It is a great news that the global outcry has ultimately forced Iran to suspend its ultra-barbaric plan to stone to death Ms. Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, an Iranian woman accused of adultery.
It is a great victory for the civilized society, against a bunch of insane people (the Iranian government and the clergy) who have turned their country into a medieval state with 21st century infrastructure.
I sincerely hope that the world will always come up with such a strong protest every time in future a conservative country has any such heinous scheme, be it in the case of Iran or any other country.
Hearty congratulations to Ms. Sakineh for this god send respite.
However, the actual respite was for Islam, the beleaguered religion which finds its hand soaked with the blood of thousands of innocent people thanks to the flawed sense of piety of some of its fanatical followers.
With the suspension of stoning of a helpless woman, Islam was saved from being soaked with at least few drops of more blood (though it is nothing in comparison to the sea of blood that the religion is already soaked with). The immortal soul of the Holy Prophet has heaved a sigh of relief, while feeling depressed and shocked with the madness of those people who claim to follow him, and end up maligning him to no end.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Persistent Attacks On The Shias – Intra-religious Fissures In Pakistan
The persistent attacks on the Shia population in Pakistan are gradually taking an alarming shape. Every attack is resulting in the death of a number of people, thus forcing the Shias to wonder whether they are at all safe in that country.
But what is more worrying is that the Pakistan government does not seem to be serious enough in addressing the problem, thus protecting the Shias who have no less claim on that country than what their Sunni brothers have. After every attack the Pakistan government is coming up with virtually the same comment, which “strongly condemns” the attack and “promises to take actions”. But all of its actions seem to be ending in making comments, without that being followed by any concrete step. If the government had at all been serious in countering this menace, then of course these attacks would not have stopped overnight, but certainly would not have been so persistent as they are right now.
Actually the wide rift between the Sunni and Shia communities is a perennial problem of Pakistan (actually, it is a perennial problem of the global Muslim society as a whole). It is a feeling of mutual disliking and disrespect that is found even among the common Pakistanis who have no link with terrorism. It is only that the feeling is not that acute among them. But that does not mean that the feeling does not exist at all. It does. And this has resulted in the constant harassment of the minority Shia community in the hands of the Sunni majority, from the very birth of Pakistan.
Another example of intra religious fissure in Pakistan is that of the feeling of hostility towards the people of Ahmadiyya community. In fact Ahmadiyyas face an ultra shocking discrimination in Pakistan. To begin with, Pakistan does not even recognize them as Muslims, and it is the world’s only country where Ahmadiyyas have been officially declared to be non-Muslims. And these poor people are deprived of various rights, such as worshipping in a non- Ahmadiyya mosque, chanting Namaz, publicly quoting from the Holy Quran and even publishing their religious materials. In a nutshell, they are simply not permitted to practice anything that a pious Muslim aspires to do. In fact, the condition of Ahmadiyyas is so bad in Pakistan that even prominent personalities from that community do not dare to admit in public that they are Ahmadiyyas. Case in point is Mr. Shaukat Aziz, a former prime minister of Pakistan, and a respected one for that matter.
If this can be the condition of the “intra-religious minorities” from the Muslim community itself, then I shudder to think what can be the condition of the genuine religious minorities, such as Hindus, Christians, etc. Probably Karachi is the only place in the entire Pakistan where Hindus can lead a life of peace and dignity.
But what is more worrying is that the Pakistan government does not seem to be serious enough in addressing the problem, thus protecting the Shias who have no less claim on that country than what their Sunni brothers have. After every attack the Pakistan government is coming up with virtually the same comment, which “strongly condemns” the attack and “promises to take actions”. But all of its actions seem to be ending in making comments, without that being followed by any concrete step. If the government had at all been serious in countering this menace, then of course these attacks would not have stopped overnight, but certainly would not have been so persistent as they are right now.
