Islamic Revival

This article is written by Brother Abu Abdallah On 27th July the appellate division of the Supreme Court in Bangladesh has given a verdict to change the constitution of Bangladesh with some observations. This verdict is seen as a triumph for those who call for restoration of the 1972 constitution laid down by the late President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, father of current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The Supreme Court appellate division has made a number of observations regarding the 5th amendment of the constitution of Bangladesh regarding which the high court previously gave a verdict abolishing the amendment and directing restoration of the 1972 constitution. In fact the constitution of Bangladesh has been amended 13 times. The first four amendments took place during the time of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman which upheld the principles of "Bengali nationalism, secularism, democracy and socialism" as the fundamental principles of the Constitution. During this time politics based ...

This article is written by Adnan Khan Any discussion about Africa conjures up images of poverty, starvation, famine and civil war. Since the scramble for Africa in the 20th century for the continent's coveted minerals and resources by the European colonialists, Africa was carved up to act as mere supply lines for their attempts at Empire. For the Western colonialists African crown jewels were too good an opportunity to give up. The Muslims on the other hand have an illustrious history in Africa, this is why 52% of Africa's population today is comprised of Muslims. Islam came to North Africa after Al Sham came under Islam. Islam's initial launch pad into the continent was through the conquest of Egypt. Egypt was inhabited by a mixture of people, such as Copts, Jews and Romans. Similarly North Africa was where the Berbers lived under Roman dominance. The Romans viewed Africa as their colony and through patron rulers it maintained its grip on the continent. An official ...

This article is written by Zaynab Ismail Pakistan has seen its biggest natural disaster since 1929. As the crisis ravages through its territory, 1,500 people have been killed, and another 3 million displaced according to the UN. Images show heart wrenching pictures of people struggling to stay alive such as an uncle holding on to a wire fence whilst fierce currents repeatedly bash against him, almost certainly killing him if his hand slips. Other images show the elderly and children with fear and worry written across their faces as they are led to temporary safety, whilst facing the shock of having everything they've ever owned or known destroyed in a matter of hours. The nightmare does not end here as the disaster could continue to expand if food, sanitation and shelter are not supplied quickly. The World Food Programme estimated a staggering 1.8 million people to be in urgent need of water, food and shelter. An outbreak of water-borne diseases such as cholera is now feared, ...

As the blessed month of Ramadhan approaches it is time again for us to refresh our understanding of the various ahkam (rules), concepts and history related to this month. The following are links to articles related to the various aspects of Ramadhan and Eid: The obligation of beginning of Ramadhan when the moon is sighted in any country Ramadhan & moon sighting according to Classical scholars Deobandi & Barelvi original Fatawa - obligatory to follow sighting of Muslim from any land for Ramadhan & Eid Audio: The Fiqh of Determining Ramadhan & Eid Should we be 'Ramadhan Muslims'? Ramadhan - Month of the Quran & its affect upon us Ramadhan Timeline Comparisons from the Battle of Ain Jaloot A to Z of Ramadhan Ramadhan: Past & present Tafsir of verses on Ramadhan & Fasting - Part 1 Tafsir of verses on Ramadhan & Fasting - Part 2 Make Ramadhan the month of victory again Eid: Time to Reflect What did you do on Eid? Post Ra...

American and Egyptian scholars strive to bridge religion gap Fifteen young American religious scholars and 14 teaching assistants from Al Azhar University - one of the oldest and most influential Islamic institutions in the world - spent two weeks together this month at Georgetown University in an attempt to bridge the divide between the Muslim world and the United States. The potpourri of young religious scholars studied the legal foundations of American democracy and religious diversity in the U.S. and met with political figures, including White House advisor Valerie Jarrett and Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), the first Muslim American elected to Congress. The American and Egyptian students spent eight to nine hours in class each day and lived together in Georgetown dorms. The Americans included members of the Jewish, Buddhist and Christian faiths. Though Al Azhar has a long history of global engagement, the university, under the direction of a new leader, the French-educated Ahmed T...

On Wednesday 3rd August 2010 Barack Obama in a speech to a packed audience at the national convention of the Disabled American Veterans in Atlanta, Georgia, confirmed the end of all combat operations in Iraq by the end of August 2010. The thrust of Obama's speech was the fulfilment of his campaign promise to end the Iraq war, which was a defining feature of his 2008 candidacy. Barack Obama inherited George W. Bush's plan that called for coalition forces to help create a viable Iraqi national military and security force that would maintain central government's authority and Iraq's territorial cohesion and integrity. However the apparent stability that has been achieved in Iraq has been through co-opting various war lords, tribal leaders, Iran, Syria and numerous other factions. It is these factions that have integrated themselves into America's political settlement for Iraq and through this their own interests. Obama's election campaign pledge was to systema...

It was the month of Rajab the Khilafah came to an end in Turkey. Various individuals in post-Ottoman Turkey have attempted to wipe its history away, but Turkey under the Ottoman's was the world superpower for centuries - this will remain the history of Turkey, whatever its future course. The Ottoman's were one of the many bands of Turkmen horsemen who began to come into the Islamic lands as a result of the Mongol invasions in the 13th century. These Turkmen warriors, who had converted to Islam, were sent to the frontiers of the state by the Seljuks, who themselves were of Turkish origin. They had excellent fighting skills and zeal, which the Seljuks wanted them to apply along the frontier with the Byzantines. The house of Uthman proved to be one of the most successful of these bands, taking many towns and villages from the control of the Byzantines, they then unified the other ghazis, under their banner, brought the lands surrounding Constantinople under Islam, culminating i...