- Friday, May 03, 2024
AFTER a dramatic election night, Labour has lost its overall majority in Oldham council for the first time in thirteen years. The group saw seven seats go to independent candidates. Though they gained two seats in Hollinwood and Failsworth East, they were left with just 26 councillors when the final…
Whether it’s saving up to buy a home, putting money aside for a comfortable retirement or just building a nest egg, the urge to save is strong and universal. People have always saved, even if the growth of the financial services industry means savers now have a bewildering array of…
Donald Trump has said that British “culture” had been eroded by jihadis and pledged not to let that happen in the United States. Speaking at a campaign rally in Wisconsin on Wednesday (1), the Republican presidential candidate remarked that London has become “unrecognisable” because it has “opened its doors to…
BRITISH INDIAN leaders have welcomed a glowing report which recommends India as the ideal country for foreign investment. Ian Cowie, in his “Personal Account” column in the Sunday Times (28), wrote: “The country is bidding to become the world’s third-biggest economy and I think it’s a great time to join…
In the midst of India's election fervour, one name has been making waves across social media platforms: Dhruv Rathee. A YouTuber and social media activist, Rathee has garnered attention for his commentary on political and social issues. With over 21.56 million subscribers (combined) and over 4 billion (combined) views, Rathee's…
THE local elections were bound to make this a febrile week for political leadership. Mayors and councillors across England will discover their fate at the hands of the voters on Friday (3). Prime minister Rishi Sunak’s team in Downing Street will wait anxiously to find out how his MPs at…
Leading Bollywood actor Aamir Khan recently appeared for the first time on Kapil Sharm's show, which is available to stream on Netflix. In the latest episode of The Great Indian Kapil Show, the award-winning actor shared several anecdotes from his acting career. Talking about the best memory from the sets…
HUMZA YOUSAF is poised to resign as Scotland's first minister before he faces two confidence votes this week, British media reported on Monday. He is due to address a news conference at noon (1100 GMT). The BBC, The Times and other outlets said the Scottish National Party (SNP) leader was…
A 63 per cent turnout was recorded during the second phase of Lok Sabha polls across 88 seats in 13 states and union territories on April 26. The Election Commission has said it is likely to go upwards when reports from all polling stations are obtained. This is lower than…
PAKISTAN'S three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is all set to retake the helm of the ruling PML-N next month to guide the party as it battles internal strife. Sharif (74) relinquished the post seven years ago after being disqualified by the apex court over corruption allegations. He will be…
The home secretary James Cleverly criticised Sadiq Khan on Thursday, stating that the mayor of London prioritises discussions on Gaza over addressing knife crime affecting Black youths in southeast London. However, with just a week remaining until the mayoral election, he refrained from offering praise to Conservative candidate Susan Hall,…
SADIQ KHAN has apologised to the chief rabbi after appearing to imply that his criticism of the mayor’s call for an immediate Gaza ceasefire was motivated by him being Muslim. Chief rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis had said in a post on X on October 31, that after meeting Khan, he…
INDIA'S Partition clearly left an indelible mark on the psyche of both Hindus and Muslims. Today, that has filtered down to four generations, but the verbal accounts concerning one of the most tumultuous events in history is fading away. Although historians have recorded, documented and published the political machinations of…
India began voting on Friday in the second phase of its massive elections, with prime minister Narendra Modi and his rivals ramping up their campaigns on issues such as religious discrimination, affirmative action, and taxes. In this phase, 88 out of 543 parliamentary seats were up for grabs, with 160…
BANGLADESH will reopen schools from next week despite a brutal heatwave sweeping the country that has seen temperatures soar to 43 degrees Celsius (109°F), officials said on Thursday (25). The severe conditions had forced authorities to close schools this week. The education ministry, however, will reopen schools despite the Meteorological…
India's Election Commission said on Thursday it has sought responses from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress on alleged violations of poll rules by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and opposition leader Rahul Gandhi. India is holding the world's largest election over seven phases, with votes due…
Campaigning concluded on Wednesday evening for the second phase of India's elections in 89 seats across 13 states set for 26 April. The initial phase, held last Friday for 102 seats across 21 states and Union territories, witnessed over 64 per cent voter turnout. The upcoming phase covers constituencies in…
IRANIAN president Ebrahim Raisi held talks with Pakistani leader Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on Monday (22), in what experts said was a “significant” visit aimed at mending ties after the neighbours traded deadly cross-border strikes earlier this year. Prime minister Sharif’s office said the pair had a “vibrant discussion” on…
WITH overseas conflicts causing divisions between communities, Muslim leaders have urged people to remember Britain’s rich history of allowing the “freedom to practise faith and the appreciation of diversity”. At an event hosted by The Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life (IIFL), panellist Taher Jiwanji, a civil engineer…
ALTHOUGH almost everyone says prime minister Narendra Modi will be elected for a third term with a huge majority in India’s general election, currently in full swing, it’s wiser to wait until the results are officially declared on June 4. There are so many differences between the north and the…
Brighton council has approved plans for an annual multi-faith event to commemorate the role of Indian soldiers in the two world wars at the town's India Gate memorial from this October. The India Gate was presented to the people of Brighton by the “princes and people of India” as a…
Salman Rushdie has cautioned young individuals about the importance of preserving free speech and has weighed in on the potential repercussions of a second Donald Trump presidency. Rushdie, who has lived under the shadow of a death threat due to his controversial writings, made a rare public appearance on Sunday…
Nobel Peace Prize Winner Malala Yousafzai will guest star in the second season of writer-director Nida Manzoor’s We Are Lady Parts, a British musical comedy about an all-women Muslim punk rock band. BAFTA-winning English actress and comedian Meera Syal is also set to guest star in the much-anticipated second season…
India's polling stations opened on Friday as prime minister Narendra Modi seeks a third term, riding on his track record of growth, welfare policies, and Hindu nationalism. Today marks the biggest phase of the election, with 166 million voters across 102 constituencies in 21 states and territories heading to the…
A ban on lunchtime prayers at Michaela Community School in London, which prompted a legal challenge from a student, received backing from notable Muslim leaders, according to the school's headteacher, Katharine Birbalsingh. This week, the school successfully defended its policy of prohibiting pupils from praying during lunchtime in the playground…
Campaigning officially ended on Wednesday evening for the first phase of India's general elections, involving 102 Lok Sabha (lower house of parliament) seats across 21 states and Union territories. This initial phase is set for 19 April, with key political figures from both the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA (National Democratic…
The United Kingdom is set to host its inaugural Muslim Film Festival, a groundbreaking event poised to celebrate the diverse narratives and talents within the Muslim community. Scheduled to take place from May 30th to June 2nd at the prestigious Odeon West End in London, this festival promises to showcase…
India's general elections, set to begin this Friday (April 19), mark a significant democratic exercise as the country hosts the world's largest electoral event. More than 18 million first-time voters, including young individuals like 20-year-old Roushan Kumar from West Bengal, are poised to cast their ballots, with many prioritising employment…
SHE may have grown up in Canada, but Nitasha Syed was always proud of her Pakistani heritage. That deep connection to her roots, along with a desire to show the positive side of Pakistan at a time of negative media portrayals led her towards creating Shaam Ki Chai. The fascinating…
ANTI-ISLAMIC tweets which appear to have been posted by a Tory local election candidate in Trafford have been taken down along with her profile on X, formerly known as Twitter. The posts and retweets allegedly made by Natalie Shalom who is standing in the Hale ward have come to light…
BRITAIN is as racist as it was in the 1970s, and some politicians of colour are making matters worse, anti-racism campaigners have told Eastern Eye. Their comments follow a landmark series on Channel 4, Defiance, which tells the story of how south Asian and black people fought right-wing extremists in…
A DESIRE to dissect the government’s controversial counter-terrorism strategy, Prevent, led Sonali Bhattacharyya to write her latest play, Liberation Squares. It follows the lives of three teenage Muslim girls who are inspired by graphic novels, hip hop, pop culture and realworld activists. They undergo a political awakening when they realise…
Explore the vibrant world of sports betting in Malaysia, where avid fans engage in exciting wagering on football, badminton, horse racing, and a myriad of sports, combining entertainment with strategic gameplay. With a focus on local teams like Johor Darul Ta'zim and international giants, Malaysian sports betting enthusiasts immerse themselves…
A Muslim student's legal challenge against a ban on prayer rituals at a leading London school was dismissed by a court on Tuesday. The case, centering on religious freedoms within schools, attracted nationwide interest. The student, whose identity remains confidential, had filed a lawsuit against Michaela Community School in northwest…
Etel Adnan, a pioneering Lebanese-American poet, essayist, and visual artist, was a creative force whose work transcended cultural and artistic boundaries. Born in 1925 in Beirut, Lebanon, Adnan's diverse heritage influenced her unique artistic style. Adnan's father, Assaf Kadri, was a Sunni Muslim-Turkish high-ranking Ottoman officer of Albanian descent, while…
BRITISH-AMERICAN author Salman Rushdie releases his memoir Knife on Tuesday, recounting the harrowing experience of being stabbed at a public event in 2022 and how he overcame the near-fatal ordeal. Rushdie lost sight in one eye after the attack by a knife-wielding assailant, who jumped on stage at an arts…
A 30-year-old Pakistani man was named on Sunday as the security guard killed in a weekend knife attack in a Sydney shopping mall, according to two local community groups. The Australian Pakistani National Association and Ahmadiyya Muslim Community said Faraz Tahir was killed by a knife-wielding man who also killed…
Since 1989, Salman Rushdie has lived under the shadow of a death threat due to his controversial writings. When he faced a near-fatal stabbing, his immediate reaction was, "So it's you." Rushdie shared his reflections on this life-altering incident in his new book, "Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder," which…
A historic Hindu temple near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border has been demolished, paving the way for the construction of a commercial complex in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The site had been dormant since 1947, when its original occupants migrated to India. The ‘Khyber Temple’ was situated in the border town of Landi…
As India heads towards another general election, prime minister Narendra Modi is confident of not just winning, but improving his party Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) tally in the Lok Sabha - the lower house of the parliament. While replying to Newsweek's written questions, followed up with a 90-minute conversation at…
PRIME MINISTER Rishi Sunak paid tribute to British Muslims as Eid was celebrated on Tuesday (9) at the end of the holy month of Ramadan. In his festive message, the prime minister also said Britain was making efforts to end the conflict in Gaza. Protests have been held for weeks…
FROM one perspective, it could seem difficult to find another major democracy that is quite as relaxed about the role of religious faith in public life as Britain is today. As Eid this week brought the month of Ramadan to a close for several million British Muslims, it will provide…
A poll conducted by a counter-extremism think-tank shows that most British Muslims are sympathetic towards Palestinian extremist outift Hamas, The Telegraph reports. Only one in four British Muslims believe that Hamas committed murder and rape in Israel on Oct 7, according to a poll commissioned by the Henry Jackson Society…
More than half the voters in the Indian city of Rampur are Muslim, but its member of parliament is from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and a staunch supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's muscular Hindu-first agenda. It is a situation repeated across Hindu-majority India, where many consider victory for…
MEMBERS of the Muslim community in the US have declined the White House’s iftar dinner invitation this week, protesting the Biden administration’s continued support for Israel amid humanitarian concerns in Palestine, according to multiple media reports. “Many of the invitees, distressed over president (Joe) Biden’s support for Israel’s war in…
Reform UK has removed two more parliamentary candidates from their roster amidst allegations of racist remarks on social media. Campaign group Hope Not Hate uncovered tweets by Jonathan Kay and Mick Greenhough, where derogatory comments were made about Muslims and black individuals. Reform UK is a right-wing populist political party…
FROM Selfridges to motorway service stations, the number of prayer spaces in the UK has grown. More rooms to worship or contemplate for men and women have opened in shopping centres, universities and football stadiums across the country. Multi-faith prayer spaces include the fourth floor of Selfridges department store…
EASTER brings the usual debate about whether Britain is a Christian country. I saw one set of statistics from an Islamic organisation that says “more people in Britain attend mosques than the Church of England. It is for the first time that Muslims have overtaken Anglicans. According to figures, 930,000…
AKTAR HUSSAIN, an accountant from Rochdale, has come to East London Mosque in Whitechapel, where he will spend the last ten days of Ramadan. It is known as itikaf, which in the Arabic language means to adhere or commit oneself to something. In Islam, it marks a particular person taking…
KICKED out of other prayer services, members of Bangladesh’s hijra (as transgender women in south Asia are commonly known) community have been welcomed at a new mosque in the country with the promise of worship without discrimination. The humble structure, a single-room shed with walls and a roof clad in…
In a noteworthy gesture of inclusivity and cultural appreciation, the Home Secretary of the United Kingdom, James Cleverly MP, recently played host to a community Iftar at the iconic 10 Downing Street in Westminster. The event, held on Tuesday, March 27th, 2024, welcomed 30 distinguished Muslims from various corners of…
FOR many decades, divorce was such a taboo in Bollywood that many couples remained unhappily married – but that has all changed in spectacular fashion in the past 15 years. [caption id="attachment_287584" align="alignright" width="300"] Asha Bhosle and RD Burman[/caption] With actress Esha Deol recently separating from her husband of 11…
Death has not extinguished the decades-long rivalry between two Indian leaders: both have now seemingly risen from the grave, in digital form, to rally their supporters ahead of national elections. As India goes to a staggered general election from April 19, political parties are harnessing powerful artificial intelligence tools to…
Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf has spoken out after being targetted with Islamophobic graffiti near his family home. He emphasised the necessity of a zero-tolerance approach to hatred. Yousaf said the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 will deal with the "rising tide of hatred," reported BBC. Scotland’s…
THE multi-billion pound technology industry needs to do far more to tackle the lack of Asian woman in the sector, experts have urged. Some 18 per cent of tech roles are filled by women and only a third of those are of Asian origin, according to research by jobs website…
PAKISTAN will set up an inquiry commission to investigate accusations by six High Court judges of interference and intimidation by the country’s powerful intelligence agencies in judicial decisions, the law minister said last Thursday (28). Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar made the announcement at a news conference in Islamabad, saying the…
A Muslim teacher in Birmingham, who suggested Islam was going to take over and claimed Westernised girls were “lunatics,” has been sacked. Aqib Khan was dismissed for allegedly "undermining fundamental British values," as determined by a professional misconduct panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency, reported The Telegraph. During his tenure…
An employment tribunal in Leeds has cleared a hospital in West Yorkshire of religious discrimination and racial profiling accusations made by a consultant doctor, according to media reports. Fahrat Butt, an ophthalmology specialist, who wears a hijab and covers everything other than her hands, feet and face while in public…
A firebrand Sri Lankan Buddhist majority hardliner monk was on Thursday sentenced to four years of rigorous imprisonment for Islamophobic comments made in 2016. Galagodatte Gnanasara, 49, was additionally fined Rs 100,000 by the High Court here. The monk, who was running an anti-Muslim minority campaign since 2012, was charged…
A prison officer named Sobia Parveen, a 31-year-old, talks about the observance of the holy month of Ramadan while she is posted in HMP Sudbury, a category D rehabilitation and resettlement prison near Ashbourne in Derbyshire that is home to around 600 prisoners. Parveen, with her experience, also motivates people…
Britain's King Charles III is set to make his first major public appearance since his cancer diagnosis was revealed last month. Buckingham Palace announced today that the 75-year-old monarch will attend the traditional royal Easter service at St. George's Chapel in Windsor on Sunday, signalling his gradual return to public…
Mustafa Suleyman, a prominent figure in Artificial Intelligence (AI), recently took the helm of Microsoft's newly formed consumer AI division, Microsoft AI. Suleyman's background is far from that of a typical tech CEO. Mustafa Suleyman's upbringing was shaped by his family in London. His father, a Syrian taxi driver, instilled…
