China’s e-Commerce market is 80 times larger than India’s
By Devanik Saha
New Delhi: Retail e-commerce sales in India are expected to reach $17.5 billion (Rs.105,120 crore) by 2018, from $5.3 billion (Rs 31,800...
India’s democracy allows for fetishised nationalism, knee-jerk rejectionism
By Mayank Chhaya
India, or at least parts of it, is going through a weird phase of fetishised nationalism and knee-jerk rejectionism. The...
When hate hits home: NRIs wake up to racism
By Jaspal Singh
A forum on hate crimes against Indians and peoples hailing from South Asia is being held at MIT on Saturday May 6,2017...
Delhi Dispute: Is LG Jung Wrong? Is CM Kejriwal right?
By Kaleem Kawaja
Delhi is not a state like any other state of India. It is union territory. In 1991, the Parliament framed some laws...
Bengal polls a tale of development vs graft
By Anurag Dey & Sirshendu Panth
Kolkata : The two-month-long bitter, no-holds-barred campaign for the West Bengal assembly elections turned into a slugfest between development...
Maulana Tauqir Raza Khan on his electoral ambition, Muslim politics
By Faisal Fareed, TwoCircles.net,
Why Pakistan is obsessed with Kashmir
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
If Pakistan cannot envisage "long-lasting peace" with India unless the Kashmir problem is solved, as the country's Foreign Secretary Abdul Basit has said, the reason has less to do with its concern for the "wishes of the (Kashmiri) people" than with the question of Pakistan's own survival as a nation.
Modi hasn’t shown signs of dictatorship: Journalist Coomi Kapoor
By Preetha Nair
New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi hasn't shown any signs of dictatorship nor is there any chance of an emergency being...
शिक्षा अधिकार क़ानून के 7 साल बाद — प्राथमिक विफलता ?
जावेद अनीस, TwoCircles.net के लिए
भारत के दोनों सदनों द्वारा पारित ऐसा क़ानून जो देश के 6 से 14 के सभी बच्चों को...
Palestine in the ICC: Game changer for peace process?
By Hardeep S. Puri and Omar El Okdah,
The year 2014 ended with a cliff-hanger for the Israeli-Palestinian question. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas signed the Rome Statute on New Year's eve, a day after a UN resolution mandating Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank failed to pass at the Security Council. As a result, Palestine will formally become a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on April 1, 2015.
Islamophobia in Times of Corona
NailaAlavi
At a time when the world is drenched in the fear of a decreasing possibility to see a new tomorrow, Modi government is busiest...
Punishment on Harbhajan was too harsh: Qamar Ahmad
Punishment on Harbhajan was too harsh: Qamar Ahmad
Veteran cricket journalist Qamar Ahmad has seen ups and downs in world cricket from close range. He has covered 711 ODIs, a record in the history of cricket journalism. In an encounter with TwoCircles.net, he assesses Sydney cricket disaster: poor umpiring, Australians’ behaviour and Harbhajan’s case.
TCN: You have covered more cricket matches than any other journalist in the world. How many test matches have you covered? What are your future plans?
Remembering Hashimpura Massacre: A black chapter for UP Police
By Vibhuti Narain Rai,
There are some experiences that stick with you throughout your life. They always stay with you like a nightmare and sometimes...
Groundbreaking event in Muslim-Christian solidarity
By Claude Salhani, CGNews
"The future of the world depends on peace between Muslims and Christians." An open letter carrying this message was sent by 138 of the world's most senior Muslim leaders to the heads of all Christian churches — including Pope Benedict XVI, addressing Christians around the world on the eve of Eid ul Fitr, the Muslim holy day marking the end of Ramadan.
BJP’s Muslim leaders: Their induction in party is an RSS strategy
By Kulsum Mustafa, TwoCircles.net,
Eyesores or cynosures, they are for keeps. The saffron robed Muslim leaders are now an inseparable part of the Hindutava campaigner Bharatiya Janata Party. And it is not by chance but because of a well thought-out Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) strategy that these ‘opportunist Muslim’ leaders have been allowed to prosper in the party.
Imposition of President’s Rule in Arunachal Pradesh is a blatant misuse of power: ...
By TCN News,
New Delhi: The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) has termed the imposition of President’s rule in Arunachal Pradesh as blatant...
Ground slipping from under Lalu’s feet?
By Imran Khan
Patna: RJD chief Lalu Prasad, one of the main players in Bihar's murky politics for over two decades, is facing desertion...
Only 16 of every 250 fake notes detected in India
By Devanik Saha
Is India doing enough to detect fake notes, cited by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a significant reason for withdrawing...
