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<keyword id="19919639" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bangladesh" source="keywords">Bangladesh</keyword> National Hindu Grand Alliance General Secretary, Mrityunjay Kumar Roy on Wednesday, strongly condemned the petition demanding ban on International Society for Krishna Consciousness (<keyword id="20270601" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="ISKCON" source="keywords">ISKCON</keyword>) in Bangladesh and stressed that the Hindu organisation is 'peaceful' in nature and works for the welfare of poor. This comes after a petition was filed by a lawyer demanding a ban on ISKCON in the country, calling it a "radical organisation" engaging in activities designed to provoke <keyword id="23089355" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="communal-unrest" source="keywords">communal unrest</keyword>, as reported by the local media. Speaking to ANI, Mrityunjay Kumar Roy said, "We strongly oppose this statement of those who are saying that Iskcon should be banned. What did Iskcon do? Iskcon is the international consciousness of Sri Krishna...it is a peaceful organisation which talks about Shri Krishna and works for the welfare of the poor." This comes amid the row over the arrest of former priest of ISKCON Bangladesh, <keyword id="24154841" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chinmoy-Krishna-Das-Brahmachari" source="keywords">Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari</keyword>, over sedition charges, which led to protests and unrest in Bangladesh. Meanwhile, Union Minister <keyword id="20027051" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sukanta-Majumdar" source="keywords">Sukanta Majumdar</keyword> also condemned the arrest of priest Chinmoy Krishna Das and the rise in attacks against minorities. Highlighting the recent attacks on Hindu temples and the atrocities faced by Hindus in Bangladesh since the political turnover, Majumdar said, "Chinmoy Prabhu's arrest and the attack on minorities in Bangladesh is concerning. We demand that he be released immediately because he was protesting peacefully. Since the political turnover in Bangladesh, Hindu temples are being destroyed and Hindus are being subjected to atrocities. Raising a voice against this cannot be called sedition." While condemning the detention of ISKCON leader, Union Minister Giriraj Singh also condemned the arrest, and also slammed Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav over their 'silence' on the issue. "People are speaking of going to Sambhal today. But Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav are ignoring Bangladesh where Hindus are being subjected to a lot of violence. I suggest that Hindus should protest against this atrocity in Bangladesh," he said. The petition in Bangladesh has alleged that ISKCON has been promoting religious events with the intent of inciting sectarian violence, imposing its beliefs on traditional Hindu communities, and forcibly recruiting members from lower Hindu castes. It has accused ISKCON of taking over Sanatan temples, evicting members of the Sanatan community, and carrying out communal attacks on mosques. It has also accused ISKCON of "destabilizing" the country and "collaborating with Indian media" to promote communal discord, Dhaka Tribune reported. Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari was presented before a Chittagong court on Tuesday. The court denied his bail plea and sent him to custody. Das has been accused of sedition for allegedly raising a flag on a stand displaying Bangladesh's national flag. The arrest has sparked widespread outrage, with many calling for his immediate release. Notably, ISKCON Bangladesh issued a statement on Tuesday denouncing the arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das and called upon the government authorities to promote peaceful coexistence. ISKCON Bangladesh also issued a list of demands to the government for subsequent violence and attacks against Sanatanis in various regions of Bangladesh. "We express our serious concern and strongly denounce the recent arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das, spokesperson for the "Bangladesh Sammilito SanatJagaran Jot". We also condemn the subsequent violence and attacks against Sanatanis in various regions of Bangladesh. We urge the government authorities, to promote peaceful coexistence for the Sanatani community", the statement said. "As a representative of the "Bangladesh Sammilito Sanatani Jagaran Jot" and a Bangladeshi citizen, Chinmoy Krishna Das has been a vocal advocate for the protection of minority groups in the nation. It is essential to uphold his right to free speech and to support his efforts to encourage others to defend this right. Ensuring justice and fair treatment for him is crucial", the statement added.

"ISKCON a peaceful organisation": Bangladesh Hindu leader slams petition demanding its ban

