Exposing the DoubleSpeak of India's Internal Enemies

[Guest guest]

>"Yvette C. Rosser"

>HinduThought >indictraditions

>CC: IndianCivilization >[HinduThought] India should

fear what the "US says" (The Hindu 8/8/02) >Thu, 8 Aug 2002 08:48:04

-0500 > >I'm passing along this article from "The Hindu", written by an

>American, calling on the USA to condemn India for the "state >sponsored"

genocide of Muslims in Gujarat... and calling on India to >ask for American

intervention. No doubt Gujarat was horrible and a >blemish on India's

international reputation, however involving the US >Congress in India's

internal affairs has its post-colonial overtones >and such meddling is of

course unwelcome by any autonomous, >independent, democratic modern nation.

(The riots have ceased, there >is no on-going Genocide... like in Rwanda.)

Nonetheless, America >loves to meddle... > >But I found it interesting that

"The Hindu" is now promoting that >India roll over and make obeisance to the

mighty USA. In edition >after edition of N. Ram's newspaper we find articles

praising the >PRC's record in Tibet and the wonderful, prosperous ambiance in

North >Korea, and warning us that the evil American empire is poised to take

>over India and other third world victims, and the corrupted >capitalists must

be resisted. Now he is printing this warning to >Indians, that they should fear

what the "US says" ... because it >"could have a significant impact on American

views of India, and >hence, on political and public support in the U.S. for a

close and >collaborative U.S.-India partnership". > >The Hindu, Aug 08, 2002

>Opinion - Leader Page Articles > >Charity... or terrorism? > >By Robert M.

Hathaway > >It is probably advisable for the American Government to hold an

>official inquiry into fund-raising in the U.S. by groups implicated >in the

Gujarat violence. > > >TERRORISM COMES in many guises. An armed assault against

Parliament >House in New Delhi. A suicide bomber detonating high explosives in a

>crowded bazaar. Political assassination. Angry young men flying >commercial

aircraft into the World Trade Center. And, yes, >hate-consumed mobs butchering

innocent women and children. > >The people of India need no instruction from

foreigners regarding the >moral issues raised by this spring's communal

violence in Gujarat. >Except for an embittered but fortunately minuscule

minority, Indians >of all religions and beliefs reacted with horror and disgust

to the >great human tragedy that unfolded in their country earlier this year. >

>All those who admire Indian culture and accomplishments, who >celebrate the

extraordinary progress India has achieved in its still >brief national

existence, understand that the tragedy of Gujarat >strikes at the very essence

of India's being and promise. The >assassination earlier this year of Abdul

Gani Lone, who opposed >Indian rule in Kashmir but who in his final years had

come to the >realisation that violence and extremism offer Kashmiris no way out

in >their struggle with New Delhi, represented another blow to the ideals >of

tolerance and moderation, another triumph for the forces of hatred >and

sectarian-based violence. In this sense, the tragedies of Gujarat >and of

Kashmir are inextricably linked. > >Kashmir was certainly not the cause of

Gujarat. Sadly, the seeds of >Godhra and Ahmedabad and Baroda spring from still

more ancient soils. >But the continued violence in Kashmir makes the hatred

recently seen >in Gujarat more likely, and in a perverted sense, more

"respectable", >or at least acceptable. Perhaps, it does not go too far to

assert >that until the Kashmir sore is at last healed, the poison that

>produced Gujarat will make other Gujarats increasingly likely. > >Some

Indians, of course, say that the tragic events in Gujarat are a >domestic

Indian affair, and that the United States and the rest of >the world have no

business intruding into a purely internal Indian >matter. This is a

self-serving falsehood. Important American >interests, including the global war

against terrorism, can be >directly impacted by what the U.S. says - and fails

to say - about >Gujarat. > >At this particular moment in history, the U.S.

cannot allow the >impression to take hold that Americans somehow value a Muslim

life >less than the life of a person of another religion. Sadly, there are

>those in the Islamic world who assert that the present conflict is a >war

directed not against terrorism, but against Islam. That the U.S. >does not care

about Muslims. That Washington seeks to hijack the >tragedies of 9/11 to carry

out long-held plans to repress the Islamic >world. These are detestable lies,

but many in the Muslim world are >prepared to believe them. So leaving aside

the moral issue, it is >essential that India's friends in the U.S. speak out to

condemn the >injustice and hatred so prominently displayed in Gujarat, and to

lend >support to those Indians, of all religious beliefs, who are working >to

strengthen the forces of secularism, tolerance and >multiculturalism. > >Some

have asked what impact the recent events in Gujarat will have - >should have -

on the new and healthier relationship that the U.S. is >developing with India.

