Pluralism regresses in Bahrain
June 14, 2012
Bahrain Compounds the Injustice
Bahrain had a chance to correct a grave injustice and set the country on a better path by dismissing specious cases against 20 Shiite doctors convicted last year after they treated protesters injured during the popular uprising against the Sunni-led monarchy. Instead, the High Criminal Court of Appeal on Thursday upheld the convictions of nine of them and imposed sentences of up to five years in jail. And 15-year sentences against two other doctors, who have fled the country, were upheld.
Eighteen of the 20 doctors said they were tortured after their arrests. This ruling will feed the Shiite majority’s legitimate resentments and, we fear, lead to more instability. That will harm Bahrain and its closest allies, the United States and Saudi Arabia.
There is some good news in the fact that nine doctors were acquitted. But the government’s attempt to spin the judgment — noting that most sentences were reduced from those imposed by the original military court — is absurd. The cases should never have been brought in the first place. The government showed its real intentions when it accused the physicians of “breaching medical ethics” and acting to “overthrow” the monarchy.
The truth is that the doctors were acting consistent with the highest medical ethics and their responsibility as Bahraini citizens. They provided medical treatment to patients regardless of political leanings and rightly denounced the government’s excessive use of force.
The United States Navy’s Fifth Fleet is based in Manama, the capital, and the Obama administration — eager to preserve that relationship — has been too cautious in criticizing Bahrain’s government and its crackdown on protesters. It suspended arms deliveries because of human rights concerns in October, but it said it would resume them last month.
On Thursday, the State Department said it was “deeply disappointed” by the convictions and urged dismissal of the charges. In Manama, a senior American official, Mike Posner, called “urgently” for dialogue between the government and the opposition.
The administration must do a lot more to persuade Bahrain of the need for reforms that give Shiites full political rights and all citizens a voice in their country’s future. That is the only way for Bahrain to find real security and lasting stability. That is the only way for the United States to ensure its welcome.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/15/opini ... y_20120615
Pluralism in Islamic Ummah
August 7, 2012, 7:41 am5 Comments
The Drumbeat of Ramadan
By ANDREW FINKEL
ISTANBUL — It is the holy month of Ramadan and, just before twilight, my Istanbul neighborhood fills with an intoxicating smell from the two wood-fire oven bakeries feverishly producing loaf after crusty loaf of seasonal bread. There’s a bustle of last-minute shopping and of people rushing to get home. When the sun finally goes down and the call to prayer comes, the streets are eerily silent except for the clink of cutlery from open apartment windows as families sit down to break the fast.
It’s a ritual I enjoy to watch; it’s not one in which I share. I don’t fast, but, of course many of my Muslim neighbors don’t either. One or two of the nearby restaurants shut for the month, and the local meyhane taverns, where people go to eat and drink raki, take the month off. But most places stay open and the passersby who fast don’t seem bothered by the regulars at the sidewalk eateries having lunch.
Ramadan is so attractive, in part, because Turkey wears its faith lightly. People are generally tolerant of those who don’t share their beliefs, making those beliefs seem all the more sincere. But Ramadan does occasionally produce tensions, especially in the conservative parts of the country.
Every Ramadan, news reports circulate of neighborhoods less gentrified than my own where people are bullied for not observing the fast. This is taken by many people as evidence of creeping pressure from the conservative government challenging the secular way of life. But that argument can be flipped around: Pious Turks could make a strong case that they are the ones under pressure to conform. Women, for example, still cannot wear headscarves while working in many professions.
Still, there are times when stories of conservative pressures grab our attention much like the predawn drumming that rouses people to a meal during Ramadan. Traditionally, a drummer patrols the streets in the last minutes of the night, waking people for an early breakfast so they can have food in their system just as the fast begins at sunrise. Even my neighbors who fast have always objected to the custom — the racket invariably would come too early.
Last week, a family living in a village near Malatya in the east of Turkey objected vigorously to the Ramadan drummer thumping outside their door. The argument turned into a brawl and, later in the day, into a riot.
A group estimated to be between 300-500 people gathered outside the sleepers’ home, pelting the house with stones and burning down a barn.
“I’m not acting in my own name,” the drummer Mustafa Evsi told Radikal newspaper. “I’m doing it for Islam.’’ He demanded that the family “get out of town.”
The family in question belongs to the Alevi branch of Islam, a form of Shiism mixed with Turkish folk elements complicated by many variations — making it difficult for an outsider to define. Many adherents ignore the Ramadan fast and, unlike their Orthodox cousins, are less strict about consuming alcohol or even going on the Hajj.
Alevis make up anywhere between 15-to-25 percent of Turkey’s population and yet their rights are systematically ignored. The huge state-funded religious establishment, which pays clerics’ salaries, does not finance Alevi religious leaders’ pay. Alevi places of worship are given a lesser legal status as cultural centers. Compulsory religious education in schools ignores Alevi beliefs altogether and teaches only the Sunni mainstream.
This institutional intolerance is the product of Turkey’s peculiar form of secularism, which has been less about separating mosque from state than keeping religion squarely under an official thumb. Turkey’s Alevis are just too unorthodox to keep pinned down. And where there are large Aelvi communities next to Sunni populations, trouble can break out.
The last serious outburst of violence was in 1993 when a mob set fire to a hotel in Sivas where an Alevi celebration was taking place. Thirty-seven people died.
What happened last week in Malatya was a comparatively minor incident. But the government has been slow to react. Indeed, the prime minister made matters worse by referring in a television interview Sunday night to a particular Alevi place of worship not far from where I live as “an eyesore.”
“Secularism means respecting people’s differences,” my electrician told me when he came to fix the lights. He is an Alevi, also from a village in Malatya, and no stranger to discrimination. “But how do you expect uneducated people to respect us when the government doesn’t?”
The current government was elected with a mandate to end discrimination against religion in public life, not to discriminate against those Turks whose faith is different from the mainstream. If they need lessons in tolerance, they should visit my neighborhood.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andrew Finkel has been a foreign correspondent in Istanbul for over 20 years, as well as a columnist for Turkish-language newspapers. He is the author of the book “Turkey: What Everyone Needs to Know.”
http://latitude.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/ ... y_20120807
The Drumbeat of Ramadan
By ANDREW FINKEL
ISTANBUL — It is the holy month of Ramadan and, just before twilight, my Istanbul neighborhood fills with an intoxicating smell from the two wood-fire oven bakeries feverishly producing loaf after crusty loaf of seasonal bread. There’s a bustle of last-minute shopping and of people rushing to get home. When the sun finally goes down and the call to prayer comes, the streets are eerily silent except for the clink of cutlery from open apartment windows as families sit down to break the fast.
It’s a ritual I enjoy to watch; it’s not one in which I share. I don’t fast, but, of course many of my Muslim neighbors don’t either. One or two of the nearby restaurants shut for the month, and the local meyhane taverns, where people go to eat and drink raki, take the month off. But most places stay open and the passersby who fast don’t seem bothered by the regulars at the sidewalk eateries having lunch.
Ramadan is so attractive, in part, because Turkey wears its faith lightly. People are generally tolerant of those who don’t share their beliefs, making those beliefs seem all the more sincere. But Ramadan does occasionally produce tensions, especially in the conservative parts of the country.
Every Ramadan, news reports circulate of neighborhoods less gentrified than my own where people are bullied for not observing the fast. This is taken by many people as evidence of creeping pressure from the conservative government challenging the secular way of life. But that argument can be flipped around: Pious Turks could make a strong case that they are the ones under pressure to conform. Women, for example, still cannot wear headscarves while working in many professions.
Still, there are times when stories of conservative pressures grab our attention much like the predawn drumming that rouses people to a meal during Ramadan. Traditionally, a drummer patrols the streets in the last minutes of the night, waking people for an early breakfast so they can have food in their system just as the fast begins at sunrise. Even my neighbors who fast have always objected to the custom — the racket invariably would come too early.
Last week, a family living in a village near Malatya in the east of Turkey objected vigorously to the Ramadan drummer thumping outside their door. The argument turned into a brawl and, later in the day, into a riot.
A group estimated to be between 300-500 people gathered outside the sleepers’ home, pelting the house with stones and burning down a barn.
“I’m not acting in my own name,” the drummer Mustafa Evsi told Radikal newspaper. “I’m doing it for Islam.’’ He demanded that the family “get out of town.”
The family in question belongs to the Alevi branch of Islam, a form of Shiism mixed with Turkish folk elements complicated by many variations — making it difficult for an outsider to define. Many adherents ignore the Ramadan fast and, unlike their Orthodox cousins, are less strict about consuming alcohol or even going on the Hajj.
Alevis make up anywhere between 15-to-25 percent of Turkey’s population and yet their rights are systematically ignored. The huge state-funded religious establishment, which pays clerics’ salaries, does not finance Alevi religious leaders’ pay. Alevi places of worship are given a lesser legal status as cultural centers. Compulsory religious education in schools ignores Alevi beliefs altogether and teaches only the Sunni mainstream.
This institutional intolerance is the product of Turkey’s peculiar form of secularism, which has been less about separating mosque from state than keeping religion squarely under an official thumb. Turkey’s Alevis are just too unorthodox to keep pinned down. And where there are large Aelvi communities next to Sunni populations, trouble can break out.
The last serious outburst of violence was in 1993 when a mob set fire to a hotel in Sivas where an Alevi celebration was taking place. Thirty-seven people died.
What happened last week in Malatya was a comparatively minor incident. But the government has been slow to react. Indeed, the prime minister made matters worse by referring in a television interview Sunday night to a particular Alevi place of worship not far from where I live as “an eyesore.”
“Secularism means respecting people’s differences,” my electrician told me when he came to fix the lights. He is an Alevi, also from a village in Malatya, and no stranger to discrimination. “But how do you expect uneducated people to respect us when the government doesn’t?”
The current government was elected with a mandate to end discrimination against religion in public life, not to discriminate against those Turks whose faith is different from the mainstream. If they need lessons in tolerance, they should visit my neighborhood.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andrew Finkel has been a foreign correspondent in Istanbul for over 20 years, as well as a columnist for Turkish-language newspapers. He is the author of the book “Turkey: What Everyone Needs to Know.”
http://latitude.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/ ... y_20120807
Growing trend of intolerance towards minority beliefs in Egypt.
Egypt’s War on Atheism
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/28/opini ... 05309&_r=0
Egypt’s War on Atheism
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/28/opini ... 05309&_r=0
http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2 ... -aziz.html
Open letter to Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz
Saudi Arabia should curb Wahhabi ideology to alleviate human suffering in the Muslim world
February 20, 2015 2:00AM ET
by Ani Zonneveld @AniZonneveld
Dear King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz,
Assalamu-alaikum.
I am a 52-year-old Malaysian-born Muslim. I was raised in a harmonious interracial and interfaith society that accepted and respected other religious practices. The existence of different faith groups was viewed simply as different ways of connecting to the same God. Saudi Arabia started exporting its Wahhabi ideology in the 1970s, and it spread around the world, turning existing interpretations of Islam into one that is dogmatic and violent.
The result is a nearly unrecognizable form of Islam. It appears to get worse by the day. Murders, suicide bombings, sectarianism and religious hatemongering have become commonplace. We cannot continue on this path of religious-based mayhem in the name of Islam. The Muslim world needs a change. You are in the best position to take us out of this misery.
As a child, I remember celebrating Mawlid — the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday — with uplifting songs, prayers and even a parade. Now it is taboo to observe Mawlid even in America, and adherents to the Wahhabi brand of Islam would rather emphasize his death. The same clerics tell us we cannot critically engage with the Quran or use our God-given right to think in order to reconcile the contradictions that exist between the Quran and hadith, the collection of record of the prophet’s sayings that serve as a source of religious and moral guidance.
When I was growing up, weddings and community events were colorful and featured music and dance, without segregating the sexes. This is no longer the case in many Muslim communities. Music, dance and unsegregated gatherings are deemed haram, or forbidden. Artistic expressions must be Sharia-compliant, meaning no depiction of humans or animals.
The Quran liberated women from subhuman status, gave us rights to choose whom to marry, to work, to be in leadership positions and to ultimately live in full dignity. And yet in 2015, Wahhabi imams have relegated women to subhuman status by allowing husbands to cane their wives into obedience and promoting a version of Sharia that permits forced and child marriages and condones honor killings. Women have become sexual objects through forced veiling, which makes our voices, skin, hair and faces off limits, and even a handshake is deemed a potentially arousing sexual experience.
How is this Wahhabi chokehold different from the practice of burying daughters alive?
There is nothing Islamic about the way many countries in the Muslim world are run today.
Our society is increasingly looking like the age of jahiliyya, or ignorance that preceded the birth of Islam. You have the power to change that by lifting the ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia, abolishing the male guardian system, granting full voting rights for women and promoting equality in all spheres of life for all people. This would deflate the theological foundation of the criminal beliefs of the ISILs, Talibans and the Boko Harams of the world.
There are many reform-minded Saudi men and women whom you should include in discussion rather than imprison them. This will have a profound effect on millions of women and men in the Muslim world and beyond.
Enough with the vilifying of minority sects and non-Muslims. You should sit down with the supreme leader of Iran and sign a covenant of peace till the end of time.
The divisive sectarianism and ideology of Islamic Sunni supremacy is sickening. We are tired of the infighting, the dehumanizing of “the other” at the minbar (mosque pulpit), the talk of takfir (excommunicating of fellow Muslims) and the slaughter of “the other” by assuming a God-like role as the judge and the punisher. There were no Sunni, Shia or other sects during Muhammad’s time, but there were believers of many faiths, nonbelievers and even pagans, all residing in dignity in your country — protected by the prophet.
The Quran teaches us all people are equal in the eyes of God: “We have created you men and women, into nations and tribes for you to learn from each other. Surely, the most honorable among you in the sight of God is the most righteous.” (Quran 49:13). Imagine a Saudi Arabia where all people can come together to exchange ideas freely and share in our humanity.
The Muslim world remains corrupted by power and money, the very dynamic Muhammad spoke against. Imagine a Muslim world void of corruption and endowed with good governance. Such an environment would ensure that the ISILs and Saudi dissidents would not flourish. There is nothing Islamic about the way many countries in the Muslim world are run today.
Saudi Arabia’s Wahhabi ideology is the root of all the ills in the Muslim world. You have the power to uproot it once and for all through your influence in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the hundreds and thousands of madrassas the kingdom funds. As host to millions from around the world during the annual hajj, the kingdom can send a message of change to Wahhabi-influenced ideologues.
We do not have a pope in Islam, but by adopting the official title of custodian of our two holiest sites, Mecca and Medina, you have assumed a unique position of influence to shift our Muslim world onto a positive path.
I recognize that my letter is an idealistic plea. After all, you are a king with all the earthly needs one can imagine and so powerful that you have Muslim and non-Muslim nations at your feet. But do what Muhammad did: Promote equality and a just system that benefits all people. That is the true meaning of the straight path we recite in al-Fatihah.
With deepest sincerity,
Ani Zonneveld
Founder and president, Muslims for Progressive Values
Ani Zonneveld is the founder and president of the Muslims for Progressive Values.
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera America's editorial policy.
Open letter to Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz
Saudi Arabia should curb Wahhabi ideology to alleviate human suffering in the Muslim world
February 20, 2015 2:00AM ET
by Ani Zonneveld @AniZonneveld
Dear King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz,
Assalamu-alaikum.
I am a 52-year-old Malaysian-born Muslim. I was raised in a harmonious interracial and interfaith society that accepted and respected other religious practices. The existence of different faith groups was viewed simply as different ways of connecting to the same God. Saudi Arabia started exporting its Wahhabi ideology in the 1970s, and it spread around the world, turning existing interpretations of Islam into one that is dogmatic and violent.
The result is a nearly unrecognizable form of Islam. It appears to get worse by the day. Murders, suicide bombings, sectarianism and religious hatemongering have become commonplace. We cannot continue on this path of religious-based mayhem in the name of Islam. The Muslim world needs a change. You are in the best position to take us out of this misery.
As a child, I remember celebrating Mawlid — the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday — with uplifting songs, prayers and even a parade. Now it is taboo to observe Mawlid even in America, and adherents to the Wahhabi brand of Islam would rather emphasize his death. The same clerics tell us we cannot critically engage with the Quran or use our God-given right to think in order to reconcile the contradictions that exist between the Quran and hadith, the collection of record of the prophet’s sayings that serve as a source of religious and moral guidance.
