SACW | 21 Dec. 2003

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire  |  21 December,  2003
via:  www.sacw.net

[1] Bangladesh: Anti-Ahmadiyya agitation
[2] Pakistan: Ministry of Education I and II  [on text books that 
push hate etc] (Farrukh Saleem)
[3] India / Pakistan: Tapan Bose Talking peace (Zaman Khan)
[4] India: 'Minister told Dangs tribals to live as Hindus'
+  background news report from from 2002 [Gujarat mantri threatens 
Dangs Christians
- By Deepal Trevedie]


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

[1]

The Daily Star
Sun. December 21, 2003	 
  	 
Editorial

Editorial
Anti-Ahmadiyya agitation
Religious fanaticism must be countered effectively
Religious fanatics, who have long been fomenting anti-Ahmadiyya 
sentiments, have again threatened the government with 'dire 
consequences', should it fail to evict the Ahmadiyyas from their 
mosque at Nakhalpara by January 3.

The threats are the words coming from a group of fanatics who do not 
represent the majority Muslims. But the very fact that the ultimatum 
has been issued, and the fanatics are making a determined bid to 
execute their plan of occupying the mosque, speak volumes for the 
inadequate government response to the movement being launched against 
the members of a small sect. The minister for religious affairs had 
assured us that the government would protect the religious rights of 
all citizens.

The latest ultimatum, however, gives us a different picture the 
fanatics are ready to swoop on a small, vulnerable community, which 
has been identified as non-Muslims by the aggressors. Now the 
question is, who has given them the authority to decide who is a 
Muslim and who is not?


The government, we believe, has a lot to do to make sure that the 
religious rights of citizens are not encroached upon by any 
individual or group. The pure law and order approach is the solution 
here since the fanatics are threatening to resort to violence.

However, a peaceful settlement of the issue is what people would like 
to see. The government should talk to the agitators and convince them 
that their demand goes against the spirit of Islam, democracy and the 
basic principles that the country is committed to.

It is often said that our image abroad will be lowered if we allow 
activities that smack of religious extremism. Why can't the 
government realise that the international community will be greatly 
perturbed by what the fanatics are doing in the name of serving 
religion? If our international image has any place on its agenda, the 
government can ill afford to allow anybody to disrupt religious 
harmony.

	  
_____

[2]

[Complete text of the 2 part article on  text books in Punjab in 
Pakistan that push hate . . .]

o  o  o

The News International
December 14, 2003

Ministry of Education-I

Dr Farrukh Saleem

First things first. What the MMA has achieved for the supremacy of 
the civil society is something that no other political entity, under 
the current scenario, could have. The entire civil society is going 
to be indebted to the able leadership of Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Maulana 
Fazal-ur-Rehman, Liaqat Baluch and Hafiz Hussain Ahmed.

Now, the topic of the week. Punjab Textbook Board in concert with the 
Curriculum Wing of the Ministry of Education has somehow become the 
principal source of what can only be termed as 'hate literature'. Our 
textbooks disseminate a whole array of 'half truths' and propagate 
Taliban-like values. This first review of a two-part series is a 
brief survey of the hate literature that our children are being 
taught. Part II will be a review of half-truths that are being taught 
at our elementary and secondary schools.

Punjab Textbook Board's Social Studies for Class VI has been authored 
and translated by Professors Mian Muhammed Aslam and Muhammed Farooq 
Malik. The Chief Coordinator is Dr Fouzia Saleemi (Sitara-e-Imtiaz, 
Izaz-e-Fazeelat).

Page 100 of Social Studies for Class VI states: "The foundation of 
Hindu set up was based on injustice and cruelty." Going back a class 
and students are being taught that "India is our traditional enemy 
and we should always keep ourselves ready to defend our beloved 
country from Indian aggression (page 123, Social Studies, Class V). 
On the same page there is the claim that "When India was defeated in 
the war of 1965, she excited the Muslims of East Pakistan against the 
Muslims of West Pakistan."

Social Studies for Class VII states that "Some Jewish tribes also 
lived in Arabia. They lent money to workers and peasants on high 
rates of interest and usurped their earnings. They held the whole 
society in their tight grip because of the ever increasing compound 
interest (page 13). On page 25, children are told that "History has 
no parallel to the extremely kind treatment of the Christians by the 
Muslims. Still the Christian kingdoms of Europe were constantly 
trying to gain control of Jerusalem. This was the cause of the 
Crusades." On page 26, children learn that "All the Christian 
countries united against the Muslims and sent large armies to attack 
the holy city of Jerusalem."

