SACW | 6 May 03

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire   | 6 May,  2003

ALERT FOR ACTION: In Defence of the Indian Historian Romila Thapar
http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex/Alerts/IDRT300403.html

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

#1. Bangladesh: Threats and intimidation for secular and independent 
press (Saleem Samad)
#2. Indo-Pak Ties: A Thaw or A Passing Breeze? (Yoginder Sikand)
[Related material: "Vajpayee's last push for peace"  (Karl F. Inderfurth)
#3. India: A Leap of Faith in Indian Politics: Secular Party Shifts 
Strategy as Hindu Nationalism Dominates Discourse (John Lancaster)
[ Related material: Cong leader demand's 'Hindu rashtra' ]
#4. India: Delhi Based Gandhian Attacked by Hindutva's VHP Goons
#5. India's Minorities commission fiddles on the roof while VHP 
distributes its harpoons
#6. India:  Gujarat - Support sought towards a Cultural initiative 
against Communalism
#7. India: My Experience with Dharam Sansad [peddlers of hate in the 
name of religion] (V.K.Tripathi)
#8. Call for Submissions on the S. Asian Experience - "Swayamsevaks 
and Mullahs: Listen up! Writers respond to religious fundamentalism."
#9. Diasporadics festival in NYC on art and activism in South Asian 
Communities across the U.S.


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

#1.

Date: Sun, 04 May 2003 07:29:31 +0600


Threats and intimidation for secular and independent press in Bangladesh

By Saleem Samad

This paper was presented on the auspices of World Press Freedom Day, 
3 May 2003 organised by Bangladesh Centre for Development, Journalism 
and Communication (BCDJC) held at CIRDAB auditorium, Dhaka, 
Bangladesh.

Bangladesh press is apparently a threat to the pro-Islamic and 
pro-rightist elements in the society. After the combined political 
exercise of the pro-right and Islamic alliance catapulted their 
comeback to the helms of affairs of the country, they instead pose 
bigger risk to the press.

Coupled with growing democratic intolerance, criminalisation of 
politics and high level of corruption the toll on the journalists 
under Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia's government was exceptionally 
heavy. The government's coalition of pro-right and pro-Islamist 
further pushed the political hierarchy to a greater intolerance 
toward the independent press, specially newspapers which upheld 
Bangladesh's secular traditions.

The newspapers, journalists and columnists ascertained traditional 
secular believes were targeted by the government's since the 
coalition of pro-right and pro-Islamic came to power in October 2001. 
The worst experience where those who exposed the identity of the war 
criminals of during the bloody war of independence of Bangladesh in 
1971 and covered by civil society's demand for trial of war criminals.

The government's acute paranoia contributed to the already existing 
level of violence against journalists. At least 250 journalists were 
assaulted or threatened with deaths, three journalists murdered, 30 
newspaper offices or press clubs attacked and 25 journalists 
detained, later released by the authorities in 12 months, Bangladesh 
is by far the world's most violent country for journalists, remarked 
Reporters Sans Fronti=E8res Report on 2002.

Political partisans and gangs having links with ruling Bangladesh 
Nationalist Party (BNP), the lead partner in the coalition government 
were responsible for most of the attacks on journalists during 2002 
and even early period of this year. The client-patron relationship 
with the ruling class and the press has unable to dent the existing 
pattern which seems to have come to stay for year to come.

The incidents of the attack on journalists, newspapers and press 
clubs by ruling party militants was never denied. In several 
incidents the ruling party leaders in district towns has sought 
apology of the incidents which also appeared in newspapers. The 
ruling party leaders took up the incidents after they were 
embarrassed by press reports and agitation by local journalists 
bodies.

=46or Bangladeshi journalists, covering crime and corruption can be as 
dangerous as reporting in a war zone. Journalists regularly endure 
vicious attacks, intimidation and repression and since 1998, five 
Bangladeshi journalists have been killed in reprisal for journalistic 
work.

A New York based media watchdog Committee to Protect Journalists 
(CPJ) in their world report 2002 say that all of the five murdered 
journalists were in frontier towns in southwest  an organised 
crime-ridden area rife with extremists groups, gunrunners, and 
smuggling syndicates.

Bangladesh was ranked 118th in RSF Press Freedom Index. Bangladesh 
was among the worst in South Asia, next to Nepal (127), Pakistan 
(119) and Sri Lanka (51).

Nonetheless, Bangladesh's media landscape was never so diverse during 
autocratic regimes until 1990. The top five dailies in circulation 
included pro-secular and independent press. The democratisation 
process has significantly encouraged the growth of pro-secular and 
independent press. Not predicted by media specialists, the secular 
and independent press enjoys overwhelming confidence of the civil 
society and also people who matter in the society. The pro-Islamic 
and pro-government newspapers are gradually loosing trust of the 
people.

On the other hand, the closure of the first private Ekushey TV (ETV), 
after a controversial court decision was a major blow to diversity in 
the broadcast media. The electronic media including satellite 
Channel-I and ATN broadcasts added to the existing secular media.

The April 4 edition of the Far Eastern Economic Review featured a 
cover story branding Bangladesh a "Cocoon of Terror" and warned the 
"rising fundamentalism and religious intolerance are threatening 
secularism and moderate Islam". The government declared the 
publication, sale, reprinting, and preservation of the issue illegal. 
The Hong Kong­based magazine, which ordinarily has a very small 
readership in Bangladesh, did not appear on newsstands but was 
accessible on the internet.

