TwoCircles.net - Indian Muslim news

How RSS and other Sangh Parivar outfits escape terrorist tag?
Kashmir back on track for few hours
Omar meets PM, Sonia as Kashmir close to normalcy
“Taj Mahal” most popular Asian destination: Report
WB Govt. invites application for 2010-11 post-matric scholarships
British MP says he won't meet veiled Muslim women
Shiv Sena activists held for vandalising news channel office
Silence and boom of guns alternate in Kashmir gunfight
Jamiat Ulema welcomes NAC recommendation to redraft CVB
Can India afford to ignore Islamic banking?
Delhi Police officers get life term for fake encounter
Kashmir Valley back on its feet after strikes, curfew
Omar Abdullah meets Chidambaram
2.5 mn Muslims threaten to leave Facebook
A controversy might flare up over Indian citizenship in Assam
Kashmir: Unending conflict, what is the way out?

How RSS and other Sangh Parivar outfits escape terrorist tag?

Posted: 17 Jul 2010 10:58 AM PDT

By Adnan Alavi

The TV Today group's English channel Headlines Today aired the sting operation that showed top Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Indresh Kumar's involvement with Hindutva-inspired fanatics.

Kashmir back on track for few hours

Posted: 17 Jul 2010 09:18 AM PDT

By Sheikh Imran Bashir, Agence India Press

Srinagar: On Saturday life returned to normal in Kashmir Valley for few hours but as the clock struck 2 pm, youths hit the roads forcing closure of businesses and shops and within minutes the markets wore a deserted look.

An uneasy calm prevails in the Kashmir Valley. Schools and business establishments have reopened after a 21 day long strike. Vehicles too have come back on the roads but the relief was short-lived as separatists again enforced shutdown and clashed with police.

Omar meets PM, Sonia as Kashmir close to normalcy

Posted: 17 Jul 2010 09:09 AM PDT

By IANS,

New Delhi/Srinagar: After days of unrest, separatist shutdowns and curfew, near normalcy prevailed in parts of Kashmir Valley Saturday as Chief Minister Omar Abdullah held talks with the central government on ways to bring peace in the troubled state.

Schools, shops and offices reopened in the valley after remaining shut for 11 days. This was after separatists asked people to resume "normal" life for a day.

Markets were flooded with frenzied shoppers who were apparently trying to stockpile supplies ahead of another shutdown Sunday and more protests in the coming days.

“Taj Mahal” most popular Asian destination: Report

Posted: 17 Jul 2010 07:15 AM PDT

By IRNA,

New Delhi: Taj Mahal, a mausoleum located in Agra, India, built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in 1653 in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, is the grand winner of the voters' choice for the most popular Asian destination.

The announcement in this regard was made by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) at the Asian Attractions Awards ceremony held during Asian Attractions Expo (AAE) 2010 in Kuala Lumpur.

WB Govt. invites application for 2010-11 post-matric scholarships

Posted: 17 Jul 2010 04:29 AM PDT

By TCN News,

Kolkata: The West Bengal government has invited applications from meritorious minority students for three types of post-matric scholarships for the year 2010-11. The last date for submission of application forms for the state, central and Haji Md. Mohsin scholarships is 16th August 2010.

British MP says he won't meet veiled Muslim women

Posted: 17 Jul 2010 04:21 AM PDT

By Venkata Vemurim IANS,

London: A Conservative MP has drawn flak from Muslims in Britain for saying he will refuse to meet women wearing the full Islamic dress in his constituency unless they lift their veil.

Muslim groups have condemned Philip Hollobone, the MP from Kettering, saying he is being pedantic.

Shiv Sena activists held for vandalising news channel office

Posted: 17 Jul 2010 04:08 AM PDT

By IANS,

Kolhapur (Maharashtra): A Shiv Sena legislator and eight party workers were arrested Saturday on charges of vandalising the office here of a news channel and assaulting a Kannada leader, police said.

Legislator Rajesh Kshirsagar and his party workers Friday ransacked the office of Zee 24 Taas, a Marathi news channel. They also assaulted Kannada Rakshana Vedika leader Syed Mansoor.

