Most recent articles by Roma Rajpal Weiss
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Interview with identity politics expert Mujibur Rehman"Muslims feel deeply unsafe in present-day India"
Known for his work on identity politics and political economy, Mujibur Rehman most recently published 'Communalism in postcolonial India′, which addresses the rise of religious fundamentalism in India. In Bonn to lecture on cow vigilantism, he spoke to Roma Rajpal Weiss about the situation of the sub-continent's Muslim minority
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Interview with Pakistani American actress Aizzah Fatima"Human, flawed and funny"
Actor and writer Aizzah Fatima made waves in 2014 with her provocative play "Dirty Paki Lingerie" which explored what it meant to be a Muslim in the post 9/11 world. Fatima spoke to Roma Rajpal Weiss on her upcoming work – "The Art of Hijab, Kohl Black and The Right Way To Pray", a play that engages with the stigmatisation of hijab-wearing Muslim women in the Western world
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Interview with Phil Robertson of Human Rights WatchMyanmar's denier-in-chief: ″An utter failure of moral leadership″
An estimated number of 270,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled ethnic cleansing in Myanmar and have crossed over to Bangladesh. Aid agencies are struggling to cope with the influx and are reporting an acute shortage of provisions. Roma Rajpal Weiss spoke to Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch in Asia
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The Virtual Iftar Project"It is harder to ignore, vilify or harm those with whom we have broken bread"
The Virtual Dinner Guest Project is an international multimedia initiative that brings people across various cultures together at the dinner table. Breaking bread and barriers in one go, this platform launched the Virtual Iftar Project across Europe during the month of Ramadan, which has just ended. Roma Rajpal Weiß spoke to the project founder, Eric Maddox, about the project and about cultural tension between Muslims and non-Muslims
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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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The Christian minority in PakistanUnder increased threat of persecution
Weeks after the twin bombings on churches in Lahore, discrimination against the Christian minority in Pakistan seems to have taken a turn for worse. By Roma Rajpal Weiß
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Interview with comedian Mona Shaikh"Being able to create a dialogue is a very important step for me"
Mona Shaikh is a naughty Muslim comedian who does not shy away from breaking taboos. Shaikh deploys comedy as a weapon to criticise religious leaders and politicians who use Islam and the Koran as an excuse to impose restrictions on women. Roma Rajpal Weiß spoke to her on growing up a Muslim in the United States in the aftermath of 9/11 and her unusual choice of profession as a Pakistani woman
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Interview with Ronja von Wurmb-Seibel"My life in Afghanistan is more normal than people assume"
Ronja von Wurmb-Seibel is a German journalist and author of "Ausgerechnet Kabul" (Kabul, of all places). Her book is an account of her time in Afghanistan and provides an insider's perspective on the country, going beyond the subjects of burqa, Taliban and the role of the German Army in the country. Roma Rajpal Weiss spoke to her about the war-torn country and the situation for women in Afghanistan
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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.
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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.
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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.