Page 43 of Social Studies for Class VII states that "European nations 
have been working during the past three centuries, through 
conspiracies on naked aggression to subjugate the countries of the 
Muslim world" adding that "During the Crusades, the Christians came 
in contact with the Muslims and learnt that the Muslim culture was 
far superior to their own."

In Class IV, 9-year-old Pakistanis are told that "Sikhs destroyed the 
Muslim towns from the river Sutlej to the river Jamna. Sikhs turned 
the mosques into their Gurdawaras, demolished the shrines of the 
Muslim saints and burnt the religious schools and the libraries. 
Ranjit Singh demolished a number of mosques and shrines at Lahore. 
The Hindus also turned against the Muslims during the Sikh rule (page 
81, Social Studies for Class IV)." Then there is the claim that "The 
Muslims of Pakistan provided all the facilities to the Hindus and the 
Sikhs who left for India. But the Hindus and the Sikhs looted the 
Muslims in India with both hands and they attacked their caravans, 
buses and railway trains. Therefore about one million Muslims were 
martyred on their way to Pakistan (page 83, Social Studies, Class 
IV)."

Class IV students are also told that "India invaded Lahore on the 6th 
September 1965. After 17 days the Indian authorities laid down arms 
acknowledging the bravery and gallantry of the Pak Army and the 
civilians (page 84, Social Studies, Class IV)." The conclusion is 
stated as: "India is a neighbor of Pakistan. Both the countries ought 
to have good mutual relations but Bharat always maltreated Pakistan."

Under 'The Impact of Islam in South Asia', Social Studies for Class 
VI states: "Before the Arab conquest the people were fed up with the 
teachings of Buddhists and Hindus. The main cause was the benign 
treatment of Muslims with the Hindus. Due to this attitude Hindus 
began to love Muslims and they became nearer and nearer to Muslims 
(page 97, Social Studies Class VI)." Under 'Influence of Islam on 
Social Life' the same book says that "The caste system of the Hindus 
had made the life of common man as miserable and as such they were 
fed up with this system (page 100, Social Studies, Class VI)."

Class VI students are also told that the "British sent rare books 
from these libraries to England. Thus the British ruined the Muslim 
schools (page 99, Social Studies, Class VI)." Eleven year Pakistani 
students are taught that "The people of India fell prey to starvation 
and poverty. Poverty, starvation, unemployment and ill treatment by 
the British rulers compelled the people to be rebellious. The people 
had become too poor during the reign of the East India Company. The 
people had already developed immense hatred for the British (page 
121, Social Studies Class VI)."

Social Studies for Class VI also alleges that "The British changed 
the curriculum of Madarasas and they had their full say in Education 
also they could change the syllabi according to their minds. The 
teaching of Hadith and Fiqa was stopped all together (page123, Social 
Studies Class VI)."

Pakistan Studies for Class IX-X is approved by the Federal Ministry 
of Education, Government of Pakistan and authored by Dr Hassan Askri 
Rizvi, Javed Iqbal, Ghulam Abid Khan and Qamer Abbas. Fifteen to 
sixteen year olds are told that "The Muslims promoted equality and 
social justice as against the division on the basis of (Hindu) caste 
system (page 19, Pakistan Studies Class IX-X)." The same students are 
told that "In connivance with the Government the Hindus started 
communal riots and caused loss of life and property. At the time of 
prayers the Hindus tortured the Muslims by playing bands in front of 
the mosques. Before the commencement of classes the students saluted 
the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi and Muslim students were also forced 
to do so (page 37-38, Pakistan Studies Class IX-X)."

Page 63 of Social Studies for Class VI has three paragraphs. First, 
"The Hindu children wear dhoti and kurta while the Muslim children 
wear shalwar, pajama and kamiz. The Bharati children also like 
trousers and coat." Second, "Hindu children like to eat vegetables 
and pulses while the favorite food of the Muslim children is meat." 
Third, "The religion has deep impact on children in Bharat. The 
Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Christian children have their own separate 
identity. They also speak different languages."

Under 'Conquest of Debul' students are told that a "furious battle 
was fought between the two forces. There was a temple in the middle 
of the city. A red flag was hoisting on the top. The Hindu people had 
a firm belief that no body could defeat them as long as the flag was 
there. The Muslims chanted the slogan of Allah-o-Akbar and catapult 
was operated and started throwing heavy stones. A stone hit the flag 
and it fell down. The temple was severely damaged. The Hindus lost 
all hopes. The enemy was defeated and the fort was conquered (page 
95, Social Studies Class VI)." Then there is the claim that the 
"Hindus could not face the Muslims the Governor of Multan fled away 
(page 96, Social Studies VI)." The same chapter states that the "sun 
of life of Raja Dahir set forever from the universe on 10th of 
Ramadan. After his death the government of Hindus vanished away from 
Sind." There is then the additional claim that the "Hindus began to 
embrace Islam in great number due to the good and kind treatment of 
Muslims."

