[sacw] SACW | 5 Sept. 02

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire | 5 September 2002

#1. War & Rumours of War - One Year On (Birmingham, UK, Sept.15)
#2. Dismal State of Social Sciences in Pakistan (Akbar Zaidi)
#3. Who shall guard the guardians? (Ishtiaq Ahmed)
#4. Peace with India is crucial (Anwar Abbas)
#5. Daft Dream (Mukul Dube)
#6. Extracts from Letters Against The War by Tiziano Terzani
#7. The Public Health Forum, [Kerela] organised a campaign against=20
communalism from 10th to 20th
August to protest against the Gujarat genocide
#8. Indian Activist Charges State Complicity In Gujarat Terror
#9. [Ashok Singhal - the peddler of Hate] Book this man (Editorial,=20
in Hindustan Times)

__________________________

#1.

WAR & RUMOURS OF WAR
ONE YEAR ON - THE IMPACT OF 'THE WAR AGAINST TERROR - POST SEPTEMBER 11th

The South Asian Alliance is calling a major rally to look at the results of
George Bush's declaration of 'war against terror'

After September the 11th Pakistan's military rulers keen to impress the USA
jumped to attention and offered up Pakistan as a launch pad for the attack
on Afghanistan.

At the same time no government responded more enthusiastically than India's
in identifying terrorism as the major threat and equating 'terrorists'
with their supporters or sympathisers. Earlier this year tensions sparked
off by the ongoing struggle in Kashmir resulted in a million Indian and
Pakistani soldiers confronting each other. India and Pakistan came
disastrously close to a war that could have resulted in millions dying.

The trigger happy political leaderships of both India and Pakistan have
managed to keep tensions simmering for over 50 years in order to distract
the attention of the people on both sides from major issues: the oppression
of religious and national minorities and the lack of political rights.

The annual military expenditure of India and Pakistan is 18 billion
dollars, while 40% - 450 million - of the people live in humiliating
poverty. Both countries have a combined international debt of 150 billion
dollars.

Internationally Bush's 'war against terror' has resulted in the deaths of
thousands in Afghanistan, the stepping up of Israel's brutal campaign to
eliminate Palestinians and the targeting of Iraq as the leading member
of the 'axis of evil' .

In Britain Tony Blair's support for Bush's ' either you are with us or
against us' policy has had negative effects for South Asian communities
generally and Muslims in particular. We have become targets of increased
assaults from all sides; the government, the media and the far right.

As war and rumours of war spread around the globe, the Alliance call on
all peace and justice loving people to come together on a common platform
against imperialism, raciam, fascism and communalism. Come to the rally
and oppose the war drive against Iraq!

PUBLIC RALLY
SUNDAY 15th SEPTEMBER 02
2PM - 5PM
NORTON HALL
RALPH RD (OFF ALUM ROCK RD) ALUM ROCK
Birmingham B6
West Midlands
Britain

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL SPEAKERS INCLUDE:

TARIQ ALI
Broadcaster, Writer & activist
ASMA JAHANGIR
Pakistani Human rights activist
PROFESSOR RANA
Kashmir Valley human rights activist
SHAUKAT BUTT
Son of Kashmiri leader Shaeed Maqbool Butt
AMRIT WILSON
South ASian Solidarity Group
COLIN PRESCOD
Writer & activist
TARIQ MEHMOOD
Writer & activist
SATPAL RAM
miscarriages of justice

For further details please phone 07961 316060

Please forward this email to your contacts

______

#2.

Economic and Political Weekly (Bombay), August 31, 2002
Special Article

Dismal State of Social Sciences in Pakistan

S Akbar Zaidi
http://www.epw.org.in/showArticles.php?root=3D2002&leaf=3D08&filename=3D486=
1&filetype=3Dhtml

______

#3.

Daily Times (Pakistan)
September 04, 2002

Who shall guard the guardians?

Ishtiaq Ahmed
What is needed is not simply the ritual of an election, but also=20
institutional arrangements that provide effective measures constantly=20
to supervise the way an elected government behaves in office

