Masood N. Khan M.D. ISIS is a conspiracy implanted by Syrian Government of Alavites a sect in Shiaism in collaboration with Iran and Hezbollah to sabotage the rebellion against Assad regime by Syrians majority of whom are Sunnis. ISIS is a militant organization with Wahabi ideology, initially aided by Emirates....................

It is high time Muslims should roll up their sleeves and take up an active role in reshaping the culture of this country based upon restoration of its lost moral values, justice, equality and freedom. In order to confront this challenge they will have to do the following. They should....................

Muhammad Hamid Zaman PhD While the immediate challenges facing the Muslim world may be related to national security, rampant disease and bad governance, the long-term crisis we face is not the poverty of means, but the poverty of ideas and reason. A society that is quick to blame the outsiders....................

Since ISIS proclaimed Islamic State and reportedly imposed ‘Jizyah’ (a kind of special tax) on non-Muslims, much has been written about it in the western media. As usual, Islam was made the culprit for Jizyah constituted a perfect example of discrimination of religious minorities in Islam. There is a long....................

Bassam Obeid PhD In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Praise be to Allah and peace and blessings upon Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah. The purpose of this article is to clarify the issues related to the concept of Jizyah, a kind of special tax levied upon non-Muslims....................

Mohammad Owais Khan, PhD CandidateDepartment of Religion, Syracuse University, NY Gönül ne kahve ister ne kahvehâne Gönül dost ister, kahve bahâne The heart neither longs for coffee nor coffeehouses, The heart longs for a friend, coffee is just an excuse Kâtip Çelebi, a renowned 17th century Ottoman historian, in his....................

You might recall in 2010, Helen Thomas a renowned journalist of Lebanese decent , often seen sitting in the front row in almost every news conference given by the President, made comments about occupation of Palestine by Israel in a casual two minutes’ questioning by a Rabbi that was recorded.....................

You are unable to embrace the human; Why do you search for the Divine Azher Quader M.D It has become traditional for us to celebrate the thought and poetry of Allama Iqbal. Notwithstanding the power and wisdom of his thought, it may well be argued that much of the transformational....................

Masood N. Khan M.D. It seems the world today has comfortably accepted a system of governance based upon popular votes. Though still there are pockets of autocratic rulers mostly clustered in Muslim countries, in the majority of countries in the world a democratic system of governance, essentially western in origin,....................

Azher Quader M.D. For those claiming any connection to religion, theology seems to play a critical role in directing their lives. It often dictates their understanding of piety and perhaps even the purpose of their lives. Not surprisingly therefore there is a lot of emphasis given to it in our....................

Masood N. Khan M.D. The whole world is looking for moderate Muslims. The search happens to be intense and perpetual in the western world. For every violent act committed by a Muslim, there is an outcry and an onslaught of screams; where are the moderate Muslims? even though they may....................

Masood N. Khan M.D. The revolutions that have eliminated brutal dictators and let people feel the joy of freedom, have also brought up a challenging debate to all the reborn free Muslims as to what to do with Islam. Pardon me for such expression, not meant to put Islam down....................

It is realized that the title of this column may be a little intimidating at the outset. But the intention is indeed contrary. Provocation has two shades of meaning. It could mean to emotionally upset somebody enough to generate a reaction, as what happened in France recently that the editors....................

Parvez Ahmed Ph.D “Those who are elected ought to vote on what we do,” said Admiral Mike Mullen, former Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaking on The Colbert Report. He wants Congress to debate America’s latest military forays into the Middle East. Yet the halls of Congress....................

Masood N. Khan M.D. One of the most perplexing ideas in relation to divine revelation, especially for a mind that has totally submitted to the belief that Quran in its entirety is a divinely revealed book and every word of it is full of guidance, is abrogation of verses. Literally....................

Masood N. Khan M.D. During my recent visit to the North African Muslim country of Tunisia to pay my tribute to its successful revolution that became the harbinger of Arab Spring, I had the privilege to dicsuss with Tunisians their revolution and its aftermath. Trying to be as inclusive as....................

Masood N. Khan M.D. For decades Iqbal has been criticized by Muslim traditional religious scholars who saw in his philosophy an interpretation of faith that was not only unconventional but challenging to the age old definitions related to belief and action. Iqbal’s emphasis and emancipation of the concept of Ijtihad....................

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a milestone document in the history of mankind. Drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, the Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948. It sets out,....................

Iqbal Jafar The decline of the Muslim civilization, a puzzle that remains elusive despite a rich variety of suggested causes from the goat to Mongols, began almost simultaneously with the rise of the modern Europe. The advent of the Reformation that transformed the intellectual landscape of Europe is dated from....................

Dr. Niaz Murtaza MANY people say Pakistan’s problems today stem from the willful failure of rulers to establish an Islamic system. These are not supporters of the militant Islamic State group but wellmeaning individuals who abhor IS excesses. For them, this system is like turning on a water tap waiting....................

By Rashid Ghannouchi The author of the following article, Rashid Ghannouchi was named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2012 and Foreign Policy’s Top 100 Global Thinkers and was awarded the Chatham House Prize in 2012 (alongside Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki) by Prince Andrew, Duke....................

