Muhammad Nadeem
(He/Him)
Covers:
Books, Kashmir, Islam and Politics, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Literary Essays, Muslim Authors, Halal Fiction, Interviews, Academic Books on Islam, Scholarly Works on Kashmir, Translation (Urdu - English).
Founding Editor: @mountaininkmag
Copy Chief: @kashmirlife
Articles by Muhammad Nadeem
Canada is a global leader in obesity care guidelines, so why are Canadians still waiting months for treatment at home?
Canada is recognized globally for its world-leading obesity care guidelines — yet Canadians continue to struggle to access the very treatment plans we’ve developed. Meanwhile, the same model of care is now the one the World Health Organization (WHO) is urging other countries to adopt. The WHO recently released its first ever guideline on anti-obesity medications, reinforcing a chronic disease model of care that Canadian experts have championed for years.
Cartooning Kashmir
Heeba Din’s Drawing Political Narratives with Humour in Kashmir examines how cartoons in Kashmir serve as instruments of political meaning, blending humour, semiotics, and visual rhetoric to reflect and shape public sentiment, writes Muhammad Nadeem Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp Heeba Din’s book, Drawing Political Narratives with Humour in Kashmir: Satirical Brushstrokes, opens a disciplined and ambitious enquiry into the role of humour, satire, and visual rhetoric in one of South Asia’s most...
1860: A Kashmir Memoir
A Summer Ramble in the Himalayas blends travel, ethnography, and empire, depicting the Himalayas through beauty and domination.
Kashmir’s Madhouse: A Swiss Psychiatrist’s Story
In The Madhouse at the Lotus Lake, Erna Hoch’s memoir of psychiatric practice in 1980s Kashmir, the Swiss psychiatrist explores psychiatry’s fragile intersection with culture, duty, and human dignity in the Valley’s troubled heart. Muhammad Nadeem revisits her account, where reform arises not from grand theories but through quiet acts of presence amid bureaucratic neglect and political scandal Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp Erna Hoch (1919-2003) was a Basel-born Swiss psychiatrist.
Lhasa’s Kashmiri Spy
In 1830, Lhasa, a Kashmiri trader’s battered notebooks became evidence of a clandestine war waged not with muskets but with ink and inkpots, mapping mountain passes, logging troop strength, and charting the fragile borderlands between empire and exile.
Vajpayee’s Hindutva Bridge
Abhishek Choudhary’s Believer’s Dilemma is a meticulously researched, psychologically sharp account of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the Hindu Right from 1977 to 2018.
Kashmir’s Book Turnaround
As the Chinar Book Festival celebrates the written word in Srinagar, the Jammu and Kashmir government has banned 25 books for allegedly promoting “anti-national” and “seditious” content.
Yaadgah Chronicles
BOOKS Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp Tag: Review Srinagar Remembers In Yaadgah, Berlin-based Kashmir scholar Arshi Javaid gathers a group of women to map their lived experiences of Shehr-e-Kashmir through memory, not merely as reflection, but as a way of tracing coexistence, rupture, aspiration, and endurance across the shifting landscape of Srinagar.
Leila Aboulela Honoured with PEN Pinter Prize 2025
by Muhammad Nadeem Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp SRINAGAR: On a warm Wednesday summer evening in London, Sudanese-Scottish author Leila Aboulela stood at the heart of English PEN’s annual gathering at the October Gallery, her heart swelling with quiet disbelief. The announcement came: she had won the 2025 PEN Pinter Prize, a prestigious accolade celebrating her unflinching exploration of migration, faith, and the lives of Muslim women.
Ghadar: The Revolution India Erased
In The Ghadar Movement: A Forgotten Struggle, Rana Preet Gill excavates a buried chapter of India’s freedom struggle, reviving the stories of revolutionaries erased by state memory.
What Is the Strait of Hormuz and How Could Its Closure by Iran Impact India’s Oil Supply?
by Muhammad Nadeem Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp Amid rising Iran-Israel tensions, Iran may close the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil trade route. These risks disrupt global supplies, potentially spiking oil prices and impacting India’s energy security. As the military standoff between the United States and Iran intensifies in the aftermath of US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, the ripple effect is being felt far beyond the Middle East.
