a popular tourist site, to call for an end to violence against the religious and ethnic minority in Myanmar. Indonesia has the world's largest population of Muslims and there have been a number of anti-Myanmar protests in Jakarta and the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur over the treatment of Buddhist-majority Myanmar's roughly 1.1 million Rohingyas. Almost 125,000 Rohingyas have been forced to flee clashes between Rohingya insurgents and the army in the northwest Rakhine state. Tens of thousands have crossed the border into neighbouring Bangladesh. "The action at Borobudur temple will be prohibited," National Police Chief Tito Karnavian told reporters, according to media. "This is not just part of the heritage of Indonesia, but that of the world. There is no need for protests in response to the Rohingya conflict because the Indonesian government is taking action on it already." Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi on Monday met Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi and top security officials to call for a halt to the bloodshed. Marsudi was due in Dhaka, the Bangladeshi capital, on Tuesday. Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif expressed "deep anguish at the ongoing violence against the Rohingya Muslims" and urged the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to take "immediate and effective action to bring an end to all human-rights violations against innocent and unarmed Rohingya Muslim population". An organiser of Friday's planned protest said the groups wanted to protest peacefully near the Borobodur temple to show Indonesia's tolerance. "The Borobudur is an extraordinary symbol of tolerance," said Anang Imamuddin. "We want the world to know that it is in a majority Muslim country but it is safe. Buddhist monks are safe here too."

Indonesia to bar Myanmar protest at world's biggest Buddhist temple

<p>Muslim students visiting an Oklahoma lawmaker&#39;s office in the state capitol were required to fill out a form that asked if they beat their wives and other questions that offended them, an Islamic advocacy group said.</p>

<p>The two-page form from Republican state representative John Bennett&#39;s office, which was shared by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), also asked whether they believed an adherent to Islam should be punished for leaving the faith and if Muslims should rule over non-Muslims.</p>

<p>A staff member at Bennett&#39;s handed the form to Muslim students who visited his office on Thursday seeking to meet with him, said Adam Soltani, the executive director of the Oklahoma chapter of CAIR. It was presented as a requirement before they could meet Bennett, Soltani said.</p>

<p>The students were at the capitol in Oklahoma City for an annual Muslim Day event organised by CAIR to introduce members of the community to their state lawmakers and encourage democratic engagement, Soltani said by phone on Saturday.</p>

<p>Bennett confirmed to the Tulsa World newspaper in an email that three Muslim students visiting his office on Thursday as part of Muslim Day activities at the state capitol were handed tracts that, among other things, asked &quot;Do you beat your wife?&quot;</p>

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<h5>The lawmaker said that Islamic law and the Koran permit Muslims to beat their wives, though &#39;this certainly does not mean that all Muslim men beat their wives&#39;</h5>
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<p>The lawmaker said that Islamic law and the Koran permit Muslims to beat their wives, though &quot;this certainly does not mean that all Muslim men beat their wives,&quot; he wrote in the email, according to the newspaper.</p>

<p>Bennett and the state Republican party did not respond to repeated requests for comment.</p>

<p>The students who visited the office of the former US Marine were told he was away and they never did talk to the lawmaker, Soltani said.</p>

<p>&quot;What&#39;s most inflammatory is the questions itself, the fact that Muslims have to pass a religious test in order to see a representative of our state, surely he does not do this to Christian constituents or Jewish constituents,&quot; Soltani said.</p>

<p>This is not the first time Bennett has faced criticism for his statements against Islam.</p>

<p>In a speech in 2014, the lawmaker said he had read the Koran and the Prophet Mohammad&#39;s sayings and that &quot;90 percent of it is violence&quot;.</p>

<p>He acknowledged facing rebukes over his positions on the religion and being called an Islamophobe.</p>

<p>&quot;If I&#39;m an Islamophobe speaking the truth about Islam then you&#39;re absolutely right,&quot; he said at the speech, according to video from the Tulsa World newspaper.</p>

<p>The heading on the questionnaire said it was from an Oklahoma chapter of ACT for America, a national organisation which the Southern Poverty Law Center calls the largest grassroots anti-Muslim group in the United States.</p>

<p>A representative for the Oklahoma chapter of the group did not return an email seeking comment.</p>

<p>(Reuters)</p>


The students were also asked if a Muslim should be punished for leaving his faith and if Muslims should rule over non-Muslims

