The contradictory statements from the Telangana chief minister’s office and the TRS leaders over the demolition of two mosques and a temple within the premises of old secretariat complex have landed CM KCR in an embarrassing position. Especially with regard to the demolition of mosques, there was a strong protest from the Muslim groups, which […]
Tag: Muslims
Is ‘Tablighi Jamaat’ A Variant Of Islam?
Until the most recent political controversy in India over Tablighi Jamaat, a transnational Islamic revivalist movement, the organisation had existed in obscurity, far from the political imagination of the nation-state. It was in March this year that the spotlight fell on Tabligh after reports on its role in the spread of the novel coronavirus surfaced […]
How Islamophobia Is Hurting India’s Battle Against Coronavirus?
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) relentless campaign against India’s 140 million Muslims, and a lack of transparency on the part of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-run Delhi government, is compromising India’s attempts at containing the novel coronavirus, members of the community say. On Friday, 3 April, surveyors from Delhi’s health department were chased out […]
Tableeghi Jamaat Attendees ‘Fear Ostracisation’ As Thousands Quarantined Across South India
Over two days on March 30 and 31st, state police, intelligence officers and the health departments of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu raced to trace and quarantine thousands of people who attended a religious meeting in Delhi’s Nizamuddin neighbourhood, after a number of cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, […]
Why Hyderabadis’ Are Struggling To Perform ‘Last Rites’ To ‘Corona Dead’?
In a sad and shocking case, health workers in Hyderabad performed the funeral of a 74-year-old Khaja Hameeduddin, who became the first person in Telangana to die of the deadly coronavirus. Soon after his death, blood samples were collected. He was tested positive with COVID-19 and his grieving family has been under quarantine at their […]
The ‘Burden Of Identity’ During An Unforgettable ‘Cab Ride’ With Bigotry
I have never stepped out worrying about my safety due to my religious identity, but now I have become extra careful. Various well-wishers have also instructed me to be extra vigilant. Like every other girl, I have always been alert while stepping out at night, but a feeling of unease now bothers me each time […]
How ‘Practicing Religion’ On ‘Public Places’ Can Violate The Law?
In India, both the freedom to practice religion and the right against noise pollution are protected by the Constitution, and no Indian citizen are allowed to violate this law. While traveling to my hometown in July, I got stuck in a massive traffic jam caused by kanwariya — the devotees of the god Shiva. Not […]
Hyderabad’s ‘Salafi-Barelwi’ Tussle Needs To Be Contained Before It Turns Into Conflict
The rift between two Muslim groups in the city – the Jamiat-e-Ahl-e-Hadith (AH) and the Ahl-e-Sunnat ul Jamaat (ASJ) – has come out in the open. A series of incidents in a little over two years has ensured this. The latest was the tussle between adherents the AH, popularly known as Salafis, described as hardline […]
BJP MLA Raja Singh Announced ‘Hindu Vigilante Army’ To Combat With ‘Anti Nationals’ In Hyderabad
In a dramatic mood, Goshamahal Constituency BJP MLA Raja Singh from Hyderabad has announced the creation of a vigilante army to ‘deal with’ traitors and ‘send them to hell’. In two videos released, the always-controversial, often-bigoted legislator proudly claimed that he is currently holding a conference discussing the formation of this vigilante army. Raja Singh […]
#Opinion: What Hindus To Learn From Muslims In India?
Hindus must view electoral politics, not through the prism of political partisanship but our shared identity. #IndiaWants to see the future India as a secular, democratic and open country. In the famous V for Vendetta comic, which eventually was made into a movie, Alex Moore made a profound statement: “People shouldn’t be afraid of their […]