[sacw] SACW | 14 Jan. 02

Harsh Kapoor aiindex@mnet.fr
Mon, 14 Jan 2002 00:21:50 +0100


South Asia Citizens Wire | 14 January 2002

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#1.Pakistan: The myth of 'misinterpreted' Islam (Khaled Ahmed)
#2. The Hawks Circle South Asia. (Vijay Prashad)
#3. No war, let's heal the subcontinent (V.T. Patil & Sri Asiananda)
#4. Pakistan War on extremism - Will Musharraf's crackdown work? (BBC)
#5. Bangladesh scribe arrest 'illegal' - (Alistair Lawson)
#6. Laws to protect Indian women residing overseas in the offing (Rinku Peg=
u)

________________________

#1.

The Friday Times (Pakistan)
11-17 January 2002

The myth of 'misinterpreted' Islam

Khaled Ahmed's A n a l y s i s
------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) and the Ministry of Religious=20
Affairs should not be blamed for issuing outrageous Islamic proposals=20
(the latest being that all banknotes be withdrawn and the photo on=20
them of the Quaid-e-Azam be erased) because they are following the=20
rules of accepted interpretation in Islam. The mood among the clergy=20
and the Islamists is aggressive since the turn of the 20th century=20
and violence is normally resorted to when a literalist version of=20
fiqh-dominated Islam is not enforced. That is where extremism starts.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
here is a common fallacy that Islam as enforced in Pakistan is=20
misinterpreted and somehow there exists a true religion of Islam=20
which should be revived. At least Masud Mufti in Dawn (29 December=20
2001) seems to imply that. The truth of the matter is that under the=20
prevailing principles of interpretation, what we have is the correct=20
interpretation of Islam. The 'rational' Islam of Sir Syed Ahmad was=20
rejected in his lifetime by all schools of thought among the Muslims,=20
Deobandi and Barelvi alike. In Egypt the reformist spirit of Muhammad=20
Abduh has been challenged and set aside by the Islamists of the 21st=20
century including the ulema of Al-Azhar. There is an emphasis on fiqh=20
under the principles of ijtehad (reinterpretation) . Not many people=20
know that Islamic law is based on fiqh and that ijtehad is allowed=20
only on matters not decided by fiqh . Allama Iqbal once tried to=20
write on ijtehad and corresponded with Maulana Salman Nadvi, asking=20
him tough questions on points where fiqh actually supersedes the=20
Quran, to which the maulana made no reply.

The verdict on riba by the Supreme Court Shariat Appellate Bench in=20
1999 shocked many, but it was according to the standard application=20
of fiqh . Right after that, the Federal Shariat Court also abolished=20
the old Family Law Ordinance and allowed men to practise polygamy=20
without the permission of their first wives. In an effort to make the=20
verdict rational, the Court said it was good for Pakistan because=20
there were more women here than men! After that the wife of Dr Israr=20
Ahmad, the famous Lahore cleric, said that she would not mind her=20
husband taking another wife. Famous leader of Lashkar-e-Tayba Hafiz=20
Saeed never stopped saying that democracy was against Islam and that=20
those who believed that Islam allowed parliament were ullu (owl).=20
Only the army liked what he kept on saying, but he was right. The=20
Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) and the Ministry of Religious=20
Affairs should not be blamed for issuing outrageous Islamic proposals=20
(the latest being that all banknotes be withdrawn and the photo on=20
them of the Quaid-e-Azam be erased) because they are following the=20
rules of accepted interpretation in Islam.

Most people think that extremism comes out of a misinterpretation of=20
Islam. This is wrong. Extremism and violence occur when people do not=20
accept what the Islamists regard as the irreducible crux of Islam in=20
the shape of shariah . (What is shariah may differ from country to=20
country). The mood among the clergy and the Islamists is aggressive=20
since the turn of the 20th century and violence is normally resorted=20
to when a literalist version of fiqh-dominated Islam is not enforced.=20
That is where extremism starts. As for the practicability of=20
literalist Islam, many laws in force have either produced malpractice=20
or have simply lain dormant, as in many cases of dyat (blood money)=20
and qatt-e-yadd (cutting of hands). In such cases the stand of the=20
Islamists is that only they will enforce them correctly when they=20
come to power through aggressively isolationist policies in the=20
manner of Mulla Umar. Below are produced some of the=20
'strange-sounding' statements issued by institutions and individuals=20
charged with the task of enforcing Islam in Pakistan:

Blasphemy to apply to Allah

According to daily Jang , Council for Islamic Ideology will soon hold=20
its session to recommend that anyone blaspheming against Allah too=20
should be punished. It will also recommend that no woman be allowed=20
to marry without the permission of her wali (male guardian). It is=20
expected to ban kite-flying, organ transplant and smoking.

