Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Varanasi Terror Attacks: Reactions
In our earlier post, we had written that Indian Muslim organizations should come out strongly against the terrorist attack in Varanasi. Well, one Ulema already did. Apart from the usual blabla on how 'communal forces' should not be allowed to take advantage of this, certain reactions caught our attention:
Maulana Tauqeer Reza Khan Barelvi, president, All India Muslim Personal Law Board (Jadeed): "Blasts masterminded by BJP and SP who were losing their support base in UP and if communal violence were to be triggered off they would be the biggest gainers.The people should maintain calm and not fall in their trap."
Shaista Ambar, president, All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board: Political parties are behind this , people should watch out for the designs of vested interests.
Nehaluddin, president, All India Muslim Forum: Highly regrettable and condemnable. SP and BJP are trying to disturb communal harmony in the state to gain from polarisation of votes.
WTF can we say - blatantly insulting to the victims and the millions of Indians who worship at these shrines. What is even more worrying is that such insensitive statements are coming not from hardliners but from people who claim to represent the moderate Muslims.
We assume that Mr. Maulana Barelvi belongs to the Barelvi sect - a moderate one as opposed to the puritanical Deobandi. And the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (Jadeed) he presides was formed as a breakaway organization from the obstructionist AIMPLB as a force for modernity ('jadeed' itself means modern in Urdu). Ms. Shaista Ambar too represents an organization with the goal of reforming Muslim personal laws especially with regards to womens rights having courageously fought against the Deobandi clerics and the AIMPLB in the Imrana case.
Also, it is ironic that earlier some Muslim organizations allied themselves with the same Samajwadi Party (SP) in a huge protest rally of 100,000 people against 'Muslim persecution' or 'Islamophobia' by the Danish cartoons, George Bush, Salman Rushdie, etc.
¶ 3/08/2006 07:35:00 AM
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Cynical,
Condemning the incident will achieve nothing.
The reason that terrorism is spreading is that there is a siege mentaility in Muslim community.
Competitive minorityism is fuelling this further.
Then there is our benign neighbour.
So first there should be a considerable pressure on Muslim community to come out of mental ghettos.
Second this policy of appeasement must be done away with.
Then all ways to weaken and disintegrate Pakistan should be persued.
Regards
Condemning the incident will achieve nothing.
The reason that terrorism is spreading is that there is a siege mentaility in Muslim community.
Competitive minorityism is fuelling this further.
Then there is our benign neighbour.
So first there should be a considerable pressure on Muslim community to come out of mental ghettos.
Second this policy of appeasement must be done away with.
Then all ways to weaken and disintegrate Pakistan should be persued.
Regards
CN,
What you mention is indeed insult to injury.
I personally think that a forum where educated Hindu and Muslim leaders can have a frank discussion, untrapped by secular PC, is the only way each side can understand the other.
The politics of minority religious appeasement does not help since it is based on PC. And the statements that you alluded to will only worsen the mutual distrust since they smack of intellectual dishonesty i.e. no genuine empathy and diverting the issue to a name calling exercise.
But engaging the likes of all those who issued statements might be worthwhile, regardless.
Best
What you mention is indeed insult to injury.
I personally think that a forum where educated Hindu and Muslim leaders can have a frank discussion, untrapped by secular PC, is the only way each side can understand the other.
The politics of minority religious appeasement does not help since it is based on PC. And the statements that you alluded to will only worsen the mutual distrust since they smack of intellectual dishonesty i.e. no genuine empathy and diverting the issue to a name calling exercise.
But engaging the likes of all those who issued statements might be worthwhile, regardless.
Best
hey..u r bang on..
each time there is an attack (esp such vital ones) i used to think why not the muslim leaders- the conspicuous ones and the other verbal diahrrea ones spell out some comndemnation or atleast caution..hmmm..when will we/they open the(ir) eyes??
really hurts since its varanasi..
(though has been a regular here, u got me to comment today;-))
each time there is an attack (esp such vital ones) i used to think why not the muslim leaders- the conspicuous ones and the other verbal diahrrea ones spell out some comndemnation or atleast caution..hmmm..when will we/they open the(ir) eyes??
really hurts since its varanasi..
(though has been a regular here, u got me to comment today;-))
It has been observed time and again, in opionion polls, video coverage, and statements, then Indian Muslims don't hate pakistan as much as Indian Hindu do. Not that hating Pakistan is right, or will solve any problem, but sure gives glimpse of where interests lie. At most Muslims will say is that 'both govt. should stop politicizing the issue', or that 'everybody wants piece', etc., but not one time I have heard them say anything unequivocally against Pak, even in temporal passion induced frustation. They are Muslims first, and Indians later, and that is the state of affairs world over. I don't hate muslims, but would feel very happy if they consider themselves Indian. Unfortunately, their religion doesn't permit that.
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: 3/11/2006 12:00:00 AM
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