[sacw] SACW #1 | 17 August 02

Harsh Kapoor aiindex@mnet.fr
Sat, 17 Aug 2002 02:24:48 +0100


South Asia Citizens Wire, Dispatch #1 | 17 August 2002

__________________________

#1. Statement from Pakistanis for Peace and Alternative Development
#2. Gujarat Riot Relief Pledge Insaniyat Boston
#3. Screenings of Gopal Menon's films Aug 18, Sunday, Oxford
#4. Schoolgirls not bound by scarves in Islam, rules HC
#5. Surviving on the Edge in Gujarat (MALINI GHOSE)
#6. Gallerie Event At Crossword Bombay
#7. A Report from the Independence Utsav in Bombay
#7. HINDUTVA: "PATRIOTIC" DEPREDATIONS (I. K. Shukla)
#8. Invitation to a Workshop - Dowry as crime, Crime as dowry=20
(September 1 and 2 / New Delhi)

__________________________

#1.

PPAD
Pakistanis for Peace and Alternative Development

Dear Sir/Madam 15 August 2002

PPAD is a Peace and Alternative Development group formed in 1998 by=20
academics, peace activists, intellectuals and professionals of=20
Pakistani origin to work for peace, tolerance and alternative=20
development in Pakistan. We are greatly shocked to hear of yet=20
another bloody attack on a Christian church and hospital in Taxila,=20
this time killing four nurses and injuring many in a hospital.=20
Coming, as it does, hard on the heels of the savage attack on a=20
Christian run school in Murree, catching law and order authorities=20
completely off guard, we wonder if the government is at all serious=20
or even capable of taking concrete and effective steps to safeguard=20
the life of innocent citizens, the most fundamental duty of a state=20
in a civilized society.

We are distressed and appalled to note that despite the known threat=20
of religious and sectarian extremists and militants bent on violence=20
against the religious minorities, the government not only failed to=20
provide adequate security services to the victims, but reportedly it=20
took hours before any official law enforcement or medical assistance=20
agencies were moved to reach the scene of these heinous crimes.

It is no consolation to hear from the government spokesman,=20
Major-General Rashid Qureshi (Dawn, August 12, 02) in the wake of=20
these attacks that the security measures of the regime were thwarting=20
the plans of the militants as they were now attacking the "soft=20
targets." The question is, why has the government allowed the=20
religious minorities to become "soft targets," despite a wave of=20
savage attacks on their places of worship commencing soon after the=20
Pakistan government joined the US-led "war on terror." Maj. Gen.=20
Qureshi also inspires little confidence in the 'determination' of the=20
present government to deal with the real causes of these vicious=20
attacks by blaming the whole affair on "outside powers," a clich=E9=20
rendered nauseatingly stereotyped by its repetition.

We believe that if the government of Pakistan is sincerely interested=20
in freeing the people of the country from the menace of religious and=20
sectarian intolerance and terror, it should immediately take the=20
following basic steps:

1. Identify and prosecute all religious and sectarian militants=20
involved in advocating, preaching or committing violence. Where it is=20
necessary foreign suspected terrorists should either be deported,=20
after due process of law, or prosecuted in Pakistan.

2. The government should stop sending contradictory signals to the=20
leaders of extremists religious and sectarian groups with proven=20
terrorist links by alternately hobnobbing and playing tough with=20
them. In this context we ask for the abolition of the blasphemy law.

3. We also ask that the bulk of the Zakat funds should be used to=20
expand the system of public education and health for the poor. Such=20
funds dispensed to the extremist religious organizations and those=20
madrassas spreading hatred through their teaching and other=20
activities should be frozen immediately.

4. The transfer of foreign funds to the extremist religious=20
organizations should be carefully monitored and audited.

5. Preaching hatred and inciting violence (religious or otherwise)=20
through word of mouth, media, graffiti and other means should be made=20
a crime under the law and those found guilty prosecuted.

6. We ask the Pakistani government that all school curricula and text=20
books be reviewed and any sections teaching religious or sectarian=20
intolerance or martyrdom should be taken out.

7. The ministry of religious affairs should either be abolished or=20
given the responsibility of spreading religious tolerance and=20
freedom. All citizens should be treated as equals irrespective of=20
religion, caste, creed or ethnic background. All citizens should be=20
free to profess any religion dictated by their conscience, so long as=20
it does not lead to physical threat to others.