To be sure, our Pakistan is now full of distortions and the concerned 
education departments are also involved in all this misrepresentation.

  o o o

The News International
December 21, 2003

Ministry of Education-II

Dr Farrukh Saleem

This is the final part of a two-part series on Punjab Textbook 
Board's prescribed textbooks. Punjab Textbook Board in concert with 
the Curriculum Wing of the Ministry of Education has somehow become 
the principal source of what can only be termed as a whole array of 
'half truths'. Here are only some of the half-truths that our 
children are being taught at our elementary and secondary schools.

Dr. Ferozah Yasmeen, Professor Mirza Munawwer, Mian Mohammad Javed 
and Mrs. Zarina Ashraf, Bashir-ud-Din Malik have authored Punjab 
Textbook Board's Social Studies for Class V. Mian Mohammad Aslam, the 
Ex-Head of the History Department, University of the Punjab and Mian 
Mohammad Aslam, Ex-Professor Geography, Government College, Lahore, 
translated the prescribed textbook.

On pages 122-123, nine and ten-year old Pakistanis are told that: 
'all of a sudden India attacked on Lahore early in the morning on 
September 6, 1965. When the Indian army was defeated at Lahore 
sector, they opened different fronts on our border. The Pak Army 
occupied a vast area in India. When the Indian government realized 
that Pakistan will inflict a crushing defeat on her, she requested 
the U.N.O. to intervene.'

Social Studies for Class V presents a very simple reason behind the 
creation of Bangladesh. On page 123, the prescribed states: 'When 
India was defeated in the war of 1965, she excited the Muslims of 
East Pakistan against the Muslims of West Pakistan. Thus East 
Pakistan was separated from West Pakistan.'

Social Studies for Class VI probably has more half-truths than any 
other book within the Land of the Pure. The Chief Coordinator behind 
all these half-truths is Dr. Fouzia Saleemi (Sitara-e-Imtiaz, 
Izaz-e-Fazeelat). Punjab Textbook Board's Social Studies for Class VI 
has been authored and translated by Professors Mian Muhammed Aslam 
and Muhammed Farooq Malik. The book tells 11 and 12-year old students 
that: 'Before the Arab conquest people were fed up with the teachings 
of Buddhists and Hindus. The main cause was the benign treatment of 
Muslims with the Hindus. Due to this attitude Hindus began to love 
Muslims and they became nearer and nearer to Muslims' (page 97). The 
following paragraph states: 'the treatment of the Muslim army was 
also good with the local community. The Arabs treated the locals with 
generosity, good treatment and justice, with the result that most of 
the Hindus embraced Islam.'

Consider Pakistan Studies for Classes IX-X. The book states that: 
'Urdu has been closely associated with the Pakistan Movement' (page 
178) and that the 'object of the Muslim League was to establish a 
separate homeland i-e. Pakistan, for Muslims' (page 40). The book 
also states that: 'The Hindus were encouraged by the Government to 
force the Muslims to join the Congress' (page 38) and that 'a new 
culture was founded in the subcontinent with the advent of Muslims. 
This culture was different in its form and spirit from the local 
culture'. The book also alleges that 'the Muslims of Bengal were 
greatly exploited by the English and the Hindus' (page 49). Page 205 
claims that 'In September, 1965, India launched a sudden attack on 
Pakistan.'

Take Punjab Textbook Board's Social Studies for Class VII. This book 
is written by Professor Dr. M.H. Bokhari and Syed Hassan Tahir. The 
authors tell 12 and 13 year old Pakistanis that: 'History has no 
parallel to the extremely kind treatment of the Christians by the 
Muslims. Still the Christian kingdoms of Europe were constantly 
trying to gain control of Jerusalem. This was the cause of the 
crusades' (page 25). Then there is the allegation that 'All the 
Christian countries united against the Muslims and sent large armies 
to attack the holy city of Jerusalem' (page 26).

Social Studies for Class VIII insists that: 'Before the advent of 
Islam, ruthless, strong dictators usurped power and ruled people 
mercilessly' (page 89). Social Studies for Class IV is adamant that 
'our army also occupied a large area of India. After 17 days the 
Indian authorities laid down arms acknowledging the bravery and 
gallantry of the Pak Army and the civilians' (page 84). Then there is 
the claim that: 'The Muslims of Pakistan provided all the facilities 
to the Hindus and the Sikhs who left for India' (page 83).