Religion ministry okays Taliban idol-bashing

According to Khabrain , the ministry for religious affairs in=20
Islamabad gave its verdict on the destruction of ancient statues in=20
Afghanistan by saying that the Taliban were right in doing so. The=20
Foreign Office had asked the ministry about the status of this=20
destruction in shariat . Thus Pakistan had now to support the=20
destruction of the ancient Buddha statues in Afghanistan, although it=20
was not made clear what should be done to such statues ion Pakistan.

Objection to Christian hangman

According to Khabrain , the Council for Islamic Ideology had become=20
seized with the question of Christian jallad (hangman) executing=20
Muslim convicts in Pakistan. Among issues taken to the Council by the=20
religion ministry was the issue of girls marrying of their own choice.

Closure during namaz

According to daily Din , religion ministry had given the task of=20
preparing a draft ordinance for the enforcement of namaz in Pakistan.=20
Its directive was that all businesses should be closed down five=20
times during namaz and during Friday namaz, and no one should be=20
allowed to break this law. The entire country will have the same=20
namaz and azan (call) timings.

Religion minister against Punjabi Conference

Quoted in daily Insaf , federal religion minister Mehmud Ghazi said=20
that the Gandhis of Pakistan were trying to raise the slogan of=20
Punjabi to undermine the Islamic ideology of Pakistan. He said that=20
the Punjabi Conference held in Lahore was an Indian scheme which=20
emphasised the region at the cost of Islam.

No songs on PTV, please!

According to daily Jang , the federal ministry for religious affairs=20
headed by Mr Mahmud Ghazi had sent a recommendation to the ministry=20
of information that all songs and dances shown on PTV be banned. The=20
ministry's letter said that PTV was involved in emulating Indian TV=20
channels and was showing women shaking their bodies.

Ideology Council recommends 'wali'

According to Khabrain , Council for Islamic Ideology (CII) announced=20
that nikah of a girl without the permission of wali (male member of=20
family) was un-Islamic and those girls getting married of their own=20
choice should be punished under law. A verdict undoing such a=20
marriage at Lahore High Court was set aside by the Supreme Court not=20
long ago, but the CII favoured the earlier verdict. The other=20
enlightened opinion of the CII was that co-education should be=20
banned, that all lotteries like prize bonds should be banned and the=20
paper used for printing the Quran should not be recycled.

Ideology Council critical of Supreme Court

According to daily Din , chairman of the Ideology Council of Pakistan=20
(CII) criticised the Supreme Court for postponing the removal of bank=20
interest for another year. Its chairman Mr S.M. Zaman said that it=20
was not an economic issue but an issue related to the Quran and the=20
Prophet PBUH. CII had earlier endorsed the destruction of=20
Afghanistan's archaeological heritage by the Taliban and criticised=20
the Hanafi law of letting girls marry without the permission of the=20
wali. According to Nawa-e-Waqt , the Council also rejected religion=20
minister Mahmood Ghazi's plan to use zakat to allow the poor to=20
invest in businesses by saying that zakat could not be used for=20
investment of any kind.

Namaz defaulters to be punished

According to Khabrain , religion ministry had sent the draft of a new=20
law called Amr bil maruf wa nahi anal munkir Ordinance to the cabinet=20
for approval and enforcement. Under this law everyone will be=20
required to say namaz , all government employees will have to lay=20
aside work during namaz timings and will be fined if they didn't say=20
namaz. At all levels, ulema committees will see to it that non-=20
namazi Muslims are punished. All those who refuse to say namaz after=20
three warnings will be fined.

Insurance is un-Islamic

According to Khabrain , Council for Islamic Ideology (CII) ruled that=20
insurance of all kinds was against Islam and should be abolished=20
forthwith. Instalments paid into a policy should be given under=20
mudaraba (leasing) to make insurance Islamic. Mudaraba business did=20
not do well in Pakistan.

Non-alcoholic beer un-Islamic

According to Jang , the Council of Islamic Ideology came to the=20
conclusion that soft drinks sold as non-alcoholic beer were not jaez=20
(allowed) in Islam. The Council said that any drink which is not=20
sharab (alcohol) could not be called sharab or that the name beer=20
should not be put on it. It said preparationand trade of=20
non-alcoholic beer inside or outside Pakistan was haram (prohibited).

