Until recently, the Christians and other non-Islamic religious groups and sects were indeed a silent minority of Pakistan, and they existed as people who were stereotyped and taken for granted by the mainstream majority, not to mention, belittled and ridiculed at every opportunity. It is a welcome s

The recently concluded Municipal bodies elections in West Bengal seems to have brought firebrand Mamata Banerjee, whose Trinamool Congress is the second largest group in India's ruling UPA alliance and is also Union Railway Minister, one step more closer to the chair of the Chief Minister of West Be

The first verdict of the Bhopal gas tragedy after 25-years of wait on June 7 came as a rude shock to its victims and all other law abiding citizens across the glob. It is a wake up call to people across the glob to build safeguards against the industrial disaster in the corporate world. The Bhopal t

Franz Magnis-Suseno is a German-born Jesuit Priest and Professor of philosophy in Indonesia. In this interview with freelance writer Anett Keller, the naturalised Indonesian citizen talks about religious tolerance and the definition of blasphemy in Indonesia.
A series of developments in Indonesia o

When organisers from the International Solidarity Movement, which aims to support and strengthen Palestinian popular resistance to the Israeli occupation, consulted us at the California-based Metta Center for Nonviolence about attempting to break the naval blockade of Gaza in 2007, its first year, w

The tragic bloodshed aboard the MV Mavi Marmara aid ship has, justifiably, provoked criticism about Israel’s use of force against civilian populations. It has also, if somewhat tardily, refocused the international community’s attention on the need for an immediate end to the siege on Gaza.
Louise

I had a golden opportunity to visit a few families in different parts of United States (US). While enjoying their hospitality I asked about their family life. This helped me to understand that their family life is very different from the Hollywood film stories. Until this interaction my idea about

Hazami Barmada, President and CEO of Al-Mubadarah Arab Empowerment Initiative, Programme Advisor for the Aspen Institute Global Initiative on Culture and Society, Founder and Executive Director of the Iraqi Orphan Initiative, and Founder and President of the American Muslim Interactive Network, rece

When Turkish director Semih Kaplanoðlu’s film Honey won the Golden Bear award in the 2010 Berlin Film Festival this February, international film critics turned their attention to Turkish cinema.
Honey is the final part of Kaplanoðlu’s trilogy, which narrates three stages of the life of a man in re

“We need a cultural revolution between Arabs and Jews,” proclaims Said Abu Shakra, founder of the first Arab contemporary art gallery in Israel. “I believe art is a catalyst for social change. It empowers communities and contributes to progress. Wherever there is culture, pride and a sense of belong

On 6 June some organisations, such as Stop Islamization of America, Jihad Watch and the Tea Party movement, have planned a demonstration in New York to protest the building of a cultural and community centre called the Cordoba House, two blocks from the World Trade Center site. The founder of the ce

What happened in Lahore is truly one of the saddest and heart wrenching incidents I have ever experienced as a Pakistani. When places of worship no longer carry the sanctity they deserve, the stark divide in religious ideology is made clear in Pakistan. After wandering around various blogs and rea

Today there is an urgent need to organise the workers in the Catholic Church. We are familiar with associations, clubs, cooperatives, trade unions etc. organized for social, economic and cultural welfare of their membership. In Christian circles, traditional associations such as Confraternities, Sol

The schools in America , no doubt, are places of learning in true sense where both the students and teachers learn from each other. While the students learn about the lessons they are taught in the Classes, their teachers learn about their talents, study methods, food habits and skills among many th

This month marks the 12th anniversary of a critical event in recent Indonesian history – the May 1998 riots. Following the death of four university students who were participating in a protest to demand the resignation of President Suharto, people took to the streets, rioting and looting.
Though m