RECENT FROM Attitudes
Study: Radicalized Muslims Have Little Actual Knowledge Of Islam...
Extremists and Islamophobes alike have attempted to paint violent factions within Islam as the true expression of the faith. But a new study gives credence to what countless Muslim leaders, activists and scholars have argued: that groups like the self-proclaimed Islamic State are Muslim in name alone. A group of German scholars at the Universities of Bielefeld and Osnabrück analyzed 5,757 WhatsApp messages found on a phone seized by police following a terrorist attack in the spring of 2016. The messages were exchanged among 12 young men involved in the attack. The attack itself was not identified in the report. Deutsche Welle noted that the timeframe suggested it may...
RECENT FROM Sports
Boxing Champ Launches Sports Hijab...
A boxing champion from the East End has created a sports hijab to help more Muslim women get into combat sports. Ruqsana Begum (below) – who is the current British female Atomweight Muay Thai boxing champion – runs personal training sessions and women-only sessions in the sport at the Osmani Centre in Whitechapel. She said: “I came up with the idea during the Olympics. I was interested in the story of an American athlete who was told she couldn’t compete wearing her hijab due to health and safety reasons, so her father created one that was approved for her to fight in. “I thought if they can create one...
RECENT FROM Service
Is Islamic Law an Answer for Humanitarians?...
DUBAI, 24 April 2014 (IRIN) – Humanitarian action today is largely taking place in Muslim-majority countries where some combatants turn to Islamic law, among other sources, to guide their military behaviour. As a result, in the last decade, aid and advocacy agencies have increasingly tried to understand Islamic law in order to use its humanitarian provisions as tools of negotiation with armed groups in the Muslim world. This is particularly helpful in engaging Islamist armed groups, some of whom reject international humanitarian law (IHL). Some aid agencies try to situate their arguments for access or protection of civilians within a religious context, sometimes using scholars, mullahs or other religious...
Greg Mortenson Fights Terror With Education
September 13, 2010 Nancy Greenleese | Denver, Colorado Greg Mortenson looks like a typical climber. He’s a towering, boyish man in his fifties, wearing frayed khakis, a tan top and only socks on his feet – no pretensions whatsoever as he addresses about 400 people packed into a Denver area bookstore. Using slides, he tells the story detailed in Three Cups of Tea, his book about climbing K2, the world’s second tallest peak, which straddles the Pakistan-China border. In 1993, Mortenson came within hundreds of meters of the summit where he planned to honor his late sister. But an illness forced the California nurse and his climbing party to descend. A devastated Mortenson got lost on the way...
Muslims flock to mosques to celebrate end of Ramadan
CAIRO (AP) — Far from the din and controversy roiling interfaith relations in the West, Muslims worldwide thronged mosques, cafes and parks in a solemn and joyful end to the fasting month of Ramadan. Authorities increased security in some countries due to fears that violence could intrude on Friday’s celebrations, but for most Muslims it was a day of peace, family — and most important food. Friends and relatives feasted on spicy lamb, kebabs and saffron rice, while smokers happily puffed on cigarettes in broad daylight as the three-day Eid al-Fitr festival got underway across the Muslim world. During Ramadan, the faithful are supposed to abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex in a dawn-to-dusk period meant to test the faith...
9/11 Widow Turns From Tragedy to Helping Afghan Women
September 07, 2010 Faiza Elmasry | Washington, DC The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks brought about many changes in American society. The government established a new department to deal with terrorist threats. Airports instituted tough new security rules. Public awareness of Islam and Muslim countries grew and – in many cases – so did distrust and hate. But one woman whose life was turned upside down on September 11th turned that personal tragedy into healing and hope for women half a world away. Terrible loss Susan Retik Ger doesn’t like to remember September 11, 2001. Her husband was on American Airlines Flight 11 when hijackers seized control and flew it into the World Trade Center. “My husband, David,...
