by Kevin Myers
Was anyone in the Department of Education even remotely surprised by the
virtual failure of the Muslim school in Cabra to achieve even minimal
standards of education? .....
by The Pioneer
Undeterred with the defeat of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the recently
held Parliamentary elections, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has
started working afresh with confidence. In a series of quick decisions,
Chouhan wants to continue business 'as usual'. .....
by Free Press Journal
It is hard to support the decision of the Maharashtra Government not to
release the report of the inquiry committee which had examined the terrorist
assault in Mumbai last November. Despite the partpublication of the report
in a section of the press, the Government stonewalled the opposition in
the State legislature which vociferously sought its release. .....
by The Pioneer
Yet to come to grips with the electoral debacle and the bickering, the
BJP on Sunday sent out a strong message that it would not abandon Hindutva
or snap its links with the RSS but party veteran L K Advani sought an
end to the finger-pointing by senior leaders in the media. .....
by Cowards in a nation of braves
Kargil war veteran Baldev Singh was shot dead and robbed by three men
in Bhajanpura, North-east District of Delhi. He was carrying Rs 8.45 lakh.
The incident occurred around 10 am barely 50 metres from a police picket
- reportedly manned by two personnel..." .....
by Venkatesha Babu, Priyanka P. Narain
and C.R. Sukumar
Competitive populism is entering the realm of religion, a trend that critics
say is a potentially dangerous political game being played with an eye
on electoral gains. .....
by Rakesh Sinha
The crisis in the Bharatiya Janata Party should not be seen as an outcome
of the party's defeat in the Lok Sabha elections or merely a rumpus hinting
at the change of leadership. Even if BJP had emerged victorious, the crisis
was inevitable. .....
by Free Press Journal
In a sudden development, President Asif Ali Zardari has decided not to
attend the NAM Summit in Egypt next month, apparently to avoid another
meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,whose blunt public comments
appear to have annoyed Pakistan. .....
by Vishwa Mohan
After sitting over Gujarat's anti-terror legislation for years, the Centre
on Friday decided to return the controversial Gujarat Control of Organised
Crime (GUJCOC) Bill, saying it could not be sent for presidential assent
without three key amendments. .....
by Dynamics S Gurumurthy
Whenever an unexpected change occurs, some scholars excited by the change
begin to discourse as if they con- clusively see the future like the palm
of their hand. Their excitement would not allow them to wait for a while
to know what the effect of the change is on the future before they theorize
their conclusions. .....
by Lalit K Jha
Religious Hindu and Jewish leaders have held an interfaith dialogue in
New York and Washington to foster mutual understanding and respect between
different communities.A two-day intense dialogue held this week dealt
with issues of mutual interest, which concluded with a briefing at the
US Capitol. .....
by Srdja Trifkovic
"As the Holy [sic!] Koran tells us, Be conscious of God and speak
always the truth," President Obama told his audience at the beginning
of his much heralded speech in Cairo last week. .....
by The Times of India
Pakistan has lost its Kashmir plank with India bringing on centrestage
the need to counter terrorism, an editorial in a leading English daily
said on Thursday while welcoming the apparent sub-continental thaw after
the meeting in Russia between President Asif Ali Zardari and Indian Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh. .....
by The Pioneer
Disturbing and disquieting as it is, the post-election violence in West
Bengal is not going to go away in a hurry. East Midnapore district, formerly
a CPI(M) stronghold, has seen the worst of the tumult. This is the area
of Nandigram, scene of a vicious land acquisition battle, and of Khejuri,
where Left and Trinamool Congress workers have a decade-long history of
clashes. .....
by The Pioneer
Sending a blunt message to the Buddhadeb Government, the Centre on Wednesday
asked it to give a clear mandate to the police to reclaim areas dominated
by Maoists in violence-hit West Midnapore and its adjoining areas and
deal with the "deteriorating" law and order situation. .....
by The Times of India
Sixty-six special trains will connect Puri with different corners of Orissa
on the occasion of the Rath Yatra this year. Special trains will run to
and from Puri connecting Koraput, Rourkela, Baripada, Keonjhar, Brahmapur,
Bhadrak, Angul, Dhenkanal, Paradeep, Bhubaneswar and Khurda Road. .....
by The Pioneer
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Member of Parliament from Bhopal
Kailash Joshi has demanded immediate increase in the Haj quota of the
State. .....
