Seventh century Arabia saw the birth of one of the most influential religious movements in history. Islam, beginning from the humble, dusty streets of Mecca, had in less than twenty three years managed to unite the whole of unruly Arabia under a simple declaration: “there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad (sa) is His messenger”.

Article Link: https://www.reviewofreligions.org/22408/the-first-pillar-of-islam-declaration-of-faith-kalima/

Recently the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association of Canada organised a series of interfaith discussions on the topic ‘God: Fact or Fiction?’ at universities across Canada.

Article link: https://www.reviewofreligions.org/22165/untold-stories-14/

The Review of Religions speaks to Jeanet Sinding Bentzen, an associate professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and executive director of the Association for the Study of Religion, Economics and Culture about her latest research on the relationship between prayer and natural disasters.

Article Link: https://www.reviewofreligions.org/22337/religiosity-and-natural-affliction-google-searches-for-prayer-rise-in-response-to-covid-19/

I was rather surprised to read what Professor Bart D. Ehrman had to say in a recent article What Jesus Really Said About Heaven and Hell.[i] published by TIME on its website.

He states that there are over 2 billion Christians in the world, the vast majority of whom believe in Heaven and Hell and goes on to say that, ‘the vast majority of these people naturally assume this is what Jesus himself taught. But that is not true. Neither Jesus (as), nor the Hebrew Bible he interpreted, endorsed the view that departed souls go to paradise or everlasting pain.’

Article Link: https://www.reviewofreligions.org/22850/what-jesus-as-really-said-about-heaven-and-hell-a-response-to-an-article-in-time/

Monotheistic religion and racism are two powerful belief systems, but one at its core teachings is in line with the concept of justice and the other, diametrically opposed to it.

Article Link: https://www.reviewofreligions.org/23185/religion-racial-justice-islam-holy-quran/

As we stock up on tinned foods, dust off the family board games and log in to the office conference call, we should remember, that what we in our seemingly impregnable societies see as a state of emergency, others around the world experience as regular day to day life.

Article Link: https://www.reviewofreligions.org/21892/covid-19-a-story-of-carrom-board-conference-calls-and-context/

An Article by Ayesha Mahmood Malik - UK

on Contemporary and Social issues

‘The flute is totally empty…it is the breath that flows through… sings and dances…to be empty is not emptiness.’ These poignantly beautiful words attributed to the 13th century mystical poet Maulana Rumi resonate strongly in today’s post-Covid world.

Article Link: https://www.reviewofreligions.org/21768/we-had-always-been-socially-distant-from-the-destitute-and-vulnerable-only-now-it-is-worse/

Perhaps one of the more controversial boundaries is the concept of purdah – the boundaries placed between men and women. Many opponents argue that the segregation of men and women disempowers women because it prevents them from fully integrating in society. When many European countries introduced niqab bans, they argued that these prevent true integration of women into society.

Article Link: https://www.reviewofreligions.org/22058/safe-relating/

Some of the most frequent and prominent gatherings throughout the year are those of various religious communities. The current spread of COVID-19 has noticeably altered such routine gatherings all around the world, forcing religious and community leaders to alter their approach. The Review of Religions interviewed a Rabbi from the United States, a Priest from the United Kingdom and an Imam from Canada to see how they and their communities are adjusting to the current state of affairs.

Article Link: https://www.reviewofreligions.org/21861/navigating-through-covid-19-a-rabbi-priest-and-imam/

What if you woke up one morning and turned on the TV to find your Federal Health Minister making the following statement instead:

“We are praying and hoping that the Messiah will arrive before Passover, the time of our redemption. I am sure that the Messiah will come and bring us out as [God] brought us out of Egypt. Soon we will go out in freedom and the Messiah will come and redeem us from all the troubles of the world.”

Article Link: https://www.reviewofreligions.org/21538/the-pandemic-and-the-search-for-the-jewish-messiah/