Muslims in the West and around the world today

Islam in the USA, Canada and the Americas

Islamic Cultural Center, Washington DC

Islam's soul of the South
The improbable rise of a black Muslim politician in deepest Alabama.
By John Fleming, September 28, 2006

More US Hispanics drawn to Islam
Marriage, post-9/11 curiosity, and a shared interest in issues such as immigration are key reasons.
By Amy Green | September 28, 2006

Creating Peace, One Meal At A Time
Although They Rarely Agree, Muslim And Jewish Students At Yale University Foster A Sense Of Understanding, Civility
By ADRIAN BRUNE, September 28 2006

Ramadan meal gets modern twist
San Francisco Muslima, Moina Noor, marvels at the Muslim American world on the table at multicultural Iftar gatherings. (Includes recipes!)
September 27, 2006

U.S. denies entry to four Al Azhar scholars
U.S. authorities have denied entry to four Egyptian Muslim clerics sent to Florida as part of an annual program organized by Cairo-based Al Azhar University, considered by most Sunni Muslims to be the world's most prestigious school of Islamic learning.
September 23, 2006

Putting a Different Face on Islam in America
This month, Professor Ingrid Mattson, a 43-year-old convert, was elected president of the Islamic Society of North America, the largest umbrella organization for Muslim groups in the United States and Canada. She is both the first woman and, as a Canadian, the first non-immigrant to hold the post.
By NEIL MacFARQUHAR, September 20, 2006

Muslim convert running for Congress
Keith Ellison, a state lawmaker from Minnesota who converted to Islam as a college student, aims to become the first Muslim elected to the United States Congress.
By FREDERIC J. FROMMER, The Associated Press, Friday, September 22, 2006

"I knew that my God was a real God, and his was an idol."
US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has declined to criticise the evangelical Christian general in charge of finding Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden who told audiences the war on terrorism is a battle with Satan and described the god of the Muslims as an idol.
BBC News, 17 October, 2003

Faith and Tolerance in Muslim America
Post-September 11 efforts to capture the hearts and minds of America, to help explain Islam and what Muslims believe.

Bye Bye, Bill of Rights!
Dr. Muqtedar Khan examines how the Washington is curtailing civil rights in the United States.

Wisdom from a Plumber
"Too much material success, too many lawyers and psychiatrists, and too many service industries doing everything for everyone has America losing its edge, and essentially, its American-ness," says US convert to Islam, Abdul-Lateef Abdullah.

US Army Reservist Hopes To Serve As Female Muslim Chaplain
An Army major studying to become the military’s first female Muslim chaplain says she hopes to fill a void for the Muslim community and build relationships with people of other faiths.
By Karen Jowers, Army Times, December 24, 2001

Islam Growing in America, U.S. Military
"Islam is peace," President Bush said. And the United States is not against the religion of Islam, he stresses, but those who pervert the religion to support terrorism and mass murder.
By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service, WASHINGTON, Oct. 4, 2001.

I believe in Allah and America
"Muslim American is not a paradox. As Muslim Americans we currently live in a diaspora having to deal with an attack on our, yes, our, country. We also have a dual anxiety because our way of life, which is not far different from our Christian and Jewish counterparts, is under attack."
Arsalan Tariq Iftikhar, Midwest Communications Director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

A Memo to American Muslims
"It is time that we Muslims acknowledge that the freedoms we enjoy in the US are more desirable to us than superficial solidarity with the Muslim World. If you disagree than prove it by packing your bags and going to whichever Muslim country you identify with."
Dr. M. A. Muqtedar Khan

Memo to Americans
In the wake of the September 11 attacks, Americans are asking, why are some Muslims so angry at the US that they would perpetrate such an inhuman act? And how could Islam be a source of motivation or justification for such an act? Muqtedar Khan, Ph.D. offers some insights.

America represents ‘true’ Islamic principles
"America may be the most Islamic country in the world. With our Bill of Rights and our national history, we have struggled to implement the central Islamic principle which commands pluralism in matters of gender, race, national origin and religion."
By Tammam Adi and Patricia Adi.

A Message to American Muslims
"Americans who are embracing us now have shown great Muslim character. They already have a lot of Islam in them... Our [Muslim] fanatics are the enemies of Islam. Let's condemn them clearly and distance ourselves from them." Thought-provoking insights from Imam Tammam Adi in the post-September 11 world.

Fanatics and terrorists misguided
"America's fight against terrorism is justified by the Quran", says Imam Tammam Adi, Director of the Islamic Cultural Center of Eugene, Oregon

Immigrant American Muslims and the Moral Dilemmas of Citizenship
America’s prosperity and freedom attract them and, once they are here, its policies and its attitudes toward Muslims and Islam alienate them... They love to live in America, while many of them love to hate America.
By M.A. Muqtedar Khan Ph.D.

On Islam and the post-September 11 World
"Most Muslims in the Middle East, I’ll guarantee you, don’t know the last time we used our military power was to protect poor Muslims in Bosnia and Kosovo."
A major speech by former US President William Jefferson Clinton to graduating students at Georgetown University, November 7, 2001

Prominent American Muslims denounce terror committed in the name of Islam
Transcript of CBS's 60 Minutes interview on Sept 30, 2001 between Ed Bradley and
Shaykh Hamza Yusuf of California
Imam Siraj Wahaj of Brooklyn
Imam Farid Esack
Imam Faisal Abdur Rauf of Lower Manhattan
Vali Nasir, a Muslim and Professor of Political Science at the University of San Diego.

Muslims in America ignore Osama Bin Laden's call for holy war.
Bay Area Muslims think more peaceful measures should have been taken by the U.S., but say the suspect has no legitimacy
By Sandy Kleffman and Sonia Krishnan, Contra Costa Times, October 8, 2001

American Muslims Have a 'Special Obligation'
An American Muslim leader asks: Who has the greatest duty to stop violence committed by Muslims in the name of Islam? Muslims
By Ingrid Mattson, Vice President, Islamic Society of North America.

