[sacw] SACW #1 (21 Dec. 01)

Harsh Kapoor aiindex@mnet.fr
Fri, 21 Dec 2001 01:27:29 +0100


South Asia Citizens Wire | Dispatch #1. | 21 December 2001
http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex

------------------------------------------

#1. Pakistan India : On the brink again (Shafqat Mahmood)
#2. Bangladesh & Talibanization of Cyberspace by Crypto-Islamists=20
(Farida Majid)
#3. India: Talk on 'War on Terrorism'; Afghanistan; Corporate=20
interests in war machine (22 Dec Bangalore)
#4. India: The Hindu right Taliban Shuts Down Art Show by Pakistani Paint=
ers

________________________

#1.

The News International
Friday December 21, 2001

Shafqat Mahmood

On the brink again

The writer is a former Senator and a former federal and provincial minister

The sounds emanating from India are of war. This is not the first=20
terrorist attack on Indian soil, but the rhetoric coming out now is=20
quite different. It is eerily reminiscent of post September 11=20
torrent of angry words flowing out of the United States. Without the=20
capacity or the reach of the Americans, the Indians seem to be doing=20
their best to sound like them. This posturing may give a temporary=20
high but at the end of the day, words are just words if they are not=20
followed by action.

This is not a dare. No one in Pakistan wants war. If you exclude the=20
demented fringe, the people of this country would like nothing better=20
than to live in peace with India. There is enough to worry about=20
anyway. The Afghan situation so unsettled and could have consequences=20
for us. The economy also has a long way to go before it can recover=20
from the post 1998 nuclear explosions slump. This slow down has now=20
been exacerbated by the September 11 events. There is poverty and=20
hunger and disease to fight. Only the mad would look forward to a=20
conflict in these difficult circumstances.

My reference to hostile words is in the worrying context of what=20
follows fire and brimstone. Belligerent rhetoric demands some kind of=20
aggressive action, or else, war like words can rebound on a=20
leadership. That is why it is so necessary to think carefully about=20
appropriate language in a situation of potential conflict. It also=20
makes sense to promise only that which can be easily delivered.=20
Otherwise, words can become a straitjacket leaving no room for=20
manoeuvre.

The American story was different. They chose their enemy carefully.=20
They knew that there would not be much of a fight and no real danger.=20
Victory was also assured although no one quite knew how much time it=20
would take. The rhetoric of war in their case was appropriate, even=20
necessary. It not only relieved feelings of wounded pride after the=20
first ever attack on American mainland, it also prepared the people=20
for a war in Afghanistan.

The Indian situation is not the same. The American script can only be=20
followed to the extent of similar words. Acting on them means risking=20
a war with Pakistan. If such an unfortunate event does come to pass,=20
it would not be a cake walk or a push over, as it was for the=20
Americans in Afghanistan. War between India and Pakistan is a very=20
serious business that can potentially lead to devastating=20
consequences for both countries.

This then is the Indian dilemma. Their leadership is painting itself=20
into a corner with hostile statements. This rhetoric is creating a=20
political imperative to do something. Doing something is easy if it=20
is confined to actions within India or the Indian Held Kashmir. Doing=20
something is difficult if it means hot pursuit into Azad Kashmir, or=20
more dangerously, air attacks on suspected 'terrorist' training camps=20
within Pakistan. As everyone knows, this would not go unchallenged.=20
Events may then rapidly veer out of control. War has its own logic.=20
Unless the enemy is so weak that everything can be mapped to an=20
unerring accuracy, no one can predict what will happen next. Is India=20
ready for this?

Mr Vajpayee's latest statement in the parliament can be interpreted=20
any which way you like. The Indian news channels are calling it a=20
strong declaration of aggressive intent. Careful reading of its text=20
suggests otherwise. While not ruling out assertive action, the=20
substance of the speech leans more towards diplomatic initiatives.=20
There are also voices within the Indian print media that have begun=20
to caution against any rash steps. This is in contrast to the tone=20
and tenor of talk shows on Indian TV channels that are far more=20
belligerent. As someone remarked, TV anchors are no longer reporting.=20
They are pushing and jostling the leadership to get on with it.

