India-US relations: Begging to be a partner
By M.J. Akbar,
How many words will India get in Barack Obama's autobiography, Faith, Hope and Miscarriage, due in 2013?
Machiavellian method behind BJP’s manoeuvres
By Amulya Ganguli
There is seemingly a Machiavellian motive behind the Bharatiya Janata Party's confrontation with the Election Commission over the party's anti-Muslim compact disc, which was meant for use during the campaign for the ongoing Uttar Pradesh elections.
For Bebyda Khatun, a National award is the ideal recognition of her efforts as...
By Zaidul Haque, TwoCircles.net
Kolkata/Birbhum: For 38-year-old Bebyda Khatun, December 1 is likely to be a special day: a day that bears testimony to the...
Erasing tolerance? HAF’s changes can only be described as ahistorical edits to history books
The HAF and its allies may have PR machinery and hundreds of thousands of dollars in their war chest to selectively change textbooks, but...
‘Farmer suicide report a cover-up’
By Anurag Dey
Kolkata: With agrarian distress being a major crisis accounting for thousands of farming lives every year, the latest data by the National...
Is it possible to ignore Aam Aadmi Party ?
By Kaleem Kawaja,
People who are describing Aam aadmi Party as “dangerous, anarchic, publicity seeker” who is unfit for the Indian democracy, are mostly from the generation that has grown used to long established political parties and the abuses, corruption, communalism, dynasty politics, authoritarianism, crony capitalism that they perpetrate on the nation. These folks think that if you want democracy, you have to pay this price. To them acting boldly and quickly is “dangerous and anarchic”.
इस किताब की कहानी, मेरे जैसे हज़ारों-लाखों लड़कों की कहानी है
अब्दुल्लाह मंसूर, TwoCircles.net के लिए
उस दिन अख़बार की सुर्खियां खून से सनी थी. तमाम अख़बार चीख-चीख के कह रहे थे कि दिल्ली, अहमदाबाद, बंगलुरु...
“Communal” conflict in Tenkasi
By Irfan Engineer,
I was in Tenkasi town for a few hours as a part of field visit, a part of 7 days workshop on "Peace and Conflict Resolution" organized jointly by Institute for Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution, Mumbai and Society for Community Organisations Trust (SOCO Trust), Madurai. Madurai was amongst the three areas that were selected for field visit. The participants of the Workshop were divided in three groups and they went to three different areas.
5 Men arrested after 2006 train blasts acquitted by Mumbai court
By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Mumbai: City’s crime branch received a setback when a local esplanade court in the city acquitted all five persons who were...
A tribute to Dr. Syed Hasan
By Zafar Anjum for TwoCircles.net,
No man is born great. Men become great by dint of their hard work, sense of mission and their...
Non-BJP, non-Congress government after polls: Manik Sarkar
By Sujit Chakraborty
Agartala: The CPI-M hopes to form a non-Congress, non-BJP government after the Lok Sabha polls but it did not cobble...
Muslim Political leaders are maligning the community through irresponsible statements
By A. Mirsab, TwoCircles.net,
It is very unfortunate for the Muslim community that those who are suppose to represent them as a whole on the biggest political forum of the world is actually letting them down by speaking irresponsibly against opposition parties or leaders. While hurling abuses against the opposition, Muslim leaders are losing their moral ethics and are using such a language which is actually in turn hitting back the community strongly.
Benazir: the girl who mesmerised Shimla
By P.S. Anantharaman, IANS
In July 1972, Shimla, the summer capital of the British Raj and a tourist paradise after Independence, had few tourists. The reason was that the Himalayan resort had top officials of India and Pakistan arriving in droves to prepare for a summit meeting between then prime minister Indira Gandhi and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the then prime minister of Pakistan.
In July 1972, Shimla, the summer capital of the British Raj and a tourist paradise after Independence, had few tourists. The reason was that the Himalayan resort had top officials of India and Pakistan arriving in droves to prepare for a summit meeting between then prime minister Indira Gandhi and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the then prime minister of Pakistan.
Passing of Triple Talaq bill shows failure of Muslim bodies to mobilise secular forces
By M. Burhanuddin Qasmi for TwoCircles.net
It is not realistic that a fight or a contest will be won by both or all the contesting...
बिखरते कश्मीर से निकलती दीबा फरहत की कामयाबी की दास्तां
शरीक़ अंसर,
संघ लोकसेवा आयोग (यूपीएससी) द्वारा आयोजित सिविल सेवा परीक्षा में इस बार भी लड़कियों ने अपनी प्रतिभा का लोहा मनवाया है. इस बार...