Actually the wide rift between the Sunni and Shia communities is a perennial problem of Pakistan (actually, it is a perennial problem of the global Muslim society as a whole). It is a feeling of mutual disliking and disrespect that is found even among the common Pakistanis who have no link with terrorism. It is only that the feeling is not that acute among them. But that does not mean that the feeling does not exist at all. It does. And this has resulted in the constant harassment of the minority Shia community in the hands of the Sunni majority, from the very birth of Pakistan.
Another example of intra religious fissure in Pakistan is that of the feeling of hostility towards the people of Ahmadiyya community. In fact Ahmadiyyas face an ultra shocking discrimination in Pakistan. To begin with, Pakistan does not even recognize them as Muslims, and it is the world’s only country where Ahmadiyyas have been officially declared to be non-Muslims. And these poor people are deprived of various rights, such as worshipping in a non- Ahmadiyya mosque, chanting Namaz, publicly quoting from the Holy Quran and even publishing their religious materials. In a nutshell, they are simply not permitted to practice anything that a pious Muslim aspires to do. In fact, the condition of Ahmadiyyas is so bad in Pakistan that even prominent personalities from that community do not dare to admit in public that they are Ahmadiyyas. Case in point is Mr. Shaukat Aziz, a former prime minister of Pakistan, and a respected one for that matter.
If this can be the condition of the “intra-religious minorities” from the Muslim community itself, then I shudder to think what can be the condition of the genuine religious minorities, such as Hindus, Christians, etc. Probably Karachi is the only place in the entire Pakistan where Hindus can lead a life of peace and dignity.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Why I Decided To Be A Blogger
I decided to be a blogger, as I wanted to transform my thoughts into a voice
I decided to be a blogger, as I wanted a platform to express my opinion on various topics of my choice.
I decided to be a blogger, as I wanted to share with the world my feelings and perceptions about a number of things
Which range from the US presidential election to global warming.
I decided to be a blogger, as I wanted to be a part of the global civil society
Which comprises thinking people from across the world, ranging from the USA to Haiti.
Today I am so proud that I am a small player in the global blogosphere
It is a status so thrilling to me, a status that I consider to be so dear.
I decided to be a blogger, as I wanted a platform to express my opinion on various topics of my choice.
I decided to be a blogger, as I wanted to share with the world my feelings and perceptions about a number of things
Which range from the US presidential election to global warming.
I decided to be a blogger, as I wanted to be a part of the global civil society
Which comprises thinking people from across the world, ranging from the USA to Haiti.
Today I am so proud that I am a small player in the global blogosphere
It is a status so thrilling to me, a status that I consider to be so dear.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Shame On You, Pastor Terry Jones
“Terribly shocked” is a term that at best faintly describes my feeling when I came to know about this insane named Terry Jones, and his heinous plan to burn The Quran to commemorate the ninth anniversary of the infamous 9/11.
Does the man know what he is saying? Does he have any idea about what a tremendous communal tension can erupt from such an extremely irresponsible as well as despicable act?
9/11 was one of the most unfortunate and contemptible acts in the history of human civilization. The entire world sympathizes with the bereaved families of the 9/11 victims, and we all pray to God that He makes the perpetrators of that act (i.e. Osama bin Laden and his followers) pay dearly for what they did.
But does that mean that we will contempt that act by burning The Quran, which is the cornerstone of Islam? If we stoop to such an act, then what difference is there between us and Osama bin Laden and his aides?
Mr. Pastor, in the enthusiasm to contempt Laden’s utterly shameful 9/11 attack you have confused the entire Muslim community with the elements like Laden, while ironically the sane Muslims despise these fanatics to the same extent as sane people from other religions do.
By instigating people to burn The Holy Quran, you have actually brought yourself down to the level of that same Osama bin Laden whose act you have tried to contempt. Do you realize that?
Shame on you, Pastor Terry Jones. You are an unworthy follower of that great Jesus Christ who did not carry any malice even against the ones who crucified Him.
Please stop calling yourself a Pastor. Please stop humiliating the great religion of Christianity.