Fortunately for everyone, declaration of war is not in the hands of=20
these anchor persons or their carefully chosen guests. I have always=20
believed that Prime Minister Vajpayee is a man of peace. He is under=20
pressure but he understands the consequences of a conflict better=20
than many talking heads getting hot under the collar. The man who=20
came to Minar e Pakistan or invited General Musharraf to Agra, is not=20
going to unleash a devastating war on the subcontinent. After much=20
sound and fury, the situation may calm down. War will be averted, for=20
the moment.

I also believe that General Musharraf is a pragmatic man who is not=20
going to risk the future of the country for some illusory gains. This=20
is the reason why I am convinced that Pakistan government or its=20
intelligence agencies have no role whatever in the Indian Parliament=20
attack. It does not serve Pakistan's interest in any conceivable=20
fashion. In fact, it only adds to the dangers. The Indians may think=20
whatever they like of General Musharraf but this man would not=20
knowingly take steps that increase the risk of a war with India.

This does not absolve the President and his colleagues from taking=20
responsibility for the radical organisations that freely operate in=20
Pakistan. Attack on the Indian parliament was a provocation by people=20
who want to push India and Pakistan into a devastating conflict.=20
There is no credible evidence that either Jaish e Mohammad or Lashkar=20
e Taiba are involved. That is, so far. It may yet emerge during=20
further investigation. Whether they are involved or not, one thing is=20
clear. People who can claim credit for attacking the Red Fort in=20
Delhi and then put on public shows to demonstrate this particular=20
skill, are not the kind who want peace between India and Pakistan.

The government also needs to realise the inherent problems associated=20
with its tacit approval of these Jihadi groups. Their struggle=20
against the Indian army in Kashmir may come under the rubric of a=20
freedom fight, but again and again the victims are often civilians.=20
Some of these groups alsoclaim that once Kashmir is liberated they=20
are going to expand the fight to India. This is not a surprise. For=20
them Jihad is a never ending process. They may or may not be involved=20
in the recent attack on the Indian Parliament but it is not beyond=20
them. They did after all claim credit for attack on the Red Fort. Is=20
peace between India and Pakistan going to be held hostage to these=20
groups?

It is in this context that I think that General Musharraf's offer of=20
a joint inquiry into the Parliament incident is appropriate. If joint=20
steps are taken by India and Pakistan, it would isolate the=20
terrorists. He has also offered to take action if any Pakistan based=20
group is involved. India should not spurn this or question his=20
intentions. If anything, this may be an opportunity to test the=20
President's resolve. They should provide the proof, when it becomes=20
available, and then wait for further action by the Pakistani=20
government.

The Indian government must understand that if sufficient proof of=20
Jihadi groups' involvement in the parliament attack is produced, it=20
would have consequences in Pakistan. The issue of allowing radical=20
groups to operate in Pakistan is already under serious debate in the=20
country. Proof of their involvement in terrorist attacks, on Indian=20
soil, would tip the scales against them. Not just for the government=20
but in the minds of the people. That would be a decisive blow against=20
the radicals.

The US may say many things that people in this part of the world do=20
not like but what is being said now makes eminent sense. In the fight=20
against terrorism, India and Pakistan should collaborate and work=20
with each other. Just giving each other a bad name or promising fire=20
and damnation would not help matters. Partnership is necessary=20
because sane people in both countries realise that terrorists are=20
trying very hard to push us into a war. We must come together to=20
fight this evil. We must come together to build peace.
______

#2.

News from Bangladesh
Talibanization of Cyberspace by Crypto-Islamists

Farida Majid

In the wake of the departure of George Harrison, I am full of=20
memories of that electrifying Concert for Bangladesh at Madison=20
Square Garden in 1971, which I had the great fortune to attend.=20
Throughout the nine months of the liberation war I had traveled in=20
the USA and Europe working ceaselessly for the cause of an=20
independent Bangladesh and creating public opinion against the=20
atrocities of Pakistani army on the innocent civilians of East=20
Pakistan. The warmth, care and goodwill expressed at the Concert for=20
Bangladesh were echoed all over the world.

