Articles by Asghar Ali Engineer

Bohra Reformists and Galiakot Struggle Asghar Ali Engineer THE Bohra reform movement has shown the way not only for modern secular and democratic reforms, but also in fighting with all determination against corruption and gross misuse of religion. What is more important in this respect is the militant participation of women in large number, especially from Udaipur, the nevere-centre of the reformist movement. These women recently fought resolutely for their right to visit the Galiakot shrine which is 150 km from Udaipur. The Bohra high priest who has been using religion as cover for his political and financial interests, maintains illegal possession of various Bohra shrines and mosques and denies entry to all those who dissent and expose his corrupt practices.

November 15, 1986 degree of monopoly is a reflection of actual market manifestations, the flow of investi- ble funds follows from the actual nature of operation of the capitalist system, which in turn is linked not to factors like future expectations but to realised profits now, and so on.

MAHARASHTRA Engulfed in Communal Fire Asghar Ali Engineer IT appears almost banal to say that communal violence has become our way of life and yet how profoundly true it is. When banalities begin to acquire profundity should we not be alarmed? But perhaps we have lost, as Iqbal said, our very sense of loss. We are no longer alarmed even by the most dangerous developments. Our intelligentsia has also fallen victim to the psychology of waiting for avatars and prophets.

Middle East in Hyperboles Asghar Ali Engineer Holy War by Wilhelm Dietl; Macmillan Publishing Company, New York;
THE turmoil in the Islamic world has attracted the attention of a large number of western scholars and journalists. Most of these books, are written under the influence of certain firmly held stereotypes and hence utterly fail in explaining the deeper roots of the turmoil in the middle east which the Americans choose to term as near east. Zionist fanaticism is no less severe than Islamic and yet the western media does not project them as such. They are projected as most modern and secular, in no way bloodthirsty like the 'barbarian' Arabs. Not only this, their American and western allies like the Saudi Arabia are also treated differently. They are not projected in as adverse a way as other Arab countries.

Communal Fire Engulfs Ahmedabad Once Again Asghar Ali IT was on March 18 that the agitation against enhanced reservations for the Backward Castes had turned communal when after a successful Bandh Muslim houses were set ablaze in Ahmedabad city. The communal disturbances continued for a couple of days in that phase claiming 19 lives (14 in police firing and 5 in stabbings) and causing severe injuries to 52 persons and damage worth Rs 3 crore to property. The army had to be called in to assist the civil authorities. However, by the end of March the situation seemed to be under control and the authorities felt confident enough to withdraw the army.