Latest news with #Muslims
Time of India
an hour ago
- Politics
- Time of India
'Together, firmly': Rahul Gandhi acknowledges Akhilesh Yadav's b'day wish, SP chief and Congress MP reaffirm shared PDA Agenda
Amidst fluctuating relations between the Samajwadi Party and Congress, Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav engaged in a public exchange on X, signaling a potential thaw. Gandhi assured Yadav that they would jointly advocate for the PDA, a coalition of backwards, Dalits, and minorities, from the streets to Parliament. LUCKNOW: Amid ongoing blow-hot-blow-cold ties between SP and the Congress - the two key INDIA bloc constituents -- Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav not only exchanged pleasantries on X, but the former also assured the latter that they would raise the voice of PDA together. The PDA (backwards, Dalits and minorities) was the term coined by the SP chief to appeal to the OBCs, SCs and Muslims before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. O n the occasion of Rahul's 55th birthday, Akhilesh took to his X handle to extend greetings. "Heartfelt congratulations to Rahul Gandhi on his birthday and best wishes for his harmonious, inclusive, and comprehensive socio-political activism!" wrote Akhilesh. In response to the post, Rahul wrote back: "Akhilesh ji, thank you very much for your wishes. We will continue to raise the voice of the people of Uttar Pradesh - especially the PDA - even more strongly from the streets to Parliament. Together, firmly." This was the first time after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls that the two leaders spoke publicly about 'moving ahead together'. It comes close on the heels of Akhilesh's press statement announcing that the INDIA bloc would contest 2027 UP elections together amid the UP Congress's organisational building workshop focusing on fortifying their unit in all the 403 seats of the state. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch xu hướng AUD/USD? IC Markets Đăng ký Undo UP state leaders, however, maintained that there was no rift with the SP. "The so-called rift between SP and us was a handiwork of the BJP propaganda peddlers who are scared of the power of the INDIA bloc," said Ajay Rai, UP Congress president. AICC incharge for UP, Avinash Pande, said: "Organisational building is a primary commitment of party leadership with its followers and workers. We have been working on all the 403 seats of UP to be able to take on the BJP in a much stronger way. Strengthening Congress means fortifying the INDIA bloc as well," he said. Rahul to Akhilesh: We will raise PDA's voice together Amid ongoing blow-hot-blow-cold ties between SP and the Cong -- the two key INDIA bloc constituents -- Cong MP Rahul Gandhi and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav not only exchanged pleasantries on X, but the former also assured the latter that they would raise the voice of PDA together. The PDA (backwards, Dalits and minorities) was the term coined by the SP chief to appeal to the OBCs, SCs and Muslims before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Barnama
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Barnama
Selangor Vows To Monitor Religious Liberalism, Pluralism To Safeguard Sanctity Of Islam
SHAH ALAM, June 20 (Bernama) -- The Selangor government will continue its efforts to monitor, detect, and enforce laws against any individual involved in promoting religious liberalism and pluralism, to safeguard the sanctity of Islam in the state. State Islamic Religious Affairs and Cultural Innovation Committee chairman Dr Mohammad Fahmi Ngah said the public is also encouraged to report to the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) if there is evidence of any individual practising or spreading such beliefs. "Muslims in Selangor cherish their religion and will continue to defend its purity. The majority of Muslims in the state will not tolerate any individual, group, or institution attempting to undermine, distort, or confuse the beliefs, faith, understanding, and practices of the Muslim community in Selangor. "Islamic religious administration and management institutions in the state, such as the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS), JAIS, State Fatwa Committee and the State Executive Council, will continue to shoulder the responsibility of ensuring that the teachings of Islam remain strong, protected, and upheld in the state," he said in a statement today. The statement was issued in response to the Federal Court's decision yesterday in allowing an appeal by SIS Forum Malaysia and its co-founder Zainah Mahfoozah Anwar in their legal challenge against a fatwa issued in 2014 by the Selangor Fatwa Committee declaring the organisation to have deviated from Islamic teachings. A four-judge panel led by Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat in a 3-1 majority decision set aside the fatwa, insofar as it applied to companies and institutions Mohammad Fahmi also emphasised that, according to the fatwa, any individual who subscribes to the ideology of liberalism and religious pluralism is considered deviant and strays from the teachings of Islam. He agreed with the stance and concerns of MAIS that the Federal Court's decision could potentially open the door for certain parties to promote such ideologies among Muslims in Selangor through organisations, associations, companies, or other institutions. "These individuals should not be allowed to continue practising and spreading such ideology either openly or privately using the label 'Islam' to legitimise their activities and gain acceptance,' he said.
