Videos from Islamic Finance Conference - Shaykh Nizam Yaquby, Sh. Taha Abdul-Basser, and others

Straightway Ethical Advisory Blog | UFANA Islamic Finance Conference on March 30-31, 2010 (VIDEO): “Below is part 1-4 of the Sharia`ah Scholars Roundtable discussion on the AAOIFI standards and other topics of note. Sh Taha Abdul-Basser introduces the panel, which was held at the UFANA Islamic Finance Conference on March 30-31, 2010. Speakers in the series (1-4) are Sh Taha Abdul-Basser, Shaykh Nizam Muhammad Salih Yaquby, Mufti Barakatulla (England), and Sh Dr Aznan Hasan (Malaysia). “

Americans flock to Toronto to buy coveted Pakistani mango - thestar.com

Americans flock to Toronto to buy coveted Pakistani mango - thestar.com

It was an impulsive act of love, almost bordering on obsession, which led Waseem Haider to do the unthinkable: smuggle a harmless, yet forbidden, substance across the U.S.-Canada border.

The goods – two cases of sweet and juicy Pakistani mangoes of the chaunsa variety – didn’t get very far.

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Listening to Quran Online Is Easier than Ever! « Creative Muslims

Listening to Quran Online Is Easier than Ever! « Creative Muslims

At work? Are you ready to pop in your iPod headphones well before you think about checking your music out, you might want to pay attention to something much more important – the Quran. Ramadan is not far , check out the following three sites where you can listen to Quran in Arabic, in Arabic with English, in Arabic with French, and more! These interfaces are simple and load fast!

1. Halaltunes – User friendly interface, clear high quality audio, extremely easy to stream, organized by chapters of the Quran

Arabic Reciters:
Abdus-Samad Abdul-Basit (Mujawed)
Abdus-Samad Abdul-Basit (Murattal)
Mishary Rashid al-Afasy
Ahmed al-Ajmy
Abdullah Basfar
Salah Bukhatir
Saad Said al-Ghamdi
Mahmoud al-Husary
Muhammad Jibreel
Abdullah Al-Johany
Mohammed Siddiq al-Minshawi (Mujawed)
Mohammed Siddiq al-Minshawi (Murattal)
Tawfeeq As-Sayegh
Abu Bakr al-Shatri
Saud al-Shuraim
Abdur-Rahman as-Sudais

2. Quran Explorer – Easy to use, clear high audio, multiple translations of the recitation (in English, Spanish, French, Urdu, etc), multiple reciters to choose from, text of the Quran and translations are easy to read and present to follow with the recitation

Arabic Reciters:
Abdul-Baasit
As-Sudays-Shraym
Khalil-Husari
Mishari-Rashid
Mishari-Rashid-HQ
Saad al-Ghamdi
Salah Bukhatir
Sheikh-Ahmed-Ajmi
Sheikh-Al-Huzaifi

3. Quran.com – Easy to use, appealing visual interface, multiple languages for the translation, large easy to read text (Arabic & translation are side by side), tafsir is included with each ayat, organized by chapter, audio streamed from

Reciters:
Many (http://quranicaudio.com/)

On Faith Panelists Blog: No religious basis for 9/11 - Hadia Mubarak

On Faith Panelists Blog: No religious basis for 9/11 - Hadia Mubarak

While opposition to the opening of an Islamic center at Ground Zero is certainly not surprising, it reflects a dismal level of intolerance, bigotry and ignorance that continues to plague our country. To characterize the existence of a place of worship for God-loving, law-abiding Muslim citizens as a ’stab in the heart’ to Americans is to presume that 9/11 was a religious attack that exclusively targeted non-Muslims.

I’m sorry Sarah Palin, but 9/11 was an attack against all Americans - including Muslim Americans. Muslim firefighters, lawyers, restaurant waiters, and dozens of other Muslims who worked at the World Trade Center lost their lives on that day. Hundreds of Muslims lost loved ones and millions of Muslims across the country grieved with everyone else on that day and continue to grieve every day that lives are unjustly taken. Sept. 11 was not a religious attack that exclusively targeted one religion, race or ethnicity, but one that stabbed all of our hearts. The victims of 9/11 spanned countless ethnicities, races and religions. Read more

Prince of Brotherhood - Amir Abd el-Kader

Saudi Aramco World : Prince of Brotherhood

During his lifetime, Abd el-Kader, tribal leader and scholar of the Qur’an, became world-famous as both a freedom-fighter and an advocate for religious tolerance and cultural openness. President Abraham Lincoln thanked him for saving lives. French priests praised him from their pulpits. British readers admired him as they read his autobiography. And Algerians today regard him as a founder of modern Algeria and a symbol of its future. This May, the people of Elkader, Iowa (population less than 1400)—the only town in the United States named after an Arab—invoked his legacy when Algeria’s ambassador to the us helped school officials honor the teenage winner of the town’s high-school essay contest on the topic of religious understanding.