When I was growing up, weddings and community events were colorful and featured music and dance, without segregating the sexes. This is no longer the case in many Muslim communities. Music, dance and unsegregated gatherings are deemed haram, or forbidden. Artistic expressions must be Sharia-compliant, meaning no depiction of humans or animals.
The Quran liberated women from subhuman status, gave us rights to choose whom to marry, to work, to be in leadership positions and to ultimately live in full dignity. And yet in 2015, Wahhabi imams have relegated women to subhuman status by allowing husbands to cane their wives into obedience and promoting a version of Sharia that permits forced and child marriages and condones honor killings. Women have become sexual objects through forced veiling, which makes our voices, skin, hair and faces off limits, and even a handshake is deemed a potentially arousing sexual experience.
How is this Wahhabi chokehold different from the practice of burying daughters alive?
There is nothing Islamic about the way many countries in the Muslim world are run today.
Our society is increasingly looking like the age of jahiliyya, or ignorance that preceded the birth of Islam. You have the power to change that by lifting the ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia, abolishing the male guardian system, granting full voting rights for women and promoting equality in all spheres of life for all people. This would deflate the theological foundation of the criminal beliefs of the ISILs, Talibans and the Boko Harams of the world.
There are many reform-minded Saudi men and women whom you should include in discussion rather than imprison them. This will have a profound effect on millions of women and men in the Muslim world and beyond.
Enough with the vilifying of minority sects and non-Muslims. You should sit down with the supreme leader of Iran and sign a covenant of peace till the end of time.
The divisive sectarianism and ideology of Islamic Sunni supremacy is sickening. We are tired of the infighting, the dehumanizing of “the other” at the minbar (mosque pulpit), the talk of takfir (excommunicating of fellow Muslims) and the slaughter of “the other” by assuming a God-like role as the judge and the punisher. There were no Sunni, Shia or other sects during Muhammad’s time, but there were believers of many faiths, nonbelievers and even pagans, all residing in dignity in your country — protected by the prophet.
The Quran teaches us all people are equal in the eyes of God: “We have created you men and women, into nations and tribes for you to learn from each other. Surely, the most honorable among you in the sight of God is the most righteous.” (Quran 49:13). Imagine a Saudi Arabia where all people can come together to exchange ideas freely and share in our humanity.
The Muslim world remains corrupted by power and money, the very dynamic Muhammad spoke against. Imagine a Muslim world void of corruption and endowed with good governance. Such an environment would ensure that the ISILs and Saudi dissidents would not flourish. There is nothing Islamic about the way many countries in the Muslim world are run today.
Saudi Arabia’s Wahhabi ideology is the root of all the ills in the Muslim world. You have the power to uproot it once and for all through your influence in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the hundreds and thousands of madrassas the kingdom funds. As host to millions from around the world during the annual hajj, the kingdom can send a message of change to Wahhabi-influenced ideologues.
We do not have a pope in Islam, but by adopting the official title of custodian of our two holiest sites, Mecca and Medina, you have assumed a unique position of influence to shift our Muslim world onto a positive path.
I recognize that my letter is an idealistic plea. After all, you are a king with all the earthly needs one can imagine and so powerful that you have Muslim and non-Muslim nations at your feet. But do what Muhammad did: Promote equality and a just system that benefits all people. That is the true meaning of the straight path we recite in al-Fatihah.
With deepest sincerity,
Ani Zonneveld
Founder and president, Muslims for Progressive Values
Ani Zonneveld is the founder and president of the Muslims for Progressive Values.
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera America's editorial policy.
The link: http://www.dawn.com/news/1167315/mithi- ... ghter-cows
Dawn News
Mithi: Where a Hindu fasts and a Muslim does not slaughter cows
Hassan Raza
Pakistan has become synonymous with terrorism. On most local and international news channels, we hear about minorities getting slaughtered at the hands of extremists; attacks on temples, churches, imambargahs; or the forced conversions of Hindus and Christians in the country.
I reckon you might be pleasantly surprised to know that there is a small town in Tharparkar, a district of the Sindh province where none of this is happening.
Mithi is one of the few towns in Pakistan where Muslims do not form the majority. In this quiet portion of a sprawling desert, both Hindus and Muslims have lived together like brothers since the creation of Pakistan.
In November 2014, when I was selected for a three-week fellowship programme in the United States, I met a gentleman from Sindh who was also among my batch. He introduced himself like this:
"I am a Hindu from Sindh, but throughout my life I have lived with Muslims and this is why during Ramazan, we fast along with them; and when it is Muharram, us Hindu boys lead the procession because this is the culture which Sufism has given us".
I was dumbstruck at the idea of a Hindu fasting in Ramazan or leading a Muharram procession. Was this actually true?
Then, in February this year, I happened to travel to Tharparkar with friends to view the drought-affected areas and launch some projects to overcome the disaster that hits every year. After a 20-hour arduous road and rail journey, I finally reached the quaint little town of Mithi, and here I experienced what I had never expected to see in a Pakistani town.
Mithi is as sweet as the name it has been given. Approximately 80 per cent of the population here is Hindu. It is a town where Muslims, out of respect for Hindus, do not slaughter cows; and where Hindus, out of respect for Muslim rites, have never organised any marriage ceremonies or celebrations during the month of Muharram.
Not only that, the Hindus of Mithi also happily participate in providing food and drinks for Muslims during Ramazan, and both groups exchange sweets on Eid and Diwali. The crime rate in Mithi is at two per cent and never has anyone witnessed any incident of religious intolerance.
Speaking with the locals of Mithi, I discovered that here, one could find Hindu speakers organising majaalis in Muharram – something I haven't seen anywhere else in Pakistan – and as my friend in the United States had stated, I heard Hindus sharing their account of Muharram, where they led Ashura processions and provided assistance to procession members in a city where Muslims hardly made up 20 per cent of the population.
A Muslim resident of Thar shared his account by saying:
"In our village, Hindus and Muslims have been living together for decades and there has not been a single day, when I have seen a religious conflict. No loud speaker is used for Azaan at the time when Hindus are worshiping in their temple, and no bells are rung when it is time for namaz. Nobody eats in public when it is Ramazan and Holi is played by every member of the village."
I had always heard stories about interfaith harmony from Sindh but it was so much more amazing to see it firsthand. The love and brotherhood that exists between the Hindus and Muslims of Mithi is a perfect example of pluralism and the tolerant Sufi culture of Sindh.
The author, with his team from 'Humans of Pakistan' seen with Mr Nizam (extreme left), a Muslim, and Mama Vishan (extreme right), a Hindu, who are running a welfare organisation which provides blood donations and ambulance services to the people of Mithi. The friendship between Nizam and Vishan goes back 25 years.
If you think Pakistan is all about bombing churches, destroying temples, Talibanisation, slaughtering religious minorities, and forced conversion, I would request you to visit Mithi at least once.
Also read: The invisible partition of Sindh
Mithi gives interfaith harmony a new meaning. Religious intolerance elsewhere has barely made a dent in Hindu-Muslim brotherhood over here. They live, eat, and work together, because according to them, it is in their culture.
All religions contradict each other, but that does not mean their followers should make their own colonies on that base alone.
People can and do coexist. It is only the bigots who cannot, and they can be found in every religious group. We must not let them take over the beautiful communities of Pakistan.
Respecting each others' beliefs is the solution of a lot of Pakistan's current predicaments. Religions differ, humans don't.
Mithi at night.
Dawn News
Mithi: Where a Hindu fasts and a Muslim does not slaughter cows
Hassan Raza
Pakistan has become synonymous with terrorism. On most local and international news channels, we hear about minorities getting slaughtered at the hands of extremists; attacks on temples, churches, imambargahs; or the forced conversions of Hindus and Christians in the country.
I reckon you might be pleasantly surprised to know that there is a small town in Tharparkar, a district of the Sindh province where none of this is happening.
Mithi is one of the few towns in Pakistan where Muslims do not form the majority. In this quiet portion of a sprawling desert, both Hindus and Muslims have lived together like brothers since the creation of Pakistan.
In November 2014, when I was selected for a three-week fellowship programme in the United States, I met a gentleman from Sindh who was also among my batch. He introduced himself like this:
"I am a Hindu from Sindh, but throughout my life I have lived with Muslims and this is why during Ramazan, we fast along with them; and when it is Muharram, us Hindu boys lead the procession because this is the culture which Sufism has given us".
I was dumbstruck at the idea of a Hindu fasting in Ramazan or leading a Muharram procession. Was this actually true?
Then, in February this year, I happened to travel to Tharparkar with friends to view the drought-affected areas and launch some projects to overcome the disaster that hits every year. After a 20-hour arduous road and rail journey, I finally reached the quaint little town of Mithi, and here I experienced what I had never expected to see in a Pakistani town.
Mithi is as sweet as the name it has been given. Approximately 80 per cent of the population here is Hindu. It is a town where Muslims, out of respect for Hindus, do not slaughter cows; and where Hindus, out of respect for Muslim rites, have never organised any marriage ceremonies or celebrations during the month of Muharram.
Not only that, the Hindus of Mithi also happily participate in providing food and drinks for Muslims during Ramazan, and both groups exchange sweets on Eid and Diwali. The crime rate in Mithi is at two per cent and never has anyone witnessed any incident of religious intolerance.
Speaking with the locals of Mithi, I discovered that here, one could find Hindu speakers organising majaalis in Muharram – something I haven't seen anywhere else in Pakistan – and as my friend in the United States had stated, I heard Hindus sharing their account of Muharram, where they led Ashura processions and provided assistance to procession members in a city where Muslims hardly made up 20 per cent of the population.
A Muslim resident of Thar shared his account by saying:
"In our village, Hindus and Muslims have been living together for decades and there has not been a single day, when I have seen a religious conflict. No loud speaker is used for Azaan at the time when Hindus are worshiping in their temple, and no bells are rung when it is time for namaz. Nobody eats in public when it is Ramazan and Holi is played by every member of the village."
I had always heard stories about interfaith harmony from Sindh but it was so much more amazing to see it firsthand. The love and brotherhood that exists between the Hindus and Muslims of Mithi is a perfect example of pluralism and the tolerant Sufi culture of Sindh.
The author, with his team from 'Humans of Pakistan' seen with Mr Nizam (extreme left), a Muslim, and Mama Vishan (extreme right), a Hindu, who are running a welfare organisation which provides blood donations and ambulance services to the people of Mithi. The friendship between Nizam and Vishan goes back 25 years.
If you think Pakistan is all about bombing churches, destroying temples, Talibanisation, slaughtering religious minorities, and forced conversion, I would request you to visit Mithi at least once.
Also read: The invisible partition of Sindh
Mithi gives interfaith harmony a new meaning. Religious intolerance elsewhere has barely made a dent in Hindu-Muslim brotherhood over here. They live, eat, and work together, because according to them, it is in their culture.
All religions contradict each other, but that does not mean their followers should make their own colonies on that base alone.
People can and do coexist. It is only the bigots who cannot, and they can be found in every religious group. We must not let them take over the beautiful communities of Pakistan.
Respecting each others' beliefs is the solution of a lot of Pakistan's current predicaments. Religions differ, humans don't.
Mithi at night.
Very enlightening.
AL AZHAR — FATWA ON SHIAS
Al-Azhar’s fatwa on Shias.
Statements about Shias by the Chancellor of al-Azhar University, Dr. Ahmad al-Tayyib. In an interview to Egyptian Al Neel Channel, Dr. Ahmad al-Tayyib, the Chancellor of Al-Azhar University (Egypt)
Q. In your opinion, isn’t there any problem in Shia Beliefs?.
A. Never, 50 years ago Shaikh Mahmood Shaltoot, the then Chancellor of Al Azhar, had issued a fatwa that Shia School is the fifth Islamic School and as like as the other schools.
Q. Our children are embracing Shia Islam, what should we do?
A. Let them convert and to embrace Shia School. If someone leaves Maliki or Hanafi Sect, do we criticize him? These children are just leaving fourth school and join the fifth.
Q. The Shias are becoming relatives with us and they are getting married with our children!
A. What is wrong with this, marriage between religions is allowed.
Q. It is said that the Shias have a different Quran!
A. These are the myths and superstitions of the elderly women. Shia Quran has no any difference with ours, and even the script of their Quran is like our alphabet.
Q. 23 clerics of a country (Saudi Arabia) issued a fatwa that the Shia are infidels, heretics (Kafirs)!!
A. Al-Azhar is the only authority to issue fatwa for Muslims; therefore the above said fatwa is invalid and unreliable.
Q. So what does the difference – being raised between the Shia and the Sunni – mean?
A. These differences are the part of the policies of foreign powers who seek conflict between The Shia and the Sunni.
Q. I have a very serious question that “the Shia do not accept Abu Bakr and Umar, how you can say they are Muslims?“
A. Yes, they do not accept them. But is the belief in Abu Bakr and Umar a part of the principles of Islam? The story of Abu Bakr and Umar is historic and history has nothing to do with fundamentals of the beliefs.
Q. (The reporter surprised by the response, asks) Shia has a fundamental problem and that is “they say that their Imam the time (امام العصر) is still alive after 1,000 years!“
A. He may be alive, why is it not possible? But there is no reason that we – as Sunni – should believe just like them.
Q. (Referring to Imam Mohammad Taqi al-Jawad AS, (the 9th Imam of Shias) the reporter asked) The Shias believe that one of their Imams was just eight-year old when he became Imam; is it possible that an eight-year-old child be the Imam?
A. If an infant in a cradle can be a prophet (Issa AS), then why an eight-year-old child can not be the Imam? It is not strange. Although we may not accept this belief as we are Sunni. However, this belief does not harm their Islam, and they are Muslims.
Translated by F.H.Mahdavimy
AL AZHAR — FATWA ON SHIAS
Al-Azhar’s fatwa on Shias.
Statements about Shias by the Chancellor of al-Azhar University, Dr. Ahmad al-Tayyib. In an interview to Egyptian Al Neel Channel, Dr. Ahmad al-Tayyib, the Chancellor of Al-Azhar University (Egypt)
Q. In your opinion, isn’t there any problem in Shia Beliefs?.
A. Never, 50 years ago Shaikh Mahmood Shaltoot, the then Chancellor of Al Azhar, had issued a fatwa that Shia School is the fifth Islamic School and as like as the other schools.
Q. Our children are embracing Shia Islam, what should we do?
A. Let them convert and to embrace Shia School. If someone leaves Maliki or Hanafi Sect, do we criticize him? These children are just leaving fourth school and join the fifth.
Q. The Shias are becoming relatives with us and they are getting married with our children!
A. What is wrong with this, marriage between religions is allowed.
Q. It is said that the Shias have a different Quran!
A. These are the myths and superstitions of the elderly women. Shia Quran has no any difference with ours, and even the script of their Quran is like our alphabet.
Q. 23 clerics of a country (Saudi Arabia) issued a fatwa that the Shia are infidels, heretics (Kafirs)!!
A. Al-Azhar is the only authority to issue fatwa for Muslims; therefore the above said fatwa is invalid and unreliable.
Q. So what does the difference – being raised between the Shia and the Sunni – mean?
A. These differences are the part of the policies of foreign powers who seek conflict between The Shia and the Sunni.
Q. I have a very serious question that “the Shia do not accept Abu Bakr and Umar, how you can say they are Muslims?“
A. Yes, they do not accept them. But is the belief in Abu Bakr and Umar a part of the principles of Islam? The story of Abu Bakr and Umar is historic and history has nothing to do with fundamentals of the beliefs.
Q. (The reporter surprised by the response, asks) Shia has a fundamental problem and that is “they say that their Imam the time (امام العصر) is still alive after 1,000 years!“
A. He may be alive, why is it not possible? But there is no reason that we – as Sunni – should believe just like them.
Q. (Referring to Imam Mohammad Taqi al-Jawad AS, (the 9th Imam of Shias) the reporter asked) The Shias believe that one of their Imams was just eight-year old when he became Imam; is it possible that an eight-year-old child be the Imam?
A. If an infant in a cradle can be a prophet (Issa AS), then why an eight-year-old child can not be the Imam? It is not strange. Although we may not accept this belief as we are Sunni. However, this belief does not harm their Islam, and they are Muslims.
