SACW | 27-28 Sep 2004
sacw
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Mon Sep 27 19:45:02 CDT 2004
South Asia Citizens Wire | 27-28 September, 2004
via: www.sacw.net
=======
[1] Pakistan - India: Dismantling Prejudice -The Journey To A People
Based Peace Strategy (Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas)
[2] Pakistan:
- Nankana incident is unforgivable! (editorial Daily Times)
- Gurudwara attack shows intolerance is rising: HRCP
[3] India: Hindutva men attack Missionaries:
- Religious intolerance (Deccan Herald- Editorial)
[4] Petition to Johns Hopkins University "Don't host the RSS"
[5] India: Letter to the Editor (Mukul Dube)
[6] India: Anti Muslim booklet by BJP (Sujata Anandan)
[7] India: 'Swadeshi Jagran Manch following Gandhian ideals' says
Congress Activist
[8] India: Upcoming meet of the IDRF funded 'Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram'
[9] Pakistan: Annual Mullah Mating
--------------
[1]
DISMANTLING PREJUDICE -THE JOURNEY TO A PEOPLE BASED PEACE STRATEGY
By Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas*
(* President, Emeritus, Pakistan India People's Forum for Peace and
Democracy, Bangalore, India
Presented at the 2004 Magsaysay Awardees' Lecture Series
Magsaysay Center, Manila, 27 August 2004)
"Three fourths of the miseries and misunderstandings in the world
will disappear, if we step into the shoes of the adversaries and
understand their standpoint" - Mahatma Gandhi
Introduction
People all over the world had looked forward to the new millennium
ushering in a dawn of peace and happiness. Alas that was not to be,
for barely had we entered the new century that we found ourselves in
the now familiar crucible of conflicts and conflagrations. New York
9/11, followed by war on Afghanistan, Iraq, the continuing
Palestine/Israeli clashes and last but not the least the ethnic wars
in the African continent, seem to have overshadowed the other long
standing rivalry between India and Pakistan - the two main
adversaries of South Asia.
South Asia too witnessed a face off between India and Pakistan after
the attack on the Indian Parliament on December 13, 2001 India
suspended all means of communications including flying rights over
Indian airspace. The situation worsened rapidly and war seemed
imminent, with the danger of it escalating to a nuclear exchange.
Fortunately, wiser counsel prevailed and the forces withdrew to peace
locations by the autumn of 2002.
Whilst all this was happening the members of the Pakistan India
Peoples Forum went about their task of regaining lost ground, making
their presence felt in a number of ways--candle light vigils,
marches, public meetings urging for restraint and so on. We continued
to meet with each other by transiting the long and costly way via
Dubai to keep contact with our friends. Fortunately after the
elections in the Indian side of Jammu and Kashmir, and some form of
normalcy returning there, the olive branch was held out by the Indian
Prime Minister, Mr. A.B.Vajpayee to resume talks with Pakistan.
Slowly but surely public pressure had made the difference. The
subsequent developments will be discussed later.
The Aim of this Paper
The aim of this paper is to examine how long-held prejudices play
havoc with all types of relationships. Be it personal, domestic,
within a community, nationally, and last but not the least
internationally. The paper also shares the experience of the slow but
steady progress made by the Pakistan India Peoples Forum, in
chiseling away some of these prejudices and to highlight the
processes employed by us to evolve a people-based strategy for peace
both locally and globally.
The Historical Backdrop
British India was divided into India and Pakistan in 1947 as part of
the decolonisation process. The eastern wing of Pakistan emerged as
the new nation called Bangladesh in 1971. It was not the first time
that the world witnessed the creation of new nation states and
boundaries by the victors of wars or Imperial forces. The creation of
Lebanon, Northern Ireland, Israel, and elsewhere in Africa, are other
examples of this strategy. There is fair amount of scholarly
agreement that partition occurred not because Hindus and Muslims
could not live together, but because the elites of the two
communities could not agree to power sharing. Jinnah's Muslim league
won the day and partition came about. The greatest tragedy was that
the deciding feature of this division was based on religion. It is to
be noted that except for those who shifted within the provinces of
Punjab and Bengal, only one in every twelve Muslims from the rest of
India chose to go to Pakistan. This explains why today India is the
second largest Muslim country in the world after Indonesia.
At the time of partition of the country, the rulers of nearly five
hundred odd princely states which were directly under the British,
were advised to join either India or Pakistan, keeping in mind
proximity, the demographic profile and other factors. Most states
were integrated into either India or Pakistan. However, there were a
couple of states which had a problem. Hyderabad which was ruled by a
Muslim Nizam had mainly a very large Hindu population, but
geographically it was completely surrounded by India. Likewise the
state of Jammu and Kashmir( J&K) had a Hindu Maharajah, but majority
of its people were Muslims except that unlike Hyderabad both India
and Pakistan had contiguous boundaries. Whilst both these states sat
on the fence for quite a while before opting for India or Pakistan,
the issue of Hyderabad was settled by a short and swift police action
that resulted in Hyderabad's merger with India. Jammu and Kashmir was
attacked by a large number of tribesmen supported by regular
Pakistani troops in 1947-48 whilst the Maharajah sat on the fence.
