Habib Siddiqui

In the last few days millions of Muslims visited  the holy city of Makkah ( Mecca ) in Saudi  Arabia for performing their hajj or pilgrimage -- the world's largest annual gathering event.  The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam that every capable Muslim must perform at least once in lifetime. It falls on the lunar month of Dhul Hijjah. The pilgrimage ends after Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, which this year was celebrated on Friday. This reminds me of my own hajj in December of 2006. That year the Eid al-Adha also fell on Friday, the day of Muslim congregation or Jumu’ah. The performance of hajj is a simultaneous show or exhibit of many things.  It is a show of creation.  It is a show of history.  It is a show of unity.  It is a show of Islamic ideology.  It is a show of Ummah , the community of Muslims.  It is beneficial to mankind because it transcends all man-made divisions and brings them closer to each other....

Dr. Nora Rowley, a well-informed human rights activist who worked inside the Arakan state of Mynamar (Burma) as a  physician, was recently interviwed on the radio in Chicago about the Rakhine/Burmese genocidal campaign against the Rohingyas of Myanmar, who are described as the world's most persectued people. You can listen to the interview by clicking here . Please, share this link with other interested folks.

Last week the Myanmar Post on its front page reported about a meeting of Karen Religious Protection Organization that was held on October 14 in Mae Baung Monastery, Pha-an. The meeting was attended by more than 100 Buddhists including the Chief Administrators from all the nine quarters except the two from the Pha-an Township. Under ordinary circumstances such meetings should not have raised eyebrows of anyone except that the meeting highlighted what is wrong with the Burmese society these days. The so-called Protection Organization announced four sets of Rules epitomizing intolerance against the Muslims of Myanmar. Zwe Kapin Taung Abbot U Widaza announced the four rules: (1) Prohibiting selling and renting of Buddhist-owned houses, land, farming land, and orchard to Muslims of Myanmar; (2) Prohibiting Buddhist women to marry with Muslims; (3) Buddhists should patronize the Buddhist shops only; (4) Prohibiting Buddhists from allowing themselves to use their names from buying or renting...

In our time there is no denying of the enormous influence of the social media employing web- and mobile-based technologies to support interactive dialogue and communication between organizations, communities and individuals. Thus, mass communication which was once a very expensive avenue to propagate one’s views is now almost a free item.  Social media are also unregulated in most parts of our world, thus, allowing every John or Jane Doe to express and share his or her views on any matter big or small whether or not he or she is qualified or knowledgeable on such matters. It is, therefore, possible that while expressing one’s unfiltered views others can feel abused, demeaned and hurt. And consequently, those feeling hurt, demeaned or abused can react either proportionately or disproportionately, which can turn into violence. Consider, e.g., the latest case involving the posting of highly inflammatory and offensive pictures in the Facebook by someone named Uttam Barua, a Bud...