
People of Tamil Nadu will defeat Sangh Parivar politics, says VCK chief Thirumavalavan
MADURAI: People of Tamil Nadu will defeat the politics of religion which is practised by Sangh Parivar in northern states, VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan said. Speaking after taking part in a human chain protest organised by the Madurai Federation for Religious Harmony on Thursday to oppose the Murugan Maanadu,
Thirumavalvan said through the protest, people of TN are conveying to the world that they are against religious politics.
'In northern states Sangh Parivar used religious politics to divide people. They are testing the same in Tamil Nadu. Since 1992, after the Babri Masjid issue, Sangh Parivar has been trying to rake up a controversy in Thiruparankundram and spread hatred against Muslims,' he said.
'BJP leaders like H Raja have made statements that they will convert Tamil Nadu into Ayodhya. But people of Tamil Nadu will never allow it, ' Thiruma said.
He added 'Now they are making another attempt to woo Mukulathur community by organising the Murugan Maanadu. They will not succeed. We are not against the programme but are worried it will be used by Sangh outfits to unleash violence and destroy brotherhood among people.'
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NDTV
36 minutes ago
- NDTV
How Did The Muslim World Go So Wrong?
You often run into people who look down upon the Muslim world, pointing at the chaos, armed terror groups, militia rule and dictatorship to conclude that there is something fundamentally wrong with Muslims and their religion. Others take the opposite view, arguing that the Muslim world's present-day turmoil owes much to the West's repeated interventions and historical injustices. Both arguments offer partial truths, but they miss the broader reality: much of the Muslim world, especially in West Asia, lies in ruins. The causes are complex and layered, but the evidence is undeniable. From the shattered boulevards of Tripoli to the bombed-out alleys of Aleppo, from Baghdad's sectarian heartlands to Gaza's crumbled skyline, a common image emerges - of nations torn apart, societies hollowed and futures stolen. This devastation is neither natural nor inevitable. It is the cumulative result of decades of war, opportunistic foreign interventions, proxy conflicts, repressive regimes and colonial legacies. And in all of this, ordinary people, displaced, disillusioned and discarded, are the ones who suffer the most. Aftershocks Of Empire This is not about defending despots or absolving extremists. It is a plea for consistency, justice and memory. It is a call to understand how historical interference, political hypocrisy and selective moral outrage have turned one of the world's richest cultural regions into a perpetual battleground. The story of the Muslim world's chaos is not just about religion or governance. It is about the aftershocks of empire, the exploitation of oil and ideology, and a world order that has failed millions. In the 1920s, Winston Churchill famously quipped that he was not in favour of allowing 'the Arab tribes' to control their own affairs in Palestine. This imperial disdain wasn't just personal opinion; it was policy. Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Britain and France carved up West Asia through the Sykes-Picot Agreement, drawing arbitrary borders and installing loyalist rulers. These new 'nation-states' were not crafted with local realities in mind but were designed to serve European interests - strategic positioning, oil pipelines and control of trade routes. This era of manufactured states and manipulated societies set the stage for future instability. Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, each is a product of imperial drawing boards rather than organic nation-building. As regimes collapsed and identities clashed, these fissures widened. The West may have formally exited the region in the mid-20th century, but its legacy never left. Instead, West Asia continued to be haunted by postcolonial trauma, Cold War alignments and economic dependency. Sea Of Ruin Take Libya. Muammar Gaddafi ruled it for over four decades with an iron grip. He was a tyrant, but he also provided free education, healthcare and relative stability. NATO's intervention in 2011, under the guise of humanitarian protection, toppled him but offered no plan for what came next. Libya descended into chaos, with rival militias carving up the country. Weapons looted from Libyan arsenals flooded Mali and Syria, fueling other wars. Gaddafi's fall wasn't the birth of democracy; it was the opening act of a long, bloody disintegration. Iraq offers an even starker example. The 2003 US-led invasion, based on false claims of weapons of mass destruction, dismantled not only Saddam Hussein's regime but also the entire Ba'athist (party) state structure. The de-Ba'athification programme purged thousands of civil servants and military officers, creating a vacuum that was quickly filled by sectarian militias and, eventually, the dreaded and bloodthirsty Islamic State. Iraq went from dictatorship to a failed democracy haunted by car bombs and assassinations. Once a cradle of civilisation, it now struggles to keep the lights on. Syria, too, became a battlefield of global ambition. What began as peaceful protests in 2011 soon morphed into a full-scale civil war, drawing in Russia, the United States, Iran, Turkey, Israel and countless non-state actors. While Assad's brutality is undeniable, so too is the damage inflicted by competing foreign agendas. More than half of Syria's population has been displaced. Cities like Aleppo and Raqqa have become modern ruins. Afghanistan was a theatre of invasion and war, resulting in total collapse of the existing system. First it was the Communist USSR that invaded the country in the late '70s. It was ultimately ousted with the American money, muscle and machine guns after a decade of misrule. Then, the US-led allied forces invaded it in 2001, claiming to install stability and democracy. The experiment failed miserably. The ousted Taliban made a dramatic comeback in 2021, with Western forces making an