[sacw] SACW | 13 April. 02

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire | 13 April 2002
http://www.mnet.fr

__________________________

#1. Is Bangladesh becoming less secular? (Saleem Samad)
#2. India: Has communalism changed? - II (Imtiaz Ahmad)
#3. India: Sahmat Press Release - Crimes Against The Common Heritage=20
of Humanity
#4. India: A Letter from Shabnam Hashmi after a 4 day trip to Gujarat
#5. India: Bringing barbarians to book (Praful Bidwai)
#6. India: Open letter to the Prime Minister (Forum For Communal Harmony, G=
oa)
#7. New SAFHR Publication : Women Making Peace by R Manchanda, B.=20
Sijapati & R. Gang

__________________________

#1.

The DAILY TIMES (Lahore) 12 April 2002
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=3Dstory_11-4-2002_pg3_6

Is Bangladesh becoming less secular?
Recent political moves by the government in Dhaka are giving=20
observers much cause for concern

By Saleem Samad

The political crisis in Bangladesh seems to worsen with each day. The=20
government of Prime Minister Khaleda Zia is locked in a pitched=20
battle with former premier Hasina Sheikh and her Awami League party,=20
ostensibly over allegations by Sheikh-led opposition that the=20
government is attempting to Islamicise the country by imposing a=20
system of draconian rules that would turn Bangladesh into another=20
Afghanistan under the Taliban.

The Awami League alleges that Prime Minister Zia and her coalition=20
government are contravening the fundamental principles of=20
nationalism, secularism and democracy enshrined in the Bangladesh=20
constitution. =93We turned Bangladesh around into a moderate and=20
democratic nation,=94 Sheikh said at a student rally last week,=20
referring to her term in office (1996-2001). =93The present government=20
is bent on reverting to the dark ages and undoing our work,=94 she=20
charged.

Prime Minister Zia vociferously denies the accusation that her=20
government, comprising the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the=20
Jama=92at-i-Islami, is trying to create a state run by Islamist=20
zealots. =93There is no room for religious fanaticism in Bangladesh,=94=20
she says, promising stern legal action against those who have,=20
=93launched anti-Bangladesh propaganda at home and abroad to malign the=20
image of the nation.=94 A small number of ministers in the Zia cabinet=20
are from the Jama=92at.

The war of words between the two mainstream parties has also found=20
its way into Jatiya Sangsad, the Bangladesh parliament. =93Islamist,=20
the buzzword of the day,=94 Ms Zia told MPs was being exploited and=20
abused in an attempt to tarnish the image of Bangladesh. Ms Zia has=20
termed the opposition parties=92 campaign =93information terrorism=94 and=20
said their attempts to destabilise the government will be =93severely=20
dealt with.=94

In its bid to clamp down on democratic voices, a member of the=20
Nationalist Party has drafted a bill blocking media access to=20
parliamentary proceedings. The Special Privileges and Powers Act=20
2002, drafted by Mohammed Abu Hena, has been sent to the parliament=92s=20
standing committee for scrutiny. The bill if made law would raise the=20
status and privileges of the speaker and MPs and prevent the media=20
from publishing reports about certain matters of the parliament.

The proposed law defines publishing reports on documents, statements=20
prepared for presentation in the house or debates of a parliamentary=20
committee as punishable crimes. The publication of confidential=20
decisions, reports, and documents or proceedings of the parliament=20
has also been made a punishable offence. The proposed legislation=20
gives immunity to lawmakers against criminal charges and empowers the=20
speaker to punish journalists and parliamentary watchdogs if they=20
=93misbehave=94. Insulting an MP is also punishable under the proposed=20
law.

Reporters sans Fronti=E8res (Reporters Without Borders), a Paris-based=20
media watchdog, has already spoken against this attempt at preventing=20
access to information of parliament proceedings, stating that this=20
would put to an end any semblance of press freedom in Bangladesh. In=20
fact, RSF fears that the bill if passed would enable the government=20
to harass and intimidate the press.

