[sacw] SACW #1 | 30 Mar. 02

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire - Dispatch #1 | 30 March 2002
http://www.mnet.fr

__________________________

#1.Bangladesh: Rising fundamentalism and religious intolerance are=20
threatening secularism and moderate Islam. The implications for the=20
region and beyond are grave (Bertil Lintner)
#2. Pakistan's blasphemy laws on trial
#3. India: Can we salvage anything from the debris in Gujarat? (Mushirul Ha=
san)
#4. India Inc. speaks up: If govt cant protect lives, it should go=20
(Dev Chatterjee)
#5. India: 1000-Fold 'Tit-For-Tat' 30-Days After Godhra (Batuk Vora)
#6. India: Ethos In Peril - Need For New Source Of Unifying Power=20
(Hossainur Rahman)
#7. India [ 4 article from Frontline]
-The Vajpayee government makes a mockery of democracy as it clings to=20
power without legitimacy and appeases Hindutva fascism each passing=20
day. (Praful Bidwai)
- With the State government refusing to crack down on Sangh Parivar=20
leaders responsible for the communal carnage, targeted attacks=20
continue in Gujarat. (Dionne Bunsha)
-The attack on the Orissa Assembly reflects the growing=20
aggressiveness of the Sangh Parivar outfits.
(Kalyan Chaudhuri)
-The Supreme Court's intervention (A.G. Noorani)

__________________________

#1.

Far Eastern Economic Review
Issue cover-dated April 04, 2002

BANGLADESH: A Cocoon of Terror

Rising fundamentalism and religious intolerance are threatening=20
secularism and moderate Islam. The implications for the region and=20
beyond are grave, but it's not too late for a counter-revolution

By Bertil Lintner
DHAKA

A REVOLUTION IS TAKING PLACE in Bangladesh that threatens trouble for=20
the region and beyond if left unchallenged. Islamic fundamentalism,=20
religious intolerance, militant Muslim groups with links to=20
international terrorist groups, a powerful military with ties to the=20
militants, the mushrooming of Islamic schools churning out radical=20
students, middle-class apathy, poverty and lawlessness--all are=20
combining to transform the nation.

Sounds familiar? Just like Pakistan, its former overlord, this nation=20
of 130 million people--the third-most populous in the Muslim=20
world--is slowly moving away from its tradition of moderate Islam.=20
And the government seems powerless and unwilling to stem the tide,=20
which includes growing attacks on moderate Muslims and the dwindling=20
Hindu population.

The instability has caused concern overseas among the country's=20
donors, who decided during an annual meeting in Paris in March to tie=20
future development aid to an improvement in the deteriorating=20
law-and-order situation. But the United States and its allies seem to=20
have paid scant attention to the deeper long-term danger as they=20
expand the war on terrorism from Central Asia to Southeast Asia.

"There are some extremists here, but they belong to fringe groups and=20
are not part of the mainstream," says a senior Western envoy in=20
Dhaka, trying to downplay the threat.

The country's two leading parties--the secular, left-leaning Awami=20
League and the conservative Bangladesh Nationalist Party--were quick=20
to condemn the September 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S., which left=20
a number of Bangladeshis dead. At a time when the country was being=20
ruled by an interim government ahead of a general election in=20
October, both offered cooperation, including the use of Bangladesh=20
airspace for U.S. warplanes.

But, in a sign of how the tide is changing, the winning BNP's=20
electoral alliance included the fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami, which=20
won 17 seats in the 300-member parliament. The Jamaat, which actively=20
opposed independence from Pakistan in 1971, now has a voice in=20
government for the first time.

Its leader, Matiur Rahman Nizami, was appointed agriculture minister,=20
while MP Ali Ahsan Mohammad got the social welfare portfolio. "In a=20
developing, mainly agricultural country like Bangladesh, these are=20
powerful positions," says another Western diplomat in the capital,=20
Dhaka.

The party, at least for the time being, has toned down its calls for=20
rigorous implementation of Islamic law and put the focus on=20
alleviating poverty. However, it clearly opposes the U.S. war on=20
terrorism and in October launched a fund to help the "innocent=20
victims of America's war." It stopped asking for offers when the=20
radical Taliban were kicked out of power in Afghanistan in November.

While the Jamaat is moving cautiously toward its goal of an Islamic=20
state, its elevation to government has encouraged other more extreme=20
Islamic fundamentalist groups and individuals. They range from=20
rabble-rousing cleric Maulana Ubaidul Haq to around a dozen radical=20
groups often referred to as the Bangladeshi Taliban.

They include the shadowy Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, which is believed=20
to have been founded as an offshoot of a Pakistani group in 1992 with=20
money and support from suspected global terrorist mastermind Osama=20
bin Laden. Western intelligence officials believe a certain Fazlul=20
Rahman, who signed bin Laden's February 23, 1998, declaration of holy=20
war on the U.S. on behalf of the Jihad Movement in Bangladesh, is an=20
associate of the now independent group.

