Does Islam teach hatred for Non-Muslims?

No. One of the fundamental teachings of Islam and one which every Muslim cultivates in his heart is that of brotherhood and equality of human beings. Since Islam considers the diversity of people and nature as God’s creation, respect for diversity is commanded. Especially noted in the Qur’an are “People of the Book”, namely Jews and Christians, who were always given a special place in Muslim society. Muslims are commanded to safeguard their right to worship and their places of worship, a command that has been historically followed, as is evidenced by the existence of old churches and synagogues throughout … Continue reading Does Islam teach hatred for Non-Muslims?

Women’s rights in Islam – Alaa Murabit

Alaa Murabit’s family moved from Canada to Libya when she was 15. Before, she’d felt equal to her brothers, but in this new environment she sensed big prohibitions on what she could accomplish. As a proud Muslim woman, she wondered: was this really religious doctrine? With humor, passion and a refreshingly rebellious spirt, she shares how she discovered examples of female leaders from across the history of her faith — and how she launched a campaign to fight for women’s rights using verses directly from the Quran. Courtesy: Ted Talk Continue reading Women’s rights in Islam – Alaa Murabit

Women and Islam

In Islam, men and women are moral equals in God’s sight and are expected to fulfill the same duties of worship, prayer, faith, almsgiving, fasting, and pilgrimage to Mecca. Islam generally improved the status of women compared to earlier Arab cultures, prohibiting female infanticide and recognizing women’s full personhood. Islamic law emphasizes the contractual nature of marriage, requiring that a dowry be paid to the woman rather than to her family, and guaranteeing women’s rights of inheritance and to own and manage property. Women were also granted the right to live in the matrimonial home and receive financial maintainance during … Continue reading Women and Islam

Transgender Dignity in Islam

Liaquat Ali Khan, Founder, Legal Scholar Academy, Kansas The 18th century British colonists, the self-righteous Anglican males of the self-assessed superior civilization, upon arrival in the Mughul-Muslim India, were repulsed by the sight of Hijras (transgenders) and baffled over why they were accorded so much respect in royal courts and other spheres of life. After deposing the Mughuls, and in discharging the white man’s burden of civilizing the inferior races, the British colonists enacted the Criminal Tribes Act, 1871 to declare what they called Eunuchs (transgenders) a criminal tribe (among many other Indian tribes) on the theory that certain tribes … Continue reading Transgender Dignity in Islam

Muslim converts’ stories: Jenny Hodges Narjis

Featuring Jenny Narjis, “A journey like no other”. Reborn – A Catholic female meets Muslims at college and changed her life “My name is Jenny Hodges and I’m a convert. I’m from Denmark. I grew up in a small village not that many people a small community mainly Danish, not really with any any kind of foreigners….”  The Reborn Series speaks to those amongst us who have returned to the eternal faith and how they came to where they are. Inspiring Muslim revert/convert stories. Courtesy: Ahlulbayt TV Continue reading Muslim converts’ stories: Jenny Hodges Narjis

Work, Religious Diversity and Islam

This paper investigates how Islamic doctrine conceives the place of work by outlining the notion of an Islamic work ethic and by discussing a number of human resource issues in relation to Islam. Knowledge of these issues has become an urgent need given the high level of discrimination Muslim workers suffer in modern workplaces. The paper argues that potential areas of friction between Islam and contemporary HRM practices can be managed effectively as there is not inherent conflict between Islamic doctrine and modern workplaces. The paper concludes with an outline of the nature of the Islamic influence in Australia, a … Continue reading Work, Religious Diversity and Islam

Nondiscrimination, Diversity and Islam: Challenges for Multiculturalism in France

In France, multiculturalism, as a legal and institutional approach to dealing with cultural, ethnic and religious differences, does not refer to a specific political model as it does in Canada, the USA or Australia. The word ‘multicultural’ is seldom used in public or even in academic debate (Wieviorka, 1996). However, from the 1960s onwards, discussions and claims based on cultural differences have emerged in French society and have intensified over the last decades with the mounting debate about Islam. There is a longstanding tradition of separation between church and state. In law, only individuals free and equal in rights are … Continue reading Nondiscrimination, Diversity and Islam: Challenges for Multiculturalism in France

Cultural diversity and Islam

This edited volume is a compilation of original scholarly papers on the theme of cultural diversity in Islamic thought and practice under conditions of early and late modernity, with a specific contemporary focus on the crisis of religious tolerance in the Muslim world. Particular emphasis is placed upon Islamic concepts of cultural diversity as they contrast to the traditional Western liberal approach that takes a neutral position on tolerance to cultural difference.  Said, A. A., & Sharify-Funk, M. (2003). Cultural diversity and Islam. Univ Pr of Amer. Source Continue reading Cultural diversity and Islam

Islam and diversity of religions

Syed Vahiduddin In our day when religions live in a shared context, the Muslim cannot but relate positively to the diversity of religions. It is urgent to recognize that Islam, as the other great religions, has a historical and a metahistorical aspect, a surface and a depth dimension, and furthermore, that what a religion is in its beginning, legitimately develops in response to different historical contexts. Diversity, allowed by Providence, has to be recognized not only in relation to other religions but also within the household of one’s own tradition of faith and practice. The threat of one tradition against … Continue reading Islam and diversity of religions

Islam and diversity

Asif Zaidi In the face of negative stereotyping against Islam and Muslims in the post 9/11 world, it is very important for Muslims to return to the pluralistic vision of the Quran and establish cooperative dialogue and relations with other religions in their communities. A dialogue is also necessary to learn about the beliefs of other people. The text books that deprecate other religions and inculcate abhorrence of Christians, Jews, and Hindus, also need to be revised or replaced. Our differences and disagreements are not to be feared, rejected, or stamped out. God wants us to use our differences to … Continue reading Islam and diversity