The University of Florida Unveils Free Online Archive of 10,000 Historical Children’s Books
By Muhammad Nadeem Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp SRINAGAR: In a significant development for educators, historians, and literature enthusiasts, the University of Florida’s Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature has launched an extensive digital collection featuring over 10,000 historical children’s books, now accessible online at no cost.
Was Aurangzeb a Tyrant or a God-Fearing Ruler?
by Muhammad Nadeem Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp Modern critiques of Aurangzeb’s religious policies often ignore both Islamic legal tradition and historical context. The reign of Aurangzeb Alamgir, the sixth Mughal emperor, stands as a testament to his unwavering faith and dedication to Islamic governance.
Untying the Knot
Set in nineteenth-century Srinagar, The Last Knot by Shabir Ahmad Mir is a lyrical tale of artistic defiance and spiritual resistance. Blending Kashmiri folklore with magical realism, Muhammad Nadeem reviews this novel that follows a carpet maker’s dream of flight—an allegory woven through memory, myth, and the unyielding threads of history.
POW 1971: A Forgotten Battle
The 1971 India-Pakistan war is often remembered for the forced divorce of Bangladesh, but the conflict’s western front remains a largely overlooked chapter. Major General Vijay Singh’s book attempts to shed light on this forgotten theatre.
What Is The Enduring Philosophy of Eid al-Adha?
by Muhammad Nadeem Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp Eid al-Adha serves as an annual checkpoint, urging believers to assess their inner state, identify worldly chains that bind them, and consciously strive for zuhd and taqwa. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Time has returned to its original state as it was on the day Allah created the heavens and the earth. The year consists of twelve months, of which four are sacred. Three of these occur in succession: Dhul-Qa‘da, Dhul-Hijja, and Muharram.
What Makes a Saint a Scholar?
by Muhammad Nadeem Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp While revered as a Sufi saint, Mir Syed Ali Hamdani’s identity as a scholar and author is equally profound. His works on governance, like Zakhirat-ul-Muluk, reveal a thinker attuned to statecraft, while Chehl Asraar and Minhaj-ul-Arifeen showcase his literary and mystical depth.
How Does Islam Balance Cloning with Faith?
by Muhammad Nadeem Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp Islam encourages scientific inquiry but insists it remains within ethical boundaries. Cloning’s potential to advance medical treatment is acknowledged, yet its application to human reproduction demands rigorous scrutiny to safeguard human dignity and social cohesion.
What Is Aviophobia and How to Get Rid of It?
by Muhammad Nadeem Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp Fear of flying, clinically identified as aerophobia or aviophobia, is a situational phobia marked by disproportionate anxiety associated with being aboard an aircraft during flight. This anxiety often emerges well before the journey begins, sometimes even before the individual reaches the airport, and continues throughout the flight, only subsiding after landing.
Homebound, Based On Kashmir Author Basharat Peer’s NYT Essay, Earns Standing Ovation at Cannes
by Muhammad Nadeem Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp SRINAGAR: Ten years after Masaan won accolades for its raw depiction of grief and caste dynamics in India, Neeraj Ghaywan returned to the global spotlight with Homebound, a moving drama based on Kashmir’s Basharat Peer’s New York Times article Taking Amrit Home. The film premiered in the prestigious “Un Certain Regard” section of the Cannes Film Festival and received a nine-minute standing ovation, leaving many in the audience visibly moved.
Incarcerated Historian Ali Khan Gets Interim Bail, SC Orders SIT Probe
by Muhammad Nadeem Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp SRINAGAR: In a development that has reignited the national debate over free speech, academic freedom, and the boundaries of digital expression, the Supreme Court of India on Tuesday granted interim bail to Dr Ali Khan Mahmudabad, a prominent historian and associate professor at Ashoka University, days after his arrest over a series of social media posts related to Operation Sindoor, India’s recent military operation targeting alleged terror...