In August, a religious group and instigated by the Islami Oikya Jote, 
a coalition partner called for the arrest for blasphemy of anyone 
involved with a play staged in the town of Faridpur, in southwest 
about life of Prophet Muhammad. Police arrested the playwright, as 
well as two journalists Amalesh Rai and Alokesh Rai suspected to have 
written the drama. Several Hindu journalists in Faridpur town 
received death threats, and a group armed with machetes and axes 
attacked one reporter after he publicly criticised the protestors.

In October, TIME magazine reported that Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters 
from Afghanistan had sought refuge in Bangladesh. In the report, Time 
noted that "the Bangladeshi government typically reacts with fury to 
reports of Jihadi camps or fundamentalism within its borders". 
=46oreign Secretary Shamser Mobin Chowdhury called the report 
"irresponsible and malicious" and suggested it was part of "an 
orchestrated campaign designed to malign the country's international 
image as a liberal democratic country".

At the end of 2002 a wave of arrests of journalists linked to the 
"international conspiracy" were detained including two foreign 
journalists. The government exploited patriotic sentiment to convince 
the population that certain Bangladeshi and foreign journalists were 
trying to destabilise the country by exposing the rise of Islamist. 
Those who contradicted were subjected to harassment and intimidation 
with the support of pro-Islamic and pro-ruling party press.

In November, authorities detained two Channel-4 TV crew Zaiba Malik 
(British) and Bruno Sorrentino (Italian) preparing a documentary on 
"Unreported World" on secularism to Islamification were accused of 
sedition. The Home Ministry said that the journalists were arrested 
for their "malicious intent of portraying Bangladesh as an Islamic 
fanatical country". They were released after 16 days and were 
deported after signing a statement agreeing not to use any of their 
footage from Bangladesh. However, journalists Priscila Raj and RSF 
correspondent Saleem Samad, who had worked for the Channel 4 TV crew 
as interpreter and fixer, were also detained and charged with 
involvement in "anti-state activities".

Soon Shahriar Kabir, a documentary filmmaker, columnist of the 
largest circulated daily Janakantha, and author of several books 
about Bangladesh's war crimes, had been put behind bars in November 
2001, for "anti-state activities". Officials arrested him at the 
Dhaka airport upon his return from India, where he had interviewed 
Hindu religious minority who fled there following reprisals against 
their community after the October 1, 2001, parliamentary elections. 
Once again Shahriar Kabir was arrested in mid December and 
authorities said that he was being held in connection with a sedition 
case against two journalists of Channel 4.

Prof. Muntassir Mamun, a columnist and historian, were among several 
prominent government critics arrested on December 8 in the capital, 
Dhaka. He had been outspoken of war crimes committed by pro-Islamist 
elements presently with the coalition government led by Begum Khaleda 
Zia. He was held under sedition laws of trying to destabilise the 
government.

Police also arrested Enamul Haque Chowdhury, a reporter for the 
officials newsagency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) and also 
stringer for Reuters news service, for allegedly fabricating 
comments, attributed to the home minister, that Al-Qaeda may have 
been responsible for a series of bombings on December 7, 2002, that 
killed at least 17 people in Mymensingh.

Nonetheless, the secular and independent press is experiencing the 
wraths of the pro-right and pro-Islamist coalition government. The 
repressive measures were spontaneous when the journalists exposed the 
bad governance of the democratically elected representatives of 
parliament, municipality and even the lowest tier of local government 
Union Parishad. The government and pro-Islamist parties do not 
hesitate to brand any newspaper as "anti-state" when they criticise 
"Islamification" of cultural traditions.


_____



#2.


Date: Mon, 05 May 2003 07:11:34 +0000

Indo-Pak Ties: A Thaw or A Passing Breeze?
		Yoginder Sikand

Whispered rumblings of a thaw in India-Pakistan relations have been 
greeted by great euphoria in some quarters in both countries and by 
fierce opposition in others. Much speculation has gone into the 
political compulsions behind recent moves to improve ties between the 
two estranged neighbours. Whatever be the case, it is clear that in 
the presence of the vocal religious right-wing in both countries 
halting efforts by the governments of India and Pakistan to at least 
appear to be nudging closer to each other can hardly lead to a final, 
long-lasting peace. Being themselves heavily dependent on militant 
religious outfits, both governments seem unwilling, if not unable, to 
reign in advocates of religious war, who see their principal task as 
the destruction of the other country. In the absence of a strong 
secular movement in both countries, it appears that chances for a 
sensible solution to the vexed question of Indo-Pakistan relations 
shall continue to remain dim, and that token gestures of friendships 
on the part of both governments can in no way lead to a radical 
breakthrough in bilateral relations.