Moreover, the radicals' ranks are being swelled by graduates from the=20
estimated 64,000 madrassas, or religious schools, which have=20
mushroomed in the past decade and are described by a retired=20
high-ranking civil servant as a "potential political time bomb."

Just as in Pakistan, the madrassas fill an important function in a=20
country where basic education is available only to a few. But the=20
government has no control over them and, as journalist Salahuddin=20
Babar wrote in a recent edition of Probe magazine, "passing out from=20
the madrassas, poorly equipped to enter mainstream life and=20
professions, the students are easily lured by motivated quarters who=20
capitalize on religious sentiment to create fanatics, rather than=20
modern Muslims."

The madrassas' focus is on religious instruction and many are funded=20
by proselytizing Arab charities--as in Pakistan, whose madrassas were=20
the nurseries for many of Afghanistan's Taliban leaders. Some=20
analysts fear Bangladesh's madrassas could also become exporters of=20
Islamic revolution.

In the immediate term, Bangladesh's secular tradition is most at risk=20
from the rise in fundamentalism. Attacks on Hindus, who generally=20
support the staunchly secular Awami League, are increasing. "The=20
intimidation of the minorities, which had begun before the election,=20
became worse afterwards," said The Society for Environment and Human=20
Development, a local non-governmental organization, in a report on=20
the October poll. An Amnesty International report concurred and=20
indicated that members of the BNP-led coalition were responsible.

But neighbouring India and Burma --which both have Muslim=20
minorities--are also at risk, while the Western world cannot afford=20
to be complacent either, analysts say.

For example, Maulana Ubaidul Haq, preaching to hundreds of thousands=20
of people, including cabinet ministers, at the national mosque in=20
Dhaka, condemned the U. S. war on terrorism and called for a jihad=20
against the Americans. "President Bush and America is the most=20
heinous terrorist in the world. Both America and Bush must be=20
destroyed. The Americans will be washed away if Bangladesh's 120=20
million Muslims spit on them," the cleric snarled in an address=20
marking the Eid- ul-Fitr Muslim festival in December.

Thousands of Islamic militants took part in anti-U.S. street=20
protests, many brandishing posters of bin Laden, while the fighting=20
was taking place in Afghanistan.

More ominously, senior Indian police officers tell the REVIEW that=20
Harkat gunmen were involved in a January 22 attack on the American=20
Cultural Centre in Calcutta that left four of their colleagues dead.=20
Furthermore, Indian intelligence officials accuse Pakistan's=20
Interservices Intelligence agency, which long backed the Taliban in=20
Afghanistan, of securing a foothold in West Bengal through the=20
infiltration of extremists across the border with Bangladesh. These=20
charges are angrily denied by Dhaka.

The Indian police and analysts also claim that the Harkat group has=20
links with banned Islamic militant groups in Pakistan, such as=20
Jaish-e-Mohammed and Laskar- e-Toiba, and the Middle East.

There is also evidence that Harkat members and Muslim refugees from=20
Burma--the Rohingyas (See story on page 17)--have been sent to fight=20
against the Indians in Kashmir, the anti-Taliban forces in=20
Afghanistan and the Russians in Chechnya since the late 1990s.

Meanwhile, the REVIEW met young Muslim radicals from Malaysia and=20
Indonesia in the southeast coastal towns of Cox's Bazar and=20
Chittagong who were meeting with local Muslim groups. Their presence=20
adds fuel to fears that Bangladesh could become a haven for militants=20
of all nations.

But while the threat is growing, the influence of fundamentalism is=20
nothing new. The door was opened by the military, who needed to find=20
a support base to counter the secular, leftist policies of the Awami=20
League, when the two fell out not long after leading the country to=20
independence.

The next major step came when Lt.-Gen. Hussain Muhammad Ershad , who=20
ruled the country from 1982-90, declared Islam as the state religion.=20
He also brought the Jamaat back in from the cold to help crush the=20
secular opposition. The armed forces are believed to retain close=20
contacts with fundamentalists.

Ironically, the rest of the world first became acquainted with the=20
growing religious intolerance and creeping fundamentalism in=20
Bangladesh in 1993, when Muslim author Taslima Nasrin fled the=20
country after receiving death threats for being critical about=20
aspects of Islam in her writings. She returned to see her dying=20
mother in 1998, but was soon forced to flee once more. Bangladeshi=20
human- rights groups say the Harkat was behind the threats against=20
her and the attempted murder in early 1999 of popular poet Shamsur=20
Rahman, symbol of the nation's secular identity. The 70-year old also=20
chaired a national committee of editors, writers and artists=20
dedicated to resisting fundamentalist forces opposed to individualism=20
and democracy.

GOVERNMENT INACTION

But despite the clear evidence of creeping fundamentalism over the=20
past decade, successive governments, including the current one, seem=20
either unable or unwilling to tackle the problem.

Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina Wajed, whose government was ousted=20
at the October poll, said in mid-March that the new BNP-led coalition=20
government has created "a reign of terror across the country." Prime=20
Minister Khaleda Zia, in turn, accused the Awami League of being=20
engaged in a "conspiracy to disrupt peace" and pledged that her=20
government is determined to "control terrorism with an iron hand."

The law-and-order situation must be tackled if Bangladesh is to=20
continue receiving the overseas aid it relies on. But neither party=20
seems to link the violence to a growingfundamentalist threat--they=20
blame each other for it and so fail to address the root causes.=20
Coalition government officials deny there is any such problem while=20
the middle class tend to dismiss the fundamentalists as irrelevant.=20
Begum Zia, responding to opposition charges about her Jamaat cabinet=20
colleagues, insisted there were no Taliban in her government,=20
according to a report in India's The Hindu newspaper on January 11.

The overseas community, while concerned about increased violence,=20
also seems to downplay the threat. Some observers say this may partly=20
be because their intelligence channels are not very good, adding that=20
most Western embassies in Dhaka are aid-oriented. When British Prime=20
Minister Tony Blair visited in January--defying street protests--the=20
war on terrorism was high on the agenda and Bangladesh offered to=20
join an international security force in Afghanistan.

But it seems the growing religious extremism and intolerance within=20
Bangladesh, and the rise of groups linked to overseas militant=20
groups, were not addressed in depth during his meetings with=20
government officials.

For the time being Bangladesh's secular roots are holding, but the=20
fundamentalist cause is in the ascendant. And as the rise of militant=20
Muslim groups in Indonesia has shown, economic collapse and political=20
crisis can galvanize support for extremists very quickly.

The process is not irreversible, but if left unchallenged for too=20
long, Bangladesh could deteriorate and become a new nest for terror.=20
There is still time for a counter-revolution.

______

#2.

March 24, 2002=20

Pakistan's blasphemy laws on trial
Human Rights Features

THE decision to abolish separate electorates for minorities in=20
Pakistan, announced by the National Reconstruction Bureau on 16=20
January 2002, was a welcome shift in Pakistan's policy on minorities.

The system, which had been reintroduced under General Zia-ul-Haq's=20
reign in 1985, made religion a determining factor for the right to=20
vote or to be elected. Pakistani citizens were not allowed to vote=20
outside their own religion and religious communities were allocated a=20
certain number of reserved seats in the National and Provincial=20
Assemblies. This effectively led to "religious apartheid" because it=20
excluded minority communities from the political mainstream.

The restoration of the joint electorate system on 16 January 2002=20
allowing non-Muslim minorities to vote along with the Islamic=20
community is therefore a welcome step, one that will go a long way=20
towards achieving an egalitarian and democratic society.

This move forward should bring useful attention to other=20
discriminatory features of Pakistan's policy on minorities. In this=20
light, a major tool of discrimination against religious minorities=20
are blasphemy laws. Blasphemy laws in Pakistan some of the harshest=20
in the world have often been used to discriminate against, isolate or=20
otherwise harm minority groups. Amended in 1996 with the insertion of=20
section 295C in the Penal Code, The definition of blasphemy is now=20
applied as follows: "Use of derogatory remarks, etc; in respect of=20
the Holy Prophet. Whoever by words, either spoken or written or by=20
visible representation, or by any imputation, innuendo, or=20
insinuation, directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the=20
Holy Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) shall be punished with death, or=20
imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine". On 7 July=20
1991, President Zia-ul-Haq promulgated Ordinance XXI amending section=20
295A of the Penal Code and the Code of Penal Procedure. The maximum=20
prison sentence for outraging the religious feelings of any group was=20
increased from 2 to 10 years.

1992 marked the lowest point in the development of the blasphemy laws=20
of Pakistan. Through a bill adopted by the Senate, the death penalty=20
was made mandatory upon conviction on charges of blasphemy.

The definition of blasphemy under section 295C is relatively=20
open-ended, and the arrest of a person reported to have committed=20
blasphemy requires no warrant. No preliminary investigation is=20
required before the filing of the First Information Report (FIR) by a=20
local police officer. Once "the testimony of a reliable man" has been=20
registered, the FIR is filed and the person arrested.

Following considerable pressure from Catholic and human rights=20
groups, President Musharraf announced, on 21 April 2000 at the=20
Convention on Human Rights and Human Dignity in Islamabad, that he=20
would amend the blasphemy laws in order to end its abuses and to=20
promote equality. The proposed reform would have amended the=20
procedures related to the filing of the FIR and specifically provided=20
for preliminary investigation and scrutiny by the Deputy Commissioner=20
prior to filing an FIR. This would have guaranteed a non-trivial=20
protection against arbitrary arrest and greater independence from=20
local authorities who are often subject to local, religious and=20
political pressures.

However, on 16 May 2000, following pressure from Islamic=20
fundamentalists and threats of a three-day nationwide strike,=20
Musharraf backtracked on his assurance.