We in PPAD send our heartfelt condolences and sympathies to all those=20
who have lost their loved ones. We also ask the Government and the=20
authorities concerned that they should do their utmost to arrest and=20
prosecute those responsible. We ask the people of Pakistan to make=20
Pakistan a place of peace and tranquillity for all. We ask all=20
concerned citizens of Pakistan to support the minorities and protect=20
their rights in whatever way they can. We are worried that unless the=20
government and society in general can curb sectarian and religious=20
violence forcefully the development of Pakistan will become=20
increasingly difficult and peaceful survival of the people and the=20
country very arduous.

Dr Ahmed Shibli
2 Warwick Gardens, Ashtead, Surrey, UK.

15 August 2002

Coordinator: Dr Ahmed Shibli, UK <mailto:ias23@h...>ias23@h...=
m

Core Members: Dr Ghazala Anwar, Newzealand. Group Captain (Rtd.)=20
Cecil Chaudhry, Pakistan. Nazeer A Chaudhry, USA. Prof. Hassan=20
Gardezi, Canada. Prof. Bilal Hashmi, USA Owais Hasin, Pakistan. Ayyub=20
Malik, UK. Dr Babar Mumtaz, UK. Prof A H Nayyar, Pakistan. Dr Saghir=20
Shaikh, USA

_____

#2.

Dear Friends,

On this 55th anniversary of independence, there is at least one=20
avenue where we can strive to stand with our fellow Indians in their=20
suffering and despair to lend a helping hand.

Months after the carnage in Gujarat, several thousand victims are=20
still homeless without any source of livelihood. It is estimated that=20
over 40,000 families need help to rebuild their lives from scratch,=20
while 100,000 wage earners need new jobs.

Insaniyat is an Boston-based organization working in collaboration=20
with several dedicated NGOs in Gujarat to reconstruct the destroyed=20
homes, restore livelihoods and rebuild trust among communities. Be=20
part of this community. Donate generously to these projects. Your=20
contribution can help rebuild a home or regenerate a livelihood.

The plan is to raise $25,000 starting Aug 15, to support projects=20
mentioned at the end of this email. To make a contribution go to:=20
http://www.insaniyat.org/pledgedrive/pledge-drive.html

Please do forward this email (please find enclosed below an email=20
that you can personalize and send to your friends) to any other folks=20
who may be interested in making contributions. If you want to be more=20
involved in this effort, please send us an email at=20
insaniyat@i...

Thank you for your time,

Anand Sivaraman (on behalf of insaniyat) 617 821 6229 ansiv@m...

=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=20
Detailed information on the projects are available on the pledge=20
drive website=20
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=20
--------- PROJECT DETAILS --------

1) Gujarat Lok Samiti Ahmedabad:

Replacing the destroyed tools of trade (e.g. handcarts of small=20
vendors) and reconstructing damaged homes. $10,000.

2) Citizen's Initiative Ahmedabad:

Helping people forced out of work to find alternate livelihoods=20
through feasibility surveys. $5,000.

3) Disha Sabarkantha Dist.:

Restoring livelihoods of street vendors and small businessmen. $5,000.

4) Anandi Panchmahals Dist.:

Helping rebuild 184 homes in Boru village. $5,000.

----------------------------------

Gujarat Riot Relief
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Dear X,

Even today, many victims of the communal violence in Gujarat are=20
homeless and without income. It is estimated that over 40,000 poor=20
families need help to rebuild their destroyed homes, while 100,000=20
wage earners have lost their livelihood. Government assistance has=20
been negligible.

Let us observe 55 years of freedom by standing by our fellow Indians=20
who have suffered so much.

A number of respected NGOs are actively working in Gujarat to=20
reconstruct destroyed homes, restore lost livelihoods and rebuild=20
trust among communities.

You can help by donating generously to these projects. Every=20
contribution will make a difference. We, in collaboration with AID=20
(Association for India's Development) are committed to raising=20
$25,000 starting Aug 14, to support these projects.

To make a contribution go to:=20
http://www.insaniyat.org/pledgedrive/pledge-drive.html

Please do forward this email to your friends and coworkers. Thank You.

Sincerly,

xxxxx

----------------

PROJECT DETAILS

1) Gujarat Lok Samiti Ahmedabad: Replacing the destroyed tools of=20
trade (eg. handcarts of small vendors) and reconstructing damaged=20
homes. $10,000.

2) Citizen's Initiative Ahmedabad: Helping people forced out of work=20
to find alternate livelihoods through feasibility surveys. $5,000.

3) Disha Sabarkantha Dist.: Restoring livelihoods of street vendors=20
and small businessmen. $5,000.

4) Anandi Panchmahals Dist.: Helping rebuild 184 homes in Boru village. $5,=
000.

