South Asia Citizens Wire | 27-28 September, 2004 via: www.sacw.net
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[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
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[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.
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[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
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[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
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[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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] 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
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[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
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[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.''
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[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.
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[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.
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[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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Buzz on the perils of fundamentalist politics, on matters of peace and democratisation in South Asia. SACW is an independent & non-profit citizens wire service run since 1998 by South Asia Citizens Web: www.sacw.net/
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