Hajj pilgrim numbers as economic indicator for Indian Muslims
Muslims desirous of going for Hajj is not just a function of religious fervor but also an indication of their economic condition.The number of...
Islam and inter-faith engagement
By Asghar Ali Engineer
Islam is being projected as intolerant of other faiths. This perception of Islam is based on certain selected events, not on Qur’anic teachings or Prophet’s ahadith. It is one thing to judge a religion by its teachings and another to see it in the light of some instances of intolerance by some individuals. Also, such events are picked up selectively to suit certain assumptions, often politically motivated.
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.)
Lucknow’s oblivious Urdu shayar?
By Vikas Datta
Poets can be divided into two broad categories - those who are sometime, somewhere influenced by the world outside and 'prosaic' concerns...
The UAE should do more to combat Islamophobia
By Mohib Ahmad, TwoCircles.net
Hate crimes against Indian Muslims had skyrocketed after BJP stalwart Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, gaining more fuel after...
Janseva co-operative credit society: a step in Islamic finance and banking in India
The main objective of the Islamic Finance is to create a society of investors, unlike the conventional banking system, which has made and created the society of borrowers and lenders from the past 800 years.
By Tameemuddin Humble,
Islamic finance activism in India should not be limited to the conferences and meetings, asking government to allow and operate interest-free banking for those whose faith prohibits interest-based transactions; it should also be to challenge the stereotype that the Shariah investment can’t yield the profit, even if professionally managed. We can’t sail the boat of Islamic Finance with the people having such perceptions. We can’t reach to its logical end without building an environment of Sharia compliant investment in the country, availing the limited opportunities in the given regulations.
Fascist war against humanity
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat,
The slaughtering of over 140 children by the Pakistani Taliban is a grim reminder of how religious rights have no faith in democracy and its order. That they can kill anyone at their own will and the authorities are left to react once they have done their ‘duty’ shows how powerful have they become so far. Further, this reflects that the war on terror has failed on all counts. Just a day before this incident, we saw the infamous Sydney siege where a gunman kept hostage to so many visitors of the café keeping the authorities guessing his motives and resulting in killings of a few of the hostages. The killing spree of the gangs and thugs in the name of religion continues world-over and it is a matter of great concern as at the end of the day as it is the common person who is becoming the victim of their hate mission.
गरीब और बेबस समाज के आईने में स्मार्ट सिटी योजना
जावेद अनीस
पिछले साल केंद्र सरकार द्वारा शहरी विकास के लिए 3 नए मिशन ‘अटल नवीकरण और शहरी परिवर्तन मिशन (अमृत)’, ‘सभी के लिए...
India’s upward trend in competitiveness
By Amit Kapoor,
Over the past few years, we have been particularly interested in studying India’s competitiveness. This is because understanding it can yield interesting insights about the country's future trajectory. The productivity with which India has and how it will utilize its resources will ultimately be a determinant of the prosperity level of its people.
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...
Bengal’s misfortune: follies of Mamata and Marxists
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
It is West Bengal's misfortune that its political fate is in the hands of some of the most short-sighted and petty-minded politicians in recent memory. Nothing brings out this fact more than the fiasco over the Nano plant of the Tatas in Singur.
In the normal course of things, all sensible politicians would have welcomed the project, which has attracted worldwide attention because of the technological marvel of so cheap a car.
For Modi, the real test will be taming ‘gau rakshaks’
By Amulya Ganguli
A year ago, the Prime Minister had admonished the gau rakshaks (cow vigilantes) in no uncertain terms. He did so again last...
Recent controversies show AMU is once again a victim to petty politics
By Dr Anwar Khursheed for Twocircles.net
I distinctly remember the fierce debate when proposal of off campus AMU Centres was first mooted by the...
Winds of change: A step forward
A Year-long Series on Education, Sponsored by The Aligarh Forum : - A Mirror on our Efforts, our Successes & our Shortcomings ; Stories...
मध्य प्रदेश सरकार की कुपोषण पर ‘श्वेत पत्र’ का क्या हुआ ?
जावेद अनीस
मध्य प्रदेश के लिये कुपोषण एक ऐसा कलंक है, जो पानी की तरह पैसा बहा देने के बाद भी नहीं धुला है....
