Freedom leads to freedom, not anything else

Since posts are being deleted, thought this response would be necessary. Ambedkar himself admired ramanuja , advaita . He said in his annhilation of caste ” no foreign ideology is necessary…” . So, no, he didnt see Hinduism as without hope. As for moral development in India is concerned, Coming of Islam was a big … Continue reading Freedom leads to freedom, not anything else

Why do English nonmuslims treat English muslims so badly?

Honestly, I can’t figure it out why UK nonmuslims treat UK muslims so badly. Nonmuslims in general treat muslims badly and I am tempted to write similar articles about most nonmuslim majority countries; but this article will focus on the UK. This article is a sequel to these two previous articles on nonmuslims mistreating muslims … Continue reading Why do English nonmuslims treat English muslims so badly?

Anti Jewish Bigotry

In my life time, I have seen more bigotry against people of Jewish heritage than I have against any other group of people. The reasons for the intensity of this bigotry around the world has always puzzled me. Perhaps the most courageous thing to do it to address it head on. Here goes my attempt. … Continue reading Anti Jewish Bigotry

Review: From the Ruins of Empire; The Intellectuals Who Remade Asia

This was a long rolling rant I wrote 5 years ago while reading Pankaj Mishra’s book “From The Ruins of Empire; The Intellectuals Who Remade Asia“. The format is that I commented as I read the book. So early parts are comments on early chapters and so on. Quotes from Pankaj are in bolded italics. I … Continue reading Review: From the Ruins of Empire; The Intellectuals Who Remade Asia

When all you have is postcolonial theory everything is about the white man

Recently I read a piece, Confronting White Supremacy in Christianity as a Christian South Asian, which is interesting from an anthropological perspective. After all, I don’t know what it’s like to be a progressive South Asian Christian, which is the perspective of this author. But as I read the piece I felt that it elided … Continue reading When all you have is postcolonial theory everything is about the white man

Right Hand Path Orientalism vs Left Hand Path Orientalism

A few days ago, Razib posted a piece about “Castes of Mind” that discussed Historian Nicholas Dirk’s book that argued that the Indian caste system as it exists may be (mostly) a colonial creation. I have not read Dirk’s book, but it is my impression (from hearing about it) that it is not superficial and has … Continue reading Right Hand Path Orientalism vs Left Hand Path Orientalism

Is Islam the rock on which the liberal order broke?

(Triggered by this article about “Global Democracy in Danger“) Back in 1992, Fukuyama wrote his (much maligned, frequently misunderstood) book about the End of History and had this to say: What we may be witnessing is not just the end of the Cold War, or the passing of a particular period of postwar history, but … Continue reading Is Islam the rock on which the liberal order broke?

The Decline (and Attempted Rise) of the Sunnis in the Middle East

Israeli scholar Martin Kramer has written an interesting essay about the decline (and attempted rise) of  the Sunni Islamic position and aspirations in the middle east (excerpts at the end of this post). The first (and longer) section of the essay is well worth reading because it (to quote comrade Hamid Dabashi) “jolts our historical … Continue reading The Decline (and Attempted Rise) of the Sunnis in the Middle East

Brown Pundits