Ajit Sahi, a journalist with the weekly Tehelka, recently created a storm with his investigation of cases of scores of innocent Muslims languishing in jails falsely accused by the police of being members of the outlawed Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and of being behind a string of bomb blasts and other terror acts across India.

Human rights groups calls for end to communal terror in Odisha. Citizen groups call on the President.

Nigar Ataulla writes about the stereotypes that Muslim women in India face from the broader community on one hand, and the disconnect with Muslim institutions on the other.

Many Kashmiri Muslims vociferously insist that the demand for independence of Kashmir has nothing to do with religion. Yogi Sikand critiques that position.

Yogi Sikand writes about Kishtwar and the strife that is tearing J&K. Whatever is left of it.

The violence that is rapidly engulfing large parts of Jammu and Kashmir, set off by a controversial government decision to grant a tract of land to a temple trust in Kashmir, threatens to totally disrupt the already tenuous inter-communal relations in the region. Yogi Sikand writes.

Mobilising Muslims - A man and a network with a mission. Yogi Sikand writes.

A cleric's dubious arrest over the Ahmedabad blasts is just the tip. A three-month investigation by Ajit Sahi exposes the random targeting of Muslims by the police. An article in Tehelka.

There are stories of increasing violence against Christian groups in Sri Lanka with state agencies and buddhist monks being accused as perpetrators.

Yogi Sikand reviews Muhammad Yasin Mazhar Siddiqui's book titled "The Prophet Muhammad - A Role Model for Muslim Minorities".

A new Muslim magazine with articles not just on Islam but also on a host of issues, from global warming, AIDS, modern education among Muslims, madrasa reforms, gender relations and Muslim women's empowerment to terrorism, communal harmony between Hindus and Muslims and Western imperialism, in addition to news and feature stories about India's Muslims…. Submitted by Tarique Anwar; posted by Yogi Sikand on TwoCircles.net

While the western media continues to focus on Muslim fundamentalists, the growing influence of Christian fundamentalism is hardly discussed. Yogi Sikand writes.

The Presidential Address of Hazrat Allama Anwar Shah Kashmiri to the Annual Session of the Jamiat ul-Ulama-i Hind, Peshawar, 1927. Translated by Yoginder Sikand

Banat-e Islam Ki Dini Wa Ilmi Khidmat ('The Religious and Intellectual Contributions of Muslim Women'), authored by Maulana Qazi Athar Mubarakpuri. Book Review by Yogi Sikand.

The reform of Muslim education, in particular bridging the gap between 'religious' and 'worldly' knowledge, has been one of the main focuses of the efforts of a range of South Asian Muslim reformists and revivalists over the past century and more. Yogi Sikand reviews the processes and the impact.

Rape and abduction of women in the east go unnoticed. ........Just before Batti MC election over 20 women were raped by STF in Akkaraipattu. Below incident happened on day of the PC election.  Election monitoring bodies have not considered these as election related violence leave alone any other action by the civil society groups.  By JamilaNajimuddin

In the context of current discussions on the rights of Tibetans and the role of the Chinese State, Dipanjan Rai Chaudhuri presents a brief history of Tibet

One indicator of the development of a society is its female literacy rate and, related to this, the number of its female scholars. On both these fronts, India's Muslims are among the lowest of all the
communities in the country. An article by Yogi Sikand, reviewing a study by Maulana Syeed Ghulam Mustafa Bukhari Aqeel.

Indian Muslims have shown they stand against terrorism, but do the ulema have the necessary vision to save them from the ever-expanding web of radical Islamism that is spawning terrorism across the country?  Sultan Shahin writes.

Recent months have witnessed a spate of seminars, public meetings, rallies and press conferences organized by various Muslim groups across India denouncing terrorism and insisting that it has no relation whatsoever with Islam. Yoginder Sikand reports.

Visiting those who have suffered the burtalities of Hindu communalism in Ram Lal ka Kadda, Karthik Ramanathan concludes that the hope for Indian democracy can only arise from the oppressed sections.

Yogi Sikand review this book by Jamal Malik titiled "Madrasas in South Asia: Teaching Terror?" which was recently published by Routledge. He goes on to review a breadth of opinions by a number of scholars on the role and impact of madrasas and directions for reform.

The mammoth 'Anti-Terrorism Convention' organised at Deoband late last month, which brought together ulema from all over the country, has received wide media coverage. Yogi Sikand reports.

