Communal Harmony in Action:
Healing Touch for Godhra
(Oct 13 2003, Times of India)
Even before the
Sabarmati Express coach was set alight at Signal Falia on Feb 27
last year, Godhra knew Dr Shujaat Vali as a gynaecologist who was
trying to bring Hindus and Muslims in the town closer. In the
ensuing riots, his nursing home was prevented from being burnt down
by Hindus who prevailed upon miscreants in their own community.
In Godhra, 11 NGOs jointly organised a �Mehndi Harifai� in which
176 girls participated. One Hindu and one Muslim girl sat opposite
each other and applied mehndi on each other�s hands. Girls from all
strata of society took part in this. In July, we organised a qawwali
and in August, a mushaira. Both were attended by Hindus and Muslims.
After the violence in September, we observed a day�s fast in the
sensitive Patelwada, conducted the survey, distributed pamphlets and
organised a peace rally in which 2,000 persons participated, despite
it being a working day.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=231515
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Indian Muslim delegation to
visit J&K (Oct 21 2003, Times of India)
BANGALORE
: A delegation of Indian Muslims under the banner of National
Commission for Minorities (NCM) will visit Jammu and Kashmir on
Wednesday and hold talks with various Muslim groups to assist
peaceful return of Kashmir Pandits to their homeland. Announcing
this here on Tuesday at the NCM conference, NCM chairman Sardar
Tarlochan Singh stated that the delegation, headed by former
bureaucrat Moosa Raza, would be represented by All India Muslim
Personal Law Board and Jamaat-e-Islam.
"The discussion will focus on means and ways to rehabilitate
Kashmiri Pandits," he added. Singh pointed out that Pandits had been
reduced to the status of minorities in J&K. "Unfortunately, the
problem that started at the time of Indian independence is yet to be
resolved. We are making an honest attempt through dialogue process,"
he said.
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News Headlines:
'VHP aims to destroy
secular India': BJP General Secretary Naqvi (Oct 22 2003,
SIFY)
National general secretary of the Bhartiya
Janata Party Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has lambasted the VHP for 'its
sinister designs to destroy the secular character of the country.'
.."The VHP is saying so because establishment of a 'Hindu rashtra'
is on its agenda. This is unacceptable. The VHP has no
Constitutional authority to grant certificates that those who
support it on the Ram temple and Hindutva issues are patriotic and
those who are opposed to these are unpatriotic."
http://sify.com/news/politics/fullstory.php?id=13289694&vsv=71 SEE ALSO:
BJP flays VHP for 'confrontationist' attitude on
Ayodhya (Oct 19 2003, HindustanTimes)
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_425047,000900010004.htm
VHP
to focus on fighting secular forces (Oct 19 2003, Times of
India)
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=240790
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Is VHP raising 'fidayeen'
[suicide] force? (Oct 20 2003, Times of
India)
LUCKNOW: Is the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)
raising 'fidayeen' groups? The saffron outfit, spearheading the
temple construction movement, has decided to raise a special group
of 1000 devoted 'Ram Bhakts' who will be ready to take up any job. A
drive is already on to strengthen the organisation by enrolling 250
youngsters from each of its 38 'prants' all over the country. From
the enrolled youth, a group of 25-30 young and dedicated boys in the
age group of 18-24 years will be selected to raise a 'fidayeen'
group which will be ready to meet any eventuality.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=241923 SEE ALSO:
Smiles all around, only VHP by wayside (Oct 19
2003, Telegraph)
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1031019/asp/nation/story_2477026.asp
Temple
spotlight on Gujarat�s faces (Oct 20 2003, Indian Express)
http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=33759
Young,
restless Togadia takes over reins of VHP (Oct 24 2003, IANS)
http://in.news.yahoo.com/031024/43/28tla.html
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Muslim board vows to fight
social evils (Oct 20 2003, Times of India)
..the Board
has decided to launch a movement against social evils plaguing the
Indian society in general and Muslims in particular. They said the
executive expressed concern over the pathetic condition of women and
decided to work for the restoration of the dignity and honour to
women folk, as bestowed by Islam. They pointed out that inspite of a
dignified position accorded to women in Islam, the present muslim
society was not giving the women their due role in the community
building and other matters. According to them, the Board will work
for the restoration of the recognised position of the muslim women
in the society.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=241788 SEE ALSO:
Sania Mirza is mascot for 'Save the girl child'
campaign (Oct 20 2003, Hindustan Times)
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_426307,00070002.htm
Indian
Muslims are not a minority: Saudi Arabia (Oct 21 2003, The
Hindu)
http://www.thehindu.com/2003/10/21/stories/2003102106621100.htm
RSS
looks to get its message in... Muslim Board, its message out (Oct
24 2003, Statesman)
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=1&theme=&usrsess=1&id=25883
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After Best case, Gujarat's
worst comes to Supreme Court (Oct 16 2003, Times of
India)
Forced by the Supreme Court�s references to
�raj dharma�, the Gujarat government may have appealed the acquittal
of the accused who burnt alive 14 persons in Vadodara�s Best Bakery;
but it has still not appealed against the mass acquittals a year ago
in three other cases in which 157 Muslims were killed by a mob at
different places in the state.