U.S. Muslims See Acceptance and Scrutiny
The terrorist attacks have made some non-Muslims increasingly knowledgeable about and accepting of Islam.
By Laurie Goodstein, The New York Times, November 16, 2001

Muslims Debate Diverging Loyalties
Faith, Patriotism Sometimes at Odds
The events of Sept. 11 have sparked a vigorous debate among American Muslims about the competing demands of religious solidarity and national identity.
By Caryle Murphy, Washington Post, Monday, November 19, 2001

United in prayer
Virginia Norton reports on Muslims in Augusta, Georgia, post-September 11.
Augusta Chronicle, November 3, 2001

A Great Moment for Muslims?
"Will we look back on September 11 as the day Islam entered the American mainstream?" asks Steven Waldman, Editor-in-Chief & Co-founder of Beliefnet.com

American Jihad
"To counter Osama bin Laden's bogus jihad, we need an American-grown jihad led by a new generation of American Muslims", writes Rhonda Roumani.

Rallying to make a difference
Hundreds of families and community leaders, Muslim and non-Muslim, attend a Dallas rally against terrorism, sponsored by the Council on American-Islamic Relations
By Katherine Morales, The Dallas Morning News, October 21, 2001

Muslims against Terrorism
Quotations, statements and articles by Muslims against terrorism and Osama bin Laden's misguided call for jihad against America.

'If you hate the west, emigrate to a Muslim country'
American convert, Hamza Yusuf, one of the West's most important Islamic scholars, tackles head on those extremist immigrant Muslims who "rant and rave" against the countries they live in.
The Guardian (London), October 8, 2001

Islam 'booming' in America
The first comprehensive survey of Muslims in the United States has revealed that the community has grown to more than six million, with 1,200 mosques across the country.
BBC News, Thursday, 26 April, 2001.

Born in the U.S.A
A New American Islam Proves Devotion and Women's Liberation Do Mix
By Miriam Udel Lambert.

What's in a name? - The Problem with the "Nation of Islam"
A court ruling overturning a fifteen year British ban on its leader, Louis Farrakhan, has propelled the so-called Nation of Islam into the headlines. Michael Young examines the Islamic credentials of these self-styled "Muslims".

The African American's Islamic Heritage
"What is the attraction to Islam for African Americans? It is not just that it brings clarity to religion, but that its quintessence embraces the yearning of every heart for justice, peace and equality in the brotherhood of man."
By Imam Ghayth Nur Kashif

The Emergence of Islam in the African-American Community
Adam Edgerly and Carl Ellis examine why so many African Americans have converted to Islam and give an overview of various 20th century pseudo Islamic cults plus orthodox Sunni Islam among African-Americans today including the roles and influence of Malcolm X and Wallace/Warith D. Muhammad.

America's First Muslimah Judge
Zakia Mahasa, Master Chancery in the Family Division of the Baltimore City Circuit Court
by Nadirah Z. Sabir, Azizah magazine.

Islam: The Next American Religion?
The U.S. began as a haven for Christian outcasts. But what religion fits our current zeitgeist? The answer may be Islam.
By convert to Islam, Michael Wolfe.

Mainers studying tenets of Islam
Baptist theology students learn about Islam in the wake of September 11.
Judy Harrison, Bangor Daily News, September 22, 2001

Make Way for the Women!
Why Your Mosque Should be Woman Friendly, by American convert, Saraji Umm Zaid.
"Do not stop the maid servants of Allah from going to the mosques of Allah." (Muwatta of Imam Malik)

The Fight for the Soul of Islam in America
Amidst the competing agendas of Salafees, Sufis and Modernists, Yahiya Emerick calls on "everyday Muslims" to remember that Islam is a balanced way of life.

What Needs to be Done for the Future?
We have the mosques, the schools and the magazines. But where, asks Yahiya Emerick, does Islam in America go from here?

Working in Muslim Schools
"For those who are interested in seriously passing the teachings of Islam on to the next generation, a secular education will not suffice", says American convert, writer and teacher Yahiya Emerick.

Islam in the United States - A Tentative Ascent
A wide-ranging interview with Yvonne Haddad, professor of Islamic history at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, on the state of Muslims in America today.

Islam growing fast in America
In the US, where Muslims number over six million, the Islamic faith has in many estimates surpassed Judaism and is believed to be the second largest religion in America. Anayat Durrani profiles some new US converts to Islam
March 10, 2000

Filling in the Gaps on Islam in America
Publisher, Conference Organizer and Harard Divinity School Student, Precious Rasheeda Muhammad, discovers an important scholarly treasure, the 1873 autobiography of an African Muslim ex-slave who spent the last years of his life starting schools for black children in Alabama. Wendy S. McDowell profiles this extraordinary African American Muslimah.

FBI accused of anti-Muslim bias
Muslim leaders have accused the FBI of conducting an "anti-Muslim witch hunt" following a raid on the Texas offices of a Middle East internet service provider.
BBC News, Friday, 7 September, 2001

“Islam in America”: Lessons in Diversity
Cathy Armer reports on the recent three-day conference at Harvard Divinity School (HDS) organized by African American student Precious Rasheeda Muhammad.

Islam: Empire of Faith
PBS mini-series narrated by Academy Award-winning actor Ben Kingsley, airs on PBS Tuesday, May 8, 2001, 8:00 p.m. ET (check local listings). The two-and-a-half-hour program tells the story of the great sweep of Islamic power and faith during its first 1,000 years — from the birth of the prophet Muhammad to the peak of the Ottoman Empire under the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent. Historical re-enactments and a remarkable exposition of Islamic art, artifacts and architecture are combined with interviews with scholars to recount the rise of early Islamic civilization.

