Dr Mumtaz Khan deserved Padma award, but successive Govt’s failed to recognize his contribution...
The Al Ameen Movement founded by Dr Mumtaz Khan has produced thousands of doctors, engineers, lawyers, pharmaceutical scientists, journalists, professors, judges, IAS and IPS...
The style, content and tenor of Muslim politics are self-defeating.
By Mohammad Zeyaul Haque, The situation of Indian Muslims suggests that aggravation is the only word which symbolizes them, suggests Mohammad Zeyaul Haque
Further probe 1984 riots case against Tytler, court to CBI
New Delhi : A court here on Friday refused to accept the closure report and directed the CBI to conduct further investigation into the...
मुख्यमंत्री अखिलेश यादव के नाम खुला पत्र
मोहम्मद ज़ाकिर रियाज़,
माननीय मुख्यमंत्री श्री अखिलेश यादव,
मैं यह ख़त उत्तर प्रदेश का एक नागरिक और मुस्लिम होने की हैसियत से आपको लिख रहा हूं....
Who will ostracise ghosts of the Sept. 6, 2014 Kashmir floods?
By Sheikh Qayoom
Srinagar : Few Kashmiris can forget the night of September 6, 2014 and the horror that continued for nearly a month after...
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."
Is all lost for Mehbooba Mufti and her party?
By Sheikh Qayoom
The trail of death and destruction left behind by nearly four weeks of unrest in the Kashmir Valley has dealt...
Smriti Irani: TV’s popular ‘bahu’ to play a crucial role in educating India
By Mohammad Mudassir Alam,
Monday, May 26, 2014 was a red letter day in democratic history of India as Narendra Damodaran Das Modi was sworn in as the 15th Prime Minister of the country. Modi’s swearing in ceremony was stud with many highlights such as the presence of heads of SAARC countries, politicians, entrepreneurs, Bollywood stars, sports persons, etc. Besides these, the countrymen and analysts appreciated the cabinet of Modi, which is quite smaller in comparison to previous government and featuring considerable number of youth parliamentarians.
Communalism is essentially a political phenomenon: Prasad Chacko
Prasad Mathew Chacko is the Regional Manager of Action Aid in Gujarat. He has been working with various peoples’ movements in Gujarat for almost two decades. In this interview with Yoginder Sikand he speaks about the challenge of Hindutva in Gujarat and about his views on how to counter it.
Q: How did you get involved with different peoples’ struggles in Gujarat?
Is Islamic banking the boiled ice-cream?
By Dr. Shariq Nisar
On January 5, 2010, in response to a PIL filed by Dr. Subramanium Swamy, the High Court of Kerala put a stay on the activities of the proposed Islamic Non-Banking Finance Company, Albarakah Financial Services Ltd. The Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) in question has been co-promoted by the state owned business entity Kerala State Industrial Corporation (KSIDC) and some business men belonging to different religious communities including Hindus and Christians.
बाबरी मस्जिद की शहादत : अभी ज़रुरत है निर्णय की
मुदस्सिर अहमद
6 दिसंबर की तारीख हिंदुस्तानी मुसलमानों के लिए एक डरावने सपने की तरह है क्योंकि इसी दिन शांति के दुश्मन हिंदू कट्टरपंथियों...
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...
South Asian University students stand with the Student and Faculty community of JNU
By TCN News,
New Delhi: The students of South Asian University, New Delhi has issued a statement in solidarity with the student and faculty...
Jaipur public tribunal on terror in the name of countering terror
By Yoginder Sikand, TwoCircles.net,
Last month, the Rajasthan unit of the People's Union for Civil Liberties, along with several other human rights' groups, organised a two-day public hearing in Jaipur on the theme State Responses in the Name of Countering Terrorism and Religious Conversion. It was attended by a large number of activists from various parts of Rajasthan and beyond.
Quit blaming Ulema and start to write your own destiny
By Abdul Hannan Siwani Nadvi for TwoCircles.net
Why Muslim share in Lok Sabha declined?
By Balraj Puri,
The outcome of recently concluded election to the Lok Sabha has been hailed as triumph of secular forces. Significantly it also marked the decline of Muslims representation from 34 in the previous Lok Sabha to 28 this time, including four from Jammu and Kashmir State.
It is true that a secular Hindu can serve the cause of Muslims much better than a member of the community can do. But it gets a better psychological satisfaction if its representative also belongs to it.
