Islam in Southeast Asia

Who are the Pakistani Islamists vowing 'death to blasphemers'?

An outlawed Islamist political party with the main objective of protecting Pakistan's draconian blasphemy laws and punishing blasphemers has been linked to violence against Christians and the burning of several churches

Back to the roots

Mekaal Hasan may not be a household name in Europe or North America, but he is a star in Pakistan. When COVID-19 struck, he and his Sufi rock band were forced to change their production approach. For "Rivayat", Hasan tracked down traditional singers and musicians from beyond Lahore. Richard Marcus had a listen

Indonesia’s Islamic peace diplomacy: Crafting a role model for moderate Islam

Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, is continuously increasing its Islamic diplomacy portfolio. A central element is the deployment of a moderate Islam discourse for global peace.

Modi rewrites the history books

The Indian government under Narendra Modi has altered textbooks to remove references to Mahatma Gandhi's opposition to Hindu nationalism and other controversial issues. By Adil Bhat

The Modi decade

From the expansion of India's infrastructure to rapid technological diffusion, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nine years in office have included plenty of worthy achievements. Unfortunately, writes Shashi Tharoor, they have also featured flawed policies in a wide range of areas

Sovereign debt overload

Pakistan's economy is in deep crisis and things are deteriorating fast. Many problems have domestic causes, but these are being compounded by global trends. By Sundus Saleemi

The Balti people of Turtuk

The need to prove you're Indian

Nearly 2 million people in India's Assam state – over 5% of the region's population – are staring at a future where they could be stripped of their citizenship if they are unable to prove they are Indian. Sheikh Saaliq and Shonal Ganguly report

Terror returns with the TTP

When the Taliban swept back to power in Afghanistan just under two years ago, analysts warned that their return would also mean a return of the threat posed to neighbouring Pakistan by offshoot Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). By Mohammad Luqman

Digital learning for more opportunity

Pakistan's struggle with underinvestment in education and digitisation has resulted in high illiteracy rates and systemic discrimination. While some positive examples can be found in institutions catering for persons with disabilities, the overall picture remains bleak. By Marva Khan

Rahul Gandhi marches for unity

From September 2022 to January 2023, Rahul Gandhi walked the length of India to demonstrate against Narendra Modi and the BJP's divisive policies and rhetoric. Sentenced to two years for 'Modi' defamation on 24 March, Gandhi has now been stripped of his parliamentary mandate. Sonja Hegasy met with political observer S. M. Faizan Ahmed, who joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Delhi