Social Studies for Class VII states: 'Before Islam people lived in 
untold misery all over the world', and that 'Some Jewish tribes also 
lived in Arabia. They lent money to workers and peasants on high 
rates of interest and usurped their earnings. They held the whole 
society in their tight grip because of the ever increasing compound 
interest' (page 13). The same book also preaches that: 'Pakistan has 
very close religious, cultural and social ties with the Muslim 
countries', adding that 'Islamic bonds have strongly tied the Muslims 
of the world together' (page 10). Then there is the claim that: 
'Pakistan has always made sincere efforts to establish good relations 
with its neighbours' (page 52).

Social Studies for Class VI tells 11 and 12 year old Pakistani 
students that: 'Hindus could not face the Muslims....', and that: 
'British sent rare books from [Muslim] libraries to England. Thus the 
British ruined the Muslim schools' (page 99).

It is rather intriguing that the concepts of 'jihad' and 'shahadat' 
made their debut in the post-1979 curriculum. 'Jihad', 'shahadat' and 
'mujahideens' are notions that are hard to find in the pre-1979 
curriculum.

Primary Education's Curriculum Document specifically prescribes: 'to 
make speeches on 'jihad' and 'shahadat'. The Document further 
instructs teachers 'to judge their spirits while making speeches on 
'jihad', Muslim History and Culture'. Another prescribed 'Learning 
Outcome' is to 'recognize the importance of 'jihad' in every sphere 
of life'.

To be certain, our Pakistan is now full of distortions and Punjab 
Textbook Board along with the Curriculum Wing of the Ministry of 
Education have both played a central role.


_____

[3]


The News on Sunday
December 21, 2003

Tapan Bose

Talking peace

By Zaman Khan

Why should the Pakistani consumer be punished? Why should the Indian 
consumer be punished? What is this nationalism? You are talking about 
WTO and free trade. You can't go on doing both things at the same 
time. This logic has finally come to end. It will break. Once you 
have a bania on both sides, who has a stake, then it will change. You 
will see the media will also change

Tapan Bose is an India-based media man, filmmaker, human rights and 
peace activist. He knows every intellectual, peace and rights 
activist in Pakistan and South Asia by first name. He is one of the 
architects who envisaged the establishment of Pakistan-India People's 
Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD), and is the Secretary General 
of its Indian Chapter. He is also working as Chief Executive Officer 
of SAFHR, Katmandu.

In an interview with Political Economy during his visit to Pakistan 
last week for participation in the PIPFPD forum, Bose talked about 
various aspects of the India-Pakistan peace developments. Excerpts 
follow:

PE: Would you like to tell us your expectations and hopes from the 
Sixth Convention of PIPFPD? You know this convention is being held 
after a delay of three years...

TB: Our expectations are the same as old, but the environment has 
changed a bit. Pakistani Government has offered in response to some 
of the earlier Indian offers. In the interlude it seemed that the 
train has stopped. Now things are moving. We are very hopeful that at 
least some of the things would happen. Borders will be opened at some 
more places, more buses would be deployed, Muzaffarabad-Srinagar 
route will open. The border across Rajasthan, Jammu, Gujarat and 
Sindh will have more exchanges. And hopefully the visa regime will 
also become easier. I am also afraid that it is not going to be easy 
and it may take more time. It is more important to start rail traffic 
then air because the rail is what the common man can afford.

More important is what will happen in Kashmir. If Kashmir contacts 
open up...if the people on both the sides of the Kashmir are allowed 
to meet, because opening up a bus service between Srinagar and 
Muzaffarabd would mean that the two governments are agreeing to allow 
something, which they have not allowed in the past fifty years. That 
means allowing the Kashmiris to meet. Now if they start doing that, 
it means a substantially changed situation in Kashmir. What we have 
been saying all along that Kashmiris should be allowed to meet, 
discuss and develop their own democratic institutions where they can 
participate. Till this day, it has not been possible. By keeping them 
divided it has also been possible for the Government of India to 
manipulate the elite on their side and the Government of Pakistan to 
do the same.

Once you open the gates then the capacity to manipulate would reduce. 
And if this exchange begins and if it is sustained I am sure in five 
years time you will see change in the public opinion in Kashmir. That 
is what really the solution is. Look at it in 1993-94; we could not 
talk about openly that India and Pakistan must make peace. In 2003 we 
are doing it openly. Five hundred delegates are going to meet in 
Karachi. When the Sindh Chapter convention took place in May 2003, I 
was in Karachi. I saw thousands of people came to attend that meeting 
on a weekday. This is something, which did not happen in the past. So 
there is a groundswell. And the political parties and the leaders, 
armies and the generals have to understand. So the hopes and 
expectation are higher. Fear is also there. And consciously we have 
to step on.

