Pseudo secularism at work (ToI style)

ABVP men vandalise Arts dept over history course

ABVP had similarly staged a demonstration in front of the V-C's office against parts of the history syllabus of the BA Programme, which they said made objectionable references to the Ramayan and its characters.

Said Maya John, member of the group, Krantikari Yuva Sangathan: "The rally will be a protest against communalisation of the university and the attack on academic freedom."

Another one from todays(Feb 26, '08) paper but hidden inside the pages is another contradictory but delectable piece.

India voices protest against Mohammed cartoons (No link, from ToI's e-paper page 16)

As outrage over the republication of controversial Danish cartoons spread across the Muslim world, India strongly opposed posting of these cartoons of Prophet Mohammed on YouTube. In a statement, the MEA said, “Hurting of sentiments of any community under the guise of freedom of expression is unacceptable.” TNN

ManMohan rewards Jihadis

Extra-extra, our PM has lost his mental balance and sanity-check is recommended.

PM to reward jihadis

The Pioneer Edit Desk

Indians to foot the bill

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh does not cease to amaze even the most cynical of his critics. Mr Singh's decision to reward the families of jihadis killed by security forces in Jammu & Kashmir is the latest manifestation of his 'Muslims first' policy of appeasing fanatics while debasing the Indian state. During a visit to Jammu & Kashmir last year, he had admonished jawans and officers, who have been keeping separatists at bay by paying a terrible price in terms of loss to life and limb, and sternly told them that he would not tolerate "human rights abuses". Such touching concern for 'human rights', of course, has never been expressed by Mr Singh when innocent men, women and children are butchered by those for whom his heart bleeds so profusely. jihadis are ruthless and rabid; they owe allegiance to groups that promote mass murder in the name of Islam; they are often trained and armed by Pakistan's ISI; they are inspired by the fetid ideology preached by madmen like Osama bin Laden and his psychopathic admirers, among them Maulana Masood Azhar; they have nothing but contempt for secular, democratic India; and, they repudiate everything that this nation stands for. Death is their just desserts. To reward their families, therefore, makes no sense, unless the Prime Minister wants to send out the message that it pays to wage jihad against India. This may fetch him popularity among jihadis -- now there is added incentive for them to indulge in their cruelty apart from the promised pleasures of heaven -- but it can only repulse those who do not subscribe to their warped faith and see no merit, religious or otherwise, in the slaughter of innocent people.

Contrary to what the Prime Minister has claimed, this largesse for the families of jihadis is not about creating a "new future in Jammu & Kashmir". It is about pandering to those elements in Kashmiri society who shamelessly flaunt their support for Pakistan and rejoice every time our security forces suffer loss of lives or Hindus are killed. Since the promised reward comes in an election year, it is also an attempt to garner Muslim votes, although, as this newspaper has stressed more than once, appeasing jihadis and fanatics in the guise of 'Muslim welfare' is grossly unfair to India's Muslims because an overwhelming majority of them have nothing to do with those who rob the Prime Minister of his sleep. What makes Mr Singh's decision particularly loathsome is the official neglect and apathy that have reduced lakhs of Kashmiri Pandits, forced to flee their homes in Kashmir Valley by those whom he now wishes to reward, to penury and worse in their own country. Last year the Prime Minister decided, against the advice of the Army, to pull out troops from their billets and camps in Kashmir Valley just because the separatists wanted it so. As if that were not bad enough, he now wants to 'compensate' the deaths of those waging war against India. What's next on Mr Singh's agenda? To reward criminals who die in police encounters? That would be a logical extension of his appalling 'new future' doctrine. This decision has to be rescinded; the Government of India cannot be held hostage to the remarkable proclivities of someone who has clearly lost sight of what is good for the nation. The public exchequer is not meant for underwriting an accidental Prime Minister's outrageous policies. Much as Mr Singh may find this difficult to believe, India is not Tughlaq raj.

