Islam is the 2nd largest religion of the world, and its followers are increasing day by day. This is a good sign, but the threat is that some Muslims show hatred towards the west, and this hatred often becomes the cause of conflict between the Muslims and the west.

This is a very serious issue, and very deep research is needed to get to the root of the problem as maintaining peace in the world would not be that easy with the existence of hatred.

The western culture provides all citizens with complete freedom to live their lives they way they want. There is no law to control one’s personal life. You are not bound by anyone, and you can live they way you like. In the western civilization, the concept of God exists, and people can call him in their prayers.

When it comes to Muslims, things are entirely opposite. Muslims believe in oneness of God, and getting the pleasure of God is the most important thing for a Muslim. When Muslims observe such ignorance of God by the western people, quite naturally, they start hating their ideas, and that leads them to hate the westerns.

This is just a simple example. As a matter of fact, the ideas of Muslims and the Western people are exactly opposite as far as religion and general ethics are concerned. West has a culture which allows them full freedom, whereas Muslims are bound by the teachings of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) and those of the Holy Quran. For Muslims, a better life in the coming world is important while westerns try to seize all pleasure in this lifetime. Due to such differences in the ideas and mental approaches, there is a mutual hate between the two being discussed here.

If we peep into the annals of history, we see that it was Islam that came after Christianity, and from that time to this time, Christians have been trying to eliminate the followers of Islam and the religion itself as they consider it necessary for their own survival. Due to this, from the 6th century to this century, they have always made efforts to get rid of Islam. These efforts of them have given rise to the hatred in the Muslims. Moreover, the actions such as drawing the cartoons of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W), the burning of Holy Quran and other actions of disrespect and the attitude of the Government of western areas regarding these actions is what makes Muslims hate the western people.

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France is a country that has a rich history and culture. It is also inhabited by people from various ethnicities, who add a lot to its lifestyle and heritage. As of 2011, France was considered to have a population of 65.8 million. The top international communities in France include Slavic, North African and Western and Central African, Southeast Asian and the Basque minority. France is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in Europe.
The main population is white Caucasian. North African people represent the largest non-indigenous group that is called Arabs. It comprises Algerians, Tunisians and Moroccans with Algerians representing the largest part in the group. Arabs come from Berber and Kabyles groups. Black African groups come mainly from French colonies of Western and Central Africa. This group is also referred to as African-Caribbeans. The Asian community originates mainly from Vietnam and Laos. The non-French speaking groups originate from China, and Tamil. Other small groups come from Armenia, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Philippines, Georgia, Greece, Haiti, Iran, Italy, India, Korea, Lebanon, Romania and Turkey.

France is known for acknowledging cultural and ethnic differences, but is at the same time famous for racial discrimination problems. These discrimination problems ravaged its black and Arab groups who suffer already from unemployment and integration problems. France prides itself to be a country that recognizes all its citizens regardless of religion, race or origin. While this ideology is a noble one, reality is way different. Ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy suggested considering the American approach of equal opportunity, quotas and accurate statistics to reflect a more truthful image of France.

By France opting to categorize its ethnic groups by race and ethnicity, it would set the way for positive discrimination that is still a form of discrimination. Racial and xenophobia are deeply engraved in the French community. These attitudes are oriented mainly towards minorities and immigrants. Immigrants are usually held responsible for France’s problems including unemployment, decline in the quality of education and crime. Immigrants are seen capable of committing crime more than the average French person. An important portion of the French society thinks that immigrants should be repatriated. Discrimination and hatred acts are punishable by law. Racism can also be depicted in the country’s political system. People disagree whether minorities add value to the country. Tolerance degree varies among the French from the intolerant group to the most tolerant one. Moreover, huge efforts are made to crack down the illegal immigrants whose majority are Arab and Black African.

France views itself as a laic state and thus all funding is not allowed for religious institutions except for those having a cultural association. Islamic institutions are banned from this category as Muslims are considered to not have any historical ties to French history. Even though racism is banned in France, it is clearly a part from its everyday life. This reflects a clear failure of social integration of minorities and immigrants. A significant amount of work should be done to recognize this form of social failure, and combat it.