_____

#3.

Subject: [oxfordgujaratinitiative] Gopal Menon and his films Aug 18, Sund=
ay

Dear All,

On the 18 August, Sunday, Gopal Menon will be visiting us in Oxford.=20
Some documentary films made by him will be shown from 5pm to 8pm (or=20
longer) at Wolfson College (Video Room):

'Hey Ram' (25min film on Gujrat, shown previously on the 21 July=20
OxGI event) and three other films on Nagaland (40 min), on Kashmir=20
(20 min) and one on Dalits (40 min). The sequence of the films will=20
be decided on the evening, keeping in mind the interests of the=20
viewers.

There will opportunity for discusson with Gopal Menon after the=20
screenings. Anyone interested to join him for drinks/dinner=20
afterwards will be most welcome.
Meena and Pritam

_____

#4.

Indian Express
Friday, August 16, 2002

Schoolgirls not bound by scarves in Islam, rules HC
Express News Service

Mumbai, August 15: The Bombay High Court has held that not allowing a=20
Muslim girl student to wear a headscarf in school does not violate=20
her fundamental rights or religious tenets.

The division bench of Justice R.M. Lodha and Justice Dilip Bhosale=20
passed the order on a petition filed by a Standard VI student of=20
Bharat Education Society's Kartika High School, Kurla (West), who=20
began wearing a scarf from June 2001 onwards, which was not in=20
keeping with the school's uniform code, and was warned by her=20
principal that she would not be allowed to attend class from November=20
28, 2001, if she continued to wear one.

Abida's petition (filed through her father Hussain Syed) said the=20
Quran provides that a female child over nine years should cover her=20
head with a scarf. She said the scarf does not violate the dress code=20
or the discipline of the school. Abida approached the high court=20
saying the principal's action was violative of her fundamental right=20
to practice Islam under Article 25 (freedom of conscience and=20
profession, practice and propagation of religion) of the Constitution.

In their August 2, 2002, judgement, the judges said they found no=20
merit in this submission. Wondering how asking the petitioner to=20
maintain a dress code prescribed by the school was violative of=20
fundamental rights, the bench said Article 25 is subject to=20
restrictions imposed by the state on grounds of public order,=20
morality and health, regulation of non-religious activity among=20
others.

Besides there does not seem to be an established practice nor an=20
obligatory act enjoined by Islam that girl studying in all girls=20
school must wear a headscarf, the judges said. Advocates K.P. Ravi=20
and Sureshkumar Panicker appeared for the school.

Fathema's counsel Nusrat Shah relied on Chapter 24-64 of Quran=20
(Quran-e-Majid) Verse 31 to explain her contention regarding a dress=20
code for women.

The judges said: ''A girl not wearing the headscarf or head covering=20
in an exclusive girls' section cannot be said to be in any manner=20
acting inconsistent with the aforesaid version 31 or violating any=20
injunction provided by the Quran...The essence of...Islam cannot be=20
said to have been interfered with by directing the petitioner not to=20
wear a headscarf in the school.''

_____

#5.

The Times of India
FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2002

Surviving on the Edge in Gujarat
[ THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2002 12:00:12 AM ]
MALINI GHOSE
Four months ago, as a member of a women's fact-finding team, I=20
visited several camps in rural and urban Gujarat. I spoke to scores=20
of women survivors and recorded their testimonies. The violence, the=20
destruction, the despair, the horror slapped you in the face. You=20
could not escape it.
Last week, I returned to Panchmahals district to visit Halol, Kalol=20
and Godhra talukas. This time too I could not escape the horror of=20
situation but for different reasons.
The camps don't exist, so you do not see the hundreds of dispossessed=20
people huddled under makeshift shamianas or the open sky. There are=20
no serpentine queues outside the community kitchens. No groups of=20
traumatised women narrating how they watched their family members=20
being killed. No one tells you in a voice choked by betrayal that the=20
mobs were full of familiar faces, people with whom 'hum saath uthte=20
baithte the' or 'bachpan se hum jaante the'.
Things have certainly changed in Panchmahals. Forced to leave the=20
camps, people are now scattered in rented houses around the taluka=20
headquarters where the camps once were, or living in camp-like=20
situations. They visit their homes in the daytime, and, too scared to=20
stay there at night, go to stay with relatives or acquaintances. Some=20
have been forbidden to return, some are too terrified to try, others=20
are simply without the means. A few have returned to their villages=20
but live ostracised and constantly fearful. They don't talk of=20
justice, because they know it is not to be had. They just want to=20
survive. They want to be allowed to make a living.
So what slaps you in the face now is not the brutality of the riot,=20
but the normalisation of daily life under threat of violence. It is=20
cynical and sinister and - if your standards of humanity are low=20
enough - entirely normal.
We were sitting in what continues to be the Halol camp office,=20
although the camp has long been closed. A slight woman with an=20
intense face walked in and introduced herself as Kulsum Abdul Ismail.=20
Her sister-in-law, nephew and parents-in-law were killed in the=20
massacre. She lived in Delol, and what remains of her family now=20
stays in a rented room in Halol.
She told us, "I did not think that things could get worse. But they=20
have. Since the camp closed down on June 30 we have had no income, no=20
house, no food. The rations we got after the camp closed lasted about=20
15 days. I do not cook more than one meal a day". Kulsum cannot think=20
of going back because "they will not let us".
I meet Rashida, a young widow with three children in what used to be=20
the Kalol camp. Like Kulsum, she is homeless. She cannot go back to=20
her home in Talav, on the edge of Kalol town.

