UN chief Antonio Guterres urged<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/tillerson-to-deliver-warning-in-myanmar-over-rohingya-crisis-24063"> Myanmar</a> leader Aung San Suu Kyi to allow <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/myanmar-military-denies-atrocities-against-rohingya-24141">Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh</a> to return, when they met today at a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/asean-summit-modi-meets-several-world-leaders-24151">summit in the Philippines</a>, his office said.

The meeting added to global pressure on Suu Kyi to take action to end the crisis for the Muslim minority, with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson due Tuesday also to hold talks with her in Manila then travel to Myanmar.

&quot;The Secretary-General highlighted that strengthened efforts to ensure humanitarian access, safe, dignified, voluntary and sustained returns, as well as true reconciliation between communities, would be essential,&quot; a UN statement said, summarising comments to Suu Kyi.

More than 600,000 Rohingya have fled to neighboring Bangladesh in two and a half months.

The crisis erupted after Rohingya rebels attacked police posts in Myanmar&#39;s Rakhine state, triggering a military crackdown that saw hundreds of villages reduced to ashes and sparked a massive exodus.

Authorities have blocked independent access to northern Rakhine.

But journalists and UN officials have collected reams of testimony from <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/wion-morning-news-brief-november-13-2017-24142">Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh</a> describing soldiers and Buddhist mobs committing murder, rape and mass arson.

Following its first official investigation into the crisis, the army published a report this week in which it cleared itself of any abuses.

Nobel laureate Suu Kyi, a former democracy activist, has been lambasted by rights groups for failing to speak up for the Rohingya or condemn festering anti-Muslim sentiment in the country.

But she lacks control over the powerful military, which ruled the country for decades until her party came to power following 2015 elections.

The United States has been careful not to place blame on her and has focused instead on the army&#39;s role in the conflict.

Guterres and Suu Kyi met in the early hours of Tuesday morning, according to his office.

In a summit on Monday night with leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which Myanmar is a member, Guterres also voiced concern about the Rohingya.

He said the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya was a &quot;worrying escalation in a protracted tragedy,&quot; according to the UN statement.

He described the situation as a potential source of instability in the region, as well as radicalization.

The meeting added to global pressure on Suu Kyi to take action to end the crisis for the Muslim minority, with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson due Tuesday also to hold talks with her in Manila then travel to Myanmar

UN chief Antonio Guterres urged Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi to allow Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh to return, when they met today at a summit in the Philippines, his office said. The meeting added to global pressure on Suu Kyi to take action to end the crisis for the Muslim minority, with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson due Tuesday also to hold talks with her in Manila then travel to Myanmar. "The Secretary-General highlighted that strengthened efforts to ensure humanitarian access, safe, dignified, voluntary and sustained returns, as well as true reconciliation between communities, would be essential," a UN statement said, summarising comments to Suu Kyi. More than 600,000 Rohingya have fled to neighboring Bangladesh in two and a half months. The crisis erupted after Rohingya rebels attacked police posts in Myanmar's Rakhine state, triggering a military crackdown that saw hundreds of villages reduced to ashes and sparked a massive exodus. Authorities have blocked independent access to northern Rakhine. But journalists and UN officials have collected reams of testimony from Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh describing soldiers and Buddhist mobs committing murder, rape and mass arson. Following its first official investigation into the crisis, the army published a report this week in which it cleared itself of any abuses. Nobel laureate Suu Kyi, a former democracy activist, has been lambasted by rights groups for failing to speak up for the Rohingya or condemn festering anti-Muslim sentiment in the country. But she lacks control over the powerful military, which ruled the country for decades until her party came to power following 2015 elections. The United States has been careful not to place blame on her and has focused instead on the army's role in the conflict. Guterres and Suu Kyi met in the early hours of Tuesday morning, according to his office. In a summit on Monday night with leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which Myanmar is a member, Guterres also voiced concern about the Rohingya. He said the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya was a "worrying escalation in a protracted tragedy," according to the UN statement. He described the situation as a potential source of instability in the region, as well as radicalization.

UN chief meets Myanmar's Suu Kyi on Rohingya crisis

Myanmar&#39;s army released a report on Monday denying all allegations of rape and killings by security forces, having days earlier replaced the general in charge of the operation that drove more than 600,000<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/tough-conditions-for-rohingya-refugees-in-bangladesh-us-official-23723" target="_blank"> Rohingya Muslims</a> to flee to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/rohingya-group-urges-bangladesh-to-pressure-myanmar-on-return-to-ancestral-land-12444" target="_blank">Bangladesh</a>.

No reason was given for Major General Maung Maung Soe being transferred from his post as the head of Western Command in Rakhine state, where Myanmar&#39;s military, known as the Tatmadaw, launched a sweeping counter-insurgency operation in August.

&quot;I don&#39;t know the reason why he was transferred,&quot; Major General Aye Lwin, deputy director of the psychological warfare and public relation department at the Ministry of Defence, told Reuters. &quot;He wasn&#39;t moved into any position at present. He has been put in reserve.&quot;

A senior UN official, who had toured the refugee camps in Bangladesh, on Sunday accused <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/un-security-council-urges-myanmar-to-stop-excessive-military-force-23625" target="_blank">Myanmar&#39;s military</a> of conducting organised mass rape and other crimes against humanity.

The Myanmar military said its own internal investigation had exonerated security forces of all accusations of atrocities. The investigators&#39; findings were posted on the Facebook page of the military&#39;s commander-in-chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.

The developments came ahead of a visit on Wednesday by <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/tillerson-to-deliver-warning-in-myanmar-over-rohingya-crisis-24063" target="_blank">US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson</a>. He is expected to deliver a stern message to Myanmar&#39;s generals, over whom national leader Aung San Suu Kyi has little control.

A spokeswoman for the US State Department, Katina Adams, said the United States was aware of reports of the general&#39;s replacement and added:

&quot;We remain gravely concerned by continuing reports of violence and human rights abuses committed by Burmese security forces and vigilantes. Those responsible for abuses must be held accountable.&quot;

Lawmakers in Washington are pressing to pass legislation imposing economic and travel sanctions targeting the military and its business interests.

In an op-ed in Britain&#39;s Guardian newspaper on Monday, Republican Representative Steve Chabot and Democratic Representative Joseph Crowley said it was time to &quot;expeditiously&quot; impose sanctions.

&quot;The US needs to send a clear message that there is no excuse for a cruel, extensive and grossly disproportionate crackdown on civilians,&quot; they said.

The government in mostly Buddhist Myanmar, which is also known as Burma, regards the Rohingya as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Leaders of Asian nations meeting in Manila on Monday skirted around the exodus of the Rohingya, disappointing human rights groups who were hoping for a tough stand.

Maung Maung Soe&#39;s transfer was ordered on Friday and Brigadier General Soe Tint Naing, formerly a director in logistics, was appointed as the new head of Western Command.

Made up of three divisions, Western Command is overseen by the Bureau of Special Operations, which reports to the office of Min Aung Hlaing.

A senior UN official, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra&#39;ad al-Hussein, has described the army&#39;s actions in Rakhine as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.

Myanmar says the clearance operation was necessary for national security after Rohingya militants attacked 30 security posts and an army base in the state on August 25. The internal investigation put the number of fighters involved in the attacks at over 10,000, more than doubling an earlier official estimate.

Alleged atrocities

Speaking in Dhaka, Pramila Patten, the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, said she would raise accusations against the Myanmar military with the International Criminal Court in the Hague.

&quot;When I return to New York, I will brief and raise the issue with the prosecutor and president of the ICC whether they (Myanmar&#39;s military) can be held responsible for these atrocities,&quot; Patten said.

&quot;Sexual violence is being commanded, orchestrated and perpetrated by the Armed Forces of Myanmar, otherwise known as the Tatmadaw,&quot; Patten said following a three-day tour of the Rohingya refugee camps in the Cox&#39;s Bazar region of Bangladesh.

&quot;Rape is an act and a weapon of genocide,&quot; she said.

Refugees have accused Myanmar soldiers and Buddhist vigilantes of torching their villages, murdering their families and raping women.

Patten said brutal acts of sexual violence had occurred in the context of collective persecution that included the killing of adults and children, torture, mutilation and the burning and looting of villages.

&quot;The forms of sexual violence we consistently heard about from survivors include gang-rape by multiple soldiers, forced public nudity and humiliation, and sexual slavery in military captivity. One survivor was in captivity for 45 days by the Myanmar army,&quot; Patten said.

Internal probe

The Myanmar military&#39;s internal probe said that according to 2,817 people interviewed from 54 Rohingya villages soldiers did not fire on &quot;innocent villagers&quot;, rape or commit sexual violence against women.

Nor were there any killings or beating of villagers, and the security forces did not carry out any looting or set fire to Rohingya mosques, it said.

The report also concluded that security forces only used small arms in clashes with Rohingya militants and there were no findings to suggest the use of &quot;excessive force&quot;.

It also blamed the militants for setting fire to the villages and frightening and coercing people to leave their homes.

Myanmar is refusing entry to a UN panel that was tasked with investigating allegations of abuses after a smaller military counteroffensive launched in October 2016.

The country is in the early stages of a fragile transition to democracy after being ruled by a junta for 49 years, and the generals have retained their autonomy on matters of defence, security and border issues under a 2008 constitution. Three generals are members of the cabinet.

Suu Kyi has said that any alleged atrocities should be substantiated and investigated, while her government is working to stabilise Rakhine in order for the Rohingya to return.

For now, though, the flow is one way. The International Rescue Committee, a New York-based aid agency, reckons that around two-thirds of an estimated 300,000 Rohingya remaining in Myanmar could head across the border in the coming months.

Myanmar's army released a report on Monday denying all allegations of rape and killings by security forces, having days earlier replaced the general in charge of the operation that drove more than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee to Bangladesh

Myanmar's army released a report on Monday denying all allegations of rape and killings by security forces, having days earlier replaced the general in charge of the operation that drove more than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee to Bangladesh. No reason was given for Major General Maung Maung Soe being transferred from his post as the head of Western Command in Rakhine state, where Myanmar's military, known as the Tatmadaw, launched a sweeping counter-insurgency operation in August. "I don't know the reason why he was transferred," Major General Aye Lwin, deputy director of the psychological warfare and public relation department at the Ministry of Defence, told Reuters. "He wasn't moved into any position at present. He has been put in reserve." A senior UN official, who had toured the refugee camps in Bangladesh, on Sunday accused Myanmar's military of conducting organised mass rape and other crimes against humanity. The Myanmar military said its own internal investigation had exonerated security forces of all accusations of atrocities. The investigators' findings were posted on the Facebook page of the military's commander-in-chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. The developments came ahead of a visit on Wednesday by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. He is expected to deliver a stern message to Myanmar's generals, over whom national leader Aung San Suu Kyi has little control. A spokeswoman for the US State Department, Katina Adams, said the United States was aware of reports of the general's replacement and added: "We remain gravely concerned by continuing reports of violence and human rights abuses committed by Burmese security forces and vigilantes. Those responsible for abuses must be held accountable." Lawmakers in Washington are pressing to pass legislation imposing economic and travel sanctions targeting the military and its business interests. In an op-ed in Britain's Guardian newspaper on Monday, Republican Representative Steve Chabot and Democratic Representative Joseph Crowley said it was time to "expeditiously" impose sanctions. "The US needs to send a clear message that there is no excuse for a cruel, extensive and grossly disproportionate crackdown on civilians," they said. The government in mostly Buddhist Myanmar, which is also known as Burma, regards the Rohingya as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Leaders of Asian nations meeting in Manila on Monday skirted around the exodus of the Rohingya, disappointing human rights groups who were hoping for a tough stand. Maung Maung Soe's transfer was ordered on Friday and Brigadier General Soe Tint Naing, formerly a director in logistics, was appointed as the new head of Western Command. Made up of three divisions, Western Command is overseen by the Bureau of Special Operations, which reports to the office of Min Aung Hlaing. A senior UN official, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, has described the army's actions in Rakhine as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing. Myanmar says the clearance operation was necessary for national security after Rohingya militants attacked 30 security posts and an army base in the state on August 25. The internal investigation put the number of fighters involved in the attacks at over 10,000, more than doubling an earlier official estimate. Alleged atrocities Speaking in Dhaka, Pramila Patten, the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, said she would raise accusations against the Myanmar military with the International Criminal Court in the Hague. "When I return to New York, I will brief and raise the issue with the prosecutor and president of the ICC whether they (Myanmar's military) can be held responsible for these atrocities," Patten said. "Sexual violence is being commanded, orchestrated and perpetrated by the Armed Forces of Myanmar, otherwise known as the Tatmadaw," Patten said following a three-day tour of the Rohingya refugee camps in the Cox's Bazar region of Bangladesh. "Rape is an act and a weapon of genocide," she said. Refugees have accused Myanmar soldiers and Buddhist vigilantes of torching their villages, murdering their families and raping women. Patten said brutal acts of sexual violence had occurred in the context of collective persecution that included the killing of adults and children, torture, mutilation and the burning and looting of villages. "The forms of sexual violence we consistently heard about from survivors include gang-rape by multiple soldiers, forced public nudity and humiliation, and sexual slavery in military captivity. One survivor was in captivity for 45 days by the Myanmar army," Patten said. Internal probe The Myanmar military's internal probe said that according to 2,817 people interviewed from 54 Rohingya villages soldiers did not fire on "innocent villagers", rape or commit sexual violence against women. Nor were there any killings or beating of villagers, and the security forces did not carry out any looting or set fire to Rohingya mosques, it said. The report also concluded that security forces only used small arms in clashes with Rohingya militants and there were no findings to suggest the use of "excessive force". It also blamed the militants for setting fire to the villages and frightening and coercing people to leave their homes. Myanmar is refusing entry to a UN panel that was tasked with investigating allegations of abuses after a smaller military counteroffensive launched in October 2016. The country is in the early stages of a fragile transition to democracy after being ruled by a junta for 49 years, and the generals have retained their autonomy on matters of defence, security and border issues under a 2008 constitution. Three generals are members of the cabinet. Suu Kyi has said that any alleged atrocities should be substantiated and investigated, while her government is working to stabilise Rakhine in order for the Rohingya to return. For now, though, the flow is one way. The International Rescue Committee, a New York-based aid agency, reckons that around two-thirds of an estimated 300,000 Rohingya remaining in Myanmar could head across the border in the coming months.

Myanmar military denies atrocities against Rohingyas, replaces general

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/indonesian-minister-to-meet-suu-kyi-amid-protests-over-rohingya-19834">Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi</a> has come under pressure from countries with large Muslim populations including Bangladesh, Indonesia and Pakistan to stop violence against Rohingya Muslims after nearly 125,000 of them fled to Bangladesh.

Indonesian foreign minister met the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Myanmar army chief Min Aung Hlaing on Monday to call on Myanmar to halt the bloodshed. The minister, Retno Marsudi, was due in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, on Tuesday.

&quot;The security authorities need to immediately stop all forms of violence there and provide humanitarian assistance and development aid for the short and long term,&quot; Retno said after her meetings in the Myanmar capital.