Nearly 70 members of the Muslim community were butchered on March
1, 2002 , in Pandharwada village, including 14 members of one
family. In the Limabadiya Chowky case, also known as the Kidiad
massacre, 87 persons were burnt alive and all the accused were
acquitted in October 2002.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=237207 SEE ALSO:
Riot cases: Supreme Court asks Gujarat to submit
status report (Oct 18 2003, Times of India)
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=239226
Gujarat
riots:Private groups can move Supreme Court (Oct 23 2003,
SIFY)
http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=13290778
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The Guardian: Politics
Abound in India Temple Dispute (Oct 18 2003, The
Guardian)
``There's nothing religious about this,''
said Kamal Mitra Chenoy, an international studies professor at New
Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University. ``This is the political use of
religion.'' ..``Every time there's an election, they bring up Rama
to use as their polling agent,'' grumbled Gyan Das, a Hindu priest
in Ayodhya and a bitter opponent of militant Hindu politicians. But
those militants are now deeply divided over Ayodhya. The ruling
Hindu nationalists, the Bharatiya Janata Party, have been forced
into a sometimes-desperate juggling act, trying to keep the Ayodhya
dispute from setting off still more violence, while not alienating
hard-line militants who want a temple built on the site immediately.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-3280122,00.html SEE ALSO:
Ordinance to amend POTA approved (Oct 22 2003, The
Hindu)
http://www.thehindu.com/2003/10/22/stories/2003102207290100.htm
Sants
cold to VHP damage control (Oct 24 2003, Indian Express)
http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=34015
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RSS readies 'election
cadre' for BJP (Oct 22 2003, Times of India)
The RSS
model of organisational training and deployment would be replicated
by its most successful affiliate the BJP in the coming general
elections. In what has been termed Mission 2004, the BJP has decided
to deploy chunav sahayak or election assistants in most of the
Assembly segments of the country. There would be roughly six such
assistants in every Lok Sabha consituency. The man-in-charge of the
project is the RSS student wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad
veteran Bal Apte who has been recently made the BJP vice-president
in charge of training.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=246791 SEE ALSO:
Atal faces rape �parade� ire (Oct 22 2003,
Telegraph)
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1031022/asp/nation/story_2486747.asp
Make
war not peace, Togadia tells PM (Oct 24 2003, IANS)
http://in.news.yahoo.com/031023/58/28qmt.html
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Dalits' movement for
control on land (Oct 20 2003, The Hindu)
In a small
but significant move, Dalits in Andhra Pradesh have started taking
control of the agricultural lands assigned to them by the Government
but deprived by the local landlords.
