One can understand why self-appointed despots might move early and hard, even semi-democratic despots of the Russian or Iranian variety, against a small, peaceable protest in a public place. They fear for their legitimacy. They distrust the populace. They’ve seen the spontaneous multiplier effect of social media. But why would a duly elected leader such as Turkey’s Tayyip Erdogan resort to provocative brutality so gratuitously?...

If terrorist-hunters often seem unable to cross the threshold into true sympathy for their enemies, the Jihadis themselves are often equally unsatisfying witnesses to their own experience. Those who choose to tell their stories have usually turned away from jihad and have often done so with a violence equal to that of their original conversion.....

While the communal forces are out to proactively browbeat the religious minorities, the secular formations do not have the spine to ensure justice and equity. Its’ here, that the social activism which has prominently come up during last two decades in particular, needs to be strengthened. The activist groups have taken up these issues seriously and the initiatives by social activists is a major landmark in this direction. One wonders, why are the left parties....

So, extremists become extremists because of drone strikes. Their violence is their revenge against the state, government and the people of Pakistan who supposedly allow these strikes to take place. But, it’s back to the same question: If US drone strikes create extremists, what do extremist strikes create? Also, if drone strikes are creating violent religious extremism, what are extremist attacks creating?....

“We are concerned the Blueprint is illegal because it clearly contravenes provisions under the constitution and its implementation will threaten the national integration that is the aspiration of every Malaysian,” said the statement....

“The Holy Fire ceremony is one of the most important religious occasions in the life of Orthodox Christians. The ceremony takes place on the eve of the Orthodox celebration of Easter when a lamp in the tomb of Jesus at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is kindled. The flame is immediately passed by candles to thousands of worshippers. At this time an olive lamp is also lit and quickly transferred to the West Bank town of Bethlehem....

Their crime? They were feminists, communists, socialists, students, Kurds, Baha'is, Ahwazi Arabs, Azeris and Baloch; all arrested for distributing leaflets and organising protests against the Mullahs who had stolen the 1979 revolution against the autocratic monarchy of The Shah....

They look around for a father figure to adopt them and issue the orders they are accustomed to receiving – even if grudgingly. After such a failed patriarch leaves, together with his ruling family, they leave in their wake a burdensome legacy and dilapidated system with many citizens yearning for authoritarianism and looking around to hand these paternal powers to a new custodian....

Pakistan and India, the unstoppable force and the immovable object: Will they ever find peace and put us all out of our misery? The mutual prisoner-killing, the assault on diplomats, the endless war drums, all of it begs the question, when does it end? Left on its own, not anytime soon. But as just half the problem, we might only resolve to extend a hand and hope to grasp theirs. The alternative, history proves, has been to lose out; lately, more than they do....

Dialogue is not the sign of the weak, but of the strong. It is only strong, secure governments that never hesitate to talk and create opportunities for a dialogue. Snide remarks and media wars cannot become a substitute for direct and sound diplomacy...

...“we will not hesitate to crush with an iron fist those who attack us… Their fate is surrender or death.” The Egyptian army rattles its swords (American-made). The army remains supreme in Algeria (with full support from us). The Revolutionary Guard Corps will continue to run Iran for the ayatollahs. Are the men in khaki coming back?...

In one incident, while at a metro station I had asked a person standing next to me: “Which line goes to Rajiv Chowk?” Ironically, I was standing right underneath a route-map, which happened to be in Hindi. Rather well dressed and holding a laptop, I hardly looked like the stereotypical unlettered person. The man I spoke to was perhaps in a bad mood. Pointing towards the map, he shouted, “Why don’t you read for yourself?” “I am from Pakistan, can’t read Hindi”, I replied in Urdu. At which he apologised immediately, shook my hand and politely guided me....

DUBAI’S rich will soon have yet another way to flaunt their wealth, when the Burj al-Arab hotel starts selling its guests custom-made 24-carat gold iPads. The Middle East’s big spenders still do much of their shopping on foreign jaunts, as they have done since the oil money started flowing in the 1970s, but now they also have plenty of places back home to splash their cash....