Some sections supported Musharraf's about-face purportedly on the=20
ground that the automatic detention of people accused of blasphemy=20
was an effective way of protecting the accused from "popular justice"=20
which would exact a worse "punishment". However, if those accused of=20
blasphemy face threats to their lives after being released, the=20
solution should surely be better protection from the State and not=20
the application of measures that further curtail individual rights.

An especially appalling aspect of the blasphemy laws is that they=20
cover not only intentional but also unintentional blasphemy. This=20
element subverts the principle that a criminal act requires a=20
criminal intention. It also indicates the exceptional scope of these=20
laws and the ease with which they can be used arbitrarily.

Details of offences are also rarely, if ever, made public, since=20
under Pakistani law, the reiteration of the words that constitute the=20
offence can, in itself, be a legal offence. Another group facing=20
highly discriminatory laws is the Ahmadi community. The Ahmadis=20
consider themselves Muslims but differ from Pakistan's majority Sunni=20
Muslims on the finality of the word of Prophet Mohammed.=20
Nevertheless, in 1974, a constitutional amendment declared the=20
Ahmadis a non-Muslim minority. Under the separate electorate system,=20
therefore, the community was effectively excluded from the political=20
process.

Since 1984, the legal apparatus in Pakistan has actively tried to=20
criminalise the Ahmadis' faith. Ahmadis suffer from numerous=20
restrictions on religious freedom and widespread societal=20
discrimination, including violation of their places of worship,=20
banning of burial in Muslim graveyards, denial of freedom of faith,=20
speech, and assembly, and restrictions on their press.

In view of the progressive mood of the times, President Musharraf=20
would do well to take his reformist agenda further. Laws that=20
restrict freedom of expression and worse, provide for the death=20
penalty in case of an inadvertent expression of irreverence are=20
incongruous in a nation on a democratic path.

If the Pakistani government is not ready for a fundamental change in=20
the laws, it can begin by ensuring that the legal procedure on=20
blasphemy respects the minimum guarantees of a fair trial.Finally,=20
although the death penalty has not been applied so far in a blasphemy=20
case, it must be done away with as a matter of priority. Such=20
practices violate the spirit of the Pakistani Constitution as well as=20
fundamental rights guarantees enshrined in international human rights=20
instruments.

Human Rights Features is an independent, objective and analytical=20
attempt to lookcomprehensively at issues behind the headlines from a=20
human rights perspective

______

#3.

http://www.indian-express.com/columnists/mush/20020320.html
The Indian Express
March 20, 2002

Can we salvage anything from the debris in Gujarat?
Muharram arrived too soon

by Mushirul Hasan

The Gujarati Muslims - a mix of Khoja, Bohra and Memon communities -=20
are markedly different from Muslims in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.=20
Follow their social habits and cultural traits, and the depth of=20
their integration with local society may surprise you. They neither=20
spearheaded nor actively supported the Pakistan movement. They speak=20
Gujarati, not Urdu. They are religious without being swayed by Muslim=20
orthodoxies. Their cultural symbols, mostly secular, lie in Gujarat,=20
not in the volatile Indo-Gangetic belt. In short, they are the=20
quintessential Indian. This makes the story of their genocide so much=20
more poignant.

The Muslims observe Muharram (month of mourning) with usual=20
solemnity. Processions are underway mourning the martyrdom of Imam=20
Husain, the grandson of the Prophet of Islam, and his family. For the=20
Muslims of Gujarat, though, Muharram arrived a bit too soon. Their=20
lives are shattered by the orgy of violence. Burnt houses and=20
commercial establishments and the debris of shrines and mosques,=20
including one built in the 16th century, stand mute witness to the=20
horrors perpetrated in the land of Gandhi.
Those of us who celebrate secular nationalism need to arrive at a=20
more nuanced understanding of the past. The 'Unity in Diversity'=20
claptrap won't do

Survivors mourn their dead, the hapless victims of unprecedented hate=20
and aggression. The dead cannot tell their tale, but the living do.=20
The tragedy of Karbala took place in 680 AD on the bank of the=20
Euphrates in Iraq; it was re-enacted on the Sabarmati River a few=20
weeks ago. For the Gujarati Muslim, every evening is sham-i ghariban=20
(the night of the mournful). The dawn brings little hope of a safe=20
future. Darkness envelops the lives of the rich and poor, the urban=20
dweller and the rural folk. Raat aur subah bahut der gale milte-rahe=20
(daybreak and night lay long in each other's arms).

True, Hindu-Muslim violence has rocked Gujarat before. But this=20
carnage has turned its major cities into a graveyard of secular=20
nationalism. M.A. Jinnah talked of two nations in the 1940s.=20
Presumably, he erred in his judgement. Yet, those of us who harp on=20
composite culture as the principal feature of Indian society need to=20
leave Gujarat out of our frame. Those of us who celebrate secular=20
nationalism, as opposed to the two-nation theory, need to arrive at a=20
more nuanced understanding of the past. The 'Unity in Diversity'=20
claptrap will not do.