When Pakistani regulars and tribesmen were within gunshot of Srinagar
the capital of J&K, the Maharajah sought India's assistance in
exchange for acceding to India. Subsequent events resulted in a
ceasefire along the actual ground positions which over the years and
despite two and a half wars, has more or less remained the same. One
part to the west and north is under Pakistani control and the eastern
part including the valley is in India's control. The divider being
called the Line of Control which was delineated soon after the Simla
Agreement was concluded in 1972. Pakistan attempted to integrate the
erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir by force in 1947, 1965, 1999 -
Kargil failed each time and this has left the issue unresolved to
this day which has been the primary cause for conflicts between the
two countries.
To help us understand the overall picture more clearly some major
events in Indo-Pak relations have been tabulated below. Likewise some
of the Peoples Forum activities have also been shown to be able to
correlate the issues under discussion.
Chronological Sequence of Major Events- Indo-Pak Relations
1947 Partition of India into India and Pakistan- British leave India
1948 Horrendous riots and slaughter of Muslims in India and that
of Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan. Over 14 million people displaced and
nearly one and a half million people killed
1948 Tribesmen supported by Pak regulars launch attack on J&K
1949 Case in UN Cease Fire, Plebisite never happened
1965 Pakistan launches attack on J&K- Unsuccessful
1966 Tashkent Declaration
1971 East Pakistan becomes the independent nation of Bangladesh
1972 India and Pakistan sign Simla Agreement. Line of Control
(LOC) established in J&K
1974 India conducts Peaceful Nuclear Experiment (Euphemism for the Bomb)
1977 General Zia ul Haq ousts Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and assumes
power. Islamisation of Pakistan gains favour.
1978 Pro Soviet Coup in Afghanistan
1979 Mr Bhutto executed. Soviet Union invades Afghanistan.
1980-88 Mujahideen (Holy Warrior) created from Afghan refugees in
Rapid growth of 'Madrassas'
1984 April- India occupies Saltoro range in Siachen
1984 July- Sikh insurgency grows in Indian Punjab- Operation '
Blue Star' launched to clear the Golden Temple of insurgents.
1984 Mrs Indira Gandhi assasinated
1988 Zia ul Haq killed in an air crash- presumed to be sabotage.
Mid 80's Womens groups in South Asia get together to help
friendship process between India and Pakistan
1994 4 Sep 1994, Pakistan India Peoples forum for Peace and
Democracy formed. Our Own Lahore declaration
1994 Mar: First Joint Convention- Delhi-(India)
Dec: Second Joint Convention - Lahore- (Pakistan)
1995 Third Joint Convention - Calcutta-(India)
1998 Mar- BJP Government installed in India. May 11 India Explodes
Nukes- May 28 Pakistan does likewise
1998 Nov: Fourth Joint Convention in Peshawar.(Pakistan)
1999 Feb- Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan sign historical
Lahore Declaration
1999 April-May Mini War in Kargil (J&K)
1999 Oct - Gen Musharraf stages bloodless coup assumes power in Pakistan
2000 Apr- PIPFPD Fifth Joint Convention-Bangalore (India)
2000 Nov - Admiral Ramdas and Ms Nirmala Deshpande meet Gen
Musharraf in Pakistan.
2001 June - The Agra Summit Mr Vajpayee PM of India and Gen
Musharraf meet in India.
2001 Sep 9, Attack on World Trade Center- New York. The world is
stunned by the act. USA responds quickly. Afghanistan attacked.
President Bush's famous speech. " Either you are with us or against
us".
2001 Dec 13, Militants attack Indian Parliament. Indo-Pak face off
begins. Open War Averted.
2001 PIPFPD - Sixth Joint convention scheduled end of the year at
Karachi Postponed indefinitely. No direct communications by air, rail
or road
2002 June. Troops pull back. Relative normalcy returns.
2003 Feb Prime Minister of India holds out olive branch again.
2002/2003 Some members of the Forum continue to keep in touch
through the long route via Dubai.
2003 June - The Forum uses the South Asia Association for Regional
Cooperation (SAARC) rule for travel without visas for Members of
Parliament, and invites a dozen MP's to India who cross the Border at
Wagah. A great break through when visa not restored
2003 Dec The long awaited sixth Joint convention held in Karachi -
2004 Jan: SAARC Heads of State Meeting in Islamabad.Vajpaee and
Gen. Musharraf meet on the sidelines .Issue a favorable statement for
the resumption of the composite dialogue to solve all issues
including J&K
2004 August: Dialogue on various issues currently in progress.
Note: In the table the major activities of the PIPFPD have been
printed in bold letters and the rest are official activities. Only
major events have been flagged.
The reason for listing some of these events is to bring us all onto
the same grid so that we can understand the remaining parts of this
paper in a time perspective. Let us then examine various aspects of
"Prejudice" and how it has affected functioning all around.