Indian Opposition Leaders Question Ban on PFI: They demand the Modi govt to present...
Ubair ul Hameed | TwoCircles.net
A large number of political leaders from the Opposition parties have unanimously questioned the Indian government's decision to ban the...
एक गरीब बूढ़े का घायल जानवरों के लिए सत्याग्रह
सिद्धांत मोहन, TwoCircles.net
वाराणसी: बनारस के जगतगंज मोहल्ले के एक कोने में एक सुनार की दुकान है. दुकान का नाम है ‘श्रीराम ज्वेलर्स’. औसत से...
Forgetting Minorities Rights Day is NOT Good Governance
By Shah Ahmed, TwoCircles.net,
Ever since Narendra Modi took over as the Prime Minister of India, the right wing groups including the RSS and those affiliated with the RSS are ruling the roost…not a single day goes by without a provocative statement from the RSS, VHP, Bajrang Dal and other right wing fringe groups that threatens the secular fabric of the country.
A different tourism: Voyages to degradation, exploitation
By Vikas Datta,
Tourism normally entails travel for relaxation or leisure, to some scenic spot or a place celebrated for its cultural heritage - and generates some splendid literature. But there are also contrarians who go to the other extreme - visiting the world's most polluted areas, or where fruits of globalisation have conspicuously turned sour - and present vivid but disturbing accounts of what unbridled "development" and rapacious commercial interests seeking to serve the global consumer society's insatiable demand are doing to the planet and luckless communities.
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...
The right to change one’s religion
By Shaykh Abdallah Adhami, CGNews
From the Code of Hammurabi to the Code of Maimonides, most major systems of law have affirmed that apostasy must be punished.
In the renowned code of the Roman emperor Justinian (483-565 CE), corpus juris civilis — the basis of all Roman canon law and of modern civil law — apostasy was "to be punished by death" and there was "no toleration of dissent".
Since Modi came to power, Muslims have faced systematic, chaotic form of cruel oppression:...
Former Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) student leader has written a public letter weeks later after he was arrested by UP's anti-terrorist squad (ATS) and subsequently released....
Democracy but not BJP
By Zohra Javed, TwoCircles.net,
Suddenly everyone from Khushwant Singh to Vir Sanghvi, while claiming to be "no friends of the BJP" want it back in the political ring, fighting fit. Reason? India is a democracy and we need a strong opposition in a democratic set-up. The third front was a bubble that has burst long ago. Communists on their own had already proved that they really don't matter anyway.
So it is now a political party bathed in the blood of innocents that must come forward to play "the meaningful opposition" in our so called secular democratic system.
Bihar: Nitish Kumar’s Masterstroke or His Last Trump Card
By Tariq Hasan
There is no doubt that by changing tracks overnight, Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar has proved that he is the ultimate master...
Himachal’s Kangra rarely gives chance to sitting MP
By Vishal Gulati
Dharamsala: Kangra, the largest Lok Sabha constituency in Himachal Pradesh in terms of voters and an erstwhile princely state, has a...
A step forward with TwoCircles.net
By TwoCircles editorial teamA year ago, in the month of May, we set on a journey to unknown future. We had budget for six months of minimum operation but were hopeful that somehow we will pull it through. Even then it was an uncertain future, but we just wanted to show that it can be done. Muslims can have their own media and their own voice in the ever increasing din of media.
India needs better fire protection services
By Prem P. Batra, IANS,
The massive oil depot fire that raged for days in Jaipur has dramatically but tragically illuminated the woefully inadequate fire service infrastructure in India. While conceding that the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) depot fire in Jaipur was colossal by any standard, the routine fire accidents that occur on a daily basis reveal the institutional flaws in the entire fire protection capacity at a national level.
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.
हिंसा और गुंडागर्दी का आधार बन रही है ‘पवित्र गाय’
आसिफ़ इक़बाल
हम सब जानते हैं कि भाजपा और संघ के तीन मुख्य मुद्दे हैं: राम मंदिर, धारा 370 और कॉमन सिविल कोड. लेकिन चूंकि...
Does Savarkar’s portrait deserve to be hanged and eulogized in the Parliament?