Kashmir’s Vanishing Bookshops
Amid challenges on multiple fronts, the space once held by longstanding bookshops is steadily shrinking. While a few continue to struggle for survival, many have already shut down their shutters.
Is Kashmir Losing More Than Just Bookstores?
by Muhammad Nadeem Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp A first-person reflection on the closure of a Srinagar bookstore, as a symbol of Kashmir’s cultural and intellectual erosion. A piece blending memory, history, and reportage to explore how bookstores once fostered dialogue, resistance, and identity, and questions what their disappearance means for the region’s literary and communal future.
How Can We Prevent Spiritual Decline After Ramadan?
by Muhammad Nadeem Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp Ramadan is not an end but a milestone. Allah reminds, “and worship your Lord until the inevitable (death) comes your way.” (Quran 15:99). The believer’s journey—marked by dua, discipline, and community—culminates only in the Divine Presence. Ramadan is not merely a month on the calendar—it is a transformative pilgrimage of the soul, a time when hearts are cleansed and spirits are ignited with divine light.
AG Noorani on Article 370
Eight years before the undoing of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, AG Noorani (1930-2024), an outstanding expert on border issues, the constitution and Kashmir, published the authoritative history of Article 370. Five years after the abrogation took place, he passed away.
Love in Conflict
In her debut, Loal Kashmir: Love and Longing in a Torn Land, Kashmir filmmaker Mehak Jamal explores the power of love as an act of defiance, hope, survival and life using the living characters to weave a long story of a turmoil-hit society, writes Muhammad Nadeem Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp = Love, in its purest form, is a universal emotion, sometimes an act of defiance and sometimes a ray of hope that transcends boundaries and barriers.
The Life and Legacy of Nazir Ahmad Khan
The year, he turned 90, Nazir Ahmad Khan decided to write his autobiography. On his next anniversary, the book was out and it is a long story of an enthusiastic individual who has weaved his story with the institutional history of Kashmir, writes Muhammad Nadeem Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp Nazir Ahmad Khan’s autobiography, Biscoe Boy’s: Echoes of Time, offers a detailed and evocative account of his life and times.
Voice of Kashmir's Untold Stories
Journalist and commentator, Humra Quraishi passed away at 70. Muhammad Nadeem reviews her Kashmir book that is based on her first-hand reportage during the 1990s Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp Humra Quraishi ( April 24, 1955 – January 17, 2025) was a distinguished Delhi-based writer, journalist, and columnist, renowned for her insightful reporting and literary contributions.
The World After Gaza
Pankaj Mishra’s The World After Gaza provides a penetrating critique of global power structures, situating the Israeli-Palestinian conflict within broader historical and geopolitical contexts, writes Muhammad Nadeem. Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp By examining the weaponisation of historical memory—particularly the Holocaust—and its role in legitimising contemporary violence, Mishra interrogates the intersections of colonialism, racial hierarchies, and ethnonationalism.
Kashmir Books in 2024
Muhammad Nadeem offers a short introduction to the list of books that were published on Kashmir, its life and culture in 2024 Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp In 2024, Kashmir’s literary landscape was notably enriched by a diverse array of publications that explore the region’s intricate socio-political dynamics, cultural heritage, and the experiences of its people.
The Mughal Mystic In Kashmir
Emperor Shah Jehan’s daughter, Jahanara Begum, held a deep affection for Kashmir. However, unlike other Mughal royalty, her connection to the region was driven by a spiritual quest guided by Mulla Shah Badakhshi. Muhammad Nadeem writes that this unique relationship not only shaped her life but also bestowed Kashmir with some of its finest monuments.
A Chronicle of Faith and Turmoil
The mysterious theft of the holy relic from Dargah-e-Hazratbal in the winter of 1963 created a Himalayan crisis for the governments in Srinagar and Delhi. Its enigmatic recovery and reinstallation momentarily contained the Kashmir crisis. The subject became so sensitive that scholars avoided it. Khalid Bashir Ahmad’s latest book, reviewed by Muhammad Nadeem, is the first major credible scholarly work on this landmark event in Kashmir’s history.
