[sacw] SACW (25 Dec. 01)

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire | 25 December 2001
http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex

[INTERRUPTION NOTICE: SACW dispatches will stop between the period=20
26 December - 2nd January 2002. Greetings and New Year wishes for all=20
from SACW.]

------------------------------------------
#1. Pakistan Peace Group suggests to all the component peace groups=20
of the Pakistan Peace Coalition to mark the 29th of December as a=20
common day of action for peace between India and Pakistan
#2.Pakistan: Jihadi groups go underground
#3. Human chain for in New Delhi - peace activists are gathering at=20
Amar Jawan Jyoti, India Gate on December 25 at 1100 to once again=20
plead for and demand peace in South Asia.
#4. India: 2 day Convention on Communalisation of Education as well=20
the impact of Privatisation on Education (Bombay - 26th 27th December=20
2001)
#5. India: Babri Masjid and After (Achin Vanaik)
#6. The myth of the popular will (Swami Agnivesh and Rev. Valson Thampu)
#7. Bangladeshi Diaspora: Letter to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh,=20
to address the atrocities on Hindu minorities of Bangladesh
#8. India Pakistan Arms Race & Militarisation Watch (IPARMW) # 58
25 December 2001

________________________

#1.

The Citizens' Peace Committee of Islamabad on Monday 24 December has=20
suggested that in view of the mounting tensions between India and=20
Pakistan, peace groups in the two countries should take joint steps=20
to press for de-escalation, restraint, dialogue, firm action against=20
terrorists, cessation of acts of state oppression and resolution of=20
problems between the two neighbours.

It was suggested that peace groups in India and Pakistan jointly and=20
simultaneously arrange New Year's torch-bearing peace marches to the=20
Atari-Wagah border from their respective sides on the 31st, and move=20
as far as they are allowed to proceed. Then address each other's=20
rallies by mobile phones amplified by loudspeaker systems.

The CPC has also suggested to all the component peace groups of the=20
Pakistan Peace Coalition to mark the 29th of December as a common day=20
of action for peace between India and Pakistan, bringing out peace=20
demonstrations in all the cities. The slogans should ask for=20
restraint, a firm action against terrorist groups, and steps to avoid=20
escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan. It has also called=20
for a national level consultation on the situation in Mid-January.

A.H.Nayyar
Citizens' Peace Committee

_____

#2.

DAWN
24 December 2001 Monday

Jihadi groups go underground
By Our Staff Correspondent

FAISALABAD, Dec 23: The activists and office-bearers of several major=20
jihadi organizations have gone underground for fear of crackdown=20
against them.
The regional and area offices and collection centres of almost all=20
the organizations set up in various parts of the district were found=20
locked on Saturday and there was nobody available to attend to=20
telephone calls.
Steps by the government to ensure action against these groups have=20
forced the representatives to confine themselves to the four walls of=20
their houses. The pressure was escalated by the international forces=20
after the attack on Indian parliament by some unknown people.
Signboards and hoardings installed at various points had already been=20
removed by the law enforcing agencies on Friday night on the=20
directive of federal interior ministry.
Sources told this correspondent that the federal government had=20
directed the police to heighten security in all the districts to=20
avoid any untoward incident.
They claimed lists of activists and leaders of these groups were=20
being prepared by the secret agencies of the government and the=20
federal government had already directed the district police chiefs to=20
send a detailed list of mosques, madaris and training centres run by=20
these groups.
[...].

_____

#3.

The Hindu
Tuesday, Dec 25, 2001

Human chain for resumption of train, bus services to Lahore
By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, DEC. 24 Even as the war rhetoric gathers pace in the=20
Capital following the December 13 attack on Parliament, the voice of=20
dissent is not far behind. And an expression of this dissent,=20
particularly in opposition to the Government's decision to stop the=20
Samjhauta Express and the Delhi-Lahore bus service, would be done in=20
the form of a human chain at Amar Jawan Jyoti here on Tuesday.

Under the banner of `People for Peace', prominent members of=20
different peace groups today issued a statement condemning the=20
Government's ``unilateral decision'' to stop the popular train and=20
bus services that had been introduced to enhance people-to-people=20
contact between India and Pakistan.

