Seek knowledge even if you have to go to China on May 11, 2019When I quoted the above hadith, I was immediately attacked by some Muslims, who obviously regard themselves as repositories of all Islamic knowledge. They said it was fabricated or forged. But the tradition has wide circulation throughout the Muslim world, and I was informed about it by several Muslim friends. Even Prime Minster of Malaysia […]
Respectability in a transitional society on April 21, 2019When I was chief justice of a high court, there used to frequently appear before me a lawyer who on several counts deserved to be elevated as a judge of the court. I found him learned in law and courteous and never heard anything against his integrity. I was thinking of recommending his name for […]
The parliamentary elections in India on April 18, 2019Many people have asked me to comment on the ongoing Parliamentary elections in India ( which are being held in 7 phases, from 11th April to 19th May 2019, the results to be declared on 23rd May ). My comments are these : 1. Whatever be the result they will have no effect on the […]
The tale of two Sindhi Hindu girls on March 30, 2019The recent episode of the two Sindhi Hindu girls in Pakistan, Raveena and Reena, who were allegedly abducted, converted to Islam, and married to Muslim youths has got a lot of publicity in recent days. Pakistan TV channels have said that the girls were not abducted, but voluntarily converted, and married of their own free […]
Bol ke lab azad hain tere, bol zubaan ab tak teri hai on March 2, 2019I know this article will make me very unpopular among most Indians, and I may be soundly berated and condemned by the largely jingoistic and bellicose Indian media, but that does not matter. I am not in a popularity contest, and I have often said things which made me very unpopular. I believe in Faiz’s […]
The truth behind the Ram Mandir agitation on February 4, 2019The Ram Mandir issue has again picked up momentum in India as Lok Sabha elections approach. The Supreme Court is being blamed by many for procrastinating over the case before it, and there have been some protests outside the court premises. Whichever way the court decides the BJP, which thrives on communal passions, and whose […]
The coming Great Turbulence on January 5, 2019On New Year’s Eve I wish I could wish Happy New Year to people, but I regret I cannot as I just cannot be a hypocrite. The truth is that from this year India is going to enter into an era of what can be called the Great Turbulence, which in my estimate will last […]
Indian Muslims on December 17, 2018When I was a judge in Allahabad High Court a petition came before me (Mohd Sharif Saifi, writ petition 43403 of 1998 decided on 28.1.1999 ) filed by some Muslims who had a grievance that they were not being allowed to construct a mosque on their own land by the authorities, and because of that […]
India: Post state-elections assessment on December 12, 2018Many people are gloating over the recent state-election results in India and the defeat of the BJP. However, the only effect it will have is to reduce lynching of Muslims a bit, though it is wrong to assume even that will be totally eliminated by it. India is still a semi-feudal society, and as I […]
Large-scale communal violence to start in India on December 9, 2018The exit polls for the five-state assembly elections indicate disaster for the Bharatiya Janata Party. If their prediction proves correct, Rajasthan will be lost to the BJP, M.P. and Chattisgarh’s possibly lost too. In Telangana and Mizoram, it may draw a blank. Large scale communal riots are likely to ensue. Lok Sabha elections are a […]