It’s been yet another year when British Muslims were targeted by the state and the media, with our religious and political values under constant attack, writes Roshan Muhammed Salih. 2018 was a year when the government appointed one of the community’s most disliked figures to the role of extremism tsar, when …
Read More »Should Muslims be visiting Al-Quds?
Our extended family’s plan for a destination reunion over the summer holidays hit a snag earlier this year when Al Quds (Jerusalem) got included in the itinerary, with some yearning to visit the sacred city while others (that would be me) refusing to do so while the city is under …
Read More »Who Needs Enemies When the Ummah Has Friends Like Muhammad Tawhidi?
In 1882, when the British occupied Egypt, they began to push Muslim scholarship into new theological and jurisprudential understandings. This was to make the Muslim Ummah more pliable to its needs in the hope that they could weaken the Ottoman Empire. This was not limited to the British. Most of …
Read More »Archbishop’s views on Muslims and multiculturalism are a throwback to colonialism
In his new book, Reimagining Britain, the Archbishop of Canterbury has questioned the compatibility of Islamic values with the Christian basis of life in Britain. Comment piece from Faisal Bodi. The unending open season against Islam in Britain has brought a lot of Muslim-haters out of their closets. The far …
Read More »A note on Muslim Women on International Women’s Day
I want to take a brief moment today to tell you about just 5 Muslim women, from the earliest years of Islam and what they teach us about our worth and our potential. These are, of course universal lessons, for all women and men. But I think it is particularly …
Read More »Who is an American?
Who is an American and who is not, that is the Question. What does it mean to be an American and how does it sound to be an American. This question begs itself after an Iranian-American fashion blogger, Hoda Katebi, who was in an interview by Chicago’s WGN News morning …
Read More »Stepping stones to Islamic Activism (part 2)
So do not weaken and do not grieve, and you will be superior if you are [true] believers. [Quran 3:139] Some scholars [1] mention that this verse indicates that the believers had felt infirmity and grief because of the pain afflicted in the battle of Uhud. However, this verse also …
Read More »Reflections from Arbaeen: Heaven’s Calling
From Beirut to Najaf – Resistance and Resilience I departed from London on the 1st of November 2017, and had a stop over in Lebanon before reaching Iraq. My journey to the Imams (as) really and truly began in Lebanon, and I say this because the Lord blessed me with …
Read More »Why Remember the Master of Martyrs?
One of the great obstacles in man’s reaching perfection is the unquestioned acceptance of traditions passed down through generations. The Qur’ān severely rebukes those who follow the ways of their predecessors and societies blindly. A human being who does not independently reason invites the wrath of the Lord of Existence …
Read More »Reflections on the Arbaeen pilgrimage: The biggest mourning procession
Although Ziyarat Arbaeen as we know it is the visitation of Imam Husain, grandson of the Seal of Prophets, the essence of the visitation is to console and give condolences to his sister Sayyida Zainab (as) over the tragedy of Karbala. The idea is to share her pain and join …
Read More »Listening: The key to life
‘Only those who listen will respond [to you]. As for the dead, Allāh will resurrect them, then they will be brought back to Him’ (6:36) The verse points out two categories of people. Those who listen and respond are placed in opposition to those who are dead, the implication being …
Read More »A stepping-stone to Islamic activism
‘Then did you think that We created you without use and that to Us you would not return?’ (Qur’an 23:115) Allah (swt) created humanity and did not leave them to wonder on the face of this Earth aimlessly. Instead, Allah has constantly sent Messengers and Prophets to guide humanity. These …
Read More »The Islamic Era of Stagnation and modern-day Pharisees.
Every new social, religious, political movement in history goes through various stages. And although the sequence and variation of these stages are unique for every movement, parallels and repetitions do occur, making it vital for us to study history and be mindful of the mistakes of the past. Being far …
Read More »Honouring Sheikh Nimr: You can kill a Man, but not an ideology
An innocent man, Sheikh Al-Nimr, was executed by the brutal Saudi regime immediately after New year festivities. Sheikh Al-Nimr was a faith leader, reformist and human rights activist in Saudi Arabia, who had long campaigned for an end to the discriminatory laws against the Shia minority community of the country. Sheikh Al-Nimr …
Read More »Sheikh Nimr, the Free Man
The first time I saw him speaking was on a video posted on Youtube in early 2012. Defiant in his words, firm in his stance. A man in Saudi Arabia, an Islamic scholar, was speaking up against the corruption of the monarchy and government knowing full well he was putting …
Read More »Following the Example of Shaykh al-Nimr
First was the execution of Shaykh al-Nimr. Then, there was shock. Then anger. While much of the world was still hungover from holiday spirit, the Saudi regime took a man whose lean frame and piercing gaze symbolised the stoic determination of its oppressed Shi’a minority, and they butchered him …
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