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HOW TO RESOLVE A 100-YEAR OLD DISAGREEMENT

2 November 2017 HOW TO RESOLVE A 100-YEAR OLD DISAGREEMENT The admission of guilt by the West regarding the Balfour Declaration (while important) may not be enough to reverse the continuing descent into chaos. Democracy in the Middle East is the other half of the elusive puzzle. By SIDDIQ BAZARWALA Despite being home to a large number of venerable centers of Islamic studies from which generations of high profile Islamic scholars have graduated from, but no sermon from the Middle East has thus far been captivating enough to help tilt the balance of political power in the Middle East in the favour of its people. While the vast majority of Islamic scholars no doubt condemn violence before and after their prayers, in public and in private, why are there so few dissenting voices from among this influential group calling for the peaceful mass disobedience of despots across the Middle East? With inward-looking political debates stifled within many influential Muslim-majority coun...
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DEBUNKING THE MYTH “MOST TERRORISTS ARE MUSLIMS…”

7 October 2017 DEBUNKING THE MYTH “MOST TERRORISTS ARE MUSLIMS…” Why are Muslims not flooding editorial newsrooms with our discontent in the way how terrorism is reported? If not us, then who? By SIDDIQ BAZARWALA It is hard to imagine the terrifying experience of being caught up in an act of terror. Surely at the time, you worry less about the socio-political motivations of the perpetrator and instead find yourself terrified, panicking to find cover as far away as possible, that is only if you haven’t already fallen victim to the terrorists’ hail of bullets, explosive device or knife attack. Such is perhaps the gruesome and just as equally, understated gravity of what being in such a terrifying scenario might be like. Post-tragedy however, the lens with which such events are viewed by law enforcement authorities and reported by the mainstream media rely less on the fatality rate and more on the “belief system” of the perpetrator. If the act of violence is committed by a...
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COULD ORDINARY MUSLIMS HELP TURNAROUND THE ROHINGYA CRISIS?

15 October 2017 COULD ORDINARY MUSLIMS HELP TURNAROUND THE ROHINGYA CRISIS? Action on the Rohingya issue needs to be louder than empty words since Muslim and non-Muslim governments won’t help. By SIDDIQ BAZARWALA If the Rohingyas are not getting killed in repeated bouts of sectarian violence with local Buddhists mobs armed with metal bars, sticks and machetes, they are risking their lives on rickety boats run by criminal gangs of human traffickers across the Andaman Sea in desperate bids to flee persecution and poverty. Alternatively, they are risking just as much by illegally crossing into Bangladesh where they are just as much unwelcomed and forever considered unregistered refugees. For those turning back, they face the danger of landmines planted by the Myanmar military along the barbed-wire fence at the border or the horror of burned down villages. After spending nearly 15 years under house arrest, Aung Sung Su Kyi however clearly understands Myanmar more than anyone e...
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THE MISSING ISLAMIC PHILANTHROPY

11 September 2017 THE MISSING ISLAMIC PHILANTHROPY Tens of millions are donated annually towards poverty relief programmes but the root cause of generational stagnation among Muslims is often overlooked. By SIDDIQ BAZARWALA Ordinary Muslims, young and old, men and women, at schools and the workplace are coming under attack today. There are Muslims that are being forced to either publicly distance themselves from their faiths by calling themselves secular non-practising Muslims or defend their Islamic faith and beliefs, out of fear of association. While most Muslims and large businesses around the world count themselves fortunate to be away from conflict zones and are able to go about their business, contributing to the economy, and trying as best as possible to assimilate themselves into the nation we call home, it is now more important than ever – that something is done collectively to counter the normalising trend of Islamophobia and bigotry in the global mainstream media,...
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