Filtered Posts
Just Another BLOW-UP?
Siraj Wahab
Arab News Staff
JEDDAH, 28 August 2003 — The one thing that was overwhelmingly apparent during my recent visit to India was the remarkable change in people’s attitudes to communal politics. Thanks largely to a resurgent body of liberals in all sections of society, the tide seems to be turning decisively against the forces of fascism and communalism. Bookstores, newspapers and television channels were busy discussing and promoting the virtues of secularism.
In the country’s financial capital Bombay, or Mumbai to be more politically correct, people were happy with the social harmony. Business in all major cities was on the upswing. The country was buzzing with economic activity even as the politicians squabbled over what existed under the rubble of the Babri Masjid. The rupee was firming up against the dollar and the country’s foreign exchange reserves were rising steadily.
A good social climate and a strong economic base are anathema to the lunatic fringe. Both are the stuff of their worst nightmares. The bomb blasts in Bombay on Monday which killed and maimed scores of innocent people were meant to shatter the tranquil atmosphere and create chaos. These attacks were also aimed at rupturing the country’s improving relations with Pakistan.
Maulana Fazlur Rahman’s highly successful visit to India and the reciprocal gesture by a high-level Indian delegation led by the colorful Bihar Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav went a long way to defuse tensions between the two countries. A new era of cooperation had been set in motion. The people-to-people ties between India and Pakistan must have disturbed the minds of the terrorists.
The merchants of death know full well the repercussions of any thaw between India and Pakistan. They know equally well that they can thrive only in a situation where the two countries are at odds. The criminals must have calculated very carefully the impact of the bombs in both countries.
India will have to deal decisively with elements who believe in tit-for-tat. It depends on how the politically vulnerable right-wing politicians choose to handle the situation in the wake of the Bombay blasts. Judging from their track record, it is not hard to imagine which direction they will take. Once again, there will be an attempt to widen the chasm between the majority and minority communities. Once again, the minority Muslim community will be charged with being the fifth column. Once again, rhetoric will rule over reason.
A highly polarized society bodes well only for any country’s fascist elements. The right-wing may exploit the blasts to their advantage by indoctrinating the gullible masses. A case in point is the way Bharatiya Janata Party leaders reacted to the carnage in Bombay. Rather than extending all-out support to the Maharashtra government in dealing with the situation, they were quick to demand the removal of the ruling state government led by the Congress Party. The Bharatiya Janata Party has never shied away from playing politics at the worst of times, with Gujarat being the prime — and up to now the most tragic — example.
The victims’ blood was still on the pavement when Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani began pointing the accusing finger. First it was the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) who were the culprits. Then he added the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba to his list. All of this of course was before there was any chance for even the most perfunctory investigation into the atrocities. That’s always the way. First we hear these premature accusations and next the wind carries the stench of charred flesh.
For the country to win decisively against terrorists, it is imperative for all communities to stand together. Cooperation is of vital importance in identifying and weeding out this menace which has made life miserable in India. Driving one community to the wall will boomerang and give greater credence to the ideology of terrorists. And they will easily exploit the frustrations of one segment of society in order to create havoc in all segments. But is there a will on the part of the ruling party politicians to undertake such measures? With parliamentary elections just a year away, there will be every attempt to stoke the fires for maximum results from the ballot box. Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has already demonstrated the virtues of violence at the ballot box. One can only hope that the BJP will resist the temptation to go the way of Modi for the sake of the nation’s larger interests.
— sirajwahab@arabnews.com
http://www.aljazeerah.info/Opinion%20editorials/2003%20Opinion%20Editorials/August/29%20o/Bombay%20Blasts%20and%20Premature%20Accusations%20Siraj%20Wahab.htm
Posted by
sarwar
Aug 29, 2003 11:52 am
Bombay Blasts and Premature AccusationsSiraj Wahab
Arab News Staff
JEDDAH, 28 August 2003 — The one thing that was overwhelmingly apparent during my recent visit to India was the remarkable change in people’s attitudes to communal politics. Thanks largely to a resurgent body of liberals in all sections of society, the tide seems to be turning decisively against the forces of fascism and communalism. Bookstores, newspapers and television channels were busy discussing and promoting the virtues of secularism.
In the country’s financial capital Bombay, or Mumbai to be more politically correct, people were happy with the social harmony. Business in all major cities was on the upswing. The country was buzzing with economic activity even as the politicians squabbled over what existed under the rubble of the Babri Masjid. The rupee was firming up against the dollar and the country’s foreign exchange reserves were rising steadily.
A good social climate and a strong economic base are anathema to the lunatic fringe. Both are the stuff of their worst nightmares. The bomb blasts in Bombay on Monday which killed and maimed scores of innocent people were meant to shatter the tranquil atmosphere and create chaos. These attacks were also aimed at rupturing the country’s improving relations with Pakistan.
Maulana Fazlur Rahman’s highly successful visit to India and the reciprocal gesture by a high-level Indian delegation led by the colorful Bihar Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav went a long way to defuse tensions between the two countries. A new era of cooperation had been set in motion. The people-to-people ties between India and Pakistan must have disturbed the minds of the terrorists.
The merchants of death know full well the repercussions of any thaw between India and Pakistan. They know equally well that they can thrive only in a situation where the two countries are at odds. The criminals must have calculated very carefully the impact of the bombs in both countries.
India will have to deal decisively with elements who believe in tit-for-tat. It depends on how the politically vulnerable right-wing politicians choose to handle the situation in the wake of the Bombay blasts. Judging from their track record, it is not hard to imagine which direction they will take. Once again, there will be an attempt to widen the chasm between the majority and minority communities. Once again, the minority Muslim community will be charged with being the fifth column. Once again, rhetoric will rule over reason.
A highly polarized society bodes well only for any country’s fascist elements. The right-wing may exploit the blasts to their advantage by indoctrinating the gullible masses. A case in point is the way Bharatiya Janata Party leaders reacted to the carnage in Bombay. Rather than extending all-out support to the Maharashtra government in dealing with the situation, they were quick to demand the removal of the ruling state government led by the Congress Party. The Bharatiya Janata Party has never shied away from playing politics at the worst of times, with Gujarat being the prime — and up to now the most tragic — example.
The victims’ blood was still on the pavement when Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani began pointing the accusing finger. First it was the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) who were the culprits. Then he added the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba to his list. All of this of course was before there was any chance for even the most perfunctory investigation into the atrocities. That’s always the way. First we hear these premature accusations and next the wind carries the stench of charred flesh.
