By the Grace of Allāh Islam21c has been honoured to have had yet another year of articulating Islām in the 21st century, and over the year our community’s thinkers, scholars and activists have not shied away from addressing important issues in our own community and beyond.
Whether it be: launching our new Unscripted podcast; our NewsViews department providing accurate information illuminated by divine values of Truth; setting the record straight in the face of orchestrated misinformation and attacks on the Muslim community in one form or another; rekindling our community’s connection with the Book of Allah and the teachings of His Messengers (alayhim al-Salam); or talking about any issue – no matter how difficult or troubling – that we require to flourish in the 21st century; we are honoured that you have been with us on this journey.
Below is a small selection of some of our featured content our editorial team has put together to remind you of some key events and discourses that you took part in throughout the year 1440. Below that you’ll find our News Editor’s pick of NewsViews from 1440. May Allāh continue to bless the Ummah and guide it in the coming years, and make us a means for nurturing its future generations.
Featured Content
From Watchdog to Lapdog: How Sections of Indian Media are Failing Democracy
“Freedom of the press, if it means anything at all, means the freedom to criticize and oppose.” - George Orwell
Prison, Torture, Death… Enter Paradise
With the current global trend of persecuting scholars who refuse to sway on issues of Islām and moral justice, Imam Ashraf Dabous re-aligns our focus with some of the messages and promises found within the Qur’ān...
Khabib vs McGregor: More than just a fight
Regardless of the ethics or ruling of the sport Khabib has dominated, the fact of the matter is that a great deal—possibly even the majority—of Muslim youth across the world, for at least a night, looked up to him, were following him, were listening to him...
The Shaping of the Modern Muslim World
"Be aware of key moments in history in order to understand the Ummah's current position today..."
Should changing your legal gender be “easier than buying car insurance”?
Yusuf Patel shares his views on the government's consultation on new gender change rules. Have your say before the deadline this Friday 19th Oct.
Promises that divided the Muslim World
Promises, Agreements and Declarations that shaped the modern Muslim World
The Dismantling of the Muslim World
As European leaders commemorate in Paris this week, we take a look at the gathering there a century ago that carved up the Muslim world ushering in an unprecedented era of strife...
The Cure to Black Friday
Tomorrow is the sacred festival of one of the world’s fastest and most aggressively spreading new religions.
8 Steps to Increase in Tadabbur
Let us consider these simple steps to enhance our reading and reflection of the Qur’ān, seeking to fulfil its right over us
Trial After Trial: The Plight of Refugees in Britain
Many have shown outrage over the Islamophobic assaults on refugee children in Huddersfield recently, but how well do we know the plight of refugees?
Legal Challenge to Prevent Reaches Court of Appeals
This week will see the next significant step along the long path to holding the UK government to account for its policies against so-called “extremism”, including the toxic Prevent policy.
Bethlehem: A City of Islam
Bethlehem is a city that is famous for being the alleged birth place of one of the greatest and mightiest Messengers of Allāh, ʿIsā / Jesus (ʿalayhi al-Salām).
Boris’ Mockery Considered ‘Respectful & Tolerant’
Where have we gone wrong? Why does the benchmark fall shorter for Muslims compared to other minorities?
Do We Care About Drones Now?
Recent drone sightings over Gatwick Airport plunged it into chaos. Are Britons now ready to care about drones?
Why the Muslim World is Silent Over China’s Repression of Uyghurs
The silence of Muslim-majority states over China's repression of Uyghurs is not due to ignorance, writes Lukman Harees, but a calculated political and economic decision.
Islamophobic networks engrained within government’s CCE, exposed in latest CAGE report
Advocacy group CAGE have today revealed details of the networks and organisations that have engrained themselves within the Commission for Countering Extremism...
Op-Ed: Prevent and the CCE are one and the same and both must be boycotted
“We do not believe that communities should be party to their own oppression”
Seven Messages For Those Who “Leave Islam”
"Fame and fortune aside, here are seven things leavers of Islam ought to remember"
The Education Wheel of Fortune
Institutional privilege is now even embedded into the exam system, warns senior school leader.
Renewing Our Commitment to Articulating Islam in the 21st Century
After 13 years of providing guidance and solutions we felt it was time to give Islam21c.com a fresh new look whilst sharing our commitment to articulating Islam in the 21st Century. Our new logo is now live...
Convert Islamophobia
How then do we understand the experience of a convert; a person born upon the culture of a people, once a friend and loved, but now an object of discrimination...
Tariq Ibn Ziyad: Invader or Liberator?
"...the Muslims were welcomed by a large proportion of the ruling aristocracy and the Jews."
