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The Economist draws ire for calling women in Arab countries fatter

OpIndia Staff
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The Economist draws ire for calling women in Arab countries fatter

On July 28, The Economist published a report on the Body Mass Index (BMI) gap between the genders in Middle Eastern and African countries, for which it has been receiving criticism. In the report, the author suggested that the women in these regions often do not get a chance to indulge in physical work or sports, which leads to obesity. On the contrary, men in these countries enjoy sports, do labour-extensive work and go out frequently, shedding calories.

The Economist, which is a British weekly newspaper, is on the receiving end of criticism because of its report titled “Why women are fatter than men in the Arab world”. Twitter user Sarah Mahmoudh said, “It is absolutely appalling and shameful that the West is being fed by this orientalist, sexist nonsense regarding Middle Eastern women. As an Arab woman who has lived in an Arab country, I do not feel represented but rather degraded. The Economist needs some serious reform!”

Another Twitter user, Amad, said, “And again, the racist Western stereotype of Arab families. Arab women aren’t fat because they are at home all day, they are because our entire culture and society are about food and hospitality. Try to visit any Palestinian home and not feel like a stuffed turkey afterwards!”

Islamist and terror apologist Lucknow resident Irena Akbar said, “A pile of racist filth. Will this trashy publication do an article on why women in the West are fatter than men? The article itself says women everywhere are fatter than men. As if they should be slimmer than men in the first place! Misogynistic garbage with latent Islamophobia.”

Balsam Mustafa pointed out that the feature image used by The Economist is of an actress who has worked extensively in the field since the 1990s. He said, “The lady in the lead image is an Iraqi actress who started her career at a very young age in the 1990s, breaking many taboos in her TV drama roles. She deserves a piece that honours her career, not one that body-shames her & other women in Arab majority countries.”

Twitter user Apex_Pretty said, “The Economist is trash. The US & UK obesity rates outdo other countries. I think we shouldn’t talk.”

What does Economist say about the BMI gap in Arab countries?

In its report, The Economist suggested that after a certain age, females are not allowed outside homes in Arab countries. However, in adolescence age, girls do play with boys. The women in these countries are allegedly deprived of participating in sports and passive exercise, which leads to obesity.

The report started with a story of a woman from Baghdad who could only meet the ends as the owner of the restaurant where she worked gave her leftovers. The food that she gets is high in fat resulting in obesity in her and her children.

It read, “Only a fifth of women in Arab countries has paid jobs, says the World Bank. In Iraq, the share is one in ten. This means that most Arab women spend most of the day indoors, missing out on passive exercise. Working women in other regions bustle around in hospitals, classrooms and restaurants. But in Arab countries, many such jobs are done mainly by men. In Gulf countries, many of the heavier menial household chores are done by foreigners.”

It further stated that poor families in Arab countries are less likely to let women out of the house. As a result, women in poor families are fatter compared to women in rich families. Furthermore, the report suggested that a carbohydrate-rich diet of the Arab people is also a reason for obesity, especially in women who tend to stay at home.

Film critic and reviewer KRK endorses Arvind Kejriwal, known for regularly reviewing movies, for the post of PM of India 

OpIndia Staff
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Film critic and reviewer KRK endorses Arvind Kejriwal, known for regularly reviewing movies, for the post of PM of India 

Kamaal R Khan aka KRK, a self-styled film critic and reviewer known for his mercurial outburst of temper and quirky tweets aimed at courting controversies, has thrown his weight behind AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal for the post of Prime Minister of India. 

To his 5.1 million followers on Twitter, a majority of whom are allegedly bought, KRK said if given a choice to choose between the current generation of leaders he would like to see as Prime Minister, the former actor said Arvind Kejriwal.

“I know that all the politicians are same, so we have to choose one of them only. So if I have to choose one of them, then definitely I will choose educated @ArvindKejriwal. Because I don’t want an uneducated Chowkidar to become PM of 140 crore people,” tweeted KRK, whose own conduct online suggests he is anything but educated. 

Source: Twitter

Never bored of stoking controversies, Kamaal R Khan has, over the years, mastered the art of making outrageous claims to entertain his followers and keep himself in the news. KRK has also been a staunch opponent of PM Modi, routinely attacking him online and making disparaging comments against the BJP.

