Rana Ayyub’s act of resistance
By Arif Hussain for TwoCircles.net
Contexts have this amazing ability of turning simple everyday acts into acts of resistance. From Mohandas Gandhi at Dandi...
Let’s talk Kashmir
By Zohra Javed for TwoCircles.net
Kashmir has been constantly in the news in the past few weeks...not that it was out-of-news at any point in time, but some things that happened there in the recent past have brought it back to "Headlines.".
Endgame in Afghanistan and the Musharraf factor
By Brig Arun Sahgal (retd) and Rahul Bedi, IANS
The United States' apparent determination to somehow ensure a second term in office for Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf is closely linked to Washington's efforts to 'manage' Afghanistan that is fast spiralling out of its control.
Information pieced together from diplomats as well as military and Western security sources reveal that the US is embarked on a course to orchestrate the 're-coronation' of Musharraf in return for his assistance in brokering a deal with the 'good' and 'moderate' Taliban.
Gharibon ka school
By Nafisul Hasan
Mohammad Salim, a student of Nirmala Convent Higher Secondary School in Madhya Pradesh was debarred from a school for having a beard. The case was taken up to the Supreme Court. The verdict generated only anger but no brain storming among Muslim community. Justice Katju among other comments also said, "You can join some other institution if you do not want to observe the rules. You can't ask a school to change the rules for you,” The question arise which convent such Muslim students should join? How many do we have in every state of India?
Jehadis could target Obama with psychological warfare
By Mayank Chhaya, IANS,
President-elect Barack Obama's reputedly conciliatory approach towards international flashpoints can potentially open the door for psychological warfare against the United States by Islamic jehadi groups.
A unique Muslim identity in Trinidad and Tobago
By Fatima Jafri, Common Ground News Service
In a globalised world of increased communication and information exchange, men and women from the "third world" live in the complicated intersection of colonisation, Western hegemony, traditional expectations and religious customs. As a Pakistani-American woman, I stand at the crux of racial and ethnic difference, and I have spent much time considering how Muslim men and women in predominantly non-Muslim societies both absorb and affect the values and communal expectations of their new homes while simultaneously creating a distinct identity.
BJP knocking on the Muslims door
By Uzair Hasan Rizvi,
The elections campaign in India is certainly getting more and more nerve-wrecking as the parties are leaving no-stone unturned to woo all the communities and especially the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) are playing different games altogether when it comes to appeasing the Muslim voters.
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...
India’s defence budget needs to match strategic expectations
By Commander (Retd.) Neil Gadihoke, IANS,
Lesson for Anna: pride goeth before a fall
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
A day before what turned out to be Anna Hazare's flop show in Mumbai, his colleagues were full of hype and hubris during a television debate.
भाजपा कैसे जीतेगी आगामी लोकसभा चुनाव?
शाहनवाज़ भारतीय, TwoCircles.net के लिए
अब तक हम इसी बात का जश्न मनाते आ रहे हैं कि हमारे देश को दुनिया का सबसे बड़ा लोकतंत्र...
Burqas at the Airport
By Naeem Randhawa
The woman looks up from examining my papers, and now is glaring at me. I remove my sunglasses and smile, somewhat surprised at her forwardness.
Swachh Bharat urban toilet plan 76 percent behind schedule
By Prachi Salve
Of a target of 2.5 million household toilets in urban areas by March 2016, 24 percent (0.6 million) have been constructed.
Of a...
India’s gaping leadership vacuum
By Amulya Ganguli
A major reason why the forthcoming general elections may not usher in political stability is the moral and intellectual bankruptcy of...
If Mohammad, Jesus can be caricatured, why not Marx, Voltaire, Rousseau?
By Soroor Ahmed, TwoCircles.net,
After the brutal killing of 12 people in an attack on Charlie Hebdo on January 7, it was argued that the magazine not only caricatured Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), but Jesus Christ, Pope and leaders of other religions too. But nobody asked if it ever made any cartoon on the ‘godless’ philosophers such as Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels etc.
Rains stop in Chennai, life still difficult
Chennai : Life for people in Tamil Nadu's Chennai continue to be difficult though the rains have stopped in the capital.
Many areas in Chennai...
The betrayal of 1857: Kin of those who sacrificed die in penury; those who...
