A village without Muslims
By Ganesh Dhamodkar
So it happened. My native place, a village of 700, had 5-6 Muslim families. It was early 1990s and the people lived...
Debate on Constitution in Lok Sabha: PM Modi Pushes for UCC; Rahul Slams BJP...
Staff correspondent, TwoCircles.net
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the Congress party during a debate on the Constitution...
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.
A flawed definition of secularism lies behind the Ayodhya verdict
By Rohini Hensman
Whose Faith and Belief?
More girls studying, but 84% drop out after graduation
By Prachi Salve
While more young women are enrolled in higher education than ever before -- and apparently more successful in clearing 10th-standard board...
Oil pool account can redress petrol price burden
By Nandakumar J and A. Vinod Kumar, IANS,
Just before inflicting a burdening oil price hike on his countrymen, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had hinted that no solution exists for this tangle, supposedly created by a global surge in oil prices.
The situation was worsened by the precarious financial health of oil marketing companies (OMCs), which had to bear the brunt of escalating global prices by subsidising the final product to the consumer.
A long-fought battle for justice and peace, for policing police
Iqbal A. Ansari
After the award of the 'Citation of Excellence' for Promotion of Human Rights by the JNU Centre For Human Rights Teaching & Research, presented by Justice P.N. Bhagwati on 10th December 2007, AMU's Vice-Chancellor Prof. P.K. Abdul Azis presented a memento to me in a felicitation program on 26th January 2008. The program was held for the first time in the history of the university to give recognition to those teachers and students who brought laurels to the university in 2007.
Indian-origin Muslim cleric gets honorary doctorate
London: An Indian-origin Muslim cleric has been awarded an honorary doctorate by University of Leicester in Britain in recognition of his commendable work for...
Why you need to support Dr. Zakir Naik
By Dr Muhammad Ajmal for TwoCircles.net,
There is no need for an introduction on Zakir Naik, everyone knows him - he is a well-known...
Winds of change are blowing, but mindsets need a changing
(One month after Dec 16 gang-rape)
By Anjali Ojha, IANS,
Nothing for appeasement of Muslims in the Union Budget 2014-15
By Syed Zahid Ahmad,
There is nothing for appeasement of Muslims in the Union Budget 2014-15. Significantly there are just following two small para in 35 pages budget speech.
In search of liberals
By Quamar Ashraf,
Vir Sanghvi’s article, ‘The Curious Case of Indian Liberals’ in his Sunday’s Counterpoint column needs to be analyzed objectively. He has unjustifiably criticized liberals for their approach on issues that do not directly concern the subject—freedom of expression.
Buddhist-Muslim Relations in Ladakh – Part 5
By Yoginder Sikand, TwoCircles.net,
Full Series: Buddhist-Muslim Relations in Ladakh
Abdul Ghani Sheikh is probably one of Ladakh’s most well-known writers. A retired Indian Information Service officer, he has authored numerous books, including short stories, in Ladakhi and Urdu, and some of his writings have been translated into English as well. He is a Argon community leader and commands considerable respect among the Buddhists as well.
With UP in mind, Muslims to float common front to take on ‘communal forces’
By Sheikh Manzoor
New Delhi : Many Muslim leaders, worried about electoral marginalisation of the community, especially after the split in Muslim votes in Assam,...
Communal harmony must be stressed by Hindu religious leaders as well: Ahmad Shaikh
Ahmad Shaikh is the secretary of the Legal Cell of the Gujarat unit of the Jamiat ul-Ulama-i-Hind, a leading Muslim religious organisation, based in Ahmedabad. In this interview with Yoginder Sikand he talks about the communal situation in Gujarat today and on the Jamiat’s efforts to secure justice for the victims of the state sponsored genocide of Muslims in 2002 and on its efforts to promote communal harmony in the state.
YS: Three years after the genocide in Gujarat how would you describe the communal situation in the state today?
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".
Aamir Edresy: Helping the under-privileged through the Association of Muslim professionals
By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net
The name of Aamir Edresy may not ring a number of bells in the social circles of India,...
‘Women intend to quit jobs due to gender bias, harassment’
New Delhi : Working women, especially those in the private sector, desire to quit their jobs for a number of reasons, including gender bias...
If government’s attack on NDTV was ‘fascism’, what explains the ban on Kashmir Reader?
By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net
Srinagar: A newsroom can often be the most nerve-racking, jarring, or the most fun-filled place for a professional...
