Is preaching religious hatred consistent with consistent with constitutional right?

By Kedar Nath Pandey

The death of a single Sikh from a misdirected hate crime in America has compelled noted columnist Khushwant Singh to recognise that "Islam has more ghazis and jehadis than others.. motivated.. more by hate of infidels.. Amongst their many targets is India because it is predominantly non-Muslim. What can we do but to defend ourselves as best as we can without poisoning our minds with hate?"

With this skillful admonition, Mr. Singh has brushed aside his post- 1984 animosity towards Hindus and belief in the affinity between Sikhism and Islam. He has also highlighted what we ignore at our peril – that jihad is a basic principle of Islam, not an extreme position of fringe groups. Islam accords special respect, even a special title, to those who kill non-believers who do not convert to the faith (ghazi). This is a living concept even today, and is motivating Muslim youth across countries to confront America, even as their governments run for cover before Uncle Sam’s awesome military might.

In my view, the events following the attack on the World Trade Centre in New York beckon us to abandon our civilisational neutrality and anchor our nationhood in our ancient ethos. Indeed, this is what the United States did instinctively even as it reeled under the shock of the unfolding tragedy. On the face of it, a multi-cultural nation unitedly condemned the barbarity and swore vengeance, but few in that hour of crisis doubted which group, religion and culture constituted the "core" of American nationhood.

The white Christian, mainly Protestant, immigrants from Europe and Britain are the heart of America; they give the nation it’s identity and ethos. They wrote a ‘secular’ constitution to avoid sectarian strife among the Protestant groups, but Christian values deeply pervade the national ethos. Their values of freedom, equality, capitalism, and democracy constitute the American way of life. Other citizens – Afro-Americans, Hispanics, Jews, Arabs, Hindus, Sikha, Muslims, position themselves around this core, enjoy equality before law and full benefits of citizenship.

Concerned Indians, specially the diaspora which is making heroic adjustments with other national cultures, should ponder if it is natural and appropriate that a dominant religion and culture define the contours of nationhood in a land. If so, may we conclude that such a religion and culture is a valid, indeed valuable, component of nationhood, and legitimately constitutes its foundational ethos?

I am reminded of conversation with Prof Arvind Sharma, renowned scholar of Hinduism (McGill University, Montreal). Attending a lecture on philosophy as a student in the US, he asked the speaker to explain the defference between religion and culture. The speaker asked his country of origin, and learning he was from India, remarked, "for you there is no difference, your religion and culture derive from the same source. For us (the west), we take our religion from the Middle East and culture from ancient Greece and Rome".

As heir to the world’s greatest living religion-culture-civilisation that has survived centuries of assault, India should be free to determine her nationhood in terms of her own genius. India’s dharma (way of life) is inspired by the ideal of universal welfare of all beings. It shuns absolutism and renews itself eternally in response to changing times, and is compatible with the values of the modern world. India is innately secular and has never denied recognition and space to other religious and ethnic groups, and witnessed by the freedom enjoyed by Parsis, Jews, Christians, Muslims and Bahais, The hallmark of dharma is its non-monotheistic character; it does not view others as intolerable.

I believe that continued failure to properly honour its dominant cultural-civilisational ethos will be destructive for India, especially for the diaspora which is anxious to present a non-threatening identity to the "core tradition" of its adopted lands. Already a disturbing number of Sikhs, even children, have been attacked in the US, and Hindu and Jain temples damaged in the US and Canada. Diaspora. Indians, anxious to explain that they are not Arabs or Muslims, will have to position themselves on the dharmic continuum; but this spectrum will hold only if India unholds it. Sikhs, for instance, represent the best of India’s dharmic traditions. Created as the sword-arm of dharma during a painful epoch, they are renowned equally for their valour and peacetime qualities as hard-working, law-abiding citizens. As such, they epitomise the eternal Hindu edict –Iahimsa parmo dharma, dharma himsa thathaiva cha (non-violence is the highest dharma; violence in the defence of dharma is equally dharma). Indians are not impressed by the plea that Sikhas can be mistaken for Arabs and assaulted by white goons. President Bush has promised to ensure their safety; he has a special duty to protect innocent non-Muslims from white fury, failing which he should consider reparations on the lines recently suggested at Durban.