By Shamsul Islam,
On May 28, 2014 Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi and his ministers turned up to pay tributes to ‘Veer’ Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. It is astonishing. This ‘Veer’ submitted not one but five (in 1911, 1913, 1914, 1918 & 1920) mercy petitions to the British rulers. The two comprehensive one of 1914 and 1920 are being reproduced so that real character of ‘Veer’ Savarkar is known by all.
Undermining Democracy: Stifling Academic Institutions
By Ram Puniyani,
On the back of the death of Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad Central University (HCU), one of the most prestigious University of the...
Scaling up tobacco control strategies in India
By Bobby Ramakant, IANS,
India and other countries need to scale up the cost-effective, proven and WHO-recommended strategies to reduce the number of deaths attributed to tobacco use. The World Health Statistics Report (2008) of WHO released 10 days before this year's World No Tobacco Day (May 31) ups the urgency to scale up quality interventions to control tobacco use.
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...
National Judicial Appointment Commission compromises independence of Judiciary
By Syed Ali Mujtaba,
The National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Bill, 2014 that is passed by the Parliament is mired in controversy regarding the selection procedures of the judges in higher judiciary. This bill seeks to replace the collegiums system of selection process and give the executive an equal role in judicial appointments. Being a Constitutional Bill it has to go through the motion of seeking consent of different States before getting President’s assent.
For Assamese media, every Muslim is a potential terrorist
By Aban Abrar Biplob for TwoCircles.net
The recent terrorist attack in Dhaka, allegedly by the Islamic State (ISIS), has seen the Assam Government...
Malda violence planned action: BJP
New Delhi : The BJP on Monday said the Malda violence in West Bengal was a "planned action and not a communal reaction", after...
Diary of anti- Sikh massacre
By Mahtab Alam for TwoCircles.net
I Accuse: The Anti-Sikh Violence of 1984
By Jarnail Singh
Penguin/Viking | 165 pages | Rs 350
Public memory is short but what happened in October-November,1984 with Sikh in Delhi and other parts of India is not only unfortunate and shameful but is a scar that we as a nation, or society at the least, projected to be civilized and humane , should not and must not, be so hasty to wipe out of our collective memories.
Of dreams and hope: Remembering Shaheen Bagh
By Sharjeel Usmani, TwoCircles.net
Last year, around this time, Amir Aziz recited his poem that soon became an anthem for the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protesters...
Building support for public intellectuals in times of cultural intolerance
(Courtesy: Hindustantimes)
Badre Alam & Sanjay Kumar
It will not be an exaggeration, to say that extremism and cultural intolerance has not been growing...
Stakes for Elections 2014: Secularism or Democracy
By Mazher Hussain,
Finally we seem to have succeeded in dividing India, a country of a billion plus, into just two groups. Both groups claim to be secular. The only difference is that while one group accuses the other of being communal, the other brands the first group of being pseudo secular.
Say no to condomned sex
By MAHTAB ALAM
The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has taken a unilateral decision to introduce Sex Education (better to say Condomed Education) for school students from VI to XIIth in coming academic session (July 2007) in CBSE affiliated/recognized and Govt. funded schools. Thousands of schools Teachers, Resource persons, Experts have been trained and lakhs of rupees has been spent for this purpose
THE PROCLAIMED RAITIONALE
India’s inevitable rise to the top
By Bhim D. Asdhir,
India's meteoric rise to global prominence is inevitable. Perhaps, US President Barack Obama, writing in Time Magazine on April 16, puts India's and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rise to prominence best: "Today, he's the leader of the world's largest democracy, and his life story - from poverty to prime minister - reflects the dynamism and potential of India's rise."
Climate engineering to reverse global warming may impact biodiversity: Experts
By Mohammed Shafeeq, IANS,
UP close UP: Darul Uloom Deoband
By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net
UP close UP series: Part 6
Captain Abbas Ali: a true patriot and son of the soil
By Qurban Ali,
Captain Abbas Ali was born on 3rd January 1920 at Khurja, Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh in a Muslim Rajput Zamindar family. He belonged to the family of freedom fighters and one of his grandfather Rustam Ali Khan was hanged at Kala Aam in Bulandshahr district of then United Province now Uttar Pradesh after the mutiny of Great revolt of 1857. His father Janab Ayyub Ali Khan was Dafadar in British Army during First World War and served in Aden (Yemen). From his early days Captain Abbas Ali was inspired by the revolutionary ideas and somewhat romanticized towards the freedom movement.