Muslim students visiting an Oklahoma lawmaker's office in the state capitol were required to fill out a form that asked if they beat their wives and other questions that offended them, an Islamic advocacy group said. The two-page form from Republican state representative John Bennett's office, which was shared by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), also asked whether they believed an adherent to Islam should be punished for leaving the faith and if Muslims should rule over non-Muslims. A staff member at Bennett's handed the form to Muslim students who visited his office on Thursday seeking to meet with him, said Adam Soltani, the executive director of the Oklahoma chapter of CAIR. It was presented as a requirement before they could meet Bennett, Soltani said. The students were at the capitol in Oklahoma City for an annual Muslim Day event organised by CAIR to introduce members of the community to their state lawmakers and encourage democratic engagement, Soltani said by phone on Saturday. Bennett confirmed to the Tulsa World newspaper in an email that three Muslim students visiting his office on Thursday as part of Muslim Day activities at the state capitol were handed tracts that, among other things, asked "Do you beat your wife?" The lawmaker said that Islamic law and the Koran permit Muslims to beat their wives, though 'this certainly does not mean that all Muslim men beat their wives' × The lawmaker said that Islamic law and the Koran permit Muslims to beat their wives, though "this certainly does not mean that all Muslim men beat their wives," he wrote in the email, according to the newspaper. Bennett and the state Republican party did not respond to repeated requests for comment. The students who visited the office of the former US Marine were told he was away and they never did talk to the lawmaker, Soltani said. "What's most inflammatory is the questions itself, the fact that Muslims have to pass a religious test in order to see a representative of our state, surely he does not do this to Christian constituents or Jewish constituents," Soltani said. This is not the first time Bennett has faced criticism for his statements against Islam. In a speech in 2014, the lawmaker said he had read the Koran and the Prophet Mohammad's sayings and that "90 percent of it is violence". He acknowledged facing rebukes over his positions on the religion and being called an Islamophobe. "If I'm an Islamophobe speaking the truth about Islam then you're absolutely right," he said at the speech, according to video from the Tulsa World newspaper. The heading on the questionnaire said it was from an Oklahoma chapter of ACT for America, a national organisation which the Southern Poverty Law Center calls the largest grassroots anti-Muslim group in the United States. A representative for the Oklahoma chapter of the group did not return an email seeking comment. (Reuters)

US lawmaker asks visiting Muslim students: 'Do you beat your wife?'

<p>Shaan Taheer, son of Punjab governor Salman Taseer who was&nbsp;killed five years ago, has received death threats after he posted a Facebook video asking for people to pray for those charged under Pakistan&#39;s blasphemy laws.</p>

<p>Taheer posted a video on his Facebook page wishing happy holidays to the Christians and asked for prayers for the woman and others exploited under the &quot;inhumane&quot; blasphemy laws.</p>

<p>Taheer on Monday said he received &quot;very credible death threats&quot; from supporters of the hardline Muslim philosophy that inspired his father&#39;s killer, bodyguard Mumtaz Qadri, Reuters reported.</p>

<p>&quot;They are sending me Mumtaz Qadri&#39;s photos with messages that there are several Mumtaz Qadris waiting for me,&quot; he told Reuters late on Monday.</p>

<p>Hardline Islamist movement Sunni Tehreek has&nbsp;called for mass protests if Shaan is not charged with blasphemy against Islam. Sunni Tehreek figure Mujahid Abdur Rasool told Reuters the group was in negotiations with the government over the case.</p>

<p>&quot;When we gave them a warning for protests, a delegation of Punjab government met us today,&quot; Rasool said, adding they had set a deadline of Tuesday for police to meet their demands, Reuters reported.</p>

<p>Reuters reported that the police report on the complaint had no mention of Shaan Taheer&#39;s name.</p>

<p>The police report did reference the Christmas message and opened an investigation the blasphemy laws&#39; Section 295-A, which bans hate speech against any religion, according to Reuters.</p>

<p>Salman Taseer was killed by his bodyguard for supporting Asia Bibi, a Christian woman who was sentenced to death under the country&#39;s blasphemy laws. Salman had said that the laws needed to be changed. Blasphemy against Islam is punishable by death.</p>

<p>Qadri was sentenced to death for killing the governor last year. Thousands attended his funeral in March last year because they considered him a hero.</p>