Tenzin Tsundue, a Tibetan in exile in India, along with a few other Tibetans plan a march to China from India, arriving during the Olympics to draw attention to the cause of Tibetans and the oppression in Tibet

Yogi Sikand explores the changing representation and voices of gender, caste, class and region within the Indian Mulsim community in the context of the Sachar report

Maulana Shihabuddin Nadwi's 'Scientific' Approach to the Quran - an article by Yogi Sikand

The religious education system of Mappila Muslims, who make up almost a quarter of Kerala population, needs a separate and profound study that will shed light on various unique features of the system and on how it differs from the Islamic education system prevalent elsewhere in India. A note by Zubair Hudawi

The military-controlled interim government's recent move to curb the democratic rights of indigenous communities, as reported in New Age on Saturday, comes as yet another distressing sign of the heavy handed and chauvinistic attitude that this government espouses in relation to rights of ethnic minorities. From the editorial in New Age.

Separate madrasas for Muslim girls are a relatively recent phenomenon in India. Although the number of such madrasas is still small, there is a distinct trend towards setting up more such institutions, both
that provide only religious education, as well as those that combine both Islamic and modern subjects.An article by Yogi Sikand.

The once silent hills of Darjeeling, has grabbed the attention of the central Government and Indian Nepali diaspora. From being a sleepy tourist town, the towering hills are being ravaged by demands from two dissentious groups: the implementation of sixth schedule status vs. a separate statehood- ‘gorkhaland’.

Malaysia is in the news again after hundreds of its citizens of Indian origin under the aegis of the Hindu Rights Action Force demonstrated on 25 November 2007 outside the British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur seeking US$ 4 trillion compensation from the British government for bringing the indentured labourers from India. The real focus was not the British government but the Malaysian government’s racist policies and practices which have crippled the Indian origin Malaysians. ACHR Report

Yogi Sikand speaks to Maulana Tariq Rashid Firangi Mahali on Dars-e Nizami and Madrasa Reform in South Asia and the basis and framework for such reforms.

John Dayal reports from his visit to the areas in Orissa where Christian churches and communities were targeted with violence by communal forces during the week of Christmas.

Writers and artists gathered to protest West Bengal Government's treatment of Taslima Nasreen, despite a High Court Order that her novel was breaking no laws, in what reeks of communal appeasement and male chauvinism. More importantly, the state decided to prosecute the fundamental right to expression.

Nasiruddin Haider Khan writes that perhaps in the minds of many Gujaratis who idolize Modi, Muslims do not have a place in Gujarat

An overview of Tibetan Alternative - a newsmagazine launched to discuss various questions of Tibetan Independence. We present some articles

With the caretaker government in Bangladesh making new rules for voter registration, there is fear among the paharis in the Chittagong Hill Tracts that they will be left without voting rights. A review from Bangla Word Press.

Gujarat Pogrom of 2002: Five years on The Truth Uncovered by an undercover media investigation. The Tehelka Files - an extensive review.

Having been undercover on the shadow lines between sanity and mayhem, ASHISH KHETAN retraces a quest for truth.

Organizations in Sri Lanka present a statement to the UN Human Rights Commission as human right violations continue.

There are 24 Muslim Members of Parliament, out of 225 in total. Eighteen of them hold ministerial portfolios. Every single Muslim political party – SLMC, ACMC, NUA, NMC, DUA – is in the government. Yet, ordinary Muslims in the north and east continue to suffer despite the parties relying primarily on votes from the East and the North. And all these ministers do nothing much to help. In fact, they assist a Sinhala racist government.

Despite a plethora of condemnation, adverse criticism and serious concern expressed by international human rights bodies against human rights violations in the military occupied Tamil habitats, the report for the month of September 2007 compared to the month before, presents a very grim picture of the various types of violations all of which have a cumulative impact on a people already affected by two decades of civil war.

Civil Liberty groups in Hyderabad have evidence that Hyderabad police has been picking up Muslim youth and torturing them and intimidating them while asking question unrelated to the bomb blasts.

A young man married a young woman in Kolkata. He happened to be middle class Muslim; she a very rich Hindu. Days later they intimidated by senior officers of the Kolkata police on multiple occasions. And then, days after he wrote to the human rights commission claiming intimidation, he was found dead - the Kolkata police claiming a suicide.

