I'm afraid this is a typical mode of denial, by closing one's eyes before hard facts. Let's Just ask this gentleman to revisit his earlier responses in this group - if not for anything else, but for trying to make some sense of what he makes out of himself , of these comments- they just not betray impatience, bitterness and hate on his imagined opponents, but also seem born out of characteristic arrogance toward someone's right to seriously dissent! Why do you want such a person to apologize?
On Jul 21, 9:58 pm, Afthab Ellath <[email protected]> wrote: > A malicious statement... I think this group should ask an apology for such a > venomous attack on an academic... > > Afthab Ellath > > On Wed, Jul 21, 2010 at 5:55 PM, rsajan <[email protected]> wrote: > > IT IS GOOD THAT SOME PEOPLE ARE STILL GRATEFUL AND LOYAL TO THE ISI > > FOR ITS MONEY. AND DO WRITE FOR IT. > > > On Jul 20, 6:39 pm, reny ayline <[email protected]> wrote: > > > The Great Incendiary Hunt Takes Off in Kerala By J Devika > > > > I have been watching the whole drama that has been unfolding after the > > > unspeakable and utterly condemnable act of violence at Muvattupuzha in > > > central Kerala early this month, which has been widely interpreted as the > > > first instance of ‘Talibanist’ violence here, with a sinking feeling in > > the > > > pit of my stomach. A whole manhunt has followed it and this continues to > > be > > > front-page news in many Malayalam newspapers, especially the > > > *Mathrubhumi*.This newspaper has been working very hard to homogenize > > > the Malayalee > > > Muslims and make them collectively responsible for ‘Talibanism’. Everyday > > > the news is full of reports of raids on offices of the Muslim > > organization, > > > Popular Front, and the homes of activists, which apparently unearth all > > > sorts of incendiary material, especially CDs and printed matter. > > Meanwhile > > > the *Mathrubhumi* has worked overtime to plant tit-bits that would > > collapse > > > many Muslim organizations into a single, threatening, monstrous presence. > > It > > > looks as if the assault which began with the false propaganda around > > ‘Love > > > jihad’ is careening into a horrendous climax which will undo whatever > > peace > > > and trust that exists among the major religious communities in Kerala.The > > > manner in which the Popular Front leaders have been trying to ‘explain’ > > the > > > act as ‘natural’ reveals the dangerous dimensions of what it to come (of > > > course, it is another matter that neither the CPM leaders nor the BJP > > bosses > > > in north Kerala have ever been really apologetic of the horrific > > political > > > murders there). > > > > The media is producing tons of ‘evidence’ on a daily basis on how the > > > Popular Front activists have been planning and plotting this dastardly > > > attack.The power of rhetoric is clearly being utilised to the fullest: > > just > > > the other day, the mainstream media went wild about the alleged attackers > > > possessing several SIM cards, as if possessing many SIM cards is in > > itself > > > evidence for someone’s links to terrorism. I know many fellows in Kerala > > who > > > possess several SIM cards and use them for such purposes as the efficient > > > management of multiple amorous interests; would they be ‘suspected > > > Talibanists’? Similarly, the hysteria about the hoards of CDs and printed > > > matter seems to be with the clear intention of misleading readers into > > > thinking that possessing such material is a crime or evidence for assent > > to > > > Talibanist ideology. Well, just looking around my office, I find my desk > > and > > > bookshelves full of material that celebrates ‘virtuous Malayalee > > womanhood’ > > > which demands an impossible repression of anything sexual; I also have > > > plenty of material that argues for a sadomasochist aesthetic. Now does > > that > > > make me either a good asexual Malayalee woman (god forbid!) or a > > > sadomasochist aesthete? According to the rules set by the mainstream > > media, > > > I will certainly be a propagandist of sadomasochist aesthetics, because I > > > have multiple copies of an article that defends the same which I intend > > to > > > hand out to a group of readers who would like to discuss the sexuality > > > debates within feminism! I may also be a good repressed specimen of > > > Malayalee womanhood (alas!) since I have stored for several purposes, > > plenty > > > of copies of K Chinnamma’s early 20th century proposal to turn all > > ‘native > > > women’ into mothers with sexualities stiffer and straighter than my * > > > Valyammavan*‘s (Grand-Uncle’s) stiffest starched mul-mul *mundu* (a > > > Malayalee dhoti)! All depends on what they choose to find in my room. It > > is > > > time that our journalists were taught some logic, and helped beyond the > > > statistical fallacy (which, simply put, is the error of reasoning that > > > results from examining a number of episodes, for example, (1) whisky+soda > > = > > > intoxication,(2) vodka+soda = intoxication, and (3) gin + soda= > > > intoxication, and coming to the conclusion that the most apparent common > > > factor,soda, is responsible for intoxication). > > > > I am of course not saying that I know who were behind this horrible act > > of > > > violence and that I am sure that the Popular Front were not involved. > > Given > > > the trajectory of anti-Muslim rhetoric that has