United News of India
2 hours ago
- Politics
- United News of India
Sadanand Gowda slams Karnataka minority quota hike
Bengaluru, June 20 (UNI) Former chief minister and senior BJP leader DV Sadananda Gowda on Friday launched a scathing attack on the Karnataka government's decision to expand minority-based reservations, calling the move unconstitutional and a dangerous example of appeasement politics. Reacting strongly to the cabinet's approval to raise the quota for minorities — including Muslims — in government housing schemes from 10% to 15%, Gowda said the decision violates both the spirit and letter of the Constitution. 'The Constitution is very clear — reservations cannot be granted on the basis of caste or religion. The Supreme Court had made this absolutely clear during the earlier 4% reservation issue. Despite this, the state government is going ahead with policies that go against constitutional norms,' he said. The Karnataka government has projected the hike as part of its broader social-equity initiatives, but Gowda dismissed it as a calculated political manoeuvre aimed at minority appeasement. 'They are trying to portray themselves as champions of equity while actually encouraging religious polarisation for electoral gain,' he said. He accused the ruling Congress of engaging in blatant vote-bank politics and warned that such decisions would set a dangerous precedent. 'They hold the Constitution in their hands and lecture others, but they don't even understand what's written in it,' he remarked, adding that it reflected a fundamental failure of governance. Gowda further alleged that communal incidents under the current regime were not isolated but indicative of a deeper problem. 'Killings based on religious identity are happening, and it is this government that is providing the ideological fuel. This is not governance — this is incitement,' he charged. According to him, the move to raise quotas for minorities also sends out the wrong message. 'They are telling a particular community — do whatever you like, we are here for you, and the government treasury will be used exclusively for your benefit,' he said, terming it 'unfortunate and reckless politics.' Calling it a 'breaking development with far-reaching consequences,' Gowda warned that the public must remain alert to what he described as 'emerging scandals under the guise of welfare.' UNI BDN PRS
The Sun
2 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Selangor vows to monitor religious liberalism, pluralism
SHAH ALAM: The Selangor government will continue its efforts to monitor, detect, and enforce laws against any individual involved in promoting religious liberalism and pluralism, to safeguard the sanctity of Islam in the state. State Islamic Religious Affairs and Cultural Innovation Committee chairman Dr Mohammad Fahmi Ngah said the public is also encouraged to report to the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) if there is evidence of any individual practising or spreading such beliefs. 'Muslims in Selangor cherish their religion and will continue to defend its purity. The majority of Muslims in the state will not tolerate any individual, group, or institution attempting to undermine, distort, or confuse the beliefs, faith, understanding, and practices of the Muslim community in Selangor. 'Islamic religious administration and management institutions in the state, such as the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS), JAIS, State Fatwa Committee and the State Executive Council, will continue to shoulder the responsibility of ensuring that the teachings of Islam remain strong, protected, and upheld in the state,' he said in a statement today. The statement was issued in response to the Federal Court's decision yesterday in allowing an appeal by SIS Forum Malaysia and its co-founder Zainah Mahfoozah Anwar in their legal challenge against a fatwa issued in 2014 by the Selangor Fatwa Committee declaring the organisation to have deviated from Islamic teachings. A four-judge panel led by Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat in a 3-1 majority decision set aside the fatwa, insofar as it applied to companies and institutions Mohammad Fahmi also emphasised that, according to the fatwa, any individual who subscribes to the ideology of liberalism and religious pluralism is considered deviant and strays from the teachings of Islam. He agreed with the stance and concerns of MAIS that the Federal Court's decision could potentially open the door for certain parties to promote such ideologies among Muslims in Selangor through organisations, associations, companies, or other institutions. 'These individuals should not be allowed to continue practising and spreading such ideology either openly or privately using the label 'Islam' to legitimise their activities and gain acceptance,' he said. Yesterday, the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, expressed disappointment and sadness over certain aspects of the Federal Court's ruling regarding the fatwa issued by the Selangor Fatwa Committee. The ruling stated that the fatwa applied only to individuals and not to Sisters in Islam (SIS) Forum Malaysia, organisations or institutions. In this regard, the Sultan of Selangor as the Head of the Islamic Religion in Selangor urged that SIS Forum Malaysia no longer use the word 'Sisters in Islam' on any form of publication on any platform associated with organisation so that the word 'Islam' is not arbitrarily used for its benefit and interests.