The latest violence in Myanmar&#39;s northwestern Rakhine state began on Aug. 25, when Rohingya insurgents attacked dozens of police posts and an army base. The ensuing clashes and a military counter-offensive have killed at least 400 people and triggered the exodus of villagers to Bangladesh.

The treatment of Buddhist-majority Myanmar&#39;s roughly 1.1 million Muslim Rohingya is the biggest challenge facing Suu Kyi, who has been accused by Western critics of not speaking out for the minority that has long complained of persecution.

Myanmar says its security forces are fighting a legitimate campaign against &quot;terrorists&quot; responsible for a string of attacks on police posts and the army since last October.

Myanmar officials blamed Rohingya militants for the burning of homes and civilian deaths but rights monitors and Rohingya fleeing to neighbouring Bangladesh say the Myanmar army is trying to force Rohingya out with a campaign of arson and killings.

&quot;Indonesia is taking the lead on this and ultimately there is a possibility of ASEAN countries joining in,&quot; H.T. Imam, political adviser to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, told Reuters, referring to the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations, of which both Myanmar and Indonesia are members.

&quot;If we can keep the pressure on Myanmar from ASEAN, from India as well, that will be good.&quot;

CONSCIENCE AWAKENED?

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi begins a visit to Myanmar later on Tuesday, during which he is due to meet top officials, including Suu Kyi.

&quot;PM Modi is going there and our foreign secretary has already briefed the foreign secretary of India on this. If international conscience is awakened then that would put pressure on Myanmar,&quot; said H.T. Imam.

The latest estimate of the number of people who have crossed the border into Bangladesh since Aug. 25, based on calculations by U.N. workers on the Bangladeshi side, is 123,600.

That takes to about 210,000 the number of Rohingya who have sought refuge in Bangladesh since October, when Rohingya insurgents staged much smaller attacks on security posts, triggering a major Myanmar army counteroffensive and sending about 87,000 people fleeing into Bangladesh.

The new arrivals - many sick or wounded with burns or bullet wounds - have strained aid agencies and communities already helping hundreds of thousands of refugees from previous spasms of violence in Myanmar.

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;.

Pakistan is home to a large Rohingya community.

Malala Yousafzai, the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, on Monday called on Suu Kyi to condemn the &quot;shameful&quot; treatment of the Rohingya, saying &quot;the world is waiting&quot; for her to speak out.

Indonesian foreign minister met the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Myanmar army chief Min Aung Hlaing on Monday to call on Myanmar to halt the bloodshed. The minister, Retno Marsudi, was due in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, on Tuesday.

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has come under pressure from countries with large Muslim populations including Bangladesh, Indonesia and Pakistan to stop violence against Rohingya Muslims after nearly 125,000 of them fled to Bangladesh. Indonesian foreign minister met the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Myanmar army chief Min Aung Hlaing on Monday to call on Myanmar to halt the bloodshed. The minister, Retno Marsudi, was due in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, on Tuesday. "The security authorities need to immediately stop all forms of violence there and provide humanitarian assistance and development aid for the short and long term," Retno said after her meetings in the Myanmar capital. The latest violence in Myanmar's northwestern Rakhine state began on Aug. 25, when Rohingya insurgents attacked dozens of police posts and an army base. The ensuing clashes and a military counter-offensive have killed at least 400 people and triggered the exodus of villagers to Bangladesh. The treatment of Buddhist-majority Myanmar's roughly 1.1 million Muslim Rohingya is the biggest challenge facing Suu Kyi, who has been accused by Western critics of not speaking out for the minority that has long complained of persecution. Myanmar says its security forces are fighting a legitimate campaign against "terrorists" responsible for a string of attacks on police posts and the army since last October. Myanmar officials blamed Rohingya militants for the burning of homes and civilian deaths but rights monitors and Rohingya fleeing to neighbouring Bangladesh say the Myanmar army is trying to force Rohingya out with a campaign of arson and killings. "Indonesia is taking the lead on this and ultimately there is a possibility of ASEAN countries joining in," H.T. Imam, political adviser to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, told Reuters, referring to the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations, of which both Myanmar and Indonesia are members. "If we can keep the pressure on Myanmar from ASEAN, from India as well, that will be good." CONSCIENCE AWAKENED? Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi begins a visit to Myanmar later on Tuesday, during which he is due to meet top officials, including Suu Kyi. "PM Modi is going there and our foreign secretary has already briefed the foreign secretary of India on this. If international conscience is awakened then that would put pressure on Myanmar," said H.T. Imam. The latest estimate of the number of people who have crossed the border into Bangladesh since Aug. 25, based on calculations by U.N. workers on the Bangladeshi side, is 123,600. That takes to about 210,000 the number of Rohingya who have sought refuge in Bangladesh since October, when Rohingya insurgents staged much smaller attacks on security posts, triggering a major Myanmar army counteroffensive and sending about 87,000 people fleeing into Bangladesh. The new arrivals - many sick or wounded with burns or bullet wounds - have strained aid agencies and communities already helping hundreds of thousands of refugees from previous spasms of violence in Myanmar. 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". Pakistan is home to a large Rohingya community. Malala Yousafzai, the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, on Monday called on Suu Kyi to condemn the "shameful" treatment of the Rohingya, saying "the world is waiting" for her to speak out.

Myanmar's Suu Kyi under pressure as almost 125,000 Rohingya flee violence

Around <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/more-than-17-million-muslims-gather-for-start-of-hajj/2017/08/30/5f03d726-8d60-11e7-9c53-6a169beb0953_story.html?utm_term=.c7c4707d4140">1.7 million Muslims</a> have gathered this year in the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia for the annual pilgrimage &ndash; <a href="http://www.dictionary.com/browse/hajj">the hajj</a>. The five-day pilgrimage <a href="http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/history/middle-east-history/hajj-pilgrimage-islam?format=HB&amp;isbn=9781107030510#r1EAFLxwIhcoTB6d.97">is a once-in-a-lifetime obligation</a> for all Muslims who have the physical and financial ability to undertake the journey.

So, what is the hajj and what is its spiritual significance?

The fifth pillar

Millions of Muslims from diverse countries such as Indonesia, Russia, India, Cuba, Fiji, the United States, Nigeria and others congregate in Mecca during the last month of the Muslim lunar year.

<figure class="align-center "><img alt="" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/184265/width754/file-20170831-32045-gdggwc.jpg" />
<figcaption>
Pilgrims dressed in white garments. <a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/aljazeeraenglish/4123390204/in/photolist-7hnsfy-dqsVVf-7duYF4-8RpkCH-79riDe-f7bkTc-4Hh1A1-5VrCdR-5EQert-aECwxs-WfuiKx-5Zp6RG-5vEWkL-5Zp3Nd-UkvMJu-bbLaB4-baMrWa-dnXjRu-aaj4Pe-7yfUEo-6X522A-aNLLcn-dtNpmB-prVQPP-xpBTq-efCN2o-7ZiP1B-7ab1dG-7ab1du-eg4WRc-689Sed-fntKkM-RaUt4-5YD77K-7iU1uN-Sk6Z3y-5Xbum3-8UiyE8-vNjgG-pS5hEz-62kErs-dtw7BT-RtMFKv-5L8q5Y-5MNzJw-aECKRw-S8Wdyh-2jjQt-Jq48b-baj3MZ">Al Jazeera English</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a>
</figcaption>
</figure>

Pilgrims wear plain, white garments. Men drape seamless, unstitched clothing and women dress in plain white dresses and headscarves. The idea behind dressing simply is to mask any differences in wealth and status.

The pilgrimage is considered the fifth pillar of Islamic practice (the other four being the profession of faith, five daily prayers, charity and <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-ramadan-is-called-ramadan-6-questions-answered-77291">the fast of Ramadan</a>). In calling Muslims to perform the hajj, the Quran <a href="http://www.quranexplorer.com/quran/">says</a>,

&ldquo;Proclaim to men the Pilgrimage: they will come to thee on foot and on every lean camel, coming from every remote path.&rdquo;

The rites of the hajj are believed to retrace events from the lives of prominent prophets such as Ibrahim and Ismail.

The first day of the hajj

Pilgrims start by circling <a href="http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195125580.001.0001/acref-9780195125580">the &ldquo;Holy Kaaba</a>,&rdquo; the black, cube-shaped house of God (at the centre of the most sacred mosque in Mecca), seven times.

The Kaaba occupies a central place in the lives of Muslims. In all parts of the world, Muslims are expected to turn toward the Kaaba when performing their daily prayers.

Specific rules <a href="http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195125580.001.0001/acref-9780195125580">concerning going around</a> the Kaaba are prescribed for pilgrims. They may also kiss, touch or approach the Kaaba during the pilgrimage as a sign of their respect and continued devotion.

The Quran tells the story of Ibrahim&rsquo;s sacrifice, who when commanded by God, agreed to sacrifice his son, Ismail. Muslims believe the Kaaba holds the black stone upon which Ibrahim was called to sacrifice Ismail.

In performing the rituals, they join in a long line of pilgrims to Mecca &ndash; <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-life-of-muhammad-9780196360331?cc=us&amp;lang=en&amp;">including Prophet Muhammad</a> &ndash; who circled the Kaaba.

Pilgrims then proceed to a ritual walking &ndash; about 100 meters from the Kaaba &ndash; to hills known as &ldquo;Safa&rdquo; and &ldquo;Marwah.&rdquo; Here they re-create <a href="http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/history/middle-east-history/hajj-pilgrimage-islam?format=HB&amp;isbn=9781107030510">another significant event</a> recorded in the Quran: when Ibrahim was granted a son by God through his Egyptian slave girl Hajar. After the birth of Ismail, God instructed Ibrahim to take Hajar and her newborn son out into the desert and leave them there. Ibrahim left them near the present-day location of the Kaaba. Ismail cried out with thirst and Hajar ran between two hills, looking for water until she turned to God for help.

God rewarded Hajar for her patience and sent his angel Jibreel to reveal a spring, which today is known as &ldquo;Zamzam Well.&rdquo; Pilgrims drink water from the sacred well and may take some home for blessings.

The second day of the hajj

<figure class="align-center "><img alt="" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/184267/width754/file-20170831-22397-zsohp9.jpg" />
<figcaption>
Pilgrims praying on Arafat. <a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/aljazeeraenglish/4135906354/in/photolist-7itASf-7ipEj8-7m6S5M-4kgEVJ-7iw61y-8TRppx-97r2W7-arbDH-7iscY6-7ifhd9-7ygqjr-7hX95R-fBsJ1X-7ykfkW-7ygrB8-7ygrne-7ykeTq-an6Zn-8TULHS-5Hycc7-5HtS4v-7ykf8J-5Hu33g-5HtUxP-7ygrbR-5HyeCd-5HtTPn-5HyrAE-8TUqFh-7ygrRD-8TRKpi-5HtRhv-8TRnNz-8TREd4-7ykdSq-4qY7wP-an6Zo-arbS4-qXKmg2-dcec1H-8TRzCc-8TUp9s-8TRU4c-7rR3ib-8TUVES-8TRJ9r-8TRH3K-8TRSuH-8TUUFE-8TRx2n">Al Jazeera English</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a>
</figcaption>
</figure>

The hajj &ldquo;climaxes&rdquo; with a sojourn into the plains of Arafat near Mecca. There, pilgrims gather in tents, spend time with one another and perform prayers. Some pilgrims will ascend a hill known as the &ldquo;Mount of Mercy,&rdquo; where Prophet Muhammad delivered the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farewell_Sermon">farewell sermon</a> toward the end of his life.

They then proceed to an open plain near Mecca, often a highlight of the journey for many pilgrims. Muslims believe that the <a href="http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195125580.001.0001/acref-9780195125580">spirit of God comes closer to Earth</a> in this place at the time of the pilgrimage.

As a scholar of global Islam, during my fieldwork, I have interviewed those who have gone on the hajj. They have described to me their personal experiences.

Many pilgrims, when standing in the plains of Arafat, <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=LkmkAwAAQBAJ&amp;pg=PA60&amp;lpg=PA60&amp;dq=a+close+communion+with+god+plains+of+arafat&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=xfljL0qqXO&amp;sig=ST3pnAIcye_QJ2ZbbcPA2gfMBIM&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjitdWOp4LWAhVDQiYKHamnA9QQ6AEIPjAG#v=onepage&amp;q=a%20close%20communion%20with%20god%20plains%20of%20arafat&amp;f=false">feel a close communion with God.</a>

Final three days

Afterwards, pilgrims move to Mina, also known as the Tent City, about five kilometres from the holy city of Mecca. Here, they reenact another part of the story of Ibrahim&rsquo;s test of faith in the sacrifice of his son.

They recall how Satan tried to tempt Ibrahim to disobey <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-muslims-celebrate-eid-twice-a-year-6-questions-answered-80949">God&rsquo;s call to sacrifice Ismail</a>. Ibrahim, however, remained unmoved and informed Ismail, who was willing to be sacrificed. To reenact Ibrahim&rsquo;s rebuff of Satan&rsquo;s temptation, pilgrims throw small stones at a stone pillar.

They then proceed to follow Ibrahim in the act of sacrifice. The Quran says just as Ibrahim attempted to kill his son, God intervened and a ram was sacrificed in place of Ismail. In remembrance, Muslims all over the world sacrifice an animal on this day. The <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-muslims-celebrate-eid-twice-a-year-6-questions-answered-80949">&ldquo;festival of the sacrifice&rdquo; is known as Eid al-Adha</a>.

<figure class="align-center "><img alt="" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/184266/width754/file-20170831-2020-czju2i.jpg" />
<figcaption>
Pilgrims stoning the devil in Mina. <a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/aljazeeraenglish/4142094316/in/photolist-7iXrgk-7iXrAK-7iXrqk-7j2iPq-8U9pyc-7iXrtK-7iXrxn-7j2jd3-7j2jfj-7ykkpd-7j2iSQ-7j2jkf-7j2j7E-7iXrcV-7j2jFy-7j2jJU-7ykk2L-7iXr7Z-7iXriZ-7iXryR-7j2job-7j2iVd-7iBtP1-7j2jGS-7iXrSX-7ykhiS-7ygxAz-7iXrLe-7j2j2d-7ygwp8-8UbHdp">Al Jazeera English</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a>
</figcaption>
</figure>

Many pilgrims spend the next few days repeating the stoning at Mina (at least six more times) and going around the Holy Kaaba in Mecca (at least once more). Pilgrims also start to put on their everyday clothes <a href="http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195125580.001.0001/acref-9780195125580">to indicate a transition to their worldly life</a>.

It is believed that a proper performance of the hajj can absolve Muslim pilgrims of any previous sins. However, Muslims also believe that just undertaking the pilgrimage is not enough: <a href="http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/history/middle-east-history/hajj-pilgrimage-islam#O3cwEbjxDttkhEyF.97">It is up to God to judge the pilgrimage as acceptable or not.</a>

Creating one Muslim community

The hajj is a massive <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/08/world/meast/how-hi-tech-manages-millions-during-the-hajj/index.html">organisational project</a> for the Saudi authorities. <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/08/world/meast/how-hi-tech-manages-millions-during-the-hajj/index.html">Issues concerning</a> crowd management, security, traffic and tensions constantly plague the successful organisation of the annual event. A deadly stampede in 2015 left <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/25/middleeast/hajj-pilgrimage-stampede/index.html">over 700 dead</a>.