Jammu on fire – how to destroy integrity of the country
Asghar Ali Engineer,
First there was agitation in Kashmir Valley against the transfer of the land to Sri Amarnath Shrine Board which forced the Government to take back the land allotted to The Board and now for more than a month Jammu is burning demanding the land back for the Sri Amaranth Shrine Board. What has sustained the agitation so long in Jammu? Who provoked it and for what? Is the peace of land a real issue? These are important questions which must be answered satisfactorily.
‘We cannot live in permanent fear’: Dr. J. S. Bandukwala
Dr. Juzar Bandukwala teaches physics at the University of Baroda in Gujarat. A well-known and widely-respected social activist and journalist, he has been in the forefront of the struggle for justice to the victims of the recent state-sponsored violence directed against the Muslims of Gujarat. In this interview he speaks to Yoginder Sikand about his work and about the situation in Gujarat today.
Prof. Bandukwala along with Dr. Ram Puniyani is the winner of Indira Gandhi National Integration award for 2006.
Madrasa education myth and reality
By Asghar Ali Engineer,
Madrasas have been at the centre of controversy since 9/11 attack on New York towers. It was thought that attacks were planned by Taliban who were students of madrasas run by Muslims of Wahabi ideology. Though as far as 9/11 attack was concerned, the madrasas in focus were from North West Frontier Province but in India too madrasas came under fire especially from those who were politically motivated and also from a section of media which took a biased view.
Food, fuel, water and alternate energy sources
By Bhamy V Shenoy
It is only an academic exercise to debate which of the three securities is most important for India: food, energy and water. All of them are equally important. Relatively new and expanding sector of alternate energy sources is forcing us to look at these sectors in an integrated and holistic manner.
An autopsy of NHRC report on Batla House encounter
By TwoCircles.net News Desk,
Follwoing is a joint statement of some human and civil rights groups tearing apart the National Human Rights Commission report on the Batla House encounter. Signatories to the statement are: Tanweer Fazal, Farah Farooqui, Ghazi Shahnawaz, Harris, Ahmed Sohaib (Jamia Teachers’ Solidarity Group), Mahtab Alam (Association for Protection of Civil Rights) and Aslam Khan (All India Students Association, Jamia Millia Islamia--Editor)
Gandhiji and the Prophet (PBUH)
By Asghar Ali Engineer,
Note: This imaginary dialogue between Gandhiji and the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) is to clarify many misunderstandings which are being spread about Islam and Muslims. My mission in life is to promote peace and inter-religious understanding and to struggle against religious fanaticism and extremism. As I have deep conviction about teachings of Islam, I am also great admirer of Gandhiji and his philosophy of non-violence. (A.E.)
The pointing finger of Babasaheb Ambedkar
Dr. Shah Alam Khan
Mayawati, the chief minister of the most populous state of India is in news yet again. Her fondness to Greek Parthenon-style memorials has landed her in trouble with the highest court in the country. I wonder what the Supreme Court of India would have done to the likes of Shahjahan, Akbar, Cholas of Southern India and Rajputs of Rajasthan if it existed in their times.
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.
Muslims need to choose their battles
From Vishwaroopam to Kashmir rock band, India’s Muslims are forever battling shadows
By Aijaz Zaka Syed
Will Obama go further than Reagan in Reykjavik?
(RIA Novosti political commentator Andrei Fedyashin) - Moscow as well as other capitals expected U.S. President Barack Obama to be more explicit on foreign policy issues at his first news conference. Apparently, because of the financial crisis, America needs time to collect itself.
Congress has its nose ahead in coming general election
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
There is a surface similarity between the last general election and the next one, which is just over two months away. In 2004, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was so sure of its success that it went into a blue funk when it lost. This time, too, the ruling Congress's chances of victory are being widely acknowledged.
LS elections: who will have the last laugh in Kerala’s Muslim politics?
By Muhammed Noushad
When the Lok Sabha results come on May 16, who will have the last laugh in Kerala’s Muslim politics? Highly unpredictable. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has been desperately trying to make inroads into Muslim politics for many years, by using different tactics from organising a hugely impressive State Conference at Malappuram (the district where almost 80% of the population are Muslims) and systematically adopting religious Muslims into the party inner circles and playing apparently pro-Muslim games.
The Mainstreaming of Asaduddin Owaisi
By Tariq Hasan
The Majlis-e-Itehad-ul-Muslimeen (MIM) was established in the Southern state of Hyderabad in the year 1927. It's agenda was limited: to protect the...
Report: South Indian Muslim Convention, Kochi, Kerala
By Yoginder Sikand  The release of the report of the Sachar Committee, appointed by the Government of India to investigate the...
