Habib Siddiqui

President Trump delivered a speech Sunday in front of Arab and Muslim leaders at the Arab Islamic American Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, urging the Muslim world to take a stand against global terrorism and share the burden of eradicating extremism in the region. The Shi'ite majority country Iran and its allies were not invited in the meeting. His speech was a far cry from his rhetoric during the election campaign and much more conciliatory. The full extract of his speech can be read by clicking here .

The year 2016 marked a historic and peaceful transition of government in Burma, also known as Myanmar. Yet while the political handover occurred without incident, conditions during the year continued to decline for Rohingya Muslims, as well as for other religious and ethnic minorities. In addition, fresh and renewed fighting in some ethnic areas highlighted the schism between Burma’s civilian-controlled leadership and the military, which controls three powerful ministries and significant portions of the economy. Although the circumstances and root causes driving the ill treatment of religious and ethnic groups differ, there are two common elements: (1) the outright impunity for abuses and crimes committed by the military and some non-state actors, and (2) the depth of the humanitarian crisis faced by displaced persons and others targeted for their religious and/or ethnic identity. Due to both governmental and societal discrimination, Rohingya Muslims—tens of thousands of whom are curre...

Myanmar must do more to address the escalation of religious hatred and violence following clashes between ultranationalist Buddhists and minority Muslims in Yangon, a senior United Nations envoy said. Yanghee Lee, the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, told the Guardian she has seen a rise of hate speech and violence in Myanmar, which didn’t receive enough attention from the National League for Democracy government led by Aung San Suu Kyi. “I have, in the past, raised concerns regarding incidents of hate speech, incitement to discrimination, hatred and violence, and of religious intolerance, and these appear to be drastically escalating,” Lee said. “I believe that the spread of anti-Muslim sentiments and rhetoric is not receiving the serious attention that it requires, and is too often left unchecked by the authorities,” she added. “This cannot be tolerated any longer. The government must step up to take more concerted efforts to tackle and address such incidents.” ...

 Director Barbet Schroeder ('Barfly,' 'Terror’s Advocate') documents the religio-fascist Buddhist leader of a deadly anti-Muslim campaign in Myanmar. Those who believe that all Buddhists respect their religion's core principles of peace and tolerance should take a look at The Venerable W (Le Venerable W), director Barbet Schroeder’s eye-opening chronicle of one Burmese monk’s long campaign of racism and violence against his country’s minority Muslim population. The third part in a “trilogy of evil” that began in 1974 with General Idi Amin Dada and continued in 2007 with a look at the controversial French lawyer Jacques Verges in Terror’s Advocate, this scathing portrait gets up close and personal with Ashin Wirathu, the self-appointed spiritual leader of Myanmar’s anti-Muslim crusade. Speaking openly to the camera, Wirathu propagates xenophobia and bigotry against a group that represents only a fraction of the local population, yet have been subject to decades of p...

The United States on Saturday announced military deals worth nearly $110 billion, during a visit by President Donald Trump to Saudi Arabia. A White House official said Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson would attend the signing of a memorandum of intent on a package of defense equipment and services to bolster the security of the kingdom and the Gulf region in the face of Iranian threats. "This package demonstrates, in the clearest terms possible, the United States' commitment to our partnership with Saudi Arabia and our Gulf partners, while also expanding opportunities for American companies in the region, and supporting tens of thousands of new jobs in the U.S. defense industrial base," a statement said.

Dr. Hassan Rouhani was reelected as the Iranian President. He said his re-election shows voters reject extremism and want more links with the outside world. After avoiding a run-off with a 57% outright victory over his main rival, Mr Rouhani said he respected the opponents' right to criticise him. Mr Rouhani, 68, supports the landmark deal to curb Iran's nuclear programme. The decisive victory gives him a strong mandate to seek reforms and revive the country's ailing economy, analysts say. "The Iranian nation has chosen the path of interaction with the world, a path which is distant from extremism and violence," Mr Rouhani said in first speech after the victory, broadcast on state television. "The election is now over. I am the president of the nation and need assistance from every single Iranian, even those who oppose me and my policies." Mr Rouhani also thanked former reformist President Mohammad Khatami, apparently defying a media ban on c...

Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, is approaching fast. In the USA it is expected that the first day of Ramadan would fall on May 27. Through fasting from dawn to dusk a Muslim experiences hunger and thirst, and sympathizes with those in the world who have little to eat or drink every day. It teaches him/her to be charitable. Through increased charity, Muslims develop feelings of generosity and good-will toward fellow human beings. Fasting is an obligation for most Muslims, as dictated by the Qur’an – the Muslim Holy Scripture, in which they are commanded by Allah: يَ ا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ “O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, so that you may attain Taqwa.” (2:183) The above Qur’anic v erse confirms two points. Firstly , that fasting is for everyone and secondly , ...