Why is civil society movement weak among Indian Muslims ?

Ross Masood Lit. & Cult. Society is organizing an Interactive session on "Why is civil society movement weak among Indian Muslims ?".

Resource-person : Faisal Khan, National Leader, Khudai Khidmatgar

On 22nd of December (Sunday)

Supported by:Khudai Khidmatgar, AMU-Unit & Aligarh Activists' Society

For more details contact:

Ameen Ahmad +919045205890
Yasif Eqbal +918439882245

Timings : 3:00pm until 4:00pm

Venue : Common Room, RM Hall, AMU

Press Release by AMU students for Justice on Law Faculty Issue

As of today, the credible image of university has been distorted by the sexual harassment case reported from a prestigious faculty at AMU against a now suspended, senior professor of the university creating a bad name of the campus. 

We, the students at AMU find it our primary responsibility to stand for honour and dignity of the institution and all that is associated with our alma mater. In this regard we voice our concerns through this protest march. 

In the light of above mentioned, we voice our concerns regarding this issue for the following reasons. 

1. No one, may it be a student or a teacher has a right to tarnish the image of the university. So we demand fast track action in law faculty sexual harassment case and whosoever is found guilty through a free and fair enquiry must be severely punished to send clear message that AMU cannot be taken hostage by the any sick elements. Action must be made public so that entire nation comes to know that AMU does not give a free hand to people with criminal attitude. We demand everyone to follow the due course of law and standards of Justice at AMU. 

2. Gender violence against anybody, student or faculty, guest or bonafide, cannot be accepted as a norm and ignored, and the victim cannot be left alone to fight for justice. Social pressures or like cannot be accepted as hindrances in justice delivery system. We demand an end to any sort of gender violence to maintain the sanctity of the institution. Administration must make fast track arrangement to check those people who are inclined to gender violence or have any such record in the past. 

3. The safety of our sisters is our primary concern and there cannot be any concession on that. So the official body of AMU working for the purpose (CASHFGS) cannot stay senescent and irresponsive. Its mere existence does not solve the purpose. We demand for an updated, empowered, functional body of CASHFGS (Committee against sexual harassment and for gender sensitization) with mass awakening programs and easy executive tendencies. It must be funded properly, made accountable and ensured a root level contact with female students at AMU. 

4. The cultural legacy of AMU, as visioned by the founder of alma mater, needs to be maintained at any cost. Those events, discourses and shows that are organised in the campus and do not reflect our civilization and the historical background of the university cannot be allowed to demolish the prestige the heartland of Muslims in India. This event cannot be taken in isolation because such miss happening are a result of continuous moral degradation; promotion of indecent ideas, nurturing of western culture and transgression of the limits set by Islam. We demand a policy shift to uphold modesty and demand an end to all that deprives us from our great values. We don’t think of this particular case in isolation but take these types of heinous events as a result of continuous moral degradation; promotion of indecent ideas, nurturing of western culture and transgression of the limits set by Islam. 

5. We demand media to be ethical in reporting and not to present AMU like other infamous institutions where sexual harassment is a routine. We convey media to present AMU as it is, and not to create an awkward image of AMU, as we believe that against some odds, AMU is yet the safest campus in the nation. We request media to support our cause till the justice is delivered. We also request media to cover our protest march from jama masjid to bab e syed to give voice to students at AMU. 

THANK YOU 

AMU STUDENTS FOR JUSTICE (an amalgam of various students organisation at AMU) supported by Jammu Kashmir Alig Association.

AAS member Fawaz Shaheen along with others met Minority Affairs Minister for passing communal violence bill

After a massive campaign at AMU, with collection of 20,000 signatures from AMU and a students march from jama Masjid to bab e syed, against riot politics and in favour of Anti Communal Violence Bill, AMU students for justice, met K Rahman Khan, Union minister for Minority affairs at New Delhi on Thursday, 12th December 2013, to press for the Communal Violence Bill to be passed in parliament and to raise concerns regarding the rising levels of communal violence in India. The delegation included Fawaad Shaheen, Abdullah Azzam, Manazir Bari, Mubashir Ahmad, Farhan Shamsi and Muzir, all bonafide students at AMU. 

