TOP STORY OF THE DAY |
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| Indian Muslims a force to reckon with | | Visible identities of Islam pose problems | | |
B L KAK
NEW DELHI, DEC 3
"Being identified as a Muslim is considered to be problematic for many", says the 404-page report prepared by Justice Rajinder Sachar. The report, which has been submitted to Parliament, has sparked many eyebrows because it has gone into great details about the pathetic socio-economic conditions of India's largest minority.
The very visible identities of Islam-- burqa, beard, skullcap and hijab--are posing problems to large numbers of Muslims in India, a country with the world's second largest Islamic population. And Justice Rajinder Sachar says in his report that the police, media as well as the society at large need to be blamed for the community's negative image. Among the report's shocking revelations is that the mere identity of Muslims has become a headache for them in public spaces, be it a railway station, park, hospital or school.
The report said: "Markers of Muslim identity--the burqa, the purdah (veil), the beard and the topi-- while adding to the distinctiveness of Indian Muslims have been a cause of concern for them in the public r... | |
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FRONT PAGE STORIES |
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| US Senate panel set thinking a new | | Kashmir not America's issue to resolve: Biden | | |
B L KAK
NEW DELHI, DEC. 3
Indian Embassy in Washington has just informed the government of India that the imcoming chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee has created history of sorts by making it public that Kashmir is not an issue that is "ours to solve".
The incoming chairman of the US panel is Senator Joseph Biden. In a media interview in Washington, Biden was asked if on taking over the chairmanship of the committee next month he would advocate that Washington use its good offices to solve the Kashmir dispute.
Joseph Biden's reported reply: He would not bring the Kashmir question up without consultation with India first. Biden was quoted as saying: "I do... | |
| | | | IB's views find favour with PMO | | Amended AFSPA to continue in J&K, northeast | | |
B L KAK
NEW DELHI, DEC 3
It is official: Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) will continue to be force in Jammu and Kashmir and northeastern region, even after the government modifies some clauses in the Act. Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh's dramatic announcement in restive Manipur on Saturday about the government's decision to amend the existing AFSPA is, clearly, the outcome of the persisting opposition to the continuance of the Act in the country's northeast.
The Armed Forces Special Powers Act provides sufficient powers to the troops to stamp out militancy in insurgency-hit northeastern States. The Act is also in force in the troubled State of Jammu and Kashmir. No won... | |
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