INDIA's largest food delivery firm Zomato on Wednesday (20) ditched plans for green uniforms for a new vegetarian-only service, citing concerns the country's vast vegetarian population might then shun its regular service. The decision was taken less than 24 hours after Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal announced a green-coloured "Pure Veg"…
ONE of Britain’s first ethnic minority members of parliament has told Eastern Eye of his regret at not being able to “move the dial forward” in the fight against racism, while urging the current generation to do more. Keith Vaz was the first Asian MP for nearly sixty years when…
THE former chancellor and home secretary, Sir Sajid Javid, said while the UK was the most successful multiracial democracy in the world, politicians were “adding fuel to the fire” of ongoing social unrest. Sir Sajid said the government’s new definition of extremism led to a debate “high on emotions, low…
RANDEEP HOODA’S willingness to take on any acting challenge has allowed him to portray a wide range of captivating roles throughout his career. This week, the acclaimed Indian actor adds another intriguing character to his repertoire with the release of Swatantrya Veer Savarkar. The period epic sees Hooda take on…
BORN and raised in England, Humera Malik admired the power of words from an early age. The US-based elementary school teacher has turned that love for reading into a writing passion that has led to her writing a newly published children’s book, The Great Henna Party. The beautifully illustrated book,…
Five short films from India, Spain, the Philippines, the UK, and the US showcasing LGBTQIA+ narratives that resonate with resilience and authenticity are being screened in 10 cities across India. British Council in partnership with British BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival launched the 10th edition of the 'Five Films…
PAKISTAN’S former prime minister, Imran Khan, has demanded high treason proceedings against officials whom he alleges stole his party’s mandate in the February general elections, enabling the rival Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) to form a coalition government. Khan’s remarks came as he addressed…
EIGHT civilians were killed on Monday (18) in “reckless” airstrikes by Pakistan’s military in the border regions of Afghanistan, prompting Afghan forces to retaliate against Pakistani military outposts, Taliban officials said. Border tensions between the two countries have steadily escalated since the Taliban government seized power in 2021, with Islamabad…
As the holy month of Ramadan approaches, Muslims around the world eagerly anticipate a time of reflection, spiritual growth, and communal celebration. Alongside the spiritual significance, Ramadan also offers a platform for individuals to express their cultural heritage and personal style through fashion. This year, fashion enthusiasts are embracing a…
Former Cabinet minister and Conservative party MP Sir Sajid Javid said he still believes the UK is the most successful multiracial democracy in the world, but lamented that it is not at ease with itself. In a signed article in The Times, the Bromsgrove MP said the government’s new definition…
INDIA's marathon six-week election will begin on April 19 with nearly a billion people across the world's biggest democracy eligible to cast their votes. Here are the details about how the poll is conducted and what is likely to happen: How do people vote? All Indian citizens aged 18 and…
A London woman who started an initiative to design light installations to celebrate Ramadan has received prime minister Rishi Sunak’s daily Points of Light award this week. Aisha Desai received the award on Tuesday (12) for her Ramadan Lights UK initiative, which was inspired by her childhood joy of seeing…
ANTI-MUSLIM hate incidents have increased threefold in the UK since Hamas attack on Israel last year, a charity has found. Tell Mama has documented 2,247 anti-Muslim hate incidents, 1,001 offline and 1,246 online, in the four months between 7 October and 7 March. There were 721 incidents, 401 offline and…
The UK government on Thursday unveiled a new definition of extremism, as church leaders warned it risked disproportionately affecting Muslim communities. The new definition comes after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak warned earlier this month of a "shocking increase in extremist disruption and criminality" that risked the country tipping into "mob…
THE German city of Frankfurt switched on festive lights Sunday to celebrate the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in what local media said was a nationwide first. A large sign reading “Happy Ramadan” and a display of lights in the shape of stars, lanterns and crescent moons were formally unveiled…
INDIA this week implemented the contentious 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), sparking sporadic protests and a war of words between prime minister Narendra Modi's government and opposition groups weeks before national elections are held. Here is a look at the law, its implications and the concerns surrounding it. What is…
JAMMU AND KASHMIR has been transformed and integrated with the rest of India, prime minister Narendra Modi said last Thursday (7), crediting the change to his government’s decision to revoke its special status. Visiting the Kashmir Valley for the first time since 2019 – the year the status was revoked…
FIYAZ MUGHAL, said to be chosen by Michael Gove to address Islamophobia, has stepped down, expressing doubts about the government's resolve on the issue. Mughal, 52, said that his name was approved by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to lead anti-extremism efforts as the first anti-Muslim hatred…
Sporadic protests have erupted in India against a citizenship law that has been criticised for discriminating against Muslims, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government implemented the legislation just days before a general election is announced. Protests broke out in the eastern state of Assam and the southern state of Tamil…
INDIA not only shaped the birth of the Commonwealth, but will also continue to play a vital role in shaping its work, the organisation’s secretary general, Baroness Patricia Scotland, said on Monday (11) on the occasion of Commonwealth Day. Baroness Scotland, who was scheduled to visit India later this week,…
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the key members of his cabinet, tasking them with leading the country out of a crippling economic crisis fuelled by debt, spiralling inflation and a feeble rupee. Pakistan's 19 new ministers took their oath of office Monday, after an election marred by allegations of…
FRIDAY marks the fifth anniversary of the Christchurch mosque massacre in New Zealand. Some 51 people were murdered, at two mosques, where they had gone to pray. That is a stark reminder of the deadly threat posed by hateful extremism. Keeping citizens safe is the first responsibility of governments. Extremism…
Bangladesh has freed the head of the largest Islamist party, officials said Tuesday, 15 months since counter-terrorism officers arrested him after he vowed to take part in anti-government protests. The release of Jamaat-e-Islami party chief Shafiqur Rahman comes as political tension eases following Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's fourth consecutive election…
India's interior ministry said Monday it was enacting a citizenship law that critics say discriminates against Muslims, just weeks before the world's most populous country heads into a general election. While the law was passed in December 2019, its implementation was delayed after widespread protests and deadly violence erupted in…
The British government on Monday pledged £117 million towards protecting Muslim communities amid a rise in Islamophobia as it promises more action to tackle extremism. The new funding, announced just over a week after extra cash was promised to enhance security for Jewish groups amid soaring anti-Semitism, will be used…
Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday took oath as Pakistan's 14th President, a day after the veteran politician was overwhelmingly elected as the next head of state. Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa administered the oath to the 68-year-old Zardari at Aiwan-e-Sadr, the Presidential Palace. Zardari will replace Dr Arif…
More than 50 survivors of terrorist attacks in the UK have signed a joint letter against politicians conflating British Muslims with extremism, according to media reports. Survivors and relatives of those killed during attacks in London, Manchester, and Brussels are among the signatories. The open letter, coordinated by Survivors Against…
PAKISTAN's Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday (6) that former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who was hanged 44 year ago after being convicted of murder, didn't get a fair trial. Bhutto, the founder of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) now run by his grandson and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto…
THE BBC has announced a “truly diverse” cast for Virdee, a six-part television series adapted from AA Dhand’s crime novel, City of Sinners. Having a mainly Asian cast playing both heroes and villains is regarded as being a groundbreaking first for British TV. The tale has a characteristically grim opening:…
BRITAIN has more than three million Muslims from many cultural backgrounds. It has become customary for politicians to say, “the vast majority of Muslims are hardworking, decent and law-abiding, but there a small extremist fringe”. My guess is most Muslims in Britain are pleased George Galloway won the Rochdale by-election.…
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday for his return to the premiership, a rare expression of goodwill between leaders of the two nuclear-armed rivals. Sharif was officially sworn in Monday as prime minister for a second time after a poll marred by claims of…
THE new Rochdale MP has said that the upcoming election would be about Muslims and the taking away of civil liberties in this country. After sworn into the Commons as the new lawmaker for Rochdale on Monday (4), George Galloway highlighted prime minister Rishi Sunak's focus on "Muslims and Gaza"…
PAKISTAN's newly formed parliament elected Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday (3) as prime minister for a second time, three weeks after uncertain national elections caused delays in the formation of a coalition government. "Shehbaz Sharif is declared to have been elected the prime minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan," National…
The cast for Virdee, the upcoming BBC crime thriller based on Bradford author AA Dhand’s book series, has been announced. Staz Nair of Game of Thrones will lead the cast as Detective Harry Virdee, replacing Doctor Who’s Sacha Dhawan due to scheduling issues. Aysha Kala joins the cast as Harry’s…
Citing "strong evidence" of election rigging in Pakistan, a group of influential lawmakers, including Muslim legislators, belonging to the ruling Democratic Party has urged US President Joe Biden to withhold "recognition" of a new government in Islamabad until a transparent and credible investigation is conducted. The February 8 general election,…
The Rochdale by-election result will now make headlines around the world, despite having had a rather patchier grip on the town where it took place. George Galloway declared that his victory will produce a “tornado to tear through British, Israeli and global politics”. He is unlikely, however, to deliver on…
Veteran left-wing political maverick George Galloway won a vote to become the new lawmaker for the English town of Rochdale on Friday, vowing to be a thorn in the side for the opposition Labour Party before a national election it is tipped to win. After running a pro-Palestinian campaign, Galloway…
The Metropolitan Police is "assessing" a report of hate speech made against MP Lee Anderson after he accused London mayor Sadiq Khan of being controlled by Islamists, according to media reports. The police said an unknown complainant approached them a day after Anderson made the controversial remark on a TV…
VOTERS began to cast their ballots as the Rochdale by-election got underway on Thursday (29) amid a turbulent atmosphere primarily influenced by the conflict in Gaza. Bookmakers predict Left-winger George Galloway, 69, leader of the Workers Party of Britain, will win, especially after Labour withdrew its candidate, Azhar Ali, due…
FORMER home secretary Suella Braverman has denounced the ongoing controversy surrounding Islamophobia within the Tory party as "hysteria," urging prime minister Rishi Sunak to address Islamist extremism promptly, reported The Telegraph. Braverman believes stripping Lee Anderson, the former Tory party deputy chairman, of his party privileges was an overreaction to…
A SELF-CONFESSED Canadian white nationalist who deliberately ran over and killed four members of a Muslim family with his pickup truck in 2021 was given a life sentence last Thursday (22) with no chance of parole for 25 years. Nathaniel Veltman, 23, had been found guilty of first-degree murder last…
INDIA’S Assam state has scrapped an 89-year-old law that allowed marriage involving underage Muslims, against opposition from leaders of the minority community, who called the plan an attempt to polarise voters on religious lines ahead of elections. Assam, which has the highest percentage of Muslims among Indian states at 34…
THE London mayoral election is on May 2, so it’s not that far away. If I were Sadiq Khan, I would be pleased privately by Lee Anderson’s comments about him on GB News: “I don’t actually believe that the Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do…
A DISTINGUISHED career on stage, television and cinema has enabled Bhasker Patel to play a wide variety of roles. This has ranged from being a series regular in the iconic soap, Emmerdale, to working with big Hollywood names. Despite achieving so much, including breaking ground for British Asian actors, the…
THE mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has told Eastern Eye he believes communities will come together to stand up against “politics of extremism, division and blame”. His comments came amid an escalating row after Lee Anderson, the former deputy chairman of the Conservative party, last Saturday (24) claimed “Islamists had…
A few days ago, the Supreme Court of Alabama said that “fertilised frozen embryos are babies.” This kicked up another tempest that was already brewing on the campaign trail around the issue of abortion and the Dobbs decision, which last year took away the rights of American women to seek…
Conservative party MP Paul Scully's remark that parts of the London borough have become a “no-go” zone has upset the residents and businesses in Tower Hamlets. The former London minister, who represents Sutton and Cheam, on Tuesday said he regrets sparking a controversy by claiming that parts of Tower Hamlets…
Keeping prejudice out of politics is becoming increasingly fraught in polarised times. Taking to the streets to protest must be part of free speech – within decent democratic boundaries. That deal is broken if prejudiced placards, chants and slogans go unchecked – but undermined too when politicians declare every protestor…
Maryam Nawaz, the daughter of three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, made history by becoming the first-ever woman chief minister of Pakistan's most populous Punjab province, a development described by her party as a "giant leap" for the country. The 50-year-old senior vice president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)…
Prime minister Rishi Sunak has declared he is “living proof” that Britain is not a racist country as he sought to douse the Islamophobia row, The Times reports. He warned that all politicians had an obligation to be “careful” and not “unnecessarily inflame” tensions after the former deputy Tory chairman,…
British prime minister Rishi Sunak denied on Monday that his governing party has Islamophobic tendencies, saying comments by Conservative lawmaker Lee Anderson were unacceptable and that was why he had been suspended. Anderson said on Friday the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, was under the control of Islamists in widely…
The Tories on Saturday (24) suspended their former deputy chairman Lee Anderson from the parliamentary party after he refused to apologise for claiming that London's Labour mayor, Sadiq Khan, was controlled by Islamists. Pressure had been growing on prime minister Rishi Sunak's Tories to act following lawmaker Anderson's contentious remarks…
ANTI-MUSLIM hate incidents in the UK more than tripled following the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas, a monitoring group said. Tell MAMA recorded 2,010 such cases in the four months since Hamas's deadly attack against Israel on October 7 sparked the conflict. That was the largest recorded…
A Chinese tech security firm was able to breach foreign governments, including India, infiltrate social media accounts, and hack personal computers, a massive data leak analysed by experts this week revealed. The trove of documents from I-Soon, a private company that competed for Chinese government contracts, shows that its hackers…
HEALTH experts have urged West Midlands residents to get the measles vaccine as cases in the region are spreading in “disproportionately high rates”. Figures published earlier this month showed 329 of 465 (71 per cent) cases across England from October to February were in the region. The sharp rise over…
RESEARCHERS have called for more equitable access to drug treatment and support for people in minority ethnic groups after a study found they faced barriers such as stigma and lack of culturally competent services or ones they have no faith in them. Funded by the Department of Health and Social…
THE life-saving issue of organ donation, which is rarely discussed, has directly affected many within the south Asian community due to a shortage of donors and subsequent lack of matches. Farhan Sattar was one of those affected, who didn’t get a lifesaving heart donation in time and sadly passed away…
TWO Pakistan parties have reached a power-sharing agreement that will return Shehbaz Sharif to the premiership, leaving out politicians loyal to jailed former leader Imran Khan despite winning the most seats in this month's vote. The army-backed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) said they had…
The University of Birmingham has apologised after it removed a social media post that seemed to confuse Sikh students with Muslims. According to a report in ‘The Birmingham Mail', the university post implied that a 20-year-old “Langar on Campus” event organised by the university's Sikh Society earlier this month was…
Pakistan's two major parties are set to meet on Monday to try and bridge differences over forming a minority coalition government after an inconclusive election, a top party official said, underscoring its political and economic instability. Analysts say the nuclear-armed nation of 241 million, which has been grappling with an…
SUPPORTERS of Pakistan's jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party have clashed with police in various cities across the country as they staged protests against alleged rigging in the general elections held on February 8. In Lahore, supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) gathered outside the Lahore Press Club and the…
A second round of talks between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan Peoples Party is expected to take place on Friday on the power-sharing formula between them for the formation of a coalition government, according to a media report. The Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari-led PPP has promised to back PML-N in…