For the country to win decisively against terrorists, it is imperative for all communities to stand together. Cooperation is of vital importance in identifying and weeding out this menace which has made life miserable in India. Driving one community to the wall will boomerang and give greater credence to the ideology of terrorists. And they will easily exploit the frustrations of one segment of society in order to create havoc in all segments. But is there a will on the part of the ruling party politicians to undertake such measures? With parliamentary elections just a year away, there will be every attempt to stoke the fires for maximum results from the ballot box. Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has already demonstrated the virtues of violence at the ballot box. One can only hope that the BJP will resist the temptation to go the way of Modi for the sake of the nation’s larger interests.
— sirajwahab@arabnews.com
http://www.aljazeerah.info/Opinion%20editorials/2003%20Opinion%20Editorials/August/29%20o/Bombay%20Blasts%20and%20Premature%20Accusations%20Siraj%20Wahab.htm
Can Muslims Become Part of Mainstream Nationalism?
Siraj Wahab
Arab News Staff
http://www.aljazeerah.info/Opinion%20editorials/2003%20Opinion%20Editorials/August/29%20o/Bombay%20Blasts%20and%20Premature%20Accusations%20Siraj%20Wahab.htm
Posted by
sarwar
Aug 29, 2003 11:51 am
Bombay Blasts and Premature AccusationsSiraj Wahab
Arab News Staff
http://www.aljazeerah.info/Opinion%20editorials/2003%20Opinion%20Editorials/August/29%20o/Bombay%20Blasts%20and%20Premature%20Accusations%20Siraj%20Wahab.htm
Myths and Dreams: Hindutva Nationalism and the Indian Diaspora
Siraj Wahab
Arab News Staff
http://www.aljazeerah.info/Opinion%20editorials/2003%20Opinion%20Editorials/August/29%20o/Bombay%20Blasts%20and%20Premature%20Accusations%20Siraj%20Wahab.htm
Posted by
sarwar
Aug 29, 2003 11:51 am
Bombay Blasts and Premature AccusationsSiraj Wahab
Arab News Staff
http://www.aljazeerah.info/Opinion%20editorials/2003%20Opinion%20Editorials/August/29%20o/Bombay%20Blasts%20and%20Premature%20Accusations%20Siraj%20Wahab.htm
I am Not a Patriot
Siraj Wahab
Arab News Staff
http://www.aljazeerah.info/Opinion%20editorials/2003%20Opinion%20Editorials/August/29%20o/Bombay%20Blasts%20and%20Premature%20Accusations%20Siraj%20Wahab.htm
Posted by
sarwar
Aug 29, 2003 11:51 am
Bombay Blasts and Premature AccusationsSiraj Wahab
Arab News Staff
http://www.aljazeerah.info/Opinion%20editorials/2003%20Opinion%20Editorials/August/29%20o/Bombay%20Blasts%20and%20Premature%20Accusations%20Siraj%20Wahab.htm
I am Not a Patriot
By V. K. Raghunathan
ASIA DEBRIEF
NEW DELHI - Mumbai has been getting back to business as usual after Monday`s twin bombings. The Gateway of India, site of one of the blasts, teems with tourists and locals again, trains and buses run as usual and the stock market has recovered.
More than 50 people died in the attacks blamed on a Pakistan-based terrorist group and a local Muslim outfit. Security was reinforced in several states to prevent a Hindu-Muslim clash but contrary to these fears, there has been no disturbance so far. In fact, Muslims organised a procession in Mumbai to condemn the attacks.
It would appear most Hindus and Muslims have decided such incidents must not upset their relationship.
But the fact that security had to be enhanced itself reveals the uneasy state of the ties and the fault lines that have developed between the two communities.
These divisions have sometimes surfaced with violent consequences, as they did in Gujarat last year, when at least 1,000 people, mainly Muslims, died in riots.
It is not just violent attacks that have fouled the atmosphere. Even local disputes over trivial matters have led to high tension and clashes.
For instance, a Hindu procession passing in front of a mosque continues to be a source of anxiety in Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Mumbai.
The Ayodhya dispute over whether the 16th-century Babri Masjid, pulled down by a mob in 1992, had been built over the ruins of a Ram temple has dragged on for years.
The Muslims want the mosque rebuilt; Hindus want a temple built. Both want them at the same spot. With neither side willing to give up its claim, the dispute has raised emotions to such a level that only a small spark can set off an orgy of violence.
Muslims feel threatened because they are fed stories of how they could become victims of a fascist Hindu state and lose their identity if, for instance, they agree to a Uniform Civil Code that could make all Indians equal in law irrespective of their religion.
Hindus, on the other hand, feel angry because they are told they would become second-class citizens if they were not allowed to build a temple for their god, Ram, in Ayodhya, believed to be his birthplace.
But not all Hindus are taken in by such talk and not all Muslims feel alienated and threatened. Indeed, the man who shaped India`s missile and space programme and is now the country`s president is a Muslim.
If Mr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam can do it, why not others?
Posted by
sarwar
Aug 29, 2003 07:55 am
Mumbai shows India can stop the violence By V. K. Raghunathan
ASIA DEBRIEF
NEW DELHI - Mumbai has been getting back to business as usual after Monday`s twin bombings. The Gateway of India, site of one of the blasts, teems with tourists and locals again, trains and buses run as usual and the stock market has recovered.
More than 50 people died in the attacks blamed on a Pakistan-based terrorist group and a local Muslim outfit. Security was reinforced in several states to prevent a Hindu-Muslim clash but contrary to these fears, there has been no disturbance so far. In fact, Muslims organised a procession in Mumbai to condemn the attacks.
It would appear most Hindus and Muslims have decided such incidents must not upset their relationship.
But the fact that security had to be enhanced itself reveals the uneasy state of the ties and the fault lines that have developed between the two communities.
These divisions have sometimes surfaced with violent consequences, as they did in Gujarat last year, when at least 1,000 people, mainly Muslims, died in riots.
It is not just violent attacks that have fouled the atmosphere. Even local disputes over trivial matters have led to high tension and clashes.
For instance, a Hindu procession passing in front of a mosque continues to be a source of anxiety in Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Mumbai.
The Ayodhya dispute over whether the 16th-century Babri Masjid, pulled down by a mob in 1992, had been built over the ruins of a Ram temple has dragged on for years.
The Muslims want the mosque rebuilt; Hindus want a temple built. Both want them at the same spot. With neither side willing to give up its claim, the dispute has raised emotions to such a level that only a small spark can set off an orgy of violence.
Muslims feel threatened because they are fed stories of how they could become victims of a fascist Hindu state and lose their identity if, for instance, they agree to a Uniform Civil Code that could make all Indians equal in law irrespective of their religion.