Historically, democracy has been held not only in great suspicion but=20
in downright contempt by mainstream political thinkers. Plato set the=20
main terms for the criticism of democracy. It was equated with the=20
rule of the uninstructed and unruly masses who allegedly act=20
impulsively and irresponsibly and thus violate the highest purpose of=20
the state: to establish justice and happiness of all in accordance=20
with standards knowable only to the learned and the gifted. He,=20
therefore, wanted to confine the affairs of the state to a guardian=20
class comprising philosophers and warriors. Ordinary human beings=20
were to submit to the rule of that class without any questioning,=20
because it was in their best interest to do so!
The classic objection to the rule of a guardian class or elite has=20
been: who shall guard the guardians? Can they be infallible, or, free=20
from temptations that unlimited power always brings along? Plato's=20
deductive reasoning took for granted such a possibility because it=20
followed logically that if you have the correct knowledge you would=20
not go wrong. His famous pupil, Aristotle, called into question such=20
reasoning. While conceding the theoretical possibility of such a=20
government, he believed that in the real world finding such a single=20
person or class of persons was well-nigh impossible. More likely, the=20
rule of the philosopher-king would degenerate into the misrule of a=20
tyrant, he suspected.
More than two thousand years later, we can appreciate that while the=20
Platonic idea of the perfect state and a guardian class is=20
theoretically exciting and enticing, the record of world history=20
tends to vindicate the stand taken by Aristotle against such a=20
political dispensation. Time and again, it can be demonstrated that=20
all attempts to establish the perfect state or society have=20
foundered, very often by creating just the opposite conditions,=20
resulting in oppressive, autocratic rule of one sort or another.=20
Therefore, in purely empirical terms, there is no evidence to support=20
the inerrancy of a guardian class.
Even in the Islamic tradition, apart from the period of the Prophet=20
(PBUH) and the revered pious caliphate, which lasted less than 30=20
years, the government was mostly headed by despots, occasionally=20
benevolent but often whimsical and oppressive. In fact even the=20
period of the pious caliphate was not free from serious conflict. The=20
issue of succession was disputed within hours of the death of the=20
Prophet (PBUH) and battles between different Muslim factions marked=20
the periods of the third and fourth caliphs. It is not surprising=20
that the period was superseded by autocratic hereditary rule. The=20
more elitist Shiite theory of the rule of the perfect Imam has never=20
been put into practice, but the rule of the Iranian Ayatollahs,=20
claiming to act in the name of the hidden Imam, should hopefully=20
dissuade people from pinning their hopes on any theocracy.
In Pakistan, the vice-regal model of government, which is a variant=20
of the guardian class philosophy, has been in force since=20
independence. The civil and military bureaucrats have ruled directly=20
and indirectly for most of Pakistan's 55-year chequered history. They=20
have invariably referred to the threat of foreign subversion and=20
internal rebellion as the reasons for intervening into the system and=20
saving the country from the rule of incompetent and corrupt elected=20
rulers. Under Zia-ul-Haq a mission to rule in the name of Allah was=20
added to the trappings of the vice-regal model.
It would be wrong to deny that elected governments of recent years=20
have been guilty of grave and unpardonable betrayal of the public=20
trust. The way the public purse was squandered and looted during the=20
Benazir and Nawaz Sharif periods puts to shame all tall claims in=20
favour of democracy.
But the problem is that while corrupt civilian governments in=20
Pakistan have readily been overthrown by the military, the military=20
and the dreaded ISI, the epitomes of the guardian-class model, have=20
been able to conduct themselves in the same manner with complete=20
impunity. A recent report in the press reveals that a large number of=20
army officers purchased agricultural land in Bahawalpur near the=20
Indian border at throwaway prices (unabashedly justifying it as the=20
best defence against an Indian advance in that sector during war) but=20
began selling it off at highly profitable rates. An earlier report=20
disclosed that the former head of the ISI, General (retd) Javed=20
Nasir, a born-again Muslim who went around preaching Islamic piety in=20
the upper-class localities of Lahore and who was known to have close=20
links with the Taliban and several Pakistani extremist organisations,=20
has embezzled Rs 3 billion. While the General in a press conference=20
has denied the allegations, it is a fact that cases against him are=20
being probed by the Accountability Bureau.
Also know is the fact that officers of the armed forces enjoy=20
benefits and subsidies quite out of proportion with the economic=20
resources of Pakistan. It is no wonder that various international=20
reports inform us that Pakistan's notoriously low standard of living=20
has declined sharply in recent years and now significantly lags=20
behind India's.
Centuries' accumulated wisdom tells us that the belief in=20
establishing a perfect government is a sadly mistaken one. It is,=20
therefore, important that the state be divested of all metaphysical=20
and eschatological pretensions. It is a human artefact which can at=20
best maintain the common good - defence against aggression, public=20
services which can be organised efficiently only in a collective=20
manner such as schools, roads, railways, hospitals and so, and state=20
institutions to protect law-abiding citizens from criminals. This=20
function can be performed efficiently only by an open and transparent=20
government that can be held accountable through regular, periodic=20
elections. Such a government can make faulty decisions and even=20
renege on its promises, but the fear that acting irresponsibly could=20
result in public censure manage, overtime, to dissuade it from acting=20
irresponsibly.
What is needed, therefore, is not simply the ritual of an election,=20
but also institutional arrangements that provide effective measures=20
constantly to supervise the way an elected government behaves in=20
office. Should it seriously violate the constitution and laws of=20
Pakistan, it should be possible to start criminal investigations=20
directly and punish such offenders without the military taking over=20
the reigns of government. The soldiers should confine themselves to=20
the barracks and only leave them when the country faces real external=20
or internal threats.