American Muslims Gather to Break Fast
September 4, 2010 The holy month of Ramadan is marked by fasting from dawn to dusk. Muslim Americans end each day of fasting with a festive meal known as Iftar. After a long day, they relax and share the rituals of Ramadan from sundown to the predawn hours. As the sun sets, several Muslim families gather in this home overlooking the Potomac River. They will break the daily fast together. Each family has brought a dish to share. Aida Mady is an interior decorator and a member of the American Muslim Women Association. She is hosting the Iftar. “We pray, we thank God every night and it reminds me of Thanksgiving, and I am grateful to God because...
Sense of Community Supports US Muslims During Ramadan
September 02, 2010 Sandra LeMaire | Washington Midway through the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims gather at the All Dulles Area Muslim Society, or ADAMS Center, mosque to pray. Located in Reston, Virginia, the center was formed 25 years ago to attend to the needs of the Muslim community. Deputy Director Khalid Iqbal says people from 15 different countries, including the United States, participate in the center’s wide range of activities. During this time, ADAMS sees a spike in attendance. “During the month of Ramadan, we also serve meals every evening for breaking fast for almost four to five hundred people,” Iqbal explains. “I think because of the hardship and tough economic times more and more people are coming...
Ramadan Tests US Teen Athletes
September 01, 2010 Dora Hasan Mekouar | Washington, DC When the George C. Marshall High School cross country team assembles each day for practice in Falls Church, Virginia, Maha Hassan is not among the runners. Instead, the 16-year-old athlete walks around the school track on her own to try to keep her conditioning up. Hassan is not running this summer because she is observing the Ramadan fast, which means she abstains from all food and drink during the daylight hours. Added challenge The timing of the Muslim fast changes each year. It occurs during the ninth lunar month of the year and begins with the sighting of the new moon. This year the holiday began on August 11,...
9/11 Happened to Us All
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVtup1bB7aM[/youtube] Rubi, a Muslim first responder reflects on the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001....
Halal Cosmetics Founder Hopes to Broaden Appeal
August 26, 2010 David Byrd | Washington A mother of five from Birmingham, England has launched her own line of halal cosmetics. Samina Akhter started her cosmetic and personal care line because she was disturbed by some of the ingredients in over-the-counter products. Akhter is hoping her line will appeal to non-Muslims as well as serve the needs of her own community. When you open the website,saminapuremakeup.com, a flash movie featuring several beautiful models greets you. All the women have flawless, smooth skin, moist lips, and alluring eyes. Midway through the movie a model appears in a head scarf, but that is one of the few clues that the product line appeals to Muslim women. One of the images...
Local Pakistani Flood Relief Group raises funds for flood victims
By Lauren Byrnes The MetroWest Daily News Posted Aug 24, 2010 @ 12:00 AM Members of the Pakistan Flood Relief Group collected a “small mountain of clothing” at the Islamic Center of Boston in Wayland on Sunday for the victims of the recent flooding in that country. Hudson resident Yasmin Khan, one of eight organizers, said the clothing collection went “very well.” Organizers began collecting clothing two weeks prior to Sunday’s clothing drive, Khan said. Clothing was also collected at other Islamic centers in Quincy, Sharon and North Smithfield, R.I. Despite Ramadan observances, Jamila Khalil, a member of the relief group and the Pakistan Association of Greater Boston, wants to spread the word about the need for aid...
Anti-Terrorism Summer Camp Held In Britain
August 13, 2010 Henry Ridgwell | London What is being called the Western world’s first anti-terror camp for young Muslims is being held in Britain, with thousands of people attending from across Europe and North America. ‘Al-Hidayah 2010’ – as it is called – is being staged by the Pakistani Muslim scholar Muhammed ul-Qadri, who is giving workshops and lectures on how to recognize and counter extremism. At first, it looks like any other summer camp; young people are arriving with bulging suitcases, discovering their new surroundings, chatting awkwardly and making new friends. But al-Hidayah 2010 is a summer camp with a difference. About 1,300 young people from across Britain, Europe and even North America have gathered at...
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