Pardeep Attri On Tuesday (18 June 2019), when Asaduddin Owaisi, member of parliament from Hyderabad and president of AIMIM, approached to take oath in parliament slogans of ‘Jai Sri Ram’, ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ and ‘Vande Mataram’ were shouted by sitting BJP MPs, creating nuisance and intimidation. Such provoking and intimidation of a leader …
Elitism among Indian Muslims: Caste, Power, Privilege and Inequality
Abid Faheem Abstract – Though the philosophy of caste hierarchy is quite contradictory to the basic beliefs of Islam which explicitly emphasizes equality and universal brotherhood, caste hierarchy exists among Muslims in India that can be divided into three broad category; the Ashraf (upper class), the Ajlaf (clean occupational caste), and the Arzal (unclean occupational caste …
General Elections 2019: A Short Comment on Muslim Representation
Khalid Anis Ansari In most academic and journalistic representations of the Muslim-minority space there is a persistent emphasis on the underrepresentation of Muslim legislators in various legislative bodies. The population proportion of Muslims has increased from the immediate post-partition phase of 10.4% to 14.2% in the 2011 Census. However, in the Lok Sabha Muslim representation …
Pasmanda Community Asserts: Demands Lok Sabha Ticket for Ali Anwar from Madhubani
Abhijit Anand A wave of simmering anger can be felt among the Pasmanda community members. This anger is more prominently visible in Bihar where the social justice parties have completely ignored the community in Lok Sabha ticket distribution. A change.org petition started on 23rd March by sociologist Khalid Anis Ansari was being shared enthusiastically …
10% EWS and the Educational Rights of Pasmanda and Bahujan Children
Naaz Khair Anu Ramdas: What is Right To Education (RTE) for the Bahujan and Pasmanda people? Naaz Khair: The Constitution of India that came into force in 1950 mandated the State to provide free and compulsory education to all children aged six to fourteen years. However, the provision was made in the form of …
Castes among Indian Muslims
Dr. Basharat Ahmed (Translation of Dr Ahmed’s Marathi article published in Loksatta) I have received many responses via email from readers of my article ‘Dharmiya Aarakshanache A (Vastav)’ (Reality of Religion based Reservations) published in Loksatta on 31st October 2013. Some of those while asking questions on certain aspects have also expressed the desire that …
An excerpt from Impact of ‘Cow Politics’ on Muslim Community: A case study of Ghosi community of North India
Mohammad Imran Abstract: The Ghosi community, traditionally associated with milking and herding, today faces unexpected challenges and is struggling to maintain its traditional occupation and livelihood. Earlier, mounting inflation and the increased cost of fodder and cattle maintenance were the issues troubling the community, but the recent socio-political context of ‘Gau Raksha’ (Cow Vigilantism) …
‘The pain is ours, the leadership should be ours’: Rahul Sonpimple on battle against right wing
Rahul Sonpimple (This is the text of his speech on the theme ‘Undoing the Dominant Narrative’ delivered at the SIO national conference on February 23rd, 2018. It was transcribed by Sumeet Samos) Jai Bhim to all the participants, friends, elders, women and student representatives on behalf of my organization BAPSA. Tonight, I speak here not …
Dilip Kumar: A Baghbaan of Pasmanda Movement
Abhijit Anand Bollywood and Society We love, eat and pray Bollywood. Celebrities are celebrated beyond boundaries. Bollywood actors and actresses capture huge space of mind and they influence us the audience beyond the space confined by the cinema-hall walls. We carry stars in our lives and at times live stars’ reel lives in our …