Kalima for the flag

Daily Khabrain reported that despite the passage of 23 years since=20
the Council of Islamic Ideology made its first proposal about it, the=20
government had not changed the flag. The recommendation was that=20
kalima tayyaba be inscribed on the Pakistan national flag along with=20
Allah Akbar. It was a pity that such a good scheme for Islamising the=20
national flag was not accepted so far.

No women in ads, please!

Quoted in Jang , the Council for Islamic Ideology (CII) said that=20
women should be disallowed from appearing in ads and that only men=20
should be used to promote products through photographs. It said that=20
women were allowed to work as air hostesses but they should wearing=20
burqa or hijab on board. Also, no darzi (tailor) should be allowed to=20
sew the clothes for women and that only women darzi should be used=20
for women. According to the daily, CII also recommended that ACRs of=20
all state employees should contain sections indicating religious=20
observance and those not saying namaz should not be promoted.

Jehad is no defensive war!

According to Jang , the Council for Islamic Ideology in Islamabad=20
declared that it was wrong to label jehad as a defensive war alone.=20
The truth according to CII was that jehad could be offensive as well.=20
According to Nawa-e-Waqt , the CII stated that Western propaganda=20
against jehad had pushed it into the background, but everyone should=20
be grateful to Afghanistan for having revived it. It said that the=20
greatest act of piety was participation in jehad and one cause of the=20
decline of the Muslims was their abandonment of it.

Currency will be banned

Daily Jang magazine quoted Lashkar-e-Tayba chief Hafiz Saeed as=20
saying that when Islamic government is imposed on Pakistan currency=20
will be abolished and gold and silver coins only will be legal=20
tender. He said that the constitution too would be abolished as there=20
was no need of a constitution in the presence of Quran. According to=20
Khabrain , an insulter of the Prophet PBUH was sentenced to death in=20
a Lahore Sessions Court because Yusuf 'Kazzab' had claimed to be the=20
khalifa (appointee) of the Prophet PBUH.

Get rid of 'bainamaz' officers

According to daily Pakistan , the Council of Islamic Ideology=20
recommended to the government that it should fire civil servants who=20
did not say their namaz, and that areas where people said their namaz=20
should be selected for concessional development funds.

Against Sunday holiday

According to daily Pakistan , Islamic Ideology Council (IIC) resolved=20
in Islamabad that Pakistan should revert to Friday as weekly holiday=20
for Islamic blessings, which supported a similar demand made by some=20
shopkeepers in Lahore. However, two members of the CII, not member=20
Afzal Haider, insisted that instead of reverting to Friday, the=20
government should ensure that people said their Friday prayer.Jail=20
against Islam

Prison not allowed in Islam

According to Khabrain , Council of Islamic Ideology declared that=20
sending anyone to prison was against Shariat and recommended that=20
prison sentences be abolished. Early Islam had no jails, no police,=20
and no banks. Thieves used to have their hands cut.

______

#2.

ZNet Commentary
The Hawks Circle South Asia. January 07, 2002
By Vijay Prashad

The Fifth Afghan War, now slowly coming to a close, has changed the=20
rules of international engagements. The Bush doctrine against=20
terrorism stated that the US or any aggrieved party would retaliate=20
for acts of terror not only against those who perpetuate the=20
violence, but also against those who harbor terrorists.

In other words, the US accepted the Israeli military technique that=20
inflicts as much pain on the Palestinian leadership as it can, even=20
as the Palestinian Authority denies its hand in the acts of terror=20
conducted by other anti-Israeli forces (most of whom are indeed based=20
in the PA).

But the Bush doctrine, we now find, is not for universal usage, but=20
only to be adopted by the US at its discretion and by the Israelis=20
(who crafted it in the first place).

When a group of terrorists drove up to the main gate of the Indian=20
Parliament on 13 December 2001 and attacked security personnel there=20
just as the upper house (the Rajya Sabha) went into recess, the=20
Hindu-Right led Indian government willed that it too wanted to go=20
after not only the terrorists, but also the state that harbored them.=20
The US said no.

Foiled by a miscalculation, the men could not enter the building nor=20
could they create the mayhem that they had so astutely planned.=20
Gunfire and grenades, as well as a suicide bomb blast, killed nine=20
people and the five terrorists themselves.

