Main Agar Kahoon

In a nation where religions are prone to competing for politics and identity, there was one who quietly transcended all religious barriers with his pen, heart, and imagination. He was neither a political activist nor a secular intellectual. He was a devoutly religious Islamic scholar — a Maulana — who was fond of Lord Krishna too. This is the tale of Maulana Hasrat Mohani, a great Urdu poet, freedom fighter, and Islamic philosopher, who wrote beautiful poems in praise of the Hindu god Krishna, referring to him as "Murliwala" (the flute-player) with such ardor that many were left agog. This essay considers the significant legacy of Hasrat Mohani. It explores his remarkable synthesis of bhakti and Sufi piety, his Krishna bhakti, and the way his writing still speaks to us today in periods of communal strife. We also explore the way this hybrid writing can be an effective instrument of interfaith dialogue and national cohesion. Who was Hasrat Mohani? Hasrat Mohani was born in 187...

Over the past few years, the Israeli government's actions—its handling of the Palestinians, settlement growth, and its military campaign in Gaza—have drawn international attention and criticism. But beneath the headlines and the humanitarian outcry is a more profound implication that may determine the future of the Muslim world's politics and ideology: the revival and spread of Islamist thought. This article examines how ongoing aggression in Palestine can potentially serve as a catalyst for Islamist ideology, promoting its dissemination, ideological evolution, and broader acceptance among Muslim societies worldwide. 1. The Historical Context of Islamist Thought and Israel Islamist ideology is not a recent phenomenon. It began in the early 20th century, partly as a reaction against Western colonialism and the weakening of the Ottoman Empire. Leaders such as Hassan al-Banna in Egypt and Abul A'la Maududi in the Indian subcontinent presented Islamic political concepts which w...

  In his book An Ordinary Man's Guide to Radicalism: Growing Up Muslim in India, journalist Neyaz Farooquee tells his own tale that is also politically relevant. The book tells his life story as a young Muslim Indian from a middle-class background, mostly in Delhi's Jamia Nagar, through significant events in the country like the Batla House confrontation in 2008. The book is significant because it tells a reality in a straightforward, honest, and unobtrusive manner that tends to be overlooked or distorted in public debate: What is it like to be a Muslim in a country where your identity can immediately become a problem? We are presented with the insider's view of fear, ambition, prejudice, and hope through Farooquee's recollections. It is not a tale of extremism. Ironically, it is a tale of how not to get radicalized in reaction to every provocation. It is the tale of how an average man manages in exceptional times by clinging to decency, to dignity, and to dreams. A Lif...

In the last decade, Africa has become a significant theatre in the international war on terror. In the Sahel and the Horn of Africa, several Islamist extremist groups have exploited weak states, social discontent, and previous conflicts to set up bases, carry out lethal attacks, and recruit vulnerable youths. The groups may carry the ISIS or Al-Qaeda flags, but local dynamics as much drive their behaviour, agendas, and tactics as by international ideologies. Born from Neglect: The Originating Causes of Terrorism The emergence of Islamist terrorism in Africa cannot be explained without considering the historical and political context. Most African nations inherited fragile state institutions after colonial times. Corruption, bad governance horizontal inequalities, and chronic underdevelopment have rendered large areas of the continent without schools, employment, health, or justice. In these areas, extremist groups offer themselves as a substitute for collapsed governments. For youth, p...