Qari Jalandhari in KSA to receive award

Qari Muhammad Hanif Jalandhari, the secretary general of the Wafaq ul Madaris Al-Arabia that runs at least 12,000 madrassahs in Pakistan has arrived in the Kingdom to receive award for producing the most huffaz of Qur'an in the world in the year 2013-2014

Jalandhari who is here at the invitation of the Muslim World League will receive the award from Abdullah Basfar, the secretary general, International Organization for Qur'an Memorization (IOQM), at its annual conference on July 27, which will be graced by the presence of the Makkah governor.

King Abdullah calls El-Sissi to pledge economic support

King Abdullah calls El-Sissi to pledge economic supportKing Abdullah calls El-Sissi to pledge economic supportCustodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah telephoned newly elected Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sissi on Friday to pledge the Kingdom's support for the country's economic development.

Iran won’t accept ‘nuclear apartheid,’ says Rouhani

TEHRAN: Iran will not accept “nuclear apartheid” but is willing to offer more transparency over its atomic activities, President Hassan Rouhani said Sunday ahead of new talks with world powers.

Iran and the P5+1 group of nations will start hammering out a draft accord Tuesday aimed at ending a decade-long standoff over suspicions that the Islamic republic is concealing military objectives.

“We have nothing to put on the table and offer to them but transparency. That’s it. Our nuclear technology is not up for negotiation,” Rouhani, referring to the West, said in remarks broadcast on state television.

Boko Haram leader releases video showing missing Nigerian schoolgirls

LAGOS: Boko Haram released a new video on Monday claiming to show the missing Nigerian schoolgirls, alleging the teenagers had converted to Islam and would not be released until all militant prisoners were freed.

The group's leader, Abubakar Shekau, speaks on the video obtained by AFP for 17 minutes before showing what he said were the girls, in Muslim dress and praying in an undisclosed rural location.

A total of 276 girls were abducted on April 14 from the northeastern town of Chibok, in Borno state, which has a sizeable Christian community. Some 223 are still missing.

French Muslims Look To Science To Determine Holy Month Beginning

PARIS :France's Muslim leaders have agreed to end almost 1,400 years of Islamic tradition and use modern astronomy to determine the start of the holy month of Ramadan and other Islamic holidays.

The French Muslim Council (CFCM) voted on Thursday to start using astronomical calculations to set the date rather than relying on the naked eye to sight the new crescent moon.

Ramadan traditionally begins the morning after the sighting, which has in the past been delayed by a day or even two by weather.