Silence and boom of guns alternate in Kashmir gunfight

Posted: 17 Jul 2010 03:54 AM PDT

By Binoo Joshi, IANS,

Jammu: There is silence during the nights and the mornings erupt with the boom of guns in Beri Rakh forests in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district where a gun battle between the Indian Army and terrorists has been on for the past four days, and claimed the life of a major and injured 11 other army personnel.

In one of the longest running gun battles between the army and terrorists - it's the fifth day Saturday. Among the 11 injured are a colonel, a major and a junior commissioned officer (JCO). The condition of four of them is critical.

Jamiat Ulema welcomes NAC recommendation to redraft CVB

Posted: 17 Jul 2010 02:59 AM PDT

By TCN News,

New Delhi: Jamiat Ulema-I-Hind has welcomed the recommendation of National Advisory Council headed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi for amendments in the Communal Violence Bill (CVB). Jamiat expressed happiness over the endorsement of their views and apprehensions about the bill. Jamiat leaders had met Mrs Gandhi on the issue and submitted a memorandum in May 2010.

The Council also advised the government to constitute a national authority to check communal and sectarian violence in the country.

Can India afford to ignore Islamic banking?

Posted: 17 Jul 2010 02:03 AM PDT

By Raza Elahi,

The recent statement of MS Swaminathan, the father of green revolution in India, that Islamic banking can be a solution for farmers' suicide in Vidarbha is apt reply to those opposing it tooth and nail by terming this banking system as anti-economic growth.

Delhi Police officers get life term for fake encounter

Posted: 17 Jul 2010 12:02 AM PDT

By TwoCircles.net Staff Writer,

New Delhi: While the Central and Delhi governments have stonewalled demand for judicial probe into the infamous Batla House encounter saying such probe will down the morale of the police, a court here on July 15 sentenced three Delhi police personnel to life imprisonment for killing two persons in a fake encounter here in 2006.

Kashmir Valley back on its feet after strikes, curfew

Posted: 16 Jul 2010 10:30 PM PDT

By IANS,

Srinagar: Life limped back to normal in summer capital Srinagar and other parts of the Kashmir Valley Saturday after 11 days of separatist shutdowns and official restrictions.

Educational institutions, banks, post offices, markets and other business establishments across the Valley opened again after they had shut down July 6. Public transport also plied normally.

Omar Abdullah meets Chidambaram

Posted: 16 Jul 2010 10:14 PM PDT

By IANS,

New Delhi: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Saturday met Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram here to discuss the volatile situation in the troubled state and the "way forward" to bring peace.

The brief but crucial meeting took place at Chidambaram's residence soon after Abdullah flew into the capital Saturday morning.

"We discussed the latest situation in Jammu and Kashmir. The meeting was to discuss the recent developments in the state particularly on the law and order front," Abdullah told reporters after the nearly half-an-hour meeting.

2.5 mn Muslims threaten to leave Facebook

Posted: 16 Jul 2010 10:07 PM PDT

By IANS,

London: More than 2.5 million Muslims have threatened to quit Facebook after four Islamic pages were taken down, reports said Friday.

A template letter that has been pasted into numerous Facebook pages accuses founder Mark Zuckerberg and other senior members of Facebook of "ignoring the feelings of more than 2.5 million Muslims", the Daily Mail reported on its website.

A controversy might flare up over Indian citizenship in Assam

Posted: 16 Jul 2010 09:41 PM PDT

By Md. Ali, TwoCircles.net,

In the North-Eastern state of Assam, a controversy over the issue of Indian citizenship is in making. This has to do with the updating work of National Register of Citizens (NRC) 1951, at present going on in the state.

Kashmir: Unending conflict, what is the way out?

Posted: 16 Jul 2010 09:25 PM PDT

By Asghar Ali Engineer,

The conflict in Kashmir seems to be unending and the way it is being handled by our armed forces, especially the CRPF is further aggravating it. Unfortunately, it is still being addressed primarily as a law and order problem and the aspirations of people and their problems hardly matter. Our armed forces go on violating human rights and they know only to kill. This way instead of solving the problem, we will reduce Kashmir to a vast cemetery. More and more young protestors are dying and death hardly dissuades these young protestors from demonstrating.