Translated by F.H.Mahdavimy
The Qur'an and the Prophet taught only one path, but that path has been interpreted differently depending upon varying backgrounds, hence creating pluralism in Islam. For example the Qur'an mentions Imam e Mubin, which is interpreted by some as the Living Imam and by others as a book!zznoor wrote:Many paths are man made. Quran and prophet taught only one path.There are many paths in Islam.
Diversity in Islam is a reflection of the diversity of mankind.
“O humankind God has created you male and female and made you into diverse nations and tribes so that you may come to know each other. Verily the most honored among you is he who is the most righteous.” (49.13)
“If thy Lord had willed He would have made humankind into a single nation. But the differences will continue among them even then.” (Qur'an 11.118)
Dr M tells Sunnis to accept Shias as Muslims
SHAH ALAM: Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has pleaded with the Sunni majority in Malaysia to accept the Shias as fellow Muslims and thereby avoid the deadly sectarian strife that has torn apart some communities in the Middle East.
In a speech last night at a forum organised by Isma, Mahathir reminded his audience of the Islamic belief that a person becomes a Muslim as soon as he testifies that God is one and Muhammad was his human messenger. Both Sunnis and Shias make the same two testimonies, he pointed out.
He noted that Malays had enjoyed freedom from sectarian strife for a long time because they were nearly all Sunnis subscribing to the Shafie school of jurisprudence. But he said the situation in the country had changed somewhat in recent years with the presence of expatriates from Shia-majority countries such as Iran.
He acknowledged that there was still peace among Muslims in the country, at least compared to the situation in parts of the Middle East, and he urged for the perpetuation of that peace through tolerance of different views.
Referring to Shias, he said, “We have no right to say they are not Muslims just because they don’t look like us or don’t dress like us.”
Speaking of the warring between Shias and Sunnis in other parts of the Muslim world, he said they were practically fulfilling the objectives of the Jews and Americans.
“The Jews and the Americans are the ones who are laughing,” he said. “The Muslims are doing their work for them. This is what happens when we emphasise our differences instead of our similarities.”
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/catego ... s-muslims/
SHAH ALAM: Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has pleaded with the Sunni majority in Malaysia to accept the Shias as fellow Muslims and thereby avoid the deadly sectarian strife that has torn apart some communities in the Middle East.
In a speech last night at a forum organised by Isma, Mahathir reminded his audience of the Islamic belief that a person becomes a Muslim as soon as he testifies that God is one and Muhammad was his human messenger. Both Sunnis and Shias make the same two testimonies, he pointed out.
He noted that Malays had enjoyed freedom from sectarian strife for a long time because they were nearly all Sunnis subscribing to the Shafie school of jurisprudence. But he said the situation in the country had changed somewhat in recent years with the presence of expatriates from Shia-majority countries such as Iran.
He acknowledged that there was still peace among Muslims in the country, at least compared to the situation in parts of the Middle East, and he urged for the perpetuation of that peace through tolerance of different views.
Referring to Shias, he said, “We have no right to say they are not Muslims just because they don’t look like us or don’t dress like us.”
Speaking of the warring between Shias and Sunnis in other parts of the Muslim world, he said they were practically fulfilling the objectives of the Jews and Americans.
“The Jews and the Americans are the ones who are laughing,” he said. “The Muslims are doing their work for them. This is what happens when we emphasise our differences instead of our similarities.”
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/catego ... s-muslims/
Indonesian President Calls for Calm After Church Attack in Aceh
Excerpt:
"Around 90 percent of Indonesia’s 250 million people identify as Muslim, but the country also has influential religious minorities, including Christians, Balinese Hindus and Buddhists.
Indonesia is regarded internationally as an example of mainstream Islam and religious pluralism. In recent years, though, it has been the scene of attacks on religious minorities by hard-line Islamic groups, as well as the forced closing or destruction of dozens of houses of worship, including in Aceh, under the pretext of their not having proper permits.
National law requires that houses of worship receive approval from the local government and residents before they can open."
More...
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/15/world ... pe=article
Excerpt:
"Around 90 percent of Indonesia’s 250 million people identify as Muslim, but the country also has influential religious minorities, including Christians, Balinese Hindus and Buddhists.
Indonesia is regarded internationally as an example of mainstream Islam and religious pluralism. In recent years, though, it has been the scene of attacks on religious minorities by hard-line Islamic groups, as well as the forced closing or destruction of dozens of houses of worship, including in Aceh, under the pretext of their not having proper permits.
National law requires that houses of worship receive approval from the local government and residents before they can open."
More...
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/15/world ... pe=article
Pluralism in Islam -- Between Scripture and Praxis
A version of this article first appeared in the July/August issue of Islamic Horizons.
Egyptian writer Mona Eltahawy in a New York Times article recounted her 2005 encounter with Mohammed Akef, the then spiritual leader of Muslim Brotherhood. When she suggested to Akef that the verses in the Quran regarding women's dress have several interpretations, Akef replied, "...There are no different interpretations. There is just one interpretation."
A 2012 Pew survey indicated that nearly 6 out of 10 Muslims believe that, "there is only one true way to interpret the teachings," of Islam, ranging from a high of 78 percent in Egypt to a low of 34 percent in Morocco. Do such attitudes reflect the core values of the Quran and the historical diversity among Muslims?
The 2012 Pew survey ("The World's Muslims: Unity and Diversity"), which was conducted in 39 countries covering nearly 67 percent of the world's Muslim population, showed strong consensus among Muslims regarding devotional practices.
Nearly 9 out of 10 fast during Ramadan, 7 in 10 give zakat (charity), and 6 in 10 pray five times each day. Almost 100 percent declare their faith in God and believe that Muhammad (salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam) is God's Prophet and Messenger. Nearly 9 in 10 believe in heaven/hell, fate (qadr) and angels; 8 in 10 believe the Quran to be the word of God. However, beyond such basic agreements, there is divergence in thought and actions, particularly as it relates to the religious pluralism.
Attitude of Muslims towards intra-faith pluralism is varied and often elusive.
Nearly 1 in 5 Muslims, do not consider Sufis to be Muslims, with a high mark of 44 percent in Egypt. Such opinions overlook the role played by Sufi orders in the spread of Islam. Equally concerning, nearly 1 in 4 Muslims do not consider Shias as Muslims. Egypt, the most populous Arab nation, tops the charts with 52 percent. However, in three countries where Shias constitute the majority of the population (Azerbaijan, Iraq and Lebanon), on average less than 6 percent of the respondents disregard Shias as Muslims.
The picture for inter-faith pluralism is also gloomy. A 2006 Pew report ("The Great Divide: How Westerners and Muslims View Each Other") showed Muslims viewed Westerners as selfish, arrogant and violent, while Westerners viewed Muslims as fanatical, violent and arrogant. Examining the fallout from the publication of cartoons about Prophet Muhammad in a Danish newspaper, the report noted,
"By wide margins, Westerners who had heard of the controversy believe that Muslim intolerance is principally to blame for the controversy, while Muslims, by even more lopsided majorities, see Western disrespect for the Islamic religion as the root of the problem. The clashing points of view are seen clearly in Nigeria, where 81% of Muslims blame the controversy on Western disrespect and 63% of Christians say Muslim intolerance is to blame."
Not taking the time to understand each other creates the environment for toxic flashpoints.
WHO INHERITS HEAVEN?
Theological doctrines on salvation is an important issue in all religions. How such doctrines are put into practice may dictate attitudes towards interfaith relations. A 2013 Pew survey titled, "The World's Muslims: Religion, Politics and Society" show that
on average (median) only 18 percent of Muslims believe that people of other faiths may inherit heaven. In Pakistan, Egypt, Iraq, and Malaysia 9 in 10 Muslims believe that "Islam is the one true faith leading to eternal life in heaven." However, in Bosnia, Kazakhstan, Cameroon, Chad, and Mozambique, nearly 4 out of 10 Muslims responded that, "many religions can lead to eternal life in heaven." Among American Muslims ("U.S. Muslims - Views on Religion and Society in a Global Context"), 56 percent believe that many religions can lead to eternal life.
On arguably one of the most important questions that consume people of all faiths there is impressive diversity of opinions. However, the parochial views in major Muslim-majority countries ought to elicit concerns.
Although hardline conservatives often deny the salvific value of other faiths, Muslim scholars Ibn Taymiyya and Ibn Qayyim noted that while heaven is eternal, hell is not. Al-Ghazali and Ibn Arabi inferred that the mercy of God cannot be held in such low estimation as to conceive that salvation is only attainable by Muslims. Mohammed Hassan Khalil, in his University of Michigan doctoral dissertation, "Muslim Scholarly Discussions on Salvation and the Fate of 'Others'," concludes that given the wide variety of opinions about the salvific fate of people of other faiths, Muslims should avoid one-dimensional answers to questions regarding salvation. Verses such as, "If God had so willed, He would have made you one community,...(5:48)" and "Each community has its own direction to which it turns... (2:148)," suggests that pluralism is an integral part of Quranic values. Abdulaziz Sachedina, professor of Islamic Studies at George Mason University, in his book the " The Islamic Roots of Democratic Pluralism," cites chapter 2 verse 213 to argue about the pluralistic vision of Islam, "Mankind was a single community, then God sent prophets to bring good news and warning, and with them He sent the Scripture with the Truth, to judge between people in their disagreements."
In addition, Kurdish theologian Said Nursi (1877-1960) and author of the Quranic commentary "Risale-i-Nur," asserts that if followers of other faiths perform a genuine worship of God, then "the manifestations of the unseen and the epiphanies of the sprit, revelation and inspiration," are not exclusive to Islam and can be found in other divinely guided faith traditions. Contemporary Turkish scholar, Fethullah Gulen stressed in a Fountain magazine article titled, "The Necessity of Interfaith Dialogue," that Muslims cannot remain prisoners of their history and act out of "political partisanship" while cloaking it in the "garb" of Islam. He noted that Islam made history's greatest ecumenical call by stating in the Quran, "Say, 'People of the Book, let us arrive at a statement that is common to us all...(3:64)." In his view, this verse provides a big tent under which, "followers of revealed religions could end their separation."
WHAT IS PLURALISM?
Merely accepting diversity is not enough, asserts Harvard Pluralism Project's Diana Eck. In a multi-cultural, multi-religious world, it is necessary to "celebrate diversity," which requires knowledge of the "other." This does not imply relativism, often associated with watering down of one's beliefs. Eck notes, "Pluralism is the process of creating a society through critical and self-critical encounter with one another, acknowledging, rather than hiding, our deepest differences" and a commitment to nurture constructive dialogues. Practicing pluralism holds out hope for a deeper human shared dignity.
For many Muslims, religious pluralism evokes deep-seated fears about Western-inspired secular relativism, given the absence of exact Quranic or Hadith terms about pluralism. In his 2009 paper, "Diversity and Pluralism, A Quranic Perspective" (Islam and Civilizational Renewal, Vol. 1 No. 1, p. 29), Mohammed Hasan Kamali, former professor of law at the International Islamic University of Malaysia, advocates using al-ta῾ad-dudiyyah as the Arabic cognate for pluralism. Labeling every heterodox practice as "un-Islamic" erodes the fabric of the ummah and is the genesis of the takfiri attitude (calling Muslims as kafir or infidel), most violently manifested in terrorist groups. Decrying that Islam is the most misunderstood religion in the West, and yet succumbing to easy stereotyping of people of other faiths, leaves Muslims vulnerable to charges of hypocrisy. The Quran condemns such attitudes, "Do you order righteousness of the people and forget yourselves while you recite the Scripture? Then will you not reason? (2:44)"
INCLUSIVISM IN THE QURAN
The Quran states La ikraha fi-din, (There is no compulsion in religion...(2:256), where the use of "la" to start the verse indicates that the negation is inclusive of the past, present and future. This is akin to the use of La-ilaha (there is no god), in the Shahada (Declaration of Faith), which ends with the emphatic il-lal-lah (but God). Following la is the word ikraha, often translated as compulsion. The triliteral root for the word ikraha is kaf ra ha, the same root that produces the verb kariha, meaning dislike or hate. The word makruh, which not only literally means dislike, but is also used as a legal standard to denote actions that are displeasing to God, also comes from the same root. In other words, compulsion (ikraha) is forbidden because it is an action that is disliked or hated by God. "There is no compulsion in religion," cannot then be viewed as merely a philosophical statement but rather a foundational value and an obligatory practice. Similar to 2:256, another Madinan verse also informs Prophet Muhammad (SA) that, "..., your only duty is to convey the message (3:20)" not compel people to convert. Thus, ideas about pluralism is not alien to Islam. Curtailing the freedom of conscience for any individual or group will be in defiance of the will of God.
The Quran also acknowledges cultural pluralism, "Another of His signs is the creation of the heavens and earth, and the diversity of your languages and colors (30:22)." In addition, the Quran notes that all Prophets and Messengers were sent to their people to preach in the tongue of the local population (14:4). The cultural, political, religious and economic pluralism, which we observe in all aspects of human civilization, is a purposeful divine action - "If God had so willed, He would have made you one community...(5:48)."
A contemporary scholar, Reza Shah-Kazemi noted in his paper "Tolerance" (in Amyn B. Sajoo, ed, A Companion to Muslim Ethics, London: I.B. Tauris, 2010),
"For Muslims, tolerance of the other is integral to the practice of Islam. It is not an optional extra, a cultural luxury. The Quran sets forth an expansive vision of diversity and difference, plurality and indeed of universality. This is all the more ironic since the practice of contemporary Muslim states, not to mention extra-state groups and actors, falls lamentably short of those expectations as well as of current standards of tolerance set by the secular West."
Kazemi proposes developing pluralistic attitudes in Muslim societies as a, "principle at the very heart of the vision of Islam itself: a vision in which the plurality of religious paths to the One is perceived as a reflection of the spiritual infinity of the One." In Risale-i Nur, commenting on the oft-cited Quranic verse of diversity ("People, We created you all from a single man and a single woman, and made you into races and tribes so that you should recognize one another," 49:13) Nursi said, "Being divided into groups and tribes should lead to mutual acquaintance and mutual assistance, not to antipathy and mutual hostility."
Mutual assistance is possible when there is mutual respect, which is fostered by an unequivocal commitment to engage with diversity, not just merely tolerating it.
IS THE QURAN ALSO EXCLUSIVIST?
Muslims who ignore the message of universality in the Quran often cite 3:19 and 3:85 as evidence that salvation belongs exclusively to Muslims. In 3:19, the Quran states, "True religion in God's eye is islam." Later in the same chapter, verse 85 reads, "If anyone seeks a religion other than (islam) complete devotion to God, it will not be accepted from him: he will be one of the losers in the hereafter." Several translations (such as M.A.S. Abdel Haleem's. "The Qur'an - A New Translation," Oxford, 2004) used the lowercase "i" suggesting that islam is being used as a verb, which means submission or devotion to God. It is not being viewed only as the exclusive name given to the religion of Islam as it is practiced today. Even if literal exegesis is given preference, they still do not deny the truth contained in other religions. Several verses in the Quran present the act of freely submitting to God as a universal religion. In 10:72, Noah is commanded to submit (muslimin) and in 2:131, Abraham is asked to submit (aslim). Abraham and Jacob advise their sons to not die except in willing submission to God (muslimun) in 2:132. Japanese scholar, Toshiko Izutsu in "God and Man in the Koran" (Islamic Book Trust, p. 199. 2000) asserted that if islam is meant as submission and not a distinctive religious identity, then it closes the door of exclusivism and provides material for, "a very eloquent understanding of religious pluralism, one wherein all revelations throughout history are seen as different ways of giving to God that which is most difficult to give - our very selves."
LI-TAA-RAFU (GETTING TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER)
The Quran in 2:113 and 2:120 condemns those Christians and Jews who assert that only their followers will be offered salvation by God. Why would the same Quran then endorse such exclusivist attitude by Muslims? Pluralism, as it is understood today, is certainly not a major theme in the Quran. And yet when placed in the context of state of human knowledge in the seventh century, the message of the Quran unequivocally celebrates diversity and encourages engagement (li-taa-rafu in 49:13). Persian poet Saadi Shirazi best surmises the Quranic ethos of pluralism in his celebrated poem Bani Adam,
"All men and women are to each other
the limbs of a single body, each of us drawn/from life's shimmering essence, God's perfect pearl;
and when this life we share wounds one of us, all share the hurt as if it were our own.