by André Béteille
It is agreeably surprising that the distinction between affirmative action
and numerical quotas has found at least a toehold in the higher leadership
of the Congress party. It is an important distinction with far-reaching
implications. It is to be hoped that the point that has been made by a
member of the Union cabinet will get a favourable hearing. .....
by Sudeshna Sarkar
It is available in languages as diverse as Hebrew and Hungarian. Now the
Bhagvad Gita - a scriptural classic that provides the essence of Hindu
philosophy - has been rendered in an ancient tribal language still spoken
in India, Nepal and Bangladesh. .....
by Chidanand Rajghatta
The Manmohan Singh government has scuppered a proposed visit to India
this week by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
(USCIRF), a US Congress-mandated organization that monitors religious
rights worldwide and gives independent policy recommendations to the US
President and his administration. .....
by Urmi A Goswami
It may not be an A R Antulay versus Arjun Singh redux, but a tug of war
appears to be simmering within the government. The ministry of minority
affairs would like to take over the Haj cell and minority education. .....
by The Pioneer
The US allowed Pakistan to manufacture and acquire nuclear weapons without
informing the Congress, a non-profit corruption watchdog has said, quoting
a whistleblower who was fired for objecting to the policy. .....
by The Times of India
A photojournalist on Monday identified Pakistani gunman Mohammad Ajmal
Kasab, before a special court hearing Mumbai attacks case, as one of the
persons who opened fire at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus on November
26 and provided photographs to support his evidence. .....
by Deependra Jha
The BJP leadership is being justly criticised for not having worked hard
enough during the last five years when it was in the Opposition and prepare
for this year's general election. It's not surprising then that the party
has not only lost the poll but has also failed to improve its 2004 tally
and has been reduced to 116 seats in the present Lok Sabha. .....
by Tavleen Singh
Am I the only one shocked by an American official daring to suggest 'dialogue'
with Pakistan in the wake of the release of Hafiz Mohammad Saeed? Why
did nobody ask Under Secretary William Burns if his country would be persuaded
to have a 'dialogue' with Pakistan if Osama bin Laden were similarly arrested
and released? .....
by The Statesman
Emphasising the need to protect India's tradition, culture and religious
values, Sankaracharya of Puri Gobardan Math, Swami Nischalanand Saraswati,
blamed the political class for carrying forward a distorted development
agenda which is destroying the nation. .....
by Ranjan Jayakody, Mohan Gunaratnam
& Ranjit Surendran
Colombo - Desperate situations call for desperate measures and desperate
measures can leak out material factors that may have begot or moulded
certain movements, their hidden agendas and even ultimate intentions.
It has been suspected for a long time that the powerful force behind the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) .....
by Christina Lamb
On his face is an angelic smile, in his pocket a blood-stained 50-rupee
note. Ishaq Khan, a 12-year-old schoolboy, was given the money - equivalent
to just 40p - to carry a bag to a spot in a busy bazaar in Kohat, a town
in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan. .....
by UCAN News
A Church center in Pakistan's cosmopolitan eastern city of Lahore has
been threatened with a suicide bomb attack, one of a series of intimidating
messages given to Christians as the country's security crisis worsens.
.....
by Sidharth Mishra
The spate of violence unleashed last week by the Naxalites in Centrally-governed
state of Jharkhand should be enough, I suppose, to shake the government
out of stupor. Over two dozen police personnel have lost their lives in
the murderous attacks by the Maoist elements. .....
by Swami Devananda Saraswati
In Catholic Ashrams: Sannyasins or Swindlers, Sita Ram Goel describes
the Christian missionary strategists' plan to infiltrate Hindu society
and gain the confidence of the people:
"Christianity has to drop its alien attire and get clothed in Hindu
cultural forms. In short, Christianity has to be presented as an indigenous
faith. .....
by Dr Pravin Togadia
Myth 1: We lost because of Hindutva identity. Muslims voted against us
due to this.
Truth: Muslim was never a core constituency. It was Hindu. Everyone accepts
and understands electoral growth. But if this growth is at the cost of
the core or even anti-core, then it is called cannibalisation. .....
by Premendra Agrawal
Q.: Question arises, why was Jan Sangh formation in 1951?