Hindus, on the other hand, feel angry because they are told they would become second-class citizens if they were not allowed to build a temple for their god, Ram, in Ayodhya, believed to be his birthplace.
But not all Hindus are taken in by such talk and not all Muslims feel alienated and threatened. Indeed, the man who shaped India`s missile and space programme and is now the country`s president is a Muslim.
If Mr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam can do it, why not others?
Just Another BLOW-UP?
Islamist Terror Comes To India`s Streets
By SWAPAN DASGUPTA
URL for this article: http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB106194584385534100,00.html
Posted by
sarwar
Aug 27, 2003 08:46 am
COMMENTARY Islamist Terror Comes To India`s Streets
By SWAPAN DASGUPTA
URL for this article: http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB106194584385534100,00.html
Suicide Bombers
Islamist Terror Comes To India`s Streets
By SWAPAN DASGUPTA
URL for this article: http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB106194584385534100,00.html
Posted by
sarwar
Aug 27, 2003 08:14 am
COMMENTARY Islamist Terror Comes To India`s Streets
By SWAPAN DASGUPTA
URL for this article: http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB106194584385534100,00.html
Can Muslims Become Part of Mainstream Nationalism?
Muslims won`t integrate, says One Nation man
By Mark Dunn
August 27, 2003
ONE Nation MP David Oldfield believes most Muslims refuse to integrate into Australian society and that most terrorists are Muslims.
The NSW One Nation politician also said many Muslims in Australia, by nature, held ``non-believers`` in contempt.
On the eve of defending himself in legal proceedings against claims of being racist, Mr Oldfield yesterday said: ``What is written in the Koran makes it very clear to Muslims not to integrate, to not allow themselves to be tainted by communing or by relationships with non-believers.``
Islamic lawyer Hisam Sidaoui has lodged a racial vilification claim against Mr Oldfield and One Nation for its links and sanctioning of the controversial website muslim terrorists.com. Mr Oldfield will argue before the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal tomorrow that the complaint be struck out.
Mr Oldfield said he helped set up the site, permits the use of his image on its web-page and arranged its link to the One Nation website. He claimed the official content of muslimterrorists.com was factual and not racist.
Central to the accusations against him is the site`s statement ``not all Muslims are terrorists but nearly all terrorists are Muslim``.
Islamic Council of Victoria president Yasser Soliman said Mr Oldfield`s integration claims were rubbish and disappointing. ``If he really wants one nation, this is not the way to go about it - dividing the community,`` Mr Soliman said.
He said Islamic organisations in Australia had issued a statement on behalf of all Muslims condemning terrorism.
http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,7081021%255E2,00.html
Posted by
sarwar
Aug 27, 2003 07:35 am
Controversy in Australia .........Muslims won`t integrate, says One Nation man
By Mark Dunn
August 27, 2003
ONE Nation MP David Oldfield believes most Muslims refuse to integrate into Australian society and that most terrorists are Muslims.
The NSW One Nation politician also said many Muslims in Australia, by nature, held ``non-believers`` in contempt.
On the eve of defending himself in legal proceedings against claims of being racist, Mr Oldfield yesterday said: ``What is written in the Koran makes it very clear to Muslims not to integrate, to not allow themselves to be tainted by communing or by relationships with non-believers.``
Islamic lawyer Hisam Sidaoui has lodged a racial vilification claim against Mr Oldfield and One Nation for its links and sanctioning of the controversial website muslim terrorists.com. Mr Oldfield will argue before the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal tomorrow that the complaint be struck out.
Mr Oldfield said he helped set up the site, permits the use of his image on its web-page and arranged its link to the One Nation website. He claimed the official content of muslimterrorists.com was factual and not racist.
Central to the accusations against him is the site`s statement ``not all Muslims are terrorists but nearly all terrorists are Muslim``.
Islamic Council of Victoria president Yasser Soliman said Mr Oldfield`s integration claims were rubbish and disappointing. ``If he really wants one nation, this is not the way to go about it - dividing the community,`` Mr Soliman said.
He said Islamic organisations in Australia had issued a statement on behalf of all Muslims condemning terrorism.
http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,7081021%255E2,00.html
I am Not a Patriot
Muslims won`t integrate, says One Nation man
By Mark Dunn
August 27, 2003
ONE Nation MP David Oldfield believes most Muslims refuse to integrate into Australian society and that most terrorists are Muslims.
The NSW One Nation politician also said many Muslims in Australia, by nature, held ``non-believers`` in contempt.
On the eve of defending himself in legal proceedings against claims of being racist, Mr Oldfield yesterday said: ``What is written in the Koran makes it very clear to Muslims not to integrate, to not allow themselves to be tainted by communing or by relationships with non-believers.``
Islamic lawyer Hisam Sidaoui has lodged a racial vilification claim against Mr Oldfield and One Nation for its links and sanctioning of the controversial website muslim terrorists.com. Mr Oldfield will argue before the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal tomorrow that the complaint be struck out.
Mr Oldfield said he helped set up the site, permits the use of his image on its web-page and arranged its link to the One Nation website. He claimed the official content of muslimterrorists.com was factual and not racist.
Central to the accusations against him is the site`s statement ``not all Muslims are terrorists but nearly all terrorists are Muslim``.
Islamic Council of Victoria president Yasser Soliman said Mr Oldfield`s integration claims were rubbish and disappointing. ``If he really wants one nation, this is not the way to go about it - dividing the community,`` Mr Soliman said.
He said Islamic organisations in Australia had issued a statement on behalf of all Muslims condemning terrorism.
http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,7081021%255E2,00.html
Posted by
sarwar
Aug 27, 2003 07:35 am
Controversy in Australia .........Muslims won`t integrate, says One Nation man
By Mark Dunn
August 27, 2003
ONE Nation MP David Oldfield believes most Muslims refuse to integrate into Australian society and that most terrorists are Muslims.
The NSW One Nation politician also said many Muslims in Australia, by nature, held ``non-believers`` in contempt.
On the eve of defending himself in legal proceedings against claims of being racist, Mr Oldfield yesterday said: ``What is written in the Koran makes it very clear to Muslims not to integrate, to not allow themselves to be tainted by communing or by relationships with non-believers.``
Islamic lawyer Hisam Sidaoui has lodged a racial vilification claim against Mr Oldfield and One Nation for its links and sanctioning of the controversial website muslim terrorists.com. Mr Oldfield will argue before the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal tomorrow that the complaint be struck out.
Mr Oldfield said he helped set up the site, permits the use of his image on its web-page and arranged its link to the One Nation website. He claimed the official content of muslimterrorists.com was factual and not racist.
Central to the accusations against him is the site`s statement ``not all Muslims are terrorists but nearly all terrorists are Muslim``.