You, who will not feel another's pain, you forfeit the right to be called human."
(Gulistan, translated by Richard Jeffrey Newman (Global Scholarly Publications 2004).
Muslim scholars, political leaders and civic society must emphasize the pluralistic message of the Quran and urgently address the pervasive exclusivist attitude among many Muslims. Neglecting the pluralistic message of the Quran has allowed fringe groups to use anachronistic stereotypes about fellow Muslims, people of other faiths and entire nation-states, to unleash a form of violence rooted in extreme interpretations of Islamic eschatology (the study of end-of-time). From divisive identity politics to deranged messianic violence, all have their genesis in willful disregard of pluralism as a core Quranic value. It is not coincidental that societies that have embraced pluralism also tend to be more successful and peaceful.
Follow Parvez Ahmed on Twitter: www.twitter.com/parvezahmed
More:
Pluralism, Islam, Quran, Said Nursi, Saadi, Fethullah Gulen, Pew Research Center, Shia, Sunni, Mysticism, Interfaith, Al Ghazali, Ibn Arabi, Ibn Taymiyya, Ibn Qayyim, Diana Eck, Risale I Nur, Sachedina
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/parvez-ah ... 98090.html
A version of this article first appeared in the July/August issue of Islamic Horizons.
Egyptian writer Mona Eltahawy in a New York Times article recounted her 2005 encounter with Mohammed Akef, the then spiritual leader of Muslim Brotherhood. When she suggested to Akef that the verses in the Quran regarding women's dress have several interpretations, Akef replied, "...There are no different interpretations. There is just one interpretation."
A 2012 Pew survey indicated that nearly 6 out of 10 Muslims believe that, "there is only one true way to interpret the teachings," of Islam, ranging from a high of 78 percent in Egypt to a low of 34 percent in Morocco. Do such attitudes reflect the core values of the Quran and the historical diversity among Muslims?
The 2012 Pew survey ("The World's Muslims: Unity and Diversity"), which was conducted in 39 countries covering nearly 67 percent of the world's Muslim population, showed strong consensus among Muslims regarding devotional practices.
Nearly 9 out of 10 fast during Ramadan, 7 in 10 give zakat (charity), and 6 in 10 pray five times each day. Almost 100 percent declare their faith in God and believe that Muhammad (salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam) is God's Prophet and Messenger. Nearly 9 in 10 believe in heaven/hell, fate (qadr) and angels; 8 in 10 believe the Quran to be the word of God. However, beyond such basic agreements, there is divergence in thought and actions, particularly as it relates to the religious pluralism.
Attitude of Muslims towards intra-faith pluralism is varied and often elusive.
Nearly 1 in 5 Muslims, do not consider Sufis to be Muslims, with a high mark of 44 percent in Egypt. Such opinions overlook the role played by Sufi orders in the spread of Islam. Equally concerning, nearly 1 in 4 Muslims do not consider Shias as Muslims. Egypt, the most populous Arab nation, tops the charts with 52 percent. However, in three countries where Shias constitute the majority of the population (Azerbaijan, Iraq and Lebanon), on average less than 6 percent of the respondents disregard Shias as Muslims.
The picture for inter-faith pluralism is also gloomy. A 2006 Pew report ("The Great Divide: How Westerners and Muslims View Each Other") showed Muslims viewed Westerners as selfish, arrogant and violent, while Westerners viewed Muslims as fanatical, violent and arrogant. Examining the fallout from the publication of cartoons about Prophet Muhammad in a Danish newspaper, the report noted,
"By wide margins, Westerners who had heard of the controversy believe that Muslim intolerance is principally to blame for the controversy, while Muslims, by even more lopsided majorities, see Western disrespect for the Islamic religion as the root of the problem. The clashing points of view are seen clearly in Nigeria, where 81% of Muslims blame the controversy on Western disrespect and 63% of Christians say Muslim intolerance is to blame."
Not taking the time to understand each other creates the environment for toxic flashpoints.
WHO INHERITS HEAVEN?
Theological doctrines on salvation is an important issue in all religions. How such doctrines are put into practice may dictate attitudes towards interfaith relations. A 2013 Pew survey titled, "The World's Muslims: Religion, Politics and Society" show that
on average (median) only 18 percent of Muslims believe that people of other faiths may inherit heaven. In Pakistan, Egypt, Iraq, and Malaysia 9 in 10 Muslims believe that "Islam is the one true faith leading to eternal life in heaven." However, in Bosnia, Kazakhstan, Cameroon, Chad, and Mozambique, nearly 4 out of 10 Muslims responded that, "many religions can lead to eternal life in heaven." Among American Muslims ("U.S. Muslims - Views on Religion and Society in a Global Context"), 56 percent believe that many religions can lead to eternal life.
On arguably one of the most important questions that consume people of all faiths there is impressive diversity of opinions. However, the parochial views in major Muslim-majority countries ought to elicit concerns.
Although hardline conservatives often deny the salvific value of other faiths, Muslim scholars Ibn Taymiyya and Ibn Qayyim noted that while heaven is eternal, hell is not. Al-Ghazali and Ibn Arabi inferred that the mercy of God cannot be held in such low estimation as to conceive that salvation is only attainable by Muslims. Mohammed Hassan Khalil, in his University of Michigan doctoral dissertation, "Muslim Scholarly Discussions on Salvation and the Fate of 'Others'," concludes that given the wide variety of opinions about the salvific fate of people of other faiths, Muslims should avoid one-dimensional answers to questions regarding salvation. Verses such as, "If God had so willed, He would have made you one community,...(5:48)" and "Each community has its own direction to which it turns... (2:148)," suggests that pluralism is an integral part of Quranic values. Abdulaziz Sachedina, professor of Islamic Studies at George Mason University, in his book the " The Islamic Roots of Democratic Pluralism," cites chapter 2 verse 213 to argue about the pluralistic vision of Islam, "Mankind was a single community, then God sent prophets to bring good news and warning, and with them He sent the Scripture with the Truth, to judge between people in their disagreements."
In addition, Kurdish theologian Said Nursi (1877-1960) and author of the Quranic commentary "Risale-i-Nur," asserts that if followers of other faiths perform a genuine worship of God, then "the manifestations of the unseen and the epiphanies of the sprit, revelation and inspiration," are not exclusive to Islam and can be found in other divinely guided faith traditions. Contemporary Turkish scholar, Fethullah Gulen stressed in a Fountain magazine article titled, "The Necessity of Interfaith Dialogue," that Muslims cannot remain prisoners of their history and act out of "political partisanship" while cloaking it in the "garb" of Islam. He noted that Islam made history's greatest ecumenical call by stating in the Quran, "Say, 'People of the Book, let us arrive at a statement that is common to us all...(3:64)." In his view, this verse provides a big tent under which, "followers of revealed religions could end their separation."
WHAT IS PLURALISM?
Merely accepting diversity is not enough, asserts Harvard Pluralism Project's Diana Eck. In a multi-cultural, multi-religious world, it is necessary to "celebrate diversity," which requires knowledge of the "other." This does not imply relativism, often associated with watering down of one's beliefs. Eck notes, "Pluralism is the process of creating a society through critical and self-critical encounter with one another, acknowledging, rather than hiding, our deepest differences" and a commitment to nurture constructive dialogues. Practicing pluralism holds out hope for a deeper human shared dignity.
For many Muslims, religious pluralism evokes deep-seated fears about Western-inspired secular relativism, given the absence of exact Quranic or Hadith terms about pluralism. In his 2009 paper, "Diversity and Pluralism, A Quranic Perspective" (Islam and Civilizational Renewal, Vol. 1 No. 1, p. 29), Mohammed Hasan Kamali, former professor of law at the International Islamic University of Malaysia, advocates using al-ta῾ad-dudiyyah as the Arabic cognate for pluralism. Labeling every heterodox practice as "un-Islamic" erodes the fabric of the ummah and is the genesis of the takfiri attitude (calling Muslims as kafir or infidel), most violently manifested in terrorist groups. Decrying that Islam is the most misunderstood religion in the West, and yet succumbing to easy stereotyping of people of other faiths, leaves Muslims vulnerable to charges of hypocrisy. The Quran condemns such attitudes, "Do you order righteousness of the people and forget yourselves while you recite the Scripture? Then will you not reason? (2:44)"
INCLUSIVISM IN THE QURAN
The Quran states La ikraha fi-din, (There is no compulsion in religion...(2:256), where the use of "la" to start the verse indicates that the negation is inclusive of the past, present and future. This is akin to the use of La-ilaha (there is no god), in the Shahada (Declaration of Faith), which ends with the emphatic il-lal-lah (but God). Following la is the word ikraha, often translated as compulsion. The triliteral root for the word ikraha is kaf ra ha, the same root that produces the verb kariha, meaning dislike or hate. The word makruh, which not only literally means dislike, but is also used as a legal standard to denote actions that are displeasing to God, also comes from the same root. In other words, compulsion (ikraha) is forbidden because it is an action that is disliked or hated by God. "There is no compulsion in religion," cannot then be viewed as merely a philosophical statement but rather a foundational value and an obligatory practice. Similar to 2:256, another Madinan verse also informs Prophet Muhammad (SA) that, "..., your only duty is to convey the message (3:20)" not compel people to convert. Thus, ideas about pluralism is not alien to Islam. Curtailing the freedom of conscience for any individual or group will be in defiance of the will of God.
The Quran also acknowledges cultural pluralism, "Another of His signs is the creation of the heavens and earth, and the diversity of your languages and colors (30:22)." In addition, the Quran notes that all Prophets and Messengers were sent to their people to preach in the tongue of the local population (14:4). The cultural, political, religious and economic pluralism, which we observe in all aspects of human civilization, is a purposeful divine action - "If God had so willed, He would have made you one community...(5:48)."
A contemporary scholar, Reza Shah-Kazemi noted in his paper "Tolerance" (in Amyn B. Sajoo, ed, A Companion to Muslim Ethics, London: I.B. Tauris, 2010),
"For Muslims, tolerance of the other is integral to the practice of Islam. It is not an optional extra, a cultural luxury. The Quran sets forth an expansive vision of diversity and difference, plurality and indeed of universality. This is all the more ironic since the practice of contemporary Muslim states, not to mention extra-state groups and actors, falls lamentably short of those expectations as well as of current standards of tolerance set by the secular West."
Kazemi proposes developing pluralistic attitudes in Muslim societies as a, "principle at the very heart of the vision of Islam itself: a vision in which the plurality of religious paths to the One is perceived as a reflection of the spiritual infinity of the One." In Risale-i Nur, commenting on the oft-cited Quranic verse of diversity ("People, We created you all from a single man and a single woman, and made you into races and tribes so that you should recognize one another," 49:13) Nursi said, "Being divided into groups and tribes should lead to mutual acquaintance and mutual assistance, not to antipathy and mutual hostility."
Mutual assistance is possible when there is mutual respect, which is fostered by an unequivocal commitment to engage with diversity, not just merely tolerating it.
IS THE QURAN ALSO EXCLUSIVIST?
Muslims who ignore the message of universality in the Quran often cite 3:19 and 3:85 as evidence that salvation belongs exclusively to Muslims. In 3:19, the Quran states, "True religion in God's eye is islam." Later in the same chapter, verse 85 reads, "If anyone seeks a religion other than (islam) complete devotion to God, it will not be accepted from him: he will be one of the losers in the hereafter." Several translations (such as M.A.S. Abdel Haleem's. "The Qur'an - A New Translation," Oxford, 2004) used the lowercase "i" suggesting that islam is being used as a verb, which means submission or devotion to God. It is not being viewed only as the exclusive name given to the religion of Islam as it is practiced today. Even if literal exegesis is given preference, they still do not deny the truth contained in other religions. Several verses in the Quran present the act of freely submitting to God as a universal religion. In 10:72, Noah is commanded to submit (muslimin) and in 2:131, Abraham is asked to submit (aslim). Abraham and Jacob advise their sons to not die except in willing submission to God (muslimun) in 2:132. Japanese scholar, Toshiko Izutsu in "God and Man in the Koran" (Islamic Book Trust, p. 199. 2000) asserted that if islam is meant as submission and not a distinctive religious identity, then it closes the door of exclusivism and provides material for, "a very eloquent understanding of religious pluralism, one wherein all revelations throughout history are seen as different ways of giving to God that which is most difficult to give - our very selves."
LI-TAA-RAFU (GETTING TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER)
The Quran in 2:113 and 2:120 condemns those Christians and Jews who assert that only their followers will be offered salvation by God. Why would the same Quran then endorse such exclusivist attitude by Muslims? Pluralism, as it is understood today, is certainly not a major theme in the Quran. And yet when placed in the context of state of human knowledge in the seventh century, the message of the Quran unequivocally celebrates diversity and encourages engagement (li-taa-rafu in 49:13). Persian poet Saadi Shirazi best surmises the Quranic ethos of pluralism in his celebrated poem Bani Adam,
"All men and women are to each other
the limbs of a single body, each of us drawn/from life's shimmering essence, God's perfect pearl;
and when this life we share wounds one of us, all share the hurt as if it were our own.
You, who will not feel another's pain, you forfeit the right to be called human."
(Gulistan, translated by Richard Jeffrey Newman (Global Scholarly Publications 2004).
Muslim scholars, political leaders and civic society must emphasize the pluralistic message of the Quran and urgently address the pervasive exclusivist attitude among many Muslims. Neglecting the pluralistic message of the Quran has allowed fringe groups to use anachronistic stereotypes about fellow Muslims, people of other faiths and entire nation-states, to unleash a form of violence rooted in extreme interpretations of Islamic eschatology (the study of end-of-time). From divisive identity politics to deranged messianic violence, all have their genesis in willful disregard of pluralism as a core Quranic value. It is not coincidental that societies that have embraced pluralism also tend to be more successful and peaceful.
Follow Parvez Ahmed on Twitter: www.twitter.com/parvezahmed
More:
Pluralism, Islam, Quran, Said Nursi, Saadi, Fethullah Gulen, Pew Research Center, Shia, Sunni, Mysticism, Interfaith, Al Ghazali, Ibn Arabi, Ibn Taymiyya, Ibn Qayyim, Diana Eck, Risale I Nur, Sachedina
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/parvez-ah ... 98090.html
Religious diplomacy in Iraq
In Shia Muslims’ holiest site, a new openness to other faiths
http://www.economist.com/blogs/erasmus/ ... fsrc=gnews
Excerpts:
"These days, news stories about religion in Iraq usually focus on the ghastly deeds of Islamic State which controls a swathe of the country's Sunni-dominated territory and has slaughtered or expelled rival religious groups. The inter-faith diplomacy of the country’s Shia ayatollahs has gone almost unnoticed, though it deserves some attention.
Take another recent vignette. Jawad al-Khoei, a Shia cleric who is preparing the new study centre, reacted in a rather unexpected way when a Christian bishop was about to enter the Imam Ali Shrine and discreetly tried to hide his crucifix in his cassock. "I told [the Christian prelate] he could only enter if he kept it [in view]," recalls Mr Khoei, a senior lecturer at the Shia seminary in Najaf and a follower of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the most revered leader of Shia Islam. He adds that he is discussing a papal visit to Najaf with the Vatican. Another of Mr Sistani’s followers in Lebanon gives sermons in Beirut’s Christian churches."
.....
"Set to open next spring, the al-Balaghi Interfaith Academy is named after an ayatollah who learned Hebrew with the rabbis who once taught at the prophet Ezekiel’s tomb, a sacred site located half an hour's drive away at Dhul-Kifl (pictured, below). The centre is aimed at the 13,000 Shia seminarians studying in Najaf, and will house seven auditoriums, a library for 1.5m books and a Turkish bath; its teaching staff, says Mr Khoei, will be predominantly non-Muslims.
“We want Yazidis to teach the Yazidi faith, Sabaeans to teach about Sabeans, and Christians to teach Christianity,” he says. Another inter-faith programme is already up and running at the Faculty of Islamic Law at Kufa University, Najaf’s largest college. “We want to turn Najaf into a meeting place of religions,” says Walid Farajallah al-Asali, the faculty dean and a turbaned cleric, speaking after a lecture on the Bablylonian Talmud, the compendium of Jewish law compiled in the Sura Academy, once located nearby. “All Iraqi students know about Judaism is the conflict with Israel. We have to explain the beliefs of Judaism.”
