[sacw] SACW | 14 Oct. 02

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire | 14 October 2002

__________________________

#1. Pakistan: Thank you, Gen Musharraf (Najam Sethi)
#2. Pakistan's Elite Gravitate Toward Islamic Religious Parties (David Rohd=
e)
#3. Sri Lanka: If religion is the only criterion? (Durand Appuhamy)
#4. Bangladesh court sentences Taslima Nasreen for a 1 year jail term=20
(3 reports)
#5. USA / India: EXCERPTS - Reflections From Our Trip: A Mission for=20
Healing the Wounds of the People of Gujarat Sept. 2002 ( Non-Resident=20
Indians for a Secular and Harmonious India (NRI-SAHI))
#6. USA / Pakistan: Video Clips and Discussion With Pakistani=20
Playwright Shahid Nadeem (UC Berkeley, Oct 13.)
#7. India: News report on seminar on '=97Women: Culture and=20
Communalism' at Lucknow University
#8. Letter to the Times of India (Mukul Dube)

__________________________

#1.

The Friday Times (Lahore),
October 11 - 17, 2002 - Vol. XIV, No. 33

Thank you, Gen Musharraf
By Najam Sethi

Thank you, General Pervez Musharraf, for delivering us from the likes of
Nawaz Sharif and handing us over to Qazi Hussain Ahmad and Maulana Fazlur
Rehman.

The MMA will be an unprecedented integral element of the National Assembly
in days to come. It may well be a partner in the government of Pakistan in
Islamabad as well. But, to be sure, it will form the next two governments i=
n
the two provinces of the NWFP and Balochistan. In a third, Punjab, it will
be a critical part of the ruling coalition in alliance with any one faction
of the PML or possibly even with the PPP. And in Karachi it will stage a
significant comeback since its ouster in 1981.

It seems that General Musharraf's rabid anti-PPP and anti-PMLN stance,
coupled by his exhortation to the masses to vote-in new faces, was taken to
heart by many people. Instead of voting en masse for the lotas or old faces
who deserted the PPP and PMLN or were bribed and cajoled to join the PMLQ o=
r
King's Party, many people have voted for the MMA. Indeed, the MMA has wiped
out the two mainstream moderate political parties - the PPP and the PML -
from the scene in the NWFP and Balochistan.

But thanks for creating a political vacuum into which the MMA has flowed
must also go to General Musharraf's new found American friend, President
George Bush, whose pre-emptive anti-Taliban and anti-al-Qaeda policies (rea=
d
anti-Islam) were equally responsible for nudging the conservative and deepl=
y
religious people of these areas into the arms of the MMA. The irony is that
when Qazi Hussain Ahmad and Maulana Fazlur Rehman control the levers of
power in the frontier regions, including the police and administration, it
will become difficult for Islamabad and Washington to enforce their writ in
these areas and the task of hunting down the rebellious Taliban and hostile
Al-Qaeda will become almost impossible. We may also expect both provinces t=
o
unfurl so-called shariah practices that reinforce the negative =93image=94 =
of
Pakistan abroad.

But that's just for starters. MMA nominees from both the border provinces a=
s
well as from the Punjab will probably constitute half the members of the
next Senate, or upper house, since each province has an equal number of
representatives. That means that the Senate will become not just a
springboard for the defense of provincial autonomy as it was meant to be bu=
t
also for religious activism and orthodoxy which certainly played no part in
the dream of the Quaid i Azam to build a modern and moderate Pakistan.
Indeed, we may expect the MMA to initiate a host of bills for the
=93Islamisation=94 or =93Talibanisa-tion=94 of Pakistan from the floor of t=
he upper
House.

I have long argued that politics, like nature, abhors a vacuum, and that by
trying to sideline the mainstream, moderate parties, General Musharraf woul=
d
inevitably pave the way for the immoderate religious parties. This lesson
should have been learnt by now but it wasn't. When the establishment got ri=
d
of Benazir Bhutto in 1990, it made way for Nawaz Sharif. When it got rid of
Sharif in 1993, it made way for Bhutto. When it got rid of Bhutto in 1996,
it made way for Sharif. But when Musharraf got rid of Sharif in 1999 and
started to hound Bhutto as well, he made way for the MMA.

