Anna Hazare Upsurge: A Critical Appraisal

Prof. Asghar Ali Engineer is an internationally known Islamic scholar, a dedicated social reformer and an ardent advocate of inter-religious dialogue. He is specially trained in Islamic theology. Tafsir (commentary of the holy Qur’an) Islamic Jurisprudence and Hadith. He is now the Chairman of the Centre for the Study of Society and Secularism, and Chief Editor of the quarterly Indian Journal of Secularism. He serves also as member of the Governing Council of the foundation for Communal Harmony of the government of India. Prof. Engineer has written more than forty books and a number of scholarly articles. He has held many responsible offices like Vice President of People’s Union for Civil Liberties and chairman of the Committee for Communal Harmony. He is also recipient of important awards like National Communal Harmony Award from the Ministry of Home Affairs, government of India and Hakim Khan Sur Award for National Integration from Maharana Mewar Foundation.

Ram Puniyani was Professor in Biomedical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai. He is also Secretary, Centre for the Study of Society and Secularism, and a member of EKTA – Committee for Communal Amity, Mumbai, and has been associated with different secular initiatives for many years. He has been working on the themes related to communalism and the rise of fundamentalism. He has contributed articles to various magazines and journals on these themes. He is also the author of Communal Politics: Facts versus Myths (2003), Fascism of Sangh Parivar, The Other Cheek: Minorities Under Threat and Communal Politics: An Illustrated Primer (2001).