Unity of Muslims: an anti-imperialist stance
Prof Ali Güneş argues that today's Muslim leaders should apply a policy of unity spearheaded by Sultan Abdul Hamid II almost a century ago
Do not be a trial for wrongdoers
What does this du'a actually mean? How can we be a trial for wrongdoing people?
Stop “proselytising” LGBT ideology to pupils, demand parents
An example of a British Muslim parents' group standing up for their principles in the face of pressure
Leaders who are afraid to be clear about Islam do us a disservice
"I would not have come to Islam if Muslims had told me that everything going on in the Western world was fine..."
Shamima Begum – all of a sudden not British
Should brown people's Britishness be dependent on good behaviour?
Victory for Palestinians as prayers held at the al-Rahma gate for the first time in 16 years
The reopening of the gate signals a victory for the Palestinian people and a defeat for the occupation in its attempt at ethnically cleansing the holy site.
Pulwama: the most important question no one is asking
Why are young Kashmiri men turning to militancy?
#AreWeBritish? British Aid Worker’s Citizenship Removed
British Muslim aid worker Tauqir Tox Sharif has gone public to expose the racist depravation of citizenship meted out on children of immigrants to the UK
Advice in Light of the Tragic Masjid Shootings
Six pieces of advice from Sh Sajid Umar in light of the mosque attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Shaikh Haitham: From New Zealand to Gaza—Terrorism Against Muslims
Shaikh Haitham's message regarding the New Zealand Terrorist Attack
New Zealand Attack: 7 Things Muslims Must Know
"The absence of a strong Muslim voice in the world today is what is causing humanity at large to suffer..." —Sh Haitham al-Haddad
From Knowing to Growing | One-on-One Big Discussion
"There's a difference between movement and progress..."
The Christchurch Terrorist Was Not a Lone Wolf
A lecturer in politics dissects the Christchurch New Zealand terrorist Brenton Tarrant's "manifesto"...
Balancing Mercy & Accountability After Christchurch
"For forgiveness in all its beauty to be realised, we need justice as a part of it..."
Three Important Things Turkish Elections Prove Every Time
While many of us in the UK only realise there’s a local election when rummaging through our take-away menus, Turkey’s local democracy teaches us all a lesson.
An Open Letter to my Brothers on Road
She stayed awake with you as a baby and guarded over your life. Now, she stays awake because she fears the next young man to bleed out on the pavements or in the back of an ambulance will be you.
Why Western Governments Hate Julian Assange
From revealing US human rights violations at Guantanamo Bay to Obama’s secret war in Yemen, the arrest of Julian Assange represents an attack on accountability and justice.
Golan Heights Fiasco: Trump’s ‘Deal of the Century’?
"When will the Muslim leadership regain their long-lost backbone and save the dignity of the Ummah from further degradation?"
#NotreDame: Why is it that bricks matter more than bones in today’s secular world?
"The devastation of Notre Dame Cathedral has left me troubled," says Dr Abdul Wahid. Find out why...
Parental Guidance Series
Rules for "Relationship Education" in schools are changing. This new Parental Guidance series equips parents to positively influence how it's taught.
Unscripted #4 | Sh Haitham al-Haddad speaks about battling cancer
Shaikh Dr Haitham al-Haddad talks about his battle with cancer, will power, self discipline, intelligence, and more.
The real reason the Conservatives reject the APPG Islamophobia definition
Those that have been trying to ban Muslim speakers for years are no friends of “free speech”.
Have we misunderstood the “Saved Sect”? One-on-One Big Discussion
Sh Fraz Farhat joins Dr Salman Butt in this introspective discussion that may surprise some…
Autism Hour in the Mosque
“My autistic children have been able to visit and be accommodated by the local cinema, supermarkets, and even the London Zoo. So, why not the mosque?”
President Morsi: “Our Brother, Our Martyr”
The first and last elected President of Egypt, who answered the cries of Egypt's impoverished, Syria, and Palestine, returns to the Court of Justice, standing in the courts of tyranny. Raḥimahu Allāhu.
10 Things You Didn’t Know About President Morsi
Who is the real President Morsi? Here are ten little known facts that may help provide some clues.
Sadaqah Jariyah for Mohamed Morsi
Calling on all people of conscience, organisations, and groups. President Morsi and thousands of others have been killed in pursuit of truth and justice. What can we all do to support their legacy? Islam21c has launched an ongoing Sadaqah dedicated to the Champions of Justice. For those deprived of life,…Read More
In Support of Imām Abdullah Patel
“What message does the suspension pending investigation give to any young Muslim who wants to speak out against social injustice?”