But there is a more cynical view that may gain currency. Maybe this is just
what the establishment wanted. Two critical provinces bordering Afghanistan
with the anti-America MMA so that the establishment can drive a hard bargai=
n
with Washington. And coalition governments in the other two provinces in
which pro-establishment minorities or majorities can keep =93democracy=94 i=
n
check. The armed and unarmed jihadis inside and outside the establishment
should be pleased by the election results. Having =93lost=94 Afghanistan, t=
hey
have now acquired a large base area of their own in their own homeland. The=
y
couldn't have tailored a better outcome for themselves. That is why, in tim=
e
to come, this =93election=94 may acquire the same ominous significance in t=
he
history of Pakistan as the 1970 elections under another =93sincere=94 milit=
ary
dictator.

_____

#2.

The New York Times
October 13, 2002

Pakistan's Elite Gravitate Toward Islamic Religious Parties
By DAVID ROHDE
http://www.nytimes.com/pages/world/index.html

_____

#3.

The Island (Colombo)
14th October, 2002
If religion is the only criterion?
By Durand Appuhamy
Some Muslim politicians are calling for a Muslim administrative unit=20
in the east. The main criterion for this unit appears to be the=20
profession of the religion of Islam and the concentration of these=20
people along the coastal areas south of Batticaloa.
http://www.island.lk/2002/10/14/featur01.html

_____

#4.

The Daily Star (Dhaka)
October 14, 2002

Taslima Nasrin gets jail term for 'Lajja'
Staff Correspondent
http://www.dailystarnews.com/200210/14/n2101406.htm#BODY3

o o o

The Telegraph (Calcutta)
Monday, October 14, 2002

Taslima sentenced to a year in jail
Dhaka, Oct. 13 (PTI)
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1021014/asp/foreign/story_1290376.asp

o o o

BBC
Sunday, 13 October, 2002, 12:07 GMT 13:07 UK

Bangladesh court sentences Taslima
By Moazzem Hossain (BBC, Dhaka)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2324245.stm

_____

#5.

Non-Resident Indians for a
Secular and Harmonious India
(NRI-SAHI)

A Sadbhavna Mission for Healing the Wounds of the People of Gujarat

September 6-24, 2002

Arise! Awake!!*
Reflections From Our Trip to Gujarat, Delhi, and Other State Capitals

(* With apologies to Swami Vivekananda, whose spirited and unabashed=20
defense of Hinduism from yesteryear is being wilfully distorted by=20
some into a hate campaign against the minorities of India.)

Foreword:

We are a delegation of NRIs, representing various organizations from=20
the U.S., who went to India on a non-partisan humanitarian mission,=20
to see for ourselves the aftermath of the Gujarat carnage. We went=20
there to listen, and to learn about what we can do to support=20
initiatives for communal harmony. We met a wide cross section of=20
civil society, including the victims of the unprecedented violence;=20
NGOs who have been caring for them; and other citizen's groups,=20
businessmen, religious leaders, politicians and the media.

As ruling party officials in Gujarat and New Delhi declined to meet=20
with us, we could only meet with the opposition parties. We conveyed=20
to them our views on the desperate humanitarian situation in Gujarat,=20
and challenged them on how they would rule differently should they=20
return to power. We presented our observations and recommendations in=20
a memorandum to the President of India, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, at the=20
Rashtrapathi Bhavan on September 12. We met the Chief Minister of=20
Andhra Pradesh, Mr. Chandrababu Naidu, on September 23, and urged him=20
to use his influence in New Delhi to bring some hope to those who are=20
still being victimized in Gujarat.

Most of us are now back in the U.S. to share our experiences with=20
others; to raise awareness in the NRI community about the dangers of=20
continued silence about the break-down of the rule of law in Gujarat;=20
and to raise funds for the rehabilitation of the victims. Some of us=20
plan to spend more time in India to pursue individual actions in=20
support of communal harmony and/or to work against the politics of=20
hate.

