Sambhal: A repetition of Ayodhya?
In Ayodhya the God descended and departed. A temple was built at his birth place. It is claimed that this temple was demolished to build a mosque. The mosque was…
Communal Harmony
A Mosque, A Movement, A Legacy: The Story of Ludhiana Jama Masjid
The Ludhiana Jama Masjid, a historic mosque in Punjab, India, holds a special place in the country's freedom struggle. Built in 1670 by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb's governor, Nawab Bahadur Khan,…
India’s Path to Peace: A Scriptural Perspective
India, often referred to as the land of spirituality and diversity, has been a cradle of civilizations, religions, and philosophies for millennia. Its rich tapestry of cultures, languages, and faiths…
Mystical Music: A Balm for India’s Fractured Soul
As I stood on the shores of Calicut Beach, surrounded by a sea of faces, I felt the weight of a nation's divisions slowly lifting. The music program, 'Charyar', was…
Khudai Khidmatgar–Taking the Message of Inter-faith Harmony to More and More People
Khudai Khidmatgar, an organization founded in memory of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan in India in 2011, has been organizing several meetings for inter-faith harmony in various parts of the country…
Transcending Differences: The Potential of Meta-Religion for Interfaith Harmony
The concept of meta-religion refers to a higher level of understanding and interpretation of religious traditions, which transcends their individual differences and limitations. Meta-religion seeks to identify the commonalities and…
Celebrate Diversity
It is late evening, the day after Uttarayan (15 January), traditionally called ‘vasi uttarayan’. It has been a dull, cloudy day; the wind has been fairly good though. Since yesterday…
Worsening Spiral of Hate speech: Demonization of Religious Minorities
RSS-BJP and its affiliates take every opportunity to deepen the demonization of religious minorities. Though there are legal provisions for punishing these Hate speeches mostly they go unpunished. Last decade…
Communal Amity: Overcoming attacks on our Mixed Heritage
I did have great interest in understanding the society around me and was doing social work in due course. My first foray into social work was in trying to associate…
Mahatma Gandhi’s Vision of Communal Harmony and Peaceful Coexistence
The concept of communal harmony, which is representative of social coherence and harmonious cohabitation of disparate communities, is deeply ingrained in India’s socio-political narrative. Mahatma Gandhi was at the forefront…
Embracing Diversity, Embracing Virtue: A Quranic and Scientific Perspective
Introduction: The Quran offers a comprehensive framework for embracing diversity and pluralism, emphasizing respect, tolerance, and empathy as essential to fostering peaceful coexistence among diverse cultures, beliefs, and ways of…
Peoples power confronts unabashed Communalism and seeks a ‘Common humanity’
On 5th October, Goa was left disrupted and in political stress based on an arrogant and acutely communal statement from the former RSS Chief Subash Velingkar aimed stoking tensions between…
Appeal for Communal Harmony in Himachal Pradesh
We hail the large-scale participation in the peace and unity march by members of the civil society and democratic groups on 27th September 2024 in Shimla and Solan against the…
The Perils of Religious Nationalism: A Contemporary Dilemma
Abstract: Religious nationalism is a subject of critical importance in much of the world today. As the resurgence of religious nationalism in various parts of the world is a phenomenon…
Godi media’s campaign of lies in the name of a Delhi Minorities Commission report
Godi media channels and websites are carrying out a propaganda campaign these days. It is claimed that Delhi Minorities Commission (DMC) and Delhi Waqf Board (DWB) want to grab Hindu…
Urgent Appeal to Stand by the Rights of the Minority Religious Community in Shimla
We belong to Shimla, Himachal Pradesh and are deeply aggrieved by the gravity of circumstances that have built up in the last few weeks around the Mosque in Sanjauli, Shimla.…
Combating Islamophobia: A task overdue
In July 2024 England witnessed riots and unrest in several cities. They were precipitated mainly due to misinformation and anti immigration sentiments among the people. In these riots Muslims were the main…
Rising Communal Tensions in Odisha
Odisha, India – The Ganatantrik Adhikar Suraksha Sangathan (GASS) expresses concern over the rising communal tensions in Odisha, a state traditionally known for its peace and harmony. Recent developments, including…
Kanwar Yatra: Naming for mainstreaming identity based discrimination
Recently directives were passed to display names, addresses and mobile numbers of owners and staff in the Kanwar Yatra route in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Kanwar yatra is an annual…
Communalism: A Product of Modernity and Colonialism
by Ramya Ramanathan and Shashi Singh The shadow of communalism lurks everywhere and to such an extent that it has figured quite prominently in the arts and literature of South…
Muharram: Ode to a Memory in Pain
Over the years, in this annual ritual of mourning, a rainbow tradition of multiple Hindu writers have written the lament in exquisite verse dedicated to Imam Husain Ali, grandson of…
At a time of increasing religious divide Mahatma Gandhi’s views on religion can provide a healing touch
For quite some time it was widely and sincerely believed that with many-sided progress particularly in education and science the divisions and suspicions based on religious differences will decease considerably…
Hate Speech in India: How to Promote Amity?