KRK, who seldom honours what he promises online, had pledged to leave Twitter and India forever if Narendra Modi got elected as the prime minister of the country in the 2014 general elections. As it turned out, KRK had eggs on his face when the BJP swept the Lok Sabha elections and Narendra Modi became the country’s Prime Minister.

Despite vowing to leave Twitter, KRK continued to be on Twitter and visit India as he claims to live in Dubai. Over the years, KRK has often made eye-popping claims and announcements, with little regard for honouring or fulfilling them.

Nevertheless, KRK’s endorsement for the post of Prime Minister of India is for someone who is known for reviewing Bollywood movies. After becoming the chief minister of Delhi, Kejriwal often took opportunity to review movies and suggest people on which movies to watch. Speaking at the Delhi Assembly, Kejriwal had even insulted the sacrifice of Kashmiri Pandits driven out of the Valley, saying that ’The Kashmir Files’, a movie that chronicled the hardships and atrocities faced by Pandits, as a “jhoothi film”.

Even so, this is not the first time that Arvind Kejriwal is projected as a contender for the post of Prime Minister. The Islamofascist left-liberal side has endorsed a laundry list of opposition leaders, including Kejriwal and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, to challenge PM Modi.

Kejriwal himself had once dreamt of leading the country but was chastened by the election results that knocked a sobering realisation about his desire to become the Prime Minister.

In 2014, Arvind Kejriwal suffered a humiliating defeat in the General elections after he decided to take on NDA Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi from the Varanasi constituency. Modi polled 3.35 lakhs more votes than Kejriwal, putting paid to the dreams of the AAP chief of positioning himself as a worthy challenger to Modi’s expanding aura.

Since then, Kejriwal’s party has received poll drubbings almost everywhere in the country, except in Delhi and Punjab, where the internecine squabbling among Congress leaders and lack of cohesive strategy to fight the state elections pave the way for an AAP government.

Former Union Coal Secretary and Manmohan Singh aide HC Gupta given three-year jail term, charged 1 lakh fine in UPA-era coal scam

OpIndia Staff
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Former Union Coal Secretary and Manmohan Singh aide HC Gupta given three-year jail term, charged 1 lakh fine in UPA-era coal scam

A special CBI court Monday awarded a three-year jail term to former Union Coal secretary HC Gupta in the coal scam case. It has also asked the UPA-era bureaucrat to pay a fine of Rs 1 lakh. Besides, Special Judge Arun Bhardwaj also granted a jail term of two years and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on former Joint Secretary KS Kropha, a co-accused in the case.

The court, additionally, imposed a fine of 2 lakhs on Nagpur-based firm Grace Industries, and its Director and another accused in the case Mukesh Gupta was sentenced to four years imprisonment.

He was also fined Rs 2 lakhs.

Former Union Coal Secretary HC Gupta, who worked under Manmohan Singh convicted along with two others

The special CBI court in Maharashtra had convicted both for criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, cheating and corruption in the case related to the allocation of the Lohara East coal block on July 29.

The CBI court of special judge Arun Bharadwaj found HC Gupta, KS Kropha and Mukesh Gupta guilty under various provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The sentences will be decided on August 22. The case was registered by the CBI in September 2012 under sections 120B r/w, 420 IPC r/w, 13(2) r/w, 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

Notably, in its initial charge sheet filed in October 2014, the CBI had named Mukesh Gupta and his Grace Industries Ltd. The court, however, asked the probe agency to continue further investigation into the matter to ascertain the role of senior government staffers in the allocation of coal blocks.

The CBI had reportedly found that Mukesh Gupta had obtained coal block allocations for Grace Industries Ltd through cheating and fraudulent documents and that his actions were aided and supported by senior government officials like HC Gupta and Kropha. The irregularities in allocation were reported between 2005-2011. CBI had also alleged that Mukesh Gupta had used false documents to show his company’s net worth as 120 crores while its actual net worth was just 3.3 crores.

In August 2014, the Supreme Court of India cancelled the entire allocation of coal blocks. During the hearing of the case, the special court had also observed that the conduct of officials from then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s office was not satisfactory.

A total of 34 witnesses were produced by the CBI in the case.

The anatomy of protests: The devil, the people, the truth behind the truth and a protest against protests

Ankur Jhunjhunwala
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The anatomy of protests: The devil, the people, the truth behind the truth and a protest against protests

Protests are a very important tool in a vibrant democracy. They allow informed people to register their voice in a set-up where public opinion is often diluted after elections. Protests are sometimes necessary to keep an elected government on its toes and to prevent them from taking their electorate for granted. Protests allow the minority to amplify their voice and ensure that they are also heard. In rare cases, protests become a means for the majority to assert their demands on an unheeding government. Protests, therefore are a desirable part of democracy when used as a catalyst for progress.