In both India and Pakistan, the ultra-religious groups, consisting of 
a motley collection of terrorists parading in the garb of religion, 
have received a major boost in recent years, deliberately courted and 
lavishly patronized by their respective regimes. In Pakistan, for 
instance, the Islamist terrorist outfit,  Lashkar-i-Tayyeba is said 
to have been generously assisted by the Inter-Services Intelligence, 
the country=92s notorious secret service organization, in order to 
promote Pakistani strategic objectives in Kashmir and Afghanistan. 
The Lashkar, which continues to wreak such havoc in Kashmir and, 
increasingly, in other parts of India as well, makes no secret about 
its ultimate goal: the destruction of India and its absorption into 
what it calls a =91Greater Pakistan=92. It aims, as it itself puts it, to 
finally fly the green flag of Islam atop the Red Fort in Delhi.  It 
sees its armed =91jihad=92 as directed against not just the Indian state, 
but against Hindus as such, who are condemned as =91enemies of God=92, 
and, hence, fit to be killed. Muslims are promised great heavenly 
rewards if they die fighting the Hindus.

In India, Hindu terrorists affiliated to the Sangh Parivar and the 
ruling BJP continue their bloody campaign of murder and mayhem, 
principally directed against the country=92s Muslims. Emboldened by the 
BJP=92s active assistance in the recent pogroms against the Muslims in 
Gujarat, in which several thousands lost their lives, Hindutva groups 
have now embarked on a countrywide campaign of terror, distributing 
lethal tridents to mass gatherings of Hindus, which, presumably, are 
to be used against hapless Muslims. The government has, predictably, 
done absolutely nothing to stop the campaign. To the contrary, the 
supposedly liberal Prime Minister constantly reiterates his undying 
faith in the Sangh Parivar, under whose blessings the campaign is 
being conducted. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad=92s  Pravin Togadia, 
lionized by the Sangh Parivar as the latest icon of Hindutva-brand 
nationalism, criss-crosses the length and breadth of India 
unhindered, spewing venom against Muslims and Christians and 
distributing lethal weapons to large crowds. For its part, the state 
looks on in complete apathy, colluding in this campaign of terror 
that threatens to send India hurtling towards civil war. Meanwhile, 
Togadia continues to be lionized in the press, countering his 
Pakistani terrorist counterparts with equally menacing threats. His 
latest demand: Indian tanks patrolling the streets of Lahore; Indian 
missiles in Rawalpindi; and the Hindu saffron flag flying atop 
buildings in Karachi. In a strange echo of the Lashkar=92s final 
objective, Togadia now claims that the Hindu crusade that he leads 
shall carry on =91till Pakistan is dismembered and India is reunited=92.

Terrorists parading in the guise of religious zealots thus constitute 
the single gravest threat to any efforts to improve relations between 
India and Pakistan. It is easy to see why this should be the case. If 
India and Pakistan, Hindus and Muslims, draw closer to each other in 
a spirit of true reconciliation, resolving to a chart a new history 
together, the religious right in both countries stand to lose their 
own legitimacy and very raison d=92etre, built as it is on the notion 
of an undying conflict between Hinduism and Islam. In this context, 
the need for a strong secular movement in both India and Pakistan has 
never been more urgent than before in order to take on the religious 
right on its own turf. For too long have South Asian secularists 
ignored the importance of religion in our peoples=92 lives, thus 
leaving the entire domain of the religious to terrorists who speak 
the language of hate and war. The time has now come for secularists 
to join hands with people of faith to discover and promote alternate 
understandings of religion and community that actively seek to 
embrace the =91other=92 in a spirit of generous ecumenism, and thereby 
rescue religion from the merchants of terror.

India and Pakistan have had a long history of Sufism and Bhakti 
spirituality, of progressive dissenting traditions that critique 
entrenched religious establishments and point the way to a genuine 
spirituality transcending narrowly inscribed communal boundaries. A 
principal task before the secularists, and all those seriously 
committed to a genuine breakthrough in India-Pakistan relations, must 
therefore be to actively struggle for new understandings of religion 
that can take on the spokesmen of hatred parading in the guise of the 
guardians of religious orthodoxy, Hindu as well as Muslim. Till then, 
all talk of improving Indo-Pak relations by governments in both 
countries, who continue to patronize religious zealots and 
terrorists, can be safely ignored as so much hogwash.

o o o

The Hindu, May 06, 2003
"Vajpayee's last push for peace"
By Karl F. Inderfurth
http://www.hinduonnet.com/stories/2003050600761000.htm


_____

#3.

The Washington Post
Monday, May 5, 2003; Page A13

A Leap of Faith in Indian Politics
Secular Party Shifts Strategy as Hindu Nationalism Dominates Discourse

By John Lancaster
Washington Post Foreign Service

BHOPAL, India -- Digvijay Singh is by most accounts a modern-minded 
man. Educated as an engineer, the urbane and aristocratic chief 
minister of the state of Madhya Pradesh has won international 
recognition for his efforts on conservation, Internet access in rural 
areas, and affirmative action for women and the lowest castes.

How, then, to explain his recent infatuation with cow urine?

"I only drank it once," he said, a tad defensively, before extolling 
its virtues -- in distilled form -- as a potential treatment for 
diseases as serious as cancer and AIDS.

"There's a tremendous medicinal value," he said, adding that cow 
urine also makes "an excellent pesticide" when combined with leaves 
from India's ubiquitous neem tree.

Whatever the scientific basis for Singh's claims, there is no mystery 
about the political one: Singh, a leading light of India's 
secular-oriented Congress party, is facing a tough reelection 
challenge from Uma Bharti, a saffron-robed Hindu mendicant -- who 
also happens to be a member of Parliament -- from the 
Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which heads India's 
coalition government.

