Md Asif Uzzaman Abstract: This article looks at the uses of Pasmanda political discourse during the Indian general elections of 2024 by the two contending sides represented by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) in order to bring out a larger process of invisibilization of the politics based …
Homogenizing Muslims
Brahmanism and Politics of Production of Muslimophobia – II This is the second of a two-part series of examples of the production of Muslimophobia in India and its hegemonic linkages. The first part is here. Bobby Kunhu The people themselves are not a homogeneous cultural collectivity but present numerous and variously combined cultural stratifications which, …
Can the VBA Secure Representation and Challenge Established Political Players?
Ajinkya Sanjay Khandizod Introduction The political landscape in Maharashtra has been characterized by ongoing turmoil, with each passing day bringing new episodes of drama. In the midst of this chaotic environment, the regional party Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) has a chance to find a silver lining. Founded in 2019, just ahead of the General Elections, …
Playing the Savior: Hindutva and Muslim Women’s Rights
Bobby Kunhu “Patriarchy is a kind of shirk (or idolatry)… stemming from the Satanic notion of istikbar (thinking of oneself as better than another)….” – Amina Wadud, Inside the Gender Jihad: Women’s Reform in Islam Muslim communities, like every other theistic or atheistic social system, are hegemonic and patriarchal. But, in a virulently Muslimophobic world, …
Sayed-Ashraaf Outreach To Brahmin-Savarna: Scope And Limitations
Dr. Ayaz Ahmad[1] A group of Sayed-Ashraaf social elites met RSS head Mohan Bhagwat in Nagpur recently. It included former Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Najeeb Jung, former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi, former Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University Lieutenant General (Retd.) Zameer Uddin Shah, Rashtriya Lok Dal national vice-president Shahid Siddiqui and businessman Saeed …
Hands off my rights!
Nourin N K Hands off my rights! Like the damaged headlight Of my neighbour’s rickshaw, At first, My country flickered In deadly saffron, Was it a warning? Are we all dead? No! No! No! I see a living ghost, Hovering over Hopeless future. Gates closed, crowds gathered, But you are still too weak to …
Muslimophobia, Misogyny and Muslimah
Bobby Kunhu “Just as Muslims have the right to argue that the hijab is not religiously mandated, they should also have the right to argue that it is religiously mandated” Shadi Hamid, The Right to Choose to Wear (or not) Hijab If there is one thing uniform about the history of humankind across geographies, it is the …
Indian Ethical Thought And Its Discontents: Shenanigans Of The Great International Shashi Tharoor
Umar Nizarudeen I am also surprised at the praise for this book from a sensible social science scholar like Neera Chandhoke, in another review. Caste-blind scholarship which draws a quick distinction between Hinduism and Hindutva is forcing the Congress of Rahul Gandhi to own Hinduism, as a strategy to bring the Congress back to …
Crossroads of Covid: Time for Theological Transition
Dr Anuradha Bele & Dr Jas Simran Kehal Reading about Mahavir and Buddha with my son in his class VI ICSE history textbook took us back to the 6th century BC. The chapter explained state of affairs that led to rise of a new religious revolution. The causes enumerated in the textbook forced me …