[sacw] SACW #2. | 8 August 02

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire Dispatch #2 | 8 August 2002

>From South Asia Citizens Web:
http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex

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#1. Setalvad, Mander to get Sadbhavana Award
#2. Charity... or terrorism? (Robert M. Hathaway)
#4. Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) activist seeking the arrest of the=20
Magsaysay award winner
#5. Vishwa Hindu Parishad forms global outfit to promote Hindutva ideology

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#1.

www.rediff.com

Setalvad, Mander to get Sadbhavana Award

Teesta Setalvad and Harsh Mander have been jointly selected for the=20
10th Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award for their outstanding=20
contribution in promoting peace and harmony in the country.
"The advisory committee which met on July 12 under the chairmanship=20
of former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court A M Ahmadi, decided that=20
the 10th Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Award be given to Setalvad and=20
Mander, for their outstanding contribution towards communal harmony=20
and national integration," Rameshwar Thakur, member secretary of the=20
committee, said.

He said the award, which carries a citation and a cash prize of Rs=20
250,000 would be presented to them on August 20, the birthday of=20
Rajiv Gandhi, by the chairman of the award committee, former Chief=20
Justice A M Ahmadi.

Former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao, Congress president Sonia=20
Gandhi, senior Congress leaders Manmohan Singh and K Natwar Singh,=20
former adviser to the prime minister H Y Sharda Prasad and Thakur=20
were part of the advisory committee, which selected Setalvad and=20
Mander for the award, Thakur said.

The award, instituted to commemorate the lasting contribution made by=20
late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi to promote peace and harmony, is=20
given every year on his birthday to an institution or person=20
promoting the noble cause, he said.

Winner of numerous journalistic and international awards, Teesta=20
Setalvad is a woman journalist from Mumbai and the editor of=20
Communalism Combat, who played a vital role in exposing the=20
anti-Muslim bias of the Mumbai police force during the January 1993=20
communal riots.

Besides authoring several books on women, Hinduism and human rights,=20
she is also involved in several initiatives to promote India-Pakistan=20
dialogue in addition to making a contribution in the field of human=20
rights.

Former Indian Administrative Service officer Harsh Mander was=20
recently in the spotlight for an article detailing the Gujarat=20
communal carnage.

In the 20 years of his administrative service, Mander played a=20
crucial role in quelling the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 in Indore, in=20
addition to serving in various capacities, including as the managing=20
director of the Schedule Caste/Tribe Finance Corporation.

Other recipients of the National Sadbhavna Award include the late=20
Mother Teresa, Ustad Bismillah Khan, Lata Mangeshkar, Sunil Dutt,=20
Jagan Nath Kaul, Dilip Kumar and Kapila Vatsyayan.

_____

#2.

The Hindu, Aug 08, 2002
Opinion - Leader Page Articles=20=20=20=20

Charity... or terrorism?

By Robert M. Hathaway

It is probably advisable for the American Government to hold an=20
official inquiry into fund-raising in the U.S. by groups implicated=20
in the Gujarat violence.

TERRORISM COMES in many guises. An armed assault against Parliament=20
House in New Delhi. A suicide bomber detonating high explosives in a=20
crowded bazaar. Political assassination. Angry young men flying=20
commercial aircraft into the World Trade Center. And, yes,=20
hate-consumed mobs butchering innocent women and children.

The people of India need no instruction from foreigners regarding the=20
moral issues raised by this spring's communal violence in Gujarat.=20
Except for an embittered but fortunately minuscule minority, Indians=20
of all religions and beliefs reacted with horror and disgust to the=20
great human tragedy that unfolded in their country earlier this year.

All those who admire Indian culture and accomplishments, who=20
celebrate the extraordinary progress India has achieved in its still=20
brief national existence, understand that the tragedy of Gujarat=20
strikes at the very essence of India's being and promise. The=20
assassination earlier this year of Abdul Gani Lone, who opposed=20
Indian rule in Kashmir but who in his final years had come to the=20
realisation that violence and extremism offer Kashmiris no way out in=20
their struggle with New Delhi, represented another blow to the ideals=20
of tolerance and moderation, another triumph for the forces of hatred=20
and sectarian-based violence. In this sense, the tragedies of Gujarat=20
and of Kashmir are inextricably linked.