To the utter consternation of Nixon, Kissinger and Yahya team, George=20
Harrison's "Bangladesh" hit the top of the chart. It was a thrilling=20
moment, in the midst of all the sad news emanating from the=20
battlefront, because even the Western journalists covering the civil=20
war in East Pakistan were not yet using the word "Bangladesh." I want=20
to remind everyone that this country was born on the crest of not=20
only Banglaee's dream of freedom, democracy and secularism, but the=20
good wishes and cheers of all the world's freedom-loving people.
It is unfortunate, and all the sadder for that beginning, that=20
Bangladesh failed to fulfill those dreams we fought for and for which=20
the whole world had cheered. Through successive autocratic rulers,=20
the country never had the graciousness to thank for or return that=20
good will to the world. Let alone thanking George Harrison, no=20
government of Bangladesh even acknowledged the patriotic efforts of=20
the two of East Bangla's most precious gems of all times - Pandit=20
Ravi Shankar and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan - both of whom were initiators=20
of and performers at the Concert for Bangladesh.

Today we have a government that is made up of those very foes who=20
opposed our right to claim our freedom. With the blood of innocent=20
children, women and men of 1971 in their hands, two of the Jamaatis=20
are ministers in Khaleda Zia's cabinet. Other Islamists hold various=20
important portfolios. Reminders of the muktijuddha do not stir noble=20
emotions in anyone any more. This is due mainly to the=20
Awami-leaguers' false over-association of the liberation war with=20
them.

People are so fed-up of Awami mis-rule and "Zatir pita Bangabondu"=20
that they frown, turn up their noses, roll their eyes or fling their=20
wrists at the very mention of 1971. Islamists have now installed=20
themselves in power with unprecedented confidence. Like the Cheshire=20
Cat's in the Wonderland, the ear-to-ear grin of the Islamists hangs=20
in the air of Bangladesh as it fills with the cries of pain and=20
deprivation rising from the defenseless Hindu communities victimized=20
by the Islamist criminals.

Not that there is no secular-minded BNP leader. Most of them, Khaleda=20
Zia included, are not exactly devout Muslims as we well know. But=20
they are installed in power by the Islamists, and hence are gagged=20
and bound against making any comment on the atrocities committed by=20
the Islamist goondas on the hapless Hindus. Without the Islamist=20
support BNP is nothing but a dolled up woman in a chiffon sari. Too=20
apparently, to maintain this vital support, she has to trundle off to=20
Saudi Arabia every month to perform Umrah. Who knows what lurks=20
behind the all too apparent!

Besides their firm clutch on the heads of the present administration,=20
the Islamists have foot soldiers parading in two very disparate but=20
well-coordinated fronts. One cache of cadres is unleashed across the=20
nation to wreak unspeakable havoc of communal killing, raping and=20
looting. Islamist leaders in Dhaka keep a straight face muttering=20
patronizing platitudes about the duty to protect the 'jaan-maal' of=20
the Hindus.
As long as we have Islamists in Bangladesh, Jehadists in Pakistan and=20
the Hinduists in India, the dreaded specter of communalism as a=20
potent political tool will continue to scourge the general populace=20
of the subcontinent. Aiding and abetting the Islamists is this other,=20
newer front presently operating in the cyberspace.
This lot of Islamist collaborators thinly covers up their poisonous=20
activity of spreading the message of the Islamists in the curious=20
form of Islam-bashing. Therefore, I call them crypto-Islamists.=20
Mimicking the Islamist claim, crypto-Islamists define secularism to=20
mean something doggedly anti-religious, virulently anti-Islamic. They=20
call themselves "secular humanists," even though their pompous=20
pronouncements contain not a smidgen of understanding of either=20
secularism or humanism.

A couple of years ago, foolishly taking their self-description of=20
"secular humanists" in good faith, I tried to point out that=20
secularism means pluralism, peaceful coexistence of many religions,=20
faiths and ethnic cultures, and according to that definition of=20
secularism, Muslim Bengal had always been a secular place. At no=20
point in Bengal's history Islam was declared a state religion. The=20
group roundly blasted me for committing the crime of mentioning=20
'culture' and 'history'.

There is no arguing with these crypto-Islamists. They are the ardent=20
followers, the students (taliban) of the Bush-bin Laden School of=20
Dogmatism - that "either you are with us or against us" variety.=20
Violently allergic to the concepts of culture, history of any kind or=20
of any place, evolution, civilization, art, music, social studies,=20
grammar, rhetoric or logic, the crypto-Islamists would pounce upon=20
anyone who broaches these topics with the wrath matching that of=20
their Islamist bretheren upon the Hindus.