By Shamsul Islam for TwoCircles.net
Delhi is the capital of India and touted as the heart of India, but in fact, is a heartless city....
Teesta on communalism, minority rights and politics
By Md. Ali, TwoCircles.net
No one term can describe her activism. Her area of work is vast and very risky also. Initially a full time journalist attached with newspapers including The Indian Express, she took the road of activism after being appalled by the horrors of the Bombay riots. She is Teesta Setalvad, a relentless campaigner for the rights and privileges of minorities- Dalits, Muslims and women.
Kabir: An icon of a socio-cultural revolution
By Balraj Puri
Kabir’s 612th Prakash utsava was celebrated throughout north India on June 26.
He belonged to a galaxy of saints who led a socio-cultural revolution in 16th century which laid the foundation of a unique composite culture of India. It included Bhakti movement of Hindu saints and Muslim saints who influenced one another.
India needs economists to manage economic affairs
By Syed Zahid Ahmad,
It is better to see Dr. C. Rangarajan resigning as chief of Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (EAC). He might be eying a bright career as consultant for new growing business of financial inclusion. This way he might have escaped from facing the utter failure of UPA government on economic front.
Monsoon justice for Modi’s Gujarat
The Gujarat verdict sets a forbidding precedent and administers a much needed dose of justice to the body politic
By Aijaz Zaka Syed
CK Janu’s decision to ally with NDA in Kerala draws ire from other tribal...
By Shafeeq Hudawi, TwoCircles.net
Kozhikode: Kerala Adivasi leader CK Janu’s decision to side with the NDA and contest from the Wayanad seat has drawn criticism...
Judges need to be proactively involved: Advocate Shafeeq Mahajir
By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net
Advocate Shafeeq Rehman Mahajir comes from a family of lawyers. He started his professional life working in a bank in Bombay but changed directions to study law in Osmania University followed by a Masters in Law from University of London.
He started practicing law in 1984 working as a lawyer for real estate and investment projects. Not completely satisfied, he says, he asked Allah to be utilized for a higher cause in his prayers. His prayers were answered when he was appointed a lawyer for Andhra Pradesh State Minorities Commission.
Book Review: Marching towards Islam
Reviewed by M Naushad Ansari,
Book: End of Casteism
Author: T.M. Mani (Now T.M. Umar Farooq)
Translation from Tamil: M. Ghulam Muhammad
Pages: 140
Price: Rs. 50.00
War for TV viewership is harming our society
By Indscribe,
Electronic media loves controversies. For the sake of higher TRPs that brings advertisement revenues, some of the TV news channels can create controversies as well.
Press freedom is a compromised reality in India
By Amit Kapoor
According to the World Press Freedom Index, which measures the level of freedom of information in 180 countries, ranks India at...
Rising delivery defaults push demand for ready-to-move homes
By Vinod Behl,
Amid rising property prices, high loan rates and rising delivery defaults, home buyers are increasingly opting for ready-to-move properties to ensure safety of their investment.
JIH organized Business Seminar and Exhibition in Mumbra
By TCN News,
Thane: In order to promote entrepreneurship a 4th Micro, Small Business Summit and Made in Mumbra Exhibition was organized by Jamaat-e-Islami...
Net neutrality: Wrong medicine will not remedy digital divide
By Archana G. Gulati,
It is easy to get swept away in the maelstrom of views and counter views, but difficult to arrive at an informed decision on the subject of net neutrality -- the uninhibited access to legal online content without broadband service providers (BSPs) being allowed to block, degrade, or create fast/slow lanes to this content that rides over the internet (OTTs).
Mumbai violence: lumpenisation of Indian politics
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS
The anti-north Indian violence by a small parochial outfit in Mumbai and elsewhere in Maharashtra shows that while India has grown economically, the politicians remain petty-minded charlatans.
Otherwise, it is not possible to explain how a cosmopolitan 300-year-old metropolis, which is known as the country's financial centre and the home of its entertainment industry, can fall prey to the kind of sectarianism associated with a backward village.
Jummah khutba: a missed opportunity
By Sheikh Khurshid Alam,
Ramadan has instilled a sense of piousness in many netizens. People keep forwarding all sorts of “Islamic messages” to all their contacts in this month. Whatsaap, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and all those social networking sites, which you know better, are abuzz with such “Islamic messages”.