Professionalising Urdu Journalism
By Yoginder Sikand, TwoCircles.net,
Set up in 2004, the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU), Hyderabad, is the only institution in India to provide a Master's degree programme in Urdu journalism. Housed in a spacious, brand new building, the School has three Lecturers, a Reader and thirty seven students on its rolls.
Ehtesham Ahmad Khan, Director of the school
Ehtesham Ahmad Khan, Director of the school
It is for India, Pakistan to talk Kashmir: US
By Arun Kumar
Washington: Amid reports that Pakistani Army chief Raheel Sharif had raised the Kashmir issue with Secretary of State John Kerry, the US...
Yoga is a part of holistic Islam
By Firoz Bakht Ahmed, IANS,
Let me inform you that I am a staunch Muslim following all the Islamic tenets in the right interpretation and spirit and there is no such thing as yoga being 'haram' (disallowed) in Islam. In my case, I have found that Islamic yoga is a reality. It is possible to employ the skills of yoga to worship Allah better and be a better Muslim.
Bill to transfer authority over potable alcohol in Lok Sabha
New Delhi : A bill that seeks to transfer the authority to regulate "potable alcohol" to the states was introduced in the Lok Sabha...
Osama and the Prophet
How would Osama explain himself before the Prophet? : A fictional dialogue
By Asghar Ali Engineer
Osama: Holy Prophet I most humbly submit to you and ask you how do you view the jihad I am waging against kafirs and western imperialists including America and Satanic powers in Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan who are against Islam and are slaves of American imperialism. This is the only way we can destroy the Satanic and imperialistic designs of the west and their collaborators in the West.
Greek crisis will prove bullish for Europe
By Vatsal Srivastava,
Greece is in the headlines for all the wrong reasons yet again. Until further political certainty is achieved, it is best to remain cautious and not rule out further volatility in Greek yields and European equities. However, unlike at the peak of the European debt crisis, wider contagion is a low probability event risk.
Privatization of justice & “Sharia courts”
By Faizan Mustafa,
The apex court in its landmark decision on 7th July, 2014 held that sharia courts are not courts as Indian legal does not recognize a parallel judicial system. In fact neither Muslim Personal Board nor seminary at Deoband ever asserted that sharia courts are ‘courts’ in the strict sense of the term. But then is it not a fact that privatization of justice is fact of life not only in India but in most developed countries? Does our law not recognize arbitration and other alternative methods of dispute resolution? Are not sharia courts and fatwas different and therefore should not be clubbed together? What has been the performance of sharia courts in last 94 years? Has not the latest decision given new lease of life to the sharia courts? are some of the pertinent issues which need critical examination.
Babri demolition: A symbol of injustice
By Abdul Hannan
Once again, nation on alert on the eve of 6th December, the day when a historical Mosque was brought down by the powers and by the organizations who intend to implement their own curriculum on India. Secular India remained always hurdle in their eyes. Believing on secular systems and understanding of other communities’ rights to live freely in India are not in their dictionary. They have other vision for India.
Benazir’s Assassination: A Tragedy Foretold
By Sreeram Chaulia, IANS
The assassination of former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto by snipers and suicide bombers Dec 27 in Rawalpindi has left the world shell shocked. One could see it coming, though, as a predictable outcome of the tailspin into which Pakistan's polity and society have hurtled through incessant militarisation. Beyond the semantics about derailment of democracy, Benazir's violent end brings into sharp relief the inseparability of Pakistan's governance and social life from Kalashnikov and jehad culture.
News channels and coverage of Mumbai terror nights
By M. Burhanuddin Qasmi
These were horrendous scenes on all news screens for as long as 60 hours. Our two kids- Bushra and Ammar were asking childish questions. We wanted them away from these scenes for which we did not have much to reply. Yet I couldn’t help keep my eyes off the TV screen.
75 years of citizenship by choice: Where do Indian Muslims stand?
After BJP's win in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that his government would work for the development of Muslims...
Mockery of Ideals
By M. Burhanuddin Qasmi,
The West precisely Britain has been campaigning for its humane values over the world for centuries. As ‘Rome was not built in a day’, the ideals that the United Kingdom earned as champion of freedom of speech and expression, for some, were also not established in a day or year. Without going by the liking or disliking of people in the East some Western countries including the UK have stood by and openly supported controversial people like Salman Rushdie and Taslima Nasreen in the recent past on grounds not other than freedom of expression.
