South Asia Citizens Web

Looking at how elements of fascism can emerge spontaneously in contemporary society enables us to see that fascism does not originate from "evil" or "lack of enlightenment", but rather from the logic of objective historical processes, and from internal pressures and tensions. It is therefore essential to struggle against modern fascism at an objective level: by addressing changes in historical structure and the processes this structure "automatically" generates. Moralistic campaigns, the promotion of tolerance and so on, cannot be effective since they do not take account of historical causes.

The Jamaat-e-Islami, being a part of the martial law government in its initial years, was able to push its own thinking and ideology. Besides, Gen Zia felt very close to Mian Tufail Mohammad, the-then amir of the Jamaat, in terms of both a shared clan and his view of the world. Additionally, due to a certain politics being promoted by the Americans and the Saudis in the whole region during that era, the official faith of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia could not simply be ignored either by Gen Zia’s military government or his preferred clerics. Therefore, the laws were Islamised according to an orthodox Sunni view of Islam.

Students, Teachers, Karamcharis [employees] of Central universities to converge at Delhi university on 26 October 2012 Against Contractualisation of Jobs of Karamcharis; against assault on right to protest; against arbitrary academic reforms etc.

Gujarat did not happen—it bears repeating ad nauseum—because Hindus and Muslims were living side by side and this was never meant to be. It happened because religion was successfully used to construct an exclusivist nationalism that we, in South Asia, refer to as communalism and which readily lends itself to a politics of hate, murder and authoritarianism.

Echoes of "Bandookon Walay Dartay Hain Aik Nehatti Larki Say" (’Those with guns are scared of an unarmed young girl’) were reverberating in the air of Islamabad’s F-6 Super Market on the evening of 10th October, 2012. A sizeable crowd had gathered to vent their anger the day after the barbaric shooting of Malala Yousafzai in Swat. I have attended many such protests since the mid-1990s. But the kind of frustration, anger and helplessness that had charged the crowd for Malala was unprecedented.