The delegation made it clear to the said ministry that the AMU fraternity is seriously concerned about the chain of communal riots being perpetrated across the nation by some by divisive elements and the loss of human lives and properties of our countrymen. We feel the need of comprehensive legislation’ that would strengthen the hands of the citizens to secure justice, hereby referring to Anti Communal violence Bill and if UPA does not fulfil the promise then minorities will follow their course of action accordingly. 

Students shared the grievous concern over riot politics, and handed over the 20,000 signatures of Alig Fraternity with memorandum to Union minister for Minority affairs, demanding fore mostly the passage of Anti Communal violence Bill in the ongoing session of Parliament. 

Minority Affairs Minster welcomed the delegation and heard patiently and assured that the efforts shall continue to pass the bill. He said the Govt. was keen to make this happen in December itself but the opposition challenges can not be overlooked. Delegation awakened the Govt. of the massive public anger if the Govt. failed to address the concerns of Minorities and respect for the promises made during the last elections. AMU students for Justice, is in touch with UPA Chair Person Ms. Sonia Gandhi on this issue and hope our concerns are addressed and thus maintaining the spirit of democratic culture in India.

DEMAND COMMUNAL VIOLENCE BILL

In more than 6 decades of independence, India and Indians have been unfortunate victims of communal violence and hate politics.

In the last one and a half years, U.P. alone has seen more than 100 incidents of communal violence. Pratapgarh, Faizabad, Bareily and many other cities have seen big and small incidents of communal violence.

Most recently, Muzaffarnagar has seen horrifying communal riots where more than 100,000 people have been displaced, while official data shows that 62 lives have been lost. The speed with which riots.spread and provocative gatherings were allowed to go unchecked points clearly to government inefficiency and complacency.

Moreover, the government response has been pathetic. Relief and rehabilitation by government agencies is absent on the ground. Whatever little relief is being given is by Community organisations or NGOs.

The Muzaffarnagar violence is a clear case of not only failure of local administration but also horrendous political exploitation of people's suffering.

Aligarh Muslim University rejects this politics of hate and communal violence.

We call on everyone to demand the passage of Communal Violence Bill in the coming winter session (December 2013) of parliament, and to reach out to the nation to shun the politics of hate and communal violence.

AMU AGAINST POLITICS OF HATE

AMU AGAINST COMMUNAL VIOLENCE

AMU FOR COMMUNAL VIOLENCE BILL

AMU STUDENTS FOR JUSTICE

AMU Students show solidarity with Irom Sharmila

Various student organisations of AMU came together to show solidarity with Irom Sharmila and raise their voice against Armed Forces Special Powers Act, on Tuesday 5th November 2013. Irom Sharmila has been on a hunger strike for 13 years in Manipur against AFSPA.

The students affirmed that laws like AFSPA are a blot on Indian democracy and create an atmosphere for Human Rights violations. The keynote speakers were Dr. Mohibul Haque (Political Science) and social activist Faisal Khan( khudai khidmatgar). The gathering was also addressed by Ameen Ahmad, Abdullah Azzam, Amood Gulzar and other students.

The program was intended to highlight the struggle of Irom Sharmila and raise a demand for legal and political reforms to protect democracy and human rights in India.

The cheif organisers were SIO-AMU Zone, Khudai Khidmatgar and Aligarh Activists' Society. The program was convened by Fawaz Shaheen.

Ameen Ahmad's speech On Gandhi Jayanti

Fawaz Shaheen On Times Now !

FAWAZ SHAHEEN SCRIPTS HISTORY !!

It is a matter of great pride and ecstasy for the entire Alig Community, that one of our brothers shall be representing our alma mater in National Television. Fawaz Shaheen, a student of B. A. LL. B (Fourth Year) has been selected to speak in a National Youth Parliament event, organized by Times Now and Times of India. The event known as “I Lead India” is an initiative which intends to engage the youth of the nation in the democratic process and seeks to provide them a platform to ask questions to the political class and demand their accountability in their process of Policy framing. 

