by Emine Saner
Unlike many women under the threat of "honour" violence, Banaz
Mahmod didn't suffer in silence. In December 2005 and January 2006, this
20-year-old Kurdish-born woman from south London told police at least
four times that threats had been made on her life. .....
by Pudhari
When there are many laws in force, the state Government is intending to
take over the temples and Gurudwaras of Hindus, Sikhs, and Jain religion
by passing proposed Governmentization of temples Act and Anti-Superstition
Law. In protest of this move, all religions must come together and fight
together. This opinion was expressed in the Dharma Jagriti meeting yesterday
(Saturday). .....
by Zenit.org
The president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace is encouraging
Catholics to withdraw support from Amnesty International since the groups
no longer defends the right to life. .....
by The Times of India
A dramatic declaration by a little-known outfit, Al Queda Hind, claiming
to be a chapter of Al Qaida, of a "holy war'' against India put security
agencies on the ready as they probed the antecedents of the group and
its links with jihadi organisations. .....
by Deccan Herald
Several persons, including policemen, were injured in a clash between
two communities over the burial of a body in Tumkur of Karnataka on 6
June 2007 .....
by Rediff.com
"Elements in the Pakistan Army" are backing the infiltration
of militants into India across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir,
Army Chief General J J Singh said on Wednesday. ....
by Yahoo News
The June issue of a popular US magazine that allegedly depicts Hindu god
Ganesha holding an alcoholic beverage in each hand and deity Hanuman in
an obscene pose has drawn the ire of many Hindus in the country. .....
by Sify.com
A Christian evangelist on Friday alleged that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister
Y S Rajasekhara Reddy had demanded $5 million for party funds in December
2003 even as the later denied the allegations as 'wild' and 'baseless'.
.....
by The Asian Age
The Andhra Pradesh government on Friday issued orders setting up the Tirumala
Divya Kshetram, comprising the seven sacred hills, the holy teerthams
and the central shrine of Lord Venkateswara. .....
by Irfan Husain
Love for one's country comes in different forms. At one extreme is the
American patriot who pronounced: "My country, right or wrong!"
At the other is the saying: "Patriotism is the last refuge of the
scoundrel." .....
by Saurabh Saksena
Every individual has the right to self respect and dignity, especially
from its fellow countrymen. Irrespective of the religion, caste, creed
and all other secular lingo, we all should be treated fairly. However,
somewhere down the line I feel in the present modern setup of India, self
respect of the Hindus has been taken for a ride by media and politicians
alike. .....
by Wolfgang Bruno
The most important task in the fight against Islamic Jihad is to reunite
the West in the defense of its own civilization, which can only happen
by derailing Europe's path to Eurabia. Raphael Israeli has suggested an
Alliance of Western and Democratic States, at the center of which will
be the US, Canada, Israel, Australia and Western Europe. .....
by Prabhakar Kumar
Convicted of rape and murder at the age of 12, Mantun Kumar was sentenced
to five years imprisonment followed by six months' service at a temple
by a court in the Begusarai district of Bihar. .....
by Bishnu Gautam
After the visit of Mauriya Emperor Ashoka some 2256 years ago, many came
to Lumbini, the Birthplace of Lord Buddha, until it was buried under a
dense forest and remained almost unknown for almost 584 years. The inscription
carved in Brahmi script in the Ashoka Pillar erected by Emperor Ashoka
in 249 BC reads that the Emperor paid homage to Lumbini on the occasion
of the 20th year of his coronation and erected the pillar in the exact
birthplace of Lord Buddha. .....
by Hindu Vivek Kendra
The first editorial was written immediately after the ban on the RSS,
the VHP and Bajrang Dal, after the destruction of the Babri structure
on December 6, 1992. The second was written after the lifting of the ban
on the RSS and the Bajrang Dal. It would seem that the editor, while writing
the second editorial, did not bother to find out what was written in the
first editorial. .....
by The Pioneer
The return of peace in Rajasthan after a week of frightful violence will
be greeted by people in the State and across the country. Rajasthan's
Gujjars, who led the agitation, blocked national highways and indulged
in wanton arson, want to be reclassified as a Scheduled Tribe - at present,
the community is classified as an OBC - because they believe this would
fetch them better benefits under the quota regime. .....