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Protesters in <keyword id="64863" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Seattle">Seattle</keyword>, Washington, took over part of the city on Monday, dubbing it an "<keyword id="9381026" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="autonomous-zone">autonomous zone</keyword>."</li><li>The area, which is still taking shape, has become a space for community organizing, art-making, and other community-building efforts.</li><li>"It has symbolic meaning that once the police withdraw, it's not that communities descend into chaos, but that we can create safe, democratic, autonomous spaces," one occupant told Insider.</li></ul>On Monday evening, police officers in Seattle boarded up the city's East Precinct and decamped, abandoning it after repeatedly clashing with protesters.In their wake, protesters have erected an "autonomous zone," with tents, free food, art-making, and rallies. Films are being screened on a projector in the evenings.The Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, or CHAZ, as it's being called, emerged spontaneously. Encompassing the precinct and portions of the Capitol Hill neighborhood around it, the area was previously a flashpoint for protester-police skirmishes.Now, protesters are using the space to organize and build an alternative community. The occupants seek to prove that the community can operate without a police department at all.Permanent autonomous zones, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-16517764">like Hong Kong</a>, have historically been designed to have near-total legal and political autonomy. In Seattle, <a href="https://mynorthwest.com/1934076/seattle-capitol-hill-autonomous-zone/">something different is shaping up</a>: An intentional community that disavows the police, and that cares for all of its members. CHAZ occupants distribute food widely, <a href="https://mynorthwest.com/1934076/seattle-capitol-hill-autonomous-zone/">including to homeless people</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/Omarisal/status/1270757252375306241">instituted a garbage-collection program</a> on Wednesday."It's reminiscent of Occupy [Wall Street]," one protester, who identified himself as a teacher and member of the Black Rose Anarchist Federation, told Insider. "It's like the people who show up and are doing the work.""People are really excited about it," he added.Among demonstrators, "most people seem cautiously optimistic," one woman in the CHAZ told Insider. "I haven't seen any cops since they all left."The Seattle Police Department did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.<h2>FreeCapitol Hill, a collective linked to the CHAZ, wants to reshape the whole city</h2>As CHAZ emerged, some protesters have released a list of demands."We do not request reform, we demand abolition," <a href="https://medium.com/@seattleblmanon3/the-demands-of-the-collective-black-voices-at-free-capitol-hill-to-the-government-of-seattle-ddaee51d3e47">FreeCapitol Hill, an anonymous collective, wrote in a blog post Tuesday</a>. "We demand that the Seattle Council and the Mayor defund and abolish the Seattle Police Department and the attached Criminal Justice Apparatus."The collective demanded "de-gentrification" of the city, increased hiring of Black healthcare workers, and an overhaul of the Washington state public school curriculum, with a greater focus on the history of Black and Native Americans in the United States.They also called for an end to <keyword id="1674170" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="police-violence">police violence</keyword>."We demand that the use of armed force be banned entirely," the collective wrote. "No guns, no batons, no riot shields, no chemical weapons, especially against those exercising their First Amendment right as Americans to protest."<div type="image" title="A defaced sign on the exterior of the Seattle Police Departments East Precinct is seen on June 9, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. (David Ryder:Getty Images)" height="2800" width="4200" msid="76311813" hostid="261"></div>Last week, Mayor Jenny Durkan put <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/501442-seattle-mayor-temporarily-bans-use-of-tear-gas">a 30-day ban</a> on the police department's use of tear gas against protesters. After the ban was passed, however, officers still used the chemical irritant against a crowd, <a href="https://twitter.com/chaseburnsy/status/1269890809991589890">video footage shows</a>.Several Seattle Fire Department vehicles "stationed near the Precinct to ensure emerging medical needs and fires are addressed if necessary," <a href="https://twitter.com/MayorJenny/status/1270239226378899456">Durkan said in a statement</a> on Tuesday morning. "Keeping this area safe is critical, as there are approximately 500 residential homes in this block."The autonomous zone has remained peaceful, <a href="https://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2020/06/welcome-to-free-capitol-hill-capitol-hill-autonomous-zone-forms-around-emptied-east-precinct/">according to Capitol Hill Seattle Blog</a>, as residents, and some local politicians, call for radical change."What we are seeing now is an uprising. A rebellion of young people. Not just nationwide but globally," Seattle City Councilmember <a href="https://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2020/06/welcome-to-free-capitol-hill-capitol-hill-autonomous-zone-forms-around-emptied-east-precinct/">Kshama Sawant told a crowd</a> on Monday evening.The next night, Sawant, who identifies as a socialist, held a public meeting <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/607474543458595">calling on the city to defund the police and ban chemical weapons</a> like tear gas, which is outlawed in warfare. Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda has also supported the effort, calling for the city police department budget to be halved, local <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> outlet <a href="https://mynorthwest.com/1928707/seattle-council-calls-for-change-police-department/">MyNorthwest reported</a>.<h2>As the autonomous zone takes shape, residents look toward restructured community</h2>Because the area emerged organically and without any official leadership, the protesters are exploring ways forward. The first general meeting of CHAZ occupants will be held on Wednesday afternoon, the teacher and anarchist said, where people will discuss "the purpose of occupying" the space.But the CHAZ has already taken on meaning for occupants."It has symbolic meaning that once the police withdraw, it's not that communities descend into chaos, but that we can create safe, democratic, autonomous spaces," he said. That's a "testament to the claims around abolition currently that maybe we don't need these violent police forces in our community.""Trying to protect and honor Black life," he added, is "a big part of what's going on here."<ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/minneapolis-city-council-members-look-to-disband-police-department-2020-6">Minneapolis City Council members look to disband the police department as schools and other city agencies cut ties with police</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/united-nations-experts-slam-racial-terror-lynchings-united-states-2020-6">UN experts slam 'modern-day racial terror lynchings' in the United States, demand immediate reform</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amy-klobuchar-money-from-police-union-pacs-vice-president-contender-2020-6">Veepstakes contender Amy Klobuchar gets more money from police union PACs than all but one other senator</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/joe-biden-opposes-defunding-the-police-campaign-says-2020-6">Joe Biden won't support defunding the police as part of his 2020 campaign message</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/nyc-judge-suspends-24-hour-arraignment-rule-drawing-aocs-ire-2020-6">AOC slams NYC judge for ruling people arrested amid widespread unrest could be held for more than 24 hours without charge</a></li></ul>

'It's reminiscent of Occupy': Protesters in Seattle have established a communal 'autonomous zone' to prove they don't need police

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Indian authorities have seized over $1 billion in cash, drugs, and goods in the country's elections.</li><li>The amount has surpassed the total seized during the whole of the last general election in 2019.</li></ul>The Election Commission of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-economy-growth-booming-modi-seize-moment-problems-davos-2024-2">India</a> (ECI) said it has seized 88.9 billion rupees, or around $1.1 billion, in drugs, cash, and other goods like precious metals and liquor as part of its efforts to stamp out illegal vote inducements in the country's general election.The Indian government's Press Information Bureau said in a <a target="_blank" href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2021017">press release</a> on Saturday that the "Election Commission's determined and concerted assault on money power and inducements in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections has resulted in staggering seizures worth Rs 8889 crores by the agencies."The commission said it took a "'zero-tolerance' approach to any form of inducements which may influence the voters," adding that the haul had already surpassed the total seized during the whole of the last general election in 2019.The press release adds that drugs have made up 45% of the value of the seizures so far.<div type="image" title="India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets crowds of supporters during a roadshow in support of state elections on March 04, 2022 in Varanasi, India." height="1169" width="1660" msid="110251900" hostid="261" sizebytes="163224"></div>The winner of India's general election, which began on April 19 and ends on June 1, will be announced on June 4.The governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to come out on top once again, which would see Narendra Modi, 73, return for a third term as prime minister.It is the world's largest democratic election, with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/18/india-mammoth-election-explained-narendra-modi-bjp">almost 970 million people</a> eligible to vote.During Modi's tenure, India has become an increasingly important global power, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/modi-india-election-economy-russia-oil-wealth-dimon-cook-musk-2024-5">overtaking Britain to become the world's fifth-largest economy</a> and forging ever-stronger relations with the US, which wants India as a key ally against China.But critics of the prime minister and his party say he is a divisive figure that has attempted to demonize minorities in the country.The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.eiu.com/n/indias-general-election-2024-the-story-so-far/">Economist Intelligence Unit</a> said in a report in May that it believed the BJP's reelection had "the potential to deepen communal rifts within the country," noting "the party's Hindu-nationalist agenda" and previous instances of unrest.It added that "although multinationals will remain wary about India's domestic track record on communal relations, its large market and growing economy will overshadow these considerations."

Indian authorities seize over $1 billion worth of illegal vote inducements, including drugs and cash, in country's elections

