Tag: Islam

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Chile has a growing Muslim community

Mohammed Abbasi

but few know about it Michael Vicente Perez, University of Memphis and Matthew Ingalls, American University in Dubai Nora is a rare sight at the Universidad de Chile. Dressed in a long abaya, or Islamic robe, that covers all but her hands and face, her outfit distinguishes her from other students on campus. In between classes, she’ll often seek a quiet, sheltered space to lay out a small carpet and pray. If one were to ask Nora, as we did, about her distinct appearance on campus, she would say she doesn’t mind. She’s content with her dress, her prayers and the … Continue reading Chile has a growing Muslim community

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How social media amplifies hatred against Muslims

Mohammed Abbasi

How social media – aided by bots – amplifies Islamophobia online Saif Shahin, American University In August 2021, a Facebook ad campaign criticizing Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, the United States’ first Muslim congresswomen, came under intense scrutiny. Critics charged that the ads linked the congresswomen with terrorism, and some faith leaders condemned the campaign as “Islamophobic” – that is, spreading fear of Islam and hatred against Muslims. This was hardly the first time the pair faced Islamophobic or racist abuse, especially on the internet. As a communications professor who studies the politics of race and identity online, I have seen … Continue reading How social media amplifies hatred against Muslims

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The Dissembler

Mohammed Abbasi

  This following Arabic fable is found in al-Qazwini’s classic Wonderous Creatures It is said that once a pious man heard about a community that worshipped a tree instead of Allah. He picked up an axe and went off, intent on chopping the tree down. Satan met him on the road in the form of an old man and said to him: “Where are you going, and what do you want.” The man replied: “I want to cut down the tree that people are worshipping instead of Allah.” Satan said: “What does this have to do with you? You left … Continue reading The Dissembler

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The Silence of Muslims is Haraam!

Mohammed Abbasi

Imagine your daughter, sister, wife or mother – kidnapped and the kidnappers use your religion – Islam as an excuse for their crime. What do you as a Muslim say? Imagine a criminal using Islam as a front to carry out atrocities against innocents – imagine that an innocent victim is your loved one. What do you as a Muslim would feel? Imagine a criminal using and abusing the teachings of the Last Prophet PBUH and claiming he is doing this because he believes that this is what Islam teaches him. Would you defend the Prophets honour or would you … Continue reading The Silence of Muslims is Haraam!

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Dr Mohammad Naseem passes away aged 90

Paul Salahuddin Armstrong

This morning, Dr Mohammed Naseem founder and chairman of Birmingham Central Mosque, passed away aged 90 at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. Today, the City of Birmingham lost one of her most dedicated citizens. Inspired by his faith as Muslim, as a British citizen and resident of Birmingham, Dr Naseem took his civil responsibilities to heart, devoting his life to the well being of everyone. Dr Naseem was a familiar face with Muslims in the West Midlands, and the wider society. He was one of the most outspoken, and at times controversial leaders of the British Muslim community. Born in … Continue reading Dr Mohammad Naseem passes away aged 90

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The business of religion

Mohammed Abbasi

It is rather simple; when man is hushed into servitude, silenced from laughter, pleasure and inspiration, he will have nowhere to go but the worship house, the seminary of suppression. There is a distinct rawness to today’s modish brand of Islamic radicalism one just cannot reconcile with the antiquity and supposed perfection of the faith-based cosmos mankind has demonstrated its devotion towards for centuries. Man has not been made for the moment and neither has his history on earth been a rehearsal for some macabre epilogue written in authoritarian blood. This newfangled approach to institutionalised religion, where subjects are straitjacketed into submission to … Continue reading The business of religion

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Pakistan: Where Do You Want To Be In 25 Years Time?

Mohammed Abbasi

A nation going nowhere They burn public property and hurl stones at cars if there is reportedly blasphemous content on YouTube. They undertake processions, chant slogans and choke traffic, causing inconvenience to the public. Another injustice has been dispensed, this time to Sawan Masih. This is an addition to the history of Pakistan, which is already pregnant with such incidents where the weak and meek have been ground fine in the mill of so-called justice. Pakistan is a country where more than 70 percent of the people have been mentally debilitated, exploited by religious scholars and politicians. They can be steered in any … Continue reading Pakistan: Where Do You Want To Be In 25 Years Time?

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Rediscovering the real ‘ideology’ of Pakistan

Mohammed Abbasi

More than six decades since its creation, Pakistan is still searching for its lost soul, the soul that went missing when Jinnah passed away. How many of the youth of today have had the chance to go through Jinnah’s speech to the Constituent Assembly on August 11, 1947? A reading of this masterpiece is a must for all Pakistanis. The Quaid said: “If we want to make this great state of Pakistan happy and prosperous, we should wholly and solely concentrate on the well-being of the people, and especially of the masses and the poor…We should begin to work in … Continue reading Rediscovering the real ‘ideology’ of Pakistan

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Can a Pakistani Muslim be secular?

Mohammed Abbasi

Islam is tolerant of difference and promotes diversity, reasoning and knowledge is it not? Just like secularism? – but in Pakistan anything that threatens the positions and status of those narrow-minded self-styled holy-ones and their hangers on who have abused and exploited Islam, Muslims and non-Muslims alike to gain social, economic and political benefits for themselves are suspect. These political thugs dressed in religious clothing have a history of demonizing anyone that threatens their hold on gullible folk who cannot differentiate the words of Mullah to those pure words of Allah – The Lord of The Worlds. Islamic Scholars Sir … Continue reading Can a Pakistani Muslim be secular?