Sheikh Haitham al-Haddad, of the United Kingdom, has been very active in analysing and critiquing some of the various models for Islamic finance that have appeared in the West.  I recently came across a fatwa from the Sheikh on particular scheme: In this short fatwa, I would like to identify a scheme that I am...Read More

The recent Israeli misadventure in Lebanon has exposed to the world the depth of feeling in the Muslim world against the state of Israel. That should surprise no one, but what should concern Muslims is how our faith seems to be hijacked by current political conflicts and perceived cultural contests. I have seen so-called “secular...Read More

In the late 1990s the All Blacks force in decline, an ageing pack and timid game plan should have ensured their failure, and yet they remained competitive. It was due entirely due to the “Lomu” factor, the two meter tall man mountain who was 120 kg of muscle on the left wing. When the ABs...Read More

Following on from the Prime Minister’s call for “a minority of Muslims” to learn English, the treasurer Peter Costello turns the rhetoric up a notch by calling on Muslims, yet again, to condemn terrorism. “This is where we really need the Islamic leadership of this country to stand up and contend unequivocally that terrorism, no...Read More