A.: Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherji, founder of Jan Sangh was in Congress as
well as in Pt Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet. Why he resigned from the Nehru's
Cabinet on April 6, 1950? .....
by The Indian Express
In contrast to predecessor A R Antulay who maintained a studied silence
on the the issue of reservation, newly-appointed Minority Affairs Minister
Salman Khurshid has called quota for Muslims a "double-edged sword"
which could create "envy, hostility and resistance". He has
instead advocated affirmative action as a tool to "inject an ability
to compete" rather than make them "constant beneficiaries of
additional help". .....
by Radha Rajan
Sridhar Krishnaswami files a news report, featured on the front page of
The Hindu dated 2nd October, 2002, titled "Designate India, Pakistan
as countries of particular concern." The opening paragraph reads
thus: "The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
(USCIRF) has recommended that the US Secretary of State, Colin Powell,
designate India, along with others, as 'Countries of Particular Concern'
under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998." .....
by Nithin Sridhar
Early in 1982, Father Joseph Parekatil of the Catholic Church of Parasahi,
Madhya Pradesh, destroyed the sacred murti of Goddess Visveshwari Siddheswari,
enshrined on the nearby Nawain Tekdi hill, and erected a small wooden
cross. Later, on 18 February 1983, a 31-foot high concrete cross was illegally
erected on the hill. A month later, enraged villagers destroyed the cross.
.....
by Wafa Sultan
After President Obama's Cairo speech, many of my Middle Eastern Arab readers
reacted with bewilderment. As one of them expressed: "Who should
we believe, Obama or you?", particularly his statement that "America
and Islam overlap and share common principles, the principles of justice,
tolerance and dignity for human beings". .....
by Rahul Benjamin
The Catholic Church in the southern Indian state of Kerala has urged its
members to distance themselves from prayer groups that promise miracles.
Such groups, the Church says, is behind the propagation of hate and division
between religious communities. .....
by MSN News
In what may be seen as a major concession to Pakistan, the US House of
Representatives has dropped demands of access to the disgraced nuclear
scientist Dr A.Q. Khan and preventing terrorist attacks against India
as conditions from the aid bill offering Islamabad 1.5 billion dollars
for the next five years. .....
by Manu Pubby
In the first account by a Pakistani military officer that nails Islamabad's
lie on Kargil, a former pilot who was Director of Operations of the Pakistan
Air Force (PAF) during the 1999 conflict has given a blow-by-blow account
of the preparations undertaken by his country's Army that led to operations
inside the Indian side of the Line of Control. .....
by Brigitte Gabriel
You face difficult challenges in matters such as achieving peace in the
Middle East and protecting America from the threat of radical Islam and
terrorism. These are challenges that have vexed past presidents, going
as far back as our second president, John Adams. I have no doubt you appreciate
both the gravity of these challenges and the enormous obstacles that exist
to solving them. .....
by TN Raghunatha
Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati on Friday vehemently opposed
the impending visit of United States Commission on International Religious
Freedom (USCIRF) to India, by saying that it was nothing but "an
intrusive mechanism of a foreign Government to interfere in the internal
affairs of this country". .....
by P. Deivamuthu
I attended the Press Conference, held today (12th June 2009) at 3.30 p.m.
at the Shanmukhananda Hall, King Circle, Mumbai, addressed by Kanchi Shankaracharya
Swamiji and the Archbishop of Mumbai, Cardinal Oswald Gracias, subsequent
to the Inter-Religious Dialogue held at the same venue. .....
by The Pioneer
India has said it would talk to Pakistan if it takes "credible steps"
to demonstrate its willingness to fight terror both "within and without".
.....
by The Times of India
Indian students on Thursday alleged that Lebanese youths were behind the
attacks on them here as they took to streets for the third consecutive
night protesting against racial attacks. .....
by The Free Press Journal
For the second day in succes- sion, a witness, a homemaker, broke down
in the court of Judge M L Tahaliyani while testifying against Pakistani
gunman Mohammed Ajmal Kasab. .....
by Pervez Hoodbhoy
First, the bottom line: Pakistan will not break up; there will not be
another military coup; the Taliban will not seize the presidency; Pakistan's
nuclear weapons will not go astray; and the Islamic sharia will not become
the law of the land. That's the good news .....
by G. Parthasarathy
Given the various challenges, with the country virtually bankrupt, and
the constant American pressure to act militarily on its borders with Afghanistan,
Pakistan's leadership will not be able to effect any change in its usual
hackneyed rhetoric on relations with India .....
by Sandhya Jain
In the name of a strange religious diplomacy called inter-faith dialogue,
Swami Jayendra Saraswati, Shankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Matham, will
today meet Cardinal Jean-Louis Pierre Tauran, president of the Vatican's
Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, and other religious leaders,
in Mumbai. .....
by The Telegraph
A 10-year-old girl permanently disabled by the bullets of Mohammed Ajmal
Kasab today went up to the witness box and identified the Pakistani as
the man who went on a killing spree at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus on
26/11. .....
by Kanchan Gupta
The blame-game has begun in the Bharatiya Janata Party. Those who are
directly responsible for the party's disastrous electoral performance
are desperately trying to blame others lest their role comes under scrutiny.
