“Losing the language means losing the culture. We need to know who we are because it makes a difference to who our children are.”—Dottie LeBeau Language is fundamental to culture. It is the medium through which we communicate our values, ideas, beliefs. It cultivates feelings of group identity and solidarity. It is the channel by […]
Kashmiri youth are finding themselves at an intersection where not only does any destination seem too far away, but their very lives appear so meaningless that they are joining the ranks of gunmen, preferring death. That is why in the last few years the highly educated youth of Kashmir have been taking up arms against […]
There were 7,628 dowry-related deaths of women in the year 2016, according to the National Crime Records Bureau. Under the Dowry Prohibition Act passed in 1961, anyone taking dowry is to be imprisoned for not less than 5 years and has to pay a fine of Rupees 15,000 or the value of the dowry received, […]
Recently, I came across a news photo feature in one of the leading Kashmir based social media news portals that showed an assortment of pictures of young teenage Kashmiri Muslim girls practising cricket in a sports stadium in Srinagar, dressed in trousers and tracksuits along with Covid-19 protections such as masks. One would think that […]
The polarised nature of American politics often makes it difficult to address fundamental differences between the country’s two main political rivals, Republicans and Democrats. As each side is intent on discrediting the other at every opportunity, unbiased information regarding the two parties’ actual stances on internal and external issues can be difficult to decipher. Regarding […]
Since 1586, when the Mughals conquered Kashmir, we have been subjected to many occupations. On March 9, 1846, the Sikhs or the Lahore Darbar sold us to the British because the former could not pay the war indemnity. A week later, on March 16, we were sold by the British to the Dogras for 75 […]
The state must declare Pahari as one of the official languages of J&K The word Pahari is derived from the word pahar, which means mountain. Inhabitants of mountains and hilly areas, Pajharis speak a distinct language called Pahari and have their own social identity. Pahari-speaking people constitute an estimated population of more than 10 Lakh […]
Self-interest is one of the defining features of human nature. There is an impulse in all of us to strive for pleasure and happiness and avoid pain and suffering. The pursuit of prosperity is fundamental in everybody’s life. However, being part of a society which is inhabited by many, we have certain moral and social […]
Plato, the teacher of Aristotle, said that a leader is an asset of the state. Plato further says that a leader always is a philosopher, one who is devoted to truth. In this respect, Islam advises the Muslim community to work under the watchful eye of a just ruler. A leaderless community can never flourish. […]
If we go back to Islam, the concept of social classes doesn’t exist at all. The only criteria upon which a person is to be judged is “taqwa”, which means piety, righteousness, etc. As ALLAH says in Sura Hujrat 13, “O humankind! We have created you from the single pair of male and female and […]