The ground-level Islamists at least have a political agenda behind=20
their Islam-touting game. Scratch their Islamic surface, and you will=20
discover that they really do not care much for their religion. The=20
'Alem-samaaj' or the traditional religious establishment of=20
Bangladesh have denounced the weird and un-Islamic ideology of the=20
Islamists and have vigorously protested against the Jamaati antics in=20
the name of religion. The crypto-Islamists of cyberspace, amidst all=20
their Islam-bashing, oddly, never have a harsh word against the=20
Jamaat. Perhaps in their vision of the world through a pinhole they=20
cannot distinguish one from the other.

Or perhaps - and this possibility looms increasingly large - they are=20
the undercover agents of the Islamists employed to spread the=20
propaganda that Jamaat and Islam are one and the same. There is only=20
one Islam - period - no ifs or buts or what-abouts.
Crypto-Islamists were conceived in 1993, and if one recalled the=20
sequence of events, one can understand why the Islamists needed them.=20
Under the able and valiant leadership of shahid-janani Jahanara Imam,=20
Muktijuddher Chetana Bastabayan o Ghatok-Dalal Nirmul Committee had=20
successfully launched a nation-wide and among the Diaspora=20
Bangladeshis in London, New York and elsewhere demanding the trial of=20
the Bangalee collaborators of Pakistani army and those who committed=20
crimes against humanity in1971.

Wherever Jahanara Imam went she was greeted by huge jubilant crowds.=20
Members of the Alem-samaaj joined our campaign and some of them=20
toured the countryside going from mosque to mosque urging religious=20
leaders to be vigilant against the pollution of religion with the=20
dirty politics of the Moududibadi Jamaat. The enthusiasm of the=20
people wanting the Dalals of 1971 to be brought to justice was truly=20
fantastic and, looking back I can say, it was at an all time high.=20
The fundamentalists brought out a procession or two protesting our=20
movement, but it was clear that they were really feeling the pinch.
I had worked ceaselessly for the Nirmul Committee that time,=20
traveling between New York, London and Dhaka. A chunk of my time was=20
occupied also in joining and speaking at meetings and rallies held by=20
an organization that we formed called Concerned South Asians. I also=20
joined in the activities of our Indian colleagues of=20
Samprodayikata-virodhi Andolon.

We marked the first anniversary of the demolition of Babri Masjid by=20
mounting a giant exhibit by Sahmat, an anti-communalism group from=20
India, and a two-day festival of music, dance and poetry readings at=20
Columbia University. After two decades of hopelessness, I was=20
beginning to nurse anew the hope of a closure of the wounds of 1971.

Just at this juncture Taslima Nasrin, flushed with her success as a=20
column writer, decided that she wanted more limelight. I had liked=20
her columns on women's rights, and actively supported her attack on=20
Moksudul Momenin by writing a long scholarly article on the=20
mistranslation of the Qur'anic verses pertaining to women.

However, I did not realize then that Nasrin was totally incapable of=20
making the distinction between secondary religious literature and a=20
primary religious text like the Qur'an. She just lumped Qur'an,=20
Hadith, popular pulp religious literature and rolled them into=20
something she called dharmo, which she then claimed in a loud voice=20
was a very bad thing. Coming from a culturally unenlightened family,=20
understandably, religion was a bit of a 'big deal' to her. Limited=20
exposure to the more enlightened section of our society led her to=20
believe that atheism was a novelty.

So attacking Islam seemed like a jolly good idea to earn some infamy=20
accompanied by spotlight. She was going to be the first female=20
Bangalee atheist the world ever saw! A Johnny-come-lately to the=20
enlightened Muslim Bangalee society that she really never knew from=20
her pinhole view of it..
She began attacking the Qur'an (or rather, the Bangla translation of=20
it, which is all she could read) and got the spotlight she craved.=20
Islam-bashing adds fuel to the fire of fundamentalism, re-energizes=20
their zeal. You don't have to be a rocket-scientist to make that=20
simple cause-and-effect connection. Nasrin was what the Islamists=20
were craving for to get them out of their doldrums. She was their=20
Savior incarnate sent for their deliverance by the almighty Allah. As=20
a reward for this deliverance the Islamists elevated her to the=20
status of Salman Rushdie. The triumphant Islamists have never looked=20
back from that point to this. Now they are at the peak of their=20
political success, thanks to the brilliant work of the=20
crypto-Islamist Nasrin!

