Samoa’s ruling party is considering constitutional amendments so Christian principles, values, culture and traditions are legally recognised. This after the office of the prime minster has been advised that Islamic extremists could cause future instability. Muslims accounted for 0.03 percent of the population at the 2001 census. At present there is a small muslim population in Read more
A controversial billboard that has now been defaced twice lives on to tell a Remuera church’s original message. The second attack on the billboard was discovered early this morning. The words “Islam Hates Us” had been stuck over the original caption, “I don’t like losers”, which had been written in a speech bubble coming from Read more
In 1996, late US political scientist Samuel P. Huntington published the book The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order. Following the collapse of communism in 1989, he argued, conflicts would increasingly involve religion. Islam, which Huntington claimed had been the opponent of Christianity since the seventh century, would increasingly feature in geopolitical Read more
Muslims are the fastest-growing religious group in the world. The growth and regional migration of Muslims, combined with the ongoing impact of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and other extremist groups that commit acts of violence in the name of Islam, have brought Muslims and the Islamic faith to the forefront of Read more
A UK man has been seriously assaulted by a gang as a result of his converting from Islam to Christianity. Father-of-six Nissar Hussain from Bradford was left needing surgery after the group broke his kneecap and hand on Wednesday. A pickaxe handle was used by one of the assailants. Mr Hussain, 49, is recovering in Read more
There’s something profoundly rotten about cultures that can give birth to the murderous behaviour on show in Paris last Friday. This is just the latest and probably most visible instance because it happened in one of the hubs of the European and North American news media. These hubs make things that happen in too many other Read more
The world is in love with Sonny Bill Williams. One of his closest friends, Australian boxer Anthony Mundine, a fellow Muslim, says a huge part of the change he has undergone is down his conversion to Islam. During the Rugby World Cup Sonny Bill Gave away his medal to a 14 year old boy. Mingling Read more
Australian nurse Nelley Youssef is immersed in a sea of millions of white-robed pilgrims doing the tawaf of the Kaaba, the black cuboid structure at the heart of Masjid Al-Haram mosque in Mecca, Saudia Arabia. She takes tiny, shuffling steps as she completes seven anti-clockwise laps that form one of many rituals she completes as Read more
The Islam Open Day held at Aotea Square in central Auckland yesterday aimed to allow people to discover the world of Islam from different perspectives and featured exhibitions on art, religion, science, history, society and culture as well as food and clothing stalls. The open day marked the end of Islam Awareness Week, presented by Read more
It’s a special time in the Islamic world, and in the Ignatian world, too. For the last month, Muslims have been celebrating the holy month of Ramadan, a time of fasting, almsgiving, and praying over God’s revelation. For those at Jesuit institutions — schools, parishes, and organizations inhabiting the spirit of St. Ignatius of Loyola Read more