Communities in Surat District have reported a new round of organized violence against minorities. A committee that visited the sites of violence ask whether this is connected with upcoming elections.

Fatwas for the death of any individual are nothing but calls for murder – and irrespective of the religious sentiment within which they are couched; being calls for extra-judicial killings must be treated as such. The state must take action against such calls.

This report on the state of displaced persons in the North and East of Sri Lanka analyses the security condition and concerns of those who live in makeshifts and camps in conflict affected areas. It provides an overview of the current ground situation, i.e. the altered displacement landscape, and the dynamics which shape the distribution of aid and resettlement.

During these recent months, reports suggest that the state and the military in Sri Lanka is actively engineering opinions and demographics through blatant oppression.

The reason why a Jain Temple in Tharparkar is in shambles is because the masses are becoming increasingly apathetic towards heritage, and also because of the scarce resources available with the government. Shahid Hussain writes in The News, a newspaper by the Jang group.

B. Muralidhar Reddy writes that successive governments have failed to factor in the aspirations of Muslims in the quest for resolution of the strife, which is seen as solely a problem between the Sinhalese and the Tamils.

The CID (Crime) on 17th July filed a chargesheet in the metropolitan court against 13 police officials accused in the fake encounter of Sohrabuddin Shaikh and disappearance of his wife Kausar Bi.

The storming of Islamabad's Lal Masjid mosqueis over. Prof Pervez Hoodbhoy asks why this came to pass and whether the government and the larger society has learnt it lesson or will more such incidences follow.

Dr Anand Kumar writes in the South Asia Analysis Group about the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Bangladesh and the marginalization of minority groups.

Security forces handed over four bodies to staff at Kanthale Hospital claiming these were LTTE cadre killed in an ambush on June 28^th. However, it seems that the facts were quite different.

A coalition of Tamils and Muslims in eastern Srilankan district of Ampara is organizing to highlight government policies meant to redefine gerographies and demographics of that region. This would be a dangerous precedence in the Sri Lankan conflict and would impact these minority communities ability to socially and politically organize, even their economic existence.

With the ongoing chaos in Pakistan, another dimension has been the role of the MQM. In his blog, iFaqeer presents some perspectives of this role and its context within Pakistan and specifically, Karachi.

A Hindustan Times report suggests that the Sri Lankan government is trying to set up SEZs in certain areas where civil war has thrown out thousands of Tamils. Opportunistic efficiency at its best?

A passport held by former Tibetan minister marked by the government of Tibet and recognized by 7 countries is proof of Tibet's nationhood. It is on display at the ongoing conference on Free Tibet.

Various civic society and human rights groups write to Sri Lankan President Rajapakse to stop government orders forcing all Tamils in Colombo lodges to leave Colombo, on the pretext that they had 'no valid reason' to stay.

The latest report for the International Crisis Group, examines the plight of Sri Lanka’s largely ignored Muslim community, who have been victims of massacres, ethnic cleansing and forced displacement over the past two decades, largely by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and have been sidelined at successive peace talks.

LTTE is making preparations for a large-scale attack on Sri Lankan military detachments, according to several informed sources in the Vanni.

Even twenty years after the sordid Hashimpura massacre in Uttar Pradesh, in which Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel allegedly gunned down over 40 people on 22 May 1987 (all muslim), justice remains still out of sight.

A team from the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) and the International Movement Against Racism and Discrimination visited the Trincomalee District from April 23 to 27 2007 to assess the humanitarian and human rights situation. Their report is attached.

Six civilians died and 33 got injured on the 23^rd April 2007 attack on a public bus going from Mannar to Colombo. Eight injured persons are in critical condition. This is the third such attack on a passenger bus within this month and the second attack that targeted Mannar public transport service.

The West needs to engage with the growth of Indian Muslims, says Tufail Ahmed, a British journalist of Indian origin and an Associate of the American Enterprise Institute, Washington DC.

Former Canadian Secretary of State and MP Hon David Kilgour in Mumbai to present an investiagtive report on China's seamy side on human rights.

The Tamil Mirror interviewed Ms. Karen Parker (a San Francisco-based attorney who specializes in human rights and humanitarian law) in March 2007.