I cannot for the life of me fathom the degree of depravity that makes=20
someone speak abusively of a particular religion, its scripture, its=20
prophet, its 'tradition' its world-wide followers. It is so=20
inherently inhuman, racist, and unspeakably stupid! I am loath to=20
talk about my private life, but I must emphatically note here about=20
my family's unflinching dedication to liberal principles and high=20
idealism, whose inculcation in me would prevent me from engaging in=20
this scurrilous activity of insulting a religion.

As a child I was happily a tomboy, free to romp in the fields and=20
woods, climb trees and splash in those splendid community ponds of=20
Narayanganj and swim to my heart's content. My father and my mamas=20
were atheists, but we children were instructed not to speak ill of=20
any religion. Such instructions were not actually specified, they=20
were automatically implied.

We are a bi-communal family since my Boromami is a Hindu who never=20
converted. Her family in Dumdum, and my family were always very close=20
because we are culturally similar. Cultural affinity, not religion,=20
is what makes the difference. I do not suppose the reason why I am=20
not close to the families of my other two mamis is because they are=20
Muslim. It is just that we don't quite match each other in our=20
cultural outlooks or lifestyles.

My nana, Kabi Golam Mostafa, the author of Biswanabi, whom Awami=20
Leaguers mischievously and anachronistically labeled as a "razakar,"=20
(poor guy died in 1964, for God's sake!) was in real life the most=20
secular of men. Ever a loving and caring grandfather, he was more=20
interested in the progress I was making in my classical singing=20
lessons or the latest poem I wrote rather than my religious=20
upbringing. His delightful letters to the two of us contained humor=20
and playful but intelligent bantering, hardly any mention of=20
Allah-rasul. (I can produce these letters, written in my nana's=20
exquisite hand, as documents, as opposed to Nasrin;s undocumented,=20
fictionalized autobiography).

By the age of ten I was well read in Bangla and English, and could=20
look at a picture of a painting and tell whether it was by=20
Michaelangelo, Raphael or Rembrandt, or whether it was by Gaugin,=20
Matisse or van Gogh. If I did not know enough suras by heart to say a=20
proper namaj, it was not an important failure. My extended family was=20
pretty pleased with the direction their first born was heading. Being=20
a Muslim female was never a problem for me. Islam never posed a=20
threat of oppression to me, nor was it an impediment that stunted my=20
intellectual and artistic growth.
So, when the opportunity came in my Graduate School days at New York=20
University, I eagerly snatched it and took the courses in Arabic=20
language which would enable me to at least read and understand the=20
text of the Qur'an in the original. I hasten to add that this was not=20
done as a 'born again Muslim' gesture. One compelling reason was that=20
I got a Federal Govt. scholarship for studying Arabic.

The other reason was my desire to take on the offensive mullahs who=20
spread unsubstantiated claims in the name of religion. I was bred by=20
my family as a modern human being, a citizen of the world, so I had=20
no trouble living either in the East or the West.

These few words about my personal life are necessitated by the false=20
impression created by the endless personal life-story-telling by the=20
crypto-Islamist Nasrin as if her life-story were the norm of every=20
Bangalee Muslim home. No, not every woman in Bangladesh has had=20
Nasrin's sordid, repressive life. And there is no telling whether she=20
is telling the truth. She had been caught red-handed lying by many=20
reporters. Who knows her family and who can testify to the repression=20
that really occurred?

My family is less obscure than Nasrin's and hence I felt I don't have=20
to prove anything by talking about my family life. But Nasrin has to=20
prove something. Again and again, ad nausea, in Bangla and now in=20
English, we are given an account of her life, an account of the=20
'bhando peer' Amirullah to whose magic Nasrin's mother became=20
spellbound.
Why couldn't she get her mother unspellbound from the Peer's magic=20
sooner? I have chased a few 'bhando peers' out of my family's=20
compound in my girlhood. Nasrin urges us, almost by clobbering on our=20
heads, to believe that this fake religious man has everything to do=20
with Islam. This is what Islam is all about and that is so because=20
Islam is a religion like no other (notice the Islamist drift!).

