South Asia Citizens Web

NB - The self appointed leaders of ’the community’ seem to think that they have a right not to be offended; and a right to threaten anyone who ignores their sentiments. They enjoy democratic freedoms just like anyone else, but they do not have the right to intimidate those who disagree with them. They did this last year, and seem to think they can do it every time they choose. In my opinion the ban on Rushdie’s Satanic Verses should be lifted; Taslima Nasreen, author of Lajja, invited back (…)

Indian and Pakistani militaries must be compelled to behave in a responsible, restrained and civilised fashion across what’s admittedly a difficult, rough-terrain border with huge troop concentration. There’s no place here for actions which seek to inflict maximal pain upon adversaries. The guns must fall silent. Or else, small clashes could escalate into major conflicts, as happened at Kargil, when both adversaries recklessly brandished their nuclear swords. Such restraint is achievable. The US and the USSR were mortal Cold War enemies, armed to the teeth. Yet, despite systemic hostility and countless provocations, they never exchanged a shot; leave alone beat up each other’s diplomats or soldiers.

If we are to combat sexual violence in our cities, it is time to begin discussing the dysfunctions of young urban men“I remember seeing a documentary about some animal being eaten from behind while its face seemed to register disbelief, fear, and self-hate at its own impotence,” recalls Roy Strang, the rapist at the centre of Irvine Welsh’s supremely disturbing Marabou Stork Nightmares, of one of his victims. “That was what she reminded me of,” says Strang, watching his victim’s eyes, (…)

Please write a letter to the Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh and urge him to do the needful to get the blasphemy cases against Sanal Edamaruku quashed and ensure his safety.

Edited by physicist and noted intellectual Pervez Hoodbhoy, ‘Confronting the Bomb: Pakistani & Indian Scientists Speak Out’ (Oxford University Press) hit the stalls recently. A collection of essays on the issue of nuclear race in South Asia by eminent Pakistani and Indian scientists, ‘Confronting the Bomb’ brings forth nuclear debate in a manner that bucks the mainstream discourse in both India and Pakistan. In this issue, Viewpoint discusses nuclear issues with book’s editor Pervez Hoodbhoy and two of its contributors, Zia Mian and M.V. Ramana.