However, just as an airplane, which makes the world a smaller place, can be used to cause 9/11, protests can also be weaponised by people with mal-intent. Instead of taking the country forwards, protests can be used to derail its growth and push it into a regressive downward spiral. India has been experiencing many such degenerative protests in recent times. Let us analyse how and why.

The much-publicised farmers’ protests, which rocked the country and forced the government to roll back the Farm Laws, exposed the toxic nature of protests. Only after the laws were repealed was it disclosed that 85% of farmers of India wanted the laws and would have benefited from them! Why then could the 15% minority create such a divisive environment in the country?

The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is a humane law that only reduces the time required for applying for Indian citizenship, and only for the religiously prosecuted minorities from the neighbouring countries of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

Why then was it met with such violent protests across the country? Why did they receive support from so-called activists? The 75 acres Aarey car-shed project, which has been delayed due to protests, is right next to the 520 acres of film city developed after cutting down the forest. It has more pros than cons. Why then are the few people opposing the project able to hold the government to ransom?

Another question that these examples beget is that if the laws/ projects were beneficial then why did a section of the public oppose them? To answer this, we must first understand the psyche of the current opposition in the country and others who rake these protests.

The Devil

The current opposition is a group of poor losers. They are not accustomed to staying out of power for so long. They had been taking the country and its people for granted and considered their privileges to be their rights. The opposition is desperate, so much so that it now puts power before the nation. They have stooped to a level where they are willing to deal even with the devil, just to return to the chair. Protests have become a weapon in the hands of this desperate and compromised opposition, and they don’t hesitate to use them.

And who is the devil? There are two other sections of people who fuel these draconian protests – the greedy and avaricious activists and NGOs, and the religious extremists. Some of these so-called activists and NGOs that we see actively participating in violent and aggressive protests have only one purpose – to hoard wealth and to gain name and fame. They are like mercenaries, available to the highest bidders. They will take money from politicians (like Teesta Setalvad did). They will take money from ISI, Khalistanis, and other anti-India foreign bodies. They will sell their souls to the likes of purported atheist and billionaire George Soros, and dance naked to his tunes.

They are available for use by the desperate opposition mentioned earlier. They will sleep with religious extremists. Protests have become their profession. It allows them their lavish lifestyles, even if it means siphoning public funds (like Rana Ayub), supporting murderers and terrorists, or working against the country.

Religious conversion agents and extremists are a more dangerous breed of disruptors. They have an agenda, which makes them formidable and something to be concerned about. They are the Islamists who want to establish Sharia Law in India, and the evangelists who want to convert the country to their religion. They are hardliners, intolerant of the religious beliefs and way of life of others. They are murderous, well-connected, well-funded and well-organised.

They form a vote bank and control the political narrative of the current opposition. They have even found a strong foothold in the legislature of the country. We can see the power they exert in their actions – when a Chishti of Ajmer dargah calls for the economic boycott of Hindus when a maulana explains to his followers that violent protests are desirable as they cause economic losses to India when a believer announces an award to behead Nupur Sharma when a people want to establish Dar-ul-Islam and declare jihad against all kafirs, when mosques announce – ‘galive, tsaliv ya raliv’ and instigate a genocide when stone pelters are eulogized by a sold media, when a rapist priest can go scot-free, and when politicians enact laws to undermine the majority. These religious fanatics cause protests in order to further their agenda.

These people light the match, add the fuel, and hold the poker that keeps the fire of anti-India protests alive. They make protests and protesters seditious. They must be dealt with an iron fist.

The People

Now, most common people are what we call headline-readers. They neither know nor understand the laws/ projects as they actually are. The instigators take advantage of this uninformed and ill-informed public. Lies, deceit, money, power, influence, violence, murders, rapes and blackmail are all tools used to misguide and motivate the public to protest. It is important to better communicate with this section of people and prevent them from getting influenced.

There is another section of self-motivated people who are just looking for an excuse to destabilize the country and establish its rules. They generally form a part of the extensive network of religious extremists. Only strong laws and stronger implementation of such laws can keep them on a leash.