Does the man know what he is saying? Does he have any idea about what a tremendous communal tension can erupt from such an extremely irresponsible as well as despicable act?
9/11 was one of the most unfortunate and contemptible acts in the history of human civilization. The entire world sympathizes with the bereaved families of the 9/11 victims, and we all pray to God that He makes the perpetrators of that act (i.e. Osama bin Laden and his followers) pay dearly for what they did.
But does that mean that we will contempt that act by burning The Quran, which is the cornerstone of Islam? If we stoop to such an act, then what difference is there between us and Osama bin Laden and his aides?
Mr. Pastor, in the enthusiasm to contempt Laden’s utterly shameful 9/11 attack you have confused the entire Muslim community with the elements like Laden, while ironically the sane Muslims despise these fanatics to the same extent as sane people from other religions do.
By instigating people to burn The Holy Quran, you have actually brought yourself down to the level of that same Osama bin Laden whose act you have tried to contempt. Do you realize that?
Shame on you, Pastor Terry Jones. You are an unworthy follower of that great Jesus Christ who did not carry any malice even against the ones who crucified Him.
Please stop calling yourself a Pastor. Please stop humiliating the great religion of Christianity.
Necessity of “Categorization” Of Terrorism
Many people find it utterly unacceptable to make any “categorization” of terrorism. They say that terrorism can not and should not be categorized on the basis of religion, community, ethnicity, etc. This is because a terrorist is never a representative of any community, religion, ethnicity, or any other such entity.
It is very common to come across objections from the liberal minded Muslim ladies and gentlemen on the use of terms like “Islamic terrorism”, “Islamic terrorists”, etc. I have also come across people who object to the use of terms like “Kashmiri terrorists” and “Tamil terrorists” (i.e. the LTTE people). And now India’s enterprising Home Minister Mr. P. Chidambaram is being criticized across the political circle for his “Saffron Terror” remark.
Well, I have due respect for people who dislike such religious or communal or ethnic categorization of terrorism. But I think such categorization is necessary? Why? Well, let me explain my view.
We must remember that when a government (or a group of governments or an international body like UNSC) fights against a group of terrorists, it broadly pursues two agenda.
The first agenda is purely based on guns and bullets, aimed at countering the disruptive acts of the terrorists and reducing their manpower as much as possible, thus reducing their power to create mayhem.
The other agenda is based on identifying the “root cause” that is behind the birth of that particular group of terrorists, and addressing that issue through political and ideological means, which entails strategic use of negotiations and dialogues.
This identification and addressing of the “root cause” of terrorism is very crucial. If the government simply focuses on the killing of the terrorists, then the problem will never be solved. The “root cause” will keep giving births to terrorists, with the movement never getting short of manpower no matter how regularly the government guns down the terrorists. On the other hand if the government successfully identifies the “root cause” (poverty, feeling communal or ethnic alienation, etc., then it will be able to address the very source of the problem.
And this identification of the root cause is not possible if we do not make appropriate categorization of terrorism and terrorists. If we perceive all acts of terrorism in the same colour, thus generalizing all terrorist groups as bunches of misguided people involved in heinous activities, then it will be a “Himalayan” blunder. Every terrorist group works with a certain objective that is unique to it, and in that way one terrorist group is different from another one in the same way chalk is different from cheese. Yes, sometimes the objective of one terrorist group is found to be similar to that of another terrorist group. For example, the Bodo, Khalistani and Kashmiri terrorists have the same objective - the “liberation” of a certain region from India. But even then there is an element of dissimilarity. While the Bodo movement is purely based on ethnic sentiment, the Khalistan movement has a mixture of both ethnic and religious sentiment. And the Kashmiri movement is purely a religious issue, sometimes unsuccessfully projected by its supporters as a fight to establish ethnic self-identity of Kashmiri people. Therefore, the government can not handle the Kashmiri separatists in the same way it has handled Khalistan separatists, though the character of both the movements is apparently the same. At the same time, while the ways to handle the Khalistani separatists and Bodo separatists can probably be almost the same, there will nevertheless be some elements of difference in the approach.