In Shia Muslims’ holiest site, a new openness to other faiths
http://www.economist.com/blogs/erasmus/ ... fsrc=gnews
Excerpts:
"These days, news stories about religion in Iraq usually focus on the ghastly deeds of Islamic State which controls a swathe of the country's Sunni-dominated territory and has slaughtered or expelled rival religious groups. The inter-faith diplomacy of the country’s Shia ayatollahs has gone almost unnoticed, though it deserves some attention.
Take another recent vignette. Jawad al-Khoei, a Shia cleric who is preparing the new study centre, reacted in a rather unexpected way when a Christian bishop was about to enter the Imam Ali Shrine and discreetly tried to hide his crucifix in his cassock. "I told [the Christian prelate] he could only enter if he kept it [in view]," recalls Mr Khoei, a senior lecturer at the Shia seminary in Najaf and a follower of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the most revered leader of Shia Islam. He adds that he is discussing a papal visit to Najaf with the Vatican. Another of Mr Sistani’s followers in Lebanon gives sermons in Beirut’s Christian churches."
.....
"Set to open next spring, the al-Balaghi Interfaith Academy is named after an ayatollah who learned Hebrew with the rabbis who once taught at the prophet Ezekiel’s tomb, a sacred site located half an hour's drive away at Dhul-Kifl (pictured, below). The centre is aimed at the 13,000 Shia seminarians studying in Najaf, and will house seven auditoriums, a library for 1.5m books and a Turkish bath; its teaching staff, says Mr Khoei, will be predominantly non-Muslims.
“We want Yazidis to teach the Yazidi faith, Sabaeans to teach about Sabeans, and Christians to teach Christianity,” he says. Another inter-faith programme is already up and running at the Faculty of Islamic Law at Kufa University, Najaf’s largest college. “We want to turn Najaf into a meeting place of religions,” says Walid Farajallah al-Asali, the faculty dean and a turbaned cleric, speaking after a lecture on the Bablylonian Talmud, the compendium of Jewish law compiled in the Sura Academy, once located nearby. “All Iraqi students know about Judaism is the conflict with Israel. We have to explain the beliefs of Judaism.”
The article below demonstrates how Saudi Arabia has been using its oil wealth to mess up with pluralism of the Umma.
Saudi Royal Family Gave $681M To Malaysian PM Who Banned Shia Islam
Read more: http://newsrescue.com/saudi-royal-famil ... z3z5FqOSiH
On Wednesday last week the Malaysia’s attorney general confirmed that Saudi Arabia’s royal family gave Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak a $681 million personal gift. The confirmation of the scandal ended months of speculation about the source of the huge personal donation received from ‘a middle eastern donor’ by the Prime Minister. The country’s top anti-graft agency had recommended Najib Razak be charged with criminal misappropriation.
The transfer of almost $700 million was made ahead of the 2013 re-election of the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Najib Razak who had been in office since 2009 is widely known for his clamp down on Shia minority Islam in the nation.
In 2010 the nation declared that Shiites in the country, who have been termed a “deviant” sect, were barred from promoting their faith to other Muslims.
In December that year, 200 Shi‘a were arrested by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department for celebrating ashura under the Selangor state shari‘a criminal enactment law. Religious authorities who accused them of “threatening national security” in multicultural Malaysia.
The nation has since continued to persecute and arrest Shia citizens.
In 2014 in Perak another 114 were arrested during a Shia event.
Images filled global media of Shia Muslim, children and women laying sprawled in prisons in the nation.
Countries In Contest To Persecute Shia Muslims For Saudi Dollars
The Saudi Royal family is known for sponsoring administrations and fanatic clerics that support its political campaign against Shia faithfuls in their countries. Its massive financial backing of the Malaysian Prime Minister is one such example of how billions of petrodollars from the nation’s oil sales are used to back radical fanatic administrators and politicians across the world.
Following a recent deadly crackdown by the Nigerian army that saw as many as 1000 Shia minority Muslims killed in Nigeria, the Saudi government immediately voiced public support of the massacre, elucidating similar fears of similar financial support towards the state and Federal administrators.
This week a former Chief Imam of the Saudi grand Mosque described Saudi policies as identical to those of ISIS.
Sheikh Adel al-Kalbani said, “We follow the same thought [as IS] but apply it in a refined way,” he said. “They draw their ideas from what is written in our own books, from our own principles.”
The cleric said that “we do not criticize the thought on which it (IS) is based”.
Notably, most notorious global terrorists groups, Boko Haram, AQIP, ISIS or Daesh, al-Qaeda and the like are Sunni-extremist groups who recruit their followers from extremist Sunni nations and are known to receive financing from these governments. There are no known Shia terror organizations.
The donations to the Malaysian Prime Minister have put suspicion in various countries who are worried that their political administrators may like wise be sponsored by the Saudi royal family.
http://newsrescue.com/saudi-royal-famil ... z3ypRvTrLm
*******
Muhammad Bin Salman’s demand of eradicating Shias from Pakistan left leaders astonished
Muhammad Bin Salman’s demand of eradicating Shias from Pakistan left leaders astonished
Shiite News: Saudi Arabian Prince and the current Defense Minister Muhammad Bin Salman made a unique demand from Pakistani leadership. He asked the Pakistani rulers to eradicate Shias from Pakistan and take as much financial aid as they want, in this regard.
Senior governmental sources told that the deputy crown Prince of Saudi Arabia made this demand during his recent visit that they were ready to provide any kind of help to the government of Pakistan for eradicating Shia Muslims from the country.
However, the government sources told, senior leadership clearly refused the Prince’s demand and said that Pakistan was not an Arab state. Shias and Sunnis both leave peacefully here and Shias have played an important role in the establishment and development of the country. Leadership’s response to the foolish demand of the Saudi prince is appreciable.
Muhammad Bin Salman needs to be reminded of the fact that more than fifty million Shia Muslims live in Pakistan whereas a hundred million Barelvi Muslims are also a part of this country. Therefore, the Prince should not dream about Saudi influence in Pakistan on the basis of just 20-30 million Salafi and Deobandis. He should also be reminded that both Shias and Sunnis unitedly struggle for the establishment of Pakistan and the Quaid of this country was a Shia Muslim whereas the then Deobandi leadership, in unison with Congress, was declaring Pakistan as Kaafiristan and Quaid e Azam as Kaffir e Azam. Pakistan is not going to become a tool at the hands of Saudi Arabia and suffer because of any conspiracy.
http://www.shiitenews.org/index.php/pak ... astonished
Saudi Royal Family Gave $681M To Malaysian PM Who Banned Shia Islam
Read more: http://newsrescue.com/saudi-royal-famil ... z3z5FqOSiH
On Wednesday last week the Malaysia’s attorney general confirmed that Saudi Arabia’s royal family gave Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak a $681 million personal gift. The confirmation of the scandal ended months of speculation about the source of the huge personal donation received from ‘a middle eastern donor’ by the Prime Minister. The country’s top anti-graft agency had recommended Najib Razak be charged with criminal misappropriation.
The transfer of almost $700 million was made ahead of the 2013 re-election of the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Najib Razak who had been in office since 2009 is widely known for his clamp down on Shia minority Islam in the nation.
In 2010 the nation declared that Shiites in the country, who have been termed a “deviant” sect, were barred from promoting their faith to other Muslims.
In December that year, 200 Shi‘a were arrested by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department for celebrating ashura under the Selangor state shari‘a criminal enactment law. Religious authorities who accused them of “threatening national security” in multicultural Malaysia.
The nation has since continued to persecute and arrest Shia citizens.
In 2014 in Perak another 114 were arrested during a Shia event.
Images filled global media of Shia Muslim, children and women laying sprawled in prisons in the nation.
Countries In Contest To Persecute Shia Muslims For Saudi Dollars
The Saudi Royal family is known for sponsoring administrations and fanatic clerics that support its political campaign against Shia faithfuls in their countries. Its massive financial backing of the Malaysian Prime Minister is one such example of how billions of petrodollars from the nation’s oil sales are used to back radical fanatic administrators and politicians across the world.
Following a recent deadly crackdown by the Nigerian army that saw as many as 1000 Shia minority Muslims killed in Nigeria, the Saudi government immediately voiced public support of the massacre, elucidating similar fears of similar financial support towards the state and Federal administrators.
This week a former Chief Imam of the Saudi grand Mosque described Saudi policies as identical to those of ISIS.
Sheikh Adel al-Kalbani said, “We follow the same thought [as IS] but apply it in a refined way,” he said. “They draw their ideas from what is written in our own books, from our own principles.”
The cleric said that “we do not criticize the thought on which it (IS) is based”.
Notably, most notorious global terrorists groups, Boko Haram, AQIP, ISIS or Daesh, al-Qaeda and the like are Sunni-extremist groups who recruit their followers from extremist Sunni nations and are known to receive financing from these governments. There are no known Shia terror organizations.
The donations to the Malaysian Prime Minister have put suspicion in various countries who are worried that their political administrators may like wise be sponsored by the Saudi royal family.
http://newsrescue.com/saudi-royal-famil ... z3ypRvTrLm
*******
Muhammad Bin Salman’s demand of eradicating Shias from Pakistan left leaders astonished
Muhammad Bin Salman’s demand of eradicating Shias from Pakistan left leaders astonished
Shiite News: Saudi Arabian Prince and the current Defense Minister Muhammad Bin Salman made a unique demand from Pakistani leadership. He asked the Pakistani rulers to eradicate Shias from Pakistan and take as much financial aid as they want, in this regard.
Senior governmental sources told that the deputy crown Prince of Saudi Arabia made this demand during his recent visit that they were ready to provide any kind of help to the government of Pakistan for eradicating Shia Muslims from the country.
However, the government sources told, senior leadership clearly refused the Prince’s demand and said that Pakistan was not an Arab state. Shias and Sunnis both leave peacefully here and Shias have played an important role in the establishment and development of the country. Leadership’s response to the foolish demand of the Saudi prince is appreciable.
Muhammad Bin Salman needs to be reminded of the fact that more than fifty million Shia Muslims live in Pakistan whereas a hundred million Barelvi Muslims are also a part of this country. Therefore, the Prince should not dream about Saudi influence in Pakistan on the basis of just 20-30 million Salafi and Deobandis. He should also be reminded that both Shias and Sunnis unitedly struggle for the establishment of Pakistan and the Quaid of this country was a Shia Muslim whereas the then Deobandi leadership, in unison with Congress, was declaring Pakistan as Kaafiristan and Quaid e Azam as Kaffir e Azam. Pakistan is not going to become a tool at the hands of Saudi Arabia and suffer because of any conspiracy.
http://www.shiitenews.org/index.php/pak ... astonished
Dr. Mahmoud Eboo: Faith and Pluralism – An American Muslim’s perspective
Dec 11, 2006: Dr. Mahmoud Eboo isn’t a claric but he is an important layman in a major sect of the Muslim faith and an American citizen. He says that although America has always been tolerent of Muslims in the US Americans are largely ignorant of Muslim beliefs and practices and this has lead to prejudices against American Muslims.
Click here to listen at PRX.
Also at The Great Lecture Library
More and related on Dr. Mahmoud Eboo
https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/ ... rspective/
Dec 11, 2006: Dr. Mahmoud Eboo isn’t a claric but he is an important layman in a major sect of the Muslim faith and an American citizen. He says that although America has always been tolerent of Muslims in the US Americans are largely ignorant of Muslim beliefs and practices and this has lead to prejudices against American Muslims.
Click here to listen at PRX.
Also at The Great Lecture Library
More and related on Dr. Mahmoud Eboo
https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/ ... rspective/
Islam was a religion of love, and the Taj Mahal proves it
Excerpt:
If Shah Jahan wanted the world to remember her as he did, then certainly he accomplished his aim. Rabindranath Tagore called it “a teardrop on the face of time.” UNESCO calls it a World Heritage Site. Most men know it to mean their every romantic gesture will never be enough. You can buy her roses after all, but can you build her a Taj Mahal?
But I propose we see it as a vision of what Islam used to be, and what Islam could be, a building dedicated to love, and to love across boundaries that seem more like vast chasms today. Shah Jahan was a Sunni ruler from a Sunni dynasty. His beloved wife, however, was Shiite. Far from being doomed to fight, they fell in love. They married. They produced the next emperor. And they are now buried peacefully beside one another.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act ... proves-it/
Excerpt:
If Shah Jahan wanted the world to remember her as he did, then certainly he accomplished his aim. Rabindranath Tagore called it “a teardrop on the face of time.” UNESCO calls it a World Heritage Site. Most men know it to mean their every romantic gesture will never be enough. You can buy her roses after all, but can you build her a Taj Mahal?
But I propose we see it as a vision of what Islam used to be, and what Islam could be, a building dedicated to love, and to love across boundaries that seem more like vast chasms today. Shah Jahan was a Sunni ruler from a Sunni dynasty. His beloved wife, however, was Shiite. Far from being doomed to fight, they fell in love. They married. They produced the next emperor. And they are now buried peacefully beside one another.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act ... proves-it/
Article
Religious Pluralism and Civic Rights in a “Muslim Nation”: An Analysis of Prophet Muhammad’s Covenants with Christians
Abstract
This article examines the roles that religious pluralism and civic rights played in Prophet Muhammad’s vision of a “Muslim nation”. I demonstrate how Muhammad desired a pluralistic society in which citizenship and equal rights were granted to all people regardless of religious beliefs and practices. The Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of his time are used as a framework for analysis. These documents have received little attention in our time, but their messages are crucial in light of current debates about Muslim-Christian relations. The article campaigns for reviving the egalitarian spirit of the Covenants by refocusing our understanding of the ummah as a site for religious freedom and civil rights. Ultimately, I argue that the Covenants of Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of his time can be used to develop a stronger narrative of democratic partnership between Muslims and Christians in the “Islamic world” and beyond.
http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/7/2/15
Religious Pluralism and Civic Rights in a “Muslim Nation”: An Analysis of Prophet Muhammad’s Covenants with Christians
Abstract
This article examines the roles that religious pluralism and civic rights played in Prophet Muhammad’s vision of a “Muslim nation”. I demonstrate how Muhammad desired a pluralistic society in which citizenship and equal rights were granted to all people regardless of religious beliefs and practices. The Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of his time are used as a framework for analysis. These documents have received little attention in our time, but their messages are crucial in light of current debates about Muslim-Christian relations. The article campaigns for reviving the egalitarian spirit of the Covenants by refocusing our understanding of the ummah as a site for religious freedom and civil rights. Ultimately, I argue that the Covenants of Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of his time can be used to develop a stronger narrative of democratic partnership between Muslims and Christians in the “Islamic world” and beyond.
http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/7/2/15
Khalil Andani to present at Harvard Islamic Society’s intra-Muslim event
Ismaili Muslim Authors, USA
Khalil Andani to present at Harvard Islamic Society’s intra-Muslim event
“Sects Ed” is a major intra-Muslim event aimed at promoting Islamic literacy, mutual understanding, and unity among different branches and communities of Islam. Khalil Andani will be presenting on the Shia Ismaili Muslims and answering questions on a Joint Panel alongside Sunni, Twelver-Shia, Daudi-Bohra, and Ahmadiyyah Muslim scholars.
Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan was the Founder of the Harvard Islamic Society (then Harvard Islamic Association) in 1955 and its first Secretary (see Willi Frischauer, The Aga Khans, 188; UNEP Annual Review, 1980, 121).
Friday, March 25 at 7 PM in EDT
Tsai Auditorium – Harvard University – 1730 Cambridge St, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02143
What is the real difference between “Sunnis” and “Shi’ites”? Do all Muslims fall into one of those two categories? What about Ismai’ilis? Zaidis? Ahmadis? Ibadis? Why do there seem to be so many different groups within Islam? What problems does this pose for American Muslims? Why is it important for us to know?
Bring questions and join the Harvard Islamic Society for a panel on the different “sects” and communities within Islam, what those communities entail, and what our responsibilities are in educating ourselves on the diversity within our ummah.
Source: Facebook Event – Harvard Islamic Society
Khalil Andani is a doctoral (Ph.D) candidate specializing in Islamic intellectual history, theology, philosophy, and mysticism at Harvard University and holds a Master of Theological Studies degree (MTS 2014), specializing in Islamic philosophy and Ismaili thought, from Harvard University.