While the opposition seeks only to return to power through these protests, the devils they collude with have even ulterior motives. These anti-India elements find an opening through these politicians and use protests to make inroads in the country with the hope of destroying it from the inside out.

The Truth behind the Truth

The anti-farm laws protests received support and funding from anti-India separatist Khalistanis. They saw the protests as a means to once again find a foothold in the country. And they did so successfully, as is evident from the recent Khalistani overtures in Punjab. The CAA protests allowed the Islamists to raise their ugly agenda in India, designed to divide and convert the country. Anti-India elements, including the ISI, are rumoured to have funded these protests across the country. The protests allowed the ‘tukde tukde’ gang to propagate their agenda under the spotlight.

Sometimes protests are also used as a distraction when something, even more, sinister is going on. The drugs racket run from Shaheen bagh, the Khalistani infiltration during the anti-farmers protests, and the involvement of the church in the Sterlite Copper protests that downgraded India from a net exporter to a net importer of copper, the CAA protests where Sharjeel Imam asked people to agitate and cut off the chicken-neck corridor to isolate Assam (Northeast) from rest of India; all highlight the real reason behind the protests. Even a section of the media rallied behind these protests because they are either one with them, or paid by them. The media was exposed when it was discovered that terrorist organizations like the PFI will only speak to NDTV, BBC or the Wire because these media houses will carry their narratives.

The people who are the real reason behind the protests make efforts to create and control the narrative in the country. They seek to destabilize and weaken the country and its government to make it easy for them to realize their goals.

My Protest against Protests

Protests against the government are required sometimes. But protests against the country should not be allowed. Protests that are violent should be made illegal and dealt with surely and swiftly. Equality, as was outlined by Article 14 of the Constitution, should be the only scale used for dealing with the devils mentioned in this article. Law should be designed to prevent appeasement of any by any. Religious vote-banks should not be allowed to exert undue power. Freedom of speech should not be allowed to become an excuse for abetting violence. Those celebrating or calling for murder/ genocide should be silenced. In dissecting protests, and discovering and understanding their anatomy, I hereby register my protest against the growing cancer of protests in India.

(This article was first published on organiser.com)

AAP leader turns bully: MLA Karambir Singh Ghuman gets toll forcibly opened, forcibly passes 20+ vehicles without paying toll

OpIndia Staff
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AAP leader turns bully: MLA Karambir Singh Ghuman gets toll forcibly opened, forcibly passes 20+ vehicles without paying toll

On August 6, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Karambir Singh Ghuman forcibly got toll barriers opened at Chaulang Toll Plaza of Hoshiarpur and got 20 vehicles passed through it without paying any toll. As per reports, Ghuman, who is MLA from Dasuha, got irked as the VIP lane was not functional at the toll plaza, and he had to wait for a minute to cross it. He reportedly got out of his car and ordered the workers to open the barrier.

When the toll plaza employees did not open the barrier, he allegedly broke it. In the CCTV video footage that has been making rounds on social media, Ghuman can be seen bullying the plaza employees to open the barrier. The Police personnel that appeared to accompany him were also shouting at the employees.

Ghuman kept the barrier under his control for 10 minutes and let pass at least 20 vehicles. While toll plaza employees have accused Ghuman of hooliganism, the MLA said there was no employee to open the barrier thus, he took action. He claimed that toll plaza employees do not open the VIP lane. “Many times in the past, my associates have opened the VIP lane as employees did not. If they do not open the lanes, anyone will get agitated. My name is being circulated in the media because I am an MLA.”

The toll manager accused Ghuman of occupying the toll booth

Mubarak Ali, Chaulang Toll Plaza manager, accused Ghuman of abusing his employees. He said an employee named Hardeep Singh was abused by the MLA. The gunmen and the associates who accompanied the MLA allegedly occupied the booth and kept it open for several minutes. The manager accused Ghuman of breaking the barrier as well. The manager has informed the National Highway Authority of the matter.

My sex life isn’t interesting: Taapsee Pannu takes a dig at Karan Johar, reveals why she has not been invited on ‘Koffee With Karan’

OpIndia Staff
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My sex life isn’t interesting: Taapsee Pannu takes a dig at Karan Johar, reveals why she has not been invited on ‘Koffee With Karan’

Recently, actress Taapsee Pannu revealed why she has not yet been invited to the hyped talk show “Koffee With Karan,” which is hosted by moviemaker Karan Johar.

