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Tablighi Jamaat and its role in the Global Jihad
No full textThis SADF Policy Brief deals with Tablighi Jamaat (TJ), a transnational Islamic missionary movement. Despite declaring itself as officially apolitical and non-violent, TJ is cited by German and other European intelligence reports that underline (manifold) threats originating from the movement. An increasing number of assessments emphasise TJ’s function as a catalyst, gateway, springboard, or antechamber for an extreme and militant interpretation of Islam – indoctrinating Muslims into Jihadists. Experts point out that TJ ‘has appeared on the fringes of several terrorism investigations, leading some to state that its apolitical stance simply masks a “fertile ground for breeding terrorism”’. In spite of this, up until this point, the majority of critical evaluations by international intelligence have not reached public discourse or political decision-making processes in the states where TJ holds a significant presence. Especially in Europe and the US, TJ remains largely unknown outside Muslim communities – and when known, actions and motives are misread. This lack of knowledge regarding the dissemination of an Islamic supremacist agenda facilitates TJ’s function as a driving force for Islamic extremism and as a major recruiting agency for the cause of Global Jihad - the movement bluntly threatens societies based on liberal and democratic norms. TJ has a relatively clandestine character, but reports point to TJ being extremely effective at spreading Islamic fundamentalism. In sum, TJ is seen as an essential component of a phenomenon which the French political- sociologist Bernard Rougier (2020) calls an ‘Islamist Ecosystem’. We believe this concept is most useful to understand the role that TJ plays in the Global Jihad
The Significance of Gender in Infrastructural Development
No full textInfrastructure is vital for urbanisation and development. While infrastructural projects have been carried out many levels, seldom does anyone question the politics of gender embedded in the formulation and implementation of projects. Most infrastructural projects only take masculine perspectives under consideration; seldom is there a focus on female aspirations and mobility needs. This paper examines and highlights the importance of gendered analysis in all steps of infrastructural project making. It examines the role of the World Bank in promoting the role of women in infrastructural development and discusses its shortcomings. The paper concludes by providing certain suggestions intended to increase the role of women in the debate surrounding infrastructural development
Stylistic repetition in Bāṇaʼs Harṣacaritam and Kādambarī / Appendix: Bibliography of Gonda, Jan, Stylistic Repetition in the Veda. Amsterdam, 1959 / List of Loci citati in Gonda’s Stylistic repetition
No full text"In 1954 the great and prolific indologist and Indo-European linguist Jan Gonda published a magisterial study on the „Stylistic repetition in the Veda“ with examples from many languages and countless books and articles quoted. In order to extend the possibility of using the volume it was therefore thought appropriate to add a list of at least the ancient Indian loci in an appendix. Further, this most valuable 400+ page book has no contents the lack of which was deplored by Renou in his review. It was made then by Hauschild in his review in OLZ 1961: 628. Gonda stated the books and articles of his textual quotes mostly in 'notes bibliographiques (qui) sont une des parures du livre' which are, however, occasionally incomplete. (...) at my request two students, Olga Kienzler of Lipsic and Viktorie Haldovska of Wuerzburg, therefore kindly made an ordinary bibliography to be appended to this article. (...)