Filmmaker Sandeep Singh is all set to direct The Pride of Bharat - Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, a biopic of 17th-century Indian ruler Shivaji Bhonsle, reported Variety. Minister of Road Transport and Highways of India, Nitin Gadkari unveiled the poster and launched the film on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Singh has produced…
THE first Muslim mayor of Salisbury, Atiqul Hoque, has been expelled from the Tory party after accusations of making antisemitic remarks on social media. The decision came following a thorough investigation by Tory officials in response to a formal complaint, media reports said. While specific details of the remarks remain…
LADY SHREELA FLATHER, who has died, aged 89, came into her own when she entered the House of Lords in 1990, the first ethnic minority woman to be given a peerage. Her passing last week was announced by the Lord Speaker, Lord McFall of Alcluith, who said: “My Lords, I…
PAKISTAN’S general election last Thursday (8) produced a surprise result. In the 266 seats contested in the National Assembly, independent candidates linked to Imran Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf have won 101 seats. They are comfortably ahead of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz Sharif), which took 75 seats, and the Pakistan People’s Party of…
THE historian Kusoom Vadgama does not think Sir Sajid Javid’s plan to build a monument to honour Muslim soldiers who fought for Britain during the two world wars is a good one, because she feels it would be a divisive gesture. Her argument is that Hindu, Muslim and Sikh soldiers…
London's mayor Sadiq Khan, 53, known for his political achievements and as a figure of historical significance being the first Muslim mayor of a Western capital, reveals a more personal side, in a special Valentine’s Day episode of the new dating podcast called London Love Stories with Katie Strick, by…
MARIA SOBOLEWSKA, a professor of political science at the University of Manchester, told Eastern Eye Muslim voters’ discontent with the Labour Party would more likely be felt in by-elections rather than the general election. She said although the Israel-Gaza situation was important to Muslim voters, during a general election, it…
THE Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi, UAE, is envisioned as a Spiritual Oasis for Global Harmony. Rooted in the aspiration to promote love, harmony, and tolerance, the fundamental ethos of the mandir transcends borders. Each carving within the mandir tells compelling stories of…
IN the heart of Abu Dhabi, amid the modern skyline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), stands the BAPS Hindu Mandir, a remarkable testament to the harmonious coexistence of diverse cultures in a globalised world. Beyond its architectural grandeur and spiritual significance, this temple holds a unique place in history,…
IN her new book, author Nadeine Asbali reveals how her decision to wear the hijab led to an “overnight” shift from blending in to facing “racism and Islamophobia”. Born in the UK to an English mother and a Libyan father, Asbali looked like the quintessential white British teenager before putting…
A HINDU group closely linked to Indian prime minister Narendra Modi is installing Muslims loyal to it in leadership positions at Muslim universities as part of a push to garner Muslim votes ahead of national elections, officials said. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which Modi joined in his youth and…
SHAYARA BANO heaved a sigh of relief last Wednesday (7) at the enactment of a law banning polygamy in her Indian state, the culmination of a years-long effort, including her own case before the nation’s Supreme Court. “I can now say that my battle against age-old Islamic rules on marriage…
SWAMI BRAHMAVIHARIDAS is one of the most respected and admired of Swaminarayan figures who lead the global organisation that is BAPS today. He has led the project to build the spectacular Akshardham Temple in Abu Dhabi since its conception. In this exclusive and very special interview with Shailesh R Solanki,…
LABOUR is “haemorrhaging” the Muslim vote, which will have a negative impact when Britain holds the general election, expected later this year, party MPs have told Eastern Eye. Late on Monday (12), Labour withdrew its support and suspended for its candidate for Rochdale, Azhar Ali, following criticism of remarks he…
Pakistan's two main political parties that joined forces to oust Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party founder Imran Khan as prime minister in 2022 have said they would form a new coalition to rule the country, after an election last week failed to produce a decisive winner. With the army-backed Pakistan Muslim…
BANGLADESH said last Wednesday (7) it will not allow any more Rohingya refugees from Myanmar to enter the country because supporting the huge numbers already there threatens its own security. Muslim Rohingya have faced persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar for decades and nearly a million of them live in crammed, bamboo-and…
HOW ambitious would a Labour government be in office? The party’s scaling back of its flagship green economy investment plan dominated the past week in Westminster. But this was also a week in which it sought to illuminate its plans on racial equality. Keir Starmer did two things to respond to…
Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday withdrew from the race for the prime minister, saying that his party would support Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's candidate for the premier's slot without being part of the government. The decision of Bilawal came hours after Pakistan's former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif…
Pakistan's political stalemate after inconclusive elections last week showed no signs of ending on Tuesday as major parties struggle to cobble up alliances to pass the floor test. In the latest development, jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that independent members of parliament backed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)…
A delegation of the IMF may visit cash-strapped Pakistan once a new federal government is formed, negotiations for which are ongoing between major political parties after the general elections threw a hung Parliament, a media report said on Monday. The International Monetary Fund's review mission might visit Islamabad by the…
Labour's Sir Keir Starmer finds himself navigating a challenging political landscape, marked by a noticeable shift in support from Muslim constituents due to his stance on the Gaza conflict. But despite this, analyses suggest that Labour's robust lead may mitigate the potential impact on election outcomes, sparing the party from…
Pakistan's two largest political parties are wrangling over who will take the prime minister's job after inconclusive elections last week forced them to join forces to gain a majority in a parliament dominated by independents backed by Imran Khan. The squabbling is likely to deepen concerns about the stability of…
Pakistan's army chief told feuding politicians Saturday to show "maturity and unity" after an election failed to produce a clear winner, leaving the military's favoured party having to cobble together a coalition in order to rule. The country faces days of political horse-trading after a strong performance by independent candidates…
BRITISH wildlife charities are ringing alarm bells by describing the countryside as a "racist, colonial" domain where non-white people often feel marginalised, media reports said. Wildlife and Countryside Link, a coalition comprising 80 organisations including the WWF, the RSPCA, and National Trust, presented their findings to MPs as part of…
Uttarakhand, a small northern Indian state governed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist party, is set to pass a bill to replace religion-specific civil laws with a Uniform Civil Code, which could be used as a template by other states. The bill, being debated by Uttarakhand's legislature on Wednesday,…
Supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan had the edge on Friday in Pakistan's election results from over 100 seats, after vote counts were hit by unusual delays that the government ascribed to a suspension of mobile phone services. A total of 265 seats were contested in Thursday's election…
THREE people were killed in India and dozens more injured after religious clashes sparked by the destruction of a madrassa, officials said Friday (9), the latest in a spate of demolitions targeting Islamic structures. Hindu nationalist groups have been emboldened in their campaign against Muslim religious structures since prime minister…
THE British Asian community, which has long been supported by King Charles from the days he was a young Prince of Wales, is now rallying round the 75-year old monarch following his cancer diagnosis on Monday (5). Since the King is also head of the Commonwealth, just as Queen Elizabeth…
MORE than 100 Rohingya refugees escaped a detention centre in Malaysia after a riot broke out, with one man killed after being hit by a vehicle on a highway as he fled, police said last Friday (2). The Rohingya experience persecution in their predominantly Buddhist homeland of Myanmar. Many have…
INDIA’S prime minister Narendra Modi last month inaugurated one of the holiest Hindu temples and his government has been spending millions of dollars to develop many others, boosting tourism and his appeal among the majority community ahead of elections. Apart from a $6 billion (£4.7bn) makeover of the northern city…
ENGLISH football clubs have been shown a yellow card by campaigners over a lack of progress after failing to meet their hiring targets for south Asian coaches. Recent data from the Football Association (FA) showed the 53 clubs signed up to the Football Leadership Diversity Code (FLDC) collectively failed to…
THE acclaimed theatre play, 10 Nights, has returned for a UK tour, which runs at the Omnibus Theatre in London until February 21 before moving to Bristol, Hayes and Leicester. The story of a spiritual sleepover in a mosque revolves around topics of faith, friendships, forgiveness and the future. Azan…
THE former chancellor, Sir Sajid Javid, has urged one of his successors to fund a memorial for Muslim soldiers who served and died fighting for Britain during the two world wars. Javid told the Commons this week that an estimated 750,000 Muslims fought for Britain during the first and second…
AN INDIAN state where prime minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in power is set to introduce contentious common personal laws that will apply across religions this month, a template other state officials said they will look to follow. Currently, India’s Hindus, Muslims, Christians and large tribal populations…
As Pakistan goes to the polls on Thursday, concerns are being raised over the safety of the new app promoted by the election commission. The Election Commission of Pakistan’s Election Management System (EMS) app is meant to swiftly transmit and tabulate election results, but some officials feel the software can…
Filmmaker Suparn S Varma, best known for making courtroom dramas like The Trial and Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai, is now set to helm a film based on the court case of Shah Bano Begum. Suparn has locked the script and is in the process of finalising the cast and…
A new political party named Pakistan Markazi Muslim League, believed to be a new face of the banned groups of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed, will participate in the February 8 general elections, according to a media report. A BBC Urdu report said some of the candidates…
Panellists at an event that seeks to empower LGBTQIA+ storytellers called for more films on queer stories driven by nuanced characters. The event on Friday was part of the culmination of the QueerFrames Screenwriting Lab. Led by The Queer Muslim Project, the Lab supports LGBTQIA+ storytellers with the tools, resources,…
AHEAD of elections next week, Pakistan's caretaker administration is making binding plans for a new government to sell loss-making Pakistan International Airlines, according to the minister in charge of the process and other officials. In the past, elected governments have shied away from undertaking unpopular reforms, including the sale of…
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, which is under the leadership of former Prime Minister Imran Khan has allocated 53 seats to women, the highest number of tickets given to female candidates by any major political party in Pakistan for the elections set to take place on February 8, the media reported…
BULLDOZERS have knocked down a centuries-old mosque in India's capital, a member of the building's managing committee said Thursday (1), during a demolition drive to remove "illegal" structures from a forest reserve. The demolition comes at a sensitive time in India with nationalist activists emboldened in their long campaign for…
Amidst concerns of dwindling support from the UK's largest ethnic minority, Keir Starmer’s Labour Party is implementing new strategies to reengage with British Indians. Recent initiatives include recruiting two community outreach volunteers, revitalising the Labour Friends of India group, and arranging a visit to India for senior shadow ministers David…
LONDON’S MAYOR, Sadiq Khan, has warned of dirty tricks to spread lies and misinformation about him during May’s mayoral race. In an exclusive interview with Eastern Eye, Khan said that those who do not like him will use deep fake artificial intelligence to try to discredit him. Last year (November),…
FORMER Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan is popular in his constituency and ancestral homeland of Mianwali, but the political posters that line the streets do not bear his face and flags do not fly his colours. A relentless crackdown widely attributed to Pakistan’s powerful military has seen him and his…
AUTHORITIES in Mumbai tore down several Muslim-owned makeshift shopfronts after religious clashes sparked by the inauguration of the Ayodhya Ram temple last week by prime minister Narendra Modi. Minor clashes broke out on January 21 in parts of Mumbai, including one provocative incident where Hindus chanting religious slogans passed through…
WESTERN tourists travelling to India are now adding Indian weddings to their itinerary, with some also paying for the cultural experience. Indian culture and traditions have fascinated westerners for ages and in recent times, movies, popular TV shows and social media have prompted visitors from the US, UK and Europe…
THOSE familiar with the work of producer and director Rohit Shetty in Bollywood will know that his films are largely defined by stunning action and mostly poor storylines. While it’s easy to get away with a product that is style over substance in cinema, the same is not the case…
Pakistan police detained at least two dozen supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan Sunday as they tried to rally in the country's biggest city ahead of elections next month. Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has been severely hamstrung ahead of the February 8 poll, with rallies banned, its…
Iran's foreign minister visited Pakistan on Monday (29) for discussions, aiming to mitigate tensions following deadly cross-border air strikes that had put a strain on diplomatic relations between the two countries. Pakistan's foreign ministry shared pictures and video of Hossein Amir-Abdollahian arriving in Islamabad late Sunday, saying he would hold…
THE former head of religious studies at Batley Grammar School in West Yorkshire remains in hiding, nearly three years after sparking protests for displaying a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad to students, reported The Times. The incident, which occurred in March 2021, led to several days of demonstrations outside the…
THE Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has found that a 17th century mosque in one of Hinduism's holiest cities was built after destroying a Hindu temple that existed there, a lawyer for Hindu petitioners said, a possible new flashpoint in a decades-long dispute. Muslim lawyers in the legal case being…
PRESIDENT Emmanuel Macron arrives as the guest of honour in India on Thursday (25) with a sumptuous palace feast and colourful military parade, as France eyes lucrative deals with the world's fifth-biggest economy. Macron will be offered a red carpet welcome by prime minister Narendra Modi with dinner in a…
THE UK’s public health protection agency last Friday (19) sounded a “national call to action” for more measles jabs for children because of falling vaccination rates and fears that a current outbreak could spread. Jenny Harries, head of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), warned that measles was spreading among…
THE headteacher of a London school, which has implemented a ban on prayers, emphasised that the decision was unrelated to any "disapproval of Islam." Katharine Birbalsingh, the headmistress of Michaela Community School in Wembley, northwest London, said the prayer ban restored calm and order to the school. The school is…
On Tuesday (23), the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, a city in northern India, witnessed a massive influx of Hindu devotees. Thousands gathered to offer prayers at this newly inaugurated sacred site, just one day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially opened the temple at a site revered as the birthplace…
While Hindu devotees inaugurated a grand temple in Ayodhya dedicated to one of their holiest deities on Monday (22), India's minority Muslims are planning to start the construction of a new mosque in the same city later this year. This initiative is seen as an attempt to create a new…
INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi led a ceremony on Monday (22) to consecrate a grand new temple to the Hindu god-king Ram, delivering on a campaign promise his political party made more than three decades ago. The construction, begun in 2020, had been a contentious issue as the temple stands…
INDIA's prime minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a temple Monday (22) that embodies the triumph of his muscular Hindu nationalist politics, galvanising loyalists in an unofficial start to his re-election campaign this year. Modi, in flowing golden-coloured traditional dress, unveiled the black stone idol to the deity Ram in the heart…
A grand temple to Hindu god Lord Ram opens on Monday (22) on a site in India millions believe is his birthplace, in a religious spectacle led by prime minister Narendra Modi months before he seeks a rare third term in elections. The construction of the temple is a 35-year-old,…
The political party led by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan alleged on Friday (19) that Pakistani intelligence agencies are engaging in the overt abduction and harassment of candidates supported by the party in the run-up to the general elections scheduled for February 8. A spokesperson of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf…
A school, headed by the former government social mobility tsar Katharine Birbalsingh, is facing a legal challenge in the High Court regarding a policy allegedly amounting to a 'prayer ban'. Michaela School in Brent, north London, faced legal scrutiny in the court over allegations of implementing a "prayer ban." The…
BOLLYWOOD beauty Parveen Babi has consistently been celebrated as one of the most gorgeous Indian movie icons of all time. Raw sex appeal, striking good looks, stunning style and a fearless approach turned her into a pathbreaker who helped remove the shackles of the Hindi film heroine. Like a dramatic…
