RIFLE RANGE BOY

The Lady of Heaven (2021) Directed by Eli King (pseudonym) When a controversial figure like Sheikh Yasser Al-Habib writes the script of a movie, one can be pretty sure that it will kick up some dirt. Just for the record, Al-Habib, a Kuwaiti Shia cleric, was imprisoned in Kuwait for 35 years when he insulted the companions of the Prophet back in the early 2000s. After obtaining a royal pardon from the Emir of Kuwait, he resided in the UK. He lost his Kuwaiti citizenship in 2004 when he stated in his speeches that the Prophet died not because of an ailment but after being poisoned by His wives! Al-Habib apparently has made a hobby out of insulting Sunnis. In the UK, he continues his controversial stance and has been accused of being a divisive figure and one-minded in creating a rift between the Shia and Sunni denominations of Islam. As a head of the Shia community, he regularly appears in the media for all the wrong reasons accentuating the Shia-Sunni divide. This movie is pregnant with...

WARNING: FOR MATURE READERS ONLY Islamic Law and Constitution  Sayyid Abul A'la Maududi (1960) The usual rebuttal put forward by debaters of inter-faith dialogues when one is cornered with a difficult question is that the other should not talk about something that he does not understand. More often than not it is those who profess the Islamic faith are guilty of this. No one holds the chalice to knowledge and wisdom. It is not the stronghold of the privileged few but should be made available to anyone who desires to pursue that path. The mere recital of the rituals does not make one enlightened! In the comfort of the company of a closed discussion group comprising close childhood friends with the same zest to acquire knowledge with an open mind, over a period of a few months, we were engaged deep into a myriad of sensitive topics including religions of the world. One thing led to another and the non-hostile liberal-minded of different faiths amongst us found ourselves di...