Again, while both Kashmiri and Al-Qaeda terrorists are “Islamic” terrorists, there is a difference between their objectives. The Kashmiri terrorists want “liberation” of a certain region from India, not out of any ethnic pride, but simply out of religious consciousness. The Al-Qaeda terrorists are also working out of misplaced religious consciousness and pride, but their objective is not confined to liberating one “Muslim” area from the so-called domination of a “non-Muslim” area. They are rather determined to spread Islam across the world, making it the only ruling religion of the planet. So while we have to handle the issue of misplaced religious sentiment while countering both the groups of terrorists, the ways to handle them will certainly differ given the difference in the “quantum” of their objectives.
So we can find that terrorist groups differ from one another in terms of their objectives, even when the characters of the objectives appear to be the same. Some thrive out of ethnic sentiment, some out of religious consciousness, while some have other “causes”. And, significantly, it is not that the “root causes” of terrorist groups are always unacceptable. And when a terrorist group has a genuine grievance, then that group and its demands must be handled in a different way.
So, at the end of the day, probably we must accept that categorization of terrorists is important. We have to remember that when the government or other such entities pronounce terms like “Islamic terrorism”, “Saffron terrorism”, “Tamil terrorism” or “Red terrorism”, they actually refer to the basic characteristic of a particular group of terrorists, without any objective to generalize the members of a particular religious/ethnic community or supporters of a certain political ideology.
It is very common to come across objections from the liberal minded Muslim ladies and gentlemen on the use of terms like “Islamic terrorism”, “Islamic terrorists”, etc. I have also come across people who object to the use of terms like “Kashmiri terrorists” and “Tamil terrorists” (i.e. the LTTE people). And now India’s enterprising Home Minister Mr. P. Chidambaram is being criticized across the political circle for his “Saffron Terror” remark.
Well, I have due respect for people who dislike such religious or communal or ethnic categorization of terrorism. But I think such categorization is necessary? Why? Well, let me explain my view.
We must remember that when a government (or a group of governments or an international body like UNSC) fights against a group of terrorists, it broadly pursues two agenda.
The first agenda is purely based on guns and bullets, aimed at countering the disruptive acts of the terrorists and reducing their manpower as much as possible, thus reducing their power to create mayhem.
The other agenda is based on identifying the “root cause” that is behind the birth of that particular group of terrorists, and addressing that issue through political and ideological means, which entails strategic use of negotiations and dialogues.
This identification and addressing of the “root cause” of terrorism is very crucial. If the government simply focuses on the killing of the terrorists, then the problem will never be solved. The “root cause” will keep giving births to terrorists, with the movement never getting short of manpower no matter how regularly the government guns down the terrorists. On the other hand if the government successfully identifies the “root cause” (poverty, feeling communal or ethnic alienation, etc., then it will be able to address the very source of the problem.
And this identification of the root cause is not possible if we do not make appropriate categorization of terrorism and terrorists. If we perceive all acts of terrorism in the same colour, thus generalizing all terrorist groups as bunches of misguided people involved in heinous activities, then it will be a “Himalayan” blunder. Every terrorist group works with a certain objective that is unique to it, and in that way one terrorist group is different from another one in the same way chalk is different from cheese. Yes, sometimes the objective of one terrorist group is found to be similar to that of another terrorist group. For example, the Bodo, Khalistani and Kashmiri terrorists have the same objective - the “liberation” of a certain region from India. But even then there is an element of dissimilarity. While the Bodo movement is purely based on ethnic sentiment, the Khalistan movement has a mixture of both ethnic and religious sentiment. And the Kashmiri movement is purely a religious issue, sometimes unsuccessfully projected by its supporters as a fight to establish ethnic self-identity of Kashmiri people. Therefore, the government can not handle the Kashmiri separatists in the same way it has handled Khalistan separatists, though the character of both the movements is apparently the same. At the same time, while the ways to handle the Khalistani separatists and Bodo separatists can probably be almost the same, there will nevertheless be some elements of difference in the approach.