It is a pity that she has remained the same ignorant snob to this=20
day. Not a single lesson has been learned by her, no progress, no=20
growth, no change whatsoever in her incommensurate pattern of=20
thinking; in sum, nothing has been added to knowledge in the course=20
of her life's ups and downs. She keeps repeating the story of peer=20
Amirullah over and over again in exactly the same way she did ten,=20
twelve, or fifteen years ago.

It just so happens that the 'bhando peer' Amirullah of Mymensingh has=20
as much to do with Islam as the 'bhando' priest of Catholic Ireland=20
has to do with Christianity, or the 'bhando' bishop in Protestant=20
Germany or England has to do with Christianity, or the 'bhando' monk=20
in Greece has to do with the Orthodox Church, or the 'bhando' rabbi=20
in Israel has to do with Judaism, or the 'bhando' sadhu in Benares=20
has to do with Hiinduism. I've known a few 'bhando' religious women=20
too.

The world literature abounds with the stories of their treachery and=20
wily ways in the name of religion. Some of these stories are=20
hilarious, tales in Kahlil wa Dimna, Panchatantra, Chaucer's=20
Canterbury Tales, or Boccaccio's Decameron, - we laugh at them. We=20
laugh; we celebrate the human ingenuity of these thugs, the same=20
human spirit and imagination that created the edifices of these=20
magnificent religions. Isn't there something seriously wrong when a=20
group that calls itself "secular humanists" is completely blind to=20
the very existence of humanity that comprises each religion?

Islam, without its living, breathing human followers, like any other=20
religion, is simply an abstraction. In his novel, The Satanic Verses,=20
Salman Rushdie wanted to bring out this human face of Islam. I like=20
the novel for that reason, and wrote a long essay in its defense.=20
Rushdie, whose life was infinitely more seriously threatened by the=20
Islamists than Nasrin's ever was, has the common sense to=20
discriminate the Islamists from Islam. Just the other day he reminded=20
us that the world's 1.2 billion Muslims are not all 'Qur'an=20
analysts', and that acts of terrorism are carried out by a crazed=20
handful of backward-looking bunch who are against all forms of=20
modernism.

Crypto-Islamist Kamran Mirza strongly disagrees with such a=20
statement. Every Muslim gets his or her Islamic teachings from Qur'an=20
and Hadiths. Says who? Says Kamran Taliban Mirza. He takes a lot of=20
pride in his self-proclaimed role of a Qur'an analyst. He is equipped=20
with Allama Yusouf Ali's English translation published circa 1936 and=20
a couple of Bangla translations of the Qur'an. This is the base that=20
constitutes all his bombast, all his peremptory pronouncements=20
against Islam. (I have about seven or eight English, at least three=20
Bangla translations, one of which is by Girishchandra Sen, two in all=20
Arabic and a shelf full of Arabic-English dictionaries, Arabic=20
grammar books and sundry other Arabic language related materials.

There is also a shelf-full of secondary scholarly books. I do not=20
call myself a Qur'an analyst even though I carefully consult all my=20
resources when I'm required to make a reference to the Qur'an).=20
Mirza's so called 'analysis' consists of kicking the Qur'an, spitting=20
on the character of the Prophet, and tearing the text apart in a=20
stupendously comical exhibition of ignorance, malice and egoism=20
befitting the mannerism of a true Islamist. He is applauded for his=20
heroics by a handful of faithful followers. I am reminded of the=20
lines in "Chhayabaji" by my favorite poet, Sukumar Roy:

Ajgubi noi, Ajgubi noi, satyi e sob kathaa
Chhayar sathe juddha kore gaatre holo byathaa
Chhaya dhorar byabsaa kori, tao jano na bujhi
Roder chhaya, chander chhaya, harek rakom punji

Shamelessly, Kamran Taliban Mirza would then post the praises he has=20
received from his sycophants for his comical 'chhayabaji' or=20
shadowboxing.

The all-consuming obsession of the crypto-Islamists with Islam and=20
the ensuing blindness and megalomania would put the one-eyed Mullah=20
Omar and bin Laden to shame. Not a week goes by without them posting=20
some infantile drivel on the Qur'an and Hadith. I wonder whether they=20
read anything other then the Qur'an and Hadith.

Do they read an Englash language newspaper, or is it against their=20
religion? Is reading a non-religious book against their religion?=20
They don't really have the guts to talk against the real-life living=20
and breathing Islamists like Motiur Rahman Nizami. It is getting=20
increasingly clear that these crypto-Islamists work for their=20
Islamist bosses whom they serve slavishly.

