Tufail Ahmad
Propaganda against Muslims has gained legitimacy under BJP
The fact of the matter is that Hindus are recipients of the biggest appeasement. The BJP talks about minority appeasement because it helps the party build a robust Hindu vote bank.
Indian Muslimness holds, but important lessons must be learned from battle for soul of Islam in Indonesia
Halal fridges, halal jilbabs and halal hijabs have entered consumerist culture in Indonesia.
Tavleen Singh dubbing MeToo in India 'imitative of West' exposes her disconnect; realities for women are same worldwide
#MeToo is hugely relevant because 55 percent of nearly 1.3 billion Indians are under 25 years of age. This movement is relevant more to them than to us and our ancestors
Democracy In India Part 16: RSS, other Hindutva groups speak of a pluralism unlike one espoused by democracies
If RSS truly represents this pluralistic view of India, BJP’s exclusion of Muslims is a political phenomenon that will need explaining and countering by RSS itself.
10 years on from LeT's 26/11 attacks on Mumbai, JeM writings call for further seaborne attacks on India
A decade ago, 10 jihadi fighters from Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), arriving by sea from Pakistan's port city of Karachi, landed on the coast of Mumbai and carried out coordinated terror attacks at multiple locations
Punjab's proposed amendment to blasphemy law Section 295 AA: Amarinder's move arms religious fanatics against free speech
The Punjab government's proposed decision to amend Section 295 AA, a law which makes acts of sacrilege against the holy books — Guru Granth Sahib, Gita, Quran, Bible — of major religions punishable with life imprisonment, is expected to cause quite an uproar as the bill will be tabled in Punjab assembly on Tuesday.
Democracy In India Part 15: Merit, not birth gets precedence as aura of elitism recedes from Indian military
Freed from the control of British officers after Independence, the army wanted to self-Indianise, while people too established a bond with the army.
Democracy In India Part 14: Marathi literature vibrant but its Muslim writers shying away from challenging religious orthodoxy
Maharashtra is an intellectually alive state with a vibrant literary tradition. Therefore, I decided to examine the influence of democracy on Marathi literature and its political impact.
Democracy in India Part 13: Girls' empowerment begins right inside homes in Pune district's Shirur taluka
The international women's day which began from America in 1909 reached this year directly into the homes of 14 villages in Shirur in a substantive and politically meaningful way.
Democracy in India Part 12: Gujarat's Muslims face social exclusion, lead ghettoised lives, but remain positive about future
If an entire class of voters, in this case the Muslims of Gujarat, stops expecting anything from an elected government, it rings alarm bells for the health of democracy in India
Democracy In India Part 11: BJP systematically excluding Muslims, marginalised groups from poll process
In Gujarat — and increasingly outside the state — BJP has been implementing a policy of systematic exclusion of Muslims from the nation's political life.
Democracy In India Part 10: Scourge of casteism in slow retreat as more and more youth marry for love
There are two contrary trends in Indian democracy: While caste remains alive in politics and society, it is also giving way to more democratisation in some regions, most notably in Gujarat.
Democracy In India Part 9: Narendra Modi, Arvind Kejriwal's ascent shows Republic is truly becoming 'of people'
The election of Narendra Modi as prime minister and Arvind Kejriwal as Delhi chief minister, both voted in by masses, shows that true democracy is taking root in our society.
Democracy In India Part 8: Strong democratic process engendering surplus of free speech, empowering communities
In Indian democracy, free speech is empowering communities as well as individuals, a fact that can be gleaned from recent Dalit protests or Jat upheaval.
Democracy In India Part 7: Country's polity vastly unaccountable to citizens despite relative success of democratic process
Recent farmer protests show that those making policies do not represent them, or those ruling democracy are far removed from the masses and their issues.
Democracy In India Part 6: Despite caste and religious divisions, our democratic journey reflects silent revolution
Past 70 years of Indian democracy saw a gradual erosion of caste, spread of women's education, independence of judiciary and EC, among others achievements.
Democracy In India Part 5: Cities are drivers of democratic change, secure rights and liberties of individuals
Cities are drivers of economic growth and social progress. In democracies, cities engender exponential awareness of democratic rights.
Democracy In India Part 4: Rule of law routinely trampled upon by politicians in power, who act like 'new kings'
In the Indian democracy, politicians in power are the new 'kings' as the principle of rule of law is routinely trampled upon by our rulers.
Democracy In India Part 3: Caste and politics continue to collide, sometimes violently, in a cyclical struggle for power
With the Indian democracy emerging as a dominant player, some social and political changes have been seen. But caste and politics continue to collide.
Democracy In India Part 2: Use of religion by ruling parties overwhelms secular character of Indian State
The Indian State, guided by the Constitution, does aspire to be secular. But in practice, religion has deeply penetrated its apparatus and democracy.