inglorious retreat. They have left the local population, women and children, at the mercy of the extremist Taliban. Iran's Turn Now? And now it is Iran, dangerously poised to be on the road to ruin. It has been subjected to cycles of isolation, sanctions sabotage, and now, open threats of regime change. Its current hardline government owes its survival not just to repression but also to an embattled nationalism born from decades of foreign pressure. From the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)-backed 1953 coup that ousted Prime Minister Mossadegh to present-day nuclear tensions, Iran's story is as much of external meddling as of internal strife. Meanwhile, regimes like those in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar continue to enjoy Western patronage. These nations are no less autocratic, no more democratic. Yet, their wealth and alignment with Western strategic interests insulate them from criticism. Human rights violations, censorship and state-sponsored religious extremism are quietly tolerated. The West does not oppose dictatorship, it opposes defiant dictators. This selective morality has real consequences. When Western powers punish some regimes while shielding others, they lose credibility. Worse, they stoke cynicism and anger across the Muslim world. Young people see the hypocrisy. They see the bombs dropped in the name of freedom and the silence that follows when friendly monarchs crush dissent. In that silence, extremist narratives take root; terror groups do not emerge from cultural voids, they are born in environments of injustice, humiliation and betrayal. Even Sudan, often omitted from this conversation, has a familiar story. Its colonial past, where the British pitted ethnic groups against each other, laid the groundwork for later divisions. Post-independence governments, often backed or sanctioned by foreign powers, struggled to hold a fractured society together. The current infighting isn't just a power struggle, it is the delayed detonation of a colonial time bomb, exacerbated by modern meddling from Gulf rivals, the West, and even Russia. Gift Of Nostalgia Amid all this, it is the ordinary people who pay the highest price. Families displaced across generations. Children growing up without schools or safe drinking water. Doctors operating by flashlight in makeshift clinics. Artists silenced. Intellectuals exiled. Hope becomes a rare commodity. In Gaza, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, to name just a few, the future has become just a concept. In such an environment, the past - even a past ruled by dictators - can seem strangely preferable. Say what you will about Saddam or Gaddafi, many in their countries recall the order, security and predictability of life under their rule. That nostalgia isn't about love for tyranny but about despair at what followed. What the Muslim world needs isn't more interventions, more bombs, or more regime-change fantasies. It needs principled action from the global community. It needs investment in peacebuilding, infrastructure and local civil society. It needs space to breathe, heal and rebuild. The West Learns No Lessons This is not an ode to the past. It's a warning. If history continues to repeat itself, it won't just be West Asia that suffers. Instability radiates. Refugees flee. Radical ideologies spread. And global trust erodes. The price of selective intervention is paid not just in Baghdad or Tripoli, but in Paris, London and New York, too - mostly in boats full of refugees and immigrants. It's time to move beyond the tired binaries: West vs. East, Islam vs. modernity, stability vs. chaos. The real battle is between integrity and hypocrisy, between memory and amnesia. Only when Western powers hold themselves to the same standards they demand of others can we begin to imagine a different future for the Muslim world. Let that future be written not in the language of conquest or control but in the vernacular of justice, sovereignty and dignity - and hope for a better future for the Muslim world. Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author


Scroll.in
an hour ago
- Scroll.in
Sambhal violence case: Chargesheet filed against SP MP Zia Ur Rehman Barq, 22 others
The Uttar Pradesh Police have filed a chargesheet against Samajwadi Party MP Zia Ur Rehman Barq and 22 others in a case relating to the violence that erupted in Sambhal district in November, The Indian Express reported on Friday. Barq has been accused of inciting the crowd by giving allegedly provocative speeches, said a statement issued by the police in Sambhal on Wednesday. The statement said that 'some anti-social elements, criminals and certain political people to claim political relevance incited violence at the Shahi Jama Masjid' on November 24. The police claimed that they had found that allegedly inflammatory speeches and incitement to violence led to the clashes, which resulted in arson, the throwing of stones and damage to public and private property, The Indian Express reported. 'We have sent 92 people into judicial custody and are collecting evidence,' the newspaper quoted the statement as having said. 'The investigation is still ongoing, and soon, others involved will be arrested.' On November 24, violence broke out in Sambhal after a group of Muslims objected to a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid in Chandausi town. A trial court had ordered the survey in a suit claiming that the mosque had been built in 1526 by Mughal ruler Babar on the site of the 'centuries-old Shri Hari Har Temple dedicated to Lord Kalki'. Five persons were killed in the violence during the survey. The police said that the chargesheet was submitted in the special MP/MLA court of the civil judge (senior division) at the Sambhal district and sessions court in Chandausi in connection with a first information report filed at the Kotwali Sambhal police station, the newspaper reported. The Uttar Pradesh Police had accused Barq of inciting a mob for political gain which led to violent clashes. They alleged in an FIR that Barq visited the Shahi Jama Masjid days before the incident without permission, offered prayers and delivered provocative speeches. Twelve FIRs were filed after the violence and a Special Investigation Team was formed to look into the matter. Barq has denied the allegations, stating he was in Bengaluru at the time of the clashes. 