by Swami Aksharananda
"In Jesus Me Can't Die" is a DVD song in chutney style routinely
heard on several of the nation's television stations including the state-owned
NCN. The singer, a certain Mr. Anil Azeez, glorifies Jesus Christ as saviour,
which is standard christian belief. Clearly, the singer is entitled to
his religious beliefs and has the right to practise and propagate them
even if it may be on public funds. .....
by Parag Dave
A man from Ahmedabad, accused by Pakistan of being an Indian spy and languishing
in a jail in Lahore for nearly 13 years, has alleged torture by jail authorities.
.....
by The Hindu
Announcing a number of sops to Muslims, including introduction of free
mid-day meal scheme in madarsas, Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy
on Saturday said that the Government would promulgate an ordinance effecting
Muslim reservations. .....
by Baradan Kuppusamy
After a landmark Malaysian Superior Court decision downgraded secular
law and constitutional guarantees against Islamic rules, a storm of protest
has been building up as government and civil society rush to find a solution
to the religious impasse. .....
by Anita Sinha
Declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 2002, Bodhgaya in Bihar is
a holy city for Buddhists the world over. Over 600 NGOs operate here,
many claiming to work for the welfare of the district's under-privileged
children. .....
by Joginder Singh
A court in El Dorado, Argentina, has rejected the CBI's request to extradite
Ottavio Quattrocchi, the Italian businessman and last principal accused
of receiving payoffs in the Bofors deal. This is the second such rejection.
Earlier, a Malaysian court rejected a similar request in 2003. However,
the CBI says that it will study Friday's verdict for a possible appeal
to the Argentine Supreme Court. .....
by Greg Szymanski
For nine years Susan Shields worked as a devoted Catholic Sister, working
for Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity. When finally becoming fed-up
in 1989, she left Mother Teresa in disgust over the misuse of millions
in charitable donations that never got to their destination -- the poor
and afflicted. .....
by The Times of India
Politicians like Mayawati, Satish Sharma and Sheila Kaul, besides a large
number of civil servants, have been let off the hook in corruption cases
by authorities refusing to grant sanction for their prosecution under
the Prevention of Corruption Act, a PIL complained before the supreme
court. .....
by The Times of India
In a crucial ruling, the supreme court said a 1986 law framed in the wake
of Shah Bano case will not come in the way of an estranged Muslim woman
seeking alimony from her husband under section 125 CrPC which provides
for maintenance to a divorced or neglected woman. .....
by The Times of India
Globe-trotting evangelist K A Paul has alleged that chief minister Y S
Rajasekhara Reddy asked him for $5 million for his political campaign
before the 2004 assembly elections. .....
by The Times of India
A dramatic declaration by a little-known outfit, Al Queda Hind, claiming
to be a chapter of Al Qaida, of a "holy war'' against India put security
agencies on the ready as they probed the antecedents of the group and
its links with jihadi organisations. .....
by Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar
At the annual meeting of the Confederation of Indian Industry, you eloquently
argued the case for corporations to go beyond their narrow financial interests,
and embrace corporate social responsibility. You urged businessmen to
avoid conspicuous consumption and behave in a socially responsible manner,
even if it affected their purse and power. .....
by Letta Tayler
The barefoot boys were playing cricket on a street here, awash with sewage
and linked with rickety shacks. Yet, for all the desperation of their
surroundings, they were a case study in multicultural harmony. .....
by The Indian Express
In a startling revelation on the Kargil war, former Prime Minister of
Pakistan Nawaz Sharif has claimed his beleaguered Army chief General Pervez
Musharraf had requested him to approach then US president Bill Clinton
to work out a ceasefire with India. Speaking in London to The Indian Express
Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta in a special edition of Walk the Talk on
NDTV's 24X7, which was broadcast tonight, Sharif said, "He (General
Musharraf) is the one who suggested to me that I should meet Mr Clinton
to bring about an honourable ceasefire between the two countries. .....
by The Tribune
In a sensational allegation, well-known evangelist Dr K.A Paul today said
he apprehended danger to his life from Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
.....
by Zeenews.com
In a major breakthrough, archaeologists have excavated from the ruins
of Dwarka a wooden block that promises to solve the mystery about the
exact age of the submerged city believed by many to belong to Lord Krishna.