The author is an associate professor of Political Science at=20
Stockholm University. He has authored two books and written=20
extensively for various newspapers and journals

______

#4.

The News International (Pakistan)
Thursday September 05, 2002

Peace with India is crucial
Anwar Abbas

Recently I was speaking to a Cardiologist who told me that even=20
though her family came from Aligarh in India, she had never been to=20
India and never wanted to go there. "Why?" I asked her. "Because,"=20
she replied, "The Indians hate Pakistanis. Not only the Hindus, but=20
even our Muslim relatives never stop criticising Pakistan as they did=20
to my brother who visited India last year before the travel=20
restrictions came on." She went on to state that in Gujarat they=20
raped women and burnt men, women and children mercilessly and she=20
would not like to be victim of such violence.

As a cardiologist the job of the young lady is to treat ailing hearts=20
and not to create hatred in the minds and hearts of people. As for=20
rape, as a doctor she must surely have read the study of four young=20
medical students about reporting of rapes in Pakistan and how delays=20
destroyed the evidences, which could prove the crime. The study also=20
revealed that in most cases these crimes go unnoticed because the=20
victims did not go to the police in the fear of a social stigma. As=20
for the magnitude of the problem, the Human Rights Commission of=20
Pakistan reports that in Punjab alone one woman was raped every six=20
hours and a woman gang-raped every sixth day. In other areas the=20
frequency is even faster -- one every two hours! So who are we to=20
criticise others for the wrongdoings?

A few weeks ago I met the scion of Pakistan's finest humanist ever,=20
who asked me how the young sportsmen of a school were treated during=20
their goodwill visit to India in July last year. He was surprised to=20
learn that they were treated with great affection and love. "You=20
know, Anwar," he said, "My niece in the United States has stopped=20
buying products made in India, after the gory incidents of Gujarat.=20
She did not want her money to go to India anyway." What can one say=20
in reply to such prejudiced thinking?

Admittedly, there are obnoxious persons like L K Advani, Uma Bharti=20
and George Fernandes and others who are forever spreading the poison=20
of hatred in India, but they have their equally obnoxious=20
counterparts in Pakistan who do no less to create suspicion and=20
hatred here. But for the recent visit to Pakistan of writers and=20
journalists Arundhati Roy, N Ram and Shekhar Gupta and the=20
septuagenarian peace activist, Nirmala Deshpande, through the=20
circuitous route via Dubai, many in Pakistan would have been=20
oblivious of the sane thinking of a large group of Indian opinion=20
makers. How many in Pakistan, for instance, know that the Star News=20
Editor and correspondent Rajdeep Sardesai was banned from entering=20
Gujarat by Chief Minister Modi because of his objective and candid=20
reporting of the events taking place there? Yet, our policy makers=20
continue to ban the showing of Star News on the cable network and=20
thereby deny to the people of Pakistan the right to information.

It is the simplest of thing for people who want war to create=20
conditions to ignite it. If it is not an attack on innocent civilians=20
in the garb of Hindu holy men in Jammu, then it is a violent one on=20
peaceful foreign tourists in the valley of Kashmir or in Murree. If=20
the Indian parliament is under attack in New Delhi, so is the bus=20
carrying French naval staff outside two swanky hotels in Karachi,=20
leaving the dead and the injured virtually in pieces. As if this was=20
not gory enough, in the US consulate bomb attack in Karachi the dead=20
met their fate in a far more violent way. These are not political=20
issues as they are made out by vested interests. These are grave=20
human tragedies, as are Palestine and the Hebrew University, the=20
twin-towers in New York and Meerawala in Punjab. Yet, we react to=20
them not as humans but along national, religious, communal and=20
sectarian lines.

As if this bloody game of hard-liners and radicals on either side is=20
not bad enough, a million armed soldiers have locked horns with one=20
another for well over nine months and even play 'war games',=20
sometimes in tandem with foreign armies. But suggest a game of=20
cricket or hockey between the teams of Pakistan and India and you are=20
sure to receive a mouthful from that firebrand sanyasini sports=20
minister or a general from the Pakistani side. The close-out of=20
travel facilities and blackout of information from one to the other=20
side in this age of communication boom is not just ironic, it is also=20
dangerous because it is leading to all manner of misunderstandings=20
and misconceptions about one another.

