[sacw] SACW | 7 Oct. 02

Harsh Kapoor aiindex@mnet.fr
Mon, 7 Oct 2002 03:00:23 +0100


South Asia Citizens Wire | 7 October 2002

__________________________

#1. Indian, Pakistani activists share Nuremberg rights prize
#2. Pakistan: HRCP concerned at defamation law
#3. Pakistan's University Teachers protest proposed university ordinance
#4. Invitation For Kashmir Meeting (Bombay, 11 October)
#5. Press Release: Aung San Suu Kyi Winner of The 2002=20
Unesco-Madanjeet Singh Prize for Tolerance and Non-Violence
#6. India: Historians point out errors in new NCERT school books
#7. India: Violence in Gujarat: An appeal by PUCL
#8. AFMI's 12th Annual Convention - Theme: Political Extremism in=20
India (20 Oct., Long Beach)

__________________________

#1.

The Hindustan Times
October 6, 2002 | Updated: 22:08 IST

Indian, Pakistani activists share Nuremberg rights prize
Press Trust of India
Nuremberg,=A0October 06
An Indian journalist and a Pakistani rights activist have both won=20
the Nuremberg international human rights prize for 2003, the jury=20
announced on Sunday.
The jury awarded the prize to Indian woman journalist Teesta Setalvad=20
and Pakistan's Ibn Abdur Rehman for their "exemplary fight" for peace=20
and human rights despite personal risk.
The 15,000-euro prize will be presented to the pair in the southern=20
German city next September.
Setalvad, 40, co-edits a magazine and has spoken out against the ill=20
treatment of women and minority groups.
Ibn Abdur Rehman, 72, has been director of an independent Pakistani=20
human rights commission since 1990 and has worked for peace in=A0Jammu=20
and Kashmir.

_____

#2.

The Daily Times
Monday, October 07, 2002

HRCP concerned at defamation law

Staff Report
PESHAWAR: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Saturday=20
expressed grave concern over the newly promulgated defamation law,=20
saying it would suppress freedom of expression.
In a press release, HRCP President Afrasiyab Khattak and Secretary=20
General Hina Jillani said the confirmation by the Pakistan Newspapers=20
Society (APNS) and the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE)=20
that the draft of the newly promulgated defamation law and three=20
other press laws differed with those on which an agreement was=20
reached between the government and the press bodies, indicated the=20
government=B9s anti-press designs.
They said it was not clear why a new ordinance was introduced when=20
the law on defamation already existed.
The HRCP, they said, considers new laws are also a threat to people=B9s=20
right to freedom of expression, and therefore, a protest campaign=20
announced by the press bodies and journalist unions deserves public=20
support.

_____

#3.

The Karachi University Teachers' Society=20
(KUTS)<http://www.geocities.com/kutspk>
www.geocities.com/kutspk

Protest against Task Force recommendations
Rally of teachers, students baton-charged, tear-gassed
60 held, released; FAPUASA, SPLA announce boycott of classes on Oct 7

By Muhammad Azeem Samar

KARACHI: A big joint rally of students and teachers, agitating=20
against certain educational policies of the government and a proposed=20
university ordinance, was dispersed by police using teargas shells=20
while detaining over 60 of them.

The students and teachers gathered at the Govt DJ Science College on=20
Friday under a country-wide call of the Joint Action Committee to=20
register their protest against the recommendations of the Task Force=20
on Higher Education, proposed Model University Ordinance (MUO) and=20
policies of denationalisation and introduction of the Board of=20
Governors in public sector educational institutions. Also in other=20
provincial capitals, students and teachers gathered at designated=20
sites for holding protest meetings and marking a rally culminating at=20
the respective governor houses for delivering a memorandum.

The Joint Action Committee had also given the call to boycott classes=20
in professional institutions and universities all over the country on=20
Friday after 10:00am under its protest drive. The Karachi University=20
Teachers' Society (KUTS), Sindh Professors and Lecturers' Association=20
(SPLA) and Muttahida Talba Mahaz (MTM) were the three representative=20
associations at the forefront of the protest gathering which held at=20
DJ College which turned violent due to seemingly undue and uncalled=20
for police action.

Scores of teachers and students from colleges, polytechnic=20
institutions and university especially the University of Karachi=20
started assembling at the DJ College at 11:30am. They were holding=20
placards inscribed with slogans against the government policies=20
regarding higher education.