The <keyword id="19896882" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Canada" source="keywords">Canada</keyword> chapter of the United Kashmir People's National Party (<keyword id="21198441" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="UKPNP" source="keywords">UKPNP</keyword>) held a <keyword id="19895811" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="protest" source="keywords">protest</keyword> in Calgary, Canada on Tuesday, demanding the fulfilment of the charter of demands of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) and immediate halt of the ongoing deployment of defence forces into Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (<keyword id="20026181" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="PoJK" source="keywords">PoJK</keyword>). Sardar Nasir Aziz Khan, the spokesperson for the UKPNP, also demanded that the administration must stop using "brutal force" and filing charges against peaceful protestors of PoJK. "The United Kashmir People's National Party #UKPNP protested in #Calgary #Canada, demanding justice. Urged #Pakistan to fulfil #JAAC demands and stop deploying forces, using force &amp; filing false charges against peaceful protesters in PoJK," he said in a post on X. Notably, the people of PoJK, have been continuously raising their demands for respite against rampant inflation, lack of infrastructure, and severe power cuts. Earlier in June, the Chairman of the UKPNP, Sardar Shaukat Ali Kashmiri also raised similar demands urging <keyword id="19899252" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pakistan" source="keywords">Pakistan</keyword> to refrain from deploying its <keyword id="20082848" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="troops" source="keywords">troops</keyword> in PoJK. He delivered his statement on the sidelines of the 56th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. "We have received reports from PoJK indicating that the Pakistadministration is redeploying Frontier Corps (FC) units there. It's crucial to recognise that PoJK is a disputed region, and therefore, Pakistan should not deploy its forces there," Kashmiri stated in a video message. He added, "Such actions cause distress among the local population. Pakistan must withdraw its troops from PoJK to prevent further unrest among the people and the administration." The UKPNP Chairman also criticised Pakistan for what he described as "contradictory policies" and demanded the release of all detainees from Pakistan-Occupied Gilgit Baltistan and PoJK. "While Pakistan has released activists detained in PoJK, it has also filed numerous cases against members of the Awami Action Committee (AAC) in PoJK and Pakistan-Occupied Gilgit Baltistan (PoGB). We <keyword id="19901504" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="demand" source="keywords">demand</keyword> the immediate release of all detainees from PoGB and PoJK, and urge Pakistan to address the grievances of the public," he added. In a separate statement, the UKPNP strongly criticized Pakistan's decision to deploy the Frontier Constabulary (FC) in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. It said that the deployment, authorized by Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, is aimed at quelling the ongoing movement for people's rights in PoJK and is viewed as a "betrayal" of the Kashmiri people. The statement emphasised that Pakistan's invasion of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir on October 22, 1947, resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent Kashmiris and the forced division of the state. This action sowed the seeds of communalism and ongoing bloodshed. The UKPNP asserted that Pakistan lacks legitimacy in Kashmir and has no right to deploy its forces there. The UKPNP also urged the United Nations and the international community to intervene and demand that Pakistan refrain from using force against peaceful protesters in PoJK.

Canada chapter of UKPNP demands immediate revocation of troops from PoJK

<ul><li>The students also alleged that they were later detained by the Delhi police and were taken to nearby Civil Lines police station.</li><li>The students gathered near Chief Minister's residence at about 12:00 a.m. asking to meet him to submit a charter of demands </li><li>However at around 3:30 a.m. the Delhi police restored to use of <keyword id="658066" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="water-cannon">water cannon</keyword> over the protesters to disperse the mob. </li></ul>The Delhi police on Wednesday used water cannons on the students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and <keyword id="6379311" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jamia-Millia-Islamia">Jamia Millia Islamia</keyword> (JMI) who were outside Delhi Chief Minister <keyword id="260213" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Arvind-Kejriwal">Arvind Kejriwal</keyword>'s residence asking to meet him to submit a charter of demands over violence in the capital. The students also alleged that they were later detained by the Delhi police and were taken to nearby Civil Lines police station. The students gathered near Chief Minister's residence at about 12:00 a.m. asking to meet him to submit a charter of demands that included the Chief Minister's direct intervention in violence-hit areas and action over the person involved in creating unrest in North-East Delhi. However at around 3:30 a.m. the Delhi police restored to use of water cannon over the protesters to disperse the mob. "Activate all Delhi government services and infrastructure to rescue, provide medical facilities and shelter to citizens," the students demanded in their charter. The students-led by JNUSU Vice-President Saket Moon also urged for action against the culprits involved in the communal violence. "Identify perpetrators of communal violence, including police officials who have participated in it and take action against them," the students said.

Water cannons used on JNU, Jamia students protesting at CM residence

<ul class="summary-list"><li>People across India are protesting two controversial citizenship laws that critics say target Muslims.</li><li>The two acts, known as the NRC and the CAA, would provide a path to citizenship for several minority groups and foreigners in India, but exclude Muslims.</li><li>India's deeply religious roots are now at odds with its secular constitution.</li><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BusinessInsiderToday/">View more episodes of Business Insider Today on Facebook.</a></li></ul>Following is a transcript of an episode of Business Insider Today. Watch the full episode <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BusinessInsiderToday/videos/1344754715706477">here</a>.In this coastal town in India, workers split bamboo stalks with a machete. They cut and shape them to make fences, homes, and baskets.Ala Uddin was born and raised in the northeastern state of Assam, but after the government implemented a citizenship list, he found himself fighting to prove his identity as an Indian national.Ala Uddin, bamboo worker: "The people are frightened. They feel scared that they might be sent to the detention camps."Ala Uddin is one of the lucky ones. His family is on the registry. But there are still 1.9 million people living in Assam whose <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-politics-citizenship/india-leaves-nearly-two-million-people-off-citizens-list-fate-uncertain-idUSKCN1VL04W">citizenship remains in limbo</a>.In recent months, protests have erupted across India due to two controversial laws that critics say target Muslim immigrants, and even those born here.At odds are the country's deeply religious roots and its secular constitution.Ala Uddin travels from his small island to the town of Dhubri, making on average 250 rupees, or $3.50 a day, to provide for his mother, wife, and four children.But when the National Register of Citizens, or NRC, was enforced, things changed.Uddin: "When I heard about NRC I was shocked. I was completely shocked. Even though the paperwork was there, I had to leave my job and run around to get the paperwork ready."In a country like India, not everyone has their documents in order, says Milan Vaishnav, an expert on South Asian politics.Milan Vaishnav, director and senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: "India is a very poor country. Even today, only about 70% of births happen with an official birth certificate. So a lot of people cannot prove their citizenship status. They're worried that this essentially is going to disenfranchise a bunch of genuine citizens who simply are either too poor or come from the wrong community to be able to justify their existence."Uddin: "I was trying to trace my ancestors and relatives, trying to trace my grandfather and my uncles. Trying to figure it out was very stressful.""The hearings were held at rather far-off places. Per person one had to spend 500 rupees to travel one way, so it's 1,000 rupees worth of commuting both ways in a day."The Indian government has <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-citizenship-explainer/explainer-why-indias-new-citizenship-plans-are-stirring-protests-idUSKBN1YR0WL">discussed the possibility</a> of rolling out NRC in the entire country by 2021.On top of that, parliament passed the <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-citizenship-explainer/explainer-why-indias-new-citizenship-plans-are-stirring-protests-idUSKBN1YR0WL">Citizenship Amendment Act</a>, or CAA, which gives minorities originally from neighboring countries a faster path to citizenship - but it excludes Muslims.Vaishnav: "If India were to carry out a nationwide citizens register, and there are people who are deemed to be illegal migrants, illegal residents, not genuine citizens, if you are a Muslim, you will essentially will be deemed perhaps a stateless person, and your citizenship, your voting rights would be taken away."People who are not considered citizens <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-49520593">fear being sent to detention centers</a>, even though Prime Minister Narendra Modi has denied the camps exist.Across the country, Indians of all faiths have been <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-citizenship-explainer/explainer-why-indias-new-citizenship-plans-are-stirring-protests-idUSKBN1YR0WL">protesting for months</a>. They claim these laws go against the constitution by deciding citizenship on the basis of religion.Demonstrator: "This bill is unconstitutional, it is communal."Demonstrator: "I got this Indian flag painted because I need to prove that I am Indian."But in some areas the demonstrations turned violent. Twenty-seven people have been killed since the government passed the citizenship act in December.During the unrest, the government shut off internet and phone networks in large areas of the country.Critics say the NRC and CAA laws are just the latest in a series of moves by Modi that are driving India toward being a Hindu nationalist country.Vaishnav: "This is an ideology which has been present going back to the 19th century. This is not a new phenomenon. At the time of India's founding in the 1940s, there was a debate about should India be an avowedly, explicitly Hindu country?"Even though India chose a secular path, today Hindus <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/04/21/by-2050-india-to-have-worlds-largest-populations-of-hindus-and-muslims/">make up the majority</a> at roughly 80% of the population, while Muslims account for 15%.And now many fear that the minority voice is being muffled by Modi's laws.Last month, India's Supreme Court <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/01/india-supreme-court-refuses-stay-citizenship-law-200122061532294.html">refused to put a hold</a> on the CAA. Instead it will hear arguments from the government in favor of the law. Meanwhile, several Indian states have said they will not cooperate.In the weeks and months to come, Muslims fear that life in their homeland may get increasingly harder if they can't prove Hindustan is home.