We have prepared this write-up for our friends, and others who care=20
about what is happening in India, to give them a sense of what we saw=20
and heard. Our observations are based on notes and recollections by=20
some of us, and do not necessarily represent the collective view of=20
this diverse delegation. Where possible, we have included a Q & A=20
format, representing the general thrust of our conversations with our=20
hosts (not direct quotes).

The Victims:

"Five crore Gujaratis have been affected by the violence," declared=20
our leader in a press conference in Ahmedabad. Some of the=20
journalists were incredulous--they were quite sure that he had his=20
numbers wrong. He hastened to explain: "Yes, we think that every=20
Gujarati--Muslim, Hindu, and Christian--is a victim today."

We had heard of the severe strains that the economy of Gujarat was=20
going through--especially in foreign direct investment, the=20
hospitality sector, transportation, and small businesses. We had=20
heard of increasing unemployment, especially among youth--for=20
example, thousands of Rabari youth losing their jobs as a result of=20
over a thousand Muslim-owned restaurants being burnt down. But more=20
than all the economic losses, we could sense the fear in the air in=20
cities like Ahmedabad and Vadodara, beneath a veneer of normalcy.=20
People seemed genuinely baffled that the Muslim community, which had=20
been demonized for so long, had kept its peace, in spite of the scale=20
of brutality inflicted upon them. There was apprehension everywhere=20
that this wasn't going to last long, especially in light of constant=20
provocations by the likes of Modi, Singhal and Togadia. Some even=20
speculated that the troika's inflammatory rhetoric was designed to=20
elicit some sort of violent reaction from the victims, which could=20
then be used to justify further violence.

They may have been right. The reaction came just a few days after we=20
departed Gujarat=8Aat Akshardham. Was the deplorable terrorist attack=20
on the Swaminarayan temple the kind of response they were dreading?=20
Are there more to come? Is the good sense that prevailed in Gujarat=20
after Akshardham a harbinger of peace? Or is there a risk that=20
continuing communal killings in places like Vadodara will be=20
exploited once again by ruthless politicians?

We had tried to seek our own answers to such troubling questions=20
during our week of travel in Gujarat, during which we spoke to=20
numerous victims and camp organizers to understand the ground=20
reality. We visited Gulberg Society, Naroda Patiya, Juhapura and=20
Sanklit Nagar, and several chalis and unofficial camps in Ahmedabad.=20
In the Panchmahals, we visited the Godhra relief camp, Kalol camp,=20
the village of Boru, Halol camp, and the village of Dehrol.

These visits lead us to the unfortunate and inescapable conclusion=20
that there is an officially sanctioned and orchestrated campaign in=20
Gujarat to harass and punish the victims of the carnage, through=20
every available means available to the state. The objective seems to=20
be to drive them to desperation, force them to permanently forsake=20
their land and homes, and perhaps even leave the state altogether. In=20
many cases, Hindu neighbors are setting humiliating conditions,=20
including dropping of criminal charges against the killers amongst=20
them, before allowing their Muslim neighbors back. But there are also=20
instances of Hindu neighbors welcoming back their former neighbors.=20
(But for the interference and connivance by politicians and the=20
police, we are sure that there would have been many more such healing=20
initiatives by both communities.)

Here is a picture of what we termed in our memorandum to the=20
President as the 'Third Carnage' underway in Gujarat:

=B7 Almost all the camps are officially closed, when many=20
people still do not have a home to go to or feel safe enough to=20
return. This is clearly designed to put pressure on the victims and=20
their relatives, who are exhausting their own meager savings.

=B7 Over 85,000 high school students are in a limbo after their=20
exams were deliberately disrupted. Most can't afford private tuition.=20
Many youth are reported to be absconding.

=B7 In comparison to the Rs. 2,000-4,000 crores in estimated=20
damages (10,000 homes and 18,000 properties) only Rs. 250 crores of=20
aid is in the pipeline, including Rs. 150 crores from the PM's Relief=20
Fund.