``It will cause the greatest harm to common people for whom it has=20
meant family reunification,'' they said. ``We condemn the=20
Government's decision to recall the Indian High Commissioner from=20
Islamabad. This attitude of `diplomatic punishment' is not in keeping=20
with the dignity and the tradition of India.''

Critical of the Government's new mechanisms of policing the civil=20
society in the name of security, these peace activists have stated=20
that they denounce all kinds of terrorism. This, they say, includes=20
``State terrorism'' that is manifested in the form of excesses by=20
police and the security forces.

The Government, as the statement alleges, was using the present=20
situation to further the ruling group's ``authoritarian agenda''. The=20
activists go on to urge the Government to desist from treating every=20
problem as either a breakdown in law and order or a terrorist attack,=20
and instead inquire into the social crisis that confronts the country.

While asking the Government to revoke the decision to stop the=20
Samjhauta Express and Lahore bus service, the activists have also=20
demanded that talks resume at the highest political level within the=20
framework of the South-Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

The statement ends with an appeal to people who are against war to=20
come forward and join the human chain at Amar Jawan Jyoti, India=20
Gate, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Christmas Day. This show of=20
dissent, the activists observe, is important as silence is being=20
``misinterpreted'' as endorsement of war.

Among the activists who have signed the statement are Ms. Nirmala=20
Deshpande, Ms. V. Mohini Giri, Ms. Saeeda Hamid, Mr. Valson Thampu,=20
Lt. Gen. M.M. Walia, Ms. Aruna Pai Panandikar, Mr. Achin Vanaik, Mr.=20
John Dayal, Mr. Prakash Louis, Sr. Mary Scaria, Ms. Ajeet Cour, Ms.=20
Ritu Menon and Mr. Iqbal A. Ansari.

_____

#4.

Equality In Education A Two Day Convention on Dates 26th 27th December 200=
1

December 24, 01

Press Note and Invite

Several organizations have jointly come together to host a Convention=20
that focuses on the
Communalisation of Education as well the impact of Privatisation on Educati=
on.

Titled, "Towards Equality In Education --A Two Day Convention on The=20
Emerging Issues " the Convention will be held at the Chetana College,=20
Bandra East. You are requested to depute your representative to cover=20
the two day Convention.

Professor K.N. Panikkar, Vice Chancellor of the Sree Sankracharya=20
University of Sanskrit will deliver the Valedictory Address oon=20
December 27, 01 at 5 p.m.
Ms. Shabana Azmi will give the inaugural address at the opening of=20
the Convention.
Mr. Shamik Lahiri, M.P. & National Convenor SFI is also one of the Speakers=
.

The programme and schedule is attached.

Among the Organisers are CRY, Bal Hakk Abhiyan, Navbharat Yuva=20
Andolan, Rashtriya Seva Dal, Bahujan Shikshan Sangh, Agarkar Vichar=20
Vyaspeeth, Yuva Bharati, Communalism Combat and KHOJ education for a=20
plural India movement.

Your sincerely,
Teesta Setalvad
For the Organisers

Towards Equality In Education A Two Day Convention on The Emerging Issues=20

Dates - 26th and 27th December 2001
Venue - Chetana College, Govt. Colony, Bandra,Mumbai
Day I
Time Sessions

9.30 - 10.00 - Registration + Tea
10.00 - 11.30 - Inauguration
Inaugural Address
Hon.M.P.Shabana Azami
Chief Guests
Madhukarrao Chaudhary
Prof.N.D.Patil
11.30 - 11.45 - Tea Break
11.45 - 1.00 -Keynote Address: Teesta Setalwad
Co-Editor - Communalism Combat & Founder Member of 'khoj'