Kashmir was certainly not the cause of Gujarat. Sadly, the seeds of=20
Godhra and Ahmedabad and Baroda spring from still more ancient soils.=20
But the continued violence in Kashmir makes the hatred recently seen=20
in Gujarat more likely, and in a perverted sense, more "respectable",=20
or at least acceptable. Perhaps, it does not go too far to assert=20
that until the Kashmir sore is at last healed, the poison that=20
produced Gujarat will make other Gujarats increasingly likely.

Some Indians, of course, say that the tragic events in Gujarat are a=20
domestic Indian affair, and that the United States and the rest of=20
the world have no business intruding into a purely internal Indian=20
matter. This is a self-serving falsehood. Important American=20
interests, including the global war against terrorism, can be=20
directly impacted by what the U.S. says - and fails to say - about=20
Gujarat.

At this particular moment in history, the U.S. cannot allow the=20
impression to take hold that Americans somehow value a Muslim life=20
less than the life of a person of another religion. Sadly, there are=20
those in the Islamic world who assert that the present conflict is a=20
war directed not against terrorism, but against Islam. That the U.S.=20
does not care about Muslims. That Washington seeks to hijack the=20
tragedies of 9/11 to carry out long-held plans to repress the Islamic=20
world. These are detestable lies, but many in the Muslim world are=20
prepared to believe them. So leaving aside the moral issue, it is=20
essential that India's friends in the U.S. speak out to condemn the=20
injustice and hatred so prominently displayed in Gujarat, and to lend=20
support to those Indians, of all religious beliefs, who are working=20
to strengthen the forces of secularism, tolerance and=20
multiculturalism.

Some have asked what impact the recent events in Gujarat will have -=20
should have - on the new and healthier relationship that the U.S. is=20
developing with India. No one needs to be reminded of the tortured=20
history of U.S.-India relations over the years, or the difficulty the=20
two nations have had in working collaboratively with one another,=20
even on those issues where our purposes and interests ran along=20
parallel tracks.

Over the past half dozen or so years - and notwithstanding the=20
temporary if traumatic jolt to the relationship administered by=20
India's 1998 nuclear tests and the subsequent imposition of U.S.=20
sanctions - Washington and New Delhi have begun to construct a=20
qualitatively better relationship, so much so that the Prime=20
Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, has come to describe the two=20
countries as "natural allies", a phrase increasingly used by=20
Americans as well.

Following the trauma Americans experienced on September 11, India was=20
one of the first countries in the world to step forward with a pledge=20
of unconditional and unambivalent support for the U.S. in its quest=20
to bring to justice those responsible for the terror attacks in New=20
York and Washington. The administration of George W. Bush, already=20
keen to upgrade relations with Delhi, took notice. Prior to the=20
February 27 Godhra attack that touched off the bloodshed in Gujarat,=20
this new and more sanguine relationship between the U.S. and India=20
was widely viewed by Americans as in the national interest. It=20
remains so today; Gujarat has not changed this calculation.

And yet, it is neither possible nor practical simply to pretend that=20
Gujarat did not happen. The violence in Gujarat, and the steps the=20
Indian Government might take in coming months in response to those=20
events, could have a significant impact on American views of India,=20
and hence, on political and public support in the U.S. for a close=20
and collaborative U.S.-India partnership.

Credible reports have recently suggested that substantial sums of=20
money are sent from Indians resident in the U.S., and from American=20
citizens of Indian origin, to groups and organisations in Gujarat and=20
elsewhere in India that are directly linked to the violence in=20
Gujarat. I do not know if these accounts are true. But respected=20
Indian journalists have uncovered disturbing linkages. If these=20
reports prove accurate, then it is possible that such financial=20
transactions violate U.S. anti-terrorism statutes.

