:: Monday, December 16, 2002 ::

Muslim Women in India:

Here is an excellent quote from a survey of Muslim Women in India being conducted by Professor Zoya Hasan and Ritu Menon:

Nationally, Muslim women have low socio-economic status, above the Dalits’, but lower than the OBCs’. However, it isn’t religion, or religiously ordained customs, that determine that status. Rather, it is poverty, urban or rural residence and regional location, besides generalised societal gender biases.

[Read More]

:: Vikash Yadav 9:45 PM [Permanent Link] :: ::
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Watching Poindexter:

The call has gone out amongst civil libertarians to place pardonded criminal, Admiral Poindexter, under 24-hour surveillance. Poindexter was recently appointed to head the new "Total Information Authority (TIA)" which will seek to combine databases on phone records, credit card purchases, etc. to find terrorists.

There is nothing quite as sweet as reversing the gaze.

:: Vikash Yadav 1:40 PM [Permanent Link] :: ::
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Gujarat:

After the BJP victory in Gujarat, the Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, warned the Congress Party to steer clear of "Fatwa Politics" and "Appeasement" of the Muslim minority in the future. This combative tone will do little to heal a state racked by violence in recent months. [It should be noted that the BBC has inaccurately reported that Modi took a "conciliatory tone" after his electoral victory].

News reports indicate that communal violence has broken out once again across the state and at least two people are dead. Hindu gangs are apparently roaming the streets and picking fights with Muslims.

Although the recent elections need to be placed in context as Gujarat is one of the last remaining strongholds of the BJP, this election result certainly has shaken my faith in India's liberal democracy. The re-election of Modi is most disturbing, given his rather blood-soaked record on the protection of minority rights. It is a sad time for Indian secularism.

:: Vikash Yadav 1:16 PM [Permanent Link] :: ::
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