British Muslims after 7/7 Ordinary Muslims have been stigmatised en masse since the 2005 bombings by parts of the media and government policies Murtaza Shibli guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 6 July 2010 14.01 BST Article history A Muslim woman attends an Islamophobia rally organised by a coalition of moderate Muslim groups. Photograph: Cathal Mcnaughton/PAAmid the pain and anguish of the London bombings, one significant narrative was lost – that of British Muslims. They became victims, both of the terrorists and of overzealous sections of the media, which accepted the terrorists’ definitions of Islam and imposed them blindly on Muslim communities living in … Continue reading British Muslims after 7/7

Bombings brought out best of Leeds In Leeds – the home city of the 7 July bombers – the crisis cut through ethnic and religious barriers John Battle guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 6 July 2010 16.33 BST Article history Hundreds had to be evacuated from Burley following the discovery of a bomb factory after the 7 July bombings in London. Photograph: Dan Chung for the GuardianIt was an early-hours call to me in my flat in London from the home secretary informing me that those who had bombed London two weeks earlier on 7 July were from Leeds that raised fears of … Continue reading 7/7 Bombings brought out best of Leeds

Somaliland: small country, big election result Somaliland will improve its chances of recognition if it assists international efforts to bring peace to Somalia guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 6 July 2010 19.00 BST Article history In Africa this past week a completely peaceful presidential election was held. International observers said it met all the western standards for a free election. What’s more, the incumbent president fully accepted the result the minute it was announced and handed over power to his successor and bitter political rival – and on accepting his victory, the president-elect thanked and congratulated the outgoing president for his services to … Continue reading Somaliland – needs recognition?

Why is Birmingham’s CCTV scheme ‘unlawful’? Liberty believes the Project Champion CCTV scheme in Birmingham is not only wrong, but unlawful in its implementation Corinna Ferguson guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 6 July 2010 12.00 BST Article history Liberty believes the CCTV scheme in Birmingham targetting Muslim areas is unlawful. Photograph: David Sillitoe for the GuardianAlarmbells asks: “At a public meeting in Birmingham [this week] West Midlands police apologised to angry residents after hundreds of surveillance cameras were installed in residential areas of the city. Shami Chakrabarti, who spoke at the meeting, said the scheme was not only wrong but ‘unlawful’. Why are … Continue reading Birmingham’s CCTV scheme ‘unlawful’ – here is why?

VIEW: Nationalism: inclusive versus exclusive — II —Ishtiaq Ahmed When the Hindu members of the Pakistan Constituent Assembly expressed their worries about ‘sovereignty over the entire universe belonging to God’, Liaquat Ali Khan assured them that a Muslim state should have no problem in having a non-Muslim as prime minister. However, this was not true Jinnah wanted to establish a Muslim-majority state, but not a Muslim-majoritarian state that would privilege Muslims over non-Muslims in their status and rights as citizens; hence he spoke of Pakistani nationalism and not Muslim nationalism when on August 11, 1947 he addressed the Pakistan Constituent … Continue reading Nationalism: inclusive versus exclusive

VIEW: Save the city —Sobia Ahmad Kaker With a shift towards targeting markets, minority religious gatherings and culturally significant places, the Taliban are essentially attempting to subdue the very essence of urban life. In contemporary urban studies, such forms of political violence that target the built environment and the way of life characteristic of that environment is coined as ‘urbicide’ Urban public spaces around which people interact symbolise city life. Markets, parks, mosques and shrines, cultural and commercial buildings create activities that generate structures around which people interact and coexist. These public spaces thus increase social exchange and eventually help … Continue reading Save the city

The Reformist Islamic Thinker Muhammad Shahrur In the Footsteps of Averroes Muhammad Shahrur’s work is a comprehensive attempt to reconcile the religion of Islam with modern philosophy as well as the rational worldview of the natural sciences. According to Shahrur, jurisprudence in the name of God is a farce benefiting only those wanting to maintain political power. Loay Mudhoon introduces this contentious reformist thinker | Bild: Muhammad Shahrur: “The religious inheritance of Islam must be critically read and interpreted anew.” | Although many Muslims would reject out of hand the notion of reform with respect to Islam, as they regard … Continue reading Muhammad Shahrur – In the Footsteps of Averroes

Interview with Nasr Hamid Abu Zaid “I am a Witness to the Changes in Islam” Leading Islamic reformist and literary scholar, Nasr Hamid Abu Zaid, believes that individual freedom is an essential prerequisite to faith. Everyone, therefore, also has the right to convert to another faith. He talked to Erhard Brunn about some of his ideas | Bild: The relationship between the Muslim and the non-Muslim worlds is one that is deeper and more historical than we think, believes Abu Zaid | The question of what the Muslim attitude to violence is still one that very much preoccupies the West. … Continue reading Nasr Hamid Abu Zaid – individual freedom can empower Muslims

Portrait Sadiq Al-Azm An Argumentative Arab Enlightener The Syrian philosopher Sadiq Al-Azm is one of the highest-profile and most strident critics of the Arab world. To this day, his ideas are between all fronts, making him enemies of both Islamist and secular dogmatists. Sadiq Al-Azm is soon to celebrate his 75th birthday. A portrait by Kersten Knipp | Bild: The Six-Day War, the fatwa against Salman Rushdie, the Iraq War and Islamist fundamentalism: Sadiq al-Azm has barely missed a chance to dive headfirst into a debate over the past 40 years | There are no doubt numerous advantages to coming … Continue reading Sadiq Al-Azm – Argumentative Arab Enlightener?

On second thought… Recent admissions by some clerics in Saudi Arabia that the monarchy’s strict gender segregation may have been the result of Qur’anic misinterpretations could help align that country more towards its moderate peers. But it also raises questions about the infallibility of past Islamic rulings. By Hesham Hassaballa, from altmuslim.com Guilt by association? Chicago, Illinois Some astounding things have been coming out of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as of late. One of the most recent developments is the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), a high-tech university intended to promote international research which opened last … Continue reading Qur’anic misinterpretation on gender segregation?