Shivendra case: No-one to speak up for India
By Anand Philar, IANS,
Tournament Director Ken Read's rather officious justification of Shivendra Singh's three-match suspension (reduced to two following appeal by India) in the ongoing Hockey World Cup might sound plausible, but the punishment exceeds the crime. If anything, it smacks of FIH making an example of a country whose hockey administrators have rarely shown the spunk to stand up and be counted.
Revised norm on public holding will prevent stampede of issues
By Jagannadham Thunuguntla, IANS,
The government's decision to amend the minimum public holding norms for listed companies has been a sensible and practical decision, taking into account the absorbing capability of the markets and the prevailing conditions.
Otherwise, there would have been stampede of public issues, causing enormous stress -- both on primary as well as secondary markets.
In support of Dr. Haneef
By Kashif-ul-huda
Dr. Mohammad Haneef is innocent. Not enough evidence is out there to suggest he was in anyway involved with people who were arrested in UK for failed terrorist plan. But in the new jungle law of post-9/11 world, you are guilty until proven innocent. Case of Dr. Haneef is most extreme. Even Australian Court did not think that there is any evidence to link him to any terrorist or their activities and therefore granted him bail.
Dr. Mohammad Haneef is innocent. Not enough evidence is out there to suggest he was in anyway involved with people who were arrested in UK for failed terrorist plan. But in the new jungle law of post-9/11 world, you are guilty until proven innocent. Case of Dr. Haneef is most extreme. Even Australian Court did not think that there is any evidence to link him to any terrorist or their activities and therefore granted him bail.For a change, let’s listen to him
By Nirmala Deshpande, IANS
I was just six years old when I had the first 'darshan' of Mahatma Gandhi. I cannot really say that I talked to him, but it was a rare and unique experience. I belong to Nagpur and Gandhiji's Sabarmati Ashram was just 80 km from there. Gandhiji used to travel by train in a third class compartment. That day my mother sent me and my cousin to the railway station to receive my uncle. The train was coming from Mumbai via Nagpur to Howrah.
Twenty-two questions to the Police Commissioner of Hyderabad
By Advocate Shafeeq Rehman Mahajir
Dear Mr Police Commissioner:
And the Kite flew, with the strings holding it tight…
By Najiya O, TwoCircles.net,
For those who wonder what is there in ‘Kite Strings’, Basheer has got the perfect answer:
Can we ever hope for safe, clean, green, slum-free cities?
By Archana.G.Gulati, IANS,
Our cities are a mess. Rapid urbanisation is one of the signs of economic development, but filthy overcrowded,...
Can club stars become national heroes?
By Santosh Rao,
New Delhi : The FIFA World Cup has over the years has thrown up the planet's biggest stars just as it has...
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...
A love-marriage, not love-jihad, which changed India’s history
By Soroor Ahmed, TwoCircles.net,
A single love-marriage between Prithviraj Chauhan and Samyogita, daughter of his cousin and king of Kannauj, Jai Chand, perhaps played a more significant role in changing the history of India than several other factors. Though the mothers of both were sisters, Prithviraj eloped with Jai Chand’s daughter. In return Jai Chand––unlike other Rajput kings and chieftains, who supported Prithviraj––allied with Muhammad Ghori, who succeeded in capturing Delhi in his second attempt in 1192. Ghori did not spare Jai Chand either and in 1193-94 defeated him in the Battle of Chandawar. He was killed and his son Harish Chandra ruled Kannauj as a sub-ordinate of Ghori and his successors until 1225, when Iltutmish ended his reign.
Sharad Pawar’s support to Muslim youth wrongly implicated in terror cases reeks of opportunism
By Masood Peshinam for Twocircles.net
A politician knows the value of speaking the truth: at least when it gives immense political benefits. Political narratives...
The curious case of the inclusion of Mallicks in Bihar Backward Classes list
By Ashok Yadav & Khalid Anis Ansari,
IMRC’s health camp in Kozhikode kicks off, 1,000 people provided free treatment in two...
By TCN News
Kozhikode: The seventh annual India Health Initiative, a social outreach programme by the India Muslim Relief and Charities (IMRC) to provide free...
