ACHA PEACE BULLETIN http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/ACHAPeaceBulletin

A publication of Association for Communal Harmony in Asia  (ACHA) www.asiapeace.org

 

Editors: Pritam K. Rohila & Azam Saeed

 

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ACHA PEACE BULLETIN (Volume IV, No. 4, April 03, 2002 (Next issue, May 01, 2002)

CONTENTS

Prayer: Let my country awake! By Rabindranath Tagore

Peace & Harmony News

Peace & Harmony Organizations

Commonway Institute

Joint Action Committee for Peace Karachi, Pakistan

South Asia Forum for Human Rights (SAFHR), Kathmandu, Nepal

Reactions To The Recent Communal Carnage In India

Appeal For Funds To Help For The Victims Of Gujarat Violence

Feature

Gujarat Riots: Despatch From Karachi, Pakistan, By M.B Naqvi, March 4,

Reclaiming The Real Hinduism, By Vijay Rana, Free Press Journal

Hindu Family’s Islamic Tradition, By Kamil Zaheer, India West, March 22, 2002

Erasing Dividing Lines, By Lavina Melwani Lavina@Juno.Com, Newsday, March 20, Historic Wrong Redressal, By Shamsul Islam

Some Hindus Rescuing Muslims, By Beth Duff-Brown, Associated Press Writer, Mar 4

A Calm Corner Keeps An Eye On A Violent Subcontinent, By A. Chhabra, New York

Letters & Opinions

Let's Kill Religion, Subramony Sesha

Religion May Have Outlived Its Utility, Dhanyal Sahibzada

Response To Dhanyal Sahibzada, Ishtiaq Ahmed

Communal Tensions In India, Kushanava Choudhury, Calcutta

My Grandfather Would Sometimes Say, Omar Ali

Hindu Majority Has Taken A Self Righteous Stance, By Kanak Ravel

Announcements

Books

Political Islam In The Indian Subcontinent: The Jama'at-I-Islami, By F. Grare, & Centre

Heir To A Silent Song: Two Rebel Women Of Nepal, By Dr. Barbara Nimri

India Briefing: Quickening The Pace Of Change, Edited By A. Ayres & P.Oldenburg

Education: American Institute Of Indian Studies Fellowship Competition

Events

Through April 12, Houston, Tx, Usa: Colors Of The Bindu

April 14, Los Angeles, Ca: Kashmir: Ways To Help Resolve

May 24-27, Atlanta, Ga, Usa: Young Sindhi Adults

Human Rights: U.S. State Department Report On Human Rights Abuses In Bangladesh, Bhutan,

India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka

 

Coexistence Resource

For info about Courses, Calls for papers, Conferences, Fellowships, Grants, Jobs & Practical Resources featured in recent issues of Coexistence Network Notice Board send a blank email to pritamr@open.org with the word COEXISTENCE as its subject

 

REPORTS & ANALYSES

(For a copy send a blank email to pritamr@open.org with its subject as the UPPERCASE word in the article title. Please limit your request to 3 articles)

 

Bangladesh

LANGUAGE and religion in Bangladesh, By K. Ahmed, The Friday Times, March 8-14, 2002

Bangladesh Opposition ACCUSES Govt Of Persecution, Dow Jones International News

Corruption

World's most CORRUPT countries, By Wg Cdr Fardad Ali Shah (R), Chitral, Letter to Editor, Dawn, February 23, 2002

 

India-Business

Company Town Keeps Indians at HOME, By Saritha Rai, The New York Times, March 18, 2002

 

India: Gujarat Tragedy & Related Matters

CRY, the beloved country: Reflections on the Gujarat massacre, By Harsh Mande

BJP’S  RIOT - Free India, By Asghar Ali Engineer, Secular Perspective Mar 16-31, 2002

Indian Town's Seed Grew Into the Taliban's CODE, By C. DUGGER, The New York Times, Feb

 

India: Politics & Civil Society

INSTABILITY in India, Unsigned Editorial, The New York Times, Mar 7, 2002

India Is ... A Culture Struggles With All That DEFINES It, By S. Vedantam, The Washington Post

DEFEAT  of  BJP  is  Defeat  of  Communalism, Asghar Ali Engineer, Secular Perspective

 

 

India: Ram Janambhumi/Babri Masjid

Thick friends, save for 67.7 ACRES of land ,By Basharat Peer, Rediff.com March 18,

Secularism GARDEN at Ayodhya, By Prof. Chithra KarunaKaran, New York, March 3, 2002

 

India: Secularism

India's Past Becomes a WEAPON, By Shashi Tharoor, The New York Times, March 6, 2002

SAVE Our Secularism, By T. Varadarajan, The Wall Street Journal, March 11, 2002

Would Ram RAJYA have been like this? By Gourisankar Ghosh, Rediff.com, Mar 6, 2002

'Loving' to HATE, Ram Puniyani bmrrpia@cc.iitb.ac.in, Issues in Secular Politics, Feb

Muslims of India, look for a SILVER lining in your own interest, By Faiz Ahmad, KGN News

This is the home of GANDHI?, By Sunil Khilnani, The Globe & Mail, March 20, 2002

GOLDEN Age Hallucinations: Indian civilisation derives from no utopian ideal; it was founded on, and as, a crossroads, By Sanjay Subrahmanyam, Outlook   20 August 2001

 

Kashmir

BETWEEN the mountains, By Isabel Hilton, New Yorker, 03-11-2002

 

Nuclear Issues

The nuclear MENACE in the Subcontinent, By A. G. Noorani, Frontline, Mar. 16 - 29, 2002

The SHAPE of events to come, By M.B. Naqvi, March 18, 2002

A Modest Proposal From The BRIGADIER, The Atlantic Monthly, March 2002

 

Pakistan

Spring Peace Fest attempts to create peace awareness for KARACHI kids, By T. J. Khan

MEDIA Management: Restricting Freedom in Pakistan, By S. Sehbai, The Asian Wall Street J.