1.00 - 2.00 - Lunch
2.00 - 4.30 - Communalisation of=20
education and its=20=20
impact on social change
Processes
1. Dr.Ram Punyani
Ekata an organisation working for communal amity.
3. Prakash Burate
Social activist and Researcher working in the area of science and=20
innovations in Education.
4. Dr.Rupa Kulkarni
H.O.D. Sanskrit Dept =F1 Nagpur University & Convenor - Vidarbha=20
Molkarin Sanghatana
4.30 - 7.00 pm - Politics of Universalisation of primary
education
1) Dr.Janaki Rajan- Director - SCERT
New Delhi
2) Sanjiv Kaura =F1 Convenor =F1 NAFRE
3) Prof. Ramkrishna More - Hon. Minister for primary Education &=20
Cultural affairs, G.O.M., Mumbai
4) Vivek Pandit - Centre for Budget Studies Mumbai

Day II

10.00 - 11.30 - Education - A State=20
responsibility?
1. Shamik Lahiri
Hon M.P. & National Convenor SFI
2. Prof. Sadashivan- BUKTU
3. Dilip Walase Patil
Hon.Minister for Higher & Technical Education, GOM, Mumbai
4. Arvind Vaidya - Democratic Teacher's Front Maharashtra
5. Prof.Jogdanad
H.O.D. Dept of Sociology Mumbai University

11.45 - 2.30 - Innovative=20
Experiments in Education
1. KHOJ
2. Tolishala
3. Jeevanshala
4. Avehi Abacus

3.30 - 5.00 - Group Discussion -=20
Regional Plans

5.00 - 6.00 - Valedictory Address
Professor=20
K.N.Panikkar, Vice Chancellor,
Sree Shankracharya=20
University of Sanskrit,
Chief Guests - Kumar Ketkar, Prof. Sadanand Varde

_____

#5.

The Telegraph December 24, 2001
BABRI MASJID AND AFTER

BY ACHIN VANAIK

Whenever December 6 approaches, we have to remind ourselves of the=20
demolition of the Babri Masjid and of the mindset that would justify=20
that barbarism. This year, given September 11 and the American=20
assault on Afghanistan in its aftermath, it becomes all the more=20
necessary to explore revealing parallels in Indian thought processes=20
regarding support, respectively, for the American war on Afghanistan,=20
for India's acquisition of the nuclear bomb in 1998, and for the=20
demolition in 1992.

There will be those who opposed India's acquisition of the bomb but=20
support the United States of America's military assault on=20
Afghanistan. There will also be those who oppose the demolition but=20
support Pokhran II. But who can doubt that those who supported the=20
demolition would in their overwhelming majority have supported Indian=20
nuclearization, and that those who came around to supporting the=20
latter, have in their overwhelming majority, also supported the US=20
war on Afghanistan?

Clearly this agreement across three crucial issues expresses a=20
mindset united by a certain basic continuity of political values and=20
attitudes. What are these? And how are such positions justified?=20
Note: all three events constitute a particular form of terrorism. The=20
demolition was an act of terrorist intimidation and a brutal defiance=20
of the values embodied in the Indian Constitution. Nuclear weapons=20
are not "weapons of peace" as so many "strategists" claim, but by=20
their very nature weapons of terror. The US assault is not a "war on=20
terrorism" but itself a terrorist war of revenge and imperial=20
expansion.

But in all cases, the defenders of these actions must either pretend=20
that these are not forms of terrorism, or seek to justify them=20
despite their terrorist nature. In thus making these justifications,=20
two fundamental and common properties of this mindset stand revealed.=20
The first property is immorality. There is no way that one can=20
support any of the three actions of December 1992, May 1998 and=20
October-November 2001, without resorting to a discourse of moral=20
unconcern, selectivity, deceit, and double standards.

What is the key source of this willingness to abandon principles of=20
moral impartiality and universal application of equal justice for all=20
criminals? Here comes the second property: it is the existence and=20
acceptance by very wide sections of the Indian elite of a form of=20
nationalism that is deeply insensitive, aggressive and belligerent;=20
that would prioritize above all else the pursuit of a particular=20
conception of "national interest". It is in the name of building a=20
strong nation that December 6, 1992 was justified - one that would be=20
culturally united by recognizing its "Hindu essence" and avenging its=20
supposedly self-abnegating past of deference to "outsiders"=20
influenced by an "external" rather than an "indigenous" religion. It=20
is again in the name of building a strong country that would be more=20
secure and "respected" internationally, that the acquisition of=20
nuclear weapons was justified.