The gathering had planned to take out a procession concluding at the=20
Sindh Governor to hand over a memorandum comprising demands and=20
reservations of students and teachers. However, witnesses said, a=20
heavy contingent of police had been surrounding the premises of=20
college since morning, as to thwart their designs to mark out a=20
rally. Police officials headed by the Town Police Officer (TPO)=20
Saddar, Tariq Khokar started negotiations with KUTS, SPLA and MTM=20
representatives to persuade them for cancellation of the rally, they=20
said adding that both the parties agreed to hold a procession towards=20
the Press Club instead of Governor House.

Another rally of students from FG Urdu Arts College, led by a truck=20
spreading loud noises of slogans against the government educational=20
policies, reached the scene through Burns Road. The negotiating=20
police officials on perceiving a rally that might lead towards=20
Governor House fired dozens of tear-gas shells, which created a=20
miserable and vitiated environment unable to breathe especially for=20
female teachers. The police also resorted to light baton-charge=20
especially to disperse the students in the rally.

Along with the firing of tear gas shells, the police also detained=20
the students and teachers in rally for its dispersal by booking them=20
into mobile vans.

Police officials when asked, said that they had resorted to tear gas=20
and arrests on sensing the predicament that the rally would take a=20
violent turn resorting to rioting and ransacking of the public=20
property.

Sources said that around 56 students, nine teachers including three=20
faculty members, two drivers were finally taken into police custody.=20
The police kept the teachers in detention at the Arambagh Police=20
Station while students were detained at the Artillery Maidaan Police=20
Station. The police also took into custody a truck and point bus of=20
the Govt College of Technology, SITE, along with their drivers, used=20
by the students in rallying at the DJ Science College.

Later, the remaining students and teachers marched towards the Press=20
Club and staged a sit-in against the detention of their associates in=20
the movement and undue police action on peaceful protestors.

The protesting teachers made fierce speeches and demanded that all=20
policemen, responsible for baton charge and tear gas, should be=20
suspended immediately. They called that if disciplinary action=20
against these officials would not be taken, they could even consider=20
boycotting the election duties on October 10.

Meanwhile, City Nazim Naimatullah Khan reached at the spot and tried=20
to pacify the sentiments of enraged students and teachers. He was=20
told by the representatives of students and teachers about the=20
uncalled police action against the peaceful protest and about the=20
detention of students and teachers.

Naimat went to the Araambagh Police Station and made possible the=20
release of three detained female college teachers after which he took=20
along them to the Press Club. On personal assurances and intervention=20
of the City Nazim, the leftover 60 detainees at the Artillery Maidain=20
Police Station also got freedom after three-hour arrest.

Sources said that police officials were insisting on filing and=20
signing of personal surety bonds as a pre-requisite for the release=20
of all the detainees. But on the repeated assurances of City Nazim,=20
the police officials at the Artillery Maidaan agreed to release all=20
the detainees without submitting any affidavit.

Addressing the protestors later, Naimat said that police action=20
against teachers and students was unreasonable. He assured that an=20
inquiry would be constituted to probe into the police action and he=20
would also talk to the governor on Saturday to convey him all the=20
reservations of students and teachers regarding certain government=20
policies.

Later, the protestors who staged a sit-in at the Press Club dispersed=20
peacefully on the appeal of City Nazim.

Those teachers who were detained by the police included Shamim Bhutto=20
and Amat-Us-Sami of Govt Girls College, New Karachi; Jahan Ara of St=20
Patrick's Govt College; Raees Ahmed of Islamic Learning Faculty, KU;=20
Azam-ud-Din of Computer Science Department, KU; Sardar Alam Siddqui=20
of Chemistry Department, KU; Dr Saleem Shehzad of Botany Department,=20
KU; Muhammad Zubair of Islamic History Department, KU; and Saeed=20
Naqvi of Govt Dehli College. Some students and teachers received=20
light injuries while they also faced suffocation due to heavy=20
shelling of tear gas.

Meanwhile, the Federation of All Pakistan Universities' Academic=20
Staff Association (FAPUASA) and SPLA announced that teaching would be=20
boycotted in all the government-run colleges and universities in the=20
province on October 7 to protest against the police action against=20
the peaceful rally.

_____

#4.