There are other ongoing tensions as well: Some <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-the-shia-sunni-divide-78216">Shia</a> governments such as Iran, for example, have levelled <a href="http://www.alterinter.org/spip.php?article4502">charges alleging discrimination</a> by <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-the-shia-sunni-divide-78216">Sunni</a> Saudi authorities. Furthermore, this year, citizens of <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/08/hajj-qataris-year-saudi-row-170825192148831.html">Qatar were not able to perform the hajj</a> following the decision by Saudi Arabia and three other Arab nations to sever diplomatic ties with the country.

To address such issues, <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=6VeCWQfVNjkC&amp;q=OIC#v=snippet&amp;q=OIC&amp;f=false">many Muslims have called</a> for the <a href="http://www.oic-oci.org/">Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC)</a>, an intergovernmental organisation, to put together an international, multi-partisan committee to organise the pilgrimage.

Perhaps that could help avoid regional or sectarian conflicts. The hajj, after all, is any individual Muslim&rsquo;s <a href="http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195125580.001.0001/acref-9780195125580">single most</a> symbolic ritual act that reflects <a href="http://imjcr.com/journals/imjcr/Vol_3_No_1_June_2014/3.pdf">the ideal of unity</a>.

<img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/83284/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" width="1" />By requiring Muslims to do the same clothes, pray in the same spaces and perform the same rituals, the hajj creates a global Muslim community, with no class distinctions.

&nbsp;

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/explaining-the-muslim-pilgrimage-of-hajj-83284">original article</a>.

The goal of hajj is to create a global Muslim community, with no class distinctions but citizens of Qatar can't undertake hajj this year.

Around 1.7 million Muslims have gathered this year in the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia for the annual pilgrimage – the hajj. The five-day pilgrimage is a once-in-a-lifetime obligation for all Muslims who have the physical and financial ability to undertake the journey. So, what is the hajj and what is its spiritual significance? The fifth pillar Millions of Muslims from diverse countries such as Indonesia, Russia, India, Cuba, Fiji, the United States, Nigeria and others congregate in Mecca during the last month of the Muslim lunar year. Pilgrims dressed in white garments. Al Jazeera English, CC BY-NC Pilgrims wear plain, white garments. Men drape seamless, unstitched clothing and women dress in plain white dresses and headscarves. The idea behind dressing simply is to mask any differences in wealth and status. The pilgrimage is considered the fifth pillar of Islamic practice (the other four being the profession of faith, five daily prayers, charity and the fast of Ramadan). In calling Muslims to perform the hajj, the Quran says, “Proclaim to men the Pilgrimage: they will come to thee on foot and on every lean camel, coming from every remote path.” The rites of the hajj are believed to retrace events from the lives of prominent prophets such as Ibrahim and Ismail. The first day of the hajj Pilgrims start by circling the “Holy Kaaba,” the black, cube-shaped house of God (at the centre of the most sacred mosque in Mecca), seven times. The Kaaba occupies a central place in the lives of Muslims. In all parts of the world, Muslims are expected to turn toward the Kaaba when performing their daily prayers. Specific rules concerning going around the Kaaba are prescribed for pilgrims. They may also kiss, touch or approach the Kaaba during the pilgrimage as a sign of their respect and continued devotion. The Quran tells the story of Ibrahim’s sacrifice, who when commanded by God, agreed to sacrifice his son, Ismail. Muslims believe the Kaaba holds the black stone upon which Ibrahim was called to sacrifice Ismail. In performing the rituals, they join in a long line of pilgrims to Mecca – including Prophet Muhammad – who circled the Kaaba. Pilgrims then proceed to a ritual walking – about 100 meters from the Kaaba – to hills known as “Safa” and “Marwah.” Here they re-create another significant event recorded in the Quran: when Ibrahim was granted a son by God through his Egyptian slave girl Hajar. After the birth of Ismail, God instructed Ibrahim to take Hajar and her newborn son out into the desert and leave them there. Ibrahim left them near the present-day location of the Kaaba. Ismail cried out with thirst and Hajar ran between two hills, looking for water until she turned to God for help. God rewarded Hajar for her patience and sent his angel Jibreel to reveal a spring, which today is known as “Zamzam Well.” Pilgrims drink water from the sacred well and may take some home for blessings. The second day of the hajj Pilgrims praying on Arafat. Al Jazeera English, CC BY-SA The hajj “climaxes” with a sojourn into the plains of Arafat near Mecca. There, pilgrims gather in tents, spend time with one another and perform prayers. Some pilgrims will ascend a hill known as the “Mount of Mercy,” where Prophet Muhammad delivered the farewell sermon toward the end of his life. They then proceed to an open plain near Mecca, often a highlight of the journey for many pilgrims. Muslims believe that the spirit of God comes closer to Earth in this place at the time of the pilgrimage. As a scholar of global Islam, during my fieldwork, I have interviewed those who have gone on the hajj. They have described to me their personal experiences. Many pilgrims, when standing in the plains of Arafat, feel a close communion with God. Final three days Afterwards, pilgrims move to Mina, also known as the Tent City, about five kilometres from the holy city of Mecca. Here, they reenact another part of the story of Ibrahim’s test of faith in the sacrifice of his son. They recall how Satan tried to tempt Ibrahim to disobey God’s call to sacrifice Ismail. Ibrahim, however, remained unmoved and informed Ismail, who was willing to be sacrificed. To reenact Ibrahim’s rebuff of Satan’s temptation, pilgrims throw small stones at a stone pillar. They then proceed to follow Ibrahim in the act of sacrifice. The Quran says just as Ibrahim attempted to kill his son, God intervened and a ram was sacrificed in place of Ismail. In remembrance, Muslims all over the world sacrifice an animal on this day. The “festival of the sacrifice” is known as Eid al-Adha. Pilgrims stoning the devil in Mina. Al Jazeera English, CC BY-SA Many pilgrims spend the next few days repeating the stoning at Mina (at least six more times) and going around the Holy Kaaba in Mecca (at least once more). Pilgrims also start to put on their everyday clothes to indicate a transition to their worldly life. It is believed that a proper performance of the hajj can absolve Muslim pilgrims of any previous sins. However, Muslims also believe that just undertaking the pilgrimage is not enough: It is up to God to judge the pilgrimage as acceptable or not. Creating one Muslim community The hajj is a massive organisational project for the Saudi authorities. Issues concerning crowd management, security, traffic and tensions constantly plague the successful organisation of the annual event. A deadly stampede in 2015 left over 700 dead. There are other ongoing tensions as well: Some Shia governments such as Iran, for example, have levelled charges alleging discrimination by Sunni Saudi authorities. Furthermore, this year, citizens of Qatar were not able to perform the hajj following the decision by Saudi Arabia and three other Arab nations to sever diplomatic ties with the country. To address such issues, many Muslims have called for the Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC), an intergovernmental organisation, to put together an international, multi-partisan committee to organise the pilgrimage. Perhaps that could help avoid regional or sectarian conflicts. The hajj, after all, is any individual Muslim’s single most symbolic ritual act that reflects the ideal of unity. By requiring Muslims to do the same clothes, pray in the same spaces and perform the same rituals, the hajj creates a global Muslim community, with no class distinctions. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

What is the spiritual significance of hajj to a Muslim?

This is a very different kind of a Ramadan story.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
It is not one that goes around debunking myths of Ramadan, nor does it subscribe you to any type of dos and don&#39;ts of fasting. It even steers clear of the overused path of showcasing mouth-watering Ramadan food that you can open your fast with or try out at dawn for suhoor ( a meal eaten at dawn, before starting with the fast).&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
But it does have food pictures. After all, what is Ramadan without a bright spectacle of korma, nihari, biryani and kebab infused in the aroma of garam masala or a sight of freshly prepared kulfi falooda, malai jalebi and silver coated phirni with extra almonds in a kulhad (earthen cup)!&nbsp;

It is obvious that the elaborate menu has your attention but this story focuses on sellers and not what&rsquo;s sold.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Sher Bahadur from Dhampur in District Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh is one such seller who talks about his love for Ramadan and how it has changed his life for the better. Belonging to a family of confectioners, Sher Bahadur believes that it&rsquo;s in his blood to make sweets. So every year, in the month of Ramadan, he makes the best kind of dry, raw sewai.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
&ldquo;Our family has always been in the trade of making sweets, we are famous for our &lsquo;mithai&rsquo; and &lsquo;batasha&rsquo; back home. Here in Batla House (a popular Muslim neighbourhood) in Delhi, my cousin brother and I sell at least 12 types of uncooked sewai: Lachha feni, Benarasi feni, Benarasi kemami, Zafrani sewai, Rasgolla Feni, Khajla and more&rdquo;, he says. &nbsp;

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There are more than 15 varieties of sewai in the market, with some of them specially made for Ramadan (WION)
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Sher Bahadur is 45 years old, married with a wife and six kids who stay in Dhampur. A small-time trader, he doesn&rsquo;t have the money to keep a family of eight in Delhi but there&rsquo;s hope for him, as every Ramadan, he is able to save a considerable amount to buy his own property in the capital.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
&ldquo;Ramadan is a blessing for my family. I have been selling sewai in Ramadan since 20 years now and every year, this month, our profit simply doubles or even triples sometimes. I eagerly wait for Ramadan to earn more as I have been saving up extra money to buy my own house here (Delhi)&rdquo;, he adds.&nbsp;

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<h5>I eagerly wait for Ramadan to earn more as I have been saving up extra money to buy my own house in Delhi.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=I eagerly wait for Ramadan to earn more as I have been saving up extra money to buy my own house in Delhi." target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
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&nbsp;For 11 months of the year, Sher Bahadur works as a labourer in Delhi, earning enough to survive in the city and saving up the rest for his family.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Not wanting to rely on the money earned from the confectionary shop in Dhampur, which is shared by his siblings and their children, he comes to Delhi off and on to make some extra money for his kids.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Co-sharing a rented shop in Batla House, Sher Bahadur works with his 40-year-old cousin brother Mohammed Raees to make some quick money in Ramadan. On speaking with Raees about his dependence on Ramadan for livelihood, he joyfully responds, &ldquo;The contrast in our income between regular months and Ramadan is incredible. From Rs. 11,000 a month, it shoots up to anywhere between Rs. 35,000- 40,000. We make the most of this time and keep our shop open 24/7.&nbsp;

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Sher Bahadur (R) and Mohammed Raees (L) sitting in their shop of sewai which they specially procure for Ramadan (WION)
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&ldquo;In Ramadan, we shut it only for two hours after &lsquo;fajr&rsquo;, the morning prayers. People buy from us at all odd times, after &lsquo;iftaar&rsquo; in the evening, before &lsquo;suhoor&rsquo; at dawn, so we can&rsquo;t afford to close it. We divide the time of manning the shop and subsequently the profits.&rdquo;

Sher Bahadur and Mohammed Raees are no exceptions. There are many like them who leave their routine jobs to sell items specific to the holy month of Ramadan. They all look forward to Ramadan earnings in order to build their future and of their children.&nbsp;

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A khujoor (dates) seller smiles after a profitable day at work during Ramadan (WION)
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&nbsp;

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Faqaar makes a lot of profit selling dates in Ramadan (WION)
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Faqaar from Bhalswa village in the outskirts of Delhi comes to Nizamuddin, another popular Muslim neighbourhood, in the month of Ramadan to sell dates. The sweet savoury is ubiquitous in every Muslim household during this time and he uses this as an opportunity to earn quick money.&nbsp;

He says, &ldquo;I have recently gotten married and have a lot of responsibilities. The profits I earn during Ramadan are incomparable to what I earn in the rest of the months. It&rsquo;s been 7-8 years since I have been selling &lsquo;khujoor&rsquo; (dates) and I come here to Nizamuddin every year because there is always a good demand. People break their fasts with dates and for most, it&rsquo;s an essential part of their Ramadan routine.&rdquo; 
&nbsp; 
He adds, &ldquo;On regular days I sell men&rsquo;s clothes which don&#39;t amount to a lot of money but during Ramadan I earn Rs. 1000-2000 daily selling dates. &#39;Ye barqat ka maheena hai&#39;. (It is an auspicious and blessed month).&rdquo;

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<h5>On regular days I sell men&rsquo;s clothes which don&#39;t amount to a lot of money but during Ramadan I earn Rs. 1000-2000 daily selling dates. &#39;Ye barqat ka maheena hai&#39;.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=On regular days I sell men?s clothes which don't amount to a lot of money but during Ramadan I earn Rs. 1000-2000 daily selling dates. 'Ye barqat ka maheena hai'." target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
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</div>

For 30-years-old Ayub, who sells &lsquo;Feni&rsquo; (a type of raw sewai) outside Jama Masjid in Old Delhi, Ramadan is a month of a complete shift. He says, &ldquo;I have been selling feni from a young age. My father would sell a cart of biryani every day that my mother made at home on regular days but he would stop selling it during Ramadan and switch to feni. I have learnt it from him. I source the sewai from different pockets in Delhi, from wherever it&rsquo;s cheaper and come to Old Delhi to sell it. People from all over the city come here to buy. I have been able to marry off my elder sister with savings accumulated over the years due to Ramadan.&rdquo;

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Ayub with his stock of sewai, meeting the needs of those eat it compulsively every day during Ramadan (WION)
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Khujoor and Sewai sellers aren&#39;t the only ones who wait for Ramadan every year. Even regular fruit sellers like Abdul Basheer from Nizamuddin eagerly wait for the month to start. He says, &ldquo;Who doesn&rsquo;t like more money? I have been living in Delhi for 15 years and come from a village in East Delhi. Ramadan is good for business. In normal days, I earn about Rs 1000 daily--it doubles during Ramadan as everybody who is fasting eats fruit chaat. So there is a constant surge in demand for fruits.&rdquo;

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Abdul Basheer with his cart of fruits in Nizamuddin for Ramadan (WION)
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Abdul, like the rest of them, gets employed in other areas of work during the rest of the months. He does plumbing in cooperative societies and leaves every other work to sell fruits during Ramadan. For him doing business in Nizamuddin during Ramadan is an experience in itself. He says, &ldquo;People from different backgrounds and cultures come here to pay respect at the Dargah. Doing business with them opens horizons and makes you familiar with a different set of living styles.&rdquo;

This trend, is, however, not just limited to the Delhi but is popular around all major metro cities during Ramadan, offering a new lease of life for many who are stuck in jobs that don&rsquo;t pay enough.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Ramadan or Ramazan as many call it is the Islamic holy month of fasting where more than a billion people every year for almost 30 days, don&rsquo;t eat or drink during the day from dawn to sunrise. It is kept with an intention to get closer to God while avoiding any other distraction of physical pleasure, food et al.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Billions of Muslims around the world are today celebrating &#39;Jamat ul Vida&#39;, which is the last Friday of Ramadan. It is believed that whatever prayer is made today gets accepted by God.

(WION)

"Ramadan is a blessing for my family...This month, our profit simply doubles or even triples sometimes", says Sher Bahadur, a food trader from Delhi.