Half an hour later, the Indian streets buzzed with this information=20
and the media began the inevitable parallels with 9/11. We heard=20
immediately that 13/12 was our 9/11 and that we must do something to=20
respond. In truth, the streets remained open and most ordinary people=20
went on their way as before. It takes a lot to shake a country this=20
size.

When Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated here in 1984 the=20
first reaction was disbelief, until her Congress Party engineered the=20
massacre of at least four thousand Sikhs. The mood on the streets did=20
not reflect 1984, nor did the people feel a sense of dread that the=20
pogroms may begin any minute.

In truth, the assault on Indian Muslims is ongoing: a massive=20
campaign against the poor Muslim population of the city in 1993 has=20
been repeated in small doses ever since. Even as it was possible that=20
the terror gangs of the Hindu Right may take to the streets, it=20
seemed unlikely. A cricket tour by England in India had the attention=20
of many people, as others continued their pursuit of a struggled=20
living.

But the chattering class went into action. The Hindu Right leadership=20
took refuge in the Israeli-US logic enunciated clearly by the Bush=20
doctrine. The Hindu Right spoke of an attack on Pakistan in=20
retaliation for 13/12 as the investigation by the authorities began=20
to show that the men might have come from groups headquartered in=20
that state.

Jaish-e-Mohammad and Laskar-e-Toiba, two insurgent groups formed to=20
create mayhem in Kashmir in the name of freedom, are certainly a=20
grave threat to the mild stability that prevails in the subcontinent,=20
even as the Indian and Pakistani armies exchange fire routinely=20
across the Line of Control in Kashmir.

JeM and LeT are based in Pakistan, now banned by the US, and given=20
the same kind of shelter by the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence=20
(ISI) that was given to the mujahidin of the anti-Soviet Afghan war=20
and to the Taliban. The police arrested three men accused of being=20
accomplices of the terrorists, just as the leadership of the JeM and=20
LeT claimed that the Indian state had conducted this attack itself to=20
manufacture a provocation against the Pakistan-based organizations.

The Pakistani President, Pervez Musharraf, offered his sorrow for the=20
attack, but defended the Pakistan-based groups as freedom fighters.

Just as the Hindu Right followed the Bush playbook, Musharraf offered=20
words that mimicked those of George Shultz before Congress in 1986 to=20
defend the US support of the Nicaraguan Contras ("The Contras in=20
Nicaragua do not blow up school buses or hold mass execution of=20
civilians"; while this was not true of the Contras, it is also not=20
true of the JeM and the LeT, both of whom are indiscriminate with=20
violence against noncombatants - itself the weakest definition of=20
terrorism).

Mimicry was the order of the day. Just as Bush spoke of Good and=20
Evil, and claimed all Good for any action of the US, so too did the=20
Indian Home Minister L. K. Advani tell Parliament that "the struggle=20
is between the civilized society and barbarism. It is also the=20
struggle between democracy and terrorism."

India, he said, stands on the twin pillars of secularism and=20
democracy, while Pakistan does not. This Advani is the man=20
responsible for the assault on India's secularism and he is the prime=20
mover of the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO), a mimicked=20
version of the USA Patriot Act and of the British Terrorism Act. His=20
claim to secular democracy is as true as Bush's to goodness.

The two sides moved troops to forward positions and the entire region=20
smoldered in the tension of troop mobilizations. War seemed likely,=20
except that the powers did not want the engagement to happen. And=20
this had little to do with the fact that both these regional powers=20
possess nuclear weapons.

The US did not want the war because it would mean that the Pakistani=20
military would not do its border duty on the Afghan-Pakistan border=20
and stop the flow of al-Qa'ida fighters out of the reach of US guns.=20
Furthermore with US troops posted to Pakistan, an Indian attack would=20
jeopardize American lives. All the blanket morality of Bush fell by=20
the wayside when the Indian government attempted to use his logic=20
against Pakistan.

Domestic compulsions pushed the brinkmanship. Musharraf feels the=20
heat of an emboldened Islamic Right within, one whose manpower has=20
been increased by the fleeing al-Qa'ida and other such fighters from=20
Afghanistan.

Furthermore, the failure of Pakistan's forward strategy into=20
Afghanistan (viz. support for the Taliban) has forced its ISI to push=20
harder for a forward strategy into Kashmir, even as this too would be=20
fated to fail.