India has been ruled by Hindu Nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party for the last one decade. BJP in turn is progeny of RSS, which has a goal of Hindu Rashtra. It…
After Four Years of Delhi Riots: In Search of Healing and Justice
by Swati Draik, Sumit Kumar Gupta and Badre Alam Khan A memorial tribute on the fourth anniversary of the Delhi 2020 communal carnage was organized by Karwan-e- Mohabbat (people campaign…
Indian Society: Unity in Diversity
For the singular thing about India is that you can only speak of it in the plural.-Shashi Tharoor One feature that is most often noticed about India is its unity…
The Rise of Islamophobia: Future of Indian Muslims
Introduction In 2002, at a difficult period for secular India, a horrific tragedy took place. a terrible episode of targeted murder, particularly of Muslims, that occurred when Gujarat's chief minister,…
Observe Mahatma Gandhi’s Martyrdom Day As A Day Of National Unity, Communal Harmony, Non-Violence And Peace
People’s Initiative to commemorate the 76th anniversary of the Martyrdom of Mahatma Gandhi on the 30th of January 2024, as a Day of National Unity, Communal Harmony, Non-Violence & Peace.In…
Restoring the Inclusive Idea of India in the Times of Sectarian Nationalism
Satyapal Malik, the ex-Governor of many states stated that the role of Pulwama and Balakot was very much there in the victory of Modi-BJP in the previous 2019 General elections.…
Urgent Need for A Continuing Campaign of Inter-Faith Harmony in South Asia
During the last 80 years South Asia has seen several serious disasters such as droughts, famines, floods and cyclones, but a social problem which has caused even greater distress is…
Sunehri Bagh Masjid Must be Protected
Sunehri Bagh Masjid, a mosque located in New Delhi, has been much discussed in recent times. This is because of the possibility of demolition of the mosque, in turn related…
Indian Secularism is against Caste Hierarchy and Women’s Oppression rather than limited to only Protection of Minority Rights
The Centre for Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS, Mumbai) recently organized the 22nd public lecture in memory of Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer. The event, centred around the theme "Secularism…
We can defeat fascism only by reclaiming India’s great legacy of communal harmony: Shabnam Hashmi
Mere Ghar Aake To Dekho' is a national campaign in which people belonging to different religions and castes visit each other's homes to annihilate communal hatred. This campaign was initiated by…
Of The Silent Shames of a Privileged Indian!
This is perhaps an apology in the weirdest of its forms. Or one desperate attempt to give an abstract existence to that pervasive numbness which overpowers me, whenever I come…
Freedom Movement Re-Emphasized the Heritage of Communal Harmony
It is an undeniable fact of Indian history that all those leaders of the freedom movement who received the greatest support and affection of people were those who had…
Endorsing Diversity, Fostering Social and Religious Consolidation to Prognosticate a Bright Future for India
Introduction India is a subcontinent with vast and tremendous diversity. It’s a hotspot for individuals from distinct cultures, castes, religions, tribes, and languages. However, this diversity has been seen as…
Educate, Organize, Agitate: Teesta Setalvad
https://youtu.be/LO61aVmBUHk We are part of an India where some of the most tragic incidents are being taking place even right now in different parts of the country. But there are…
In Diversity, there is beauty and strength: An appeal for Communal Harmony
In recent times, we have witnessed a significant rise in religious, ethnic, and political tensions that have led to divisions and conflicts within our communities. We have seen how Manipur…
Vasant-Rajab Exemplary Of Communal Harmony In Gujarat
Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi is known for his supreme sacrifice at a young age of 41 years in trying to stop communal violence in Kanpur in 1931, two days after…
Climate Change and Its Impact on Child Marriage in Bangladesh
by Aerica Rishiraj, Raktimava Bose, and Omar Raad Chowdhury Climate change is often discussed in terms of rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and threats to food security. But there…
Who are the Muslims and Christians in India: Understanding the ‘Hindu’ fear of Muslims and Christians
We have been seeing attacks on Christians and Muslims in India for the last few years. Several Indians are worried about it and fear for the future of democracy…
Scapegoats and Holy Cows: Crime and Justice Delivery System in the era of Sectarian Nationalism
In the case of Jamia violence of 2019, 11 students were arrested. One of them was Sharjeel Imam, who was student of JNU. The others included likes of Safoora Zargar…
History, Communal Narratives and Sectarian Politics
Last few decades have seen the rise of communal politics in India. Similar politics has been dominating Pakistan from a much longer time. This politics draws heavily from history; rather…
Leicester Spells “Communal” Tension For British Society?