<p>Pakistan charged more than 200 people under blasphemy laws in 2015, many of them minorities.</p>

<p>(With inputs from Reuters)</p>


Shaan Taseer is accused of criticising the blasphemy laws, which is exactly what led to his father being gunned down by his bodyguard

Shaan Taheer, son of Punjab governor Salman Taseer who was killed five years ago, has received death threats after he posted a Facebook video asking for people to pray for those charged under Pakistan's blasphemy laws. Taheer posted a video on his Facebook page wishing happy holidays to the Christians and asked for prayers for the woman and others exploited under the "inhumane" blasphemy laws. Taheer on Monday said he received "very credible death threats" from supporters of the hardline Muslim philosophy that inspired his father's killer, bodyguard Mumtaz Qadri, Reuters reported. "They are sending me Mumtaz Qadri's photos with messages that there are several Mumtaz Qadris waiting for me," he told Reuters late on Monday. Hardline Islamist movement Sunni Tehreek has called for mass protests if Shaan is not charged with blasphemy against Islam. Sunni Tehreek figure Mujahid Abdur Rasool told Reuters the group was in negotiations with the government over the case. "When we gave them a warning for protests, a delegation of Punjab government met us today," Rasool said, adding they had set a deadline of Tuesday for police to meet their demands, Reuters reported. Reuters reported that the police report on the complaint had no mention of Shaan Taheer's name. The police report did reference the Christmas message and opened an investigation the blasphemy laws' Section 295-A, which bans hate speech against any religion, according to Reuters. Salman Taseer was killed by his bodyguard for supporting Asia Bibi, a Christian woman who was sentenced to death under the country's blasphemy laws. Salman had said that the laws needed to be changed. Blasphemy against Islam is punishable by death. Qadri was sentenced to death for killing the governor last year. Thousands attended his funeral in March last year because they considered him a hero. Pakistan charged more than 200 people under blasphemy laws in 2015, many of them minorities. (With inputs from Reuters)

Pakistan: 5 years after he was killed, hardliners call for Salman Taseer's son's death

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<p dir="ltr">Sufism is a mystical Islamic practice to find the truth of divine love &amp; knowledge that originated in around the 9th and 10th centuries.&nbsp;The most popular known tradition of Sufism is Sufi Whirling. From symbolic&nbsp;clothing to the unique body movements, everything about this dance has deep symbolism attached to it.</p>


Everything about Sufi Whirling has a deep spiritual meaning.

Sufism is a mystical Islamic practice to find the truth of divine love & knowledge that originated in around the 9th and 10th centuries. The most popular known tradition of Sufism is Sufi Whirling. From symbolic clothing to the unique body movements, everything about this dance has deep symbolism attached to it.

Video: The mystical and meditative dance of Sufism

<p>The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed opening of &quot;Islamic window&quot; in conventional banks for &quot;gradual&quot; introduction of Sharia-compliant or interest-free banking in the country.</p>

<p>Both the Centre and RBI are exploring the possibility of introduction of Islamic banking for long to ensure financial inclusion of those sections of the society that remain excluded due to religious reasons.</p>

<p>&quot;In our considered opinion, given the complexities of Islamic finance and various regulatory and supervisory challenges involved in the matter and also due to the fact that Indian banks have no experience in this field, Islamic banking may be introduced in India in a gradual manner.</p>

<p>&quot;Initially, a few simple products which are similar to conventional banking products may be considered for introduction through Islamic window of the conventional banks after necessary notification by the government.</p>

<p>&quot;Introduction of full-fledged Islamic banking with profit-loss sharing complex products may be considered at a later stage on the basis of experience gained in course of time,&quot; the RBI has told Finance Ministry in a letter, a copy of which was received in response to an RTI query filed by PTI.</p>

<p>Islamic or Sharia banking is a finance system based on the principles of not charging interest, which is prohibited under Islam.</p>

<p>&quot;It is also our understanding that interest-free banking for financial inclusion will require a proper process of the product being certified as Sharia compliant will be required both on the asset and liability side and the funds received under the interest-free banking could not be mingled with other funds and therefore, this banking will have to be conducted under a separate window,&quot; it said.</p>

<p>The central bank&#39;s proposal is based on examination of legal, technical and regulatory issues regarding feasibility of introducing Islamic banking in India on the basis of recommendation of the Inter Departmental Group (IDG).</p>