Why Modi appeals to the Hindu - Rediff

December 24, 2007
Maut ka Saudagar', 'Liar', 'the Ugly Indian' etc etc etc.

All the kind of epithets, the likes of which till now used to come easily out of President George Bush's mouth and the pens of his neo conservative supporters.

Mr Bush should be worried that he has now a growing number of competitors in the coining of demonising epithets in the community of the self-styled secularists of India.

What epithets they did not use against Narendra Modi for the last five years and particularly in the weeks before the election to the Gujarat legislative assembly, in which the Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party won a spectacular victory despite the best (or worst) efforts of these self-styled secularists to demonise him day in and day out!

The pathological dislike -- even hatred -- that some of our journalists -- particularly in the electronic media -- have for Modi could be seen or sensed as one watched the television coverage of the counting of votes on December 23.

Initially, as it appeared that the BJP might not do well in the final tally, there was excitement among many television anchors. They thought they had tasted blood. After an hour, the BJP candidates started racing ahead and it became clear the the Congress was in for a drubbing.

The disappointment on the faces of some of the anchors was to be seen to be believed. A star lady anchor could not help remarking: 'Modi might be able to win the elections in Gujarat, but he still can't get a visa to go to the US and other Western countries.' Some consolation!

Instead of spending their time searching for abusive expressions in the dictionary and in their copy-book of such expressions, if these self-styled secularists had only visited the Web sites, discussion groups and blogspots of members of the Hindu community not only in India, but also in other countries of the world -- particularly in the US -- they would have noticed something, which might have given them cause for introspection.

They would have noticed that Modi is becoming the icon of a growing number of Hindus not only in India, but also in the Hindu Diaspora spread across the world. The support for him is not confined only to the Gujarati-speaking Hindus of the world. It is spread right across the Hindu spectrum -- whatever be the language or ethnicity or place of origin of the Hindus concerned.

They would have noticed that in the Hindu Diaspora in the West, more young people admire Modi than grown-ups. Many of his young admirers in the US were born and brought up there and had the benefit of the best of secular education. In spite of this, there is a sense of pride in them that the Hindu community has at long last produced a leader of the calibre of Modi.

What is it they see in him?

His simple and austere living of the kind associated with the late Kamaraj of Tamil Nadu, but not seen in the leaders of today?

His reputation as an incorruptible politician, the likes of which is not found anywhere in India, not even in his own party?

His style of development-oriented governance, which even his detractors do not hesitate to praise?

The fruits of his policy, which Gujarat and its people are already enjoying?

His tough stance on terrorism?

His lucid-thinking on matters concerning our national security?

His defiance in the face of the greatest campaign of demonisation mounted against him, the likes of which only Indira Gandhi had faced from her political opponents and sections of the media in the 1970s?

All these are factors, which influence their favourable perception of him, and which have already been highlighted and analysed in the articles on his impressive election victory.

But there is one factor, which is more important than these and which has not found mention in the analyses.

That is, for large sections of the Hindus -- young and old, even more among the young than among the old -- he gave them a sense of pride in their identity as Hindus.

They feel that he removed from their minds long habits of defensiveness as Hindus carefully nurtured by the self-styled secularists.

As if to proclaim one's Hindu identity and to assert one's rights as Hindus in their own homeland in which they are in a vast majority (80 per cent of the population) is to be communal, is to become an ugly Indian.

For these self-styled secularists, a pretty Indian is a Hindu, who is all the time on the defensive, fights shy of proclaiming his Hindu personality and asserting his rights as a member of the majority community.

These self-styled secularists would not address their sermons of secularism to the Islamic countries, where for a Muslim to convert a non-Muslim into Islam is an act blessed by Allah, but for a non-Muslim to convert a Muslim into his religion is a crime calling for the death penalty.

For them, secularism is a virtue which a Hindu should practise towards others, but not others towards him.

It is Modi's rejection of this hypocrisy of the self-styled secularists, which makes him stand apart as a Hindu leader with a difference in the eyes of his admirers.

