True History of Pakistan

Introduction

Pakistan lies in the North Western part of South Asia. It is bordered by China in the North, Afghanistan in the North-West, Iran in South-West, Arabian Sea and Indian Sea in the South and India in the East. Pakistan, as evident, is located at the crossroads of South Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East making it an easy linking point between Central Asia and South Asia.

There have been significant immigration movements, in the areas now constituting Pakistan since pre-historic times. The people of Pakistan are descendants of different racial groups and sub-racial stocks, who entered the subcontinent over the past 5000 years, mainly from central and western Asia from time to time. Yet unlike the popular misconception, it always maintained its identity and individuality separate from its neighbor India who claimed that Pakistan was a part of Aakhand Bharat (Undivided India) on the basis of history. 

The Media's Portrayal of Islam and the Hijab

Time, people, culture, society, and the environment we are surrounded by, can produce the formation of many perspectives regarding an issue that we see in today's society. One of many controversial topics is Islam and the Hijab. Many questions and generalisations are often formed in the minds of many non-Muslims in regards to the concepts behind the Hijab through the influence of the media.

Throughout the years of conflict between the "West" and "Islam", the media has strongly altered the minds of non-Muslims by negative exploitation of Islam, and Muslims, in particular on Muslim women. Misconceptions such as, "Are you bald underneath" "Do you go to sleep with that on?" to the association of "terrorism" that contrasts to what Muslim women believe the Hijab represents.

Meet History's Three Gorgon Sisters Christianity, Islam and Judaism

My favorite nickname for Christianity is Medusa; Islam, Sthenno and Judaism, Euryale. Meet the three Gorgon sisters whom some prefer to refer to as the "Abrahamic" religions.Whatever you choose to call them, these three daughters of the Patriarch Abraham share the distinction, among the religions of mankind, of smugly held but mutually conflicting claims of a unique and exclusive universalism; the wellspring of much misery and suffering in human history.

Who were the Gorgons? The Gorgons are from Greek mythology: three ugly winged daemons; Medusa, Sthenno and Euryale. Vase paintings by ancient Greek artists portray the "ladies" as winged daemons with serpent-locks of hair and fierce looking ugly faces. They were identified as sea daemons of reefs which lurked treacherously submerged and posed a deadly threat to ancient mariners. Many are familiar with the story of Therseus whom King Polydektes of Seriphos gave the task of bringing back the head of the eldest of the Gorgons, Medusa. Armed with a sword, a winged boot and a polished shield, Therseus killed Medusa and returned, unscathed, with her head after being hotly pursued by the other two sisters.

Review of Islam in NYT Book Review

The January 6, 2008 edition of the New York Times Book Review was devoted to "Islam," as the header for the edition boldly proclaims. The edition aims to highlight some of the most relevant historical, literary, political and theological issues informing contemporary discourse around the topic of Islam, as it is found in recent literature. The effort to shed light on such an important subject is laudable. What follows are my comments on the various articles and essays. They follow the order presented in the Book Review. 1. This issue of the Book Review begins with Tariq Ramadan's excellent essay Reading the Koran. Ramadan is able to capture in a concise essay both the simplicity and the nuanced complexity of the Koran (Qur'an). Its simplicity is rooted in its ability to singularly address the believing heart. At this level the Qur'an is simple and universally accessible. Each person finds in its message, filtered through the prism of his or her personal experiences, knowledge, joy, pain, triumphs and setbacks, a distinct intimacy. At this level, the message requires "no intermediary." This is the basis of what Ramadan refers to as the dialogue that exists between the Qur'an and its reader. Ramadan beautifully captures the spirit of that dialogue.

A Short History Of Islam

The teachings of Islam were passed down to humanity through Mohammed who is commonly thought of as the last, so far, in the line of Middle Eastern prophets. The first was Abraham of Judaism renown, then there was Jesus for Christianity and then came Mohammed. Mohammed was born in about 570 AD in Mecca, western Saudi Arabia and passed away 62 years later in 632 in Medina.

The Koran, or the 'Recitation' in English, consists of 144 chapters and was related to Mohammed by God. These teachings were written down by his scribes during the course of 23 years.

Like its predecessor religions, Islam is a monotheistic religion and its narrative includes stories or references to Abraham, Moses (and the Ten Commandments) and Jesus, but does not accept Christianity's declaration of his divinity.

Another major difference from the Middle Eastern religions before it, is that Jews trace their lineage through Abraham's son Isaac, whereas Muslims trace their history through Abraham's son Ishmael by another wife.

Understanding Islam and Democracy

Islam, a true religion of peace and humanity, unfortunately is now being considered a root cause behind undemocratic practices prevailing in Islamic states. The major reason behind such misconception is misunderstanding and absolutely wrong analysis of Islamic political values. While discussing the topic of Islam and democracy people often take extreme positions; some present Islamic political system as an antithesis of democracy, while others emphasize that both Islam and democracy are two different terms implying same thing as John Esposito and John Voll argued in their recent book 'Islam and Democracy' that both are compatible with each other. But the real picture is different from both viewpoints. Therefore before taking sides of either group one must have complete understanding of some important concepts regarding the place of democracy in Islam.

The Concept of Sovereignty in Islam

Who Was Muhammad, The Prophet of Islam?

The Prophet of Islam was born Muhammad ibn Abdullah in Mecca in the year 570 CE. He is the messenger and prophet of Islam and according to Muslims, he is the last and final prophet that God has sent. Muhammad's role went beyond being a Prophet, he was also a politician, a legislator, a military man, and a social reformer.

Muhammad was born in the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca and was orphaned at a very young age. His father, Abdullah, died several weeks before his birth and his mother died when Muhammad was 6 years old. His grandfather Abd al Muttalib and then his uncle, Abu Talib, took custody of him and raised him. When Muhammad was of age, he worked as a shepherd and a merchant and traveled to several Middle Eastern cities with the trade caravans. He got married to a rich Meccan widow by the name of Khadijah at the age of 25. At the time Khadija was twice widowed and was 40 years old. Together, Muhammad and Khadijah had 6 children, four girls and two boys.