The government banned an issue of the Far Eastern Economic Review=20
which carried a cover story on Bangladesh, A Cocoon Of Terror, by=20
Bertil Lintner. The story mentioned =93rising fundamentalism and=20
religious intolerance=85threatening secularism and moderate Islam=94. The=20
story also mentioned that there were plenty of guns in Bangladesh and=20
the =93lawless south-east=94 was a breeding ground for the jihadis.

The FEER report also narrated how the Rohingya refugees from=20
neighbouring Myanmar and local Muslim youths, trained by Harkat ul=20
Jihad al-Islami, were recruited by the Taliban and Al Qaeda. It=20
claimed that these Bangladesh-trained Islamist militants had also=20
taken part in battles in Kashmir, Chechnya and Afghanistan.

Similarly, an article published in the Asian Wall Street Journal=20
(ASWJ) last week says much the same. Reports reaching here from New=20
York say the Bangladeshi community in that city feared the INS=20
officials and the Bush administration would start eying the Bengalis=20
with suspicion.

Fortunately, there was little fallout in Bangladesh from the=20
Sabarmati train tragedy at Godhra in Indian Gujarat and the=20
subsequent communal violence that left some 800 dead. The government=20
patted itself on the back for taking =93preventive measures=94 and=20
ensuring peace and harmony. Dr Mohammed Omar Farooq, a Bangladeshi=20
professor teaching in the US, said Bangladeshis are not much into=20
communal politics. =93Religion is a tool used by corrupt politicians,=20
this is a game played in every part of the world,=94 he said.

Professor Syed Anwar Hossain of the Dhaka University says the=20
likelihood of Bangladesh becoming another Afghanistan is remote. Mr=20
Hossain told Daily Times there were very few militant Islamists in=20
the military and the government apparatus and it would be =93literally=20
impossible=94 for Islamist fanatics to stage some sort of coup and take=20
over Dhaka.

That having said, the Special Privileges bill is giving intellectuals=20
and rights activists much cause for concern. Professor Mohammed=20
Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank, said at a seminar last week in Dhaka=20
that the per capita income of the people could be doubled and the=20
number of people living below the poverty line halved if information=20
was allowed to flow freely. #

_____

#2.

The Hindu, Saturday, Apr 13, 2002
Opinion
Has communalism changed? - II
By Imtiaz Ahmad

We must get rid of the one-dimensional, inflexible state of=20
identities, which emphasise consistency.

CONTEMPORARY COMMUNALISM operates within the framework of an enhanced=20
desire of majority communalism to control and manipulate the leverage=20
of state power. This form of communalism became prominent in the=20
1990s as a result of a deep legitimacy crisis of the Indian state in=20
the face of economic liberalisation. Merely dislodging majoritarian=20
forces from state power is not going to be sufficient to stamp this=20
form of communalism out. Nor can it undermine their social and=20
cultural hegemony. One must understand the link between modern=20
thinking and `daily-life' viewpoints in civil society to deal with=20
it. [...].
[ Full Text at: http://www.hinduonnet.com/stories/2002041300341000.htm ]

_____

#3.

SAHMAT organised a press conference today to protest against the
destruction of the tomb of the father of Urdu poetry Wali Gujarati in
Ahmedabad and desecration of the tomb of the great musician Ustad Faiyaz
Khan in Baroda are instances of this insane communal offensive.

Bhisham Sahni, Wasifuddin Dagar and Shubha Mudgal addressed the press
conference. The following statements were released:

PRESS RELEASE

CRIMES AGAINST THE COMMON HERITAGE OF HUMANITY

The Nazi mass murderer Herman Goering would undo the buttons of his gun
holster every time he heard the word "culture". With their passion for
simplifying matters, the VHP and Bajrang Dal mobs have shown that they woul=
d
rather reach for the sledge-hammer every time they see a symbol of
humanity's common cultural heritage.