India should strengthen its public distribution system to reduce food scarcity
By Sarika Tripathi,
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of United Nations has recently issued a report which reveals that currently there are 75 million (7.5 crore) people in the world who have fallen victim to famine and if the current crisis of price rise persists this count may reach the total of 920.25 million (92.25 crore).
Woman researchers equally participate in a Seminar organized by Theological department of AMU
By TCN News,
Aligarh: Sunni Theological Society Department of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) organized a national level on the theme “Human values in world religions”...
Arbitrary and illegal arrest of ‘Nishan’ Editor Lenin Roy
By Dr Nutan Thakur,
Lenin Kumar Roy, the editor of Nishan, a Left oriented quarterly magazine published from Bhuvaneshwar (Orissa state in India) was arrested on 7 December 2008 around 1-1.30 pm and sent to jail on charges of writing provocative literature which as per the police version and the official report would disturb communal peace and harmony.
The police did not stop here.
An emerging generation of socially-engaged Ulema
By Yoginder Sikand, TwoCircles.net,
Reforms in India’s madrasas are a much talked-about subject today. In discussing the issue, the media tends to give inordinate attention to the views of the older generation of ulema, particularly those who are associated with certain large madrasas or Jamias, especially those that are known to be particularly conservative. Consequently, the voices of younger-generation ulema, particularly those who have also had a university education, tend to be completely silenced.
Strengthening India’s institutional framework
By Amit Kapoor,
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the people from the ramparts of the Red Fort on this Independence Day (August 15), he mentioned the need to do away with the Planning Commission as it does not reflect the realities of today. He also emphasized the need for an institution that has team spirit and which strengthens India's federal structure. What the new institution may look like is far from being completely clear. Most experts opine that in all likelihood it is going to be a team of experts drawn from the states and the center and headed by the prime minister. The institutional framework and its real role at this juncture are far from clear.
Ethnic allegiance remains strong ahead of Afghanistan presidential elections
By Mohammad Reyaz,
“I have come here to visit the grave of our champion, the hero of Afghanistan,” says 25-year-old Haroon, at the half-built mausoleum of Ahmed Shah Masood in Panjsher. Haroon is a Tajik now settled in Kabul, who is unemployed and does not mince words in declaring that he will vote for Abdullah Abdullah, a close aide of Masood, in the April 5 presidential elections.
Ebola: No panic movement by Indians from West Africa
By Francis Kokutse,
Accra: There is no panic movement out of West Africa by Indian nationals living in the region following the spread of the...
Amjadi Begum: “A brave woman”
By Rizwan Lateef Khan,
One name, Amjadi Begum, associated with the Indian Freedom Struggle needs no introduction. Principled, patriotic, self-respecting, honest, dignified, truthful, courageous, determined and committed to the cause are all the attributes which direct us to that great personality whom we all know as Amjadi Begum.
Yemen reminded us again: Indian media aloof from world affairs
By Saeed Naqvi,
Werner Adam, the late foreign Editor of Frankfurter Allgemeine, used to tell me a story about his meeting in Moscow with India’s...
The Question of allegiance: Quandary of Aligarh Muslim University
By Akif Ahmad,
The Aligarh Muslim University administration has proved it time and again that at some occasions it is more loyal to the ruling class than the class itself.
I have differences with Dr Zakir Naik but supporting him is a need of...
By A Mirsab, TwoCircles.net,
Dr Zakir Naik emerged in the 1990s, dressed in suit and a skull cap talking about Islam in English. It was...
TRS aims to emerge as sole vanguard of Telangana
By Mohammed Shafeeq
Hyderabad: In Seemandhra the poll campaign is all about who is responsible for division of Andhra Pradesh, while it is the...
Quill Foundation offers Scholarships to under privileged for doing law
By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
New Delhi: Quill Foundation, a research and advocacy group has decided to provide scholarships for young members from the society who...
Madness in Myanmar and minorities in Muslim lands
The world community must hold Myanmar to account on its treatment of Muslims
By Aijaz Zaka Syed,
Tough road ahead for Rafi Ahmad Kidwai University at Kishanganj
By TwoCircles.net special correspondent,
In centenary year, an academy to honour Bismillah Khan
By Quaid Najmi
Mumbai : Over two decades ago, shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan heard a young woman singer, Soma Ghosh, at the ISKCON Auditorium...