Again, while both Kashmiri and Al-Qaeda terrorists are “Islamic” terrorists, there is a difference between their objectives. The Kashmiri terrorists want “liberation” of a certain region from India, not out of any ethnic pride, but simply out of religious consciousness. The Al-Qaeda terrorists are also working out of misplaced religious consciousness and pride, but their objective is not confined to liberating one “Muslim” area from the so-called domination of a “non-Muslim” area. They are rather determined to spread Islam across the world, making it the only ruling religion of the planet. So while we have to handle the issue of misplaced religious sentiment while countering both the groups of terrorists, the ways to handle them will certainly differ given the difference in the “quantum” of their objectives.
So we can find that terrorist groups differ from one another in terms of their objectives, even when the characters of the objectives appear to be the same. Some thrive out of ethnic sentiment, some out of religious consciousness, while some have other “causes”. And, significantly, it is not that the “root causes” of terrorist groups are always unacceptable. And when a terrorist group has a genuine grievance, then that group and its demands must be handled in a different way.
So, at the end of the day, probably we must accept that categorization of terrorists is important. We have to remember that when the government or other such entities pronounce terms like “Islamic terrorism”, “Saffron terrorism”, “Tamil terrorism” or “Red terrorism”, they actually refer to the basic characteristic of a particular group of terrorists, without any objective to generalize the members of a particular religious/ethnic community or supporters of a certain political ideology.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Subtle Racial Implication In KBC Ad
All of you might not agree with me, and I do not want to impose my perception on anybody. However, I feel that there is a subtle racial implication in one of the Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) ads that are now being aired on TV.
The ad that I am referring to shows that an old and retired gentleman has come to a government office, where he is having some argument with a lady government officer, Ms. Sushma. During the course of the argument the old gentleman out of frustration says that he is not sure whether Ms. Sushma even knows who the writer of the Indian Constitution is. Enraged, Ms Sushma, who apparently does not know the name of the writer of the Constitution, makes fun of the issue and mocks at the gentlemen, instead of feeling ashamed of her ignorance. Eventually she is joined by two of her male colleagues, Mr. Jha and Mr. Sinha.
However, later one day Ms. Sushma gets an opportunity to face Mr. Amitabh Bachchan in the KBC hot seat, where she is asked the same question by Big B. And now she regrets the fact that she does not know the answer.
The ad is undoubtedly interesting and enjoyable. But it has a certain characteristic which I could not feel exactly comfortable about.
In the ad all the three “negative characters” – Ms. Sushma, Mr. Jha and Mr. Sinha are shown to be speaking with a strong “Bihari” accent. In fact, the surnames Jha and Sinha are well known Bihari surnames. And so this idea has been very clearly given that all these three people are Biharis.
And this is something I feel the creators of the ad should have avoided. Projecting members of a certain community as unscrupulous government officers is certainly not a very acceptable idea. It would have been still OK if only one of those three characters was shown as a Bihari. But the creators of the ad projected all of the three persons as Biharis, which clearly proves that they wanted to cash in on the so-called poor image of the Biharis in the rest of India.
It might so happen that it took place unconsciously, with the creators of the ad having no clear objective to poke fun at the Bihari community. Nevertheless, it has somewhat diluted the appeal of the ad which is otherwise well conceptualized and brilliantly presented.
The ad that I am referring to shows that an old and retired gentleman has come to a government office, where he is having some argument with a lady government officer, Ms. Sushma. During the course of the argument the old gentleman out of frustration says that he is not sure whether Ms. Sushma even knows who the writer of the Indian Constitution is. Enraged, Ms Sushma, who apparently does not know the name of the writer of the Constitution, makes fun of the issue and mocks at the gentlemen, instead of feeling ashamed of her ignorance. Eventually she is joined by two of her male colleagues, Mr. Jha and Mr. Sinha.