Answering a question from the media persons as to why she never gets invited on Karan’s chat show Taapsee Pannu said that her sex life is not interesting enough to be invited to the show.

Notably, the ‘Thappad’ actress was promoting her upcoming thriller film ‘Dobaaraa’ with the director of the film Anurag Kashyap. Karan Johar was in the adjacent room promoting his chat show. Taking note of that, the media probed Taapsee about the reason why she hasn’t been invited to Karan’s show yet.

In response to the question, the actor said, “My sex life is not interesting enough to be invited on Koffee with Karan.

Karan Johar, who has been hosting the controversial chat show ‘Koffee with Karan’ since 2004, has run into controversies several times. Johar has been at the centre of the nepotism controversy since it first began.

In addition, Karan Johar has received a lot of flak for asking extremely intrusive questions about celebrity guests’ sex lives on his show ‘Koffee With Karan’. Recently, the director-producer was trolled after he quizzed the South Indian superstar Vijay Deverakanda, who featured with Ananya Panday in the second last episode of ‘Koffee with Karan 7’, about when he last had sex and whether he would be interested in a threesome.

Prior to this, Karan Johar was slammed for posing similar questions to other celebrity guests like Aamir Khan and Jhanvi Kapoor who had appeared on his show.

Karan Johar, Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul found ‘innocent’ by court in 2018 case over remarks against women on Koffee With Karan show

It may be recalled that recently, the Jodhpur Court on Tuesday granted relief to cricketers Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul and film director Karan Johar, in a case that was registered against the trio, for some offensive remarks made by the cricketer duo on the talk show “Koffee with Karan,” hosted by Karan Johar in 2018.

Back in the year 2018, an episode featuring KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya aired on the sixth season of the talk show ‘Koffee with Karan’ hosted by Karan Johar where the two cricketers freely talked about hooking up with girls, being open with their families about sex, and hitting on girls in nightclubs, among other things.

Immediately after the episode aired, online outrage began against the duo’s comments with Pandya, in particular, getting severe criticism. Netizens criticised the duo as they considered the remarks made against women during the show as highly sexiest, and misogynist. Karan Johar was also castigated for encouraging such misogyny on his show.

Nupur Sharma controversy: SC protects Times Now anchor Navika Kumar, orders states’ police not to take coercive action against her

OpIndia Staff
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Nupur Sharma controversy: SC protects Times Now anchor Navika Kumar, orders states’ police not to take coercive action against her

On August 8, the Supreme Court of India directed states’ police not to take any coercive action against Times Now anchor Navika Kumar in any FIR or complaint filed or to be filed in future against her in the Nupur Sharma controversy. Notably, multiple FIRs were filed against Kumar for the TV debate that was telecasted on May 26 on Times Now.

A two-judge bench comprising Justice Krishna Murari and Justice Hima Kohli heard the plea submitted by Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi on behalf of Times Network Group Editor Navika Kumar to quash the FIRs registered against her in different states. During the hearing, advocate Rohatgi pointed out that Navika did not say anything against Prophet Mohammad, and she was just hosting the debate.

He further added multiple FIRs were filed against Nupur Sharma, and she is facing flak over the controversial remarks she made against Prophet Mohammed during the debate after being provoked by Taslim Ahmed Rehmani. The debate was about an ongoing case on the disputed structure at Gyanvapi in Varanasi.

When the court asked why West Bengal was interested in the case, Senior Advocate Menaka Guruswamy appearing for the state, informed the court that the first FIR against Kumar was registered in Kolkata.

Supreme Court issued notice to the state of West Bengal and others in the matter and sought a reply in two weeks. The court said till further orders, no coercive action must be taken against Kumar in previous or any new complaints or FIRs pertaining to the matter.

Nupur Sharma controversy

On May 26, former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma made comments on Prophet Mohammed during a debate on Times Now. Sharma was provoked by another panellist Rehmani who allegedly kept abusing Hindu Gods. Following the debate, Alt News’ co-founder Mohammed Zubair cleverly shared on social media what Nupur said but did not reveal what led to the remarks passed by her.

He systematically propagated against Nupur, and it led to international condemnation of the central government. BJP suspended Sharma following the uproar on June 5. Sharma issued an apology for the remarks, but by then, she had already started getting death and rape threats. She was provided security and currently staying at an undisclosed location.