Dangers Indian high-rise buildings face
By Sandeep Donald Shah, IANS
It is time the people of India understand the serious dangers high-rise buildings in many leading cities face from possible earthquakes because of flaws in construction.
The last two years have seen an increased number of conferences and workshops on earthquake risk mitigation. There is interaction among members of the scientific and engineering community specializing in earthquake-related issues.
‘New Educational Policy should include Europe’s liberal-universal education model’
7th All India National Educational Conference concludes in Bhopal
By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net,
Bhopal: A two-day 7th All India National Educational Conference on the theme...
Twenty steps for Indian Muslim recovery
By Dr Syed Zafar Mahmood
Step 1: Read the Cause and Plan of Action in English, Urdu or Hindi at ...
Playing with caste fire: the Gujjar upsurge in Rajasthan
By Amulya Ganguli
The poisonous seeds of caste-based reservations, which were sown in the 1990s, have begun to bear fruit.
Curious case of Yuan’s strength: Still a one-way bet?
By Vatsal Srivastava,
Over the past four years, the gradual appreciation of the Chinese Yuan against the US dollar was considered a one way bet...
Dhoni’s message: The nation’s changed, now let’s change cricket
By V. Krishnaswamy, IANS,
"Desh badla, bhesh badlo (The nation's changed, now change your deportment)", says Indian one-day captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in one of his latest advertisements. And now, he may as well add: "Ab cricket badlo (Now, let's change cricket)".
Instead of resorting to doublespeak, Dhoni has put his mouth where his money is. Within days of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice president Rajiv Shukla saying that tired players can inform the board and opt to rest, Dhoni has done just that.
One Year of Modi Sarkar: Hate Speech Galore
By Ram Puniyani,
The coming to power of Narendra Modi in a way gave an open license to all the affiliates of RSS combine to indulge in open hate speech against the religious minorities. The current agenda behind the hate speech is to consolidate the communal polarisation of the society along lines of religion. The well-known case of MIM’s Akarbar-uddudin Owaisis’ hate speech has been despicable and very rightly Akbarudin Owaisi had to be in jail for some time. The case against him should be pursued and the legal course of action must be followed. At the same time, what about the hate speeches indulged in by the likes of Pravin Togadia, Subramaniam Swami, Giriraj Singh, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Sadhvi Prachi, Sakshi Mahraraj, Yogi Adityanth, Sanjay Raut and company?
Politics of hatred has left India bleeding
By Rev Babu Joseph, IANS,
The year 2008 can easily be marked as an unforgettable year in the annals of Indian christianity for the simple reason that the Christian community here faced its most trying and testing time in its 2,000 years of history. It is not the case that Christianity had not faced hostility and opposition earlier in India; it did right from the very start when St Thomas, an Apostle of Jesus, came to our shores in the first century to preach the good news: he was martyred by those who opposed to his presence and teachings.
Remembering Sept. 11 attacks and its cost on humanity
On the twentieth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the Taliban is back in power and the United States has to negotiate and trust...
Shootout in Ottawa: Indian-Canadian MP’s first person account
By Nina Grewal,
When Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was speaking at about 9.30 a.m. Wednesday in a caucus room of parliament, we heard a couple of shots. We were not alarmed as we thought some construction work was going on. Then, more shots were heard and we were alarmed, more so as the Prime Minister was in the room, standing and speaking.
Lessons from J&K Elections
By Balraj Puri,
Omar Abdullah received a massive reception when he arrival in Jammu, a day before taking oath of office on January 5 as eleventh Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
For upcoming Goa elections, Congress may consider nominating four Muslim candidates
By Imran Inamdar, TwoCircles.net
Panjim, Goa: As Goa goes to polls in the beginning of next year, the Congress party has said that they would...
I refuse to let myself be another Ishrat Jahan
By Sayema Sahar,
If I am a Muslim I can only be a terrorist attached to some militant group and would be used for fake encounters whether to get departmental accolades or political traction.
Flood horror haunts Srinagar, people abandon homes, shops
Srinagar: Nisar Hussain, 65, who lives in the Gogjibagh residential area of Srinagar, repents his decision to have come back home after three months....
LGBT community unclear about my project: Monica Dogra
By Siddharth Jha
New Delhi : After facing criticism on social media for asking fans to crowdfund Rs.50 lakhs for her art project...
