Of Curiosity, Optimism and Hope

#77 by urstruly....

..... on one of the posters in the chowk... Urstruly was aptly labelled... ma$0chist....
....no... you won`t get it.. not now.. not from me.. not here....

Guys(and Gals.. aware of feminists around)... lets deprive him of it... for a change may be we say.. How true indeed!!! for all that is posted by Urstruly...

Good article. There are plenty of fools in the subcontinent. But far, far more sensible people like you. You were born and raised in India, and as such your first obligation is to be a good citizen towards, and contribute, towards the immediate community you live in (regardless of religion). As a good Indian citizen, you will also be a friend of Pakistan. This may sound paradoxical to many on chowk who think of this as an either-or proposition. In fact, the fact is that there are divisive individuals and there are inclusive individuals.

As for this cricket loyalties, I still dont understand how grown men can treat cricket as if it was a life and death struggle. It is just a game. When I was in Bangladesh a few years ago and my Bengaldeshi colleagues told me how thrilled they were that the Pakistan team had beat India, I told them the same thing. BOTH sides win when they play cricket - the fact that one side makes more runs than the other means nothing.

Ms Habeeb:
Nice article. You have become a top contender for the Miss Congeniality award on this site. I had always thought that in Kerala the linguistic-cultural-caste identities were stronger than religious identities. It seems however that the communal virus has lately travelled down south. While I was aware of Muslims being frequently referred to as Pakistanis in North India, I am surprised that this happens down south as well.
If muslims from south of Hyderabad (and south indians in general) took little interest in Pakistan, it was because of the lack of cultural/linguistic links that add an emotional content to the love-hate relationships between the two countries. I think the Kashmir insurgency and, more recently, Gujarat has changed that. With the Indian identity steadily replacing regional and other identities in the wake of large-scale mobility and satellite television, it is natural that religious identities that cut across regional/linguistic boundaries would also become more pronounced.
Hope to hear more from you! We will all benefit from reading different perspectives of the Muslim Indian experience and identity.

Stuka:
One can learn a lot from the way the Marad incident was handled and contrast it with the Godhra/Ahmedabad episode. After Godhra, the media almost started blaming the victims, by calling them militant hindu activists and of provoking the incident. This naturally added fuel to the anger of the Hindus upset by that brutal and obviously pre-planned attack on the train. In Marad, by contrast, the national press more or less ignored the event while the local press laid the blame where it squarely belonged. This was especially true of the secular press, such as The Hindu.

The contrast in the government reaction and its effect is also noteworthy. The Chief Minister, Antony, lost no time in trying to wipe the tears off the victims and starting a manhunt for the perpetrators of the crime. At the same time, the police was sent on spot with clear instructions to avoid any counter-attacks on Muslims. Thus a backlash was avoided.

sattar #84

You have put everything I have been emphasizing so well.

ANYTHING that leads to, or MAY HELP lead to a society where murderers who believe their god wants to murder followers of other religions or `blasphemers` MUST be opposed.

Keeping quiet out of a sense of political correctness is NOT AN OPTION.

When someone comes to you with a noose for your neck because you have `blasphemed` there IS NO SCOPE FOR TOLERANCE OF THE NOOSE OR RELIGION.

=== Interact Filtered ===
view this users filtered interacts

Urstruly,

As someone correctly pointed out … you mullahs too have bloody hands. Ironically, instead of being bothered by it, you proudly justify it, and look for ways to perpetuate and elevate this bloodshed.

You condemn anti-Muslim violence in India and Kashmir. At the same time, you aspire to create an “Islamic State” where apostates will be killed for merely leaving Islam. In essence … a Christian, Hindu, or an Ahmadi … will be killed … and should be killed … for merely becoming a Christian, a Hindu, or an Ahmadi, in this State.

You justify this violence by claiming that it is required by your god …and therefore you have the duty to kill others over such disagreements. Very convenient!

In your latest post (#77) you commented that one`s insecurities makes him dangerous. Apparently some self-analysis is long overdue.

Urstruly #77

a- ``A country is secure internally and externally when its people are secure. So by this logic an insecure Hindu is as dangerous to Pakistan as some threat with in Pakistan. ``
b - ``A hindu who is not secure about his religion, about his history, and about his values is not only a danger to himself but all those people who are close to him.``

True.