What does axing of NSA talks mean to Kashmiris
By Sheikh Qayoom
Pakistan's decision to call off the NSA-level talks with India proves an old maxim for the people of Jammu and Kashmir:...
Why does China keep seeking reassurances on Tibet?
By Mayank Chhaya, IANS,
It would have been amusing were it not gratuitous for Beijing to raise the Tibet issue with India's visiting President Pratibha Patil. China has ingrained Tibet so much into its global diplomatic discourse that there is almost no escape for anyone of consequence from taking a position on the dispute, preferably to Beijing's liking.
Modi’s modernity vs saffron orthodoxy
By Amulya Ganguli,
Historian Ayesha Jalal has writen in her latest book, "The Struggle for Pakistan", that "at the root of Pakistan's national identity crisis has been the unresolved debate on how to square the state's self-proclaimed Islamic identity with the obligations of a modern nation-state".
Indian Muslims and Israeli propaganda
By Alan Hart
The Israeli report on the first ever “extensive tour” of the Zionist state by a delegation of “Indian Muslim leaders” is a prime example of pure propaganda masquerading as news. It’s not often that grotesque misrepresentations are hysterically funny, but this one is.
Modi’s inclusive call: Need for religious leaders to build bridges
By Frank F. Islam
As India celebrates its 71st Independence Day, it must remember the sacrifices made by leaders of the freedom movement. It was...
Three factors that influenced Uttar Pradesh elections
By Faraz Ahmad, Indo-Asian News Service
New Delhi: The decision of the electorate in Uttar Pradesh to give Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati a clear majority in the assembly and an opportunity to rule India's most populous state for five years with no crutches or obstacles has not been an overnight development.
The defeat of Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party in the latest election, and also the reverses for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress, has not surprised many in the state, whatever the reaction in the national capital may be.
नसबंदी शिविर की लापरवाही में आम सवाल
By मनोज मिश्रा,
शनिवार को बिलासपुर, छत्तीसगढ़ से दस किलोमीटर दूर पेंडारी के नेमीचंद जैन अस्पताल में सरकार की तरफ़ से महिलाओं के लिए नसबंदी शिविर आयोजित किया गया. इस शिविर को लगाने का मक़सद महिलाओं के स्वास्थ्य की चिंता नहीं था. बल्कि शिविर इसलिए लगाया गया था ताकि सरकार अपना एक कोटा पूरा कर सके और सर्वे में यह दर्शा सके कि उसने एक साल में इतनी नसबंदियों को अंजाम दिया है. ऐसा इसलिए ताकि उन्हें पिछले कुछ वर्षो की तरह इस बार भी नंबर एक मुख्यमंत्री का ख़िताब मिल जाए.
“We will make graffitis once university opens” : Jamia student who suffered fracture in...
Md Mustafa
If you have ever been in Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) after December 15, you would notice the beautiful paintings and graffiti that have...
No arms, no problem: Kashmir youth’s indomitable cricket dream survives
By Aadil Mir
Srinagar: He was eight when he lost both his arms in a machine accident. Twelve years later, he is a cricketer playing...
Terror cases in courts: Accused facing “Judicial Encounters”
By M Shahwar Khan,
"Terrorism" is always a hot topic for discussions and different people have different ideology about this term. Definitely I am not going to talk about the terrorism but I am going to share my experience of defending those who were labelled as "Terrorists" by the police and who have spent or spending their lives in a place where we can't even imagine to stay for a second.
Longread: Genealogy of Islamophobia and Construction of Muslims as Enemy in India
By Mohammad Saif
Being a Muslim in India is one of the biggest threats since the last few years, particularly in the reign of the...
Hope – and disappointment – in Tehran
By Alex Verghese, IANS,
Just a few days ago, the same street in Central Tehran where my taxi had to slow down due to joyful opposition supporters, had now turned into an obstacle race as we walked and ran to escape the teargas and passed burning garbage bins. On Saturday, it was a harrowing experience while returning home from work.
Modi sends Advani, BJP old guard into exile
By Amulya Ganguli,
In the Hindu way of life, old age entails exile from home and hearth. As the Manu Smriti says, when a man sees "his skin wrinkled and his hair gray and when he sees the son of his son, then he should resort to the forest".
Abusaleh report debunks Modi’s claims of growth
Part 1 of the 2-part series on Gujarat's development
By Faraz Ahmad
How Ex-CJI Chandrachud Opened Floodgates for Litigations Against Ancient Mosques, Religious Sites
TCN Staff Correspondent
It was a 1986 district court order in Uttar Pradesh that set off a chain of events, which eventually led to the...
