Revelations of war crimes and moralizing idealism
By Charles Bogle (found here) The Way of the World: A Story of Truth and Hope in an Age of Extremism, by Ron Suskind. New…
Imam Hussain: The Beloved of the Beloved
By Syed Salman Chishty Shah Ast Hussain Among the Belivers are Men ,who delivered their promise to Allah (Ayah 23/ Surah Al-Ahzab) On the…
Weird science – the perils of Muslim scholarship
I am posting Ziauddin Sardar’s article published in the New Statesman (August 21,2008) that explores the ‘nonesense” of some Muslim scholars who claim that…
Delhi by the book
Published in The News What motivates me to write? Lacking an appropriate label, a catchy boxed tag such as a historian or a sociologist,…
A modern Ottoman – the Turk Gulen wins the intellectuals’ poll
The Turkish cleric Fethullah Gülen, winner of the intellectuals poll undertaken by Prospect, has been hailed as “the modern face of the Sufi Ottoman…
Sultana Begum – a surviving heir of Bahadur Shah Zafar
Neena Jha and Shivnath Jha have launched a nationed wide movement to protect musicians, artists, academicians and others who have brought laurels and pride…
Aurangzeb as he was according to Mughal Records
Found these amazing images on a deeply problematic exhibition on the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb here Exhibit No. 2: Prince Dara Shukoh translating the Upanishads.…
Guantanamo? The Worst of the Worst?
I was introduced to Mahvish Khan’s daring work by Irfan. Her close work at the infamous Guantanamo Bay is remarkable for the insights and…
How the Pentagon manipulated the media to promote the Iraq war
David Walsh writes at WSWS On April 20, the New York Times published a lengthy article by investigative reporter David Barstow detailing the US Defense Department’s…
Prophet’s letter on the protection of Egyptian Copts
I am grateful to Saadi to have forwarded me the this amazing ancient text. ******** The Letter of Prophet Muhammad Below is the English…
On Bhagat Singh, His Vision And Jinnah’s Support For His Struggle
In his incisive speech to the Constituent Assembly on September 12 and 14, 1929, Jinnah harshly condemned the criminal colonial rule and the Government's…
Love Stories of the Risalo of Shah Latif
Sur Suhni This story dates back to the time when the Moghul Emperor, Shah Jahan ruled over Delhi. There was a wealthy potter named…
Jama Masjid Delhi: The Real Estate Hunt and the State
By Sadia Dehlvi Jama Masjid, the last significant and glorious monuments of the Mughal period now faces a threat of extinction in the garb…
Akbar’s enlightenment mind
Thanks to Khaled Ahmed, we get to hear about new books on a variety of subjects. He has reviewed a new book: “Hindu Myth,…
Mehrgarh – Pakistan’s glorious, ancient past
Found a well researched article on Mehrgarh Mehrgarh is the centre of the first known developed place of civilization in its advanced form in…
Jodha Akbar – this is no ordinary film
My blogger friend, Manasvi wrote this reviewof Jodha Akbar and I am glad that the film is good. Jodha Akbar brings to cinema an…
“Partition: Surgery without Anaesthesia”
Titled “Partition: Surgery without Anaesthesia”, the book, a compilation of 31 individual accounts including from noted writer and columnist Khushwant Singh and artist Satish…
Mother Goddess – Indus Valley
“Archeological evidence from related cultures suggests that Indus Valley mythology was centered in the idea of female power and Goddess cults…” Full entry here…
People of this Murderous City
The other day, I translated my poem in Urdu written after the events of 27 December, 2007. It has been published by this blog.…
Prophet Mohammed And The Mystics
Written by Sadia Dehlvi Prophet Mohammed was born on a Monday, the twelfth night of Rabi ul awwal in Mecca in the year 570…