Two members of Friends of Tibet were arrested while attempted to storm the Chinese embassy to demand the release of Panchen Lama - one tried to self-immolate himself. They were then taken to Tihar where they went on a hunger strike for over 3 days. After being moved to Deen Dayal Upadhyay hospital, New Delhi, we now learn that they have been released.

Amnesty has launched a campaign to address the human rights abuses related to the conflict in Sri Lanka in order to get international human rights monitors on the ground. The campaign will focus the Cricket World Cup in the West India which ends on April

Mumbai’s Urdu Times Daily report alleges police conspiracy to trap Muslims through planting weapons

"Nandigram did not surprise me. I was anguished and angry but not surprised. I had heard the story of Alipurduar from Jugal Kishore Raybir." This article by Yogendra Yadav first appeared in the Indian Express.

The protracted armed conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has drastically escalated since the beginning of 2006. An estimated 4,000 people have since been killed and over 275,000 internally displaced in that period. This is in addition to more than 500,000 uprooted earlier in the conflict and by the tsunami of December 2004.

World Sindhi Institute in Washington DC is organizing a discussion forum on Lahore Resoution Day (March 23rd) to talk about oppression by the Pakistani State.

The report of the All Party Representative Committee on constitutional reform and the establishment of the commission of inquiry to investigate human rights violations offer a glimmer of hope in Sri Lanka. Ahilan Kadirgamar reports.

Rehman Faiz, Lahore based president of Amnesty International Pakistan, writes about the direction of Pakistani policies with respect to minorities and human rights. This article was published in Countercurrents.

Local communities have decried the role of Sri Lankan Security forces in the cold blooded murder of Rev.Nallathamby Gnanaseelan, Pastor of Tamil Mission Church Jaffna. One among numerous killings in NE Sri Lanka every day, it seems to be a ploy to terrorize the community.

Through many real stories, M. R. Narayan Swamy, with Indo-Asian News Service, provides a glimpse of the war that ravages Sri Lanka.

With an increasing trend in hate crimes against Muslims in the US, representatives of the community and government officials met to discuss these trends and define Islamophobia. An Article by Muqtedar Khan follows.

As he completes his first year as President, Mahinda Rajapakse has taken the country back to its bad and dangerous past that many of us thought ended for good in 1994.

With elections approaching, minorities in Bangladesh face violence as they have in past elections. Asian Center for Human Rights reports.

In a recently published report, HRW has held the Sri Lankan government and LTTE responsible for major human rights violations since 2002. It has also presented recommendations in numerous areas to limit suffering and violence to bystanders and communities around conflict zones. It seems unlikely that this report will change much of anything, though.

The Coalition of Tamils and Muslims for Peace and Coexistence describes the state of civilians in Muttur, and while pointing out that the state as well as the rebel forces have failed the people, request the world to listen to their stories.

Citizen groups protest the violence against Muslims in the ongoing civil strife in Sri Lanka. And yet, the international peace monitors and media have largely ignored this aspect of the violence in Sri Lanka - not that other aspects of violence are being resolved either.

The SouthAsian spoke with Ashoka Fellow Lenin Raghuvanshi about the problem and he speaks at length about the effect of WTO and the collapse of the weaving and handloom industry, the feudal system of contracting labor, of their efforts to build a democratic capitalist model and of preventing communalization. You can listen to the interview here.

University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna), Sri Lanka (UTHR(J)), present a report on The wider implications of the Human Rights and Humanitarian crisis in Jaffna. The entire report, released on 14^th September 2006, is carried here.

While the Sri Lankan government has presented that Mutur is cleared for displaced muslims who have moved back, various sources in Sri Lanka suggest that the displaced communities are being forced back into Mutur as part its propaganda.

The battle for Muttur is apparently over. As the state media proclaims “Government in Full Control of Muttur.”

Civic society groups have presented a stark report on Sri Lankans displaced from Trincomalee by the new round of violence.

This article by Qadri Ismail, published in Tamilweek.com, while honoring one who was committed to peace in Sri Lanka - peace not defined by absence of killings but also inclusive of exploitation, intimidation and intimidation - also points of much of what the peace process is missing.

Pakistani government reported that tribal leader Nawab Akbar Bugti has been killed in a battle between tribal militants and government forces in Balochistan province.

Habib ur Rehman, of the Association of Indian Minorities explores methods of minority representation in other democracies around the world and makes a case for such representation in India.