Within India, we must not permit Leftists, secularists and Muslim intellectuals to demonise the innocent Hindu community in order to turn the spotlight away from Islam. As world attention focuses on the American response to the "unseen enemy" (which, though not an identifiable nation, consists of concentric groups of terrorists of a specific religious persuasion), I would like to draw attention to some disturbing incidents the secular press has tried to downplay.

Two days after the Manhattan carnage, terrorists shot at and injured nine-year-old Akshaya Sikarvar at school in Agra, and left behind a note warning India not to support the US "otherwise no Hindu will survive". The next day, 10-year-old Koushik Day was hospitalised in Birbhum, West Bengal, after his Urdu teacher thrashed him severely for criticising Osama bin Laden during a discussion on the terrorist attack. Not one Muslim has acknowledged these incidents; not one Hindu has dared seek an explanation.

Apologists of Islam have perfected a two-pronged defence. When a crime is committed (Manhattan, Kashmir), they say there is no single, unified Islam, and hence Islam should not be demonised as a violent faith. But when a Muslim group is seen as being victimsied (Palestine, Iraq) they coalesce into a unified group. Post- Manhattan, this strategy of running with the hares and hunting with the hounds is no longer acceptable.

Ibn Warraq, a Pakistani Muslim who has left the faith has advised Muslims to honestly examine why their faith lends itself to violence and extremism. Indeed, it is legitimate to ask that if violence, suicide, and killing innocents is un-Islamic, why has not a single mullah issued a fatwa (religious decree) against bin Laden and his followers?

Given the importance of religion in the lives of human beings and nations alike, I feel the United Nations should take the initiative to ensure that all religions are consistent with the goals of human rights, especially the right to life. Muslim countries, especially those in which Islam is the official state religion, should be encouraged to take a more enlightened view and disregard portions of the Quran dealing with jihad and attack on kafirs (non-believers). Unless this is done, the world will remain at the mercy of fanatical ulema and madrasas (religious schools). India, a long-suffering victim of Islamic fundamentalism, could take the lead in this respect, but Mr. Vajpayee’s geriatric regime is not up to the task. However, the courts and the Constitutional Review Committee could ponder whether preaching religious hatred is consistent with the constitutional right to freedom of religion. INAV

Frame anti-poverty policies in J&K

By Daya Sagar

Afghanistan had been made to dubiously rise high in the name of Jehad by the religious groups. The poor and innocent believers in religion have been crushed to near death by their leadership. No doubt the economy of Afghanistan to day is no economy worth mentioning. World community in general and Indians in particular should take immediate lessons from Afghanistan. Groups with malafide intentions are already active in J&K, they have already attempted to exploit economic weaknesses and backwardness (socio-geographical) in the name of religion in J&K, some damage has already been done in J&K for cracking the socio-religious matrix and if not checked with a hard social effort immediately, the damage could be too large.

Political and social insecurities also sometimes make economically insecure sections of a society vulnerable to undue exploitation by the negative forces who could carry them along in the name of religion or injustice or neglect.

We must reach effectively the rural, backward and poor so as to defeat the designs of the enemy as well as defeat the irresponsibile leaders from conventional arena who keep on issuing misleading and confusing statements and hence help the enemy for keeping the anti India Pot Boiling.

People in the rural, far flung and backward areas do not feel so secure in the capacity of the police. They feel more secure in execution of militant writs.

Utmost important needs to be given to measures required to be taken to check those elements who could nourish their ill designs more easily amongst the neglected, economically weak, backward, unemployed as well as under employed subjects of any society. Many examples of such evil designs having been used could be seen in tribal, frontier, hilly, and far flung areas India.