To Conflate Anti-Semitism with Anti-Zionism IS Anti-Semitic
Who will Exonerate Semitism from Zionism?
Yes, they ARE encouraging children to “be gay” in Schools. Or bisexual, pansexual, asexual, transsexual, hetero-flexible, heterosexual…
The previously hidden face of "No Outsiders" that the media does not show
The Suicide of Dutch girl Noa Pothoven and Finding Light in Our Darkest Moments
What outlook and remedy does Islām provide for some of our darkest and hardest moments?
Zaira Wasim: Leaving Bollywood for Allah
"Who is there to stand between you and Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā)'s forgiveness?"
Will Morsi’s Death Awaken our Voices against Injustice?
Lukman Harees questions when the Muslim moral imperative for striving for justice will move from the current reactive stage to a much-needed proactive stage.
Zionism Has Truly Lost the Debate
Judaism has safeguarded Jewish identity and culture for thousands of years, Zionism will eventually destroy it.
Saudi Jeddah Fest: The Desperate Face of Liberalism
"Those seeking to 'liberalise' the country have become neither stately custodians of Islām, nor paraders of the political systems of Liberalism. They sway between the two and belong to neither."
A Bigger Threat than Islamophobia
In a day and age where Islamophobia is on the rise, what could possibly be a greater threat to us as Muslims?
China’s Concentration Camps: What Can We Do?
“We are witness to the ‘largest industrial scale persecution of a religious minority since the Holocaust’ and we find Muslim leaders, at best, staying silent, and at worst, speaking in support of such persecution!”
Islamic FinTech: More Virtual Than Reality?
Will innovation in FinTech break Islamic finance out of the unjust banking framework?
39C…and the Extraordinary Secrets of Lowering the Gaze
Today could see unprecedented temperatures, maybe up to 39C in the South-East. And despite expert heat warnings, many will be encouraged to greet the soaring heat onto their bared flesh. With such a reality, today, we must renew our commitment, not only to protecting our eyes from the burning heat…Read More
Six Considerations for Every Pilgrim
Travelling for Ḥajj this year? Here's what you need to think about before you leave for the airport...
What Can YOU Do for Tuqa?
“And when the girl who was buried alive is asked. For what sin she was killed?”
“Panic” Created in Kashmir by Indian State
Tourists told to leave. Extra troops deployed. People stockpiling essentials. Petrol pumps and ATMs run dry. Two Kashmiris write about panic in Kashmir right now.
Exclusive leak to Islam21c exposes British journalism for sale
Muslim charities are collateral damage as leaked documents show a UK newspaper used for propaganda for Gulf monarchies.
Advice to Youth in the Public Eye
Too many young and intelligent people are pushed into the public eye before their ideas can fully ripen...
Would you appoint Nigel Farage for a Brexit “independent” review?
Prevent is in crisis, and the "independent review" to save its image is like putting lipstick on a pig, writes Dr Abdul Wahid
Glad tidings of Hind
In a current period of turmoil for Muslims in India, Z A Rahman brings a message of hope from prophetic words regarding Hind.
A Destructive Education
The burgeoning Muslim middle classes are walking into an epidemic, writes educationalist Usman Qureshi.
Kashmir is Invisible
Who is speaking the language of Islam, the idle youth in the Gulf or the defiant youth of Kashmir?
Joint statement of Muslim Scholars & Imams on LGBT row in schools
Over a hundred scholars & Imams in the UK have spoken out calling for true tolerance, concerning the row in schools over LGBT classes
“My Brother You Are Free” – Remembering Sayyid Qutb’s Farewell Poem
Today marks 54 years since Sayyid Qutb's martyrdom (rahimahullāh). Ahmed Hammuda recounts one of the most famous poems he composed while waiting to be executed.
NewsViews
UK government’s mass surveillance violated human rights
Snowden: "Don't thank me: thank all of those who never stopped fighting.”
Summer holidays may be over but Brexit is still no sunlit uplands
This summer, we have seen dancing in Africa, divorces in London and gridlock in Brussels. Bashir Ibrahim talks of the worrying lack of progress on Brexit.
Muslim mothers successfully fight back against Prevent to keep their children
A new CAGE report has been released exposing the continued use of discredited pseudo-science used to take Muslim children away from parents, helping families fight back to challenge Prevent and stay together.
UAE allegedly aiding Chinese persecution of Uyghur Muslims
UAE police said to have randomly arrested Sharjah resident working as a muazzin, in order to send the Chinese national to Xingjiang’s notorious “concentration camps” following recent strategic agreement between the two nations
Well-known Markaz Takwin al-Ulama shutdown by Mauritanian authorities
Sheikh Dido: a surprise with no cause or justification
MEND co-hosts fringe event at Labour Party Conference: ‘Media Manipulation of Minorities and Other Press Abuses’
“We will never be champions of a press which is the mouthpiece of the mighty. We believe in fair and accountable regulation”.