नसबंदी का समाजशास्त्र
By मोहम्मद आसिफ़ इक़बाल,
पिछले दिनों छत्तीसगढ़ बिलासपुर में केंद्रीय परिवार नियोजन कार्यक्रम के तहत नसबंदी कैंप लगाया गया. सभी को पता है कि सिर्फ़ छः घंटों में लगभग 83 महिलाओं की नसबंदी कर दी गयी, जिसका अंतिम अंजाम क्या हुआ, वह भी किसी से छिपा नहीं है. कई महिलाएं मारी गयीं और अन्य औरतों की हालत बिगड़ती चली गई. वहीं दूसरी तरफ़ इस घटना में इस्तेमाल एन्टीबायोटिक की प्रारंभिक जांच में चूहे मारने वाला केमिकल पाया गया है.
Mayawati: Will her garland turn into noose?
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
The apparently bizarre nature of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati's politics can be understood by remembering that she is driven by an intense desire to make a mark in politics and, moreover, to do so in a manner which she believes will impress the core group of her supporters, the Dalits.
As a newcomer in politics and that too from a depressed community, she has had to build her career from scratch, as it were, without the help of an established party or an influential social network. Hence her unconventional ways.
‘Documentary “An American Mosque” needs to be seen by people across the globe’
By Ras H. Siddiqui,
California: Many people in this country are not aware that South Asians came to the United States over a century ago. They gravitated to California and more specifically in the Yuba City and Live Oak areas near the state capital of Sacramento long before British India was partitioned in 1947 into what became India and Pakistan. The vast majority of these immigrants were Sikhs but they also contained a significant Muslim population and the Hindus amongst them ranked third in terms of numbers. The Muslim Mosque in Sacramento has catered to community needs since 1947 but distance and the need for catering to an aging population of worshippers, growth in numbers due to family reunification, other forms of immigration, plus marriages outside the community necessitated the building of more localized Mosques, like a project started in the early 1990’s in Yuba City.
Now Europe woos skilled immigrants with ‘blue cards’
By Shubha Singh, IANS
Several countries in Europe are finding it difficult to fill jobs that require highly skilled workers. The European Union (EU) does not have clear procedures for legal migration such as the migration channels that exist in the US, Canada and Australia. Business enterprises have to go through a cumbersome process to apply for work permits for their overseas employees.
Nitish government won’t last over two years: Paswan
Patna : The Nitish Kumar-led Grand Alliance government in Bihar will not last more than two years, and there will be mid-term polls, union...
He asked me if he’ll die or live: Hangal’s son
By IANS,
Mumbai: A.K.Hangal's son Vijay says he was speechless when the veteran actor asked him whether he will live through his ordeal in the hospital.
Muslims under Modi 2.0
By Haamim Kutub Javed Ahmed
National Democratic Alliance ( NDA) is now no longer identified as such. It is Modi 2.0. The brand that catapulted...
Bhutto charisma still holds – despite political blunders
By Nasim Zehra, IANS
As Benazir Bhutto prepares to land in Pakistan Thursday after a nine-year self-imposed exile, Pakistanis know her return qualifies as a major political event. The party her father founded almost four decades ago is still a living entity. Despite all the corruption scandals against her, the party cadres, even if they are fewer and somewhat decrepit, are still there. The cadres and the party supporters will no doubt put up a grand welcome for their party leader.
Kipling’s poetry: Of soldiers, monarchs and revenue-raising
By Vikas Datta,
Gifted novelists have never been confined to a specific genre, or even to a form of literature - for they are adroit in weaving magic with words, using them in sentences of matchless prose or evoking their aesthetic and rhythmic aspects in verse. But somehow their poetic contribution is always overshadowed by their prose corpus. Sir Walter Scott, Hans Christian Andersen, Thomas Hardy, right down to Michael Ondaatje, Alice Walker, Russell Banks, John Updike, Vladimir Nabokov, Erica Jong and their ilk are not exactly more famous as poets. But there was one who strode both spheres with aplomb - and Rudyard Kipling's art was recognised by conferment of the Nobel Prize for Literature - the first ever to an English writer.
Muslims must not give up against Sangh Parivar’s attempts to demonise them
By Mushtaque Rahmat for Twocircles.net
There seems to be the silent approval of a majority in India to the kind of frenzy and hysteria against...
I can’t remember how many times I have been attacked…but will continue to fight:...
The attack on Chithralekha is a clear example of how the Communist Party of India (Marxist), while raising its voice against growing intolerance in...
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.
Pluralism, Socialism, and Communal Extremism: A decade-wise political journey of Bihar’s Muzaffarpur
By Mohammed Sajjad for TwoCircles.net
The RSS chief, Mohan Bhagwat camped for around a week (February 6-11, 2018) in Muzaffarpur, Bihar. By the time he...
