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Zaytuna: First Muslim College in America

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In a historic first for the United States, an American Muslim college has now joined the nation’s community of accredited institutions of higher education. On Wednesday, March 4, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) granted Zaytuna College accreditation. WASC is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and accredits institutions in several Western states, including Zaytuna’s neighbors such as Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley. Accreditation from WASC is a mark of credibility, and after extensive collaboration they passed on the decision to grant Zaytuna College accreditation. This effectively affirms Zaytuna’s strong educational mission and organization as well as its commitment to institutional quality, financial stability and accountability. It helps ensure that Zaytuna successfully fulfills the objectives outlined in its curriculum, which grounds its students in both the Islamic and Western scholarly traditions. R...
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Fragments from an early Hijazi Qur'an come to Turkey

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Consists of five different leaves, a rare vellum Quran leaves become a Yildiz Holding Collection after Sotheby's London auction. Fragments of the Qur'an in Hijazi script from the first century Hijri are amongst the rarest and most revered of all examples of Islamic manuscript production. The Quran has been dated the second half of the 7th century or the beginning of 8th century according to the Gregorian calendar, only decades after the death of the Prophet Muhammad. Consist of 5 separate pieces, every leaf has 6 to 14 lines that embroidered with brown ink. These Hijazi leaves are considered the earliest examples of any Arabic manuscripts, therefore they are important not just for religious significance but in the development of Arabic as a written language. The leaves contain verses from Surah al-Araf, Surah al-Anfal and Surah al- Taubah. Reference: http://www.worldbulletin.net/haber/145906/fragments-from-an-early-hijazi-quran-come-to-turkey
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Mobile Phone For Muslims In Russia

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A specially designed mobile phone for Muslims has been offered for sale in Russia. The he chairwoman of Russia's Female Muslims' Union, Nailya Ziganshina, said that the phone has a pre-installed Koran in Arabic and Russian. It has an automated system that reminds the owner about prayer times, the phone also includes a built-in navigator that automatically determines the user’s location and shows the direction to Mecca. The handset, made by Russian company BQ and assembled in China, costs 1,900 rubles ($31). It is available in three colors: green, black and crimson. Reference: http://www.worldbulletin.net/haber/154293/mobile-phone-for-muslims-in-russia
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Oldest Quran Recording with Edisons Phonograph

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Christian Snouck Hurgonje (1857-1936) is the founder of contemporary Islamic studies in the Netherlands, and believed that racial and religious diversity can go hand in hand with peaceful coexistence. His life was filled with still-relevant ideological controversies and revolutionary statements. He traveled to study the Hajj in 1885/1302H on a scholarship from the Dutch government. A report in Muslimmatters explains that Hurgronje, once in Mecca, embraced Islam according to some and was spying according to others  and was known as Abdul Ghaffaar. There he took photographs and made various sound recordings. In this recording of the Qur'an, Surah Duha is being recited using Thomas Edison's newly-invented wax cylinders. He stayed for five months, documenting the run-up to Hajj, but although he had intended to stay for the pilgrimage, he was forced to leave after unfounded accusations of his involvement in an attempt to steal a historical artifact' by the French govern...
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Quran prints from Proph. Muhammad era on display

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Quran prints that were written during the Prophet Muhammads lifetime, that have been hidden away in the Berlin State Library for years have been scientifically proven to belong to the era of the Prophet. Examined in a laboratory in Zurich, the seven page parchment papers Kuran script prints were written between the years 606 and 652. According to the Maerkischer Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper report, State Library spokesperson Jeanette Lamblia, the copies were examined as part of a major long term project called the "Corpus Coranicusm" and analysed in a Zurich laboratory. The project examined all the copies of the Quran across Europe. This particular print of the Quran was kept in the State Library for over 100 years. The prints were originally as part of an inheritance to an Egyptian scientist were thought to brought to Germany, either at the end of 19th century or beginning of 20th century. Reference: http://www.worldbulletin.net/muslim-world/157374/quran-prints-fr...
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Muslim population to grow fastest says new study

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A report by the Pew Research Center predicts that the number of Muslims will equal the number of Christians by 2050. Global leaders would have to take these changes into account in order to avoid future conflict. Muslim population worldwide is rising rapidly and could be nearly as much as the number of Christians in 2050, a new report called the "Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections 2010-2050" by the Pew Research Center has predicted. Islam to grow fastest The study, released on April 2, says that the world's religious profile is changing primarily due to differences in fertility rates among various communities and because of people switching faiths. "Over the next four decades, Christians will remain the largest religious group, but Islam will grow faster than any major religion," the research says. The number of Muslims will be equal to those of Christians by 2050, the report predicts, even though some Christian countries and a...
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USA: DISCOVERY OF 9TH CENTURY QURANIC MANUSCRIPTS PREDATE COLUMBUS TRAVELS BY FIVE CENTURIES

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For centuries it was believed that Christopher Columbus was the first man from the Old continent to cross the Atlantic to the New World, but new evidence from a research team from the University of Rhode Island suggests Muslim seafarers might just be the first people to have settled on the shores of America, a possibility that could rewrite history as we know it. The discovery completely took the researchers by surprise admits professor Evan Yuriesco, in charge of the research team. “We were expecting to find traces of prehistoric Native American settlements, as we have in the area for the past decades. We were not prepared to find 9th century clay pots containing ancient manuscripts written in the Arabic language” he explains. The team of researchers fell upon what could be the mass tomb of 9th century seafarers. The four skeletons that have been found on the site are in a state of advanced decomposition which could make DNA testing impossible, warns the exp...
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