THE frontrunner party for Pakistan’s delayed elections began campaigning on Monday (15), after a weekend court decision effectively pushed the opposition party of ex-prime minister Imran Khan out of the race. Pakistan’s vote next month has been marred by claims of pre-poll rigging, with analysts saying that the army establishment…
INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi said Friday (12) he was beginning an 11-day religious fast ahead of a ceremony he will lead to inaugurate a controversial new Hindu temple. Modi is presiding over the January 22 opening of the shrine, built on grounds where a centuries-old mosque once stood before…
Activists of two right-wing outfits have filed separate complaints against actress Nayanthara and others associated with her newly-released film Annapoorani, alleging that certain scenes in it hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus, police said on Thursday. The complaints allege that the film makes controversial remarks about Lord Ram and also…
Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, whose party is considered a front-runner to win general elections in February, will kick off his campaign next week, aides said, days after the Supreme Court cleared him to run for a fourth term. The campaign for the Feb 8 poll, delayed since November,…
Pakistan's supreme court ruled on Monday (8) that lifetime bans from office are unconstitutional, clearing the final obstacle in former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's path to running for re-election in polls in four weeks. Pakistan will vote in elections on February 8, with rights groups warning the ballot will lack…
INDIA's top court ruled Monday (8) that 11 murderers convicted of a gang rape that drew global outrage but who were released early must return to jail. Bilkis Bano and two of her children were the only survivors among a group of Muslims attacked by a Hindu mob in the…
A sentencing hearing started on Thursday (4) for the man found guilty of using his truck to murder four members of a Muslim family over two years ago in Canada. Nathanial Veltman, a 23-year-old self-proclaimed white supremacist, was found guilty of murder in November. He has denied the claims. On…
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has put forward its chairman and former foreign minister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, as its official prime ministerial candidate in the upcoming general elections on February 8, a media report said on Thursday (4). The PPP's Central Executive Committee (CEC) discussed in detail the party's campaign…
WITH so many great-looking concerts, theatre productions, films, comebacks of popular stars and more already in the pipeline, 2024 looks set to be a thrilling and action-packed year. There will also be new talent, surprises, horizon-expanding moments, great music, free shows, and events celebrating the best in south Asian popular…
Saveera Parkash, the first Hindu candidate vying for the general elections from the Buner constituency in the tumultuous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said she would facilitate diplomatic connections between Pakistan and India if she is elected. A doctor by profession, 25-year-old Saveera last week filed her nomination papers from the Pakistan…
INDIA’S prime minister, Narendra Modi, does not give press interviews, so why did he choose to give one just before Christmas to the Financial Times, of all papers? The FT, a respected newspaper with digital subscribers all over the world, has been sustained in its relentless attacks on the ruling…
DEMOCRACY is the theme of 2024. Around half of the world’s population has the chance to go to the polls. This weekend’s vote in Bangladesh, boycotted by the opposition to Shekih Hasina, is an inauspicious start. Pakistan in February holds its first elections since 2018. More than 600 million will…
INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi visited a holy town last week to open fresh transport links catering to pilgrims for a new temple steeped in a history of sectarian violence. Ayodhya's new shrine to Lord Ram will be formally unveiled this month on the grounds where a centuries-old mosque once…
LESS THAN a month before a grand Hindu temple opens, India's northern town of Ayodhya is buzzing with activity as finishing touches are put on a project seen as the centrepiece of prime minister Narendra Modi's re-election campaign. Once a sleepy temple town in the most populous state of Uttar…
Former chancellor and home secretary Sajid Javid described his knighthood as a “tremendous honour” after he was recognised for his achievements in the New Year’s Honours List announced last Friday (29). Javid, who represents Bromsgrove, served under three different prime ministers in six different Cabinet posts, including as culture secretary,…
A British Asian man has taken legal action against Liverpool FC, accusing the club of racial discrimination in the handling of his job application, The Guardian reported. The lawsuit alleged that Liverpool rejected Asad Farooq's (25) application, favouring a less experienced candidate for the position. According to Farooq, he has…
Pakistan has banned New Year's Eve celebrations to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, the government said late Thursday, urging people to instead "observe simplicity". In an evening televised address to the nation, prime minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar said because of the situation in the Gaza Strip, the government had "completely…
SCORES of cow protectors in recent years have been accused of using violence to carry out extra-judicial activities in India, often finding themselves at odds with law enforcement, even as many won acclaim for defending the Hindu faith. Now some of these operatives are transferring their clout into grassroots political…
India's army has launched an investigation into the alleged deaths of three civilians taken into military custody after a deadly rebel attack on soldiers in Kashmir, police said Tuesday. The three men were among a group of eight detained by the army last week in Poonch, near the frontier that…
EASTERN EYE’S colourful “Garden of Unity”, which caught the attention of King Charles and Queen Camilla at the Chelsea Flower Show in May this year, has been donated by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) to a multicultural school in a deprived area of south London. Children at the Sacred Heart…
WORKERS in the northern Indian city of Ayodhya are finalizing a $6 billion (£4.7bn) infrastructure facelift ahead of the opening of a grand Hindu temple that is igniting an economic boom - which some of city’s poor and its Muslim community say is passing them by. City officials expect about…
FIGURES from the 2021 census showed Slough hosted 3.4 per cent of England and Wales’ Sikh population, writes James Moules. Around 11.3 per cent of people in the borough listed Sikhism as their religion, the census report confirmed. It also had the largest proportion of the country’s Sikh population outside…
LIKE many other Muslims, Indian tailor Safi Mohammad plans to send his wife and two sons away before thousands of pilgrims arrive at his hometown of Ayodhya next month for the inauguration of one of Hinduism's most sacred temples. The temple, built on a site Hindus believe to be the…
Mobilising Hindu-Americans is crucial for president Joe Biden's potential re-election next year, suggests prominent Indian-American fundraiser for the Democratic Party. This emphasis comes in light of the administration facing discontent from Muslim-Americans amid the Israel-Hamas conflict. Ramesh Kapur, a Massachusetts-based political fundraiser who was in Washington to attend the winter…
THE year 2022 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the Ugandan Asian expulsion which saw the uprooting and resettlement of some 80,000 Ugandan Asians when Idi Amin Dada, the self-styled dictator of Uganda, declared on 4 August 1972 that he had had a dream in which he was enjoined by God…
A GROUND-BREAKING year in entertainment saw glass ceilings shattered, greater heights conquered, creative horizons expanded, and new paths carved globally. There was also ground-breaking work, international crossovers, and exciting new talent announcing their arrival. Top south Asian talent from diverse fields were at the forefront of the marvellous moves being…
WHETHER it has been top talents making a mark, path-breaking moments, superb songs, fabulous films, brilliant books, or audience-delighting entertainment, there has been a lot to celebrate in the past 12 months. Next week, there will be a roundup of these magnificent moments in Eastern Eye’s annual review of the…
IN HER book, What’s in a Name? Friendship, Identity and History in Modern Multicultural Britain, the author Sheela Banerjee deals with the question which confronts all British Asian parents. What should they call their newborn? Most want the name to reflect the child’s ethnic and cultural heritage, but at the…
POLITICAL analysts said the impact on Muslim voters of Labour party leader Sir Keir Starmer’s stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict will only become clear over the next decade. Many Labour councillors and MPs have criticised Sir Kier for refusing to call for a ceasefire in the region. Dozens of councillors…
RIDING on the success of her critically claimed plays Chasing Hares and Two Billion Beats, writer Sonali Bhattacharyya said her latest work, a festive play, was to represent a “diversity of experiences and cultures”. Bhattacharyya’s modern-day adaptation of the classical Middle Eastern folktale, Arabian Nights, is currently playing at the…
SOME of the more than 300 Rohingya refugees who arrived on the western coasts of Indonesia last Sunday (10) were transferred to a temporary shelter during the visit of a UN representative. A group of 135 refugees, mostly women and children, were relocated from a beach in Aceh Besar regency…
GRADUATE ethnic minority voters are more likely to vote for the Conservative party, a new survey has found. Lead researcher James Kanagasooriam, from FocalData, said the voting intentions of ethnic minority graduates is in contrast to their white counterparts. They are more left-leaning and more likely to vote Labour, although…
Michael Grandage on Tuesday announces the recipients of the seventh annual MGCfutures Bursaries awarded across a range of theatrical disciplines including directing, writing, producing, designing, performance-makers, and for the first time a puppet maker and a theatrical shoemaker. A registered charity, MGCfutures offers both financial and ongoing mentoring support to recipients who come…
INDIA'S Supreme Court upheld on Monday (11) a 2019 decision by the government of prime minister Narendra Modi to revoke special status for the state of Jammu and Kashmir and set a deadline of September 30 next year for state polls to be held. India's only Muslim-majority region, Jammu and…
SEVERAL cricketers who played for English county side Essex were subject to racist abuse and discriminatory treatment, according to an independent report released on Friday (8). References to players' ethnic, racial and religious origins were "entirely normalised and tolerated behaviour" within the dressing-room culture between the mid-1990s and around 2013,…
From meditation sessions to spiritual guidance and indigenous hymns, the atmosphere within the "faith pavilion" at COP28 stands in contrast to the high-stakes discussions at the UN climate talks in Dubai. Orthodox priests rub shoulders with Emiratis in flowing white robes and Jewish rabbis in the quiet, air-conditioned calm of…
Bigg Boss 13 fame Asim Riaz and Himanshi Khurana are no longer together in a relationship. On Wednesday, Himanshi took to social media and announced her break up with Asim. In a note, she confessed that they "sacrificed love for different religious beliefs." "YES, we are not together anymore, All…
INDIA has always been a land of absolute freedom when it comes to matters beyond material. It is in this context that the culture evolved. This is a culture with a multiplicity of thoughts, beliefs and pursuits. We call this sanatana dharma, which means an eternal religion that will always…
A STRONG literary year was filled with stunning stories written by skilled south Asian authors from around the world. They explored diverse themes, ideas, emotions, time periods, characters, and journeys in a marvellous melting pot of books that opened windows into new worlds. Eastern Eye decided to celebrate some of…
BRITISH ASIAN BBC presenter Nihal Arthanayake expressed concerns about the overwhelming lack of diversity in the network's newsroom, highlighting its impact on his mental health. Addressing a journalism diversity conference on Wednesday (29) at Media City in Salford, he expressed concern about the absence of Muslim employees in the "senior…
CLASSIC film Coolie captured the attention of Bollywood fans around the world when it was released on December 2, 1983 because an accident on the set had nearly killed lead star Amitabh Bachchan, after a stunt went wrong. The story of a boy separated from his mother, who grows up…
Pakistani police have arrested four individuals, among them a man who killed his teenage daughter following instructions from family elders. This action was reportedly prompted by her appearance in a viral picture with a man on social media, police said on Wednesday (29). The police said the 18-year-old woman was…
AN INCREASING number of Rohingya people are leaving refugee camps in Bangladesh with their children, taking to boats in search of a better life as hopes fade of returning to Myanmar or being resettled, and camp life gets tougher, aid groups said. Nearly one million members of the Muslim minority…
AT LEAST two more boats carrying hundreds of Rohingya refugees set sail from Bangladesh this week, refugees and a monitoring group said, the latest in a wave of migrations that has seen more than 1,000 asylum seekers arrive on Indonesian shores. Bangladesh is home to around one million Rohingya refugees,…
Phizzical Productions has announced the UK tour of Shahid Iqbal Khan's Olivier-nominated play, 10 Nights! Audiences will get to experience one man's spiritual journey of self-discovery after he decides to participate in Iʿtikāf - the Islamic practice of staying in a mosque and fasting for the last ten nights of…
PAKISTAN'S election commission on Thursday (23) ordered jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party to hold leadership polls to retain its voting symbol in next year's general election. Since being ousted in 2022, Khan has been tangled in a slew of legal cases he says are designed to stop him…
THE first woman judge of the Supreme Court and former governor of Tamil Nadu state, Justice Fathima Beevi, died at a private hospital in Kerala on Thursday (23), official sources said. She was 96. Justice Beevi was admitted to the private hospital a few days ago due to age-related ailments…
BRITISH ASIANS are being encouraged to visit National Trust properties as the organisation is striving to improve diversity among its members, volunteers and staff, its director general Hilary McGrady told Eastern Eye in an exclusive interview. As Europe’s premier conservation charity, the trust safeguards more than 500 historic houses, castles,…
WHETHER it is on stage, television, film or in a popular ASDA commercial, Muzz Khan has consistently shown off his impressive range as an actor and worked with many established names. The versatile British Asian, who is also an accomplished DJ, rcently joined the cast of West End show, The…
UP-AND-COMING actors Rishi Manuel and Zaynah Ahmed make their panto debut with Aladdin, a story they said holds a “special place” in the hearts of south Asian communities. In recent years, Disney has been on a mission to venture into new cultures with films such as Wish, Encanto, Raya and…
A Muslim officer has encouraged individuals from various communities, especially South Asians, to consider pursuing roles as prison officers. Hammad Butt, prison officer at HMP Norwich in Norfolk, has asked people to consider joining the service, as applications for the role of prison officer are currently open. The Lammy Review…
AUTHORITIES in India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh have banned the distribution and sale of Halal-certified products, including dairy, garments and medicines saying it was illegal. Bakery products, sugar, edible oil and other products which were labelled as 'Halal-certified' by the companies manufacturing them would be banned from distribution…
James Cleverly is the first-ever Black British home secretary, though no national newspaper noticed enough to devote even a sentence or two to that fact. It would surely have made headlines five years ago. No Black or Asian politician had held any great office of state before 2018. Yet Cleverly’s…
LONDON’S deputy mayor for business has been chosen as the Labour candidate for the Leicester East parliamentary constituency which has one of the largest south Asian populations in the UK. Rajesh Agrawal was chosen at a hustings held in Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre on Saturday (18) to succeed incumbent MP Claudia…
RELIGIOUS Britons are “significantly happier” than atheists and non-religious people, new research has revealed. People for whom religion is an important part of their identity “are also more optimistic and more resilient than atheists and non-religious people,” the study commissioned by the research forum Institute for the Impact of Faith…
A 22-year-old self-confessed Canadian white nationalist, who intentionally drove his truck into a Muslim family in 2021, was convicted of first-degree murder on Thursday (16). The killings shocked Canada, a country that encourages mass immigration and takes pride in its multiculturalism. The jury took around six hours to convict Nathaniel…
THE Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus has condemned what he says is a smear campaign driven by “powerful quarters”, saying news outlets in Bangladesh have falsely accused him of corruption. Yunus, 83, is credited with lifting millions out of poverty with his pioneering micro-credit bank. However, he has fallen afoul…
CAMPAIGNERS have expressed disappointment over new research showing that one in four women feel they cannot progress in sport due to a lack of role models. The study, by the London Lions basketball team, found that 25 per cent of females believe becoming a professional player or at management level…
THE number of non-white cabinet ministers has come down from five to four after prime minister Rishi Sunak reshuffled his core team on Monday (13). Suella Braverman was sacked as home secretary and former prime minister David Camaron was made foreign secretary as part of the exercise. While Sunak -…
THREE Bangladeshi tourists died in India's Kashmir region when some of the houseboats stationed in the picturesque Dal lake caught fire on Saturday (11), a police official said. Police said a fire broke out in one houseboat in the early hours and quickly spread to other boats moored nearby. "Three…
BRADFORD’S teenage right-wing supremacist has been jailed for 10 years after plotting to disguise himself as an armed police officer and kill Muslims worshipping at a mosque. Joe Metcalfe, 17, has also been imprisoned for separate charges of multiple rape and coercive controlling behaviour against a teenage girl but the…
NAFIS ANSARI, a school principal who is Muslim, was enlisted this year by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as a "Modi Mitr", or friend of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi. The resident of the central state of Madhya Pradesh promotes the party to neighbours and relatives at events such…
