Most recent articles by Roma Rajpal Weiß
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Fighting extremism through the medium of comics"We needed to do more than just attend candlelight vigils"
"Paasban" (The Guardian) is a series of Pakistani comic books that seeks to fight extremism by raising awareness among young people. The books tell the story of a group of college friends who become worried when one of their number disappears. They later find out that he was recruited by an extremist organisation. Mustafa Hasnain, Gauhar Aftab and Yahya Ehsan came together to create "Paasban". Roma Rajpal Weiß spoke to Hasnain and Aftab about the series and the inspiration behind it
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Interview with Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch"These are people floating around, waiting to die"
Thousands of minority Rohingya Muslims remain stranded at sea without adequate food and water. On Wednesday, 20 May, Malaysia and Indonesia finally bowed to mounting international pressure, announcing that they would offer refugees temporary shelter provided that they are resettled and repatriated by the international community within a year. Roma Rajpal Weiß spoke to Phil Robertson, the deputy director of Human Rights Watch in Asia, who condemned the policy of the countries of South-East Asia
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Rising tension in BangladeshFundamentalists take centre stage amid political discord
The recent murder of prominent Bangladeshi-born blogger Avijit Roy has once again shone a spotlight on the state of freedom of speech in the country. Experts believe that fundamentalists are gaining ground as the country spirals deeper into a political crisis. By Roma Rajpal Weiß
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Leslee Udwin's controversial documentary "India's daughter"Indian government ban causes uproar
The Indian government's ban on the broadcasting of "India's Daughter", a documentary about the fatal gang-rape of a woman in New Delhi in 2012, has reopened the debate about the attitude to violence against women in the country. In the wake of this dreadful crime, women and activists are resorting to new measures to create awareness and challenge sexual harassment in the country. By Roma Rajpal Weiß
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India's anti-corruption champion Arvind KejriwalDelhi's new broom very nearly makes a clean sweep
Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won a landslide victory in the Delhi State elections earlier this month, dealing a heavy blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The capital's Muslim community in particular welcomes the change of power and hopes that communal politics will now finally take a back seat. By Roma Rajpal Weiß
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Rohingya Muslims in MyanmarThe spectre of ethnic violence reappears
In the light of a recent series of bills proposed by the Myanmar government that seek to restrict an individual's right to religious freedom, critics fear a further increase in discrimination and violence against the marginalised community of Rohingya Muslims. By Roma Rajpal Weiß
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Honour killings in PakistanLittle hope of change
In the space of just a few weeks, two cases of honour killings in Pakistan shocked the world. Although some might expect such global outrage and attention to help trigger change, activists in Pakistan do not hold out much hope for improvement in the near future. By Roma Rajpal Weiss
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Indian Muslims' attitudes to the election of Narendra ModiApprehension and hope
Many in India, particularly those in the country's Muslim community, are wondering whether India's new prime minister, Narendra Modi, will modify his stance on extremism. At the same time, they hope that Modi, who is feted with having brought prosperity to the state of Gujarat, can improve both the economy and the lot of Muslims, who face difficulties and discrimination in their everyday lives. By Roma Rajpal Weiß