I think the Forum has also come a long way. We know the problems like 
this time also in the middle of November we thought everything is 
moving on smoothly, we will get all the visas. We will get all the 
exits we have asked for. But suddenly three days ago we were put on 
hold. And there was panic and as you know the visas were given 
finally, even less then twenty four hours when we were to cross. 
There was a moment of panic, when we thought that we may have to 
cancel it. But it happened. It also shows that governments on both 
sides are also caught, as we are caught. And they also realised that 
you can't really stop it.

PE: There have been sudden ups and down in the relations between 
India and Pakistan. Now the important question is, how to sustain 
this momentum?

TB: There are some of us who have deep political commitment to 
democracy and broader democratic and social justice issues. 
Unfortunately, our political parties are no longer committed to 
social justice issues. Unfortunately, under the globalisation and 
liberalisation regime, social justice is no longer on any body's 
agenda. Poverty is not on our agenda. We are all in the privatisation 
agenda. So in today's world I think the only thing that will matter 
is if we can get the business community--'Hindustan ka Bania aur 
Pakistan ka Bania'. If we can get them to do cross-border investment 
and trade, that is a class of people who have more power today. You 
see that peasantry has no power; peasantry is powerless. Working 
class is powerless. The middle class is also powerless. It is only 
the traders and businessmen and the industrialists who are powerful. 
So if we can get the Indian businessmen to invest in Pakistan, if 
Pakistani businessmen start investing in India, if free trade begins, 
and that will happen, after all in the last fifty years we have done. 
Look at the unnatural divide; in East Punjab there is glut of 
agricultural produce. Tomato sells at five rupees a kilo and here it 
is 80-100 rupees. There is a glut of wheat and you are importing from 
Canada. You see this is unnatural.

Who are you punishing? It is the ordinary consumers in Pakistan who 
need to consume vegetables, who need to consume wheat. They are being 
punished. Similarly, in India we can import your rice, cotton, sugar, 
and sugar cane, at a much competitive price. The Indian consumer will 
get a much better price. And similarly Pakistani producer and 
consumer will benefit and this will affect millions. This will also 
create a much better solution for the political problems that India 
is facing in the Punjab, as you are facing. This cannot go on. It is 
an artificial divide. Similarly, you see the automobile industry in 
Pakistan is new and growing. Twenty-five years ago it was a similar 
situation in India. The model of Suzuki, which is being sold for five 
lakhs here, the same model of Suzuki in India is sold for 2.5/2.8 
lakhs. So Pakistani consumer is paying a much higher price. Why 
should the Pakistani consumer be punished? Why should the Indian 
consumer be punished? What is this nationalism? You are talking about 
WTO and free trade. You can't go on doing both things at the same 
time. This logic has finally come to end. I think it will break. Once 
you have a bania on both sides, who has a stake, then it will change. 
You will see the media will also change. Today it does not care. It 
has no stake today. After all, how can the media run without 
advertisements? Who will give advertisements? It is the business 
houses who give advertisements. Media does not run the newspapers. 
You and I pay in the street for the newspapers. So if the same people 
who give advertisement have a stake in the business in the other 
country they will force the media to become more responsible.

PE: How should they be motivated? There is fear in Pakistan. I was 
just listening to a speech by a Pakistani industrialist here at Wagha 
saying, "India wanted to use Pakistan just as a market but we want 
equal treatment"...

TB: Look you are doing trade with China. Can you dictate equal 
treatment to China? India is also doing trade with China. This is 
ridiculous. As it is, what is equality? Equality is in the market. 
The buyer and the seller should be able to do trade on a free and 
fair basis. Today Pakistan is importing 30% of its steel from India. 
If you are already importing 30% of your steel and you are getting 
both price and quality advantage, is it fair or it is unfair? If you 
increase it to 50-60%, will it be fair to Pakistan or will it be 
unfair to Pakistan? Now tomorrow are you going to say I am not going 
to import all these cheap batteries and calculators and computer 
parts from China because it is unfair? Is it fair to your consumer? 
What is unfair about it? Who is Pakistan? The manufacturer who is 
producing lesser quality goods and charging higher prices from its 
consumers? Pakistan belongs to whom--only to profiteers or the common 
people of Pakistan? You see the same happened in India. Vajpayee 
signed an agreement for the import of Sri Lankan tea. Sri Lankan tea 
is 25-30% cheaper than Indian tea. So the Indian tea lobby got 
together to scotch that. So who lost, the ordinary Indian consumer? 
In fact, Sri Lankan tea is much better than the Indian low-grade tea. 
So, good quality tea at a much cheaper price. But because the Indian 
tea lobby is so powerful they got it scotched. You see, these people 
are everywhere.