Islamic Council of Victoria president Yasser Soliman said Mr Oldfield`s integration claims were rubbish and disappointing. ``If he really wants one nation, this is not the way to go about it - dividing the community,`` Mr Soliman said.
He said Islamic organisations in Australia had issued a statement on behalf of all Muslims condemning terrorism.
http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,7081021%255E2,00.html
Just Another BLOW-UP?
Muslims won`t integrate, says One Nation man
By Mark Dunn
August 27, 2003
ONE Nation MP David Oldfield believes most Muslims refuse to integrate into Australian society and that most terrorists are Muslims.
The NSW One Nation politician also said many Muslims in Australia, by nature, held ``non-believers`` in contempt.
On the eve of defending himself in legal proceedings against claims of being racist, Mr Oldfield yesterday said: ``What is written in the Koran makes it very clear to Muslims not to integrate, to not allow themselves to be tainted by communing or by relationships with non-believers.``
Islamic lawyer Hisam Sidaoui has lodged a racial vilification claim against Mr Oldfield and One Nation for its links and sanctioning of the controversial website muslim terrorists.com. Mr Oldfield will argue before the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal tomorrow that the complaint be struck out.
Mr Oldfield said he helped set up the site, permits the use of his image on its web-page and arranged its link to the One Nation website. He claimed the official content of muslimterrorists.com was factual and not racist.
Central to the accusations against him is the site`s statement ``not all Muslims are terrorists but nearly all terrorists are Muslim``.
Islamic Council of Victoria president Yasser Soliman said Mr Oldfield`s integration claims were rubbish and disappointing. ``If he really wants one nation, this is not the way to go about it - dividing the community,`` Mr Soliman said.
He said Islamic organisations in Australia had issued a statement on behalf of all Muslims condemning terrorism.
http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,7081021%255E2,00.html
Posted by
sarwar
Aug 27, 2003 07:35 am
Controversy in Australia ......... IS it difficult for Muslims to integrate in a predeominantly Non-Muslim society?Muslims won`t integrate, says One Nation man
By Mark Dunn
August 27, 2003
ONE Nation MP David Oldfield believes most Muslims refuse to integrate into Australian society and that most terrorists are Muslims.
The NSW One Nation politician also said many Muslims in Australia, by nature, held ``non-believers`` in contempt.
On the eve of defending himself in legal proceedings against claims of being racist, Mr Oldfield yesterday said: ``What is written in the Koran makes it very clear to Muslims not to integrate, to not allow themselves to be tainted by communing or by relationships with non-believers.``
Islamic lawyer Hisam Sidaoui has lodged a racial vilification claim against Mr Oldfield and One Nation for its links and sanctioning of the controversial website muslim terrorists.com. Mr Oldfield will argue before the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal tomorrow that the complaint be struck out.
Mr Oldfield said he helped set up the site, permits the use of his image on its web-page and arranged its link to the One Nation website. He claimed the official content of muslimterrorists.com was factual and not racist.
Central to the accusations against him is the site`s statement ``not all Muslims are terrorists but nearly all terrorists are Muslim``.
Islamic Council of Victoria president Yasser Soliman said Mr Oldfield`s integration claims were rubbish and disappointing. ``If he really wants one nation, this is not the way to go about it - dividing the community,`` Mr Soliman said.
He said Islamic organisations in Australia had issued a statement on behalf of all Muslims condemning terrorism.
http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,7081021%255E2,00.html
Just Another BLOW-UP?
Tuesday, August 26, 2003 Posted: 0852 GMT ( 4:52 PM HKT)
http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/south/08/26/mumbai.march.ap/index.html
The aftermath of one of the explosions in the busy Zaveri Bazaar.
BOMBAY, India (AP) -- Waving the national flag and peace banners, about 200 Muslims marched in Bombay on Tuesday to condemn the twin bombings that killed 46 people in India`s financial capital.
``This is a march in sympathy for all the people who lost their lives,`` said Mohammad Naushad Kureshi, the general secretary of the Muslim Council of India`s local chapter, as he led the procession. ``The blasts were against humanity.``
The two bombs planted in taxis exploded at major landmarks in downtown Bombay -- the Gateway of India, a colonial era monument, and the Zaveri Bazaar, a congested gold and diamond market. At least 46 people were killed and 150 wounded.
The Muslims walked about 6 kilometers (4 miles) to Zaveri Bazaar where they offered prayers near the blast site for the victims.
Wearing black ribbons on their shirts, they carried banners that denounced the bombings as ``an act of cowardice`` not show of strength.
Meanwhile, two Hindu nationalist parties on Tuesday demanded the imposition of federal rule, known as president`s rule, in Maharashtra state, where Bombay is located.
They said the Congress Party-run state administration has failed to protect its people.
A 15-member delegation of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiv Sena party met with state Gov. Mohammad Fazal and handed him a petition with their demand. Governors in India are figureheads and act as representatives of the federal government in New Delhi.
``The (state) government is doing nothing and they don`t seem to be serious about the security of the people,`` said Vijay Girkar, the head of the Bombay unit of the BJP. The party leads the federal coalition government but has been in opposition in Maharashtra state since 1999.
The BJP and Shiv Sena governed Maharashtra state in a coalition from 1995 to 1999.
Girkar pointed out that Monday`s bombings followed five explosions since December in Bombay, India`s largest city. Sixteen people were killed in the previous blasts, which occurred in buses and commuter trains.
``We have asked that President`s Rule should be implemented. Then the people of Bombay will feel safe,`` Girkar said.
Posted by
sarwar
Aug 26, 2003 12:58 pm
Muslim marchers condemn bombingsTuesday, August 26, 2003 Posted: 0852 GMT ( 4:52 PM HKT)
http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/south/08/26/mumbai.march.ap/index.html
The aftermath of one of the explosions in the busy Zaveri Bazaar.
BOMBAY, India (AP) -- Waving the national flag and peace banners, about 200 Muslims marched in Bombay on Tuesday to condemn the twin bombings that killed 46 people in India`s financial capital.
``This is a march in sympathy for all the people who lost their lives,`` said Mohammad Naushad Kureshi, the general secretary of the Muslim Council of India`s local chapter, as he led the procession. ``The blasts were against humanity.``
The two bombs planted in taxis exploded at major landmarks in downtown Bombay -- the Gateway of India, a colonial era monument, and the Zaveri Bazaar, a congested gold and diamond market. At least 46 people were killed and 150 wounded.
The Muslims walked about 6 kilometers (4 miles) to Zaveri Bazaar where they offered prayers near the blast site for the victims.