SP suspends legislator for anti-party activities
Lucknow : Uttar Pradesh's ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) on Monday suspended its legislator Rampal Yadav for allegedly working against the party interests.
Announcing the suspension,...
Common rights in a plural society
Many minorities at many levels
By Syed Shahabuddin
Minority-majority is a numerical concept to describe the classification of the whole into parts in accordance with a principle of categorization. When applied to human society or to population within a defined area, the concept becomes charged with politics, depending upon the principle of categorization-race, language, religion, caste, class, occupation/profession etc., and becomes relevant to the management of the polity, the economy and the society in the age of democracy.
3G: The Untold Story and What it means to a Mobile User
By Hitesh Raj Bhagat, IANS,
Today (Dec 11, 2008) is a big day. Third generation or 3G mobile networks are finally here, for MTNL users in parts of Delhi and NCR. Mumbai will follow as soon as the pilots in Delhi are successful.
India has been making do with ancient mobile technology for long now. The current Second generation or 2G networks were designed to carry only voice, which does not require high data transfer speeds. With the advent of new technologies -- video streaming, mobile TV and mobile gaming, higher transfer speeds were necessary.
Muslims underrepresented in West Bengal municipal elections 2010
By Zaidul Haque for TwoCircles.net,
Kolkata: They treat each other as enemy when elections come, be it national or local. But one point on which the political parties have unwritten silent agreement is: not to give Muslims tickets proportionate to their population. Fewer candidates from the community which is one-fourth of West Bengal population have been able to get tickets for the municipal elections to be held in the state on May 30.
End of the road for L.K. Advani?
By Darshan Desai, IANS,
New Delhi : Age was not on his side. And now it seems people were not either. Verdict 2009 seems to have dashed the prime ministerial hopes of Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) 'iron man', 81-year-old, L.K. Advani forever.
The 15th Lok Sabha election was arguably his last attempt to get the nation's top job in the twilight of his nearly five-decade-old political career, after being in the shadow of Atal Bihari Vajpayee for long.
Jaitley’s budget mustn’t sell rupee short
By Vatsal Srivastava,
The Iraqi crisis and the possibility of an oil supply shock have shown how quickly things can change in the foreign exchange market. The global macro risks that have merged out of the Middle East in recent weeks have pushed crude prices higher by about five percent and this in turn has led to the rupee breach the all important psychological 60 mark to the dollar.
After arrests, Kerala Police take to threatening students for protesting
By Shafeeq Alingal
Kozhikode: Wafa, a first year Sociology student here at Farook College, hardly expected that she would be under constant threats from police...
Political overdose amid election fervour
The timing just couldn't have been better. Writers, journalists and experts are using all their political wisdom to analyse and dissect events, politicians and...
Importance of Surah al-Fatiha
By Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
November 11th being the birth anniversary of Maulan Azad, TwoCircles.net present a chapter from his monumental work, Tarjuman-ul-Quran
The Surat-ul-Fatiha is the first chapter of the Quran and is for that reason styled Fatihatul Kitab or the opening of the book. Because of its intrinsic value, it has been assigned a place of honour in the Quran and allowed to appear on the very first page of it. Indeed, the Quran endorses its importance in the following terms:
Can humanism survive the onslaught of hate?
By Ram Puniyani
Lately, when India is undergoing the massive crisis of the Coronavirus epidemic and the offshoots of its mishandling, we have also seen...
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.
An incident that changed the history of Achalpur
By Ghulam Badiuddin, Urdu Times
Achalpur was an ideal abode of Hindu- Muslim unity in the past. Here both communities participated in all local social, cultural, political, civil and even religious events together. Both communities shared equally in marriages, education, agriculture, sale and purchase of goods, floods and epidemics and helped each other. Males and females of both communities shared in every happiness and tragedies jointly.
Bleak outlook for women’s empowerment in Uttar Pradesh
By Bhoomika Joshi and Sanober Umar,
Gender equity and the status of women remain the hand-maiden of callous politics in India's largest state by population and 2014 has been deplorably stark. The 'Bahu lao, Beti Bachao' campaign in Uttar Pradesh is the latest feather in the BJP's cap of regressive and communal politics.
Samim Sarkar: Running a coaching centre to help poor Minority students
By Zaidul Haque, TwoCircles.Net
Kolkata: In 2015, 15 Muslims qualified in the West Bengal Civil Services. Nearly half of them came from the coaching entre...