Within a day of the Godhra outrage, the VHP mobs that have held Gujarat in
their terrorist grip for over a month, had demolished the tomb of Wali
Gujarati. The state government that has allowed tens of thousands of
citizens to become refugees living in dread of the next visit of the
vengeful mob, then showed a rare appreciation of its civic responsibilities=
.
Even as the protests began over the wanton destruction of an important
cultural landmark, it paved over the spot where Wali's tomb had stood. It
was obviously working on the belief that effacing every evidence of a
cultural monument would obliterate all the rich traditions that it served a=
s
a reminder of.

Wali is acknowledged almost universally by all with an authentic
appreciation of the evolution of Indian culture, as the founder of the
modern Urdu poem. Born in Aurangabad in 1667, he was known during his brief
lifespan as Wali Aurangabadi or Wali Dakkhani. He traveled widely over
India, his visit to Delhi in 1700 and his interactions there being an
especially significant event in the growth of the ghazal as an art form. He
was a frequent traveler through Gujarat and wrote lovingly of its urban
centres, especially Surat. He died in Ahmedabad in 1707 on one of numerous
visits. The people of Gujarat, then living in more enlightened times, built
a tomb for him in Ahmedabad and proudly laid claim to his legacy by
bestowing upon him the title of Wali Gujarati.

The mobs seem intent on defiling even more recent memories of the cultural
traditions to which Gujarat has been heir. Early this month, the tomb of
Ustad Faiyaz Khan in Baroda was attacked and wreathed in burning tyres.
Extensive damage has been inflicted on the fa=E7ade of the structure
commemorating the man who was in 1912 declared by the erstwhile ruling
dynasty of Baroda as the greatest singer in the realm.

Faiyaz Khan's musical lineage is considered to go back to Tansen himself.
Though renowned as a performer and a practising teacher, he was also
associated with the academic efforts of Pandit Vishnu Narain Bhatkhande and
others to revive and systematise classical Indian music forms during the
first half of the century. As nationalist India began the rediscovery of it=
s
cultural heritage, he set new canons of musical interpretation and
appreciation. When he died in 1950, an informed critic noted: "He was the
last of the race of giants. The like of him will not be born again. He was =
a
gift - a national asset. As time widens the gulf between the noble dead and
the hopeful living, he stands out as a beacon, a bulwark of genius and
tradition, whose inspiration will not be wasted even on the most cynical
among us".

This critic obviously did not foresee the depths of depravity that could be
plumbed by the rampaging VHP mobs. Yet these two are by no means the only
recent instances of the wanton destruction of cultural monuments in Gujarat=
.
The Indian History Congress has pointed out that the mosque of Malik Asin
(Asas, Imadul Mulk) at Ahmedabad, built in the reign of Sultan Mahmud Begad=
a
(1458-1511) has been destroyed. A protected monument built in stone, this
structure was destroyed within hours in an operation involving the use of
bulldozers. At around the same time, the mosque of Muhafiz Khan at Ahmedaba=
d
was badly damaged.

The Hague Convention of 1954 (or the Convention for the Protection of
Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict) recognized that the
preservation of "cultural heritage is of great importance for all peoples
of the world" and that "damage to cultural property belonging to any people
whatsoever means damage to the cultural heritage of all mankind". India is =
a
signatory to this convention.

In 1972, a protocol to this Convention was adopted, which identified
"cultural heritage" as among other things, "monuments, architectural works,
works of monumental sculpture and painting, elements or structures of an
archaeological nature, inscriptions, cave dwellings and combinations of
features, which are of outstanding universal value from the point of view o=
f
history, art or science". Every State that had acceded to the Hague
Convention, it held, recognized that "the duty of ensuring the
identification, protection, conservation, presentation and transmission to
future generations of the cultural and natural heritage situated on its
territory, belongs primarily to that State".

At its General Conference meeting in 2001, UNESCO adopted a resolution that
sought to define the circumstances under which an act could be construed as
a "crime against the common heritage of humanity". It reiterated the need
for all member-states to accede to and observe the various conventions it
had evolved over the years. And it authorized the Director-General of the
organization to formulate for the next session of the General Conference, a
"Draft Declaration" which would define the circumstances under which the
"Intentional Destruction of Cultural Heritage" could be deemed to have take=
n
place.