Wearing black ribbons on their shirts, they carried banners that denounced the bombings as ``an act of cowardice`` not show of strength.
Meanwhile, two Hindu nationalist parties on Tuesday demanded the imposition of federal rule, known as president`s rule, in Maharashtra state, where Bombay is located.
They said the Congress Party-run state administration has failed to protect its people.
A 15-member delegation of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiv Sena party met with state Gov. Mohammad Fazal and handed him a petition with their demand. Governors in India are figureheads and act as representatives of the federal government in New Delhi.
``The (state) government is doing nothing and they don`t seem to be serious about the security of the people,`` said Vijay Girkar, the head of the Bombay unit of the BJP. The party leads the federal coalition government but has been in opposition in Maharashtra state since 1999.
The BJP and Shiv Sena governed Maharashtra state in a coalition from 1995 to 1999.
Girkar pointed out that Monday`s bombings followed five explosions since December in Bombay, India`s largest city. Sixteen people were killed in the previous blasts, which occurred in buses and commuter trains.
``We have asked that President`s Rule should be implemented. Then the people of Bombay will feel safe,`` Girkar said.
Can Muslims Become Part of Mainstream Nationalism?
Tuesday, August 26, 2003 Posted: 0852 GMT ( 4:52 PM HKT)
http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/south/08/26/mumbai.march.ap/index.html
The aftermath of one of the explosions in the busy Zaveri Bazaar.
BOMBAY, India (AP) -- Waving the national flag and peace banners, about 200 Muslims marched in Bombay on Tuesday to condemn the twin bombings that killed 46 people in India`s financial capital.
``This is a march in sympathy for all the people who lost their lives,`` said Mohammad Naushad Kureshi, the general secretary of the Muslim Council of India`s local chapter, as he led the procession. ``The blasts were against humanity.``
The two bombs planted in taxis exploded at major landmarks in downtown Bombay -- the Gateway of India, a colonial era monument, and the Zaveri Bazaar, a congested gold and diamond market. At least 46 people were killed and 150 wounded.
The Muslims walked about 6 kilometers (4 miles) to Zaveri Bazaar where they offered prayers near the blast site for the victims.
Wearing black ribbons on their shirts, they carried banners that denounced the bombings as ``an act of cowardice`` not show of strength.
Meanwhile, two Hindu nationalist parties on Tuesday demanded the imposition of federal rule, known as president`s rule, in Maharashtra state, where Bombay is located.
They said the Congress Party-run state administration has failed to protect its people.
A 15-member delegation of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiv Sena party met with state Gov. Mohammad Fazal and handed him a petition with their demand. Governors in India are figureheads and act as representatives of the federal government in New Delhi.
``The (state) government is doing nothing and they don`t seem to be serious about the security of the people,`` said Vijay Girkar, the head of the Bombay unit of the BJP. The party leads the federal coalition government but has been in opposition in Maharashtra state since 1999.
The BJP and Shiv Sena governed Maharashtra state in a coalition from 1995 to 1999.
Girkar pointed out that Monday`s bombings followed five explosions since December in Bombay, India`s largest city. Sixteen people were killed in the previous blasts, which occurred in buses and commuter trains.
``We have asked that President`s Rule should be implemented. Then the people of Bombay will feel safe,`` Girkar said.
Posted by
sarwar
Aug 26, 2003 12:58 pm
Muslim marchers condemn bombingsTuesday, August 26, 2003 Posted: 0852 GMT ( 4:52 PM HKT)
http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/south/08/26/mumbai.march.ap/index.html
The aftermath of one of the explosions in the busy Zaveri Bazaar.
BOMBAY, India (AP) -- Waving the national flag and peace banners, about 200 Muslims marched in Bombay on Tuesday to condemn the twin bombings that killed 46 people in India`s financial capital.
``This is a march in sympathy for all the people who lost their lives,`` said Mohammad Naushad Kureshi, the general secretary of the Muslim Council of India`s local chapter, as he led the procession. ``The blasts were against humanity.``
The two bombs planted in taxis exploded at major landmarks in downtown Bombay -- the Gateway of India, a colonial era monument, and the Zaveri Bazaar, a congested gold and diamond market. At least 46 people were killed and 150 wounded.
The Muslims walked about 6 kilometers (4 miles) to Zaveri Bazaar where they offered prayers near the blast site for the victims.
Wearing black ribbons on their shirts, they carried banners that denounced the bombings as ``an act of cowardice`` not show of strength.
Meanwhile, two Hindu nationalist parties on Tuesday demanded the imposition of federal rule, known as president`s rule, in Maharashtra state, where Bombay is located.
They said the Congress Party-run state administration has failed to protect its people.
A 15-member delegation of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiv Sena party met with state Gov. Mohammad Fazal and handed him a petition with their demand. Governors in India are figureheads and act as representatives of the federal government in New Delhi.
``The (state) government is doing nothing and they don`t seem to be serious about the security of the people,`` said Vijay Girkar, the head of the Bombay unit of the BJP. The party leads the federal coalition government but has been in opposition in Maharashtra state since 1999.
The BJP and Shiv Sena governed Maharashtra state in a coalition from 1995 to 1999.
Girkar pointed out that Monday`s bombings followed five explosions since December in Bombay, India`s largest city. Sixteen people were killed in the previous blasts, which occurred in buses and commuter trains.
``We have asked that President`s Rule should be implemented. Then the people of Bombay will feel safe,`` Girkar said.
Just Another BLOW-UP?
Randy Boswell
The Ottawa Citizen
Tuesday, August 26, 2003
AP / Rescue workers look at a car damaged in a bomb blast at Zaveri Bazar in Mumbai, India, Monday
ADVERTISEMENT
A deadly bomb blast in Mumbai -- the former Bombay -- Monday, which left 46 dead and more than 150 wounded, may have been sparked by the work of a Canadian scientist -- an unlikely player in the violent struggle between Hindus and Muslims for control of one of India`s most sacred religious sites.
Claude Robillard, a Montreal-based geologist who specializes in underground radar probes, has been leading a team of experts studying archeological remains at a disputed plot of land in the city of Ayodhya, about 500 kilometres southeast of New Delhi.
Hindus believe the site to be the birthplace of their supreme god, Rama, and in 1992 a frenzied mob of Hindu worshippers tore down the famous Babri Mosque that was built there in 1528 after an Islamic invasion.
The destruction of the 400-year-old mosque was followed immediately by Muslim-Hindu riots that killed more than 2,000 people.
Hundreds more have died over the past decade in clashes linked to the Ayodhya dispute, with Muslims determined to rebuild their mosque and Hindus insistent that ancient ruins of a temple to Rama lie just below ground.