WHEN he first went to prison, Shahjahan Bhuiyan was accused of killing only one man. By the time he was released decades later, he had put dozens more to death as Bangladesh’s most prolific hangman ever. Each execution was rewarded with a special meal including beef, chicken and scented pilau…
“SEE, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will never be shaken” (Isaiah 28:16). What compels humans to see god in stone and to build majestic stone abodes for the divine? If marble stones could speak, they would…
CULTURE clashes over Remembrance Day date back to its beginning. There was a protest rally on the eve of the first anniversary of the Armistice in 1919, demanding the government bring home the bodies of the million soldiers who had died abroad. The devastating scale of death demanded new rituals…
A member of the opposition Labour Party has stepped down from his policy role in protest against his leader's decision not to demand a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Labour leader Keir Starmer has so far resisted increasing pressure within his party to advocate for a…
THE Metropolitan Police has ended its relationship with an adviser after the revelation of a two-year old video of him leading a pro-Palestine chant. The recording, first reported by The Telegraph, shows London Muslim Communities Forum chair Attiq Malik instigating chants of “from the river to the sea, Palestine will…
BEAUTIFULLY described as a Bollywood-infused tribute to queer Muslim joy, The Queen Of My Dreams has had successful premieres at major movie festivals in Toronto and London recently, and great acclaim. The feature directorial debut of Fawzia Mirza tells the story of Canadian queer woman Azra, who reconnects with her…
VERY few people in the Middle East will be familiar with Sir Keir Starmer, so whether or not the Labour leader calls for a ceasefire in Israel’s military action on Hamas in the Gaza strip is pretty much irrelevant. Even prime minister Rishi Sunak is not really a player. Starmer’s…
DIWALI – the story of good triumphing over evil – shows how multiculturalism is not failing but instead enhancing community relations in today’s Britain, prominent politicians and business leaders have told Eastern Eye. The prime minister, Rishi Sunak, and the Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, added their voices to the…
FORMER Labour MPs, Keith Vaz and Claudia Webbe, may stand as independent candidates in the next general election for the Leicester East constituency, warned the city's mayor. Labour mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said that such a move could split the vote and potentially hand the seat to the Tories, reported…
POLICE in Kerala opened an investigation against India's deputy minister of Information Technology on Tuesday (31) for allegedly stirring religious hatred on social media after bomb blasts at a Jehovah's Witnesses convention in the southern state. Homemade bombs exploded, killing three people and wounding 50 in the attack last Sunday…
Suella Braverman has described the individuals participating in street demonstrations advocating for a Gaza ceasefire as participants in "hate marches." Braverman expressed her dismay at the large gatherings, involving "tens of thousands of people," where chants advocating for the elimination of Israel were heard. Speaking after a Cobra meeting chaired…
Uorfi Javed, who appeared in the first season of Bigg Boss OTT is known for her unconventional outfits and she is often targeted for the same. Recently, she recreated Rajpal Yadav's look from the movie, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, which got much attention and she ended up getting "death threats." Uorfi received…
WITH the Israel-Palestine conflict escalating so dangerously, its impact on British politics seems a rather local difficulty. When prime minister Rishi Sunak flew to Israel to tell prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu “we want you to win”, he could not really claim to be speaking for his much more ambivalent country.…
FORMER US president Donald Trump has vowed to revive a controversial travel ban on people from some Muslim-majority countries if he is elected to a second White House term. While speaking at the annual summit of the Republican Jewish Coalition last week, Trump, 77, said, “You remember the travel ban?”…
A TRUSTEE of the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation has been removed from his role over his anti-Semitic comments on social media. Amjad Bashir, appointed to the role in March this year, accused Israel of being involved in violence, “slavery and “ethnic cleansing”. His comments came amid the escalating conflict between Israel…
THE death toll from a homemade bomb blast during a Christian prayer meeting in India has risen to three, police said Monday (30), as authorities questioned a man claiming responsibility. More than 2,000 people were attending a three-day Jehovah's Witnesses meeting at a convention centre in the southern state of…
ANTISEMITIC and Islamaphobic incidents have almost doubled in just over a week in London, police data showed on Friday (27), in the wake of the attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel nearly three weeks ago and subsequent bombardment by Israel of Gaza. There have been growing tensions in Britain…
TWO senior Muslim politicians in Labour have urged party leader Sir Keir Starmer to call for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Revealing the growing unrest within the opposition party over its position on the conflict, London mayor Sadiq Khan called on Friday (27) for a ceasefire in the conflict.…
THE Vatican has greenlighted the start of a process towards potential sainthood for 35 Indians massacred in 2008 during some of the worst anti-Christian violence in decades, India's Catholic bishops have said. After the murder of a Hindu priest in 2008, revenge attacks on the Christian community saw mobs target…
OPPOSITION leader Keir Starmer is facing increasing pressure over his stance on the Israel-Hamas war, testing the leadership mettle of the favourite to become Britain's next prime minister. The 61-year-old is battling to dampen tensions within Labour's ranks over remarks he made about the Israeli response to Hamas's October 7…
FAITH and community leaders, activists and MPs have urged Britons not to let their anger and frustrations over the Israel-Palestine conflict to spill over into violence on the streets of the UK. On October 7, Hamas militants stormed into Israel from the Gaza Strip on killing at least 1,400 people…
BORIS JOHNSON’S sister, Rachel Johnson, who has a weekend slot on LBC, spent an hour last Sunday (22) discussing how families can be split by politics. She revealed that when Boris came to dinner, Brexit was off the menu. Boris’s siblings didn’t agree with him. One man rang LBC to…
THE Hindu temple in Ayodhya will open just months before national elections next year, officials said on Tuesday (24). The holy city in northern India has long been a religious tinderbox, providing the spark for some of the country's worst sectarian violence. Devout Hindus believe that Lord Ram was born…
MORE than a dozen Muslim faith leaders in the UK have come together to “unequivocally” condemn the killing of civilians both in Israel and Gaza. Hamas gunmen intruded into southern Israel earlier this month, killing around 1,400 people and abducting dozens. Gaza’s health ministry said some 5,000 people died in…
THREE-TIME Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif ended four years of self-imposed exile on Saturday (21), launching his political comeback at a rally attended by thousands of rapturous supporters ahead of elections due next year. Fireworks marked his arrival at the event in a park in his power base of Lahore,…
(This article was initially published by Prof Malhotra as an independent article on LinkedIn. It is being published here with his permission) Israelis. Palestinians. Jews. Muslims. Everyone is angry. Everyone is afraid. And everyone feels that their legitimate fears and grievances are being ignored – and that turning a blind…
THE United Nations refugee agency on Tuesday (17) urged the international community to keep focus on the plight of the Rohingya refugees amid a funding crunch and the lack of long-term solution for their safe return to Myanmar. Nearly one million Rohingya Muslims fled a military-led crackdown in Buddhist-majority Myanmar…
LET’S allow ourselves a bit of artistic licence and imagine Queen Victoria has slipped into the Hammersmith Lyric to take a peek at Tanika Gupta’s play, The Empress, a retelling of the story of her relationship with Abdul Karim and her Indian subjects in general. “We are amused,” the Queen…
The heads of domestic intelligence and security service, MI5, and the FBI have jointly warned of an increased threat of domestic terrorist attacks due to the crisis in the Middle East. According to the counter-terror chiefs, Jewish communities, along with other groups, might face elevated risks from lone actors, Hamas…
A FORMER Labour councillor has told Eastern Eye he decided to quit the party over leader Sir Keir Starmer’s “grotesque” comments over the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. Gaza-based Hamas fighters broke through Israel’s heavily fortified border on October 7, killing more than 1,400 people, most of them civilians. [caption id="attachment_256205" align="alignleft"…
THE government on Wednesday (18) warned its citizens to avoid travel to a popular Ugandan park where two tourists, including a Briton, and their local guide were killed in an attack blamed on a notorious militia group. The trio were targeted on Tuesday by gunmen as they were on safari…
YOUNG actors Kashif Ghole and Ibraheem Hussain dive straight into the deep end in their debut roles in the coming-of-age play, Brown Boys Swim. The pair play the lead roles of Mohsen and Kash, teenagers ready for university; but, before that, they’re desperate to get into the biggest pool party…
AMARJIT SINGH GUDAIL, who is a member of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), agrees there is now a shortage of allotments in the country. Last Sunday (15), he showed Eastern Eye around the Bixley Fields Allotments in Southall in west London, from where it is possible to see “up to…
POWERLESS. That is how many people feel seeing tragedy unfold in Israel and in Palestine. Our sense of impotence is nothing compared to the powerlessness of those slaughtered in the Hamas massacre of civilians in Israel, or now the powerlessness of so many people in Gaza in the face of…
India's top court on Tuesday (17) declined to legalise same-sex marriages. However, it emphasised the country's responsibility to recognise LGBTQ relationships and safeguard them against discrimination. The government has opposed moves to legally codify same-sex partnerships in the five years since the Supreme Court struck down colonial-era laws banning gay…
With the aim to bolster security measures and foster unity, the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has affirmed the continuation of increased security for places of worship in response to recent terrorist attacks by Hamas in Israel. The tragic events in Israel and Gaza have deeply affected London communities, prompting…
LABOUR MP Khalid Mahmood has criticised a top Mulsim group of the UK for not condemning Hamas which committed atrocities in Israel earlier this month. Hamas gunmen sneaked across the border into southern Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7, killing about 1,400 people and abducting dozens. In its…
A contentious debate has arisen in Pakistan over the nation's participation in the upcoming Miss Universe competition. Erica Robin, a 24-year-old Christian woman from Karachi, is set to represent Pakistan at the prestigious event, marking the country's first-ever contestant at the Miss Universe pageant. She is set to represent Pakistan…
The upcoming Akshardham temple in Abu Dhabi, the Middle East's first endeavour of its kind, stands as a testament to the generosity of the United Arab Emirates rulers, said the head of the ambitious project. Swami Brahmaviharidas, overseeing the temple's construction on behalf of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha…
SALMAN RUSHDIE, the Indian-born novelist who spent years in hiding after Iran urged Muslims to kill him because of his writing, will publish a memoir on his 2022 stabbing in New York, book publisher Penguin Random House said on Wednesday (11). Rushdie's new memoir, "Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder,"…
PAKISTAN’S Supreme Court has upheld a controversial law seeking to curtail the powers of the chief justice but barred its retrospective application. The law upheld by the majority of judges, including the sitting chief justice, deprived the chief justice of forming benches for different cases as the new law provided…
POPULAR actor Sunny Deol has scored one of this year’s biggest Bollywood successes with Gadar 2. The Hindi cinema hardman also made it 40 years in Bollywood recently and will celebrate his 67th birthday on October 19. Eastern Eye decided to mark all the occasions by putting together a watchlist…
MINISTERS and the media are contributing to hate crime against British Muslims, according to politicians and community leaders. Last week (5) saw a nine per cent year-on-year increase in reported religious hate crime figures. Politicians, religious leaders and campaigning groups are urging them to stop demonising Muslims. Of the almost…
Influencer and doctor Mehrub Moiz Awan recounts numerous instances of harassment she has faced since becoming the outspoken representative of Pakistan's queer community. A well-coordinated digital hate campaign, fuelled by the religious right, has endangered transgender individuals, jeopardising their legal rights and their lives. "It became quite vicious where there…
SCOTLAND'S leader Humza Yousaf said on Monday (9) that his wife's parents were "trapped" in Gaza, leaving him worried if they will survive an attack by Israel The parents of Yousaf’s wife were in Gaza visiting family when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel over the weekend. "They're trapped…
An interfaith service was held at Manchester Cathedral in celebration of Mahatma Gandhi's 154th Birth Anniversary on October 2, uniting people from diverse backgrounds in the spirit of love, peace, and unity. More than 350 delegates from various faith-based organisations including Afro-Caribbean, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Muslim, and Sikh communities…
SCOTLAND’S first minister Humza Yousaf has appeared on the front cover of Time magazine which described him as one of the 10 “trailblazers shaping the future”. The recognition came on the eve of his Scottish National Party’s bigger-than-expected defeat in a parliamentary seat on the outskirts of Glasgow. Yousaf, born…
MAJORITY of hate crimes in England and Wales in the year ending March 2023 were directed at Muslims, the latest data revealed. There were 3,452 attacks against Muslims, accounting for 39 per cent of all reported hate crimes during the period, the Home Office data published on Thursday (5) stated.…
ACCLAIMED theatre director Milli Bhatia said the theme of how “empowering” representation is for marginalised groups is what drew her to debutant writer Mohamed-Zain Dada’s play Blue Mist. Set in the shisha lounges of northwest London, Blue Mist follows three south Asian Muslim men navigating a system that “isn’t built…
WRITER and director Vijay Krishna Acharya is largely known for high-profile action entertainers like Dhoom 3 and his last film, the disastrous Thugs Of Hindostan. That is why it was strange to see him helm this comedy-drama, which was released in cinemas recently. The story revolves around a successful bhajan…
AA DHAND is making history as the first British Asian crime writer whose work is being adapted for a six-part BBC TV series. His tales are set in the dark, mean streets of Bradford and his main protagonist is a Sikh police officer, Detective Chief Inspector Hardeep Virdee. He doesn’t…
The Gulshan & Pyarali Gulamali Nanji Family Foundation has recently gifted a multi-million-dollar donation to the Aga Khan Museum which will help expand its global impact on people around the world and deepen their understanding of Muslim arts and cultures. According to the Museum, this significant contribution will enhance onsite…
THE Indian government freed Kashmir’s chief Muslim cleric and influential separatist leader, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, last Friday (22) after more than four years of house arrest. The 50-year-old was detained along with other political leaders and thousands of residents when the government cancelled the region’s constitutional semi-autonomy and imposed federal…
THE Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) last Thursday (21) announced a general election for January, almost three months later than scheduled, removing political uncertainty over the timing to help salvage a falling economy. Elections were due to be held in November, but were delayed due to fresh demarcation of constituencies…
A BANGLADESH player has apologised for social media posts condemning working women but denied he was a misogynist because “his mother is a woman”, the country’s cricket board said on Tuesday (26). Tanzim Hasan Sakib took the wicket of India captain Rohit Sharma with only his fourth international delivery when…
AMIR KHAN, the TV doctor, admits that he delved into parts of his own life in writing his first novel, How (Not) To Have An Arranged Marriage. Khan is a familiar figure to audiences, with regular appearances on Lorraine, This Morning and Good Morning Britain. He has also been in…
INDIAN activist Partha Chaudhury is on a war footing as he strides out of the ruling BJP’s regional headquarters in Kolkata armed with passion and pages of voter lists. “We need to meet each and every BJP supporter, and all of this has to be done in less than 300…
China has refused to further expand cooperation in the areas of energy, water management, and climate change under the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), it emerged on Tuesday (26) signalling a strain in the 'ironclad' friendship between the allies. Cash-strapped Pakistan also gave up its opposition to setting up a…
ANTI-MUSLIM hate speech incidents in India averaged more than one a day in the first half of 2023 and were seen most in states with upcoming elections, according to a report by Hindutva Watch, a Washington-based group monitoring attacks on minorities. There were 255 documented incidents of hate speech gatherings…
Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed that there have been no alterations in party supremo Nawaz Sharif's intention to return to Pakistan next month. Shehbaz Sharif said that his elder brother is scheduled to present an 'agenda of progress' on October 21, the media…
With an aim to bring together art, artists and unique stories of India, streaming platform JioCinema is set to launch a digital film festival on September 29. According to the organisers, the festival will showcase 20 remarkable films across 20 days. A celebration of India’s rich storytelling, the festival line-up…
A total of 32 individuals have faced convictions for various offences in connection to East Leicester’s violent clashes between Hindu and Muslim communities that erupted in August and September 2022, resulting in the city gaining international attention. The offences include affray, threats to kill, racial or religious public order offenses,…
Shoayb Pathan, a Muslim dad involved in last year's violence in East Leicester, during which he charged at a masked group of Hindus armed with a meat hook, has been sentenced. He was apprehended while running along Spence Street in Spinney Hills during a clash that occurred on Saturday, September…