As in Tel Aviv, where the UN Charter lies in tatters, Gujarat has=20
become a live testimony to the utter contempt that the Indian=20
Constitution and the rule of law have been reduced to by the BJP's=20
elected representatives and their VHP and RSS allies. Yet, the chief=20
minister remains in office despite the country-wide demand for his=20
resignation and ,receives, from the country's home minister, a=20
testimonial of good conduct. Long live the sangh parivar's=20
solidarity! The police commissioner's appalling conduct and=20
indiscreet statements must be comforting to scores of senior police=20
officers prone to wielding the big stick against the minorities,=20
Dalits included, and trade union leaders. Even if indicted by a=20
commission, he will go scot-free. The government-appointed commission=20
is itself an alibi for inaction and a massive cover-up operation.

A few months ago, SIMI, an organisation of a couple of hundred=20
misguided youth, was banned to please George W. Bush. But has Uncle=20
Sam directed this government not to ban the VHP and the Bajrang Dal?=20
Many of their members, masquerading as karsevaks or Rambhakts, adopt=20
terrorist methods to kill, loot and intimidate the Muslim and=20
Christian minorities. More than anything else, the stormtroopers of=20
the BJP-RSS have tarnished Hinduism's tolerant and eclectic image. In=20
an ugly display of violence, they have now attacked the citadel of=20
democracy in Orissa. All in the name of the benign Lord Rama!=20
Somebody has to call their bluff; else, they may cause incalculable=20
damage to our polity and society.

Provisions of TADA and now Poto have been pressed into service to nab=20
'terrorists', though the perpetrators of the worst possible crimes=20
against innocent civilians are still at large. Their knives are still=20
out in the open. Only the Muslims - already battered and bruised -=20
find themselves at the receiving end. They continue to suffer, their=20
agony prolonged by the apathy and criminal neglect of the Gujarat=20
administration. ''Bury me, oh my country, under your pavement/ Where=20
no man now dare walk with head held high/ Where your true lovers=20
bringing you their homage/ Must go in furtive fear of life or limb/=20
For new-style law and order are in use/ Good men learn, 'stones=20
locked up, and dogs turned loose'''. Written in Lahore jail in the=20
1950s by Faiz Ahmad Faiz, these lines sum up the sense of loss,=20
tragedy and humiliation of India's Muslims in 2002.

Violence continues sporadically, spreading to the tribal belt. People=20
flee their villages to become refugees in their own place of birth.=20
Relief camps are inadequately equipped; yet the practitioners of=20
modern hate, having performed their brutal operations with meticulous=20
care and planning, prevent food and medicines from reaching the=20
victims. Reminiscent of what happened during the dark days preceding=20
the transfer of power, they have called for the social and economic=20
boycott of the Muslims.

Scores of politicians, having heard and seen it all, do precious=20
little to mount pressure on the central government to provide relief.=20
Why don't they observe a symbolic fast, the traditional but effective=20
Gandhian method, as an act of penance? Previous prime ministers=20
visited sites of violence and brought some comfort to affected=20
families; the present one has not moved out of 7, Race Course Road.

The NDA allies produce the familiar noises without rocking this=20
government's boat. Kashmir's chief minister growls but to no avail.=20
Self-proclaimed disciples of Rammanohar Lohia and Acharya Narendra=20
Dev do the same. The socialists in the NDA, too, will make their=20
peace with the establishment and remain firmly ensconced in the=20
ministerial benches.

Love of power, in various limited forms, is almost universal. There=20
is, however, a great difference between power desired as a means and=20
power desired as an end in itself. Only in myth does Shiva drive a=20
straight path through the opposition with his trident. In politics,=20
the NDA partners, free India's gold-diggers, will bow before=20
political exigencies.

In Gujarat's bloody landscape, the Muslims cannot be expected
to pay heed to liberal and secular exhortations. Yet, they must=20
eschew any form of retaliation. The nation's glory lies in our hands,=20
in fostering reconciliation and promoting camaraderie between the=20
religious communities. This is a moment of trial not just for the=20
Muslims, but for the Indian nation. Freedom is in peril; let's defend=20
it with all our might.

______

#4.

http://www.indian-express.com/ie20020329/top1.html

India Inc. speaks up: If govt cant protect lives, it should go

Which kind of govt allows killings of women, children?...Home Minister,
even the Prime Minister should take their share of blame: HDFC chairman

DEV CHATTERJEE

MUMBAI, MARCH 28: The chairman of Indias leading housing finance firm,
HDFC, Deepak Parekh, isnt known for losing his cool. But today hes bitter
and angry, not at the economic downturn or a bad budget or falling
interest rates which mean bad news for his company. But because of Gujarat
and the way the governmentboth at the state and the Centrehave handled the
violence.

What is a government elected for? asks Parekh, speaking exclusively to The
Indian Express. If they cant protect innocent lives... then they should
go. Which kind of government allows the killing of women and children?

Incidentally, Parekh has been entrusted with several key responsibilities
in the past by successive governments including devising a restructuring
plan for UTI. Today, as the first corporate leader to speak his mind on
the carnage in Gujarat, Parekh says the Central government must be blamed
equally for letting the situation go out of hand.