By these norms of international conduct, the BJP-led government at the
Centre is in gross and flagrant default. And quite apart from its horrific
crimes against the living, the Narendra Modi government's crimes against th=
e
common heritage of humanity are adequate to earn it the most severe
indictment in the court of universal cultural values.

SAHMAT
8, Vithalbhai Patel House, Rafi Marg, New Delhi-110001
Tel- 3711276/ 3351424

USTAD HAAFIZ ALI KHAN MEMORIAL TRUST

Ustad Faiyaz Khan Saheb has been one of our countr's pioneers in the world
of vocal music. His death was a major loss to the country. His music lives
on even today, as he is one of the most sought after legends of the early
years. My father, the great Ustad Haafiz Ali Khan Saheb was very close to
him and missed him immensely after his death. He was truly the musical
emperor of the Agra Gharana.

It is really shocking and sad to know that the Mazaar of Ustad Fiyaz Khan i=
n
Baroda was attacked and burnt. Extensive damage was inflicted on the facade
of the structure commemorating the man who was in 1912 declared by the
erstwhile ruling dynasty of Baroda as the greatest singer in the realm.

Our country's uniqueness lies in its diversity and togetherness. I hope and
pray that we are able to retain that and we are able to spread love, peace
and harmony in the minds of the coming generation.

Amjad Ali Khan
President
Ustad Haafiz Ali Khan Memirial Trust

The Bade Ghulam Ali Khan Yaadgar Sabha

The unique colourful culture of our land is being threatened by violence an=
d
negative forces in our society. We artists have strifed to keep alive the
secular ideals of India. I feel deeply sorrowful that now these negative an=
d
violent elements are even destroying monuments of those great artists-such
as Ustad Fayaz Khan- who dedicated their life to the preservation of our
composite culture and the performing arts. My guru Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali
Khan Sahab left his home in Kswe near Lahore, to be able to keep alive his
singing which was dedicated to Sufi ideals, treated all mankind as equal. H=
e
composed bandish, dedicated to Ram-Rahim and Ram-Shyam. We wish to keep
alive the memory of those who had dedicated their lives and thoughts to
secularism.

Malti Gilani

Naina Devi Foundation
76, Sundernagar, New Delhi, Tel-4356056

We at the Naina Devi Foundation are deeply shocked to learn of the
desecration of Ustad Faiyaz Khan's mazaar at Baroda in the first week of
April. The foundation is totally opposed to any and every attempt to destro=
y
the foundations of our great syncretic culture and to denigrate our
composite culture heritage, since the late Naina Devi dedicated her entire
life and her music to promote the values of this composite cilture. We
strongly condemn the Baroda incident, only the latest such instance which
has taken place in the terrible situation in Gujarat, and appeal to the
music and art fraternity to continue to uphold the values that have
sustained our art over the centuries.

April 12, 2002
Rina Ripjeet Singh, Ratanjeet Singh, Shamsher Singh

The attack on the tomb of Ustad Fayaaz Khan in Baroda has shocked musicians=
,
music-lovers, artists and many citizens of the city alike. Baroda is known
as the 'city of culture' and central to this heritage of culture has been
Ustad Fayaaz Khan, the doyen of Hindustani Classical Music. He was the
pride of the star-studded Gaekwad Court for almost forty years and to this
day, over fifty years after his death, his personality looms large in any
musical soiree or academic gathering.

Baroda since the reign of Maharaja Sayajirao III, has been=20
known for its
Sufi tradition and composite culture; for the feeling of fraternity among
its artists. Musicians were invited for their excellence, not for their
particular faith. If the Agra Gharana mantle was carried on by Ustad
Sharafat Husain Khan, so was it by Pt. Ramrao Naik or Pt. Madhusudan Joshi
or the renowned Bal Gandharva, all students here.