The Canadian government has dismissed India's travel advisory regarding security concerns in Canada, asserting that Canada is among the safest countries globally. They have also urged for calm amid the growing diplomatic dispute between the two nations surrounding the assassination of a Khalistani separatist leader within Canada. Prime minister Justin…
FOR younger members of the British Asian audience who had come to see The Father and the Assassin, the play was something of a revelation. “I didn’t know anything about this,” admitted a young woman who works in PR. But for a Punjabi woman in her 60s, whose family was…
THE lead of an independent review investigating into clashes in Leicester last year has refuted suggestions that the authorities overlooked decades of deepening divides in the city. Dozens of people were arrested after community tensions erupted in August and September 2022 and led incidents of vandalism and attacks on places…
RESEARCH by a campaign group has revealed that Susan Hall, the Tory candidate for London mayor, has liked tweets praising controversial figure Enoch Powell and tweets containing Islamophobic abuse directed at her Labour opponent, Sadiq Khan, reported the Guardian. In February 2020, Hall liked a tweet praising Powell, a former…
PAKISTAN'S election commission has questioned the neutrality of the country's caretaker government tasked with holding national elections, saying it appears to be aligned with the opponents of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan. The caretaker government, which took over last month on the five year expiry of parliament, is meant…
THE first phase of the Ram temple in India's northern town of Ayodhya will be completed in December and will open to devotees in January, an official said on Thursday (14). The site where the temple was built was bitterly contested for years, with both Hindus and Muslims laying claim…
“WHO was Churchill?” This was the question debated at the inaugural Chartwell Literary Festival last week at Sir Winston Churchill’s home in Kent. It was held to mark the 70th anniversary of the Nobel Prize for Literature that Britain’s wartime leader was awarded in 1953. Introducing three historians on the…
PAKISTAN Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif will return to the country from London on October 21 to lead the party's political campaign in the upcoming elections, ending his over four years of self-imposed exile in the UK. "Nawaz Sharif will return to Pakistan on October 21," his younger brother…
FIVE former Metropolitan Police officers have been found guilty of sharing “grossly offensive racist messages” including mocking prime minister Rishi Sunak and other British Asian politicians. Peter Booth, 66, Robert Lewis, 62, Anthony Elsom, 67, Alan Hall, 65, and Trevor Lewton, 65 retired from the UK’s largest force between 2001…
AFTER communal clashes in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri area last year, police said they used facial recognition technology to identify and arrest dozens of men, the second such instance after a more violent riot in the Indian capital in 2020. In both cases, most of those charged were Muslims, leading human rights…
The Canadian man charged with the murder of four members of a Muslim family acted intentionally and with premeditation, the prosecutor said. The man whose trial began on Monday (11) faces accusations of driving his pick-up truck into the family, leading to their tragic deaths in what is being characterised…
A DUTCH court sentenced a Pakistani former cricketer to 12 years in prison on Monday (11) after he was tried in absentia for urging people to murder Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders. The court ruled that statements by 37-year-old Khalid Latif should be regarded as incitement to murder, sedition and…
FIVE former Metropolitan Police officers have been found guilty of sharing “grossly offensive racist messages” including mocking prime minister Rishi Sunak and other British Asian politicians. Peter Booth, 66, Robert Lewis, 62, Anthony Elsom, 67, Alan Hall, 65, and Trevor Lewton, 65 retired from the UK’s largest force between 2001…
SRI LANKA’S two largest ethnic groups, the Sinhalese and the Sri Lankan Tamils, are genetically more similar to each other than any other south Asian population group, according to a study. The research, published last Friday (1) in the journal iScience and conducted jointly by Indian and Sri Lankan DNA…
A FORMER Pakistani international cricketer went on trial last Tuesday (29) in the Netherlands for allegedly attempting to incite the murder of anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders, with prosecutors demanding a 12-year sentence if convicted. Dutch public prosecutors said Khalid Latif, 37, who remains in Pakistan, had offered €21,000 (£18,284) in…
A CANADIAN man accused of slamming his pick-up truck into a Muslim family, killing four people in an alleged terrorist attack, pleaded not guilty to murder on Tuesday (5). Nathaniel Veltman, 20 at the time of his arrest, appeared in court in Windsor, southern Ontario province, during the opening of…
Actor Sacha Dhawan, who is known for Doctor Who and The Great, Wolf, has been roped in to play the title role in a new BBC detective series Virdee. The six-part series is the screen adaptation of pharmacist A.A. Dhand’s bestselling Harry Virdee crime novels that follow an enigmatic detective.…
The Royal Court Theatre today announced Salman Akhtar, Omar Bynon, and Arian Nik as the cast for Mohamed-Zain Dada’s debut play Blue Mist. It is directed by Royal Court Associate Director Milli Bhatia, who has previously directed such successful plays as Baghdaddy, Maryland, Living Newspaper, My White Best Friend (and…
The 67th BFI London Film Festival commences on Wednesday, October 4 with Emerald Fennell’s new thriller Saltburn at the Royal Festival Hall. From there, the prestigious film festival will continue its post-pandemic revival with 11 days and nights of galas, screenings, and events. BFI London Film Festival recently announced its…
Denmark announced on Friday (25), its intention to ban Qu’ran burnings in response to a series of incidents involving the desecration of Islam's sacred text within the Scandinavian country. These actions had provoked outrage in various Muslim countries. In the wake of this backlash, Denmark heightened its security measures earlier…
ISLAMOPHOBIC films featuring Muslim villains doing well in the past couple of years has led towards Bollywood producers trying to quickly cash in with similar subjects. That perhaps explains why a terrible movie like Akelli could ever get made. The story revolves around a woman from Punjab, who ends up…
GATE Theatre’s Brassic FM, which opens next Monday (4), will showcase an “unfiltered and unique” take on the working class, as seen through the lens of a pirate radio station. Co-created by poet Zia Ahmed and artistic director Stef O’Driscoll, Brassic FM is described as a love letter to working…
Authorities in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh have taken the step of closing a private school following an incident where a teacher instructed her students to slap a Muslim classmate. Neha Public School in Khubbapur village was subjected to closure by officials who cited its failure to meet the…
FRENCH authorities are to ban the wearing in school of abaya dresses worn by some Muslim women, the education minister said Sunday (27), arguing the garment violated France's strict secular laws in education. "It will no longer be possible to wear an abaya at school," education minister Gabriel Attal told…
Veteran screenwriter Javed Akhtar, and actors Renuka Shahane and Prakash Raj have called for strict action against a teacher in Uttar Pradesh who allegedly asked her students to slap a boy from a minority community. A video showing the school teacher in Muzaffarnagar asking her students to slap the Muslim…
Over 80 Christian homes and 19 churches in Pakistan were vandalised as a Muslim mob engaged in street violence this week, a senior police official confirmed on Friday (18). Amid allegations of blasphemy, an enraged group of Muslim men stormed through a neighbourhood in Punjab province's city of Jaranwala on…
A copy of the Qu’ran was trampled on and torn up by a Dutch far-right activist on Friday (18), during a demonstration outside the Turkish embassy in The Hague, infuriating numerous counter-protesters who were present at the scene. The Dutch government had already condemned the holding of the demonstration ahead…
Filmmaker Zoya Akhtar is currently in the news for the second season of her and Reema Kagti's critically acclaimed show Made In Heaven. The show dropped last week on Prime Video after a long wait of more than four years. Recently, an Instagram user questioned Akhtar over the portrayal of…
PAKISTAN'S blasphemy law has come under a spotlight after a Muslim mob burnt churches and houses in a Christian settlement in the east of the country, accusing two of its members of desecrating the Quran. Authorities have arrested more than 100 people in connection with the attacks in Jaranwala of…
PARAMILITARY troops have cordoned off a Christian settlement in eastern Pakistan where a Muslim mob vandalised and torched several churches and scores of houses after two men living there were accused of desecrating the Quran, police and witnesses said on Thursday (17). The attack took place in Jaranwala in the…
MIKE BREARLEY, a very successful England cricket captain from 1977 to 1980, has been a practising psychoanalyst in London for the past 40 years. Brearley very sportingly placed himself on the couch for the benefit of Eastern Eye – and answered questions on the many Indian connections that are mentioned…
CRICKET, tapas and a TV advert featuring footballer Lionel Messi may seem like a strange combination, but it has been a winning one in helping to grow the sport in Spain and across Europe, thanks to the south Asian expatriate community. In Malaga, the Cartama Oval has become the new…
SEVERAL British Muslims have raised concerns about debanking making their access to financial services difficult.Debanking became a hotly discussed issue after Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage claimed his account at private bank Coutts had been closed because of his political views.While several people complained about their debits being declined banks,…
THOSE who pursue romantic love across boundaries of caste, religion or class in India are even today “just asking to be murdered”, says the historian Joya Chatterji, emeritus professor of South Asian History at Cambridge University. She has given several examples of love leading to murder in her new book,…
INDIA on Tuesday (15) completed 76 years as an independent country. The historian, Ramachandra Guha, provided a report card in a long article in the Sunday Times (13), headed, “Can India be the next superpower?” Guha, known to be a critic of the Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, whose Bharatiya…
AUTHOR Zanib Mian said she wanted to give readers “a window into the lives of everyday Muslims” with her new children’s book, Meet the Maliks – Twin Detectives. Aimed at primary school children, the story revolves around twins Maysa and Musa Malik who set out to solve the mystery of…
THOUSANDS of furious protesters marched in Bangladesh on Monday (14) hours after a powerful jailed Islamist opposition leader died of a heart attack aged 83, officials said. Delwar Hossain Sayedee, vice president of the opposition Jamaat-e-Islami party, died in a prison hospital early Monday evening, just more than a decade…
On the occasion of India's 77th Independence Day, several celebrities wished their fans with special posts on their respective social media handles. Jackie Shroff celebrated Independence Day with school children. He took to Instagram and shared the video and pictures from the celebration and captioned it, “Happy 77th Independence Day.…
BRITAIN on Sunday (13) warned citizens going to Sweden of possible terrorist attacks following Qu'ran burnings by anti-Islam activists that have outraged Muslims. In updated travel advice, Britain's Foreign Office said Swedish authorities had successfully disrupted some planned attacks and made arrests. "You should be vigilant at this time," it…
The outgoing prime minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, has announced that his brother and former premier, Nawaz Sharif, is set to make his return to Pakistan in the upcoming month. Nawaz Sharif's return aims to address his pending court cases and to spearhead the party's efforts for the forthcoming general…
AT LEAST 17 people drowned when a boat carrying Rohingya refugees fleeing Myanmar's Rakhine state broke up at sea this week, rescuers said Thursday (10). Thousands of Rohingya risk their lives each year making perilous sea journeys from camps in Bangladesh and Myanmar to try to reach Muslim-majority Malaysia and…
PAKISTAN'S president ordered parliament dissolved on late Wednesday, opening the door to a caretaker government that will usher in elections in which the country's most popular politician, Imran Khan, has been sidelined. The country has been in political turmoil since the former international cricket star was booted from power in…
WHEN author Shelina Janmohamed couldn’t find any relevant books on the British empire for her two young daughters, she decided to write her own book, titled Story of Now – Let’s Talk About the British Empire. Her two daughters, aged nine and five at the time, were keen to learn…
IMRAN KHAN’S conviction and his three-year jail term in a corruption case have cleared a “major hurdle” in holding general elections in Pakistan, and will help the ruling party and the powerful military to get the “desired results” in the polls, some analysts and political leaders believe. Political analyst Hasan…
EVERYONE knows that the easiest way to win an election is to “encourage” the opposition candidate to stand down. In Pakistan, Imran Khan has been cancelled by the army. He should have known those who live by the army die by the army. He has been given a three-year jail…
Three soldiers were killed in a clash with suspected rebels amidst the fourth anniversary of New Delhi's direct rule imposition in Indian-administered Kashmir. The confrontation occurred as an army patrol, searching for armed insurgents in the forests of Halan in the southern Kashmir valley, engaged in an exchange of fire…
A radical Islamist preacher with dual British and Pakistani nationality charged with three terrorism-related offences will face a trial in May next year, a UK court ruled on Friday (4). Anjem Choudary, 56, was arrested at his home in east London by the Metropolitan Police last month and charged with…
LOCAL authorities in India's northern state of Haryana have begun demolishing what they term illegal houses that were allegedly used in an attack on a Hindu procession earlier this week that sparked deadly Hindu-Muslim clashes across the state. The violence erupted in the Nuh district on Monday (31) and quickly…
Anti-Islam activists in Denmark and Sweden have recently engaged in the burning and damaging of multiple copies of the Qu’ran, sparking outrage within the Muslim world and prompting calls for these Nordic nations to prohibit such actions. Both governments have expressed condemnation for these burnings and are contemplating the enactment…
Denmark's government has announced the tightening of border controls as a measure to enhance domestic security and prevent the entry of unwanted individuals into the country. This decision comes in the wake of Qu'ran burnings and similar actions, which have led to concerns about potential revenge attacks. Sweden had also…
Seven Danish opposition parties expressed their objections on Thursday (03) to the government's attempts to criminalise the burning of copies of the Qu’ran, arguing that such legislation would constitute an unacceptable infringement on freedom of expression. Following outrage in the Muslim world over the desecration of the Qu’ran in front…
Madame Tussauds Dubai unveiled a wax statue of Pakistan's late former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto on Sunday (30), marking her as the first individual from the country to be featured among the famous personalities in the museum's franchise branch. The figure was unveiled at Bluewaters Island by Pakistan's foreign minister,…
RIOT police were patrolling urban neighbourhoods near India's capital on Wednesday (2) following a second night of sectarian riots that have killed six people so far. The unrest began Monday (31) when mobs hurled stones at a Hindu religious procession and set cars alight in the predominantly Muslim district of…
A video of a comment made by Sudha Murty, a well-known author, philanthropist, and educator, regarding her food habits has sparked a debate about vegetarianism on social media, the BBC reported. Murty 72, made a remark about her food habits on a popular food show called "Khaane Mein Kya Hai?"…
TWO policemen were shot dead on Tuesday (1) while guarding a polio vaccination team in southwest Pakistan, officials said, the latest deaths in a high-stakes campaign to eradicate the debilitating virus. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries in the world where polio remains endemic despite an effective vaccine, and…
OVERSEAS students who return home after three to five years in the UK should not be included in the migration statistics, Lord Simon McDonald, master of Christ’s, academically one of the strongest colleges in Cambridge, has said. “I think the idea that student numbers can contribute to overall migration numbers…
SRI LANKA’S main Tamil party, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), has demanded “enhanced and meaningful” devolution of power under the full implementation of the contentious 13th Amendment to the country’s constitution. The minority Tamil community in Sri Lanka long sought devolution of power under the 13th Amendment following the Indo-Sri…
DEBUTANT writer Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi said she has tried to “dismantle the idea of great literature” with her first novel, The Centre. The novel’s protagonist, Anissa Elahi, is a Pakistani Muslim woman living in London who dreams of being a translator of great works of literature. When her white boyfriend,…
The Swedish government announced on Tuesday (01), its plan to "intensify" border controls in response to a deteriorating security situation triggered by a series of protests involving desecrations of the Qu’ran. The protests, which included burning pages of the Qu’ran in public, have led to tensions between Sweden and Muslim…
AT LEAST five people, including two police personnel, were killed in clashes between Hindus and Muslims in India's Haryana state, neighbouring capital New Delhi, on Monday (31), police officials said. The violence erupted when a Hindu religious procession passed through the Muslim dominated Nuh region, located around 50 kilometres away…
FORTY years ago, mobs in Sri Lanka burned 13 people alive, part of a week-long pogrom that turbocharged simmering ethnic unrest into all-out civil war. Known in Sri Lanka as 'black July', the brutal violence triggered a 26-year conflict that killed about 100,000 people and set development back by decades,…
The burning of a Qu’ran outside the Iraqi embassy in Copenhagen by a group known as "Danish Patriots" on Monday (24) has sparked severe condemnation from Iraq and multiple other Muslim-majority nations. The far-right group had also live-streamed a similar act on Facebook on Friday (21), further fuelling tensions. Protesters…