With due respect, I think the Home Minister and even the Prime Minister
should take their share of blame. Its a national failure, he says.
Everyone knows Godhra is a volatile city. The carnage had tell-tale signs
of external links. The state government should have investigated those
involved instead of letting VHP go out of hand. They could have taken help
from international investigating agencies instead of killing innoncent
people, he says.

The carnage after Godhra has hit business sentiments badly, he says. In
fact, he says hes witnessing first-person how badly the Gujarat riots have
hit Indias largest business community the Gujaratis.

Hopping from one board meeting to another, he is only getting bad news.
Can you believe that sales of many manufacturing companies have collapsed
in Gujarat in the crucial fiscal-end month of March due to riots?

Over the last 25 years Parekh made a financial powerhouse of HDFC offering
home loans, to insurance and mutual funds and roped in international
partners like Standard Life. Today, hes not sure what the future holds. As
very few people are coming out due to curfew, our home loan and other
businesses are obviously hit, Parekh says.

I belong to Gujarat. Ive lived there and it pains me to read in
international as well as our papers that Gujaratis are barbaric and
indulging in genocide.

Riots have damaged Indias reputation more in the international forum than
what is happening in Pakistan. Do we need to always sabotage our own
chances of growth and international goodwill? Parekh says now its up to
corporate India to step out and pitch in.

Indian corporates must come out in re-building Gujarat. The way we have
done after Bhuj earthquake. We can open community centres, build
burnt-down houses and educate children who have been orphaned. We at HDFC
will certainly do our bit, he says.

Among other plans, Parekh prescribes that the non-governmental
organisations must be roped in to help minority families re-build their
lives. Indians have always been peace-loving people. Its only due to
politics that the nation has been divided. May the doctrine of live and
let live prevail, he says.

_______

#5.

[ 30 March 2002]

1000-FOLD 'TIT-FOR-TAT' 30-DAYS AFTER GODHRA
by Batuk Vora

Ahmedabad: What was seen by the Gujarat Chief Minister as a Newton?s=20
theory of ?action and reaction? before thirty days (Godhra mass=20
killings and carnage in its aftermath) has turned out to be at at=20
least '1000-fold tit for tat', if the media's and even government=20
count of toll and properties burnt down are taken into account. If=20
the enraged minority mob at Godhra killed 58 'Kar Sevaks', more than=20
2000 were killed in the aftermath, unofficially, and a total of=20
10,000 crores worth loss caused to the victims and the state.

Two prominent local Gujarati dailies, Sandesh and Gujarat Samachar,=20
which have become controversial due to their allegedly 'inflammable=20
and one-sided' reports, have come out with their own figures of=20
victims in Ahmedabad city alone within thirty days as follows:

=B7 53 dead in police firing;
=B7 263 'killed otherwise';
=B7 450 injured;
=B7 67 stabbed to death or injured
=B7 2377 police firing rounds
=B7 5,064 teargas shells burst;
=B7 1,683 homes burnt down;
=B7 1,827 shops burnt down;
=B7 172 cabins or kiosks(STD and Tea Coffee) burnt down;
=B7 219 shops looted and ransacked;
=B7 7 city buses set on fire;
=B7 838 vehicles burnt;
=B7 1,208 arrested for various crimes;
=B7 1,205 detained for security purpose

Local edition of a prominent English daily, Times of India, wrote=20
that official toll of the dead stood at 763 and with each passing day=20
coming close to 800, a total of 125 dying in police firing statewide.=20
More than 90,000 refugees have been pushed to more than 101 makeshift=20
relif camps all over the state. Statewide police firing rounds came=20
to 6,500, exploding 8,300 teargas shells and arrested 10,000 people=20
all over the state. Unofficiall figures quoted by Gos and social=20
workers would reach a figure of more than 2,000 dead, corpses of many=20
of whom have not been collected in distant areas.

'No body is impressed with these government figures, however,' wrote=20
it further, neither the all-party MPs delegation nor the National=20
Commission for Minorities nor even the National Human Rights=20
Commission. At least 30 towns and cities of Gujarat are still tied=20
down with curfew and every morning people read news of mayhem in one=20
or the other town, village or city.

Communal violence has gripped the state so much so that students=20
going to examination halls have been stabbed, a Hindu-Muslim married=20
couple going on a scooter was stabbed and the girl even stripped=20
naked and killed, unsubstantiated news of a temple near Anand 'likely=20
to be blown over' or the 'Swaminarayan Temple at In London broken=20
down' (an Ahmedabad datelined news without any support published by=20
Sandesh), most of the records of minority establishments were burnt=20
down in the first few days when the Wakf Board office was destroyed=20
right inside the Gandhinagar government secretariat, a 75-year old=20
woman sleeping outside on a sidewalk of her house was killed by some=20
'miscreants' causing a mayhem at 1.30 am in Viramgam town.So far=20
peaceful area of Sarkhej in the outskirts of Ahmedabad had mobs again=20
burning and looting minority peoples 'properties', One can go on and=20
on and all this happening well after 72 hours of 'peace being=20
established'- according to the Home Minister and later repeated by=20
the Prime Minister in parliament.