Finally, it is in the name of promoting stronger Indo-US ties for the=20
purposes of enhancing "national security", and for defending a=20
selective war on terrorism - highlighting the terrorism carried out=20
by opponents like Pakistan, ignoring one's own terrorism or that of=20
one's much valued friends (the US) - that the war on Afghanistan is=20
being justified.

This realpolitik approach is not just morally but intellectually and=20
politically barren. Hindutva has created such deep divisions within=20
the country that there is no way an internally strong India can ever=20
emerge unless Hindutva is itself eradicated. Only a democratic and=20
humane nationalism can make India strong and united. But given the=20
character of so much of India's current elite, we are far away from=20
achieving this. The pursuit of security through nuclear weapons has=20
only worsened the problem of regional and global nuclear insecurity.

Today, we are in a complete nuclear mess. India-Pakistan relations=20
are at a nadir, and US determination to move towards a national=20
missile defence will only create a newer and more dangerous level of=20
nuclear insecurity both globally and in various regions of the world.=20
Yet an ostrich-like Indian obsession with "national interest" will=20
guarantee that far from opposing this insane American drive towards=20
domination of space and towards establishing a unilateral nuclear=20
hegemony, the Indian government is much more likely to endorse=20
American NMD plans in the hope of getting some minor political,=20
technical and economic sops.

If this is not a classic example of the profound shortsightedness of=20
conventional realpolitik thinking, then what is? Global nuclear=20
disarmament becomes more remote, even as lip service will continue to=20
be paid by Indian pro-nuclearists to their desire for a nuclear free=20
world.

As for the US's war on Afghanistan, it may be worth detailing what=20
are now the likely developments in the wake of the overthrow of=20
taliban rule. Osama bin Laden is very unlikely to be caught alive.=20
While the Afghanistan cells of al Qaida may be destroyed, most of its=20
network is outside the country. And the US cannot in the long run=20
control either the Northern Alliance or Afghanistan. The rivalries,=20
ethnic and factional, within the country are simply too profound, and=20
the conflicting influences and ambitions of neighbouring countries=20
too strong.

Since the US assault on Afghanistan has, in the short-term military=20
sense, proved so successful (with hardly any American lives lost),=20
and its brutal campaign has enjoyed such massive domestic backing,=20
the US government will very likely seek to cash in on this situation=20
by taking its "war on terrorism" to other quarters. Attacks on Iraq,=20
Yemen, Somalia, Syria, Sudan, Lebanon in the near future cannot be=20
ruled out. However, the bitternesses created by the continuation of=20
American foreign policy injustices in west Asia, even without the=20
added horrors of what it has done in Afghanistan, are a guarantee=20
that the wellsprings of hatred towards the US that generate future=20
terrorist acts against it will not dry out.

Washington is aware of this but believes that a world made even more=20
subservient to its dictates is the best way to secure itself from=20
such dangers. In that sense, as should be obvious to even the=20
realpolitik analyst in India most desperate to align with the US, the=20
events of September 11 have made the US more determined than ever to=20
establish its unilateral dominance on a world scale.

Therefore, it would be a grievous mistake to think that=20
post-Afghanistan, the US is going to move towards anything but a=20
deeply unjust Bantustan-type "resolution" of the Palestinian issue=20
when the regional and global relationship of forces has shifted even=20
further in favour of the US, reinforcing its strategically crucial=20
control at the apex of the tripod of client countries - Israel, Saudi=20
Arabia and Egypt. Indeed, one of the major reasons why Washington has=20
to try and destroy al Qaida is that it is a major support-base for=20
resistance to the corrupt and debased regimes existing in Saudi=20
Arabia and Egypt.

What we are witnessing then is the further consolidation of a Pax=20
Americana justified by the ever louder claim that what is good for=20
the US is good for the world. People worldwide will be increasingly=20
divided between those who are appalled by this and will oppose it,=20
and those who will advocate acceptance and support. No prizes for=20
guessing which way the bulk of the Indian elite will turn.

The author has recently co-authored the book, South Asia on a Short=20
Fuse: Politics and the Future of Global Disarmament

_____

#6.

