As far as Sunni world is concerned, the first stubborn citadel of ultra secularism fell to this force in Turkey. This Turkish mass revolution came in full secular, democratic and peaceful manner. This was a miracle in the given Turkish scenario. It was accomplished by dint of the very ideological methods and tools which, to me, seem fit to be attributed as Islamic secularism. This Turkish experience was an eye opener in many ways to other Islamic revivalist movements and especially to Ulama, who are still relying on traditional thinking and are clinging to old stereotypes. …

American President Barack Obama recently changed his mind on the question of homosexual marriage after a conversation with his wife and daughters. He said he realised that history was moving in their direction and that, sooner or later, such marriages would become widely accepted. Did he not discuss with his family the indignity of keeping individuals in prison without charges and without trial (for both in Israel and in the United States, dozens of widely recognised innocents remain behind bars)? Did his wife and daughters not help him understand that history cannot absolve states that legalise arbitrary arrest and torture.....

Beyond the symbolism though, change will be limited. The Islamists have close ties to the ruling elite, they are moderate, rarely mention religion, and parliament's restricted powers mean they cannot push radical reform even if they want to. More hard-line Islamists who do seek radical change, and who represent an influential and often volatile part of society, are outside the political….

The image of Iran in the Arab public mind has changed during the last three decades. Its popularity has declined on the Arab street; albeit for reasons that are nothing to do with the concerns of Israel and western powers. It would be a mistake to depict the widespread Arab concerns over Iran as an act of support for an Israeli or American war against it…

The movement, founded by Hassan al-Banna in 1928 in Egypt, has always made pragmatic alliances with regimes -- those of King Farouk from 1936; the Free Officers who ousted him in 1952 (though from 1954 the Brothers turned against Gamal Abdel Nasser and were then severely repressed); and Anwar Sadat from 1970 (who used the Brothers against the Nasserists and the left)…

Pakistan is in the grip of an all-pervading crisis. An atmosphere of uncertainly looms large. The country is facing dire consequences of this uncertainly in almost every walk of life. Legislature, judiciary and administration, all wish to prove their superiority. Army has always shown great alacrity in staging a coup taking advantage of such a situation. But it is not doing so now. The reason is not far to seek. Regardless of other divisions, Pakistan is united in struggling for its democracy more than ever before. …

Political and ethnic violence in Karachi has increased significantly since 2008. There were just over 200 target killings in the city in 2006, 318 in 2007, and 786 in 2008. At least 1,183 people died in political and ethnic violence in the city in 2009, more than 1,300 in 2010, and over 1,700 in 2011….

The arrest of Faraj Al-Haidari, head of the independent electoral commission on Thursday amid wrangling in the country's parliament over the selection of a new body, raised fears that Al-Maliki might be planning to shelve next year's provincial elections and national elections due to be held in 2014…..

Theoretically, all the protesters were united in seeking to overthrow dictatorships and to create governing structures responsive to the needs, economic and political, of all people. In practice it is a turbulence that has brought to the fore the divide between the extreme Islamists and the moderate interpreters of Islam, divisions among sects in Islam, the divide between Muslim majorities and minorities and that among various ethnic groups and various tribes.

Yes we have the bomb, but where are the new, quality schools, hospitals, a welfare system, political stability, a healthy competitive economy, democratic institutions and mindset, and a life free of sectarian and religious bigotry, strife and hatred? We have become prisoners of our own delusions – delusions about ourselves and about the many countries and cultures that we believe are constantly scheming against us….

Qur'an and Sunnah, as primary sources of Shari'ah (i.e. Islamic Weltanschauung), are uniformally recognised as the ultimate points of reference on whose basis, in the past as well as in the present, a variety of interpretive communities across the Muslim ideological divide have based their worldviews. However, the often-invoked formula of "going back to the Qur'an and Sunnah" has become a clichƒÆ’© phrase in contemporary Muslim discourse. …

But Hafiz Sahib and company are not the only thrill-making actors on the stage of Pakistani media. While Hafiz Sahib’s followers are active on the ground, there is another category of e-Taliban who are brimming with a spirit of jihad in the virtual world and electronic media. Countries pass through various tribulations before they set themselves on a steady course of economic progress. Until yesterday, Vietnam was known because of Marxist guerrilla warfare and Hollywood movies. …

I don’t think there is any foreign hand involved in the sectarian riots. The key thing in my understanding is the high rate of literacy without employment opportunities, which allows the frustrated youth to be easily used by some elements. GB has among the highest literacy rates in the country, but few employment opportunities. Such a situation frustrates the youth….

The truth is that Abdul Qudoos was killed, as countless others before him from amongst the minorities, forced and otherwise. The truth is that Aasia Bibi remains behind bars. Those who champion the cause of due process and human rights for the LeT chief do not speak up for the rights of minorities and women. Therefore, this writer cannot be neutral where neutrality is akin to a crime. Selective due process is a curse. …

If the rise of the Egyptian Islamists gives us a few laughs, the refusal by the Cairo generals to relinquish power is the stuff of tears. And the ease with which the US ditched a handy tool that might have nudged all sides in the right direction is cause for despair. Another wild card to emulate is Pakistan. In Islamabad, the military has used a mixture of corruption and an insane obsession with the security threat from neighbouring India to strangle democracy when it appears in the civilian crib. …