A major development that is being noted by keen secular observers is=20
that ?even those ardent Hindu businessmen supporters of VHP-led Bandh=20
and mayhem feel now extremely embarrassed and crushed due to the=20
endless carnage and curfews, causing all their life and business to=20
total closure for a month and nobody knows when this was going to=20
end,? according to a top bureaucrat not willing to be identifed.=20
'Narendra Modi has become a hero to the miscreants and so called=20
Hindu goons but has lost his prestige among honest and hardworking=20
Hindus'. said Ganpat Parmar, a social activist. 'No real peace is=20
going to come till this chief minister is dismissed'. commented a=20
leading advocate B. Oza. THE END

_____

#6.

The Statesman, 30 March 2002
Editorial and Perspective

ETHOS IN PERIL Need For New Source Of Unifying Power
By HOSSAINUR RAHMAN

We Indians are a multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-religious and=20
multi-cultural nation, who have lived together happily for ages=20
despite our different ways of life. Our noble heritage has brought=20
about unity in diversity. Lord Buddha taught us compassion. Emperor=20
Ashok, through his edicts, preached tolerance. The saints of the=20
middle ages and Emperor Akbar told us that the goal of all faiths was=20
the same. The earliest rationalist of modern India, Rammohan Roy,=20
declared that God was one and that all religious were sacred. The=20
sage of Dakshineswar, Ramakrishna, proclaimed that different faiths=20
were only different paths to attain enlightenment and reach divinity.=20
Nowhere else have such liberal thoughts been the guiding principle of=20
an entire nation. That is why India has been respected all over the=20
world - for her sense of tolerance and for peaceful co-existence of=20
different races, different faiths and different cultures.

Land of strife
Suddenly, the picture has begun to change. India has become a land of=20
strife. Our accepted creed, based on rationality, reality,=20
spirituality and universality, is being thrown overboard. We are=20
about to lose the respect of the world as a secular national which=20
believes in assimilation - not disintegration. Rabindranath had once=20
proudly declared that India was a country where many races, many=20
cultures had mingled and became one. The poet must be turning in his=20
grave.
The carnage at Godhra was tragic beyond words. Those who perpetrated=20
this heinous crime are not fit to be called human beings. But those=20
who retaliated with equal viciousness were absolutely a similar=20
breed. What hope can there be for our country when human beings=20
descend to such low levels? And the Chief Minister of Gujarat calmly=20
talked about every action having an equal and opposite reaction!
One cannot but condemn the criminal inaction of the Government of=20
Gujarat. Perhaps it was wilful. If so, it heightens the tragedy.=20
Then, there is the question of failure of the Government's=20
intelligence agencies. What were they doing when the hoodlums were=20
preparing for the mayhem at Godhra? And, later, those who were=20
responsible for maintaining law and order, became distant spectators=20
when guns and knives were being freely used against innocent men,=20
women and children. History will demand an answer to all these=20
questions.
The Centre also has much to answer for. It seems they were paralysed.=20
We have it on the authority of the Defence Minister that after the=20
Army was called out, the Gujarat Government kept the soldiers waiting=20
and did not deploy them. Was no one in the Centre monitoring the=20
situation? Was the situation not serious enough for a Control Office=20
to be set up?
Till recently the country was slowly but surely advancing towards a=20
democratic, progressive and modern civil society. For the last few=20
years, the clock has been put back. With the active connivance of a=20
small section of the people, superstition, obscurantism, religious=20
bigotry and criminality have been gaining ground. Unfortunately, the=20
powers that be are doing nothing to neutralise and eliminate the=20
forces responsible for this. In fact, they seem to be encouraging=20
them. Freedom is in peril. Gujarat may be only the tip of the iceberg.
Therefore, it is necessary that all right-thinking Indians should=20
understand the significance of the happenings in Gujarat. It is a=20
deliberate and determined effort to whip up communal frenzy in the=20
hope of future political gains.

