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Showing posts from December, 2023

Nupur J Sharma and The Sufi Truth: A Dark History

  Nupur J Sharma, on her recent remarks about Chisti, a celebrated Sufi saint, that brought his dark history of rape, bloodshed and hatred for Hindus to light, received tens of thousands of death and rape threats against not only herself but also her family. So what is the truth about Sufism? Let's take a brief look, that makes up for less than a drop in the ocean, at Sufi History. When one thinks of Sufism, the first thing that probably comes to mind is good Sufi music or a mesmerizing dance in the court of an emperor. This, however, is not the entire truth. Sufi history has been through phases of denialism and has seen a great deal of white-washing to give it its current secular status. In truth, the much-celebrated Sufi culture, its music and dance is steeped in blood and has the darkest of histories. The reader must understand that the many sects of Islam have always warred with one another to claim that they are the true followers of Islam. Sufism, stripped of its contempora

The USCIRF Hearing: Is India Really a Cause for Particular Concern?

Anti-Hindu riots and violence in Delhi ‘Exert pressure on India’ was the most frequently heard phrase at the hearing convened by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in September (the sequel to which is recently in discussion) to discuss the apparent erosion of values of religious freedom for the minority religions in India with the UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, Dr. Fernand de Varennes. Hearing the recorded proceedings of the trial would truly shake your beliefs about the inclusivity and brotherhood that every Indian prides himself on and while, prima facie , this may all paint a very gruesome picture, it is not the full picture by any means. The unfortunate truth, as it stands, is that for all the talk about justice, only selective justice was applied when it came to presentation of facts by Dr. Varennes and only those facts that painted the picture that the numerical majority religion was majoritarian were presented. While actively tr