Germany

Ayaan Hirsi Ali was born in Somalia but grew up in Nairobi. The Somali community in which she lived was infiltrated by the Muslim Brotherhood who transformed Ali and her teenage friends from believers into Islamic activists. Yet in 1992 she claimed asylum in the Netherlands as she escaped a forced marriage Following the 11 September [...]

“And above all, don’t let us forget India, the cradle of the human race, or at least of that part of it to which we belong, where first Mohammedans, and then Christians, were most cruelly infuriated against the adherents of the original faith of mankind. The destruction or disfigurement of the ancient temples and idols, [...]

The recent protests over American police brutality against blacks have reached around the world. This has also resulted in the toppling of statues with historical figures associated with slavery and racism, notably Confederate monuments in America. [...]

From its independence in 1947 it was predicted by many in the west that India would collapse. The pro-Pakistan policies of UK, France, USA and many others as well as the sympathy shown by them to secessionist movements, most notably in Punjab, Kashmir and Nagaland, the belief that India is heading to civil war due [...]

Though I live in India since long, there are still some points that I find hard to understand – for example why many so called educated Indians on TV discussion forums become agitated whenever ‘Hindutva’ is mentioned. The majority of Indians are Hindus. India is special because of its ancient Hindu tradition. Westerners are drawn [...]

It was nearing Diwali and my family had started decorating our home here in london a few days ahead of date. My grandparents are strictly against using artificial light bulbs and decorations when it comes to adorning the house for spiritual purposes and prefer traditional “diyas” and “rangolis” instead. So we carefully lit the entire [...]

The late Ram Swarup (1920-98), definitely the most important Hindu philosopher of independent India’s first half-century, liked to point out that other cultures had traditions similar to Hinduism before Christianity or Islam wiped them out. As he put it in his path‑breaking study of polytheism, The Word as Revelation (1980): “There was a time when [...]