If GA* Noronha wants to defend his opposition to the abolition of a blasphemy law in our secular democratic country, and support the prosecution of Sanal Edamaruku under that law using trumped up charges, then he has to respond to the following substantive posts of Selma and mine with a substantive argument of his own.
http://lists.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet-goanet.org/2012-May/221741.html http://lists.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet-goanet.org/2012-May/221745.html http://lists.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet-goanet.org/2012-May/221747.html Trying to distract people with useless diversionary tactics such as pointing out all the adjectives and nouns in someone's post does not cut it, especially when he himself has to use his own nouns and adjectives in writing his response - words such as "brouhaha", "television spectacle", "crucial", "national debate", "bait", "multireligious", "Partition", "raking up a controversy", "misuse" and "smirking". An administrator of a secular public forum has to encourage debate and discussion on topics that, not just he, but others find important. The world does not revolve around the likes and dislikes of one Goanet Administrator. The answers to all rhetorical questions the GA* has posed below are as follows: > >What was Edamaruku really saying in the discussion? > Please see - http://lists.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet-goanet.org/2012-May/221770.html > >Should such claims of "miracles" be the centre of such a big brouhaha, made >part of a television spectacle, and treated as if it is a major issue for >national >debate? > Yes, for the simple reason that freedom of religion, freedom of speech, separation of religion and state, and scientific temper are the most important principles in our country's constitution. They are major issues in our national debate. Indeed, I would argue that all the political polarization and communal conflicts we see in India today is primarily because religion and religious beliefs are given too much importance in the public sphere, instead of keeping them personal and private family matters. The eradication of all discriminatory laws that give special privileged status to fanatically religious people of any religion would be in the best interest of all citizens. > >Or is this just an attempt to bait people on the basis of their beliefs? > No, because if this were true then there would be such a debate every hour on the television every day, considering the number of harmful beliefs that people of all religions hold and practice in India on a daily basis. > >In a multireligious country like India, where politics and religion have been >so throughly mixed since Partition and before, should we be raking up a >controversy over >295A, or just over its misuse? > We should be speaking out loud and clear against the blasphemy law. Please see the above answers and the following post for reasons: http://lists.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet-goanet.org/2012-May/221747.html Indeed, I submit that there is no controversy about eliminating this law among secular-minded people. There is a broad consensus. Even in Goan forums it is only GA* Noronha, and perhaps, one other guy who is opposing its abolition. Cheers, Santosh * - Goanet Administrator GA* Noronha wrote: > >T here are too many adjectives and loaded words to stick to seriouswould not >cut it. GA* Noronha > debate here: bogus, anti-secular, antiquated, blasphemy, libelous, > hate-campaign, propaganda organisation, falsely named, biased, > propaganda newsletter, incite hatred, sectarian, religo-politico > (activists), libelous, unproven (allegations), libelous > (allegation), false (allegation). With the intention of allowing anyone to do > an > Edamaruku on me, I'd > say the more crucial issues here are: * What was Edamaruku really saying in > the > discussion? Please see the ones below: > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfJ6_ftih0s&feature=related > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl9pCma4C5E&feature=related * Should such > claims of "miracles" be the centre of such a big > brouhaha, made part of a television spectacle, and treated as if it is > a major issue for national debate? Or is this just an attempt to bait > people on the basis of their beliefs? * In a multireligious country like > India, > where politics and religion > have been so throughly mixed since Partition and before, should we be > raking up a controversy over 295A, or just over its misuse? Personally, I > felt > even those taking part in the televised debate fell > to the bait offered by a smirking Edamaruku. I won't oblige the same > here :-) FN >