With her two-year-old on her hip and the five-year-old hanging on to=20
her kurta, she told me about her situation and that of 17 other=20
Muslim families who lived in homes built on a reclaimed pond. After=20
they fled from their attackers on March 1 their neighbours moved in,=20
fenced the area and now deny them entry. They have no papers for the=20
land. Rashida worked as a rag picker.
Believe it or not, she has lost her source of livelihood. Why? The=20
other rag pickers are Hindu; they do not want her back. The garbage=20
dumps are in Hindu localities and she is scared to go there. With the=20
camp shut she does not know how to feed her family. She does not have=20
a relief ration card and often does not eat herself.
Her situation is not unique. Of the 88 Muslim families of Talav, 50=20
don't have relief ration cards. So yes, you could say Rashida's=20
situation too is 'normal'.
To see what life is like for people who have returned, I visited the=20
pilgrim town of Pavagarh. Nearly half of Pavagarh's 40 Muslim=20
families have returned - with heavy police security and after long=20
drawn-out negotiations between the administration and members of both=20
communities.
The 'recent settlers' i.e. non-landowning Muslims who settled in=20
Pavagarh in the last 10-15 years would not be allowed back. The lucky=20
few will now have to find new vocations. Their stalls have been=20
seized, they are not allowed to take out hand- carts or to drive the=20
jeep taxis that ferry pilgrims to the religious shrines on the hill.=20
I talked to Imtiaz who remembers the days before 'normalcy' - six=20
months ago Imtiaz ran a cold drinks stall. "We had a fridge, colour=20
TV, sofa. Now we don't have soap to bathe. Rs 5 ka sabun nahin kharid=20
sakte".
We met Mahendra, the prosperous deputy sarpanch of Pavagarh in the=20
godown of his large provision shop. Several Muslims told us that he=20
is a relatively reasonable man. He is certainly candid: "We told them=20
not to return but the police and the government have forced them back=20
on us. Now it is up to them to normalise things. If the Muslims are=20
not being allowed to run their businesses they should tell the=20
authorities - it's not our concern".
Back in Delhi, I hear Arun Jaitley call the situation in Gujarat=20
'normal'. And I'm afraid I know just what he means.

_____

#6.

GALLERIE EVENT AT CROSSWORD BOMBAY

Feeling outraged by the recent violence? Want to make a difference?

Crossword and Bina Sarkar Ellias, editor, Gallerie Publishers invite=20
you to an evening of poetry, theatre and discussion on the theme of=20
Gallerie's 10th issue, "Seeking Peace".

While the issue covers people and places in conflict, from 9/11 in=20
New York to Israel-Palestine and the horror of Gujarat, it explores=20
our deepest need for peace.

Is terror an inevitable corollary of injustice? Is there a vested=20
interest in religious conflict? Can we respond to state complicity?=20
Are we indifferent or, even worse, cynics. Is there a republic of=20
good, the voices of peace and reason?

Rohena Gera, who conceived the "Stop the Hate" campaign urging=20
communal harmony speaks along with Stalin K, co-founder of Drishti=20
Media

Collective, which a collective of media professionals engaged in=20
producing films and radio programs on issues of social concerns=20
since 199. Kalpana Sharma, the very articulate Mumbai deputy editor=20
of The Hindu chairs the evening.