.....
by Tarun Vijay
In Jammu, a centre in the memory of Barrister Narendrajit Singh of Kashmir
houses a small hostel for girls of the Valley who have lost their parents
in terrorist violence. Last month I met a little girl, with a twinkle
in her eye, who had seen her brothers and parents getting slaughtered
before she fell unconscious. The killers came shouting the name of Allah
and glory to Islam. .....
by BBC News
Police say they are listening to concerns from Birmingham Sikhs who are
demanding action against alleged forced conversions to Islam. .....
by Priyadarsi Dutta
Which ethnic community lent its name to Gujarat province and Gujjarwal
village near Ludhiana; Gujranwala city, Gujjar Khan village and Gujrat
district in Pakistan? The same ethnic group also produced Pratihara dynasty
of Gujarat with illustrious kings like Nag Bhatta, Samrat Mihir Bhoj,
Mahipal-II and Yaspal etc. .....
by Swahilya
A funds crunch has come in the way of The Kuppuswami Sastri Research Institute's
project to preserve thousands of old manuscripts and books. .....
by Emily Wax
Deep in a labyrinth of stucco buildings, in a dark, cavelike warehouse,
Mohamed Javen, 18, switched on a light bulb, sat before his rickety loom
and began working on what was once the prize possession of every Indian
bride: the hand-woven silk sari. .....
by Alka Dhupkar
I was employed on a salary of Rs 6,500 with a chemical firm. The injury
in the blast at Jogeshwari meant I could not continue my job as I would
be exposed to chemicals. Prosthetics worked for me and I am riding my
favourite motorcycle once again. I have no complaints with life. .....
by The Indian Express
Mayawati is undoubtedly elated over Uttar Pradesh Governor T.V. Rajeshwar's
decision to stop the CBI in its tracks on the Taj corridor case. But that
cannot be the case for those in this country anxious to actually see the
law take its course, not just talk about it. .....
by The Indian Express
Air Chief Marshal A Y Tipnis (retd) has called upon the Rashtriya Swayasevak
Sangh(RSS) to be a bulwark against forces of fundamentalism and communalism
and change itself keeping fresh Indian realities in mind. .....
by Griff Witte
Every day, Taj Mohammed Abbasi wheels his cart through dusty streets,
selling the oranges, guavas and litchis that are the pride of this rural
outpost in the shadow of the Himalayan foothills. But what he's seen recently
on television motivated him this weekend to take to the streets for a
different reason: to join a movement with the audacious goal of ousting
the military-led government and restoring democracy to Pakistan. .....
by Prakash Bhandari
Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje had a battery of top BJP leaders to help
her reach a political solution with the irate Gujjars. But where she really
needed help was in convincing Gujjar leaders that she personally bore
no ill-will towards them. .....
by The Times of India
Delhi's St Stephen's College has many boasts including its old boys occupying
the upper echelons of the IAS but few know that the college is responsible
for one of the country's most enduring vehicles of popular culture: the
Amar Chitra Katha. .....
by Qazi B
This Sikh, cornered by the forces of history and a subcontinental politics
in tectonic convulsions, was forced to give up his religion and convert
to Islam 29 years ago, but now an Islamist group in Pakistan has forced
him to leave his village in Peshawar's Tirah Valley. His house was set
on fire and his son kidnapped for not embracing "authentic Islam".
