Category: Intra-faith

My Take: Burial at sea shows compassion of Islamic law – CNN Belief Blog – CNN.com Blogs. In general, Islamic law would state that a Muslim should be buried in the ground. However, everything is not black and white, and a main objective of Sharia law is to increase benefits and reduce detriments to society.

In a Muslim State, Fear Sends Some Worship Underground – NYTimes.com. “I consider myself the new generation of Malaysian Shia,” said Mr. Mohammad, 33, using another term to describe Shiites. “My father is Sunni, my mother is Sunni. They are aware that I’m practicing a different school of thought. It’s no problem at all.”

US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations: Press Room – Chairman’s Press. To all those who observe Nowruz, including those in Afghanistan, Iran, and the United States, I would like to wish you Eid-eh Shoma Mobarak.

Mullah Caught in Debate Over Tradition vs. Modern Education – NYTimes.com. On opposite sides of a dusty road, thousands of Muslim students in this remote farming town are preparing for very different futures. On one side, inside a traditional Islamic seminary, teenage boys in skullcaps are studying ancient texts to become imams. On the other, students are hunched before computers in college classrooms, learning to become doctors, pharmacists and engineers.

Islam is all-American for one U.S. Muslim leader. Al Azhar, the centuries-old center of Islamic learning in Cairo, is a world away from Oklahoma City where William Suhaib Webb grew up. But it was not until the American Muslim leader immersed himself in Islamic studies at Al Azhar that he realized just how American he was, regardless of his religion.

Really good set of interviews, and great interviewer. CBC.ca | Ideas | On Being A Muslim In The West. Amid continuing tension between Muslim and non-Muslim populations in many western countries, the question keeps coming back: Is Islam compatible with western values? Hassan Ghedi Santur asks if someone can embrace the secular, pluralist democratic values of the West and still be a “good” Muslim?

I remain convinced that a country that cannot embrace the diversity within Islam, cannot understand what it means to be “Islamic.” In a Muslim State, Fear Sends Some Worship Underground – NYTimes.com. While sectarian divisions are associated more with countries such as Iraq and Pakistan, Islamic experts say Malaysia is a rare example of a Muslim-majority country where the Shiite sect is banned. They say the recent raid reflects the religious authorities’ reluctance to accept diversity within Islam, and was part of the authorities’ continuing efforts to impose a rigid interpretation of the religion.

Next Time You Are in … Cairo – TIME. A walk down the main thoroughfare of Darb al-Ahmar is a fascinating, raucous look at daily life in the Egyptian capital: you get honked aside by trucks and motorcycles, sideswiped by donkey carts and greeted enthusiastically by children. The area is home to the poorest population in the city, but these days many of its once decrepit mosques and palaces, from the Fatamid to the Ottoman eras, are being restored under the auspices of the Aga Khan Development Network’s (AKDN) Historic Cities project.