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Despite a reduced majority in Parliament, India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has pushed through a contentious amendment that has dealt another blow to multireligious India and enraged the Muslim community. In early April, after a heated debate, lawmakers passed a controversial bill reshaping how Muslim-donated properties – known as waqf – are governed, triggering protests and fierce political opposition. After its introduction, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi tore up a copy of the bill in the Lok Sabha.

International Affairs
Myanmar’s Earthquake: A Disaster Made Worse by Blocked Aid
Kristina Kironska 29 April 2025

The earthquake hit at the worst possible time. Myanmar has been locked in civil war since the military coup of 2021, with resistance groups fighting for freedom. Even before the disaster, more than 3.5 million people were already displaced, and nearly a third of the population depended on humanitarian assistance. That aid was already tightly controlled by the junta, with many areas completely cut off due to military restrictions and ongoing violence.
Political Theory
Modi’s India as a Foretaste of Trump 2.0
Chandra Mallampalli 16 January 2025

January 6 marks the fourth anniversary of an unprecedented attack on the United States Capitol and American democracy. Far more than advancing “the lie” about a stolen 2020 election, the insurrectionists of January 6 presented the world with an alternative understanding of America, one arising from fears of white replacement and steeped in Christian nationalist ideas and imagery. Despite being the only twice impeached U.S. president and a convicted felon, Donald Trump not only won the last election, but also gained majorities in both the Senate and the House and made inroads into Asian, Black, and Latino American communities that typically vote Democrat. These facts should prompt us to reframe January 6 not as a shameful setback for MAGA, but as a catalyst for the movement’s onward march. To what kind of America will Trump 2.0 take us? This is where a comparative lens can be useful.
Religion
A Temple under a Mosque or a Classic “Divide and Rule” Reenacted?
Abhijan Choudhury 16 December 2024

The controversial “survey” of a mosque in the small north Indian town of Sambhal, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, sparked violent protests last month, leaving at least five people dead. The incident reignited the age-old debate over the need to “correct mistakes” committed centuries ago and their impact on social harmony and peace in contemporary India.
International Affairs
After the Exodus: The Hong Kong Diaspora Engaging in UK Politics
Owen Au 3 December 2024

Hong Kong, once a vibrant city celebrated as an international financial hub, is now witnessing a significant new wave of mass exodus. While official data on the scale of this migration is unavailable, estimates suggest that between 200,000 and 500,000 people have left the city over the past few years. Hong Kong has long been familiar with migration; cross-border employment and split families are nothing new to Hongkongers. However, the mass migration taking place is still something worth a glance at – not only because of the factors driving it but also because, for the first time, it has created a Hong Kong diaspora.
Gender
Pakistan’s Half Widows Call for Justice
Iqra Khan 21 November 2024

“I just hope that both of my children are returned to their tribe,” says Masta Bibi, a partially blind Pashtun woman in her seventies. Originally from Mirali in North Waziristan, Pakistan, she is the mother of two missing sons: Bilal, who disappeared 11 years ago, and Ihtesham, who vanished two years ago. Her home was destroyed during a military operation targeting terrorist groups that sought refuge in the ex-FATA region after September 11, 2001. Despite her frailty, she attended the Pashtun Qaumi Jirga, held from October 11 to 13 in Jamrud, Khyber, with a lingering hope for justice.
Society
Can Sri Lanka Balance IMF Reforms with Relief for Its Citizens?
Maria Tavernini 19 November 2024

The sweeping majority secured by Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s leftist coalition in the snap parliamentary election on November 14 marks a major shift in the country’s electoral landscape. Cutting across ethnic and religious differences, Sri Lankans swept the National People’s Power (NPP) front to a landslide victory, granting Dissanayake’s alliance a total of 141 seats out of 225.
Religion
Silent Endorsement? Political Inaction Fuels Cow Vigilantism in Modi 3.0
Raul Kumar 14 November 2024

On October 20, 2024, tensions erupted in Jammu, Kashmir, when accusations of cow smuggling triggered a violent clash, part of an escalating wave of Gau Rakshak (cow protection vigilante) aggression across India. Under Prime Minister Modi’s third term, commonly known as “Modi 3.0,” these self-styled cow protectors have become increasingly emboldened, often targeting marginalized groups – particularly Muslims and Dalits involved in the livestock trade. Modi 3.0 has seen a noticeable rise in such incidents, with vigilante groups frequently operating with implicit political backing as they enforce cultural and religious norms around cow protection.
Political Theory
How Caste and Religious Polarization is Weakening the Left’s Electoral Power in India
Abhijan Choudhury 10 October 2024

Once a formidable force in Indian politics, the Left has steadily declined over the past 15-20 years. It previously governed the states of West Bengal, Kerala, and Tripura, and maintained a significant presence in the national parliament. Today, it has lost two of those states and become a marginal player. In this year’s national elections, a combination of three Left parties won just eight seats out of 545 in the Lok Sabha, the popular chamber.
Religion
BJP’s Majoritarian Push in Uttar Pradesh
Abhijan Choudhury 27 September 2024

India’s ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has repeatedly been accused by the opposition and civil society of pursuing divisive politics and promoting a sectarian agenda aimed at dismantling the country’s secular foundations to establish a majoritarian state. The recent incident involving the Kanwarias, pilgrims devoted to Lord Shiva, should be viewed in this context, rather than dismissed as trivial, as has been done with similar cases in the past. It once again highlights that the party and its leadership are focused on securing power by appealing to the majority community while sidelining minorities.