Cows and cow products are sacred to Hindus, who represent 82 percent 
of India's billion-plus people. Touting the wonders of cow urine, 
analysts say, is part of Singh's strategy to neutralize the appeal of 
the Hindu-nationalist doctrine -- called "Hindutva" -- at the core of 
the BJP's platform.

More broadly, it is an example of how the Hindu-nationalist agenda is 
coming to dominate political discourse in India, drowning out debate 
on other topics and sowing doubts about the country's future as a 
secular, pluralistic democracy.

Singh, 56, hasn't stopped with bovine waste. In the past few months, 
he has advocated a nationwide ban on the killing of cows for meat; 
approved the opening of an ancient mosque -- said to contain a ruined 
Hindu temple -- to Hindus once a week; and accused his challenger of 
offending the monkey god Hanuman by offering a non-vegetarian 
birthday cake at a shrine to the Hindu deity. (The cake allegedly 
contained an egg.)

Political commentators have dubbed the strategy "soft Hindutva." They 
describe it as an effort by the Congress party to undercut charges by 
the BJP and its allies that Congress is insensitive to Hindu concerns 
in the run-up to crucial state elections that will set the stage for 
national polls next year.

"I am a deeply religious person," said Singh, whose forehead bears 
the vermilion dot that Hindus apply before prayer. "I want to take 
them on squarely and call their bluff."

But the approach has its critics. Secular liberals, in particular, 
say soft Hindutva legitimizes issues best left out of politics and 
could inflame communal passions at the expense of India's large 
Muslim minority, which often has been on the receiving end of 
right-wing Hindu wrath. At the very least, they say, the strategy has 
diverted attention from more important issues, such as health care, 
in a country where half of all children are malnourished and one in 
11 dies before the age of 5.

"It is in the long run dangerous, because inch by inch you are giving 
them space, and you are giving public respectability to issues that 
don't deserve to be in the public domain," said Zoya Hasan, a 
professor of political science at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New 
Delhi. "The other side is defining the terms of the debate."

India was founded as a secular state, but religion has always played 
an important role in its politics. That has been especially true over 
the past decade, as BJP appeals to Hindu pride have helped the party 
replace Congress as India's dominant political force. The BJP also 
has profited from a sense among many Hindus that Congress has been 
overly solicitous toward Indian Muslims.

Part of a family of Hindu revivalist groups, the BJP has often been 
accused of fanning communal passions for political advantage. Human 
rights groups, for example, have charged the BJP-led government in 
the state of Gujarat with tacitly supporting Hindu mobs that killed 
hundreds of Muslims last year; the violence began when Muslim 
extremists set fire to a train carrying Hindu activists, killing 59. 
Last fall, the state government was reelected in a landslide.

The BJP's political opponents now accuse the party of trying to apply 
the "Gujarat formula" -- vows to restore Hindu honor coupled with 
thinly veiled attacks on the patriotism of Indian Muslims -- to 
elections in other states.

Madhya Pradesh, in central India, is one of them. As the campaign 
season heated up earlier this year, activists from the Vishwa Hindu 
Parishad, or World Hindu Council -- which is closely allied with the 
BJP -- began accusing Singh and his government of condoning "cow 
slaughter" in the state, where the practice is outlawed. Scores of 
Muslim-owned shops were burned.

"It became a huge headache for us," said an aide to Singh who asked 
to remain anonymous. "They were trying to create a Gujarat-like 
situation with their rhetoric on cow slaughter. That's when the 
[chief minister] decided to take them on directly on Hindutva."

To that end, the state government accused the BJP-led government in 
New Delhi of presiding over an increase in beef exports. Singh lent 
his support to a campaign to enact a nationwide ban on the killing of 
cows. Congress party activists in the state went even further, 
putting up posters that accused Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee 
of eating beef. (Singh denies any role in that effort.)

"He doesn't want to alienate the Hindus," the aide said. "After all, 
he's a politician. He has to get their votes."

Similar calculations were at work when Singh, in an effort to defuse 
violent protests, moved to grant Hindus access once a week to a 
ruined temple in a mosque in the city of Dhar.

More recently, Singh and his political allies sought to make 
political hay out of the birthday cake episode, forcing Bharti to 
publicly declare that the offering was in fact a "milk cake" that did 
not contain an egg. She subsequently called for a criminal inquiry to 
prove her innocence. Singh now says he was offended by the candle 
that adorned the cake, asserting that only oil lamps should be 
brought inside a temple.

In an interview at his official residence, Singh said his raising of 
religious issues was intended only to show that the BJP has no 
monopoly on Hinduism. He accused the party and its allies of 
distorting a religion founded on principles of tolerance and 
nonviolence and noted that his government has arrested Hindu as well 
as Muslim extremists.

"Hindus by nature are not communalists," he said, accusing the Hindu 
nationalists of promoting a chauvinistic form of the religion that is 
"dividing the society" and thus playing into the hands of Muslim 
fundamentalists. "We are breeding Osama bin Ladens in the 
neighborhood," he said.

A onetime child preacher, Bharti is a Hindu sadhvi -- a kind of holy 
woman -- and former federal cabinet minister who has long been 
associated with the Hindutva movement. In 1992, she was arrested 
along with other prominent politicians on charges of inciting a Hindu 
mob that demolished a mosque allegedly built on the birthplace of the 
god Ram. The incident set off communal riots that killed as many as 
2,000 people. The case involving Bharti, who is now in her 
mid-forties, is still pending.