Economy becoming important in deciding electoral fortunes
By Sushma Ramachandran, IANS,
The state of the economy is increasingly being considered a crucial element in elections as voters now tend to give greater priority to ground realities of price rise and job opportunities, though caste and regional considerations continue to remain important. The situation of course differs from state to state.
Fatwas and Muslim Women
By Irfan Engineer,
The Supreme Court on 7th July 2014 ruled that fatwas had no legal sanctity and the defiance of fatwas would not have civil or criminal consequences as it had no place in independent India under our constitutional scheme. Though the Apex Court did not injunct Islamic religious authorities like the Dar-ul-Uloom Deoband, Dar-ul-Qaza or Nizam-e-Qaza from issuing fatwa as issuance of fatwas per se were not illegal in its opinion, it clarified that “it is not a decree, not binding on the court or the state or the individual. It is not sanctioned under our constitutional scheme”.
Islam: the state or civilisation?
By Asghar Ali Engineer,
MANY scholars maintain that Islam and the state are inseparable, thus reducing Islam to a political ideology. This approach, though in a way, historically dictated, has caused much power struggle among different groups of Muslims.
With demonetisation, PM Modi has made common people feel like thieves
By Sheikh Khurshid Alam for TwoCircles.net
Browsing through the pages of the November issue of Economic & Political Weekly (EPW), I came across a...
The Muslim Ulema and status of women
By Asghar Ali Engineer
The other day I read a news item in the Urdu daily from Mumbai Inquilab about the coming session of Muslim Personal Law Board. I was utterly shocked to read that Personal Law Board is worried that the Government of India has passed a law against domestic violence whereas our ‘Ulema and fuqaha’ (jurists) have always permitted beating of women. According to the law against domestic violence Muslim men have lost right to beat their wives.
The CIA’s secret triumph
MOSCOW. (Member of the Russian pen club Anatoly Korolev for RIA Novosti) - Under the rules of the Swedish Academy, the Nobel Prizes archives may be opened 50 years after the awarding takes place. Thus, the documents of October 1958 may be declassified in January of this year.
This is a notable date for Russian culture. That year, the Academy awarded a Nobel Prize in literature to Soviet poet Boris Pasternak.
Now that the archives have been declassified, the circumstances of the loudest scandal in the history of Nobel Prizes will be finally scrutinized.
Two approaches to justice in Bombay
Justice has finally been done in the 1993 Bombay blasts cases. What about those who provided the motive for those crimes though?
By Aijaz Zaka Syed,
Ruling party’s patriotic card backfires
By Amulya Ganguli
It was inevitable that the kind of muscular nationalism favoured by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would lead to hooliganism by its...
Agenda for India: Agriculture
By Charu Bahri, TwoCircles.net
It has been more than a month since UPA government came back to power but still they are hashing out the 100-day agenda of the government. Before any government makes any policy decision or sets the nation on to a course for the future, it should take into account hopes and aspirations of the people.
Raza Academy says cleaning an ‘insulting job’, Islamic teachings say otherwise
By A Mirsab, TwoCircles.net,
An advertisement calling for a sanitation worker from the people belonging to unreserved general category - Brahmin, Kshatriya, Bania, Patel, Jain,...
Jharkhand after 20 years: Rich state, poor people and a tale of betrayal
By Dr. Md Afroz & MD Tabrez Alam, TwoCircles.net
Jharkhand is considered one among the richest states in contemporary India because of its rich mineral...
Rohingyas urge India to create conditions conducive for their return
By Mohammed Shafeeq
Hyderabad, Oct 22 (IANS) Rohingya refugees living here have appealed to the Indian government to mount pressure on Myanmar to create conditions...
Community Empowerment: A Rights based approach
By Mahtab Alam,
There is no denying the fact that Muslims in India are one of the most marginalised and deprived communities despite a lot of progress across many socio-economic sectors having been made through various macro-economic and political processes in the 63 years of Independence of India. It is not hard to see that most of promises made in the Constitution and by political parties are yet to be fulfilled.
When nature cries
By Zohra Javed for TwoCircles.net,
When everyone had given up any little hope for rain, it sure has played havoc in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. And also in some parts of Goa and Maharashtra. There is an irony in this whole situation: the areas that have been hit by devastating flood were declared drought-hit some time back.
And in this situation there is a cruel tragedy also: whatever was left of the crops (under a drought) has now been washed away by the fury of the rains.
Scholarships for minority students
Andalib Akhter, Journalist
Keeping its promise to share the fruit of development with all section of society, the UPA government at centre on Wednesday generously approved a handsome amount for the educational upliftement of minorities in the country.