Prejudices
In order to be able to dismantle prejudices it will be necessary to
examine "Prejudice" in all its manifestations, and that may help, as
indeed it did to us in our peace work. Prejudice knows no bounds! You
feel it and find it in every walk of life. Beginning with the family
and extending it all the way up to national, international and global
levels. Nor is it confined to one discipline or skill, it is all
embracive. Since all relationships are anchored on inter-personal
relations, it is important to know where the other person is coming
from! We know that the roots of prejudice could lie in nationalism,
culture, religion, education, socialization, history and media or in
some measure due to a combination of some or all of these. For
example, history is deliberately written to give it a definite slant
against someone. This has been observed in our studies of history
portrayed by Pakistan and more recently attempted in India by the
previous government. In India there are certain extremist right wing
groups who like to place all of India's problems at the doorstep of
the Muslims. Hitler for example blamed all of Germany's problems to
the Jews. Many others in the world today have done the same sort of
thing. The world is also witness to rising religious fundamentalism.
Besides India and Pakistan, Northern Ireland and Israel/Palestine
issues belong to this category. Ultra nationalism has been the bane
of modern co-existence. We are not prepared to see the differences
that exist between adversaries and learn to live with these. Let us
see how all this has affected the scene in South Asia.
The South Asian Scene
Both India and Pakistan were born in an atmosphere of hate, mistrust
and bloodshed. Each side felt cheated, for they did not get the real
estate they had hoped for. The division was more arbitrary and pushed
through in great haste. The partition came about more due to the
greed of the elite leadership rather than by ascertaining the wishes
of the people.. The Hindu -Muslim divide was accentuated and further
strengthened by the constant use of propaganda and other means like
history and education. The notion of Muslims being a superior race
was actually believed in Pakistani establishment. On 29 March 1965,
Field Marshal Ayub Khan the President of Pakistan in a secret note to
Gen. Musa, the Army Chief, wrote ' As a general rule Hindu morale
would not stand more than a couple of hard blows delivered at the
right time and place. Such opportunities should therefore be sought
and exploited" (Stanley Wolpert Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan , New
York Oxford University Press 1993, p 90.) This kind of mindset was
not only propagated but also nurtured in the system. Likewise the
mind set in some of the leaders of the military in India especially
after 1971, is to "Teach Pakistan a lesson once and for all." When
one questions them to detail what they mean by it, they are at a loss
to explain. This is yet another example of mindset or prejudice! So
one can see the enormous challenges that confronted us as peace
warriors! This was particularly so in my case as a former navy person
and Chief of the Indian Navy. It has been a daunting experience. The
oft-repeated snigger and innuendo, even to the extent of being
accused of being anti-national and unpatriotic was norm. I had to
negotiate as a lonely furrow for most of the time. Even amongst some
of my colleagues in the Forum-the conservative and traditional
activists- there were some doubts and suspicions about my credibility
which I could sense sometimes. They too could not reconcile to this
former military person behaving in this "strange manner" championing
the cause of Peace! Fortunately all these bridges were crossed and
the Forum was kept on course and most of the concerns resolved
themselves with time. I am happy to say that we are a healthy and
vibrant lot today! We will now have a quick look at some of the
perceptions held about each other in Pakistan and India. This is
necessary before we can share some of the strategies adopted for
dismantling these prejudices.
Perceptions of both Pakistan and India
Pakistan
* India has never reconciled to the creation of Pakistan and
therefore wishes to destroy it.
* The Hindu mind is very clever and crafty so do not trust them.
* The Muslims in India and especially in Kashmir are all
maltreated so we must protect them if need be by "Jihad" and / or
low-intensity war which will bleed India.
* India is Enemy Number ONE.
* The Hindu cannot fight and therefore deliver a few hard blows
on India and it will crumble.( See earlier reference to FM Ayub
Khan's statement)
India
* Pakistan suffers from an Identity crisis.
* They want to seek revenge for the loss of the Eastern Wing
which became Bangladesh.
* They want to integrate the Kashmir Valley into Pakistan on
the basis of it being a Muslim majority area. They want to
Internationalize the Kashmir issue.
* Pakistan must be taught a lesson (militarily) once and for all.
* Pakistanis and the Generals in particular - Can they be
trusted to talk genuine peace?
Dismantling Prejudices
We have seen the main factors that contribute towards building
prejudice. In the India-Pakistan scenario, the main causes like
demonizing of each other and the constant disinformation spread by
textbooks, media and other sources have all added to our miseries.
Both our governments stand of exercising selective issue of visas has
also contributed to a large extent for keeping people in the dark.
The Forum, by facilitating regular exchange of all kinds of peoples,
has in some measure helped to lift some of the myths that had earlier
been treated as gospel! To quote a Chinese saying, " I hear and I
forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand." The joint
conventions which are major events in our calendar have been the
mainstays of our work. These are more visible and therefore have a
special flavour. Each time we have had to turn down many requests to
attend these conventions because of the limited resources of the
hosts! We need to correct this by expanding our list of well-wishers!
Major Issues which are debated regularly by the Forum
* Jammu and Kashmir
* Demilitarisation and Denuclearisation
* Governance
* Intolerance and Education
* Gender and other related issues
* Globalisation
* Business and Trade
* Cultural Exchange, Sports etc.