Islam: Empire of Faith
Ayub Khan reviews the two-and-a-half hour PBS documentary, the first American primetime television program to address the history and culture of Islam.
IslamOnline.Net, May 7, 2001

Muslim Women's League
MWL is a nonprofit American Muslim organization working to implement the values of Islam and thereby reclaim the status of women as free, equal and vital contributors to society.

Demanding Professionalism in our Masjid
Yahiya Emerick compares American mosques to the well organized way churches and synagogues are run and finds them wanting.

What Is the American Muslim Perspective?
"The rethinking of Muslim relations with America, prompted by the profound realization that Islam and Muslims are here to stay, is sitting uneasily with those who live in Los Angeles but pretend they are in Lahore, or with those who live in Pittsburgh but make believe they are in Palestine."
By Dr. M.A. Muqtedar Khan, Georgetown University.

The American political scene and Muslim Americans
Muslims in America must learn to thrive under secularism and use the tools of secular democracy in order to bring Allah's sovereignty in the lives of Muslims and demolish all opposition to it, argues M. Amir Ali in this article written in the run-up to Presidential Election 2000.

American Muslim Engagement in Politics
Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad of the Minaret of Freedom Institute surveys the degree to which American Muslims have been or have not been engaged in the political process. He suggest reasons why this engagement has been limited to date, reviews evidence for its growth, and considers scenarios for the future of Muslim participation.

American Society of Muslims
Founded by Warith Deen Muhammad and representing over two million mainly African American Muslims.

Indiana University Display Documents Three Centuries of American Muslims
"Most times, when you say you're a Muslim, most people say, 'Oh where are you from?' But you don't have to be from somewhere else. Muslims have a huge history in this country."
Shannon Sullivan, Indiana Daily Student

Arab American students in American public schools
Wendy Schwartz of Teachers College, Columbia University addresses the negative stereotyping, racism, discrimination and widespread misinformation about their history and culture faced by Arab American and Muslim pupils in American schools and sets out a host of measures to tackle these problems.

Rising minorities find political clout elusive
Census 2000 numbers show a dramatic rise in the number of Hispanics and Asians in the United States, but scholars and political observers say it remains unclear whether these increases have translated into increased political power.
From Yvonne Lee CNN Washington Bureau. March 30, 2001

Small wave of Latinos feel draw of Islam
James W. Blair Jr. explores what is bring a small but growing number of Hispanics from traditional Christianity to a religion little practiced by their fellow Latinos.

Islam Luring More Latinos
The steadily increasing number of Latino Muslims illustrates how deeply rooted Islam has become in the America landscape - even spreading to communities not normally associated with the faith, religious scholars say.
By Chris L. Jenkins, Washington Post, January 7, 2001

Islam in America
"The greatest challenges we will face in the years ahead will be of a social nature."
A speech by the US ambassador to Pakistan, 9 October 1998

Defeating Stereotypes - Muslims in America
"According to a recent poll in U.S. News & World Report, more than half of people surveyed believed that Islam was anti-American, anti-Western, or supportive of terrorism."
by Nancy Paik

Islam in Brazil
Convert Maria Moreira examines the history
and current state of the Muslim community in Latin America's largest country.

Challenges Facing American Muslim Women
Muslim women in America often face discrimination from their own Muslim community. Discrimination by Muslims primarily results from ignorance about Islam and the importation of cultural attitudes that demean women. Islam is often interpreted in ways that are sexist and not true to the true teachings of equality in the Quran and the model provided by Prophet Muhammad .
Samer Hathout

Opportunities Facing American Muslim Women
As Americans, we have a unique opportunity to practice Islam in its true form -- without much of the cultural or traditional baggage that is oppressive to women... Because we have these opportunities, we must use them to clearly state our position and to fight to end the oppression suffered by women.
Asifa Quraishi

Family Law Issues Affecting American Muslims
"You have to know what the law is, how to approach it, how to speak the language, and how to present Islamic law so that it is not trivialized into something that sells women, or oppresses women."
Dr. Azizah Al-Hibri calls for legal literacy among Muslims in the United States.

Taking to the streets to win back souls
Evangelical black churches in the US are targeting Muslims for conversion to Christianity.
By Jim Remsen, Philadelphia Enquirer, March 25, 2001

For Muslims, a welcome buffet
More and more restaurants in the United States go halal
By MONIQUE EL-FAIZY
Staff Writer, The Record, North Jersey, August 16, 1999

Michigan Muslims Want Halal Food
Parents campaign for halal school dinners
BY LISA M. COLLINS The Associated Press, February 24, 2001

Halal Food Act Passed In Illinois Senate
In a landmark event for Illinois' more than 400,000 Muslims, the Illinois senate has unanimously passed the Halal Food Act on Thursday to safeguard the interests of the Muslim consumer.

North America's Best Halal Restaurants & Markets
holding Muslim restaurants to the highest standards - more than 700 reviews by ordinary Muslim customers.

North Texas couple blends their cultures to make their own love story
US serviceman who converted to Islam, and his Moroccan wife, find love after their arranged marriage.

Muslim community grows to overflowing in Seattle area
By Phuong Le, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, September 7, 2000

Mixed Cultures
Seventeen year old Khawlah Mian from Pakistan adapts to life in Canada. (Followed by discussion points for young people.)

Ramadan Begins in North America
by Anayat Durrani, December 1, 2000

The Islamic Centre of Quebec
Dedicated to meeting the spiritual, social and educational needs of Muslims in Quebec, and committed to promoting better understanding of Islam to non-Muslims.