Christian family bakery wins Supreme Court appeal over “gay cake” case
The most expensive cake in the world?
Tariq Ramadan Case: another accuser’s story “collapses”
Tariq Ramadan’s rape accuser’s story has collapsed after text messages found on Christell’s phone which “prove there has never been rape”
United Nations: Yemen on brink of “worst famine in a century”
13 million civilians are in danger of dying...
The Jamal Khashoggi murder: latest updates
The Saudi narrative continues to develop amidst an almost-daily release of new evidence...
Court rules insulting the Prophet ﷺ is not free speech
Austrian woman loses seven-year court battle as European Court of Human Rights rule that insulting Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is not excused by hiding behind the right to free speech
International Union of Muslim Scholars elects new Chairman
The organisation—which brings together over 1500 Scholars from all over the world—elected a new Chairman, Sheikh Ahmed al-Raissouni, succeeding Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi after announcing that this is the last time he will chair the meeting.
Breaking: Avigdor Lieberman resigns as Palestinian resistance puts Israel in disarray
Israeli 'Defence Minister' and extremist politician Avigdor Lieberman resigns as Palestinian resistance in Gaza puts Israel in disarray...
Breaking: Professor Tariq Ramadan released on bail
A court hearing took place today in front of the Appeal judge in France, which has decided to free Professor Tariq Ramadan on bail...
Court overturns UK government’s removal of two British Muslims’ citizenship
“There’s no difference between me and a white expat, but I was made stateless. This treatments seems to be unique to Muslims.”
85,000 children may have died from malnutrition in “world’s worst humanitarian crisis”
This number is said to be equivalent to the entire population of children under five in Birmingham
Uyghur Muslim prisons run like ‘concentration camps’ Amnesty says
Over 1 million Uyghurs are being held by Chinese authorities in ‘re-education camps’
MCB criticises verdict on Boris Johnson’s Islamophobia inquiry
The former foreign secretary has been cleared of misconduct by Conservative party panel…
Netanyahu is “a cold-blooded killer” says Turkish FM
Foreign minister’s comments come after increasing tensions between Turkey and Israel...
Israel to hold snap elections in April as Netanyahu’s coalition dissolves parliament
The elections will be held seven months before schedule with parliament to be dissolved…
Syria to be readmitted to the Arab League
The Arab world is preparing to welcome Syria back into the bloc after being expelled 8 years ago…
UAE reopens its embassy in Syrian capital
The embassy in Damascus had been closed for the past seven years following the start of an uprising against the brutal regime of Bashar al-Assad…
Sudan protests turn violent as police fire live ammunition
Sudanese security forces fire live ammunition as demonstrations in the capital and surrounding cities continue...
Kidnapped British aid worker rescued as criminal gang destroyed in Syria
A British aid worker who was kidnapped by an international criminal gang in Idlib province has been rescued by the rebel group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham
Muslim student helped deliver newborn at Tube station
Medical student was first to respond and said it was a panicked situation…
UK Government’s widely discredited Prevent strategy faces independent review
“In allowing an ‘independent review’ of PREVENT to go ahead the Government has conceded that the policy lacks any trust or credibility.”
Prominent Saudi scholar Sh Muhammad al-Mohaisany released
Sheikh Muhammad al-Mohaisany spent more than 8 months in arbitrary detention...
Besieged Qatar wins 2019 Asian Cup
Muslims around the world celebrate Qatar’s historic victory over Japan in the UAE…
Parliament has passed the new Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act into law
New bill will significantly increase powers of the security apparatus in public and private life…
Kashmir Attack: Pakistan PM Imran Khan condemns threats of escalation by India
"Pakistan will not just think about retaliation, Pakistan will retaliate."
Eight Labour and three Tory MPs resign and form new party
Many of the MPs who resigned are accused of being ‘Blairites’ and are in favour of the privatisation of basic amenities such as water and electricity and representing the “old politics of the 1990s”.
Erdogan condemns Sisi over mass executions
Erdogan has called for the release of Egyptian prisoners and says he will “never talk to someone like” Sisi
Judgement Released: Dr Salman Butt vs UK Government
#TakingPreventToCourt The judgement from the Court of Appeal regarding Dr Salman Butt vs UK Gov is now public.