Congress should support government on GST: Naidu
New Delhi : The Congress should support the government to pass the Goods and Service Tax (GST) bill as it is the need of...
Is Kejriwal drifting away from old friends?
By Alok Singh ,
New Delhi: Is AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal slowly drifting away from his old associates and gravitating towards a new set of...
Chief Justice Altamas Kabir on human rights, influence of neoliberal capital and the role...
By Umang Kumar for TwoCircles.net
Writers’ Buildings renovation yet to start even after three years
By Sahana Ghosh
Kolkata : As the glossy facade of Nabanna - the temporary seat of the West Bengal government in neighbouring Howrah - prepares...
An open letter to Editors of NDTV: Assamese-speaking people are not the only rightful...
By Mustafa Barbhuiya for Twocircles.net
Dear Editors of NDTV,
I express my deep concerns regarding the kind of generalised comments and commentary on Assam population...
Understaffed, underserved: Human problems of India’s public health system
Prateek Mittal & Vartika Singh
On August 15, 2016, in his Independence Day address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised a safety net of up...
“मैं हर चीज़ पर नहीं बोल सकता” – कन्हैया कुमार से ख़ास बातचीत
सिद्धांत मोहन, TwoCircles.net
नई दिल्ली: कन्हैया कुमार से यह बातचीत कुछ दिनों पहले जेएनयू में हुई. अनिर्बन भट्टाचार्य और उमर ख़ालिद से हुई बातचीत आप...
Reservations and Muslims in Telugu States
By Shaik Amer Arafath for TwoCircles.net,
When our Constitution was framed, the framers made a special provision with intention to provide equal opportunity in the...
We will fight them and beat them: Amarinder Singh
By Jaideep Sarin
Chandigarh: Amarinder Singh has set the political temperature soaring after the Congress announced he would take on BJP heavyweight Arun Jaitley...
Stakes for Elections 2014: Secularism or Democracy
By Mazher Hussain,
Finally we seem to have succeeded in dividing India, a country of a billion plus, into just two groups. Both groups claim to be secular. The only difference is that while one group accuses the other of being communal, the other brands the first group of being pseudo secular.
India’s 9/11: Will this be its wake-up call?
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
Just as the images of billowing smoke from the twin towers of New York are seared in the memories of people all over the world, similarly the television visuals of the raging fire in the ornate façade of Mumbai's iconic Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel will be recalled whenever the deadly terrorist attack on India's financial capital Nov 26-29 is mentioned. The booming sound of gunfire as the security forces engaged the jehadis will also become a part of the nation's collective memory.
Ram Rajya Rath Yatra: The road to Power
By Ram Puniyani
The decades of the 1980s were a turning point in the history of the country. For the first time, an emotive issue...
COVID vaccine: Is it Halal or not?
By Asad Mirza, TwoCircles.net
It’s not only the Muslims, even Hindus and Jews have raised questions about the use of the COVID vaccine, due to...
Food crises or rising prices?
By Mirza Anwarulhaq Baig
Why much outcry is over the rising food grains prises while Mr Sharad Pawar, Union Agriculture Minister has recently revealed pleasing news for those who were much haunted by the ghost of rising prises that India got the record-breaking wheat productions in the running year, now there is no need to import food-grain.
Kedarnath to Kanhaiya: Sedition law a tool to muffle the voice of dissent
By Azim Hussain Mazumder,
The arrest of Kanhaiya Kumar on sedition charges following the so called ‘Anti-national’ incident at Jawaharlal Nehru University sparked the debate...
ISNA Convention Sends Message of Compassion & Mercy
by Ayub Khan for TwoCircles.net
Chicago, IL: Speakers at the largest continental Islamic conference here emphasized compassion and mercy as the hallmark of the faith and urged American Muslims to play a leading role in promoting these noble values. The theme for the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA)'s convention was 'Nurturing Compassionate Communities.' Held at the familiar Rosemont Convention Center, near Chicago, from July 2-5, 2010 it attracted thousands of Muslims from across the country.
India and Paris climate change conference
By Syed Ali Mujtaba,
The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 21 or CMP 11 has started in Paris, being held from November...
Sending money home: top priority for NRIs
By Kul Bhushan, IANS,
Sending money home remains the top priority for most NRIs. After arriving - legally or illegally - in the host country, the first task is to start earning; and then sending a major part of their earnings back home to the family. Just like arriving can be legal or illegal, sending money can also be legal or illegal - by official transfers through a bank if the NRI has legal status or through the black market in case of illegal status and/or a better exchange rate.