.....
by Dr. Srinivasan Kalyanaraman
What is erotic and what is art ? If s'ivalinga is seen as an erotic representation
of a human male reproductory organ, it will look erotic to the so-called
purveyor of freedom of _expression who has a perverted notion of sex and
sexuality. And, there are thousands of temples (devalaya) where s'ivalinga
is worshipped by millions of Hindu. .....
by Lizzie Murphy
The Queen was presented with a burgundy shawl - a perfect match to her
outfit - after she opened a £3m Hindu temple in Bradford. .....
by Tasile N. Zeliang
The day of 26 January is of national significance because it is the Republic
day of our country. This day has an additional importance for Naga society
because this is also the birth day of legendary Naga lady-Padma Bhushan
Rani Gaidinliu. Rani Gaidinliu popularly known as Rani Ma, is the highly
revered Naga lady for her selfless service to Naga society and fight for
the freedom of India. .....
by Mohammed Wajihuddin
Stating that 67% of the respondents in a poll conducted by Inquilab supported
a Sena-Third Front tie-up in Malegaon, the leading Urdu daily said, "A
substantial number of those polled were from Malegaon, and they believe
that Shiv Sena will be less dangerous than Congress and Janata Dal (Secular)."
.....
by Joginder Singh
Religion is a sensitive issue. Battles have been fought over issues that
may *prima facie* appear trivial. In a country like ours with a multi-ethnic
population, incidents of religious fracas have been quite common. And
terrorists fish in the troubled waters to incite violence as their alternative
means to disrupt normalcy in this country. .....
by Diana West
"If I were a Muslim, I'd probably be a jihadist. The thing that drives
these guys -- a sense of adventure, wanting to be part of the moment,
wanting to be in the big movement of history that's happening now -- that's
the same thing that drives me, you know?" No. I don't know. And I
sorely wish I could tell him so -- "him" being David Kilcullen,
senior counterinsurgency adviser to Gen. David Petraeus, senior commander
in Iraq. .....
by The Asian Age
Tamil Nadu chief minister M. Karunanidhi has promised exclusive reservation
for Muslims and Christians in educational institutions and employment
if the same is available for them in neighbouring Kerala and Karnataka.
He announced this at an international Islamic Tamil conference in Chennai
on Sunday and repeated it during a media interaction in Delhi on Monday.
.....
by Nandagopal
Archaeologists in Kerala have discovered a 2000-year-old port settlement
probably dating back to the first BC to third AD, in Pattanam about 50
km from the modern day port city of Kochi. .....
by Srdja Trifkovic
In the current debate on the future of Kosovo, it is often overlooked
that hundreds of thousands of Serbs and other non-Albanians had fled the
province under Albanian pressure well before the KLA terror campaign of
1996-1998. Under Tito, the Albanians' share of the population thus rose
from 64 percent in 1953 to 77 percent immediately following his death
in 1980. .....
by Chan Akya
Hot on the heels of the pro-secular movement in Turkey over the past few
weeks comes news of a less tolerant variation in the case of Malaysia,
where a court this week struck down the request of a Muslim woman to convert
to Christianity, ruling that her only option is to appeal to the sharia
(Islamic law) courts. .....
by Vikram Sood
Conventional wisdom has it that Pervez Musharraf is in a spot of bother
these days with so many troubles erupting simultaneously. Even the mentor
in Washington is uneasy at the way things are not working out in Afghanistan
and wants Musharraf to do more. .....
by Mukhtar Ahmad
Kashmir's grand Mufti Bashir-ud-Din, Tuesday issued a Fatwa (Religious
Edict) holding un-acceptable the army's construction, repair and renovation
of mosques and shrines in the valley. .....
by Daily News & Analysis
Like many modern museums, the newest US tourist attraction includes some
awesome exhibits - roaring dinosaurs and a life-sized ship. .....
by Prafull Goradia
There has been a disproportionate hullabaloo over the paintings produced
by Chandramohan of MS University, Baroda. Most newspapers have carried
articles and the TV channels have held discussions on the subject. Heated
arguments have been exchanged but, most of the time, without stating what
precisely had been painted and, therefore, why it should be objectionable.
.....
by Swapan Dasgupta
In a recent interview to Tehelka on his new book on post-Independence
Indian politics, Ram Guha mentioned in passing that whereas liberals and
the Left play a meaningful role in the country's intellectual and political
discourse, the Right has been hamstrung by its close association with
Hindu nationalism. .....
by Herald Sun
Australia's Muslim community has denounced the arrival of a controversial
female writer who has previously accused the prophet Mohammed of pedophilia.
