The Muslim-dominated Kashmir valley has been beset with violence as Indian security forces confront huge rallies by Kashmiris calling for independence from India. The BBC's Soutik Biswas speaks to families and friends of some of the victims.

In a picture taken on a mobile phone 10 days before his death, 25-year-old Imran Ahmed Wani fixes a shy gaze at the camera with a disarming smile.

As his friends tell it, Imran was an average young Kashmiri man, working hard, playing cricket, and watching Bollywood films.

He also exemplified those in the region's new generation, trying to make the best of opportunities thrown up by a modest economic boom during the years of relative calm since Indian and Pakistan signed a ceasefire in Kashmir.

Salaams All, this is my latest poem written last year and slightly edited, please forward widely inshAllah.

Ramadhan is coming

It’s only a few dayss away
I can’t wait
In anticipation
The coming of the new moon
And the best month of the year

I hope I’m alive
Although I’m young
There’s no guarantee
That I’ll be here next month

Been waiting
Anticipating
Hoping
And silently praying
For a chance
To experience
Another Ramadhan

Last year I tried
To improve and change
Leave the bad habits
The drinking, womanising
Drugs and clubbing

Managed it for 30 days
But on Eid I went to a rave
I gave in, wasn’t brave
Went with the flow
And got totally smashed

Its true after Ramadhan Satan is unleashed

Since then it’s been downhill
Month after month

Interesting blog post by my South African friend. Please note, this is not abut if meat is 'halal' for us, it quite clearly is, but whether it is ethical to eat meat NOW, when the world has changed a lot since 1400 years ago. PLEASE read fully before commenting.

Why I’m a vegetarian
by Bilal Randeree

I don’t believe that animals should not be killed for human consumption. In fact, I think that God has most definitely provided certain animals for man — some to assist us in our daily tasks and others to provide us with the nutrients and proteins (isn’t that what meat supplies?!) that eating meat provides.

This is a rap/poem whatever you want to call it that I've written. Please don't imagine me in some bling-bling! I don't do that stuff. Have a read and tell me what you think. It's called True Freedom, it may scare some people, but tough luck. Tell me what you think.

The drugs, the clubs and all the booze
Gave me the buzz, the notion of being full
How much money you had, or whether you could pull
The media, the magazines set the expectations
Making you think it was the aspiration
But that was before I got the news
Of the Truth, the Right and the only One
I've moved on since the old days
Left the idea of artificial fun
Learnt to correct those ways

Despite all the times that I've gone wrong
I've been blessed with the will to stay strong

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Summer in your Hijab

You think you dress modest
But do you really?
Far from Islam
If you’re honest

The sun is out
And clothes are discarded
Satan on holiday
Most people astray

Even the person with shorts
And woman with a bikini
Is regarded as modest nowadays

So you compare to them
Kaffirs without shame
Dignity or honour
And say you dress Islamic
But the reality is tragic

I suppose you try your best
To avoid the seduction of kufr
And so you compromise
And go halfway
Not fully Islamic
Or jahil
But somewhere in between
You’re not a hypocrite
But you’re easily misled

Fashion is like a god
Seducing and influencing
Those with weak thoughts
Making them a victim

People stare
But most don’t care
They love the attention
Hijab with tight clothing

Beijing Olympics Swimming Pool Special:

[IMG]http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/2803/chineseswimmmingpoolvy9.jpg[/IMG]

Asslamuallikum ,dear brothers & sisters .im doing tv islamic programe live ,in karachi, pakistan ,(i m host).i used to talk with islamic scholar and ask questions & also take live cals from all over pakistan. i need your help for topics & rlated Q about the topic.(Q should be which can give benifits to others knowledge.)i m expeting fast reply. Allah Haafiz

There, I said it.

There is plenty of other shit going on around the world too.

yes, I get that when a captured, blindfolded Palestinian is shot by a rubber bullet at point blank range, it is a travesty. But where is the love for the Kurds? how about the Muslims of southern Sudan? Somalia has been is civil war for over 15 years.

And why does have to be only about Muslims? Zimbabawe has an inflation rate of over 2.2 million - the recently released 100 billion dollar note will not even buy a loaf of bread. People are dying there and everywhere else.

Yet, the muslim community as a whole seems to focus on "the evil that is Israel". Why is that?

Its our pleasure to annouce the winners of the prize draws.
Ticket 164 winner of the Sunray painting by artist Aziza Essa
Ticket 218 winner of the Allah-u-Akbar on Red by artist Jazmin Kennedy

Ticket 179 winner of the Ummrah Package for 2 courtesy of Ashton Travel UK

All winners will be contacted in the next few days and arrangements made to deliver the winning items. If you have any questions or would like to discuss anything please contact The Revival
on 0870 264 0612 or email mohammad@therevival.co.uk