Gallerie interprets issues that concern us at every level?through=20
the visual and performing arts, through poetry and essays. This=20
evening, Salim Arif, director of "Kharaashen", will contribute=20
"Raavipaar" a dramatisation of one of Gulzar's literary creations,=20
to be enacted by Lubna Salim and Yashpal Sharma.Poems will be read=20
from the book to be followed by an open house discussion on gujarat.

Gallerie=92s 10th issue, as always, works towards forging=20
understanding between people and nations. Each new issue pleases the=20
sensibilities as much as it challenges and disturbs; celebrates life=20
even as it holds up a mirror to our collective conscience.

Do be there for a stimulating evening. And please pick copies=20
generously for yourself and friends. Remember, you'll be doing a good=20
turn for a good cause.

Gallerie, IBH and Crosswords will make a donation out of the sale of=20
every copy towards the Gujarat Relief Fund.
Venue : Crossword Mahalaxmi
Date : August 19, 2002
Time : 6.00 pm

For further details or to register yourself for the event, please call
Bakhtawar/Sarika at 4985801/2/3/6.

Looking forward to seeing you at Crossword.

Warm regards
Naresh Sharma
Head - Marketing & Operations

_____

#7. [ Thanks to Rohini for sending this]

'Mahatma Phule School Hall, Dadar West, Bombay, was the venue for an=20
unusual event on 15 August: an Independence Utsav celebrating=20
Freedom, Peace and Diversity. Organised by Insaaniyat, which was=20
formed in the wake of the Gujarat carnage, it was an attempt to=20
defend values that are under attack by communal organisations. Over=20
three hundred people of all communities attended the event,=20
which started with a drama workshop and magic show for children, in=20
which one of the most popular 'tricks' was the appearance of the=20
slogan 'Hum sab ek hai!' on two blank slates. Later there were songs,=20
poems and street plays by youth and community groups, a moving=20
dramatisation of two Sadat Hasan Manto stories by Chetan Datar and=20
his group Aavishkar, and poems by Kabir and contemporary poets sung=20
by well-known Khayal singer Neela Bhagwat. Unlike most anti-communal=20
programmes, it attracted a large number of children as well as=20
adults, and the class composition of the audience too was very=20
diverse.'

_____

#8.

Date: Wed, 14 Aug 2002

HINDUTVA: "PATRIOTIC" DEPREDATIONS
I. K. Shukla

Bharat will ever remain a land of miracles, of midgets and monsters,
of maggots and mummies, of ghosts and ghouls, of vampires and=20
werewolves, and apparitions and zombies, of voodoo and witchcraft.=20
Of video-conferencing among Manu the misologist, (James) Mill the=20
imperialist, and Mussolini the fascist, the holy trinity of Hindutva.=20
(They all are there, transcending the barriers of time and space,=20
authentically incarnate in their descendants known as HinduTaliban or=20
saffronazis.)

In this Bharat, the uncivilised savages claim the mantle of culture=20
and the traitorous vermin parade as sentinels of nationalism. Those=20
who have historically continued dishonoring the tricolor pose as its=20
votaries. Those demeaning and defying the Constitution right and=20
left, masquerade as its defenders and knights errant. They constitute=20
a fiendish freak show that pretends to be "popular" for being fiery=20
and foul.

President Kalam too was pressed into the service of this noisome=20
charade. His perfunctory and superficial visit to Gujarat, instead of=20
being a humane and constitutional response to the Indian Holocaust=20
2002, was viciously downgraded and unscrupulously trimmed into a=20
garden walk. The amount of conspiratorial planning involved in making=20
it an anti-septic and sanitized fly-by-night pleasure trip is as=20
staggering as the volume of money and management (tricky bandobust)=20
expended on this puerile and putrescent frivolity show. It is a shame=20
that Dr Kalam was made into a non-entity in this craftily forged and=20
visibly vacuous tableau. Places and persons he should have seen were=20
screened out or slammed.

This daring enterprise of saffronazis in twisting the democratic=20
organs of state to their own ends successively and successfully, thus=20
disfiguring and destroying them in the process, voiding them of their=20
original intent, and vitiating them beyond repair, is an ill omen,=20
and a serious threat. It sets a precedent. It enlists the President=20
as a passive partner, if not an accomplice (voluntary or duped), in=20
the heinous crimes of a political party. Whether or not the President=20
was a willing tool is immaterial. The point to ponder is the=20
malodorous mayhem of the executive, the ruling party (BJP), and the=20
woeful helplessness and spinelessness of the legislature=20
(Parliament), which was conveniently adjourned sine die to let the=20
BJP escape unscathed from embarrassments galore, the petrol pump=20
robbery being only the latest.