This is a very different kind of a Ramadan story. It is not one that goes around debunking myths of Ramadan, nor does it subscribe you to any type of dos and don'ts of fasting. It even steers clear of the overused path of showcasing mouth-watering Ramadan food that you can open your fast with or try out at dawn for suhoor ( a meal eaten at dawn, before starting with the fast). But it does have food pictures. After all, what is Ramadan without a bright spectacle of korma, nihari, biryani and kebab infused in the aroma of garam masala or a sight of freshly prepared kulfi falooda, malai jalebi and silver coated phirni with extra almonds in a kulhad (earthen cup)! It is obvious that the elaborate menu has your attention but this story focuses on sellers and not what’s sold. Sher Bahadur from Dhampur in District Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh is one such seller who talks about his love for Ramadan and how it has changed his life for the better. Belonging to a family of confectioners, Sher Bahadur believes that it’s in his blood to make sweets. So every year, in the month of Ramadan, he makes the best kind of dry, raw sewai. “Our family has always been in the trade of making sweets, we are famous for our ‘mithai’ and ‘batasha’ back home. Here in Batla House (a popular Muslim neighbourhood) in Delhi, my cousin brother and I sell at least 12 types of uncooked sewai: Lachha feni, Benarasi feni, Benarasi kemami, Zafrani sewai, Rasgolla Feni, Khajla and more”, he says. There are more than 15 varieties of sewai in the market, with some of them specially made for Ramadan (WION) × Sher Bahadur is 45 years old, married with a wife and six kids who stay in Dhampur. A small-time trader, he doesn’t have the money to keep a family of eight in Delhi but there’s hope for him, as every Ramadan, he is able to save a considerable amount to buy his own property in the capital. “Ramadan is a blessing for my family. I have been selling sewai in Ramadan since 20 years now and every year, this month, our profit simply doubles or even triples sometimes. I eagerly wait for Ramadan to earn more as I have been saving up extra money to buy my own house here (Delhi)”, he adds. I eagerly wait for Ramadan to earn more as I have been saving up extra money to buy my own house in Delhi. × For 11 months of the year, Sher Bahadur works as a labourer in Delhi, earning enough to survive in the city and saving up the rest for his family. Not wanting to rely on the money earned from the confectionary shop in Dhampur, which is shared by his siblings and their children, he comes to Delhi off and on to make some extra money for his kids. Co-sharing a rented shop in Batla House, Sher Bahadur works with his 40-year-old cousin brother Mohammed Raees to make some quick money in Ramadan. On speaking with Raees about his dependence on Ramadan for livelihood, he joyfully responds, “The contrast in our income between regular months and Ramadan is incredible. From Rs. 11,000 a month, it shoots up to anywhere between Rs. 35,000- 40,000. We make the most of this time and keep our shop open 24/7. Sher Bahadur (R) and Mohammed Raees (L) sitting in their shop of sewai which they specially procure for Ramadan (WION) × “In Ramadan, we shut it only for two hours after ‘fajr’, the morning prayers. People buy from us at all odd times, after ‘iftaar’ in the evening, before ‘suhoor’ at dawn, so we can’t afford to close it. We divide the time of manning the shop and subsequently the profits.” Sher Bahadur and Mohammed Raees are no exceptions. There are many like them who leave their routine jobs to sell items specific to the holy month of Ramadan. They all look forward to Ramadan earnings in order to build their future and of their children. A khujoor (dates) seller smiles after a profitable day at work during Ramadan (WION) × Faqaar makes a lot of profit selling dates in Ramadan (WION) × Faqaar from Bhalswa village in the outskirts of Delhi comes to Nizamuddin, another popular Muslim neighbourhood, in the month of Ramadan to sell dates. The sweet savoury is ubiquitous in every Muslim household during this time and he uses this as an opportunity to earn quick money. He says, “I have recently gotten married and have a lot of responsibilities. The profits I earn during Ramadan are incomparable to what I earn in the rest of the months. It’s been 7-8 years since I have been selling ‘khujoor’ (dates) and I come here to Nizamuddin every year because there is always a good demand. People break their fasts with dates and for most, it’s an essential part of their Ramadan routine.” He adds, “On regular days I sell men’s clothes which don't amount to a lot of money but during Ramadan I earn Rs. 1000-2000 daily selling dates. 'Ye barqat ka maheena hai'. (It is an auspicious and blessed month).” On regular days I sell men’s clothes which don't amount to a lot of money but during Ramadan I earn Rs. 1000-2000 daily selling dates. 'Ye barqat ka maheena hai'. × For 30-years-old Ayub, who sells ‘Feni’ (a type of raw sewai) outside Jama Masjid in Old Delhi, Ramadan is a month of a complete shift. He says, “I have been selling feni from a young age. My father would sell a cart of biryani every day that my mother made at home on regular days but he would stop selling it during Ramadan and switch to feni. I have learnt it from him. I source the sewai from different pockets in Delhi, from wherever it’s cheaper and come to Old Delhi to sell it. People from all over the city come here to buy. I have been able to marry off my elder sister with savings accumulated over the years due to Ramadan.” Ayub with his stock of sewai, meeting the needs of those eat it compulsively every day during Ramadan (WION) × Khujoor and Sewai sellers aren't the only ones who wait for Ramadan every year. Even regular fruit sellers like Abdul Basheer from Nizamuddin eagerly wait for the month to start. He says, “Who doesn’t like more money? I have been living in Delhi for 15 years and come from a village in East Delhi. Ramadan is good for business. In normal days, I earn about Rs 1000 daily--it doubles during Ramadan as everybody who is fasting eats fruit chaat. So there is a constant surge in demand for fruits.” Abdul Basheer with his cart of fruits in Nizamuddin for Ramadan (WION) × Abdul, like the rest of them, gets employed in other areas of work during the rest of the months. He does plumbing in cooperative societies and leaves every other work to sell fruits during Ramadan. For him doing business in Nizamuddin during Ramadan is an experience in itself. He says, “People from different backgrounds and cultures come here to pay respect at the Dargah. Doing business with them opens horizons and makes you familiar with a different set of living styles.” This trend, is, however, not just limited to the Delhi but is popular around all major metro cities during Ramadan, offering a new lease of life for many who are stuck in jobs that don’t pay enough. Ramadan or Ramazan as many call it is the Islamic holy month of fasting where more than a billion people every year for almost 30 days, don’t eat or drink during the day from dawn to sunrise. It is kept with an intention to get closer to God while avoiding any other distraction of physical pleasure, food et al. Billions of Muslims around the world are today celebrating 'Jamat ul Vida', which is the last Friday of Ramadan. It is believed that whatever prayer is made today gets accepted by God. (WION)

For the food sellers of Delhi, Ramadan is a lifesaver

Spreading a message of unity in times of tension in Jammu and Kashmir, around 3,000 people, mostly Muslims, got together in the Pulwama district to attend the funeral of a local Kashmiri Pandit.&nbsp;

The Muslim community in the Trichal village helped perform the last rites of 50-year-old Tej Kishan as per Hindu rituals, ANI reported.

As news of Kishan&rsquo;s death after a year-long battle with paralysis came in, his neighbours spread the word about performing his last rites over Mosque loudspeakers in the entire region.

&quot;This is true Kashmir; this is our culture and we share a brotherhood. We do not believe in duality or divisive politics. We share composite culture,&quot; said Janki Nath Panditha, Kishan&rsquo;s brother, told ANI.

Kishan and his family stayed back in the Valley in the nineties when most from the Kashmiri Pandit community were leaving the region fearing persecution under Islamist militancy. &nbsp;

&quot;Majority of people present in the last rituals were Muslims. We performed his last rites. We condemn incidents which try to create differences between Hindus and Muslims. We live here in peace and harmony,&quot; Muhammad Yousuf, Kishan&rsquo;s neighbour, told ANI.&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

About 3,000 people, mostly Muslims, gathered in the Trichal village to perform the last rites of a local Kashmiri Pandit who died after a year-long paralysis

Spreading a message of unity in times of tension in Jammu and Kashmir, around 3,000 people, mostly Muslims, got together in the Pulwama district to attend the funeral of a local Kashmiri Pandit. The Muslim community in the Trichal village helped perform the last rites of 50-year-old Tej Kishan as per Hindu rituals, ANI reported. As news of Kishan’s death after a year-long battle with paralysis came in, his neighbours spread the word about performing his last rites over Mosque loudspeakers in the entire region. "This is true Kashmir; this is our culture and we share a brotherhood. We do not believe in duality or divisive politics. We share composite culture," said Janki Nath Panditha, Kishan’s brother, told ANI. Kishan and his family stayed back in the Valley in the nineties when most from the Kashmiri Pandit community were leaving the region fearing persecution under Islamist militancy. "Majority of people present in the last rituals were Muslims. We performed his last rites. We condemn incidents which try to create differences between Hindus and Muslims. We live here in peace and harmony," Muhammad Yousuf, Kishan’s neighbour, told ANI.

Muslims help perform last rites of Kashmiri Pandit man in Valley

The famous Udupi Sri Krishna Temple in Karnataka organised an Iftar on the temple premises on Saturday night.

&lsquo;Souharda Upahara Koota&rsquo; or the harmony breakfast meet was attended by over 150 members of the Muslim community at the temple&rsquo;s Annabrahma Dining Hall, according to a report in The News Minute.

The idea for organising such an event was mooted by Vishwesha Tirtha Swami of Paryaya Pejawar Mutt. He also served dates to those who attended the Iftar.

He urged the people of Karnataka to live in communal harmony.&nbsp;

&ldquo;People from all religions must be tolerant and co-exist peacefully. Muslims have shown lot of affection for me in Mangaluru, Kasaragod and Bhatkal. They have given their offering during the Paryaya festival,&rdquo; The News Minute quoted him as saying.

The members of the Muslim community also performed namaz on the second floor of the building, the report said.

?Souharda Upahara Koota? or the harmony breakfast meet was attended by over 150 members of the Muslim community

The famous Udupi Sri Krishna Temple in Karnataka organised an Iftar on the temple premises on Saturday night. ‘Souharda Upahara Koota’ or the harmony breakfast meet was attended by over 150 members of the Muslim community at the temple’s Annabrahma Dining Hall, according to a report in The News Minute. The idea for organising such an event was mooted by Vishwesha Tirtha Swami of Paryaya Pejawar Mutt. He also served dates to those who attended the Iftar. He urged the people of Karnataka to live in communal harmony. “People from all religions must be tolerant and co-exist peacefully. Muslims have shown lot of affection for me in Mangaluru, Kasaragod and Bhatkal. They have given their offering during the Paryaya festival,” The News Minute quoted him as saying. The members of the Muslim community also performed namaz on the second floor of the building, the report said.

Udupi's famous Sri Krishna Mutt organises Iftar

In the tragic Grenfell tower fire, many lives were saved because of Muslim residents who were awake for Sehri (pre-dawn meal) during the holy month of Ramzaan.&nbsp;

Muslim residents observing Ramzaan were the first ones to notice the smoke coming out of the seventh floor of the Grenfell tower,&nbsp;media reports said. &nbsp;

Waiting to have their pre-dawn meal, Sehri, the residents came out in a frenzy and began knocking on their neighbours&#39; doors to alert them of the imminent danger.

No fire alarms or water sprinklers had gone off till then, an eyewitness said.&nbsp;

A number of local mosques, churches and Sikh temples&nbsp;opened their doors to help those who were evacuated.&nbsp;

Seventeen people have died in the fire so far. The death toll in the incident is likely to rise further.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Fasting Muslims waiting for pre-dawn meal were the first to notice Grenfell fire; went out to save neighbours' lives

In the tragic Grenfell tower fire, many lives were saved because of Muslim residents who were awake for Sehri (pre-dawn meal) during the holy month of Ramzaan. Muslim residents observing Ramzaan were the first ones to notice the smoke coming out of the seventh floor of the Grenfell tower, media reports said. Waiting to have their pre-dawn meal, Sehri, the residents came out in a frenzy and began knocking on their neighbours' doors to alert them of the imminent danger. No fire alarms or water sprinklers had gone off till then, an eyewitness said. A number of local mosques, churches and Sikh temples opened their doors to help those who were evacuated. Seventeen people have died in the fire so far. The death toll in the incident is likely to rise further.

London tower fire: Muslims fasting for Ramzaan helped save lives

This year I have fallen in love with Pakistani grapes. They are bigger, brighter and seem seductive than the other grapes found in the market. I follow the &lsquo;when you want something you want the best&rsquo; policy. So I forget what Bangladeshis had with Pakistan once upon a time and am loving their grapes.

Back in 2013, one sunny day, my US professor expressed his concern about Bangladesh. He heard the news that Bangladesh was slowly drowning because of climate change.

I smiled. That&rsquo;s what the image of Bangladesh is to foreigners. Nothing new. To them, our country is poor, overpopulated and prone to floods.

But those days are gone, gone with the wind. Now that, over the past years, Bangladesh made frequent headlines in the world media. Consecutive killings of bloggers, non-Muslim individuals, and the recent terrorist attack in Gulshan have given Bangladesh a fresh identity.

These days, in the eyes of western citizens, Bangladesh has earned the fame as about-to-be an Islamic fundamentalist nation.

On that sunny day in 2013, I did what any Bangladeshis would have done in my place. I tried to tell my professor about the positive things about Bangladesh. I told him about Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore and Muhammad Yunus, and also proudly added that Amartya Sen was born in Bangladesh.

Later that year I was overjoyed when I met an Australian who&rsquo;d done his PhD on Yunus&rsquo; microcredit theory. Though, I wouldn&rsquo;t reveal him that Bangladeshis have mixed feelings about Yunus. I remember one of my relatives, a devout Muslim, had whined about Yunus&rsquo; Nobel Prize. He said the Jews and non-Muslim westerners had no sense that was why they picked a usurer for this Prize.

In April this year, some Islamic groups in the country protested the Bengali New Year&rsquo;s festivities, terming it un-Islamic and Hindu culture. In 1965, when Bangladesh was East Pakistan, the then government banned Tagore songs from Radio and Television. Two years after, Chayanat, a cultural organisation, started to celebrate Bengali New Year in the capital&rsquo;s Ramna Park to stimulate the Bengali spirit to resist Pakistani rule. It helped. Eventually, the historic mass upsurge took place in 1969.

A few months back, at a park in Dhaka, a school was having its annual school sports function. I heard a Hindi song play at top volume. Chaar Bottle Vodka, which means four bottle vodkas, was the refrain in the song.

The invasion of Hindi movie songs in Bangladesh is overwhelming. So are Indian TV channels. A greater number of households spend their evenings watching Indian TV serials. For the Bangladeshi TV channels lack quality entertainment programs. Typically all they like to broadcast is Talk Shows and news.

Albeit the rising violence against the Hindus in the country, India seems to be the obvious choice for us. According to an Indian government report published recently, one in three foreign patients in India is from Bangladesh.

When it comes to traveling, for most Bangladeshis the taste of first foreign land is India. Last year, tourists from Bangladesh topped the Indian chart; much more Bangladeshis visited Indian than they did the US.

