Islam

  • World NewsScorching temps claims over 550 Hajj pilgrims in Mecca

    Scorching temps claims over 550 Hajj pilgrims in Mecca

    Around 550 pilgrims have lost their lives to the intense heat during this year’s Hajj, highlighting the challenging nature of the pilgrimage, where scorching summer temperatures climbed above 50 degrees Celcius. Among the deceased, 323 were Egyptians, with most succumbing to heat-related conditions, according to two Arab diplomats coordinating their countries’ responses, as reported by AFP. A diplomat noted that…

  • Thailand NewsAmbassadors from Islamic Cooperation visits South Thailand

    Ambassadors from Islamic Cooperation visits South Thailand

    A delegation of ambassadors from eight Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries recently visited Thailand’s southern border provinces, aiming to understand the region’s multicultural society and assess potential areas for trade, investment, tourism, and education. The delegation included ambassadors from Brunei, Egypt, and Iran, along with chargés d’affaires from Malaysia, Nigeria, and the Maldives. Deputy chiefs of mission from Indonesia…

  • Thailand NewsThailand, an interfaith paradise?

    Thailand, an interfaith paradise?

    Today’s Pakistan Observer provides an interesting insight into Thailand as an interfaith paradise, seen from overseas, but not through the more usual Western lens. In Pakistan, Thailand is seen as a paradise of interfaith tolerance, and perhaps it is. Former Head of the Department of International Relations & Faculty of Political Science, Thammasat University of Bangkok Prof. Dr Jaran Maluleem…

  • South Thailand News4,000 Muslims protest against construction of Kuan Yin statue in southern Thailand

    4,000 Muslims protest against construction of Kuan Yin statue in southern Thailand

    More than 4,000 Muslims gathered yesterday to protest against the construction of the largest Kuan Yin statue in the world on Khao Lon mountain in Songkhla province, southern Thailand. President of the Islamic Committee of Songkhla Province Sakkriya Bilsal alongside an imam from every mosque in the province were among those opposing the construction of the 200-metre-tall statue of a…

  • World NewsBritish Embassy sparks controversy in Indonesia by raising LGBT+ flag

    British Embassy sparks controversy in Indonesia by raising LGBT+ flag

    The British Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, hoisted a rainbow LGBT+ flag last week to mark the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia on May 17. However, Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs have called the action “highly insensitive” to Indonesian people and have urged other foreign officials not to follow suit. The British Embassy posted a photo of the raised…

  • World NewsTaliban impose head-to-toe coverings for women in Afghanistan

    Taliban impose head-to-toe coverings for women in Afghanistan

    On Saturday, the Taliban announced that Afghan women must cover their face, hair and body in public. According to the Taliban, woman should ideally wear a burqa, an all-encompassing garment which leaves only the hands and feet visible with netting over the eyes for vision. The Taliban said the decree is a “recommendation,” rather than a rule, but said the…

  • South Thailand NewsSongkhla Muslims against plan for Chinese goddess statue on mountain

    Songkhla Muslims against plan for Chinese goddess statue on mountain

    In Thailand’s tense Deep South, Muslim communities are speaking out against a plan to build a statue of a Chinese goddess on a mountain in Thepa district. The company planning to build it is TPI Polene Power Plc, a power plant operator. Many in the community around the mountain are Muslims, and an imam, who asked to remain anonymous, said…

  • Thailand NewsCourt lifts 4 year hijab ban at Pattani school

    Court lifts 4 year hijab ban at Pattani school

    The court has lifted a ban on hijabs set four years ago at a school in Pattani, southern Thailand. The school claimed that wearing a hijab – or Islamic headscarf – to school went against the Education Ministry’s regulations. Four years of court battles between the school and parents finally ended yesterday when the Yala Administrative Court announced a ruling…

  • Thailand NewsPro-choice women struggle against spiritual detractors

    Pro-choice women struggle against spiritual detractors

    Starting in February, women who sought an abortion could legally get one, in the first trimester. However, pro-choice activist Supecha Baotip says women still encounter discrimination in the form of spiritual objections. Supecha says that many nurses and doctors do not want to assist women who want help, despite the procedure’s legality. She says it’s “more than just a feeling.…

  • Thailand NewsThailand News Today | Burmese coup & tourist visa ’emergency extensions’ | February 1

