Tagged with Koran …

NEWS: Islam on the catwalk

In spite of the current global recession, designers in Malaysia are keen to try and exploit the previously ‘untapped’ area of Islamic fashion. Designers including Tom Abang Saufi, Abdul Kareem Said Khadaied and Nuraini Mohammed Ariffin aim to inspire both Muslim and non-Muslim women with their clothing ranges. Although, Tom Abang Saufi believes that ‘many … Continue reading →

NEWS: BNP Accused of Hijacking Christianity

After Nick Griffin’s recent appearance on the BBC Question Time programme – aired on Thursday 22 October 2009 – the media has been caught up in a frenzy of analysis. Much of this has focused upon the discussion as to whether or not the British National Party [BNP] should have ever been allowed to propagate … Continue reading →

NEWS: Creationism vs. Darwinism in Rap

Ever since the publication of On the Origin of Species in 1859, there have been heated discussions between those who believe in divine creation and those who favour the theory of evolution. Although, it may be argued that the two are not mutually exclusive, for many the issue remains divisive. However, 150 years on, it … Continue reading →

NEWS: More Hubbub Over Art and Islam

Once again, an artistic representation of Islam by a non-Muslim is making news. Similar to the Danish cartoon scandal a few years ago (and going back at least as far as Dante’s depiction of Muhammad in his “Divine Comedy”), the latest uproar centers on Californian Sandow Birk’s “American Qur’an” project. Birk, who has achieved some … Continue reading →

NEWS: A Seeker’s Gift to the World

There is no shortage of internet sites which deal with religion. However, many tend to be quite specific about what brand of religion is championed. Despite specific truth-claims there are a growing number of sites designed for those who seek ecumenical one-stop-shopping, and those which offer a myriad of resources about the world’s innumerable belief-systems. … Continue reading →

NEWS: Hollywood Tackles Stoning of Women in Iran

While Iranian authorities have wasted no time accusing foreign powers, including United States, of plotting the recent protests in Iran, a new American film has taken issue with stoning of women in Iran. Last week saw the release of The Stoning of Soraya M., a movie adopted from the 1994 novel of the same name … Continue reading →

NEWS: Religion and the iPhone

Since its first release in 2007, Apple’s iPhone has been dubbed the “Jesus Phone” because it has developed a cult following and has been a technological “savior” to many. The updated iPhone 3G will be released Friday, June 19, featuring new applications and a faster network. Not only is religious imagery used to describe the … Continue reading →

NEWS: Afghan Women Challenge the Shia Family Law

Yesterday Kabul witnessed an unprecedented event in recent Afghanistan history. Marching towards the Afghan parliament, about 200 women protested against the Shia Family Law passed by the national body. The law, which seems to legalize child marriage and marital rape, applies to Shia Muslims who constitute 15 percent of the population. Demonstrators soon found themselves … Continue reading →

NEWS: An Interview with Muhammad

Ehsan Jami’s An Interview with Muhammad is the latest in a series of controversial works about Islam made in Netherlands. A co-founder of the Central Committee for Ex-Muslims, the Iranian-Dutch politician has already sparked controversy by showing the film to journalists in the parliamentary press centre in Hague. While many Muslims and Dutch politicians have … Continue reading →

NEWS: Who is the Koran’s Author?

As the famous French saying goes “revolutions devour their own children”. Abdulkarim Soroush is a case in point: the most prominent Iranian public intellectual, who was once appointed by Ayatollah Khomeini to bring Cultural Revolution and to Islamicize the Iranian universities, is now facing death threats for his “heretical” statements about the origin of the … Continue reading →

NEWS: Sharia Scholars Paid $100,000 per Fatwa

While thousands of experts are losing their jobs in the world financial sector, the $ 1 trillion Islamic banking sector is desperately looking for sharia scholars who can give expert advice on many financial issues facing the sector. Whereas there is an increasing demand for adjusting all financial contracts such as mortgages and bonds to sharia, there … Continue reading →

NEWS: Pope to Receive Muslim Scholars

Pope Benedict’s highly controversial 2006 Regensburg address, which revealed the heightening tensions between the world’s two largest religious traditions, prompted 271 Muslim scholars to ask for a Muslim-Christian dialogue in a manifesto called A Common Word. Next week twenty-four signatories of the manifesto meet with Pope Benedict and some other high-ranking officials of the Roman … Continue reading →

NEWS: International Conference on Islamic Feminism

Barcelona is hosting the third International Congress on Islamic Feminism, where a group of prominent Muslim scholars have gathered to discuss some pressing issues facing Muslim women. Making a distinction between the particular socio-cultural contexts within which Islam was born and the universal principles of the religion, Muslim feminists seek to articulate new interpretations that … Continue reading →