ONE of the main parties in Pakistan's ruling coalition has proposed that finance minister Ishaq Dar lead the incoming caretaker government, party sources said, a move aimed at helping with continuity of economic reforms under an IMF deal. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) put forward Dar's name to its coalition…
DEBATES, films, and drama serials set in the past, divisions triggered by different views of shared history, many books and more, show just how much of a hot topic history has become. That has made the newly published book History’s Angel very timely and a clever new take on the…
ISSUES around integration, if left unchallenged, could lead to deepening divide in community relations such as those witnessed in Leicester last year, according to the thinktank British Future. In September last year, places of worship and other properties in Leicester came under attack after community tensions rose between Hindu and…
The Bombay High Court has highlighted the need for India and its Parliament to be aware of international developments, where several countries have reduced the age of consent for adolescents to engage in consensual sexual relationships. A single bench of Justice Bharati Dangre in an order passed on July 10…
WRITER Rabiah Hussain said the idea of her second production, Word-Play, came from listening to the controversial rhetoric of some politicians and seeing the “trickle down effect” it had on society. Word-Play is centred on a loose-cannon prime minister whose Islamophobic comments go viral and cause uproar in the country.…
POLICE officials in Pakistan's Sindh province have deployed 400 police personnel and ordered a high-security alert at temples in the province after a gang attacked a Hindu temple with rocket launchers this week. The assailants attacked the temple on Sunday (16) and adjoining homes belonging to Hindus in the Kashmore…
NINE months before a general election, India’s prime minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have dusted off a potentially divisive plan to enact a common set of personal laws for all, irrespective of religion. Currently, India's Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and large tribal populations follow their own personal…
The cross-border love story between Seema Haider and Sachin Meena, aided by the PUBG mobile game, has taken a new twist as the couple has been reported as 'missing' for the past 24 hours, with no communication to their families. The Indian media extensively covered their unusual love story, which…
A PSYCHOPATHIC racist who has been serving life imprisonment for bludgeoning a British Pakistani teenager to death is set for early release from prison on licence. Robert Stewart showed an inclination to reform and “live a pro-social life,' a Parole Board panel report seen by MailOnline said. In March 2000,…
PAKISTAN'S army said on Wednesday (12) it lost 12 soldiers in suspected militant attacks, including an assault on one of its bases. Nine soldiers were killed at the base which the Islamist militants stormed into armed with guns, hand grenades and rockets, the army and security officials said. In a…
THERE have been a lot of campus set stories, but perhaps none have offered the unique perspective of newly published novel The Scope of Permissibility. The dynamic debut from Australian writer Zeynab Gamieldien follows three friends as they navigate the complexities of university life and adherence to their Muslim faith.…
ONE of the key public purposes of the BBC is ‘to reflect, represent and serve the diverse communities’ of the United Kingdom. The broadcaster’s operating licence from Ofcom goes further – ‘the BBC should accurately and authentically represent and portray the lives of the people of the United Kingdom today…
THE UN Human Rights Council voted on Wednesday (12) to condemn recent Koran burning incidents, but many countries declined to back the measure, fearing it encroached too much on free speech. Despite overwhelming condemnation of the Muslim holy book being desecrated, the vote brought more division than unity as Western…
THE LABOUR candidate to replace Boris Johnson as Conservative MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip has said the former prime minister played a part in ethnic minorities losing “trust in democracy and public life”. Danny Beales is the Labour candidate for the byelection in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, which became…
THE UN Human Rights Council is heading towards a divisive vote on Wednesday (12) on religious hatred following recent Koran burnings, with some Western nations reluctantly feeling the draft resolution encroaches too far on free speech. Pakistan and other Organisation of Islamic Cooperation countries secured an urgent debate at the…
ACTING must put more people of colour in creative boardrooms to stop unconscious bias, colonialism and complacency which exist in the profession. That is the call from one of the industry’s biggest south Asian stars. Meera Syal told the Raminklal Pioneers Project, a partnership of the Asian Media Group [the…
A new poll revealed that half of Scots believe the first minister is doing a bad job, while only a small minority (23 per cent) believe that he is performing well. According to the YouGov survey, fewer than a fifth of voters said that Humza Yousaf is performing well in key…
The guest of honour for the Bastille Day celebrations in France on Friday (14) is Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, highlighting the ongoing efforts of Western powers to engage with India, the world's largest democracy and a rapidly growing economy. President Emmanuel Macron extended a warm reception to Modi, following…
VOTING in local polls in India's West Bengal state resumed on Monday (10) at hundreds of election centres after being disrupted by violence that left 10 people dead, officials said. The state election commission reported seven people were killed last Saturday (8) in election-related violence and another three died "in…
THOUSANDS of people rallied in streets across Pakistan on Friday (7) to condemn a Koran burning in Sweden that has outraged Muslims around the world. Last week, Salwan Momika, an Iraqi living in Sweden, stomped on the Muslim holy book and set several pages alight outside a Stockholm mosque. His…
A SENIOR US diplomat will travel to India in the coming days and engage with its civil society over free speech and marginalisation of minorities. It comes after Indian prime minister Narendra Modi's recent US visit when he denied that abuse of religious minorities existed in his country. Uzra Zeya,…
In a historic ceremony held in Edinburgh, Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla were presented with the crown jewels of Scotland on Wednesday (05). The event, commemorating the Coronation of the new monarch, featured blessings from leaders representing various faiths, including a Hindu priest. This multi-faith format was similar…
AN Indian court sentenced 10 men to 10 years in jail for the lynching of a Muslim man, who died after being tortured and forced to chant Hindu slogans . Tabrez Ansari was tied to a pole and tortured for 12 hours in 2019, as he cried and pleaded with…
USMAN KHAWAJA has persevered through racism and a career crisis to emerge as the understated driving force behind Australia’s bid to retain the Ashes. Khawaja extended his fine start to the series in England with a typically efficient second-innings 77 as Australia won a pulsating Test match at Lord’s last…
LONDON Mayor Sadiq Khan's plans to expand a contentious clean-air zone for motorists has driven a surge in online racist abuse against him, according to an analysis published by his office on Wednesday (5). Khan, who is of Pakistani descent, was elected the first Muslim mayor of London - and…
THE Church of England stands accused of failing survivors of child abuse and punishing whistle blowers who give them a voice, a former independent advocate has told Eastern Eye. The church sacked Jasvinder Sanghera, who founded Karma Nirvana, a charity for mainly south Asian survivors of domestic abuse, forced marriage…
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) on Thursday dismissed reports that the trailer of 72 Hoorain was denied certification, saying the matter is "under due process". On Tuesday, the film's co-producer Ashoke Pandit claimed the censor board refused to give a certificate to the trailer of the movie, set to…
Former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif and former president Asif Ali Zardari have reportedly held a meeting in the UAE, a media report said on Tuesday (27). The purpose of the meeting was to consult and determine the timing of the next general elections in the country, as well as…
TEENAGER Amanullah Khan teeters on his tiptoes, daubing towering camels with festive henna patterns to entice Eid al-Adha customers at a market near the Pakistan capital. Hundreds of farmers have camped at livestock markets between Islamabad and its twin city Rawalpindi for two weeks, hoping to sell animals ahead of…
A WEEKEND article in the Financial Times set out to explain “How India is slowly moving into the American orbit.” The reality is that India is not moving into the American orbit nor America into India’s, but for some decades now the two countries have been drawing closer together. One…
THE head of English cricket has admitted to Eastern Eye that the game is in an “appalling position” after a damning report found the sport was beset with racism and misogyny. Cricket boards were accused of failing to prevent “structural and institutional racism, sexism and class-based discrimination,” in a report…
Ashoke Pandit, co-producer of the film 72 Hoorain, on Tuesday, said the censor board has refused to give a certificate to the trailer of the movie set for release on July 7. Directed by Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan, the film stars Pavan Malhotra and Aamir Bashir in the lead and…
Pakistan's national assembly has passed legislation limiting how long lawmakers can be disqualified from office, a state spokesman said on Tuesday (27), paving the way for exiled former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's return to politics. Sharif served as Pakistan's prime minister three times - the last before being ousted over…
THE third edition of the reunion of former cricketers in Kenya will be held on 26 August 2023 at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Muthithi Road, Westlands, Nairobi, a statement said. An organising committee comprises of experienced past and present officials, Kenya international cricketers and social volunteers was formed for the…
EID has become such a hectic time for barbers that some are charging people £100 to beat the queue for a haircut, it has emerged. Salons across the UK were set to be open overnight ahead of the Islamic festival which falls on Wednesday (28). And, with thousands of people…
CRICKET owes Azeem Rafiq and Lord Kamlesh Patel of Bradford an apology for the way they were treated in exposing and trying to overcome racism in cricket, the chair of an independent inquiry has told Eastern Eye. After a two-and-a-half-year review of the sport, the Independent Commission for Equity in…
FORMER US president Barack Obama has faced criticism from leaders of India's governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for his remarks concerning Muslims in India. Obama expressed concerns that India may "start pulling apart" if the rights of minorities were not safeguarded. He made these comments while addressing a question on…
EGYPT and India discussed strengthening ties in areas including trade, food security and defence during a state visit to Cairo by Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, the two countries said on Sunday (25). On his first trip to Egypt, Modi met Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Egyptian ministers appointed…
INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi met with US and Indian technology executives in Washington on Friday (23), the final day of a state visit where he agreed new defence and technology cooperation and addressed challenges posed by China. US president Joe Biden rolled out the red carpet for Modi on…
US president Joe Biden and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi called on Pakistan to act to ensure that its territory is not used to launch extremist attacks, the White House said in a joint statement. "They strongly condemned cross-border terrorism, the use of terrorist proxies and called on Pakistan to…
Croydon has recently announced the spectacular line-up for its Summer Festivals series. Locals, Londoners, and visitors alike will find new reasons to explore the Borough as festival favourites return bigger and better for 2023, as part of ‘This is Croydon’, our year as The Mayor of London’s London Borough of…
INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (21) opened a state visit to Washington as the United States steps up its wooing of India. President Joe Biden is putting on the full pomp for only the third state visitor of his administration, with the billion-plus country seen as a pivotal…
THE UN human rights chief called on Monday (19) for greater support for his office as he seeks to expand its work by establishing a first-time presence in the world’s two most populous countries, India and China. Established after the second world war, the UN human rights office is present…
NOBODY would today tell the story of post-war migration to Britain without reference to the Windrush. The scale of attention to this week’s 75th anniversary of the boat’s arrival, at Tilbury Dock in 1948, speaks of its importance as a historic moment. It has become a symbolic ‘origins story’ of…
When prime minister Rishi Sunak met US president Joe Biden on June 8, one of the overriding themes of their talks was how the world’s leading governments should guard against risks posed by artificial intelligence (AI). Ultimately, Sunak wants an international organisation established, based in London, to effectively be an…
PAKISTAN Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has urged his elder brother and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief to return from London to lead the party and the country. Addressing a meeting of the central general council meeting of the party on Friday (16) where he was re-elected as the president of…
FORMER British prime minister Boris Johnson, who quit parliament last week over a finding that he misled lawmakers about Covid lockdown parties, was accused of a new breach for taking a newspaper columnist job without waiting for required ethics vetting. Nine months after he left the premiership, Johnson's ethics record…
With the next UK general election looming over the horizon, upwardly-mobile British Indians will be a critical voter constituency in various parts of the country. In recent times, there has been a fraying of relations between the wider British Indian population and the Labour Party. In the 2015 general election,…
Tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh protested last Thursday (8), demanding to be repatriated to Myanmar, so that they could leave the squalid camps they have lived in since fleeing a brutal military crackdown in their homeland in 2017. More than a million Rohingya have been crammed into…
Newly appointed member of the House of Lords, Kulveer Singh Ranger, told Eastern Eye he will use his position to leverage his expertise in transport and technology and help deliver better public services. Ranger was last Friday (9) rewarded by former prime minister Boris Johnson in his resignation honours list,…
New ITVX comedy series Count Abdulla has put a new spin on the horror genre. The story of a young Muslim doctor getting a lust for blood after being bitten by a vampire has a stand-out performance from Sia Alipour as the street-smart cousin trying to figure out what is…
Two human rights groups have invited policy makers, journalists and analysts to a screening in Washington of a BBC documentary on Narendra Modi that questioned the Indian prime minister's leadership during the 2002 Gujarat riots, ahead of his state visit to the White House. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International…
When Iqra Shazadi found out that no soldier had ever worn the hijab in the British Army, she was shocked, and this motivated her further to achieve her desire to join the army and do something more. She realised it was her chance to create “her story”. “There is a…
One of the hottest young comedians on the UK live circuit right now is Muhsin Yesilada. The fast rising stand-up star has been touring with The Muslims Are Coming show, along with finding himself on other actionpacked line-ups. His high energy brand of humour has connected him with cross-generational audiences…
Manpreet Bambra stars in the new ITVX comedy series Count Abdulla, which revolves around a young Muslim doctor whose life is turned upside down after he is bitten by a vampire. The versatile actress plays a key role in the sitcom available from next Thursday (15). It adds to an…
Author Sathnam Sanghera’s new book on the British empire is aimed at younger readers and explains how the empire once made the country the most powerful on earth and how it still affects our lives in many ways. Stolen History: The Truth about the British Empire is set to be…
Two terrorists, Jawad Akbar from Crawley and Salahuddin Amin, from Luton, have been granted a parole hearing, MailOnline reported. Both terrorists were part of a five-strong gang involved in plotting major attacks in the UK, between January 1, 2003, and March 31, 2004, including targeting popular locations like Bluewater and…
The government must be concerned about the Hindu- Muslim, Indian-Pakistani communal disharmony that surfaced in Leicester in September last year. This is why Michael Gove, secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities and minister for intergovernmental relations, has ordered an independent review into the unrest. There are two…
Veteran Indian actor Naseeruddin Shah, who can be currently seen playing the character of Mughal emperor Akbar in ZEE5’s historical drama Taj: Divided By Blood and its sequel Taj: Reign of Revenge, has commented on the rising trend of “Muslim hating” in current times, saying hate against the Muslims is…
The Hindi film industry was never the one to roll up its sleeves and tackle issues head-on, says veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah, asking whether anyone will make a movie on the protesting wrestlers in the national capital. The 72-year-old actor, a vocal critic of the BJP-led central government and someone…
Actors Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel are set to make you nostalgic with the re-release of their iconic film Gadar Ek Prem Katha. On Thursday, Sunny and Ameesha took to Instagram and shared the update with their fans and followers. The audience can once again watch the film in theatres…
Toplined by Adah Sharma, filmmaker Sudipto Sen’s The Kerala Story has been hitting headlines ever since entering cinemas on May 5, 2023. Despite facing opposition from several states and political leaders, the film has been performing exceptionally well in India and some key international territories. Resultantly, it has managed to…
Cult classic Amar Akbar Anthony is always included in the lists of greatest Bollywood films of all time. The highest-grossing Hindi movie of 1977 had a star-studded cast, memorable music, magical moments, and a legendary story of three brothers, brought up in different faiths after being separated as children. The…
Perhaps the most surprising British Asian book published in 2022 was 'Sex Bomb: The Life and Loves of an Asian Babe'. Apart from being an accomplished debut, the acclaimed memoir tackled taboo subjects, presented a unique protagonist, and offered up the kind of comedy not seen before. The widely acclaimed…
