Sixteen Indian women Broke tradition by going for Haj without male guardian

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SHAFAQNA - Shamshadabai Isarail Sayeed, 62, is among the first groups from Maharashtra to visit Haj, the annual pilgrimage to Muslim holy sites in Saudi Arabia, without a mehram (husband or male blood relation as guardian). She is worried about…

A Temple School In Karachi Where Muslim Teachers Teach Hindu Students

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SHAFAQNA - After the members of the local Hindu community gave the permission to set up the school in the place of worship, a temple school was set up by an NGO. It isn’t a common sight to find a school running inside a temple. It is more…

Inscriptions on Chinese ‘swatow’ dish, include the word 'Allah'

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SHAFAQNA - Islamic Arts : Coarsely potted and covered with a thick, crackled glaze, this dish belongs to a distinct group of porcelain, the so-called ‘Swatow wares’. Swatow is a Dutch mistranslation of Shantou, the port from which such…

Chinese Muslims Make the Hajj Pilgrimage Wearing GPS-Enabled Smart Cards

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SHAFAQNA - Muslims from some Chinese regions going to Saudi Arabia for Hajj pilgrimage are wearing tracking devices that allow the government to track them. Some Photos published by the state-controlled China Islamic Association shows Chinese…

Systematic violation of human rights against Uighurs, Muslims around the world stand silent!

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SHAFAQNA - The future of more than 10 million Uighurs, the members of China’s Turkic-speaking Muslim minority, is looking increasingly grim. Politicians and many religious leaders are silent in the face of China’s political and economic…

Four million muslims risk losing citizenship in Indian state

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SHAFAQNA - India was braced for unrest in its north eastern Assam state after the authorities declared some four million residents to be foreigners, effectively stripping them of their citizenship and raising fears of deportation. The residents,…

Indian Muslim clerics advised potential grooms not to accept dowry vows

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SHAFAQNA - Muslim clerics in Bihar have called for potential grooms to make a proper declaration in mosques well before wedding that they’d not agree with dowry vows for performing their “nikah” (wedding ceremony). This uncommon move…

Why the Mamak Culture is so Famous in Malaysia?

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SHAFAQNA - Asian Inspirations : While there are a zillion street food options that beckon you to savour the authenticity of the cuisine in Malaysia, street hawkers can be considered as the local pro chefs as they churn out some delicious…

Photos: Jamal Abdel Nasser Mosque in Ramallah - Palestine

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SHAFAQNA - Beautiful Mosques : Jamal Abdel Nasser Mosque (Arabic: مسجد جمال عبد الناصر‎‎ Masjid Jamal 'Abd an-Nasser) is the largest mosque in al-Bireh, in the central West Bank. Located in the Downtown district of the…

Japan welcome Muslims by launching Mobile Mosque ahead of 2020 Olympics

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SHAFAQNA - As Japan prepares to host visitors from around the world during the 2020 Summer Olympics, a company created the Mobile Mosque that accommodate up to 50 people  to make Muslim visitors feel at home. Yasuharu Inoue, the CEO of…

Why is Halal Food so Important in Malaysia?

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SHAFAQNA - Asian Inspirations: A large majority of the population in Malaysia comprises of Malay Muslims and it is of utmost importance for them to consume meat that is lawful or permissible. Halal food is consumed by the Muslims as a fundamental…

JKSM: Muslim Child marriages in Malaysia have been decreasing

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SHAFAQNA - Statistics from the Malaysian Syariah Judiciary Depart­ment (JKSM) showed that Applications for child marriage fell in recent years with 877 applications recorded in last year. Judges in shariah court have the authority to give…

Will Shiite life be safer after Pakistan election?