The Institute of Islamic Information and Education (III&E)
Chicago-based organization dedicated to the cause of Islam in North America through striving to elevate the image of Islam and Muslims by providing the correct information about Islamic beliefs, history and civilization from the authentic sources.

Olé to Allah
Hisham Aidi profiles New York's thriving Latino Muslim convert community

Muslim Marriage Contract in American Courts
Lecture by Professor Azizah Y. al-Hibri of T. C. Williams School of Law,
University of Richmond, followed by transcript of Q&A session.

Ramadan in Illinois
Students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign relate their Ramadan 1996 experiences to a college newspaper.

Ramadan in Knoxville
Jeannine F. Hunter meets Muslim students at the University of Tennessee as they invite friends, who are not Muslim, to experience their faith and enjoy a meal at a local mosque.
Knoxville News-Sentinel, December 9, 2000

Harvard Islamic Society
Dedicated to meeting the social and religious needs of the Muslim community at Harvard University and to promoting Islamic awareness on campus.

The Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University
The only academic institution in the United States devoted solely to the study of the modern Arab world. Part of Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, which is the oldest school of international affairs in the United States.

Latino American Dawah Organization
a non-profit organization founded in 1997 in New York City by a handful of converts to Islam. LADO's mission is to promote Islam among the Latino community of the United States and to provide education about the history and legacy of Islam in Spain and Latin America and provide free information about Islam.

Islamic Speakers Bureau of New York
ISBNY provides educational presentations, seminars & other programs to dispel myths about Islam and Muslims and to foster harmonious existence of Muslims in America. Target audiences are public and private institutions through which Muslims come in contact with fellow Americans. ISBNY delivers tailored presentations to schools, media, law enforcement, corporations, and social service agencies.

Britain	Ireland	Germany	France	Spain
Italy	Bosnia	Russia	Hungary	Europe-wide

High Street bank offers Islamic mortgage
In a new scheme which has the backing of the Muslim Council of Britain, HSBC has become the first major UK bank to offer mortgages that comply with Islamic law.
BBC News, 1 July, 2003

The new face of Islam
The phenomenon of educated, white, middle class English converts to Islam.
by Nick Compton

British and Muslim?
Unsettled, discontented second generation Asian immigrant Muslims in Britain tend to "locate their radicalism not primarily in a spiritual, but in social and political rejection of the oppressive order around them. Their unsettled and agitated mood is not always congenial to the recent convert, who may, despite the cultural distance, feel more comfortable with the first rather than the second generation of migrants, preferring their God-centered religion to what is often the troubled, identity-seeking Islam of the young".
By convert to Islam, Abdal-Hakim Murad.

Post-September 11 Interview with Dr. Mansur Abdussalam Escudero,
Former President of the Spanish Federation of Islamic Religious Organisations
"There are many Muslims who have allowed themselves to be caught by the dialectic of ‘united against the Other’, and who have fallen into the logic of confrontation, exclusion, and war. But for us, Islam and the West are not incompatible. God is the One Creator. In reality, we ourselves are as much Muslims as we are Western. We are living proof of the falsity of this supposed incompatibility."

UK Muslims 'against Afghan war'
A BBC poll shows that not only do 80% of Muslims in Britain not support the war effort against the Taliban and Al Qaeeda, nearly a quarter of them actually condone those from amongst their community who went to fight on the side of the Taliban.
BBC News, Wednesday, 14 November, 2001.

Islam And Britain: Reflections On Mutualities
On the occasion of his retirement from the British Council, Dr Peter Clark celebrates the contribution of immigrant Muslims to Britain
(Summary of a lecture delivered to the Gulf Cultural Club on 13th May, 1999)

Asian Muslims rampage again in England
"Muslim" youths in the northern English city of Bradford attack a vicar, smash his car and try to burn down his church.
BBC News, Tuesday, 6 November, 2001.

Britain's terror connection
U.K. crackdown on radical Islamists is driving network further underground.
Olivia Ward, Toronto Star, November 18, 2001.

UK Muslims tackle mortgage hurdles
A new initiative to allow thousands of British Muslims to get mortgages without breaking Islamic law is to be proposed to the Treasury.
BBC, October 16, 2002

Case study: Islamic mortgages
Market research suggests there is a potentially huge market for Islamic mortgages in the UK - but how do they benefit Muslims trying to buy a home?
BBC, November 29, 2002

Muslim comic sees the funny side
Female Muslim comic Shazia Mirza, who believes her act is helping break down cultural barriers and overcome ignorance, has found her work in great demand in Britain, Pakistan and the US.
BBC News, Friday, 19 October, 2001

BBC Television Islam season - August 2001
A guide to forthcoming BBC television programmes on Islam plus a quiz, details of community events, introduction to Islam and many other interesting links.

Muslims In Britain: Past And Present
Ataullah Siddiqui investigates the history of Islam in Britain and explores the challenges facing the Muslim community today.

British and Muslim?
"Islam is the most suitable faith for the British. Its values are our values. Its moderate, undemonstrative style of piety, still waters running deep; its insistence on modesty and a certain reserve, and its insistence on common sense and on pragmatism, combine to furnish the most natural and easy religious option for our people."
By Abdal-Hakim Murad

Muslim lawyer 'sacked for her headscarf'
A Muslim lawyer claims she was sacked by the Church of England's solicitors because her religious clothing was an embarrassment to the firm.
The Independent (London) 13 July, 2001

Bradford's Burning
Many in the older generation tell me that the youngsters are "too British, too much full of rights ... Bloody fools ... In Pakistan the police would kill them on sight." Yasmin Alibhai-Brown reflects on the rioting by south Asian Muslims in this English town.

Unrest in England
"They spoke of "defending" their communities against white racists, but appeared to have ingrained anti-white or anti-Western and anti-police attitudes themselves." Raymond Whitaker investigates the recent riots by Asian Muslim youths in northern England.

