Rabwah Times

Blasphemy, the Fate of Ahmadiyya in Lombok, Indonesia

Though Indonesia has claimed a principle of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (“different but one”), in reality, the country has faced fragmentation over the differences in its society, with its people blaspheming and killing each other. Ironically, the inter-religious conflict which has occurred is no longer between practitioners of different religions, but between practitioners of the same religions. The indigenous people of Lombok are the Sasak. They are the majority ethnic group that represents 89% of the island’s total population; the remainder …

The Former Hamas member who now preaches Peace

Sheikh Muhammad Jaber planned an attack on Israeli soldiers but was arrested and spent several years in prison. Today he openly walks around in Hamas stronghold of Hebron, calling for peace with Israel and preaches against violence. If Sheikh Muhammad Jaber of Hebron was ever asked what he thought of the Jews, he would simply have said, “You have to kill and slaughter them.” In the 1980s, when he was affiliated with he planned an attack against Israeli soldiers in …

Rabwah girls get top scores in national exams

Students from Rabwah’s Nusrat Jehan School scored top positions in the annual exams of Pakistan’s Aga Khan University Examination Board (AKU-EB). In secondary school exams, Samreen Raja of Nusrat Jehan Academy Girls High School got the second position with 1,029 out of 1,100 marks, scoring 93.54% while for Higher Secondary School exams Nusrat Jahan College’s Muqaddas Alvi stood third by obtaining 1,022 out of 1,100 marks and 92.90%. Associate Director of assessment, Dr Naveed Yousuf, congratulated the students and said, “It is …

Marriage: When culture and religion clash

Somewhere in Islamabad from what I understand, a girl is preparing for her wedding. Maybe she is booking a hairdresser or shopping for new clothes and jewelry. Maybe she is visiting friends and family and receiving their blessings and well wishes. Maybe she is fantasizing about her new life as a new bride and the impending move to the United States. Maybe she wonders what kind of man this cousin of hers is that her relatives and relations have chosen …

Pakistan-origin Lord Ahmad appointed as UK Foreign Office’s Minister of State

A Pakistan-origin British peer has been selected to serve as UK Foreign Office’s Minister of State. His new role was announced on June 13th, 2017 as Prime Minister Theresa May finished reshuffling the cabinet. Before his appointment as Minister of State, Lord Ahmad served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, while from 2015 to 2016 he served as Minister for Countering Extremism. .@tariqahmadbt appointed as Foreign Office Minister of State pic.twitter.com/SLboQl4yPU — Foreign Office ?? (@foreignoffice) June 13, 2017 …

Algerian Human Rights organization condemns targeting of Ahmadis

The Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights (LADDH) has condemned the Government’s crackdown on the Ahmadiyya Muslim minority. Referring to the arrests of the Algerian Ahmadis, the LADDH called it an unacceptable infringement of the freedoms of worship, The organization also called for the release of Ahmadi prisoners of conscience. In a statement, the LADDH office in M’sila urged the Algerian Government to respect the international conventions ratified by Algeria, “in particular, those concerning respect for human rights.” LADDH …

Pakistan: Men sentenced to three years in prison for “Excessive use of Quran”

A Pakistani court on Wednesday sentenced two men to three years in prison for “Excessive use of Quran” The two men, Idris Ahmed and SabaulZafar were charged with”excessive use of Quran and Islamic literature” along with illegal possession of the Islamic Holy book. Both men were given a three-year prison sentence and fined PKR 50,000 (USD 475) by the anti-terrorism court. The men who belong to the minority Ahmadiyya community were arrested by Pakistan’s security forces in December last year during …

Trailer: Victoria & Abdul

The extraordinary true story of an unexpected friendship in the later years of Queen Victoria’s (Academy Award winner Judi Dench) remarkable rule. When Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal), a young clerk, travels from India to participate in the Queen’s Golden Jubilee, he is surprised to find favor with the Queen herself. As the Queen questions the constrictions of her long-held position, the two forge an unlikely and devoted alliance with a loyalty to one another that her household and inner circle …

America: Journalist told to stop filming in Mosque as it’s ‘Sinful’

U.S. Mosque-goers tried to forcibly stop a journalist from filming inside a Mosque after claiming it was sinful. Journalist Aziz Ahmed was at the Darul Huda Mosque in Springfield, Virginia to cover the beginning of Ramadhan when he was forcefully stopped by Mosque-goers from filming within the Mosque. Ahmed posted the video of the confrontation on his Facebook in which Mosque members can be seen telling Ahmed to stop filming. The video you made of people praying, you should delete …

Pakistani Barbers told not to style Beards

A local council in the Pakistani province of Balochistan has banned ‘designer beards’ The ban was announced by the Municipal Committee in the town of Omara, which is the seaside suburb of Gwadar city and has a population of around 35,000. The local council announced the ban at a special meeting held on Friday to discuss a course of action for the upcoming Islamic holy month of Ramadhan. During the council meeting, a local leader of an Islamic political party, …

U.S. to deport Pakistani Imam for Immigration Fraud

A Pakistan-origin imam detained by U.S. immigration agents faces deportation to Pakistan for abusing religious workers’ visa. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said Hafiz Abdul Hannan, the leader of the Masjid Al-Islam mosque in New Haven since 2013, was taken into custody at his home on Friday. He was previously convicted of committing fraud in immigration documents and will remain in custody pending his removal from the United States, said Shawn Neudauer, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman. According …

Bangladesh: Women honored for arresting Islamist attacker

Mosammat Ayatunnessa along with Achhia Khatun and Minara Khatun tied up a fleeing militant until police arrived Three women of the Ahmadiyya community have been honoured in two separate programmes for their exceptional bravery in the arrest of a suspected militant in Ishwarganj upazila of Mymensingh. They are Achhia Khatun, Mosammat Ayatunnessa and Minara Khatun. Mymensingh Superintendent of Police (SP) Syed Nurul Islam awarded each of the three with Tk5,000 and a sari at a ceremony at the Mymensingh Police …