.....
by André Aciman
President Obama's speech to the Islamic world was a groundbreaking event.
Never before has a young, dynamic American president, beloved both by
his countrymen and the nations of the world, extended so timely and eager
a hand to a part of the globe that, recently, had seen fewer and fewer
reasons to trust us or to wish us well. .....
by The Pioneer
CBI on Thursday filed a chargesheet against former CPI-M Kerala secretary
Pinarayi Vijayan and eight others in the graft case relating to awarding
of contracts to a Canadian company for renovating three hydro power projects
in 1998. .....
by Kanwal Sibal
The UPA government can now reasonably look forward to five undisturbed
years of power. Its previous tenure was marred by indecision and confusion
because of policy hurdles erected by the Left as well as the exertions
of a gaggle of undisciplined coalition partners. .....
by G Parthasarathy
The Americans appear overjoyed at what they seem to believe will be an
early end to Taliban control over large tracts of north-west Pakistan
following the ongoing Pakistani military operations in Swat. These military
operations were literally forced on the Army, as fears grew that unless
action was taken, the Taliban would spread their wings to the very heart
of the national capital. .....
by The Pioneer
It is with cynical weariness that the world reads the report about Pentagon
documents having revealed that Pakistan has used American aid meant to
fight terrorism to equip its Army with weapons for war against India.
Pentagon documents accessed by the media have revealed that the Bush Administration
provided Pakistan with billions of dollars worth of weapons with the full
knowledge that they were meant for use against India. .....
by Kallol Bhattacherjee
Temple Trees, the residence of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa,
served as a warehouse during the Dutch and British colonial rule. It has
grandiose halls with elaborate woodwork, exquisite sculptures and priceless
paintings. .....
by The Indian Express
Criticising the ruling Congress-NCP combine for changing school textbooks
which mentioned Maratha warrior Dadoji Konddev as the martial art teacher
of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray
has said that the government bowed to pressure from caste groups. .....
by Indrani Bagchi
The Pakistani trait of diverting arms given to it by the US goes back
to the 1950s when it was a member of Cento (Baghdad Pact), an essentially
Cold War grouping. The field armour it had received from the US then was
used in the 1965 war against India. .....
by Rahul Tripathi
Two days after he was arrested, Lashkare-Taiba (LeT) operative Mohammad
Umer Madani has told the Delhi police that he had raised huge funds from
Saudi Arabian countries over the past 10 years while recruiting young
men for terror activities. The Delhi police special cell has also traced
a bank account, reportedly containing Rs 20 lakh in Nepalese currency,
and credit card issued to him by a bank in Nepal. .....
by Ashok Kumar
In what could become another flashpoint in the racially charged environment
in Australia, Indian students in Sydney plan to hold a rally on Sunday
to protest against continuing attacks on them. However, this time, the
protest faces resistance from within-some community leaders and student
activists have called for restraint, warning against provoking a possible
backlash. .....
by The Times of India
Pakistan has done little to address India's concerns about terrorism emanating
from its soil, but it's becoming clear that the US is nudging India into
resuming the dialogue with Islamabad. US undersecretary of state William
Burns, who is on a three-day visit, on Wednesday discussed with foreign
secretary Shiv Shankar Menon the "importance" of the dialogue.
.....
by Tavleen Singh
The day before President Obama set off to win Muslim hearts and minds
last week, I had an interesting conversation about Islam with a Lebanese
gentleman and his wife. I met them at a discourse by an ex-Buddhist monk
who smiled a lot and talked of happiness. It was when he said that all
religions were the same that trouble began. .....
by Milind Ghatwai
The Madhya Pradesh State Minorities' Commission, a statutory body meant
to protect the rights of minorities, thinks the BJP Government should
declare the cow a "cultural animal". In a separate letter, the
Commission has also written to the President demanding that the animal
be recognised as one of the national symbols. .....
by Christine Toomey
Four layers of curtains prevented Havva from ever seeing out of the window
of the small apartment in an affluent neighbourhood of central Tehran
that she once shared with her husband and young daughter. More importantly,
as far as her husband was concerned, the thick folds of material ensured
nobody could ever see in to catch sight of her - even though their apartment
was on the second floor and overlooked only by a tall willow tree. .....