Gujarat elections and aftermath
By Asghar Ali Engineer
Gujarat has made history. Gujarat is in news ever since the genocide of 2002. For every small or big development it remains in news. Gujarat carnage was unparalleled in the history of India and it will continue to be discussed for a long time to come. Like partition of our country it cannot be easily forgotten. Any election in Gujarat will draw into discussion Gujarat carnage. Modi, I maintain, could not have won 2002 election without organizing that carnage nor the 2007 election could he have won without it.
Saudi, Iranian leaders involve India in regional peace
By Saeed Naqvi, IANS,
Visits to New Delhi by leaders of Saudi Arabia and Iran in quick succession would seem to suggest something new is happening in West Asia to which Indian attention is required.
The travails of the Indian diaspora in Malaysia
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS
Kuala Lumpur's imaginative 'Malaysia truly Asia' campaign emphasising the country's multicultural society has taken a hit following the recent violence involving local Indians, many of whom are Tamil Hindus.
Although the outbreak was brought under control fairly quickly, the fact that the agitation was spearheaded by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) was a disturbing sign. Though small, such outfits can remain active for a long time if the grievances of its ethnic supporters are not adequately addressed.
Seven pastors killed, 20% rise in attacks on Christians in 2015, says minority group
By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net
Mumbai: There was a 20 percent rise in attacks on Christians in India, Mumbai-based minority and human rights group...
Extremism: The responsibilities of the Ulema and Muslim intellectuals
By Maulvi Yahya Nomani,
(Translated from Urdu by Yoginder Sikand)
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.
Falling oil prices may spur Modi for more reforms
By Saroj Mohanty,
One single international development that has not received the kind of play it deserves in the Indian media but is keenly watched in policy-making and strategic circles is the falling prices of oil - despite the geopolitical uncertainties in the Middle East and Nigeria - whose impact could be felt in government finances, business, trade and consumer spending, if the trend continues.
Education not diminishing India’s preference for boys
By Tanay Sukumar
Young graduate mothers gave birth to 899 girls per 1,000 boys, lower than the national average of 943, according to an IndiaSpend...
What can we expect from the upcoming AMU student elections?
By Dr M. Mohibul Haque for TwoCircles.net
It would not be wrong to say that Aligarh Muslim University is one of the greatest achievements...
How relevant are madrassas today?
The madrassas around the world were known as fountainheads of religious learning and guardians of tradition and had an increasingly important role in bringing...
To gain Muslim confidence, end media trials
By Saeed Naqvi,
Just when the nation was preparing itself for Narendra Modi's swearing in ceremony Monday, all Indian newspapers have published a story the prime minister must find time to read.
Labourer killed over petty issue in Delhi
New Delhi : Days after the killing of a Delhi-based dentist by a group of people over a minor issue, another man was beaten...
Men against violence-2: Socio-economic inequality leads to violence
By Nasiruddin Haider Khan,
Dhaka : If violence is not natural, and not ingrained in our genetic makeup then the question is, what the root of violence is. Violence, which is gender based. Gary Barker has done lot of research in this area and he has an answer. He is associated with International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) as Director, Gender, Violence and Rights. He strongly advocates the engagement of men in ending gender-based violence (GBV).
Interaction with a warrior in the battlefield of Muslim reservation
By Faisal Fareed, TwoCircles.net,
How the Muslim political movement is killed in India
By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net
Contrary to popular belief, Muslim leadership does exist in India. They make their presence known by street protests, writing articles in newspapers and lobbying ministers and government officials for local or national issues concerning the Muslims of India.
Contrary to popular belief, Muslim leadership does exist in India. They make their presence known by street protests, writing articles in newspapers and lobbying ministers and government officials for local or national issues concerning the Muslims of India.
Maulana Syed Fazlul Hasan Hasrat Mohani
By Afzal Usmani,
Maulana Hasrat Mohani died on May 13th, 1951. Here is an article to the doyen of the independence movement and first journalist to be placed behind bars for his writings. --- Editor.
Gujjar agitation: Dark side of affirmative action
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
When then prime minister V.P. Singh lit the fires of caste conflict by implementing the Mandal formula of job reservations for the Other Backward Castes (OBCs) in 1990, the politicians, who saw electoral benefit from the measure in spite of the resultant confrontation between the upper and lower castes, were not too perturbed. The reason was that the upper castes were numerically not strong enough to figure in their vote-winning calculations.
