-Caveat Lector- India's Muslims, Christians Join in Protest Against Government AP 29-JAN-99 NEW DELHI, India (AP) -- United by fears of violence, thousands of Christians and Muslims marched through New Delhi on Friday, demanding that India's Hindu nationalist-led government step down for failing to protect minorities. The two communities, which both say they have been targeted by Hindu radicals, were brought together by the killing last weekend of an Australian Baptist missionary and his two young sons. Graham Stains and his sons were burned alive by a mob as they slept in their jeep outside a village in eastern India. The attackers are suspected to be members of the Bajrang Dal, one of many Hindu militant groups linked to the Bharatiya Janata Party, which leads the governing coalition. Their deaths, which came amid a string of attacks on Christians, has created a political storm for Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who has been criticized by foes and allies alike. Friday's rally was led by the Roman Catholic archbishop of Delhi and a senior Muslim clergyman. Marchers paraded from the Jama Masjid, the country's main mosque -- a behemoth of red sandstone walls and marble domes -- down the busy thoroughfares of the Indian capital. "What have we got in 50 years? Hate, rape, murder," shouted the protesters, wearing Muslim caps and black arm bands as they waved flags. India won freedom from British colonialists in 1947. "We have to unite, this is the message of today's rally. This is the work of God," said Archbishop Alan de Lastic. "A prime minister who cannot protect the oppressed minorities of his country has no right to stay in power. He should resign," said Abdullah Bukhari, the head of the Jama Masjid. India's Christians number 23 million and mostly reside in four southern states. Muslims make up 12 percent of the country's 1 billion people. The protesters marched to the prime minister's residence where they submitted a letter on behalf of the Muslim community. "We were born here and we will die here. Hindu fundamentalists cannot beat us back," Ahmed Bukhari, the son of the Jama Masjid's head said during a sermon earlier Friday. "I assure the Christian community that the Muslims will stand by them." On Thursday, the leader of the opposition Congress Party called on the BJP's allies to abandon the ruling coalition and bring down the government to protest the attacks on minorities. Defense Minister George Fernandes, speaking to foreign journalists Friday, insisted that Stains' death was part of a conspiracy to besmirch the ruling party, but could not say who was behind it. "Our government is always referred to as a Hindu right-wing government, a Hindu fundamentalist government, a Hindu government," said Fernandes, who is a Christian and leader of a small socialist party allied with the BJP. "It is a not a Hindu government. We are a government working on a coalition of parties," he said. The federal government plans to create a top-level committee to investigate the death of the Baptist missionary. Three Cabinet ministers who returned from the area in the eastern coastal state of Orissa said they had found no evidence linking the attackers to the Bajrang Dal. The three ministers did not say who they suspected the killers were. Fifty-three people have been arrested for questioning in the case. Copyright 1999& The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ================================= Robert F. Tatman [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Remove "nospam" from the address to reply. NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml POSTING THIS MESSAGE TO THE INTERNET DOES NOT IMPLY PERMISSION TO SEND UNSOLICITED COMMERCIAL E-MAIL (SPAM) TO THIS OR ANY OTHER INTERNET ADDRESS. RECEIPT OF SPAM WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE NOTIFICATION OF THE SENDER'S ISP. ____________________________________________________________________ More than just email--Get your FREE Netscape WebMail account today at http://home.netscape.com/netcenter/mail DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