<p>RBI has also prepared a technical analysis report which has been sent to the Finance Ministry.</p>

<p>&quot;In case it is decided to introduce Islamic banking product in India as suggested, RBI would require to undertake further work to put in place the operational and regulatory framework to facilitate introduction of such products by banks in India,&quot; the letter said.</p>

<p>(PTI)</p>


Islamic or Sharia banking is a finance system based on the principles of not charging interest, which is prohibited under Islam

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed opening of "Islamic window" in conventional banks for "gradual" introduction of Sharia-compliant or interest-free banking in the country. Both the Centre and RBI are exploring the possibility of introduction of Islamic banking for long to ensure financial inclusion of those sections of the society that remain excluded due to religious reasons. "In our considered opinion, given the complexities of Islamic finance and various regulatory and supervisory challenges involved in the matter and also due to the fact that Indian banks have no experience in this field, Islamic banking may be introduced in India in a gradual manner. "Initially, a few simple products which are similar to conventional banking products may be considered for introduction through Islamic window of the conventional banks after necessary notification by the government. "Introduction of full-fledged Islamic banking with profit-loss sharing complex products may be considered at a later stage on the basis of experience gained in course of time," the RBI has told Finance Ministry in a letter, a copy of which was received in response to an RTI query filed by PTI. Islamic or Sharia banking is a finance system based on the principles of not charging interest, which is prohibited under Islam. "It is also our understanding that interest-free banking for financial inclusion will require a proper process of the product being certified as Sharia compliant will be required both on the asset and liability side and the funds received under the interest-free banking could not be mingled with other funds and therefore, this banking will have to be conducted under a separate window," it said. The central bank's proposal is based on examination of legal, technical and regulatory issues regarding feasibility of introducing Islamic banking in India on the basis of recommendation of the Inter Departmental Group (IDG). RBI has also prepared a technical analysis report which has been sent to the Finance Ministry. "In case it is decided to introduce Islamic banking product in India as suggested, RBI would require to undertake further work to put in place the operational and regulatory framework to facilitate introduction of such products by banks in India," the letter said. (PTI)

Sharia banking: Reserve Bank of India proposes 'Islamic window' in banks

<p>With Islamophobia back into the limelight this election season in the United States following Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump&#39;s idea to ban Muslims from entering the US, the Sikh community in New York shares how Sikhism is often confused with Islam here.</p>

<p>Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in response to Trump had brought in Khizr Khan, who criticised trump, highlighting the story of his son, who fought for the United States and died during the ongoing Iraq war.</p>

<p>This is what the New York cab drivers - many of whom are Sikh -&nbsp;but are mistaken for being Muslim, have to say.</p>

<p>Nearly half of the taxi drivers in the city are South Asian and two of every 10 are Sikh.</p>

<p>&quot;It&#39;s a good way to make a living because I have no other qualifications, and it&#39;s a way to support your family. But sometimes they call us Osama Bin Laden here,&quot; said Ravinder Singh who has been a cab driver in NYC for 20 years. &quot;I feel they are ignorant - they don&#39;t know Sikhism,&quot; he added. The turbans confuse people, he said.</p>

<p>&quot;It hurts me - I&#39;m not part of OBL. We are a very peaceful country. We love this country. We&#39;re living in this country and growing our family,&quot; Ravinder adds.</p>

<p>&quot;They are misunderstanding us. They think people with beards and turbans are Muslims,&quot; says Satnam Singh, who has been driving around New York for the last 14 years.&nbsp;&quot;They say things like go back to India,&quot; he adds.</p>

<p>The two agree&nbsp;that the racist remarks come with the job.<br />
<br />
&quot;It&#39;s horrible - I can&#39;t run behind them, or teach them or fight them,&quot; Satnam Singh adds.&nbsp;&quot;I understand that people don&#39;t understand me. If they try to listen to me, I say I am not a Muslim, I am a Sikh.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;We try to explain who we are, what is our religion, how peaceful we are, they don&#39;t hate Sikhism, they hate Muslims. They say Salam Waliqum - I say I am not Muslim, and I am Sikh and this is the way of our life and they feel happy,&quot; Ravinder Singh says.&nbsp;&quot;I&#39;ve been in Michigan. I bought a convenience store. The white people in the white village hate us. But in New York, I never felt that. We try to help people how much we can. We are not bad people. The first lesson is to love human beings, help each other, help the poor, and don&#39;t discriminate anybody,&quot; he adds.</p>