Why Indians are protesting 2 controversial laws that could leave millions of Muslims stateless

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP/Getty ImagesA Sri Lankan man holds up a message on Twitter showing that Facebook had been banned in Colombo on March 7, 2018.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>The Sri Lankan government has reportedly blocked access to various social media sites after a wave of bombings left over 200 dead across the country.</li><li>Although there is no known direct connection between Sunday's attacks and social media at this time, Facebook and other social media have played a role in fanning ethnic and religious violence in Sri Lanka and other countries in recent years.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.</a></li></ul>After a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sri-lanka-easter-bombings-target-churches-hotels-2019-4">series of bombings at churches and hotels early Easter Sunday left over 200 dead across Sri Lanka</a>, the country's government has blocked access to social media sites including Facebook and Instagram, <a href="https://news.lk/news/sri-lanka/item/25077-social-media-temporarily-blocked">according to Sri Lanka's government news site</a>.According to that report, Sri Lanka's Presidential Secretariat made the decision "as false <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> reports were spreading through social media."A <a href="https://twitter.com/RW_UNP/status/1119855006512033798">tweet from Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe</a> condemning the attacks cautioned residents of the country to "avoid propagating unverified reports and speculation," and a <a href="https://twitter.com/SLRedCross/status/1119852468559646725">tweet from Sri Lanka's Red Cross</a> debunked social media rumors that their building had been attacked.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sri-lanka-bomb-attacks-reactions-pope-francis-donald-trump-2019-4">World leaders including Pope Francis, Donald Trump, and Barack Obama offered their support after Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka claimed hundreds of lives</a><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/21/world/asia/sri-lanka-explosion.html">The New York Times reports</a> that, although there is no known specific connection between Sunday's bombings and social media, there have been several incidents in recent years of ethnic violence and social unrest in Sri Lanka stirred up in part by viral misinformation spread on social media and messaging networks like Facebook and WhatsApp.In March 2018, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sri-lanka-bans-facebook-to-stop-violence-2018-3?r=US&amp;IR=T&amp;_ga=2.123457163.1407843267.1555678037-5376845.1524835130">Sri Lanka temporarily banned access to social media</a> across much of the country amid a wave of violence between the Buddhist and Muslim communities. In that instance, Mano Ganesan, Minister of National Coexistence Dialogue and Official Languages, said that the government was trying to halt "all communal hate speech posts via social media."An <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/21/world/asia/facebook-sri-lanka-riots.html">in-depth article at The New York Times</a> explores the ways social media can fan the flames of ethnic and religious tension, sometimes leading to violence. The article describes how a video of a misunderstanding in a Muslim-owned restuarant in which the owner was falsely accused of putting sterilization-causing medication in a customer's food went viral on Facebook, setting off a wave of anti-Muslim violence across the country.<ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sri-lanka-easter-bombings-target-churches-hotels-2019-4" data-read-more-link="" data-e2e-name="read-more-link">At least 207 people killed in Sri Lanka after churches and luxury hotels hit by explosions</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sri-lanka-easter-bombings-us-embassy-warns-citizens-to-find-shelter-2019-4" data-read-more-link="" data-e2e-name="read-more-link">The US embassy in Sri Lanka warned expats and tourists to find shelter and exercise 'extreme caution' after a series of bombings</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sri-lanka-bomb-attacks-reactions-pope-francis-donald-trump-2019-4" data-read-more-link="" data-e2e-name="read-more-link">World leaders including Pope Francis, Donald Trump, and Barack Obama offered their support after Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka claimed hundreds of lives</a></li></ul><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/stories-slide-deck?IR=T&amp;utm_source=businessinsider&amp;utm_medium=ctgr&amp;utm_term=ctgr_leadgen&amp;utm_content=dmedia_ctgr_leadgen&amp;utm_campaign=dmedia_ctgr_leadgen_stories_deck"></a> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-airline-shuttle-transportation-pan-am-eastern-new-york-2019-1">The rise and fall of Donald Trump's $365 million airline</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

Sri Lanka has temporarily blocked access to Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp after a series of bombings left over 200 dead, fearing the spread of misinformation