Yakub Patel, a dedicated member of the local community and originally from Gujarat, has assumed the esteemed position of Mayor in Preston, a city situated in Lancashire County, northern England. Preston has a long-standing tradition of having a city Mayor dating back to the 14th century. Hailing from the Bharuch…
Members of a London-based cycling club, who cycled from Makkah to Madinah in February to raise money to provide life-saving surgery for children with congenital heart defects, travelled to Tanzania last week to meet some of the families and children they supported. H&K Cycle Club raised an incredible £128,000 as…
London Mayor Sadiq Khan met prominent Hindu spiritual leader, His Holiness (HH) Pujya Mahant Swami Maharaj, who is currently visiting the UK to inspire faith, service, and global harmony, at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in north London on Sunday (21). During their meeting, the mayor thanked HH Pujya Mahant…
Security measures in the Jammu and Kashmir region have been heightened by Indian authorities due to a surge in militant attacks leading up to a G20 meeting focusing on tourism in the Himalayan territory. Officials confirmed the increased security measures on Wednesday (17), as the city of Srinagar, the summer…
The head of the Royal Air Force (RAF), Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, has said increased diversity in the armed forces is “mission critical” in future battles as he vowed to attract the “brightest and best of every single community”. Currently, 2.1 per cent of all RAF service personnel…
British-American novelist Salman Rushdie attended a New York gala on Thursday (18) night in his first public appearance since a knife attack that nearly took his life last year. The Mumbai-born writer, a naturalised American who has lived in New York for 20 years, lost sight in one eye after…
The Kerala Story producer Vipul Shah on Wednesday announced an initiative to help rehabilitate 300 alleged victims of religious conversion. The Kerala Story, a film on conversion that has polarised the political discourse in the country leading to bans in some states and a tax-free status in others, hit the…
It will be ten years next week since the murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby. There were so many shocking, frightening aspects of this brutal killing. It was the vicious murder of a soldier in broad daylight of a Wednesday afternoon. In contrast to the coordinated plots of 9/11 and 7/7,…
A Pakistan high court on Tuesday (16) extended bail for former prime minister Imran Khan in two cases relating to inciting violence and sedition until June 8. A single bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) heard the pleas in cases pertaining to allegations against top officers of state institutions…
The United States wants India to condemn persistent religious violence, a senior official said on Monday (15), one month before a state visit by prime minister Narendra Modi. The State Department on Monday released an annual report on religious freedom which listed attacks against religious minorities including Muslims and Christians…
Amid political turmoil in neighbouring countries, India, as the current G20 presidency, is poised to make a bold statement by hosting the third G20 tourism working group meeting in the picturesque region of Kashmir. From May 22 to 24, the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar will be abuzz…
More than a dozen people were killed in an overnight battle between Pakistan paramilitary troops and militants who stormed their base and took families hostage, the army said. "Well equipped" fighters assaulted a Frontier Corps compound in Muslim Bagh, Balochistan province, and captured three families in a residential block, the…
Authorities in an Indian state want to ban polygamy as part of a bid by the Hindu-nationalist central government to standardise the civil code across the country. Polygamy, the practice of having more than one spouse, is illegal under the Indian Penal Code but Muslim men are allowed to have…
Whether it is solo headline tours, ensemble shows featuring top names or something a little different, there are great stand-up comedy shows on the UK live scene. With that in mind, here is a quick list of some fabulously funny tours and shows you can look forward to, in no…
Muslim and Jewish worshippers at Aberdeen, Scotland, have demanded free parking on holidays, a privilege now enjoyed by Christians on Sundays. The port city has waived charges for parking on Sundays until after 1pm which allows Christians to travel to church without a financial barrier or fear of having a…
A man who praised the killer of French teacher Samuel Paty and posted images of his severed head was on Thursday (11) sentenced by a UK court to five and a half years in jail. Ajmal Shahpal, 41, was convicted in March at Birmingham Crown Court for posting tweets which…
As a breast cancer specialist and advocate for women's health, consultant medical oncologist Dr Fharat Raja has dedicated her life to educating and empowering women about breast cancer. In her latest charitable initiative, she has developed a bespoke programme of activities for the Asian community along with Future Dreams, Breast…
Actress Harvey Virdi, known for her role as Dr Misbah Maalik on Hollyoaks, said she relished the chance to write about “strong Asian women” in the play Happy Birthday Sunita, despite her packed schedule. Having first played at The Rifco in 2014, Happy Birthday Sunita has been revived at the same…
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday (10) said the arrest of former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan was an internal matter of the country but the UK was monitoring the situation “carefully”. Asked about the ongoing "civil unrest" in the country by Pakistan-born Conservative MP Rehman Chishti during Prime Minister's…
British Asian leaders have praised King Charles for using his coronation an essentially Christian ceremony which also showcased Britain’s “diversity of faith and communities” to pledge his life to service. Last Saturday’s (6) coronation of the King as monarch of the UK and 14 Commonwealth countries was the first in…
A new residential building named after Dr Yusuf Hamied has opened at Christ’s College, Cambridge, where the head of the Indian pharma giant, Cipla, was an undergraduate and then PhD chemistry student between 1954 and 1960. In more than 800 years that Cambridge University has been in existence, this is…
A man was beaten to death by a mob after being accused of blasphemy at a rally for former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan's party, officials said Sunday (7). Blasphemy is a hugely sensitive issue in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where even unproven allegations can stir mobs and violence. Video of the…
King Charles III's coronation ceremony commences today. Several Indians will be part of the coronation ceremony to represent the nation at the royal event in London. Vice President Jaideep Dhankar along with his wife Sudesh Dhankar will represent India at the royal spectacle among numerous celebrities and heads of government…
India gave a frosty reception Friday (5) to Pakistan's foreign minister during the first official visit by a senior official from its arch-rival neighbour since 2016. Relations between the countries have remained tense in recent years with both sides trading barbs over the disputed territory of Kashmir, with Friday no…
A woman's experience at an Asian dating event has gone viral on social media, as she described how disorganised it was, with other attendees waiting in an overheated marquee for over two hours. Twitter user Zainab said on the social media platform the speed dating part of the event was…
King Charles has been urged by prominent community and business leaders to use his reign to tackle inequalities within British society. More than 2,200 people will attend the coronation at Westminster Abbey on Saturday (6), among them international representatives from 203 countries as well as community and charity workers. The…
RISHI SUNAK acknowledged the Muslim community’s “incredible contribution” to the UK as the prime minister hosted an Eid reception at Downing Street on Wednesday (3). British Muslims are helping the country succeed in a wide range of fields including business, sports, NHS and armed forces, he said. Sunak, whose private…
A plan by the Indian government to train and arm civilians in Kashmir to fight off rebel attacks has divided opinions among local residents. Known as Village Defence Guards, the militia units were launched last year after several murders targeting police officers and Hindu residents of Kashmir. The scheme has…
A US government panel renewed calls on Monday (1) to blacklist India over religious freedom, saying that treatment of minorities has continued to worsen under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom offers recommendations but does not set policy and there is little expectation that the…
Pakistan's ruling coalition has dismissed former prime minister Imran Khan’s demand to dissolve the National Assembly by May 14 as "impracticable". Ahead of the third round of talks between the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML-N)-led federal coalition and Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party scheduled for Tuesday (2), the government told…
FAITH communities across Britain have come together to organise volunteering initiatives on Coronation Bank Holiday on next Monday (May 8) as part of the Big Help Out. The Big Help Out is one of the official projects of the Coronation weekend to promote, champion and showcase volunteering, a statement said.…
Muslim dating app Muzz has lost its appeal against a court ruling which mandated the British startup to change its name over “trademark infringement”.American internet and technology company Match Group had sued Muzz - previously known as muzmatch.com - accusing it of using the word “match” in its metadata to…
Buckingham Palace has announced that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty will lead a procession of flag-bearers during the Coronation ceremony of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey in London on May 6. The UK's flag will be carried by a high-ranking Royal Air Force (RAF) cadet.…
LABOUR is "institutionally, structurally and systematically racist” and taking south Asian voters for granted, councillors and party members have told Eastern Eye. They are urging the Labour leadership at national level to investigate why Hindus and Muslims have been barred from standing in next week’s [4 May] local elections. Labour’s…
The home secretary, Suella Braverman, has remained defiant amid accusations of being racist after she claimed an overwhelming majority of sexual “grooming gang” members in parts of England were British Pakistani men, as she reiterated the “truth” cannot be classed as racist. In an article for the Spectator magazine last…
The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for British Gujaratis was officially launched by Gareth Thomas, MP for Harrow West on Tuesday (25). The launch event was well-attended by members from various sectors of the community, including grassroots Gujarati organisations, business leaders, spiritual leaders, and politicians. Representatives from faith and community organisations…
Director Nida Manzoor is aiming to change the way Asian women are viewed on the screen with her new action comedy Polite Society. The London-set film follows Ria Khan (Priya Kansara), a bolshy schoolgirl and martial artist-in-training who dreams of becoming a world-renowned stunt woman. When she witnesses her big sister…
Whether it is commentating on highprofile cricket matches or generating laughter as a stand-up comedian, Aatif Nawaz has found different ways to entertain audiences. This week, he joins other British talents for popular comedy show 'The Muslims Are Coming', which returns for another UK tour. The latest tour adds to…
Nationalist movements within the British Asian community have become more prevalent in recent years and could “destabilise British society”, a major independent faith review in the UK has stated. The report by the government’s faith adviser, Colin Bloom, added that the change can be seen in small mobilisation of Hindu…
Singer Shaan has called for "respect and tolerance" after being trolled over a selfie he posted on Instagram to wish everyone on Eid. The selfie, a screen grab from one of his songs 'Karam Kar De', shows the singer in a skullcap offering namaaz. The singer said he posted the…
Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has declared to launch its election campaign in Punjab on Monday (24), despite the uncertainty surrounding the polling date in the crucial province. Asad Umar, the Secretary General of PTI, tweeted that the party is fully prepared to begin its official election campaign, even…
ASIAN peers representing the Hindu and Sikh faiths are likely to be joined by Muslim and Jewish House of Lords representatives in carrying key pieces of coronation emblems to add a multi-faith touch to the Christian religious ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London on May 6, it emerged on Saturday…
London is gearing up for a spectacular celebration as the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has officially announced the return of Eid in the Square on Saturday 29 April, a press release stated. The free annual event, marking the end of Ramadan, promises to be bigger and better than ever…
An Indian court on Thursday (20) acquitted 69 Hindus, including a former minister from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), of the murder of 11 Muslims during communal riots in the western state of Gujarat in 2002. The killings occurred in Ahmedabad on Feb. 28, 2002, a day after a…
Last night acclaimed British writer & director Nida Manzoor, and cast Priya Kansara, Seraphina Beh, Shona Babayemi, Shobu Kapoor, Jeff Mirza, Nimra Bucha, Akshay Khanna, alongside producers Tim Bevan, Olivier Kaempfer, John Pocock attended the UK Premiere of POLITE SOCIETY in Central London to celebrate its UK release. A special…
Baroness Sayeeda Warsi has called on politicians to stop “spiralling down gutter politics” which she said was leading to hate and division in communities. The former chairperson of the Conservative party said the problem was widespread, pointing to home secretary Suella Braverman’s recent inflammatory rhetoric on immigration and child sexual…
A new report by a UK-based think-tank, the Henry Jackson Society, has highlighted incidents of anti-Hindu hate in schools in Britain. The report, titled 'Anti-Hindu Hate in Schools' includes examples such as Hindu students being bullied to convert to Islam and others having beef thrown at them. According to the…
Western luxury fashion brands are increasingly eyeing the affluent Middle Eastern market by launching exclusive collections for Ramadan, featuring flowing kaftans, fluid separates, and glamorous maxi dresses. Cosmopolitan Middle East magazine recently declared that with these collections, "You're about to be the best-dressed person at every iftar and suhoor that…
Ministers have been asked to set a definitive target to eliminate “appalling” disparities in maternal deaths as research has shown that black women are almost four times more likely to die from childbirth than white women. The Women and Equalities Committee also said on Tuesday (18) the government and NHS…
A court heard that a woman allegedly murdered by her abusive husband secretly recorded his escalating violence and predicted her own death, media reports said. Aaisha Hasan, 34, recorded her husband's violent behaviour towards her using her mobile phone in the weeks before he allegedly fatally stabbed her, according to…
Ramadan is a holy month of fasting, prayer, and reflection observed by millions of Muslims around the world. It is a time for spiritual growth and self-discipline and is one of the five pillars of Islam. Ramadan is a month-long observance in Islam whereby Muslims fast from dawn until sunset.…
Major Hindi movies are usually not released during Ramadan because most Muslims won’t be going to cinemas. That lack of movies available means that audience numbers from other faiths decline during the same time. Audiences flocking back to cinemas on Eid combined with more screens being made available globally has…
AFTER prayers are offered, Eid becomes celebratory, with gifts given, good food being eaten, and a great spirit of joyousness being spread. Plenty of ways to make the day more festive with Eid inspired balloons, banners, lanterns, paper cups, cards, and plates are available. There is also a great range…
Deeply spiritual actress Adaa Khan believes in the power of prayer, helping the less fortunate and a higher power. The popular Muslim star embraces Ramadan every year and sees the holy month as massively significant. Eastern Eye caught up with the top television talent to talk about Ramadan, Eid, and…
India's financial crime-fighting agency has opened an investigation into alleged violations of foreign exchange rules by the BBC, a source said on Thursday (13), months after tax officials searched the broadcaster's Mumbai and Delhi offices. The tax raids in February had come close on the heels of the release of…
Pakistan criticised India's announcement to conduct G20 meetings in the disputed Kashmir region next month and described it as an "unwise" decision. Kashmir is claimed by both countries but governed partially. The two nations, which have fought three wars, including two over Kashmir, are armed with nuclear weapons. India currently…
This year, Asda Tickled Pink has teamed up with Asda's 'Together for Ramadan' campaign to raise awareness about the importance of regular breast, pec, or chest checks for customers and colleagues who are observing Ramadan and celebrating Eid. As part of this partnership, customers who want to make charitable donations…
Three new Star Wars movies are in the making, studio executives announced Friday, including the first film in the cinematic universe to be directed by a woman. Pakistan-born Oscar-winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is leaping from the Marvel universe to the Star Wars galaxy to direct a new film set 15 years…
IN THE first half of the 20th century, Indian immigrants to Africa were often locked into a rigid racial hierarchy. They were conferred benefits not available to local black Africans but held back by their own colours from enjoying the wealth of opportunities enjoyed by the white population. With her…
Italy's colonisation of Libya left a lasting cultural legacy - a national fondness for espresso. However, during the month of Ramadan, devout Libyans give up their daily caffeine fix. Muslims around the world observe fasting from dawn until dusk during this holy month, which includes abstaining from food and drink.…
An ethics adviser to prime minister Rishi Sunak has said he found no clear evidence of Islamophobia to back up allegations by MP Nusrat Ghani that she was sacked from her ministerial job in 2020 partly because of her Muslim faith. Ghani, 50, who has now been reinstated in the…
THE home secretary is pandering to right-wing racists and putting south Asian lives in danger, MPs and experts have told Eastern Eye. It follows Suella Braverman’s comments over the weekend (2) that “vulnerable white girls living in troubled circumstances have been abused, drugged, raped, and exploited”. She highlighted cases in…
Polite Society, the kung fu-inspired comedy-drama, in cinemas now, revolves around an aspiring stunt woman who decides to commit a wedding heist and finds herself up against a formidable fighting foe. To mark its release, Eastern Eye put together a list of the top 10 British Asian movies, in chronological…