Khalil’s publications include a book chapter on Nasir-i Khusraw’s philosophical thought in the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of Islamic Philosophy, two articles on Ismaili Philosophy in Sacred Web, and an article on Ismaili views of the Crucifixion of Jesus in The Matheson Trust.
He was recently interviewed on CBC Radio about the Aga Khan Museum. He is also a Chartered Professional Accountant (CA-CPA) and has completed Bachelor of Mathematics (BMath) and Master of Accounting degrees at the University of Waterloo (2008). Over the last few years, Khalil has been invited to deliver several guest lectures and conference presentations on various topics pertaining to Islamic thought and Ismaili philosophy.
ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/03/21/khalil-andani-to-present-at-harvard-islamic-societys-intra-muslim-event/
Ismaili Muslim Authors, USA
Khalil Andani to present at Harvard Islamic Society’s intra-Muslim event
“Sects Ed” is a major intra-Muslim event aimed at promoting Islamic literacy, mutual understanding, and unity among different branches and communities of Islam. Khalil Andani will be presenting on the Shia Ismaili Muslims and answering questions on a Joint Panel alongside Sunni, Twelver-Shia, Daudi-Bohra, and Ahmadiyyah Muslim scholars.
Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan was the Founder of the Harvard Islamic Society (then Harvard Islamic Association) in 1955 and its first Secretary (see Willi Frischauer, The Aga Khans, 188; UNEP Annual Review, 1980, 121).
Friday, March 25 at 7 PM in EDT
Tsai Auditorium – Harvard University – 1730 Cambridge St, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02143
What is the real difference between “Sunnis” and “Shi’ites”? Do all Muslims fall into one of those two categories? What about Ismai’ilis? Zaidis? Ahmadis? Ibadis? Why do there seem to be so many different groups within Islam? What problems does this pose for American Muslims? Why is it important for us to know?
Bring questions and join the Harvard Islamic Society for a panel on the different “sects” and communities within Islam, what those communities entail, and what our responsibilities are in educating ourselves on the diversity within our ummah.
Source: Facebook Event – Harvard Islamic Society
Khalil Andani is a doctoral (Ph.D) candidate specializing in Islamic intellectual history, theology, philosophy, and mysticism at Harvard University and holds a Master of Theological Studies degree (MTS 2014), specializing in Islamic philosophy and Ismaili thought, from Harvard University.
Khalil’s publications include a book chapter on Nasir-i Khusraw’s philosophical thought in the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of Islamic Philosophy, two articles on Ismaili Philosophy in Sacred Web, and an article on Ismaili views of the Crucifixion of Jesus in The Matheson Trust.
He was recently interviewed on CBC Radio about the Aga Khan Museum. He is also a Chartered Professional Accountant (CA-CPA) and has completed Bachelor of Mathematics (BMath) and Master of Accounting degrees at the University of Waterloo (2008). Over the last few years, Khalil has been invited to deliver several guest lectures and conference presentations on various topics pertaining to Islamic thought and Ismaili philosophy.
ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/03/21/khalil-andani-to-present-at-harvard-islamic-societys-intra-muslim-event/
Subject: Article by Ken Stone (April 2016) - Amid foreign imposed war, Syrian government works for reconciliation
(ICIT).
Crescent International is a publication of the Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought Amid foreign imposed war, Syrian government works for reconciliation
by Ken Stone in Damascus
April, 2016
Despite the foreign-instigated mayhem and war in Syria, the government is making strenuous efforts at reconciliation. The Second International Tour of Peace found this out during their meeting with the Syrian Minister for National Reconciliation, Ali Heidar. Canadian Peace Activist Ken Stone files this report from Damascus.
Damascus, crescent-online.net
Friday April 15, 2016, 08:57 DST
The western corporate media portray Syria as a brutal dictatorship. However, that description does not at all fit Ali Heidar, Syria’s Minister for National Reconciliation.
Our Second International Tour of Peace visited Mr. Heidar at 8 pm in his private office in downtown Damascus two nights ago. Like Syrian President Bashar al Asad, the minister is an opthamologist by profession. Unlike the president, his faith community is not Alawite (cousins to the Shia Muslims) but rather Ismaili, which is yet another branch of Islam that follow the Agha Khan. The pluralistic nature of the Syrian government reflects the pluralistic history of Syrian society. Canadians understand pluralism. It's something we prize.
However, what's even more surprising is that Minister Heidar doesn't even belong to the same party as President Asad. The minister for reconciliation is the leader of the Syrian Socialist Nationalist Party's opposition wing and has been part of the national opposition since the crisis in Syria began in 2011. That fact did not stop the armed opposition, the terrorist foot soldiers of the West and Arabian kings, from targeting one of his sons, and gunning him down in cold blood about three years ago as he was heading home near the town of Houleh.
The minister is a charming man of middle age who consented to talk to us on his own time in his own office after participating in an all-day cabinet meeting of the Syrian government. We tour members are pretty tired after sitting in a bus all day all the way from Beirut. But the minister seems cheerful, fresh, and welcoming. He says he wishes to be open and transparent and will entertain any question. He wants to talk about two subjects in particular: national reconciliation and refugees.
The Ministry for National Reconciliation, he says, was established three and a half years ago. It brought to a successful conclusion 50 reconciliation projects before the Russian diplomatic and military operations started on September 30, 2015. The most celebrated of these resulted 18 months ago in 10,000 terrorists abandoning the old city of Homs (which they had devastated) without firing a shot. Today, another 50 such projects are in the works.
The purpose of reconciliation is to save Syrian lives and to shorten the war.
I ask what a reconciliation project looks like.
The minister replies that the strategy is to separate the foreign fighters from Syrian fighters. So what the ministry does is to communicate with influential local people and select some of them to form a local committee of reconciliation to act in its own name, formally independent of the Syrian government. The committee makes contact with the fighters and their leaders. It offers them a deal. It will provide safe passage out of a “rebel-held” area for those fighters who aren't interested in laying down their arms and receiving amnesty. For those Syrian fighters who lay down their arms and accept amnesty, the committee promises that security records will be cleared and jobs will be found. For those who wish to remain in arms, they are invited to join the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and can even form their own units.
Eight hundred former Syrian mercenaries switched sides and joined the SAA in Latakia Province alone. President Assad granted blanket amnesties eight times in the last five years for a total of about 20,000 former Syrian mercenaries.
But reconciliation is a lifetime project. Such bitter animosities among communities, formerly living in peace together for hundreds of years in pre-war Syria, have been created by the crimes of the foreign-backed terrorist mercenaries that many great gaps have been torn in the formerly pluralistic fabric of Syrian society. As a result, the project of reconciliation will be needed for a long time to prevent problems in the future.
As for refugees, the issue is even more complicated. There are internal and external refugees. And the Syrian government insists that it is not the cause of either type of refugees. Rather, the refugee problem is the direct consequence of five years of war of aggression waged against Syria by the West and Arabian monarchs.
The Syrian government doesn't know how many Syrians actually left the country because many people fled in panic of the terrorists without time even to take their documents. On the other hand, some neighboring countries are deliberately inflating the number of Syrian refugees within their borders to leverage their political power and to get funding from aid agencies and foreign governments.
For example, Lebanon registers all of its students as refugees. Jordan forces all tourists and travelers to register as refugees as well. Turkey and Jordan refuse all efforts from the Syrian government to repatriate the refugees in camps in their countries because both countries prefer that the camps remain locations where terrorist organizations can recruit male youth as new fighters (contrary to international law).
Furthermore, Turkey is shamelessly exploiting the refugee issue as leverage to gain entrance to the European Union. And even worse, according to the Minister, was Turkey's practice of promising eventual citizenship to Syrians of Palestinian origin who become refugees in Turkey, thereby undermining their right of return to Palestine.
On top of this, some Syrians living near the Lebanese border cross into Lebanon every month, posing as refugees, to collect their stipend and then return to Syria.
Internally displaced persons (IDPs) are a heavy burden as well. Some Syrian cities have doubled and even tripled in size over the last five years due to the influx of IDPs. Despite the shattered infrastructure and economy of Syria and despite the illegal economic sanctions leveled against Syria by western and Gulf countries, the Syrian government has somehow managed to feed, clothe, school, and medically care for some five to six million IDPs.
(I found it really quite remarkable, if you think about it. And it belies the western demonization of the Syrian president and state. After all, if President Assad and his government are such monsters, why do so many Syrians flee the terrorists to seek refuge in government-held areas?)
Minister Heidar made it quite clear that the government's priority is to repatriate all Syrian refugees. Putting it bluntly, he said that Syria could not afford to lose so many talented people that it had trained in its own schools and universities with free education paid for from the public purse. In fact, the recent surge of Syrian refugees into Europe represents mostly Syrian students and young professionals, people the government desperately needs for reconstruction to succeed. And, while the European Union (EU) screams in fear about the refugee influx, it is making a big net gain in human capital. If it wanted to save a lot of money, the EU, instead of bribing Turkey to take refugees out of Europe, could spend a fraction of that money by giving it to the Syrian government to help repatriate its own nationals.
So what is the Syrian government doing to attract the external refugees, one member of our delegation asked.
Mr. Heidar replied that Syrian government personnel on the affected borders prioritize repatriating external refugees even if they have lost all their documents. Temporary documents are issued on the spot. If refugees have security problems, efforts are made to clear personal records expeditiously. If the external refugees owned homes, they get those homes back. If not, they are provided shelter for free in resettlement centres.
Many public statements offering amnesty have been made by President Assad, including a promise that opposition supporters who return will be guaranteed the right to work with the (unarmed) Syrian internal opposition. In fact, the minister pointed out that two members of the internal Syrian opposition delegation at Geneva on April 15 will be repatriated oppositional refugees.
The result has been that, in the last year, and especially after the spectacular Russian diplomatic and military operations, large numbers Syrian refugees have been repatriated. In just the last few days, over 2000 refugees have returned home to Palmyra and Quryates.
As if on cue, there was a knock on the minister's office door and in walked the Syrian internal opposition delegates to Geneva. Two of them were indeed former external refugees who returned to join the internal opposition. One of them made a speech to us welcoming us to Syria and requesting that we inform our countrymen and women to come to Syria to see for themselves “the real situation in the country and to appreciate the unique history, culture, and ancient civilization of Syria.”
As our peace delegation made its exit, the minister shook our hands and, noting a continuing eye problem of mine, jokingly suggested I book an examination appointment with him. It would be free, he said!
END
(ICIT).
Crescent International is a publication of the Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought Amid foreign imposed war, Syrian government works for reconciliation
by Ken Stone in Damascus
April, 2016
Despite the foreign-instigated mayhem and war in Syria, the government is making strenuous efforts at reconciliation. The Second International Tour of Peace found this out during their meeting with the Syrian Minister for National Reconciliation, Ali Heidar. Canadian Peace Activist Ken Stone files this report from Damascus.
Damascus, crescent-online.net
Friday April 15, 2016, 08:57 DST
The western corporate media portray Syria as a brutal dictatorship. However, that description does not at all fit Ali Heidar, Syria’s Minister for National Reconciliation.
Our Second International Tour of Peace visited Mr. Heidar at 8 pm in his private office in downtown Damascus two nights ago. Like Syrian President Bashar al Asad, the minister is an opthamologist by profession. Unlike the president, his faith community is not Alawite (cousins to the Shia Muslims) but rather Ismaili, which is yet another branch of Islam that follow the Agha Khan. The pluralistic nature of the Syrian government reflects the pluralistic history of Syrian society. Canadians understand pluralism. It's something we prize.
However, what's even more surprising is that Minister Heidar doesn't even belong to the same party as President Asad. The minister for reconciliation is the leader of the Syrian Socialist Nationalist Party's opposition wing and has been part of the national opposition since the crisis in Syria began in 2011. That fact did not stop the armed opposition, the terrorist foot soldiers of the West and Arabian kings, from targeting one of his sons, and gunning him down in cold blood about three years ago as he was heading home near the town of Houleh.
The minister is a charming man of middle age who consented to talk to us on his own time in his own office after participating in an all-day cabinet meeting of the Syrian government. We tour members are pretty tired after sitting in a bus all day all the way from Beirut. But the minister seems cheerful, fresh, and welcoming. He says he wishes to be open and transparent and will entertain any question. He wants to talk about two subjects in particular: national reconciliation and refugees.
The Ministry for National Reconciliation, he says, was established three and a half years ago. It brought to a successful conclusion 50 reconciliation projects before the Russian diplomatic and military operations started on September 30, 2015. The most celebrated of these resulted 18 months ago in 10,000 terrorists abandoning the old city of Homs (which they had devastated) without firing a shot. Today, another 50 such projects are in the works.
The purpose of reconciliation is to save Syrian lives and to shorten the war.
I ask what a reconciliation project looks like.
The minister replies that the strategy is to separate the foreign fighters from Syrian fighters. So what the ministry does is to communicate with influential local people and select some of them to form a local committee of reconciliation to act in its own name, formally independent of the Syrian government. The committee makes contact with the fighters and their leaders. It offers them a deal. It will provide safe passage out of a “rebel-held” area for those fighters who aren't interested in laying down their arms and receiving amnesty. For those Syrian fighters who lay down their arms and accept amnesty, the committee promises that security records will be cleared and jobs will be found. For those who wish to remain in arms, they are invited to join the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and can even form their own units.
Eight hundred former Syrian mercenaries switched sides and joined the SAA in Latakia Province alone. President Assad granted blanket amnesties eight times in the last five years for a total of about 20,000 former Syrian mercenaries.
But reconciliation is a lifetime project. Such bitter animosities among communities, formerly living in peace together for hundreds of years in pre-war Syria, have been created by the crimes of the foreign-backed terrorist mercenaries that many great gaps have been torn in the formerly pluralistic fabric of Syrian society. As a result, the project of reconciliation will be needed for a long time to prevent problems in the future.
As for refugees, the issue is even more complicated. There are internal and external refugees. And the Syrian government insists that it is not the cause of either type of refugees. Rather, the refugee problem is the direct consequence of five years of war of aggression waged against Syria by the West and Arabian monarchs.
The Syrian government doesn't know how many Syrians actually left the country because many people fled in panic of the terrorists without time even to take their documents. On the other hand, some neighboring countries are deliberately inflating the number of Syrian refugees within their borders to leverage their political power and to get funding from aid agencies and foreign governments.
For example, Lebanon registers all of its students as refugees. Jordan forces all tourists and travelers to register as refugees as well. Turkey and Jordan refuse all efforts from the Syrian government to repatriate the refugees in camps in their countries because both countries prefer that the camps remain locations where terrorist organizations can recruit male youth as new fighters (contrary to international law).
Furthermore, Turkey is shamelessly exploiting the refugee issue as leverage to gain entrance to the European Union. And even worse, according to the Minister, was Turkey's practice of promising eventual citizenship to Syrians of Palestinian origin who become refugees in Turkey, thereby undermining their right of return to Palestine.
On top of this, some Syrians living near the Lebanese border cross into Lebanon every month, posing as refugees, to collect their stipend and then return to Syria.
Internally displaced persons (IDPs) are a heavy burden as well. Some Syrian cities have doubled and even tripled in size over the last five years due to the influx of IDPs. Despite the shattered infrastructure and economy of Syria and despite the illegal economic sanctions leveled against Syria by western and Gulf countries, the Syrian government has somehow managed to feed, clothe, school, and medically care for some five to six million IDPs.
(I found it really quite remarkable, if you think about it. And it belies the western demonization of the Syrian president and state. After all, if President Assad and his government are such monsters, why do so many Syrians flee the terrorists to seek refuge in government-held areas?)
Minister Heidar made it quite clear that the government's priority is to repatriate all Syrian refugees. Putting it bluntly, he said that Syria could not afford to lose so many talented people that it had trained in its own schools and universities with free education paid for from the public purse. In fact, the recent surge of Syrian refugees into Europe represents mostly Syrian students and young professionals, people the government desperately needs for reconstruction to succeed. And, while the European Union (EU) screams in fear about the refugee influx, it is making a big net gain in human capital. If it wanted to save a lot of money, the EU, instead of bribing Turkey to take refugees out of Europe, could spend a fraction of that money by giving it to the Syrian government to help repatriate its own nationals.
So what is the Syrian government doing to attract the external refugees, one member of our delegation asked.