Subject: Invitation For Kashmir Meeting
Date: Sat, 05 Oct 2002 09:58:25 +0530

I N S A A N I Y A T

Friends,
The recent elections in Kashmir have been keenly watched by the=20
world. While the NDA government is congratulating itself on the=20
"success" of these elections, to what extent have voters actually=20
exercised their franchise? How do the people of Kashmir feel about=20
the prospects of democracy in their state? Where does the solution=20
lie to an intractable conflict that has devastated the lives of=20
entire generations of people and contributed to permanent tension in=20
the Subcontinent?
To debate these issues, Insaaniyat is organizing a public meeting on

KASHMIR : WHICH WAY FORWARD?

on Friday, 11th October, at the YWCA Hall, Colaba [ Bombay], 5.30 to 7.30 p=
.m.

The speakers are:
Gautam Navlakha (human rights activist and editorial consultant of=20
Economic and Political Weekly)

Dr Ritu Dewan (Pakistan-India Forum for Peace and Democracy, and=20
lecturer, Bombay University)

Ajay Raina (film-maker, director of =91Tell them the tree they have=20
planted, has grown=92, a film on Kashmir and active member of =91Kasai ki=20
chali=92, a group working amongst riot victims in Ahmedabad, Gujarat).

Note: To permit ample time for discussion, we shall start punctually=20
at 5.30 p.m. Please come on time!

_____

#5.

Press Release 2002-71

AUNG SAN SUU KYI WINNER OF THE 2002 UNESCO-MADANJEET SINGH PRIZE FOR=20
TOLERANCE AND NON-VIOLENCE

Paris, October 4 =AD Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar was named laureate of=20
the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and=20
Non-Violence by UNESCO Director-General Ko=EFchiro Matsuura today on=20
the unanimous recommendation of an international jury.

The Jury, presided by Nasser El-Ansary, Director General of the=20
Institut du Monde Arabe (Paris), declared: "Aung San Suu Kyi was the=20
laureate of the 1991 Nobel [Peace] Prize for having attempted to=20
establish democracy in Burma. An international symbol of peaceful=20
resistance to oppression, she is still pursuing her non-violent=20
struggle for democracy and tolerance in Myanmar."

The jury also decided to attribute five Honourable Mentions,=20
including a posthumous one to the late American journalist Daniel=20
Pearl, "who lost his life for seeking to denounce all forms of=20
injustice." The Wall Street Journal reporter was murdered by his=20
kidnappers after he was abducted on January 23 this year in Karachi=20
(Pakistan) while investigating Moslem fundamentalist networks.

A second posthumous Honourable Mention was attributed to nine=20
journalists killed in Afghanistan in the exercise of their profession=20
in November 2001: Johanne Sutton (France, Radio France=20
Internationale), Pierre Billaud (France, RTL), Volker Handloik=20
(Germany, Stern), Ken Hechtman (Canada, Montreal Mirror), Ulf=20
Stromberg (Sweden, TV4), Maria Grazia Cutuli (Italy, Corriere della=20
Sera), Harry Burton (Australia, Reuters), Azizullah Haidar=20
(Afghanistan, Reuters) et Julio Fuentes (Spain, El Mundo).

Simon Wiesenthal and the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, in Austria,=20
received the third Honourable Mention "for their denunciation of the=20
crimes committed by the Nazis during the Second World War and their=20
work in education for tolerance and non-violence."

The fourth Honourable Mention was given to the Ramakrishna Mission=20
(India) "for its unrelenting efforts to promote the principles of=20
tolerance and non-violence in assisting disadvantaged groups." The=20
fifth was given to Kids Can Free the Children (Canada), "a youth=20
network which transforms children into local and international peace=20
activists."

The UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and=20
Non-Violence will be presented in a ceremony at Organization=20
Headquarters on November 16, International Day for Tolerance which is=20
also the anniversary of UNESCO=B9s foundation.

The Jury is composed of five members: writer and University=20
of Abidjan-Cocody philosophy professor, Tanella Boni (C=F4te d=B9Ivoire);=20
Nasser El-Ansary; Inder Gujral, former Prime Minister of India;=20
sociologist Julio Labastida Martin del Campo (Mexico), a former=20
UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Social Sciences; Anatoli=20
Torkunov, Rector of the Moscow State Institute of International=20
Relations (Russian Federation).
=8A/

UNESCOPRESS/No.2002-71 - 2

The US$100,000 Prize is dedicated to advancing the spirit of=20
tolerance in the arts, education, culture, science and communication.=20
It is awarded every two years to an individual or an institution for=20
exceptional contributions in the field of tolerance promotion. The=20
Prize was created in 1995 thanks to the generosity of Indian writer=20
and diplomat Madanjeet Singh, who is also a UNESCO Goodwill=20
Ambassador.