Book in Urdu on heroes of ‘First War of Independence’
Book: Jang-E-Azadi Ke Sarkhail
Language- Urdu
By Dr. M Waseem Raja,
The book by Dr. Mohammad Shahid Siddique entitled “Jang-e-Azadi ke Sarkhail” published by Educational Publishing House is very timely, informative and a documented work which deals with revolt of 1857. In this book Dr. Shahid has tried to bring out the detailed biographical sketches of the prominent freedom fighters who fought the first war of independence during the revolt of 1857. He widely consulted the source material on the theme and brought out the detailed descriptions of the contribution by the Indian native princes, commanders and those brilliant warriors have been portrayed.
~Youth Views~ Iranian women a force to be reckoned with
By Talajeh Livani, CGNews,
Iran's parliament convened last month for the first time since the April 2008 elections. The results of the parliamentary elections are in and all the votes have been counted. Surprisingly, or perhaps alarmingly, women now account for a mere 2.8 percent of this new conservative-dominated parliament. This is a decline from the already low 4.1 percent representation in the previous Iranian parliament.
ख़ामोशी से घरों में घुसता क्रूर रंगभेद
फ़हमिना हुसैन, TwoCircles.net
देश में गर्मी बढ़ने के साथ-साथ टेलीविज़न पर गोरापन बढ़ाने की क्रीमों के विज्ञापन भी बढ़ गए हैं. देश में रंग एक...
Next Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will be a much improved one
By Kul Bhushan, IANS
Most NRIs attending the annual Pravasi Bharatiya Divas conference in New Delhi have some grouse or the other. In the next event from Jan 7-9, 2008, some major changes should be visible.
Muslims must think beyond defeating BJP
By Mukhtar Ahmad
Whenever any community , sect, group or section gives a call for unity , it always implies unite against a common enemy....
Varanasi, Allahabad air over WHO pollution limits on most days in August
By Charlie Moloney
On more than 90 per cent of the days in August this year, pollution levels in Varanasi and Allahabad exceeded World...
What explains Muslim under-representation in UPSC?
A Year-long Series on Education, Sponsored by The Aligarh Forum & Council of Indian Muslims—UK (CIM): - A Mirror on our Efforts, our Successes...
Promoting Muslim entrepreneurship
By Shahid Sayed,
'Threshold India 2009' is brain child of Shahid Sayed to promote entrepreneurship amongst the Muslim youth, to bring them closer to the mainstream and make them committed global citizens that value life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as a goal worth achieving by their own efforts.
Bill Gates calls on health minister, discusses health system
New Delhi : Microsoft founder and one of the world's most richest persons Bill Gates on Friday called on union Health Minister J.P. Nadda...
Shadows of an encounter
By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net,
East Delhi, Delhi: On Sunday March 23rd, residents of Okhla woke up to the news of disappearance of four Muslim youths in Jaipur and two in Delhi. These students were picked up by a group of people not wearing any uniform or carrying any warrants for arrest. Soon it came to be known that people who kidnapped these students were members of Delhi Police Special Cell.
The role of Islamic faith-based organisations in the education sector in West Bengal
Taqdeer-e-Umam Kya Hai, Koi Keh Nahin Sakta
Momin Ki Firasat Ho To Kafi Hai Ishara
Who knows the nation’s fates?
But signs abound, If Muslims are...
Bindi Yadav: From ‘bicycle thief’ to super-rich businessman
By Imran Khan
Patna : He's super rich, he's got the right political connections in Bihar and he's dangerous. Meet Bindeshwari Prasad Yadav alias Bindi,...
Jamia Millia VC row: Why Prof Mushirul Hasan being opposed 2nd term
By Monazir Alam,
New Delhi: When you are in power no body will raise a finger at you. But when you are out of power or going to be out of power a number of fingers will start rising. As with others this is true today with noted historian and Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia Prof Mushirul Hassan. Prof Hassan has completed his five year tenure as VC of Jamia. But he has been included in the list of five contenders recommended for the coveted post at the internationally known central university by the search committee set up by the HRD ministry.