The Hindu
Tuesday, Dec 25, 2001

The myth of the popular will
By Swami Agnivesh and Rev. Valson Thampu

It is always risky, and often unfair, to read situations by=20
speculating on the motives that are alleged to underlie them. We do=20
not wish to do so even though the likelihood of a war-like situation=20
emerging in time for the U.P. elections has been surmised in=20
knowledgeable circles for sometime now. Our attempt here is to reckon=20
the truth about the present scenario. This has become necessary=20
because, in what seems to be a concerted attempt to drum up war=20
hysteria, some very dubious presumptions are being aired=20
unchallenged. As a result, the boundary between fact and fiction,=20
information and invention, is being increasingly blurred. Given the=20
gravity of the situation, and its likely horrendous consequences, it=20
amounts to a dereliction of democratic duty to indulge in the luxury=20
of silence.

We are being told repeatedly that the people of India demand that=20
Pakistan be taught a lesson, and that this brings the Government=20
under pressure to take on that country militarily. This is, at best,=20
the partial truth. Of course, there is widespread indignation that=20
the sanctuary of Indian democracy has been outraged. There is also=20
mounting anxiety that the choice of targets by the terrorists=20
indicates a sinister intention to humiliate our national pride and to=20
spread anarchy. Since December 13, there is an unprecedented=20
consensus, both on the floor of Parliament and outside of it, that=20
the suicidal stratagems of the enemy need to be engaged and defeated.

But this is not the whole truth. Truth, especially in public life, is=20
like the illumination of the planet we live on: one half of it=20
remains in dark at any given point of time. The hidden half of the=20
truth in the present context involves an array of awkward questions.=20
Why are we so ineffective in checking terrorism? Why do we fail to=20
act on available intelligence, as in the case both of Kargil and the=20
attack on Parliament? Why is it that the Indo-Pakistan border remains=20
so porous, facilitating the free movement of infiltrators as well as=20
drug-and-arms peddlers? Why is it that our massive spending on=20
defence does not translate itself into national security? Are we=20
economically and militarily prepared to launch a military operation,=20
when we are not quite sure if we have exorcised ourselves of the=20
ghost of Kargil? Is a war against Pakistan winnable, especially given=20
the nuclear turn in the geo-politics of the sub-continent? Given our=20
none-too- flattering track record in tracking and booking Veerappan,=20
what success can we achieve in taking out the terrorist networks in=20
Pakistan occupied Kashmir, especially after they have been shifted=20
and scattered from the locales of their original concentration as=20
admitted by the Defence Minister of this country himself?

The truth is also that, in the perception of the people, the need to=20
defend our country against the stings of cross-border terrorism is=20
evenly matched by the anxiety of unthinkable nuclear consequences.=20
Given the might of the two armies, even a conventional war seems a=20
nightmare. This anxiety is not limited to the man on the street.=20
Indications suggest that even the armed forces are circumspect, even=20
as they are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for the nation. As=20
a rule, human beings put up with extreme suffering only when there is=20
no alternative to it and their suffering is expected to lead to=20
eventual good. As of today, not many are convinced that we have=20
exhausted all non-military options in countering terrorism. That=20
being the case, it is more than likely that as the stings of war=20
begin to hurt, our national morale could wilt and wither faster than=20
expected. The morale of the people and of the armed forces is as=20
decisive as military hardware for the success of a massive campaign.

In reckoning our morale, a few factors clamour for attention. First,=20
a spate of corruption involving even the defence establishment=20
unearthed in recent times brings no cheers to our morale. Expecting=20
the soldiers to die for the country even as the country itself is=20
routinely dragged through the sewer of corruption and infamy is as=20
mean an outrage on the foundations of Indian democracy as was the=20
assault on Parliament. Only consider the symbolism of coffin=20
corruption and no further argument would be necessary in this=20
respect. Second, going by the evidence of Great Britain under=20
Churchill during World War II, astute and charismatic statesmanship=20
is crucial to sustaining the morale of a people through times of=20
crisis. Sadly, statesmanship of this kind is hardly in evidence=20
today. The divisive politics pursued in recent times, the escalation=20
of communal alienation and the erosion of trust in public life, have=20
all weakened our collective morale. Third, the durability of morale=20
rests firmly on clarity on who the enemy is. Presently, no one=20
believes that the terrorists we want to disable can be equated with=20
the people of Pakistan, or even with the Musharraf dispensation. This=20
was the key issue vis-a-vis Afghanistan too. Despite the flattering=20
success of the U.S. campaign there, the distinction between the need=20
to dismantle the Al-Qaeda and spare the tortured people of that=20
country was not made.