Being Bangladeshi is being surrounded by India, and that is the reality. Naming our culture Hindu culture is ridiculous. It is no less ridiculous to ignore Rabindranath Tagore just because he is a non-Muslim. Tagore, in fact, is not a mere name, he is a culture himself. To deny Tagore means denying our own Bengali culture.

Necessity has no religion. During my stay in Ohio, USA, the first Bengali I met was a man from Kolkata. There was a lot more of Muslim students from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and even from India. But coming across a Bengali guy made all the difference, to whom I could speak Bengali, discuss Bengali literature and culture and, of course, enjoy Bengali food.

That day was a revelation for me as I found the answer to a most plaguing question: Which is more important, language or religion? The answer that came naturally to me is language. Because it&rsquo;s the necessity. I share an intimacy with language which I find lacking in religion. For me language is the present, religion is the future. We live in present, not in future.

&nbsp;

Albeit the rising violence against the Hindus in the country, India seems to be the obvious choice for Bangladeshis

This year I have fallen in love with Pakistani grapes. They are bigger, brighter and seem seductive than the other grapes found in the market. I follow the ‘when you want something you want the best’ policy. So I forget what Bangladeshis had with Pakistan once upon a time and am loving their grapes. Back in 2013, one sunny day, my US professor expressed his concern about Bangladesh. He heard the news that Bangladesh was slowly drowning because of climate change. I smiled. That’s what the image of Bangladesh is to foreigners. Nothing new. To them, our country is poor, overpopulated and prone to floods. But those days are gone, gone with the wind. Now that, over the past years, Bangladesh made frequent headlines in the world media. Consecutive killings of bloggers, non-Muslim individuals, and the recent terrorist attack in Gulshan have given Bangladesh a fresh identity. These days, in the eyes of western citizens, Bangladesh has earned the fame as about-to-be an Islamic fundamentalist nation. On that sunny day in 2013, I did what any Bangladeshis would have done in my place. I tried to tell my professor about the positive things about Bangladesh. I told him about Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore and Muhammad Yunus, and also proudly added that Amartya Sen was born in Bangladesh. Later that year I was overjoyed when I met an Australian who’d done his PhD on Yunus’ microcredit theory. Though, I wouldn’t reveal him that Bangladeshis have mixed feelings about Yunus. I remember one of my relatives, a devout Muslim, had whined about Yunus’ Nobel Prize. He said the Jews and non-Muslim westerners had no sense that was why they picked a usurer for this Prize. In April this year, some Islamic groups in the country protested the Bengali New Year’s festivities, terming it un-Islamic and Hindu culture. In 1965, when Bangladesh was East Pakistan, the then government banned Tagore songs from Radio and Television. Two years after, Chayanat, a cultural organisation, started to celebrate Bengali New Year in the capital’s Ramna Park to stimulate the Bengali spirit to resist Pakistani rule. It helped. Eventually, the historic mass upsurge took place in 1969. A few months back, at a park in Dhaka, a school was having its annual school sports function. I heard a Hindi song play at top volume. Chaar Bottle Vodka, which means four bottle vodkas, was the refrain in the song. The invasion of Hindi movie songs in Bangladesh is overwhelming. So are Indian TV channels. A greater number of households spend their evenings watching Indian TV serials. For the Bangladeshi TV channels lack quality entertainment programs. Typically all they like to broadcast is Talk Shows and news. Albeit the rising violence against the Hindus in the country, India seems to be the obvious choice for us. According to an Indian government report published recently, one in three foreign patients in India is from Bangladesh. When it comes to traveling, for most Bangladeshis the taste of first foreign land is India. Last year, tourists from Bangladesh topped the Indian chart; much more Bangladeshis visited Indian than they did the US. Being Bangladeshi is being surrounded by India, and that is the reality. Naming our culture Hindu culture is ridiculous. It is no less ridiculous to ignore Rabindranath Tagore just because he is a non-Muslim. Tagore, in fact, is not a mere name, he is a culture himself. To deny Tagore means denying our own Bengali culture. Necessity has no religion. During my stay in Ohio, USA, the first Bengali I met was a man from Kolkata. There was a lot more of Muslim students from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and even from India. But coming across a Bengali guy made all the difference, to whom I could speak Bengali, discuss Bengali literature and culture and, of course, enjoy Bengali food. That day was a revelation for me as I found the answer to a most plaguing question: Which is more important, language or religion? The answer that came naturally to me is language. Because it’s the necessity. I share an intimacy with language which I find lacking in religion. For me language is the present, religion is the future. We live in present, not in future.

My love for Bangladesh makes me a Bengali, not necessarily a Muslim

First a word on what a &ldquo;gau rakshak&rdquo; is, because while it&rsquo;s a&nbsp;growing phenomenon inside Northern Indian states, like Uttar Pradesh and&nbsp;Haryana, non-Indians will be shocked by it. They may be doubly surprised it is perpetrated by Hindus, often stereotypically associated with gentle things&mdash;vegetarianism, Gandhi pacifism, yoga.&nbsp;

Termed &ldquo;cow protectors&rdquo; or &ldquo;cow vigilantes&rdquo;, gau rakshaks often beat up or murder someone who seems to be either eating beef or working in the cattle trading business. They thrash and lynch. The victims are never upper-caste Hindus, who if they eat beef do so in expensive restaurants. They are Dalits (the lowest caste) or Muslims, and they are poor.&nbsp;

After the inevitable &ldquo;wait, what the hell?&rdquo;, other questions arise. Some of them: Are these just numerous but individual fanatics going rogue? How much public and government support do they have? Is this a problem with &ldquo;lone wolfs&rdquo; or society broadly? Is this a form of terrorism?&nbsp;

Each gau rakshak case can be unique, both in the attack and in the cause. Here is a likely<a href="http://www.firstpost.com/india/una-alwar-and-delhi-cow-vigilantism-a-list-of-gau-rakshak-attacks-since-2015-dadri-lynching-3401302.html" target="_blank"> incomplete list</a> of attacks since 2014, and a brief description of what took place that is broadly characteristic of what happens.

&nbsp;

The official&nbsp;response

The Muslim-baiting&nbsp;Bharatiya Janata Party, which has lately&nbsp;toned down its incendiary statements&nbsp;now that it is the main political party in the country&nbsp;and no longer&nbsp;limited to its Hindutva base,&nbsp;has condemned gau rakshaks in statements, and police&nbsp;do pursue the attackers,&nbsp;but their heart doesn&rsquo;t seem into it.

One proof is how often government officials and police lay at least partial blame on the victims. Did they have papers to be transporting cattle? Were they in fact eating beef? These questions, notice, are irrelevant or at most very secondary;&nbsp;murder is illegal no matter how they are answered. There is no possible mitigating circumstance that makes assault and murder more OK. Not only are these questions asked by police and politicians, the victims sometimes have charges pressed against them. This is a travesty.&nbsp;

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There are two parties, one who got beat up and one who did the beating&mdash;Is deciding whose side to take really difficult, or even a question? In India, yes. There is pressure to assign at least split blame. In a culture of strident Hindu nationalism, officials do not like the optics of prosecuting Hindus for defending cows, even if &ldquo;defending cows&rdquo; here really means murdering fellow Indians. So, for example, police will claim the victim had only eight permissions of the ten permissions required.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Case study

The reaction in the high-profile Alwar case is demonstrative. A group of men lynched a Muslim man and attacked four others, and ran away only when police came. As per the <a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/jaipur/alwar-attack-police-file-murder-case-announce-reward-for-word-on-cow-vigilantes/story-NFtPds6LR0m3Qg7P1SDi3O.html" target="_blank">Hindustan Times</a> report:

&ldquo;Rajasthan home minister Gulab Chand Kataria justified the attack by &lsquo;gau rakshaks&rsquo; saying that both parties were to be blamed for Pehlu Khan&rsquo;s death. He said illegal transport of cows was banned in the state.

&ldquo;However, the victims claimed that they had valid documents and were legally transporting cattle purchased from a market in Jaipur.&rdquo;

The <a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/india/alwar-gau-rakshaks-killed-a-dairy-farmer-not-cattle-smuggler-4601434/" target="_blank">Indian Express</a> reports&nbsp;that Khan was a dairy farmer who decided to buy a milch cow instead of a milch buffalo, and that&rsquo;s why his killers saw him and some relatives&nbsp;transporting a cow in his pick-up truck. The attackers stopped the truck&nbsp;and for about 20-30 minutes beat them with sticks and belts nearly unconscious until the police came. For good measure, these &ldquo;cow defenders&rdquo; robbed them of 85,000 Rupees, or about $1,700 in Canadian dollars. Pious people indeed.

Now, police can&rsquo;t ignore if people were indeed guilty of breaking the state&rsquo;s laws concerning cattle trading and beef eating. Some states have such laws. But their disproportionate concern for this minor aspect of the law, rather than the assault and murder, betrays their bias. This is about Hindu politics.

That officials are mostly pretending to be only upholding the law is obvious when one remembers the victims are mostly innocent. They often do have permits to trade cattle, or it turns out they weren&rsquo;t even eating beef, they were eating buffalo. Oops! That more effort is made to make the innocent victim seem guilty rather than simply condemn those whose undeniable guilt in the way worse crime says everything.

&nbsp;

Hindutva--resurgent Hindu nationalism

Whether BJP members carefully direct and enflame gau rakshaks or strategically use an incident they didn&rsquo;t at all cause, the fear gau rakshaks create helps spread Hindutva--the establishment of Hindu hegemony over the state. The Indian government can&rsquo;t legally make a task force dedicated to beating the hell out of Muslims or Dalits, but they don&rsquo;t have to because the gau rakshaks do it anyway. The Sangh Parivar, the loose umbrella group of&nbsp;right-wing Hindu nationalists, including&nbsp;fringe elements, isn&#39;t exactly furious about the beatings.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The government can&rsquo;t explicitly support the gau rakshaks.&nbsp;Indian society is too decorous and attached to the idea of the rule of law for them to embrace breaking it. The violence they condone has to be permitted only tacitly, unspokenly. The government has a choice: Appear pro-law or pro-Hindu customs. They have chosen both.

While there&rsquo;s been a spike in attacks under the BJP government,&nbsp;the previous Congress government&nbsp;also exploited&nbsp;cow politics. Say what you will about the BJP, cows and the gau rakshak phenomenon is larger than them.&nbsp;

But Indians must watch the growing violence and feel frightened for two reasons: A) Abstractly, religious dictates are superseding the rule of law in a country which until recently was proud of its constitution and secular character B) In a practical and immediate sense, minorities are getting beaten the hell out of.

&nbsp;

Disingenuous

One must ask: If their real interest is protecting cows, is this best served by beating up Muslims and Dalits? Does this protect cows at all? The answer is a resounding &ldquo;no&rdquo;.&nbsp;

In a bit of hypocrisy familiar to Indians but perhaps stunning to an outsider, India is actually the world&rsquo;s largest exporter of beef. Countless cattle die because they eat plastic off the street. In cities, the stomachs of dead cows are found with mounds of street garbage. Where are the gau rakshaks cleaning plastic off the street? Where is their public service announcement not to litter, or to have dust bins installed in public, so people can deposit their plastic there instead of, essentially, inside a cow&rsquo;s stomach?&nbsp;

Whether the love is of a pastoral&nbsp;type,&nbsp;religious or something else, the Indian attachment to cows&nbsp;is of course deeply entrenched, understandable and commendable. Obviously caring for&nbsp;the animal&nbsp;isn&rsquo;t inherently bad,&nbsp;but something vicious and dark&nbsp;is taking place under the guise of cow protection.&nbsp;

Even if supposing&nbsp;that the Hindu dictates of cow worship should be enforced in an officially secular country, it is irrational and grotesquely disgusting to take this up via the assault and murder of marginalised people.

As a test, when reading an article on the topic&nbsp;try replacing the word &ldquo;gau rakshak&rdquo; with &ldquo;terrorist&rdquo; and see if there is any loss of meaning.

(WION)

There are parties and people in India who aren't outraged enough by murder because it's connected to cows and religion

First a word on what a “gau rakshak” is, because while it’s a growing phenomenon inside Northern Indian states, like Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, non-Indians will be shocked by it. They may be doubly surprised it is perpetrated by Hindus, often stereotypically associated with gentle things—vegetarianism, Gandhi pacifism, yoga. Termed “cow protectors” or “cow vigilantes”, gau rakshaks often beat up or murder someone who seems to be either eating beef or working in the cattle trading business. They thrash and lynch. The victims are never upper-caste Hindus, who if they eat beef do so in expensive restaurants. They are Dalits (the lowest caste) or Muslims, and they are poor. After the inevitable “wait, what the hell?”, other questions arise. Some of them: Are these just numerous but individual fanatics going rogue? How much public and government support do they have? Is this a problem with “lone wolfs” or society broadly? Is this a form of terrorism? Each gau rakshak case can be unique, both in the attack and in the cause. Here is a likely incomplete list of attacks since 2014, and a brief description of what took place that is broadly characteristic of what happens. The official response The Muslim-baiting Bharatiya Janata Party, which has lately toned down its incendiary statements now that it is the main political party in the country and no longer limited to its Hindutva base, has condemned gau rakshaks in statements, and police do pursue the attackers, but their heart doesn’t seem into it. One proof is how often government officials and police lay at least partial blame on the victims. Did they have papers to be transporting cattle? Were they in fact eating beef? These questions, notice, are irrelevant or at most very secondary; murder is illegal no matter how they are answered. There is no possible mitigating circumstance that makes assault and murder more OK. Not only are these questions asked by police and politicians, the victims sometimes have charges pressed against them. This is a travesty. There is no possible mitigating circumstance that makes assault and murder more OK. × There are two parties, one who got beat up and one who did the beating—Is deciding whose side to take really difficult, or even a question? In India, yes. There is pressure to assign at least split blame. In a culture of strident Hindu nationalism, officials do not like the optics of prosecuting Hindus for defending cows, even if “defending cows” here really means murdering fellow Indians. So, for example, police will claim the victim had only eight permissions of the ten permissions required. Case study The reaction in the high-profile Alwar case is demonstrative. A group of men lynched a Muslim man and attacked four others, and ran away only when police came. As per the Hindustan Times report: “Rajasthan home minister Gulab Chand Kataria justified the attack by ‘gau rakshaks’ saying that both parties were to be blamed for Pehlu Khan’s death. He said illegal transport of cows was banned in the state. “However, the victims claimed that they had valid documents and were legally transporting cattle purchased from a market in Jaipur.” The Indian Express reports that Khan was a dairy farmer who decided to buy a milch cow instead of a milch buffalo, and that’s why his killers saw him and some relatives transporting a cow in his pick-up truck. The attackers stopped the truck and for about 20-30 minutes beat them with sticks and belts nearly unconscious until the police came. For good measure, these “cow defenders” robbed them of 85,000 Rupees, or about $1,700 in Canadian dollars. Pious people indeed. Now, police can’t ignore if people were indeed guilty of breaking the state’s laws concerning cattle trading and beef eating. Some states have such laws. But their disproportionate concern for this minor aspect of the law, rather than the assault and murder, betrays their bias. This is about Hindu politics. That officials are mostly pretending to be only upholding the law is obvious when one remembers the victims are mostly innocent. They often do have permits to trade cattle, or it turns out they weren’t even eating beef, they were eating buffalo. Oops! That more effort is made to make the innocent victim seem guilty rather than simply condemn those whose undeniable guilt in the way worse crime says everything. Hindutva--resurgent Hindu nationalism Whether BJP members carefully direct and enflame gau rakshaks or strategically use an incident they didn’t at all cause, the fear gau rakshaks create helps spread Hindutva--the establishment of Hindu hegemony over the state. The Indian government can’t legally make a task force dedicated to beating the hell out of Muslims or Dalits, but they don’t have to because the gau rakshaks do it anyway. The Sangh Parivar, the loose umbrella group of right-wing Hindu nationalists, including fringe elements, isn't exactly furious about the beatings. The government can’t explicitly support the gau rakshaks. Indian society is too decorous and attached to the idea of the rule of law for them to embrace breaking it. The violence they condone has to be permitted only tacitly, unspokenly. The government has a choice: Appear pro-law or pro-Hindu customs. They have chosen both. While there’s been a spike in attacks under the BJP government, the previous Congress government also exploited cow politics. Say what you will about the BJP, cows and the gau rakshak phenomenon is larger than them. But Indians must watch the growing violence and feel frightened for two reasons: A) Abstractly, religious dictates are superseding the rule of law in a country which until recently was proud of its constitution and secular character B) In a practical and immediate sense, minorities are getting beaten the hell out of. Disingenuous One must ask: If their real interest is protecting cows, is this best served by beating up Muslims and Dalits? Does this protect cows at all? The answer is a resounding “no”. In a bit of hypocrisy familiar to Indians but perhaps stunning to an outsider, India is actually the world’s largest exporter of beef. Countless cattle die because they eat plastic off the street. In cities, the stomachs of dead cows are found with mounds of street garbage. Where are the gau rakshaks cleaning plastic off the street? Where is their public service announcement not to litter, or to have dust bins installed in public, so people can deposit their plastic there instead of, essentially, inside a cow’s stomach? Whether the love is of a pastoral type, religious or something else, the Indian attachment to cows is of course deeply entrenched, understandable and commendable. Obviously caring for the animal isn’t inherently bad, but something vicious and dark is taking place under the guise of cow protection. Even if supposing that the Hindu dictates of cow worship should be enforced in an officially secular country, it is irrational and grotesquely disgusting to take this up via the assault and murder of marginalised people. As a test, when reading an article on the topic try replacing the word “gau rakshak” with “terrorist” and see if there is any loss of meaning. (WION)