Alternatively, issues of fraud may be at issue. Responsible sources=20
report that some U.S. residents make financial contributions to=20
overseas religious groups in the belief that these funds are to be=20
used for religious or humanitarian purposes, when in fact the monies=20
so raised are used to promote religious bigotry.

In either event, it is probably advisable for the American Government=20
to hold an official inquiry into fund-raising in the U.S. by groups=20
implicated in the Gujarat violence, to ensure that U.S. laws are not=20
being violated. Legitimate organisations need not fear such an=20
investigation, which would serve to clear their names and reassure=20
potential donors about the legitimacy of their fund-raising=20
activities.

Nor would such an inquiry be new or unusual. The U.S. has acted in=20
the past to regulate or even to ban fund-raising activities by groups=20
advocating violence and ethnic or religious intolerance in other=20
countries, as well as activities where fraud may be an issue. Since=20
September 11, both the Bush administration and other Governments have=20
shut down a number of groups whose ostensible purposes were to=20
collect funds for Muslim charities, but which actually served to=20
finance terrorist networks.

The Gujarat violence, Lone's assassination, and most recently, the=20
designation of L.K. Advani as Deputy Prime Minister and most likely=20
successor to Mr. Vajpayee have all raised new concerns about India's=20
future among India's friends in the U.S. An official U.S.=20
investigation into Gujarat-related fund-raising, voluntarily=20
facilitated by the Government of India, would go far towards easing=20
those concerns and further strengthening the new partnership between=20
our two peoples.

(The writer is Director, Asia Program, Woodrow Wilson International=20
Center for Scholars, Washington D.C.)

____

#3.

The Hindu
Thursday, Aug 08, 2002

Magsaysay winner's arrest sought under POTA

Kanpur Aug. 7. A Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) activist has filed a=20
case before a local court here seeking the arrest of the Magsaysay=20
award winner, Sandeep Pandey, under the Prevention of Terrorism Act=20
(POTA) for his reported "anti-national" statements.

The VHP Kanpur joint secretary, Hari Dixit, filed a case before the=20
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate on Tuesday praying that Mr. Pandey be=20
arrested under POTA for his utterances against the Prime Minister,=20
Atal Behari Vajpayee, the Deputy Prime Minister, Lal Krishna Advani,=20
and the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

The case was listed for hearing on August 14. - UNI

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#4.
[ From John Dayal]

URGENT

Vishwa Hindu Parishad forms global outfit to promote Hindutva ideology

New Delhi, August 06 2002

In an ambitious move to spread the controversial Hindutva ideology=20
across the globe, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Tuesday announced the=20
setting up of VHP Overseas (VHPO) headed by controversial=20
industrialist Bhupendra Kumar Modi and headquartered at New York=20
where Modi has his own offices. Modi has been trying, so far=20
unsuccessfully, to get United Nations acceptance, and UNESCO=20
accreditation, for the political body indicted in India for its=20
violence against minorities in general, and against Muslims and=20
Christians in particular since 1990. Modi, who has offices in India,=20
New York and London, has also been in the news for his role in Xerox=20
Corporation=92s self-confessed bribing of Indian government officials=20
in past years.

"The VHPO will be a global body to address the challenges faced by=20
Hindus living in culturally diverse societies across the world," VHP=20
Senior Vice-President Acharya Giriraj Kishore told reporters in New=20
Delhi.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad, currently in the eye of a storm for its=20
fund collection drives in the USA and Europe, which are allegedly=20
diverted to gangs and groups involved in Muslim and Christian bashing=20
in Gujarat and elsewhere, is headed by noted industrialist Vishnu=20
Dalmia, but its better known public faces are Giriraj Kishore, a=20
bearded swami spearheading the Ayodhya Ram Mandir agitation with his=20
colleague Ashok Singhal, and BK Modi. Modi himself has been in the=20
news for his role in Xerox Corporation=92s self-confessed bribing of=20
Indian government officials in past years. The VHP has been indicted,=20
together with its sister organisations the Rashtriya Swayamsevak=20
Sangh and the Bajrang Dal, in the demolition of the historic Babri=20
Mosque in the city of Ayodhya in December 1992 and in Hindu Muslim=20
riots that have intermittently occurred since then.