With no end to feud, Mulayam-Akhilesh look for life beyond the ‘cycle’
By Mohit Dubey
Lucknow: Attempts at striking some sort of a patch-up or compromise between the warring factions of the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP)...
Who will occupy the palace on Raisina Hill?
By Amulya Ganguli
Since A.P.J. Abdul Kalam is an accidental president, it is not surprising that he doesn't have the support of any major political party for another term.
Islam and Jihad in context of international treaties and citizenship of a Non-Muslim majority...
By Maulvi Yahya Nomani,
(Translated from Urdu by Yoginder Sikand)
Islam insists that Muslims should abide by the pacts and treaties that they have entered into with others. The Quran repeatedly insists on this. In one place, it says, ‘[A] nd keep the covenant. Lo! of the covenant it will be asked’(17:34). A hadith report claims that the Prophet once remarked, ‘A person lacks faith if he is not trustworthy and he who breaks his agreements has no religion.’
MPs’ salary hike: Do they have a case?
By M.R. Madhavan,IANS,
The Lok Sabha has passed the bill to revise the salary of members of parliament. Much of the debate in the media has been on the wealth of current MPs and the lack of accountability. It is important to focus as well on structural issues related to remunerating legislators.
Tinderbox situation in North Africa: Can have dangerous spillover effects
By Suresh Kumar,
The region of Sahara and Sahel in northern Africa is currently undergoing dramatic changes, and faces serious security threats and escalating tensions. Several cases and developments reflect this critical situation -- from the upsurge in terrorist activities in the northern parts of Mali, to the decision of Algeria to close its borders with Libya due to the prevailing security turmoil and chronic instability in that country, to the unclear political situation in Egypt, a series of terrorist attacks and deadly bomb blasts in Nigeria, staged by the terror group Boko Haram that has been in the international spotlight after its kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls.
Why the Indian establishment fears Kejriwal?
By Saeed Naqvi
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte admittedly has an uncontrollable temper, otherwise he would not have used a common Filipino term of abuse against...
Bihar and Lok Sabha Election 2014
By Syed Ali Mujtaba,
It is often said that the road to the Lok Sabha passes through Bihar. Even though the state sends only 40 members to the lower house, it has traditionally played a significant role in the government formation at the centre.
Rajya Sabha: Dy Chairman K Rahman Khan spoke loudly on Muslim issues
By TwoCircles.net Staff Writer,
India’s corruption and competitiveness
By Amit Kapoor ,
The Aam Aadmi Party's electoral success in the Delhi assembly polls is a reflective of how the people of capital rate...
Baking baguettes in India: Taking bread beyond borders
By Bhavana Akella
New Delhi : Little do we realize while buying a baguette or croissant from a corner bakery in the city...
Torture is one of the most common forms of human rights violations
By Justice K. G. Balakrishnan
UP elections: Elephant moves slower as Cycle picks up pace
By Md. Ali, TwoCircles.net,
Incumbency encumbers Maya as Mulayam picks up momentum in UP.
Modi must re-engage, shape historic changes in West Asia
By Saeed Naqvi,
"Jup raha hai aaj maala ek Hindu ki, Arab Barhaman zaade mein shaan e dilbari, aisi tau ho Hikmat e Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru ki, kasam Mar mitey Islam jispey kafiri aisi to ho." (Arabs are chanting the name of a Hindu, Just look at the heart winning prince among Brahmins, Behold the statesmanship of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, World of Islam lies at the feet of this non believer, free of sins.)
The fidayeens are back, but we aren’t ready
By A. Vinod Kumar, IANS,
A frontal attack on Mumbai's commercial district prompts a glance over threats to similar landmarks across the country, especially in the National Capital Region (NCR).
The one destination that comes to mind immediately is the corporate street in Gurgaon's DLF Phase-II, which has emerged as NCR's main business hub. In this two kilometre stretch on the Delhi-Jaipur expressway stand offices of major multinational corporations, ranging from Microsoft to Nokia to IBM.
Yoga Day: Muslims join in, say they feel rejuvenated
Rahul Vaishnav
New Delhi: Like any devout Muslim during the holy month of Ramzan, Irfan Salmani Dehalvi, 42, woke up shortly before dawn, had 'sehari',...
Muslim women of Malabar
By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net
TCN Malabar series: Part 8
In various towns of Malabar, it is not uncommon to see Muslim women on the streets, bazaars, and schools. They can be easily identified with their traditional mode of clothing. Young girls wear long colorful skirts, long sleeved blouses and heads covered in dupatta or a hijab. Older girls, it seems, prefer shalwar qameez. Married women wear saris or abayas.