For the peoples of two countries war may, for the time being, only be=20
the rhetoric of leaders and spokespersons and volatile talk shows on=20
television. But don't be fooled with any sense of false security. The=20
misguided and senseless rowdies on both sides are crying themselves=20
hoarse asking for a showdown and war, with the promise of "laying=20
down their lives for their country." As to when such passions will=20
escalate into a full-fledged war, no one can say. When Vajpayee tells=20
his forces at the Line of Control about "decisive battle", one is=20
reminded of what some Hindus and Muslims and Sikhs said at the threat=20
laden months of 1947: "A nice all-out fight between the communities=20
is not only unavoidable but also necessary to clear the atmosphere."=20
The 'fight' did come, as nice and thorough as any vicious person=20
could wish for, and it did clear the atmosphere -- clear it of=20
reason, sanity, decency, chivalry and fellowship!

Since the Second World War ended, quite a large part of this unhappy=20
globe has been caught up in the flames of many small wars. In Tibet=20
and Indo-China, in Korea and Kashmir, in Palestine and Egypt, in Iran=20
and Iraq, in Greece and Berlin, in Bosnia and Kosovo, in Somalia and=20
in the Russian Federation's dominance over the proud Chechens. Where=20
is the peace for which the last Great War had exacted more sacrifices=20
from the peoples of the

world? Let it be known to all that modern wars are an entirely=20
different affair. They have no well defined frontiers and overflow=20
into every aspect of life. They abolish the distinction between=20
armies and the civilians and disrupt every sphere of normal activity.=20
The victors and the vanquished suffer equally. The Second World War=20
would be like a picnic compared to the misery that a nuclear war=20
would bring. One wonders if religious extremists on both sides fully=20
realise the implications of a war using deadlier armaments, including=20
nuclear ones.

Wherever we may live and whatever flag we salute or faith we profess,=20
we are fellow pilgrims on this small planet, on this speck of dust=20
whirling in the infinity of cosmos, and if dialogue breaks down=20
between us, as it tends to time and again, we are poor fellow=20
travellers indeed. The impasse between Pakistan and India must break=20
down soon otherwise hatred and prejudice will spread like an epidemic=20
in the minds and hearts of the people, including sane and sensible=20
ones, and we may reach a point of no return.

The writer is a Karachi-based freelance journalist and school administrator

anwar2@c...

______

#5.

[ Published (3 Sept 02) Hindustan Times with the title "Me, they, us"=20
in the slot called Off Track.]

Daft Dream

by Mukul Dube

In the early 1970s I was associated with a sociological study of=20
racism in the English Midlands. In both Sheffield and Bradford there=20
were large populations of coloured immigrants. That was bare weeks=20
after Enoch Powell's "rivers of blood" speech, and race relations on=20
the island were pretty poor. Coloured immigrants were routinely=20
blamed for all manner of economic and social problems; and they were=20
routinely the target of all manner of hostility and violence.

One conclusion which stuck out was that only those white folks=20
harboured hatred and fear who had had nothing to do with Indians,=20
Pakistanis, Bangladeshis. Where a white person worked together with=20
coloured people, on the shop floor or in an office or wherever, she=20
or he soon realised that they were no different from herself or=20
himself: that they had the same range of qualities, the same range of=20
faults, the same desires, the same problems. The stereotype of=20
"Pakis" as dirty, as liars and thieves, disappeared entirely. No=20
longer were they a different species or from another planet. They=20
were not "they" any more - in countless ways large and small, all=20
were "us".

People who labour together, who pass together through disaster or=20
war, who experience joy together - such people cannot help seeing=20
that they are at root the very same, all part of what has been called=20
the human condition. It is ignorance of the other which is=20
destructive and terrifying. That is what makes ogres of the Other.

In today's India, only those Hindus feel fear, hatred and revulsion=20
for Muslims who have no Muslim friends, who have never been inside=20
Muslims' homes, who have not seen that Muslims live in much the same=20
way as do Hindus themselves. Similarly, only those Muslims have=20
irrational notions about Hindus who do not know any Hindus. Visible=20
signs of religious identity have become far more important than they=20
really are - petty wisps of fabric, small daubs of colour.