Various media reports – as yet unconfirmed by official sources – suggest that the Maharastra government has passed a policy requiring police to probe all Muslims traveling abroad.

The continuing violence between LTTE and the Sri Lankan Military has affected the Muslim population in Muttur, a town now occupied by LTTE.

Dr. GN Devy, A Sahitya Akademi Award winner, and founder-director of the Tribal Academy in Tejgarh, Gujarat speaks with Sankarshan Thakur. This was first published in Tehelka on May 20, 2006

Habib ur Rehman, of the Association of Indian Minorities presents a note on the dynamics of minorities in the electoral process presenting the 2006 West Bengal Elections as a case study.

Two Bajarang Dal Activists killed while making a bomb. Ram Puniyani writes about the inaction of the administration and the absence of any media coverage of the event and its significance.

D.B.S. Jeyaraj reports from Sri Lanka on a fresh round of violence that has affected the Trincomalee area.

Interview With Hamdard University Chancellor Saiyid Hamid

In the last couple of weeks, Sachar Commission’s work regarding demographic distribution in the armed forces has received much critique. Most major newspapers have carried them. Ghulam Muhammed provides another perspective.

The cartoon of the prophet has raised a lot of hue and cry besides all the tempers. Alas, in all these discussions, very few sane voices have emerged from places where decisions are being made.

Chandar Kolhi alias Javed Shaikh was recently rescued from bonded labour by rights activists in district Thatta Sindh. He was bonded by a landlord named Luqman Palari for Rs. 200 (about 3 US $). He worked for two years without any payment.

A Communal Violence bill has been tabled as a response to the killings in Gujarat of over 3000 people. While the bill does present a response to the need for accountability in governance, it lacks the wherewithal to enforce political will.

The New York Times reports on the new generation of Tibetans, respectful of Dalai Lama, and yet frustrated with policies of pacifism. While unwilling to be violent towards others, they believe in direct action. The article talks about this generation, its ideals, its dreams and its processes.

In this article that first appeared in December 2005, Issues in Secular Politics, Ram Puniyani, long time secularist and advocate of communal harmony describes how religious tolerance is being bandied by interested parties to justify oppression of religious minorities.

A summary of an extensive report on the causes and action with respect to the communal riots in Mau.

A federation of tribal and forest community organisations from ten states in the Indian Union have formed a campaign for Survival and Dignity by presenting their claims for Forest Rights. C. R. Bijoy forwards an update on these demands.

China announced last month that their dearest "development" project for the Golmud-Lhasa railway tracks has been complete and by next year trains would ply on this 1,000 km railway track and would connect Tibetan capital Lhasa with Beijing.

Over a million slave laborers in Pakistan have been dehumanized, oppressed and denied basic rights by a vicious coalition of feudal landlords (zamindars), a military regime and political interests. One local group trying to rescue them and help with rehabilitation has decided to provide some faces to these numbers.

Highlighting the bonded labor issue Green Rural Development Organization had planned a 12 day (1st March to 12th March 2005) long march from Jhudo to Hyderabad Press club. A gathering of more than 20,000 people from different districts of Sindh, Pakistan joined in the final phase of long march from Fateh Chowk to press club Hyderabad. This article highlights the activities of the marchers from 7th March to 12th March.

Prof Roop Rekha Verma, former Vice Chancellor, University of Lucknow and Nasiruddin Haider Khan Senior Journalist, Hindustan Dainik (Hindustan Times) present their perspectives on the recent communal riots in Mau, UP.

While Rashtra Swayamsevak Sangh has been openly anti-Muslim, its front organizations like IDRF claim to be collecting funds for relief in ‘South Asia’. Ra Ravishankar explores this contradiction.

Friends of Tibet (India) has put together a traveling exhibition of cartoons on Tibet by Indian cartoonists. The cartoons cover the Tibet issue and the tumultuous Indo-Chinese relations. The exhibition can also be viewed on line.

On 11th August, a peoples assembly on the issues and problems of rural workers was organized by Green Rural Development Organization(GRDO)in Hyderabad, Sindh.

Tenzin Tsundue describes the world of a new generation of Tibetan youth growing up in exile.

Ethan Casey juxtaposes, through personal stories, growing fundamentalism in the west. This story first appeared in The News, Pakistan.