In 2000, the Prize was awarded to Egyptian Pope Chenouda III, head of=20
Egypt=B9s Coptic Orthodox Church who works in favour of interfaith=20
dialogue in Egypt and around the world. In 1998, it was shared=20
between the Joint Action Committee for Peoples=B9 Rights of Pakistan=20
and Indian anti-nuclear activist and promoter of religious and ethnic=20
understanding and tolerance, Narayan Dasai.

****

Contact:
Monique Perrot-Lanaud
Tel. +(33) (0)1 45 68 45 40
Email: m.perrot@u...

______

#6.

Bloomers galore in NCERT texts=92 HT Correspondent
(New Delhi, October 4)

Despite the Supreme Court's go-ahead to the revised NCERT social=20
science textbooks, several teachers have pointed out factual errors=20
and misrepresentation in the texts for standards VI and IX.

At a seminar organised by the Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust (SAHMAT),=20
the participants =97 including Springdales School (Pusa Road) principal=20
Ameeta Wattal and Springdales (Dhaula Kuan) principal Jyoti Bose =97=20
described the "discrepancies" in the recently-released books as=20
"regressive" and "misleading".

Suchi Bajaj, a history teacher at Springdales said the books were=20
unacceptable, and most things would have to be taught from "other=20
sources". She said, "The Harappan civilisation has been clubbed with=20
the Vedic Age."

Vishwa Mohan Jha, history teacher at Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College,=20
quoted from the book on contemporary India: "Osama bin Laden and=20
other persons like him have changed the whole world and prompted the=20
US to join hands with India in her fight against terrorism." Also, in=20
the book on modern India, Gandhi's assassination had been completely=20
omitted, he said.

A professor in NCERT's social sciences department said, "Any=20
newly-published text will have mistakes. It's a matter of pointing=20
them out. Whatever was exaggerated earlier is not being done now.=20
Some people are bound to have a problem with that."

**

True or False

* Bronze Age and Iron Age civilisations dismissed as early=20
"non-Indian" civilisations
* Madagascar is in the Arabian Sea
* King Harsha was a Shaivite
* Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose liberated the Andaman islands with Japan's he=
lp
* "Free Goa" volunteers "backed by the Jana Sangh" captured Dadra and=20
Nagar Haveli
* Housing societies had begun in the Neolithic Age
* Fascism and Nazism described as reactions to Stalin's dictatorship
* Russian revolution described as a coup

o o o o

Historians point out errors in new NCERT books

TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ FRIDAY, OCTOBER 04, 2002 11:26:17 PM ]
=95 Human beings had appeared on earth only lakhs of years ago in=20
Africa. A few chapters later, it is stated: For million of years,=20
humans lived by hunting and gathering food.
=95 Madagascar is located in the Arabian Sea. In fact, Madagascar is=20
part of the African sub-continent and is located in the Indian Ocean.
=95 The terracotta female figurine related to the Harappan civilisation=20
has vermilion in her hair. The statue of a deity sitting in yogic=20
posture is God Pashupati (or Shiva). Historians say there is no=20
established evidence for saying so.
=95 Zero was known during the vedic civilisation. They also knew that=20
the earth moved on its own axis and around the sun and also that the=20
moon moved around the earth. A few chapters later, it is stated that=20
zero was introduced in north India after Mauryas and Shungas and that=20
it was Aryabhatta who suggested that the earth revolves around the=20
sun and rotates on its axis.
NEW DELHI: Barely four days after the new social science books for=20
Class 6 and 9 were released by the National Council for Educational=20
Research and Training (NCERT) after a protracted controversy over=20
saffronisation of the educational framework, historians and school=20
teachers held a press conference on Friday to point out factual=20
errors in the new books.
Despite the Supreme Court giving a clean chit to the NCERT, they=20
alleged that the books had a "lurking brahamanical"=92 leaning and did=20
not amount to reduction in the curriculum load, despite reduction in=20
the number of pages.
"The books are badly written and the matter is not in chronological=20
order"=92 Springdales School (Pusa Road) principal Ameeta Wattal said.=20
She added that a lot of information had been condensed into a few=20
pages leading to an information overload.
Among those present at the press conference were historian Arjun Dev,=20
Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma college history teacher V M Jha, Springdales=20
School (Dhaula Kuan) principal Jyoti Bose and history teachers.
According to historians, the list of =91=91errors=92=92 goes on. =91=91The =
Czars=20
it would appear was the name of a dynasty, because the books states=20
that the many generation-old rule of the family of Czars was swept=20
away by a coup led by Lenin,=92=92 Dev said.
Bose added that in the chapter on religions in the Class VI book =97=20
India and the World =97 there is no emphasis on peace, harmony,=20
brotherhood. Instead religions have just been mentioned under=20
separate headings, Bose said. "An ultranationalist emphasis on=20
nationalisation and spiritualism has been thrust up on us without=20
consultations"=92 she said.
"There is a conscious effort to project the Harappan civilisation as=20
Indian. One instance is of the female figurine with vermilion in her=20
hair"=92 Springdales history teacher Shuchi Bajaj added. There is more=20
to come. Jha alleged that the new books seemed to establish the=20
historicity of Chanakya when this was doubtful.
Historians also pointed to references to Hinduism as being the=20
eternal spiritual tradition of India.