http://www.thehindu.com/2003/10/20/stories/2003102003160400.htm SEE ALSO:
Dalits seek equal rights (Oct 19 2003, The
Hindu)
http://www.thehindu.com/2003/10/19/stories/2003101909050400.htm
Bihar
Dalits fight losing battle in temples (Oct 20 2003, Indian
Express)
http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=33747
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VHP activists heckle Godhra
filmmaker (Oct 20 2003, Times of India)
..Even as the
film was being screened on the first floor of Khet Bhavan, some 10
persons waited downstairs and said, �what is all this when there is
peace in Gujarat�. Later, when the screening was done with, they
marched into the room during the press conference and heckled
Chakravorty. They insisted that he say �sorry� for what he had done
which they alleged could �disrupt peace in Gujarat�.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/xml/uncomp/articleshow?msid=243440 SEE ALSO:
His film examines truth behind Godhra carnage (Oct
24 2003, Indian Express)
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=66470
BJP
casting coup with the Khans (Oct 26 2003, Times of India)
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=251928
VHP
men bash up newly-weds (Oct 23 2003, Telegraph)
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1031023/asp/nation/story_2491142.asp
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Opinions and Editorials:
Time Asia: Hindu Backlash -
By Alex Perry (Oct 20 2003, TIME Magazine)
Is India's
Hindu nationalist government taking steps to rein in its own
hardliners? ..the VHP's overseas Indian members are big donors to
the BJP. So while India may be witnessing a trial separation within
the Hindu nationalist camp, no one is yet predicting a divorce.
http://www.time.com/time/asia/magazine/article/0,13673,501031027-524518,00.html SEE ALSO:
The system strikes back - By Amulya Ganguli (Oct
20 2003, Hindustan Times)
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_425134,00120001.htm
India's
`lab' for divisive politics
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Enemies of peace -
Editorial (Oct 25 2003, Hindustan Times)
The
intemperate reactions of the Hindutva hawks to the latest Indian
peace overtures to Pakistan show that it isn�t only the jehadis
across the border who are unhappy about any prospect of peace. There
are elements on this side, too, who will not be pleased if there is
a breakthrough in India-Pakistan relations. As much is evident from
the comments of the Thackeray household in Mumbai to the effect that
the resumption of bus services in Kashmir will only help the
terrorists. Even more carping are the observations of � who else? �
the VHP�s Praveen Togadia, who is appalled by the thought of Indian
doctors treating the ailing children of an �enemy country�. None of
this is surprising, of course. The Sangh parivar and its extended
version, which includes the Shiv Sena, have been reared for so long
on venomous anti-Muslim propaganda that any thought of a
rapprochement is anathema to them. Besides, since the sole basis of
their politics is Hindu-Muslim enmity, any possibility of improved
relations between the two countries will virtually rob them of their
source of livelihood.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_432761,0012.htm SEE ALSO:
Gandhi on secular law and state - By Anil Nauriya
(Oct 22 2003, The Hindu)
http://www.thehindu.com/2003/10/22/stories/2003102200891000.htm
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Watch this film,
Praveenbhai - By Mohammed Wajihuddin (Oct 21 2003, Indian
Express)
Praveen Togadia is a heart surgeon by
training, but is known more for haranguing the masses than for
holding the scalpel. In his blind rage, he seems to have forgotten a
doctor�s compassion for fellow human beings, his respect for human
life. Last week he went ballistic again, threatening communal riots
if ��Rambhakts�� were stopped from reaching Ayodhya. In any
law-abiding nation, Togadia would have been behind bars by now. But
since the neocons in the Vajpayee government think otherwise, and no
amount of lectures on the absurdity of riots are likely to sway
Praveenbhai, I choose an alternative method. I recommend that he
watch director Chandraprakash Dwivedi�s Pinjar (Skeleton) releasing
soon. He may take Narendra Modi, Hindutva�s poster boy, along for
the show.
http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=33776
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Why we can�t trust them -
By Praful Bidwai (Oct 17 2003, Hindustan
Times)
Whatever happens in Ayodhya today, it is plain
that the Sangh parivar, including the BJP, has decided to milk the
Ram temple issue brazenly for political gains. The way the latest,
hysterical, mobilisation was launched, led by central minister Swami
Chinmayanand, no less, and the manner in which the RSS-BJP have
misinterpreted the Archaeological Survey of India�s report on the
Ayodhya excavation as if it vindicated �revenge against history�,
and decisively established the case for building only a temple and
not a mosque, permit no other conclusion.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/2003/Oct/18/181_420990,00120001.htm SEE ALSO:
VHP's specious logic - By Inder Malhotra (Oct 23
2003, The Hindu)
http://www.thehindu.com/2003/10/23/stories/2003102304961400.htm
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