Ramadan Blog Becomes Book on Benefits of Fasting...
August 01, 2011 Adam Phillips | New York City The Quran calls on Muslims to refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sexual intercourse during the daylight hours for the entire month. Muslims are also expected to abstain from eavesdropping, gossip and backbiting while spending time reflecting on God and their faith. In his book “Fasting for Ramadan,” poet and essayist Kazim Ali examines the beauty this ancient practice brings to his life and the relevance it may have for Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Born in London, Kazim Ali was raised in Canada by his Shi’ite Muslim parents and now teaches writing at Oberlin College in Ohio. His relatives consider themselves to be traditional and many of them married...
Norway Muslims share nation’s grief and hope for unity...
By Mohammed Abbas and Aasa Christine Stoltz OSLO | Tue Jul 26, 2011 3:22pm EDT (Reuters) – As central Oslo reeled from Norway’s worst massacre in modern history, a blond man in the grieving crowd asked Iraqi-born Iman al-Kofi, wearing a headscarf, for a hug. Kofi, who had a friend in intensive care with three bullet wounds and had learned that at least one other friend of Iraqi origin had been killed in Friday’s massacre by an anti-Islamic extremist, obliged, and the man walked back into the crowd without another word. Kofi, 19, and other Muslim immigrants say they would have been treated very differently had the perpetrator of one of the country’s most heinous...
Young Muslim-American Leaders on the Rise...
Hina Samnani July 22, 2011 This year marks the tenth anniversary of September 11, and as the tragic date draws closer, some surveys show Americans still remain conflicted over their views on the Muslim world. The Arab Spring uprisings have raised a positive image of Muslims striving for democratic values, yet events like the “Ground Zero Mosque” controversy and the contentious Peter King hearings only reiterate the fact that a negative spotlight still shines on the followers of the Islamic faith. But these perceptions have not stopped Muslim Americans, specifically the youth, from taking the initiative to change people’s impressions for the better. An increasing number of Muslim American students are stepping up and are pursuing careers in...
Islamic Healers Treat Wounds in Russia’s Chechnya...
By Thomas Grove GROZNY, Russia | Thu Jul 21, 2011 12:27pm EDT (Reuters) – Lying on a couch with her eyes closed, 26-year-old Milena sips water blessed by an Islamic healer who sits nearby reciting verses from the Koran to cure her depression. Outside, a long line of patients wait at Chechnya’s state-run Islamic Medical Center, hoping its staff can heal deep psychological wounds left by years of war in the volatile region in Russia’s North Caucasus. Nearly fifteen years after her brother was killed in the first separatist war, and more than a decade after the second conflict drove her family from their home, Milena is one of thousands of Chechens who have...
The Ten Most Common Misconceptions about Islam...
by Absar on MAY 23, 2011 Islam is probably the least understood and most demonized religion today. The critics of Islam have created this persona based primarily on misconceptions, ignorance and malice. You’ve probably heard of some of the following common misconceptions about Islam. Misconception # 1: Violence and Terrorism is the Muslim Creed Islam and Muslims have become synonymous with terms like terrorism, extremism and fundamentalism. The involvement of some so-called Muslims in the acts of terrorism in the past few decades does not justify the labeling of a whole faith and its people as terrorists. Nobody called Timothy McVeigh a Christian terrorist after the Oklahoma bombing in the 90’s, neither is the IRA labeled as a...
Muslim Doctors Promote Harmony with Free Clinic in Cincinnati...
At Thanksgiving 2009, when he had to be rushed to the emergency room at Mercy Hospital Anderson, a nurse referred him to a free clinic that had just opened in the adjacent medical office building. The Muslim Clinic of Ohio, Cincinnati Chapter, now known as the Mercy Care Clinic, was started by a group of local Muslim physicians. “I think a lot of the American public sees the news and thinks if they see a Muslim that they’re automatically a terrorist,” said Bowling, 53, of Anderson Township. The Muslims Bowling knows are dedicated physicians volunteering their time to care for him and providing him with life-saving medicine. They’ve given him Kroger pharmacy cards, redeemable for $4 prescriptions, and...
Quick Links