PE: How can it be countered? With people's pressure or people's 
movement? Even the peace movement is very weak.

TB: It is ultimately connected with the consumer's rights. You see 
democracy is just not political vote. This is also democracy. It is 
in fact a deeper question. Do we as a consumer have a right to demand 
a fair price? You cannot go on punishing us by bad products and 
higher price in the name of nationalism? We cannot go on saying that 
dependency of Germany, Japan, America and Russia is alright. But 
dependency on Indian production is bad for the nation and then go on 
punishing me. I pay fourteen lakhs of rupees for a car like this 
Toyota, which is being made here. A similar make is available for 6-8 
lakhs in India. Why should Indian make Indigo, which is nearly 40% 
less in price, but is not available to the Pakistani consumer? Just 
to protect the interest of that one bloody manufacturer. How many 
jobs does he create? Similarly, why should Indians not import the 
Pakistani sugar, Pakistani machine parts the Pakistani expertise? 
Whose interest, just a few handful industrialists? Are they Indians 
or the millions of consumers? That is where I think we have to take 
them. That is, in my opinion, the future direction for Pakistan and 
India.

PE: Are you hopeful that things would move in the right direction?

TB: I am very hopeful and our slogan this year is "Defy the Divide, 
Unite for Peace". We want to develop three to four joint programmes. 
We want to develop a link with the farmers and the agriculture 
producers' lobby and traders' lobby and organisations, first to begin 
with the two Punjabs. And we want to organise exchange between them 
and want them to meet each other. We would like to create a forum, so 
that they come up and they demand that we will go to Ludhiana Mandi 
and we will buy five to ten million tons of wheat and bring that here 
in trucks. And they will come here and buy your cotton. So you can 
buy vegetable and sell it here. That is the ground level thing. So we 
want to create an exchange and understanding between the primary 
level goods producers, market and traders.

PE: Do you think the state will allow it?

TB: The state does not have much of an option. It may not be very 
happy, like this time also. Every thing was OK. Suddenly at the last 
minute we were told that now the intelligence people have raised some 
queries. Everything was taken back. But at the end of the day they 
also realised that beyond a point they cannot stop it. It is 
counter-productive, actually.

PE: You have brought a very good study on the violations of human 
rights in the Indian Punjab 'Reduced to Ashes'. You have been 
involved in human rights violation monitoring in Kashmir. Do you 
intend to do a same kind of report on Kashmir?

TB: Yes, we are working on it and hopefully by January we will bring 
out a smaller but a similar study. We have taken two hundred cases, 
which have been pending before the various courts of Kashmir. We have 
followed it upon a ten-year period. We have followed up exactly what 
happened. We have focused on how the insurgency and 
counter-insurgency have affected the institutions of judiciary and 
state--the state's capacity to deliver justice. It is also a study to 
show the failure of the system.

You see, every state has a right to carry out counter-insurgency. In 
Pakistan, when there was insurgency in Balochistan, the Pakistani 
state also took counter-insurgency measures. State is a state. But 
our point is that the state should know that it is an institution 
incorporated by law. Human Rights people are conservative people. We 
want to uphold the rule of law. We are not anti-state. In fact, we 
are very much pro-state. We want say to the state that if you go 
outside the law like the militants then there is no distinction 
between you and the militant. The militant by definition is outside 
the law. The militant is saying that the state has become so bad that 
it has now to change. Now I have to overthrow it. You prove the point 
by proving legally that you are like the militant. So this is where 
the contradiction is. The state thinks we are pro-militants while we 
are actually saying that please don't put yourself in the same place 
as the militant.

Therefore the path we have adopted is of judicial access. We want to 
demonstrate how the state is giving up its own commitment to rule of 
law. You see that is what the Bush administration is doing. The 
onslaught is on the institutions of rule of law. The onslaught is on 
the universality (after 9/11) and only in the name of one 
thing--terrorism. Is terrorism the only thing that happens? You open 
a newspaper, the first thing and last thing is terrorism. They are 
militarising the society. So you see everything is criminalised. So 
everybody's right to freedom of expression, right to dissent, right 
to oppose is being squeezed out and everybody who voices opposition 
to the state is being criminalized; he is dubbed as terrorist. This 
is a very dangerous trend. This is a straight road to fascism. 
Whether it is being done by a democratic government, elected 
government or a non-elected government, it does not matter both are 
doing this. They have completely destroyed the civil rights. In the 
US, they have started discriminating on the basis of ethnicity and 
religion. In America today, all Arabs and Muslim people are suspects. 
This is what we have to fight. And we will continue doing that 
because we believe that without a commitment to rule of law the state 
system will collapse. It will actually be a lawless state. And that 
is where the real danger is.

