Until recently, Kyrgyzstan – a landlocked country in Central Asia with an 80 per cent Muslim population – was one of the safest countries in Central Asia. However, its neighbour Uzbekistan which has a 90 per cent Muslim population, has suffered from many problems, such as religious extremism. These

In recent weeks, Turkey has been internationally reappraised after a Turkish Gaza-bound aid ship raided by Israeli troops led to nine deaths, and a Turkish-Brazilian brokered deal foreshadowed a “no” vote on sanctions in the UN Security Council over Iran’s nuclear programme.
These events have inci

Much has been written in recent years, particularly by a new generation of Muslim women writers, about gender-justice from within an Islamic framework. This no longer remains a mere academic exercise, though. Across the world, and, now, in India, too, activist groups are seeking to spread this messa

It is striking how, despite India’s vast Muslim population, very few Indian Muslim women there are who have made a mark in the field of Islamic scholarship and social activism. Mumbai-based Uzma Naheed is one of these rare women. I had long wished to meet her, and it was by chance that I did so at a

At a 2008 conference for Britain’s National Union of Teachers, a resolution was passed declaring that state schools should have the flexibility and adaptability to accommodate the faith-based needs of parents and children. Unfortunately, such measures often cause reactionary backlash from fringe gro

The past 20 years have been witness to several positive developments amongst Morocco’s civil society, demonstrating that organisations in this sector can inform national policy in this ever-evolving country.
Morocco experienced dramatic changes in the 1990s when economic difficulties and social pre

A few weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal published an article with the catchy title “Intrigue in Turkey’s bloodless civil war”. It was referring to the ongoing “cold war” climate between Turkey’s Islamic-leaning ruling party – the Justice and Development Party (AKP) – and the country’s old laicist e

When I made the decision to move to Vienna, I was unprepared for the repercussions my attitude, behaviour and opinions would have in forming and influencing European perceptions of women from Saudi Arabia, a country that is at a crossroads between modernity, globalisation, liberation, empowerment, h

Tural Koç is feeling rather pleased with himself. The administrative head of the Islamic University of Rotterdam (IUR) has just taken a major step towards gaining state approval for his university. Following close consideration of content and formal requirements, the Dutch accreditation authority ha

The “Inspired by Muhammad” campaign was launched a few weeks ago to highlight British Muslims who are contributing to UK society. The campaign, sponsored by the UK-based Exploring Islam Foundation – which publishes creative resources and materials on Islam, aims to break down misconceptions by showi

My first experience with writing started with blogs. Through blogging, my view of the world started to change; I was no longer dependent on the censored lens of the mainstream media.
My window to the world, my escape and even the vehicle to my enlightenment, blogging is the only means of communicat

On 18 May, Samira Souedian, the Lebanese widow of an Egyptian, was refused the right to pass Lebanese citizenship to her four children by the Lebanese Court of Appeal, despite previously winning her case in a district court in June 2009.
Women protesters took to the streets in support of Samira’s

When it comes to the Muslim world, the media often focuses on foreign policy, terrorism and the differences between the Muslim world and the West. But in the book 1001 Inventions: Muslim Heritage in Our World, University of Manchester’s Professor Salim Al-Hassani draws a different picture of Muslims

My country is facing many challenges. It now stands literally at an unprecedented and dangerous crossroads. America is being torn this way and that by those on the left and the right; by older, more settled families and new immigrants; by Democrats and Republicans. The very livelihood and health of

The ships seized by Israeli armed forces en route to Gaza have made headline news these past weeks. Much of the coverage has focused on the ships from the flotillas that were unsuccessful in their attempts to deliver aid to Gaza. However, in a weird twist, it is #Flotilla – a widely read collection