The release of the Indian government`s final archeological report on Ayodhya -- just hours before yesterday`s bombing -- was favourable to Hindu claims and is widely believed to have been the trigger for the attack, which Indian police have blamed on Muslim extremists.
The government`s report, in turn, appears to have been shaped largely by Mr. Robillard`s analysis of the Ayodhya site.
The McGill-trained geophysicist, who runs a global consulting firm from the Montreal suburb of Ville Lasalle, was on a job in China earlier this year when Tojo-Vikas International, the firm heading the archeological investigation for the Indian government, flew him to Ayodhya to conduct tests using ground-penetrating radar.
In a statement issued at the time, several leading Indian scholars criticized Tojo-Vikas as having ``no known previous experience of archeological surveying.``
Nor, they added, ``are the credentials of Mr. Claude Robillard, a Canadian citizen and the company`s adviser and chief geophysicist, any less doubtful.``
Mr. Robillard, who could not be reached for an interview, is listed as a member of the Association of Professional Geologists and Geophysicists of Quebec. He is known to own a consulting firm, Gestion des Rochers Robillard, and he recently performed ground-penetrating radar at a Florida cemetery facing a class action lawsuit for alleged improper burials.
After performing surveys at Ayodhya, Mr. Robillard submitted a report to the Indian government that proposed digging test trenches at various sites to confirm his preliminary finding that an ancient building foundation might lie several metres below the rubble from the mosque.
In an interview in March, Mr. Robillard told the newspaper India Abroad that, ``all I know is there is some structure under the mosque`` and that the underground anomalies picked up by his sensors might be explained by ``pillars or floors.``
Mr. Robillard`s mention of ``pillars`` in both his leaked report and the subsequent interview boosted the hopes of India`s one billion Hindus that the temple of Rama had been found.
But for the country`s 140 million Muslims, whose leaders have argued that no amount of archeological evidence could vindicate the ``vandals`` who destroyed the mosque and are still facing charges, hints of temple ruins at the site were dismissed not only as legally irrelevant but also as a sign that the government was orchestrating an outcome to the Ayodhya dispute favourable to Hindus.
Those fears were stoked recently by Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
While attending the funeral of Ramchandra Paramhans, a leading proponent of the push to build a Hindu temple to Rama at the site, Mr.
Vajpayee vowed that Mr. Paramhans`s ``last wish was to build the temple. We will fulfil it.``
The government`s final report, which appears to have drawn its conclusions largely on the basis of Mr. Robillard`s analysis of the site and the subsequent excavation, indicates there is considerable evidence to support the Hindu claim that a temple once stood where the mosque was toppled in 1992.
According to yesterday`s edition of the Press Trust of India, the government`s final archeological report states ``there is sufficient proof of the existence of a massive and monumental structure having a minimum dimension of 50 by 30 metres in north-south and east-west directions respectively just below`` the Babri Mosque site.
But lawyers for the Hindu and Muslim groups battling over the Ayodhya site clashed again yesterday over the archeological report.
Hindu attorney Vireshwar Dwivedi said the tests have clearly shown ``it was a temple on which a mosque was built.``
But Zafaryab Jilani, lawyer for the Muslim group, said the report ``talks about some structure which may be a temple`` but that its conclusions are vague.
http://canada.com/national/story.asp?id=E7CB0EB5-BB34-45BE-985C-0971FA6F7C1F
Posted by
sarwar
Aug 26, 2003 08:45 am
Canadian scientist`s work may have sparked deadly blast in MumbaiRandy Boswell
The Ottawa Citizen
Tuesday, August 26, 2003
AP / Rescue workers look at a car damaged in a bomb blast at Zaveri Bazar in Mumbai, India, Monday
ADVERTISEMENT
A deadly bomb blast in Mumbai -- the former Bombay -- Monday, which left 46 dead and more than 150 wounded, may have been sparked by the work of a Canadian scientist -- an unlikely player in the violent struggle between Hindus and Muslims for control of one of India`s most sacred religious sites.
Claude Robillard, a Montreal-based geologist who specializes in underground radar probes, has been leading a team of experts studying archeological remains at a disputed plot of land in the city of Ayodhya, about 500 kilometres southeast of New Delhi.
Hindus believe the site to be the birthplace of their supreme god, Rama, and in 1992 a frenzied mob of Hindu worshippers tore down the famous Babri Mosque that was built there in 1528 after an Islamic invasion.
The destruction of the 400-year-old mosque was followed immediately by Muslim-Hindu riots that killed more than 2,000 people.
Hundreds more have died over the past decade in clashes linked to the Ayodhya dispute, with Muslims determined to rebuild their mosque and Hindus insistent that ancient ruins of a temple to Rama lie just below ground.
The release of the Indian government`s final archeological report on Ayodhya -- just hours before yesterday`s bombing -- was favourable to Hindu claims and is widely believed to have been the trigger for the attack, which Indian police have blamed on Muslim extremists.
The government`s report, in turn, appears to have been shaped largely by Mr. Robillard`s analysis of the Ayodhya site.
The McGill-trained geophysicist, who runs a global consulting firm from the Montreal suburb of Ville Lasalle, was on a job in China earlier this year when Tojo-Vikas International, the firm heading the archeological investigation for the Indian government, flew him to Ayodhya to conduct tests using ground-penetrating radar.
In a statement issued at the time, several leading Indian scholars criticized Tojo-Vikas as having ``no known previous experience of archeological surveying.``
Nor, they added, ``are the credentials of Mr. Claude Robillard, a Canadian citizen and the company`s adviser and chief geophysicist, any less doubtful.``
Mr. Robillard, who could not be reached for an interview, is listed as a member of the Association of Professional Geologists and Geophysicists of Quebec. He is known to own a consulting firm, Gestion des Rochers Robillard, and he recently performed ground-penetrating radar at a Florida cemetery facing a class action lawsuit for alleged improper burials.
After performing surveys at Ayodhya, Mr. Robillard submitted a report to the Indian government that proposed digging test trenches at various sites to confirm his preliminary finding that an ancient building foundation might lie several metres below the rubble from the mosque.
In an interview in March, Mr. Robillard told the newspaper India Abroad that, ``all I know is there is some structure under the mosque`` and that the underground anomalies picked up by his sensors might be explained by ``pillars or floors.``
Mr. Robillard`s mention of ``pillars`` in both his leaked report and the subsequent interview boosted the hopes of India`s one billion Hindus that the temple of Rama had been found.
