The 10-day visit will take Leo nearly 18,000 km across 11 cities in Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea, involving 18 flights in what Vatican officials described as a demanding itinerary.

Cardinal Michael Czerny, a senior Vatican official, said the trip was intended “to help turn the world’s attention to Africa,” emphasizing the pope’s priority to ensure the continent is not overlooked amid global crises.

Leo, the first U.S.-born pope and successor to Pope Francis, has made limited foreign visits since his election last May, including trips to Turkey and Lebanon late last year, and Monaco in March.

Africa accounts for more than 20% of the world’s Catholics, according to Vatican data, and is the fastest-growing region for the Church. In several of the countries on Leo’s itinerary, Catholics make up a majority of the population, while Algeria remains predominantly Muslim with a small Catholic minority.

During the visit, Leo is expected to promote interfaith dialogue, including a visit to the Great Mosque of Algiers, and travel to Annaba to see the ancient ruins of Hippo, associated with St. Augustine of Hippo, a central figure for the Augustinian order to which the pope belongs.

In Cameroon, Leo is scheduled to hold a peace meeting in Bamenda, a region affected by conflict between government forces and separatist groups since 2017.

The pope will also visit Bata, where he is expected to pray at the site of a 2021 explosion at a military barracks that killed more than 100 people.

Church officials and analysts say the tour reflects the Vatican’s strategic and pastoral focus on Africa, highlighting both the continent’s challenges and its role as a center of growth and vitality within global Catholicism.

During an interview, a local individual made a striking assertion: “I don’t want to say the exact numbers. Come and see for yourself. The current ratio is 60-40”.

If true, this would represent a significant shift in religious demographics within the state, where Hindus have historically formed the majority.

Despite such claims, official census records do not reflect this drastic change, primarily because many converts reportedly do not update their religious identity on official documents such as Aadhaar cards and caste certificates.

This practice, according to critics, allows individuals to continue benefiting from government schemes designated for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs), which are intended for socio-economically disadvantaged Hindu communities.

The potential misuse of caste-based reservations and welfare schemes has raised concerns among policymakers and community leaders. “After converting, they do not update their Aadhaar card or other official documents. As a result, they continue to receive all the benefits reserved for lower-caste Hindu communities”, the source added.

The state of Andhra Pradesh has historically been a hotspot for religious conversions, with active missionary movements and charitable institutions playing a crucial role in social outreach. While many converts cite spiritual reasons and improved social status as their motivation for conversion, others claim access to missionary-run education and healthcare facilities as a driving factor.

Authorities have not officially confirmed the claimed figures, and religious conversions remain a sensitive topic in India’s socio-political landscape. However, some Hindu organizations and political groups have demanded stricter enforcement of anti-conversion laws and more transparency in welfare schemes.

With the next national census approaching, many believe that an accurate count of religious demographics could clarify the situation. Analysts suggest that if such large-scale conversions have indeed occurred, there may be a need for policy adjustments regarding reservations and welfare benefits.

This is a developing story. Further official data and reports may provide more clarity on the matter.

Guests

1 – Irina Tsukerman. She is a New York-based Human Rights Lawyer and National Security Analyst. She is also a Media and Security consultant. Irina writes and speaks on human rights voilations of the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen. She extensively speaks on Iranian mullah regime’s catasrophic agenda in the MiddleEast.

2 – Sharon Collins. She is a Florida-based Independent Political Analyst and Researcher, mainly focused on Middle East Affairs. She also visited Saudi Arabia and stayed in the Kingdom.

3 – Rabbi Enchanan Poupko. He is a New York-based Jewish Rabbi or Scholar. He is also a TEDx speaker. He participates in interfaith discussions to bride gap between the Muslims and Jews.

4 – Mohammed Abbasi. He is a London-based coach, speaker and writer. He is director of Association of British Muslims. He works for Football for Peace. He is a great fan of Sun Tzu, and in fact he teaches the art of war.

Moderator

Zahack is a Saudi-based Non Resident Indian (NRI). He founded The Milli Chronicle in September 2018, which mainly focuses on MENA affairs. Zahack has been working on a non-commercial basis to publish the works of notable researchers and Think-Tank groups.

