Tag: khan

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Five myths about the partition of British India – and what really happened

Mohammed Abbasi

Navtej K Purewal, SOAS, University of London and Eleanor Newbigin, SOAS, University of London This August marks 75 years since the partition of the Indian subcontinent. British withdrawal from the region prompted the creation of two new states, India and Pakistan. The process of transferring power grossly simplified diverse societies to make it seem like dividing social groups and drawing new borders was logical and even possible. This decision unleashed one of the biggest human migrations of the 20th century when more than ten million people fled across borders seeking safe refuge. Anniversaries can be a critical moment to pause … Continue reading Five myths about the partition of British India – and what really happened

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How one atheist laid the foundation of contemporary Hindu nationalism

Mohammed Abbasi

Saba Sattar, The Institute of World Politics India’s position as a secular nation is under threat. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pro-Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, the country’s 200 million Muslim minority population has been increasingly targeted. Over the past … Continue reading How one atheist laid the foundation of contemporary Hindu nationalism

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Change of guard at Mansoora

Mohammed Abbasi

  At a meeting on January 10, 1971, Syed Munawar Hasan, leading a pack of young turks, launched a frontal attack on Syed Abul Ala Maudoodi, the founder and ameer (chief) of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), blaming him for the party’s rout in the country’s first democratic elections. Because of his move, the JI was thrown into turmoil leading to Maudoodi’s resignation the following year.  Forty-three years later, as the Jamaat kicks out Munawar Hsasan from the office of ameer, he has defaced Maudoodi’s party, leaving it in a far worse shape than the founder had in 1972, not only in … Continue reading Change of guard at Mansoora

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Pakistan: a culture of intolerance

Mohammed Abbasi

Pakistan: a culture of intolerance By Sajjad Ashraf Pakistan’s impoverished and peaceful Christian community has endured mob rampages, blasphemy charges, and was largely spared the ravages of suicide bombings, till last month. Suicide bombings on September 22 at Peshawar’s All-Saints Church, which is designed like a mosque to reflect inter-faith harmony, killed 83 worshippers and injured more than 125, bringing to focus how the danger minorities face in the militancy raging across Pakistan. With almost a bomb a day since Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government took over in June, the church was indeed a soft target. Since independence in 1947 … Continue reading Pakistan: a culture of intolerance

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Mongolia opens for business?

Mohammed Abbasi

Mongolia hands it to a cast of neighbors By Peter Lee ULAN BATOR – Before embarking for the United States, Mongolia’s President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj sat down with the Washington Post for a charm offensive, at least in terms that Mongolians understand: dispensing comparisons to Genghis Khan that they, at least deem flattering. Elbegdorj has lessons for USA from Mongolia’s past  As the leader of a diminished land that was once an invincible superpower, President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj has some advice for Americans fatigued by the burdens of global power: Remember Genghis Khan, and stick with your friends. “It is tough, but … Continue reading Mongolia opens for business?