<ul><li>Regional parties could prove to be kingmakers if neither of the big two secure a majority</li><li>But an ‘abusive and degenerate’ campaign by the prime minister has alienated those who may hold the keys to power</li></ul> The political heat reached boiling point in India’s eastern state of West Bengal this week as Prime Minister <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/narendra-modi" class="link-text">Narendra Modi</a> locked horns with powerful regional leader Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.On Tuesday the fierce rivalry between their supporters spilled onto the streets, resulting in violence in Kolkata. The unrest forced the country’s election authorities to ban all rallies planned for Friday, the last day of campaigning. But 1,500km northwest of the city, a much more significant development was unfolding in New Delhi. Sonia Gandhi, a former president of the Indian National Congress, the main rival of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was sending out letters to smaller, regional parties in an attempt to stitch together a meeting for May 23 – the day India’s votes will be counted. Around the same time, another senior Congress leader said for the first time during the campaign that the party would not insist on occupying the post of prime minister if regional parties agreed to enter a governing coalition. Sonia Gandhi, a former president of the Indian National Congress, has been in touch with regional parties to set up a meeting. Photo: Handout These shifts attracted far less media attention but are a sign of things to come. Despite Modi’s popularity, May 23 may throw up a scenario in which regional parties hold the keys to power for the Congress and BJP. There are already enough indications that the idea isn’t just wishful thinking on the part of the country’s political opposition. Last week, with uncharacteristic candidness, a senior strategist from the BJP, Ram Madhav, conceded that the party might fall short of a majority in the Lok Sabha parliament and could require the support of smaller organisations. <h3 style="margin-bottom: 2.35714rem; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 300; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 1.71429rem; line-height: 2.42857rem; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; display: inherit;"><a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3010546/communism-india-dead-or-just-waiting-young-saviours" class="link-text">Communism in India: dead or just waiting for young saviours? </a></h3>BJP leaders had previously insisted the party was set to win legislative control handsomely. But soon after Madhav’s statement, allies beganadmitting, one after the other, that the party may not be able to govern alone. KINGMAKERS In India’s 543-seat parliament, a simple majority constitutes 272. The last legislative session saw the BJP clinch 282 – the first time in three decades that a single party had won control on its own. During those 30 years, regional parties saw their vote share rise to more than 40 per cent, a figure that has since remained constant. These groups bagged a combined 46.6 per cent of the vote in 2014 and 212 seats, despite Modi’s appeal. Supporters of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party take part in a silent protest in New Delhi following clashes between BJP supporters and the opposition in Kolkata. Photo: AFP According to data from the Election Commission, India has more than 2,300 political parties, of which seven are nationwide. Some 50 are classified as major regional parties, while the rest are smaller. Many believe the 2019 polls will see these parties surge both in terms of vote share and seats. “The 2014 elections were an aberration. Data clearly shows the regional parties’ stock has been rising in the last few decades – they have played the role of kingmakers for a few years now,” says Neelanjan Sircar, an assistant professor at Ashoka University whose research interests include the study of Indian election data. <h3 style="margin-bottom: 2.35714rem; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 300; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 1.71429rem; line-height: 2.42857rem; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; display: inherit;"><a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3010741/indian-election-explained-how-narendra-modis-good-days-turned" class="link-text">How Modi’s ‘good days’ turned bad </a></h3>Sensing their moment has arrived, a number of smaller organisations have been trying to form alliances among themselves to bolster their electoral chances. In southern India, K. Chandrashekar Rao, chief minister of the state of Telangana and leader of regional party Telangana Rashtra Samiti, has been meeting senior figures from various non-BJP and non-Congress parties to try and cobble together a smaller post-poll alliance, which some dub a “southern front”. MODI: AWKWARD PARTNER With these potential link-ups looming, the ability of Modi and his BJP to garner more allies is under a cloud. In the last five years, the prime minister’s handling of his alliance partners has been shoddy – at least 16 parties have left the coalition and others have expressed unease. Modi’s campaign this year has also included personal attacks on a slew of regional party leaders, from frequent scraps with Bengal’s Banerjee, whose party bagged 34 seats in 2014, to duels with Mayawati, a senior Dalit caste leader from Uttar Pradesh whose party, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), has put together an anti-BJP alliance that occupies 80 seats in parliament for the eastern state – the most important in the electoral landscape. Critics charge that Modi’s campaign has been aggressive and exploitative of communal divisions. Photo: Bloomberg Critics also charge that Modi’s campaign has been aggressive and exploitative of communal divisions, driving many regional allies away. BJP leaders have previously warned Muslims of dire consequences if they don’t vote for the party, and have routinely invoked Hindu religious rhetoric to garner votes. Raising more eyebrows has been the BJP’s decision to nominate Pragya Singh Thakur as a poll candidate. Thakur has been accused of involvement in a 2008 terrorist attack which killed six people in Malegaon, a town in western India dominated by its Muslim community. Modi defended the nomination, calling it a symbolic rebuff to claims by the Congress that Hindus are a terrorist civilisation. Thakur has also courted controversy on other counts. She recently said the assassin who ended the life of spiritual and political leader Mahatma Gandhi was a patriot. <h3 style="margin-bottom: 2.35714rem; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 300; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 1.71429rem; line-height: 2.42857rem; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; display: inherit;"><a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3010350/how-indians-living-overseas-are-working-get-narendra-modi-re" class="link-text">How overseas Indians could get Modi re-elected, without vot</a>ing</h3>“The entire campaign by the BJP, especially by Modi, has been rather abusive and degenerate. The talk of development has clearly taken a back seat in Modi’s speeches,” says Professor Sudha Pai, an author and retired academic in political science from Jawaharlal Nehru University. Many regional parties have electoral strategies that depend on social, inter-caste and interfaith alliances, so do not want to be associated with such a BJP campaign. SEEKING A POUND OF FLESH As India heads into the final stage of its seven-phase elections, the BJP continues to look strong enough to emerge as the single largest party. However, not many are willing to bet on whether the tally will be good enough to form a government. Crucial to the BJP’s fate are 59 seats to be put to a vote on Saturday in the central and eastern states of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar. The BJP did well in these areas in 2014, as well as in West Bengal and Punjab. But if their fortunes go south in these polls, the possibility of political manoeuvring opens up. A senior strategist from the BJP, Ram Madhav (right), conceded that the party might fall short of a majority in parliament. Photo: EPA “If the regional parties and the Congress do well, then we will see a lot more parties gravitating towards the Congress, and they can all, together, form a government. The fact that the Congress has declared it is not insisting on the prime minister’s chair makes it easier for these parties,” Pai says. Another scenario could be one in which the BJP and its allies do better than the Congress and its partners, but both groups fall well short of a majority. This is where things could get tricky, many argue. Sircar at Ashoka University said: “If such a situation emerges, regional parties are going to extract their pound of flesh from either the BJP or the Congress. This could be in terms of ministries or funds for their state governments, among other things. Depending on where they get a better offer, the parties might veer towards that alliance.” <h3 style="margin-bottom: 2.35714rem; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 300; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 1.71429rem; line-height: 2.42857rem; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; display: inherit;"><a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3009682/exploiting-islamophobia-election-winning-tool-india" class="link-text">Exploiting Islamophobia is an election-winning tool in India </a></h3>Pai believes even if Congress were to win a slight edge in terms of numbers, most regional parties would prefer backing it to the BJP. “Modi has rubbed almost all these parties the wrong way, from unleashing raids on them to attacking them in the campaign. Modi, most of them believe, is not easy to do business with,” Pai said. CHALLENGES AHEAD The BJP has repeatedly stressed in its campaign that a multi-party administration of the kind mooted by the opposition parties would result in a “weak, corrupt government”. A new, non-Modi administration would definitely also mean a change in foreign policy, analysts say. “Foreign policy in successive Indian governments has largely been consistent. What changed with Modi was that he introduced a degree of personal vitality,” says Commodore C. Uday Bhaskar, director of the Society for Policy Studies, a Delhi-based think tank focused on public policy and international relations. But copying Modi’s tone might be difficult for future governments, Bhaskar says. February saw an unprecedented decision to conduct air strikes on suspected terrorist bases in Pakistan in response to a suicide attack that killed 40 Indian paramilitary personnel. “The air strikes mark a new metric – it signifies that India has now breached a certain level of caution and reticence in relation to the use of transborder military power,” Bhaskar says. The aggressive posturing, he adds, might be hard to sustain for the new government unless there is a terror attack of a similar magnitude. More than foreign policy, the bigger challenge may be the economy. The fiscal deficit is growing, having touched 4.5 per cent of gross domestic product. Key industries such as automobile production are seeing a dip in business of as much as 16 per cent, signalling a widespread slowdown. Unemployment is at a 45-year high. Coupled with an ongoing drought in large parts of the country and severe agrarian distress, the new administration will face daunting problems.