Bharathiyar, the Tamil poet who inspired millions of Tamil youth to join the independence struggle under Mahatma Gandhi, wrote: Tamizhanenru Chollada, Talai Nimirndhu Nillada (Say You Are a Tamil, Hold Your Head High).

The growing legion of Modi's admirers in the Hindu community all over the world are saying: Hindu Enru Chollada, Talai Nimirndu Nillada (Say You Are A Hindu, Hold Your Head High).

They are no longer prepared to be defensive in proclaiming their Hindu idenity, in asserting their rights as Hindus.

They are secular in the genuine sense of the word, but for them secularism does not mean developing a guilt complex about being a Hindu and all the time conceding the rights of others. They do not accept the argument that a Hindu, who asserts his rights, ceases to be a secularist.

B Raman

Taslima Nasreen removes comment

Woo hoo, saved it so that next time some "Freedom of Expression and Speech" peddler has a fit, I'll be sure to rub this on his/her nose and make them see sense.

Source

Ms Nasreen told TV channels on Friday that she would be dropping some lines from Dwikhondito, her 2003 autobiography.

Leading writers in Bengal have welcomed Ms Nasreen's move.

"It is a clever and a timely move. It is not a surrender to the fundamentalists but a compromise to tackle the present situation where Muslims across the board are feeling upset ," said Abul Bashar.

Shirshendu Mukherjee said Ms Nasreen's move should "assuage ruffled sentiments".

However, noted painter Shuvaprassana said Ms Nasreen had compromised by withdrawing the lines.

"This is a compromise that she has been forced into for the sake of getting refuge. But if she can drop two pages to get refuge in India, she can drop three pages and go back to Bangladesh," he said.

Indian media's missing zeal on Malaysian Indian's protest

A brilliant article by Dasu Krishnamoorty on the Indian media's blind eye to the protests of ethnic Indians in Malaysia. As (self styled) protectors of secularism, our media is mum. Why?

Source

Everyone in India knows Indra Nooyi or Mira Nair. But how many know Basudeo Pande or Jagennath Lachmon? Hardly any. These are all children of indentured labor who were cheated to travel to distant and unknown horizons in South and East Africa, the West Indies, Mauritius, Fiji, Ceylon and a score of exotic islands in the Pacific Ocean to toil and die on plantations of the colonizers. Our governments ritually remember them on Bharatiya Pravasi Diwas. Their apathy to the state of these people is shared by our media too, fresh evidence coming from the blind eye they turned to recent events in Malaysia.

How long ago did you see a news item in the Indian media about these people? We however read about Mike Tyson going to jail for a day or the latest peccadilloes of Paris Hilton or Lindsay Lohan. For our media Indians reside only in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. Neither our media have space nor has our Foreign Office time to see what is happening to ethnic Indians who are the poorest segment of the Malaysian population. Worse, they are disenfranchised. They are stereotyped in Malaysian media as alcoholics and gangsters. Our newspapers are as loathe to posting correspondents in these countries as our journalists are loathe going there except in the company of the prime minister.

In Malaysia, temples are razed to the ground and we learn about it first from the International Herald Tribune. It is not a sudden development that has taken the Indian media by surprise. The plight and persecution of Indians in Malaysia has been there since the country became independent in 1957 and became a religious state. The IHT reported on 23 November arrests of Indian leaders who were planning a mass rally on 25 November before the British High Commission demanding reparations for bringing them to Malaysia as indentured labour. The rally plans were also a response to the demolition by the government of a 100-year old temple, the Malaimel Shri Selva Kaliamman temple. Of this, The Times of India alone carried a Reuters report about rally plans.