About the author

UniqueWriter

I am a nice, understanding, caring, sincere, honest, trustworthy, friendly single male from Delhi, India. I'm an experienced writer. I have written many articles in different niches, a fiction book, and some poems.

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Jews in the United Kingdom have been reporting incidents of antisemitism for years, and Muslims have finally decided to follow suit. With the backing of the UK government, a project has been set up to monitor and record incidents of anti-Muslim hate. In its first year of operation, it has recorded a staggering 632 incidents all over the United Kingdom. Based on the Community Security Trust model which is well known for recording such incidents, “Tell Mama” is operated by an interfaith organization  called “Faith Matters”.

“Faith Matters” reports that the victims of anti-Muslim hatred vary in age from the five-year-old to the 89-year-old Muslims. According to its records, women are more prone to such incidents. Almost three-quarters of anti-Muslim attacks occurred on the world wide web in the last year. The organization hopes that by Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks (Mama), it will be able to bring about a significant change in what people in the UK consider acceptable behavior. Director of Faith Matters Fiyaz Mughal, speaking to the media, said:

By highlighting these incidents we want people to realize that Islamophobia is equally as disgusting and poisonous as anti-Semitism and I think that people do not take it to that level right now – at least some people don’t.  We need to reduce the volume of online hate towards Muslim communities. We also should create frameworks for the police and other institutions to get them up recording and prosecuting in this area.

Tell Mama is planning to go smart, with its free smartphone app expected to be released within a few days. According to Faith Matters, this will make it easier for more Muslims to report incidents of hate on their phones. Mughal hopes this will lead to more people reporting any hate crimes against them, without which he believes Islamophobia can never be tackled and eliminated from British society.

The organization says that the 632 incidents were of varying degrees and differing natures. For example, in January 2013, a pig’s head was thrown into a London-based Afghan family. Several other incidents involving pig-based items have occurred in the United Kingdom over the past year, including one in which a cross wrapped in ham was left just outside a Muslim home in Nottinghamshire. 39-year old Murad Alam was forced to leave his home and two young sons after the incident.

To be honest I don’t think Islamophobia is taken very seriously – it feels like if what had happened to me happened to a Jewish family there would have been outraged. There’s a sense that because of history of terrorism, that is attached to Islam, non-Muslims feel that all Muslims deserve to be abused.

Alam reported the incident to the police, he felt as though he needed to take action in order to prevent other Muslim families in the United Kingdom from going through the same pains as himself. He is grateful to Tell Mama for the service it is providing to the ever-growing Muslim population in the UK.

I looked online and found the service so called and told them what had happened. They spoke to the media and it was great for me; I needed people to know what had happened.

According to the UK Home Office, 82% of hate crimes were based on race, whereas merely 1621 hate crime incidents were based on religious differences. A census conducted in 2011 showed that there were a total of 2.7 million Muslims living in England and Wales, 4.8% of the total population. Compared to 2001, when there were just 1.5 million Muslims, this is a marked increase. That is why it is all the more important to start tackling intolerance towards Muslims.

Although the Jewish community in the United Kingdom is much smaller than the Muslim population, the Community Security Trust (CST) has been recording hate crimes against its members for almost three decades. Tell Mama hopes to make up lost time, something that Mark Gardiner of the CST appreciates.

CST is glad that our work countering antisemitism has helped Tell Mama provide the Muslim community with a proper mechanism, for reporting and understanding anti-Muslim hate crimes. It has taken CST nearly 30 years of focus and professionalism to reach success today. What Tell Mama has achieved with wroking for one year is very impressive.

About the author

Human. Pakistani. Law Student. Muslim.

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Islam is a religion that makes things clear. It puts into practice what us as people ‘biologically’ already know what to do, but sometimes fall short of. It is a guide for us.

My reason for stating this is because I want to address the responsibilities of children towards their parents. I will focus on the difference between the non-Muslim and the Muslim world.

