Religion 
Questioning the “vision” behind Zakir Naik’s “Peace”(1)
In fact, such has been the emphasis placed by Islam on the rights of a neighbour, the Prophet once feared (in a report that is found in both Bukhari and Muslim) that neighbours would be granted inheritance rights in the properties of Muslims along with their legal heirs. No wonder the Prophet instructed the Muslims saying, “When you cook broth, increase its water and give some of it to your neighbour” (Muslim).[...]
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Invading The Secular Space in India
Satya Sai Baba of Puthaparthi in his recent tour of Mumbai (Nov. 2009) was invited by the Maharashtra Chief Minister designate, Ashok Chavan to his official residence, Varsha, for blessing the house and for the associated puja (invocation). When criticsed for inviting the Holy Guru to his official residence he said that since he is a devotee of the Baba for many decades it is a privilege for him. There are many other news items where state functionaries mark their presence for the programs of Gurus and Babas (God men).
Why the West craves materialism & why the East sticks to religion
There was a sequence of events in the 80s that moved me toward God as the Qur’an says: “There are signs for people of understanding.” One of them was cricket. As I was a student of the game, the more I understood the game, the more I began to realize that what I considered to be chance was, in fact, the will of Allah. A pattern which became clearer with time. But it was not until Salman Rushdie’s “Satanic Verses” that my understanding of Islam began to develop.
Indian Muslims want jobs, not Iftar
The exploitation of Ramadan has now become a deeply-rooted practice among the well-off. If the Islamic brotherhood wants to understand why so many Muslims nations are in such a mess, they only need to examine how their elite have upended the holiest month of the faith, one in which they are meant to turn to Allah and practice the highest values of the Quran — piety, charity, self-denial, sacrifice — and turned it into a month-long tamasha. Id ul Fitr, which is the culmination of Ramadan, means the Id of Fitra, or charity. Self-centered Muslims will surely be astonished to learn that hundreds of verses in the Holy Quran urge charity and kindness towards the underprivileged.
More in this category
- Islam and Inter-Religious Dialogue
- Guerilla War and Terrorism Are Not Jihad
- Religious extremism and democracy
- Islam and Terrorism (Part 4): An Indian Shia Muslim Perspective
- Islam and Terrorism (Part 3): An Indian Shia Muslim Perspective
- Islam and Terrorism (Part 2): An Indian Shia Muslim Perspective