First-class game
Yes, many people are dismayed that religion and politics have become=20
a first-class game for a small section of the people. They are=20
achieving what they want to achieve. This will certainly be painful;=20
it would be totally disruptive, and not only for Gujarat, if we just=20
allow events to take their course. I have a simple question: Why=20
can't we reverse this dangerous trend? Let the intellectuals,=20
broadcasters and publishers think what should be done. They should=20
supply the public with much of the raw material for their thoughts.
We should begin now to think of the adjustments that we have to make.=20
>From now on, short-term plans for social action will have to be=20
calculated with more finesse, so as to allow for social dynamics and=20
material benefits that do not appear in the conventional world.
Today Muslims feel too threatened to be secure in their identity in=20
Gujarat. India's social conscience will not tolerate this inhumanity=20
any more. The moment has come when liberal-secular Indians need to=20
have a common mind on this subject. However, the basic question is:=20
how can different cultures co-exist? How does one find his identity=20
without threatening the identity of others? Yes, the question of=20
identity has been blown out of proportion. We must remember that in=20
the 20th century the close proximity of different cultures, whether=20
as the result of physical migration, or of the effect of modern=20
media, offers the opportunity to see that the structures of our=20
culture are relative, and therefore, we are at the point of=20
integration. Today we know science knows no borders, technology has=20
no religion. And markets are more important than states. Religion or=20
nationalism can no longer stop currents of information.
Beyond our religion and identity, we need the virtues of democracy=20
and social relations of civil society; and above all, we need=20
democracy to survive. We need employment, environmental safety,=20
public health, social safety nets, education and healthy competition.=20
These are the result of common thinking, cooperation and=20
understanding.
Again the identity question. The key language is ethnic nationalism=20
and then ethnic cleansing. Here Michael Ignatief becomes most=20
relevant,. He says, "It is nonsense to call the Balkan communities=20
ethnic groups at all. Intermarriage down the centuries has blurred=20
ethnic differences to the vanishing point: religious differences have=20
collapsed in the general secularisation of Balkan culture;=20
modernisation has converged material aspirations towards the same=20
Mercedes cars and Swiss-style chalets..... Lies, demagoguery=20
propaganda have turned permeable identities into bunkered=20
mentalities".

Social thinkers
What else is India's social picture? Where have all the democratic=20
and secular ideologies gone? We should discover a new source of=20
unifying power without delay. When and how will this happen? I have=20
said that the religious leaders have it wrong. Social thinkers will=20
have to right the wrong. Let us remember that whatever affects one=20
directly affects all indirectly. Relations have been strained between=20
Hindus and Muslims in Gujarat, but feelings have never been cold on=20
either side. There has been much love in the relation, and on both=20
sides people are hungering for peace and harmony. But we are simply=20
frittering away our time and energy. Sheer lethargy seems to be a=20
universal and irresistible force.
Somebody said somewhere that "the only rational grounds for not=20
despairing of India are that the best is so good, and that here one=20
man in the right place can do more than in any other country". Can we=20
not make this true today? I just don't know. But I shall not despair.=20
On the contrary, I readily refer to Muhammad Ali Currim Chagla. In=20
his autobiography Chagla writers: "I have always resented the=20
suggestion that because I am Muslim I am less of an Indian than a=20
Hindu ..... I have believed in national integration, not as something=20
which will wipe out Muslim culture or the Urdu language, but as=20
something which considers Muslim culture and the Urdu language as the=20
Muslim contribution to Indian culture which the Hindus must share=20
with the Muslims, just as the Muslims must share with the Hindus the=20
Hindu contribution. I have, therefore, often strongly disagreed with=20
the Government policy of constantly harping upon minorities, minority=20
status and minority rights. It comes in the way of national unity,=20
and emphasises the differences between the majority community and the=20
minority. Of course, it may serve well as a vote-catching device to=20
win Muslim votes, but I do not believe in sacrificing national=20
interests in order to get temporary party benefits such as getting a=20
few more seats in certain constituencies (Roses in December).
Incidentally, Chagla was a Gujarati Muslim. Perhaps, he was one such=20
rare Indian who could have been the right man in the right place.

The author is a historian and social activist.

____

#7. [ 4 Articles from Frontline]

Frontline
Volume 19 - Issue 07, Mar. 30 - Apr. 12, 2002

Power without legitimacy
The Vajpayee government makes a mockery of democracy as it clings to=20
power without legitimacy and appeases Hindutva fascism each passing=20
day.
by Praful Bidwai
http://www.flonnet.com/fl1907/19070150.htm

o o o o o

Frontline
Volume 19 - Issue 07, Mar. 30 - Apr. 12, 2002
Stoking the fires in Gujarat
With the State government refusing to crack down on Sangh Parivar=20
leaders responsible for the communal carnage, targeted attacks=20
continue in Gujarat.
by DIONNE BUNSHA
in Ahmedabad and Vadodara
http://www.flonnet.com/fl1907/19070280.htm

o o o o

Frontline
Volume 19 - Issue 07, Mar. 30 - Apr. 12, 2002

Vandalism in Orissa
The attack on the Orissa Assembly reflects the growing aggressiveness=20
of the Sangh Parivar outfits.
by KALYAN CHAUDHURI
http://www.flonnet.com/fl1907/19070190.htm

o o o o

Frontline
Volume 19 - Issue 07, Mar. 30 - Apr. 12, 2002

The Supreme Court's intervention
The stand of the Vajpayee government on the Ayodhya issue immediately=20
prior to and after the Supreme Court ruling of March 13, and=20
Attorney-General Soli Sorabjee's interpretation of the court's=20
earlier verdict on the "disputed land", give cause for grave concern.
by A.G. NOORANI
http://www.flonnet.com/fl1907/19070090.htm

--=20
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