From 25 to 27 January, Indonesia and the United States took steps to strengthen their socio-cultural ties by co-hosting their first bilateral interfaith dialogue in Jakarta.
The meeting was attended by a 20-member delegation from the United States, which included US government officials, bishops a

The recent discovery of attempted terrorist plots by Muslims in America has prompted overreaching accusations of radicalisation of an entire religious group. As a consequence, pressure is mounting on Muslim American leaders to engage in elusively defined counter radicalisation.
But rather than spe

Scholar and author Omid Safi is best known to many Muslim Americans as being at the forefront of the Progressive Muslims movement, which finds in Islamic spirituality a powerful voice for social justice and pluralism. In his latest book, Memories of Muhammad: Why the Prophet Matters (Harper Collins)

At long last, a series of conferences and engagements has given us tentative hope for the resolution of the 62-year-old Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan. If these efforts reach their goal, it could not only transform long-troubled relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, but als

It is a question many people ask themselves at the advent senior citizen hood, how to get a berth in heaven? I thought it would be better to look from a wider perspective. I recently had been to a National Consultation on Communal Violence Bill 2009,(CVB), in Delhi organized by ANHAD. The “CVB” is t

Hindi Zahra is the new face of a young generation of emancipated, cosmopolitan singers and songwriters from North Africa. Her album Handmade is due to be released in late February.
Born in Khouribga in southern Morocco, Zahra describes herself as an inveterate nomad: "From the time I was a small c

At an international conference on “Islam and the Media” organised by the Center for Media, Religion and Culture at the University of Colorado-Boulder in January, many of the participants, including myself, examined the negative stigma attached by the media to Islam and Muslims, especially after 9/11

The bipartisan Kerry-Lugar Bill, named after US Senators John Kerry and Richard Lugar, provides a multi-year, super-sized economic aid programme to the people of Pakistan. This is the right approach to improve US-Pakistan relations. The majority of Pakistanis distrust the United States because they

Perhaps one of the most misunderstood and stereotyped countries in the world is Saudi Arabia, particularly when it comes to its women.
Some of the negative perceptions surrounding Saudi women could be justified. After all, we are the only country that does not allow women to drive, though the gove

A recent report by researchers at Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) states that the number of Muslim Americans vulnerable to radicalisation is small, but not negligible. Since 9/11, a total of 139 Muslim Americans have been arrested on terrorism charges, some

The social teachings of Christ influenced millions of people around the world. The members of the Catholic Church have responded well to this clarion call to develop this world from the socio-economic point of view based on justice and peace. It is being guided by the words of Christ , “He who has t

Over the past decades, numerous polls have demonstrated that the majority of Egyptians want shari’a—or Islamic principles—applied to parts of their country's legal system. Egypt’s constitution reflects this: Article 2 of the constitution states that shari’a is the principle source of legislation.

“Talent, like love, is only useful in its expenditure.” This quote from Martin Luther King, Jr. was brought to light on 23 January, when the Inner City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) brought its signature arts and culture event, Community Café, to New York City. Ibrahim Abdul Matin quoted King to prov

There is much that we can learn from the recent attacks on several churches in Malaysia spurred by the use of the word Allah–the Arabic word for God–by Malaysian Christians, dividing an otherwise diverse society.
The row started when government authorities moved to ban the import of religious book

The American people and their openness to Muslim communities will in many ways determine the success of US President Barack Obama's global engagement initiative, which he launched on his inauguration day a year ago by calling for a "new way forward" with Muslims. Change will depend in large part on