Our media hands were too full of how the UPA and West Bengal governments are struggling to ward off charges of minority appeasement following the Taslima episode to pay attention to a community of plantation labour. The only person who was moved to write in the Business Standard about the plight of these indigent people is Sunanda Datta Ray, the country's most respected journalist. Malaysia's Islamization drive included a ban on secular courts from overruling verdicts by Islamic courts in cases where non-Muslims are involved. Datta Ray wrote how Islamization began with the disgraced Anwar Ibrahim mobilized Muslim youth to enforce Islamic values. Hindus and to a lesser extent (since they are richer) the Chinese have since been victims of competitive Islam, said Ray.

Sunday's unprecedented but peaceful demonstration by tens of thousands of ethnic Indians came in defiance of warnings by the government that it would be suppressed ruthlessly. Suppress they did, with the help of teargas, water cannon and pepper spray. Leaders have been charged with sedition, though freed later. Nearly all Indian newspapers reported the rally, courtesy Reuters. Many carried a picture. The only newspaper to make a comment, Hindustan Times, wrote a very effete edit, affectionately describing the Malaysian police action as alleged. But I haven't seen the Indian TV covering it or borrowing clips from the BBC. They perhaps have more important events like the visit of Bachan family to the Dwarakadheesh temple or when and how Tendulkar will overtake Brian Lara.

The UPA government did not seem to know the happenings in Malaysia until Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi wrote a letter to Prime Minister Manomhan Singh on Wednesday, expressing deep concern at the treatment meted out to Malaysian ethnic Indian community. Karunanidhi himself was ignorant of the events till activists of Hindu Munnani, a Tamil Nadu based religious and cultural organization, staged a protest demonstration in Chennai.

The police in Kaula Lumpur detained over 240 ethnic Indians. Malaysia's Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi warned he may invoke a security law sanctioning indefinite detention without trial to curb street demonstrations. Datta Ray said, 'Though the (Malaysian) constitution's Article 3(1) says "other religions may be practiced in peace and harmony," Article 121(1A) subordinates the judicial system to Islamic courts. The implementation of Article 121(1A) is the last straw. Every so often a Hindu family is plunged into despair with the mullahs claiming that the father or mother converted to Islam, possibly when dying. There is no redress against their ex parte verdict as was highlighted with the forced burial of a 36-year-old Tamil Hindu soldier and mountaineer, M Moorthy, as a Muslim, over the protests of his Hindu wife.'

Malaysian news agency Bernama quoted Badawi as saying that the Internal Security Act, which permits detention without trial, is a preventive measure to preserve peace and order. 'Many Malaysians, both Hindus and non-Hindus, are in protest mode with increasing signs of lack of proper respect for all religions in the country and especially after the insensitive and sacrilegious demolition of the temple,' said opposition leader Lim Kit Siang.

Neither the Government of India nor any political party raised its voice. A 40-member Malaysian delegation is now in Delhi. Nobody from the media cared to ask them about what's happening to Indians in their country. Datta Ray pointed out how Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew speaks for the Chinese minority in Malaysia and lamented, 'No one does for Indians.' Is it because they are children of indentured labour? Compare this to Hillary Clinton's appeal to her government to ask the Saudi administration to be fair to a 19-year-old rape victim sentenced by a shariat court to 200 lashes and six months in jail. The US government spoke to the Saudi prince who was in the States to attend a Middle Peace summit.

Our media and foreign office make us believe that there are minorities only in India and not elsewhere. Our secularism is so pristine that Indian minorities in Muslim countries are not its concern. Are they children of a lesser God? Our embassies and consulates come to life only when a minister from India is visiting. People of Indian origin are not their concern. Indian media in the US are full of stories about the arrogance, indifference and inertia of our embassy and consulate officials.

Has our government protested to Kaula Lumpur? Can any newspaper send its reporter? Or, do they send reporters only to Cannes to cover film festivals or Frankfurt to cover a book fair? Hindustan Times edit does not even ask the government to protest and demand that the Malaysian delegation now in the capital be asked to convey our displeasure to their government. I hope our secular policies do not come in the way of doing so. But what is the Hindu doing when the majority of Malaysian Indians are Tamils?

Parliament is as silent as everyone else.