A model students union for AMU
By Mohammad Allam,
The purpose of any educational institution is to develop all-round personality of the student through keeping education in the centre. If education is not in the centre, no model of students union will work to improve the educational culture of the institution and all-round personality of the students. To achieve the aims and objectives, the function of the concerned educational authority is to construct such a model which inspires the students to perform better at all levels by placing education in the centre.
Muslims in introspection mode… now a fatwa on Dr. Zakir Naik
By Sadia Dehlvi,
Something good is happening in the Muslim world. A man with a half Muslim parentage will soon take oath to the highest office in America. The Malegaon blasts are being fairly investigated, something the community has been demanding. The possibilities of" Hindu Terror", are surfacing and being condemned by secular Indians, forming the majority of the country.
Civility against Caste: Dalit Politics and Citizenship in Western India
Title: Civility against Caste: Dalit Politics and Citizenship in Western India
Author: Prof. Suryakant Waghmore
Publisher: Sage India
Year: January, 2014
Review by: Yogesh Maitreya for TwoCircles.net,
Civility is the least discussed discourse in India. In post-constitutional Indian society, the idea of civility has formed a binary: on one hand, ‘civil society’ that has been propagated by media and resources which are dominated and owned by Brahmin-Bania associations and on the other hand, the civility which has been practice by NGOs and political organisations led by Dalits. The latter had started with the core motive of annihilation of caste and, found its genesis in the struggles of Mahatma Fule and Dr. B.R.Ambedkar in Maharashtra. The idea of civility, practiced by Dalit NGOs and political groups, is contrary to the idea of civility which Brahmin-Bania possess and propagate in India, simply because idea of civility practiced by Dalits aims at annihilation of caste; precisely, Dalit civility is the ‘Civility against Caste’. Asma Nama: P for Preaching; P for Practice?
Are Today’s Muslims Only Talking Toms?
By Dr Asma Anjum Khan for TwoCircles.net,
Whenever I read George Bernard Shaw saying, ‘Islam is the best religion and Muslims are the worst people’, it makes me angry. Be it the international scene or our closed communities, does Shaw metaphor stick to us (and stinks too?)
Fatwa changed history of ‘The Satanic Verses’, says Ben Okri
By Madhusree Chatterjee, IANS
Jaipur: The interpretation of Salman Rushdie's "The Satanic Verses" has changed with the "fatwa", says Man Booker winning Nigerian writer and poet Ben Okri.
Abul Hussain – A different story of a differently able person
By Diganta Sharma and Anjuman Ara Begum,
Pakistan tests nuclear-capable cruise missile
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Pyotr Goncharov) - Pakistan has announced that it successfully tested a cruise missile with a range of 700 km (435 miles) on Tuesday.
Presumably the Hatf-VII (Babur) missile can carry both conventional and nuclear weapons.
How should the international community react to this, especially as it has denounced Iran's nuclear program and approved sanctions against it?
The killer Dengue and the sordid saga of poor governance
By Dr. Mumtaz Naiyer for TwoCircles.net
Last week there was an outcry in the print, electronic and social media as Avinash Rout, 7, and...
Cheraman Mosque to get heritage museum, digital library
By Shafeeq Hudawi
Kozhikode: The Cheraman Juma Masjid at Kodungallur, Kerala, built in AD 629, holds a special place in Islam’s history in India. The...
Break the silence: Ending gender-based violence is a human rights imperative
By Shobha Shukla
"There is a global epidemic of violence against women - both within conflict zones and within societies at peace - and it...
Fight for justice in India and USA: Similarities and faultlines
By Amina Mirza, TwoCircles.net
While the world is fighting the invisible enemy COVID-19 - the two oldest and largest democracies, the United States and India,...
Justice denied, now waiting for judgment: Sheikh Hashim Ali’s 13 years’ incarceration
This special TCN series highlights some of the example cases of people accused of terrorism and their struggle for justice. This series is sponsored...
Husain should return to his ‘culturally exuberant’ India
By Mayank Chhaya, IANS,
A quarter century ago sitting amid designer chaos of paintings and sketches in various stages of completion in his Cuffe Parade apartment in then more-tolerant Bombay, painter Maqbool Fida Husain had a telling response to a question about being Indian.
Tension in Telangana village after mob attack
Hyderabad : Tension prevailed in a village in Telangana's Medak district after a mob attacked the village sarpanch and set afire her house on...