Modi told Indian reporters =93Hindus were holding high-level positions=20
in leading firms abroad but they need to enhance their self-esteem=20
and pride in their achievements as well as in the vast spiritual=20
legacy they have inherited.=94 The VHPO would also initiate inter-faith=20
dialogue among people of diverse religious backgrounds and help=20
promote understanding, mutual respect and tolerance "to unfold the=20
oneness of spirituality in the human race."

Mahesh Mehta, a US-based NRI scientist in the field of membrane=20
technology, who has been appointed full time Vice-Chairman of VHPO,=20
said the organisation planned to promote eternal family values of=20
Sanatan Dharma.

Modi's link to the Xerox corporation and it's illegal gratification=20
case have made headlines. Modi was once close to the US Embassy in=20
New Delhi and has access to the highest in the land because of his=20
Hindutva links. His ModiCorp has interests in IT, document=20
processing, telecommunications, cellular telephony and Internet=20
services.

Modi=92s Modi Foundation has been in the forefront of propagating=20
Hindutva and its chairman has been a major player in trying to bring=20
Buddhism and its adherents in Japan in confrontation with Islam and=20
Christianity across South East Asia. Buddhist groups, particularly=20
Dalit neo Buddhists have accused him of being part of a conspiracy to=20
absorb Buddhism into Hinduism in India and neutralising the neo=20
Buddhist movement.

Modi is the self styled head of the Indian Chapter of the Asia Crime=20
Prevention Foundation. In alliance with other groups, notably the=20
family owning a major Mumbai headquartered newspaper chain, Modi=20
managed for himself the role of the co-coordinator for the so-called=20
UN-sponsored World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders in=20
200-2001. He was soon exposed as he packed a planeload of sadhus and=20
Hindutva propagandists to New York and tried to convert the occasion=20
into an attack on Christianity in India, passing resolutions against=20
conversions.

Businessman Modi is Chairman of HinduNet Inc and vice-president of=20
the Maha Bodhi Society of India. But at a workshop organised by the=20
World Buddhist Cultural Foundation, of which he is executive=20
president, on `Conformity between Hinduism and Buddhism', Thai monks=20
were first horrified to learn that names of several notable monks=20
were borrowed without permission and presented as supporters of the=20
conference; they boycotted the meet as soon as they realised the

WBCF represents a Hindu attempt to ``swallow up'' Buddhism.

Modi spends his money lavishly in networking, and in media relations.=20
Newspapers reported his lavish =93divine millennium eve party=94 in=20
Varanasi with an enormous throne, bedecked in bright orange=20
carnations and large enough for over 100 people, which was set afloat=20
in the `holy waters' of the Ganga on the eve of the new millennium.=20
For three days, this floating throne was the site of religious and=20
political activity, but Modi managed to bringing people such as the=20
Dalai Lama to the occasion.

One of the factors behind forming the international unit is to=20
channelising the political power of the Indian community in the west=20
to come to the rescue of the ruling Bharatiya Janata party and the=20
Sangh Parivar, which is facing increasing pressure from global Human=20
Rights and religious freedom groups for its attitude to India=92s=20
immoralities. Indian groups, organised by the Sangh parivar, have=20
formed a powerful lobby in the United States, especially on Capitol=20
Hill. This lobby scored a recent victory in Washington by blocking a=20
Congressional resolution expressing concern about the violence of=20
Hindutva mobs against Muslims in Gujarat earlier this year. As word=20
of the pending resolution spread, Indian-American groups inundated=20
Senate offices with e-mails and phone calls opposing the resolution.=20
"We did not move on this because we were buried" by messages, a=20
Congressional aide has been quoted as saying in the August 8, 2002,=20
edition of the Far Eastern Economic Review. Senators had hoped to=20
pass the resolution ahead of Secretary of State Colin Powell's visit=20
to India in late July.

(Based on Press Trust of India, New Delhi, August 06 2002 report,=20
archival data and Civil Rights NGO sources)

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