'Apartheid' row over Islamic school
Councillors in Birmingham are divided over
the merits of a publicly-funded Islamic secondary school.
BBC News, 9 February 2001

A World Where Womanhood Reigns Supreme
Non-Muslim BBC television producer Mary Walker reflects on what she learned during her two years making the Living Islam documentary series.

Woman on a Mission
Scottish woman converts her extended family and 30 friends and neighbours to Islam.
The Guardian (London), Thursday 8th May 1997

Why British Women are turning to Islam
The Times (London), Tuesday, 9th November 1993
Lucy Berrington finds the Muslim Faith is winning Western admirers
despite hostile media coverage.

Forget about Hamza the Horrible, we can all live with Islam
The Observer (London) Sunday January 31, 1999
Andrew Marr calls on secular liberals not to react to radical Islamists and warns the west not "to fall into the idea that we are fated to fight Islam, that our civilisations will soon be at war."

The Silence of the Imams... while another child dies
The Observer (London) Sunday February 7, 1999
Carole Sarler forcefully takes issue with the above, highlighting the abuse suffered by young Asian Muslimas in Britain who rebel against the un-Islamic practice of being forced into (early) marriage to strangers against their will.

786net.com
Information hub for Muslim Professionals in the UK committed to high achievement in their personal, professional, family, social and spiritual life.

UK Imams asked to preach heart health
Muslim clerics are being recruited to educate worshippers at UK mosques on the dangers posed by heart disease.
BBC News, 19 October, 2001

Sacred beauty
The Guardian (London), Saturday January 15, 2000
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown explores Muslim art in Britain

Muslim festival disrupted
The foot-and-mouth outbreak could not have come at a worse time for the two million Muslims living in the UK.
Melissa Jackson, BBC News, 5 March, 2001

German Leader Warns Against Bowing to Fear of Muslim Violence
Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Germans on Wednesday not to bow to fears of Islamic violence after a Berlin opera house cancelled a Mozart work over concerns some scenes could enrage Muslims and pose a security risk.
Reuters, September 27, 2006 .

Making Islam Part of Germany
An interview with Saudi gynecologist, Dr. Nadeem Elyas, who has lived in Germany since 1964.

Muslim teacher in Germany loses case over headscarf ban
A Muslim teacher who insisted on wearing her headscarf in the classroom lost her challenge to a state ban on religious symbols in schools yesterday.
Derek Scally, Irish Times, June 27, 2001

Convert Muslims, don't marry them
Italian Catholic bishops call for a clampdown on interfaith marriages
The Asian Age, February 4, 2000

The Remains of Islamic Budapest
For one hundred and fifty years the Ottomans ruled over Budapest until their fateful defeat at the gates of Vienna. The city was a provincial capital and a garrison town with a skyline dominated by lofty minarets. However, almost all that is left today is the turbe of Gul-Baba, a Bektashi warrior-saint. On a recent visit to Hungary, Faisal Bodi went along to pay his respects.

Moscow courts its million Muslims
Moscow Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov attended a service at the city's main mosque to mark Eid al-Adha, the Muslim feast of sacrifice, and promised to help provide more facilities for Moscow's million-strong Muslims.
BBC News, 6 March, 2001

Russia casts nervous eye at growth of indigenous Muslim community
The number of Muslims in Russia is increasing not only because of the demographic growth of Islamic peoples there but also because members of other groups, including ethnic Russians, are turning to Islam, according to a number of recent articles in the Russian press.
By Paul Goble, April 3, 2001

Former Bosnian president dies
The former Bosnian President, Alija Izetbegovic, has died aged 78.
BBC News, 19 October, 2003

Obituary: Alija Izetbegovic
Lawyer, Muslim activist under communism and President of independent Bosnia
BBC News, 19 October, 2003

Mosque reopens in Serb town
Thousands of Bosnian Muslims have attended a ceremony in the Serb-dominated city of Banja Luka to open the first mosque rebuilt there since the end of the Bosnian war
BBC News, 19 July, 2003

Serbs halt Bosnia mosque building
Banja Luka - The only living creature on the site of the former mosque is a pig, turned loose there by Bosnian Serb demonstrators
BBC News, May 7, 2001

Serbs block Bosnia mosque ceremony
Trebinje - Serb nationalists in Bosnia-Hercegovina have blocked an attempt to start rebuilding a mosque destroyed during the civil war.
BBC News, May 6, 2001

Jewish dad backs headscarf daughters in France school row
Lila and Alma began to get interested in Islam two years ago - their mother is a non-practising Algerian. Now their left-wing Lawyer, Jewish father is campaigning against their expulsion from a state school for the "ostentatious" conduct" of wearing hijab in apparent contravention of a 1905 law guaranteeing the separation of church and state.

France's Islamic heartland
The wooded hills of deepest Burgundy are the unlikely setting for a place that could play a key role in the development of a European Islamic identity - a theological college, which for 13 years has been training up a new generation of indigenous imams for France and the rest of the continent.
BBC News, 18 April, 2003

France gets first private Muslim lycee
The French education authorities have granted permission for a Muslim school to open in the northern French city of Lille.
BBC News, 11 July, 2003

France creates Muslim council
French officials and Muslim leaders have agreed to the creation of the first body to represent the country's five million Muslims - Europe's largest community.
BBC, December 20, 2002

Secular France mulls mosque subsidies
French officials have called for a revision of a century-old law on the separation of church and state, to allow government bodies to subsidise mosques.
BBC, January 17, 2003

Outbreak threatens Muslim holiday
French Muslims are concerned that the country's reaction to foot-and-mouth disease will complicate their efforts to celebrate a major religious holiday next week. Eid al-Adha, the festival that marks the end of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca
BBC News, 1 March, 2001

Seeds for the Future
"I am a scientist and I am a believer. As a scientist, my interest goes to the cosmos. I try to unravel the puzzles of the physical reality. As a believer, my interest goes to God and to his action within the human. I try to accept the mystery of the ultimate reality and the multiple ways it appears in the human condition. I feel deeply concerned by our 21st century. The terrible events of September 11 cast a dark shadow on it. Do we have reasons to hope again? Can we prepare seeds for the future?"
A speech by French Muslim scientist, Dr. Abd-al-Haqq Bruno Guiderdoni, Director of Research at the Paris Institute of Astrophysics, to the Science and the Spiritual Quest Conference at Harvard University's Memorial Church, October 25, 2001.
(Click on the "printer friendly version" hyperlink for easier viewing.)