Morale, above all, is a matter of national unity. We should not read=20
too much into the consensus choreographed on the floor of Parliament=20
before it closed shop two days ahead of schedule. That consensus=20
applies only to the need to engage the challenge of terrorism=20
effectively. By no stretch of imagination is it a blanket=20
authorisation to plunge the country into a nuclear holocaust. The=20
Leader of the Opposition, for example, insisted on the need to=20
explore and exhaust all diplomatic avenues. She also demanded that=20
the people be told why precious little was done to avert the attack=20
on Parliament in spite of prior information.

People are worried today that the rising war hysteria could infect=20
our national character and social culture with the virus of violence.=20
It is not what has been done to us but how we handle it that is going=20
to shape our character and destiny as a nation. It is in a time of=20
crisis that the mettle of a nation is truly tested. How we handle the=20
challenge of terrorism and the goals we weave into our responses,=20
will reveal who we are and dictate who we shall be. Motives cannot=20
remain hidden forever. The truth will be out. The puppeteers and=20
perpetrators of war have not remained centre-stage in history for too=20
long. War is a monumental folly, a mortally-costly business. And the=20
cost is not merely the thousands of lives lost and crores in assets=20
destroyed. The cost will also be the unmaking of vested interests and=20
the launching of history trajectories contrary to the calculations=20
that prevail today. As of now, we cannot afford to be in any doubt on=20
this count: the people of India want terrorism to be eradicated. But=20
they do not want this national consensus to be caricatured into a=20
clamour for war with Pakistan. The sub- continental neighbours wish=20
to live in peace.

It is because they desire peace, not war, that they wish terrorism to=20
be eradicated. The truth is that all enemies of peace, all=20
war-mongers, are terrorists no matter in what outfits they appear,=20
what ideologies they mouth and colours they sport. This is the truth=20
that India needs to inject into the global war on terror; for this is=20
basic to the demands that the people are making today.

(The writers are, respectively, national president, Bonded Labour=20
Liberation Front, and faculty member, St. Stephen's College, New=20
Delhi.)

_____

#7.

News From Bangladesh

Letter to PM (Hindus in Bangladesh)
Mahbub Khan
USA

E Mail : mahbubkhan25@h...
E Mail : mahbubkhan@i...

Dear Bangladeshi Friends of Bay Area, across USA & Worldwide,

Eid Greetings to all of you.

We have drafted a letter to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, as=20
shown below, in order to address the atrocities that are happening to=20
the Hindu minorities of Bangladesh. We are therefore requesting you=20
to kindly take part in this effort, and to please sign this letter by=20
responding to this e-mail, by simply saying "Yes", or "I agree to=20
sign". We will include your name, but we will not publish your=20
contact information.

Thank you very much. With best regards from:

Mahbub khan, Alak Dev, Ashfaque Swapan

San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA

=3D=3D=3D=3D
To

The Honorable Prime Minister Khaleda Zia

People's Republic of Bangladesh

Dear Madam Prime Minister,

Please accept our heartfelt congratulations on your electoral=20
victory. We, the expatriate community of Bangladeshis in the San=20
Francisco Bay Area, have been delighted with the conduct of free and=20
fair elections in Bangladesh and wish you and your government well as=20
you take on the challenge of governance.

However, we write with a heavy heart.

Just when we were about to celebrate the third successful conduct of=20
nationwide elections, we received the news of the recent attacks on=20
the Hindu minority. We live thousands of miles away from Bangladesh,=20
so we have no way of verifying sometimes conflicting news reports and=20
official comments. However, thanks to some dogged and intrepid=20
reporting by Bangladeshi newspapers and news of fleeing minorities=20
into neighboring India, the conclusion is inescapable: The helpless,=20
defenseless Hindu

minority has been targeted not for the first time n an orgy of=20
looting, assault and rape.