The World According to the Neo-Con Sympathisers
By Yamin Zakaria,
Almost everyday I get email responses to my essays, usually containing lots of two word expletives, e.g. “sand nigger”, “rag head”, “towel head”, “eat shit”, “sheep lover”, “camel lover”; almost all the emails originate from within the US, yes the land of the ‘tolerant’ free speech lovers. Apart from intellectual bankruptcy, the replies also indicate a deep-seated hatred, shaped by a fanatical mindset. Since stereotyping is wrong, I did ask myself the question, are those Americans, exceptional or typical.
Babri Masjid speaks
If Babri Masjid can speak, what will it say? Rehan Ansari of TwoCircles.net imagines.
My Kids, the Indians,
May peace and blessings be upon you.
Who shall lead the opposition front at the hustings?
By S.M. Anwar Hussain
There is an undercurrent realisation among the non NDA party workers and common masses, that the big promises made by BJP have...
Jamiat’s call for Muslim girls’ education: Is there more than what meets the eye?
By Yoginder Sikand, TwoCircles.net,
Doing dawah or driving them crazy?
I wish born Muslims could be far more sensitive to new converts to the faith. By imposing a ritualistic brand of Islam on them,...
दलित उत्पीड़न के मामले में पूरे देश में शीर्ष पर है मध्यप्रदेश
जावेद अनीस, TwoCircles.net के लिए
मध्यप्रदेश को अमूमन शांति का टापू कहा जाता है, लेकिन शायद इस ‘शांति’ की वजह यहां प्रतिरोध का कमज़ोर होना...
A non-resident Indian can remit $1 mn from property sales (NRI Watch)
By Kul Bhushan, IANS,
Muslims’ Resolve Against Modi/BJP in the 2014 Election – Rare Instance of Unity
By Kaleem Kawaja,
The polling in the parliamentary election began on Monday in the northeastern part of India. This is one of the noisiest and most turbulent election in memory since India became a free nation in 1947. One of the primary reasons is that the Bharti Janata Party is trying to change the governing fabric of the nation. The nation has followed the tradition of first conducting an election and then the elected parliamentarians of the party with the largest number of seats, elect their leader and prime minister. In the instance of a coalition, the coalition of parties do the same. In 1996 when BJP/NDA won the election they followed the same tradition and BJP MPs elected Atal Bihari Vajpayee as the Prime Minister.
Lessons from Hashimpura
By Rebecca M John,
Editor’s note: Sixteen Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel were acquitted by a court in Delhi on Saturday in the 1987 Hashimpura massacre case. Around 19 PAC personnel were facing trial for allegedly killing 42 people in Hashimpura Mohalla of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh on 22 May 1987, of which three have died during the trial. Below is the response of Rebecca M John, senior counsel of defence in the case that she wrote on her < a href="https://www.facebook.com/rebecca.m.john/posts/10204011962764206?fref=nf&pnref=story">Facebook wall.
Budget ignores welfare of the minority community: E. Ahamed
By TCN News,
New Delhi: E. Ahamed, Member of Parliament and President of Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has criticized NDA government’s third budget presented...
Indian Parliamentarians: Hitting a new low
By Dr Mohammad Manzoor Alam,
The august Parliament’s dignity and honour have recently been brought to a new, record low by its own members. The decline in it has been steady for years. The present Lok Sabha has members with a criminal record not in their tens but hundreds.
As a Kashmiri, here is why I no longer care what Indian media says...
By Harun Lone for TwoCircles.net
Graham Greene, a British novelist wrote, “Media is a word that has come to mean bad journalism.” And in...
Poor communication let India down at Copenhagen
By Joydeep Gupta, IANS,
The Indian government delegation at the Copenhagen climate summit held two press conferences during the 11-day conference, one exclusively for Indian journalists, and one at the main press conference room. In contrast, the Brazilian delegation held a press conference for everyone almost every day; the Chinese not only did that but also set up an information centre where anyone could go anytime, ask a question and be assured that there would be an answer.
Religion, terrorism and media coverage
By AnIndianMuslim.com,
The heavily armed members of banned outfit, fired on unarmed women and children, killing at least 70 persons in cold blood, and yet this is not termed as a 'terrorist attack'!
This has happened once again in India. On Tuesday, as details began emerging--the death toll rising from 11 to 34, and later crossing 50, most of the TV channels avoided the story.
Eid in Kashmir: Between joys and sorrows
By Mushtaq ul Haq Ahmad Sikander, TwoCircles.net
Eid ul Fitr comes as a joyous moment after Holy Month of Ramadan Fasting. It is a day of celebration for the Muslims world over as it marks the completion of the Ramadan. Different people in different regions belonging to various cultures, varied linguistic dialectics, distinguishing colours, unique topography and dissimilar professions each have their own way of celebrating this Universal Festival which unites the whole Muslim World in a warm, loving, peaceful and tranquil embrace.