In today’s society, it’s beyond obvious how children treat their parents. You have TV shows like “Super Nanny,” where parents can’t handle how their children behave, so they ask others and go out of their homes, for extra help.

You have another show, called “World’s Strictest Parents” in this TV program parents push teenagers to live with “strict parents” for a week in the hopes that they’ll change.

It’s all in the media. You literally see this awful disrespect EVERYWHERE. What does this say about us as people? Where are we headed?

For one thing, you can blame the parents for allowing disrespect at an early age, often resulting in worst behavior as the children get older. You can also blame the parents for the abnormal (what is the ‘norm’, now) environments where they allow their kids to grow up. You can pretty much put the blame on a lot of things, and a lot of people. And while blame might be the easiest route, it’s not the smartest.

What society is lacking today has everything to do with the absence  of morals, decency, and Islam. Point blank.
Not every Muslim is perfect. Heck, not every human is perfect. Non of us is perfect but Islam is perfect. If we all were to practice the rules of Islam, we would be MUCH better off.

I’m not saying that every non-Muslim is disrespectful to their parents. That’s actually far from what I’m saying. What I’m saying is, the morality of the world has died. You see it on the TV and in movies all the time. If people followed the rules of Islam, they would live a new life.

Without further due, I now present to you, the responsibilities of children towards their parents according to Islam (all of these things are rooted in your biological thinking.)

Allah says in Surat Al-Israa verse 23: The Lord has decreed that you worship only Him, and be kind to your Parents.  If one or both of them is old, say not to them a word of contempt, and not to repel them, but a Muslim should address them in terms of honor.

As you can see, Allah puts a strong emphasis on how we should treat our parents. God makes it very clear how He wants us to treat our parents. He’s even taught us through our Last Messenger (PBUH).

Here are some Hadith of the Prophet (PBUH) :

The Holy Prophet (PBUH) said: “The pleasure of Allah lies in the pleasure of one’s parents and His wrath lies in their wrath.”

Abu Hurairah (May Allah SWT be pleased with him) reported: A person came to Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and asked, “Who among people is most deserving of my fine treatment?” He (PBUH) said, “Your mother”. He again asked, “Who next?” “Your mother”, the Prophet (PBUH) replied again. He asked, “Who next? ” He (the Prophet (PBUH)) said again, “Your mother.” He again asked, “Then who? ” Thereupon he (PBUH) said ” Then your father.”

We as people should realize the status of our Parents, and treat them the way they SHOULD be treated.
Children should not raise their voice towards their parents.
They shouldn’t hit or shove their parents.
They shouldn’t speak ill of their parents.
They shouldn’t disobey their parents.

Do you realize the struggles your parents went through not only to bring you into this world, but to keep you here, AND provide for themselves while raising you?!

We all need to heed to the advice of Prophet Muhammad, and listen to the command of Allah.
Inshaa Allah we’ll change, and we’ll get better.
Which will make our parents happy, and will ultimately make Allah happy.
‘Cause isn’t that why we’re here?

About the author

I'm Aaminah Abdul Khaliq, but most people just call me "Ami (ah me)" for short.
I'm 18, a student and I live in the U.S.A. I love writing and always have. I write because it's part of who I am, and it makes me feel accomplished!

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A Concise introduction and account of the Playbook can be presented as a function towards establishing certain rules and regulations, in relation to the mysterious and the stealthy Drone Attacks conducted by the CIA around the globe. It also functions to set rules that would legalize the actions of the drones mentioned herewith and to mitigate the rate at which these attacks are conducted.

This is something that the US Government needs to consider on a profound and intense note, in light of the heavy criticism and ridicule that it is facing and receiving from its many supporters and people, as well. This criticism is mainly directed towards the government’s uncontrolled and unhindered dependence on technological warfare. This outrage from different nations and people across the world towards drone attacks has culminated in the form of an immensely strong opposition by the world against drone attacks.

Perhaps this is an approach towards capturing the essence of what the nations of the world want in the future, in response to the unbiased and misdirected show of the US in terms of its might and military strength against defenseless and feeble third world nations.