We are shocked and outraged. We are particularly appalled by=20
investigative news stories of gang-raping of innocent Hindu women,=20
and the total failure of the authorities to bring the culprits to=20
book. Add to this the litany of sad stories of looting and=20
harassment, and it

presents a depressing law and order scenario.

This is a time for all Bangladeshis to raise their voice in protest.=20
It is absolutely vital that we let the government and the world know=20
that the vast majority of Bangladeshis not only don't support these=20
inhuman crimes, but are revolted by these activities.

The government's reaction to these events causes us profound concern.=20
While to its credit, the government has promised to rebuild the Kali=20
temple destroyed in 1971, and even offered a substantial grant for=20
the celebration of Durga Puja, the minority community has been=20
understandably cool to these overtures, because when push came to=20
shove, the government has failed to address the egregious violation=20
of basic

human rights of the Hindus.

The first duty of any government is to ensure the safety of its=20
citizens. Reports suggest strongly that criminal lumpen elements went=20
berserk in remote areas of Bangladesh and launched attacks on the=20
Hindus, and the law enforcement agencies failed utterly to protect=20
them. While public outcry appears mercifully to have brought down the=20
incidents of minority harassment, there is no sign that the=20
government is serious about getting at

the bottom of this and to arrest the culprits.

We have to ask: How was it possible for criminal elements to commit=20
these outrageous crimes? It has been suggested that Hindu support for=20
the opposition parties may have been in part responsible, but that=20
begs the disquieting question: Why have Hindus alone been the=20
systematic target of looting and rioting?

There is no denying the depressing answer: The criminal elements knew=20
from past experience that such horrendous crimes could be committed=20
with impunity, that they would not be taken to task.

This is why we are voicing our protest, and urge Bangladeshis=20
everywhere to join us. We need to let it be known that the vast=20
majority of Bangladeshis, irrespective of faith, find such attacks on=20
fellow citizens repugnant and unacceptable. Only the fear of a=20
massive public backlash can ensure that such events are not repeated=20
in the future.

We urge the government to institute an independent judicial inquiry=20
into the events and send a clear message that such outrages will not=20
be tolerated. The present official policy of partisan rhetoric and=20
denial will fool nobody. Even worse, it sends a terrible message to=20
the perpetrators of these crimes: That they can do what they like in=20
times of political unrest and escape under political cover.

Rape, looting and harassment are bad enough, but when they target a=20
minority community, they are even more heinous. In the U.S., the=20
sharpest public opprobrium is reserved for hate crimes against=20
minorities. Today Bangladeshis live in far-flung parts of the world=20
where they depend on the goodwill and commitment of mainstream=20
communities to equal protection under the law. We cannot in good=20
conscience demand from others what we fail to ensure in our own=20
country.

However, after all is said and done, we register our outrage and=20
protest for a more basic reason that our brothers and sisters have=20
been attacked at home, and we have to express our support for them at=20
this time of distress.

As Bangladeshis, we wish to express our solidarity with them. This is=20
also a good time to do a comprehensive stocktaking of government and=20
public policy towards the Hindu minority. Hindus are=20
disproportionately underrepresented in top government and other=20
positions with respect to their academic performance, and over the=20
years a steady exodus of Hindus these offer implicit evidence of=20
discrimination. We have to ask ourselves if this

creates an atmosphere conducive to the recent horrors on Hindus.

The September 11 terror attacks have shaken the world and have forced=20
us all to reflect on the challenges we face. We are looking at a=20
stark choice: Will we build societies and communities where religious=20
and political plurality thrives, or will sectarian, religious and=20
ethnic intolerance triumph?

We believe the vast majority of Bangladeshis support a plural,=20
diverse society. But support isn't enough, we have to prove it with=20
action, and we hope your government will take the measures to let the=20
world know where we stand.

Concerned Bangladeshi's in the San Francisco Bay Area and Beyond.

_____

#8.

India Pakistan Arms Race & Militarisation Watch (IPARMW) # 58
25 December 2001

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IPARMW/message/69

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