India is a land of diversity with different linguistic, ethnic, religious, groups and has a unique feature of ‘unity in diversity’. Indian culture is distinct and each ethnic group has the liberty to maintain their religious identity. Among the different religious groups in India Muslims constitute the largest minority group i.e. 13% of the India’s total population.

Ethan Casey, a journalist, talks about the response to his articles about his experiences in Pakistan and some Pakistani impressions of Muslims in India. The article was first published in The News.

This is the story of women who were widowed and others who also lost their near and dear ones in the Naroda-Patiya (Ahmedabad) carnage in 2002, and who have since gotten together to form a collective effort that would revitalize their livelihoods and maybe rejuvenate their lives.

In Pakistan, a large section of the bonded labor actually lives in private prisons owned and operated by large landlords. Lalee was once such slave. Lalee and her family – including six children – had recently been freed from a private prison owned by a landlord in Sindh, owing to the efforts of advocacy groups working on slave labor.

In the last couple of weeks, I have read a few articles on Christian Evangelism in India, and I took them seriously simply because they were not part of the rhetoric of certain groups that lean towards religious fanaticism.

They dictate terms and espouse views on issues that extend from the public domain of Indian Muslims to the privacy of their bedrooms. They are wise and venerable men, but their physical appearance on television and in newspapers just confirms the unjust prejudices against the community.

During the past five years, between March 1999 to January 2005, 21 separate incidents of bomb and grenade attacks have killed over 140 persons and injured many others.

It is usually assumed that the minority communities are at risk of being targeted by religious fundamentalists. In fact, majority communities are as much at risk and must proactively resist religious fundamentalist groups and their policies, argues Sanat Mohanty

A couple of weeks ago, we had sent out an invitation to our readers requesting them to write and tell the rest of us about who they are, what they do, what organizations they work with and what ideas they have.

Many have argued that nonviolence works only in low conflict, low stress situations. S P Arun relates the unfolding of nonviolent solutions in a high crime neighborhood.

This is the first part of an interview by Yogi Sikand with Asrhan Amanullah on madrasas and their role in Islamic education.

Muhammad Athar Afzal is a graduate of the Jamia Salafia, Varanasi, the apex madrasa of the Ahl-i Hadith in India. He is presently doing his Ph.D. at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. In this interview with Yoginder Sikand he talks about madrasa education in contemporary India.

Suraiya Tabassum is a Delhi-based researcher and is actively involved in Muslim women’s issues. She is the author of ‘Waiting for the New Dawn: Muslim Women’s Perceptions of Muslim Personal Law and its Practices’ (New Delhi: Indian Social Institute, 2004). In this interview with Yoginder Sikand she speaks about her work.

What is a Dalit Muslim, you ask? Or, more correctly, Who? Yogi Sikand writes about the Dalit Muslim identity and their concerns and voices.

The story of a South Asian's involvement with a community center exploring spaces for non-violence.

Hindutva is based on a certain definition of the Hindu identity and is developed through certain premises of historical events. The question of identity is raised in this critique of Savarkar’s thesis.

In a rather unfortunate turn of events, the Union Minister for NRI Affairs of the Government of India, Mr. Jagdish Tytler, defamed and threatened Harvinder Singh Phoolka, a prominent human rights activist and advocate of the Supreme Court of India, who has fought tirelessly to seek justice for victims of the November 1984 riots.

Dr. Syed Ehtisham writes about the politics and the history of Bangladesh and its relationship to the stateless people in Bangladesh.

Democracy, Politics & Minority Rights in India

A study by academics from the Sustainable Development Institute of Pakistan revealed that social studies texts for the junior grades in Pakistan's public schools instruct students in the concept of jehad

The greatest relative differences between actual and expected stops and searches for Blacks were found in suburban cities and central cities other than Minneapolis.

University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna), Sri Lanka, reports that the murder of Thambirajah Subathiran (Robert) may signal the end of Sri Lanka’s peace process.

Omar Jamal’s case is pertinent to all immigrant communities in the US. The South Asian is publishing this article in solidarity with the local Somali population.

A report on the “Special” Registration policy of INS.

While, the news media would have us believe that Americans are itching for war against Iraq, evidence suggests otherwise.

The following letter was written by Nishrin - a daughter - to her deceased father. He was one of the victims of the violence in Gujarat this year and was burnt alive while he was trying to protect and shelter others .The letter has been reproduced by many listservers and we have obtained it through the Peace Vigil Newsletter