Any history of the city of Baroda or history of classical=20
music in India
has to talk about the contribution of Ustad Maula Bux who started India's
first school of classical music here in 1886 and of Aftab-e-Mausiqui, Ustad
Fayaaz Khan, who dominated the musical scene of India for over
half-a-century. Today their descendents live here in Baroda in fear, in
great fear. And the Ustad who brought so much fame and glory to the city i=
s
not allowed to rest in peace.

What can be of greater shame than the desecration of the=20
Ustad's tomb in a
city that prides itself as the 'Sanskar Nagari'?

Alaknanda Patel R. C. Mehta
P. D. Dhumal Rini Dhumal
Iftekhar A. Khan=20
Rajkumar Hnas
Dhanoo G. Patel=20
M. N. Sane

SHADAJ

The members of the SHADAJ Heritage Music Circle are shocked by the news of
the desecration of the tomb of " Aftab-e-Mausiqi", Ustad Faiyyaz Khan Sahib
in Baroda. We express disapproval of and censure this regrettable act.

Music in India has always been representative of the diverse yet composite
culture that exists in this society. The different strains are the strands
that bind us together and any attempt to rent apart the warp and weft of
this fabric and to communalise the priceless heritage of Indian Music must
be severely condemned.

MOSQUES & DARGAHS DESTROYED/ BURNT/ DAMAGED RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE POLICE
PRESENCE:

Location
Distance from the nearest Police station/chowky/picket
=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20
Mir Bakarali mosque (Raopura), Dandiya Bazar
Within 250 metres from two police chowkies (Shiyapura and Dandia Bazar)

Salatwada mosque Less than 150 meters

Jaliwala Pir's Dargah, Near Sayaji Hospital
Right in front of Nagarwada Police chowki (Ladies Cell).

Haji Hamja mosque (Chhipwad)
Immediately behind City Police Station, Mandvi
Begam saheb's mosque (Navabazar)
Less than 200 meters: Rokadnath Police chowki
=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20
Dargah near Bajwada Naka
Less than 200meters
=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20
Madina Mosque at Tajgira Kabrastan, Kareli baugh Road
About 300m from Kareli Baug chowky, Navi Dharti,
=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20
Bade Hazarat saheb's Dargah, Kareli Baug
About 1km from Bahucharaji Police chowky, Navi Dharti,
=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20
Baranpura mosque
Within 150m from the Wadi police Station
=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20
Mosque under the Overbridge at Pratap nagar
within 100m from the Pratap nagar police Training College
=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20
Tarsali mosque
About 1km from the Police Cowkie.
=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20
Makarpura mosque
Near Police Parade Ground
=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20
Dargah near Udyog nagar, Ayurvedic Hospital, Panigate
Less than 200 meters
=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20
Mosque in Kisanwadi
1 km
=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20
Mosque/madarsa in Nava Yard-Chhani rd
2 kms from Fatehganj Police
=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20=20
Noor Park, Tarsali

Waghodia Chowkdi Dargah
2 kms

_____

#4.

Date: Fri, 12 Apr 2002 12:58:39
[A Letter from Shabnam Hashmi]

Dear friends,

I was in Gujarat for four days. These are some of=20
the impressions.This is the first draft but I can't bring myself to=20
read it again and do corrections, hope you will excuse me...Shabnam

Gauhar bhai, jab mera beta akele bahar jata hai, main use nazar bhar=20
ke dekh leta hoon, he said as we were leaving. The atmosphere was=20
very tense, we knew it was not safe on the roads but we couldn=92t tear=20
away ourselves from him. Educated, refined, sensitive=85

He talked to us for over two hours. He broke down a number of times,=20
apologised and started crying again. His house was not burnt, no life=20
was lost in his family. And no one asked him if he was alive, not=20
even close friends=85

The city is full of traffic. An old acquaintance tells me normalcy is=20
returning.