Is it too far-fetched to visualise an on-going exchange of children=20
between the two religions? A Hindu child could go to spend two days=20
in a Muslim household, possibly one in which there is a class-mate or=20
age-mate. Traffic could be reversed over the next weekend. There=20
might be no monsters left after this, only Uncles and Aunties and=20
Didis and Bhaiyas; and perhaps a Nani or Dada here and there.

This may seem like the crazy dream of an ageing fool, the sort of=20
soft old coot who cries when he hears kids singing Iqbal's "Lab pe=20
ati hai dua banke tamanna meri...". But maybe grasping such daft=20
dreams has become a historical necessity. A drowning man clutches,=20
quite irrationally, at a straw. Today we too are drowning in=20
inhumanness, moving towards societal insanity - and perhaps it is not=20
so irrational after all to clutch at straws which are difficult but=20
not impossible solutions. If this is irrationality, then it may be=20
that in such lies the only hope of our survival as a sane and just=20
society.

The air of childhood is fresh and clean, its water pure and=20
sparkling. They should not be permitted to be sullied and fouled. We=20
have rendered our own filthy enough.

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

______

#6.

Outlook Magazine (India)

Extracts from Letters Against The War by Tiziano Terzani
http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=3D20020903&fname=3Dram&sid=3D1

______

#7.

Date: 4 Sep 2002 09:23:32 -0000
From: "K.P. Sasi" <sasi36@r...>

The Public Health Forum, Payyanur organised a campaign against=20
communalism from 10th to 20th
August to protest against the Gujarat genocide and to awaken=20
peoples=92 conscience against the communal virus. Along with seminars,=20
symposia, film shows, street corner meetings and sale of clothes made=20
by the riot affected community in Gujarat, an artists camp was part=20
of the programme.

The artists=92 collective which met in the camp on 15th Aug. was very=20
much remarkable for the full hearted co-operation and support of=20
about 40 artists, who unanimously expressed solidarity to the victims=20
of the Gujarat violence and through their paintings in various media=20
like water, oil and acrylic expressed anguish at the drying up of=20
essential human values and spreading of a fundamentalist religion of=20
hatred. 34 paintings were produced in the camp and all of them depict=20
recurring motifs of conflict and pain in varied styles and forms.

We think it would be good if these paintings are reproduced on cards=20
and used for campaigns against communalism in different parts of the=20
country. As the paintings were made painstakingly on canvas of 60 x=20
90 cm size and with all earnestness and sincerity by each of the=20
artists who participated, it is all the more important that, these=20
are allowed exposure elsewhere for similar campaigns by groups and=20
individuals.

Therefore, we would like to invite your suggestions and comments on=20
our proposal for campaigns using printed reproduction of these=20
paintings, a few sample copies of which are being sent as attachments=20
for your reference, Kindly inform us early how you can co-operate,=20
support and take up on your own a campaign using these cards.
Awaiting to hear from you early and thanking you.
Payyanur
8/27/2002
Yours truly,
K.Ramachandran
K.Sahadevan

Public Health Forum
Payyanur, Kannur dist.
Kerala =96 670307
Ph: 0498-506560
,, 500172

Anti-communalism Campaign from 10th to 20th Aug at Payyanur
An overview

The anti-communalism campaign organised by the Public Health Forum=20
Payyanur from 10th to 20th August to protest against the Gujarat=20
genocide and to awaken people=92s conscience against communal violence=20
has evoked widespread positive reactions throughout Kerala.Innovative=20
and pioneering efforts have paid rich dividends by carrying the=20
message across all sections of society irrespective of age,=20
gender,caste, religion and political affiliations.
The inauguration of the campaign was with a discourse by Dr Ram=20
Puniyani, an eminent activist for secularism and secretary Ekta=20
Mumbai,on the challenge raised by communal fascism in India.He=20
pointed out that the RSS and the Hindumahasabha have been faithful=20
servants of imperialist forces right from the days of anti-colonial=20
struggle against the British for India's freedom. Explaining the=20
historical background of the formation of RSS, he observed that, it=20
had mainly three objectives;
1. To restore the brahminical religious fundamentalist hegemony,=20
after mending the setbacks it had suffered due to the freedom=20
struggle and the influence of enlightenment values;
2. to oppose the Gandhian leadership that emerged in the 1920s.
3. to divert the discontentment and ire of the people against=20
colonialism in India and to save the ruling class from their wrath by=20
dividing the people on communal lines, drawing inspiration from=20
German Nazism and Italian Fascism. The first communal riot occurred=20
in India in 1880, as a result of the =91divide and rule=92 policy of the=20
British. The partition of India was only the culmination of the=20
concerted manouvres of imperialist and communal forces. Dr. Ram=20
observed that, today, if Uncle Sam were to choose between a secular=20
state and a religious-fundamentalist autocracy, the choice would be=20
the latter one. Consequently, the forces of globalisation would=20
prefer in India, an administration which can violate human rights and=20
the principles of liberty, equality and fraternity envisaged by the=20
constitution.