Also, b above can be a universal statement... equally true if ``Hindu`` is replaced by ``individual`` irrespective of religion.
Also true if that ``individual`` is YOU.

Think about it.

Zarine

I loved your assertion about the `idea of India.`

If one`s approach is right then all problems can be managed and minimized, if not completely eliminated. No utopia has ever existed. Nowhere have all problems ever been or can be solved. By our attitude we can either increase or decrease the number of problems that remain insoluble. It`s another matter that people can be enticed with the promise of utopia, or encouraged to demand it, primarily as a form of weapon against others.

One standard tool in the hands of fascists has always been the incitement of people. Much of the violence arises when people are told how bad a deal they are getting. Ironically, such people themselves offer far less to others.

Urstruly # 77

This was meant as a joke from an Islamist, right?

Dear Zarine:

When one of the most balanced and from the heart article touches people wrong way, we can say that the first and in my view the worst common denominator in India, is certailly religion. It is so deep part of the turf that we fail to see all damaging realities of religious forces. Much as that last cell of cancer in the body, or pockets of racism in America. Fortunately, the society in America is furiously attacks symbols for racist comments, be it Rush Limabugh`s recent comment or Senator Trent Lott`s comments. Indian society must similarly become relentless in rooting out, this first and the worst common denominator`s negative role. I have faith in gathering economic forces in India to reduce its negative pressure points in India, education alone gets modulated by economic pressures.

ANIL KAPURIA

=== Interact Filtered ===
view this users filtered interacts

Ms. Habeeb

You see what I meant. I hope, by now you must have checked the quality of interacts by your fellow countrymen on Farzana Versey`s boards also. You might think that this guy has some penchant for bringing out the worst in people. May be so. But if one uses his common sense he will know that I am doing a great favor to us all, who share the subcontinent. Let me be very blunt here when I tell you that there is nothing more dear to me than my country. A country is not an isolated entity; unlike men it cannot isolate itself and start a life of a hermit. A country has to stay in the community of nations and do its part. But a country is made up of people. A country is secure internally and externally when its people are secure. So by this logic an insecure Hindu is as dangerous to Pakistan as some threat with in Pakistan. A hindu who is not secure about his religion, about his history, and about his values is not only a danger to himself but all those people who are close to him. A hindu who is mired in inferiority complex to a degree that he compares the minutest and most irrelevant things is not only a nuissence but a threat. This insecurity will not go away by itself. It is a cancer that eats inside out. The longer you delay to acknowledge its existence, the longer you keep on giving it a good face of democracy, tolerrance and all that good stuff, the more malignant it becomes.

As a virtual visitor, you have showed us your interest in us; we are grateful for that, but when you come see us to know more about us, please leave your pre-conceived notions, your prejudices, and your insecurities behind. It is good for twain people.

=== Interact Filtered ===
view this users filtered interacts

Ref temporal #68

[harimau

…you write…As to (#1)…..I have no wish to go through the hundreds of thousands of interacts by thousands of interactors to prove that point.

…while answering #2 & #3…wonder why you skipped the first when that would have been the easiest to prove or disprove?…I know it is unfair for me to ask you to provide proof every time you say something…rather unfair…and my apologies in advance…]

I interpreted Point #1 as ``Was Ali1 the first person to suggest what Ms. Versey needs?`` If so, then I would have to go through every post by every interactor, don`t you think? And I think Ali1`s comment was out of the blue as you can see from his post which I quoted in its entirety. By the way, it is these kinds of bad comments that stick to my memory better and so I was glad to find that my memory hadn`t failed me.

Anyway, it was all in fun. Reading Ali1`s early posts was pure entertainment! Thanks for giving me that opportunity!

Difference between Zarine and Farzana :

Zarine = an objective analysis of Indian muslim identity

Farzana = Whine, Cry me a river, whine more, cry me an ocean, bwaaaah..... bwaaaahhhh...

.is there a reason temporal starts prancing around as soon as farzana versey is mentioned by anyone, anywhere?...what kind of a loser keeps track of threads from 3 years ago?...qualifies for stalking....