The event had a tough selection process wherein 45 students from all across India were short listed on the basis of a 3 minute video presentation concerning India’s Political Class, Indian Economy and Foreign Policies. From these top 45 participants, 12 were finalized based upon a mock Parliament which was held in New Delhi. Fawaz Shaheen will be speaking against the motion "The Political Class of India has failed to meet the aspirations of India's youth".

The mega event will be recorded on the 3rd of October and shall be broadcast by Times Now and covered by The Times of India on 12th & 13rd October. It will feature these 12 participants facing off with prominent politicians and social activists which include Manish Tiwari (Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting), Sachin Pilot (Minister of State for Corporate Affairs), Mr. Yogendra Yadav (Social Scientist), Kiran Bedi (Social Activist & Retired IPS officer), Mrs. Kiran Majumdar Shaw (Corporate Honcho) and Mr. Brahma Chellaney (Public Intellectual & Strategic Thinker).

We implore upon all the Aligs to support our brother by generating more information regarding the event, and be a part of this hour of glory by watching the programme at Times Now.

The 2-hour recorded debate will be telecasted on TIMES NOW on three occasions.
1. On 12th of October (Saturday) from 2pm to 4pm
2. On 13th of October (Sunday) from 11am to 1pm

3. On 13th of October (Sunday) from 7pm to 9pm.


For further details contact us at:-

9045497625, 9045205890

You can also mail us at:- aasaligarh@gmail.com

Or you can also visit the website of the event:- 

http://youthparliament.ileadindia.com/index.php

Commitment of AAS on CASHFGS

In its commitment to strive for gender justice, the Aligarh Activists’ Society (AAS) would actively engage itself for the cause of gender sensitization, especially among the female students of the campus, through a number of ways mainly, distribution of pamphlets, organizing discussions, enacting street plays and a number of other means as may be necessary in the University campus. We are dedicated in ensuring a harassment free and gender sensitive AMU. It has also been decided that the AAS would extend all possible co- operation and support to the newly formed Committee Against Sexual Harassment and Gender Sensitization (CASHFGS). In this regard our main objectives are:-

• Spreading awareness about the bylaws of the CASHFGS among the students of the University. 
• Sensitizing the students about the legal procedures that are to be followed in case of occurrence of an incident of sexual harassment. 
• Making the female students aware of their rights as enshrined by the statutes of the CASHFGS.
• Ensuring that both emotional as well as legal support is provided to a victim of sexual harassment. 

In this regard, we would like to appeal to the AMU fraternity at large to join hands in eradicating the menace of eve- teasing and crimes against women in our beloved University and make efforts to ensure that the campus is conducive to the idea of mutual respect and sensitiveness towards gender-related issues.

Provisions & Rights of Women under CASHFGS of AMU

• The provisions of the rules and procedures of CASHFGS shall apply to all students,academic staff, and non teaching staff on active rolls/service of the Aligarh Muslim University as also to residents, service providers and outsiders who may be within the campus of AMU at the time of commission of the act attracting CASHFGS Rules.
• Sexual harassment includes any unwelcome physical, verbal or non verbal conduct of sexual nature.
• The CASHFGS shall take suo moto notice of grave violations of the basic principles of gender sensitivity and justice on this campus.
• Complaint shall be lodged directly to the Chairman of the Committee.
• The complaint shall only be in writing and authenticated by the complainant under her dated signature or thumb impression as the case may be.
• Third party complaints and witness complaints shall also be entertained.
• At no time shall the defendant and the complainant be placed face to face, keeping strictly in view the need to protect the complainant from facing any serious health and/or safety problems.
• At no time in the complaints shall the past sexual history of the complainant be probed into, as such information shall be deemed irrelevant to a complaint of sexual harassment.
• The identities of all witnesses shall throughout be protected by the enquiry committee by the use of a coding system.
• If the complainant or witness is a student and defendant(s) is a teacher, the defendant shall not supervise any academic activity of the student, including but not limited to, evaluation and examination, re-examination, and supervision of research.
• If both the complainant or witness and the defendant(s) are members of the academic and/or non teaching staff of the university, the defendant shall not write the Confidential Reports of the complainant, if he is otherwise so authorized and shall not participate in the deliberation of selection committees.
• The Enquiry Committee shall strive to complete the enquiry in the shortest possible time not exceeding three months from the date that a complaint is made.
• In case of any false complaint a show cause notice shall be sent to the complainant.
• In the event of the CASHFGS not taking action on a complaint, or if the complainant or defendant is dissatisfied with the disciplinary action taken by the University authorities/officers, she/he shall have the right to appeal to the Executive Council of the University.
• The complainant may withdraw her complaint in writing at any time during the complaint receiving or enquiry procedure. Complaint Screening/Enquiry committee will enquire whether if the reason for such withdrawal are the consequences or effect of coercion and intimidation.
• Counseling services shall also be made available if so desired.
• Penalties may be in the form of warning, reprimand or censure, a letter communicating his misconduct to his place of education, employment or residence, declaration of the campus as out of bounds for him, cancellation license to run and manage any commercial activity and/or a bar on appearing for the entrance examination/interview to any programme of study offered by AMU, or any other action as may be necessary.