The matter has taken several turns and twists since the video was shared by Zubair on Twitter. Those who supported Nupur have received death threats. Tailor Kanhaiya Lal from Udaipur, businessman Umesh Kohle from Amravati and many others were brutally killed by Islamists for supporting Nupur, while several others were beaten up. There have also been largescale riots in various parts of the country following the dog-whistling by Mohammad Zubair.

After blaming Nupur Sharma for what had happened in the country after the debate, the Supreme Court initially did not provide any relief to her but later ordered no coercive action against her. The relief was provided to her just a day before Muhammed Zubair was given bail over multiple FIRs registered against him for hurting religious sentiments.

Mohammed Azharuddin calls Indian women’s team’s batting “rubbish”, gets reminded of his own record by social media users

OpIndia Staff
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Mohammed Azharuddin calls Indian women’s team’s batting “rubbish”, gets reminded of his own record by social media users

Former Indian captain and Congress politician Mohammed Azharuddin was at the center of a social media storm earlier today after his remarks on the Indian women’s team’s batting performance. India lost by 9 runs to Australia in the final of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and ended with a silver medal in the cricket event of the games.

Chasing 162 for the gold medal, India fell just short despite an outstanding half-century by captain Harmanpreet Kaur. After the match, Azharuddin took to Twitter and said, “Rubbish batting by the Indian team. No common sense. Gave away a winning game on a platter.”

Despite losing their openers cheaply, India battled back into the game with a 96 runs partnership for the 3rd wicket between skipper Harmanpreet and Jemimah Rodriguez. However, once Jemimah was bowled by Schutt, Australia fought back well to close out the game with regular wickets. Azhar was clearly irked by this as he took his time out to criticise the batting performance.

However, these remarks by Azharuddin didn’t go down well with the social media users as they reminded Azhar of his own record in knockout games against Australia.

One Twitter user asked Azhar in response, “Excuse me sir, but how many world cup finals, okay semifinals, okay ANY knockout games did your team win against the Aussies in your day?”

Another Twitter user reminded Azhar of the match-fixing allegations against him and said, “Don’t make people remind you of your not so cricketing acts on cricket field, Azhar.”

Some users also highlighted the lack of support provided to women cricketers and then how everyone comes forward to criticise them if they fall short.

Several users also reminded Azharuddin of his own record against the Australians in big matches while he was the captain.

Match-fixing allegations against Mohammed Azharuddin

Azharuddin was accused of match-fixing in the 2000 match-fixing scandal that saw the fall of Hansie Cronje. CBI report said that Cronje met bookies through Azharuddin and Azhar was subsequently banned from cricket by the BCCI and the ICC.

In 2012, when Azhar was 49 years old, the ban was revoked by the Andhra Pradesh High Court citing lack of evidence. Azhar is heading the Hyderabad Cricket Association since 2019.

The University of Chicago’s fellowship to Rana Ayyub should come as no surprise as they had already revealed their Hinduphobic leanings: Details

Amit Kelkar
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The University of Chicago’s fellowship to Rana Ayyub should come as no surprise as they had already revealed their Hinduphobic leanings: Details

Rana Ayyub, a donation fraud accused and long known for her tendency to whitewash Islamist crimes, last week took to Twitter to announce her fellowship with the University of Chicago. In a tweet, she made public her association with the University, adding that she would be discussing Indian democracy with leaders, diplomats, faculty and students.

“Some News: I am honoured to be joining the University of Chicago, Institute of Politics as their prestigious Pritzker fellow. The Institute of Politics was founded by @davidaxelrod in 2013. Hoping to discuss the Indian democracy with leaders, diplomats, faculty and students,” Ayyub tweeted on 2 August 2022. 

Source: Twitter

The University of Chicago was one of the institutes that participated in ‘Dismantling the Global Hindutva’ conference

However, this association should not come as a surprise, given the Hinduphobic inclinations of the University of Chicago, one of the participants in the ‘Dismantling the Global Hindutva’ conference, Nazi-Esque propaganda blitzkrieg organised by the Global Left last year that sought to whitewash the genocide of Hindus and paint them as aggressors instead.

Rana Ayyub
Source: The University of Chicago

Ms Ayyub’s convictions and preconceived notions about Hindutva and callous disregard for the Hindu lives firmly align with that of the University of Chicago, as manifested in the latter’s participation in a contentious conference where the so-called Genocide scholars said Hinduphobia or the negative sentiments or actions against practitioners of Hinduism is not an actual phenomenon but just a distraction aimed at covering up the perceived Hindutva aggression. 