The innocent unemployed (those who are poor and needy) have also often provided strong work force to the anti-national groups and India has enough of experience of such designs in militancy hit states of Punjab, J&K. Signals emitting from remote mountainous zones of even Jammu Region of J&K call for very immediate and serious attention of government of India before the poverty and unemployment are exploited to the ultimate by the anti India forces.

Hard Facts:

Many a times revolutions of the type of insurgency have been brought by the anti people forces by exploiting the strength of the innocent poor. The objectivity may rest in religious or political ends. Even the religious reforms as well as social reforms have always been directed towards the groups from economically weaker sections and the response from such sections has been very positive. But it may not be always true that those who promote such games are really concerned for the welfare of the target groups forming the material strength of their movement. Anti forces have many a time is used such target groups from with in or outside against the government of the day or against the Government of some sovereign opponent for fulfilling some ambitions at times by agitating weaker sections(materially) who always form the bulk mass of any society of one religion against other religion or some times with in the same religion.

Neglect could be disastrous :

It would have been a rare incident to remember when the first mass gathering of a political, social or a religious leader comprised that of those from the economically rich class ( may be there were some on the dais or stage or accompanying the leader to the stage). Hence any carelessness or neglect in this regard could be disastrous for any society or nation. No such weak centers should be allowed to the nourished any where and particularly in the remote and backward areas.

It is a hard fact that Muslim Gujjars of J&K form about 17 to 19 percent of the population (major concentration is in Jammu Region).

They have been nomads over the years. Majority of them still rear sheep. Goat and buffalo. They live in huts which remain deserted during a part of the year. Their children are seen living with their animals. Their literacy level is almost Zero. In the recent past even the power seats tried to make use of these innocent poor for the political gains and have been showing concern in ordering some reservations in colleges or services and by construction of Hostels.Daddies who are mostly Hindu too have remained neglected over the years and they could be also miscarried by their own people or even by the enemy agents in disguise. The Hindu shepherds (Gaddi) have too been experiencing negligence like Muslim Gujjars and they too could be carried to wrong path by mischievous elements of other class to create disturbances.

They are mistaken :

Those who feel that by simply showing concern for the Muslim Gujjars and attributing their backwardness to intentional neglect by the Sunni Muslims (Kashmiri in particular) or attributing it to the partisan designs of Hindu leaders of India one could check swell of anti India forces or could also rear anti India seedlings on same lines as was done in Kashmir region over last fifty years are under wishful imaginations but such elements could surely disturb the peace loving innocent segments of our society. And hence government of India must take note of this and save the innocent people of J&K from social disntegration. Pumping money to J&K has not paid in the past and will surely not pay in future also.

Before it becomes difficult :

Policies that divide the people by promoting hatred have to be defeated. Those who have attempted to sway Kashmir away from India have not and will not hesitate to inform the innocent Kashmiri youth that the backwardness of the rural and the poor is due India being a Hindu majority state. All are aware that the local leadership of J&K (Kashmir Valley in particular) has survived over the years and still finds life in accusing the Government of India for eroding thye identity of Kashmiris and falling from some commitments made with Kashmiri at the time of 1947 accession of J&K with India. The insurgent elements could say so, but unfortunately even those who accept J&K as integral part of India to do not find it easy to survive with accusing government of India for having done some thing wrong. The common man is miscarried both by Anti India/Anti accession as well as the pro accession forces (it does not matter what is the extent) to feel that there is surely some issue of dispute or for resettlement as regards J&K. Damage has already been there but before it becomes a bomb Government of India will have to wake up. All illiteracy. all poverty, all backwardness, all unemployment and even the killings could be attributed to the bad intentions of Hindu and India by such like talks. Enough of such like views and statements have been in the air after the foundation of Pants Mission Kashmir was laid by Vajpayee Government.

Hence we need to win people through right information, love and liking for our self and through the power of money (subsidies/grants' reliefs) or promoting hatred for others. Before the conditions become more difficult like Kashmir region, in Jammu region as well government must act at least now.