PE: Being a human rights activist, would you like to share with us 
the human rights situation in India, particularly in Kashmir?

TB: The human rights situation in Kashmir is very bad. This whole 
counter-insurgency has little ability to distinguish between the 
insurgents and non-insurgents. This is one problem. You have seen 
here also what happens or what is happening in Bangladesh today in 
the name of security. It has been handed over to the army and how 
they are killing the people who dissent. State is committing 
excesses. It is using force beyond its required necessity. It is 
failing to make distinction between the good citizen and the bad 
citizen; that is leading to institutional subversion This is the 
situation of human rights and it is allowing itself to be cornered 
because fundamentally its ability to follow the principles of the 
rule of law. This is the problem. I thing there is a lack of will on 
the part of the state because it is unable to deal with it. There is 
massive dissatisfaction and it will grow because of the nature of the 
state, the nature of the economic policies, the whole process of 
globalisation, liberalisation, and free market.

It has extensively collapsed the capacity of the economy, the 
traditional economy to sustain and support people who are at the 
marginal level. It has destroyed many professions. So it is under 
enormous pressure. There is disproportion. The growth rate is 
increasing. It is not necessary and it is proved again and again that 
growth does not mean development. In fact, it is anti-development in 
the traditional sense.


_____

[4]

The Times of India
December 21, 2003

'Minister told Dangs tribals to live as Hindus'
Times News Network [ Sunday, December 21, 2003 01:58:54 Am ]
AHMEDABAD: The 'International Religious Freedom Report 2003' released 
by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour of the US State 
Department has also hovered on Christian related issue in Gujarat and 
specifically mentioned the anti-conversion law passed by the state 
Assembly earlier this year.

The report released in Washington on Thursday says, there was a 
gradual but continual institutionalisation of Hindutva. "This m a n i 
-fested its e l f through t h e spread of anti-conversion laws in 
some states, the rewriting of textbooks in favour of Hindu 
extremists' interpretations of history and illegal surveys of 
Christians by police in some areas of Gujarat to collect statistical 
information not sought from other religious groups".

It also said that during the period covered by this report, the 
states of Tamil Nadu and Gujarat passed anti-conversion laws. Under 
both laws, those 'forcing' or 'alluring' people to convert are 
subject to criminal action. Since that which constitutes forced 
conversions or allurement is not specified, human rights groups, 
Christian religious l e a d e r s , and Dalits have exp r e s s e d c 
o n c e r n that aut h o r i t i e s will use these laws selectively 
in the future to shut down educational, medical, and other social 
services provided by Christian groups to Dalits and tribals.

The report also said, when one Christian and one Buddhist 
organisation filed a case in Ahmedabad High Court against the act, 
the court dismissed the petition as premature, since the rules and 
regulations for the act had not yet been gazetted. Also the rules had 
not been published by the end of the reporting period, it added.

It further said the Gujarat government had aggressively surveyed 
Christian families and Christian agencies during the reporting 
period, allegedly under the orders of Chief Minister Narendra Modi. 
The survey activities were carried out by police, often in the middle 
of the night.

The survey was first taken up in February which continued through 
May. This, even after the Gujarat High Court's ruling in March that 
such a survey was illegal. Apparently, the survey included questions 
about the number of converts in the household or parish, the 
circumstances of conversion, and the sources of funding received from 
abroad etc.. The report states that the Gujarat State Higher 
Secondary Board (GSHSB), to which nearly 98 percent of schools in 
Gujarat belong, requires the use of certain textbooks in which Nazism 
is condoned.

In the Standard X social studies textbook, the "charismatic 
personality" of "Hitler-the Supremo" and the "achievements of Nazism" 
are described at length. But the textbook does not acknowledge Nazi 
extermination policies or their concentration camps. The Standard IX 
social studies textbook implies that Muslims, Christians, Parsees, 
and Jews are "foreigners".

In October 2002, the Gujarat minister for social justice and 
empowerment, Karsan Patel, instructed 400 Dangs tribal children, who 
were boarders at a Christian school in Subir "to decide whether they 
want to live as Hindus or die as Christians"?. Patel made this 
statement at the "Ram Katha" in Subir. The report also mentions the 
marriage in Ahmedabad between a Catholic, Anthony Rebello, and a 
Hindu, Reema Sompura.

They were married in a legal Hindu marriage ceremony, but due to 
strong opposition from Bajrang Dal and their families, the couple was 
forced into hiding. Search warrants were issued against them when 
Sompura's mother made a complaint against Rebello.

