Turkey’s shooting down of a Russian plane over Syria is an act of great provocation. It has increased the threat of global war several notches.

The Prophet’s (pbuh) Sunnah and Sirah are the two fundamental reference points after the noble Qur’an on which all Muslims agree. He is the best of exemplars (33:21) and obedience to him alongside that of Allah (swt) is obligatory upon every Muslim. It is for this reason that Muslims organize elaborate programs to celebrate the birthday of the noble Messenger (pbuh) that falls in the month of Rabi‘ al-Awwal.

First we had the shock and upheaval of September 11, 2001 (9/11), with all its hype and hyper hoopla, followed by all sorts of “terrorist” tremors in Madrid, London, Egypt, Mumbai, etc. And now we have the Friday-the-13th bloody rampage in Paris; if we are smart enough to learn from past experience there will be terrorist after-shocks wherever the handlers of this phenomenon deem necessary for their national interests.

By its own actions, Turkey stands exposed as the terrorists’ air force and conduit for shipping their oil to the international market.

Amid all the hype, tough talk and name calling following the Paris attacks, two names are conspicuous by their absence: Wahhabi Arabia and Zionist Israel. The role these two entities play is worth a closer look.

While absolutely abhorrent, the Paris attacks, as others elsewhere, must be viewed beyond the self-serving statements of Western policymakers. Intensifying the same failed policies will not yield different results.

The strategic shift caused in Syria through Russian involvement is self-evident. NATO’s project against Islamic Iran in Syria has collapsed but what are the ramifications beyond Syria?

Canada may have elected 10 Muslims to parliament — the first time in its history — but that is no protection against racist attacks. Several arson and physical attacks against masjids and Muslims have occurred in Canada in the wake of the terrorist acts in Paris on November 13.

Nobody had anticipated the landslide victory that the Justice and Development Party (AKP) secured in last month’s snap elections in Turkey. Even the most optimistic opinion polls showed the AKP barely coming close (not reaching) a majority in parliament to form the government.

Five Yemeni prisoners held at the notorious US torture camp at Guantanamo Bay were finally released on November 14. According to a Pentagon announcement, the five were flown to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). None of the five Yemenis was ever charged with a crime.

Even as British Prime Minister David Cameron thundered against the ISIS terrorists (aka takfiris, Da‘ish, or ISIL) that had caused mayhem, death, and destruction in Paris on November 13, he was happily consorting with another terrorist.

In deeply class-conscious society like India where everyone tries to project himself as being “superior” to others, a curious phenomenon is underway. Hundreds of mil-lions of Hindus are clamoring to be granted “backward class” status.

Russia’s military intervention in Syria is a deliberate act, based on years of planning. President Vladimir Putin solved most of the domestic problems in Russia, rejuvenated the armed forces, ensured security of the “near-abroad” and reached out to Afghanistan to eliminate the terror threat to his country.

The bitter events brought about by blind terrorism in France have once again moved me to speak to you young people. For me, it is unfortunate that such incidents would have to create the framework for a conversation.

The Qur’an is not a biography of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), but Allah (swt) describes His beloved Messenger (pbuh) in the most beautiful terms in the noble Book. He is the “best of exemplars” (33:21), with “the most lofty character” (68:04), and a “mercy to all the worlds” (21:107). He is the one who has “brought glad tidings inviting people to Allah” (33:45) “to bring them out of darkness and into light” (65:11).

There is a great deal of suffering in the world but the Palestinians cannot be forgotten because theirs is a story of unending tragedy writes Fatima Abu Ghada.

The artificial kingdom of Bani Saud is doomed because events are spinning out of their control, writes Muslim Mahmood from Nigeria.

The artificial kingdom of Bani Saud is doomed because events are spinning out of their control, writes Muslim Mahmood from Nigeria.

Reader Sarah Salim finds it heart-breaking that the people of Yemen have been virtually forgotten despite being subjected to such terrible suffering.

Abdul Ghani suggests that the only effective way of treating the disease of takfirism is to understand their ideological godfathers: the Bani Saud