These are countries where the war being fought is not even of conventional or traditionally recognizable tendencies. However, the most appalling and fascinatingly curious aspect of this Playbook by Brennan is that the Laws it entails are not applicable to Pakistan and Yemen in relation to Drone Strikes.

Why is it so, you asking?

You cannot inquire at all.

The leak of the Document by the Justice Department has led to much uproar and outrage from the public over the unjust killing of US citizens by the state itself. The case of “Al-Aulaqi” has been the recipient of much attention and coverage. As a side effect of the leak in question, the state has become the object of inquisition by the public regarding the definition that the former uses in relation to recognizing and branding terrorists.

All of this combined won’t put an end to Drone Strikes. In fact, the US is packing up its military operations in Afghanistan. But their absence is likely to be substituted with more of a technological offensive, meaning aerial strikes that are devoid of a mortal manning quality.

Ever since this year’s threshold has been crossed, there has been a sharp incline in the rate of these attacks. Bill Roggio from the Long War Journal reported the demise of 11 civilians in the four attacks committed in the first two weeks of January.

The incident involving the death of about 38 civilians in a single precision strike during March 2011 is also much appalling. It is impossible to ascertain the true toll of death and destruction as the areas decimated by the CIA are closed to journalists, government related functionaries and other such peers.

War of a conventional sort brings about much in the way of collateral damage, that is what the drone supports present forth as an argument.

But is this truly a War that is being fought?

Are we privy to the true identity of our enemy?

Is the demise of Osama actually hastening the march towards world tranquility and peace?

Will the decimation of further militants of the sort eradicate terrorism?

The truth is that terrorism is something that cannot be annihilated or destroyed through the means of military might alone.

Ever since the terrorist incident orchestrated by the Al-Qaeda, there has not been one single US Citizen death from terrorism. In contrast, about 150 children have perished in school shootings initiated since 2003.

Perhaps it is time for the US to quit is countering terrorism worldwide and pay a bit more mind and attention to its laws and regulations, regarding guns and weaponry.

 

About the author

I love to write creative articles. I have been writing on different social and religious topics for 2 years now. Give me a creative topic and I will write it for you.

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AK party – a decade in charge

 Recently, a celebration of the Justice and Development (AK) party on completing their 10^th year in charge was held grandly at Ankara, Turkey. This event turned all the media attention towards Ankara as it gathered more than 40,000 supporters on that day.

The Egypt President Muhammed Moorsi, the Turkey Prime Minister Tyyib Erdugan, the Hamas political leader Khalid Mish’al, and some other great personalities were invited as chief guests.

In his speech, the Egypt President Moorsi addressed the Turkey Prime Minister Erdugan and said “Turkey is the perfect example for Arab countries on solving political and social issues.”  And, he added that “Egypt agrees with Turkey on actions against crisis in Syria.” Aarif Kaskin, a political researcher said that Moorsi’s visit to Turkey clarifies that Egypt will join hands with Turkey on making changes in the Middle East in the future.

When Khalid Mish’al started his sermon, with large support from the audience, he said, “Turkey has shown the bright face of Islam.” And, he added “Erdogan is not only a leader for Turkey now, but also a leader for the entire Muslim Ummah (Society) as well.”

When the hero of the function, Tyyib Erdogan, started his speech by thanking the guests by names, it was really a boom from the crowd. In his speech the Prime Minister warned the West against promoting “Islamophobia” and also reminded the world about their concept towards Israel.

Addressing thousands of party members, Erdogan said the era of military coups in the nation of 75 million people was over. And he promised that “the military power over civil governance will be reduced soon,” in the speech lasting almost two and half hours and meant to chart the AK Party’s agenda for the next decade.

He vowed to frame a more diverse constitution in the following decade and turn a new page in the relations with Turkey’s 15 million Kurds, to make the regime strong enough with the support of all communities.

