Muslim Constable

The Allahabad High Court has refused to allow a suspended Muslim policeman keep a beard while in service, saying it violates official orders and he can't seek protection under Article 25 of the Constitution.

One prisoner is an illiterate Christian street cleaner who got into an argument with a Muslim friend while they were out drinking. Another is a US-trained university professor whose liberal Facebook posts upset Islamist student activists.

In a disturbing video from Uttar Pradesh's Meerut, a woman is thrashed by a police constable while another asks her - why choose a Muslim man over Hindus? The woman looks far from safe and protected in a police van as she is beaten by the same policemen who had "rescued" her from a mob attack.

First there was a moment of panic, when Pakistanis struggled to absorb the news last month that Donald Trump, who had threatened to bar foreign Muslims from the United States and suggested it was time to "get tough" with Pakistan for sheltering terrorists, was the U.S. president-elect.

The military still calls the shots in the nuclear-armed Muslim democracy.

Muslim clerics in Pakistan are usually known for issuing stern, conservative pronouncements on gender-related issues, mostly limiting the rights of women. But in a surprising twist, a large group of clerics there has just issued a fatwa, or religious edict, affirming the rights of transgender people to marry.

About six months ago, disciplinary proceedings were initiated against constable Zahiroddin Shamsoddin Bedade for refusing to shave his beard. He took his case to the Supreme Court, which has today asked the Union and Maharashtra government to explain whether Muslim policemen should be allowed to sport beards.

The Allahabad High Court has refused to allow a suspended Muslim policeman keep a beard while in service, saying it violates official orders and he can't seek protection under Article 25 of the Constitution.

One prisoner is an illiterate Christian street cleaner who got into an argument with a Muslim friend while they were out drinking. Another is a US-trained university professor whose liberal Facebook posts upset Islamist student activists.

In a disturbing video from Uttar Pradesh's Meerut, a woman is thrashed by a police constable while another asks her - why choose a Muslim man over Hindus? The woman looks far from safe and protected in a police van as she is beaten by the same policemen who had "rescued" her from a mob attack.

First there was a moment of panic, when Pakistanis struggled to absorb the news last month that Donald Trump, who had threatened to bar foreign Muslims from the United States and suggested it was time to "get tough" with Pakistan for sheltering terrorists, was the U.S. president-elect.

The military still calls the shots in the nuclear-armed Muslim democracy.

Muslim clerics in Pakistan are usually known for issuing stern, conservative pronouncements on gender-related issues, mostly limiting the rights of women. But in a surprising twist, a large group of clerics there has just issued a fatwa, or religious edict, affirming the rights of transgender people to marry.

About six months ago, disciplinary proceedings were initiated against constable Zahiroddin Shamsoddin Bedade for refusing to shave his beard. He took his case to the Supreme Court, which has today asked the Union and Maharashtra government to explain whether Muslim policemen should be allowed to sport beards.