Lok Sabha Elections 2019: BJP may need the allies Narendra Modi drove away

<ul class="summary-list"><li>India's parliament passed a new amendment to its citizenship law earlier this month, providing a pathway to citizenship for Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian religious minorities while singling out its minority Muslim population. </li><li>The amended act has been <a href="https://twitter.com/UNHumanRights/status/1205451656495861761">slammed by critics</a> and has sparked deadly protests around the country.</li><li>The fight that has erupted over the citizenship bill is reflective of the country's <a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2124474/india-no-country-muslims">rising tide of bigotry</a> directed towards minorities, in particular, its Muslim population, which makes up about 14% of the country's massive 1.3 billion people.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>A controversial amendment to a law was recently passed in India, sparking deadly protests around the country and leading some to question the country's democratic values.On December 11, India's parliament passed an amendment to its Citizenship Act of 1955, which sets out guidelines for becoming a citizen in the country. The 2019 revision added a religious element to the bill, providing a pathway to citizenship for Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian religious minorities who fled neighboring Muslim-majority countries Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. The amended act has been <a href="https://twitter.com/UNHumanRights/status/1205451656495861761">slammed by critics</a> as anti-Islam, and they say it further marginalizes India's sizeable Muslim minority. Violent protests have erupted across the country in response, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-burning-protests-new-citizenship-act-2019-12">resulting in the deaths of six people</a>. Dozens more have been arrested or injured in clashes with police.The fight that has erupted over the citizenship bill is reflective of the country's <a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2124474/india-no-country-muslims">rising tide of bigotry</a> directed towards minorities, in particular, its Muslim population, which makes up about 14% of the country's massive 1.3 billion people.The bill has also handed more power to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu-nationalist government in crafting a country which affords more rights to its Hindu majority and leaves room for further discrimination in the areas of governance and public space. <h2>What exactly does the bill say?</h2>India's Citizenship Act was first established in 1955 and created comprehensive guidelines related to citizenship in the country.It has been amended several times, including at 2003 amendment that authorized the government to keep a national register of all of its citizens (referred to as the NRC). Today, the register has not yet been implemented except in the northeastern state of Assam, which is home to a Muslim-majority population. The most recent changes to the Citizenship Act (often referred to locally as CAB or CAA) were passed by India's lower house of parliament - the Lok Sabha - on December 10, before being cleared by the upper house of parliament - the Rajya Sabha - a day later. The bill was signed into law by President Ram Nath Kovind.The bill was introduced by Indian home affairs minister Amit Shah, a leading member of ‎Modi's right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, and it promised to provide refuge for persecuted religious minorities from three neighboring Muslim-majority countries who entered India before 2015.Notably, the act excludes Muslim migrants "as they do not face religious persecution in these Islamic countries," India's parliament <a href="https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=195783">said in a statement</a> after the bill's passage. The bill also leaves out two neighboring Buddhist countries, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, which have experienced major refugee crises in recent years. There are about 59,000 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees residing in over 100 camps in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, according to <a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/cover-story/article30328790.ece">Indian magazine Frontline</a>, and about 30,000 that live outside these camps.The bill also ignores what the <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=22491&amp;LangID=E">UN has deemed the world's most persecuted minority</a>, the Rohingya Muslims, who suffered ethnic and religious cleansing at the hands of the Burmese military in Myanmar. Authorities <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar-rohingya-india-idUSKCN1AU0UC">have reportedly pledged</a> to deport the estimated 40,000 Rohingya refugees currently residing in India, despite facing danger in their home state. "The only religion that the Modi government follows is the Constitution of India," the statement added.In the statement, Shah "reiterated that the Bill is not against any Minority in India and the rights of each Indian Citizen will be equally protected."The bill does not apply to Assam and other indigenous areas.A spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=25425&amp;LangID=E">called</a> the act "discriminatory in nature" and said it undermines India's democratic framework:"The law isn't truly about protecting the region's religious minorities," <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/12/17/india-citizenship-law-protests-narendra-modi-amit-shah-founding-fathers/">wrote Ravi Agrawal and Kathryn Salam of Foreign Policy</a>. "Instead, it challenges India's secularism by making religion part of the basis for citizenship."The Citizenship Act has spurred thousands of people from human rights groups, universities and religious groups to come out in protest this month. On December 15, clashes between police and students escalated on two Muslim university campuses - Aligarh Muslim University in Uttar Pradesh and of Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi - resulting in police <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/17/india-protests-students-condemn-barbaric-police">using batons and tear gas on students</a>.The unrest has even led authorities to deploy army personnel and <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/curfew-relaxed-few-hours-guwahati-assam-boils-caa-1628386-2019-12-15">impose a curfew in Assam</a>, as protests boil over. <h2>This is not the first time the government has targeted its Muslim population</h2>India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has taken steps to further marginalize the country's Muslim population since coming into power in 2014.The NRC's exclusive use in Assam has been derided by critics as a way to of stoking religious tensions. According to a <a href="http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01/DDW18C-01%20MDDS.XLS">2011 census</a>, Muslims makeup nearly 35% of Assam's population, and are a majority in eight of the state's districts. <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/assam-final-nrc-list-out-over-19-lakh-people-excluded-1593769-2019-08-31">In August</a>, 1.9 million people from the region were excluded from the register, effectively stripping them of citizenship. <a href="https://amnesty.org.in/news-update/uncertain-destiny-for-millions-in-assam-post-nrc/">Amnesty International</a> has criticized the NRC and says it leaves the futures of millions of people in the region uncertain.In September, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-building-mass-detention-center-illegal-immigrants-assam-citizenship-2019-9/commerce-on-business-insider">India began construction</a> on a large-scale detention center in the Goalpara district of Assam meant to hold at least 3,000 detainees, according to Reuters. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kashmir-india-revoke-article-370-quasi-independence-internet-tourists-2019-8">And in August</a>, India also revoked part of its constitution which gave the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir a special status and quasi-independence. Over the past four months, Kashmir, which is home to a significant Muslim population, <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/12/kashmiri-artists-resisting-india-months-long-lockdown-191207062705088.html">has been off from communication, held on lockdown</a>, and is now directly under the control of India's federal government in New Delhi. As part of shutting down communication, residents in Kashmir have lost access to phone lines and the internet. According to advocacy groups, the internet shutdown in the region is the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/indias-internet-shutdown-in-kashmir-is-now-the-longest-ever-in-a-democracy/2019/12/15/bb0693ea-1dfc-11ea-977a-15a6710ed6da_story.html">longest-ever crackdown imposed on a democracy</a>. Only authoritarian countries, like China and Myanmar, have experienced longer internet shutdowns.The four-month internet blackout has been so severe that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/whatsapp-kashmir-accounts-removed-internet-blackout-2019-12">WhatsApp is deleting the accounts</a> of residents in the region because they've been inactive for so long. <h2>State-sanctioned discrimination against Muslims has had dire consequences</h2>The Modi government's attitudes and policies towards minority groups has sparked racially motivated clashes, and observers say that the ruling Hindu party has fostered a culture of impunity through its inaction in addressing violence.Shah, who crafted the citizenship bill, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/india-election-speech/amit-shah-vows-to-throw-illegal-immigrants-into-bay-of-bengal-idUSKCN1RO1YD">vowed in April</a> to throw illegal Muslim immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh into the Bay of Bengal. He has also <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/elections/lok-sabha-2019/story/bjp-amit-shah-hindu-refugees-mamata-bannerjee-1499691-2019-04-11">previously referred</a> to illegal immigrants as "termites." India has also seen an increase in attacks against its Muslim minority in recent months. A February 2019 report from <a href="https://www.hrw.org/report/2019/02/18/violent-cow-protection-india/vigilante-groups-attack-minorities">Human Rights Watch</a> found that between May 2015 and December 2018, at least 36 Muslims were killed across 12 Indian states. Roughly 280 people were injured across 20 states during the same period, the rights group added.In a particularly gruesome case last year, an eight-year-old Muslim girl was kidnapped, raped, and killed in Jammu and Kashmir by a group of Hindu men with the intention of committing the crime <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/six-men-convicted-in-rape-of-8-year-old-girl-that-shocked-india/2019/06/10/cde7b17c-8b5f-11e9-b162-8f6f41ec3c04_story.html">in order to drive away Muslim nomads in the area</a>. The country has also seen a <a href="https://www.trtworld.com/asia/in-southern-kashmir-there-s-little-enthusiasm-for-india-s-elections-26253">crackdown on protests</a>, attacks on the <a href="https://thewire.in/politics/narendra-modi-amit-shah-bjp-india-media">free press</a>, and history books <a href="https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/india-modi-culture/">have been rewritten</a> in favor of Hindu achievements.<h2>India is inching towards fascism</h2>Experts have noted that India is straying away from its democratic values under the Bharatiya Janata Party. "There is absolute political consensus within the Bharatiya Janata Party that India is culturally a Hindu country," Milan Vaishnav, director of the South Asia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2019-12-17/citizenship-law-moves-india-closer-to-being-hindu-country">Los Angeles Times</a>. Harish Pullanoor, an editor at Quartz India, <a href="https://qz.com/india/844672/along-with-narendra-modis-rise-india-has-displayed-classic-signs-that-foreshadow-fascism/">wrote</a> in 2016 that India was "displaying classic signs that foreshadow fascism," including the disenfranchisement of religious minorities. "The first appeal of a fascist or prematurely fascist movement is an appeal against the intruders," wrote Umberto Eco, an Italian philosopher, who wrote of a <a href="http://www.nybooks.com/articles/1995/06/22/ur-fascism/">list of features</a> that define a fascist state.In April, several Muslim merchants in Old Delhi described fears of religiously-motivated violence against them. "I could be lynched right now and nobody would do anything about it," Abdul Adnan, a Muslim businessman, told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/11/world/asia/modi-india-elections.html">The New York Times</a>. "My government doesn't even consider me Indian. How can that be when my ancestors have lived here hundreds of years?"According to The Times, the consensus among Indian activists and liberal political analysts is that the country, under Modi, has become "more toxically divided between Hindus and Muslims.""In plain language, they are what we now call communal fascists," Aditya Mukherjee, a retired historian told The Times. Historian Ramachandra Guha wrote in an op-ed in <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/08/14/india-was-miracle-democracy-its-time-downgrade-its-credentials/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/08/14/india-was-miracle-democracy-its-time-downgrade-its-credentials/">The Washington Post</a> in August that it was time to downgrade India's status as a world-class democracy. "Given the lack of any sort of credible opposition to the Bharatiya Janata Party, the atmosphere of fear among religious minorities and the attacks on a free press, we are now a 40-60 democracy," he wrote of India.