A campaign appearance by Bharti this week in Patan, a sunbaked 
farming community about 140 miles east of Bhopal, the state capital, 
had the air of a religious festival. As speakers offered prayers 
under a canopy set up in the main square, Bharti sat on the stage 
receiving garlands of marigolds and occasionally rupees from members 
of the crowd, some of whom touched her feet in a gesture of devotion.

Bharti then rose to speak, accusing Singh's government of neglecting 
basic services such as road work and power. But her message was heavy 
with the symbols of Hindutva. "In the last 10 years, hundreds of 
thousands of cows have been butchered," she told the crowd, urging 
her listeners to begin each day by giving roti, a kind of bread, to a 
cow. "Leave it at her feet. Say, 'Hey mother, bless us with the BJP 
government, which will make you fearless and will help you roam 
around freely like you did before, during the times of Lord Krishna.' 
"

In an interview on her way to the next public appearance, Bharti 
denied that religion was playing a central role in her campaign. 
"Hindutva is my life, my soul, my personal belief," she said. "But 
here in Madhya Pradesh, the issue is bad governance."

Special correspondent Rama Lakshmi contributed to this report.

o o o

[ Related Material]

The Indian Express, May 05, 2003

Cong in a tight spot over Sathe's demand for Hindu rashtra
http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=3D21135

_____

#4.

[ VIMAL BHAI THE WELL KNOWN DELHI BASED GANDHIAN ATTACKED BY HINDUTVA GOONS =
 ]

Sent: Sunday, May 04, 2003 6:22 PM
Subject: VHP's goondagardi in Delhi

Dear All,

Vimal ji called me around 4 pm today to say that he along with Gayatri and
another person tried to quitely (through demonstrating slogans over posters)
say that people do not need trishuls, but work and roti, when VHP people
were led by Pravin Togadia were trying to distribute trishuls, they were
attacked by a group os lathidhari VHP people and badly beaten up. This
happened around 10.30 hours. When he called me they had already got some
medical examination done and was an FIR was being registered. Aaj tak people
have spoken to him and the story was already out he was saying.[...].

best wishes,
Himanshu

______

#5.

[The news report below says that the top functionaries of the India's 
National Commission of Minorities  endorse distribution of tridents 
by Hindutva activists since its a 'strictly religious ritual'...; 
this speaks volumes about the state of institutions of India's 
secular Republic. Take a few minutes and write to the NCM to tell 
what you think of their approval of VHP's 'Trishul Diksha'. Here is 
how to contact these Johnies who twiddle their thumbs while fascists 
spread their agenda of hate in India. ]

The web site of the National Commission of Minorities, India is: 
http://ncm.nic.in/
The physical address is:
5th Floor,
Lok Nayak Bhavan,
Khan Market,
New Delhi 110 003 [India]
=46ax 24693302, 24642645, 24698410

Chairman of NCM:  Shri Tarlochan Singh
Official Phone: 24690592 /  24698410
Office E-mail : <chairmanncm@ncm.delhi.nic.in>

Vice Chairman of NCM: M S Usmani
Official Phone: 4690809
Official E-mail: <vcncm@ncm.delhi.nic.in>

o o o

Minorities commission gives clean chit to VHP

NDTV Correspondent

Monday, May 5, 2003 (New Delhi):

Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leaders including Praveen Togadia and 
others met the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) today.
And much to everyone's surprise, not only did the minorities 
commission avoid a reprimand, it actually endorsed the trishul diksha.
"The trishul is being distributed in a religious ceremony, it is not 
meant to create harm," said M S Usmani, vice chairman, NCM.

More demands

Earlier, in a letter to the VHP asking its leaders to come for 
today's meeting, the commission had held it responsible for 
shattering the country's communal fabric.
But by the end of the day, the NCM was even willing to look at other 
more controversial demands made by the VHP. These include:

Minority leaders must publicly condemn every terrorist attacks, 
especially those that take place in Jammu and Kashmir
Certain words like kafir and jehad be removed from Islamic religious 
texts, and speeches
A change in madrassas' curriculum. The VHP claims that there's too 
much emphasis in it on what they call anti Indian rulers like Ghazni 
and Aurangzeb.
Justifying VHP stance

"We have understood the VHP's irritations. We will try out best to 
remove these. Unless we know what the majority commission wants, we 
can't succeed," said Tarlochan Singh, chairman, NCM.
The commission also claims it got an assurance from the VHP that none 
of it's programmes are anti minority and that the organistaion will 
work for a dialogue to achieve harmony.
The commission has no statutory powers and what it says is not 
binding, and according to many experts it is a toothless body that 
has become increasingly politicized.
But the NCM does have moral authority, which the VHP could use to 
justify its future controversial campaigns.


_____

#6.