Turn Riba into charity
By Dr Syed Zafar Mahmood,
Islam's basic pillar is equality in society (Masawaat). That's one reason why Quran prescribes for circulation of wealth across the social spectrum. This is an important dimension of God's emphasis on developing a wide-angled charitable disposition. The overarching purpose is to ensure that the community's wealth does not remain confined among a few hands; rather it keeps percolating across and circulating in the societal body:
Protests over Inner Line Permit issue halts normal life in Manipur
TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Imphal: Unlike for most other citizens of the country, for Raees Ahmed, the ‘home-coming’ was ‘troublesome’ and rather a ‘curse’. The...
Nanavati Report on Godhra Tragedy: Erasing the obvious truths
By Ram Puniyani
Recently Justice Nanavati-Mehta (N-M) submitted their report to Govt. (Sept 2008). What it has done must be very close to the desire of the ruling establishment which reaped a rich harvest due to the Godhra train burning and the anti Muslim pogrom in the aftermath of the same.
Teen suicides jolt Kashmir
By Shamshad Ali
Srinagar: After her wake-up knocks at Mohsin's (name changed) door in the morning got no response, the worried mother called her husband....
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...
सीआरपीएफ RTI मामला : मुश्किल में फंसे आरटीआई आवेदक शम्स तबरेज़
TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter
इलाहाबाद - सीआरपीएफ में नियुक्ति को लेकर दायर किए गए आरटीआई आवेदन के विवादास्पद जवाब का मामला और गहराता जा रहा है....
90 percent of Hindi voters sealed Indira Gandhi’s fate
By Praveen Chakravarty
New Delhi: “If the majority rule were to apply, the crow should be our national bird, not the peacock”. A quote attributed...
नज़रिया : यूरोप में मुसलमान और इस्लाम के ख़िलाफ सर उठाती नफरतों की जड़...
वसीम अकरम त्यागी
स्वीडन में इस्लाम विरोधी नेता रैसमस पालुदन को गिरफ्तार किए जाने के बाद उसके समर्थकों ने कुरान जला दिया। कुरान की बेहुरमती...
Prof. Akhtar-ul-Wasey on Islamic studies in India
By Yoginder Sikand, TwoCircles.net,
Profesor Akhtar ul-Wasey is the head of the Department of Islamic Studies and the Director of the Zakir Husain Institute of Islamic Studies at the Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. In this interview with Yoginder Sikand, he reflects on the functioning of the various Islamic Studies Departments in universities across India.
Q: How do you see the role of the Departments of Islamic Studies in those universities in India that have such departments?
Ban on “India’s Daughter”: Don’t shoot the messenger
By Arun Kumar,
India’s ban on a BBC documentary on the gang rape of an Indian woman has drowned out the real issues in a chorus of righteous protests over the “wrongs” done by foreign media - the plight of women in India.
Without even watching the documentary “India’s Daughter” about the Dec 16, 2012, rape of the woman who has come to be known as ‘Nirbhaya’ or ‘Braveheart’ in a bus in New Delhi, critics have accused BBC of “voyeurism” and worse for interviewing one of the convicted rapists.
Terrorism has no place in Islamic life
By Dr. Zakir Naik
My work over the past 18 years,using the Glorious Qur’an and teachings of the Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) has focused mainly on the clarification of important issues, including such topics as; Women’s status and rights, terrorism and the killing of innocent civilians, the profound message of and the route to Peace in Islam, the universal brotherhood based on the oneness of God, among several other topics.
National interest demands UPA, NDA forge common stand on N-deal
By K. Subrahmanyam, IANS,
Former National Security Adviser (NSA) Brajesh Mishra has risen above parochial considerations and come out strongly in favour of the India-US nuclear deal. Initially he was opposed to the deal on two considerations. The first is whether India's strategic programme would be capped short of its assessed requirement. Secondly will India be able to conduct a nuclear test if it became necessary.
Will anything change in India with new prime minister?
By Amit Kapoor,
The mood for change in the country is strong, and it is imminent that we would have a new prime minister and quite likely with a significant majority. We are all under the veil of the audacity of hope thinking in assuming that the office of the new prime minister will sway a magic wand and things will immediately start remarkably improving.