Meanwhile, the Hindu Right is eager to win a majority in the crucial=20
northern state of Uttar Pradesh, whose assembly elections will be in=20
February. Chief Minister Rajnath Singh was one of the main hawks on=20
behalf of the BJP, and Prime Minister Vajpayee reserved his strongest=20
speeches for his visits to that state. Culturally cruel nationalism=20
combined with a belligerent foreign policy may help the electorate=20
forget the collapse of the economic destiny of the many as well as=20
the corruption of the BJP in power.

The powers asked the two sides to negotiate, to dialogue - strange=20
words after the muteness that preceded the Fifth Afghan War.

Musharraf banned the two terrorist organizations, arrested their=20
leadership, and asked the ISI to close down its cell that foments=20
terror in Kashmir. The latter was a startling admission, because=20
Pakistan has until now denied its obvious presence in the Kashmir=20
troubles.

When Musharraf went and forced a hand-shake with the Indian Prime=20
Minister Vajpayee at the South Asian Association of Regional=20
Cooperation (SAARC) summit in Kathmandu, Nepal on January 5, 2002,=20
the Indian PM replied that these gestures of friendship must be=20
matched by actions.

When Vajpayee went to Lahore in 1999 for the "bus diplomacy," he said=20
at the opening day of the SAARC, he was "rewarded with aggression in=20
Kargil and the hijacking of an Indian Airlines aircraft from=20
Kathmandu."

Musharraf did condemn terrorism, but then halted with a defense of=20
the mehmen mujahidin in Kashmir: "it is equally important that a=20
distinction be maintained between acts of legitimate resistance and=20
freedom struggles, on the one hand, acts of terrorism, on the other."

Kashmir is indeed the pawn at the center of this power struggle, but=20
let us not also forget the irresponsible situation created by the=20
adoption of the Israeli logic by the US government and generalized as=20
a response to terrorism.

Cooler minds cannot sort out the Kashmir matter if we all act like=20
the IDF. Tony Blair comes to India as Bush's ambassador, a man who=20
represents a country unable to deal with the troubles in Ireland, and=20
yet able once again to lecture that darker peoples about their=20
problems.

Both India and Pakistan are mature countries that need to provide a=20
framework within which the border disputes and the Kashmir matter can=20
be settled. The Bush doctrine and the Blair tourism is no solution,=20
even as these acts by accident have helped stem what seemed to be an=20
inevitable war.

Vijay Prashad has recently published "War Against the Planet: The=20
Fifth Afghan War, US Imperialism and Other Assorted Fundamentalisms"=20
(New Delhi: Leftword Books, 2002). To order a copy, contact LeftWord=20
at leftword@v...
--

______

#3.

The Hindu
Tuesday, Jan 08, 2002
Open Page

No war, let's heal the subcontinent

If the goal is to smoke out the mouse, it is no good policy to burn=20
the house. Since war begins in the minds of men, peace must be sought=20
and grounded in the soul of men.

"SINCE wars begin in the minds of men," so runs the historic UNESCO=20
Preamble, "It is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must=20
be constructed." Wars erupt out when the minds of men are enflamed,=20
when human mind is blinded and wounded, succumbs to frustration and=20
self-negation. War is the transference of this self-negation into the=20
other-negation. The three Indo-Pak wars and the persisting will to=20
terrorise have emanated from this savage instinct of other-negation=20
that is the legacy of the partition carnage and its still-bleeding=20
and unhealed wound.

Truncated from its eastern wing in 1971, Pakistan ever since has=20
suffered from a sense of total existential self-negation. Plus the=20
scars left by the two previously lost wars to India and Kargil fill=20
the Army and the Pakistan psyche with a seething urge to revenge that=20
India has to be negated, destroyed - in a deep psychological sense,=20
another Hiroshima in the subcontinent is imaginable and possible.=20
Terrorism in Kashmir springs from such deep negating existential=20
grounds. Like the former Soviet Union, Pakistan came into being as a=20
result of a grand delusion and massive perversion of reality - the so=20
called two-nation theory. Like the former Soviet Union, it stands in=20
danger of crumbling unless it modifies its reality perception and=20
comes to terms with its post-Bangladesh identity within in the=20
prevailing subcontinental equation. Failing this, Pakistan is bound=20
to break up nudging the region to a nuclear nightmare, including=20
possible South Asian Hiroshimas.