[Appeal for Support towards Cultural initiative against Communalism ]
Date: Mon, 5 May 2003 09:53:07 +0530

Dear [...],
Greetings from Gujarat.
Below is a long term cultural initiative we have embarked upon in Ahmedabad
since April'03, needing lot of support from secular activists and
organisations.
[...]
In Solidarity
wilfred
--------------------------------------------------------------------

THEATRE INTERVENTIONS IN CONFLICT RESOLUTION
The recent events in Gujarat have completely shattered the secular polity
and torn asunder the democratic fabric of the state. The atrocities
perpetuated during the riots have been the gruesome targeting of the poor,
especially women and children, attacked brutally as never before in the
history of India. They have been subject to rape, mutilation, murder and
burning, and to witnessing the same being done unto their family members,
friends and neighbours.
As we see today, many have returned to their homes, some willingly, but most
under duress. Day after day Gujarat will probably seem to return to an
apparent state of normalcy. Thousands of men, women and children have been
scarred for life, and if their trauma, rage, incomprehension, and need for
security and development are swept under the carpet and not addressed, such
repression will inevitably result in massive eruptions of violence and
turbulence in the coming years.
While the conflict continues to pit society on polarized communal divides,
we feel that this is more imperative now than ever to provide a cultural
response to mobilize people across class, caste and gender divides. There is
a dire need to culturally sensitise the people to shed the prejudices and
myths about each other. Only the tools of culture can make effective
interventions on these lines and provide an impetus to the peace-building
process to ensure that these recent events do not negatively & destructively
shape the lives of the next generation of adults and the entire social
fabric of Gujarat and aid the communities in overcoming the divides to focus
the discourse on development issues of the poor and vulnerable sections of
society.
Cultural tools like theatre and music can effectively address the conflict
issues to heal the wounds and conscientise the people to move in the
direction of building a society based on peace and harmony.
Theatre for Conflict Resolution
Theatre has always played a key role in culturally responding to social
issues. IPTA played a major role in the freedom movement and in
post-independence period to highlight the issues of the poor and toiling
masses. Badal Sircar's "Third Theatre" heralded a new body theatre approach
to give vent to the problems of tribals, urban poor and the exploited
vulnerable sections of Indian Society. Augusto Boal's "Theatre of the
Oppressed" has created a cultural space to resolve conflict and organize the
oppressed in Latin America, finding several adherents in West Bengal &
Andhra Pradesh too.
This project is aimed at creating a theatre academy of young artists largely
from the oppressed sections of the society with a long-term commitment and
vision to address the issues afflicting society in the interests of peace
and resisting fascism. This is an effort to revive the theatre movement by
creating a cadre of young conscious secular artists to analyse conflicts in
our society and culturally respond to sensitise common people, strengthen
secular efforts, and provide a cultural meaning to efforts for peace
building and development.
"SAMVEDAN (consciousness)" THEATRE PROGRAMME
- To create a theatre academy of young artists largely from the oppressed
sections of the society with a long-term commitment and vision to address
the issues afflicting society in the interests of peace and harmony.
- To revive the theatre movement by creating a cadre of young conscious
secular artists to analyse conflicts in our society and culturally respond
to sensitise common people, strengthen secular efforts by civil society
organizations, and provide a cultural meaning to efforts for peace building
and development.
- To usher a group dynamics among the young artists to develop sensitivity
towards issues of gender, discrimination, conflict, etc.
- To influence the cultural community of artists in Gujarat to engage in the
society's peace-building efforts.
- To influence Gujarat society to engage in the society's peace-building
efforts by starting the process of dialogue, questioning and thinking.
- To contribute to a chain reaction (multiplier effect) of young artists
further influencing other youngsters in their localities to join in these
efforts and expand the spheres of influence and mobilization.
- To act as a watchdog (by sensitizing people) to ensure that the
developmental process in society functions effectively and smoothly in the
interests of all the vulnerable sections.
The following will be the methodology of group formation and activities:
- Enrollment of 20 youth with an interest and aptitude in theatre, music,
etc. The youth were selected largely from the vulnerable sections like
women, dalits, tribals and OBCs.
- Year-long full-time curriculum of learning, sharing and performing.
- The group will try and understand issues of conflict like communalism,
globalization, problems of tribals/dalits, etc.
- The group will try and learn different theatre ideologies and experiments.
- As a fall-out of the group's curriculum, a fortnightly discussion group
(public) will provide a platform to intellectuals and activists to 
discuss on conflict issues.
  -Another fortnightly discussion forum will address issues of theatre 
and culture
-The group, along with activists from other secular grassroots 
organizations, will participate in two workshops on theatre 
experiments, skills and techniques.
-The group will enact 6 small plays and 2 major productions in 1 year.
The play performance will be interactive and shaped by intense 
discussions with the audience. The group will try and raise the 
issues and provoke a discussion with the audience. The solutions 
proposed by the audience will be incorporated and performed by the 
group alone or with the audience. Over 200 shows of the plays will be 
performed reaching out to over 2,00,000 people in Gujarat and other 
states.
-Cultural activists of NGOs trained in the workshops will also take 
the skills and learnings to their organizations and further the 
spread of the theatre movement. Project Coordinator: Mr. Hiren 
Gandhi: He has been in theatre for over 30 years and has actively 
contributed to the theatre movement through "Sanskrutik Manch." He 
has also trained a large number of theatre groups, cultural activists 
and cultural programmes of several leading NGOs. His paper on "Why 
Gujarat is the laboratory of Indian communal-fascism?" generated 
heated discussions and debates in 1999 and was widely circulated over 
the internet. During the recent riots, he organized street plays in 
Ahmedabad through 'Aman Samuday.' He was the key organizer of the 
"Festival for peace 2002" in December (Ahmedabad) which brought 
together several leading musical artistes, drama and street theatre 
groups from all over India. He (along with Dr. Saroop Dhruv) ran the 
"Jagrat (awakening)" programme in St. Xavier's College during 1992-97 
which used cultural tools to address issues of conflict among the 
students across caste, communal, rural/urban, ethnicity divides.
The programme is still going on as an institutional exercise to 
provide cultural tools to address conflict.