Gauhar is recording at the studio in a market place, my 15 year old=20
son, Sahir, has run out of film rolls, we go to a shop and buy rolls.=20
We see the cameraman, going towards the car. Sahir asks me : where is=20
abbu? In the middle of the returned normalcy the shopkeeper loudly=20
repeats the word Abbu. I ask Sahir to run to the car and I run=20
upstairs to see if Gauhar is still in the studio. He has left. By the=20
time I climb down, the shopkeeper is talking to someone on the phone.=20
I hear clearly, "the boy said abbu, must be Muslims". I run to the=20
car, Gauhar is standing outside; I push him inside and tell the=20
driver to immediately start.

Two Muslim kids are not so lucky. They dare to come to CG Road to eat=20
at a fast food joint. Surrounded and beaten up, they somehow escape=20
leaving the car behind.

They have defied the VHP=92s ten commandments, which asks all Hindutva=20
followers not to buy anything from a Muslim shopkeeper and not to=20
sell anything from their shop to such elements!

Yes, normalcy has returned to Modi=92s Gujarat.

Mujib bhai informs us that there are 10,200 people in the Aman Chowk Camp.

His eyes are absolutely expression less and defocused, he is not=20
looking at us but stares somewhere in the distance-they removed all=20
her clothes and raped my aunt, my nani tried to save her, they=20
chopped her hands and then burnt them alive=85he is only seven and is=20
from Naroda Patiya.

There used be regular RSS shakhas in their village=97they were from Mehsana=
.

The commotion had started around 11 in the morning=85The RSS in their=20
khakhis, the Bajrang Dal members were going on scooters to other=20
surrounding villages=85and finally the mob arrived, leaving behind=20
tales of brutalities and barbarism

I am suddenly feeling very uncomfortable=85my sandles are full of black=20
soot=85 I begin to cry, I can visualise the bookrack where hundreds of=20
books must have been before they were turned into soot=85. This is an=20
advocate=92s house=85

The next house is Justice Divecha=92s; his wife shows Gauhar the burnt=20
clock, which is still showing the time of the attack. There is=20
nothing in these two houses, not even memories. We see the remains of=20
the citizen=92s award on the wall, a few patrol bombs.

The next house is half burnt, the goons have spared the lower=20
portions of the walls, they have obviously used gas here=85

Naroda Patia, Gomtipur, Chartoda Kabristan camp, Dariapur=85everywhere=20
the same stories, one more horrendous than the previous one.

We hid all the children in a room, first the police fired and then=20
they gave a green signal to the mob, the looting, killing, torching=20
of houses, gang rape began, the police realised that someone had=20
hidden the children in a house, they break the wall and hurl a tear=20
gas shell inside=85

Vajpayee ji, you have the courage to show your face to these people.=20
Or will you just write another meaningless verse and get it endorsed=20
by =85

Ahsan Jaffery had dared to campaign against Modi during the=20
by-election=85 The message is clear, the goons, beat him up, hack his=20
body into three parts, carry his head in the colony, urinate on his=20
dead body and then burn him.

The NDA must keep quite, Paswan ji would loose his minister ship,=20
Naidu has closed his eyes, they are true Gandhi followers-bura mat=20
dekho, bura mat suno=85

Father is very angry=85he shows us an official press note, released by=20
Naushir Dwedi, PS to the Health Minister of Gujarat. The press=20
release terming the following organisations as terrorist outfits=20
accuses the Citizen=92s Initiative, St. Xaviers=92s Social Society and=20
others of defaming Gujarat internationally.

We are about to leave from another relief camp when we meet two=20
doctors. They meet us very cordially and the one of them takes out=20
pen and paper. He wants to know where have we come from, needs our=20
addresses as the govt. has instructed him to keep a record of=20
everyone who enters the camp. Another survey?

We are sitting with a very close friend, every peace attempt has been=20
attacked=85. Peace dharna at IIM, the Gandhi ashram meeting, the peace=20
hoardings, there is hopelessness, despair, He tells us our only hope=20
now is solidarity from other states, if you don=92t mobilise support=20
then we are doomed=85

He is leaving for his meeting, I shout after him=97I will come back=20
soon, he returns hugs me tightly and runs away, I know he is crying...