<p>The discrimination, however, is not as bad as in other parts of the country.&nbsp;But they do want people to understand what Sikhism is all about. For now, they educate one passenger at a time.</p>

<p>&quot;It&#39;ll take time - but one day people will realise we are nice people,&quot; Ravinder adds.</p>

<p>It&#39;s been 15 years since the September 11 attacks. Many Sikhs in NYC say that they have been targeted since then. But they say it&#39;s still not as bad as in other parts of the country, where even Gurudwaras have been attacked. The fundamental reason&nbsp;behind this violence is ignorance, and a lack of understanding of what their religion stands for.</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


Nearly half of the cab drivers in New York city are South Asian and two of every 10 are Sikh

With Islamophobia back into the limelight this election season in the United States following Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's idea to ban Muslims from entering the US, the Sikh community in New York shares how Sikhism is often confused with Islam here. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in response to Trump had brought in Khizr Khan, who criticised trump, highlighting the story of his son, who fought for the United States and died during the ongoing Iraq war. This is what the New York cab drivers - many of whom are Sikh - but are mistaken for being Muslim, have to say. Nearly half of the taxi drivers in the city are South Asian and two of every 10 are Sikh. "It's a good way to make a living because I have no other qualifications, and it's a way to support your family. But sometimes they call us Osama Bin Laden here," said Ravinder Singh who has been a cab driver in NYC for 20 years. "I feel they are ignorant - they don't know Sikhism," he added. The turbans confuse people, he said. "It hurts me - I'm not part of OBL. We are a very peaceful country. We love this country. We're living in this country and growing our family," Ravinder adds. "They are misunderstanding us. They think people with beards and turbans are Muslims," says Satnam Singh, who has been driving around New York for the last 14 years. "They say things like go back to India," he adds. The two agree that the racist remarks come with the job. "It's horrible - I can't run behind them, or teach them or fight them," Satnam Singh adds. "I understand that people don't understand me. If they try to listen to me, I say I am not a Muslim, I am a Sikh." "We try to explain who we are, what is our religion, how peaceful we are, they don't hate Sikhism, they hate Muslims. They say Salam Waliqum - I say I am not Muslim, and I am Sikh and this is the way of our life and they feel happy," Ravinder Singh says. "I've been in Michigan. I bought a convenience store. The white people in the white village hate us. But in New York, I never felt that. We try to help people how much we can. We are not bad people. The first lesson is to love human beings, help each other, help the poor, and don't discriminate anybody," he adds. The discrimination, however, is not as bad as in other parts of the country. But they do want people to understand what Sikhism is all about. For now, they educate one passenger at a time. "It'll take time - but one day people will realise we are nice people," Ravinder adds. It's been 15 years since the September 11 attacks. Many Sikhs in NYC say that they have been targeted since then. But they say it's still not as bad as in other parts of the country, where even Gurudwaras have been attacked. The fundamental reason behind this violence is ignorance, and a lack of understanding of what their religion stands for. (WION)

US election 2016: Sikhism often confused with Islam, say Sikh voters

<p>To make it easy for Muslims to identify halal products, Ikiam along with the Malaysian Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (Risda) is designing a logo that will carry a &lsquo;Made by Muslims&rsquo; stamp. The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia already has an official halal logo for products made within the country, but now wants to create a revised logo that states whether the products were also made in a halal environment. Unlike popular belief, the concept of halal covers more than just food and beverages, it also includes cosmetics and toiletries.</p>

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<p>This picture shows the entrance of a halal butchery in Lille, northern France. (AFP)</p>
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<p>The Malaysian Institute of International Islamic Corporation (Ikiam) is an organisation that works to help entrepreneurs of Malaysia capitalise on the global halal market. Halal is an Arabic term for something that is permissible within the ambit of Islam. Muslims around the world are governed by this rule, which defines what is officially allowed for consumption. For example, pork and its by-products along with alcohol are forbidden for Muslims. According to the Halal Research Council, the global halal food market is worth US$580,915 and is growing substantially every year.</p>

<p>Malaysia is a big contributor to the halal market. It, in fact, launched the first halal compliant airline in 2015. All meals on Rayani Air are halal and alcohol consumption is completely prohibited. The airline, however, shut down recently due to issues of negligence.<br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(Contributed by: Zeba Khan)</em></p>