धर्मनिरपेक्ष ‘महागठबंधन’ और साम्प्रदायिक गुत्थियां
By राजीव यादव,
बिहार उपचुनाव में नीतीश-लालू के महागठबंधन को ६ सीटें और राजग को ४ सीटें मिलने के बाद पूरे देश में इस किस्म के गठबंधन बनने-बनाने के गुणा-गणित शुरु हो गए है. महागठबंधन को मिली सफलता से उत्साहित शरद यादव ने कहा कि “भाजपा को रोकने के लिए अगले चुनाव में अब देश भर में महागठबंधन करेंगे.” सांप्रदायिक ताकतों को शिकस्त देने वाले इस महागठबंधन के मद्देनज़र इस बात को जेहन में रखना चाहिए कि इस महागठबंधन के दोनों मुस्लिम प्रत्याशियों - नरकटिया गंज से कांग्रेस के फखरुद्दीन और बांका से राजद के इकबाल हुसैन अंसारी - की हार हुई है. बांका में कड़ी टक्कर देते हुए इकबाल मात्र ७११ मतों से हारे हैं पर इससे यह भी साफ़ है कि जातीय समीकरणों से ऊपर उठकर भाजपा को हिंदू वोट मिले हैं. महागठबंधन ने मुस्लिम वोटों को तो समेट लिया पर हिंदू वोटों को अब भी समेट नहीं पाया, जो एक जेहनियत है, जिससे लड़ने का वायदा महागठबंधन कर रहा है.
When will the Americans learn to understand Pakistan?
By K. Subrahmanyam, IANS
Pakistan has had a second free and fair election in its history. The first one was in December 1970. That resulted in East Pakistan voting entirely for the Awami League and West Pakistan for a Pakistan People's Party (PPP) majority without a single seat being gained by the Awami League. After the genocide, ethnic cleansing and a war in which India was involved, Pakistan split into two - Bangladesh in the east and Pakistan in the west.
The Minority Minister: Dr Najma Heptulla
By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net
I have never met Dr Najma Heptulla, not even for this interview. So I couldn’t read her body language and facial expressions...
Bihar election result is a victory for democratic tradition of India
By Mohammed Zubeer Ahmed,
The election results of Bihar are indeed unprecedented in the history of independent India. India has never witnessed such...
Dr. Rehana Sultana — The Iron Lady of Hyderabad
TCN series on Muslim women empowerment
On International Women's Day on 8th March, TCN is bringing great stories of Muslim women empowerment from different states of India -- Editor
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.
Is Onam an inclusive festival?
As people of Kerala celebrate Onam, this article tries to critically explore the emerging counter narrative of historically oppressed section against sustaining casteist tradition.
By...
मुस्लिम राजनीति में चूकते ओवैसी
By काशिफ़ युनूस
ओवैसी के लिये बिहार चुनाव एक दुखद हादसे की तरह था. ओवैसी इस हादसे को टालना चाहते थे. वह उन...
On Good Friday, Christians in Trinidad and Tobago share Church with Hindu brethren
By TCN Staff Reporter
Trinidad: Good Friday can be described as slightly different in Trinidad and Tobago, compared to the rest of the world.
On Good...
Kalam’s mortal remains reach Delhi
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam: India's missile man, an indomitable spirit
New Delhi: An air force plane carrying mortal remains of former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam landed...
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...
13 deaths reminder of malnutrition in India’s most industrialised state
By Prachi Salve
Widespread malnutrition in Maharashtra was brought to the fore again with the deaths of 13 children in the last two months...
An urgent appeal from Rampur girl Saba Mahboob Shamsi
By Yoginder Sikand,
Tucked away in the by-lanes of Rampur in western Uttar Pradesh in a humble little two-room house live Shoeb and Zubair Shamsi, their 27-year-old sister Saba Mahboob Shamsi and their parents. The parents struggled hard to bring up the kids, with the father toiling till age and its associated weakness compelled him to stay at home.
Selectors’ logic: Heads I win, tails you lose
By Veturi Srivatsa,
Selectors in most sports insist they are invariably correct while picking teams. Sometimes they take the rankings into account and on other occasions they argue about the potential of a player for picking him or her -- it is a case of heads they win, tails you lose.
ईशनिंदा, मुसलमानों की ज़िम्मेदारियां और विश्व समुदाय
वसीम अकरम त्यागी
पेरिस में मोहम्मद पैगम्बर ए इस्लाम वाले ‘अध्यापक’ की हत्या कर दी गई। इस अध्यापक ने क्लास के दौरान पैगंम्बर ए इस्लाम...
Bangalore 2009: a promising air show
By Ilya Kramnik,
MOSCOW : The Aero India-2009 air show, which opened on February 11, ended. Although nothing sensational took place there, as no winner of India's tender for the delivery of 126 fighter jets was announced, the air show was successful and promising for Russian-Indian military-technical cooperation.
