Islamic scholar Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar has sparked controversy by advocating for women's confinement to their homes, citing religious teachings and the concept of purdah to prevent societal "destruction."
Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan's Facebook post criticising Islamic scholar Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar's alleged anti-women remarks has disappeared, with the CMO citing a technical error. The incident has sparked political criticism from CPI(M) and BJP, who question the explanation and accuse the Congress of hypocrisy.
The BJP has criticised the Allahabad High Court's observations regarding the wearing of a hijab in school, stating that such matters should be left to school administrations and not courts. BJP spokesperson Syed Zafar Islam argued that faith is a significant personal aspect and courts should not dictate personal attire, while also acknowledging that schools have the right to set uniform policies. The High Court had dismissed a petition seeking permission for a girl to wear a headscarf, ruling it's not an essential part of Islamic faith.
In a heartwarming act of compassion, Irfana Iqbal, a Muslim panchayat member in Kasaragod, Kerala, performed the last rites of an abandoned Hindu man, Narayanan, according to his customs after his family refused to claim his body. Her selfless act, driven by the belief that humanity transcends religion, has garnered widespread appreciation.
'If I was in Nitish Kumar's place I would firstly never even think of crossing the boundary with a lady, and secondly if I did something so contemptible by mistake, I would apologise immediately.'
The Election Commission defends its directive to verify the identity of burqa-clad women at Bihar polling stations, citing a 1994 order issued during T N Seshan's tenure.
Darul Uloom Deoband refutes claims of barring women journalists from covering Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi's visit, following controversy over their absence at a press conference in Delhi.
The AIMIM, a partner of the UPA government, was surprised that such a statement was made by a Presidential candidate.
The Muslim Rashtriya Manch, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's Muslim wing, has backed the burqa-clad student who was heckled by youth shouting 'Jai Shri Ram' slogans at a Karnataka college, saying 'purdah' is a part of Indian culture.
'Iranians admire Indian cinema and often mention Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan when you meet them.'
Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, a Muslim body, has raised objections to a recent fashion show held in a local college where participants walked down the ramp wearing burqas.
Irfan captioned the picture, 'A palace behind me and a queen beside me. #life.'
the Muslim Rashtriya Manch categorically said that it does not support such 'fanaticism and religious frenzy' and favoured the move to enforce dress code for students in educational institutions in Karnataka.
"People should ensure that girls observe purdah in public places. If we spot any woman without purdah we will sprinkle acid on her face," handwritten posters of Lashkar Al Qaeda and Alqaeda Mujahideen warned.
Calling Imran Khan a "sick, misogynistic, degenerate", Pakistan Muslim League spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb came down heavily on the Pakistan Prime Minister.
Author-Scriptwriter Sadia Dehlvi remembers Zohra Sehgal.
Have Muslim women taken to the BJP under Modi even while their menfolk cling to 'secular' politics, asks Syed Firdaus Ashraf.
Teekli and Bagar, dusty hamlets in Gurgaon and Jhunjhunu, where most women are found in purdah and are not permitted to venture outside their homes are gradually witnessing a silent revolution through BPO that allow women to find jobs within the boundaries of the village and in turn become financially independent.
Communal violence rocked Shimoga which is Karnataka chief minister B S Yedyurappa's constituency after a newspaper published an article authored by Tasleema Nasreen regarding the purdah system.
The noted screenwriter and lyricist said he finds many commonalities between the mindsets of the Taliban and the Hindu right-wing.
"The family has made a representation to our officers that women were not allowed to wear 'purdah' and their religious sentiments were hurt by this," Hyderabad Police Commissioner B Prasad Rao told rediff.com when asked about the complaints of Moulana Naseeruddin's wife Tasneem Fatima that about 50 policemen in plainclothes had barged in to her home when no male member.
Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is 'simply a deterrent' to protect the country and there will no longer be any need for it once the Kashmir issue is resolved, Prime Minister Imran Khan has said as he asserted that if the Americans have the resolve and the will, the issue can be sorted out.
The Taliban will view India through the eyes of the ISI and can be relied upon to undertake hostile actions against this country, warns Virendra Kapoor.
Khan got closer to Bushra Bibi when he started visiting her over a year ago to seek spiritual advice.
'... That they should emerge as role-models to be emulated by the fellow countrymen; and that the middle classes should not stick only to hate-filled and scornful criticism and condemnation against the state of affairs,' remembers Mohammad Sajjad.
Sarpanch leaders are changing Rajasthan for the girl child, says Rashme Sehgal.
The recent issue of Krishi Samvad, a supplement of the Haryana Samvad magazine, a monthly magazine published by the state government, carries a photograph of a veiled woman.
With a staff in one hand and the other on his granddaughter's shoulder, the old man briskly takes the lead as the sun breaks over the horizon.
P Rafeeq's comment on the burkha led to his studio being razed.
The group will not just seek permission for women to offer prayers in the mosques, but also fight for appointing them as 'imams' (clerics).
Rare glimpses of Rashtrapati Bhavan. Kind courtesy: Architectural Digest India.
Arun Jaitley wonders why the Congress party's election advertising is centered around Rahul Gandhi
John Lang represented Rani Laxmibai in her legal battle against the East India Company to prevent the British from annexing her kingdom of Jhansi. Rediff.com's Archana Masih on a maverick Aussie who spent 22 years in India and became a friend in its dark days of bondage.
'In economic matters governments should not take sides based on religion and caste,' says T C A Srinivasa-Raghavan.
Narendra Modi can pick up a tip from the Samajwadi Party ramlila. If he doesn't want L K Advani as President, he might anoint him Bharatiya Bhishma Pitamah, suggests Sunanda K Datta-Ray.
'I don't believe the talk of free will.' 'They are either forced to dress like this, or indoctrinated.'
'I am hoping that now with the strategic status of our relationship, the Indian voice will get heard in Saudi Arabia,' says Ambassador B S Prakash.