A Kashmir Scholar Explains
The debate on Islam and democracy has been a longstanding contentious issue, engaging the minds of Muslim thinkers for centuries. In his latest book, Kashmiri scholar Tauseef Ahmad Parray examines this complex and evolving discourse. Muhammad Nadeem reviews the book to understand the diverse perspectives and intellectual traditions shaping this critical debate.
Allegory and Identity in Kashmir Novels
After going through the two latest novels of Ayaz Rasool Nazki, an academician and a cultural administrator, Muhammad Nadeem found the poetic plots that reflect Kashmir in a global portrayal Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp Ayaz Rasool Nazki’s novels Satisar: The Valley of Demons and The Isle of Fantasy each weave rich allegories to interrogate identity, power, and resilience in societies marred by conflict.
Samantha Harvey’s Orbital Wins Booker Prize: A Poetic Exploration of Earth from Space
By Muhammad Nadeem Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp SRINAGAR: Samantha Harvey’s latest novel, Orbital , has won the 2024 Booker Prize, making it the second-shortest book to claim the accolade at 136 pages and the first set in space. Orbital, Harvey’s fifth novel, transports readers 250 miles above Earth, detailing a day in the lives of six international astronauts on a space station. Written during the COVID-19 lockdowns, Orbital nearly did not see the light of day.
The Kashmir Story In India's Unification Process
Hachette India published Mallika Ravikumar’s book about the integration of 565 pre-petition principalities and states offers an interesting read with Kashmir emerging as the only story that still is a work in progress, writes Muhammad Nadeem Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp Mallika Ravikumar’s 565: The Dramatic Story of Unifying India delves into the complex, multilayered saga of India’s unification post-independence, with a particular focus on the integration of over 500 princely states.
Hundreds of International Authors Boycott Israeli Cultural Institutions Over Palestinian Oppression
By Muhammad Nadeem SRINAGAR: Hundreds of prominent authors have signed an open letter pledging to boycott Israeli cultural institutions, condemning them as complicit in the ongoing oppression of Palestinians. Authors including Mirza Waheed, Sally Rooney, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Naomi Klein, Hari Kunzru, and Jhumpa Lahiri are among those who have committed to disengaging from cultural entities tied to Israel. A destroyed locality in occupied Gaza (Palestine) in October 2023.
Kashmir's Human Centric Narrative
During his frequent Kashmir visits since 2017, journalist Rohin Kumar explores complex issues involving Kashmir and eventually collects his experiences in a book that Muhammad Nadeem found highly impressive and representative of ground realities Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp Rohin Kumar’s Lal Chowk (originally written in Hindi and translated by Dharmesh Chubey) is a formidable narrative that encapsulates the heart and soul of Kashmir—a land marked by its breathtaking beauty, and,...
What Is Bektashi Order and Why Albania Intends to Give Dervishes' A State?
by Muhammad Nadeem Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp One country that is almost certain to oppose the Bektashi state is Iran, which views itself as the protector of Shiite Islam and has little tolerance for sects like the Bektashi, whom it considers heretical.
How Will Omar Abdullah Balance The Aspirations of Kashmir and Jammu?
As Kashmir enters a new phase in its relationship with Delhi, Omar Abdullah’s political future – and that of his party, the National Conference – will remain in sharp focus, writes Muhammad Nadeem Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp Omar Abdullah’s political journey is inextricably linked to the complex history of Kashmir. Born into Kashmir’s most prominent political dynasty, his life has been shaped by the region’s tumultuous politics from the very beginning.
Nobel Prize Winner Han Kang Declines Press Conference, Rejects Celebration Amid Ongoing War
by Muhammad Nadeem Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp SRINAGAR: Nobel laureate Han Kang, the first Korean to win the prestigious Nobel Prize in literature, has chosen not to hold a press conference following her award, citing the current global conflicts. The novelist expressed her refusal through her father, Han Seung-won, a renowned literary figure himself.