The National Disaster Alliance, in all of this, lived up to its name=20
quite ably, as junior members of a bandit gang, acquiescing and=20
applauding as choir boys and cheer girls. How parliaments make swine=20
and vermin of men, who are destitute of morals and devoid of human=20
attributes, is no more in the realm of magic, neither in that of=20
magic realism. It is a demonstrable artifact of history past and=20
present, a ruse to control the "rabble", a device to keep an=20
oligopoly permanently entrenched in power, a stratagem to ensure=20
longevity for the squalid status quo, a tawdry and tattered=20
legerdemain to serve as a mendacious camouflage and meretricious peep=20
show for the crimes and corruptions of the

privileged predators and ferocious Praetorians. Democracy has always=20
been subverted by the prevaricating non-believers even as they swore=20
loyalty and dedication to it. They have ever been the snakes in the=20
garden.

As Omafume Onoge, a Nigerian scholar, observed, the prospects of=20
establishing a stable democracy are little when government jobs [and=20
government patronage] are among the main avenues to personal wealth.=20
This is the key to massive corruption that Bharatiya bureaucrats and=20
politicians indulge in with impunity and can never eschew even if=20
repeatedly exposed. That BJP outdid every other party in such a short=20
time in its crop of crimes and mountainous harvest of corruption,=20
making fortunes out of bribery and kickbacks both at the party and=20
governmental levels, must be credited to its special talent for and=20
historical practice of treason and turpitude. That it believes it=20
deserves to continue pillaging India still more with its voracious=20
rapacity, tear India to bits with its massacres of minorities, and=20
erase their distinct identities, is abysmal shamelessness and=20
diabolical immorality. It is Hindu fascism=92s lust for power run amuck.

After Tehelka expose, after Kargil scandal, after Coffin-gate scam,=20
after petrol pump theft distributed as largesse among its own, after=20
innumerable acts of humongous malfeasance and staggering simony,=20
after the slaughter of Christians, after several pogroms against=20
Muslims topped in savagery and brutality in Gujarat (Hindu Rashtra=20
Laboratory), and after serial and brazen violations of the=20
Constitution and its prescriptive norms, that BJP still continues to=20
hold power, is a miracle indeed, but a miracle that scalds, scars and=20
shames India as a rampaging anarchy, a miserably failed state, a=20
permissive society, a recklessly adrift polity teetering on the=20
brink, and a nation embracing suicidal disintegration.

Having silenced the Press via intimidation and vendetta, the=20
HinduTaliban have given notice of what the Hindu Rashtra would look=20
like. Having sued Mr Lyngdoh and the Election Commission for, hold=20
your breath, displaying the tricolor upside down, the Nero Maddies=20
have punished them for daring to visit Gujarat on an investigative=20
mission and averring that snap polls there, in the circumstances=20
obtaining, are neither feasible nor desirable. In short, they would=20
be infructuous, and violative of the function of polls as an=20
instrument of popular assertion. For not conceding the perfidious and=20
Procrustean imperative of saffronite mobsters, viz., election as a=20
naked and expediently opportune power-grab, they would have the EC=20
go to jail, in order "to strengthen democracy" that is soaked in the=20
blood of 3,000 torched- raped- looted Muslims, democracy as degraded=20
and desecrated by the saffronazis.

The bureaucracy, the police, the judiciary, the Press, the academic=20
and research institutions have mostly been browbeaten, battered,=20
brainwashed and bribed, and rendered compliant through theocratic=20
terror and ethnic brigandage. Violence (vigilante, state,=20
paramilitary) and vaulting venality have worked well in tandem to=20
curb dissent and punish independence. Those refusing to side with the=20
saffron brigands, their lumpen marauders and storm troopers, their=20
Gauleiters and uncivil vulgarians are blacklisted as =93enemies=94 and=20
reprisals are visited upon them by the scourge that is saffron.

Election to suit the whim and augment the fortunes of a political=20
party in a state that is still smoldering and reeking of dead bodies,=20
where thousands of the homeless pine for a safe place to sleep at=20
night, where relief and rehabilitation are deemed subversive and=20
seditious, where peace is a synonym of the graveyard, where equity=20
and amity sound like imprecations in the ears of Hindutva gangsters,=20
where hundreds of children have been orphaned and hundreds of women=20
widowed, - cannot be the duty or obligatory function of the Election=20
Commission.