The world's largest democracy is heading toward modern-day fascism

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table cite"><div><div class="image"><a></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Al-Maliki,_Nouri_(2008).jpg">via Wikimedia Commons</a></div></div></div>
BAGHDAD (AP) - The spiritual leader of Iraq's Shiite majority has called for the creation of a new, "effective" government, increasing pressure on the country's premier as an offensive by Sunni militants rages on.
The call Friday by Gran Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani contained thinly veiled criticism that Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, in office since 2006, was to blame for the nation's crisis over the blitz by the al-Qaida-inspired Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
Al-Sistani's message was delivered by his representative Ahmed al-Safi in the holy city of Karbala.
He said the future government "should open new horizons toward a better future for all Iraqis."
Al-Maliki's Shiite-led government long has faced criticism of discriminating against Iraq's Sunni and Kurdish populations.
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<h3>Pressure From The U.S. </h3>
</div>
Baghdad (AFP) - Iraqi premier Nuri al-Maliki, accused by domestic opponents and, increasingly, by once firm American allies of "sectarianism" that has fuelled a Sunni insurgent onslaught, is a political survivor whose time may be up.
Though lauded early on in the job for pragmatically cracking down on Shiite militias and reaching out to Sunni leaders, the 63-year-old Shiite now faces the toughest test of his leadership.
Washington favoured Maliki when he became prime minister in 2006, but US officials have criticized him over the offensive that has overrun large swathes of northern and central Iraq, demanding he embrace the Sunni Arab and Kurdish minorities.
US President Barack Obama warned Thursday that only non-sectarian leadership could rescue Iraq from its current plight, an apparent rebuke of Maliki in what has been a "definite uptick" in Washington's criticism of the Iraqi leader, according to former US ambassador to Baghdad James Jeffrey.
"There is a real concern," Jeffrey, who left the post in mid-2012, told AFP.
"Everybody is a bit at fault in Iraq on the sectarian thing, but Maliki over time did become more" sectarian.
Now a visiting fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Jeffrey continued: "If they (Iraq's Shiites) want to stand by him, and the other political leaders stand by him, then he's certainly not dead weight."
"He just isn't the solution to a unified Iraq."
US Vice President Joe Biden, Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Martin Dempsey and David Petraeus, the former top American commander in Iraq, have all either called for Maliki to be more inclusive, or even outright criticized him.
The increasingly open frustration with the dour bespectacled politician marks a transformation for someone who was once seen as a rarity -- agreeable to both the United States, Iraq's former occupier, and Iran, its powerful Shiite-majority neighbor.
It would not be the first transformation in Maliki's image since he took the premiership.
He already went from being a compromise candidate to a nationalist who battled militias within his own Shiite community and presided over a sharp decline in violence, to being accused of amassing power and sidelining partners.
Critics accuse the premier of micromanaging the security forces, reneging on deals with Sunnis and Kurds to devolve power and, in some cases, targeting political opponents.
Born in a predominantly Shiite town south of Baghdad, he joined the Islamic Dawa party -- the oldest movement to oppose the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein -- while at university.
He fled in 1979 and was sentenced to death while in exile.
Living in Iran and Syria, he coordinated cross-border raids into Iraq from Iran, and only returned home after Saddam's ouster in the 2003 US-led invasion.
Three years later, he was thrust to power.
Though initially seen as weak, he carried out a successful offensive in 2008 against the militia of powerful Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, with US military support.
That won him plaudits across the communal spectrum, and he staked his reputation as a nationalist leader who had brought Iraq's raging violence under some semblance of control.
But since he was returned to the job in 2010 as the head of a national unity government, Maliki has faced near-constant political crises and a push for a vote of no confidence.
Yet Maliki is unfazed.
He blames the year-long surge in unrest that preceded the recent offensive on spillover from neighboring Syria's civil war, and says a lack of political progress is down to an unruly coalition that snipes at him in public and blocks his legislation.
Whether or not he will compromise -- and analysts question whether he will -- the new realities created by the chaos engulfing Iraq could have a greater effect on communal relations than any single person, including the premier, can control.
"Rather than compromise, Maliki is likely to exploit the Sunni offensive to cement his political position," Ayham Kamel, Middle East and North Africa Director for Eurasia Group, wrote in a note to clients.
"The shape of the new political map is unclear but Maliki or any other leader will struggle to define and accept the new boundaries of Sunni-Shiite-Kurdish relations."
<div class="nc_footer">
Copyright (2014) AFP. All rights reserved.
</div>