Of what use is Islam-bashing? It has only made the Islamists of=20
Bangladesh proclaim themselves as the champions of Islam.=20
Islam-bashers have only succeeded in endorsing this position of the=20
Islamists. The over-zealot crypto-Islamists are now coming apart in=20
the very exercise of their zealotary. They are stepping out of their=20
closet, although they themselves are oblivious of the fact. Kamran=20
Taliban Mirza's exhortation says it all.

Exactly like the Jamaat, and all other Islamists, he is the sole=20
purveyor of the "real Islam" and according to him, our Bangalee=20
"nani-dadi, bap-dada choudda purush" had it all wrong. He is going to=20
set us right - teach us the real, fallacy-proof Islam. He then=20
passionately declares, the one-eyed "Mullah Omar is doing everything=20
to please Allah and nobody else" (NFB, Nov. 30, 2001).

Please, can our nerves be spared? Is it not enough that the=20
crypto-Islamists efforts have helped install the Islamist govt. in=20
power in Bangladesh? Do we now have to have the Mullah Omar agent,=20
this Kamran Taliban Mirza sermonizing us on the cyberspace day in and=20
day out?

______

#3.

Suresh Paul talks on 'War on Terrorism'; Afghanistan; Corporate=20
interests in war machine on 22nd in Bangalore
Date: Wed, Dec 19, 2001, 10:11 AM

Dear Friends,

Greetings!
Quick note to inform you that the 'Karnataka Citizens Initiative=20
Against War' are facilitating a meeting
on Saturday 22nd December 2001
at SCMI House, behind Priyadarshin House, Mission Road, Bangalore- 560 027
between 5.00-7.00 pm.
Suresh Paul, formerly with the Indian Express, currently based in New=20
York, will be present and make an input on US "War on Terrorism";=20
Afghanistan; Corporate interests in the war machine and the influence=20
of the military industry on US foreign policy.

Please do come and pass the word around.
With good wishes,
David Selvaraj
For KCIAW
For more information email visthar@v...

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#4.

The Telegraph
21 December 2001

SENA SHUTS DOWN PAK ART SHOW

FROM CHANDRIMA BHATTACHARYA

Mumbai, Dec. 20:
An exhibition of paintings by Pakistani artists was taken off from an=20
art gallery on Sunday following protests by the Shiv Sena.

The show titled Manoeuvring Miniatures opened at Sakshi Gallery on=20
December 8, three days before the attack on Parliament. The=20
exhibition was of paintings - ironic depictions of current themes -=20
by contemporary artists from Pakistan using miniature techniques.

The few visitors who managed to see the paintings spoke of their=20
charm, originality and boldness, but the Sena was not impressed.

Sena leaders claimed that there was a painting in the show that=20
depicted Krishna wearing jeans and holding a gun, which led to the=20
protests. This, the Sena felt, could hurt religious sentiments in a=20
tense political climate.

"We found out about the painting after Saamna carried a report on the=20
painting. After the attack on Parliament, when the atmosphere between=20
the two countries is already tense, it's wrong to put up such a=20
painting," said Sena's Sunil Shinde.

"Last Sunday, we went to the gallery to stage our protests. But the=20
paintings were already taken off by then because of the Saamna=20
article," Shinde said.

Those associated with putting up the exhibition were tight-lipped.=20
"The show was taken off because we felt it was necessary," a senior=20
employee of the gallery said. "The organisers took it off because of=20
certain unavoidable reasons." She confirmed the Sena protests.

"There was a painting of Krishna. But it would not be right to=20
comment on the matter," another person associated with the show said.

The Manoeuvring Miniatures show came to Mumbai after being put up at=20
Delhi. Artists are shocked at the withdrawal of the paintings. "The=20
paintings were charming, with lots of humour. There was even a=20
painting poking fun at Musharraf. The paintings were very skilfully=20
done, weaving in Western art with Mughal miniature techniques. For=20
example, there was a miniaturised Manet set in a traditional Mughal=20
miniature background," said painter Jehangir Sabavala. "There was=20
Krishna painting. I don't remember the details."

Many artists in the city were disappointed that they could not visit=20
the show. "It is unfortunate that it was pulled off," said painter=20
Atul Dodiya.

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