The Rashtra Sanharak Sangh (Destroyers of the Nation) or the=20
Rashtriya Shatru Sangh (Enemies of the Nation), a fascist outfit=20
devoted from its inception to fascism, revanchism and ethnic=20
terrorism, spawning a litter with different names, has established=20
its sway with massive propaganda and pervasive penetration in all=20
segments of Indian society. Through terrorism (protection racket,=20
vandalism, etc.) and economic extremism perpetrated at the behest and=20
for the benefit of the foreigners (LPG) it has acquired incalculably=20
voluminous funds at its disposal.

The violence and hatred it thence spews, the arms it distributes to=20
illicit Hindu paramilitaries, the farrago of lies it disseminates via=20
its venomous pamphlets, engenders a climate of permanent fear and=20
anxiety, intimidation and violence among the minorities. It impugns=20
and injures their rights as citizens in a deadly way. India can have=20
no differential degrees of citizenship, one for the patrician=20
parasites and privileged predators and the other for those who=20
produce the national wealth by the sweat of their brow and yet remain=20
impoverished and starved through mechanisms designed to cheat and=20
despoil them and keep them permanently helpless and subjugated as=20
just hewers of wood and drawers of water.

The selling of national assets to foreigners, the so-called TNCs,=20
mortgages the nation to the white imperium which has a bottomless=20
greed and is genetically addicted to war and violence. But the=20
HinduTaliban have had no qualms in swindling the nation and stripping=20
it of its assets. Of course they are the beneficiaries of kickbacks=20
and illicit hordes of money safely stashed in cash and kind, in many=20
cases also abroad. That is why Fanon called the conduct of such=20
leaders of newly emergent nations invested with a =93police=20
dictatorship=94 and =93profiteering caste=94, according to Andrew Smith,=20
just =93brothel keeping of the comprador class.=94(Reading Wealth in=20
Nigeria: Occult Capitalism and Marx=92s Vampires in Historical=20
Materialism, Vol.9, p.43).

Gujarat, the minorities=92 Inferno, may well have had its official=20
epitaph: Abandon hope, all ye who enter here. The mystery of=20
mysteries is: Why was not Dr APJ Kalam shown the acts and scenes in=20
Gujarat of which all saffron hoods have repeatedly declared=20
themselves to be proud. A pogrom long prepared for, a conspiracy long=20
hatched, a perfidy long in gestation, vaunted as the exemplary=20
achievement of Hindutva cowards, turned out to be, once again, a=20
gross monument of their impotence and a stinking dung heap of their=20
cowardice. It is such cowardice and impotence that Hindutva has been=20
celebrating and propagating with moronic pride and beastly passion.

As to its nexus with capitalism, which in its globalized form looks=20
more occult than ever before, let us hear Samir Amin, who in his=20
analysis of global economics, says that we are in the realm of =93the=20
contemporary world=92s witchcraft.=94 India, under Bharatiya Junglee=20
Party, of needs must wallow in the mire of astrology, palmistry,=20
karmakand, abracadabra (Hing Chhring Phut), Vedic slaughter, and=20
shamanism. These serve to keep people intrigued and lost. These serve=20
to keep them from rebelling. These induce them to keep looking for=20
answers to their problems in the mist-enveloped regions of the occult=20
and the obscure. That is the only way ruling usurpers can ensure=20
their safety from the fury of the people. But the universal=20
colonization called globalization, resembling and partaking of=20
witchcraft, is a topic for another day.

Meanwhile India sliding inexorably into hell with Kargil, Coffin,=20
Petrol Pump, Gujarat, economic enslavement, plunder of its assets by=20
foreigners, relentless robbery by its saffron rulers, countless=20
suicides-bride burnings-demolition of mosques and monuments, would be=20
showered with more of the occult and the odious. India was wounded as=20
a civilization by its ignominious caste system, inhuman and immoral.

Mughals gave India a coherence of polity and territory, and a sense=20
and substance of nationhood, for the first time in its long history.=20
Instead of being celebrated, they were hated for this monumental=20
venture of nation-building both by the British invaders, their Hindu=20
flunkeys, and their relicts. This would explain the saffros=92 abiding=20
sense of inferiority, haunting sense of incompetence, and an=20
obsessive sense of cowardice and impotence.

India is inescapably set for demolition by its saffron sporting=20
reprobates stalking the land as =93cultural nationalists=94. If only they=20
knew they had little of culture and nothing of nationalism because=20
they never fancied or believed in either. They escaped civilization.=20
Therefore, culture was for them, too distant a mirage, too=20
transcendent an idea, beyond their comprehension and farthest from=20
their grasp. Nationalism was, for the saffron retardates, too complex=20
a notion, too difficult an undertaking.

14Aug02

_____

#9.