Controlling thoughts and food habits
By Ram Puniyani,
The intolerance does not grow in one field of social life in isolation. In different arena of our life it tends...
Kanhaiya: From the cauldron of secession charges, a leader is born
By Sarwar Kashani
New Delhi: On a dark Thursday night in the noisy JNU campus, when Kanhaiya Kumar called for “azaadi”, the student leader little...
For Modi, its ‘Focus Uttar Pradesh’
By Amulya Ganguli
A day before Ram Shankar Katheria was sacked the Minister of State for Human Resource Development (HRD), he had said that there...
A megalopolis in making on India’s southwest coast
By B.R.P. Bhaskar, IANS,
Propelled largely by funds sent home by people working abroad, mostly in the Gulf countries, Kerala's coastal belt is undergoing rapid urbanisation of a kind not witnessed elsewhere.
Kerala has five cities, 53 towns and about 1,000 village panchayats. The division into urban and rural areas is arbitrary. Many urban areas retain their rural character and many villages boast of urban amenities. Continuous habitation from one end to the other gives the state the character of a rural-urban continuum.
Development, Environment and the Tribal of Maghuwapara
By Abdul Kalam Azad,
The history of human civilization is same as the history of change and development. The advent of renaissance and industrial revolution in seventeen century opened up the scope of change and development beyond imagination. The science and technology played a vital role in this whole journey. But history also tells us that a certain section of society always remains outside the ambit of such change and development process. This alienation is sometimes deliberate as well as forceful. We observe such alienation of tribals of northeast region of India from development process. During colonial period British Raj distinguished the tribals from the people living in the valleys. The colonial rulers were less bothered about development interventions in tribal dominated areas as most of those areas were not economically viable as far as revenue collection was concerned. Sociologists opine that such alienation is one of the major reasons for the current unrest in this region. But today we are going to discuss another aspect of exclusive development model and its impacts on the marginalized tribal groups.
Media prejudice towards Muslims
By Azizur Rahman for TwoCircles.net,
The word “media” plural of the Latin word “medium” has evolved to connote the meaning “all the means of communication” be it print or electronic”. Literally, it does not make any distinction on what to choose and what not, to communicate to the people. Hence, the media is morally obligated to report everything that is in the interest of the nation irrespective of any bias towards what and whom it is relating to.
Know the law: How to register Trusts
By Avani Bansal for TwoCircles.net
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Advocate Avani Bansal is currently a student doing Masters at Harvard Law School . She pursued MPhil in Law at...
110 journalists killed in 2015
Paris : A total of 110 journalists were killed in connection with their work or for unclear reasons in 2015, according to report issued...
Modi should speak out more on sports in India
By Veturi Srivatsa,
One wonders how Narendra Modi could draw a parallel between India winning a cricket match and the Mars achievement of space scientists when he himself and his alter ego Amit Shah controlled Gujarat cricket till the two shifted to Delhi.
Remembering the Great Indian Maulana: Abul Kalam Azad
By Sadiya Rohma Khan
Recalling the distinct myriad talents and relentless contributions of those building a collective progressive era, with other great luminaries and freedom...
Banking sector reforms and India’s competitiveness
By Amit Kapoor,
A globally competitive economy requires a robust and competitive banking system. The present banking system is a result of reforms and policy changes that have taken place in the past.
US media sees Modi ‘brought down to earth’
By Arun Kumar,
Washington: While US officials refrained from comment on Aam Aadmi Party's massive victory in Delhi elections, the New York Times saw "A...
Cherishing Jacinda Ardern as NZ ushers in new world order of high public morality
By Dr Syed Zafar Mahmood
I cherish Jacinda Ardern as my daughter. At her very young age she has catapulted herself to the likes of...
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...
Cloudbursts reviving nature’s fury in J&K
By Sheikh Qayoom
Srinagar/Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir has been through an unusual situation during the last fortnight with cloudbursts occurring with frightening frequency.
The freak phenomenon...
Indore: Hindutva hardliners’ haven
By Adnan Alavi,
The arrest of right-wing militants in connection with the blast in Ajmer Dargah isn't surprising and is just another in the series of arrests of members of organisations ranging from Abhinav Bharat to Sanatan Sanstha who have committed a series of bombings in India from Malegaon to Goa.
Headlines in prominent newspapers and leading English channels read like 'Abhinav Bharat man caught', 'Ajmer blast suspects linked to Hindu groups' or 'Ajmer blast: Hindu group responsible'.