However, later one day Ms. Sushma gets an opportunity to face Mr. Amitabh Bachchan in the KBC hot seat, where she is asked the same question by Big B. And now she regrets the fact that she does not know the answer.
The ad is undoubtedly interesting and enjoyable. But it has a certain characteristic which I could not feel exactly comfortable about.
In the ad all the three “negative characters” – Ms. Sushma, Mr. Jha and Mr. Sinha are shown to be speaking with a strong “Bihari” accent. In fact, the surnames Jha and Sinha are well known Bihari surnames. And so this idea has been very clearly given that all these three people are Biharis.
And this is something I feel the creators of the ad should have avoided. Projecting members of a certain community as unscrupulous government officers is certainly not a very acceptable idea. It would have been still OK if only one of those three characters was shown as a Bihari. But the creators of the ad projected all of the three persons as Biharis, which clearly proves that they wanted to cash in on the so-called poor image of the Biharis in the rest of India.
It might so happen that it took place unconsciously, with the creators of the ad having no clear objective to poke fun at the Bihari community. Nevertheless, it has somewhat diluted the appeal of the ad which is otherwise well conceptualized and brilliantly presented.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
The CWG Mess – Kalmadi Must Be Expelled From The Parliament
I think by this time it has become quite clear to everybody that the Delhi Commonwealth Games is going to be a huge disgrace for India. No matter how much optimist one may be, even he can not dare to hope that everything will be OK at this eleventh hour, thus ultimately resulting in a proper and successful handling of the Games. There is not the ghost of a doubt that the nation is going to experience a huge humiliation, a terrible loss of face in front of the entire world. And the hapless Indian mass is in fact mentally prepared for the same, already.
Yes, we cannot avoid the mess and chaos that are going to take place during the Games. But certainly we can punish the culprits. And that is something must be done by the Indian government. Immediately after the Games the government must initiate a detailed investigation, aimed at identifying all the culprits. The investigation agency (whether it is CBI or something else) must be let to do its work independently, without any political pressure. And after the culprits are identified, they must be awarded strictest punishments.
And the investigators must have a special focus on the alleged “Chief Culprit”, the “flamboyant” Pune M.P. and “sports administrator” Mr. Suresh Kalmadi. And if it is found that the allegations against Mr. Kalmadi are true (of course he must be given due opportunity to defend himself), then he must be expelled from the Parliament at least for two terms (if not permanently). The CWG mess is going to be a national disgrace for India. And inflicting national disgrace on one’s motherland is one of the gravest crimes that can be committed by a citizen. And such a person has no right to be a lawmaker.
If the Congress party commits the blunder of shielding Mr. Kalmadi, then it will be a serious political blunder on its part. And I sincerely hope that it will not stoop so low.
Yes, we cannot avoid the mess and chaos that are going to take place during the Games. But certainly we can punish the culprits. And that is something must be done by the Indian government. Immediately after the Games the government must initiate a detailed investigation, aimed at identifying all the culprits. The investigation agency (whether it is CBI or something else) must be let to do its work independently, without any political pressure. And after the culprits are identified, they must be awarded strictest punishments.
And the investigators must have a special focus on the alleged “Chief Culprit”, the “flamboyant” Pune M.P. and “sports administrator” Mr. Suresh Kalmadi. And if it is found that the allegations against Mr. Kalmadi are true (of course he must be given due opportunity to defend himself), then he must be expelled from the Parliament at least for two terms (if not permanently). The CWG mess is going to be a national disgrace for India. And inflicting national disgrace on one’s motherland is one of the gravest crimes that can be committed by a citizen. And such a person has no right to be a lawmaker.
If the Congress party commits the blunder of shielding Mr. Kalmadi, then it will be a serious political blunder on its part. And I sincerely hope that it will not stoop so low.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
