understanding the hindu-moslem conflict in india

[Guest guest]

>"Ashwini Kumar"

>understanding the hindu-moslem conflict in india >Tue, 09 Apr

2002 22:30:54 -0400 > > > > > >>TOWARD AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE CURRENT

HINDU-MOSLEM CONFLICTS IN >>INDIA >> >>By Pandita Indrani >> >> >> >>(Pandita

Indrani was born in Trinidad, West Indies, has been >>visiting India since

1973, and spent the last 2 years interviewing >>senior journalists across India

for her PhD thesis on educating >>journalists for the information age) >> >> >>

>> >> >>The western media are fed by large global news agencies whose >>agendas

transcend national loyalties to espouse multinational >>concerns. And dead

Hindus and Moslems in India, or dead Africans in >>Africa are only newsworthy

if the spin will promote the foreign >>policies of western governments. India

is a land of complex >>diversities - once a leader in the non-aligned movement,

but today >>a follower in the globalization race. India’s social institutions

>>have been torn apart, first by the Moslem invaders and later by the

>>British. The British entrenched the caste system in India’s >>socio-political

life such that it strengthened caste >>differentiations rather than reducing

them. Every government since >>Independence has failed to correct this for fear

of unsettling vote >>banks. >> >> >> >>The Indian constitution divides its

nation on the basis of >>religion, giving minority status and benefits to all

religions that >>are not classified as “Hindu,” and to groups that are in the

lower >>socio-economic scale within the Hindu classification. At present

>>Moslems and Christians are classified as minorities along with >>those castes

that were at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder. >>The Indian constitution

classifies Jains, Buddhist and Sikhs as >>Hindus since they have come from the

same womb. Today these groups >>wish to declare themselves as independent

religions, thereby giving >>them minority status and access to affirmative

action benefits. The >>Ramakrishna Mission tried to get minority status some

years ago but >>the courts denied them the same. Other Hindu groups have been

>>making a similar call for independent status too. The caste and >>minority

classifications of Indian society are institutions that >>need reform in order

to carry the Indian society forward. These are >>millstones for post-modern

India. >> >> >> >>Against this background lies much of motivation that drives

the >>Hindu-Moslem-Christian conflicts in India. The Godhra incident >>that

started the present Hindu-Moslem conflicts occurred when a >>Moslem mob of over

2,000, burnt alive, several Hindus in a train >>that had stopped at that

station. There was an instant backlash by >>Hindus. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad

openly requested, in the Press, >>that Moslem organizations condemn the attack

but not one of them >>did so. >> >> >> >>It is always unfortunate when the

innocent become victims of the >>anger and hatred of leaders, especially in the

name of religion. It >>is equally unfortunate that this was allowed to occur

because the >>Hindu and Moslem intelligentsia remained silent. No Moslem body

>>condemned the attack on the Hindus, just as they failed to condemn >>the

attack on America on 9/11/01, opting instead to openly declare >>allegiance to

a Pan-Islamic ideology and identity that transcended >>their Indian nationality

and identity. The Communist intelligentsia >>stereotyped all Hindus as

aggressors and all Moslems and minorities >>as victims. Such broad

generalizations paint an inaccurate picture >>of India’s complex realities. >>

>> >> >>When Hindus destroyed the Babri structure (an unused, I stress,

>>unused, dilapidated mosque that, Hindus say, was built on a Ram >>mandir

destroyed by the Moslem invaders in earlier history) and >>sought to rebuild

the part that is their functional mandir, there >>were a number of bombings as

a backlash against Hindus across >>India. The world remained silent and the

Hindu and Moslem >>intelligentsia remained silent. The unscrupulous politicians

>>convinced Moslems that the unused Babri structure was indeed a >>functional

mosque – which it is not. When the genocide of Hindus >>started in Bangladesh

in the last couple months, the world remained >>silent and the Hindu

intelligentsia remained silent. Some Moslem >>journalists spoke out and were

persecuted for doing so. Hindu >>numbers have dropped dramatically in Pakistan,

Bangladesh and >>Kashmir but the world and the Hindu intelligentsia remained

silent. >> The murder of outstanding Hindus in India goes unnoticed and

>>uncommented upon in India. The headquarters of one the largest >>Hindu

organizations was bombed in Madras a few years back. And >>these are just

incidents that I am randomly recalling from my >>visits to India. >> >> >>

>>Many Hindus see the Godhra incident as the last straw. Some see the >>need

for a firewall against the sustained and well-organized >>offensives being

waged against Hindus on political and religious >>grounds. The militancy of

Hindu groups is a reaction to these >>offensives. It would be wrong to

associate this type of militancy, >>which is a reaction to aggressors, with the

militancy that marks >>aggressors on a peaceful people. I unequivocally condemn

the >>attacks by Hindus on innocent people in the current backlash as I

>>unequivocally condemn the aggression of militant Islam and militant

>>Christianity on innocent Hindus in India. It is a great shame when >>the

innocent, children and women are raped, burnt alive, tortured >>and so on in

the name of religion. >> >> >> >>The Vishwa Hindu Parishad is a firewall

against aggression on >>Hindus. And it is in this context that one needs to

read what is >>happening now. Christian and Moslem bodies have been

aggressively >>working with the American government to deny any legitimacy to

>>militant Hinduism. Having read the Indian scene you may agree with >>me that

militancy is going to rise in India as Hindus rise up to >>defend the

handsomely funded and well designed pogroms against >>them. We may wish for

peace, but it is not going to come as long as >>the aggressor is pointing a gun

at your head and your back is >>against the wall. >> >> >> >>The rich Islamic

world is using American technology and public >>relations know-how to market

itself globally. Islamic governments, >>through their foreign policies, fund

American academia and others >>around the world to institutionalize Islamic

studies in their >>education system. This is not an attempt at disseminating

innocent >>religious perspectives but an attempt at controlling academia and

>>the dissemination of knowledge and information. And they are doing >>a pretty

fine job. America, Britain and most of the European >>countries may call

themselves secular but they promote a Christian >>agenda along with their

foreign policies. India calls itself >>secular and, in the process, seeks to

deny its Hindu culture and >>religion as defining its national ethos. So Hindus

have no >>governmental infrastructure, as Islam or Christianity, to defend

>>their religion and culture in any part of the world. Nepal, >>nominally a

Hindu kingdom, has failed miserably. >> >> >> >>So, who speaks for the Hindus,

who takes up their causes? Well the >>Hindu intelligentsia has failed to do so

and there is no >>governmental infrastructure for doing so. The Hindu people

are >>among the most misunderstood in the world. They cannot be viewed

>>through the Judeo-Christian lens. >> >> >> >>It is my projection that Hindus

are going to become like the Jews - >>scattered over the globe, and having to

fight for some space that >>they may call their own. While the Americans will

support the Jews >>(because of their economic might within America) Hindus will

never >>get the support of Christian countries like America and Britain nor

>>the Islamic countries – for obvious reasons. It is about the weak >>and the

strong. The Tibetans became a celebrated “American and >>movie star” cause only

when they lost their homeland. In the >>process of losing their country, the

world remained silent and the >>Hindu intelligentsia remained silent. >> >> >>

>>The challenge before us is how to live in harmony amidst our >>diversity. You

will no doubt agree with me that Hindus are among >>the best that have mastered

this art of living in harmony with >>others. Conflicts originating out of the

struggle for harmony in >>diversity are expected to heighten as the global

village gets >>smaller and neo-colonialism takes another avatar in

globalization, >>and refugees migrate in large blocs to societies that are

different >>to the countries of their birth. We cannot sit in the west and

>>prescribe for peoples in the East, whose societies and ways of life >>are

being destabilized by western and imperialistic religious, >>economic and

technological initiatives – without having walked in >>their shoes. We need to

be more vociferous in condemning crimes >>against humanity and not wait until

the last minute to do so. I, >>too, would like peace but I am not going to

close my eyes and pray >>for it; I will pray for peace with my eyes wide open –

all the >>better to see with. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >>

>> >> >> >> Tax Center -

online filing with TurboTax > > > MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and

print your photos: Click Here