Mr. Heidar replied that Syrian government personnel on the affected borders prioritize repatriating external refugees even if they have lost all their documents. Temporary documents are issued on the spot. If refugees have security problems, efforts are made to clear personal records expeditiously. If the external refugees owned homes, they get those homes back. If not, they are provided shelter for free in resettlement centres.
Many public statements offering amnesty have been made by President Assad, including a promise that opposition supporters who return will be guaranteed the right to work with the (unarmed) Syrian internal opposition. In fact, the minister pointed out that two members of the internal Syrian opposition delegation at Geneva on April 15 will be repatriated oppositional refugees.
The result has been that, in the last year, and especially after the spectacular Russian diplomatic and military operations, large numbers Syrian refugees have been repatriated. In just the last few days, over 2000 refugees have returned home to Palmyra and Quryates.
As if on cue, there was a knock on the minister's office door and in walked the Syrian internal opposition delegates to Geneva. Two of them were indeed former external refugees who returned to join the internal opposition. One of them made a speech to us welcoming us to Syria and requesting that we inform our countrymen and women to come to Syria to see for themselves “the real situation in the country and to appreciate the unique history, culture, and ancient civilization of Syria.”
As our peace delegation made its exit, the minister shook our hands and, noting a continuing eye problem of mine, jokingly suggested I book an examination appointment with him. It would be free, he said!
END
On Pluralism, Intolerance, and the Qur’an
Download PDF version of article(link is external)
Key Words
Muslims, non-Muslims, Qur’aninfo-icon, exclusivist, imperialism, religious diversity, Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Shi‘ainfo-icon, Sunni, multi-religious, Wahhabi movement, Judaeo-Christian tradition, jihadinfo-icon, ahl al-kitabinfo-icon, zakatinfo-icon, dar al-harb, fundamentalist, dar al-islaminfo-icon
Table of Contents
•Pluralism in Qur’an
•Qur’anic view of Christianity and Judaism
•Exclusivist Interpretations of the Qur’an
http://www.iis.ac.uk/pluralism-intolerance-and-qur
Download PDF version of article(link is external)
Key Words
Muslims, non-Muslims, Qur’aninfo-icon, exclusivist, imperialism, religious diversity, Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Shi‘ainfo-icon, Sunni, multi-religious, Wahhabi movement, Judaeo-Christian tradition, jihadinfo-icon, ahl al-kitabinfo-icon, zakatinfo-icon, dar al-harb, fundamentalist, dar al-islaminfo-icon
Table of Contents
•Pluralism in Qur’an
•Qur’anic view of Christianity and Judaism
•Exclusivist Interpretations of the Qur’an
http://www.iis.ac.uk/pluralism-intolerance-and-qur
Of coexistence, mannequin challenges and Pakistan
The history of the region where Pakistan exists today would tell you a lot about its pluralistic values. This is the land where Hindus and Muslims have peacefully coexisted for years. This is the land of Muslim Sufi saints like Baba Bulleh Shah, Baba Fareed and Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, who preached values of humanity, coexistence and religious tolerance which is why they are revered today, not just Muslims, but by Hindus and Sikhs of the region as well.
Even when you fast forward to 1947, it is evident that the post partition era of Pakistan was also very pluralistic. Do we not know our very first law minister, Jogendra Nath Mandal – a Hindu, was appointed by Muhammad Ali Jinnah himself? Have we forgotten Sir Zafarullah Khan, the first Ahmadi foreign minister of Pakistan? Then there’s the president of the All India Muslim League, Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah (Aga Khan III), the spiritual leader of Ismaili Muslims.
It is not possible for Literature fanatics to not be familiar with Bapsi Sidhwa and Ardeshir Cowasjee from the Zoroastrian community. And when it comes to the defence of the nation, Cecil Chaudhry and Wing Commander Mervyn Middlecoat are two names that come to mind from Pakistan’s Christian community.
These are the foundations of the country we live in, which is now, unfortunately, seen as a hotbed of religious intolerance and extremism. This is why Dil Say Pakistan – Pakistan’s first transmedia campaign entailing documentaries, music videos, TV shows, radio programs, virtual reality experiences, social media activities, animation series, film festivals and on ground activities across the country to celebrate Pakistan’s diversity, acknowledge its unsung heroes. We decided to carry out an initiative as citizens of a country that is home to people belonging to various religious backgrounds; a fact that (when discussed on mainstream media or in political discourses) is disregarded by claims that Pakistan only belongs to Muslims.
While I agree that 95% of Pakistan’s population is Muslim, there are various indigenous religious groups such as Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Zoroastrians, Kailashas, Bahais who have been living in this region for centuries as well. Apart from these groups, the Muslim population in itself is diverse, as it consists of various sects, traditions and lifestyles – and that is what makes Pakistan unique.
We decided to break this stereotypical image of Pakistan by highlighting its religious diversity in a short video showcasing the ‘mannequin challenge’. We aimed to spread the message that we are all human and Pakistani, despite all these religious differences. We are people who coexist and live as friends and, as is obvious in the video, we belong to different faiths, yet we gathered together to shoot this video and had a great time.
Sunnis, Shias, Barelvis, Deobandis, Ismailis, Bohras, Ahmadis, Bahais, Zoroastrians, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Kailashas met on a common ground in Islamabad. These people stood for peace and humanity, they stood against bigotry and extremism, and above all, they promoted the concept of coexistence.
http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/43771 ... -pakistan/
The history of the region where Pakistan exists today would tell you a lot about its pluralistic values. This is the land where Hindus and Muslims have peacefully coexisted for years. This is the land of Muslim Sufi saints like Baba Bulleh Shah, Baba Fareed and Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, who preached values of humanity, coexistence and religious tolerance which is why they are revered today, not just Muslims, but by Hindus and Sikhs of the region as well.
Even when you fast forward to 1947, it is evident that the post partition era of Pakistan was also very pluralistic. Do we not know our very first law minister, Jogendra Nath Mandal – a Hindu, was appointed by Muhammad Ali Jinnah himself? Have we forgotten Sir Zafarullah Khan, the first Ahmadi foreign minister of Pakistan? Then there’s the president of the All India Muslim League, Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah (Aga Khan III), the spiritual leader of Ismaili Muslims.
It is not possible for Literature fanatics to not be familiar with Bapsi Sidhwa and Ardeshir Cowasjee from the Zoroastrian community. And when it comes to the defence of the nation, Cecil Chaudhry and Wing Commander Mervyn Middlecoat are two names that come to mind from Pakistan’s Christian community.
These are the foundations of the country we live in, which is now, unfortunately, seen as a hotbed of religious intolerance and extremism. This is why Dil Say Pakistan – Pakistan’s first transmedia campaign entailing documentaries, music videos, TV shows, radio programs, virtual reality experiences, social media activities, animation series, film festivals and on ground activities across the country to celebrate Pakistan’s diversity, acknowledge its unsung heroes. We decided to carry out an initiative as citizens of a country that is home to people belonging to various religious backgrounds; a fact that (when discussed on mainstream media or in political discourses) is disregarded by claims that Pakistan only belongs to Muslims.
While I agree that 95% of Pakistan’s population is Muslim, there are various indigenous religious groups such as Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Zoroastrians, Kailashas, Bahais who have been living in this region for centuries as well. Apart from these groups, the Muslim population in itself is diverse, as it consists of various sects, traditions and lifestyles – and that is what makes Pakistan unique.
We decided to break this stereotypical image of Pakistan by highlighting its religious diversity in a short video showcasing the ‘mannequin challenge’. We aimed to spread the message that we are all human and Pakistani, despite all these religious differences. We are people who coexist and live as friends and, as is obvious in the video, we belong to different faiths, yet we gathered together to shoot this video and had a great time.
Sunnis, Shias, Barelvis, Deobandis, Ismailis, Bohras, Ahmadis, Bahais, Zoroastrians, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Kailashas met on a common ground in Islamabad. These people stood for peace and humanity, they stood against bigotry and extremism, and above all, they promoted the concept of coexistence.
http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/43771 ... -pakistan/
The man who fought fake news
A half-victory for tolerance in Indonesia
Ahok, an embattled Chinese Christian, tops the vote for governor of Jakarta
MILLIONS of Indonesians went to the polls on February 15th to elect local leaders, from Aceh in the west to Papua in the east. Voters braved the floods and landslides of the rainy season to cast their ballots in a massive exercise of democracy. But the day was dominated by the race for governor of Jakarta, the capital, which had become a test of tolerance in the world’s most populous Muslim country. The embattled incumbent, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, is a Christian of Chinese descent and thus a member of two tiny minorities.
Islamists tried to turn voters against Mr Basuki, known to all as Ahok, by accusing him of insulting the Koran. On the day, Ahok came first but fell short of an absolute majority, with 43% of the vote, according to unofficial results. This means the election will be decided by a run-off on April 19th. Ahok will face Anies Baswedan, a former education minister, who had been trailing in early polls but ended up taking 40% of the vote. Agus Yudhoyono, the son of a former president, got just 17%. He is now out of the race.
More...
http://www.economist.com/news/asia/2171 ... n/NA/email
A half-victory for tolerance in Indonesia
Ahok, an embattled Chinese Christian, tops the vote for governor of Jakarta
MILLIONS of Indonesians went to the polls on February 15th to elect local leaders, from Aceh in the west to Papua in the east. Voters braved the floods and landslides of the rainy season to cast their ballots in a massive exercise of democracy. But the day was dominated by the race for governor of Jakarta, the capital, which had become a test of tolerance in the world’s most populous Muslim country. The embattled incumbent, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, is a Christian of Chinese descent and thus a member of two tiny minorities.
Islamists tried to turn voters against Mr Basuki, known to all as Ahok, by accusing him of insulting the Koran. On the day, Ahok came first but fell short of an absolute majority, with 43% of the vote, according to unofficial results. This means the election will be decided by a run-off on April 19th. Ahok will face Anies Baswedan, a former education minister, who had been trailing in early polls but ended up taking 40% of the vote. Agus Yudhoyono, the son of a former president, got just 17%. He is now out of the race.
More...
http://www.economist.com/news/asia/2171 ... n/NA/email
King Salman travels to Asia
Extract:
Indonesia, for its part, aims to secure billions of dollars in investment. (The two nations’ state oil firms agreed in December to plough $5bn into expanding Indonesia’s largest petroleum refinery.) The welfare of migrant workers is also likely to be discussed; the kingdom beheaded two Indonesian maids in 2015. So, too, is Islam itself. The trip comes amid concern that Saudi-funded seminaries expounding exclusivist, Salafi Islam are steadily eroding the more tolerant interpretation of the faith traditionally practised in Indonesia—a diverse archipelago with large Buddhist, Christian and Hindu minorities.
More...
http://www.economist.com/news/middle-ea ... n/NA/email
Extract:
Indonesia, for its part, aims to secure billions of dollars in investment. (The two nations’ state oil firms agreed in December to plough $5bn into expanding Indonesia’s largest petroleum refinery.) The welfare of migrant workers is also likely to be discussed; the kingdom beheaded two Indonesian maids in 2015. So, too, is Islam itself. The trip comes amid concern that Saudi-funded seminaries expounding exclusivist, Salafi Islam are steadily eroding the more tolerant interpretation of the faith traditionally practised in Indonesia—a diverse archipelago with large Buddhist, Christian and Hindu minorities.
More...
http://www.economist.com/news/middle-ea ... n/NA/email
A Former First Lady Presses On for a Tolerant, Feminist Islam
JAKARTA, Indonesia — The transgender Muslim women gazed around the reception room with wonder. It was loaded with lavish tributes from foreign rulers: gold filigreed swords from Kuwait, elaborately painted Chinese urns and elegantly framed Quranic verses. Finally the host, Sinta Nuriyah, 69, breezed into the room in her wheelchair, passing by a giant bust of her husband, Abdurrahman Wahid, a former president and a powerful voice for moderate Islam.
The women, wearing head scarves and traditional gowns, had come to Ms. Sinta for advice. Their Islamic school for women had been shut down by a local hard-line organization amid a nationwide crackdown on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender organizations, and they were at a loss as to how to reopen it.
Ms. Sinta, wearing a batik shawl and a veil that partly covered her hair, was in typical good cheer, listening intently and finding pauses in conversation to offer counsel. “Reach out to the regional district head,” she said. “All people have the right to worship God, not just some people. That’s the truth in Islam.”
More...
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/07/worl ... d=45305309
JAKARTA, Indonesia — The transgender Muslim women gazed around the reception room with wonder. It was loaded with lavish tributes from foreign rulers: gold filigreed swords from Kuwait, elaborately painted Chinese urns and elegantly framed Quranic verses. Finally the host, Sinta Nuriyah, 69, breezed into the room in her wheelchair, passing by a giant bust of her husband, Abdurrahman Wahid, a former president and a powerful voice for moderate Islam.
The women, wearing head scarves and traditional gowns, had come to Ms. Sinta for advice. Their Islamic school for women had been shut down by a local hard-line organization amid a nationwide crackdown on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender organizations, and they were at a loss as to how to reopen it.
Ms. Sinta, wearing a batik shawl and a veil that partly covered her hair, was in typical good cheer, listening intently and finding pauses in conversation to offer counsel. “Reach out to the regional district head,” she said. “All people have the right to worship God, not just some people. That’s the truth in Islam.”
More...
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/07/worl ... d=45305309
A Proposal for Islam
Excerpt:
This incident showed me once again that there is a major problem in Islam today: a passion to impose religion, rather than merely proposing it, a mind-set that most Christians left behind at the time of the Inquisition.
Luckily, there are antidotes within Islam to this problem. One of them is the Quranic verse that the JAWI officers repeatedly chided me for daring to recite: “No compulsion in religion.”
In fact, mainstream Muslim tradition, reflecting its illiberal context, never fully appreciated the freedom implied by this verse — and other ones with similar messages. “The ‘no compulsion’ verse was a problem to the earliest exegetes,” as Patricia Crone, a scholar of Islamic history, has noted. “And they reacted by interpreting it restrictively.” The verse was declared “abrogated,” or its scope was radically limited.
This is still evident in a parenthetical that is too frequently inserted into translations of the verse. “There shall be no compulsion in religion (in becoming a Muslim).” I’d known that Saudi translations added those extra words at the end. Now I have learned that the Malaysian authorities do, too. They append the extra phrase because while they agree with the Quran that no one should be forced to become a Muslim, they think that Muslims should be compelled to practice the religion — in the way that the authorities define. They also believe that if Muslims decide to abandon their religion, they must be punished for “apostasy.”
More...
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/28/opin ... dline&te=1
Excerpt:
This incident showed me once again that there is a major problem in Islam today: a passion to impose religion, rather than merely proposing it, a mind-set that most Christians left behind at the time of the Inquisition.
Luckily, there are antidotes within Islam to this problem. One of them is the Quranic verse that the JAWI officers repeatedly chided me for daring to recite: “No compulsion in religion.”
In fact, mainstream Muslim tradition, reflecting its illiberal context, never fully appreciated the freedom implied by this verse — and other ones with similar messages. “The ‘no compulsion’ verse was a problem to the earliest exegetes,” as Patricia Crone, a scholar of Islamic history, has noted. “And they reacted by interpreting it restrictively.” The verse was declared “abrogated,” or its scope was radically limited.
This is still evident in a parenthetical that is too frequently inserted into translations of the verse. “There shall be no compulsion in religion (in becoming a Muslim).” I’d known that Saudi translations added those extra words at the end. Now I have learned that the Malaysian authorities do, too. They append the extra phrase because while they agree with the Quran that no one should be forced to become a Muslim, they think that Muslims should be compelled to practice the religion — in the way that the authorities define. They also believe that if Muslims decide to abandon their religion, they must be punished for “apostasy.”
More...
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/28/opin ... dline&te=1
Can the Saudi Crown Prince Transform the Kingdom?
Excerpt:
Moderate Islam will not emerge in Saudi Arabia under a repressive regime whose foundation is based on purging theological difference and criminalizing the Muslim other. The regime’s main interest in religion is to gain legitimacy and pacify the Saudi population as Wahhabism justifies armed rebellion abroad against most Muslim leaders, but forbids Saudis from rising up against their own rulers.
The majority of Saudi clerics are conservative Wahhabis, but in recent years some have started engaging with moderate interpretations. Before his arrest in September, Salman al-Awah, a prominent cleric with millions of followers on social media, announced that homosexuals should not be prosecuted.