Mosque signals Muslims' return to Spain
It is more than 500 years since the Spanish conquered the Iberian peninsula, killing or expelling every Muslim who could be found and conclusively ending 800 years of Islamic rule. But now a muezzin is calling Spanish Muslims to prayer at the first mosque to be opened in Granada since 1492.
BBC News, 10 July, 2003,

Spain's Islamic past
"When the Christians recaptured Granada, they burnt all 80,000 books from the palace library - as if to expunge the memory of Islamic rule."
By Gerald Butt

Hidden Voices: Ten Years On
Nearly ten years ago Tony Phillips made a series of programmes called Hidden Voices which looked at the lives of Muslims in different European cities. A decade on he returns to meet the people he originally interviewed and to gauge how their lives have changed over the intervening years.
BBC Radio 4, 26 May, 2 & 9 June 2003
RealPlayer required to listen to the radio programmes

Europe’s Muslims worry bishops
John L. Allen Jr. of the National Catholic Reporter details differing attitudes of the Catholic hierarchy to the dramatic rise in Europe's Muslim population.

Islamists Calm Somali Capital With Restraint
Islamists who seized Mogadishu, Somalia, have defied expectations by restoring order without harsh religious rules, even allowing soccer games.
By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN Published: September 24, 2006

The Story of Africa
The Islam section of the web companion to the major new BBC radio series which aims to present African history from an African perspective.

Islam and Africa Conference
A Global, Cultural and Historical Perspective
April 19-22, 2001
Institute of Global Cultural Studies
Binghamton University, New York State.

Islamic Legal Analysis of the Zina Punishment
Islamic Legal Analysis of the Zina (fornication) Punishment Awarded to Bariya Ibrahim Magazu in Zamfara, Nigeria [the pregnant, unmarried teenager sentenced to be flogged who alleged that her father coerced her to have sex with three men]. By Asifa Quraishi, - January 20, 2001

Christianity vs. Islam in Africa: A 19th Century Debate
Author: Jessica Powers
This article deals with a late 19th Century debate in London about whether Christianity had failed in Africa, whether Islam was more appropriate for Africa than Christianity, and how racism within Great Britain caused Christian missions to fail in converting and civilizing Africa in the 19th Century.

Sousse Mosque, Tunisia

Nigerian girl

Touba mosque, Senegal

African Muslim politician seeks campaign donations for Togo elections
Soufiane Bayor, a candidate in the October 2001 parliamentary elections in Togo, West Africa, where Muslims are outnumbered by animists (voodoo practitioners) and Christians has written to Islam For Today appealing for financial contributions.

New Quranic Arabic Boarding School opens in West Africa
A new boarding school specializing in Quran memorization has opened in sub-Saharan Africa's most Muslim country, the Gambia. Alhagie Mbye Al-Kinky reports.
The Independent (Banjul), May 18, 2001

Gambian Students Take Religious Leaders to Task
In April 2000 high school students in the Gambia, sub-Saharan Africa's most Muslim country, marched in protest at the failure to bring to justice those responsible for the alleged torture and murder of a teenage boy and rape of a 13-year old girl. Eleven student protesters were shot dead by security forces. The government has just introduced a backdated indemnity bill, effectively protecting their killers from prosecution. Now students castigate religious leaders for their failure to speak out.
Sulayman Makalo and PK Jarju, The Independent (Banjul) May 25, 2001

Thousands of Muslim Pilgrims Flock to Touba
"Work on earth as if you will never die and obey the divine rules as if you were going to die immediately", taught 19th century Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba Mbacké of Senegal who established the Islamic Mouride Brotherhood. Today hundreds of thousands of Muslims converge on Touba, the city of Islam founded by Sheikh Mbacké, to mark the 106th anniversary of his exile by the French colonial government.
Oumar Dieng, Panafrican News Agency (Dakar, Senegal), May 12, 2001

Inside the Holy City of Touba
Nigerian Muslim Kabiru A. Yusuf visits Touba - Senegal's city of Islam - as 200,000 followers of the Islamic Mouride brotherhood which emphasizes hard work and generosity commemorate the anniversary of the exile by the French colonial government of their movement's founder, Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba.
The Weekly Trust (Kaduna, Nigeria), May 8, 2000

Timbuktu - city of legends
The fabled city of Timbuktu is not a myth - it does indeed exist - in northern Mali, on the edge of the Sahara desert.

Nigeria: Six Sharia Judges Guilty of Corruption and Abuse of Power
The anti-corruption Commission of the State of Zamfara (Nigeria), which began applying Islamic Sharia code since January this year, has recommended the sacking of six judges of the Islamic court on grounds of corruption and abuse of power.
Panafrican News Agency (Dakar, Senegal), May 9, 2001

Fighting for life in birth
The high mortality rate of infants and their mothers in Muslim Mali.
BBC News, May 11, 2001

The Sudan Foundation
An organization whose aim is to further good relations between the British and Sudanese peoples, and to provide comprehensive information about the political, economic, social and religious situation in Sudan.