War phobia

With `hot pursuits' and `surgical operations' freely making rounds=20
among the policy elite and the public at large, the national=20
atmosphere looks ominously charged. "On the brink," headlines The=20
Week (Jan. 6) adding, "As men and machines are quickly positioned by=20
India and Pakistan, the threat of war looms real." To which Gen.=20
Musharraf counters, "If any war is thrust on Pakistan, Pakistan's=20
armed forces and the 140 million people of Pakistan are fully=20
prepared to face all consequences with all their might." According to=20
Indian Express, "Pakistan has deployed medium range ballistic missile=20
batteries (MRBBs) along the Line of Control (LoC) near Jammu and=20
Poonch sectors in an action that will further escalate the tension=20
between the two countries." And India's Defence Minister ups the=20
ante, "We could take a (nuclear) strike, survive and then hit back,=20
Pakistan would be finished." (Hindustan Times, December 30, 2001).=20
Mr. Fernandes's formulation is certainly a tactical super shot, even=20
a strategical super hit inasmuch as this is the very logic of India's=20
`No-first-strike' doctrine. The Defence Minister obviously has no=20
idea of the ethical, phenomenological implications of abandoning=20
chunks of the Indian population to ransom for potential Hiroshimas=20
and then `finishing' the neighbouring country of 140 million in what=20
could be nothing short of an Armageddon. Forget these horrendous=20
scenarios. But does this not repudiate the grain of truth for which=20
India's civilisation stood for and vindicated across the untold=20
millennia of its history? Yet, Mr. Fernandes, the pacifist and=20
Gandhian, is no warmonger. As Defence Minister he had to reach at a=20
level the Pakistanis, with their proclivity to drop the nuclear speak=20
whenever that suited them, could have registered the message.

If the goal is to smoke out the mouse, it is no good policy to burn=20
the house. Since war begins in the minds of men, peace must be sought=20
and grounded in the soul of men. When peace is thus grounded at the=20
deeper level of the soul a stadium in human historical evolution is=20
reached at which competitive security and sovereignty become=20
cooperative security and cooperative sovereignty in a no-war zone.=20
European Union is the shining example. And since the EU model is=20
extendable and applicable to all other world regions/geopolitical=20
sub-systems, we could even visualise a globally inter-linked no-war=20
zone, which indeed is a post-nuclear `Millennial Global Peace Order'.=20
If this postulate could be applied to the ongoing U.N. Security=20
Council reform process, we will then have an absolutely foolproof=20
`no-war world' in decades.

Global Age

This is no utopian idealism; this has already happened across the=20
East-West axis of geopolitics, i.e. over the entire northern=20
hemisphere of the planet, the North. It of course began as deathly=20
cold war superpower confrontations, reminiscent only of today's=20
Indo-Pak confrontation. The Berlin Blockade (1949), the Korean War=20
(1951-52), building of the Berlin Wall (1961), the Cuban Missile=20
Crisis (1962), the Vietnam War, could all have shored out into World=20
War III and nuclear inferno, but they were all contained and kept=20
below the nuclear threshold. Russia is today living at peace with its=20
neighbours, with Europe, with America and the entire world, and is in=20
fact today on the way to joining a common NATO security system. The=20
North has virtually become a `con-federated no-war zone' of the=20
dollar, euro, rouble, yen, yuan blocs heralding the Global Age. When=20
the South also emerges as partner to this Global Age, which is=20
inevitable and only a matter of time, we will have a post nuclear=20
Global Peace Order and the post-nuclear civilisational epoch, truly=20
consummating God's plan for earth and humanity.

The South is the traditional colonial belt, the equatorial hunger=20
belt, the epicentre of world's already exploding population, the=20
would be catchment base of 95 per cent of the projected near doubling=20
of human species in the Twentyfirst century. Inasmuch as the lion's=20
share of the planet's wealth and resources remain concentrated within=20
the hands of an over-aging and ever-decreasing population of the=20
North, the North feels threatened by the growing southern human=20
avalanche. Thus North wants amputation of this `cancerous growth' and=20
safeguards itself by building up NMDs (national missile defence=20
systems) and BMDs (ballistic missile defence) as the Bush=20
administration is at present pioneering on an emergency basis.