Is Morocco a model for curbing extremism?
By Helen Wilkinson, CGNews,
The British government's recent announcement about tackling religious extremism by giving young Muslims "citizenship lessons" among other things is an interesting one. It's easy to sneer at initiatives in the face of the omnipresent threat of Muslim religious extremism worldwide, but Britain is not the only country pursuing such an approach. So too is Morocco, where I live for part of the year.
Manmohan Singh: short-term politician with a long-term vision
By Mayank Chhaya, IANS,
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has emerged triumphant from the firestorm of nuclear politics and in the process discovered a true politician in himself. Let no one any longer dismiss Singh as a brilliant but staid policy wonk/ bureaucrat who was pushed into India's highest and most politicized office by a quirk of fate.
Will India and China fight a war again?
(Part II of 3-part series on 50 years after 1962)
By Mohan Guruswamy,
Will China provoke a conflict with India or vice versa?
Courageous of Modi to talk of toilets from Red Fort
By Saeed Naqvi,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s courageous elaboration in his maiden Independence Day speech, on the nation’s need to build toilets had in it a touch of Acharya Vinoba Bhave. It also brought back a Devi Lal story.
Ashiana: Bengaluru’s old age home
By Shaik Zakeer Hussain, TwoCircles.net,
Bengaluru: Abdul Hamid, 78, was a painter by profession. He did painting until recently. That was till the paint brush...
‘Modi lost because he did not corporatize fast enough?’
By Saeed Naqvi,
Politicians and pundits across the country have been served notice by the Delhi electorate: please take a bow and make way. Mingled with the voter’s ecstasy is a primeval cry: we are tired of old politics.
Meanwhile Kejriwal’s cup runneth over.
“Dene waley mujhe dena hain to itna de de
Phir mujhe shikwa e kotahiye daaman ho jaaey”
(Creator, shower on me your blessings in such abundance that I turn to you with my next supplication: O Creator, give me more space.)
Kerala Muslim Marriage Bill: some opposition
By Md. Ali, TwoCircles.net,
This is the third and the last part of the series on Kerala Muslim Marriage Bill.
The Kerala Muslim Marriage and Dissolution by Talaq (Regulation) Bill has been drafted by the Kerala Law Reforms Commission (KLRC) in order to regulate indiscreet marriages and divorces among the Muslims of the state.
Plot to divide Kerala on communal lines?
An overview of the incidents leading to hand-chopping of a college lecturer and its consequences in Kerala’s contemporary politics
By Firose KC,
महाश्वेता देवी : श्रद्धांजलि के साथ राजनीति की चुप्पी
अनिल मिश्र
शोक के वक़्त कोई खटराग शोभा नहीं देता. ख़ामोशी ही सबसे उचित लहज़ा होती है. लेकिन जब जीवन के उत्सव और उसके मूल्यों...
In Bastar, state violence is not an aberration, but a norm
By Rajaraman Sunderasan for Twocircles.net,
Between the theaters of war, the tribal population of the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh is under severe repression of the...
Wrong development priority in spite of Socio-Economic Census and National Sample Survey findings
By Dr Rahul Pandey, Citizen News Service - CNS,
(CNS): Partial results of two important official surveys were released recently. They point to...
Waqf tribunal still not constituted: Delhi HC told
New Delhi: The Delhi Waqf Board on Friday told the Delhi High Court that it was suffering in getting its 990 properties vacated from...
Central Madarsa Board, Muslims and the government
Highlights of the Central Madarsa Board bill: http://bit.ly/1qjXIh
By Abdul Hannan,
Once again, central government’s proposal on Central Madarsa Board has been rejected unanimously. Ulemas and various Muslim organizations expressed their great concern on government’s move to introduce the Board.
State religion and social reforms
By Asghar Ali Engineer,
No one will dispute the fact that social reforms are urgently needed with breath taking changes taking place all around in our society. But two questions become important in this respect: 1) what is the role of state and 2) what is the role of religion? There are people who insist that state should play an active role and usher in these reforms. Secondly there are people who think religion can hardly be helpful and instead it becomes an obstacle in social change.
Rahul breaks security cordon – like father like son
By Maxwell Pereira, IANS
"Rahul Gandhi gives cops the slip in Naxal heartland", read the headline recently. That was soon after his visit to a tribal village in a Maoist-infested area in Orissa when the MP, who is scion of the extremely vulnerable Gandhi family, ducked out of the Koraput SP's security cordon and melted into the night, accompanied by only a few personal SPG (Special Protection Group) guards.