Every time we get down from our car to shoot, Father Cedric reminds=20
my son that his name is Siddharth, his father=92s name is Ramesh, don=92t=20
say abbu=85

We named him Sahir, after the great poet

We are doing out last interview with an extremely enlightened=20
professor, direct descendant of Wali Gujrati

We had a meeting of progressive writes and Majrooh Sultanpuri, Majaz,=20
Sahir Ludhyanwi, Josh and many more came from all over India. Josh=20
sahab wanted to visit Wali=92s tomb first, I took him there=85 Wali was=20
the father of the Urdu language

The professor is now 70+, a fighter all his life=85. He has lost all=20
hope, his grand children are playing outside, they are not going to=20
school=85

Wali=92s tomb has been raised to the ground, we are shooting the tarred=20
road. Father has seen enough activity on the road to caution me to=20
call Gauhar and Sahir, we have to leave immediately

We pick up our luggage and are about to leave=85. Suddenly this friend=20
says she wants us to see something =85 I had hoped all these weeks,=20
after reading Harsh Mander=92s article that he was wrong on at least=20
one account, but all my hopes were shattered. The young lady has=20
brought photographs, photographs of not one pregnant woman but seven=20
different charred bodies, the unborn child, still clinging to the=20
split stomach=85I am totally shattered=85

I have to go back.

I imagine I am telling my friend-I will come back again and not=20
alone. If they are not letting you speak, we will come and speak.

Will you join me in breaking the silence?

______

#5.

Frontline, Volume 19 - Issue 08, Apr. 13 - 26, 2002

Bringing barbarians to book

Praful Bidwai
All possible forums, including national tribunals and the=20
soon-to-be-established International Criminal Court, must be explored=20
to prosecute the communal killers of Gujarat in an exemplary manner.
http://www.flonnet.com/fl1908/19081290.htm

______

#6.

FORUM FOR COMMUNAL HARMONY (Goa)

11th. April, 2002

Open letter to the Prime Minister

Shri A.B. Vajpayee,
Prime Minister of India,
South Block,
New Delhi 110 001.

Sub.: Unacceptable Continuing Violence in Gujarat

We, members of the Forum for Communal Harmony located in Goa, write to
express our deep concern and anxiety over the horrifying events that have
unfolded over the last month in the state of Gujarat and which have
compelled every Indian to hold his or her head in shame.

We are now convinced that the State Government led by Shri Narendar Modi, b=
y
its various acts of omission and commission, has actually allowed and
encouraged anti-social and communal elements to go on a rampage against
people and property in the state. Women and unborn children have not been
spared. The State of Gujarat is thus guilty of complicity in the prolonged
violence that has brought public life, and the economy to a standstill.

Whenever such unfortunate incidents occur, we expect our leaders to act
swiftly and firmly, without any bias and discrimination, while upholding th=
e
values of liberty, equality and fraternity enshrined in our Constitution. I=
f
they are unable to do this, they should go or be asked to go.

The cancer of communalism is spreading all over the country. The state of
Goa too, once known for its exemplary values of communal harmony, is
demonstrating that it is no longer immune to the disease. Several incidents
have already been noted in various parts of the state, instigated by
communal elements.

If this communal cancer is not stopped now by firm directions from the
Central Government, it will grow and reach a point of no return, threatenin=
g
the very existence of the country and its future.

Under the Constitution of India, Sir, you are not only the custodian of 'ra=
j
dharma', but even more importantly, of 'manav dharma'. We urge you therefor=
e
to act decisively and thereby restore the confidence of the people of
Gujarat and the people of the rest of India in your administration.