These then in effect address the principle causes of Prejudice. These
are debated at various events small and big by the two chapters and
also jointly from time to time. Slowly but surely we have made
progress which has gathered a momentum of its own.
Investment in Youth
Getting the youth of both countries together has been a great
achievement. Mrs. Lalita Ramdas's contribution in this field has been
tremendous. Being an educationist and social activist and a member of
the National Committee of the Pak India Forum, she has been the
beacon for this programme. We had a group of School girls from
Islamabad visiting India at the same time as Gen. Musharraf was busy
talking to Prime Minister Vajpayee in Agra. Whilst the Agra summit
did not come out with anything substantial, the children's visit to
Lucknow, Kanpur and Agra was a big hit. Cinema Halls by opening their
doors to the Pakistani kids together with banner headlines on the
screen welcoming our young ambassadors from Pakistan were all
memorable events. The Initiative for Peace Program conducted by the
United World College in Singapore in 2002 got about 40 young people
from both countries together, where both Mrs. Ramdas and I were
resource persons. This was followed by another workshop in Karachi in
2003 and more recently in June 2004, we have completed another
similar workshop for a fresh lot of 70 students. The following quote
says it all.
* At the end of the Singapore workshop 'Initiative for
Peace-Focus on Kashmir' the 40 young people belonging to both India
and Pakistan agreed on this inspiring statement of Common Ground. It
said, " We believe that we have the power to make this generation and
the generations to come, the best ever in the history of humanity, or
the worst. The choice is entirely ours; we have made the choice for a
better and peaceful world."
There is no doubt that investment in youth is the best way to bring
about change.
Complementary Activities
* The India-Pakistan Soldiers Initiative for Peace (IPSI) is an
organization comprising retired Army, Navy and Air Force personnel. I
am the Chief Patron of the Indian Chapter. Ms. Nirmala Deshpsande, a
well known Gandhian, is the Chairperson of both the Indian and the
Pakistan chapters. We have had a couple of meetings in both our
countries and in a small way helped improve the understanding of each
other in the Armed Forces. A very useful forum indeed as Pakistan has
spent more than half its existence under military rule, and indeed
sports one even today.
* Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace ( CNDP )
This is a coalition of over 120 civil society organizations in India
to promote Peace and Nuclear Disarmament formed in November 2000. I
Chaired its inaugural session to draft the constitution of the
Coalition. It is doing excellent work to spread the message of the
harmful effect of nuclear weapons and the need for total nuclear
disarmament. As a part of this process I have attended three UN
Disarmament meetings as spokesperson of international NGO's.
* Hague Appeal for Peace (HAP)
I am on its International Advisory Board.
* Waging Peace Foundation Santa Barbara USA
I am also on its Advisory Board.
In addition, my past association with government at the highest
levels, helped me to relate to policy makers and help keep them
posted of the peoples movement on both sides of the fence. Further,
my personal involvement has been both local and global, in short in
the larger interests of 'Humanity' as opposed to 'Nationality'.
The Continuing Challenges
* Heading the list is undoubtedly: Poverty, hunger, illiteracy,
water, health, shelter, education and unemployment
* Vested Interests on both sides. Military in Pakistan and
Bureaucracy in India
* The powerful influence of the Military Industrial Complex
* Religious and other forms of Extremism and Fundamentalism
* The restoration of civil rule in Pakistan
* The pressures of Globalization and External Interference
* Nuclear Weapons and Disarmament
The Way Ahead
* Liberalization
* Resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir Issue
* Sustaining the dialogue process
* Strengthen the Peoples Movement for Peace
* All around education and awareness building especially amongst youth
* Evolving a Global Nuclear Management and Safety Regime en
route to Total Nuclear Disarmament
Conclusion
We have come to the end of this short narrative wherein I have tried
to share with you my analysis of the problems and prospects of the
world at large and South Asia in particular. We are clear that the
road ahead is still strewn with many more obstacles and it will
require the combined efforts of the larger many and the wisdom and
statesmanship of the leadership in both India and Pakistan to
overcome these. The people have unequivocally announced that they
want peace and wish to move on. It is now time for all of us to make
it happen. The younger generation is clear about its choice for peace
and the seniors must make that dream come true.
Peace in South Asia is vital for global peace and security. By the
same token peace without justice is also not tenable. Peoples in many
areas of the world, including India are suffering because of the
absence of justice; which in turn generates a dynamic of violence.
Peace is therefore vital both internally and externally for moving
along the road towards sustainable development.
India and Pakistan are at a crossroads to determine their destinies.
It is imperative that the managers of our future respond to the
overwhelming demand of the people for peace. Peace will win and
People shall prevail.
______
[2]
The Daily Times - September 27, 2004 | Editorial
NANKANA INCIDENT IS UNFORGIVABLE!