Arundhati Roy Gives Pinter Prize to Palestinian Kids, Mentions Kashmir
By Muhammad Nadeem Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp SRINAGAR: At a ceremony at the British Library in London, celebrated Indian author and activist Arundhati Roy accepted the PEN Pinter Prize. An award that recognizes an exceptional writer whose literary merit and intellectual determination unearths the truth of our lives and societies, this prize holds a profound meaning in a world where freedom of expression is increasingly under attack.
Revisiting Pakistan's Complex History
Tahir Kamran’s new book offers an ambitious and nuanced exploration of Pakistan’s complex history, examining the intricate interplay between geography, culture, and politics, writes Muhammad Nadeem Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp Tahir Kamran’s Chequered Past, Uncertain Future: The History of Pakistan, published by the Speaking Tiger Books, aims to provide a comprehensive historical account of Pakistan from ancient times to the present.
Deconstructing Sheikh Abdullah's Politics
Regardless of missteps, reversals, and controversial compromises, Sheikh Abdullah shaped the political evolution and consciousness of Kashmir over his 50-year career, writes Muhammad Nadeem after going through Altaf Hussain Para’s political biography of the towering Kashmir leader Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp In The Making of Modern Kashmir: Sheikh Abdullah and the Politics of the State, Altaf Hussain Para presents a comprehensive political biography of Sheikh Abdullah (1905-1982), examining...
Jhumpa Lahiri Rejects Noguchi Museum Award Over Israel-Gaza
NEW YORK: Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri has declined the 2024 Isamu Noguchi Award, citing her opposition to the New York museum’s decision to terminate three employees for wearing keffiyehs, a symbol of Palestinian solidarity. Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp The Noguchi Museum, named after Japanese-American sculptor Isamu Noguchi, introduced a new policy in August, banning staff from wearing attire or accessories that display “political messages, slogans, or symbols” while on duty.
Novelist Arundhati Roy to Publish Her First Memoir
by Muhammad Nadeem Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp SRINAGAR: In a significant literary announcement, Booker Prize-winning author Arundhati Roy will publish her first memoir, Mother Mary Comes to Me, in September 2025. The book promises to offer insights into Roy’s life and her complex relationship with her late mother, spanning from her childhood in Kerala to her current residence in Delhi. The upcoming memoir will capture this fearless honesty.
Kashmir Sympathiser Arundhati Roy to Publish Her First Memoir
by Muhammad Nadeem Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp SRINAGAR: In a significant literary announcement, Booker Prize-winning author Arundhati Roy will publish her first memoir, Mother Mary Comes to Me, in September 2025. The book promises to offer insights into Roy’s life and her complex relationship with her late mother, spanning from her childhood in Kerala to her current residence in Delhi. The upcoming memoir will capture this fearless honesty.
A Scribe’s Battle to Save His Library In Floods
In the end, the flood became more than just a natural disaster. It was a test, a trial by water, one that left scars but also strengthened the fabric of Kashmir society, writes Muhammad Nadeem about floods and his desperation to return to his home library Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp I remember the smell of rain. In Kashmir, rain does not just fall—it descends like a conversation long overdue. The scent of damp earth and the soft drumming on rooftops were, for us, signs of a valley alive.
Kashmir Life's Epic Journey Unfolds on Treat High Road
by Muhammad Nadeem Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp SRINAGAR: In the annals of human history, few endeavours have captured the imagination quite like the Silk Route. This vast network of trade routes, spanning continents and centuries, was not merely a conduit for commerce but a pulsing artery of civilization itself.
Why Prophet Mohammad's Life Is Perpetually Relevant?
In The Sirah of the Prophet: A Contemporary and Original Analysis, Dr Yasir Qadhi weaves together a narrative that transcends time and geography, offering an exploration of the Prophet’s life as a moral and spiritual compass for contemporary Muslims, writers Muhammad Nadeem Follow Us OnG-News | Whatsapp The study of the Sīrah is not merely a historical recount but a moral and spiritual compass for Muslims across generations.
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