______

#7.

PUCL, Sept 2002

Press release:
Violence in Gujarat:
An appeal by PUCL

Gujarat has been in the grip of violence for the past eight or nine=20
months., When violence becomes endemic the question of violence,=20
counter violence or the question who started it first becomes=20
irrelevant. The violence unleashed by the so called defenders of=20
Hindu faith towards the end of Feb and March this year and the=20
violence unleashed on the Hindu population trapped inside the temple=20
by the slain terrorists are acts of madness which call for=20
condemnation.

But to stop at that would be a culpable ritualistic response. Sanity=20
has to steer clear of Hindu Fundamentalists and Islamic bigotry. In a=20
state where law and the Constitution have become totally irrelevant=20
talking to them of the penal consequences of their actions will make=20
no sense. Appeals to rein in the government's fundamentalist=20
aggressiveness have fallen on deaf years and the intimidation of the=20
Muslim community was continuing till the terrorist attack on the=20
Hindus took place in the premises of Aksharadham temple in=20
Gandhinagar.

Terrorists are an anonymous lot and there appears to be no way to=20
appeal to them for making attempts to make them introspect over their=20
foul deeds excepting through the media. Both the fundamentalisms, if=20
allowed to grow, spell disaster to the plural character of Indian=20
society, which has enriched all the faiths flourishing in our=20
subcontinent. It is to this plural character of our polity that we=20
owe our democratic practices despite the governments' authoritarian=20
practices of refusing to recognize our polity's plural character.=20
When the state was killing militant political activists we were=20
repeatedly pointing out that physical liquidation of militants could=20
never lead to liquidation of their politics.

We suppose this stand holds good even for religious violence This=20
position of ours is articulated well by Saadat Hassan Manto in one of=20
his short stories about communal violence, where he points out that=20
of large number of killings of Hindus and Muslims on either side will=20
neither diminish Hinduism nor Islam as religions and their moral=20
tenets have timeless validity: "Don't say one lakh [Lakh =3D 100000]=20
Hindus and one lakh Muslims died; say that two lakhs human beings=20
died. That two lakhs human beings died is not such a great tragedy=20
after all; the tragedy in truth is that those who killed and those=20
who were killed both have nothing to show for it. After killing a=20
lakh of Hindus, the Muslims may have thought that they had finished=20
off Hinduism. But it lives, and it will live on. Like wise, after=20
killing a lakh of Muslims the Hindus would have exulted that this=20
will have killed Islam. ...Those who think that religions can be=20
killed by guns are foolish. Mazhab, deen imaan, dharm, faith, belief=20
- all these are found in our soul, not in our body.. How can they be=20
annihilated by butchers' cleavers, knives bullets?"

Leaders who claim to represent the politics of faith have nothing to=20
with the respective faiths Neither Narendra Modi nor the terrorist=20
outfit which sends young men as suicide squads to death have any such=20
representative capacity In the context "War on terrorism" can only be=20
a communal political slogan and at best may rally some communal=20
support at the election time, but ultimately what is bound to succeed=20
is cultural renaissance which will bring about inter religious=20
understanding and we should strive for that. We owe this to posterity.

K G Kannabiran
27 Sept. '02

_____

#8.

American Federation of Muslims from India
(AFMI) 12th Annual Convention

Theme: POLITICAL EXTREMISM IN INDIA

Sunday October 20, 2002
Long Beach Marriott Hotel
4700 Airport Plaza Drive
Long Beach, CA 90815
Tel: 562 425 5210

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

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