by Jemima Khan
The day I'm leaving for Pakistan a round-robin e-mail pings into my inbox
from an address I don't recognise, Wise Pakistan. The message reads: "It
is important you watch this to see what's coming." .....
by S Balakrishnan
The intra-gang war in the Dawood Ibrahim group has intensified so much
that one of the faction leaders Chhota Shakeel has fled Pakistan. Apparently,
Shakeel fears for his life. The factions, led by Anees Ibrahim, Dawood's
younger brother, and Shakeel have been at loggerheads for several months
now. .....
by Richard L Benkin
Obama should have spoken up for the Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh
who face terrible atrocities. But he has chosen to remain stunningly silent
on South Asia's 'Hindu Holocaust' .....
by Haindava Keralam
Christian Missionary groups in AP have met Andhra Chief Minister Samuel
Reddy and demanded the removal of TTD Executive officer K. V. Ramanachary
from his post.This is in wake of Hindu revival programs conducted by TTD
which in turned checked the conversion agenda of Christists among poor
and naive. .....
by Newkerala.com
Setting an example for other people, Madhya Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party
MLA Surendra Singh Gaharwar declared to donate his salary in providing
higher education to talented students from downtrodden families by making
a trust. .....
by Rediff.com
One year after Kalavati hit the headlines after Rahul Gandhi highlighted
her plight in the parliament, the frail looking woman wants another endorsement
from the Congress leader so that his promises to her are translated into
action. .....
by The Indian Express
Former Pakistan President General Parvez Musharraf has conceded that his
country's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) maintains link with militant
commanders like Sirajuddin Haqqani, suspected of having masterminded the
attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul. Musharraf said that ISI had "used
Haqqani's influence" to get Pakistan's Ambassador to Afghanistan,
who was kidnapped by Tehrik-e-Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, released.
.....
by B. Raman
Some years ago, when Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the blue-eyed warrior against
terrorism of the then President George Bush, was the President of Pakistan,
its police had arrested an individual on a charge of belonging to Al Qaeda,
a terrorist organisation. When he was produced before an Anti-Terrorism
Court, it asked the Government lawyer to produce a copy of the notification
under which Al Qaeda had been declared a terrorist organisation. .....
by Indrani Bagchi
Chinese incursions into Indian territory peaked in 2008, with 270 "violations"
being recorded in the western, middle and eastern sectors. In 2009, they
appear to have let up a little on the aggression front, with a little
over 60 violations occurring thus far. Chinese violations made headlines
last year, signalling a belligerence that made India jittery. .....
by Radhika Bhirani
Lord Krishna is one of the most popular Hindu gods who is portrayed in
multiple images as the naughty child, divine lover and eternal philosopher.
And television producers and filmmakers are cashing in on his aura to
woo audiences. .....
by P. Raman
A full-scale debate has already begun within the extended parivar with
almost the entire Advani crowd, including the media activists and hangers-on,
working hard to 'reinvent' the BJP without its '19th century baggage.'
The new generation Hindu, they have discovered, has grown enough to bother
about any threat to the community. .....
by TN Raghunatha
The ruling Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) found itself in the dock on
Monday as the Opposition Shiv Sena-BJP alliance mounted pressure on it
for either the resignation (from Lok Sabha) or expulsion (from the NCP)
of its arrested MP Padamsinh Patil and simultaneously clamoured for the
resignation of the party's State Home Minister Jayant Patil for the DF
Government's efforts to "protect" the party's crime-tainted
leader. .....
by Zee News
Mohd Omar Madni, one of the key "talent spotter" of Lashkar-e-Toiba
in the sub continent, visited Bangladesh and Gulf countries several times
and received fund mainly from Pakistan, police said on Sunday. .....
by Sandhya Jain
Lion-hearted Sri Lanka leads by example once again. It was the first nation
in the post-World War II era to elect a woman Prime Minister; then it
became the first nation to spurn ineffective external intermediaries in
a fratricidal war and launch a concerted armed effort to end violent secessionism
once and for all. .....
by Rema Nagarajan
Are fake drugs manufactured in China being pushed into various African
countries with the `Made in India' tag? The Indian government has long
suspected this to be the case, but it now has definite evidence for the
first time. .....
by Arif Mohammed Khan
United States President Barack Obama , in his speech in Cairo on June
4, picked a very appropriate Quranic phrase, 'Be conscious of God and
always speak the truth'. This phrase has been used in Quran twice -- in
Chapter 4 and Chapter 33. .....
