Why Muslims are wrong to accuse Javed Akhtar of defending housing ‘apartheid'
Why Muslims are wrong to accuse Javed Akhtar of defending housing 'apartheid'
Liberal Muslim activists have penned an open letter, accusing the Bollywood screenwriter and lyricist of legitimising discrimination against the minority community. Here's why they are wrong
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India.com
2 hours ago
- India.com
Building Mosques, Occupying Indigenous Peoples Land: Assam CM Sarma On Minorities Vs Satra Row
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday warned minorities especially Muslims to not create a conflict with Satras, indigenous monastic institution, by building mosques or consuming beef near the religious place. He also advised minorities to not try to occupy Satra land and respect the traditions and customs of the indigenous people and not try to create a conflict. "In the context of Assam, if we reach a non-negotiable point between the Satra institutions and the newly arriving people, then naturally, the newcomers should step back. But instead, they have started doing the very things near the Satras that the Satras themselves do not accept. One major element of this is the issue of cow meat, and a major example is the construction of a masjid directly near a Satra. When cow meat is consumed near a Satra, and the sound of Azaan from a masjid overlaps with the Namghar of the Satra, it becomes a non-negotiable point," said the CM. Sarma said that if minorities consume cow meat, but will do so 10 kilometres away, there comes conflict but consensus is possible. He said Assamese people retreat if conflict is created by minorities as they do not know how to fight as they don't want conflict. Minorities should respect the traditions and customs of the indigenous people and not try to create a conflict by building Masjids near Satras and occupying Satra land. Dhubri, Barpeta, etc. are an example of such templates and we should not let this be repeated. — Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) June 10, 2025 Satras are unique monastic institutions in Assam, India, deeply associated with the Ekasarana Dharma (also known as Neo-Vaishnavism), a monotheistic devotional movement started by the 15th-16th century saint-reformer Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardeva. The Satra Aayog formed for reviewing and assessing the problems of the Satra lands in Assam, submitted its final report to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa at a programme held at Lok Sewa Bhawan in Guwahati on Monday. It may be noted that the Aayog formed on November 24, 2021, with MLA Pradip Hazarika as its Chairman and MLAs Mrinal Saikia and Rupak Sarma as its members, visited around 126 satras, examined the existing problems there and submitted the report, giving several recommendations. Chief Minister Sarma also said that satras play an important role in the socio-cultural and spiritual life of the state. Moreover, he said that Srimanta Sankardeva, by introducing neo-Vaishnavism, took a crucial role in setting up the satras to discuss and preach cultural and spiritual values across the state. He said that it would be very difficult for the government to empower all the 922 satras, therefore, appealed to the people of Assam to work collectively to protect the satra lands and help them work for the mission they were established.
The Hindu
4 hours ago
- The Hindu
Pakistan in the grip of a ‘military-terrorist nexus': Prasad
Pakistan was in the grip of a military-terrorist nexus, with generals of the Pakistan armed forces using terrorism as a proxy to maintain their relevance, with Pakistani Field Marshal Asim Munir speaking the language of fascism, said BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad. Addressing a press conference after his return as the head of a multi-party delegation that visited Italy, France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany and Denmark, Mr. Prasad said that the delegation gave a historical context to India's actions concerning Operation Sindoor. 'Pakistan is not only a state in denial, but the military-terrorist nexus has become a deadly combination,' he said. 'When we talked about history, we talked about how Pakistan is in the hands of Generals... The world needs to understand that Pakistan is in the grip of a military-general nexus whose dirty job is done by the terrorists and terrorist camps,' he added. He said that the delegation also spoke about a speech by now Field Marshal Asim Munir ahead of the Pahalgam terror attack, which mentioned how Hindus and Muslims were 'different' and that the creation of Pakistan was on the basis of that difference, and that future generations of that country must be told of it. He added that these were the words of a 'jihadi general' and that 'Asim Munir was speaking the language of fascism', which should ring alarm bells in European capitals. He emphasised that India has never been the aggressor in any conflict. 'We have fought conventional wars (with Pakistan), but we were never the aggressors. We made it clear that we are not against the people of Pakistan,' he said. Mr. Prasad stated that all Indian governments have made genuine attempts to foster good relations with Pakistan. 'Prime Minister Modi called Nawaz Sharif (former Pakistan Prime Minister) for his swearing-in ceremony, went to his grandson's wedding too and then Uri (attack) happened and we gave a befitting reply; then, similarly with Pulwama, and now this (Pahalgam),' he said. The delegation led by Mr. Prasad also included BJP MPs Daggubati Purandeswari, Gulam Ali Khatana, and Samik Bhattacharya, former BJP MP M.J. Akbar, Congress MP Amar Singh, Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Priyanka Chaturvedi, AIADMK MP M. Thambidurai and former diplomat Pankaj Saran. Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7 in response to the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam by Pakistan-sponsored militants that claimed 26 lives and injured several others. Following retaliation from Pakistan, the Indian Armed Forces carried out targeted strikes against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in the deaths of over 100 terrorists linked to groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen.
The Wire
6 hours ago
- The Wire
After Letter From Rajya Sabha, SC Dropped Plan to Probe Allahabad HC Judge's Remarks at VHP Event
Law The Wire Staff Earlier in February, Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar had remarked that only the Parliament has the jurisdiction to address the issue of removing Justice Yadav from the Allahabad high court. Allahabad high court judge Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav at a VHP event. Photo: Special arrangement. Real journalism holds power accountable Since 2015, The Wire has done just that. But we can continue only with your support. Contribute Now New Delhi: While the Supreme Court was preparing to initiate an in-house inquiry into Allahabad high court judge Shekhar Kumar Yadav's controversial remarks at an event organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), it dropped the plan after a categorical letter from the Rajya Sabha secretariat told the apex court that the matter is under its exclusive jurisdiction. Citing people aware of the matter, Hindustan Times reported that the move was halted after a letter from the Rajya Sabha in March underlined that the constitutional mandate for any such proceeding lies solely with the chairman of the Rajya Sabha, and ultimately with Parliament and the President. As a result, the letter stalled the judiciary's plan to initiate an in-house inquiry against Justice Yadav. Prior to this, following an adverse report from the chief justice of Allahabad high court, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna had set the process in motion to assess whether Justice Yadav's conduct warranted scrutiny. The newspaper reached out to the Rajya secretariat for a response on the next course of action but did not get one immediately. Earlier in February, Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar had remarked that only the Parliament has the jurisdiction to address the issue of removing Justice Yadav from the Allahabad high court. 'Honourable members, I am seized of an undated notice for motion received on 13 December 2024, bearing 55 purported signatures of the members of the Rajya Sabha seeking removal from office of Justice Shekhar Yadav of Allahabad High Court under Article 124(4) of the Constitution. The jurisdiction for the stated subject matter constitutionally lies in exclusivity with the Chairman Rajya Sabha and in an eventuality with the Parliament and Honourable President,' Dhankhar had said. Dhankhar's remarks had come after a motion was submitted by 55 Opposition MPs citing Justice Yadav's alleged misconduct. On December 8 last year, while speaking at the event organised by VHP, Justice Yadav, had said that India would function only as per the wishes of the 'majority,' referring to the Hindu community. He even used the controversial term 'kathmulla' to refer to a section of Muslims who engaged in practices such as having four wives and triple talaq, describing them as 'fatal' to the nation. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments. Law 'Matter of Serious Concern': Court on Missing Inquiry File About Security of AugustaWestland Accused View More