Who is to be blamed for ongoing tension in Leicester (United Kingdom) between two groups of people? Given that recent history of this country has not witnessed communal tension of…
Nafrat chhodo! Bharat jodo! Bharat jodo! The Failed Fraternity Factor: A wake-up call
On 13 Dec 1946, Jawaharlal Nehru moved an “Objective Resolution” during the Constituent Assembly, which outlined the objectives of the Constitution. These were discussed and later became the constitutional Preamble,…
Demonising Muslims: How the act is rooted in a cynical reading of Islamic scriptures!
It's not always the case that a certain faith, religion or an ideology is misunderstood or misinterpreted exclusively by those who happen to profess a different faith, religion or ideology. The…
Concerns about peace and harmony within Karnataka
To The Chief Minister of Karnataka Shri Basavaraj Bommai Government of Karnataka Bengaluru Respected Chief Minister, Sub: Concerns about peace and harmony within Karnataka and the urgent need to restore…
Kabir Jayanti is a day to celebrate inter-faith harmony
Kabir Jayanti ( 14 June) is being observed at a time when the message of the great saint for inter-faith harmony is really needed in very troubled times. Such a…
Shrinking Secularism In India
by Jaspreet Kaur & Aarif Rashid Malik In order to understand “secularism” it is essential to understand various terms, like pluralism, liberalism, associated with it and the term as applied…
The communal flooding: A grave threat to Indian Constitution and Nation
India had remained an amphitheater of communalism for the last three-four decades. During this time the value of constitutional secularism was doomed to stumble here and there in the corridors…
Aligarh (Muslim University) – Legacy of Hindu-Muslim Amity
Aligarh city in Uttar Pradesh is known for two things – the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and the lock manufacturing industries. Aligarh is a university town, notable as the seat…
Historical trauma, mourning and majoritarianism: Psycho-social explorations
Mourning is commonly associated with death of a near and dear loved one. Apathy, a turning away from the outer world, lack of interest in activities un-connected with the loved…
Goa must rein in the communal tinderbox
Goa was in crisis mode on Sunday when Hindu-Muslim clashes occurred in the vicinity of Vasco. A large crowd of Ram Navami processionists marched through Vasco on the occasion of…
There can be no bigger harm to national welfare than disturbing inter-faith harmony
At a time when inter-faith harmony is being disturbed at several places in the country, it is important to recall a very important lesson of our freedom movement—all the great…
Vasudhaiva Kutumbkam: Uniting India
‘Unity in Diversity’ has been a major phrase which I picked up during my school days. Enjoying Ramlila for ten days before Vijayadhami ran parallel to seeing the Tazia processions,…
On the origin of Indian Identity
In the beginning, it would seem Mankind knew a thing or two about anthropology. Then came religion to manipulate it. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has boasted of Hindutva (a…
Islam Reached India through Arab Traders rather than Invaders
Islam's diffusion towards India occurred due to Arab Traders rather than Invaders as imagined by the RSS ideologue, Mohan Baghwat in his latest statement. This is substantially substantiated by the…
Is Ganga Jamuni Tehjeeb a Hoax?
Vishwa Hindu Parishad General Secretary Milind Parande recently (Sept 2021, TOI) stated that “The very idea of Ganga Jamuni Tehjeeb (term used for confluence of Hindu and Muslim cultures in…
Let’s Get Rid of Communal Myths Falsely Spread as History
As communal harmony has come under stress in recent years due to propagation of myths about excessive faith based hostility in historical times, it is important to get…
Fraternity for direction in troubled times: The patriarchy-caste-religion poison
Complex society India is a diverse country. It has geo-climatic diversity and people who live in different geo-climatic regions have different ways of living and doing, with different cultures. India…
Kandhamal Day To Be Observed on 25th August
Remembering victims of targeted violence against Christian Adivasis and Dalits, expressing solidarity with all victims of hate cand violence in India. NSF announces Kandhamal Human Rights awards for Activists and…
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