The 1980s witnessed the rank communal campaign by Hindutva forces in=20
the name of Ram Janma Bhoomi which culminated in the demolition of=20
Babari Masjid. That it coincided with the proposal for implementation=20
of the Mandal Commission report was by no means accidental. Kamandal=20
against Mandal was the openly declared policy of the Hindutva=20
leaders. Inflow of financial support from NRIs and the emergence of=20
human gods, goddesses, swamis, acharyas and gurus accelerated the=20
proliferation of several cults and a new type of Hindu religion=20
througout the country. This represents the initial stages of communal=20
politics in independent India. Subsequently, the country witnessed a=20
series of anti-minority riots and organised pogroms with overt or=20
covert support from the state. The anti-Sikh riots of 1984 in Delhi=20
and the anti-Muslim riots of Mumbai are examples. Gujarat, as many=20
independent enquiries and commissions have concluded, has witnessed=20
nothing less than state sponsored violence. The state has abdicated=20
its constitutional responsibility to protect the lives and property=20
of citizens by branding a section of the population as =91others=92. The=20
RSS or even BJP does not have faith in the India constitution, unless=20
it suits their immediate need. Primarily they owe allegiance to=20
their faith in the 'Hindu Rashtra'. "First of all we are all Swayam=20
Sevaks", is a recurrent declaration of this faith.
The principles of democracy and human rights ensured by constitution=20
are being flagrantly violated by the hindutva forces for narrow=20
political gains. The RSS has been furthering their hidden and long=20
term agenda by resorting to rumour spreading campaigns. The letters=20
RSS can as well refer to 'Rumour Spreading Society' Dr.Puniyani=20
sarcastically remarked. He concluded by stating that, communal facism=20
is trying to exterminate not merely muslims, minorities and=20
progressive forces but the very basic tenets of our constitution and=20
pluralistic culture; therefore, we have to be ever vigilant and=20
active to resist these forces of darkness.

Solidarity with the victims of economic boycott - Cotton fabric=20
exhibition and Sale
Dr. Surendra Gadekar and Dr. Sangamitra Desai of Sampoorna Kranti=20
Vidyalaya Vedchhi, Surat, Gujarat, a training center for social=20
workers, is trying to create alternative models of development which=20
are sustainable and non-violent, who are here in connection with the=20
exhibition and sale of hand printed and natural dyed fabrics produced=20
by the Muslim craftsmen of Gujarat, who are economically victimised=20
by the communal riots explained how, vigorous anti Muslim propaganda=20
and fundamentalists=92 call for boycott of their products have already=20
pauperised and marginalised large sections of the population.=20
Communal riots have paralysed Ahmedabad, Baroda the nerve centers of=20
trade As muslim traders are facing economic ostracism, even though=20
direct killing and arson has subsided, indirectly the entire Muslim=20
community of Gujrat are facing the tortures of economic blockade.=20
Finding alternative outlets for the product is therefore a token of=20
our solidarity to them and part of a constructive programme to=20
restore communal harmony. (Dr.Surendra and Dr.Sanghamithra are world=20
renowned anti-nuclear activits, who had in fact co-operated with the=20
Peringome Anti-Nuclear movement spearheaded by the Public Health=20
Forum in 1990s and they had also undertaken earth quake relief work=20
at Kutchh.)
The exhibition pavilion was formally inaugurated by Smt.S. Jyothi,=20
Municipal Chair person, Payyanur on the 14th of August and continued=20
till 20th August. It evoked tremendous public response and was=20
visited by people from all walks of life, to buy hand printed cotton=20
clothes as well as to express solidarity with the sufferers of=20
economic boycott. The pavilion was manned by activits from the=20
Sampoorna Kranti Vidyalaya and the Public Health Forum and the sales=20
were attended to by three Muslim artisans from Kutchh where these=20
clothes had been made.

Similar sales outlets were opened by Samajvadi Jana Parishath at=20
Calicut, and Altermedia at Trissur, on the eve of Onam, which is also=20
a festival of new clothes. Public response to these sales have been=20
encouraging.
Malayalam translation of the VHP circulars containing ten=20
commandments against the Muslims, distributed in the streets of=20
Ahmedabad and the independence day email message of VHP to Indians=20
abroad to follow Godse and to remove Gandhi from the way were=20
exhibited to give a clear idea of what hindutva forces are really=20
upto. All the local and English newspapers as well as various TV=20
channels gave wide coverage to the entire campaign.