NDTV
2 hours ago
- Politics
- NDTV
How Did The Muslim World Go So Wrong?
You often run into people who look down upon the Muslim world, pointing at the chaos, armed terror groups, militia rule and dictatorship to conclude that there is something fundamentally wrong with Muslims and their religion. Others take the opposite view, arguing that the Muslim world's present-day turmoil owes much to the West's repeated interventions and historical injustices. Both arguments offer partial truths, but they miss the broader reality: much of the Muslim world, especially in West Asia, lies in ruins. The causes are complex and layered, but the evidence is undeniable. From the shattered boulevards of Tripoli to the bombed-out alleys of Aleppo, from Baghdad's sectarian heartlands to Gaza's crumbled skyline, a common image emerges - of nations torn apart, societies hollowed and futures stolen. This devastation is neither natural nor inevitable. It is the cumulative result of decades of war, opportunistic foreign interventions, proxy conflicts, repressive regimes and colonial legacies. And in all of this, ordinary people, displaced, disillusioned and discarded, are the ones who suffer the most. Aftershocks Of Empire This is not about defending despots or absolving extremists. It is a plea for consistency, justice and memory. It is a call to understand how historical interference, political hypocrisy and selective moral outrage have turned one of the world's richest cultural regions into a perpetual battleground. The story of the Muslim world's chaos is not just about religion or governance. It is about the aftershocks of empire, the exploitation of oil and ideology, and a world order that has failed millions. In the 1920s, Winston Churchill famously quipped that he was not in favour of allowing 'the Arab tribes' to control their own affairs in Palestine. This imperial disdain wasn't just personal opinion; it was policy. Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Britain and France carved up West Asia through the Sykes-Picot Agreement, drawing arbitrary borders and installing loyalist rulers. These new 'nation-states' were not crafted with local realities in mind but were designed to serve European interests - strategic positioning, oil pipelines and control of trade routes. This era of manufactured states and manipulated societies set the stage for future instability. Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, each is a product of imperial drawing boards rather than organic nation-building. As regimes collapsed and identities clashed, these fissures widened. The West may have formally exited the region in the mid-20th century, but its legacy never left. Instead, West Asia continued to be haunted by postcolonial trauma, Cold War alignments and economic dependency. Sea Of Ruin Take Libya. Muammar Gaddafi ruled it for over four decades with an iron grip. He was a tyrant, but he also provided free education, healthcare and relative stability. NATO's intervention in 2011, under the guise of humanitarian protection, toppled him but offered no plan for what came next. Libya descended into chaos, with rival militias carving up the country. Weapons looted from Libyan arsenals flooded Mali and Syria, fueling other wars. Gaddafi's fall wasn't the birth of democracy; it was the opening act of a long, bloody disintegration. Iraq offers an even starker example. The 2003 US-led invasion, based on false claims of weapons of mass destruction, dismantled not only Saddam Hussein's regime but also the entire Ba'athist (party) state structure. The de-Ba'athification programme purged thousands of civil servants and military officers, creating a vacuum that was quickly filled by sectarian militias and, eventually, the dreaded and bloodthirsty Islamic State. Iraq went from dictatorship to a failed democracy haunted by car bombs and assassinations. Once a cradle of civilisation, it now struggles to keep the lights on. Syria, too, became a battlefield of global ambition. What began as peaceful protests in 2011 soon morphed into a full-scale civil war, drawing in Russia, the United States, Iran, Turkey, Israel and countless non-state actors. While Assad's brutality is undeniable, so too is the damage inflicted by competing foreign agendas. More than half of Syria's population has been displaced. Cities like Aleppo and Raqqa have become modern ruins. Afghanistan was a theatre of invasion and war, resulting in total collapse of the existing system. First