Articles

In the last days of the Ottoman Empire, the people of the Arabian Peninsula had gone back to their pre-Islamic tribal existence of warfare and banditry. This was the time of European intrusion into the Muslim World, a world that became the victim of a web of international intrigue the like of which the world had not as yet seen.

The news came that Saudi Arabia has detained for four to five days at two of its international airports without adequate food or drink and under deplorable condition, and then turned back more than a thousand of our women pilgrims who were not accompanied by a Mahram, a husband or a non-marriageable close relative.

The blasphemous US-produced movie, while denounced by US officials, is still defended on the basis of free speech. History, however, shows that publishing racist, anti-religious tracts has been punished. Julius Streicher, publisher of a racist, anti-Jewish tabloid, Sturmer, was hanged after a military trial at Nuremberg accused of aiding and abetting the slaughter of Jews. He was not a member of the Nazi party nor was he in Hitler’s military.

Fake historian distorts history to attack Islam in the most scandalous way and Britain’s channel 4 provides him air time. Islamophobia is now official policy in much of the western world.

While the west claims free speech is absolute, there is prohibition on anti-Semitism. There is also systemic targeting of Muslims in the US on mere “suspicion” that they might be “thinking” to harm Americans. Why the double standard?

The UN has become virtually irrelevant to the affairs of the world since it is in the grip of western powers that refuse to allow justice or fairness to prevail.

The House of Saud is determined to empty Hajj of its Qur’anic and Prophetic content. Will the Ummah remain a silent spectator in this gross deviation from the message of the Qur’an and Hajj?

Sectarianism exists on both sides of the divide. It is imperative to understand the root problems to overcome it, urges Abu Dharr.

American politics is a game of blatant lies and distortions. It makes little difference to the life of Americans whether a Democrat or Republican is in the White House.

Muslims need to develop greater sophistication in determining the validity of alternate media, especially outlets like Al Jazeera.