SMS hotline for Free TB support service in India
By Bobby Ramakant,
A Short-Message-Service (SMS) hotline was launched in New Delhi, India to provide round-the-clock free tuberculosis (TB) support service to TB patients. This SMS helpline is being managed by ex-TB patients.
Childbirths amid lockdown: Institutional measures needed
Amid the ongoing lockdown in Inda, non-institutional deliveries have been frequently reported. Dr. Ahmed sheds light on the need to prevent these by strengthening...
NDA should rise above parochial concerns on nuclear issue
By K. Subrahmanyam, IANS
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is justifiably very proud of conducting the Shakti tests and declaring India a nuclear weapon power. It was so possessive of this claim for quite some time after the tests that the NDA leadership was reluctant to give the credit for having developed the nuclear weapons to the Congress prime ministers Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and P.V. Narasimha Rao.
On the Meanings of the Hijab
By Sana Khan,
More than three years ago I wrote an article titled ‘burqa-to wear or not to wear’. A friend said that she supported the view of the French government banning the burqa as it truly was doing it to respect the principle of secularity in school and well of course it would liberate women, and in this light I wrote this article. That time I was arguing that the wearing or not wearing of a burqa/hijab is an individual choice about attire. Just as the other women exercise their opinion to dress in the manner they want, without any hue and cry, a woman in burqa/hijab should have the right to dress in the way she wants to. I am sharing here some excerpts from that article which I think are significant only to place the discussion around hijab in a more lucid way as it explains my position on hijab.
A history of terrorism in Hyderabad
How Babri Masjid demolition gave birth to violence among Muslims in Hyderabad and how police fanned it further
By Mohammed Siddique, TwoCircles.net,
Hyderabad: As the country marks the 16th anniversary of the black day when the centuries old Babri Masjid was razed to the ground by the Hindu-militants, for the city of Hyderabad it is an important milestone for another reason. The day also marks the dawn of the era of militancy among the Muslim youth.
Modi’s 100 days: Has the ‘acche din’ hype boomeranged?
(100 days of Modi government)
By Amulya Ganguli,
A month after assuming office, Narendra Modi had rued the absence in his case of the customary honeymoon period for a new prime minister. Now, the by-election setbacks and signs of dissonance at the top have cast a further shadow on his first 100 days as prime minister.
Why the China threat story sells in India
By Manish Chand,
It's the season of China-bashing in India. In bad old socialist days, the ruling party in India was quick to conjure up the "foreign hand" to distract public attention from a host of domestic crises. Now, it's the turn of market-driven media to manufacture "external threats" to spike their TRP ratings.
“Why Muslims do not have good leaders?”, asks MIM’s Imtiaz Jalil
By TCN News,
All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) candidate former journalist Imtiaz Jalil won the Aurangabad (Central) seat by defeating nearest rival Shiv Sena’s Pradeep...
Manipur ambush village lies totally deserted
By David Mayum
Paraolon: More than a fortnight after the fateful separatist ambush on an Indian Army convoy that left 18 soldiers dead, Paraolon looks...
Aamir of Shaheen Bagh could have met Sohrabuddin’s fate: expert
By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net
New Delhi: Had the cops succeeded in picking the youth (Aamir) from Shaheen Bagh, the case could have gone the Sohrabuddin way, says filmmaker Shubhradeep Chakravorty who made the documentary “Encountered on Saffron Agenda” based on fake encounters in Gujarat.
Talking to TwoCircles.net Chakravorty said there is a striking similarity between the modus operandi of the Noida Police in Shaheen Bagh case and that of Gujarat Police in Sohrabuddin case and some other similar cases there.
The Left’s rickety new ‘third’ platform
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS
The Left's fascination for an anti-Congress and anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) third front led by it stems from a desire to play a meaningful role in Indian politics.
As the agenda outlined by Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Prakash Karat shows, the front will be "anti-communal, will advocate pro-people economic policies and will fight for an independent foreign policy".
AIMPLB’s holds meeting in Thane as part of campaign to “save Indian constitution”
By TCN News,
Mumbra (Thane): Continuing its country-wide campaign of upholding and strengthening secular aspects of the country, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board...
The WhatsApp Republic: Unfriending Saudi King Salman and Learning To Be Politically Savvy
By Dr. Asma Anjum Khan for TwoCircles.net
Our mornings used to start with roosters crowing, loud gurgles of the old neighbour, and swoosh-swoosh of water...