A mob at Nankana Sahib, district Sheikhupura, has stoned the temple
dedicated to the founder of Sikhism and created general disorder
because the local administration showed a most abysmal disregard for
the extent of damage the incident would cause to the prestige of the
country and its minorities policy. A group of city hoodlums first
attacked a local college whose land and building belongs to the
Nankana Sahib Trust and declared that they would destroy it rather
than give it back to the Sikhs. Unfortunately, 150 boys from the
college joined them, after which they stormed the Gurudwara and
stoned the inner sanctum. The Sheikhupura police DIG reached the spot
and tried to look efficient but was unable to prevent the outrage.
The fact is that the college building belongs to the Gurudwara estate
and was being used by the college because of the generosity of the
estate. Also, no one had actually asked the college to evacuate.
According to reports, a committee set up by the Punjab government had
recommended that the college building be restored to the Gurudwara to
house the increased number of Sikh devotees visiting from all over
the world. The committee had also specifically recommended that the
college be given alternative land and building site before being
evacuated. Despite that, a plot was hatched in the city by some local
elements to exploit the unannounced recommendations of the committee
and take out a violent procession in the name of religion. It is a
sad commentary on the college that its teaching has not divested its
students of religious prejudice and that the college staff has failed
to inculcate in them the emotion of gratitude towards the Gurudwara
which was due to it.
The Nankana Sahib estate is actually a symbol of Muslim-Sikh
solidarity. In 1994, the foundation stone of Nankana Sahib Foundation
was laid by Rai Bashir Ahmad Khan Bhatti, a member of the National
Assembly and chairman of the Standing Committee on Education. Mr
Bhatti is the oldest living descendent of Chaudhry Rai Bular Bhatti,
a contemporary of Guru Nanak, who recognised that the Guru was a
divine soul. Over the last five hundred years, the Bhatti family has
donated almost 11,000 acres of its land to the Sikh religious shrines
in and around Nankana Sahib. The 1994 foundation, built over 10 acres
of land, was donated by Chaudhry Rai Sarwar Bhatti, also a direct
descendent of Rai Bular Bhatti.
The entire Nankana Sahib Estate consists of 16,962 acres. Most of it
is leased to the farmers and residents of Nankana Sahib. Almost all
the houses in Nankana Sahib are built on this property. The Nankana
Sahib Estate is the property of the Nankana Sahib Gurudwara
(Gurudwara Janam Asthan). It cannot be sold to anyone. About 40,000
people who live in Nankana Sahib should actually be beholden to the
Sikh community in Pakistan which allows them to hold the property in
perpetuity. The Evacuee Trust Board in the province is aware of the
situation in Nankana Sahib but perhaps the administration is not
alive to the sensitivity of what has taken place there this week.
Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi should take action immediately,
punish those who have incited the students, and additionally take
measures to remove the plaints of the Sikh community in relation to
the shrine celebrating the birthplace of their great spiritual guide.
Hardship faced by the Sikh devotees who visit the place should be
kept in view because Sikh yatrees come from all over the world and
carry back impressions of Pakistan that contribute to the world
opinion about us. At the very least, Nankana should be treated as a
component of our public-relationing. We must never forget the fate of
the Taliban of Afghanistan after they destroyed the heritage of
another faith. In some countries in Southeast Asia, Muslims were
attacked in the aftermath of the destruction of the Bamyan Buddhas.
Pictures appearing in our press of protesting Sikhs at Lahore Press
Club - with their hands joined in supplication - do more damage to
Pakistan than a lost war. We hope that Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervez
Elahi will take immediate action to restore the credibility of his
government as well as that of Pakistan.
o o o
Daily Times - September 28, 2004
GURUDWARA ATTACK SHOWS INTOLERANCE IS RISING: HRCP
LAHORE: The mob attack on a gurudwara at Nankana Sahib on Saturday is
a sad reminder of the growing intolerance in the country, Tahir
Mohammad Khan, chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
and Hina Jilani, secretary general, said in a statement issued on
Monday. "The incident is a an indication that minorities are unsafe
in the country," the statement said. The college should have been
shifted to new premises before returning the property to the Evacuee
Trust Property Board, it said. The HRCP said the incident calls for
addressing minorities' problems with greater sensitivity. Welcoming
the official notice of the attack, the statement said measures should
be taken to ensure religious freedom for all minorities in the
country. staff report
______
[3]
Six missionaries injured in mob attack
The Hindu, India - Sep 25, 2004
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/001200409252121.htm
RSS men held for attacking missionaries
Times of India, India - Sep 27, 2004
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/864589.cms
Deccan Herald - September 28, 2004 | Editorial
RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE
Seven Christian missionaries were attacked allegedly by RSS workers
at a Scheduled Caste colony on Saturday in Kerala, for providing
material assistance to a Dalit family. This certainly indicates a
growing trend of religious intolerance in the country and in the
state. The missionaries were targeted allegedly for their attempt to
proselytise Hindus. Hindu fundamentalist groups have been active in
the state for a long time and there have been many cases of violence
and breach of peace in the recent past. The acts of violence only
discredit the state of Kerala which enjoys the highest literacy rate
in the country. The concept of conversion through coercion has a
fundamental flaw, especially in a democracy, since citizens are
endowed with their own free will and have to decide about their
choice of religion. Moreover, unlike in a totalitarian system, they
have a right to freedom of expression to highlight coercion, if any.