Artists Collective Against Communalism

Another important programme organised as part of the campaign was the=20
artists camp at Payyanur on the 15th of August. About 40 artists=20
participated in the camp and painted on 60 x 90 cm canvases provided=20
to them using various media like water, oil and acrylic. Dr.Surendra=20
Gadekkar who is also a painter inaugurated the artists meet. The=20
gusto and enthusiasm with which all the eminent artists hailing from=20
the districts Kannur Kasaragod and Mahe devoted their talents, were=20
overwhelming and their determination against the destructive and=20
dIvisive influence of communal violence was quiet unanimous and=20
outsopken.
By way of evaluation of the camp, Dr.Gadekkar observed: "The artists=20
efforts by their very diversity of styles and forms is a fine example=20
of freedom of expression. It is this freedom which is in peril by the=20
happenings in Gujarat. Similar efforts are needed in other parts of=20
the country so that a strong message is sent to the purpetrators of=20
the violence that their effort to curb diversity of expression will=20
not be tolerated and the spirit of India will not be suppressed.
The overall mood of the collection of paintings is sombre. The=20
colours and forms accentuate this mood. Many paintings draw their=20
inspiration from various religious and political traditions. Gandhi=20
is a recurring theme in many paintings.
The collection needs to be seen as a whole and not as an unrelated=20
series of paintings by different artists. This is because the=20
occasion has inspired each artist and the effort of each has created=20
an impact on others so that the total effect seems much larger than=20
the sum of individual paintings".

Finally, the artists collective, which consisted of Shiva Krishnan,=20
Balamurali, Selven Meloor, Mohan Chalad, Ponniam Chandran, Govindan=20
Kannapuram, Preman Ponniam, Valsaraj, KKR Vengara, Abi N Joseph,=20
Bhagyanthan, Vargees Kalathil, C.K.Raghavan Jyothi Chandran,=20
Sacheendran, Sasi Kadiroor, Biju Kanhangad, Damodaran Vellora,=20
Santhosh.A, Mehroof, Vinod, Kalesh, Kunhiraman Kooleri, Fr.Manjil,=20
Praksashan Puthur, Syama Sasi, Ravi Pilicode, Bhasi Payyanur, Suresh,=20
Arun Kumar, Sugunan, Premachandran and J J Raphel issued a signed=20
public statement denouncing communal violence and condemning the=20
tendency of certain cultural luminaries to exonerate hindutva outfits=20
like RSS from their role in spreading hatred, by depicting them as=20
'cultural organisations' and not as religious fanatics dabbling in=20
communal fascism.

By K.Ramachandran and K.M.Venugopalan
Payyanur, Kannur, Kerala - 670307. Ph: 0498-506560, 500172

______

#8.

http://www.ww3report.com/#subcontinent5

ACTIVIST CHARGES STATE COMPLICITY IN GUJARAT TERROR
On a visit to the US, Shabnam Hashmi, founder of the Safdar Hashmi=20
Memorial Trust (SAHMAT), a New Delhi organization working to oppose=20
communal violence in India, issued a special call to Indian=20
immigrants not to fund the militant activities of India's Hindu=20
right. SAHMAT is named for Shabnam's brother Safdar, an activist=20
street theater director who was killed by a hired mob after=20
heorganized to support striking industrial workers in India in 1989.=20
Shabnam Hashmi
charges that the recent anti-Muslim violence in the Indian state of=20
Gujarat hasbeen inaccurately portrayed as spontaneous, and compares=20
it to the systematic ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and Rwanda. (NYT,=20
Aug. 18)

Hashmi spoke on Aug. 25 at the Brecht Forum in New York City about=20
her three months of research in carnage-stricken Gujarat, recounting=20
interviews with since Feb. 28. In her
presentation, "Genocide in the Land of Gandhi," Hashmi stated that a=20
massacre such as that in Gujarat "does not happen in one day. There=20
is always a history to it." She highlighted the development of=20
Rashtriya Swayamsecak Sabha (RSS), the ideological grandfather=20
organization of India's ruling BJP party. The RSS was openly inspired=20
by European fascism at the time of its founding in the 1930s.=20
Nathuram Godse, a Hindu nationalist and RSS militant, carried out the=20
assassination of Mahatma Gandhi on Jan. 30, 1948.