AAS programme on "The World Post-9/11"

University Literary Club in collaboration with Aligarh Activists’ Society organized a symposium with the title “End of Fiction? – The world Post 9/11” in Kennedy Auditorium on Wednesday. 

Fawaz Shaheen, a student of law, introduced the topic and welcomed the panel of students of various faculties on the stage. Anwarul Haque Shafey, Secretary ULC, opened the discussion by providing insightful commentary on the role of media in propagating wars. Ameen Ahmad, a student of Engineering, shared his perspective by stating that the ulterior motive of wars is the US-corporate dominance over the vast mineral resources in the conflict zones. Abdullah Azzam, Secretary SIO, argued that post 9/11 wars are actually a reflection of the fact that the USA needs an enemy for its own existence & Islamic civilizations have been created as the arch-enemy & the hated “other”. Riad Azam, M.A. English student, talked about human rights violations in the aftermath of 9/11 & the popular literary narratives on the 9/11 attacks. Lubna Irfan, student of Geography, discussed the geo-political details of the Afghanistan & Iraq wars. Humah Khan, student of economics talked about the economic costs of the war & anti-people effects on war-torn economies.

   

After the completion of Students panel discussion, Prof. Asmer Beg of Political Science department delivered his expert views on the topic. He provided in-depth analysis of the whole international conflicts. He stated that USA has become a totalitarian regime & that in the present times democracy has turned to a mere illusion in the USA itself.

Dr. Arshi Khan of the Political Science department discussed the conflicts in the Middle East created by USA for the purpose of creating its monopoly across the globe. He provided the fact-sheets regarding the creation of Al-Qaeda by the CIA for its own vested interests & the hidden supports of many Muslim countries this sinister plan.

The main organizers of the event were Ahmed Noman, Kashif Ilyas & Sarah Hashim Khan.

On India's present scenario

Count me out of the optimist category.

If a jawan is shot, I do not care, because I may be shot tomorrow by the same army. And I will be called a terrorist. They'll say I had links to I don't know which organization.

If the police fails, I laugh. Because they are built to fail. They choose to fail.

When a jawan is shot, the country cries. When the army rapes an entire village, we still hail them as legends of the country. India is destined to succumb to its failures. All hail us!

We are a country where people die of hunger, and elected representatives burn up crores of public money, spending time throwing chairs at each other. All hail them! Yet we choose to shut up.

When a man who overlooked the killings of thousands of people in the worst riot of the country, is projected as the PM candidate, on the basis of some development in his state (forgetting the amount of debt the state has, highest FYI), we are becoming the epitome of democracy. All hail us!

A chief minister of the most populated state spends a big chunk of public money building her own statues, and thousands starve to death. No law stops her. Awesome constitution, ours.

When our major military partner is Israel, a country butchering and capturing Palestinians at will, we are still the world's largest democracy. All hail us!

You choose to be optimistic about our country. I choose not to.

And you lot will call me a traitor. Because you cannot bear the truth. Because you lot are still in the bubble of ecstasy.

Mine has burst, and realities seem far clearer to me.

You choose to stand up when someone like Arvind Kejriwal asks you to. And then you get back into you dens when India plays Pakistan in a cricket match, and everything is forgotten.