it was the Communist USSR that invaded the country in the late '70s. It was ultimately ousted with the American money, muscle and machine guns after a decade of misrule. Then, the US-led allied forces invaded it in 2001, claiming to install stability and democracy. The experiment failed miserably. The ousted Taliban made a dramatic comeback in 2021, with Western forces making an inglorious retreat. They have left the local population, women and children, at the mercy of the extremist Taliban. Iran's Turn Now? And now it is Iran, dangerously poised to be on the road to ruin. It has been subjected to cycles of isolation, sanctions sabotage, and now, open threats of regime change. Its current hardline government owes its survival not just to repression but also to an embattled nationalism born from decades of foreign pressure. From the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)-backed 1953 coup that ousted Prime Minister Mossadegh to present-day nuclear tensions, Iran's story is as much of external meddling as of internal strife. Meanwhile, regimes like those in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar continue to enjoy Western patronage. These nations are no less autocratic, no more democratic. Yet, their wealth and alignment with Western strategic interests insulate them from criticism. Human rights violations, censorship and state-sponsored religious extremism are quietly tolerated. The West does not oppose dictatorship, it opposes defiant dictators. This selective morality has real consequences. When Western powers punish some regimes while shielding others, they lose credibility. Worse, they stoke cynicism and anger across the Muslim world. Young people see the hypocrisy. They see the bombs dropped in the name of freedom and the silence that follows when friendly monarchs crush dissent. In that silence, extremist narratives take root; terror groups do not emerge from cultural voids, they are born in environments of injustice, humiliation and betrayal. Even Sudan, often omitted from this conversation, has a familiar story. Its colonial past, where the British pitted ethnic groups against each other, laid the groundwork for later divisions. Post-independence governments, often backed or sanctioned by foreign powers, struggled to hold a fractured society together. The current infighting isn't just a power struggle, it is the delayed detonation of a colonial time bomb, exacerbated by modern meddling from Gulf rivals, the West, and even Russia. Gift Of Nostalgia Amid all this, it is the ordinary people who pay the highest price. Families displaced across generations. Children growing up without schools or safe drinking water. Doctors operating by flashlight in makeshift clinics. Artists silenced. Intellectuals exiled. Hope becomes a rare commodity. In Gaza, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, to name just a few, the future has become just a concept. In such an environment, the past - even a past ruled by dictators - can seem strangely preferable. Say what you will about Saddam or Gaddafi, many in their countries recall the order, security and predictability of life under their rule. That nostalgia isn't about love for tyranny but about despair at what followed. What the Muslim world needs isn't more interventions, more bombs, or more regime-change fantasies. It needs principled action from the global community. It needs investment in peacebuilding, infrastructure and local civil society. It needs space to breathe, heal and rebuild. The West Learns No Lessons This is not an ode to the past. It's a warning. If history continues to repeat itself, it won't just be West Asia that suffers. Instability radiates. Refugees flee. Radical ideologies spread. And global trust erodes. The price of selective intervention is paid not just in Baghdad or Tripoli, but in Paris, London and New York, too - mostly in boats full of refugees and immigrants. It's time to move beyond the tired binaries: West vs. East, Islam vs. modernity, stability vs. chaos. The real battle is between integrity and hypocrisy, between memory and amnesia. Only when Western powers hold themselves to the same standards they demand of others can we begin to imagine a different future for the Muslim world. Let that future be written not in the language of conquest or control but in the vernacular of justice, sovereignty and dignity - and hope for a better future for the Muslim world. Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