by The New Indian Express
In a setback to fugitive underworld Don Dawood Ibrahim, the Bangladesh
police on Sunday arrested one of his key aides here, even as a nationwide
manhunt was underway to nab members of his network following detention
of two major operatives of the gang. .....
by Greg Sheridan
The recent spate of bashings of Indian students in Melbourne is an appalling
episode in this nation's history. It is a serious social, educational,
diplomatic and probably economic crisis that no one is taking seriously
enough. The performance of John Brumby's Victorian Government has been
pathetic. .....
by B R Haran
Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, the Chief of the terrorist organization Jamaat-ud-Dawah,
who was also the mastermind behind the 26/11 Mumbai attack and against
whose involvement the Indian government had given Pakistan incontrovertible
evidences and proofs, was set free by the Lahore High Court last Tuesday,
after nearly six months of house arrest. .....
by Ranjit Roy
It was a nightmarish experience for 50-odd swayamsevaks who were desperate
to reach Hingalganj jeti ghat criss-crossing other inaccessible riverine
villages in the Sunderbans after Ailacyclone battered and ravaged the
Bengal's famous archipelago of islands on May 25. The rivers Kalindi and
Raimangal were turbulent and wind speed was not less than 60km per hour
even 24 hours after the cyclone lashed the Sunderbans. .....
by Ashok Malik
In recent weeks, the random violence against Indians in Australia has
been remarkable not just for what is happening Down Under but also for
how it is being played out up here. The attacks on Indians are, of course,
deeply disquieting. .....
by The Pioneer
Pakistan has used a substantial amount of military aid from the US meant
to fight terrorism to build up its army with modern weapons and equipment
for a conventional warfare against India, Pentagon documents have revealed.
.....
by Free Press Journal
The first cogent plan of Pakistan-based terrorists for carrying out the
next big ticket terrorist attack against India surfaced today with the
arrest of Umer Madni, a pivotal man of Lashkar-e-Toiba and a close aide
of Hafiz Saeed, the Jammat-ud-Dawa chief and one of the main accused in
26/11. .....
by The Times of India
The US does not intend to "meddle" in the Kashmir issue, but
will support any effort by India and Pakistan to reduce their tensions,
a key aide to President Barack Obama says while pressing Islamabad to
take the "first step" to bring to justice the Mumbai attack
masterminds. .....
by MJ Akbar
I am certain about two things. I am a Muslim, and I live in this world.
Now the uncertainties begin. On June 4 you gave what was heavily advertised
as a major speech to the 'Muslim world'. Does that mean that while every
Christian believes in the divinity of Jesus, he can be legitimately and
widely varied in his political interests, but Muslims must have both Allah
and politics in common? .....
by Kanchan Gupta
In the early-1990s when gunbattles between terrorists and security forces
were a commonplace occurrence in Jammu & Kashmir, a British newspaper
ran a bizarre story. If memory serves me right, it was The Independent
which, in a 'special' despatch, probably filed from Pakistan-occupied
Kashmir, reported how Indian Army jawans would drape themselves in white
sheets and descend on remote villages after nightfall. .....
by Shafiq Alam
A Muslim mother has been caned for talking to a Hindu man in Bangladesh,
police said Saturday, prompting fresh concerns about a rise in cases of
harsh treatment of women under strict Islamic law. .....
by Faithfreedom.org
Zartoist (Zarathystra) is the psedonyme of Iranian-American scholar of
Philosophy and Religion and a former believer in Obama's now hollow slogans
of "Hope" and "Change" .....
by Kenyon J. Hull
Early in his speech in Cairo BHO mentioned "centuries of co-existence
and cooperation." When and where? For 1400 years, Islam has waged
jihad against all civilizations including Western Civilization. The history
of Islam from Arabia was followed by the rapid conquest of North Africa
and invasion and conquest of Spain, and a thrust into France that carried
the crescent to the gates of Paris. .....
by The Indian Express
One sure sign that yoga has entered the mainstream of Western society,
or at least the urbane bits of it, is that its practitioners have splintered
into separate and sometimes competitive tribes. In spas, resorts and studios
from Byron Bay, Australia to Big Sur, California, and wherever else one
might expect Priuses on the roads and organic kale on the tables, the
question is less likely to be "Do you do yoga?" than simply
"Ashtanga or Iyengar?" .....
by Shekhar Gupta
This is the week of big anniversaries, two decades of Tiananmen, 25 years
of Operation Bluestar. But staying closer home, it is chastening now to
remember what a tough year 1984 had been for India, arguably the most
challenging in our history since we became a republic. .....
by The Indian Express
The terror suspect arrested here on Thursday night, Mohammed Umer Madani,
50, was reportedly given the task of recruiting youths for the Lashkar-e-Toiba.