=B7 On the average, victims have received less than 10% of=20
their losses in compensation--and it's not unusual to see checks=20
amounting to less than 1% of the reported loss (e.g. Rs. 500 and Rs.=20
2,000 for properties worth Rs. 1 lakh!)

=B7 Of the death compensation of Rs. 1.5 lakhs, a significant=20
portion is in Narmada Bonds! Also, there is no hope of compensation=20
for the large number of missing persons, unless relatives can produce=20
the equivalent of Rs. 4.5 lakhs in collateral (this is under review,=20
we were told).

=B7 The legal system is loaded with public prosecutors who are=20
often acting more like defense attorneys for the accused murderers,=20
and as prosecutors of their own clients. Some of them are also known=20
to be office-bearers of VHP.

=B7 Original FIRs have been doctored with, or superceded by=20
cyclostyled 'omnibus' FIRs, which replace the names of the accused=20
people with terms like 'unruly mobs,' ensuring that there will never=20
be any prosecutions. (In one instance, our guide was personally at a=20
police station with a victim to inquire about the status of her FIR.=20
"The accused is absconding," the police asserted, even as the accused=20
man was seated right next to them!)

These grim statistics make the point loud and clear: The elected=20
government of Gujarat was happy to collude, encourage, or stand on=20
the sidelines as mad men and women systematically destroyed human=20
lives and property. But it WILL NOT take any responsibility to=20
rebuild people's lives, shifting that impossible burden to already=20
over-stretched NGOs and private citizens.

In spite of these insurmountable odds, however, we were amazed at the=20
fortitude of the people affected. For example, we found Muslim legal=20
assistance groups to be more optimistic about prosecutions than other=20
legal aid groups, who were quite sure that there would never be any=20
convictions. (Q: Is this because the minority community doesn't have=20
the luxury of being cynical?) Wherever possible, people in urban=20
areas are trying their best to return to their homes and businesses,=20
notwithstanding hostile neighbors. When asked why they don't leave=20
the state to go to places like Bangalore or Hyderabad or Mumbai,=20
victims in one camp responded unanimously: "Why should we? This is=20
where the jobs are."

After a week of heart-wrenching visit to Gujarat, we left behind=20
thousands of victims, Hindus and Muslims, carrying a few indelible=20
impressions with us:

=B7 Community leaders fighting an impossible battle on multiple=20
fronts--relief supplies, compensation, housing, rebuilding=20
businesses, legal remedies, etc., while worrying endlessly about=20
their children's education, and the possibility of their turning to=20
violence.

=B7 People of Naroda Patiya, who point to the unscathed Hindu=20
temple and Hindu Houses in their midst as symbols of communal amity=20
that had existed, even as they live patiently on the streets for=20
their modest homes to be rebuilt. (We were pained to hear that many=20
of these people had to rush back to safe havens within hours of=20
Akshardham, in anticipation of more violence which, mercifully, never=20
came.)

=B7 Muslim women, who would rather get on with their lives than=20
pursue cases of indescribable violence against them (perhaps, to the=20
consternation of women's groups).

=B7 The man who keeps a vigil in front of the locked home of=20
Kausar Bano, the pregnant woman whose stomach was cut open, and the=20
fetus pulled out and torched. "Aren=B9t you going to visit the spot?"=20
he asks. We just don't have the energy.

=B7 A Hindu volunteer in the Sanklit Nagar camp, who had to=20
take off her bindhi for a few days so that she didn=B9t scare the=20
already traumatized children in the camp.

=B7 Hindu villagers in Panchmahal, whose minds have been so=20
poisoned that our attempt to dialogue with one Sarpanch leads to a=20
not-so-veiled threat against our lives.

=B7 Dalits and other poor Hindus, who may be slowly realizing=20
that they too were manipulated by the politicians to turn against=20
their neighbors and friends. (Some of them may have had the dubious=20
distinction of being participants in the violence as well as its=20
victims: When we toured Naroda Patiya, we could see that the mob=20
hadn't been able to make distinctions between Dalit and Muslim homes,=20
which often shared a common wall. Many of these homes are now being=20
rebuilt by the Islami Relief Committee, with support from secular=20
NGOs.)