Media needs to be more circumspect in literate Kerala
By B.R.P. Bhaskar, IANS,
"Kerala trembled", screamed the nine-centimetre deep headline in the state's largest circulated newspaper Monday. Those words summed up the totally literate state's response to some sensational media reports that it was the terrorists' next target.
On Sunday afternoon, as the nation was slowly recovering from the impact of the serial explosions in Bangalore and Ahmedabad, the Bangalore office of a television channel informed a Malayalam channel that a caller from Pakistan had said blasts would occur in Kerala at 7 p.m.
Work on world’s largest Hindu temple to begin soon in Bihar
By Imran Khan
Patna : Work is set to start soon to build what could well be the world's largest Hindu temple -- in...
If I were a Fayaz Ahmad Kaloo
An Open letter to Mr Omar Abdullah, chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir by Abdul Majid Zargar
Fayaz Ahmad Kaloo, the editor of Greater Kashmir was issued a notice earlier last week for an article ‘Tragedy of Errors’. Zargar takes cudgels on behalf of Kaloo to write the following letter:
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.
Policy of radical Hindutva boomeranged on the BJP
By Tanveer Jafri,
In India while the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has started its second consecutive term, the main opposition party, Bharatiya Janata Party which faced an enormous defeat this time, has not been able to come out of shock. Instead, there are daily incidents of accusations on one another within the party, for defeat in the elections.
Kanhaiya’s parents in Bihar provided police security
Patna : The parents of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar, accused of sedition, were on Thursday provided police protection in their village in Bihar, an...
Challenges for the Taliban and the road ahead for governance and stability
The Taliban, having, secured a highchair on the power table of war-torn Afghanistan will be faced with a host of challenges. The foremost task...
National Media: Eighth Wonder of the World
By Hasan Kamal,
Translated from Rashtriya Sahara 3 May 2014
Did you know that along with Parliamentary elections in Orissa, state assembly elections are also being held? If yes then we congratulate you for being well informed. If not then we do not regard you as uniformed and do not blame you for this. You are among those innumerable people who do not know that in Orissa not one but two elections are being held and are being held simultaneously.
Countering piracy: maintaining the status quo
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti military commentator Ilya Kramnik) - The U.S. Navy is finally joining international forces in the fight against the Somali piracy. The U.S. Fifth Fleet is going to deploy its forces specifically for this purpose, teaming up with the Combined Task Force 151.
Hindu Rashtra: Is it good for Hindus?
By Ram Puniyani
Hindu Rashtra is the goal of Hindu nationalist politics, which is also called as Hindutva. In contrast to Hinduism, Hindutva is a...
“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...
A Tale of Two Winners :Indo-Pak Noble Peace Prize,2014
By Dr. Asma Anjum Khan for TwoCircles.net,
Begum Para is daughter of our Ghafoor uncle. This is her first article. It’s about the, ’joint’ Noble Peace Prize, for the two eternal foes called India and Pakistan.
#Satyrathi, #Malala#NoblePeacePrize2014#BenAffleck#HughJackman#MoonSighting#AshishVidyarthi#Taliban#Fudoos#Mullas #FawadKhan
Fasting saints could become a curse for politics of Hindutva
By Sandeep Pandey
Former Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur Professor Guru Das Agrawal, who became an ascetic in 2011 at the age of 79 years...
Woes of Indian Muslims: vast resources but to no avail
By M Ghazali Khan
In spite of owning 600,000 acres of properties and thus being the most resourceful community, Indian Muslims are one of the poorest sections of the country, a gathering of Muslims, mainly of Indian origin, has been told at the House of Lords.
Waseem Siddique: A software developer with a passion for social work
By A Mirsab, TwoCircles.net,
Aurangabad: During the day, for five days a week, the life of Waseem Siddique, 28, a young software developer from...
India’s focus at UNGA: Development, peacekeeping, Security Council reform
By Arul Louis
United Nations : When Prime Minister Narendra Modi joins a summit next week of presidents, prime ministers, kings and princes celebrating...
Growing Intolerance in a Tolerant Society
Ram Puniyani
Towards the end of 2015 many a writers and accomplished eminent citizens returned their national honors; protesting against the growing atmosphere of...