We cannot ensure enduring global peace and human survival in the=20
atmosphere of the nuclear and missile race in the subcontinent, in=20
our Asian neighbourhood, above all in a world that has abrogated the=20
CTBT and now also the ABM Treaty. We have to move the Twentyfirst=20
century for a great healing work - a far reaching North-South=20
healing, an Indo-Pakistani healing, an Arab-Israeli healing, the=20
healing of the divided Koreas, the healing of this very uprooted and=20
over-heating planet of ours. When Europe's partition was healed,=20
Europe nay the entire North became a no-war zone. This could happen=20
to the subcontinent when we heal our partition wound. The planet will=20
then be healed. The millennial peace and `no-war world' is definite.

New Kashmir approach
Pakistan can be redeemed alone in an existential affirmation. In a=20
deep psychological sense this must come from India and from the=20
entire international community. We propose a 2+5 Kashmir Commission=20
in a combination of the Camp David, Oslo, Radcliffe models pointing=20
to a Helsinki process in Asia (a Conference of Security and=20
Cooperation in Asia, CSCA). We uphold the vision of a South Asian=20
Home, parallel to the European Home, bringing about eventually a=20
`Con-federative Remaking of the United Nations' on the foundations=20
not of confronting armies and competitive nuclear doctrines but of=20
Human Unity, the truly realisable psychological unity of the human=20
race as Sri Aurobindo saw. Thus we shall, and we ought to, rewrite=20
the UNESCO preamble thus: "War begins in the minds of men, so it=20
shall be terminated by the minds of men converging as/in the nondual=20
human soul."

V.T. PATIL & SRI ASIANANDA
Vice Chancellor, Pondicherry University & Professor of Philosophy,=20
IOU (Netherlands)

______

#4.

BBC
Sunday, 13 January, 2002, 11:28 GMT
TALKING POINT
War on extremism
Will Musharraf's crackdown work?
http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/talking_point/newsid_1755000/1755549.s=
tm

o o o

Pakistan's war on extremism: Your views=20
http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/talking_point/newsid_1755000/1755549.s=
tm#say

______

#5.

BBC News
Saturday, 12 January, 2002, 10:59 GMT

Bangladesh scribe arrest 'illegal'
The journalist's wife has filed a petition in the high court

By the BBC's Alistair Lawson in Dhaka

Two high court judges in Bangladesh have ruled that the detention of=20
a prominent journalist, Shahriar Kabir, on sedition charges is=20
unlawful.

But they ruled that it was not within their power to give him bail.

Mr Kabir was imprisoned last month after returning from a visit to=20
India in which he filmed Hindu refugees who allegedly fled Bangladesh=20
to escape persecution from Islamic extremists.
The government says Mr Kabir's activities have undermined the=20
sovereignty of Bangladesh, but his lawyers say that he is a political=20
prisoner forced to endure appalling conditions in jail.

Expose

Mr Kabir's lawyers say that his imprisonment shows that press freedom=20
in Bangladesh is under threat.
Hundreds of Hindus are said to have fled Bangladesh following persecution
They say that his only crime was to expose the plight of Bangladesh's=20
Hindu minority by filming them in refugee camps in India.

Many Hindus say they have been force to flee Bangladesh to escape=20
communal violence following the election of a new government in=20
October which contains two hard-line Islamic parties.

After the court ruling on Saturday, lawyers for Mr Kabir say they=20
intend to return to court as soon as possible to try and get him=20
released.
They say that because they are denied access to him in jail, it is=20
not clear whether he will be informed of the court ruling in his=20
favour.
Meanwhile concerns about his health, including a heart condition,=20
have worsened during his time in jail.

Criticism

Mr Kabir faces life imprisonment if he is found guilty of the charges=20
levelled against him, which includes sedition, and undermining the=20
sovereignty of the state.

The rise of Islamist influence has concerned minorities

Some of the charges stem from an interview which he gave to the BBC in Indi=
a.
Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have condemned=20
his imprisonment, describing him as a prisoner of conscience.
His lawyers say the case should never come to trial, and that the=20
only reason he is in the dock is because he is seen as close to the=20
opposition, and has been strongly critical of the hardline=20
Jamiat-e-Islami party, which is now part of the government.
But the prosecution argues that he is a troublemaker rather than a=20
political prisoner, and that he faces such serious charges because he=20
has publicly questioned the independence of Bangladesh in violation=20
of the country's constitution.
The government also accuses Mr Kabir of unfairly accusing individual=20
ministers of collaborating with Pakistan during Bangladesh's war of=20
independence in 1971.

______

#6.