Orissa, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh have also witnessed religious
violence in recent times. For instance, there was the killing of an
of an Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons in Orissa
five years ago. An American missionary, Bishop Joseph W Cooper, who
belongs to an evangelist denomination, was attacked in January 2003
in Kerala for similar reasons and was asked to leave the country. The
victims of religious violence in Kerala include a Kenyan national
who, like Cooper, entered the country on a tourist visa. Some arrests
have been made in connection with the attack on the missionaries last
week and there is need for investigation to unravel the full
conspiracy. It is for the state government to ensure that there is
complete religious freedom in the state and all those responsible for
the attack are brought to book. The free exchange of spiritual
messages should transcend national boundaries and people should have
the unfettered right to pursue the religion of their choice. India is
traditionally known for its tolerance and hospitality for every major
religious stream running through the country from Judaism to
Christianity and Islam to Zoroastrianism. There is need to be
vigilant against attempts to vitiate this great tradition
______
[4]
ACTION ALERT!
Dear Friends,
Greetings! In view of the South Asia Studies program at Johns Hopkins
University hosting RSS spokesman Ram Madhav on September 29, 2004 we
are initiating a "Don't host the RSS" petition.
Please sign on by sending an email to csfh_petition at yahoo.com. We're
on a short timeline. Text of the petition follows:
Thanks,
Campaign to Stop Funding Hate
(http://www.stopfundinghate.org)
-------
To: Johns Hopkins University
We, the undersigned, deplore the fact that an American university is
granting unprecedented legitimacy to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
(RSS) by providing an open, unmediated forum for its spokesperson,
Ram Madhav. An organization inspired and modeled on the Italian
fascists and the Nazis [1], the RSS has been responsible since its
inception in 1925 for propagating a politics of hate and violence
against non-Hindu minorities [2,3], most recently evident in the
massacre of 2,000 Muslims in Gujarat [4], and historically implicated
in the assassination of Gandhi in 1948. As an organization, the RSS
is elusive and shadowy: it is only open to Hindu males - primarily
upper caste; it maintains no membership records (thus escaping
criminal charges more than once); it has no bank accounts and pays no
income tax.
Gowalkar, an early political visionary who shaped the RSS, explicitly
endorsed Hitler's campaign against the Jews in Germany by calling it
a form of "race pride" India should emulate [5]. While we appreciate
the role of universities as places where diverse views and opinions
should be discussed and challenged, and where free speech should be
upheld at any cost, lending institutional credence to any ideology
that supports and condones genocide is a complete distortion of the
idea of intellectual debate and discourse. Given this context, we
urge the South Asia Studies program at Johns Hopkins University and
other institutions providing an "open forum" to RSS spokespersons to
rescind their invitations and avoid legitimizing the RSS in any way
in the future.
As a hardened RSS ideologue, Mr Madhav is on record as a key
representative of RSS positions. For instance, his recent warning of
the "very grave threat" posed by the rising Muslim population and
similar scaremongering against Muslims by his colleagues is very
reminiscent of the Nazi-era witchhunt of Jews [6]. While not overtly
eulogistic about the massacre of 2,000 Muslims in Gujarat like some
of his colleagues [VHP Working President Ashok Singhal claimed the
massacre had "the blessings of Lord Rama", while VHP leader Praveen
Togadia called the secularists the "impotent fringe" and threatened
to "make a (violent) laboratory of the whole country"; see references
7 and 8], he has been at least as steadfast in his defence of the
perpetrators [9] and critiqued "softer" stances that his own partymen
took on the issue [10]. Besides, following up on an earlier RSS
resolution, "Let Muslims understand that their real safety lies in
the goodwill of the majority" [11], Mr Madhav recently laid down
explicit injunctions for Muslims to prove their patriotism [12].
Given all this, we fail to understand how a campus community may be
enlightened by Mr Madhav's views. What can students and faculty learn
from one with such "intellectual" credentials?
The fact that Mr Madhav arrives here to communicate the ideologies of
the RSS, an organization that has been directly and indirectly
associated with training militia-like local groups that play a direct
role in initiating or reproducing violence in various states in
India, make him a truly disturbing presence on any campus in the
United States. No educational organization which gives intellectual
standards or historical truth any credence can afford to legitimate
an organization like the RSS. The Johns Hopkins e-mail notice for the
event describes the RSS as the "pre-eminent nationalist Hindu
organization in India." This is a little like describing the Ku Klux
Klan as the "premier voice of white America." Just as we would find
it unseemly to invite a KKK representative to campus on such a
pretext, so too, is it unconscionable to invite the spokesman of the
RSS to speak at a University campus with neither opposing viewpoints
offered, nor contextual information provided in the advertisement for
the talk. The RSS renders all of India's history as a black and white
picture of Muslim marauders and oppressed Hindus. Defying all
attention to facts, it attributes all of India's contemporary
problems to medieval Muslim invasions, affirmative steps toward
minorities, and high Muslim birth rates. In short, it makes no
distinction between historical truth and pure prejudice in its
efforts to push its violent political agendas. None of its
ideological positions hold up to the bare minimum levels of
intellectual scrutiny that all educational institutions routinely
demand of students, not to mention educators and intellectuals.
