Author: CulturalUniverse

https://www.thequint.com/news/india/karnataka-anti-love-jihad-squads By M Ahmedullah, 22 May 2023 Before I discuss the topic, I want to point out that nationalism – whether based on tribalism, religious fanaticism, racialism, etc. – makes it near impossible to develop a balanced understanding of anything, as agendas interfere with perceptions, focus, data collection, selective use of archival resources and their […]

What do I think? M Ahmedullah, 8 May 2023 Picture taken from: https://www.galatta.com/amp/tamil-movies-cinema-news/west-bengal-becomes-the-first-state-to-ban-the-kerala-story-chief-minister-mamata-banerjee-issues-a-statement/ In principle, I oppose banning most things as I believe when there are strong institutions and civil society, then any dangerous fall outs from free speech can be handled effectively. However, people in charge who have to maintain law and order and […]

The image taken from: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/protest-strengthens-against-the-kerala-story/article66797309.ece Why am I reluctantly glad that such a film has been made? M Ahmedullah, 8 May 2023 I despise and always try to challenge propaganda, especially when the intention behind them is to generate hate and othering of people. But, in a way, I am glad, though reluctantly, that a […]

Why it is imperative to engage in the debate! By M Ahmedullah, 30 April 2023 We should all engage with the film and the debates, which will continue long after the film is released.  I have seen parts of the trailer of the movie to be released soon, listened to some reviewers’ perspectives on the […]

M Ahmedullah, 28 April 2023 Well, it’s obviously possible. However, the opposite possibility is also true. So, how about the probability of Russia losing or winning the war? Not knowing much about the reality on the ground means that my assessment of either way probability is based on media reports and the propaganda of the […]

By M Ahmedullah, 25 April 2023 ‘Critical Race Theory’ is here to stay and spread its roots sideways and below the ground. The theory is a special creation from black people’s efforts to develop critical thinking tools to theories about and destroy narratives and structures of their long pain and sufferings. In the wake of […]

By M Ahmedullah, 24 April 2023 It was in the late 1980s when I first became aware that not all of what I thought constituted racism was actually racism. Instead, some of what I considered racism was said to be racial prejudice. When my understanding of racism was first challenged by a friend involved in […]

By M Ahmedullah On that day, after I returned to my hotel at around eight pm, I immediately checked the Pacer app on my smartphone and was delighted to see how much I managed to walk: the device recorded more than twenty-five thousand steps. Although I intended to be more physically active during my holiday […]

What constitutes our national cultural identity? By M Ahmedullah, 14 April 2023 The long-term solution to this unending controversy is to abandon the idea of a national cultural identity for Bangladesh and its people. National cultural identity is not attainable as it does not exist. Many diverse historical, local and outside influences shaped our people’s […]

By M Ahmedullah The recent Hindu-Muslim communal violence in several places in India, which I found pretty worrying, prompted and compelled me to take an interest in knowing the details and who was doing what. I wanted to know what was happening and understand their causes. Over the last week, I have watched many discussions […]