--- On Wed, 10/8/08, anil desai <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> Dear goanetters
> We have been reading a lot on the subject of religious disharmony in
> India with one political outfit taking most of the flak. Here is
> an interesting article in today's Indian express:
>
Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2008 01:30:38 -0700 (PDT)
From: Carvalho <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>
The Time one loses complete faith in India is when educated people forward
articles by a right-wing groupie such as Francois Gautier, in justification of
violence.
>
Mario responds:
>
The following was my direct response to Francois Gautier at [EMAIL PROTECTED]:
>
Other Goanetters should politely let him know their opinions as well.
>
Francois,
>
I'm not sure whether you thought that our knowing you were born a Catholic
would give your comments some special legitimacy. In fact you have
demonstrated that you have missed the very essence of Catholic teaching, love
of one's neighbor.
>
There is no possible way you can be allowed to justify or excuse barbaric
communal mob violence by Hindu extremists in a civilized society based on the
real and imaginary transgressions that you have alleged, for reasons that are
not clear. However, regardless of your reasons, the effect of your excuses, if
they gain wider currency, will be to embolden the anarchists and lead to more
violence.
>
India has a system of laws to deal with law-breakers and everyone is presumed
innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. If some Christians have broken
the law, they should be brought to justice. How does that justify mob attacks
on other Christians? No individual or mob can be allowed to take the law into
their own hands in a civilized society no matter what their grievance may be.
That is the very definition of anarchy.
>
Where has Mohandas Gandhi's spirit gone?
>
When 80% of India are Hindus it is patently absurd to blame the media for being
biased against Hindus, or blaming Hindus for "fear, inferiority complex
imbedded (sic) by the British or just sheer crass political opportunism, or the
bigger mass is indifferent inert, selfish, un-civic conscious." The last time
I checked, the British had left India over 60 years ago, and Indians now
consider themselves second to none, nay, superior to most and quite capable of
preaching non-violence to others.
>
The heinous attacks by Muslim terrorists have nothing to do with mob attacks on
innocent Christians, very few of whom are involved in coerced conversions.
Your other allegations seem similarly baseless. I'm sure the Muslim terrorists
can also claim all kinds of greviances to justify their terrorism.
>
India pretends to be a civilized society, and for the most part, it is.
However, as we see time and time again in places like Gujarat, Orissa, Bihar
and now Karnataka, that civilization has proven to be razor thin, and it
doesn't take much to descend to the barbarism just below the surface.
>
Unfortunately, we are seeing a breakdown in the security apparatus that should
be the government's primary responsibility to every one of its citizens, at the
local, state and federal level.
>
It is high time Manmohan Singh eschewed his placid demeanor and put his foot
down as wholesale lawlessness and anarchy seems right around the corner.
>
Sincerely,
Mario Goveia