Sensing the national mood, the party knows that the image of Modi the developer pales beside the glowing image of Modi the apostle of Hindutva. He didn’t create the mood but he rides it. The more he does so, the greater the danger of India being plunged one day in another holocaust such as Germany suffered. Publicity is oxygen for others besides terrorists....

That has now happened. That is what Snowden has exposed, with official, secret documents. The NSA, FBI and CIA have, with the new digital technology, surveillance powers over our own citizens that the Stasi – the secret police in the former "democratic republic" of East Germany – could scarcely have dreamed of. Snowden reveals that the so-called intelligence community has become the United Stasi of America....

Both the BJP and the RSS are taking many risks in anointing Mr Modi; the procedure is irrelevant. Both are wedded to the concept of strict party discipline in which the organisation is superior to a person. By espousing Mr Modi, they are suggesting that in view of two frustrating attempts at securing power at the Centre after a singular six-year reign, they are willing to take the risk of blessing a person who considers himself superior to any organisation....

The solution is simple: Men who rape and sexually abuse women in the military should be quickly prosecuted and put away for a long time. No ifs, ands or buts. It doesn't matter whether you're an officer, a flying ace or a Seal Team Six hero; you sexually assault a woman in uniform you go to jail....

"Others support the presence of faith schools in the state sector and believe they are an important feature of diverse provision. But all are united in their opposition to faith-based admissions policies, which we collectively believe are discriminatory and divisive, in terms of religion, ethnicity and socio-economic background."...

Formed as the militant wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir (JeI-JK) at the behest of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan's external intelligence agency, to counter the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) which had advocated complete independence of the State, the HM is presently led by Yusuf Shah, who is based in Muzaffarabad in PoK. The HM's ideological base arises from the JeI-JK, which adheres to the Deobandi school of thought. Unsurprisingly, the JeI-JK generates a significant proportion of HM's funding, in addition to direct aid from the ISI...

Convinced of their growing military capability, thanks to India, the terrorists felt that they could overwhelm government forces in the Jaffna peninsula. Having torpedoed the Thimpu talks, TULF representatives as well as those members of various terrorist groups returned to India. Those Indians running the Sri Lankan project believed they could still control the growing terrorist movement. Although the TULF remained faithful to its Indian handlers...

Ram Avtar told TEHELKA that the villagers had even begun making preparations to kill Muslims. “The intelligent people of the village did not agree with this, but many illiterate people said this politician is good. We are Hindus; he is saying the right thing. So, the villagers started making preparations to kill Muslims.”...

The most recent case of Varun Gandhi, no blood relation of the great Mahatma, but great grandson of another die hard messiah of communal peace Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru, is very disturbing for many a reasons. Varun Gandhi indulged in Hate speech in the public meeting, in 2009. While speaking in Pilibhit he talked of cutting the hands of others, and many such abominable things....

I understand the racial profiling abroad; I feel it’s unfair but I do understand it. We are brown and they don’t like us; this is something we just have to deal with. But, somehow you tend to expect just a little more when you are in your own country. Sadly, even this can’t be found here....

The mutual relations of the trio of the army, the Muslim League (N) and Tehreek e Insaf will decide the fate of the new governments and the media will play an important role in it. Taliban and communal groups have no identity other than terrorism. Hence it is not possible for them to present any other identity other than terrorism in the affected areas as the extremists have other businesses like kidnapping for ransom and drugs etc too. In such a situation any political party which has its national presence will never like to be identified with these anti social elements. And the terrorists who are an isolated lot will like to maintain their identity of isolation. This is how the situation will maintain its status quo and on the whole the law and order situation will continue to be critical......

This tribute to Asghar Ali Engineer argues that apart from his contributions to secularism, human rights work and reform within Muslim communities, his abiding legacy would be towards establishing an emancipatory form of intellectual politics which remained analytically open but grounded on politically committed arguments....