Brunei’s sultan called for Islamic teachings in the country to be strengthened as strict new sharia punishments, including death by stoning for gay sex and adultery, were introduced on Wednesday. The tough penal code in the tiny country on the tropical island of Borneo — ruled by the all-powerful Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah — is set […]
Islam
Branding Islam: The birth of Islamic Laissez-Faire
Since the dawn of political Islam in the 20th century, a new political confrontation came into the colonial discourse along with other revolutionary ideologies. Perhaps, 20th century can be regarded as the most subjective epoch of human history because the civilizations had fought two great wars in the name of human realm. But the with […]
Blasphemy law is vague, violates human rights
The Hanifi School, one of the four major schools of Sunni Islamic legal reasoning, is the most influential in our Parliament and the Federal Shariat Court. Advocate Ismael Qureshi quoted a scholar of the same school when advocating to make the punishment for blasphemy unpardonable. A textual analysis reveals the assertion to making blasphemy unpardonable was based […]
Five most innovative Islamic apps of 2018
As media and technology continue to penetrate broader society, it is important to understand that Islam must be kept up-to-date and adapt to the different technological innovations that the world sees today. This is, in fact, essential if we are to ensure that Islam stays relevant, as face-to-face communication lessens and we become more attached to […]
Riz Ahmed promotes Sufi side of Islam in latest picture
After spending a few days in Lahore to attend the Lahore Literary Festival just last month, Riz Ahmed continued his journey into the metropolitan city of Karachi. And as we reported earlier, the British-Pakistani actor has been quite regular with posting photos and videos of his time in Pakistan, a country he visited after almost […]
Egypt’s mufti says bitcoin forbidden in Islam
Egypt’s grand mufti has said that bitcoin is forbidden in Islam, warning the digital currency could be used for criminal purposes. Bitcoin, launched in 2009 and based on a peer-to-peer payment system, poses “high risks to individuals and states,” Shawqi Allam said in a published ruling. It could provide “stable and secure financial resources for […]
UNGA on Jerusalem’s status: How each country voted
LAHORE: The United Nations (UN) on Thursday overwhelmingly approved a motion rejecting United States President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. 128 countries, saying “No” to Trump’s decision”, voted in favour of the motion. Nine countries voted against the motion, 35 abstained and another 21 did not participate in the vote. #UNGA […]
Trump’s Jerusalem declaration to undermine US role as honest peace broker: Khawaja Asif
Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi landed in Turkey on Tuesday to attend the special summit on Al-Quds Al-Sharif (Jerusalem), accompanied by Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif and Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Premier Abbasi is leading the Pakistani delegation at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit which has begun Today ( Wednesday) and the summit […]