The Atrocities in Gujarat: An isolated incident or a forecast of=20
things to come?
>From 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM
The GLBT Center
208 W. 13th Street, near 7th Avenue [ New York]

New Yorkers Say No to War will present an evening with Shabnam=20
Hashmi, who will guide us thru the recent atrocities in Gujarat,=20
India. This tragedy cannot be viewed as an isolated incident, but is=20
understood better in the context of the first stage of an=20
unacknowledged, undeclared WAR on the Muslim population of India by=20
the BJP government. There are many faces to war, and this=20
manifestation is particularly pernicious. We must also remember that=20
the BJP receives support of this current United States administration.

_____

#10.

Indian School of Women's Studies & Development
121 Vithal Bhai Patel House, Rafi Marg, New Delhi - 110 001

INVITATION TO A WORKSHOP
Dowry as crime, Crime as dowry

Aug. 10, 2002

Dear friends,

A workshop on the 'Expanding Dimensions of Dowry' is being
organised by the Indian School of Women's Studies and Development, Delhi in
collaboration with the All India Democratic Women's Association. The
workshop is to be held on September 1 and 2 2002 at the Deputy Speaker's
Hall, Vithal Bhai Patel House, New Delhi 110001.The survey was conducted in
12 States. About 150 activists from different social sections, who
conducted the survey, are expected to participate, presenting the reports o=
n
the survey. We are inviting representatives of organisations, who have bee=
n
actively engaged with the problem of dowry or who have expressed an interes=
t
in a renewed campaign against dowry. We are also inviting social scientist=
s
who have been working on dowry and other social and economic issues relevan=
t
to the struggle for women's rights in the country. We expect both the
activists and other invitees will gain from the exchange of views and
information, particularly enabling the activists/researchers in finalising
the reports. We hope to work towards a national campaign against dowry and
related issues.

A preliminary overview of the responses from the survey indicates that the
incidence of dowry and dowry-related crimes has increased. This increase ha=
s
been marked by its spread to newer areas and amongst communities that did
not adhere to the giving or taking of dowry as a 'custom'. The growing
emphasis on ostentatious lifestyles under the pervasive influence of the
glitter and glamour of globalisation, the incidence of huge expenses
incurred for marriage celebrations as well as to satisfy the demand for
expensive consumer items as part of dowry 'gifts' has deep links with the
parallel economy in the urban areas. Links between sex-selective foeticide=
,
son preference, and the ideological impact of roles laid down for women hav=
e
been examined. Mixed reactions from young women on their approach to "dowry=
'
also underline the linkages with lack of property rights. However, less
known is the linkage between dowry and debt-bondage and the land and labour
markets. So long as dowry continues to be seen as only a 'women's problem',
the links with political economy and how these serve to reconfigure the
patriarchal order to suit market forces in the global era, also do not get
identified. It is important to explore the social and economic links with
wider socio-economic structures to strategize against dowry.

We invite you to participate in the workshop. We do hope you will contribut=
e
in the discussions to be held after every presentation. We should have a
detailed programme of the state wise presentations by August 25th. If you
would like further details please do not hesitate to contact us. We would
appreciate a response from you so that we can make the necessary
arrangements.
The timings of the programme are enclosed.

With best wishes,
Sincerely Yours

Shakti Kak
Brinda Karat
Indian School of Women's Studies All India
Democratic Women's Association
And Development

C/o 121, Vithalbhai Patel House, Rafi Marg, New Delhi 110001
Tel no. 3710476, 3319566
e-mail: aidwa@n...

TIMINGS OF THE CONVENTION

The Convention will start at 11.30 am on September 1. The venue is the Dy.
Speakers Hall, Constitution Club, New Delhi
September 1:
Inaugural Session from 11.30 am to 1pm;
Inauguration and introductory comments
Presentation of Overview by Dr. Rajni Palriwal
Presentation of selection of cases under Dowry Prohibition Act and relevant
issues: Kirti Singh
Lunch Break
Session 1: 2pm to 4.30 pm : Presentations and discussion
4.30 pm-5pm: Tea
Session 2 : 5pm to 7pm ; Presentations and discussions
September 2:

Session 1: 10 am to 11.30 am : Presentation and discussions
11.30 to 12 pm Tea Break
12 pm to 2pm Presentation and discussion
2pm to 3 pm Lunch break

3pm to 5pm Concluding Session:
Presentation of Findings: Dr. Indu Agnihotri
Proposal of struggle: resolution
Comments by organizations of different sections and invitees
Adoption of resolution

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