Project Committee: The committee will include Dr. Saroop Dhruv 
(feminist poetess/activist/writer), Wilfred D'Costa (social activist, 
INSAF), Prasad Chacko (Director, Behavioural Science Centre), 
Rajkumar Nagar (lecturer and theatre activist), Kabir Thakore 
(architect & theatre activist), and Gazala Paul (Director, SAMERTH).
=46INANCIAL SUPPORT: We request support for this endeavour by 
contributions, sponsorship of members of the theatre group, etc. Join 
us in this cultural movement for peace activism.
Contact for more details:
SAMVEDAN THEATRE PROGRAMME,
Tel: +91-79-6820088/ 6815484, email: willy@vsnl.com

_____

#7.

Date: Sun, 23 Feb 2003 08:15:37 +0530 (IST)
=46rom: Prof VK Tripathi [New Delhi]
Subject: Dharam Sansad Meeting

My Experience with Dharam Sansad
V.K.Tripathi

On February 22, 2003, I went to the meeting of Dharam Sansad, an RSS 
affiliated body of Sadhus, at Ramlila Ground, Delhi. When I entered 
the venue, Mr.Praveen Bhai Togadia was speaking to a gathering of 
about 4000 sadhus. He was saying that the Hindu pilgrims going to 
Amarnath are not provided any subsidy, while the Muslims are given 
Rs.23,000 subsidy to go to Haj. Pakistan, Iran or Iraq do not provide 
any subsidy then why India is doing that? It is a crime against 
Hindus. Miya Musharraf says that Madarsas are breeding grounds for 
terrorists, then why does not our government close down them here. We 
are facing widespread terrorism. If we do not act Hindus will be 
unsafe and we will create ten Pakistans in India, one in Meerut, one 
in North Bihar, one in Assam, one in Rajasthan, one in Kerela,=8AThe 
only solution to all these problems is to declare India a Hindu 
Rashtra. We will have to fight a mahabharata (battle) by organizing 
Hindus in every village. On one side will be the Hindus, while on the 
other will be the beggars of Muslim votes, secularists, communists 
etc.

Similar was the tone of other speakers. I felt shaken. I was carrying 
with me our flyers "Sachchai aur Shanti par Tikein" (hold on to truth 
and Peace). I wrote a brief note to Mr. Togadia on top of a flyer, 
"You have talked of a Mahabharata. This will not be based on soul 
force but brute force and will make criminals the hero. May we see 
the agony of the masses and not get agitated by their labels of 
religion. I went to the dais and gave it to a volunteer, who promised 
to pass it to Mr. Togadia through another volunteer.

Then I talked to about fifty sadhus individually. I said that the 
mahabharata advocated by Togadia ji would bring out the shaitan 
(devil) out of us, not the sanity. Dardmandi (sensitivity) is missing 
in these talks. Some sadhus listened to my arguments without 
adversely reacting. They took my flyer and a few of them even read 
it. Others would say, " your concerns are rooted in gross ignorance", 
"Hindus are being oppressed and exploited by the Muslims, why should 
they not fight back". When I tried to tell them that exploitation is 
incurred by the rich and the powerful, 90% of whom are Hindus, they 
would ask me to move ahead. Some underprivileged sadhus showed some 
appreciation of my argument.

As I was leaving after two and half hours, I talked to policemen and 
gave them my flyer. To my big surprise they liked it. Some even said 
that the issues raised by the Dharam Sansad are election gimmicks, 
they vitiate the atmosphere. They expressed their willingness to read 
my book, "People-Centric Nationalism". I gave them three copies.

I realized that the proximity to power has made these people so 
arrogant. Any further consolidation in their favor will bring 
ruthless suppression of every sane voice and dissent. Liberals among 
the Muslims are already under fear as they may be booked under POTA 
without any reason. Liberal Hindus too feel a pressure. In USA, for 
instance, two decades ago non-political liberal Indians would feel no 
inhibition in expressing their objective views, among the NRIs, on 
political and social issues in India. Now they prefer to keep quiet 
for fear of getting branded as anti-Hindu or anti-nation. It is not 
that most Hindus are communal but the communalists are well knit and 
aggressive. In India many adcademic institutions and bodies are being 
headed by people with affiliation to sectarian organizations. This 
has emboldened the communal elements from faculty, staff and students 
to assert their authority. Political affiliation is becoming the 
overriding criterion for new appointments and promotions, over and 
above merit and honesty. As a consequence not many voices were heard 
from academic circles last year against massive Gujarat violence, and 
NCERT drive on rewriting of text books. In trade and business, the 
liberals are in a minority and may get out of favor if they do not 
fall in line. Religious institutions are already in control of the 
sectarian organizations. Thus the space for open minded people is 
fast shrinking which is a very serious danger.