Scrapping of Planning Commission, Is It a Sound Idea?
By Syed Ali Mujtaba,
Planning commission has been scheduled to be dissolved and shutdown to be replaced by new institution. In his first Independence Day...
An Open Letter to Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut
By Mohammad Haider Talat,
Dear Sanjay Raut,
This is with reference to your article (dated April 12, 2015) in the Shiv Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamna’ of which...
Why capital punishment will continue in India
By Amulya Ganguli
Notwithstanding the efforts made by the saffron lobby to pretend that Yakub Memon's religion had nothing to do with his hanging, the...
Farmer’s movement: Is ethics at issue?
In the modern world, in the world of industries and metropolis and the world governed by centralized rule, the farmer and the village have...
Clean India movement should also clean the air
By Rajendra Shende,
The most crucial inclusion in the India-US Joint statement issued on Sep 30 is the strategic partnership on energy and climate change. The actions agreed will have far reaching impacts on India's poor, neo-middle class and youth. They will also enhance the image of an India as a steward in international negotiations on environment.
More police reform required in Rajasthan
By Maja Daruwala, IANS,
It's election time in Rajasthan again. Once more the hopefuls will make their promises. Once more the people will vote in the hope that this time the minimum guarantees of a peaceful life will come true. A good police system is central to making sure this happens. Making it happen has to be a bipartisan effort. What kind of policing is going to be in place over the next five years has to be central to election debates and promises.
Irfan Khan’s misconceived notion on Eidul-Adha
By Riyaz Arshad Nazish for TwoCircles.net,
Bollywood actor Irfan Khan’s arbitrary statement on Eidul-Adha is a classic display of his delusion and a selfish attempt...
India and US: The best is yet to be
By Amulya Ganguli,
President Barack Obama’s presence at the Indian Republic Day celebrations Jan 26 will mark the highest point in Indo-American relations.
What lends special significance to the occasion is that the US president will spend nearly two hours in the open with his Indian hosts. Normally, the US Secret Service is wary of such a long exposure for their chief executive. The maximum time which he generally spends outdoors is a little over an hour during the oath-taking ceremony.
Chattargam killings: Questions to ponder upon
By Abdul Majid Zargar,
Kashmir’s tryst with peace has proved short lived yet again, thanks to the vacuous & barbaric killing of two young men Meraj-ud-Din Dar and Faisal Yusuf. As if the recent floods were not sufficient to devastate Kashmiris physically, emotionally & economically, the killing was thought necessary to notify them that besides God there is also a demon on earth to batter them.
Fondly remembering the ‘people’s president’
By K Datta, IANS
As the charges and countercharges flew thick and fast and the muck-raking intensified in the weeks before India elected a new president, one was left wondering if it was worth going through all the mud-slinging for the right of tenancy of a piece of real estate which is a relic of a colonial past the republic has left behind.
हमें अपने देश के ‘बचपन’ बचाने की परवाह क्यों नहीं होती?
सैय्यद परवेज़, TwoCircles.net के लिए
बदरपुर बॉर्डर से 473 नम्बर बस में चढ़ा. बस की पिछली एक ख़ाली सीट को देखकर वहीं बैठ गया....
Modi’s visit to China: How long can policy of accommodation continue?
By R.S. Kalha,
The rise of China as a great power is no longer a matter of speculation; it is a given fact. Most nations today seriously consider the Chinese factor when determining policy. The question uppermost in the minds of Indian policy makers is: should we contain or oppose the rise of China, singly or in tandem with others, or should we seek an accommodation? There are no easy answers. No doubt Modi's closest advisors would be grappling with this question on the eve of his first official visit to China as the prime minister of India.
AIMIM vs secular parties discourse: Time to accommodate, not split apart
By Mohammad Shekaib Alam
The sea of confrontations Muslims of India are facing today are such that if Muslims do not change their status quo...
In the shadow of Zion
By Rabbi Tirzah Firestone
This past year I have had to face the underbelly of my love of Zion. Like so many American Jews, I had been raised with the unquestioned narrative about Israel's righteousness, its humane practices, and the moral high ground upon which its policies are based. The painful deconstruction of these beliefs began with a journey through the Occupied Territories, where I encountered the shocking effects of my people's fear.