Muslims excluded from power in Ivory Coast
Muslims constitute 60% pf the population of this West African state, but lack political clout, reports Omer Bin Abdullah
December 6, 2000


Nigerians at prayer	Senegalese elders	Children in Khartoum	Girls from Mali

Women in the Qur'an and the Sunnah
by Dr. 'Abdur Rahman I. Doi,
Professor and Director, Center for Islamic Legal Studies,
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.

Shamima Shaikh 1960-1998
Site commemorating the life and writings of the late
South African champion of Women's rights within Islam.

Uganda Muslim Women Vision
Propagating the teachings of Islam among Muslim women in general and Muslim girls in particular.

Spreading the Message of Islam in Anglo-Australia
Developing a positive image for Islam in Australia
"There is a dearth of well-educated and culturally aware individuals who can present Islam in a positive light amongst Anglo-Australians. Many Muslims confuse their home cultures with Islam, for often the two have been viewed as identical for hundreds of years... One of our major problems is that ethnic groups prefer to bring religious leaders, imams, from their country of origin... They must be aware of cultural issues and not try to impose their own cultures alongside Islam. Such attempts only drive people away from Islam."
Bilal Cleland.

Indonesian Muslim Clerics Back Crackdown On Hardliners
Rampaging zealots attacking amusement centers and nightclubs betray a fundamental principle of Islam: "There is no compulsion in religion" Quran 2:256
Kazi Mahmood, December 2000

Islam in Cambodia
A United States Library of Congress report on the Muslim minority in this southeast Asian country.

A History of Muslims in Tibet
from the website of an organization referring to itself as the "Government of Tibet in exile".

A History of Pakistan
Covers the background to partition, the birth of the new state,
the transfer of power and the advent of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

Lahore's forgotten palace restored
Work has started on restoring a forgotten jewel of Pakistan's architectural history.
BBC News, 11 July, 2003

Reflections on Islam and Muslim Society
"The worst advertisements for Islam are the Muslim countries with their selective Islam, especially where the religion is used to deprive people of their rights. In fact, a society that obeys the fundamentals of Islam has to be a liberal one."
By Imran Khan, former Pakistani cricket captain.

Pakistan's religious rift
Both Sunni and Shia mosques have over the last ten years been attacked by gunmen, and the victims are invariably innocent by-standers or worshippers.
Analysis by South Asia analyst Alastair Lawson, BBC News, 12 April, 2000

Pakistan alert for religious violence
Heavy security is in place in Pakistan ahead of Thursday's annual day of mourning, Ahsura, observed by Shia Muslims. The day commemorates the martyrdom of Prophet Mohammad's grandson Hazrat Imam Hussain, killed in the battle of Karbala some 1,400 years ago.
BBC News, 4 April, 2001

Change in the air
Pamela Philipose examines the situation of Muslim women in modern India
The Indian Express, April 19, 2000

China's Islamic Connection	Islam in China

7th century Hiu Shen mosque, China	Quran with Chinese translation

Islamic world gives economic hope to China backwater
China's growing business ties with the Islamic world are opening new economic horizons for one of the poorest, remotest and most Muslim parts of China.
Sep 7, 2006 — By Alan Wheatley, China Economics Editor, Reuters

China's Muslim Uighurs mourn a way of life
"For us, it's not just a city renovation programme, it's the destruction of our culture. We know everyone who lives in these lanes. When we move to the new place, we'll be surrounded by strangers. And these buildings have been in our families for generations. What will we have now to leave our children?"
BBC News, 4 October, 2003

Language blow for China's Muslims
Chinese authorities have ordered the top university in the western province of Xinjiang (East Turkmenistan) to stop teaching courses in the local Uighur language, the native tongue to most of the province's Muslim population.

Chinese Muslims Rediscovering Islam
Ayub Khan reports on a surge of interest in Islamic and Arabic studies among China's 20 million Muslims.
April 2, 2001

China 'cracks down on Muslims'
China has been taking advantage of the US war against terrorism to make sweeping arrests of its restive Muslim population in the far west, according to Amnesty International.
BBC News, Friday, 22 March, 2002

Turkey puts rape victims in the dock
The women who face jail for daring to accuse the police of sexual abuse
The Observer (London), March 25, 2001

Palestinians mark Ramadan with sadness, anger
For more than six months the Gaza Strip has been mired in its worst financial crisis for 13 years, the economy throttled by being sealed off by Israel and then by the international boycott of the Hamas-led government.
Adel Zaanoun AFP September 26, 2006

Saudi Anti-Smoking Drive Picks Up Speed With Arrival of Ramadan
“The holy month provides an ideal opportunity to give up smoking. If smokers can be without tobacco during the day, why can’t they be without it during the night as well?"
Mohammed Rasooldeen, 27 September 2006

Syrian Director Defies Death Threats
A Syrian director who received death threats after a Ramadan television series on suicide bombers is back for this year's holiday: This time, he condemns terrorism by Islamic extremists as a global threat that hurts Muslims.
September 26, 2006

"Nasrallah" Dates Sold to Break Ramadan Fast
The nicknames of dates sold to break the Ramadan fast are a key gauge of the political mood on Cairo's streets. This year's top pick? The "Nasrallah," named for the Hezbollah leader.
By NADIA ABOU EL-MAGD, September 26, 2006

The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs
A 140-page magazine published 10 times per year in Washington, DC, that focuses on news and analysis from and about the Middle East and U.S. policy in that region. It is published by the American Educational Trust (AET), a non-profit foundation incorporated in Washington, DC by retired U.S. foreign service officers to provide the American public with "balanced and accurate information" concerning U.S. relations with Middle Eastern states.

Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia,
regarded as a reformer held in check by conservative forces.

