Jajupur is a village in Sandila Tehsil, P.S. Atrauli, of Hardoi District of UP. 107 dalit landless families were allotted land pattas in 1976 by the Gram Sabha but till today the dalits have not been able to cultivate their fields. The reason is that a politically influential feudal family of the ne

The Gojra Tragedy is another shameful incidence of religious intolerance and violence in Pakistan. This is not the first time that the majority class has physically expressed their aggression against minority groups in this country. The history of Pakistan is replete with incidents of Shia-Sunni cla

Religious pluralism is a major feature of Lebanese society and key to its political system, which requires the distribution of key positions in the state to different religious communities. Although many feel that Lebanon has outgrown this political structure, this system has served the country well

Hamzah Desa, a 42-year-old Thai Muslim, sits cross-legged on the veranda of his one-room wooden house in Kampung Che Bilang in Satun, a Muslim-majority province in southern Thailand.
It's a typical Sunday afternoon in his village. A handful of villagers wearing headscarves are buying papaya salad a

I spent summers as a young boy in Damascus, while my fellow Syrians were flocking to my coastal hometown of Tartous to savour the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Despite the heat of Damascus, my summers there were always special.
The Damascene diversity was riveting. Every Friday morning, my gran

“I am weak and my parents taught me to respect every religion,” Bernard, 15 year old Pakistani boy expressed these views on the Gojra tragedy. “Apart from being poor, weak and knowing the punishment I will never think of desecrating the Quran. It is a holy book and gives the message of peace and har

Despite growing global pressure for the release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar (Burma), she was sentenced to another 18 months' house arrest by a court in Rangoon.
"It is another big blow to democracy struggles in Burma" said Dr Sandeep Pandey, Magsaysay Awardee (2002) and lead

The recent incidents in Gojra are a grim reminder of how existing half laws can be manipulated for personal and political ends. Besides loss of life, property or the reputation of the country, it also reflects an opportunist political system in which strange bedfellows can be espoused for political

The Global Community is shocked to watch on their news the horror scenes of the brutality of Islamic militants against Christians in the Gojra area. It is not the first time such heinous crimes have been committed; there is a long list of the systematic persecution of the Christian minority in Paki

The proposed introduction of the Land Acquisition (Amendment) and Resettlement and Rehabilitation Bills by United Progressive Alliance (UPA) on the last day of the Budget Session despite of the objections by struggling peoples movements and one of the UPA key allies Trinamool Congress smacks of a co

The worst fears of some of us have now been confirmed. Pakistani society, politicians and media has always been talking about the involvement of Indian intelligence agency RAW in fomenting trouble inside Pakistan . First it was in Sindh, particularly in Karachi . Now people say there is no doubt abo

In his 4 June speech to the Muslim world from Cairo, US President Barack Obama started his discussion of religious freedom by pointing out that "Islam has a proud tradition of tolerance".
Citing its long history of protecting religious minorities as well as his own experience growing up in overwhel

Pandith’s appointment is an opportunity, not a panacea by Anja Manuel
In July 2009, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton named Farah Pandith the Special Representative to Muslim Communities. It is a historic step. Pandith's experience – and the new responsibility she is taking on with this role – si

Israel has repeatedly asked Arab countries to recognise it and engage in peaceful relations. Most of them rejected these appeals, with the exception of Egypt in 1977 and Jordan in 1994.
However, in 2002 the Arab League announced an unprecedented historical initiative for a comprehensive peace trea

At first glance, Turkish newspapers’ appear to depict women in one of two ways: either as fashion objects, exhibiting the latest bikinis and glam rags or, on the other hand, as victims of brutal crimes.
Upon closer inspection, however, and despite a lack of women in the news industry, coverage of g