because truth matters
Rumi has become a household name in the world of poetry. Be it in meme culture, or internet statuses or just popular literature, translations of Rumi’s poetry are easy to come across. He is, in fact, counted among the best selling poets of all time. So, who was Rumi? The absolutely common answer is “a… Read more Islam: The Overlooked Aspect of Rumi’s Poetry
It’s not easy to live up to your name if you’re named “Light of the Faith”. Nur ad-Din Zengi did a fine job at that, though. Nur al-Din Mahmud Zengi, often spelled as Nuruddin Zangi, was from the Oghuz Turkic Zengid dynasty. An important figure leading the defences against the Second Crusade, Nur al-Din Zengi… Read more Remembering Nur ad-Din Zengi: The Light of Faith
Recently, CounterPunch published an article titled “First English, Then American, and Now Muslim Francophobia”. In this article, the author Mr Liaquat Ali Khan stated that the Muslim world needs to be wary of indulging in Francophobia, and went to great lengths to state that a potential “Muslim Francophobia” is real. I disagree with this assessment.
As the world comes to terms with the Coronavirus effect, I’ve been sitting at home, juggling my time between conducting online classes and remotely managing my work. Finding time to write is not the easiest thing to do, but I have finally managed to put together some of the key experiences from my trip to… Read more A Year in Kazakhstan: Some General Observations
Dirilis Ertugrul. Ertugrul Ghazi. Resurrection: Ertugrul. Call it whatever name you want. This is one show that has taken the Muslim World, especially South Asia, by a storm. Muslims of all age groups, all over the South Asian region, are bonafide fans of this one particular show — especially its Urdu version, Ertugrul Ghazi. Before… Read more ‘Dirilis Ertugrul’ — A History We’ve Forgotten?
If you ask any Kazakh to pick their favorite city between Nur-Sultan (Astana) and Almaty, the majority will opt for the latter. And when you ask them for the reason, the replies may run as complex as the history of Almaty, and as simple as “it’s just more beautiful”. So when I finally got the… Read more Almaty, Kazakhstan: City of Tourists and Mountains
Continuing my travels through the ex-Soviet states, I reached Astana (now, Nur-Sultan City) from Tashkent. This post has been long due, but things kept getting in the way. Nonetheless, since I am not really a “tourist” in Astana, it makes sense to divide the write-ups by the topic, and publish them at regular intervals. Long… Read more Nur-Sultan City (Astana): A Young and Futuristic City
Visiting Central Asia had been on my bucket list for quite a while. So when I finally got the chance to head to Kazakhstan, I decided to take a pit-stop on my way there. This is how I got to Tashkent, the capital city of Uzbekistan, and also the most populous city in former-Soviet Central… Read more Tashkent, Uzbekistan: The City with 2200+ Years of History
When it comes to the history of Mongols, most people are aware of Genghis Khan and his expeditions/conquests. However, the same amount of recognition is not enjoyed by many other Mongol leaders — some far greater than Genghis himself. In this article, I will be writing about one such man who was one of the… Read more Remembering Berke Khan, 1209-66
Recently, I visited Tbilisi, Georgia for a short business trip. This post enlists some of my major observations about Tbilisi during the course of my brief visit. A lot has been spoken about the natural landscape and stunning regions of Georgia, so I will bypass that. Plus, I will stick only to Tbilisi and no… Read more Tbilisi, Georgia — The City Where (Almost) Everyone Owns a Hotel