- By Tariq Hashmat Tauheed, B.Tech.

Dilemmas in envisioning India as a strong "nation"

I love India as my nation (please don't confuse it with the word "state"). Ours is a nation of bewildering diversities in ethnicity  religions, languages, philosophies, cultures, regions, social hierarchies, economic conditions etc. In fact, every personality is unique in itself.

In spite of all this, there had been & still are, some people who want to "assimilate" these differences through a melting-pot approach and create a "bhartiya/deshaj/deshbhakt" India which is honestly speaking impossible to define without entrapping yourself into the fascistic tendencies of the likes of Mussolini & Hitler. Even for these two, it was easy to carve out an Italian & a German nationalism respectively as these nations are almost linguistically & culturally homogeneous & even if those elements that were heterogeneous elements were suppressed, hidden, assimilated & even cleansed from their national scenario.

But the question that I would like to put in front of you all is that is it possible to create a homogeneous Indian nation? If you believe that it is possible to create a homogeneous nation then the question in my mind is that who will define & decide the "Indian-ness" required to being a loyal citizen of India? Will it be RSS who should be conferred with the task of measuring the loyalty of Indian citizens or should it be the Congress Party who should be accepted as the final authority of judging someone's secular credentials?

If you share the same opinion like me that all the concepts & efforts of "assimilation" are doomed to fail then the biggest question that we face is to firstly define what is meant by us when we use the term "Indian nationalism" as the western concepts of Nationalism are impossible to apply & replicate in India as our nation is not homogeneous at all & in addition to this is the fact that we are still a faith-based society, this question requires immensely deep understanding of the various aspects of  India & utmost patience & care in dealing with the different aspirations, ideologies & visions of Indian people.

The second problem that I see is that of building a national level consensus of making all parties agree to the definition that will be formulated which is indeed a monumental task.

The third problem that I see is to form the working methodology of implementing the agreed common minimum programme for inclusive development.

The fourth problem I feel is to discover/create & bring all those people together who would co-ordinate & form a responsible Legislature, Judiciary, Bureaucracy & Civil Society.

The fifth problem according to me is to make a consensus as to whether for all things mentioned above to become feasible will  some minute reforms be enough or will radical reforms be required or even not less than a complete revolution is required to take place for bringing the new system.

In addition to all these problems that I mentioned here, there are many more questions that need to be found answers of. All these questions are coming up because the Indian state has been unable to deliver on the promise of an inclusive, just & progressive nation.

Yet, I am not at all a pessimist and strongly believe that a near Utopian nation is possible if we will be successful in consolidating, uniting & synchronizing all the energies that are working to create a better nation. As this nation is a shared contemporary reality of all the Indians & our honour is undoubtedly related to it, these questions hold paramount importance in present times. It is my deeply rooted belief that together we can & we will make the difference. With hope & faith I submit this to all the readers for comments, suggestions & ruthless scrutiny.

A survey on VC Sahab's performance

As we all know that the tenure of our present Vice-Chancellor Janab Zameeruddin Shah sahab has completed 1 year. During this 1 year phase we have seen, what many of us believe, many ups & downs. I have created a questionnaire-cum-survey that is recording the responses of Aligs on different decisions taken by VC sahab and the questions are structured on a scale of 0 to 10 where 0 - worse, 1 - nearly worse.....4- below average, 5- average, 6- above average,.....9-nearly excellent, 10 -excellent. All other values are relative to this structure.

We have planned that once we get more than 200 responses we will send the results to the Vice Chancellor sahab so that he may know in clear terms as to what we feel he is doing right & what is unpopular. I have

avoided asking for names from anybody so that your response remains anonymous & administration doesn't get any space to target specific students on their viewpoint.

I submit this endeavour of mine in front of Allah as I am inspired by the saying of Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) that "the greatest jihad (struggle) is to speak the truth in front of the ruler".

Here is the Link to the form :

https://docs.google.com/forms/viewform?hl=en_GB&id=1sr6NYBAOrWe5sRObXXxqtRlKoq8J8QNuT3r-cAj4t-k

PLease share this link with all the Aligs in your circles & spread the word that we shall speak the truth in the eyes of the powerful.