No one needs to be reminded of the tortured >history of U.S.-India relations

over the years, or the difficulty the >two nations have had in working

collaboratively with one another, >even on those issues where our purposes and

interests ran along >parallel tracks. > >Over the past half dozen or so years -

and notwithstanding the >temporary if traumatic jolt to the relationship

administered by >India's 1998 nuclear tests and the subsequent imposition of

U.S. >sanctions - Washington and New Delhi have begun to construct a

>qualitatively better relationship, so much so that the Prime >Minister, Atal

Behari Vajpayee, has come to describe the two >countries as "natural allies", a

phrase increasingly used by >Americans as well. > >Following the trauma

Americans experienced on September 11, India was >one of the first countries in

the world to step forward with a pledge >of unconditional and unambivalent

support for the U.S. in its quest >to bring to justice those responsible for

the terror attacks in New >York and Washington. The administration of George W.

Bush, already >keen to upgrade relations with Delhi, took notice. Prior to the

>February 27 Godhra attack that touched off the bloodshed in Gujarat, >this new

and more sanguine relationship between the U.S. and India >was widely viewed by

Americans as in the national interest. It >remains so today; Gujarat has not

changed this calculation. > >And yet, it is neither possible nor practical

simply to pretend that >Gujarat did not happen. The violence in Gujarat, and

the steps the >Indian Government might take in coming months in response to

those >events, could have a significant impact on American views of India, >and

hence, on political and public support in the U.S. for a close >and

collaborative U.S.-India partnership. > >Credible reports have recently

suggested that substantial sums of >money are sent from Indians resident in the

U.S., and from American >citizens of Indian origin, to groups and organisations

in Gujarat and >elsewhere in India that are directly linked to the violence in

>Gujarat. I do not know if these accounts are true. But respected >Indian

journalists have uncovered disturbing linkages. If these >reports prove

accurate, then it is possible that such financial >transactions violate U.S.

anti-terrorism statutes. > >Alternatively, issues of fraud may be at issue.

Responsible sources >report that some U.S. residents make financial

contributions to >overseas religious groups in the belief that these funds are

to be >used for religious or humanitarian purposes, when in fact the monies >so

raised are used to promote religious bigotry. > >In either event, it is probably

advisable for the American Government >to hold an official inquiry into

fund-raising in the U.S. by groups >implicated in the Gujarat violence, to

ensure that U.S. laws are not >being violated. Legitimate organisations need

not fear such an >investigation, which would serve to clear their names and

reassure >potential donors about the legitimacy of their fund-raising

>activities. > >Nor would such an inquiry be new or unusual. The U.S. has acted

in >the past to regulate or even to ban fund-raising activities by groups

>advocating violence and ethnic or religious intolerance in other >countries,

as well as activities where fraud may be an issue. Since >September 11, both

the Bush administration and other Governments have >shut down a number of

groups whose ostensible purposes were to >collect funds for Muslim charities,

but which actually served to >finance terrorist networks. > >The Gujarat

violence, Lone's assassination, and most recently, the >designation of L.K.

Advani as Deputy Prime Minister and most likely >successor to Mr. Vajpayee have

all raised new concerns about India's >future among India's friends in the U.S.

An official U.S. >investigation into Gujarat-related fund-raising, voluntarily

>facilitated by the Government of India, would go far towards easing >those

concerns and further strengthening the new partnership between >our two

peoples. > >(The writer is Director, Asia Program, Woodrow Wilson International

>Center for Scholars, Washington D.C.) > >------------------------

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