Before closing let me make a comment on subsidy for Haj pilgrimage. 
The subsidy is like an incentive for business or for keeping the 
community mum. Each Haj pilgrim spends above eighty thousand rupees 
of which govt share is effectively twelve or fifteen thousand due to 
the mode of payment. Secondly, a vast majority of Muslims are 
economically poor despite hard work and skills as they are not the 
masters of their economic activity. Their share in ownership, 
business, administration and political power is less than 3%. The 
surplus value of their labor adds to the treasury from which subsidy 
is paid. However, the beneficiaries of subsidy are not the Muslim 
masses but the better off among them. Hence in place of subsidy, it 
would be much better if the exploitation of the working classes is 
stopped and they are helped to start their own enterprises by 
providing them technical training, initial investment and avenues for 
marketing their goods.

Madarsas in India are catering to the education of poor Muslims. They 
have not shown any connection to terrorism. Nevertheless, Madarsa 
education needs revision because children need to learn mathematics, 
science and skills to survive in the world. Let regular schools 
provide good education and reduce the drop out rate from primary and 
junior high schools from an alarming high of 70%, Muslims children 
will automatically join them.

Liberal people have a major responsibility of spreading the culture 
of self enquiry to win over fears and to cut down political life line 
of cummunal forces.

_____

#8.

Date: Mon, 05 May 2003 14:08:43 -0400

Call for Submissions

Do the current socio-political events taking place in
South Asia concern you?  Are you disgruntled,
disillusioned, infuriated or horrified? Grieved or
apathetic?  Have you reacted emotionally and written
about the experience? If so, we want to hear your
voice.

An un-named two poets collective, we are looking for
writers and poets to submit work for an event entitled
"Swayamsevaks and Mullahs: Listen up! Writers respond
to religious fundamentalism." We are looking for work
that touches upon current or historical events,
phenomena or social structures that have developed
around religious extremism in India, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. We urge that writers
feel free to send work that even alludes to politics,
without necessarily adopting the language of
politics.  We want to help create a space where
writers feel like they can talk about politics of the
subcontinent in their own language, using their
own metaphors and imagining their own images. There
has been much valuable reportage and academic analysis
on the issue; we want to create a space where artists
can give their interpretations.

We want to underline that a response to religious
fundamentalism can include critiques of any of the
following:
--Hindu fundamentalism in India (especially the
Gujarat massacres), military governments in Pakistan,
the LTTE, Moaist rebels in Nepal; casteism, minority
subordination, women's subjugation, media bias,
freedom of expression, civil liberties, anti-terrorism
legislation, etc,
--The construction of history
--Civil society
--Identity politics and multiculturalism

We are looking for poetry, creative non-fiction and
short fiction. Submissions may include multiple
pieces, but individual pieces should be no longer than
5-7 minutes. Please send submissions included in the
body of your e-mail to either of the following
addresses:
Subuhi Jiwani <subuhimjiwani@yahoo.com>
Suneel Mubayi <suneelferozemubayi@yahoo.com>

The tentative location of this event is the CUNY
Graduate Center on 34th Street and 5th Ave. It is
scheduled for the last week of May. Organizations
that have made this event possible include CUNY's
Postcolonial Studies Group, International South Asia
=46orum (www.insaf.net) and Subcontinental Magazine
(www.subcontinental.org).

Happy writing and we look forward to reading your
work!
Subuhi Jiwani
Suneel Mubayi

_____


#9.

DIASPORADICS is a pioneering festival in NYC focusing on art and 
activism in South Asian Communities across the U.S.  This event will 
showcase the work of emerging South Asian artists who explore and 
advance themes of progressive social change.

May 9th
Come be inspired by a night of elegant literature and fierce spoken word
Hosted by SALAAM Theatre founder Geeta Citygirl

=46eaturing readings by Natasha Singh, Alka Bhargava, Neelima Reddy, 
Geeta Malik, Prageeta Sharma and Leah-Lakshmi Piepzma

7pm @ Asian American Writers' Workshop
16 W. 32nd St, Suite 10A (b/w 5th & 6th Ave)
$10; reservations: 
<http://65.54.246.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?_lang=3DEN&lah=3Df798daa9772ce019d002c1=
a77134e944&lat=3D1052155666&hm___action=3Dhttp%3a%2f%2fus%2ef207%2email%2eya=
hoo%2ecom%2fym%2fCompose%3fTo%3ddiasporadics2003%40yahoo%2ecom>diasporadics2=
003@yahoo.com

May 10th
Take in an evening of dynamic performances in music, dance & comedy

Hosted by Comedian Vijai Nathan

=46eaturing music by Himalayan Project w/DJ Disctraction, Abstract & 
Humanity and Myth Undreamt...comedy by Paul Varghese and our hostess 
Vijai Nathan...dance by Inner[di]visions
7pm @ Florence Gould Hall
55 E. 59th St. (b/w Park & Madison)
Ticket prices: $15-20
Tickets are available online @ ticketmaster.com,
By phone (212.355.6160), By fax (212.355.6189)
or at the Florence Gould Hall Box Office



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

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The complete SACW archive is available at: http://sacw.insaf.net

DISCLAIMER: Opinions expressed in materials carried in the posts do not
necessarily reflect the views of SACW compilers.
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