YouTube Link.

Living in a society in which different religions, cultures, languages and behaviours exist is a need of a human being. This kind of living in unison with different societies is known as Unity in diversity.

God has originated human beings to live peacefully, lovingly, without hatred and jealousy. We can learn from the life of Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him), how he lived in Mecca peacefully and united with the tribes of Mecca. Even in Medina he lived with the Jews to sustain peace among them.

We have to be tolerant and work along with the people who differ with us. There will be differences among people. But we have been ordered to keep up with them within the purview of Islamic Sharia rulings. If not then injustice, corruption, chaos, wrong doings and falsehood will prevail. Human societies based on pluralism will face problems of religious differences, cultural diversity and differences in values and ethics, due to the diversity of the institutional backgrounds of this plurality.

Problems can be dealt practically with awareness which will transform contradiction into integration, collision into coexistence, and intolerance into tolerance, or it can be dealt by manipulating with the emotions of the people, which will only add fuel to the fire and lead to destruction.

What is Coexistence?

Coexistence is that you are open-minded and pleased with the person who lives with you, that he lives by his doctrine, or his religion, or his group.

Establishing Peaceful coexistence—Realistic knowledge of self and of others

Man is an enemy of which he has no knowledge of and lack of knowledge makes one fanatic and irritable. Verily there are many incidents happened due to the lack of proper assessment like self-conceited attitude and belittlement of the others.

Some scholars said, “Verily we gathered many forums for religious conversations with Christians, so it made us realize that we did not understand each other properly, as we deal with them on the basis of what we know about them from our books, while many developments have occurred in their ideas and beliefs. The misunderstanding between us has complicated the crisis and expanded the split. It is our lack of understanding of others that puts us in systematic errors, and resulting in strategic mistakes”.

Tolerance

In this multicultural society, it is necessary for one to live with tolerance. We should not harm the people of other religion nor make their lives difficult whereas, we should tolerate with each other and live in peace.

God says in Quran (6:108), “Do not abuse those who invoke other than Allah, because they will abuse Allah in ignorance out of spite”.

Positive Dialogue

The only way to achieve this reconciliation (establishment of harmonious relations), is through dialogues, and dialogue is not through philosophical discourse, or winning over other’s opinion, and to triumph over it, and wanting the others to be defeated.

The dialogue that we propose and support is so, that we reach ideas that coexist in them without compromising on basic fundamentals of each group. The idea is to keep the fundamentals intact and come to terms with the others to live peacefully.

Dialogue is a legal matter, and it is derived from the Noble Quran. The term dialogue is mentioned thrice in the Quran. This shows the importance of dialogue and it is considered a fixed origin of the Islamic civilizations and a fundamental of Sharia law.

Civilization deals with tolerance, freedom, peace and tranquillity with all those who entered it. Therefore, it has made pluralism as a characteristic. Pluralism in religion, languages and sects and as a result of that a new culture has been evolved over time.

Any civilization in the world and any major country will accept pluralism, because if they intent to wipe out another civilization or other language or other religion, it will be self-destructive action. The downfall of any civilization begins when it eliminates the minorities in it. The power of great states or any civilization comes from the power of the minorities in them.

Importance of dialogue cannot be denied. Not only it is used for self-defence but rather as a step towards a peaceful mankind and building a single civilized conception for an integrated world. Positive and effective dialogue is achieved when both the parties opens up to each other and clears all the misunderstandings.

Coexistence is the building of the human civilization that we live in it. We live in this land, whether we are Muslims or non-Muslims, there is no difference in this. We all eat, we all drink, we all sleep, we all study, and we all learn and we all have our own rights in humanitarian matters.

Goals of Dialogue

Some of the important goals in dialogue are:

1. Search for commonalities with others to solve existing problems, or lessen their effects on man in our mission in essence.
2. Ensuring access to the truth, narrowing the gaps in the dispute as much as possible, and bringing views closer.
3. Responding to suspicions and appeals against Islam. In order to show Islam as it is of perfection and beauty.
4. Benefiting from the scientific achievements and civil progress of others.