But for the country`s 140 million Muslims, whose leaders have argued that no amount of archeological evidence could vindicate the ``vandals`` who destroyed the mosque and are still facing charges, hints of temple ruins at the site were dismissed not only as legally irrelevant but also as a sign that the government was orchestrating an outcome to the Ayodhya dispute favourable to Hindus.
Those fears were stoked recently by Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
While attending the funeral of Ramchandra Paramhans, a leading proponent of the push to build a Hindu temple to Rama at the site, Mr.
Vajpayee vowed that Mr. Paramhans`s ``last wish was to build the temple. We will fulfil it.``
The government`s final report, which appears to have drawn its conclusions largely on the basis of Mr. Robillard`s analysis of the site and the subsequent excavation, indicates there is considerable evidence to support the Hindu claim that a temple once stood where the mosque was toppled in 1992.
According to yesterday`s edition of the Press Trust of India, the government`s final archeological report states ``there is sufficient proof of the existence of a massive and monumental structure having a minimum dimension of 50 by 30 metres in north-south and east-west directions respectively just below`` the Babri Mosque site.
But lawyers for the Hindu and Muslim groups battling over the Ayodhya site clashed again yesterday over the archeological report.
Hindu attorney Vireshwar Dwivedi said the tests have clearly shown ``it was a temple on which a mosque was built.``
But Zafaryab Jilani, lawyer for the Muslim group, said the report ``talks about some structure which may be a temple`` but that its conclusions are vague.
http://canada.com/national/story.asp?id=E7CB0EB5-BB34-45BE-985C-0971FA6F7C1F
Just Another BLOW-UP?
Will the Mumbai blasts affect India-Pakistan relations?
Producer: Yvonne Gomez
First broadcast: 26 August 03, Radio Singapore International
The attack involving two bombs that exploded almost simultaneously in India`s financial capital city of Mumbai on Monday is believed to have claimed about 50 lives.
There have been suggestions by Indian officials and politicians that the banned Students Islamic Movement of India, or SIMI, along with a Pakistan-backed Kashmiri militant group, the Lashkar-e-Toiba, may have been involved.
The Times of India reported that police are currently investigating the possibility of women members of Lashkar-e-Toiba operating in Mumbai as carriers rather than suicide bombers, in blast operations.
The Pakistan government has condemned the attacks, but if there is a Pakistani connection, what implications will the blasts have for India-Pakistan relations, which were said to be on the mend?
Yvonne Gomez posed this question to Mr Prashant Dixit, Deputy Director of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies in India.
PD: I don`t think anything will happen to India-Pakistan relations, largely because I personally feel, and I accord the same sentiments expressed by the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, who feel that this is a reaction to what had happened to Gujarat in the past. And there may have been disgruntled elements within the community which feel that they have been deprived of their legitimate right in the constitutional process so this is a reaction.
Is it possible that other groups could be involved?
PD: India`s Deputy Prime Minister has already said that he fears that these organisations known as SIMI or perhaps the Lashkar-e-Toiba are involved in this. There may be some merit in that, because the kind of bombs which have
been assembled call for organisational back-up, and certain knowledge of such explosive material. But the only good point is there is no visible element of RDX having been used. We`ve only heard talk of products of nitroglycerin and other nitrous-based products which have been used for the dynamite. And this would mean that it could have been assembled within India itself and no imports may have been involved.
What do you think the bombers hoped to achieve by bombing India`s commercial capital of Mumbai?
PD: Well, if you`ve monitored the series of blasts which have taken place, the acknowledgement of the Maharashtra government that they were seemingly targeting Gujarati portions of Bombay. Essentially, it only goes to prove that this is a reaction to what has happened, or what was perceived to have happened in Gujarat a little while ago.
How is the Indian public reacting to the blast?
PD: The Indian public is undoubtedly chagrined, especially when it recalls the 1993 blast. There is a sense of revulsion to what is happening to the secular character of the Indian state. And amongst a large number of well-meaning people who have been on the secular path, this is a worrisome activity.
A few terror attacks have occurred in succession worldwide, with the blast in Jakarta, Baghdad and now in Mumbai. Do you think these attacks are related in any way, and keep to the predictions that the world would see a resurgence of terrorist acts after the Iraq war?
PD: I don`t think one can ascribe these specific blasts to the larger Iraq issue, except to say that there are sections in the community that feel that they are not getting their due share in the world community. But I think that`s a far-fetched philosophy to pursue. What is happening in Bombay could be a purely localised reaction. And there is some merit in the view expressed by the Maharashtra government. But on the other hand, the phenomena is visible - and it is visible in large portions of Southeast Asia, and in the portion from which you speak. Although your state has been spared, the neighbouring states have been targeted. This is a general reaction which is coming out of a section of the Muslim community that feel that its not getting its due share in the international world.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/cna/analysis/030826_mumbai.htm
Posted by
sarwar
Aug 26, 2003 08:04 am
Will the Mumbai blasts affect India-Pakistan relations?
Producer: Yvonne Gomez
First broadcast: 26 August 03, Radio Singapore International
The attack involving two bombs that exploded almost simultaneously in India`s financial capital city of Mumbai on Monday is believed to have claimed about 50 lives.
There have been suggestions by Indian officials and politicians that the banned Students Islamic Movement of India, or SIMI, along with a Pakistan-backed Kashmiri militant group, the Lashkar-e-Toiba, may have been involved.
The Times of India reported that police are currently investigating the possibility of women members of Lashkar-e-Toiba operating in Mumbai as carriers rather than suicide bombers, in blast operations.
The Pakistan government has condemned the attacks, but if there is a Pakistani connection, what implications will the blasts have for India-Pakistan relations, which were said to be on the mend?
Yvonne Gomez posed this question to Mr Prashant Dixit, Deputy Director of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies in India.
PD: I don`t think anything will happen to India-Pakistan relations, largely because I personally feel, and I accord the same sentiments expressed by the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, who feel that this is a reaction to what had happened to Gujarat in the past. And there may have been disgruntled elements within the community which feel that they have been deprived of their legitimate right in the constitutional process so this is a reaction.
Is it possible that other groups could be involved?
PD: India`s Deputy Prime Minister has already said that he fears that these organisations known as SIMI or perhaps the Lashkar-e-Toiba are involved in this. There may be some merit in that, because the kind of bombs which have
been assembled call for organisational back-up, and certain knowledge of such explosive material. But the only good point is there is no visible element of RDX having been used. We`ve only heard talk of products of nitroglycerin and other nitrous-based products which have been used for the dynamite. And this would mean that it could have been assembled within India itself and no imports may have been involved.
What do you think the bombers hoped to achieve by bombing India`s commercial capital of Mumbai?
