Word: marched
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...Muslim-majority Malaysia punishable by up to 20 years in jail. Anwar, a married father of six, denies the charges, and sought sanctuary for more than 36 hours at the Turkish embassy. He released a statement calling the legal action political retribution for the opposition's breakthrough victories in March elections. "I have been told that my assassination has not been ruled out," claimed Anwar, "as a means to subvert the people's will and bring an end to the transformational changes taking place in Malaysia...
...jail time didn't diminish Anwar's political fervor. In March, he helped orchestrate an electoral embarrassment of the ruling National Front coalition by an unwieldy, multiracial opposition consisting of, among others, Muslim Malays who believe Shari'a law could wipe out social ills and Chinese who advocate a secular Malaysia. In typically bold fashion, Anwar has vowed that the opposition will topple the National Front government by mid-September. If he succeeds, the 60-year-old former Muslim youth leader could become the first opposition Prime Minister in Malaysia's history...
...Sunday's march was a landmark, especially for a city long accustomed to sexual repression, and now grappling with a newfound permissiveness brought about by economic liberalization, and aided in no small measure by satellite TV and the Internet. Other metro cities like Kolkata and Bangalore have been holding Queer Pride marches for a couple of years now, but this was the first in Delhi, considered more conservative than some of its metro sisters. Unlike the mostly university-educated, urban crowd that marched in Delhi, Kolkata and Bangalore's marches attract people from all classes as well as rural areas...
...signed by the likes of Nobel-laureate Amartya Sen. "We just felt the time was right and Delhi was ready," says Gautam Bhan, a city planner and gay activist, "We have come a long way from the ridiculous attitude that there are no gays in India. With this march, we hope to move from saying 'Hey, we exist!' to issues like respect and dignity." A steady gay scene has slowly evolved in most metro cities including Delhi, and mainstream magazines like Time Out list gay socials. "Even smaller cities have a thriving gay scene today," says Monga, "It happens...
...Passengers in a bus that stopped near the marchers said they had no clue what the rainbow flags stood for or what the marchers were doing. Even the three men beating the bhangra drums for the marchers - Monu, Mahesh and Inder Bhat - said they had no clue what the march was about. "We came to play so everyone could dance and have a nice time. That's all we know." The march was clearly only a beginning...