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The End of Liberalism – John Gray - Allahcentric

The End of Liberalism – John Gray « Allahcentric

“As the political theory of modernity, liberalism is ill-equipped to address the dilemmas of the postmodern period. Liberalism was the political theory of the modern age, partly because it was a response to circumstances of diversity in world-views that arose in the early modern period with the Reformation and the Wars of Religion, and partly because it was a version of the animating project of modernity, which was the Enlightenment project – ‘the project’ as Alasdair MacIntyre summarizes it ‘of an independent rational justification of morality’.

The diversity of world-views, which gave rise to the liberal project in early modern times, has not diminished and is with us now; but the Enlightenment project which informed and sustained liberalism is now a dead letter. It lingers on in academic debates about realism in ethics and in the philosophy of science but – except in the United States, where along with an equally atavistic Christianity it continues to pervade the public culture – the Enlightenment project is no longer a living force in contemporary culture.

Within philosophy, the project of rationally reconstructing morality – whether on utilitarian, contractarian or rights-based foundations – is virtually extinct; and, if there remain philosophers wedded to that Enlightenment project, they are few and unimportant in the larger scheme of things, since philosophy itself is not a culturally marginal activity. The intellectual foundations of the Enlightenment project have fallen away; but liberal theory, for the most part, proceeds as if nothing has happened.”

(p 85 of “Liberalism” by John Gray)

Excellent blog: Allahcentric

8 Theories on Why College Kids Are Studying Less | The Atlantic Wire

8 Theories on Why College Kids Are Studying Less | The Atlantic Wire

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Disappointment and hope after Cairo - Sheikh Ali Gomaa

Guest Voices: Disappointment and hope after Cairo - On Faith at washingtonpost.com

Last month marked the first anniversary of President Barack Obama’s speech to the Muslim world in Cairo where he sought “a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world; one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect”

However, the hope that greeted President Obama’s speech has turned into disappointment as people realized that turning promises into reality is not easy to achieve. While he should be congratulated on his efforts to change the discourse of US policy towards the Muslim world, it is clear that people expect more than simply statements from him.

It is vital to rekindle the new spirit that accompanied President Obama’s speech and to discuss together how we can transform it into practical programs that bridge the concept of dialogue with real and affective partnership between East and West.

I believe there are several ways that can help forge a constructive partnership between the Muslim world and the US. The Islam we were taught in our youth is one that calls for peace and mercy. The Prophet Muhammad told us: “Those who show mercy are shown mercy by the All-Merciful. Show mercy to those who are on earth and the One in the heavens will show mercy to you.” Furthermore, the Qur’an teaches us: “O people we have created you from a single male and female and divided you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another.” When God says “to know one another” He did not mean in order to kill one another. All religions have forbidden the killing of innocents. Rather we have been ordered to cooperate in a constructive manner.

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SeekersGuidance Appalachian Retreat 2010 - Overview, Slideshow, and Testimonials - SeekersGuidance Blog

SeekersGuidance - SeekersGuidance Appalachian Retreat 2010 - Overview, Slideshow, and Testimonials - SeekersGuidance Blog

For those of you who were unable to attend the first ever SeekersGuidance Appalachian Retreat held in Coker Creek, TN from June 25 to June 30, we’ve uploaded the picture slideshow to youtube. You can view the slideshow: SeekersGuidance Appalachian Retreat 2010 - Overview, Slideshow, and Testimonials - SeekersGuidance Blog

Jon Stewart Blasts Fox News for Anti-Muslim Rhetoric

Jon Stewart Blasts Fox News for Anti-Muslim Rhetoric

Tonight, Jon Stewart put America’s favorite insanity-ridden network in its place when he decried Fox News’ anti-Muslim biases regarding NASA’s recent foray into diplomacy, as well as the controversy over the construction of new mosques across the country. Video inside.

The Laws of Love: The Keys to a Spiritually Transformative Ramadan (Toronto, July 24, 2010)

The Holy Month of Ramadan. A time of spiritual transformation, of revival, of struggling to reach ranks that surpass those of the Angels. Lofty goals -and ones which Believers can achieve with knowledge, effort and determination. So how do you actually attain such blessings? How can you to move toward perfecting yourself during this Blessed Month?

This full day SeekersSeminar offers practical guidance to help you make this Ramadan a time of true transformation, Knowledgeable, accessible teachers will guide you through a deeper examination of the spiritual purpose and fiqh of fasting and worship, and will introduce you to the laws of love and how they can help you achieve a more meaningful relationship with Allah.

Make this Ramadan your best yet. Join us in Toronto on July 24th!

Register now http://ramadantoronto.eventbrite.com/

Featured topics:

• The spiritual purpose of Ramadan and the fiqh of fasting (**Shaykh Faraz Rabbani – confirmed**)
• An examination of what Allah says about Ramadan in the Qur’an (**Shaykh Zahir Bacchus – confirmed**)
• The virtues of fasting (**Shaykh Yusuf Badat – confirmed**)
• How to attain a socially meaningful Ramadan (**Ustadha Shireen Ahmed – confirmed**)
• Connecting with the Qur’an during Ramadan (**Mutfi Umer Esmail – confirmed**)
• A description of the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) fast, via recorded video by Sh. Yahya Rhodus

The way of the companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) was to prepare themselves for this blessed month, during the month of Shaban.

How prepared are you?

Register now at http://ramadantoronto.eventbrite.com/