The new logo will authenticate products made under a halal environment

To make it easy for Muslims to identify halal products, Ikiam along with the Malaysian Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (Risda) is designing a logo that will carry a ‘Made by Muslims’ stamp. The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia already has an official halal logo for products made within the country, but now wants to create a revised logo that states whether the products were also made in a halal environment. Unlike popular belief, the concept of halal covers more than just food and beverages, it also includes cosmetics and toiletries. This picture shows the entrance of a halal butchery in Lille, northern France. (AFP) × The Malaysian Institute of International Islamic Corporation (Ikiam) is an organisation that works to help entrepreneurs of Malaysia capitalise on the global halal market. Halal is an Arabic term for something that is permissible within the ambit of Islam. Muslims around the world are governed by this rule, which defines what is officially allowed for consumption. For example, pork and its by-products along with alcohol are forbidden for Muslims. According to the Halal Research Council, the global halal food market is worth US$580,915 and is growing substantially every year. Malaysia is a big contributor to the halal market. It, in fact, launched the first halal compliant airline in 2015. All meals on Rayani Air are halal and alcohol consumption is completely prohibited. The airline, however, shut down recently due to issues of negligence. (Contributed by: Zeba Khan)

'Made by Muslims': A new label in town

<p>Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, who was sentenced for 10 years imprisonment and 1,000 lashes in 2014 &nbsp;on charge of &nbsp;insulting Islam through electronic channels, may face new round of lashes, a co-founder of a Canadian foundation advocating his release said on Tuesday, reported Reuters.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Evelyne Abitbol, who founded the Raif Badawi Foundation with Badawi&#39;s wife, has claimed that a &quot;reliable source&quot; in Saudi Arabia said that the imprisoned Saudi blogger may face a new flogging.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Badawi&#39;s public flogging last year triggered a global outcry, the international news agency reported. &nbsp;Reuters, however, pointed out that Saudi embassy officials in Ottawa and Saudi government officials in Riyadh were not immediately available for comment.</p>

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<p>&quot;Unfortunately, it could happen at any time, if it happens,&quot; Abitbol told Reuters on phone in Montreal adding&nbsp;that the he could not name the source but it was the same person who alerted Badawi`s wife, Ensaf Haidar, in 2015 before he received his first 50 lashes, the only part of the flogging that was reportedly administered.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;We are trying to have the most accurate information possible, because if this information is true, it would be shameful. Canada completely condemns this type of lashing,&quot; Canada`s foreign affairs minister Stephane Dion &nbsp;was quoted as saying by Reuters.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Badawi, the &nbsp;Saudi Arabian writer and activist and the creator of the website Free Saudi Liberals, &nbsp;was awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by European Parliament last December. &#39;Courage Award 2015 from the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy&#39;, &#39;Aikenhead Award 2015 of Scottish Secular Society&#39; , &#39;Netizen Prize of Reporters without Borders 2014&#39;, are among the other awards he has been awarded.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>He has also penned a book, 1000 Lashes, Because I Say What I Think, where he talks about the shocking sentence, human and civil rights, tolerance and the necessary separation of state and religion.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Several rights groups&nbsp;including Amnesty International have voiced concern over the severe punishment and have been raising voice for his release.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>(WION with inputs from Reuters)&nbsp;<br />
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Badawi was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and 1,000 lashes in 2014 for breaking the kingdom's technology laws and insulting Islam

Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, who was sentenced for 10 years imprisonment and 1,000 lashes in 2014 on charge of insulting Islam through electronic channels, may face new round of lashes, a co-founder of a Canadian foundation advocating his release said on Tuesday, reported Reuters. Evelyne Abitbol, who founded the Raif Badawi Foundation with Badawi's wife, has claimed that a "reliable source" in Saudi Arabia said that the imprisoned Saudi blogger may face a new flogging. Badawi's public flogging last year triggered a global outcry, the international news agency reported. Reuters, however, pointed out that Saudi embassy officials in Ottawa and Saudi government officials in Riyadh were not immediately available for comment. × × "Unfortunately, it could happen at any time, if it happens," Abitbol told Reuters on phone in Montreal adding that the he could not name the source but it was the same person who alerted Badawi`s wife, Ensaf Haidar, in 2015 before he received his first 50 lashes, the only part of the flogging that was reportedly administered. "We are trying to have the most accurate information possible, because if this information is true, it would be shameful. Canada completely condemns this type of lashing," Canada`s foreign affairs minister Stephane Dion was quoted as saying by Reuters. Badawi, the Saudi Arabian writer and activist and the creator of the website Free Saudi Liberals, was awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by European Parliament last December. 'Courage Award 2015 from the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy', 'Aikenhead Award 2015 of Scottish Secular Society' , 'Netizen Prize of Reporters without Borders 2014', are among the other awards he has been awarded. He has also penned a book, 1000 Lashes, Because I Say What I Think, where he talks about the shocking sentence, human and civil rights, tolerance and the necessary separation of state and religion. Several rights groups including Amnesty International have voiced concern over the severe punishment and have been raising voice for his release. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Saudi blogger Raif Badawi likely to be given more lashes in prison