"He was specifically asked by his handler to recruit youths from
the metros who are graduates and have expertise in computer technology,"
said Joint Commissioner of Police, Special Cell, P N Aggarwal. .....
by Ananya Sengupta
The 50year-old man arrested near the Qutab Minar yesterday is a key Lashkar-e-Toiba
operative who worked under direct orders from outfit chief Hafiz Mohammad
Saeed, home minister P. Chidambaram confirmed today. .....
by Rahul Tripathi
Interrogation of 50-year-old Mohammad Umer Madani, arrested by the special
cell of the Delhi police on Thursday, has revealed that he, along with
Mohammad Usman -head of the Nepal operations - has recruited more than
30 terrorists from India and Nepal and sent them for training to Pakistan
over the past 10 years. .....
by Ananthakrishnan G
The Catholic Church in Kerala has called on its flock to keep away from
some of the new mass prayer movements that promise miracles. The warning
issued in the form of a pastoral letter also blames these sects of spreading
abhorrence for Hinduism. .....
by Pramod Panwar
Devotion doesn't know recession. Especially in the town of Unjha, about
80 km north of Ahmedabad, known for its jeera and isabgol trade. .....
by Mini Pant Zachariah
In her long journey from Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh to the Gulf of Cambay,
the Narmada traverses 1,312 kilometres dotted with temples. Like the Ganga,
this ancient river has thousands of devotees, many of them from far-off
lands. They are the 'gora babas' or white sadhus who lead the ascetic
life - of meditation, a frugal diet and the occasional chillum. None of
them came to India to become ascetics. So what happened? .....
by Team Mangalorean
A very rare Brahma temple dating back to nearly hundred years was recently
on May 14 renovated and consecrated with the Brahma Kalasha. The temple
is located atop the Kumblegudde or Kallechi Mountain which is in the centre
of Palli nearer to Udupi district. Before the country's independence in
1947, there was a wooden idol of the deity at the spot, which had broken
into pieces due to nature's fury and hence replaced with a stone one.
.....
by The New Indian Express
The Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project was being initiated without any study
done on the potential impact of geological changes on the canal, Janata
Party President Dr Subramanian Swamy said on Thursday. .....
by Jayaraj Sivan
She's the Rameswaram temple's biggest - and most mysterious - benefactor.
Over the last three years, Swiss national Elizabeth Ziegler has been donating
about Rs 4 lakh every year to the Ramanathaswamy temple, and most recently
sent Rs 2.08 crore, but none of the temple officials has ever seen her.
.....
by Newkerala.com
A cameraperson of a Bengali television channel was beaten up severely
allegedly by a group of ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)
activists for capturing footage of a party rally in East Midnapore district
of West Bengal, police said. .....
by Prafull Goradia
One sure way, sociologists recommend, to combat terrorism is to counter
it ideologically. Cannot that best be done through Muslim women? A woman
is a fidayeen, but very rarely. She is pathologically less prone to violence
and more averse to accepting killings. The root of the predisposition
is her enormous stake in procreation compared to that of a man's. .....
by Ramtanu Maitra
On 27 May, terrorists struck viciously in Punjab's most important city,
Lahore, where they targetted the provincial headquarters of Pakistan's
Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), detonating an explosive-laden car,
leaving at least 35 people dead and over 250 wounded. .....
by N.V.Subramanian
Sometimes, it is necessary to comprehend the basics of a situation to
understand subsequent developments, and that is the only way to see through
the game plan of what, for want of a more suitable term, may be called
the Pakistan military-intelligence-Islamic state or PMIIS, which yesterday
orchestrated the release of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa/ Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist
leader, Hafiz Mohammed Sayeed. .....
by Pankaj Jaiswal
Nineteen years ago, when Mataprasad Tiwari took to growing trees around
his two-acre plot of land, neighbours thought he had lost his marbles.
.....
by The Times of India
The Obama administration is "disturbed" by the release of Jamaat-ud-
Dawa chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, who was placed under house arrest nearly
six months ago following the Mumbai attacks, US special representative
Richard Holbrooke said on Wednesday .....
by Ryan Mauro
The battle against the Taliban and their organised crime have become intertwined.