=B7 Middle class Hindus, who are facing the fear of violence=20
every day, and may be beginning to understand the scale of brutality=20
that had occurred right under their noses. (The recent apology from a=20
section of the Jain community may be one such indicator.)

=B7 Journalists who have been conditioned into believing that=20
anyone who speaks up for a secular India is anti-Hindu, and found it=20
hard to believe that we were ready and willing to meet with relatives=20
of the Godhra train victims.
[...]

{ FULL TEXT IS AVAILABLE AT: http://nrisahi.ektaonline.org/ ; For=20
those who have trouble downloading the report directly from the web=20
and would want a copy should drop a note to <aiindex@m...> }
_____

#6.

Theatre Without Frontiers Video Clips and Discussion With Pakistani=20
Playwright Shahid Nadeem

Shahid Nadeem is a leading Pakistani playwright and theater director=20
who has worked for nearly three decades with the theatre company,=20
Ajoka --translated as theatre for social change. He will talk about=20
the challenges and risks of running a theatre, which refuses to=20
accept censorship by the State or the militants and about his=20
experiences of taking his plays to India and Bangladesh.

Oct 13th, Sunday, 3 PM

UC Berkeley
Valley Life Sciences Bldg,
Room 2040

FREE
Donations kindly requested.
All proceeds go to Ajoka Theatre.

Co-sponsored by
Friends of South Asia (FOSA)
AHIMSA
3rd I

_____

#7.

The Times of India (Lucknow Edition)
[ Sunday, October 13, 2002 12:38:50 AM ]
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/articleshow?artid=3D25003360

Vedas are anti-women: Ex-Vice Chancellor
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
LUCKNOW: Terms like "Maa" (mother) and "Devi" (goddess) used to=20
eulogise women in ancient Vedic scriptures were actually baits to=20
trap women into the net of male dominance, said former=20
vice-chancellor of Lucknow University Prof RR Verma on Saturday.
She was speaking at a seminar on '=97Women: Culture and Communalism'=20
organised by the Women's Rights Organisation at Lucknow University.
Supporting her argument, she said that the same scriptures, including=20
Rig Veda and Manu Smriti, also described girls as an 'object' at=20
parent's house to be handed over to husband. There was mention of=20
sati and directions that widows and women abandoned by their husband=20
should not put make-up or look happy, she added. "Shockingly, these=20
scriptures have also put women in the list, along with pigs, dogs,=20
fire etc, which a man should avoid for healthy life. The scriptures=20
also say that if a married woman refuses to have sex with her=20
husband, the latter should first persuade her with words, offer gifts=20
and, if all this fails, then he should also keep a whip to lash her=20
for the job" she said.
The same was true with all other religions like Islam, Christianity=20
and Buddhism, where women had been described as 'inferior' , she said.
Nivedita Memnon of Delhi University said that globalisation process=20
had been complementary factor for communal forces. "Large-scale=20
commercialisation has projected women as a commodity. The communal=20
forces who also have been opposing commercialisation have established=20
themselves as protectors of culture and are enforcing patriarchal=20
norms with full vigour. It is the responsibility of women's=20
organisations to shatter the communal and commercial values and=20
establish norms based on equality" she added.

_____

#8.

[ Letter to the Times of India]

12 October 2002

Dear Editor,

In "Times Samvad" in today's TOI, Mr. Gordhan Zadaphia, Gujarat's=20
minister of state for home affairs, says, "We have nothing to fear=20
from terrorism." His later statement, "No doubt, we should be=20
vigilant after the attack on Akshardham," presumably refers to the=20
eternal vigilance needed to counter the=A0canard that vicious=20
secularists seek to spread about insecurity in his calm, watery state.

Mr. Zadaphia's claim of pride in Gujarat is amply supported by his=20
words to the effect that fully 52,000 pracharaks have been appointed=20
by his government to work on primary school children.

Yours truly,

Mukul Dube

(Mukul Dube
D-504 Purvasha=A0.. Mayur Vihar 1 .. Delhi 110091, India)

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