Men against violence-5: Men also face violence but…
By Nasiruddin Haider Khan,
Dhaka : Do the men also face violence within domestic sphere? I come across this question from my friends. They alleged, activists do not want to see violence faced by men in the home. Sometimes, they cite examples of men in abusive relationships. I also wanted to share this question with activists. I was afraid that I will be blamed politically incorrect if I ask this question to anyone from the women’s movement. I thought I will be branded with certain ideological terminology. But during Dhaka Consultation, I gathered courage and raised this question.
Infosys must redeem itself, reinstate Muslim employee sacked on false terror charges
By Adnan Alavi,
India's leading software company Infosys may be a an IT giant but its action against an employee on false terror charges has finally been questioned by the court also.
A year of intimidations of minorities and their defenders
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat,
The BJP government led by Narendra Modi at the Centre has completed one year and rightly it is time to evaluate...
Thrills, frills, colours and fun on bookshelf (IANS Books this Week)
By IANS,
New Delhi: The bookcart this week is overpowering - by its sheer strength of drama. Browse with IANS...
बीजेपी को अपने राज्यों में जंगल-राज नज़र क्यों नहीं आता? –जदयू प्रवक्ता निहोरा यादव
TwoCircles.net News Desk
बिहार को जंगलराज कहकर प्रचारित करने वालों पर बिहार प्रदेश जनता दल (यूनाइटेड) के प्रवक्ता डॉ. निहोरा प्रसाद यादव ने करारा...
Let Kashmiris decide their destiny: Safvi
Once described as Paradise on Earth, Kashmir has now become a synonym for violence. Caught in the crossfires between the two neighbours of the Indian sub-continent, Kashmiris are living a life that is devoid of peace. What is the solution to the Kashmir issue? TwoCircles.net's Kashif-ul-Huda catches up with Syed Ali Safvi, Associate Editor of the newly-launched newspaper Etalaat. An AMU post-graduate in Mass Communication, Safvi talks about the solution to the Kashmir issue.
NRIs often tormented, cheated out of their properties
By Kul Bhushan, IANS
Non-resident Indians' property experiences in India can put any horror film to shame. An NRI couple from the US came to Mumbai on vacation and when they visited their ancestral farm, the illegal occupiers refused to vacate the land. The NRI was brutally beaten and his wife molested and hounded out of their property grabbed by neighbours.
Asifa Karamat Ali: Gold Medalist of Gujarat University
TCN series on Muslim women empowerment
On International Women's Day, TCN is bringing great stories of Muslim women empowerment from different states of India -- Editor
A look at the Madrasa system of West Bengal
By Manzar Bilal, TwoCircles.net,
History
Madrasa system in West Bengal came with the arrival of Muslims in this part of India, to impart Islamic education. The Madrasah-i-Aliah founded by Warring Hastings (first governor general of East India Company) in October of 1780 in Kolkata, turned a new leaf by introducing modern education as a full fledged subject along with Islamic studies. The madrasah was supported by government funding and was setup with the purpose of providing man-power for the ever growing bureaucracy of Company Raj.
दलितों की लड़ाई के अहम योद्धा मंगनाराम मेघवाल
अफ़रोज़ आलम साहिल, TwoCircles.net
नोखा (राजस्थान)- इस शहर का एक गुमनाम लड़का जब यह बोलता है कि ‘मुझ जैसे गरीब के पास खोने के लिए...
The Muzaffar Bhat I know
[ Raja Muzaffar Bhat is the AAP (Aaam Aadmi Party) candidate against Farooq Abdullah for Srinagar Parliamentary Constituency ]
Dr.Mohamed Ajmal For TwoCircles.net,
Around 14 yrs back I joined college for my MBBS studies at Al Ameen Medical College, Bijapur. I still feel nostalgic remembering those initial days in college, the religious atmosphere at the hostel, the seniors, good and the bad, the new friendships, the ragging, etc.
Zahida Khatun Sherwani: The walled poetess of Urdu literature
Zahida Khatun Sherwani (1894-1922) is one of the early female poets of Urdu literature who took the giant leap of challenging the normative structure....
This mosque is India’s first, Prophet’s contemporary
By Arvind Padmanabhan
Kodungallur (Kerala) : One will find nothing unusual about this place of worship for Muslims as one drives...
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.
UP’s health variations: From worse than Haiti to better than India
By Oommen Kurian
At a time when Indias sex ratio at birth is low and declining -- from 909 (2011) to 887 (2014) -- there...
यूपी में भाजपा की जीत के बीच कहाँ खड़े है मुसलमान !
आसमोहम्मद कैफ।Twocircles.net
देश के सबसे बड़े राज्य उत्तर प्रदेश में भारतीय जनता पार्टी चुनाव जीत गई है। संभवतः योगी आदित्यनाथ एक बार फिर...