<p dir="ltr">French President Francois Hollande told the authors of a recently published book that &quot;France has a problem with Islam&quot;, comments that can divide his party before next year&rsquo;s presidential election.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Hollande spoke to the two authors of &quot;A President Shouldn&rsquo;t Say That....&quot; in December 2015, only a month after Jihadist gunmen and bombers attacked Paris, killing 130.&nbsp;</p>

<p dir="ltr">The book published on Wednesday, is written by journalists, Gerard Davet and Fabrice Lhomme, who met with Hollande 61 times, Reuters reported.</p>

<p dir="ltr">&quot;It&rsquo;s true that there&rsquo;s a problem with Islam. No one doubts it,&quot; Hollande is quoted as saying, Reuters reported.</p>

<p dir="ltr">&quot;It&rsquo;s not that Islam poses a problem in the sense that it is a dangerous religion, but in as far as it wants to affirm itself as a religion of the Republic.&quot; he added.</p>

<p dir="ltr">&nbsp;Similar statements have been made by conservative politicians in the past.&nbsp;</p>

<p dir="ltr">Since the late 1980s, successive Paris governments have &nbsp;failed in nurturing a liberal &quot;Islam of France&quot; to help integrate the faith into secular society.</p>

<p dir="ltr">In August, Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the state must re-invent its relationship with the &quot;Islam of France&quot;.</p>

<p dir="ltr">On Hollande&rsquo;s comments, government spokesman Stephan Le Foll told Reuters: &quot;There&rsquo;s a problem with Islam today because Islam is politicised by some. There is a problem and at the same time we need to be able to overcome this problem.&quot;</p>

<p dir="ltr">According to Reuters, opposition politicians said on Wednesday that Hollande should spend less time talking to journalists and more time governing.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Late on Wednesday, Hollande also &nbsp;invited two of France&rsquo;s highest ranking judges to patch up relations after the book quoted him belittling judges, according to a tweet on the top appeals court&rsquo;s Twitter account.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr">(WION with inputs from Reuters)</p>


Hollande's comments made to authors of a book published on Wednesday have drawn criticism from the opposition

French President Francois Hollande told the authors of a recently published book that "France has a problem with Islam", comments that can divide his party before next year’s presidential election. Hollande spoke to the two authors of "A President Shouldn’t Say That...." in December 2015, only a month after Jihadist gunmen and bombers attacked Paris, killing 130. The book published on Wednesday, is written by journalists, Gerard Davet and Fabrice Lhomme, who met with Hollande 61 times, Reuters reported. "It’s true that there’s a problem with Islam. No one doubts it," Hollande is quoted as saying, Reuters reported. "It’s not that Islam poses a problem in the sense that it is a dangerous religion, but in as far as it wants to affirm itself as a religion of the Republic." he added. Similar statements have been made by conservative politicians in the past. Since the late 1980s, successive Paris governments have failed in nurturing a liberal "Islam of France" to help integrate the faith into secular society. In August, Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the state must re-invent its relationship with the "Islam of France". On Hollande’s comments, government spokesman Stephan Le Foll told Reuters: "There’s a problem with Islam today because Islam is politicised by some. There is a problem and at the same time we need to be able to overcome this problem." According to Reuters, opposition politicians said on Wednesday that Hollande should spend less time talking to journalists and more time governing. Late on Wednesday, Hollande also invited two of France’s highest ranking judges to patch up relations after the book quoted him belittling judges, according to a tweet on the top appeals court’s Twitter account. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

France has a problem with Islam: Francois Hollande

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