'I was not even in the state, let alone Sambhal,' he had said after the violence. 'This is a conspiracy by the police and administration.' He had earlier criticised the court-ordered survey, stating that the mosque is a historic site. 'The Supreme Court had ruled that religious places as they existed in 1947 must remain unchanged as per the Places of Worship Act, 1991,' he said. On March 25, the Sambhal Police had served a notice to Barq over his alleged involvement in the matter. In April, the Samajwadi Party MP was questioned for about four hours by the SIT. On Thursday, Superintendent of Police Krishan Kumar Vishnoi confirmed that Barq had been charged in the case, The Hindu reported. 'The charge sheet details that late-night conversations took place between Barq and Zafar Ali, the president of Shahi Jama Masjid,' the newspaper quoted him as having said. 'They were responsible for gathering the crowd on November 22, two days prior to the widespread violence.' The chargesheet was based on 'extensive evidence' gathered during the investigation, he added. On January 3, the Allahabad High Court had stayed Barq's arrest but declined to quash the FIR filed against him and others at Kotwali police station. The court ruled that the investigation would proceed and ordered Barq to cooperate with authorities.


Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
Reservation for minorities under housing schemes hiked to 15%
Bengaluru: The Karnataka cabinet on Thursday decided to enhance the reservation for minorities under various housing schemes in the state from 10 to 15 per cent. According to the government, this enhanced quota will benefit all minorities including Muslims, Christians, and Jains. The move follows a recent government initiative to introduce a 4 per cent reservation for Muslims in public contracts, which has come under criticism from opposition BJP. The saffron party has accused the Congress dispensation of 'undermining' the Constitution through religion-based reservations. Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar defended the decision, saying its primary objective is to help poorer sections of the society. Speaking to reporters after the cabinet meeting, state Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said, 'Under various housing schemes being implemented by the Housing Department across the state, in both urban and rural areas, it has been decided to enhance the reservation for minorities from 10 per cent to 15 per cent.' 'The decision was taken-- as the central government observing the inadequate housing among them (minorities) has given certain instructions, and the state government too has observed the high number of homeless among minorities in the state,' he said. Responding to a question about scientific basis for the increased reservation, the Minister said there are reports on the total number of homeless among SC/STs, general category, and others. 'On all that count, we have increased the percentage of reservation (for minorities),' he added. Asked if similar enhancements will be extended to all communities, based on population, Patil said it will be given wherever the number of homeless is high. 'There were also certain instructions from the Centre while allocating certain housing schemes to states, certain instructions are being given by the Centre based on the Sachar Committee report, keeping all this and social justice in mind, this decision has been taken,' he said, adding that this move does not require any amendments to rules and law. Noting that there has been a demand for such an enhancement in quota for housing, especially in urban areas, Patil said hence this decision has been taken unanimously by the cabinet. To a query if this decision will lead to a perception that it is aimed at benefiting Muslims, as other minorities are not in big numbers across the state, he said, 'we cannot respond to those building perceptions and those trying to politicise providing houses for the poor. I can only say that the government's intention is to provide social justice and more benefits to the communities where the homeless are high in is only for housing.' The Minister clarified that this reservation is not applicable to specified housing schemes for SC/STs and others. Criticising the decision, Karnataka BJP alleged that the Congress government is always ready to 'dishonour the Constitution'. 'Although the Constitution clearly states that reservations should not be given on the basis of religion, the Congress government in Karnataka is repeatedly violating it. Providing 15 per cent reservation separately for Muslims under the housing schemes is completely unconstitutional. The Congress, which has been reprimanded by the court for giving reservation to Muslims in contracts, will also be reprimanded in this matter,' it said in a post on 'X'. Defending the cabinet decision, Shivakumar told media that many houses built under housing schemes are vacant. As the minority population is more in urban areas compared to other parts, opportunity is being given to them to utilise. 'Urban areas have a higher population of minorities and their quota under various housing schemes was 10 per cent. Many houses were empty and not occupied, some percentage money has to be paid for these houses,' he said. Noting that the central government's funds for some of these schemes are less, he said, 'So, we (state government) have contributed to the remaining part and built these houses. As in many places the buildings (houses) built are not occupied, as the minority population is more in some areas, to give them an opportunity to utilise (the houses), the quota has been enhanced from 10 to 15 per cent,' he said. Rejecting BJP's allegations, the Deputy CM said, 'Let anyone say anything, we want to help poorer sections, when there are no applicants (for houses) what can you do? Can I keep the buildings vacant? We can't do that.'