Browsing Tag: Islam

The Sultan of Selangor’s decree that non-Muslims in the state are forbidden from using the term “Allah” has drawn the ire of a senior clergyman, who felt that the ruler has acted in an unfair manner.

I come from a mixed Christian-Jewish background but my parents were both non-religious and I never had religious education at school - I skipped the lesson! I wasn't concerned with religion till much later on.

Let this Muslim introduce you to the man who founded the world's youngest religion, Sikhism and who had a profound role in shaping my Punjabi heritage, alas, one that was torn to shreds by the bloody partition of India in August 1947.

A Sikh man who was jailed in Kabul for "falsely claiming" to be an Afghan when he was deported from the UK, and says he was bullied and tricked into making a televised conversion to Islam, has been flown back to Birmingham by the British government.

Sikhs in Afghanistan continue to face problems, with the issue of the Sikh custom of cremation figuring prominently. City development also threatens to destroy the Gurudwara Karte Parwan and adjoining shrine to Guru Nanak.

American and Afghan officials investigating the Koran-burning episode that has brought relations between the countries to a new low say that the destruction could have been headed off at several points along a chain of mishaps, poor judgments and ignored procedures, according to interviews over the past week.

Slavery is permitted in Islam but it is not condoned in any form in Sikh religion. Islam does not approve of music and dancing and considers both as haram (forbidden). The Sikh scripture is written in poetry and ragas and its congregational singing (Keertan) is considered the best form of worship in Sikh religion.

While the essentials for life - like air and water - are free for all, other things require compensation to obtain and use. Since to enjoy comfort and a high standard of living are common human desires, only those who are prosperous can obtain these.

The turban, like the veil, predates Islam. Never mentioned in the Koran, it appears more than 20 times in the Old Testament as a symbol of prophecy among the Israelites.

Employers almost always change their stance after receiving a letter from the council citing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which says employers must accommodate workers' religious practice unless it causes the employer undue hardship, Gist said.

I imagine so. Actually, I am trying to imagine what exactly you mean by your question. I have come up with a few imagine-ary areas in faith. One imagine-related area deals with God.

“People of varying religious beliefs should be able to attend council meetings, or any other legislative sessions, without feeling marginalized … given the dominance of Christian congregations in almost all corners of the country, a rotating guest list is going to result more often than not in Christian prayer …

But when his heart is illumined by True Knowledge, he knows that above all these wars of sects and sectarians presides the One Invisible Eternal All-knowing Bliss. In fact, the different faiths are like spokes of a wheel in which God forms the hub.

In his 2009 speech in Cairo, President Barack Obama appealed to the Muslim world by paraphrasing from the Koran. He drew from this passage, among others: “We ordained for the Children of Israel that if anyone slew a person – unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land – it would be as if he slew the whole people” (Koran 5:32). The excerpt has been a hallmark of non-violence in Islam, one that took on particular significance after 9/11.

Muslim leaders concur that Islam does not require a woman to hide her face. However, they have voiced concerns that a law forbidding them to do so would stigmatize the French Muslim population, which at an estimated 5 million is the largest in western Europe.

September 15, 2010 -- Nine years ago today, the murder of a family friend changed the course of my life. His name was Balbir Singh Sodhi.

At the time of writing, the Dubai gurdwara named 'Guru Nanak Darbar', has reached ground level with a three storey underground carpark which will accommodate up to 500 vehicles.

One’s own religion is supreme, but what about the other man’s faith؟