.....
by Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar
The prime Minister says that if we do not check stark inequalities, we
will face social upheaval and violence. Now, we should try and reduce
inequalities on moral grounds alone. Why gild the lily by invoking a Marxist
vision of class revolution that has repeatedly proved false? Violence
in India is almost entirely sectarian, based on religion, region, caste
or tribe. It is rarely based on class. .....
by Sandhya Nair
The city seems to have got over its affair with Chinese-made umbrellas
and monsoon 2007 will see the made-in-India tag re-establishing its hold
on the local market, say market insiders. .....
by Ketan Tanna
A poor, ailing woman residing in a Nalasopara slum, on the outskirts of
Mumbai, visited a doctor doing charity work in August 2005. She asked
for medicines for herself and her mother-in-law. The doctor gave medicines
for the woman but said he would not give any for the mother-in-law as
he would like to see her personally. .....
by The Economic Times
Nearly 200,000 Hindu families of Bangladesh have lost about 40,000 acres
of land and houses in the last six years, 'grabbed' by politically powerful
people, says a just concluded study. The study has found that the new
occupants of land and property belong to all the mainstream parties -
Sheikh Hasina's Awami League, Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party,
Jamaat-e-Islami and Jatiya Party. .....
by Jagmohan
Unjustified is the demand for withdrawal of Armed Forces (Special Powers)
Act. By and large, the conduct of the Indian army has been commendable.
As a part of the propaganda by the terrorist-outfits, a number of concocted
or highly exaggerated stories about human rights violations are circulated
in the media. .....
by Prakriiti Gupta
The CDs were a part of consignment of explosives as unclaimed luggage
hidden inside a bus bound towards Katra, the base camp of Vaishno Devi.
.....
by Rediff.com
A former Indian army officer has claimed that Pakistan's ISI has launched
a 'new' anti-India operation through Bangladesh, while Chinese support
to insurgency in the Northeast has 'not fully dried up'. .....
by Tawfik Hamid
Islamic organizations regularly accuse non-Muslims of "Islamophobia,"
a fear and disdain for everything Islamic. On May 17, this accusation
bubbled up again as foreign ministers from the Organization of the Islamic
Conference called Islamophobia "the worst form of terrorism."
.....
by Nigel Morris
Tony Blair has hit out at judges and opposition MPs for putting the human
rights of terrorist suspects above the protection of citizens. .....
by Ramesh N. Rao
Muslim and Christian preachers and soldiers have converted people around
the world, either through threat and intimidation or through seduction
and lies. They also have increased their flock by buying their way into
the hearts of those hapless souls in poor and corrupted societies where
oppression and discrimination have beaten many into submission and slavery.
.....
by K.S. Shaini
A task left unfinished for a thousand years has recently been completed.
Kings came and went, territories were won and lost, wars raged and peace
reigned, but the Shiva temple at Bhojpur, in Madhya Pradesh's Raisen district,
stood gapingly incomplete-without a roof and with several of its exquisite
columns missing-for ten long centuries. .....
by Jaya Jaitly
The Sachar Committee report sadly looks as if it formulated a premise
and then created instruments to find empirical data suiting a pre-ordained
picture. This only adds to the unfortunate set of faulty premises that
fuel needless disaffection between communities. The Sachar report also
makes its assessments through a 'class' measure of achievement. .....
by Rajeev Srinivasan
Kerala's Communist Chief Minister has taken on crooks of all shades, which
no other politician has done. Yet, the CPI(M) is unhappy with him. Is
it because those who fund the Marxists are victims of his crusade against
corruption? .....
by Amarnath Tewary
Maoist rebels in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand have been growing
opium poppies to fund their operations in the region, officials say. .....
by Tavleen Singh
Writing a book requires solitude and as I am in the last stages of one
I have spent the last ten days holed up alone in a house by the sea, away
from the seductions of city life. I spend the mornings writing and revising
and the afternoons reading. The solitude has given me time to read two
books that I recommend to our policy makers and to those who believe that
Indian Muslims have been unaffected by the worldwide jehad. .....
by Free Press Journal
You reap what you sow. Myopic politicians competing for caste votes have
for long ignored that basic law of nature. Having progressively extended
the reservation net far beyond the original provided by the Founding Fathers
only for the SCs and STs, they are now hard put to contain the reservations
genie. .....
