COMMENT: The metastasis of power —Nazish Brohi Veerji was abducted, assaulted, kept in confinement, and threatened with the demand that the Kasturi case be retracted otherwise he could be kidnapped again, with worse consequences. But it is a lesson he has deliberated over and chosen not to learn Our hearts are wrenched, our minds boggled, our eyes scarred, our pockets upturned by this flood. But like with all other crises, whether terrorist attacks, rape and killings of women or inflation and price hikes, there are certain people who keep us going; at times our children, our parents, spouses, or those … Continue reading The metastasis of power

VIEW: The Singapore model of religious pluralism —Ishtiaq Ahmed On the whole, Singapore’s approach to prevent radicalisation of society is to actively engage with the religious communities, maintain close link with their organisations and allow unrestricted religious freedom to them, yet put limits to such freedom when national interest is adversely affected In this essay I would like to share with the readers the very positive views on the Singapore model of religious pluralism that I formed during my recently completed 3-year stay in that country. The religious composition of the 4.8 million-strong Singapore population is currently as follows: 42.5 … Continue reading The Singapore model of religious pluralism

By Jawed Naqvi dawn.com Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s comments about “saffron terrorism” should be taken as nothing more than a convenient slogan that purports to show the government’s agenda as secular while it allows communalism to expand and flourish. – File Photo. The Indian parliament in its wisdom passed a law on Friday that seeks to further restrict the flow of foreign funds to NGOs, which it fears induce religious conversions. On the face of it there is nothing wrong with the new law except that it is perhaps not as impartial as it claims to be. For no other … Continue reading Will India get the real culprits?

Where is the ‘Pak’ in ‘Pakistan’? by Guest Last week at a boardroom luncheon in Sydney, many people asked me about the floods in Pakistan, gave their condolences and shared their views on the humanitarian disaster. One person actually asked me, ‘What is the meaning of Pakistan’, and ‘What does it stand for?’ ‘Pak’ means pure and ‘Stan’ means land, so essentially it means land of the pure, I retorted almost robotically. After I answered that question I thought to myself, either I would make a great politician or a great diplomat because although the answer was correct, my sentiments … Continue reading The ‘Pak’ in ‘Pakistan’

Pakistan floods: British Muslims should give money to UK causes, says charity Haroon Siddique guardian.co.uk, Monday 30 August 2010 16.18 BST Article history A child at a temporary shelter in Thatta in southern Sindh. Pakistani troops and workers were on a “war footing” over the weekend battling to save the city of Thatta after most of the population fled advancing flood waters. Photograph: Rizwan Tabassum/AFP/Getty ImagesAn Islamic charity says British Muslims should fulfil their religious obligation to help the poor by giving money within the UK rather than abroad – despite the devastation caused by the floods in Pakistan. Muslims … Continue reading British Muslims should spend Zakat in UK

Bjørn Lomborg: $100bn a year needed to fight climate change ‘Skeptical Environmentalist’ and critic of climate scientists to declare global warming a chief concern facing world today Juliette Jowit guardian.co.uk, Monday 30 August 2010 20.17 BST Article history Danish professor Bjorn Lomborg. Photograph: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty ImagesThe world’s most high-profile climate change sceptic is to declare that global warming is “undoubtedly one of the chief concerns facing the world today” and “a challenge humanity must confront”, in an apparent U-turn that will give a huge boost to the embattled environmental lobby. Bjørn Lomborg, the self-styled “sceptical environmentalist” once compared to Adolf … Continue reading Global Warming, A Reality – Bjørn Lomborg

Serving in Iraq killed my faith in God The destruction I saw made me question everything I had previously thought about religion Adnan Sarwar guardian.co.uk, Monday 30 August 2010 10.30 BST Article history One of the last pictures taken of Sapper Luke Allsopp, who died in Iraq in 2003. Photograph: Adnan SarwarLuke Allsopp was a friend of mine. The last time we spoke for any length was in February 2003. Around three in the morning I woke hearing him struggling to stand and giggling. I saw him confused and braced against the wall. I called out, he turned and asked … Continue reading Iraq killed my faith in God

Chinese people as identical Maoist robots? Thanks for that, Dior How can the fashion house think it is acceptable to make such a nakedly racist ad campaign? Jenny Zhang guardian.co.uk, Monday 30 August 2010 15.05 BST Article history Given the history of Orientalism in western sartorial practice, is it any surprise that Christian Dior’s latest ad campaign, “Shanghai Dreamers” shot by Chinese artist, Quentin Shih, features a series of photos where a strikingly-styled white model clad in Dior couture towers over rows of digitally reproduced Chinese women and men dressed in cultural revolution drag? And no, your eyes have not … Continue reading Chinese victims of racist ad campaign?

Pakistan is not the target; deal fixers are Cricket needs to use its TV-generated fortune to strike at the root of the match-fixing problem Peter Preston guardian.co.uk, Sunday 29 August 2010 17.30 BST Article history There’s one heart-warming sight you can see any normal day in the villages of Pakistan: a rutted strip of earth, a few sticks driven into it, a bat, a ball, and young boys playing cricket. This isn’t just any game: this is the game. It is also a field of dreams. If you want to grow up to join Europe or Latin America’s rich and … Continue reading Pakistan and the match-fixing problem

There’s only one Imran Whether in cricket or in politics, corrupt leaders – bar notable exceptions – are often all Pakistan has Tariq Ali guardian.co.uk, Monday 30 August 2010 21.00 BST Article history Poor Pakistan. Floods of biblical proportions; millions homeless; a president who pretends to be shocked by cricket’s latest betting scandal when his own persona is the embodiment of corruption. A prime minister shedding crocodile tears because of the cricketing “shame” rather than tending to allegations that flood-relief money has gone missing. And now a sleep-walking cricket captain attempting to deny the ugly truth, but without real conviction, … Continue reading Designer Mullah – Imran Khan Speaks