APCR building national network of legal activists for Muslim community
By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
With rise in terror attacks in India in the last couple of years for which Muslims were blamed – in a few cases maybe rightly but generally without going into probe and proof – the already backward and deprived community have faced a new serious problem: picking of their youths from here and there, gross violation of their civil and human rights and boycott of lawyers to take up cases of terror suspects.
क्यों गुजरात के निकाय चुनावों में भाजपा को हार का सामना करना पड़ा?
By सावजराज सिंह,
नरेंद्र मोदी के गुजरात से दिल्ली जाने के बाद गुजरात में यह पहला चुनाव था. और 3 दिसम्बर को आये चुनाव...
Now, posters in Jadavpur demand freedom for Kashmir, Manipur, Nagaland
Kolkata : A day after pro-Afzal Guru slogans were heard in the prestigious Jadavpur University, its campus was on the boil on Wednesday as...
After counterproductive Indian ‘concern’, Malaysian Tamils get deserted, left sulking
On top of all the harm his mercenary outfit had inflicted upon India-Malaysia relations and its disservice to Indian Diaspora, HINDRAF chief Waytha Moorthy has got philosophical. He said, “We tried our level best; but if we don't succeed, we have to call it a day, isn't it? . . . because not all battles are meant to be won!”
How rural India gained 86 mn illiterate people
New Delhi : About 86 million more rural Indians have been counted as illiterate than the 2011 census data found.
This is revealed by...
Rediscovering Mahatma Gandhi in this globalised age
By Rajdeep Pathak,
It's almost a month since British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond visited India, a few days before Mahatma Gandhi's statue was unveiled at Parliament Square in London in the presence of Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Call it a coincidence, the visit was appropriately timed on March 12, the day 85 years ago when Gandhi launched his mass satyagraha movement from Sabarmati in Gujarat to the banks of the Dandi to break the unjust salt law that, to a large extent, signalled the beginning of the end of the British Raj in India. It was at this point of time Gandhi drew world sympathy in this (non-violent) battle for 'right against might'.
Emergence of an eTurkey
By Itir Akdogan
For more than 40 years Turkey has been taking certain measures to reach the European Union criteria of a member state. As part of a drive to increase innovation in and access to technology, the EU has allocated more than 100 billion euros for the i2010 Programme to create a "Single European Information Space", in which innovation and investment in technology is a priority. Becoming an information society is one of the reforms Turkey is undertaking to increase its chances of joining the EU.
Beef and meat bans cast shadow over Eid-ul-Azha
By Aijaz Nazir
New Delhi: With hundreds of families across the country preparing Eid-ul-Azha in the last week of September, the ban on sale of...
M.F. Husain turns 100, ‘Husain 100’ to pay tribute
Kolkata: Renowned Indian artist M.F. Husain's five-day birth centenary year celebrations here, beginning on Saturday, will see film screenings, seminars and exhibitions of...
Mumbai carnage, terrorist groups and Afpak policy
By Dr Shabir Choudhry,
When Mumbai carnage took place many people pointed fingers to Pakistan and especially Lashkar e Taiba (LeT). Pakistan first claimed that its territory was not used for this terrorism, but in view of mounting evidence, reluctantly agreed that ‘non state actors’ could have be involved in it.
CDS Derivatives cannot mitigate financial risks
By Syed Zahid Ahmad,
Systematic risks are associated with every financial transaction, whether it is debt based credits or equity based finances. The practice of covering such risks through Credit Default Swaps (CDS) derivatives failed to mitigate risks at a time when market collapsed due to large scale default swaps; rather it has intensified the financial crisis.
Husain in exile reflects cultural decadence
By Uma Nair Zealots clip artistic freedom and Husain remains between Dubai and London zooming around in his Bentleys and Cadillacs, enormously nostalgic about...
Tale of two retired IPS officers
By Maxwell Pereira, IANS,
Both retired from the elite Indian Police Service (IPS) - one on superannuation and the other prematurely on own volition. One to settle down in Gujarat and the other in Orissa - states that saw large-scale communal violence this decade. One is now engaged in crusading for human rights to bring justice to victims of carnage; the other allegedly spewing venom and hatred to arouse communal sentiment for political gain and more.
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.
Bihar: Protests and politics over OBC status to “Ashraf Muslims”
By Md. Ali, TwoCircles.net
Patna: A controversy is in offing on the issue of inclusion of Shaikh into OBC category in Bihar. Many backward caste groups, including those among Muslims in the state, have registered their protest with the State Commission for Backward Castes (SCBC) against attempts by Shaikh, an upper caste Muslim group, to get OBC status.