Hosting the RSS necessarily means abandoning all standards --- of
ascertaining truths, providing evidence, and making judgments ---
that make an educational institution different from prejudiced,
fanatical organizations. Everything that the RSS represents
throughout its history directly contravenes the policies of diversity
and tolerance that most campuses in the United States espouse. We
call on you to revoke the invitation to Mr Madhav immediately rather
than poison campus communities with the hate-filled, divisive
politics that the RSS and Mr Madhav will bring with them and which
you might inadvertently promote in the guise of liberalism and
openness to multiple views. The decision is not complicated: clearly,
none of us support genocide, as the RSS did in Gujarat, 2002, when
2000 human beings were massacred. We hope you will take a stand that
will affirm humanity and life rather than sustain organizations that
advocate its large-scale destruction.
References:
1.http://www.sacw.net/DC/CommunalismCollection/ArticlesArchive/casolari.pdf
2.http://www.sabrang.com/srikrish/hinrole.htm
3."The Hindu organizations most responsible for violence against
Christians are the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council, VHP),
the Bajrang Dal, and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (National
Volunteer Corps, RSS). According to a former RSS member, these groups
cannot be divorced from the ruling BJP party: "There is no difference
between the BJP an d RSS. BJP is the body. RSS is the soul, and the
Bajrang Dal is the hands for beating."
(http://www.hrw.org/press/1999/sep/christians.htm)
4."The groups most directly involved in the violence against Muslims
include the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council, VHP), the
Bajrang Dal, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) that heads the Gujarat state government. Collectively,
they are known as the sangh parivar, or family of Hindu nationalist
organizations."
(http://www.hrw.org/press/2002/04/gujarat.htm)
5.Golwalkar, M.S.(1939), We, Our Nationhood Defined, Bharat Publications, p.35.
6.Venkaiah Naidu, the President of the Bharatiya Janata Party
(political wing of the RSS) said, "It is disturbing that Muslims now
form 12.4% of the population" and that this was "a cause of grave
concern for all those who think of India's unity and integrity in the
long run." See
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/FI15Df02.html
http://newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEH20040907141014&Title=Top+Stories&rLink=0
7.http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=33391
8.http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/5905_120559,0008.htm
9.See http://www.southasiamonitor.org/india/2003/aug/ind1.html
and
http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=30&page=2
10.http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/742988.cms
11.http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/03/18/stories/2002031806000100.htm
12.http://www.tippusultan.net/news_index23.html
______
[5] [Letter to the Editor]
D-504 Purvasha
Mayur Vihar 1
Delhi 110091
26 September 2004
Shri George Fernandes has glowed with all the colours of the
rainbow. In the 1970s he led the famous rail strike. Very soon
after, during Indira Gandhi's Emergency, he was linked with a
bomb conspiracy. In what is called the Tehelka Scam, persons
officially connected with him were involved in large subterranean
financial dealings. After Narendra Modi's butchering of
thousands of people in the state he ruled, Shri Fernandes made
the profound philosophical pronouncement that mass rape was a way
of life.
Shri Fernandes now says that the law which has replaced POTA is
Draconian and has none of the safeguards that POTA had. In a
technical, clerical way he is probably correct. But has he cared
to look at how POTA has actually been used? Take the example of
Gujarat. Innocent people arrested under POTA have been tortured
until they have signed "confessions" prepared for them. Not
just the police but the judiciary too has been involved in this.
The very threat of POTA has enabled the police to lock up,
entirely illegally, members of the families of supposed
terrorists. They and their miserable possessions have been kicked
about after the police have hammered on their doors past
midnight. Since the POTA detenus were generally the sole bread
earners of their families, appalling economic hardship has been
caused by what Shri Fernandes, in his infinitely flexible and
self-serving wisdom, calls a law which could not be misused.
The pot of gold at the end of Shri Fernandes' rainbow contains
something else that is much the same colour.
Mukul Dube
o o o o
New act could easily be misued, says Fernandes
http://www.123bharath.com/news/index.php?action=fullnews&id=22988
______
[6]
Hindustan Times - September 27, 2004
BJP booklet describes Muslims as 'Bhasmasurs'
Sujata Anandan
Mumbai, September 27
The Bharatiya Janata Party has tripped up again! This time caught out
red-handed communalising elections in Maharashtra.
The Congress has become combative and petitioned Chief Electoral
Officer UPS Madan for action and if held true, the BJP could be in
deep trouble even before campaign warms up in Maharashtra.
According to Margaret Alva, AICC general secretary in charge,
"Congress workers have been bringing extremely offensive booklets to
me from all over Maharashtra. I was handed a copy in Mumbai two weeks
ago, then someone gave me a similar booklet in Western Maharashtra,
and another one in Marathwada.''
The booklet contains extremely offensive comments on Muslims and
attempts to cash in on Gujarat and Godhra and describes the minority
community as "bhasmasurs" and those who woo them as worse "rakshasas"
(devils).