Communication between religious groups

Knowledge about coexistence and communication deepens when one practically knows and experiences the culture of others, because the actual reality is more informative than theorizing, as many people take their positions on the basis of incomplete information and they are wronged and oppressed. And they may testify based on that information that is part of the truth, not all of them.

The media, for example, convey the information from their available angle, that is, of the cameraman or the viewer’s point of view, but there are still other angles that the media has not been able to access.

Genuine information about the people of any culture requires personal touch and to connect with the real people to know and understand the reality of their culture. Therefore, one of the means of consolidating (bringing together) a culture of joint coexistence is the exchange of visits and entry into the society concerned to know the rules that are based on it, and the systems by which it manages its affairs. 

Collaborative Activities

There are various fields which provide joint work among diverse people irrespective of their belief, culture, ethnicity, like human knowledge, economic activities, humanitarian aid for the war, natural disaster victims etc.

Implementing the joint programs by mutual cooperation with those who are affiliated to different religions, cultures and ethnicities will definitely give a practical model for co-existence. Such programs indeed broke many barriers and crossed many hurdles. 

Resolving conflict

That which strengthen the idea of co-existence is the strong resolve to be present between the people. Because lack of resolve is a reason for incoherence, conflict, division and disagreement.

And the need for peaceful coexistence should be a concern to everyone; be it an educator, preacher, citizen, journalist or politician. We all are required to be as much responsible in this regard.

One of the most important things is to establish a culture of tolerance, which is to know the factors of conflict and the causes of conflict and get rid of them so that the way is clear towards relations based on trust and sustainability.

Good neighbourliness

Peaceful coexistence is a great asset. One of the ways by which it can be promoted is by understanding the importance of good neighbourliness. Being good to the neighbour is necessary for living in a cohesive society. 

God says in Quran (4:36), “Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him, and to parents do good, and to relatives, orphans, the needy, the near neighbour, the neighbour farther away, the companion at your side, the traveller, and those whom your right hands possess. Indeed, Allah does not like those who are self-deluding and boastful.”

Good neighbourliness brought out the characteristics of the Muslims. Their kindness, behaviour and refrainment from harming their neighbour which made other people realize and bond with the Muslims.

Fulfilling the promise

It is important that every group of the society fulfils the agreement that was discussed among themselves for a peaceful living.

God says in Quran (17:34), “And fulfil [every] commitment. Indeed, the commitment is ever [that about which one will be] questioned”.

The Threats of Coexistence

Just as there are factors that promote peaceful coexistence, there are threats to it that must be recognized and addressed consciously. Among these are the following:

First Threat: Cultural Superiority

When a group of citizens exercise superiority over other groups on the basis that they have the sole right to the homeland and that their culture is superior over all others, this attitude would threaten the social fabric where others feel inferior to the dominant culture, and this would lead to the small groups’ apprehension because of its weakness, lack, strength, and abundance of others, for fear of absorption and melting, which makes them apprehensive of any activity carried out by others, interpreting it as targeting it and seeking to eradicate it.

Supremacy may be apparent or implied in social culture, it may be real or dead, and in all cases, it will be an obstacle and threatening the unity of the social fabric.

Second Threat: Inequality in Rights and Duties

If the state distinguishes its citizens according to belief, culture, race, or any difference other than giving, then this is considered the greatest threat to coexistence.

Third Threat: Provocation

A normal person respects and appreciates others because he has self-respect, and treats people as he likes others to treat him, just as he does not accept humiliation, and offense to himself. It is natural from him not to insult others and humiliate others. In any society, people need to respect each other. If people start to humiliate each other then it is difficult to live in coexistence and peace.

Once while a Jew was selling something, he was offered a price that he was not pleased with. So, he said, “No, by Him Who gave Moses superiority over all human beings!” Hearing him, an Ansari Muslim man got up and slapped him on the face and said, “You say: By Him Who Gave Moses superiority over all human beings although the Prophet (Muhammad) is present amongst us!”

The Jew went to the Prophet and said, “O Abu-l-Qasim! I am under the assurance and contract of security, so what right does so-and-so have to slap me?”

Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) asked the other, “Why have you slapped”. He told him the whole story.

The Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) became angry, till anger appeared on his face, and said, “Don’t give superiority to any prophet amongst Allah’s Prophets, for when the trumpet will be blown, everyone on the earth and in the heavens will become unconscious except those whom Allah will exempt.

“The trumpet will be blown for the second time and I will be the first to be resurrected to see Moses holding Allah’s Throne. I will not know whether the unconsciousness which Moses received on the Day of Tur has been sufficient for him, or has he got up before me. And I do not say that there is anybody who is better than Yunus bin Matta”.

Reference of this incident is the Hadith book of Sahih al-Bukhari. In this narration, Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) prevented his companion to prefer him over Moses in order to respect the feelings of the Jew and not to hurt him. 

Fourth Threat: Discrepancy in discourse within one group

There should be unity among the people who follow a particular religion. If differences exist among themselves, then it is difficult to live in coexistence with the people of the other religion.

Desired Coexistence

It has been proven that the difference is a universal reality and a divine will that cannot be abolished. Pluralism is a social necessity, and citizenship is a human right. We have to deal with this reality consciously, achieving unity in light of diversity and complementarity with pluralism and cooperation in the common denominations. To trust the following:

1. That the state in all its institutions embody the diversity upon which society is based.
2. Commitment to citizenship rights for all.
3. Ensuring freedom of belief and worship and preaching to all.
4. Establishing institutions for collaborative joint activities.
5. Adherence to the principles and values of the nation.
6. Justice in the distribution of rights.
7. Equal treatment.
8. Respect for excellence and quality in work.
9. The use of dialogue as a means to settle disputes.
10. Respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Freedom is priceless in the life of man. He should have freedom of religion, freedom of thought and expression and in his dealings. No one has the right to force or impose one’s thoughts on others.

Second caliph of Islam Umar al-Khattab said, “Since when did you start enslaving people, when their mothers gave birth to them free?”

Some practical steps to establish a peaceful society

1. Apart from religious programs, conducting workshops or seminars that focus on national issues in which personalities from all the communities take part.
2. To invite dignitaries of the community in our occasions like marriage and school functions.
3. Making our neighbours of the other religion as a part of our family occasions.
4. Paying a visit to their sick. 
5. To have good relations with the police and the members in the government.
6. Inviting them over to our iftar parties.
7. Organizing Eid Milan parties on Eid-ul-Fitr.
8. To distribute water bottles to the Police officers when they are in duty especially during summer.
9. There should be a committee to eradicate the misconceptions of Islam prevalent in the society by meeting the required people in person in order to throw light on the reality of Islam.
10. There should be a Peacemaker Committee in each and every area of the cities and the villages in our country, which consist of important personalities from various religions. 
11. Establish human rights centres.
12. Spread the welfare activities, feed the people, as food brings cultures together.

Conclusion

Abdullah bin Salam, a resident of Medina at the time of Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) narrated that, “When the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) arrived in Medina – the people came out to meet him. It was said that the Messenger of Allah had arrived, so I went among the people to get a look at him. When I gazed upon the face of the Messenger of Allah, I knew that this face was not the face of a liar. The first thing that he spoke about was that he said: ‘O you people! Spread the Salam, feed (others), and perform Salaat while the people are sleeping; you will enter Paradise with (the greeting of) Salam”.

Dr. R.K.Noor Mohammad is from south-Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He is PhD in Hadith Sciences from Islamic University of Madina, Saudi Arabia. He was awarded Gold Medal by the University for his research in 1991.

I would like to write an introduction to summarize the sequence of the emergence of some of the most dangerous sects in Islam. In order to conclude the answer to a question that is still pending, which is the similarity of the mechanism of secret organizations.

Initially, All the heavenly messages sent by God through His messengers had only one purpose, namely, confess the oneness of Allah i.e. God and worship Him alone. All the heavenly religions (not just Islam) brought in by the prophets (those of determination), emerged after their death the stray esoteric sects.

Consequently, secret groups emerged from these sects that serve and implement their worldly agenda under the ambiguous concept of Secularism, such as politics, economics, and the formation and direction of public opinion.