been floating around, it > > may > > > well be the case that this is a foolish, irresponsible, completely > > > unjustifiable, impulsive response by the accused. All I am saying is that > > > the present ‘evidence’ offered by the media by which the accused are > > already > > > guilty works to not so much actually prove them guilty, as to offer bits > > and > > > pieces that promptly generate certain false associations that pronounce > > > them already guilty. This is by now a familiar strategy and I am sure > > there > > > are better ways to report a case investigation in a democratic society, > > and > > > that there are ways to gain a degree of distance from the police > > accounts. > > > > But there is a parallel I can’t help noticing — between the present > > incident > > > and and earlier one I had written about on kafila (1 oct 2009). The > > latter > > > had to do with another shocking murder, of an innocent man on a morning > > walk > > > at Varkala, near Thiruvananthapuram, and a dalit organization which had > > been > > > working in the dalit colonies at Varkala, the Dalit Human Rights Network, > > > was blamed instantly. In a sequence of events almost uncannily similar to > > > the present one, activists of the DHRM were rounded up and accused of the > > > most appalling crimes, with the mainstream media gleefully lapping up the > > > cartloads of ‘evidence’ that the police was discovering on a daily basis > > and > > > coining such conceptual gems as ‘dalit terrorism’. The violent act in > > that > > > incident was as mindless and atrocious as in the present one — an act > > that > > > was politically so damaging that one would be justified to think that > > only > > > the politically-dumbest person would commit such a crime. In fact, such a > > > person could well be judged as incapable of elementary rational > > calculation > > > — and could therefore be called dangerously mad. The present act is > > exactly > > > this. The professor in question had been punished and the matter seemed > > to > > > have ended there. On the other side, the Muslims in Kerala, especially > > those > > > active in youth organizations such as the Solidarity, have been under > > > incessant attack recently, and therefore to engage in such violence would > > be > > > nothing short of political suicide, and this is as clear as daylight to > > the > > > most ordinary observer of public life in Kerala.It happens, and the > > police > > > get into their act, exactly like in the Varkala murder case, producing > > tons > > > of ‘evidence’ to feed the media which utilizes it to homogenize and > > > criminalize a particular group of people. The police have still to > > produce > > > credible evidence against the ‘suspects’ who have been arrested in the > > > Varkala murder case; it is most likely that they will be let go, like the > > > ‘suspected Maoists’ who were arrested a couple of years back in Kerala > > who > > > have now been released, of which I had written about in an earlier post > > (22 > > > Jan 2008). > > > What really strikes me, however, is the timing of these incidents. The > > > Varkala murder case came just at the point when negotiations around the > > > Chengara land struggle seemed to be reaching somewhere; the anti-dalit > > > tirade did much to diminish the political gain that the dalits had made > > > through the Chengara land struggle. Now, this comes just after the > > > successful thwarting of government promotion of neoliberal predators at > > > Kinaloor in north Kerala in which Muslim organizations were actively > > > involved. And lo! Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Home Minister of Kerala, tells > > the > > > Kerala State Assembly on 14 July (according to *The Hindu*, Trivandrum > > > edition,15 July) that “the Intelligence wing of the Police Department was > > > keeping a close watch on certain human rights organisations who were > > > suspected to be indulging in activities aimed at subverting development > > > initatives in the State.” He further hinted that “foreign sources” may be > > > funding these organisations and that “subversive activities would not be > > > permitted in the State under any circumstances”. Too neat, I must say. I > > am > > > well aware that one should not read too much off such close associations, > > > one simply lacks the hard evidence to do so. But I do feel that the > > uncanny > > > likeness between the two incidents gives us good reason to insist on > > > critical distance from police versions and on independent investigation > > > especially because the mainstrean media is outdoing the police. > > > > And of course, Balakrishnan’s profound observations may be completely > > > innocent — but that is not the point. His words may be a brave attempt > > to > > > make hay while the sun shines in between an unrelenting monsoon. Such is > > the > > > desperation in the LDF: the panchayat elections are approaching and it > > MUST > > > be won! As the drama unfolds after the violent incident at > > Muvattupuzha,our > > > political benefactors, the LDF, have been busy with the Great Beneficiary > > > Hunt, in view of the approaching panchayat elections which the LDF cannot > > > afford to lose. In the recent weeks we have been witnessing a amazing > > > proliferation and elaboration of governmental categories who are being > > ... > > read more » -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB.