Tehelka.com
13 January 2002

Laws to protect Indian women residing overseas in the offing

The report of the high-level committee on Indian Diaspora has=20
recommended measures that would protect the rights of women residing=20
outside India after
marriages with NRIs and PIOs; Rinku Pegu speaks to women's activists
about the effectiveness of such measures

New Delhi, January 12

It is interesting to know that the high-level committee on Indian=20
Diaspora has taken note of the abuses faced by Indian women married=20
to NRIs (non-resident Indians) and PIOs (People of Indian Origin).=20
There have been a disturbingly large number of cases of abuse of=20
Indian women married to NRIs and PIOs.
In a bid to prevent these abuses, the committee has recommended two=20
specific measures. One, that a special cell should be created in the=20
proposed organisation, meant exclusively for handling Diaspora=20
issues, for providing free legal counselling to families of girls=20
contemplating marriage to NRIs and PIOs.
The other recommendation requires Indian men settled or living=20
abroad, and wishing to marry girls in India, to first give an=20
affidavit stating his marital status to the bride's family. More=20
importantly, no marriage registration certificate will be issued if=20
the affidavit is not attached to the application for registration of=20
the marriage.
Welcoming the decision as a progressive step, Reva Nayyar,=20
member-secretary of the National Commission for Women (NCW), stated=20
that the measures would help in coping with the marital problems=20
faced by Indian women married abroad, even if it does not completely=20
eradicate instances of such problems.
The instances of abuse range from high dowry demands to being=20
abandoned in India after marriage. Even those women, who make it=20
abroad after marriage, are often treated as servants by their=20
husbands and their families. With their passports confiscated, the=20
women have nowhere to turn to for help, and are often trapped.
Highlighting the problems, Nayyar says there are several instances=20
where women discover that their husbands are already married, and=20
have gone in for a second marriage, either for the dowry money or to=20
get cheap domestic help. She, therefore, believes that filing an=20
affidavit stating the groom's marital status is an absolute necessity.
Noting the lack of pre-marriage legal counselling in India, Sudha=20
Tiwari, vice-president of Shaktishalini, an NGO (non-governmental=20
organisation) that provides a shelter home for destitute women,=20
describes the provision for such counselling as path-breaking. Tiwari=20
is hopeful that pre-marriage legal counselling will soon be made=20
available to all Indian women. Tiwari handles a number of=20
post-marriage counselling cases, and is of the opinion that=20
pre-marriage legal counselling to Indian couples will mitigate a=20
number of problems, while at the same time increasing awareness on=20
how to avail of legal provisions.
However, Brinda Grover, a Supreme Court lawyer and active member of=20
PILSARC (Public Interest Legal Support and Research Centre), while=20
describing the measures as essential, is sceptical about their=20
effectiveness. Grover believes that what is required is greater=20
coordination at government levels, because it is important to=20
understand the legal system of the country that an Indian person is=20
residing in. She cites an example: suppose an affidavit filed by an=20
NRI about his marital status is found to be false, in order to take=20
action, we will need the cooperation of the host country and its=20
legal system.
But given the social status that marriage with an NRI brings, there=20
are several instances where girls are forced to enter into matrimony.=20
In such a context, Nayyar asks, "How do you prevent pujaris and qazis=20
from giving marriage certificates without an affidavit stating the=20
groom's marital status?" Therefore, Nayyar says, for the=20
recommendations to be effective, changes in Indian marriage laws=20
should be brought about first.

But the working problem with an affidavit is not confined to=20
monitoring it. There is the equally worrisome question about its=20
veracity. Asks Kaveri Sharma of Lawyers Collective, an association=20
concerned with women's issues, "How do you ascertain the authenticity=20
and accuracy of the information given in the affidavit to be filed=20
with the Indian Marriage Registration Bureau? After the person goes=20
back to his adopted country, he also effectively goes out of the=20
clutches of Indian laws."
This apart, there is also the issue of how accessible relief will be=20
to the concerned women. Right now, rescuing women who are stuck with=20
false marriages outside India is a cumbersome process. It begins with=20
the girl's parents approaching the NCW, which then refers the case to=20
the ministry of external affairs. If the parents are persistent, the=20
Indian embassy is contacted, which then alerts the local police=20
authorities. So far, in almost all cases approached by Indian=20
embassies, the local police have acted by rescuing the trapped women=20
out of her in-laws' home, and sending them back to India. But such=20
cases are few and far between. In most cases, these women have no=20
access to redressal fora. The effectiveness of the latest=20
recommendations depends entirely on the follow-up mechanisms put in=20
place.

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

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