When the Congress earlier complained to the Election Commission, the
BJP said that it had nothing to do with the booklet.
But on Sunday evening Raj Shroff, the son-in-law of Chief Minister
Sushil Kumar Shinde, who is contesting from Malabar Hill in South
Mumbai, caught two BJP workers red-handed distributing the booklets.
He forcibly dragged them to the Malabar Hill police station and
registered a complaint.
On Monday, senior Congress leader Govindrao Adik led a delegation to
the Election Commission with copies of the offensive booklet and
lodged a complaint on behalf of his party.
During his campaign on Sunday, Shroff was shocked to come across
persons pinning down people on the roads and demanding to know if
they were Hindu or Muslim.
If Hindu, they were handed the booklet and asked to study it
carefully before going to vote on polling day.
The booklet carries the now-world famous picture of Ziauddin Ansari
begging for his life with folded hands during the Gujarat riots and
says, "Hindus should never have to face this situation.''
It goes on to ask Hindus to ruminate upon whether "Hindustan belongs
to the majority Hindus or minority Muslims'' and heaps abuse on the
Andhra Pradesh Government's attempts to give reservations to Muslims.
There are more offensive passages in the booklet, which openly accuse
the Congress of Muslim appeasement and bemoan the penalisation of
Hindus in Gujarat, despite the fact that "it was they who were
massacred in Godhra''.
And, of course, it also devoted a lot of space to Ishrat Jahan, the
alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist gunned down by the Gujarat police.
"We will not allow the Gujarat-isation of Maharashtra,'' Adik on
Monday told the Hindustan Times after meeting Madan. "There will be
no Gujarat here and no Godhra either. We are on to the BJP's game.''
Why the BJP is now additionally embarrassed is that when the booklets
were first discovered, it claimed that these had existed for ages and
were published by some other organisation having nothing to do with
the BJP. But, according to Adik, the emphasis on Ishrat and constant
references to consolidation of the Muslim vote towards the Congress
exposed the fact that "whoever published it, this was done with the
intention of provoking the Hindu voters once again.
And it was done very recently (given Ishrat and the Andhra Muslims
references) with a view to Maharashtra elections.''
______
[7]
The Hindu - Sep 25, 2004
'Swadeshi Jagran Manch following Gandhian ideals'
By Our Staff Reporter
NEW DELHI, SEPT. 24. The senior Congress Councillor and former Delhi
University Students Union president, Shalu Malik, today said the
Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swyamsevak
Sangh (RSS), was partially following the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi.
Addressing a press conference here, Ms. Malik said the SJM was
following the path of self-reliance shown by the Mahatma. "This is
the reason why we have invited it for the Gandhi Jayanti Mela
organised by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi at the Roshanara
Garden from September 28," she said. Other RSS-affiliate, Seva
Bharti, has also been invited to participate in the five-day mela,
which would be inaugurated by the Delhi Lieutenant-Governor, B.L.
Joshi on Tuesday.
"Though we might not be agreeing with their ideology, their work like
candle making and giving professional training to the unemployed
youth and the needy was following the Gandhi ideals of
self-reliance," she said.
______
[8] [Upcoming Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram meet ; The American Hindutva
funder IDRF actively supports the work of VKA see:
http://www.idrf.org/reports/VKA/VKA.html ;
IDRF and the American Funding of Hindutva
http://stopfundinghate.org/sacw/appendixh.html]
o o o
TRIBALS' ORGANISATION TO CELEBRATE ITS GOLDEN JUBILEE
New Delhi, Sep 27 (UNI) Hundreds of tribal people from across the
country will attend the golden jubilee celebrations of the Akhil
Bhartiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram here next week.
The five-day celebrations, which will begin on October 6 at Mandoli
in East Delhi, will be inaugurated by Swami Satyamitranand of Bharat
Mata Mandir, Haridwar.
The celebrations will culminate in an all-India conference of
tribals, said Ashram deputy general secretary Kripa Prasad Singh.
About 3,000 tribal people representing 27 states and 675 tribes will
take part in the celebrations, he added.
According to the Ashram, which works for the welfare of tribal people
in more than 46,000 villages, the survival of the tribal people is
threatened by large-scale deforestation and urbanisation.
"The loss of culture is loss of identity. The tribals are facing
numerous grave problems," said Mr Singh.
The Ashram runs nearly 400 cultural centres in tribal areas in
Andaman and Nicobar Island, the North-East, Tamil Nadu and Leh.
Akhil Bhartiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram was founded in 1952 to work for
the development of tribals. Though it turned 50 two years ago, its
golden jubilee celebrations had to be postponed to 2004.
______
[9] [Pakistanis Islamists and their chums from all over plan to meet
on first week of October 2004; See their web page:
http://www.jamaat.org/ ]
The Daily Times - September 28, 2004
JI annual gathering to promote global peace: Qazi
* JI ameer says thousands from world over will attend congregation
By Ghafar Ali
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_28-9-2004_pg7_26
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
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and democratisation in South Asia. SACW is an independent &
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