Muslims and media
By Yoginder Sikand, TwoCircles.net,
Based in New Delhi, Maulana Waris Mazhari is a leading Indian Muslim scholar. A graduate of the Dar ul-Uloom at Deoband, he edits the Tarjuman Dar ul-Uloom, the official organ of the Deoband Madrasa Graduates’ Association. In this interview with Yoginder Sikand, he reflects on Muslims and the media in India.
Q: How do you see the Indian Muslim press in terms of its coverage of social issues related to the community and the country as a whole?
Obama and Modi can change global climate of inaction
By Rajendra Shende,
It was early morning. I was listening to US President Barack Obama's 2015 State of the Union address in my farm up in the hills in India when I was distracted by a raucous verbal spat. A farmer's wife was exchanging rough and wild words with other women who had come from down in the valley to collect the cow-dung droppings scattered along the slopes.
State and liberal ideas
By Irfan Engineer,
Mobs on the streets of Shimoga and Hassan protesting against an article that appeared in Kannda Prabha allegedly written by Taslima Nasreen has once again kicked up a debate on freedom of expression and need to place some reasonable restrictions on that freedom. Taslima Nasreen has described the article Purdah hai Purdah to be distorted.
Why emerging market stocks are to watch out for now
By Vatsal Srivastava, IANS,
Once a darling of the investor community, emerging market (EM) equities are currently one of the most disliked themes among them....
Muzaffarnagar riots: 3 years on, rebuilding lives a struggle
By Mohd Asim Khan
Kandhla (Uttar Pradesh) : "I never saw such communal tension in my life," Abdul Waheed, 65, recalls as his smile gives...
Adolescent at 60
By Dr Mohammad Manzoor Alam,
At 60 human individuals start getting old, staring at retirement and slowdown in physical, mental and economic activity. Soon, they are pushed to the margins of life as “senior citizens”, who no longer have anything meaningful to contribute and have to make room for the next generation to take over. Happily, a republic’s life is longer, its lifecycle different. Our republic is 60 today, a strong, powerful pre-adult entity set to bloom into a global player within the decade. That is the good part, requiring celebration.
Perfecting the science of shoe-throwing: New course for media schools?
By Mayank Chhaya, IANS,
Throwing shoes during news conferences is an extreme form of editorialising which professional reporters must refrain from, especially those who are a poor shot.
123 agreement: India got a better deal than China
By Gurmeet Kanwal, IANS
The Left parties have launched a stir to oppose the Indo-US nuclear deal and have, additionally, threatened to withdraw their support to the government if their concerns are not addressed. As the Left parties take their bearings from Beijing, they should compare the finer points and nuances of the deal that India has got with the 123 agreement that China signed with the US.
From the diary of an anonymous Muslim
By Anonymous,
It is the time of hate. Everyone around is outraged by the inexplicable evil of the other. How could they walk in and...
After Kilinochchi, is Rajapaksa awaiting Kalinga?
By M.R. Narayan Swamy, IANS,
Even the pictures could not have fully captured the immense joy President Mahinda Rajapaksa may have felt when he victoriously toured Kilinochchi, the once quaint Sri Lankan town the Tamil Tigers had made the hub of a de facto state they thought no one could vanquish. But dreams do sometimes turn into disasters.
Janata Parivar: A group of opportunist provincials
By Amulya Ganguli,
The so-called Janata "Parivar" comprising remnants of the old Janata Dal has been severely jolted in its first trial of strength although...
Turkey will not launch war against Kurds
MOSCOW. (Georgy Mirsky for RIA Novosti) - Turkey invaded North Iraq, the domain of the Kurdistan Workers Party, several times. Five years ago, I was in the area where fighting is now taking place. At that time, small Turkish groups used to cross the border to deliver strikes on Kurdish positions.
What has changed since then?
Obituary: Makram Ali Laskar, a true Gandhian and a son of Assam
By Mustafa Barbhuiyan for Twocircles.net
Born in the year 1935 at village Nitainagar, Hailakandi in the district of then Cachar, Assam, Makram Ali Laskar had...
Need to propagate AYUSH potentials stressed
By TCN News,
New Delhi: The strengthening of library infrastructure and facilities is very essential for preservation and dissemination of knowledge and research findings, said...