Sufi scholars and intellectuals in the Hijaz like the architect Sami Angawi, who documented the destruction of archaeological and religious sites in Mecca, are reluctantly tolerated, but any public display of Sufi rituals is still prohibited. The Shiites living in the oil-rich Eastern Province remain a marginalized minority, accused of being a fifth column loyal to Iran. Their jurisprudence is not represented in the Council of Higher Ulama, which advises the monarch on religious matters.
Only open debate will eventually lead to a kind of Islamic modernism and shrink the spaces where fundamentalism grows. But the regime will then be left without its raison d’être, as the protector of faith, defender of Muslims and the only truly Islamic state.
More...
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/10/opin ... &te=1&_r=0
Excerpt:
Moderate Islam will not emerge in Saudi Arabia under a repressive regime whose foundation is based on purging theological difference and criminalizing the Muslim other. The regime’s main interest in religion is to gain legitimacy and pacify the Saudi population as Wahhabism justifies armed rebellion abroad against most Muslim leaders, but forbids Saudis from rising up against their own rulers.
The majority of Saudi clerics are conservative Wahhabis, but in recent years some have started engaging with moderate interpretations. Before his arrest in September, Salman al-Awah, a prominent cleric with millions of followers on social media, announced that homosexuals should not be prosecuted.
Sufi scholars and intellectuals in the Hijaz like the architect Sami Angawi, who documented the destruction of archaeological and religious sites in Mecca, are reluctantly tolerated, but any public display of Sufi rituals is still prohibited. The Shiites living in the oil-rich Eastern Province remain a marginalized minority, accused of being a fifth column loyal to Iran. Their jurisprudence is not represented in the Council of Higher Ulama, which advises the monarch on religious matters.
Only open debate will eventually lead to a kind of Islamic modernism and shrink the spaces where fundamentalism grows. But the regime will then be left without its raison d’être, as the protector of faith, defender of Muslims and the only truly Islamic state.
More...
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/10/opin ... &te=1&_r=0
Shehzad Alam: Pluralism is vital to our existence
Pluralism is vital to our existence.
By Shehzad Alam
The auspicious occasion of Darbar is upon us here in Hunza and Ghizer districts. Our beloved Imam His Highness Shah Karim al-Husayni, the Aga Khan will be arriving here in Gilgit-Baltistan today.
The occasion is of great significance for people associated with it in terms of faith, social and economic perspectives.
His Highness, The Aga Khan IV, is a beacon of peace, a practical admirer of a living faith, the torchbearer of a pluralistic world, a charismatic visionary, and a champion of peace and development known all over the world.
His Highness was the first Ismaili Imam who visited Hunza, Gilgit and Chitral from 20-26 October 1960. During those days, these isolated regions were facing the long-held tribal issues, hate based on religious differences, poverty-stricken populace, political unrest, non-existence of health and education, and a very difficult geographic conditions.
His highness’s vision and his tireless efforts through Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) coupled with strategic investment of the Government of Pakistan have significantly improved the quality of life of these marginalized communities. These efforts of last six decades have made Gilgit Baltistan a peaceful and a dreamland for many.
Gilgit-Baltistan, after sixty years, are now showing a totally different social and economic outlook despite of sectarian, ethnic, regional and lingual differences. It turns out to be the best social experiment where people from different interpretations were observing pluralism and paving a path of acceptance, tolerance, and patience by harnessing the diversity.
As His Highness had said, ‘Pluralism is no longer simply an asset or a prerequisite for progress and development, it is vital to our existence.’
Generosity seems to be at play in the streets of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral, uncountable examples of ‘sharing is caring’ and examples of brotherhood and respect for each other unveiled a new era and giving the whole region a new futuristic and peaceful outlook.
This social collective conscience is indeed the bedrock of a prosperous, peaceful and a model future society. The spectrum of pluralism, acceptance, tolerance, brotherhood, and patience has already determined a hard journey for the masses of G-B, yet it will bloom the hearts and minds of everyone to work and move ahead with struggle and love for each other.
Shehzad AlamThe writer is an Art Enthusiast & a Partnership Builder based in Seattle, Washington. https://www.linkedin.com/in/shehzad-alam-70b345a3
https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2017/ ... existence/
Pluralism is vital to our existence.
By Shehzad Alam
The auspicious occasion of Darbar is upon us here in Hunza and Ghizer districts. Our beloved Imam His Highness Shah Karim al-Husayni, the Aga Khan will be arriving here in Gilgit-Baltistan today.
The occasion is of great significance for people associated with it in terms of faith, social and economic perspectives.
His Highness, The Aga Khan IV, is a beacon of peace, a practical admirer of a living faith, the torchbearer of a pluralistic world, a charismatic visionary, and a champion of peace and development known all over the world.
His Highness was the first Ismaili Imam who visited Hunza, Gilgit and Chitral from 20-26 October 1960. During those days, these isolated regions were facing the long-held tribal issues, hate based on religious differences, poverty-stricken populace, political unrest, non-existence of health and education, and a very difficult geographic conditions.
His highness’s vision and his tireless efforts through Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) coupled with strategic investment of the Government of Pakistan have significantly improved the quality of life of these marginalized communities. These efforts of last six decades have made Gilgit Baltistan a peaceful and a dreamland for many.
Gilgit-Baltistan, after sixty years, are now showing a totally different social and economic outlook despite of sectarian, ethnic, regional and lingual differences. It turns out to be the best social experiment where people from different interpretations were observing pluralism and paving a path of acceptance, tolerance, and patience by harnessing the diversity.
As His Highness had said, ‘Pluralism is no longer simply an asset or a prerequisite for progress and development, it is vital to our existence.’
Generosity seems to be at play in the streets of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral, uncountable examples of ‘sharing is caring’ and examples of brotherhood and respect for each other unveiled a new era and giving the whole region a new futuristic and peaceful outlook.
This social collective conscience is indeed the bedrock of a prosperous, peaceful and a model future society. The spectrum of pluralism, acceptance, tolerance, brotherhood, and patience has already determined a hard journey for the masses of G-B, yet it will bloom the hearts and minds of everyone to work and move ahead with struggle and love for each other.
Shehzad AlamThe writer is an Art Enthusiast & a Partnership Builder based in Seattle, Washington. https://www.linkedin.com/in/shehzad-alam-70b345a3
https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2017/ ... existence/
Indonesia’s Ancient Beliefs Win in Court, but Devotees Still Feel Ostracized
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Growing up on the Indonesian island of Java in the 1970s, Dewi Kanti practiced an ancient form of indigenous traditional beliefs whose origins predate the arrivals of Christianity, Buddhism and Islam here by centuries.
Ironically, Ms. Dewi notes bitterly, those traditional beliefs make her a religious outcast in her own country today, where the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion but the government recognizes only six: Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Protestantism, Catholicism and Confucianism.
“The point here is how there is no justice,” she said. “Why can these big global religions spread and be recognized, but the original religion of Indonesia cannot?”
It is a question she and others are still waiting to see answered, despite a landmark ruling in November by the Constitutional Court that affirmed the rights of followers of traditional beliefs outside of the six recognized religions.
The ruling came amid signs of growing intolerance of religious minorities in Indonesia, which is the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, and objections from some Islamic groups.
More...
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/14/worl ... 3053090415
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Growing up on the Indonesian island of Java in the 1970s, Dewi Kanti practiced an ancient form of indigenous traditional beliefs whose origins predate the arrivals of Christianity, Buddhism and Islam here by centuries.
Ironically, Ms. Dewi notes bitterly, those traditional beliefs make her a religious outcast in her own country today, where the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion but the government recognizes only six: Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Protestantism, Catholicism and Confucianism.
“The point here is how there is no justice,” she said. “Why can these big global religions spread and be recognized, but the original religion of Indonesia cannot?”
It is a question she and others are still waiting to see answered, despite a landmark ruling in November by the Constitutional Court that affirmed the rights of followers of traditional beliefs outside of the six recognized religions.
The ruling came amid signs of growing intolerance of religious minorities in Indonesia, which is the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, and objections from some Islamic groups.
More...
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/14/worl ... 3053090415
Islam Through Many Lenses: A Multi-Story Mindset | Kiana Rawji | TEDxDeerfield
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Onz_hZcAHmQ
Published on May 15, 2018
When it comes to Islam, public discussion concerning the “true essence” of the religion is often polarized. On one side, many claim that Islam is inherently violent. On the other side, many assert that Islam is a peaceful religion. Both of those claims offer a single, narrow definition of the truth. Caught up in this divisive struggle to define Islam as one thing or another, many people—Muslims and non-Muslims alike—overlook the fact that Islam, like any other religion, is not a monolith.
The people who practice Islam are incredibly diverse; in fact, many Muslims themselves might be surprised to learn of the immense diversity within their own religion. There is no one Islam, but instead, as Aziz Al-Azmeh put it, multiple Islams. Dr. Ali Asani says that, whenever we talk or think about Islam, we first have to ask the questions, whose Islam? And in what context?
In this talk, Kiana expounds on this cultural studies approach to understanding Islam, showing that interpretations of a religion are shaped by the political, social, economic, historical, and geographic contexts of the believers themselves. Kiana Rawji has developed a keen interest in and promoted the understanding of pluralism and Islam over the past five years. Kiana’s passion for this is demonstrated in her medal-winning speeches delivered at various competitions at the national and international levels.
To Kiana, speaking and writing are powerful vehicles for change and she hopes to continue to leverage her talent in both to promote social justice. In 2017, she received the Cadillac Fairview Youth of Distinction Award for her efforts to advocate for the understanding of Islam.
Kiana is also the Founding President and CEO of a nonprofit, Gentr (www.gentr.org), a girls entrepreneurial development program. Through Gentr's program, adapted from the MIT Launch curriculum, girls in Tanzania and Kenya are acquiring the skill set and mindset needed to succeed in their environments and develop their confidence as young women. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Onz_hZcAHmQ
Published on May 15, 2018
When it comes to Islam, public discussion concerning the “true essence” of the religion is often polarized. On one side, many claim that Islam is inherently violent. On the other side, many assert that Islam is a peaceful religion. Both of those claims offer a single, narrow definition of the truth. Caught up in this divisive struggle to define Islam as one thing or another, many people—Muslims and non-Muslims alike—overlook the fact that Islam, like any other religion, is not a monolith.
The people who practice Islam are incredibly diverse; in fact, many Muslims themselves might be surprised to learn of the immense diversity within their own religion. There is no one Islam, but instead, as Aziz Al-Azmeh put it, multiple Islams. Dr. Ali Asani says that, whenever we talk or think about Islam, we first have to ask the questions, whose Islam? And in what context?
In this talk, Kiana expounds on this cultural studies approach to understanding Islam, showing that interpretations of a religion are shaped by the political, social, economic, historical, and geographic contexts of the believers themselves. Kiana Rawji has developed a keen interest in and promoted the understanding of pluralism and Islam over the past five years. Kiana’s passion for this is demonstrated in her medal-winning speeches delivered at various competitions at the national and international levels.
To Kiana, speaking and writing are powerful vehicles for change and she hopes to continue to leverage her talent in both to promote social justice. In 2017, she received the Cadillac Fairview Youth of Distinction Award for her efforts to advocate for the understanding of Islam.
Kiana is also the Founding President and CEO of a nonprofit, Gentr (www.gentr.org), a girls entrepreneurial development program. Through Gentr's program, adapted from the MIT Launch curriculum, girls in Tanzania and Kenya are acquiring the skill set and mindset needed to succeed in their environments and develop their confidence as young women. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
Saudi Arabia may relax its ban on Christian churches
New evidence suggests the Prophet tolerated churches in Arabia
FOR a generation the Saudi antiquities authority has kept it under wraps. The ruins remain out of bounds behind metal gates and wire fencing. A guard shoos the curious away with threats of arrest. But if independent studies are correct, tucked in the dunes and palms near the eastern oilfields lies a 7th-century monastery, the existence of which suggests that Islam once tolerated church-building in Arabia.
Muhammad bin Salman, the modernising crown prince, has defied clerics by allowing cinemas, open-air pop concerts and even female drivers in his puritanical kingdom. But approving churches for the 1.4m Christians in Saudi Arabia risks breaking one taboo too many. “Elsewhere it’s no problem, but two dins, or religions, have no place in the Arabian peninsula,” says a senior prince, reciting a purported saying of the Prophet Muhammad. Churches were expunged by the first community of Muslims 14 centuries ago, he insists.
More....
https://www.economist.com/middle-east-a ... a/140375/n
New evidence suggests the Prophet tolerated churches in Arabia
FOR a generation the Saudi antiquities authority has kept it under wraps. The ruins remain out of bounds behind metal gates and wire fencing. A guard shoos the curious away with threats of arrest. But if independent studies are correct, tucked in the dunes and palms near the eastern oilfields lies a 7th-century monastery, the existence of which suggests that Islam once tolerated church-building in Arabia.
Muhammad bin Salman, the modernising crown prince, has defied clerics by allowing cinemas, open-air pop concerts and even female drivers in his puritanical kingdom. But approving churches for the 1.4m Christians in Saudi Arabia risks breaking one taboo too many. “Elsewhere it’s no problem, but two dins, or religions, have no place in the Arabian peninsula,” says a senior prince, reciting a purported saying of the Prophet Muhammad. Churches were expunged by the first community of Muslims 14 centuries ago, he insists.
More....
https://www.economist.com/middle-east-a ... a/140375/n
Negative Pluralism
‘There Are No Girls Left’: Syria’s Christian Villages Hollowed Out by ISIS
Excerpt:
The number of Christians across the Middle East has been declining for decades as persecution and poverty have led to widespread migration. The Islamic State, also known as ISIS, considered Christians infidels and forced them to pay special taxes, accelerating the trend in Syria and Iraq.
In this area of Syria, the exodus has been swift.
Some 10,000 Assyrian Christians lived in more than 30 villages here before the war began in 2011, and there were more than two dozen churches. Now, about 900 people remain and only one church holds regular services, said Shlimon Barcham, a local official with the Assyrian Church of the East.
More....
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/15/worl ... 3053090816
‘There Are No Girls Left’: Syria’s Christian Villages Hollowed Out by ISIS
Excerpt:
The number of Christians across the Middle East has been declining for decades as persecution and poverty have led to widespread migration. The Islamic State, also known as ISIS, considered Christians infidels and forced them to pay special taxes, accelerating the trend in Syria and Iraq.
In this area of Syria, the exodus has been swift.
Some 10,000 Assyrian Christians lived in more than 30 villages here before the war began in 2011, and there were more than two dozen churches. Now, about 900 people remain and only one church holds regular services, said Shlimon Barcham, a local official with the Assyrian Church of the East.
More....
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/15/worl ... 3053090816
Chitral: A Portrait of Sectarian Tension in Pakistan
Far from the headlines, a district in KP provides worrying evidence of a rise in religious hatred.
CHITRAL, PAKISTAN — Three hours after Friday prayers on April 21, 2017, thousands of people gathered in front of the Chitral police station, intent on killing a man named Rasheed. They were trying to enter the police station to get to him, but the police officers were taking stringent measures to protect Rasheed from the outraged mob. While the police discharged their weapons in the air and dispersed tear gas, the furious mob demanded that the police either handover Rasheed to them, or give him the death penalty on the spot.
Rasheed was accused of making blasphemous comments. During the Friday sermons in Shahi mosque, he stood up and tried to snatch the microphone from the imam, who leads the prayers. Though he failed to grab the microphone, Rasheed claimed prophethood in a loud voice.
More...
https://thediplomat.com/2018/09/chitral ... -pakistan/
Far from the headlines, a district in KP provides worrying evidence of a rise in religious hatred.
CHITRAL, PAKISTAN — Three hours after Friday prayers on April 21, 2017, thousands of people gathered in front of the Chitral police station, intent on killing a man named Rasheed. They were trying to enter the police station to get to him, but the police officers were taking stringent measures to protect Rasheed from the outraged mob. While the police discharged their weapons in the air and dispersed tear gas, the furious mob demanded that the police either handover Rasheed to them, or give him the death penalty on the spot.
Rasheed was accused of making blasphemous comments. During the Friday sermons in Shahi mosque, he stood up and tried to snatch the microphone from the imam, who leads the prayers. Though he failed to grab the microphone, Rasheed claimed prophethood in a loud voice.
More...
https://thediplomat.com/2018/09/chitral ... -pakistan/