Founding Editor: Daya Varma (1929-2015)
Editors: Vinod Mubayi (New York) and Raza Mir (New Jersey).
Editorial Board: Ram Puniyani and Irfan Engineer (Mumbai); Pervez Hoodbhoy (Islamabad); Dolores Chew (Montreal); Vamsi Vakulabharanam (Amherst); Ajay Bhardwaj (Vancouver).
Circulation/website: Feroz Mehdi (On behalf of Alternatives, Montreal).
APPEAL FOR PAKISTAN FLOOD RELIEF
Editors, INSAF Bulletin
The magnitude of the disaster which has befallen the hapless people of Pakistan requires all people of South Asia to do what they can to minimize the effect of this tragedy. Come together and donate generously!
THE GROUND-ZERO ISLAMIC CENTER: POLITICS OF ISLAMOPHOBIA
Vinod Mubayi
Historically, economic hard times in America have frequently been accompanied by attempts to blame and scapegoat ethnic minorities for the real problems people face. This is amplified in an election year where politicians posture endlessly to stoke prejudices as a way of igniting their own campaigns. It is not where the Islamic center is proposed to be built-rather it is the very idea of an Islamic center- that has stirred up this hornets’ nest.
COLOR OF TERROR: SAFFRON, GREEN OR BLACK?
Ram Puniyani
Can terror be assigned a color associated with a certain religion? Lately India is witnessing terrorist acts being committed by extreme right-wing Hindu organizations.
COMRADE, WHITHER GOEST THOU?
By editor, Kancha Ilaiah
INSAF Bulletin is reproducing this article by the well-known commentator Kancha Ilaiah to initiate a discussion on the current status of the Indian communist movement and its splintered condition. While we do not necessarily endorse the positions the author takes in this piece, we feel that he has raised some important questions regarding the lack of unity in the communist movement, a condition that has persisted for over 40 years and shows no signs of abating despite the many changes in the national and international environment. INSAF Bulletin has consistently pleaded for a United Communist Party in India.
WOMAN JUDGES AND SHARIA
Asghar Ali Engineer
Although two women judges have been appointed in Malaysia in the Sharia court, a restriction has been imposed on their powers. The author argues that these restrictions are not in accord with the Quran or the Sunnah.
ENLIGHTENED UNIVERSITIES SHOULDN’T ALLOW NINJAS ON CAMPUSES
Hameed Khan
Shouldn’t enlightened universities require that for proper communication in public a woman’s face should be visible?
STATE COMPLICITY AND IMPUNITY RULE AS JUSTICE IS DENIED TO VICTIMS OF KANDHAMAL
National Peoples’ Tribunal on Kandhamal (Press Release; August 24, 2010)
The National People’s Tribunal on Kandhamal Violence against Christians recommends a number of steps in order to bestow justice on the victims of communal violence in Kandhamal district of Orissa state.
THE TERM ‘HINDU TERRORISM’ IS A MISNOMER
Ram Puniyani
When many acts of terror by people like Pragya Singh Thakur and Dayanand Pandey, etc. are coming to fore, it is essential that the reckless arrest of innocent Muslim youth must be stopped and real culprits be punished.
BE YOUR FATHER’S SON: An open letter to Amitabh Bachchan
Najid Hussain
The celebrated Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan is a man of many ambitions. He was a favorite of Indira Gandhi and then patronized Mulayam Singh Yadav of Samajwadi Party. Lately he agreed to promote himself by working for Narendra Modi, the Gujarat Chief Minister who masterminded the massacre of Muslims in 2002. A victim of that tragedy appeals to him to be true to the legacy of his secular father, an eminent poet, and desist from serving Modi.
KASHMIR BURNING: New Delhi watches silently as the valley slowly but steadily slips into anarchy
Tapan Bose
From the ramparts of the Red Fort, celebrating the 64th anniversary of India’s Independence, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, offered to hold dialogue with the agitating youth of Kashmir if they “abjured violence”. Justice demands that “Azaadi” be granted to people of the valley.
CANADA MUST RESPECT THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF REFUGEES
SANSAD News Release: August 17, 2010
Four hundred and ninety-two Tamil men, women, and children, including some pregnant women have arrived in Vancouver, BC, after several months on the sea aboard the modified cargo ship, Sun Sea. They are victims of violence and deserve to be granted refugee status.
BANGLADESH COURT BANS RELIGION IN POLITICS
(Thursday, July 29th, 2010)
Bangladesh’s Supreme Court has reinstated a ban on Islamic political parties after striking down a key constitutional amendment, law minister Shafiq Ahmed told media on Thursday. It is a very desirable step.
STALEMATE IN NEPAL: DAHAL RULES OUT WITHDRAWAL OF CANDIDACY
Nepal News (Wednesday, 25 August 2010)
The United Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) [UCPN (Maoist)] seems to lack unanimity on the issue of resolving the issue of a Prime Minister in Nepal.
CONDITION OF CHILDREN WORLDWIDE
COVA (Confederation of Voluntary Associations)
According to UNICEF, 24,000 children die each day due to poverty. And they “die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world. Being meek and weak in life makes these dying multitudes even more invisible in death.”
ANNOUNCEMENT
ASSOCIATION OF INDIAN MUSLIMS OF AMERICA (AIM)
Cordially Invites You to Celebrate
E I D – MILAN and AIM’s SILVER JUBILEE