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SHAFAQNA - Pakistan will go to the polls on Wednesday to elect a new prime minister in what will be the country's second ever civilian-to-civilian transfer of power. Political parties have started negotiating with Shia political parties, local…

Video: Malaysian woman gains popularity with freestyle football moves

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SHAFAQNA- MSN: A young Malaysian Muslim woman is gaining popularity with her slick freestyle football moves in a country where the sport is normally dominated by men.   Read more from Shafaqna: Blind Malaysian Muslims Memorising…

Photos: The unusual design of Shah-Do Shamshira Mosque

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SHAFAQNA - Islamic Arts : The Shah-Do Shamshira Mosque, the “Mosque of the King of Two Swords”, is located in downtown Kabul along the edge of the Kabul River. It was built in the 1920s by Amanullah Khan (r. 1919-29), who attempted to introduce…

Singaporean Arabs seek for Their Ancestors in Yemen

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SHAFAQNA - Arab News : The first car to arrive in Tarim, a historic town in the Hadhramaut Valley of Yemen, was an American Studebaker. It had traveled across oceans and continents to get there — but not without the help of one prominent…

Syria and Iran on Trump-Putin talks in Helsinki

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SHAFAQNA - Donald Trump met one-on-one with Russia's Vladimir Putin behind closed doors on Monday in Helsinki. Both leaders expressed confidence that Russia and the United States were entering a period of better relations and cooperation on…

Moving US embassy to Jerusalem on Putin-Abbas recent talks

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SHAFAQNA - While Israel and Hamas exchanged fire in Gaza on Saturday, Palestinian President met with Russian President. Vladimir Putin on his recent talks with Mahmoud Abbas complains about US moving its embassy to Jerusalem.  Russian President…

Prison punishment for WhatsApp groups in Jammu and Kashmir

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SHAFAQNA - First Post | by Ishfaq Naseem : The Jammu and Kashmir government has said all WhatsApp groups should register with the deputy commissioner (DC) in one of the districts of Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir, failing which the group administrators…

This is Lahore: Hindu Temples and Islamic Mosques

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SHAFAQNA - MVSLIM | by Hassam Munir : The distant history of Lahore, now Pakistan’s second-largest city, is very obscure. Some say that it was founded by and named after Lava (or Loh), the son of Rama and Sita in the ancient Hindu epic…

World’s highest polo festival kicks off in Pakistan

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SHAFAQNA - IRNA:  A three-day polo festival started at the world’s highest Polo Ground of Shandur in northern Pakistani district of Chitral on Saturday. For the past couple of years, the annual event could not be held on its regular dates…

Photos: Turkmen customs

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SHAFAQNA - IRNA : These pictures show the Turkmen people's customs and culture in Turkmenistan on July 6, 2018.         Read more from Shafaqna: Photos: Gilan and Ardebil provinces’ superb scenery Iran…

AIMPLB plan to set up Sharia courts in all districts of India

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SHAFAQNA- All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) made proposal to open Darul-Qaza (Sharia courts), based upon the Islamic law, in all districts of India. Speaking to India Today, Jafaryab Jilani, a member of AIMPLB said, "Since 1993,…

Pakistan: Political parties in talks to attract Shia voters

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SHAFAQNA - The News: The Shia community’s vote bank in some of Karachi’s constituencies has attracted the attention of major political stakeholders, who are flexing their muscles to win the maximum number of seats in the city’s electoral…

Uzbekistan’s Blue City: the beautiful Samarkand

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SHAFAQNA - MVSLIM | by Afifa Thabet : When the famous Muslim traveler Ibn Battuta visited this wonderful place in 1330, he described it as “one of the greatest and finest cities, and most perfect of them in beauty”. He was right! Such a…

Amri Che Mat's disappearance and Shia-phobia in Malaysia

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SHAFAQNA - A Malaysian social activist, Amri Che Mat, went missing on Nov 24, 2016 that media reports saying it could be related to his alleged Shia belief. Already, Perlis Mufti Asri Zainul Abidin has attacked Amri Che Mat for following Shia…

mourning ceremony for martyrdom of Imam Sadiq (a.s) held at Gariend Budgam

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SHAFAQNA - Kashmir News Service :  Anjuman-e-Sharie Shian, J&K organized annual Majlis-e-Hussaini (a.s) in regard of martyrdom of Imam Jaffar Sadiq (a.s) at Gariend Kalan Budgam in which thousands of devotees gather to pay rich tributes. Zakreen…

Shia Rights Watch: 2,805 incidents of anti-Shiism in the first half of 2018

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SHAFAQNA - Shia Rights Watch: The first half of 2018 saw 2,805 incidents of anti-Shiism take place in over a dozen countries. Anti-Shiism is extended to June, and compared to May, the number of people killed and wounded has almost tripled.…