Echoes of a budget 40 years ago – that almost died at birth
By S. Narendra, IANS,
The budget to be presented by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Monday expectedly would reaffirm the Congress-led government's "inclusive growth" agenda. When it does, it will be an echo from a 40-year-old budget brewed in the Congress party's internal power struggle of 1969 - that almost failed to get passed.
Kashmir, Azadi and the hollowness of left-liberal solidarity
By Gowhar Fazili
While we must all defend the right to free speech regardless of the politics of people involved and condemn ABVP’s latest assault...
COVID-19 and mounting woes of Indian farmers
By Mohammed Junaid
Ompal Singh, a 50-year-old farmer from Muzaffarnagar, sugarcane belt of Uttar Pradesh, ended his life on 4 June 2020 allegedly over the...
Kerala HC judge says Muslim Personal law discriminates against women
By TCN Staff Reporter
Kozhikode: Kerala High Court Justice B Kemal Pasha on Sunday lashed out against Muslim Personal Law, saying their laws were discriminatory....
Vajpayee and Modi: Scarred inheritance
By Tarun Basu,
Over a decade after Atal Bihari Vajpayee relinquished power -- and in many ways withdrew from public life -- after an electoral defeat that his party never foresaw but he seemed to have, the present government is seeking to appropriate his legacy by hailing him as an icon of good governance -- and may even confer on him the Bharat Ratna, the nation's highest honour.
Boycott, not burn: Protest by burning copies of Asomiya Pratidin will only make it...
By Aman Wadud,
A lot has been written after the barbaric attack on Charlie Hebdo killing 12 people. In its first edition after the attack, Charlie Hebdo published cartoon of a bearded old man holding a placard which says ‘Jesuis Charlie’ or ‘I am Charlie’, the cartoon is supposedly of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).
Digvijay Singh shares dais with RSS, VHP functionaries during book launch on Ram Mandir
By Afroz Alam Sahil, TwoCircles.net
Delhi: Senior Congress leader and AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh on Monday shared dais with RSS functionary Indresh Kumar,...
Muslim youth: The road ahead
By Dr Malik Rashid Faisal,
What an average Indian Muslim youth thinks of the issues concerning the Muslim society at large? This is no small question, the answer of which builds a world where a whole lot of generation can not only survive but move towards a prosperous living. When I was a child, for me the world was nothing more than a game where everyone is playing a role of one’s own choice. There are, perhaps, still no clearly drawn out objectives of Muslim youth, although the earth has been steadily rotating to demonstrate the bitter lessons they could learn.
News Analysis: Russia-U.S. talks on missile shield see no breakthrough
By Liao Lei, Xinhua
Moscow : Showing his broken arm, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates denied he is a difficult negotiator in the 2-plus-2 talks with Russian counterparts, but the talks held in Moscow were seen as tough with no breakthrough on a planned U.S. missile shield in Central Europe.
No missile shield compromise
Exaggerated claim of BJP’s core vote-base in Delhi
By Soroor Ahmed, TwoCircles.net,
Rarely in 68 years of Indian history the gap between the winning party and the runners up been so wide as this time in the Delhi election. With 54.30 per cent votes the Aam Admi Party got 22.1 per cent more votes than the Bharatiya Janata Party, which ended up getting 32.2 per cent.
Which way will Bihar vote?
By Mohammad Sajjad for Twocircles.net
“Once the numbers of BJP MLAs increase in the Bihar Assembly, their numbers in the Rajya Sabha will also go...
सत्याग्रह शताब्दी वर्ष : भाजपा ने भुलाया गांधी को
अफ़रोज़ आलम साहिल, TwoCircles.net
बेतिया (बिहार) : राष्ट्रपिता महात्मा गांधी के सत्याग्रह का तपोस्थल चम्पारण अपने गौरवमयी इतिहास के 100 साल पूरा कर रहा है....
106-year-old resident gets to vote for the first time, wants electricity in his village
By Zaidul Haque, TwoCircles.net
Kolkata/Coochbehar: The recent elections in West Bengal has seen thousands of youth vote for the first time, but for one person...
Price of oil approaching $100 per barrel
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti economic commentator Oleg Mityayev) - At the end of the working week, on Friday November 23, the price of American WTI oil was $96-$97 per barrel.