Further, when Sompura testified in court that she went with Rebello 
willingly, the couple was attacked by VHP and Bajrang Dal members 
outside the court premises. A pregnant Sompura was kicked in the 
stomach which later led to the baby's abortion. At the police 
station, the couple was separated. Rebello was again beaten by VHP 
and Bajrang Dal members and Sompura was handed over to her family.

o o o

[ See Related report from October 21, 2002]

http://www.asianage.com/main.asp?layout=2&cat1=1&cat2=22&newsid=25016
Gujarat mantri threatens Dangs Christians
- By Deepal Trevedie
Ahmedabad, Oct. 21: The saffron brigade on Monday threatened 
Christian missionaries in Dangs, telling them "to give up luring 
tribals," and reportedly warned them to behave or "experience another 
spell of riots, this time targeting foreign-funded Christians."

Five tribal children, boarders at a school run by the Navjyot Social 
Service Society, have been threatened and told "to decide whether 
they want to live as Hindus or die as Christians." A senior BJP 
minister in the Narendra Modi government, Mr Karsan Patel, has warned 
Christians in the sensitive Dangs area "to behave with restraint." 
The BJP minister is camping in Dangs to ensure the Ram katha in his 
constituency is a success and "wants Christians to cooperate or face 
the consequences."

Mr Patel, who ironically is the state minister handling the welfare 
of the socially and economically backward classes, told The Asian Age 
he "is not against Christians but they should behave like Indians, 
not Italians. If they have the right to propagate their religion, we 
have the right to propagate ours also. Why should they create a 
ruckus?"

Over 15,000 Ram bhakts have quietly converged on Subir, a nondescript 
village in Dangs, to attend a Ram katha which begins on Tuesday. The 
Ram katha is being organised by the Shabri Mata Seva Samiti headed by 
Swami Aseemanand, the man who led the Vanvasi Chetna movement of the 
BJP and "fought" against conversions leading to Hindu-Christian 
turbulence in 1998 that drew international attention.

This Ram katha is being held to create awareness amongst Hindus and 
to warn them of conversions which the Shabridhaam authorities feel 
"have increased tremendously after Sonia Gandhi became powerful." 
However, sources told this newspaper that the main Ramayana kathakar 
(Ramayana reciter), Moraribapu, a well-known saint, is likely to 
reprimand the organisers for their fundamentalism. He is Gujarat's 
most popular Hindu saint and has mellowed over the years. He recently 
took out a peace rally in Ahmedabad to protest against violence.

However, after the riots in Gujarat, fundamentalists like Swami 
Aseemanand have got more support. "Dangs is a Hindu area since Lord 
Rama came here to look for Sita. It was here that Shabri waited for 
the Lord and it is our dream to stop the conspiracy of vidharmis to 
lure tribals in this belt for this is our Hindu legacy," said Mr 
Karsan Patel. Mr Patel represents Dangs and on Monday evening 
"warned" half-a-dozen Christian missionaries "not to make a mountain 
of a molehill."

The BJP minister told The Asian Age that he was "personally camping" 
in Dangs just to make the Ram katha a stupendous success. "It is 
bullshit that I threatened Christian missionaries. They are trying to 
frame me. I just said that Hindus have the right to propagate just 
like Christians do," he said, adding that he had "requested" district 
collector Mamta Varma and DSP Raju Bhargava to hold a special "shanti 
samiti" meeting "to give confidence to the Christians."

However, Christian priests and nuns claimed that "tension was in the 
air" and that the minister had behaved extremely rudely at the end of 
the meeting. "He told us, 'You tried to rake up Dangs and got 
international attention. Did Godhra ever happen in Dangs? Has a 
single Christian died? Why do you people make a mountain of a 
molehill? And don't dare talk to the English media,'" the priests and 
nuns said. The minister, however, denied this.

Meanwhile, Christians have urged the local authorities and the 
Gujarat government to provide them adequate protection. "Already 
provocative and inflammatory statements are appearing. This morning 
our boarders have been told by people setting up one of the pandals 
to leave the school or be killed. Over 400 children live with us and 
are panicky," Father M.A. Anthony, the president of Navjyot Social 
Service Society, told the district collector and police 
superintendent in a written memorandum.

Father Cedric Prakash, the director of Prashant, a human rights 
centre, deplored the "attempts made by the Sangh Parivar associates 
to vitiate peace."

However, the locals feel there are less chances of trouble with Mr 
Raju Bhargav heading the police. Mr Bhargav, a capable officer, 
recently lost his post as Godhra DSP after the ruling Narendra Modi 
government found him not very compliant. While Mr Bhargava was out 
patrolling, his office said they had made adequate additional police 
bandobast to avert any trouble.


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

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