Crown Prince Abdullah
A BBC profile of Saudi Arabia's reform-minded, 79 year old, de-facto ruler.

Saudi Arabia's castle of sand
BBC News, Friday, 8 December, 2000
Frank Gardner admires how the Saudis have held on to their Islamic culture despite modernisation and overwhelming technological change.

Islamic Revival Led by Women Tests Syria’s Secularism
Syria, virtually alone in the Arab world, is seeing the resurrection of a centuries-old tradition of sheikhas, or women who are religious scholars.
By KATHERINE ZOEPF, Aug 29, 2006

War on terror: Syria's mixed reaction
"One cab driver launches into a tirade. He is upset because he thinks Bin Laden is disfiguring Islam and making life difficult for Muslims around the world."
BBC News, Wednesday, 17 October, 2001

Mosque visit crowns Pope's tour
The Pope's visit to the Umayyad mosque in the Syrian capital Damascus was an historic highlight on his three-nation tour
BBC News, May 7, 2001

In pictures: Pope visits historical mosque
On the second day of his groundbreaking visit to Syria Pope John Paul II made history, becoming the first Roman Catholic pontiff to enter a Muslim place of worship. The Pope visited Syria's historic Umayyad Mosque, built over a Byzantine cathedral in the 7th century and housing the tomb of John the Baptist.
BBC News, 6 May, 2001

The True Face of Islam
Despite its violent image in the West, the religion of Islam is a balm to millions in an otherwise cruel and crowded world. American writer Zachary Karabell reflects on his experiences of Islam in Egypt.

The suffering of Algeria's women at the hands of Islamists
"The treatment of women raises serious questions about the level of faith and Islamic behavior on the part of the protagonists in the civil war in Algeria. Islam itself is being disfigured and perverted!"
Aicha Lemsine, Middle East Times, Cairo, March 16, 2001

Islamic "jihad" abused - Tunisian ex-minister
”Religious wars fought in the name of the jihad are false,” Charfi said. “In the Koran, the jihad is referred to only as a legitimate action of self-defense, and can never be used as an offensive action.”
Africa Online, May 21, 2001

Squeezed to death
John Pilger reports on the effects of sanctions on the people of Iraq

Intellectuals demonstrating double standards
Palestinian writer Zakariya Muhammad criticizes Palestinian intellectuals for not denouncing Palestinian crimes while criticizing the Israeli peace camp.
Al Quds, March 1. 2001.

Iran hangs gang rapists in public
Large crowds have attended public executions in the Iranian capital Tehran of five men convicted of vicious attacks on women.
BBC, September 29, 2002

Inside a Friendly Iran
"By lifting sanctions and improving trade relations with Iran, we can influence the democratic process there and win over an old friend once again", argues American physician, Dr. Shahid Athar.

Khatami condemns Muslim fanaticism
The Iranian President, Mohammad Khatami, who's on a visit to Russia, has urged Muslims to turn away from fanaticism. President Khatami, who was addressing students in the mostly Muslim republic of Tatarstan, said genuine belief was opposed to fanaticism.
BBC News, 15 March, 2001

Iran Now a Hotbed of Islamic Reforms
In a once-militant theocracy, some clerics now cite the Koran as a bulwark of civil rights. Inspiring article by Robin Wright, Los Angeles Times, Friday, December 29, 2000.

Iran observes day of mourning
Thousands of Iranians have taken part in the religious ceremony of Ashura which commemorates the death of the Imam Hussein at the battle of Kerbala in 680AD, the event which consecrated the rift between the Shi'a minority and the Sunni Muslim majority.
BBC News, 5 April, 2001

In pictures: Ashura celebrations
Shi'a Muslims have been taking part in the religious ceremony of Ashura which commemorates the death of the Imam Hussein at the battle of Kerbala in 680 AD.
BBC News, 5 April, 2001

Shia Muslims day of mourning
The tenth day of the Muslim month of Muharram, also known as 'Ashura' has become a charged occasion in many places as Shiite Muslims remember the martyrdom of Hussain the grandson of the prophet Mohammad.
Jane Little, BBC News, May 6, 1998

Taming the Taliban
Faisal Bodi outlines the Muslim backlash against the "wild men of Islam" who, he says, have become an "embarrassment for the Ummah".
Ummah News, March 27, 2001

Afghanistan - Beneath the Veil
Companion web site to TV documentary by Britain's Channel 4
Saira Shah's journey into the heart of Afghanistan reveals a country of desperate poverty, much of it brought about by the deliberate policies of its fundamentalist Islamic government, the Taliban. Women are deprived not only of education, medicine and freedom, but often of the very means of survival. Saira, the daughter of Afghan scholar Idries Shah, took a dangerous journey into the heart of her father's country. Starting in the vast refugee camps of Pakistan, she made her way into Afghanistan itself, where she found unimaginable brutality but also extraordinary bravery.

Life in Afghanistan under the Taliban
Transcript of a CNN online chat with journalist Saira Shah, August 27, 2001
Saira Shah is a freelance journalist. She was born in Britain, of an Afghan family. She first visited Afghanistan at age 21 and worked there three years as a freelance journalist, covering the guerilla war against the Soviet occupiers. Later, working for Britain's Channel Four News, she covered some of the world's worst trouble spots.

The Famine The World Forgot
Caught between war and natural disaster, refugees from Afghanistan's endless infighting now find themselves further trapped by a relentless winter and an aid drought.
Time Magazine photo essay.

Afghanistan's Taliban: Not a valid interpretation of Islam
"The extreme position taken by the Taliban hardly deserves to be considered an 'interpretation' of Islam... It is really an aberration in violation of the most basic tenets of the faith." Dr. Laila Al-Marayati calls for a fuller understanding among Muslims of Islam as "a religion that embraces the value of women without subjecting them to sequestration."