Counterview

By A Representative   A recent conference in London brought together feminists, ex-Muslims, lawyers, secularists, artists and campaigners to discuss the challenges faced by women who question, leave or challenge religion, including state repression, imprisonment, family coercion, social isolation and difficulties in rebuilding their lives.

Counterview News   Just days before the sacred Dhvajarohan (flag hoisting) ceremony marking the commencement of Nashik's Simhastha Kumbh Mela , environmental activists and civil society groups have raised urgent alarms over severe industrial chemical contamination in Nashik’s water systems. They have accused state authorities of "institutional opacity" regarding the presence of Hexavalent Chromium [Cr(VI)]—a Group 1 human carcinogen —in local groundwater and river networks feeding the Godavari , with contamination levels recorded at over 1,000 times the permissible limit.

By Syed Ali Mujtaba  Mohammad Adeeb, a former member of Parliament and now chairman of Indian Muslims for Civil Rights (IMCR), has rejected the allegation that Indian Muslims are not participating in the ongoing agitation led by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) in Delhi. In a candid interview, he discussed at length Muslim particip ation in the protests in Delhi. He said Prakash Raj, Yogendra Yadav, and a number of other prominent figures are sitting in the IMCR office in Nizamuddin, strategizing the protest. IMCR is a non-political, non-religious, non-governmental organization (NGO) based in New Delhi.

By Rajiv Shah   A few days back, I was forwarded an email chain by a senior journalist. Despite my initial hesitation, as I read through it, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease. Rather than reading like a genuine theological or historical discussion, the correspondence struck me as an effort to cast the Christian faith in a deeply negative light. In fact, my reaction was echoed by one of the recipients in the thread, who expressed her frustration by noting the author had a "horribly poor understanding of Christianity," adding that she was asking the email sender not to send her any more "flashes of wisdom."

By Shamsul Islam*  On October 11, 2026, an attempt on the lives of Hindu worshippers at the Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) Temple in Aurora, Illinois, one of the largest Hindu temples in the United States, was foiled. The temple is about 40 miles west of downtown Chicago. According to prosecutors, the suspect's AR-style rifle, a lightweight, magazine-fed, semi-automatic firearm freely available in the US, jammed.

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  Seventy years ago, on October 14, 1956—a day that coincided with Dussehra—Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, along with millions of his followers, embraced Buddhism at Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur. This epoch-making event, known as Dhammachakra Pravartan Diwas, remains one of the most significant moments in India's modern history, a day that fundamentally altered the social and cultural landscape of the nation.

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak*  Riots have returned to the streets across Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Oceania. The world is witnessing different waves of unrest. French cities are burning. From Albania, Bangladesh, Britain, and Germany to Nepal, France, and the USA, riots are increasingly being used as a mode of expression against the shrinking political space within bourgeois democracy. 

By A Representative   A coalition of civil society organisations and concerned citizens in Gujarat has issued a joint statement strongly condemning the religious profiling and vigilante interference that took place on October 14, 2026, during a Navratri event in Ahmedabad featuring artist Aditya Gadhvi.

By A Representative   Well-known Jesuit human rights, justice and peace activist, writer and trainer Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ has been elected National Convener of the Forum of Religious for Justice and Peace (FORUM). The election took place during the Forum's General Body Meeting at Ishvani Kendra, Pune, on 12 October 2026, at the conclusion of its XIX National Convention.

By N.S. Venkataraman*  Humans indulge in a rat race their entire life, even though the inevitable event of death nullifies all lifetime achievements and possessions. Such behaviour appears to be almost similar all over the world. Historical human behaviour over the last several centuries clearly proves this.

By Syed Ali Mujtaba*  Can a person’s religion determine whether he is fit to protect people at a public celebration? If the allegations emerging from Hyderabad are true, the answer appears to be yes—and that should concern every Indian.

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan  There is growing talk of political change in India. With the next Lok Sabha election due in 2029, many people already believe that the present government could eventually be replaced. But there is a more important question that Muslims need to ask: if the government changes, will the condition of Indian Muslims change too?

By Martin Macwan*  On August 15, 2013, the Gujarat government carved out a new district from Jamnagar and christened it ‘ Devbhumi Dwarka ’. In our childhood, we were taught in Gujarat’s schools that gods reside in every single grain of wheat. So, amidst our household poverty, we would sprinkle flour from our meager meals into anthills upon returning from school.

By Dr P.K. Gupta   Few ideas in Indian thought are as enduring, or as difficult, as dharma. It cannot be reduced to worship, doctrine, or membership of a religious community. It joins personal conduct with social duty, justice, compassion, and the preservation of life. Its meaning has never stayed fixed: across centuries it has been questioned, interpreted, challenged, and renewed. To trace that movement is to trace the ethical history of Indian civilisation itself.

By Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ*   Every year, the Catholic Church dedicates the month of October to the Holy Rosary. The day of particular significance is 7 October, celebrated as the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. One also remembers 13 October 1917, when the Virgin Mary appeared for the sixth and final time in Fatima, Portugal, to the three shepherd children, Lucia, Francis and Jacinta. She identified herself as the Lady of the Rosary and urged that the Rosary be prayed daily for peace in the world. Thousands also witnessed an extraordinary spectacle at that time, known as the Miracle of the Sun.

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan   For religious minorities in India, the roar of the bulldozer has become an ominous soundtrack to their daily lives. Ever since the saffron-led government came to power, these communities have voiced mounting concerns over what they perceive as systematic political action and discrimination. Across the nation, mosques, mazars, dargahs, madrasas, and various other Muslim religious properties have increasingly featured in high-profile demolition, eviction, and anti-encroachment drives conducted by municipal, state, and central agencies. 

By Syed Ali Mujtaba*   The Ministry of Home Affairs’ resolution on the High-Level Committee on Demographic Changes (HLCDC), issued on May 26, 2026, to scientifically study abnormal population shifts and illegal immigration across India is highly disturbing. It serves the Hindutva agenda and poses a threat to the country.

By Dr. P.K. Gupta   Hindu traditions worship the feminine as Shakti, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Durga and the universal mother. Yet this symbolic reverence for goddesses has not consistently produced equality for women within the family. The distance between the worship of divine femininity and the treatment of living women remains one of the great contradictions of Hindu society.

By Dr. Arun Kumar Goswami*  Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of ahimsa (non-violence) is inextricably bound to satya (truth). Gandhi famously maintained that he lived by truth, that truth is God, and that non-violence serves as the vital instrument to uphold that truth. Derived from the Sanskrit root hims (to strike or injure), ahimsa translates to non-harming. Throughout his historic life, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi triumphantly applied this principle to every sphere of human existence, most notably to politics and the pursuit of freedom ( Swaraj ).

By Syed Khalique Ahmed*  Can a Muslim woman become a mufti —a qualified Islamic scholar authorized to issue fatwas (legal opinions) and guide the community in matters of Sharia ? Can she shape Islamic jurisprudence , or lead educational assemblies attended by both men and women?