Here are the responses to the survey https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1sr6NYBAOrWe5sRObXXxqtRlKoq8J8QNuT3r-cAj4t-k/viewanalytics

Paying for her Honesty : IAS Durga Shakti's Suspension as SDM of Greater Noida

Background: IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal, who was in the news last week for clamping down on illegal sand mafia in Greater Noida, was suspended from her duties as Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Gautam Budh Nagar on July 28, 2013.

At a time when the Indian nation as well as the society is going spirally downwards in integrity, honesty & justice, there still appear people who rise to challenge the corruptly rotten system armed with their self-confidence & zeal which helps them to stand firm & refuse to budge down in front of the seemingly omnipresent & omnipotent corrupt system. These "rebels" or "impractical" folks, as their own loved ones label them, face monumental hurdles, reckless mental tortures, continuous threat to life & everything that a person would prefer to avoid. Although these brave hearts have to face all sided assaults with great patience but still we can clearly witness that these are the people who are satisfied with what they do & in whatever situation they are because the intoxication of truth & justice is far greater than that of power & money.   

This present  case of IAS officer Durga Shakti points to certain conclusions which I would like to brief out (I have omitted some points which may be included in future analysis, inshallah).

1. Samajwadi Party's UP Government has proven yet again that it is not a government of Yadavs or Muslims or any other group(s) but rather it is a petty pawn in the hands of Criminals, Mafias & corporate.

2. Any officer doing his work honestly will either be suspended (like Durga Shakti), transferred (as like Ashok Khemka) or may even be killed (Like IPS Narendra Kumar Alig).

3. Illegal Mining corresponds to massive resource loot for which there is still not a national level consciousness.

4. Political leadership has ultimate level of interference in the working of the bureaucrats.

5. Even if she is reinstalled, she will most probably be transferred to such a place where she will not prove to be a further "nuisance" for the system.

6. Media is yet again busy with its TRP obsessed sensational cries disguised as journalism.

7. Congress, BJP & BSP leaders are attacking the SP government as if they all are saints.  

Open Wounds and a Manufactured Stalemate in Syria

In more than three years of conflict, around 100,000 people have been killed in Syria, according to UN estimates. Since August 2012, an average of 170 Syrians are killed everyday. As cynical statistics and incredulous figures become a daily reality, the truth is lost amid confusion and the competing narratives of Superpower games.

Bashar al-Assad is without any doubt a dictator and a tyrant with a proven family history of using extreme and cruel violence against any form of dissent. Those opposed to him in the region, primarily the big brother of Gulf monarchies Saudi Arabia, and to a lesser extent Qatar, are not much different. Its international opponents, led by the Unites States, have a proven efficiency in manipulating revolutions and dictating democracies. Its backers Russia and China habitually use 'sovereignty' as an excuse to protect their interests in the region via model of a scaringly efficient and ruthless state-capitalism. In the backdrop looms large the bitterness of Saudi Arabia at an increasingly powerful Iran, Assad's closest and most pro-active ally.

As Syria descends further into chaos and anarchy, this is a good time to sit down and look at some hard facts, informed by the geopolitics of past history and present turmoil in the Middle East region.

In January of 2011, Syria saw the beginning of peaceful protest calling for democratic reforms. These protests turned into a civil uprising against the government of Bashar al-Assad. By May of 2011, news began pouring in of the Assad regime using military force against the peaceful protestors. In July, a group of defectors from the Syrian military formed the Free Syrian Army to support the uprising against the Syrian government, with the stated aim of overthrowing the Assad regime.

During this period, the West was preoccupied with an increasingly messy situation in Libya, and for months the atrocities of Assad were tactically ignored while the once-peaceful uprising in Syria turned to other options.

What has followed may cynically be called an elaborate farce, but it is a glaring testament to the failure of world institutions meant to maintain peace. It proves once again that platforms like the UN are little more than instruments of power games among the world's elite.

There have been countless meetings, “Friends of Syria” conferences, councils and coalitions in an endless diplomatic exercise that has yielded precisely no results on the ground. The Syrian National Council, which was formed with much fanfare to lead the revolutionaries, has been reduced to a platform for tussles among allies promoting their personal interests. Its first president Moaz al-Khatib, a popular and simple man who was Imam of the famous Umayyad mosque, resigned within five months. He alleged interferences by foreign powers and their indifference to Syrian sufferings as the reason for his inability to continue.