When gau rakshaks attack: The indefensible violence of 'cow protectors'

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.

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.

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.

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 &quot;Do you beat your wife?&quot;

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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.

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.

&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.

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&#39;s sayings and that &quot;90 percent of it is violence&quot;.

He acknowledged facing rebukes over his positions on the religion and being called an Islamophobe.

&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.

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)

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?'

A commission probing violence in Myanmar&#39;s Rakhine state on Wednesday denied security forces have carried out a genocidal campaign against the Rohingya, days after a video emerged showing police beating civilians from the Muslim minority.

Tens of thousands of Rohingya -- a group loathed by many among Myanmar&#39;s Buddhist majority -- have fled a military operation in the northwestern state, launched after deadly attacks on police posts in October.

Dozens have died in the crackdown, while escapees now in neighbouring Bangladesh have claimed they suffered rape, arson, murder and torture at the hands of police or soldiers.

Myanmar&#39;s government, led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, has said the allegations are invented and has resisted mounting international pressure to protect the minority.&nbsp;

A state-appointed commission set up to investigate the violence released its interim report on Wednesday, dismissing claims troops and police have embarked on a campaign to force the Rohingya out of the country.

Its interim findings come days after the government detained multiple police officers over a video showing policemen beating and kicking Rohingya villagers. The footage, shot by one of the officers, has sparked outrage and undermined the government&#39;s blanket denials that soldiers and police have carried out rights abuses.

The size of the &quot;Bengali&quot; population, mosques and religious buildings in the unrest-hit area &quot;are proof that there were no cases of genocide and religious persecution&quot;, it said in a statement carried in state media. Myanmar refuses to recognise the Rohingya as one of the country&#39;s ethnic minorities, instead describing them as Bengalis -- or illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh -- even though many have lived in Myanmar for generations.

The commission also found &quot;insufficient evidence&quot; of rape but added it was still looking into claims security forces committed arson, illegal arrests and torture of the Rohingya. It blamed the unrest on foreign-backed extremists, whom it said had attacked security forces in October to harm &quot;the sovereignty of the state... with the intention of igniting riots and conflicts&quot;.

Legal action has been taken against 485 people arrested during the army&#39;s subsequent clearance operation, it added, without giving further details. Chris Lewa, from the Arakan project, said the commission had failed to properly investigate the widespread allegations of rape and rights abuses.

&quot;The methodology is not credible, it&#39;s totally unprofessional,&quot; she said.&nbsp;&quot;There is no corroboration from the villagers they are meant to have talked to. Their job was to verify the allegations and the report has not verified them.&quot;&nbsp;

The commission has faced opposition from across the spectrum since it was announced last month -- the second body created by Suu Kyi to try to heal the simmering religious divide in Rakhine state.

Rights activists dismissed the 13-member commission as toothless, pointing out it is headed by the vice-president, a former army general. Rakhine nationalists and many of the state&#39;s MPs have denounced it as a tool for government propaganda.

Malaysia&#39;s prime minister has accused Suu Kyi of allowing genocide on her watch, while more than a dozen Nobel Laureates wrote to the UN Security Council urging action to stop the &quot;human tragedy amounting to ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity&quot; in northern Rakhine.

State media ran a statement from the Home Affairs Ministry on Wednesday, saying eight officers have now been arrested over the incident depicted in the video. &quot;Police committed abuses as they tried to arrest some villagers who fled the village and some who were hiding in their homes,&quot; the statement said.

Myanmar has long discriminated against the stateless Rohingya. More than one million of them live in Rakhine, including 120,000 in displacement camps. Their movements are severely restricted as well as their access to basic services, like health and education.

(AFP)

A recent video showing policemen beating and kicking Rohingya villagers undermines the government's blanket denials

A commission probing violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state on Wednesday denied security forces have carried out a genocidal campaign against the Rohingya, days after a video emerged showing police beating civilians from the Muslim minority. Tens of thousands of Rohingya -- a group loathed by many among Myanmar's Buddhist majority -- have fled a military operation in the northwestern state, launched after deadly attacks on police posts in October. Dozens have died in the crackdown, while escapees now in neighbouring Bangladesh have claimed they suffered rape, arson, murder and torture at the hands of police or soldiers. Myanmar's government, led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, has said the allegations are invented and has resisted mounting international pressure to protect the minority. A state-appointed commission set up to investigate the violence released its interim report on Wednesday, dismissing claims troops and police have embarked on a campaign to force the Rohingya out of the country. Its interim findings come days after the government detained multiple police officers over a video showing policemen beating and kicking Rohingya villagers. The footage, shot by one of the officers, has sparked outrage and undermined the government's blanket denials that soldiers and police have carried out rights abuses. The size of the "Bengali" population, mosques and religious buildings in the unrest-hit area "are proof that there were no cases of genocide and religious persecution", it said in a statement carried in state media. Myanmar refuses to recognise the Rohingya as one of the country's ethnic minorities, instead describing them as Bengalis -- or illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh -- even though many have lived in Myanmar for generations. The commission also found "insufficient evidence" of rape but added it was still looking into claims security forces committed arson, illegal arrests and torture of the Rohingya. It blamed the unrest on foreign-backed extremists, whom it said had attacked security forces in October to harm "the sovereignty of the state... with the intention of igniting riots and conflicts". Legal action has been taken against 485 people arrested during the army's subsequent clearance operation, it added, without giving further details. Chris Lewa, from the Arakan project, said the commission had failed to properly investigate the widespread allegations of rape and rights abuses. "The methodology is not credible, it's totally unprofessional," she said. "There is no corroboration from the villagers they are meant to have talked to. Their job was to verify the allegations and the report has not verified them." The commission has faced opposition from across the spectrum since it was announced last month -- the second body created by Suu Kyi to try to heal the simmering religious divide in Rakhine state. Rights activists dismissed the 13-member commission as toothless, pointing out it is headed by the vice-president, a former army general. Rakhine nationalists and many of the state's MPs have denounced it as a tool for government propaganda. Malaysia's prime minister has accused Suu Kyi of allowing genocide on her watch, while more than a dozen Nobel Laureates wrote to the UN Security Council urging action to stop the "human tragedy amounting to ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity" in northern Rakhine. State media ran a statement from the Home Affairs Ministry on Wednesday, saying eight officers have now been arrested over the incident depicted in the video. "Police committed abuses as they tried to arrest some villagers who fled the village and some who were hiding in their homes," the statement said. Myanmar has long discriminated against the stateless Rohingya. More than one million of them live in Rakhine, including 120,000 in displacement camps. Their movements are severely restricted as well as their access to basic services, like health and education. (AFP)

Myanmar commission denies genocidal campaign against Rohingya Muslims

Several Indonesian police and security personnel have been deployed in capital Jakarta on Friday to prevent&nbsp;any violent outbreak during a massive protest against the Jakarta governor&nbsp;for allegedly insulting the Quran.&nbsp;

The large-scale protests, led by Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), are planning to pressure Indonesian President Joko Widodo to take action against governor Basuki Tjahja Purnama.

Purnama is a Christian and the first ethnic Chinese to become the governor of Jakarta.&nbsp;

Purnama, who plans on becoming the governor for the second term next year, has faced stiff opposition from Islamic groups.

Islamic groups have cited a Quran verse&nbsp;to urge people not to vote for Purnama as he is a non-Muslim. The verse that has been often quoted by the hardliners is sometimes viewed as a passage that tells Muslims not to be governed or led by a non-Muslim.

Some others, however, interpret the verse differently. They say it was penned during wartime and should not be taken literally.&nbsp;

On September 28, Purnama was filmed saying that those using the passage against him were &quot;lying&quot;.

Islamic Defenders Front have had a running battle with Purnama. They believe that he should not have the chance to govern the Muslim-majority city.

Residents urged to stay indoors

Many companies have asked their employees to work from home.

Restrictions have been imposed in the main business centre of the capital city.

Foreign embassies like Australia and Malaysia have asked their citizens to remain indoors and stay safe. &nbsp;

Social media users were using hashtags on Twitter #wearenotafraid (#kamitidaktakut) and #peaceaction411 (#aksidamai411) to protest against the use of extremism.&nbsp;

Banners stating &quot;Your religion or ethnicity doesn&#39;t matter, as long as you can do something good for everybody&quot;, were put up by few Indonesians on top of bridges calling for tolerance towards all religions.&nbsp;

On Thursday, President Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla&nbsp;said that peace must be maintained and&nbsp;&quot;everything and everyone should continue to work as normal&quot;.

Widodo&#39;s critics argue that the government has failed to contain religious and ethnic tensions in the country.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

 
&nbsp;

The protesters want Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahja Purnama ? a Christian ? to step down for allegedly insulting the Quran

Several Indonesian police and security personnel have been deployed in capital Jakarta on Friday to prevent any violent outbreak during a massive protest against the Jakarta governor for allegedly insulting the Quran. The large-scale protests, led by Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), are planning to pressure Indonesian President Joko Widodo to take action against governor Basuki Tjahja Purnama. Purnama is a Christian and the first ethnic Chinese to become the governor of Jakarta. Purnama, who plans on becoming the governor for the second term next year, has faced stiff opposition from Islamic groups. Islamic groups have cited a Quran verse to urge people not to vote for Purnama as he is a non-Muslim. The verse that has been often quoted by the hardliners is sometimes viewed as a passage that tells Muslims not to be governed or led by a non-Muslim. Some others, however, interpret the verse differently. They say it was penned during wartime and should not be taken literally. On September 28, Purnama was filmed saying that those using the passage against him were "lying". Islamic Defenders Front have had a running battle with Purnama. They believe that he should not have the chance to govern the Muslim-majority city. Residents urged to stay indoors Many companies have asked their employees to work from home. Restrictions have been imposed in the main business centre of the capital city. Foreign embassies like Australia and Malaysia have asked their citizens to remain indoors and stay safe. Social media users were using hashtags on Twitter #wearenotafraid (#kamitidaktakut) and #peaceaction411 (#aksidamai411) to protest against the use of extremism. Banners stating "Your religion or ethnicity doesn't matter, as long as you can do something good for everybody", were put up by few Indonesians on top of bridges calling for tolerance towards all religions. On Thursday, President Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla said that peace must be maintained and "everything and everyone should continue to work as normal". Widodo's critics argue that the government has failed to contain religious and ethnic tensions in the country. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Indonesia: Jakarta on edge as Muslim hardliners prepare for mass protest

A massive demonstration by tens of thousands of Indonesian Muslim protesters on Friday, against Jakarta&#39;s governor, turned violent as hardliners burned police cars and officers were injured in clashes.&nbsp;

The police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse the crowds in front of the Presidential Palace demanding the resignation of the Christian governor, who they claim had insulted the Koran, the holy book of Muslims.

The protesters accused Basuki Tjahja Purnama, a Christian and the first ethnic Chinese politician to hold the post of governor in the capital, of blasphemy. Purnama had said his opponents had deceived voters by attacking him using a verse from the Koran.&nbsp;

&quot;He is not Muslim but he humiliated the Koran,&quot; protester Muhammad Said told Reuters. &quot;Don&#39;t refer to anything in the Koran, especially interpreting it incorrectly ... I call on God to jail him.&quot;

The governor apologised for the remarks, but the group leading the protest, the Islamic Defenders Front, have called for Purnama to be jailed for blasphemy. The group promised that Friday&#39;s turnout would eclipse a similar rally last month that drew 10,000 people to the streets.&nbsp;

Some foreign embassies warned their citizens to remain cautious and steer clear of the demonstrations. There were smaller protests against the governor in other cities including Surabaya, Makassar and Medan.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

The protesters called for Purnama to be jailed for allegedly insulting the Koran

A massive demonstration by tens of thousands of Indonesian Muslim protesters on Friday, against Jakarta's governor, turned violent as hardliners burned police cars and officers were injured in clashes. The police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse the crowds in front of the Presidential Palace demanding the resignation of the Christian governor, who they claim had insulted the Koran, the holy book of Muslims. The protesters accused Basuki Tjahja Purnama, a Christian and the first ethnic Chinese politician to hold the post of governor in the capital, of blasphemy. Purnama had said his opponents had deceived voters by attacking him using a verse from the Koran. "He is not Muslim but he humiliated the Koran," protester Muhammad Said told Reuters. "Don't refer to anything in the Koran, especially interpreting it incorrectly ... I call on God to jail him." The governor apologised for the remarks, but the group leading the protest, the Islamic Defenders Front, have called for Purnama to be jailed for blasphemy. The group promised that Friday's turnout would eclipse a similar rally last month that drew 10,000 people to the streets. Some foreign embassies warned their citizens to remain cautious and steer clear of the demonstrations. There were smaller protests against the governor in other cities including Surabaya, Makassar and Medan. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Indonesia: Muslims accuse Jakarta's governor of blasphemy as protests turn violent

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.