Role of Akram Hussain Saikia in the freedom struggle of India
Remembering the nationalist Muslim leader on the completion of the Birth Centenary Celebration
By Nurur Rahim Majumdar,
The role played by the Muslim nationalist leaders of Assam in the freedom struggle of India cannot be ignored. These Muslim nationalist leaders whether they are from Assam Valley or from Barak Valley have equally played their vital role in India’s struggle for freedom. Every movement whether it is Khilafat Movement or it is Quit India Movement (Bharat Chhodo Andolon or August Kranti) which was started as a Civil Disobedience movement in India in response to Mahatma Gandhi’s call for immediate Independence, the Muslim nationalist leaders of Assam equally responded to the call of Mahatma Gandhiji.
Beyond the Mekong: Indian Muslims in Laos
By Yoginder Sikand, TwoCircles.net,
With a population of less than seven million, Laos is one of the smallest countries in South-East Asia. Besides being one of the poorest countries in the world, Laos has the dubious distinction of being the world's most heavily bombed country. From 1960 to 1973, the USA, in its brutal undeclared war against Laos, dropped over three million tons of bombs across the country, mainly on civilian targets, causing untold death and destruction.
Bandh was a political and tactical mistake
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
It took only a day for the communists to switch from gloating over the "success" of the recent all-India bandh to offering explanations for their disruptive act.
To the charge that the shutdown cost the country "thousands of crores", Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Prakash Karat said that the "cry was being raised by the very quarters that received tax concessions worth thousands of crores in the last budget".
The BJP turns to GenPast: but will Advani deliver?
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS
That the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would make the perennial No. 2 of GenPast its new No. 1 should cause no surprise. After all, for as long as one can remember, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L.K. Advani were the 'twin towers' (as a hawkish scribe derisively described them) of first the Jan Sangh and then the BJP. So, if one withdraws from the fray, the other has to step in almost automatically.
High Court upholds ban on Zakir Naik’s entry in Mangaluru; Salafist organisation postpones event
By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Mangaluru: A Division Bench of Karnataka high court has upheld the prohibitory order issued by Mangaluru city police commissioner S...
Meaning of development
By Jaspal Singh,
According to a recent UN report,maximum number of poor people in the world live in India.So UN confirmed what ordinary people know by their experience that all the governments in last sixty seven years of India have failed them,whether in center or in different states. Poverty levels are not any better in Gujarat,about which a great deal of noise was being made in last few years and was being presented as a model of prosperity and good governance .
Agenda for India: Finance
TwoCircles.net presents “Agenda for India”. Series editor is Charu Bahri.
According to chartered accountant Abdur Rauf Shaikh, Founder of Shaikh A A & Associates, “Agricultural finance is one of the foremost challenges facing the Indian financial sector.”
Obama’s ‘internal-peace’ proviso to upgrade US-India ties
By Dr Syed Zafar Mahmood,
Through his farewell address to the people of India, including a large posse of the youth - delivered at Siri Fort auditorium built in the yesteryear's campus of Alauddin Khilji's Fort in Delhi - US President Barack Obama clarified in no uncertain terms that his concurrence to lift the level and intensity of US-India relations to a higher orbit is patently conditional.
A critique to “Caste on my back”
(This is a rejoinder to an article published on November 30 on TwoCircles.net titled caste on my back, written by Aishik Chanda.)
By Yogesh Maitreya,
Gopal Guru described that “Indian social science represents a pernicious divides between theoretical Brahmins and empirical Shudras”. Now this divide does not only limit to the social-sciences texts when it discusses the dalits lives through Brahmin-imagination. This divide has an inculcation factor which transmits into other upper castes writers than Brahmins.
बटला हाउस एनकाउंटर: किसी ने जान ली तो किसी ने माल पीटा
अफ़रोज़ आलम साहिल, TwoCircles.net
19 सितम्बर 2008 को दिल्ली के जामिया नगर इलाक़े में बटला हाउस स्थित एल—18 फ्लैट में एक कथित पुलिस ‘एनकाउंटर’ के...
Ramadan -Opportunity to work for the better world
By Asfar Faridy
Muslims are getting ready to welcome the holy month of Ramadan. Its not only the month of fasting but also of more prayer and opportunity to come closer to the Almighty Allah, at the same time it gives immense opportunity to control oneself. In this way the holy month of Ramadan can be taken as annual prescription for the purification of the soul as well as maintenance of the body.
Economy not so bleak, but needs balancing act
By Sushma Ramachandran, IANS,
The economy seems to be looking up since last week with some positive gains for stock markets and moderation in inflation, giving the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) sufficient confidence to take more steps to infuse liquidity into the system.