A 3-day conference cosponsored by 60+ Departments or Centers from 45+ Universities most from the USA took place on the 10th, 11th and 12th of September last year. The event titled “Dismantling Global Hindutva” saw participation from several Hindumisic elements like Audrey Truschke, Naxal sympathiser Anand Patwardhan and Nandini Sunder, Quint journalist Neha Dixit and many others, underscoring the nefarious objectives of the conference.

How Rana Ayyub has been shielding and supporting Islamists responsible for the killings of Hindus

While the Hindumisic elements globally have tried to equate Hindus to Nazis, the Nazi-Esque propaganda was yet another attempt to ossify denial of the ongoing genocide of Hindus at the hands of Islamists and instead blame the victims for causing ‘provocation’, something which was evident during the Nupur Sharma controversy recently, when the Left-liberal cabal went into overdrive to pin the blame of the chaos and disorder on the feet of the former BJP spokesperson and painting Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair, who dog-whistled Islamists against her as a victim. 

Zubair’s dog-whistling evoked country-wide protests against Nupur Sharma, with Islamists running amok, indulging in rioting, and shouting ‘sar tan se juda slogans’ against her. At least three Hindus, including Kanhaiya Lal and Umesh Kolhe, fell victim to the orgy of violence unleashed by Zubair as they went about killing and using violence against Hindus who voiced support for Nupur Sharma. 

Rana Ayyub did not condemn the killing of Kanhaiya Lal or Umesh Kolhe, for that would have meant denouncing the Islamist ideology that underpinned their brutal murders committed in the name of blasphemy. Notably, Rana Ayyub had also refrained from condemning the horrifying murder of Hindu Samaj leader Kamlesh Tiwari, killed by Islamists in broad daylight at his Lucknow residence in 2019, for his comments on Prophet Muhammad half a decade ago. Apparently, Rana Ayyub has been a firm supporter of Mohammed Zubair, as evident from her numerous tweets supporting the controversial “fact-checker” who touts himself as a champion of exposing “hate speech” while himself posting disparaging and insulting social media posts on Hindu Gods and Hindu Goddesses.

In Rana Ayyub, the University of Chicago has found a perfect partner in peddling anti-Hindu propaganda

Pertinently, Ms Ayyub has been a staunch opponent of Hindutva, often leaning on unfounded claims and fake news to reinforce her propaganda against Hindus and organisations who dare stand up for them. In 2015, Ayyub, in her unmatched zeal to slander RSS and Hindutva organisations, filed a story blaming RSS activists and ‘Hindutva terrorists’ for the Ranaghat nun rape case.

In 2015, eight men plundered a Catholic church in Ranaghat, West Bengal, and gang-raped a nun. Ecstatic at the prospect that she could lay the blame for the terrible crime on her favourite punching bag, the RSS and “Hindu terrorists,” Rana Ayyub wrote a comprehensive account of the occurrence for DailyO, alleging how RSS activists had sexually abused a Christian nun in Bengal.

As it turned out, the accused were Bangladeshis and not RSS activists, as alleged by Ms Ayyub. However, the ‘journalist’ did not show the courtesy of admitting to her folly and continued spreading Hinduphobic propaganda unabated. Since then, Ms Ayyub’s efforts at demonising the Hindu activists and supporters have only increased.

There were several other instances when Rana Ayyub had been caught red-handed disseminating lies and falsehoods. Most notably, the Supreme Court of India had memorably brought down the edifice of lies built by Rana Ayyub after it made scathing observations on her book ‘Gujarat Files’, which she claimed was an ‘anatomy of a cover-up’ of Gujarat riots.

The court had trashed her book, saying it was based on conjectures, surmises, and suppositions, only proving that Ayyub’s relationship with the truth is complicated, to say the least, while her bond with radical Islamism seems all-pervasive.

One of the innuendoes in Ayyub’s book was that then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi had planned ex-Gujarat Home Minister Haren Pandya’s murder who was shot dead on March 26, 2003, in Ahmedabad during a morning walk.

A trial court found 12 Muslim men guilty of Haren Pandya’s murder, including the main accused Asghar Ali. According to the CBI investigation, the murder was carried out on the orders of a Muslim cleric Mufti Sufiyan to avenge the Gujarat riots.

