Minaret of Freedom Weblog

With atrocities being committed by Muslims against other Muslims, Nazir Afzal argues that Muslim communities need to change their attitudes and leadership to better reflect the communities, arguing “We need more women’s and young people’s voices to be heard” …

• As Atrocities Are Committed in the Name of Islam Our ‘Leaders’ Are Failing Us (Guardian)

… such as the Muslim Women’s Council, which speaks out against ISIL, saying “There is absolutely nothing Islamic about IS” …

• Muslim Women’s Council; ‘There Is Absolutely Nothing Islamic About the Islamic State’ (Yorkshire Standard)

… and the teenage Nobel-winning advocate for female education who says, “If you want to change society – if you want to see change – you must step forward to bring change,” and who believes extremism happens when “people are not allowed to interpret the Qur’an in their own way”:

• Malala in America: Advocate Talks to Sold-Out Crowds in California About Young Women’s Rights, Islam, and Extremism (Independent)

The AKP is deepening the divide between religious feminists and their secular counterparts. “This isn’t a problem with Islam,” Nebiye Ari says, “Islam has been interpreted by men for their own gains since the death of the prophet. We are looking for interpretations where women have more rights”:

• In Turkey, Women’s Issues Gain Visibility (Al-Jazeera)

“More should be done to convey how the story of Prophet Mohammed is also one of cooperation between the faiths, of compromise over battle and of constantly seeking peace and justice”:

• Retell the Narrative of Islam to Attack ISIL’s Core (National)

The Shariah has no “position on homosexual desire” but defines marriage as “a contract … between a man and a woman.” Yet “many Muslims are willing to support the rights of other Americans to shape marriage according to their particular beliefs” expecting “their beliefs and relationships to be respected in return”:

• Muslim Scholar on How Islam Really Views Homosexuality (Variety)

Many expect that the recent death of general prosecutor Barakat and nine others will lead to more violence in Egypt – both by the government and Islamist militants:

• With Cairo Assassination, Egypt’s Cycle of Violence Turns Darker (Christian Science Monitor)

The chaos created in Libya by Western intervention continues to flow over the border, now into Tunisia:

• Tunisia Hotel Gunman Trained in Libya Jihadist Camp: Government (Reuters)

Conflict resolution analyst Ibrahim Sharqieh Frehat discusses the US role in the power struggle between ISIL and Al-Qaeda in Yemen. “The problem with the Americans is that they deal with the problems with the same tools – bombings. Weakening AQAP will only give way to Daesh to be born”:

• In Yemen Chaos, Islamic State Grows to Rival Al-Qaeda (Al-Jazeera)

The Israeli government plans to take over the church-run schools that educate Muslims and Christians, as a solution for slashing subsidies. This will likely deprive the Palestinian students of their educational freedom:

• Church-Run Schools in Israel Face ‘Death Sentence’ (Jonathan Cook)

 

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 30th, 2015 at 4:16 pm and is filed under news and analysis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.