Women of Timor-Leste: Unyielding in the fight against oppression and violence
No full textThrough the centuries, women have survived violence in Timor-Leste. They were actively involved in the fight for independence. But only fragments of their history have been written and remain largely invisible on a sociopolitical level
Uzbekistan: India’s Strategic Gateway to Central Asia
No full textIndia and Uzbekistan possess a shared history since ancient times, when trade and commerce between the two nations flourished through the Silk Route. Considering the current situation and future probabilities there has been a lot of political, economic, and cultural exchanges between the two countries. This bilateral partnership, expressed through security and connectivity mechanisms, can be seen as crucial for regional stability. The two countries have tried to stabilize their bilateral relations and prevent violent instances of extremism. India also intends to establish a stronger foothold in Central Asia. One can say that Uzbekistan is the perfect ally for India to stabilize relations with Central Asia. Both countries are involved in numerous initiatives that will help them not only to foster transparency and accountability but also to maintain parity with other big powers. This article reviews the reasons why Uzbekistan is significant for India and defends that their relationship will enable India to stabilize her ties with Central Asian Republics at large
Coping up with the Corona Crisis: India Inc shows the way with Nobel Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives
No full textThe start of 2020 has been rough and despicable for individuals, corporates, governments, and nations at large. Being forced in one’s abodes, juggling between work and household chores, with restricted movement in public spaces and essential commodities delivered through e-commerce platforms–this has become a way of life or rather‘ the new normal’. Public life has shifted from handshakes to ‘Namastes’ (predominantly an Indian gesture), to wearing masks and surgical gloves and the frequent application of sanitizers. The fear of being a victim to the novel corona virus is intrinsically linked with a list of precautions such as disinfecting groceries, washing clothes, intake of herbal supplements to increase immunity and most importantly maintaining social distance norms. With an alarming number of Covid patients and a fragile medical structure, how is India coping up with the Novel Corona crisis? This article helps in understanding the pivotal role of corporate funding to the Indian Government intended to curb and contain coronavirus within the country
Contextualising Pakistan’s Prime Minister’s Parliamentary Eulogy of Osama Bin Laden
No full textOn June 25, 2020, Pakistan’s military-backed Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan made a statement in the National Assembly in which he glorified Osama Bin Laden (OBL) as a ‘martyr’, using the term shaheed. This is without doubt a landmark event which needs a closer assessment. This SADF Comment aims to shed light on the rationale behind PM Khan’s eulogy of the former Al Qaeda leader and contextualise it within both domestic and regional trajectories. In order to do so, the following points should be highlighted: By describing OBL as a martyr, PM Khan suggests that he ‘was a victim rather than an aggressor’. This glorification of Jihadism and international terrorism was not just a slip of the tongue. The fact that there is no official clarification from the PM’s office - nor a public comment by the country’s powerful military – reveals that the remark indeed reflects the view held by most of the country’s leading political decision-makers. Even more: it is a confirmation of the military’s official policy, of the national political leadership’s inclinations, and that of relevant state institutions. This is already well-known. What is new, however, is that such statements are proclaimed publicly - and in the national parliament, no less. […
Pakistan’s bigger plans of narco-terrorism
No full textNarco-terrorism is one of today’s buzzwords in both foreign and domestic policy in South Asia, especially in the context of the contentious India-Pakistan relations. Pakistan’s involvement in state-terrorism (Wolf, 2017) and sponsorship of international Jihadism are well-known and documented. Moreover, there are increasingly numerous reports regarding Islamabad’s engagement in a phenomenon described as narco-terrorism. The notion of narco-terrorism originates from an understanding that the two occurrences of trafficking in narcotics and terrorism are interconnected. Narco-terrorism is here understood as an integral component of Pakistan’s state-sponsorship of cross-border terrorism (Wolf, 2017) used so as to fund and conduct asymmetric warfare against its neighbours -foremost India- and achieve certain foreign policy goals. The United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is paying increasingly attention to the fact that ‘terrorist organisations use narcotics trafficking for the purpose of gaining revenue’ and fund their activities. It is argued here that, although state-sponsorship of terrorism is already deeply entrenched within Islamabad’s policies towards New Delhi, the ‘Narco-type’ not only constitutes one of its most brutal forms (due to its far reaching and long-lasting consequences) but is also rapidly intensifying. Moreover, one can state that narco-terrorism in the Pakistani context blurs the line between narcotic traffickers, criminal networks (f. ex. D-Company), terrorists (f. ex. Lashkar-e-Taiba/LeT), and state agencies - foremost the country’s military and intelligence services (Inter-Service Intelligence/ISI). […
China, the Belt & Road Initiative and waste management
No full textChina’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) should bring the global waste issue into the spotlight, I argued together with He Linghui in a joint paper. It was a result of our participation in Stiftung Asienhaus’ 2018 EU-China NGO Twinning Programme. In this Blickwechsel, I outline how China should address the issue of municipal solid waste (MSW) along the BRI
Thailands junge Generation gegen das Establishment
No full textThailands Jugend begehrt auf. Anfänglich richteten sich die Proteste gegen das Regime des einstigen Putschisten Prayut Chan-ocha. Mittlerweile fordern Teile der Bewegung gar eine Reform der Monarchie – und brechen damit ein Tabu