Waiting for Nazi Germany!
By Anonymous,
I am a Jew in Nazi Germany waiting for Hitler to be elected as the supreme leader. I listen to Nishrin Jafri as she speaks about her father who was murdered along with several others. Bodies floating in the drain....I remember 1992, the fear. Mom drawing up the curtains. All of us ‘hiding’ in one room. As if the ‘empty’ look of the house will fool the rioters…
Gandhi Murder and Role of RSS: Debate Continues
By Ram Puniyani,
Last week (March 2014) Rahul Gandhi in an election campaign meeting said that ‘RSS people killed Gandhiji and today their people and BJP talk of him…They opposed Sardar Patel and Gandhiji.” In a reaction to his statement RSS has lodged a complaint with election commission. This is not the first time that Rahul Gandhi has made such a statement; on an earlier occasion also he had made similar statement. What is the truth of Gandhi murder; did RSS as an organization had any role in it? Were members of RSS involved in it? What was the reaction of RSS followers in the wake of Gandhi murder? What was the response of Sardar Patel, the then Home minister in Union Cabinet to this ghastly murder?
10 years: 1,303 death sentences, 3 executions
By Chaitanya Mallapur & Devanik Saha ,
New Delhi: A death sentence – such as the one handed to Yakub Memon, lone convict of the...
Polls for 5 Assemblies: A mid-term ‘referendum’ for UPA-II?
By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
Fasihuddin Balkhi: the forgotten historian of Bihar
Born in Patna, Bihar during the British era, Fasihuddin Balkhi made a tremendous contribution to history-writing in Urdu. Despite this feat, he remains largely...
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad as Educationist
By Dr Mohammad Manzoor Alam,
1857 is a watershed in Indian history when with the fall of Delhi, British sway was fully established all over India. Men of substance and vision like Sir Syed were quick to realise that the rout had come because the Indian side had fallen behind the British in the realm of knowledge of all kinds, especially that of science and technology.
Media gets up, close and too personal – again
By Minu Jain, IANS,
That same question of space again. From Sania-Shoaib to Shashi-Sunanda, it has been a seamless transition for the gossip hungry reader being fed by large sections of the media that have once again decided to go up, close and too personal, in the reporting of what should actually be nothing but a minister and his alleged involvement in a multi-million-dollar cricket franchise.
दूसरों के न्याय के लिए लड़ते इज़हार हुसैन
फ़हमिना हुसैन, TwoCircles.net
डेहरी ऑन सोन(बिहार): ऐसे कई नाम हैं जो इंसाफ़ की लड़ाई को अपनी ज़िन्दगी का मक़सद बना लेते हैं. फिर पूरी...
Kashmir outcome may provide Mufti, Modi with new opening
By Saeed Naqvi,
Srinagar-New Delhi, India-Pakistan and Hindu-Muslim are basically one complex of issues. That there is a symbiotic relationship between the three becomes apparent every now and then. But there is, at policy levels, an aversion to see the glaring reality.
Will India have its own world media on Modi’s watch?
By Saeed Naqvi,
Outside SAARC, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang was the first world leader to call Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This was followed up by Beijing sending Foreign Minister Wang Yi to New Delhi on Sunday.
Thousands pay respect to NSG commando Niranjan E.K.
Bengaluru : Thousands of people paid tributes to martyred National Security Guard (NSG) commando Lieutenant Colonel Niranjan E.K. on Monday at his residence in...
Building an entrepreneurial ecosystem in India
By Amit Kapoor,
The Narendra Modi government completed one year in office on Monday (May 25). One of the centerpieces of why the BJP-led NDA dispensation came to power was is its focus on development and governance.
Stalling Memon hanging would’ve been against spirit of law: Rohatgi
New Delhi: Dismissing the argument that 1993 Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon's execution should have been stalled by 14 days after the rejection of...
Meet the frightened mother of Abdur Rahman in Darbhanga
Special Series on Terror Arrests from Bihar – Part Five
By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
War on Constitution
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat, TCN
Those of us who witnessed what happened when the goons demolished Babari Masjid in 1992 and later assaulted journalists covering...
The Power Of Hindu Votes!
By Mansoor Durrani
Credit must be given where it is due. Hindus have always been a majority in India. Even during the Muslim rule of...
The Secular Dilemma: Understanding the Bihar Elections 2020
By Shah Nawaz Afaque, TwoCircles.net
The state of Bihar witnessed its high profile and extremely charged Legislative Assembly Elections amidst a pandemic situation and that’s...