Theresa May humiliated by second Brexit defeat
MPs rejected the prime minister’s deal for the second time, weakening her authority and giving parliament more control over Brexit
LIVE UPDATES: 49 Muslims killed in terrorist attack on two mosques
"Rather, they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision..." May Allāh accept them as shuhadā
#EggBoy becomes overnight internet sensation following egging of Australian Senator
"Not all heroes wear capes, some carry eggs"
Mufti Taqi Usmani survives assassination attempt that kills two
The renowned scholar was targeted by unidentified gunmen, but survived whilst two of his guards were killed
Student activists’ cards deactivated ahead of Queen’s visit to King’s College London
"The affected students are predominantly women of colour"
Gaza marks Great March of Return anniversary
Four martyred and hundreds wounded as occupation forces fire live rounds and tear gas on protestors
Netanyahu takes Fifth Term as PM in Toxic Rhetoric Marred ‘Israeli’ Elections
The election campaign was marred by racist rhetoric, seeing the foremost candidates attacking Palestinians to garner more support.
Breaking: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange arrested from Ecuadorian embassy [Updates]
"He is a truth-teller and one that has sacrificed his own liberty to shed light on the abuses of the world’s most powerful states."
UAE and Israel join hands in joint military exercises
The joint air force exercise in Greece is one of the many times in which the UAE and Israel have cooperated together.
Death of an Algerian revolutionary intellectual: Sh Dr. Abbassi Madani
He – raḥimahullāh - fought against French colonialism as a teenager and was instrumental in the revival of Islamic values and principles in Algeria. A role model for the Muslim world.
US forces and their allies have killed more civilians than the Taliban in early 2019
UN figures show that government and pro-government forces have killed 305 civilians in Afghanistan, with US and NATO airstrikes killing 145 civilians in the beginning of 2019.
Sri Lanka: Government bans niqāb and burqa after attacks
Muslim organisations and human rights groups have criticised the ban as Muslims fear reprisal attacks.
Modi’s party sees landslide victory for a second term following a “lynch rule”
Modi wins second term as Prime Minister where a “cow in India has a fundamental right to life” but a “Muslim can be killed for they have no fundamental right”.
Muslim Council of Britain calls for inquest into Conservative Party Islamophobia
The formal complaint consists of over 150 examples of Islamophobia and coincides with the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s announcement to investigate the Labour Party over antisemitism.
From football star to revolutionary icon: Abdel-Basset al-Sarout
“The goalkeeper of freedom, the icon of Homs, the bard of the squares, the unforgettable sound of the Syrian revolution has been martyred.”
REVEALED: UK Gov approved £14m arms sales to “Israel” during mass protester killings
Despite ‘Israeli’ soldiers shooting unarmed Palestinians, the British government continued to sign off weapons licences.
The biggest threat to free speech at universities is Prevent
"The true threat to free speech on campus is the government’s own policies", says Liberty.
Turkey receives Russian S-400 missile defence system despite US threat
Purchase of controversial defence system has angered the US, who argues Ankara cannot have both S-400 missiles and F-35 fighter jets.
King Salman will host US Armed Forces in the Kingdom again
The Saudi kingdom has not hosted US combat forces since 2003, when Donald Rumsfeld, the United States Secretary of Defense under George W. Bush, announced their withdrawal.
“Extreme concern” over appointment of new Home Secretary
Conservative Party’s Sayeeda Warsi said that Priti Patel was a “disturbing appointment at a critical time for the Middle East.”
Government appoints Prevent advocate to lead its professed ‘independent’ review
Lord Carlile was a former government reviewer who approved of the toxic counter-extremism strategy…
UN Security Council discusses situation in Kashmir for the first time in decades
The UN Security Council has met behind closed doors to discuss the ongoing situation in Kashmir as tensions continue to rise between Pakistan and India...
New report says detention of Muslims at UK ports and airports is ‘structural Islamophobia’
Tens of thousands of people are subject to ‘suspicionless stops’, with law enforcement using controversial counter-terrorism powers to detain Muslims for up to six hours.
UAE rolls out red carpet for “butcher of Gujrat” Modi
Qatar has withdrawn its signature from the pro-China statement defending China’s repressive policies in East Turkestan, whilst the UAE presents the butcher of Gujrat with the ‘Highest Civilian Award’.
Joint statement: “We should respect and tolerate our differences,” say UK scholars and Imams
Click below to find out why over a hundred scholars & Imams have signed a joint statement over the recent LGBT row in schools.
Salman studied Biochemistry at Imperial College London followed by a PhD in Chemical Biology, carrying out research into photosynthesis. During his years at university he became involved in Islamic society da’wah and activism, and general Muslim community projects. He is the Chief Editor and a regular contributor at Islam21c, and also has a blog on the Huffington Post.