Having grown up in England I knew that there will always be people who would not know what hijab meant and many view it as oppression to women. I was however, lucky enough to grow up in a multi-cultural environment where a girl wearing the hijab was normal to see. So I didn’t know that […]

Pakistani private television channels glamorously sport sensational televangelists to satiate the public appetite for spirituality amidst tawdry entertainment galore. The trend rockets in Ramadan when popular media faces don sobriety in cotton shalwar kameezes of subdued hues, skull caps and most alluring beaded scarves and chiffon dupattas. It sells! This year once again we have […]

Have you seen those people who look very pious and virtuous, but at the same are very arrogant, violent and stubborn? They create repulsive vibes and people  try to stay away from them. There must be some problem with those guys who practice and preach religion, but turn more people away then they attract towards […]

For the past few weeks, I was planning to jump in the world of blogging.  There is certainly no dearth of topics when you come to talk about problems being faced by Muslims and my homeland Pakistan. As nobody can predict death, events in Pakistan may unfold in a similar fashion.  Despite finding numerous topics […]

By the grace of Almighty, the holy month of Ramadan is here. With every beginning of Ramadan, the environment suddenly changes in Islamic world and the bond between Muslims gets stronger and more beautiful. It’s a month of virtues, repentance, charity, forgiveness and blessings.  The month gives us opportunity to reconnect with our family and […]

The instinctual problem that arises with democracy is the belief that democracy originated in the west. The history of democracy is therefore presented as troublesome. The Ancient Greeks, who are told to be the founders of “democracy”, would probably be shocked and be dismissive of modern democracies. As modern representative governments are radically different in […]

Islam is very democratic in its application of things. After all, in its truest essence, democracy is not only elections, but a variety of things. These include pluralism, free speech, freedom of association, basic human rights and so on. Islam encourages all of these within its own framework. As far as the objection that in […]

Is there anything wrong with the idea that people should have the right to rule? Many people argue that there actually is something unacceptable and Islam does not permit such a thing; a blasphemy, maybe.  To say that the people have the right to rule, they argue, is to give away a right reserved for God alone […]

It is true that while Islam may not be a proponent of liberal western democracy as we know it, but in its very essence Islam is quite democratic. “Consultation” is a fundamental concept in Islam. If anything, the Islamic ideal is nearest to a constitutionally restricted democracy whereas democratic principles are ordained under, within and […]

Lately, I have read at least two well-written articles on the ‘hood and hijab’ issue, or the choice to cover and how that head-covering can lead to many conclusions: freedom, oppression, discrimination, objectification, and in some cases even death. The topic to cover or not to cover, to cover partially, to cover completely, to uncover […]