***end***
What is the response of the speaker of Lok Sabha when few politicians raised this issue in the Indian parliament?

We are a very responsible democracy. We don’t discuss … any other country in such a manner," Chatterjee said,

Zimmi Somnath Chatterjee ji forgets the Muhammad Cartoon frenzy where Prime Minister ManMohan Singh conveyed his outrage to the Danish Government. Why two standards, Mr. Speaker? Weren't we a responsible democracy at that time? What has changed since then?

This one's for keeps

Intl community should condemn Pak emergency

We unequivocally condemn the imposition of emergency in Pakistan by General Musharraf, along with the promulgation of the provisional constitution order, suspension of fundamental rights, muzzling of the press, and violence against lawyers, human rights activists, journalists, feminists, artists, trade unionists and other civil society members. We condemn the arrest of the regime’s critics and demand their unconditional release. Musharraf claims to be saving Pakistan from suicide, primarily through ‘religious militancy’. Yet, armed militias are being allowed to overrun Swat. The Shariah has been imposed, Pakistani flags on government buildings replaced by religious ones, and the frontier constabulary in Daroshkhela town disarmed and disbanded by the militants. These are grim portents with roots in the US backed militarymullah alliance of the 1980s. Musharraf has chosen to wage war against Pakistan’s liberals instead of combating fundamentalist militants. We express our support and solidarity with Pakistani civil society in its twin struggle against Musharraf’s tyrannical rule and religious fundamentalism. We demand the immediate lifting of the emergency and hope the international community will support the people of Pakistan in their hour of need and help its transition to genuine democracy.
Kamla Bhasin, Praful Bidwai, Amrita Chhachhi, Sonia Jabbar, Ritu Menon, VIA EMAIL

Source

Useful idiots (Kamla Bhasin, Praful Bidwai, Amrita Chhachhi, Sonia Jabbar, Ritu Menon) want jihadi Musharraf to wage war against fundamentalist militants. On the other hand, these pests are against Indian Army doing the same. Why the double standards?

Vice principal of Hyderabad college criticizes Islam; protests, stone-throwing ensue

'Seculars' and peddlers of freedom of expression termites, come out of the woodwork. Not one secular dumbkopf will touch Mr Reddy with a barge pole since he criticised islam. Had Mr Reddy railed against Hindu beliefs and a similar protests taken place, NGO's would have supported him apart from the usual termites crawling out and mouthing platitudes.

Hyderabad: There was unrest in the streets of Hyderabad on Wednesday after a college teacher allegedly made anti-Islamic remarks.

The students of Narayana College protested against the remarks made by their Vice Principal, Naresh Reddy.

“The Vice principal said that Islam is useless also that 25 per cent of Islam is useless. He spoke against Islam. He cannot say anything religious. This is the second time he has said this,” says a student, Narayana College, Shahabuddin.

Police say Reddy made the comments while pulling up two students for coming late to college after offering namaz.

The angry students reacted by pelting stones at the college And local Islamic groups were quick to step in support of the students.

“Their job is to teach, why are they speaking against Islam. We do not compromise with people who speak against Islam,” says MIM leader, Afsar Khan.

The protestors even forced shopkeepers in the area to down shutters. A battalion of the Rapid Action Force had to be deployed and normalcy was restored only after the college management suspended vice principal Reddy.

This is the second incident when a teacher has landed in trouble for making alleged remarks on Islam.

The government has chosen to maintain a stoic silence at least till the festive season is over, but what is troubling is the ease with which students are agitated and choose to go on a rampage.

They seem to be the ones calling the shots in classrooms.

Let the aussie convicts whine, Way to go SreeSanth!

Hello, myself

Exuberant and emotional, Sree Santh is a true Aquarian. Eccentric at times and downright unbelievable on most occasions. Born on Feb. 6, 1983 to Savitri Devi, an officer in the state treasury department and Shanthakumaran Nair, Sree Santh is the younger brother to Deepu. Sree Santh came to the limelight in the 2006 England series and especially after the boogie-woogie he did after hitting South Africa’s Andre Nel for a six. A regular in the match referee’s office for his incessant appealing and theatrics on the field, Sree Santh has carved quite a reputation for himself. Not surprising because the psychology-studying university student has confessed himself to be quite an attention seeker. "I used to do all the silly things to be in the limelight."