Erdugan continued by saying that, “Turkey’s Islamist-rooted ruling party had become an example to the Muslim world after a decade in charge.” “We called ourselves conservative democrats. We focused our change on basic rights and freedom,” Erdogan told thousands of cheering party members at the Congress in a sports stadium in the capital Ankara. “This stance has gone beyond our country’s borders and has become an example for all Muslim countries,” he added.

Under Erdogan’s autocratic grip, the AK Party has won three consecutive elections since 2002, ending a history of fragile coalition governments punctuated by military coups and marking Turkey’s longest period of single-party government for more than half a century. It is important to mention that per capita income has nearly tripled in that time and Turkey has re-established itself as a regional power, with its allies seeing its mix of democratic stability and Islamic culture as a potential role model in a volatile region.

 

About the author

a freelance writer and a blogger based Sri Lanka.
writer at IiWords.

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The role of Islam in France was once again under the spotlight on Thursday after right-wing daily Le Figaro published the results of an opinion poll that suggested 43 percent of French people believe the religion is a "threat" to national identity.

Six out of ten French people believe the influence of Islam in France is "too big" and 43 percent see the religion as a "threat" to national identity, according to the results of an opinion poll published on Thursday.

The sensitive poll, which will likely cause ripples in a country home to Europe's largest Muslim population, was carried out by Ifop polling institute for Le Figaro, which published the results under the headline "The image of Islam worsens in France".

Only 17 percent of respondents believed Islam "enriched" France's culture and 40 percent said it was neither a threat to the country's national identity nor of benefit to its culture.

Le Figaro's survey reveals French opinion towards particular elements of the Islamic religion is also hardening, with 43 percent of people questioned saying they were opposed to the construction of mosques compared to 39 percent two years ago.

The number of respondents opposed to the wearing of the Islamic veil or headscarf in public has also risen also risen from 59 percent in 2010 to 63 percent.

Two thirds of people surveyed said they thought French Muslims and people of Muslim origin were not well integrated into French society. Among them, 68 percent blamed this lack of integration on Muslims' "refusal to integrate", while roughly half said they believed it was a result of "insurmountable cultural differences".

France 24, 25 October 2012

See also Reuters, 25 October 2012

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The Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAWW) was always very polite and gentle with others. He always treated people with kindness and tenderness. His manner was never belligerent, not even towards his enemies. His kind and gentle character endeared him to all; young and old, rich and poor, men and women.

ALLAH mentions this quality of the Holy Prophet (SAWW) in his book as follows,

“It is part of the Mercy of Allah that thou dost deal gently with them. Wert thou severe or harsh hearted, they would have broken away from about thee…” (3:159)

Behavior towards Companions:

The Holy Prophet’s (SAWW) mercy, fellow feeling and concern for his companions was widely known. He used to enquire about the welfare of each one of his companions. He would get worried if any one of them did not visit Him for a couple of days. He took interest in their welfare as well as personal problems. He shared their joys and sorrows and was never indifferent to any one of them. It was due to his kindness that he was always surrounded by his devoted followers who would not hesitate to sacrifice their lives for him. They played a significant role in his successful political struggle.

Behavior towards Strangers:

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAWW) taught Muslims to protect the lives and belongings of strangers and wayfarers. After the death of Abdul Muttalib (RA), authority in Makkah had become more or less divided and there was no institution to ensure the individuals, peaceful enjoyment of their rights and property. Family ties afforded some degree of protection against injustice, but strangers were exposed to all sorts of oppression. After a  sacrilegious war, a league was formed with the object of suppressing any violence and injustice to the oppressed, whether citizen or stranger. The Prophet Muhammad (SAWW) was one of those who joined the league and was so impressed by its noble objective that he remained loyal to it throughout. Later, he would say that if he was again summoned to it, he would gladly respond.