    Thailand News Today | Burmese coup & tourist visa ’emergency extensions’ | February 1

    Myanmar’s military has taken control of the country in a political coup, deposing the elected government after reportedly detaining de-facto leader and ‘State Counsellor’ Aung San Suu Kyi, along with other politicians early this morning. The military-owned Myawaddy TV announced a state of emergency had been declared for 12 months and power transferred to the Junta. A news presenter referred…

  • Thailand NewsThailand News Today | PM reverses lockdown, Southern P.D.A. crackdown, Covid update | Jan 5

    Thailand News Today | PM reverses lockdown, Southern P.D.A. crackdown, Covid update | Jan 5

    Jett back with today’s Thailand News Today. All the latest news on thethaiger.com 527 new Covid-19 cases were reported in today’s CCSA daily media briefing. Thailand now has 4,504 active coronavirus cases in 55 of Thailand’s 77 provinces. A total of 8,966 people in Thailand have reportedly been infected Covid-19 and 65 people have died since February of last year.…

  • World NewsSaudi Arabia holds limited Hajj due to Covid-19

    Saudi Arabia holds limited Hajj due to Covid-19

    Saudi Arabia is holding a very limited Hajj this year, due to the current Covid-19 pandemic. Pilgrims who are already in the Kingdom will be permitted to conduct the annual Muslim rite, which usually draws millions to religious sites. The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and is a must for Muslims at least once in their lives. …

  • Covid-19 NewsUPDATE: Thai Returnee from Indonesia commits suicide on last day of quarantine

    UPDATE: Thai Returnee from Indonesia commits suicide on last day of quarantine

    A 51 year old Muslim man from Thailand’s deep south was set to be released from quarantine today but tragically jumped to his death from the 8th floor of a state hospital in Samut Prakan this morning. Police arrived at the scene in Bang Ya Phraek around 2.30am this morning where they found the body of a man in a pool…

  • Covid-19 NewsOver half returning from Indonesia tested positive with Covid-19

    Over half returning from Indonesia tested positive with Covid-19

    42 of the 76 Thais who returned from Indonesia on Monday have now ended up as Covid-19 patients. Members of the Thai Islamic community travelling to Indonesia to preform “Dawah ” an Islamic missionary tradition, amidst a rise of Covid-19 cases in Indonesia, have returned with over half testing positive. After health care workers examined the returnees, 22 have been sent…

  • World NewsChina has the most atheists, Indonesia and Philippines the most believers

    China has the most atheists, Indonesia and Philippines the most believers

    “According to the survey there is a connection between religiosity, beliefs and socio-demographic characteristics like age, income and education level.” China is the least believing country in the world but belief in a God gets 100% mention in countries like Indonesia, Bangladesh and Philippines, according to the survey by Gallup International. According to the survey exploring religious tendencies of 66,000…

  • World NewsBrunei’s ‘vicious’ new Islamic criminal laws – Amnesty International

    Brunei’s ‘vicious’ new Islamic criminal laws – Amnesty International

    Brunei, an ASEAN country, has announced the introduction of draconian sharia criminal laws. Included, death by stoning for gays and amputation for theft. The new penalties come into effect on April 3. And, by the way, the new laws also apply to children. It’s all covered under the new Brunei Sharia Penal Code. Not surprisingly governments and rights groups around the…

  • South Thailand News18 children dead as officials try to fight vaccine denial – Measles outbreak

    18 children dead as officials try to fight vaccine denial – Measles outbreak

    “Young kids should avoid known infected areas, and patients should be quarantined.” Measles has now infected 2,280 people in the South and killed 18 in the mainly Muslim border provinces already this year. The largest group affected were young children up to the age of four. “Measles vaccination is free and is in line with Islamic principles,” Songkhla’s public-health chief…

  • South Thailand NewsMuslim leader rules measles vaccine ‘not prohibited’ by Islam

    Muslim leader rules measles vaccine ‘not prohibited’ by Islam

    The Chularajamontri in Yala, Thailand’s Islamic spiritual leader, has made an unofficial ruling that Muslims can receive measles vaccine. Ahmad Abdull Hazima, the Islamic leader in Yala, said the Chularajamontri and 39 provincial Islamic committees have made unofficial rulings that vaccines are not prohibited by Islam. The rulings were sought after an ongoing outbreak of measles in four southern border…