Islamic history witnessed the birth of the first of these misguided sects in the first century of Islam, where a sect called the Kharijites [those who label everyone with disbelief, without exception] emerged, and despite the danger of the Kharijites, it didn’t equal the danger of Jahmi, Fatalism and Postponers [Murjites], the first esoteric theology sects in Islam. Then, in the late Umayyad era, the Mu’tazila sect emerged and flourished in the Abbasid era, the most astray sect in Islamic history.

Since then, the rise of the esoteric sects has continued until the heretic Ibn Arabi came with his heretical and astray ideas to emerge into the Islamic world the most dangerous of the esoteric sects, Sufism. The wisdom of God, Glorified and Exalted Be He, required that His messages be with characteristics appropriate to the people who received them.

The message of Moses was accompanied by materialist miracles, while Jesus, came with spiritual miracles, as for Prophet Mohammed, his miracle was mental. If the characteristics of these celestial messages are analyzed, it will not be difficult to deduce how these clandestine groups arose and how their interests converge with each other, despite the apparent difference in understanding their meanings (celestial messages) that produced their religious difference.

When Materialism, Spiritualism and Rationalism are combined, the result is a terrible combination of astray that is employed and directed to all peoples, even if they do not share the same belief. The origin that called them to establish what is known as secret congregations is not religion, but the exploitation of it to control peoples and pass their worldly goals.

No matter how many names have been made through the ages, such as the Templars, Freemasonry, Jesus’ Secret Scrolls…etc, but the ongoing truth is that they are secret organizations whose ultimate goal is to monopolize authority.

At that point, we will extract the answer to the question that has always been of concern to many people: How is the mechanism for the international regulation of the Muslim Brotherhood similar to Freemasonry and other clandestine regulations?

We must conclude from what was written above that the esoteric groups have similar features, behaviors, and formations. And since the Muslim Brotherhood emerged from Sufi thought, so finding a kinetic match between them and Freemasonry is not surprising.

All of them constitute what are described as functional groups. The most prominent feature of these functional secret groups is: Convince the followers of their sanctity and that they are an elite carefully chosen to serve lofty ends.

And the truth is, there are no lofty ends except in the minds of those fools who have been tricked.

Tareq bin Mohammed is a Political Scientist based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He has Master’s Degree in Political Philosophy. He tweets under @Ctrl6.

“Noticing Uncle Steven, I can’t help but admire his actions in front of and for a people of different faith,” Mustapha wrote.

He was stopped by Irfan Musthapa, who highlighted the incident on Facebook.

Mustapha said he sees the man every week at the Mosque doing the same thing.

“Braving the blazing sun, plus some haze today, on his bare feet atop heated concrete, soaking wet clothes, hundreds of curious stares, he squats from slipper to slipper, arranging them for easy retrieval after prayer,” Mustapha wrote.

When asked why he does it, Uncle Steven’s response was simple:

“Oh, looks neater.”

He says he tries to come every Friday and that he lives nearby.

Mustapha said that he was touched and inspired by Uncle Steven’s gesture.

He added: “Diversity transcends boundaries and Uncle Steven is testament of that.

“It’s the littlest of deeds that matter and I’m sure there’s something we can appreciate, honour and perhaps replicate from Uncle Steven, for each other…”

Here’s the original post:

Article first published on Ilmfeed.

Short Answer: Possible reasons for the virgin birth:
1. To elevate the status of women in a patriarchal society.
2. To indicate that Jesus was a holy and purified prophet from birth.
3. To show the power of God’s spoken Word.

As a humble and lowly servant of Allah, I cannot know the mind of Allah, but I can use the Scriptures to find hints to what was God’s purpose.

First, I want to very briefly address the part of the question about Jesus “being a sacrificial lamb”.

In the Christian view, Jesus (peace upon him) is the ultimate and final answer to the sin sacrifice required by Jewish law in Leviticus 4, which requires a bullock (steer).

But nowhere in the Tanakh (Jewish Bible) does God ask for a human sacrifice.

“Thou shalt not kill” is one of the Ten Commandments.