The cuts in the cash reserve ratio and the statutory liquidity ratio are expected to bring about an additional Rs.1,200 billion (around $25 billion) into the market. Hopefully this should pep up commercial banks to reduce lending rates and give a spur to demand growth.
इस्लाम और मुसलमान का दम भरने वाले लोग…
मोहम्मद अलामुल्लाह
लगभग दो साल बाद एक मौलवी साहब से आज सुबह-सुबह मुलाक़ात हुई. मैंने यूं ही चलते-चलते उनकी खैरियत दरयाफ्त कर ली. लेकिन...
Asylum for Taslima Nasrin
By Mike Ghouse
When it comes to intolerance the people who understand their religion the least have the loudest voices. Their narrow minded fatwas and their recent harassment of Ms. Nasreen in Hyderabad have earned her sympathizers, some sincere, but many such as the BJP Party are out to make political capital out of it.
Religion, politics and society in South Asia
Violence in the name of religion has a political motto, the agenda; the values of the pre-modern feudal classes in a modern context
By Ram Puniyani,
What has religion to do with politics? What has violence to do with religion? And how does the expression of major political agenda shape itself in contemporary times? Roughly speaking it seems that the religion is being used as a cover for many a political phenomenon. This seems to be the observation more so from South Asian-West Asian perspective.
Stories of women’s empowerment, a werewolf
A book analyses the drivers of change and the repercussions of present-day gender revolutions, a man in today's Kolkata meets a man who claims to be a werewolf. Some light and some heavy dosage, the IANS bookshelf this weekend has reality meeting fantasy. Take a look.
1. Book: Half A Billion Rising; Author: Anirudha Dutta; Publisher: Rainlight; Pages: 247; Price: Rs.395
India’s Muslims lack an enlightened leadership
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
Indian Muslims continue to suffer from the misfortune of being led by people with a limited vision whose initiatives appear to be aimed at fostering a ghetto mentality instead of encouraging the community to become a part of the mainstream.
For second consecutive Eid-ul-fitr, “Shoulder to Shoulder Movement” to organise joint Shia-Sunni Eid prayers
By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net
Delhi: Once again, Jamia Nagar in Delhi is going to witness a show of solidarity and unity on eve of...
What explains the Muslim debacle in Assam elections?
By Kaleem Kawaja for Twocircles.net
Assam has the second-highest percent (34) of Muslim population in India. Forty nine of its 126 Assembly constituencies...
Plight of tribal communities during COVID-19
By Faheem Muhammed M.P
As the world is facing the most dreadful pandemic of modern times, the indigenous population across the globe are exposed to...
Odisha to conserve 700 sacred groves to protect tribal culture
By Chinmaya Dehury
Bhubaneswar : An integral part of tribal culture, 700 sacred groves in Odisha -- out of 2,100 identified by the state government...
Martyrdom and Houris
By Asghar Ali Engineer,
A top police officer wrote to me what is the Qur’anic basis of the belief that those who became martyr will go to paradise and will be awarded with 70 houris (hurs). This becomes an incentive for terrorists to die in the ‘cause of Islam’. Unfortunately it is commonly believed by Muslims that hours are feminine gender and some men even boast that Allah has promised hours to men and nothing to women.
Nitish to take oath amid virtual Who’s Who of Indian politics
Patna : Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader Nitish Kumar will take oath on Friday as Bihar's chief minister again, watched by a galaxy of national...
Thus spake Benazir…
By IANS
"Life is very precious and gift of Allah. It should not and cannot be wasted. But when my country is in danger, when my countrymen are in danger, when there is no rule of law, when extremists are gaining ground, I am ready to risk my life."
"I was asked not to come to the country as I may face murder attempts. Why don't they arrest these people? Why are they moving freely in the country? If they cannot arrest the extremists, if they do not have ability to curb the extremism, they should resign and go home."
Anti-Maoist offensive is better late than never
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
Despite Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's description of Maoist extremism in India as the gravest internal security threat, there is still inadequate appreciation of the danger. One reason is the ideological solidarity expressed by left-leaning individuals who echo the Maoist claim to speak for the poor, underlining their virtual rejection of parliamentary democracy.
24 Pargana communal attacks: Muslim fundamentalists emulating the Hindutva genre of violence
By Shamsul Islam for TwoCircles.net
RSS, the leading flag-bearer of the Hindutva politics and the most significant motivating spirit behind Modi government at the Centre...
Stop defaming Bihar, deputy CM tells opposition
Patna : Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav on Sunday asked the BJP-led opposition to stop its political propaganda to defame the state on...