With international pressure building and the Americans openly speaking of arming the opposition, it seems that President Assad's departure is truly a matter of time. Even his backers China and Russia have spoken of exploring options 'beyond Assad'. President Obama may even employ his effective strategy of non-visible warfare (using covert forces and unmanned drones) to finally tilt the balance. But only at the right time.

As of now, the West is playing for time with pointless meetings and discussions which are little more than photo-ops. At the same time, backroom negotiations are in progress among the various “allies” of both sides to this conflict, figuring out ways to share the spoils of this war and the stake of each in the configuration of a post-Assad Syria. A sure pointer to this is the way in which both US and Russia are pushing for the 'Geneva Conference' with both Assad and the rebels at the same table. It gives credence to the opinion that slowly but surely we are seeing an aligning of powerful interests.

Syria has unwittingly become the laboratory case for evolving new paradigms of conflict-resolution (read interest-management) in a new, multipolar world.

Meanwhile, fanatics and extremists have been armed to fight against and for the Assad regime, while sectarian tensions are being built up and ruthlessly manipulated in the run up to the formation of a new Syrian state, where the tried and tested formula of divide-and-rule will again be used by the new colonial forces to promote their interests.

A few days back, UN Secretary General called for both sides to respect the holy month of Ramadan and call a humanitarian ceasefire. If indeed a deal has been struck, the offer will be accepted. If not, the carefully manufactured stalemate will continue as long as an agreement is reached, and in the meantime Syrians will pay for it with their blood day after day after day....

Egyptian Military Coup

Mohamed Morsi, the first democratically elected President of Egypt was ousted by a military coup on 3rd of July, 2013 painted as a reaction of the Army after witnessing that there was a second Tahrir "spring" involving protesters against Morsi's rule on various grounds and demanding his resignation. 

I will not analyze the whole pre & post coup events in detail but would like to share some points which will hopefully make my viewpoint somewhat clear.

1. On 30 June 2013, mass protests erupted across Egypt calling for the President's resignation, following severe fuel shortages and electricity outages that evidence shows were orchestrated by Mubarak-era Egyptian elites with the intention of causing a coup. (Mubarak Era people wanted ouster of Morsi)

2. The anti-Morsi demonstrators on the streets welcomed Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's decision overthrowing Morsi with celebrations and lifting posters for the General el-Sisi and chanting "The Army and the People are one hand", supporting General el-Sisi didn't stop at that but also reached the social networks as thousands of Egyptians changed their profile pictures to the picture of el-Sisi while others started campaigns requesting Al-Sisi to be given the field marshal military rank while others hoped him to nominate in the next presidential elections. (El-Sisi has very good relations with USA & Israel & its interesting that protestors were supporting the same army that they wanted to oust earlier).

3. From January 2013 the Al-Nour party (MB party's ally) gradually distanced itself from Mohammad Morsi's Brotherhood government, and came to join the opposition in the July 2013 coup which ousted Morsi. (Al-Nour has strong ties with Saudi Arabia which in turn has good relations with USA).

4. On 24 July, during a speech at a military parade, General el-Sisi called for mass demonstrations to grant his forces a “mandate” to crack down on “terrorism”. This was seen as contradicting the military’s pledges to hand over power to civilians after removing Mr. Morsi and as an indication for an imminent crackdown against Islamists. (Muslim Brotherhood will face repressions in future).

5. Pro-Morsi demonstrators (non-violent till now) are killed & the new government says that these protestors will be cleared "legally". (why dual standards for Pro & Anti Morsi camps).