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This picture shows the entrance of a halal butchery in Lille, northern France. (AFP)
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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. 
&nbsp;

(Contributed by: Zeba Khan)

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

Shiv Sena, a&nbsp;Hindu right-wing&nbsp;political party,&nbsp;today said that All India Muslim Personal Law Board&#39;s (AIMPLB) opposition to uniform civil code (UCC) is not in favour of the nation.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&quot;In the interest of the nation and in the interest of the Muslim community Indian civil code must be imposed in the country, only then the nation will agree that the Muslim people are true citizen of this country and they want to be included in the contrived decision and abide by the Constitution of India,&quot; Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut told Indian news agency ANI.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The Muslim personal law board on Thursday announced its decision to boycott a Law Commission of India questionnaire that sought a&nbsp;public vote on whether uniform civil code (the proposal to replace the personal laws based on the scriptures and customs of each major religious community in India) should be imposed in the country. The questionnaire also sought a public opinion on triple talaq, &nbsp;which according to Islamic law based on the Quran permits a husband to pronounce talaq three times to instantly divorce his wife.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Raut further stressed that unless the Muslim community continues to follow the strict rules and regulation of other Islamic countries, people of India will continue to look upon them with suspicion, ANI reported.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&quot;To the government also, I want to say that their decision should not be based on the fact as to what will these Muslim organisation think regarding this. This is the issue of national interest. The government should take a decision on this,&quot; he was quoted as saying by the news agency.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Last week, an affidavit was also filed in the Supreme Court by India&#39;s law ministry that said that triple talaq violates women&#39;s rights.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Religious persecution will not be tolerated in India: India&#39;s interior minister&nbsp;

As the Muslim community continues to accuse the Narendra Modi-led Indian government of violating their rights by trying to impose a uniform civil code, India&#39;s interior minister said today that &#39;religious persecution will never be allowed in the country&#39;.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Speaking at a meeting of Christian leaders organised by India Christian Council, interior minister Rajnath Singh described India as a &#39;university of tolerance&#39;, Indian news agency PTI reported.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&quot;Tolerance is essential for peaceful existence. People from all religions live peacefully in India and practise their religion without any fear of discrimination. That is why India is a university of tolerance,&quot; Singh was quoted as saying.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&quot;All important religions find place in India,&quot; he said and added that people from all religions get respect and it is the only country where all sects of Islam are found.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

He also referred to the incidents of attacks on churches in the&nbsp;national capital of Delhi ahead of assembly elections last year.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&quot;There were incidents of attacks on churches in Delhi which came up in the run-up to elections (to Delhi Assembly). &nbsp;But I would like to say that religious persecution will never be allowed in India whether it is before or after the (upcoming) elections (in several Indian states including northern Uttar Pradesh and Punjab).&quot;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Targeting Pakistan he said: It is very unfortunate that some countries make terrorism a state policy. There can be differences between people that can be resolved through dialogue but not by taking up guns.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&quot;The nation (Pakistan) separated from it declared itself a theocratic state. That country uses terrorism as a state policy,&quot; &nbsp;PTI quoted him as saying.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Amid remarks by the Hindu right-wing party, Indian interior minister Rajnath Singh said, 'Tolerance is essential for peaceful existence'

Shiv Sena, a Hindu right-wing political party, today said that All India Muslim Personal Law Board's (AIMPLB) opposition to uniform civil code (UCC) is not in favour of the nation. "In the interest of the nation and in the interest of the Muslim community Indian civil code must be imposed in the country, only then the nation will agree that the Muslim people are true citizen of this country and they want to be included in the contrived decision and abide by the Constitution of India," Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut told Indian news agency ANI. The Muslim personal law board on Thursday announced its decision to boycott a Law Commission of India questionnaire that sought a public vote on whether uniform civil code (the proposal to replace the personal laws based on the scriptures and customs of each major religious community in India) should be imposed in the country. The questionnaire also sought a public opinion on triple talaq, which according to Islamic law based on the Quran permits a husband to pronounce talaq three times to instantly divorce his wife. Raut further stressed that unless the Muslim community continues to follow the strict rules and regulation of other Islamic countries, people of India will continue to look upon them with suspicion, ANI reported. "To the government also, I want to say that their decision should not be based on the fact as to what will these Muslim organisation think regarding this. This is the issue of national interest. The government should take a decision on this," he was quoted as saying by the news agency. Last week, an affidavit was also filed in the Supreme Court by India's law ministry that said that triple talaq violates women's rights. Religious persecution will not be tolerated in India: India's interior minister As the Muslim community continues to accuse the Narendra Modi-led Indian government of violating their rights by trying to impose a uniform civil code, India's interior minister said today that 'religious persecution will never be allowed in the country'. Speaking at a meeting of Christian leaders organised by India Christian Council, interior minister Rajnath Singh described India as a 'university of tolerance', Indian news agency PTI reported. "Tolerance is essential for peaceful existence. People from all religions live peacefully in India and practise their religion without any fear of discrimination. That is why India is a university of tolerance," Singh was quoted as saying. "All important religions find place in India," he said and added that people from all religions get respect and it is the only country where all sects of Islam are found. He also referred to the incidents of attacks on churches in the national capital of Delhi ahead of assembly elections last year. "There were incidents of attacks on churches in Delhi which came up in the run-up to elections (to Delhi Assembly). But I would like to say that religious persecution will never be allowed in India whether it is before or after the (upcoming) elections (in several Indian states including northern Uttar Pradesh and Punjab)." Targeting Pakistan he said: It is very unfortunate that some countries make terrorism a state policy. There can be differences between people that can be resolved through dialogue but not by taking up guns. "The nation (Pakistan) separated from it declared itself a theocratic state. That country uses terrorism as a state policy," PTI quoted him as saying. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Abide by uniform civil code to become true Indian citizens: Shiv Sena tells Indian Muslims

France&#39;s highest administrative court will decide today whether to overturn the ban on wearing the burkini that has triggered controversy at home and abroad. 
 
The Human Rights League and an anti-Islamophobia group are seeking to reverse a decision by the southern town of Villeneuve-Loubet, near Nice, to ban the Islamic swimsuit. The State Council began hearing their arguements yesterday.&nbsp; 
 
The ruling is due at 3.00 pm (1300 GMT) today. It is likely to set a precedent for around 30 French towns which have banned the burkini, mostly in the southeast. The decision, however, will not be about the legality of the ban. 
 
The judge will only rule on whether there is basis&nbsp;enough to suspend the ban temporarily until a decision on its legality can be made. 
 
The court will, therefore, consider two things: whether the town&#39;s decree banning the&nbsp;burkini&nbsp;is a flagrant violation of civil liberties, and if the harm caused is serious enough to immediately suspend it. 
 
Nice denies &#39;undressing&#39; claims&nbsp; 
 
The burkini bans have triggered a fierce debate in France and elsewhere about the wearing of the full-body swimsuit, women&#39;s rights and secularism. 
 
&nbsp;A court in the Riviera city of Nice upheld the ban this week. 
 
Anger over the issue was further inflamed yesterday when photographs emerged in the media of police surrounding a woman in a headscarf on a Nice beach removing a long-sleeved top. 
 
But the office of Nice&#39;s mayor denied that the woman had been forced to remove clothing, telling AFP she was showing police the swimsuit she was wearing under her top, over a pair of leggings, when the picture was taken. 
 
The police issued her with a fine and she left the beach, the officials added. 
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<h5>Prime Minister Manuel Valls said he condemned any &quot;stigmatisation&quot; of Muslims, but maintained that the burkini was &quot;a political sign of religious proselytising&quot;.</h5>
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Prime Minister Manuel Valls said he condemned any &quot;stigmatisation&quot; of Muslims, but maintained that the burkini was &quot;a political sign of religious proselytising&quot;." target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
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Prime Minister Manuel Valls said he condemned any &quot;stigmatisation&quot; of Muslims, but maintained that the burkini was &quot;a political sign of religious proselytising&quot;. 
 
&quot;We are not at war with Islam... the French republic is welcoming (to Muslims), we are protecting them against discrimination,&quot; he told BFMTV. 
 
But in a sign of the divisions within the Socialist government on the issue, education minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem said the &quot;proliferation&quot; of burkini bans &quot;was not a welcome development&quot;. 
 
 
&#39;Neither provocation nor stigmatisation&#39;&nbsp; 
 
President Francois Hollande made his first comment on the issue yesterday, saying life in France &quot;supposes that everyone sticks to the rules and that there is neither provocation nor stigmatisation&quot;. 
 
The former president, Nicolas Sarkozy, who this week launched his bid to regain the presidency, has described the burkini as a &quot;provocation&quot;. 
 
Vallaud-Belkacem, who is of Moroccan origin, took issue with the wording of the ban in Nice which linked the measure to the jihadist attack in the resort last month in which 86 people were killed. 
 
&quot;In my opinion, there is nothing to prove that there is a link between the terrorism of Daesh and what a woman wears on a beach,&quot; she said, using another term for Islamic State. But Valls contradicted his minister&#39;s claims, saying the bans were necessary to maintain &quot;public order&quot;. 
 
The administrative court in Nice ruled on Monday that the Villeneuve-Loubet ban was &quot;necessary&quot; to prevent public disorder after the truck attack in Nice and the murder of a Catholic priest by two jihadists in northern France. 
 
 
&#39;Burkini ban is racist&#39; 
 
The vague wording of the prohibitions has caused confusion, it seems. &nbsp;The so-called burkini bans never actually mention the word burkini, although they are aimed at the garment which covers the hair but leaves the face visible and stretches down to the ankles. 
 
Around 50 people held a protest outside the French embassy in London, recreating a beach and carrying placards saying &quot;Burkini ban is racist&quot;. 
 
Amnesty International called for the ban to be lifted immediately, saying it was &quot;fuelled by and is fuelling prejudice and intolerance&quot;. 
 
&quot;These bans do nothing to increase public safety, but do a lot to promote public humiliation,&quot; said the group&#39;s Europe director John Dalhuisen. 
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<h5>I don&#39;t think anyone should tell women what they can and can&#39;t wear. Full stop.&quot;- London mayor Sadiq Khan</h5>
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Apart from the incident featured in the photographs in Nice, a 34-year-old mother of two told AFP on Tuesday she had been fined on the beach in the resort of Cannes wearing leggings, a tunic and a headscarf. 
 
&quot;I was sitting on a beach with my family. I was wearing a classic headscarf. I had no intention of swimming,&quot; said the woman, who gave only her first name, Siam. 
 
Anouar Kbibech, the head of the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), said he was &quot;concerned over the direction the public debate is taking.&quot; 
 
London mayor Sadiq Khan, the first Muslim mayor of a major Western capital, also condemned the bans as he visited Paris Thursday. 
 
&quot;I don&#39;t think anyone should tell women what they can and can&#39;t wear. Full stop,&quot; he told the London Evening Standard newspaper. 
 
 
France firmly separates religion and public life and was the first European country to ban the wearing of the Islamic face veil in public in 2010. 
 
(Wion with inputs from Agencies)

The ruling is likely to set a precedent for around 30 French towns which have banned the burkini, mostly in the southeast

France's highest administrative court will decide today whether to overturn the ban on wearing the burkini that has triggered controversy at home and abroad. The Human Rights League and an anti-Islamophobia group are seeking to reverse a decision by the southern town of Villeneuve-Loubet, near Nice, to ban the Islamic swimsuit. The State Council began hearing their arguements yesterday. The ruling is due at 3.00 pm (1300 GMT) today. It is likely to set a precedent for around 30 French towns which have banned the burkini, mostly in the southeast. The decision, however, will not be about the legality of the ban. The judge will only rule on whether there is basis enough to suspend the ban temporarily until a decision on its legality can be made. The court will, therefore, consider two things: whether the town's decree banning the burkini is a flagrant violation of civil liberties, and if the harm caused is serious enough to immediately suspend it. Nice denies 'undressing' claims The burkini bans have triggered a fierce debate in France and elsewhere about the wearing of the full-body swimsuit, women's rights and secularism. A court in the Riviera city of Nice upheld the ban this week. Anger over the issue was further inflamed yesterday when photographs emerged in the media of police surrounding a woman in a headscarf on a Nice beach removing a long-sleeved top. But the office of Nice's mayor denied that the woman had been forced to remove clothing, telling AFP she was showing police the swimsuit she was wearing under her top, over a pair of leggings, when the picture was taken. The police issued her with a fine and she left the beach, the officials added. Prime Minister Manuel Valls said he condemned any "stigmatisation" of Muslims, but maintained that the burkini was "a political sign of religious proselytising". Prime Minister Manuel Valls said he condemned any "stigmatisation" of Muslims, but maintained that the burkini was "a political sign of religious proselytising". "We are not at war with Islam... the French republic is welcoming (to Muslims), we are protecting them against discrimination," he told BFMTV. But in a sign of the divisions within the Socialist government on the issue, education minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem said the "proliferation" of burkini bans "was not a welcome development". 'Neither provocation nor stigmatisation' President Francois Hollande made his first comment on the issue yesterday, saying life in France "supposes that everyone sticks to the rules and that there is neither provocation nor stigmatisation". The former president, Nicolas Sarkozy, who this week launched his bid to regain the presidency, has described the burkini as a "provocation". Vallaud-Belkacem, who is of Moroccan origin, took issue with the wording of the ban in Nice which linked the measure to the jihadist attack in the resort last month in which 86 people were killed. "In my opinion, there is nothing to prove that there is a link between the terrorism of Daesh and what a woman wears on a beach," she said, using another term for Islamic State. But Valls contradicted his minister's claims, saying the bans were necessary to maintain "public order". The administrative court in Nice ruled on Monday that the Villeneuve-Loubet ban was "necessary" to prevent public disorder after the truck attack in Nice and the murder of a Catholic priest by two jihadists in northern France. 'Burkini ban is racist' The vague wording of the prohibitions has caused confusion, it seems. The so-called burkini bans never actually mention the word burkini, although they are aimed at the garment which covers the hair but leaves the face visible and stretches down to the ankles. Around 50 people held a protest outside the French embassy in London, recreating a beach and carrying placards saying "Burkini ban is racist". Amnesty International called for the ban to be lifted immediately, saying it was "fuelled by and is fuelling prejudice and intolerance". "These bans do nothing to increase public safety, but do a lot to promote public humiliation," said the group's Europe director John Dalhuisen. I don't think anyone should tell women what they can and can't wear. Full stop."- London mayor Sadiq Khan Apart from the incident featured in the photographs in Nice, a 34-year-old mother of two told AFP on Tuesday she had been fined on the beach in the resort of Cannes wearing leggings, a tunic and a headscarf. "I was sitting on a beach with my family. I was wearing a classic headscarf. I had no intention of swimming," said the woman, who gave only her first name, Siam. Anouar Kbibech, the head of the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), said he was "concerned over the direction the public debate is taking." London mayor Sadiq Khan, the first Muslim mayor of a major Western capital, also condemned the bans as he visited Paris Thursday. "I don't think anyone should tell women what they can and can't wear. Full stop," he told the London Evening Standard newspaper. France firmly separates religion and public life and was the first European country to ban the wearing of the Islamic face veil in public in 2010. (Wion with inputs from Agencies)

France's highest court to rule on burkini ban

Hundreds of Jews visited Jerusalem&#39;s Al-Aqsa mosque compound on Tisha B&#39;av, a religious day of mourning, with several expelled for praying, a right restricted to Muslims, police said today. 
 