When it reached $99.29 per barrel on November 21, it seemed that this unprecedented psychological barrier - $100 per barrel - would be overcome this week. But operators of oil futures are still capable of surmounting it in the nearest future.
Irony of peace award amid India-Pakistan border friction
By C Uday Bhaskar,
In a surprise announcement, India's little-known child rights adherent Kailash Satyarthi and Pakistan’s Malala Yousafzai have together been awarded this year’s prestigious Noble Peace Prize "for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education".
Communal Polarisation in South India and the Hyderabad Bomb Blasts
By Irfan Engineer
Yet another bomb blast in Hyderabad in Lumbini Park and Gokul Chaat on 25th August 2007, has left us all shattered. The sooner the culprits are caught and punished, the better for the society. At least the suspense would end as to who is involved and why?
Who speaks for German Muslims?
By Loay Mudhoon
The German Islam Conference has achieved its first concrete result: Muslim religious education will be introduced as a subject in German schools from next year. The move was agreed upon by representatives of the state and its Muslim population – in spite of what was sometimes a bitter controversy. A number of Muslim participants wanted to see a different kind of religious education – the sort of neutral education about Islam which half the German states already offer.
Mufti Sayeed: Grand old man of Kashmir’s mainstream politics
By Sheikh Qayoom
Jammu/Srinagar : Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, who died in a Delhi hospital on Thursday morning just four days...
Wedding receptions cancelled in Kashmir Valley
By Ruwa Shah
Srinagar : The weddings are still taking place, albeit quietly, in the Kashmir Valley. But invitations to wedding receptions have been cancelled...
Delhi BJP’s ticket hopefuls banking on ‘personal surveys’
By Rahul Vaishanvi,
New Delhi: In a bid to stake claim to nominations for the upcoming Delhi assembly elections, many of the 67 BJP candidates...
Who Cleans the Mess?
By Arshad Shaikh,
The noose of the global financial crisis has slowly begun to throttle the economies of the world with disastrous consequences. The American economy which is at the epicenter of the crisis is failing rapidly, necessitating comparisons with the Great Depression of 1929.
Presence of Western fighters in ISIS raises serious questions
By Soroor Ahmed, TwoCircles.net,
It remains a mystery as to why, and how, thousands of Muslims––some of them women too––from the West, have covered such a long distance to join ISIS to fight war in Syria and Iraq, when we hardly find any example of community members from the US, UK, France etc. joining any war against Israel, or against NATO-led forces. For Muslims––cutting across sectarian lines––a war against the Jewish state should have been much more holier than taking up arms against Assad and al-Maliki, as it had occupied Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem, the third holiest place after Mecca and Medina. This is so in spite of the fact that attacks by Israel on Arabs always evoke a lot of anger and street protests in Paris, London, New York etc.
Schoolgirl writes to Chief Minister, gets road constructed to the village
By IndScribe,
Maimoona Khan, 14, who studies in ninth standard, lives in a small village in Narsinghpur district of Madhya Pradesh.
Saffron calling in West Bengal…
By Shiveshwar Kundu
Bengal's society can't function without ideology. The upsurge of Hindutva in the eastern state can be seen through the aspect of an...
The Politics of Big Capital and the Poor in Narmada Valley
Dr Rahul Pandey,
On the 5th of November I was in Khandwa, a town in central India, taking part in a rally organized by the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), or Save the Narmada Movement. About 20,000 rural people, mostly landless farm labourers or small-medium farmers, many of them tribals, had traveled 50 to 400 km on tractors, trucks and buses to participate in the rally, all at their own expense. Every family carried a packet of food cooked at home to last for a day or two. The women with babies carried them along as well.
Gunning for Mulayam: How wise a step it is?
By Soroor Ahmed, TwoCircles.net,
Political parties in Uttar Pradesh strongly criticized Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav after he publicly apologized before Muslims for roping in former UP chief minister Kalyan Singh at the time of election. For his opponents it may be a correct action as this is what politics is all about.
India unveils ambitious ‘Connect’ with Central Asia
By C. Uday Bhaskar, IANS,
A little noticed but major Indian policy initiative was unveiled in distant Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, last week.
The Hindi-Urdu divide in news reporting
A comparative reading of Dainik Jagran and Inquilab
By Shaheen Nazar,