Behavior towards Children:

The Holy Prophet (SAWW) loved children. A companion quoted Anas as sayings:

“I have never seen anyone act more kindly towards children than Allah’s Apostle.” (Afzal-ur-Rehman: Encyclopedia of Seerah Vol. 1)

Anas was reported to have said,

“I have never prayed behind an Imam who was more brief or more perfect in his prayer than Allah’s Apostle. If he heard a baby crying, he would shorten the prayer for fear that the mother might be distressed.”(Afzal-ur-Rehman: Encyclopedia of Seerah Vol. 1)

His love and kindness was not confined to Muslim children only. Once in a battle, a few children came into the battlefield and were killed. The Holy Prophet (SAWW) was distressed about this. Someone told him that they were children of the unbelievers to which He replied:

“Even children of unbelievers are better than you. Beware! Do not kill children.” (Afzal-ur-Rehman: Encyclopedia of Seerah Vol. 1)

 

About the author

Hassaan12

I am from Karachi, Pakistan. I am a Computer Science student. Love to play games, write articles, checking FB, Forums etc.

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After September 11, 2001, reactions of Americans to the attacks on the World Trade Center ranged from anguish to wrath. Some of the Americans held all Muslims responsible for the 9/11 attacks at the same time as it became apparent that the wrong doers were 19 Muslims who were working for a particular terrorist group that swathed itself in an aggressive version of Islam. Within some days after the attack on the World Trade Center, a number of people were killed in the Unites States only for the reason that they were Muslims or they were perceived to be Muslims.

Rumor has it that one Sikh was killed by the Americans only because of his suspicious action of wearing a turban. The hostile response of discrimination and violence may have an outgoing tide in the decade ever since but it has die down by a hair’s breadth. In the intervening time, as the wars were launched by the United States in the Muslim majority countries of Afghanistan and afterwards Iraq, an uptick was seen in the anti Muslim violence. This uptick was due to the subsequent terrorist bombings linked with Al Qaeda in London and Madrid.

Now a lot of people look at the Muslims with fear and terror. Muslims are treated with an intolerance and prejudice. And many others treat the Muslims specially but all this is not necessary. It must be taken into account that all the Muslims were not responsible for the Sept 11 attacks. Those who were guilty were the members of Al Qaeda and were Muslim extremists. The reaction of Americans towards Muslims after the attacks on the World Trade Center is full of wrath and anger. Their treatment with Muslims is often irrational, unfair and is fueled by fear.

They should make distinction among the Muslim terrorists and the innocent Muslims because they cannot be treated in the same manner. Americans need to understand that Islam or Muslim is not equal to terrorism. They should also remember the day of attack on the World Trade Center as many Muslims also died in that attacks and were above suspicion and innocent. Muslims were also the part of the community of World Trade Center. After the attacks of Sept 11, there is a need to make certain that the safety and morale of the United States is properly maintained. It can be very valuable to think over all this.

 

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The young generation of today finds its life too personal and do not want anyone to interrupt in their life styles be it their parents or anyone else.

The holy Quran says:

‘’Treat your parents with great kindness; if either of them attain old age, do not even say ‘’uff’’ to them; nor rebuke them; but speak to them with kind words. Treat them with humanity and tenderness and pray, ‘’o our lord, be merciful to them; just as they brought me up with kindness and affection in my childhood.’’

(17: 23,24)

The above hadees clears what is the position of parents in Islam. Children of today have become independent on their own. They do not give the due respect to their parents and elderly family members. If their parents advice them about something, they think they are interrupting their privacy.

Islam has given a really high place to mother. Paradise is at the feet of mother. This can be proved through an incident. Once a man asked hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W) ‘’ to whom should I show most of the kindness? “ . Our beloved prophet said ‘’your mother, your mother, your mother and then your father.’’ A woman carries her child in her womb for nine months. She bears all the pain during the process of giving birth. She spends every minute of her life worrying for her child. She sleeps only when her child is asleep. This gives a very high position to a mother in Islam.

Once a man came to Hazrat Muhammad (s.a.w) and said that he can’t take part in pilgrimage as he has to take care of his old mother. Hazrat Muhammad (s.w.a) said ‘’You don’t have to worry. This act of yours will earn you more sawab than the pilgrimage’’

This doesn’t mean that fathers do not have an equal position as to mothers. If paradise is under the feet of mother, father has the key to enter that paradise. The position of father in Islam can be explained through this statement of Quran

                             “God’s pleasure is in the pleasure of the father, and God’s displeasure is in the displeasure of the father.”