Masood N. Khan M.D. Even though some of us will be offended if Islam is reduced to categories, yet for the purpose of understanding and discussion there should be nothing wrong in examining it through various analytical prisms. Without going into the spiritual dimension of Islam since that is a....................

Let us begin with a little ‘summarized’ explanation of the importance of Jerusalem in Arab-Israeli conflict. Here are some facts Before Israel was created Jerusalem was for centuries under Muslim rule.Before 1948 while Israel was still in the making and the situation in Palestine had become volatile, United Nations designated....................

Fazlur RahmanNabaa Khan Why is it, that among followers of a divine scripture, bigotry, extremism and hatred run parallel with acceptance, moderation and love. How can the same text give rise to two different kinds of people with opposite mind sets. The only explanation for such a dichotomy, has to....................

"It is blasphemy for Muslims to sit in a group and try to understand Qur'an, interactively on their own without a scholar being present". This is not an uncommon belief among many Muslims, especially those who expouse to the indispensability of religious scholars to understand Islam. A group of Muslims....................

Masood N. Khan M.D. It is a wake up call; not in the sense that Muslims should think if the humiliating defeat of ISIS was an affront to Islam and therefore a call for them to reorganize with more vigor and a stronger come back. No! It is about shaking....................

Dr. Syed Abdul Latif We are privileged again to present here in an abridged form, another of Dr. latif’s thought provoking articles. It deals with an important topic of life in the hereafter. We have given somewhat elaborate introduction of Dr. SyedAbdul Latif in the summer 2019 issue of ‘The....................

Masood N. Khan M.D. BJP’s “Hindutva”, as being unfolded into hate-induced divisive governmental policies, has shaken the very spirit and conscience of India. It has forced people to reevaluate their position in regard to a fundamentally challenging question; What is the very “idea of India”. The widespread and stirring agitations....................

Hyder Mohammad Khan, MD, PhD BACKGROUND:US India policy Institute (USIPI) was incorporated in Washington DC as a tax-exempt Think Tank in 2011(*1). It is a community supported Institute. Human development research has been its focus. It fills a void in the area of non-governmental activities devoted to issues of India’s....................

The Hindu Mahasabha. Way before 1947 when India became independent, it was Indian National Congress that took up the cause of freedom for India. The great freedom fighters like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawahalal Nehru, Abul Kalam Azad, Valabh Bhai Patel and many others have been the stalwarts in Congress. However Congress....................

Masood N. Khan M.D. The Bharatiya Janata Party has become the sole major political party in the parliament and in the state assemblies in India, though there are other parties, some in alliance with BJP. By virtue of sheer number of its memebers, it is the world’s largest political party.....................

Dr. Syed Abdul Latif Ph.D.(London) Introduction: The following article is excerpted from a chapter on this topic in the book, titled “The Mind Al-Quran Builds” written by Dr. Syed Abdul Latif Dr. Syed Abdul Latif (PhD) was born at Kurnool, a historic town in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Kurnool....................

Masood N. Khan M.D. Perhaps no other concept has been so confusing or made confusing as the concept of a nation or nationhood. We have different definitions, modules and projected ideals, and to complicate it further, have also injected ‘Nationalism’ in the debate, a concept that has been very controversial;....................

Seema AzadDr. Ayesha SadafAsra M. KhanArshia MehdiShahida MoqeetCarolinas House of Mercy October is the National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. First introduced in 1981 by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, it is a day of unity to connect battered women and their advocates. Domestic violenceaffects millions of people, including men,....................

Parvez Ahmed Ph.D To mitigate the health and economic impact of COVID-19, besides a national testing and contact tracing program, President Donald Trump had to do three things: mandate masks nationwide, institute a near nationwide extended lockdown and provide stimulus money to cover the economic hole created by the lockdown.....................

Masood N. Khan, MD We left at a very important point in our discussion in the last issue of the Spark. It had brought focus on how Muslims related and dealt with knowledge in general. I think this matter points out to yet two more characteristics contributing to decline of....................

It is high time Muslims should roll up their sleeves and take up an active role in reshaping the culture of this country based upon restoration of its lost moral values, justice, equality and freedom. In order to confront this challenge they will have to do the following. They should....................

Masood N. Khan M.D. ISIS is a conspiracy implanted by Syrian Government of Alavites a sect in Shiaism in collaboration with Iran and Hezbollah to sabotage the rebellion against Asaad regime by Syrians majority of whom are Sunnies. ISIS is a militant organization with Wahabi ideology, initially aided by Emirates....................

Masood N. Khan M.D. Since ISIS proclaimed Islamic State and reportedly imposed "Jizyah" (a kind of special tax) on non-Muslims, has much been written about it in the western media. As usual, Islam was made the culprit for Jizyah constituted a perfect example of discrimination of religious minorities in Islam.....................

Masood N. Khan M.D. During my recent visit to the North African Muslim country of Tunisia to pay my tribute to its successful revolution that became the harbinger of Arab Spring, I had the privilege to discuss with Tunisians their revolution and its aftermath. Trying to be as inclusive as....................

Muhammad Hamid Zaman PhD While the immediate challenges facing the Muslim world may be related to national security rampant disease and bad governance, the long-term crisis we face is not the poverty of means, but the poverty of ideas and reason. A society that is quick to blame the outsiders....................