It makes no sense that God would require that one of His commandments be broken by humanity in order for humanity to be saved.

Elevation of Women

Jesus (peace upon him) was born into an overbearing patriarchal society.

The virgin birth emphasized the value of women. The nativity story is just as much about Mary as it is about Jesus.

Muslims view Mary as one of the most righteous women who ever lived.

“Remember when angels said, ‘O Mary, truly God has chosen you and purified you and preferred you over all other women of the world. O Mary, remain faithful to your Lord. Prostrate in worship. Bow with those who bow’” (Surah 3: 42-43).

A Holy and Purified Prophet from Birth

It seems that every prophet went through some sort of purification process, as in the stories of Moses, Joseph, and Jonah (peace upon them).

In the case of Prophet Muhammad (peace upon him), there is a story in the ahadith (related by Anas to Muslim) that tells of Angel Gabriel opening the chest of the Prophet in order to remove the small part of his heart that contained Satan.

The virgin birth is a sign that Jesus was born in a holy and purified state. He even spoke as a baby.

“They said, ‘O Mary, truly you have brought an astonishing thing! O sister of Aaron, your father was not an evil man, and your mother was not unchaste!’

She pointed to (the baby) [as if to say, ‘Ask him’].

“They said, ‘How can we talk with an infant from the cradle?’

“(The baby Jesus) said, ‘I am indeed a servant of God. He has given me Scriptures and made me a prophet. He has made me blessed wherever I am and has instilled in me prayer and charity as long as I live. He has made me kind to my mother and not arrogant or rebellious. Peace was upon me the day I was born, and will be upon me the day that I die and the day I shall be resurrected’” (Surah 19: 27-33).

The Power of God’s Word

The Qur’an explains that Jesus (peace upon him) is “a spirit emanating from God” (Surah 4: 171).

In the Bible, he is called the “last Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:45).

Adam (peace upon him) was created on earth as a physical being, but Jesus (peace upon him) was created as a spiritual being.

The virgin birth emphasizes God’s ability to create as He wills by His spoken word.

“Remember when angels said, ‘O Mary, truly Allah gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name will be the Messiah Jesus, son of Mary. He will be honored in this world and in the hereafter. He will be among those brought near [to Allah]. From the cradle, he will speak to people, as well as speak as an adult. He will be among the righteous.’

“She said, ‘My Lord, how can I have a child when no man has even touched me?’

“(An angel) said, “So be it. Allah creates what He will. When He decides a thing, He only says to it, ‘Be!’ and it is’” (Surah 3: 45-47).

Jesus’ Message

The virgin birth is a sign of Jesus’ unique relationship with Allah.

The immaculate conception and birth themselves have nothing to do with salvation.

Jesus’ message of repentance and redemption is the guiding light for receiving Allah’s grace in the form of forgiveness and salvation from Hell.

May Allah continue to provide guidance and wisdom to us His servants.

Abu Bakr, a local Muslim convert who runs a mosque called ‘Medina Masjid’ in Christian-dominated Bantayan Island in the central Philippines province of Cebu, invited the UK-based Islamic Educational organization to conduct orientation lectures and social welfare activities in the area.

The team prepared dry food packs at the mosque to distribute among the poor that day. After they approached the village, they conducted a dialog with the locals about the status of Jesus in the Islamic scriptures.

They also explained how Prophet of Islam – Mohammed – made it an incumbent article of faith to believe in Jesus and his mother Mary, but Islam condemns worshipping of idols, crosses, stones, trees, humans, spirits, angels, and the Prophets.

According to the locals, the call appealed the rationality of the villagers, eventually they decided to adopt Islam.

“It was an emotional charged moment as the whole village accepted Islam together as one united community,” one of the volunteers said.

According to International Religious Freedom Report for 2014, Islam is one of the oldest monotheistic religions in the Philippines. Muslim traders from Persian Gulf, Southern India, and from several sultanates of Malay Archipelago arrived in Philippines in 13^th century, around 200 years before Christian forces arrived to evangelize.

Muslims make up to eight per cent of Filipino population, which makes Islam second largest religion in the country.