References 

1. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/11/world/middleeast/improvements-in-egypt-suggest-a-campaign-that-undermined-morsi.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1

2. http://counterjihadreport.com/2013/07/15/egypts-morsi-gone-military-brings-hope-not-coup/

3. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/07/egypt-salafist-al-nour-party

4. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/25/world/middleeast/egypt.html

5. http://www.ibtimes.com/egypt-pro-morsi-demonstrators-stand-firm-despite-deadly-raids-1361923

Further Reading

On Muslim brotherhood http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_Brotherhood & their website www.ikhwanweb.com

Tariq Ramadan's analysis of these events http://www.tariqramadan.com/spip.php?article12927&lang=en

Coup or No Coup ? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/25/obama-egypt_n_3653775.html

& http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57595668/egypt-coup-or-not-a-coup/

- Ameen Ahmad, BE Electrical Engineerng

Development : An Environmental Perspective

• With around 5 percent of the world's population, the US consumes about 40% of the world's resources and emits around 21% of the worlds carbon dioxide, a greenhouse-causing gas.

• 75% of genetic diversity of agricultural crops has been lost

• 75% of the world’s fisheries are fully or overexploited

• Up to 70% of the world’s known species risk extinction if the global temperatures rise by more than 3.5°C

• 1/3rd of reef-building corals around the world are threatened with extinction

Development is certainly a very catchy term for the civilized men. To yearn for betterment is as old as the existence of the human race. This humanistic zeal has produced numerous technological marvels, sparkling innovations & countless scientific advancement. The world has been transformed into a global village owing to amazingly fast mediums of transportation. Despite all these developments, human beings have been unable to find incessant comfort in the material luxuries. Amidst the ever increasing connectivity of the mobile phone networks, many people feel that their links with the nature have actually been severed. NASA may be researching very hard to find an alternate inhabitable world but one wonders if it will accomplish anything to satisfy the unceasing human greed. The relentless exploitation of the natural resources may have increased the GDPs but not the human happiness. Water resources have been contaminated by life threatening chemicals. Air has been polluted to such an extent that with every intake of air we are damaging our lungs & other internal organs. Illegal mining is a menace that not only results in gigantic losses to the national treasuries but in addition to it causes massive damage to the invaluable biodiversity as the mining sites are predominantly located in forest areas. The consumption pattern of the modern materialistic societies is, frankly speaking, unsustainable. We can't treat the earth like our slave any longer. Climate change is a globally recognized crisis that is primarily caused by the headless exploitation of the earth’s resources. The time has come to rethink & redirect our lifestyles so as to be eco-friendly & sustainable. Global warming, climate change & ecological damage are some of the most relevant issues that endanger the very human existence. Holy Quran states “Corruption has appeared on the land and in the sea because of what the hands of humans have wrought. This is in order that we give them a taste of the consequences of their misdeeds that perhaps they will turn to the path of right guidance.” (C-30, V-41). Many experts and activists are realizing that the massive looting of natural resources to satisfy the material pursuits of luxuries needs to be stopped as it has undoubtedly contributed to the collective mess we are presently getting deeply entrapped in. To sum it up, the modern day American lifestyle, championed by the Neo-Liberals & craved by the elites of the developing countries, is clearly not the path the humanity should be following if we really care for the welfare of our future generations. We need to keep it in mind that we are not the masters of this earth but a component of it which implies that any harm to the nature will eventually harm us. Incorporating this vision in our developmental models will help us to develop a better future & will not cause a myopic development gauged by mere GDPs & growth rates. 

Fawaz Shaheen on Narendra Modi

The article written by Fawaz Shaheen explains the process behind the "resurrection" of the public image of Narendra Modi from a Nero-styled communal fascist to the "man of development". 

Here is the link to the article.

Countering Mr. Imtiyaz Akhtar's allegations on AMU - by Riad Azam

Mr. Imtiyaz Akhtar, an alumnus of AMU wrote an article (link here) alleging AMU to have become a "radical-right" campus where progressive voices are stifled & "talibanization" is predominant. Our Member Riad Azam counters his allegations by giving factual arguments & proving that AMU is a multicultural campus. Read his response by clicking here.

Islamic Foundation of Federalism

Below is the link of the article written by our member Imran Kichloo on "Islamic foundation of federalism". In this article the author argues that Islam endorses federalism which is termed by many Political Scientists to be the "magic pill" for all the major conflicts in the world.

Click here to read the article

P Sainath's interview with Aligarh Activists' Society

Shameful Language of AMUSU's Vice-President Taushif Alam