PD: Well, if you`ve monitored the series of blasts which have taken place, the acknowledgement of the Maharashtra government that they were seemingly targeting Gujarati portions of Bombay. Essentially, it only goes to prove that this is a reaction to what has happened, or what was perceived to have happened in Gujarat a little while ago.
How is the Indian public reacting to the blast?
PD: The Indian public is undoubtedly chagrined, especially when it recalls the 1993 blast. There is a sense of revulsion to what is happening to the secular character of the Indian state. And amongst a large number of well-meaning people who have been on the secular path, this is a worrisome activity.
A few terror attacks have occurred in succession worldwide, with the blast in Jakarta, Baghdad and now in Mumbai. Do you think these attacks are related in any way, and keep to the predictions that the world would see a resurgence of terrorist acts after the Iraq war?
PD: I don`t think one can ascribe these specific blasts to the larger Iraq issue, except to say that there are sections in the community that feel that they are not getting their due share in the world community. But I think that`s a far-fetched philosophy to pursue. What is happening in Bombay could be a purely localised reaction. And there is some merit in the view expressed by the Maharashtra government. But on the other hand, the phenomena is visible - and it is visible in large portions of Southeast Asia, and in the portion from which you speak. Although your state has been spared, the neighbouring states have been targeted. This is a general reaction which is coming out of a section of the Muslim community that feel that its not getting its due share in the international world.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/cna/analysis/030826_mumbai.htm
I am Not a Patriot
Said an Indian Muslim businessman with a Pakistani wife and a large branch of his family on our side of the border, ``There used to be a time when Pakistanis would visit their relatives in India and speak of the quality of life they enjoyed in Pakistan as first-class citizens. The Indian Muslim would then bemoan his lot, and wonder whether he`d taken the right decision at Partition. But over the years, things changed. Between the Middle East, India`s economic boom, their own initiative, the Muslims have done better. Then along come the `mohajirs` from Pakistan with their tales of oppression and injustice, and suddenly the Indian Muslim thinks, `we`re not so badly off after all.``` He added that Kashmir has created another problem for the Indian Muslim. ``Always hard-pressed to prove his loyalty to his country, every time the Kashmir issue flares up, the loyalties of Muslims in India come under suspicion. Recently, I heard a group of Indian Muslims discussing the situation, and one of them turned around and said the Pakistanis are not interested in Muslims – only Kashmir. If they were, they`d worry about what happens to the huge Muslim community in India every time they instigate trouble in Kashmir.``
Posted by
sarwar
Aug 26, 2003 08:04 am
``Traditionally, the Indian Muslim has displayed a visible arrogance towards the Hindu faith. He has mocked his deities, shunned his beliefs and adopted the high moral ground in relation to the Hindu lifestyle. If this is the Indian Muslim, who has coexisted with the Hindu forever, it is presumed, naturally, that the Muslim from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan will be far more intolerant. The arrival of seven Pakistanis for the Kumbh and their obvious respect for Hindu customs, has therefore, made for a pleasant surprise. And this really is how we can build bridges, gulf the divide.`` Said an Indian Muslim businessman with a Pakistani wife and a large branch of his family on our side of the border, ``There used to be a time when Pakistanis would visit their relatives in India and speak of the quality of life they enjoyed in Pakistan as first-class citizens. The Indian Muslim would then bemoan his lot, and wonder whether he`d taken the right decision at Partition. But over the years, things changed. Between the Middle East, India`s economic boom, their own initiative, the Muslims have done better. Then along come the `mohajirs` from Pakistan with their tales of oppression and injustice, and suddenly the Indian Muslim thinks, `we`re not so badly off after all.``` He added that Kashmir has created another problem for the Indian Muslim. ``Always hard-pressed to prove his loyalty to his country, every time the Kashmir issue flares up, the loyalties of Muslims in India come under suspicion. Recently, I heard a group of Indian Muslims discussing the situation, and one of them turned around and said the Pakistanis are not interested in Muslims – only Kashmir. If they were, they`d worry about what happens to the huge Muslim community in India every time they instigate trouble in Kashmir.``
Can Muslims Become Part of Mainstream Nationalism?
Said an Indian Muslim businessman with a Pakistani wife and a large branch of his family on our side of the border, ``There used to be a time when Pakistanis would visit their relatives in India and speak of the quality of life they enjoyed in Pakistan as first-class citizens. The Indian Muslim would then bemoan his lot, and wonder whether he`d taken the right decision at Partition. But over the years, things changed. Between the Middle East, India`s economic boom, their own initiative, the Muslims have done better. Then along come the `mohajirs` from Pakistan with their tales of oppression and injustice, and suddenly the Indian Muslim thinks, `we`re not so badly off after all.``` He added that Kashmir has created another problem for the Indian Muslim. ``Always hard-pressed to prove his loyalty to his country, every time the Kashmir issue flares up, the loyalties of Muslims in India come under suspicion. Recently, I heard a group of Indian Muslims discussing the situation, and one of them turned around and said the Pakistanis are not interested in Muslims – only Kashmir. If they were, they`d worry about what happens to the huge Muslim community in India every time they instigate trouble in Kashmir.``
Posted by
sarwar
Aug 26, 2003 08:04 am
``Traditionally, the Indian Muslim has displayed a visible arrogance towards the Hindu faith. He has mocked his deities, shunned his beliefs and adopted the high moral ground in relation to the Hindu lifestyle. If this is the Indian Muslim, who has coexisted with the Hindu forever, it is presumed, naturally, that the Muslim from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan will be far more intolerant. The arrival of seven Pakistanis for the Kumbh and their obvious respect for Hindu customs, has therefore, made for a pleasant surprise. And this really is how we can build bridges, gulf the divide.`` Said an Indian Muslim businessman with a Pakistani wife and a large branch of his family on our side of the border, ``There used to be a time when Pakistanis would visit their relatives in India and speak of the quality of life they enjoyed in Pakistan as first-class citizens. The Indian Muslim would then bemoan his lot, and wonder whether he`d taken the right decision at Partition. But over the years, things changed. Between the Middle East, India`s economic boom, their own initiative, the Muslims have done better. Then along come the `mohajirs` from Pakistan with their tales of oppression and injustice, and suddenly the Indian Muslim thinks, `we`re not so badly off after all.``` He added that Kashmir has created another problem for the Indian Muslim. ``Always hard-pressed to prove his loyalty to his country, every time the Kashmir issue flares up, the loyalties of Muslims in India come under suspicion. Recently, I heard a group of Indian Muslims discussing the situation, and one of them turned around and said the Pakistanis are not interested in Muslims – only Kashmir. If they were, they`d worry about what happens to the huge Muslim community in India every time they instigate trouble in Kashmir.``
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