Therefore, in Rana Ayyub, the University of Chicago found a worthy collaborator who would continue with its efforts of downplaying atrocities committed against Hindus and palm off the smokescreen of the “threat posed by Hindutva” to shield rabid Islamists and their violent crimes against non-Muslims.

Jharkhand: BJP leader raises concerns over Islamisation of government schools, targets JMM-Congress Govt for appeasement politics

OpIndia Staff
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Jharkhand: BJP leader raises concerns over Islamisation of government schools, targets JMM-Congress Govt for appeasement politics

Nishikant Dubey, a member of the BJP, has accused the Hemant Soren-led JMM-Congress coalition in Jharkhand of abusing the state’s educational system to pursue appeasement politics. Speaking to the media, the BJP leader raised concerns over the state moving towards ‘Islamisation’ under the Hemant Soren government.

Dubey said that the JMM-Congress administration in the state of Jharkhand’s primary goal is to win votes and in its desperation to do so it will not even hesitate to solicit the help of Pakistan, China, or Bangladesh.

Dubey was concerned that Hemant Soren’s leadership was ignoring the “very serious” problems associated with hundreds of state-run schools in Jharkhand switching to Urdu schools and demanded that the National Investigation Agency conduct an investigation into it.

The BJP leader further alleged that the state administration has inadvertently consented to hundreds of government schools in Jharkhand moving towards Islamification by issuing an order, in the wake of the recent uproar, to remove the word ‘Urdu’ from the schools that have not been notified as Urdu Schools.

He informed the media that on August 2, BJP MLA Anant Ojha had raised the issue of the Islamisation of education in Jharkhand in the Parliament. He had alleged that “Urdu was added at the local level” in 407 schools across the state, while the weekly holiday was changed from Sunday to Friday in 509 schools. The Jharkhand government had agreed to the same and a day prior on August 1, issued an order to remove the word ‘Urdu’ from the schools that have not been notified as Urdu Schools.

Notably, the BJP MP from Jharkhand’s Godda Lok Sabha constituency had also raised the same issue during Zero Hour in Lok Sabha on Friday. He had asked the Union Government to not release funds to these schools under the Centre’s Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.

“All of a sudden, at least 1,800 schools included the word Urdu in their names across Jharkhand…. Now a report of a committee set up by the Jharkhand government has come (which stated) that Sunday is not a weekly holiday in these schools,” the BJP MP said.

Calling it “a very serious matter”, Dubey alleged that the “country is moving towards Islamisation and Jharkhand has shown the way.” “It is my humble request to the Centre that an NIA probe is ordered and funding of the schools which have included Urdu in their names and changed the weekly holiday to Friday be withheld,” he said.

He further said that a message should be sent out that “this country runs under one law and that such things will not be tolerated at any cost”.

Islamification of state-run schools in Jharkhand

It may be recalled that OpIndia had reported in detail how the state-run schools in places like Jamtara, Lohardaga, Garhwa and Dumka, the hometown of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, have made several modifications in state-run schools in response to the whims of the local Muslim population in the areas.

In July this year, a class 4 student was brutally thrashed by Mohammad Abul Kalam, the headmaster of a government school in  Giridih, Jharkhand, for writing ‘Jai Shri Ram’ on the classroom’s blackboard.

Recently, it was reported how Sharia and Islamic practices were being imposed on the students of a state-run school in Jharkhand’s Garhwa district, with children forbidden from praying with their hands folded. Then reports emerged on how state-run schools in areas like Jamtara and Dumka, which is the hometown of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, were being converted into Urdu schools, and the weekly offs changed from Sunday to Friday (Jumma).

In April, a ruckus ensued in the Government Jagannathpur Polytechnic college in Jharkhand after students chanted ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and Bharat Mata Ki Jai slogans while celebrating ‘Nav Samvatsar’, the first day of Hindu New Year. 

State Govt orders removal of the word ‘Urdu’ from the schools that have not been notified as Urdu Schools

Notably, owing to the uproar stirred by media reports about the Islamification of state-run schools, the Jharkhand authorities on August 1, issued an order to remove the word ‘Urdu’ from the schools that have not been notified as Urdu Schools. The Directorate of Primary Education under the Department of School Education and Literacy issued directives that stated that the department received information that some schools have added the word ‘Urdu’ and started observing weekly offs on Friday instead of Sunday. It further noted that those schools also changed the schedule of mid-day meals accordingly and changed the pre-prayer methods.

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