We demand

a.. That you take urgent steps to bring the situation in Gujarat under
control in the least possible time frame.
a.. That the Chief Minister Mr Narendra Modi be dismissed, and
President's Rule be enforced.
a.. That a full fledged enquiry be directed to be conducted by a sitti=
ng
judge of the Supreme Court, to identify those responsible for the Godhra an=
d
post-Godhra violence and charge them with crimes against humanity.
a.. That relief and rehabilitation measures in Gujarat be strengthened
without discrimination.
a.. That you prevail upon the Goa Government to constitute a Goa State
Human Rights Commission and a Goa State Minorities Commission.

Thanking you,
Yours sincerely,

Sabina Martins BAILANCHO SAAD
Datta Damodar Naik SAMATA ANDOLAN
Auda Viegas BAILANCHO EKVOTT
Christopher Fonseca ALL INDIA TRADE UNION CONGRESS
Padmashree Norma Alvares ADVOCATE
Cleofato Almeida Coutinho ADVOCATE
Claude Alvares GOA FOUNDATION
Maulana Ibrahim SOCIAL WORKER
Sitaram Tengse JOURNALIST
Ramesh Gauns RASHTRIYA SEVA DAL
Arunendra Pandey SOCIAL WORKER
Pravin Sabnis ARCHITECT
Nishta Dessai CHILDREN'S RIGHTS IN GOA
Amrut Kansar ADVOCATE
Gurpreet Singh PEOPLE TREE
Ramesh Virluskar WRITER
Ashwin Tombat JOURNALIST
AND MANY OTHERS

______

#7.

South Asia Forum for Human Rights
New SAFHR Publication

Women Making Peace
R Manchanda, B. Sijapati & R. Gang

Could the identity of women as a group have the potential to produce=20
an alternative narrative to bridge the emerging conflict between=20
Metei and Naga women or Kuku and Naga women? Could Kashmiri Hindu and=20
Muslim women find a common language born of pain and grief to begin a=20
dialogue towards empathetic mutual understanding? Could women forge a=20
coalition based on cross cutting identities challenging polarised=20
Sinhala-Tamil or Tamil-Muslim ethnic constructs? Beyond their common=20
identity as victims, could women from the many conflict zones of the=20
region have the potential to be mobilised as a constituency for=20
peace? Could women peace activists negotiating distinct conflict=20
situations learn from each other on strengthening peace activism and=20
making a difference in the peace process?

These were the challenges, which the South Asia Forum for Human=20
Rights and its participants took on at the regional workshop on=20
Strengthening Women's Role in the Peace Process in Kathmandu on June=20
25-28 2001. SAFHR's new publication 'Women Making Peace' reports on=20
the workshop's experiments with developing overarching and=20
comparative frames of women's experiences in conflict zones and their=20
coping strategies in South Asia. It is structured around the themes=20
of (a) mainstreaming women in the peace process including in=20
reconstruction and rehabilitation; (b) heightening the profile of=20
women's current role in peace activism both at the humanitarian and=20
political level; (c) empowering and safeguarding the ambivalent gains=20
in gender relations arising from conflict; and (d) constructing=20
gendered maps and developing a methodology of cartographic=20
representation by women of their experiences and perspectives on=20
living in militarised civilian space as a tool for awareness.

'Women Making Peace' is a major contribution to the developing=20
discourse on women's distinct experiences and negotiations with=20
conflict and perspectives on peace building. The report focuses on=20
three conflict zones, Sri Lanka, Jammu and Kashmir and=20
Nagaland-Manipur (India) contextualised within a regional framework.=20
Its experimental methodology of 'gendered mapping' gives spatial=20
dimension to women's testimonies, validating their gendered=20
experiences and perspectives of conflict. The maps show women=20
individually and collectively representing spatially their lived=20
experience of 'militarization of civilian space', 'experiences of=20
inter communities co-existence and conflict' and a vision of "post=20
conflict reality'.

South Asian Price: 250/-=20
Outside Region: $ 4.00/- (plus postage)

G.P.O. Box 12855, Kathmandu, Nepal Tel +977-1-541026;Fax:+977-1-527852
e-mail: south@s... ; website: www.safhr.org

--=20
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