As the Taliban loses support among the Pakistani population, they will
morph into an Islamist mafia .....
by The Pioneer
In freeing Jamaat-ud-Dawa'h chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed and more or less
whitewashing his role in the conspiracy behind the November 26, 2008,
terrorist attack in Mumbai, the Lahore High Court has acted completely
in character. It has also confirmed the widespread apprehension that the
Pakistani state has atrophied beyond repair. .....
by Debabrata Mohanty
A religious leader who participated actively in the protest against the
killing of Laxmanananda Saraswati last year was chased and hacked to death
by unidentified assailants in Puri on Tuesday. .....
by MD Nalapat
Antony was a humble, honest CM in a cabinet where several of his colleagues
were neither. In his second term as Defence Minister, he needs to think
beyond the political needs and compulsions of the UPA to the security
of India. .....
by Mihir Mishra
As the new Union government takes its place in the saddle, the initial
statements of intent by ministers have begun to create ripples. First
up is Shipping Minister G K Vasan, who said upon taking charge that the
United Progressive Alliance government should complete the Sethusamudram
Shipping Channel Project, as it was beneficial to the country and Tamil
Nadu. .....
by Abdul Hameed
Giving a momentum to the demand for 15% reservation to Muslims in Maharashtra
the Minority Council of Maharashtra (MCM) yesterday staged a dharna at
divisional commissioner office in Aurangabad and handed over a memorandum
to the Chief Minister Ashok Chavan through the divisional commissioner.
.....
by The Pioneer
In a setback to the 26/11 probe, banned Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Mohd
Saeed who has been under house arrest for nearly six months for his suspected
role in the Mumbai terror attacks, was on Tuesday set free by the Lahore
High Court which held his detention as illegal. .....
by Janaka Perera
The Joint Committee of Buddhist Organizations has welcomed the common
desire of Christian Churches for an integrated Sri Lankan Nation but notes
that some of their activities in enriching national life are highly questionable.
.....
by Joginder Singh
In the eighth Psalm in the Bible David speaks of the great love and goodness
that god makes known throughout Earth. He talks about the 'truth coming
out of the mouth of infants and nursing Babes'. .....
by Yahoo News
Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani, who was Sunday
elected leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, told his party's MPs that
the election results were 'disappointing' and 'introspection' was on in
the organisation. He, however, asked his party not to 'exaggerate the
scale of the defeat'. .....
by N.S. Rajaram
The LTTE is a Church supported terrorist organization with a fascist ideology.
The recent turmoil and tragedy in Sri Lanka should serve as a warning
to India. Christian officials often serve as imperial agents. .....
by The Telegraph
Seventy years after excavation began at Bangarh, the Archaeological Survey
of India (ASI) claims to have unearthed artefacts that date back to eight
periods of Indian history starting from 500BC. .....
by Edward Hamala
In response to the letter by Roger Williams captioned "The Rig Veda
does refer to caste" (07.07.23) I thought I might share a few points
with your readers. .....
by Krishnakumar P
In the last four years, Naxal violence has cost more civilian lives than
the conflicts in Jammu and Kashmir and the northeastern states, a report
released by the Asian Centre for Human Rights has said. .....
by Sakaaltimes.com
Following opposition from Maratha bodies for the selection of Babasaheb
Purandare, as the chief consultant for Shivaji's memorial, Maharashtra
Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray warned them of dire consequences if
they tried to use abusive language for octogenerian man who sculpted the
legend of the Maratha warrior for Maharashtra. .....
by Kiran Tare
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray on Thursday extended
his support to Babasaheb Purandare as the chief consultant for the proposed
memorial of Chhatrapati Shivaji in the Arabian sea. .....
by The Sunday Times
The Commission on Unethical Conversions has recommended that written approval
from a District Secretary must be made compulsory for the construction
or expansion of places of worship to minimize unethical conversion of
Buddhists to other faiths. .....
by Kanchan Gupta
There was a time when the BJP prided itself as an 'ideological political
party' with clarity of thought. Many of those who are members or supporters
of the party were (and still remain) loyal to the organisation because
its ideology once inspired them. I say many because not all are ideologically
motivated. .....
by The Economic Times
Nine ministers of the Congress-led UPA government have criminal cases
pending against them, including one who faces a serious charge of theft,
as per their Lok Sabha election affidavits. .....
by The Pioneer
The Prime Minister and the Congress were no doubt under tremendous pressure
from the DMK to accommodate in the Cabinet those of its Ministers in the
previous UPA regime who had distinguished themselves by making a mockery
of ministerial probity and violating all rules for reasons that do not
need to be elaborated. .....