Fathers are those beautiful persons who work day and night for the comfort of their children. They sacrifice their comfort in order to give their children whatever they want. A child can never ever repay all the favors that his father did for him so he must show his gratitude towards him by being obedient.

A child must always remember that his relationship with Allah almighty is directly linked with his attitude toward his parents.

About the author

I am running a freelance company to provide development, designing, seo and writing services.

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I’m Awais Nisar from Pakistan and a proud Muslim. I consider myself very lucky of the fact that I’m living in an Islamic country where we have the rights to live according to the teachings of Islam and implement them in our life without any worry and obstruction. All Muslims in their respective countries think that Muslims don’t have religious rights in USA and European countries. Last night I happened to see a video which made me to review my thoughts about Muslims in USA. A local TV channel took up this matter to show American citizens the double standard in their society which in itself is a great step by the TV channel because this would certainly give people a wake up call to correct their behavior with Muslims and other minorities.

But, interestingly the result was totally opposite to the expected outcome. Most American said no to racism while few agreed to it. TV channels used two actors in the experiment,shopkeeper and the costumer. They just read the script. The goal was to know the behavior of people when they see something wrong happening in front of them.

Well, I would just say “We all are immigrants in this world! It really doesn’t matter if you are Muslim,Christian,American,Pakistani whatever, we all belong to one Earth so we collectively have the responsibility to live in it peacefully, just like a home. A family living in a home has members with different ages, different body shapes, different attitudes but all family members realize they have to live together because there is no other way of doing this.That is what we call a happy family when all members Love each other and support each other and this also keep their home safe.

We need to think of one another as members of one big family. Earth is like our big home and think all humans as one family. If we cannot support each other then at least we should not harm each other!

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New research shows that that there is a link between the banning of the veil in France and increased levels of hostility towards veiled Muslim women.

The Research from the Department of Criminology at the University of Leicester suggests that the veil ban stigmatises veiled Muslim women as "criminals" and fosters Muslim "otherness". Even if not explicitly inciting hate-motivated violence, the law in its application contributes to a climate of intolerance of Islam in the West.

Irene Zempi, who led the study, will present her research on Islamophobia at a Departmental Research Seminar at the University of Leicester tommorrow.

Ms Zempi argues: "In light of my interviews with veiled Muslim women, I am confident that the French veil ban is a 'trigger' event which has led to increased levels of anti-Muslim hostility towards women who wear the face veil – the most visual symbol of Islam in the West. The veil ban policy is a clear manifestation of Islamophobia. The veil ban is not a 'religious-blind' piece of legislation; rather it attacks 'Islam' through the religious code of dress for Muslim women."

Ms Zempi's research is qualitative in nature, drawing on individual and focus group interviews with veiled Muslim women. This research also includes interviews with French Muslim women who moved to Leicester from France because of the French veil ban.

Ms Zempi will discuss the implications of the veil ban for veiled Muslim women in France and the UK at the seminar on Wednesday. She argues that the veil ban policy – including support for state veil bans – is fertile ground for anti-Muslim hate crime/incidents in the public sphere.

She continues: "The veil ban not only overshadows the fundamental issue of religious freedom as a human right, it also undercuts individual agency, privacy, and self-expression. This law oppresses women who want to wear the veil by depriving them from having control over their bodies and the way they dress."

Jon Garland, Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Ms Zempi's co-supervisor, said: "Irene is undertaking some groundbreaking research that is shedding new light on a hitherto under-researched issue. She is uncovering alarming amounts of prejudice suffered by veiled Muslim women, but her work will hopefully help to increase understanding of this problem and thereby challenge these prejudices."

The research was funded by the University of Leicester.

Irene Zempi will present her research at the Departmental Research Seminar on Wednesday 23 May 2012, at the Department of Criminology, University of Leicester. The free event is open to the public and takes place 1-2pm.

Asian Image, 22 May 2012

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