Iraq's Prime Minister Is In Serious Trouble

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">Thomson ReutersU.S. Republican presidential candidate Trump speaks at a campaign stop in Spencer, Iowa</div></div></div>Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump won't be visiting Jerusalem's Temple Mount anytime soon.Trump <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/674924540347195392">announced</a> Thursday that he was canceling a planned trip to Israel later this month. The day before, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu <a href="https://twitter.com/ofirgendelman/status/674654778778087424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">released a terse statement</a> rejecting Trump's proposal to suspend Muslim travel and immigration to the US.The most fraught aspect of Trump's proposed visit was his <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-israel-visit-trip-2015-12">reported plan to visit the Temple Mount in Jerusalem</a>, the holiest place in Judaism and the third-holiest in Islam. The site of Jewish ritual sacrifices and two Jewish Temples nearly 2,000 years ago is also where Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven during the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isra_and_Mi%27raj">Night Journey</a> described in the Quran. For more than 1,300 years, it's been home to the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.The site is still a flash point, and Neri Zilber, a journalist and adjunct fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-israel-visit-trip-2015-12">warned</a> that a Trump visit could "stoke tensions" and "lead to sporadic unrest" in and around Jerusalem's Old City.Trump might not be visiting the Temple Mount, but there are plenty of other places that are even more disputed. These locations might not have the world-spanning emotional or spiritual of the Temple Mount, but the conflicts over them have proven to be far deadlier.If Trump still wants to project strength and prove his willingness to leap into the world's trouble spots, here are three places he could visit.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">ReutersEritrean soldiers stand ready to hold their positions against Ethiopia preventing them from making any forward progress on the Badme Front on Line February 8.</div></div></div>Badme, Eritrea/Ethiopia. The world's last large-scale major conventional war between two uniformed national militaries was fought between Eritrea and Ethiopia from 1998 to 2000, a conflict which <a href="http://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/eoir/legacy/2014/02/25/Ethiopia-Eritrea.pdf">killed between 70,000 and 120,000 people</a>. The war - which was technically the result of a number of unresolved political, economic, and territorial issues stemming from Eritrea's 1992 independence from Ethiopia, but was actually more of a fratricidal conflict over lingering questions of each state's legitimacy in relation to the other - ended in a stalemate that continues to this day.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_left"><div><div class="image">Google MapsLocation of Badme</div></div></div>Badme's the reason why. The proximate cause of the still technically ongoing war was an escalation triggered by an outbreak of violence outside of the town in May of 1998. Today, Ethiopia militarily occupies the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/16/world/badme-journal-torn-town-changes-countries-but-not-conviction.html">village of 1,500 people</a>, despite the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission's <a href="http://africanarguments.org/2012/05/23/the-bad-news-over-badme-why-ethiopia-won%E2%80%99t-back-down-on-eritrean-border-by-michael-woldemariam/">finding that the village belongs to Eritrea</a>.Badme is of only vague strategic value for Ethiopia, and its continued occupation is difficult to explain on political terms alone.Whatever the reason for its persistence, the Ethiopia-Eritrea conflict has been a festering wound for over a decade. Each country has been accused to attempting to destabilize the other over the course of a now 15-year cold war, and in 2009 Eritrea was <a href="http://www.un.org/press/en/2009/sc9833.doc.htm">placed under UN sanctions</a> over its alleged support of al Shabaab jihadists fighting the Ethiopian military in Somalia.A Trump visit to Badme probably wouldn't solve anything. But if he wanted to visit the world's most controversial piece of real estate, this might be it.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">YouTubeScenes from the destruction of the Babri Masjid</div></div></div>The Ram Jammabhoomi, Ayodhya, India. On December 6, 1992, a mob destroyed the over 300-year old Babri Masjid mosque in Ayodhya, in northeastern India. The mosque was believed to occupy the site of the birthplace of the Hindu god Rama as well as a previous Hindu temple, and had been the cause of occasional inter-communal tensions for the previous 150 years.The mosque's destruction is <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2012/12/10/ayodhya-the-battle-for-indias-soul-the-complete-story/">now considered one of the defining moments in modern Indian history</a>, and set off a chain reaction of violence in which over 2,000 people were killed. Today, the mosque has been replaced by a Hindu temple, even though the question of the site's status has been <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-11436552">adjudicated in Indian courts</a> for the better part of the past two decades.Visiting the shrine might unsettle India's 138 million Muslims. But it would also deepen Trump's growing anti-Muslim reputation, something he might actually welcome at this point in his campaign.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">David Mdzinarishvili/ReutersA boy runs past a house which was destroyed during fighting between Karabakh and Azerbaijan forces in 1993, in the town of Shusha outside Nagorno Karabakh's main city of Stepanakert on October 29, 2009.</div></div></div>Stepanakert, capital of Ngarno-Karabakh, which is technically Azerbaijan. <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-18270325">Over 30,000 people</a> were killed in the 1988-1994 Ngarano-Karabakh war, which began when ethnic Armenian secessionists attempted to break away from the Soviet republic and then independent state of Azerbaijan. The war ended with Azerbaijan losing control of the region, and Ngarno-Karabakh becoming an unrecognized independent republic. Although Armenia doesn't recognize Ngarno-Karabakh's independence, it is the only country that borders the territory, and control over the self-declared country is maintained with the help of the Armenian military.The conflict has ramifications throughout northeastern Europe, and is one of the reasons for the continued closure of the Turkish-Armenian border. The region, which accounts for some one-fifth of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, remains on a hair-trigger: <a href="http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/armenia-pondering-the-limits-of-russia-s-security-commitments/540132.html">Dozens of people have been killed</a> in fighting along the territory's border with Azerbaijan in 2015, the most since the end of the war over 20 years earlier.A Trump visit to the republic's capital of Stepanakert is unlikely to hasten a peaceful resolution of the conflict, and might be read as an endorsement of a country whose existence <a href="http://www.economist.com/blogs/easternapproaches/2011/12/nagorno-karabakh-and-kosovo">nearly the entire world opposes</a>. But Trump's appeal derives partly from his rejection of many of the accepted norms of American <keyword id="6358883" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Politics">politics</keyword>. A defiant visit to Stepanakert would bolster Trump's reputation for going his own way - regardless of what the prevailing standards of US politics or <keyword id="6356001" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="international">international</keyword> diplomacy would seem to dictate. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/isis-spread-iraq-and-syria-islamic-state-2015-11">Animated map shows the spread of ISIS through Iraq and Syria</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="52OXUxeTr17d4Hpe3aGrCC6lb75LB0uA" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

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