Criminal involved in 200 burglaries across India held
New Delhi : A most wanted criminal involved in over 200 burglaries across India has been arrested here, police said on Friday.
Nadeem Qureshi, a...
One Modi’s fate is linked to another
By Veturi Srivatsa,
If one Modi is highly popular in Gujarat, even if his development model is hotly disputed, the other Modi is equally well-liked...
How loopholes in Right to Education deny children the Right to Education
By Asarul Haque Jeelani for TwoCircles.net
The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 has communicated and executed free and compulsory...
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.
Maulana Maududi’s Terrifying Vision for Indian Muslims
By Mohammed Ayub Khan
Maulana Maududi's estranged disciple and Tanzeem-e-Islami chief Dr.Israr Ahmed appearing on the Jawabdeh program of GEO television in 2005 made some startling remarks about Indian Muslims. According to a published report of the program in the liberal Daily Times he reportedly said the following:
It’s changing India that greets NRIs coming home
By Kul Bhushan, IANS
When Surya 'Sue' Patel landed at Mumbai airport, she stepped out like many confident NRIs. Wearing the latest Nike sneakers, a designer pair of jeans and her Rolex watch, she thought she would make her presence felt among her relatives in Mumbai before going on to Gujarat to celebrate Navratri and, later, Diwali.
Unrepentant SP seeks to play minority-victim card
By Mohit Dubey ,
Lucknow: An unrepentant Azam Khan, Uttar Pradesh's loud-mouth urban development minister, continues to justify his acerbic speeches and acid-laced comments on...
Farmers committed suicide due to personal reasons: Odisha Minister
Bhubaneswar : Odisha Agriculture Minister Pradeep Maharathy on Wednesday said farmers in the state committed suicide due to personal reasons and no farmer took...
Don’t they belong to Sadhe Panch Crore Gujaratis?
A study on the forced displacement of Muslims in Gujarat
By Nikhat for TwoCircles.net,
When one sees minorities in Gujarat, in particular Muslims, from a close angle, the Gujarat Genocide 2002, which left hundreds dead, injured and lakhs displaced, would just seem a tip of an iceberg as their alienation and ghettoisation has become a phenomenon. Gujarat has seen worst of the politics of communal polarization and violence.
Obituary: Cherussery Zainudheen Musliyar
By Shafeeq Hudawi
Kozhikode: One of the foremost voices in Islamic jurisprudence in Kerala, Cherussery Zainudheen Musliyar, passed away yesterday morning after being taken ill...
बिहार के गरीब स्कूल की रंगीन कहानी
TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter
बोधगया(सुजाता) - आज कोई व्यक्ति नहीं, कोई शख्सियत नहीं न कोई संस्थान जिसे हम मिसाल की तरह पेश करना चाहते हैं. ऐसे...
आख़िर बीएचयू कुलपति को क्यों नहीं मिला राजनैतिक समर्थन?
सोमप्रभ
हालांकि अभी बीएचयू मामले में कुलपति और बीएचयू प्रशासन पर पूरी तरह से एक्शन लिया जाना बाक़ी है. लेकिन पहले से ही मैं तय...
Manmohan Singh: silence is not always golden
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
Jawaharlal Nehru was a close approximation of Plato's philosopher-king. Of all other prime ministers after him, Manmohan Singh has the most distinguished academic record. Yet, the gentle Sikh lacks the communication skills of the patrician Kashmiri Brahmin.
Does love know Religious boundaries?
By Ram Puniyani,
Communal politics, communal violence all over used women’s bodies as the site of contestation and community honor. This is the worst expression of patriarchal values inherent in the communal politics. We recall that it was the presentation of a road accident between boys of two religious communities that was propagated as an issue of the honor of ‘our girl’ being violated by the ‘other’. The Panchayats were mobilized; openly flaunting the arms, and Muzzafarnagar violence was orchestrated. And that’s not the end of the abuse of ‘our women-their women’ mind set. Post Muzzafarnagar violence, UP is abuzz with various activities aimed at polarizing the communities using this issue.
A fresh start for Iraq?
By Jonathan Steele, CGNews,
There's an odd thing about Baghdad: Iran is the only regional power with an embassy, while US President George W. Bush's best Arab allies – Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia – refuse to let their diplomats live there.
It is not for want of US effort. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has raised the anomaly several times with Iraq's Arab neighbours, as have lesser emissaries. So far, to no avail.
Muslim population myth
By Dr kouser Fathima,
The release of data about Indian population based on religion has shattered many preconceived notions. The fear among the majority...