He founded a television station and established the renowned Madinatul Ilm seminary in Afghanistan, as well as several others schools and institutions. During the Soviet invasion and the subsequent rise of the Taliban, he was actively involved in the resistance movement in Afghanistan.

Sheikh Abd al-Rahman al-Barrak's views that declare giving women the freedom to move around on their own would be to tempt God's wrath. In fact, "they will die, God willing, and will not enjoy this."

The recent provocations in Malaysia should be viewed within the wider context of a Saudi counter-revolution that is most apparent in Bahrain and Syria. The counter-revolution is premised on fomenting sectarian tensions in a bid to arrest the wave of change sweeping through the Muslim world.

Statements made by Religious Authorities (Maraja Taqleed) speaking out against the atrocities committed in Bahrain against the local people.

That such brazen and inhumane conduct escapes media attention and fails to raise international uproar says a great deal about the vast ground that we – collectively as human beings – must yet cover in order to sever the interests of power and its many unremitting obstacles that stand in the way of a truly universal human discourse.

As demonstrated in Egypt, and being witnessed at present in Yemen and Bahrain, Jum'a is a weekly forum that brings about unity and social cohesion. It instills in its participants the doctrine of equality, justice and social awareness. The merits of such a forum cannot be taken lightly.

Going back to the role of Muslim women in Islamic history, it is not hard to find examples and models that embody the role Islam has allowed, and even required, women to play within the socio-political constructs of their environments. Khadija bint Khwaylid (peace be upon her), the first wife of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) figures prominently in the history of Islam. She participated actively for the propagation of Islam through the influence she wielded in society at the time. Lady Fatima (peace be upon her), the daughter of our Prophet, was the first and staunchest defender of Wilayat after the demise of the Prophet. Her speech, which she delivered regarding her right to Fadak as her inheritance, reverberates on the pages of history books. Her stances and actions laid the groundwork for what came on the day of Ashura and beyond.

Bahrain boasted a horrendous human rights track record including widespread practice of torture under the instruction of British colonial officer Ian Henderson. The promises of reform made by the incumbent Emir Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa were partly inspired by the failure of the iron-fist policies to weigh in the discontent, and also in order to buttress his own standing against his uncle, Prime Minister Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa, who wielded a great deal of power acquired over three successive decades as Prime Minister; a position the latter continues to enjoy 40 years after his appointment.

Respected jurist, teacher, and exegete of the Qur'an Ayatollah Sadeqi Tehrani passed away on Monday, March 21. He was 85 years old.

The tower of corrupted doctrines became the sacred house, and the Muslim community formed a human chain to guard it from any criticism and to protect its founders and beholders. The corruption and the unchaste ideology of the hypocrites of Islam that breeds in the minds of Muslims is like a curtain that blinds them from recognizing truth from falsehood, justice from tyranny, spirituality from materialism, light from darkness, and guidance from ignorance. In the spirit of defending and furnishing the evil ideology, the Muslims had no choice but to accept the dictators, the aristocrats, the kings and despots as the vanguards Islamic nation. The King of Saudi Arabia, the Emir of Kuwait, the Sultan of Oman, the Khalifa of Bahrain or the Sheikh of UAE have many things in common – but the most prominent of them is that they are the absolute dictators of their nation, and they suppress their people in their own ways.