They said around 400 entered the site in occupied east Jerusalem throughout the day to commemorate the destruction of two ancient temples there. Police expelled 10 Jews from the compound for trying to pray there and arrested another two. 
 
Security at the controversial site had been boosted with hundreds of extra officers ahead of the event, which began on Saturday night.&nbsp;Tens of thousands of Jews also prayed at the adjacent Western Wall during the day. 
 
Advocates for prayer rights for Jews at the esplanade, the holiest site in Judaism and referred to as the Temple Mount, have called on Jews to visit the sensitive area. It is Islam&#39;s third holiest site. 
 
An AFP journalist saw several groups of around 30 Jews visiting the site in the morning and the afternoon, many escorted by police. 
Muslims entering through different gates showed their identity cards to the police, who retained them for some visitors until the end of their visit. 
 
Honenu, an advocacy group that provides legal aid to extremist Jews, said three were held for citing verses from prayer, and another for tearing his shirt, a sign of mourning in Judaism. Jews are allowed to visit the compound but not pray there, and the site has been the scene of regular incidents when Jews try to ignore the rule and Muslims intervene to stop them. 
 
Police said Muslims had gathered around two Jews being expelled by police and began yelling at them. Police pushed them away and three Muslims were &quot;lightly&quot; injured in the scuffle. 
 
Jerusalem has been at the heart of a wave of violence since October in which 219 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese have died, according to an AFP count. 
 
Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities. 
 
While the number of attacks has declined in recent weeks, Palestinian fears of Israeli intentions to undermine Muslim control of the Al-Aqsa mosque compound were a key factor in the violence erupting 10 months ago. 
 
Palestinians argue that Israel is seeking to change the status quo at the compound, a claim that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly denied. 
 
Israel occupied east Jerusalem in 1967 and later annexed the territory in a move never recognised by the international community. 
 
(AFP)

Police expelled 10 Jews from the compound for trying to pray and arrested another two. Jews are allowed to visit the compound but not pray

Hundreds of Jews visited Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound on Tisha B'av, a religious day of mourning, with several expelled for praying, a right restricted to Muslims, police said today. They said around 400 entered the site in occupied east Jerusalem throughout the day to commemorate the destruction of two ancient temples there. Police expelled 10 Jews from the compound for trying to pray there and arrested another two. Security at the controversial site had been boosted with hundreds of extra officers ahead of the event, which began on Saturday night. Tens of thousands of Jews also prayed at the adjacent Western Wall during the day. Advocates for prayer rights for Jews at the esplanade, the holiest site in Judaism and referred to as the Temple Mount, have called on Jews to visit the sensitive area. It is Islam's third holiest site. An AFP journalist saw several groups of around 30 Jews visiting the site in the morning and the afternoon, many escorted by police. Muslims entering through different gates showed their identity cards to the police, who retained them for some visitors until the end of their visit. Honenu, an advocacy group that provides legal aid to extremist Jews, said three were held for citing verses from prayer, and another for tearing his shirt, a sign of mourning in Judaism. Jews are allowed to visit the compound but not pray there, and the site has been the scene of regular incidents when Jews try to ignore the rule and Muslims intervene to stop them. Police said Muslims had gathered around two Jews being expelled by police and began yelling at them. Police pushed them away and three Muslims were "lightly" injured in the scuffle. Jerusalem has been at the heart of a wave of violence since October in which 219 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese have died, according to an AFP count. Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities. While the number of attacks has declined in recent weeks, Palestinian fears of Israeli intentions to undermine Muslim control of the Al-Aqsa mosque compound were a key factor in the violence erupting 10 months ago. Palestinians argue that Israel is seeking to change the status quo at the compound, a claim that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly denied. Israel occupied east Jerusalem in 1967 and later annexed the territory in a move never recognised by the international community. (AFP)

Jews expelled from Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque on mourning day

Muslims in Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris, attended a mass on Sunday, July 31 to pay tribute to a priest killed in a knife attack. 
 
The French Muslim Community Council had urged Muslims to attend mass all over the country in a gesture of solidarity and compassion with the Catholic community. 
 
The request was made after Father Jacques Hamel was killed when two attackers linked to Islamic State interrupted a church service and forced the 85-year-old Roman Catholic priest to his knees at the altar and slit his throat. 
 
Since Saturday, Muslims have been joining Catholics around France for vigils, marches and masses to show solidarity and unity between their religious communities. 
 
&quot;To forgive is to give despite my anger, my resentment, so that life returns between myself and another, without which suffering moves in, remains and festers,&quot; Father Eugene Doussal said during his sermon. 
 
Among those who attended the service was Hayat, who came with her children and husband. &quot;This was basically a message of unity, aside from peace, it was really about unity,&quot; she said. 
 
Since the church attack, France&#39;s government has been pushing for interfaith unity. 
 
(Reuters)

Two attackers linked to Islamic State had interrupted a church service, forced the priest to his knees and slit his throat

Muslims in Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris, attended a mass on Sunday, July 31 to pay tribute to a priest killed in a knife attack. The French Muslim Community Council had urged Muslims to attend mass all over the country in a gesture of solidarity and compassion with the Catholic community. The request was made after Father Jacques Hamel was killed when two attackers linked to Islamic State interrupted a church service and forced the 85-year-old Roman Catholic priest to his knees at the altar and slit his throat. Since Saturday, Muslims have been joining Catholics around France for vigils, marches and masses to show solidarity and unity between their religious communities. "To forgive is to give despite my anger, my resentment, so that life returns between myself and another, without which suffering moves in, remains and festers," Father Eugene Doussal said during his sermon. Among those who attended the service was Hayat, who came with her children and husband. "This was basically a message of unity, aside from peace, it was really about unity," she said. Since the church attack, France's government has been pushing for interfaith unity. (Reuters)

Muslims attend Catholic mass in show of solidarity after French church attack

Muslims make up just over two per cent of Myanmar&#39;s population, government census figures showed today, undercutting claims by Buddhist hardliners that Islam poses a threat to the dominance of their faith. 
 
Full details from the 2014 count, the first of its kind in decades, was withheld for almost a year to avoid stirring tensions in the Buddhist-majority nation ahead of elections that propelled Aung San Suu Kyi&#39;s pro-democracy party to power. 
 
Islamophobia has rippled across Myanmar in recent years, with Buddhist nationalists sending alarmist messages about the growth of the Muslim population.&nbsp;But the new data affirms that Buddhists make up 90 per cent of the population of 51.48 million.&nbsp;They are followed in number by Christians (6.3 per cent) and Muslims (2.3 per cent or over 1.1 million people). 
 
However, the survey does not include the one-million strong stateless Rohingya Muslim minority, who were banned from self-identifying during the census taking.&nbsp;Added together, their number doubles the country&#39;s share of Muslims to around four per cent -- an estimate that has been in circulation since the last census in 1983. 
 
&quot;Some were worried that there could be a significant difference in the numbers of each religion,&quot; Thein Swe, minister of labour, immigration and population told reporters in the capital Naypyidaw as he released the data.&nbsp;&quot;But there is not much difference when compared with the census data in 1983.&quot; 
 
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which supported Myanmar&#39;s government in carrying out census, said the figures should extinguish incendiary rhetoric.&nbsp;&quot;It is time to replace speculation with fact,&quot; the UNFPA&#39;s Janet E. Jackson said in a statement. 
 
But the UNFPA hit out at the Rohingya&#39;s exclusion from the data as &quot;a serious shortcoming of the census and a grave human rights concern&quot;. 
 
Hardliners under pressure&nbsp; 
 
More than 100,000 Rohingya were displaced by deadly clashes with Buddhists in 2012 and now live destitute in camps in western Rakhine state.&nbsp;They are denied citizenship and face severe restrictions on their movement and access to basic services. 
 
Just days before the census was carried out in 2014, Buddhist nationalists accused the international community of bias towards Muslims and attacked humanitarian offices in Rakhine, forcing aid workers to flee. 
 
De facto premier Suu Kyi has faced criticism for not taking a stronger stance on the Rohingya or publicly condemning two recent attacks on mosques in other parts of the country.&nbsp;But her government has made moves in recent weeks to rein in the Ma Ba Tha, a monk-led movement at the fore of anti-Muslim protests in recent years. 
 
At the core of their ideology is the belief that Myanmar&#39;s Buddhist identity is under attack from Muslims and other ethnic minorities, despite the country hosting such groups for generations. 
 
Under the previous military-backed government, the nationalist group successfully lobbied for the passage of controversial race and religion laws that rights groups say discriminate against women and religious minorities.&nbsp;Earlier this month Suu Kyi&#39;s religion minister warned the group could be disbanded if it uses hate speech to stoke conflict. 
 
(AFP)

Islamophobic Buddhist nationalists sent alarmist messages about the growth of the Muslim population, but stats peg it at only 2.3%

Muslims make up just over two per cent of Myanmar's population, government census figures showed today, undercutting claims by Buddhist hardliners that Islam poses a threat to the dominance of their faith. Full details from the 2014 count, the first of its kind in decades, was withheld for almost a year to avoid stirring tensions in the Buddhist-majority nation ahead of elections that propelled Aung San Suu Kyi's pro-democracy party to power. Islamophobia has rippled across Myanmar in recent years, with Buddhist nationalists sending alarmist messages about the growth of the Muslim population. But the new data affirms that Buddhists make up 90 per cent of the population of 51.48 million. They are followed in number by Christians (6.3 per cent) and Muslims (2.3 per cent or over 1.1 million people). However, the survey does not include the one-million strong stateless Rohingya Muslim minority, who were banned from self-identifying during the census taking. Added together, their number doubles the country's share of Muslims to around four per cent -- an estimate that has been in circulation since the last census in 1983. "Some were worried that there could be a significant difference in the numbers of each religion," Thein Swe, minister of labour, immigration and population told reporters in the capital Naypyidaw as he released the data. "But there is not much difference when compared with the census data in 1983." The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which supported Myanmar's government in carrying out census, said the figures should extinguish incendiary rhetoric. "It is time to replace speculation with fact," the UNFPA's Janet E. Jackson said in a statement. But the UNFPA hit out at the Rohingya's exclusion from the data as "a serious shortcoming of the census and a grave human rights concern". Hardliners under pressure More than 100,000 Rohingya were displaced by deadly clashes with Buddhists in 2012 and now live destitute in camps in western Rakhine state. They are denied citizenship and face severe restrictions on their movement and access to basic services. Just days before the census was carried out in 2014, Buddhist nationalists accused the international community of bias towards Muslims and attacked humanitarian offices in Rakhine, forcing aid workers to flee. De facto premier Suu Kyi has faced criticism for not taking a stronger stance on the Rohingya or publicly condemning two recent attacks on mosques in other parts of the country. But her government has made moves in recent weeks to rein in the Ma Ba Tha, a monk-led movement at the fore of anti-Muslim protests in recent years. At the core of their ideology is the belief that Myanmar's Buddhist identity is under attack from Muslims and other ethnic minorities, despite the country hosting such groups for generations. Under the previous military-backed government, the nationalist group successfully lobbied for the passage of controversial race and religion laws that rights groups say discriminate against women and religious minorities. Earlier this month Suu Kyi's religion minister warned the group could be disbanded if it uses hate speech to stoke conflict. (AFP)

Myanmar population census data undercuts Buddhist hardliner claims

If US Republican candidate Donald Trump is elected president, it would be have a dangerous outcome and &quot;complicate&quot; relations between Europe and the United States, French President Francois Hollande has warned. 
 
&quot;Those who say that Donald Trump could not possibly become the next president of the United States are the same ones who thought that Brexit would never be voted in,&quot; Hollande said, referring to last week&#39;s British referendum which backed withdrawal from the European Union. 
 
Trump has been running on the kind of slogans peddled by the extreme right in France and elsewhere in Europe - fear of the wave of migration, stigmatisation of Islam, questioning representative democracy, denouncing elites - the French leader said in an interview to be published on Thursday in the French financial daily Les Echos. 
 
When asked whether a Trump presidency would be a dangerous thing, he answered &quot;yes&quot;. 
 
Trump&#39;s presence in the White House &quot;would complicate relations between Europe and the United States,&quot; Hollande added. 
 
A new opinion poll in the US showed that the race for the White House is set to be a close call. 
 
Respondents to the latest Quinnipiac University national poll put Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton ahead of Trump by just 42 per cent to 40 per cent, a narrowing from Clinton&#39;s four-point margin in the organisation&#39;s June 1 survey. 
 
Trump, the New York celebrity tycoon, has caused alarm in Europe with his abrasive style and pledges to deport millions of undocumented immigrants and build a wall on the border with Mexico. 
 
His proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States drew ire of Britain&#39;s Prime Minister David Cameron, who called the idea &quot;stupid, divisive and wrong&quot;. 
 
Trump has criticised the continent&#39;s leaders as &quot;weak&quot; and accused them of taking inadequate measures to combat terrorism, following the Islamist attacks on Brussels in March.&nbsp; 
 
Last month French Prime Minister Manuel Valls accused the presumptive US Republican presidential nominee Trump of being a &quot;bad man&quot;. 
 
(AFP)

The French President denounced US Republican candidate Donald Trump's prejudicial stance against immigration, democracy and Muslims

If US Republican candidate Donald Trump is elected president, it would be have a dangerous outcome and "complicate" relations between Europe and the United States, French President Francois Hollande has warned. "Those who say that Donald Trump could not possibly become the next president of the United States are the same ones who thought that Brexit would never be voted in," Hollande said, referring to last week's British referendum which backed withdrawal from the European Union. Trump has been running on the kind of slogans peddled by the extreme right in France and elsewhere in Europe - fear of the wave of migration, stigmatisation of Islam, questioning representative democracy, denouncing elites - the French leader said in an interview to be published on Thursday in the French financial daily Les Echos. When asked whether a Trump presidency would be a dangerous thing, he answered "yes". Trump's presence in the White House "would complicate relations between Europe and the United States," Hollande added. A new opinion poll in the US showed that the race for the White House is set to be a close call. Respondents to the latest Quinnipiac University national poll put Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton ahead of Trump by just 42 per cent to 40 per cent, a narrowing from Clinton's four-point margin in the organisation's June 1 survey. Trump, the New York celebrity tycoon, has caused alarm in Europe with his abrasive style and pledges to deport millions of undocumented immigrants and build a wall on the border with Mexico. His proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States drew ire of Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron, who called the idea "stupid, divisive and wrong". Trump has criticised the continent's leaders as "weak" and accused them of taking inadequate measures to combat terrorism, following the Islamist attacks on Brussels in March. Last month French Prime Minister Manuel Valls accused the presumptive US Republican presidential nominee Trump of being a "bad man". (AFP)

A President Trump would 'complicate' US-Europe ties: Hollande

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