Pluralism

After Gujarat no communal riot has taken place on that scale but to write off communalism will be a serious mistake. It continues and shall continue to be a major political challenge to Indian secularism and effective legal and political action must be taken to face this challenge.

The Centre for Study of Society and Secularism has carried out a research project "Jihad, its Historicity and Contemporary Relevance" which has helped in demolishing several myths woven around the theme of jihad.

Fatwa is basically an Islamic legal opinion which has its roots in the Islamic history. However, in the modern time, starting from the Imam Khomeini’s Fatwa against Salman Rushdie, this term often creates chaos in the society.

No year in India has been riot-free. Some years like 1992-93 post Babri Masjid demolition, 2002 in Gujarat witness major communal catastrophe, 2008 in Kandhamal riots or some years witness riots which are not nationally taken notice of

India is facing the ongoing deterioration of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, especially the repeated outbreaks of violence between the civil population and the security forces. Criticising both the Indian and Pakistani governments’ performances, Mr Sachar gives a number of suggestions how to start a new direction in conflict resolution

The conflict in Kashmir seems to be unending and the way it is being handled by our armed forces, especially the CRPF is further aggravating it. Unfortunately still it is being addressed primarily as a law and order problem and the aspirations of people and their problems hardly matter. Our armed forces go on violating human rights and they know only to kill.

No one will dispute the fact that social reforms are urgently needed with breath taking changes taking place all around in our society. But two questions become important in this respect: 1) what is the role of state and 2) what is the role of religion? There are people who insist that state should play an active role and usher in these reforms. Secondly there are people who think religion can hardly be helpful and instead it becomes an obstacle in social change

In essence, the core concerns of the Indian Muslims seem to revolve around issues of security, identity, and equity. This has resulted in withdrawal, increased in-group cohesion, and subsequent ghettoization of the community. Moreover, the politicization of Hindu-Muslim relations exacerbates communalization and polarization of identities. Such a multitude of complex factors have immense implications for the integrative ethos of secular India. In fact, most of these issues are an integral part of the governance process and empowerment remains at the very core of assimilating the Indian Muslims