Hashmi reminded the audience of the words of early RSS leader MS=20
Golwalkar. In his 1939 book "We: Our Nationhood Defined," Golwalkar=20
wrote that "Germany's purging of its Semitic Races was a good lesson=20
for us in Hindusthan [India] to lean and profit by." (p. 35) With=20
respect to India's minorities, he wrote: "From this standpoint,=20
sanctioned by the experience of shrewd old nations, the foreign races=20
in Hindusthan must either adopt the Hindu culture and language,
must learn to respect and hold in reverence Hindu religion, must=20
entertain no idea but those of the glorification of the Hindu race=20
and culture, i.e. of the Hindu nation, and must lose their separate=20
existence to merge in the Hindu race; or may stay in the country,=20
wholly subordinated to the Hindu Nation, claiming nothing, deserving=20
no privileges, far less any preferential treatment--not even=20
citizen's rights." (p. 47-48).

Hashmi reiterated statements made by Narendra Modi, the now-resigned=20
Chief Minister of Gujarat, soon after the violence began. Modi called=20
the Hindu mob violence "a spontaneous expression of outrage," sparked=20
by the Feb. 27 Muslim attack at Godhra on a train carrying Hindu=20
militants. (See WW3 REPORT #23) Hashmi stated, "irrespective of who=20
was killed, carnage cannot be justified."While 58 Hindus were killed=20
in the Godhra attack, Hashmi detailed the toll of the houses raised=20
to the ground, 10,000 shops looted and burned, 200,000 people=20
displaced, 360 mosques destroyed, and perhaps over 1,000 dead. She=20
also claimed that violence against women in the attacks has been=20
drastically under-reported. Hashmi said she had spoken with over 60=20
women who had been gang-raped, and that many had witnessed the gang=20
rape of between 10 and 15 other women.

Hashmi also pointed to the organized nature of the massacre in=20
Gujarat. Mobs numbering up to 15,000 were reported to have charged=20
through the streets of Gujarat's towns and cities, armed with fire=20
bombs fashioned not only from petrol but also flammable industrial=20
solvents. "How could such sophisticated weapons reach the remotest of=20
villages all over Gujarat in one day if the massacre was truly a=20
'spontaneous expression of outrage'?" Hashmi asked. "The carnage could
not have taken place if they mobs were not trained." RSS today=20
maintains camps for ideological and paramilitary training throughout=20
India, Hashmi said. "On the morning of Feb. 28, they were simply=20
waiting for a call from the Center."

Regarding the upcoming state elections in Gujarat, Hashmi stated that=20
if the BJP were to win again, then "democracy in India would be at=20
stake. Gujarat has shocked Indian civil society. Anyone who went to=20
Gujarat, came back a changed person."

(Subuhi Jiwani)

For more information about the Gujarat massacre, see=20
www.gujaratcarnage.com or www.onlinevolunteers.com Human Rights Watch=20
report on Gujarat is online.

____

#9.

The Hindustan Times (India), September 5, 2002
Editorial

BOOK THIS MAN

Witness the contrast. Two SIMI activists were charge-sheeted under=20
POTA because they were pasting stickers with 'provocative words' at=20
the Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi. The 'accused' said they were=20
enraged by the atrocities in Gujarat. The amazing contrast begins=20
here.

There is a grumpy old rabble-rouser who leads the VHP. He hit the=20
headlines recently when he described the Gujarat carnage as "Hindu=20
awakening". He was adding a footnote to his comrade Pravin Togadiya's=20
declaration that the nation should prepare for a "final settlement"=20
of the Muslim "problem". Several such inflammatory 'announcements'=20
were made, including one which said that Indian Muslims deserved the=20
refugee camps. This was when one lakh plus Muslims were living in=20
sub-human conditions in Gujarat, including in graveyards.

Once again, Ashok Singhal is spewing venom. In a Nazi-like speech, he=20
has termed the Gujarat events as a "successful experiment", warning=20
that this would be repeated all over India. He
is happy that whole villages had been "emptied of Islam" and Muslims=20
were compelled to take refuge in camps. This was a victory for Hindu=20
society, he said. Surely, if anyone can defame Hinduism - which=20
stands for peace, tolerance and pluralism - this man and his outfit=20
heads the list.

Ashok Singhal has ceased to be a mere nuisance factor. He is a threat=20
to any democratic, secular, modern society. His speeches reek of=20
xenophobia, and his moral high ground seems nothing but a product of=20
perverse sickness. If Mr Vaiko can be put behind bars for his support=20
for the LTTE, or if SIMI activists can be booked for putting up=20
provocative stickers, what stops the NDA government from booking this=20
man who is openly inciting mob violence against Indian citizens?

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