A Michael Jackson fan, Sree Santh was a champion break dancer, attaining national recognition in the eighth grade. The showman traits have come to the surface often, either in the form of blonde highlights or jiggling hips.

God-fearing and fish-eating

Comfortable with English, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi, Sree Santh is an avid reader and is a huge fan of Steve Waugh but for all his book-knowledge, the Kochi-pacer is also a blind follower when it comes to numerology and faith. A devout Malayali Hindu, Sree Santh is very religious and visits many temples in Kochi. His favourite shrine is the Sri Krishna Temple in Guruvayur. He always asks his mother to light a lamp in the puja room every time he plays a match and to keep it burning till the end of the match.

He once skipped five Ranji Trophy games but travelled with the side on the pretext that he was training to regain his fitness. But rumours had it that an astrologer convinced him to take a break from competition to preserve his longevity in the sport, which Sree Santh categorically denied. There are innumerable variations to his name though he’s disposed towards using Sree Santh nowadays. An able footballer and quite a wizard with the hockey stick, Sree Santh, when younger wanted to be a leg-spinner since Anil Kumble was his favourite player. A typical coastal-man, Sree Santh can’t live without his rice and fish curry but it’s his favourite breakfast dish kadala and puttu that gets the 24-year-old out of bed every morning.

Superstaaarr

Being the attention seeker that he is, Sree Santh has had his brush with the entertainment industry, when he penned a song ‘Jago India’ which was sung by his brother-in-law and renowned playback singer Madhu Balakrishnan for an album ‘Desh’. Even film-makers are queuing up outside his house. The pacer was offered a movie alongside Malayalam megastar Mamooty. The quickie has not yet consented to the project, which would see him play a cricketer, much to the delight of his fans.
Sreesanth, spice of India

News from Indian Jihad's Ground Zero

Fatwa against Jammu and Kashmir's Chief Minister

Kashmir's Grand Mufti Mufti Bashir-ud-Din, Saturday asked Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad to undertake penance for his recent utterances asking people to adopt Gandhian philosophy for worldly success.

In an edict (Fatwa) issued by him, the Grand Mufti said that in case "he does not undergo penance for his utterance, his act would be considered as anti-Islam."

The chief minister had, while addressing a gathering of school and college students on Gandhi Jayanti, reportedly said while "Islam secures the world hereafter, adoption of Gandhian philosophy was the route to success in this world."

The Grand Mufti, while asking the chief minister to clarify his position on the matter, said, "Gandhi was relevant to his community but for the Muslims Prophet Mohammad was the only leader to be followed."

"The best path for every Muslim to follow for betterment in both this world and the world hereafter is the path shown by the Holy Prophet. The chief minister must clarify his recent statement in which he told people to follow the Gandhian path. He must also seek penance for his assertions," the Grand Mufti said.

Muslim students demonstrate against Kaaba-shaped bar in New York

Students in Northern Kashmir today held demonstrations to decry a bar built in the shape of the holy Kaaba in New York.

Hundreds of students of the local Degree College took out a protest march through the streets of Baramulla town, chanting anti-American and pro-Islam slogans.

The students said that building a wine-shop or a bar like the Kaaba amounted to the desecration of the holy sites of Islam. "Muslims all over the world should protest at this," they said.

They demanded that the US should apologise to the Muslim world over the Kaaba replica, and close down the bar immediately.

Why it has taken them so long to notice since it was in 2006 this news was first reported?

Pakistan eats dust, India wins

Knock knock.
Who's there?
Misbah.
Misbah who?
Misbah 5 runs.

(just in case, you don't get the last line - read - Miss by 5 runs)