In Pakistan's Squalor, CRADLES of Terrorism, By Paul Blustein, Washington Post

Pakistan's American FALLACY, By Ayaz Amir, Commentary, Dawn, Feb 15. 2002

How many GENERALS can a country afford? By Ayaz Amir

 

Religion

The CORE Of Muslim Rage, By Thomas L. Friedman, The New York Times
March 6, 2002

 

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka peace initiative: A progress REPORT, By Sharif M. Abdullah

______________________________________________________________________

 

PRAYER

*Let my country awake! By Rabindranath Tagore, Via Gourisankar Ghosh, a former Indian Administrative Service officer from the Gujarat cadre, who now works with the United Nations


Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high,

Where knowledge is free,

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls,

Where words come out from the depth of truth,

Where timeless striving stretches its arms towards perfection,

Where the clean stream of reason has not lost its way

In the dreary desert sand of dead habit,

Where the mind is led forward by these

Into ever-widening thought and action,

Into that heaven of Freedom, my father,

Let my country awake!

 

PEACE & HARMONY NEWS

The banned United Liberation Front of Asom, which has been fighting for independence since 1979, has renewed calls to the Government of India for peace talks to end 23 years of violence. “We desperately want a peaceful solution of the ongoing Indo-Assam conflict and so the conditions have already been set to hammer out through meaningful dialogue,” ULFA said in the latest issue of its magazine, Freedom.

 

Hindus observe Muharram in Orissa

While about a hundred Hindu families joined the Muharram procession at Jatni in Khurda district, some other families took out processions in western Orissa's Sambalpur town.

http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/mar/27oris.htm

 

LTTE, Lankan govt may begin direct talks in May

Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesen is expected to visit Sri Lanka next month to meet LTTE chief V Prabhakaran. http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/mar/27lanka.htm

 

Bangladesh and Indian security officials agreed today to hold regular guard meetings and to patrol jointly to maintain peace along the 2,500-mile common border. “We have set up guidelines for peace in border areas and encounter cross-border crimes including smuggling,” Gurbachan Jagat, Director General of the Indian Border Security Force told reporters after the three-day meeting in Dhaka. 3/25

 

India, Pak to discuss resumption of cricket ties

http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2002/mar/25kalamd.htm

 

Peaceful Tazia processions held in Ayodhya, Faizabad

In Ayodhya, the processions were taken out from Kasiyana locality till the Sheesh Paigambar mausoleum in Vidyakund locality. http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/mar/25ayo.htm

 

RSS holds talks with Christian leaders

RSS chief K S Sudarshan said that the outfit had been depicted as "anti-Christian, anti-Muslim and an uncompromising militant group" by the media.

http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/mar/22rss1.htm

 

22 PWG militants surrender in Andhra

They were vexed with the mindless violence being carried out by the PWG, a senior police officer said. http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/mar/21jafri.htm


Naga peace process all set to move ahead

The NSCM (I-M) has accepted the government's invitation to continue talks in India.

http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/mar/14vina.htm

 

Pak proposes SAARC Interior Ministers meet

The proposed meet would discuss a host of issues of common interest, including terrorism, extremism, drug and human smuggling, border control and visa restrictions.

http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/mar/11pak.htm

 

Sattar ready to visit India to resolve tension http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/mar/11pak1.htm

 

Pak offers to withdraw troops from border http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/mar/09pak3.htm

Pak ready to sign extradition treaty with India http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/mar/09pak2.htm

 

Restart J&K dialogue process: Shabir Shah

'We believe in democracy and negotiations and want India and Pakistan to resolve the problem peacefully', Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party president said.

http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/mar/07jk.htm

 

Text of Sri Lanka truce deal: BBC News, Friday, 22 February, 2002

Agreement on a ceasefire between the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_1836000/1836198.stm

 

PEACE & HARMONY ORGANIZATIONS

 

*Commonway Institute, P.O. Box 12541, Portland, OR  97212, http://www.commonway.org 503.281.1667, Contact person: Sharif M. Abdullah

Sarvodaya organized, March 15, at Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, the worlds’ largest peace meditation ever. About 600,000 people, from all ethnic groups and all religions, meditated together, at one place. Neither the bomb attack at Sarvodaya Headquarters two nights before, nor the blinding rainstorm the day before, dampened the spirits of the organizers and the participants. Someone said that the attack was a sign that the peace efforts were getting results.  "These people feel desperate," he said.  "It must be terrible for them, to see everything that they believe in turning to dust.  Their power base of violence is eroding right under them.  And, without violence, what do they have?" Nothing, except a few spare hand grenades.


*Joint Action Committee for Peace http://www.pakistanis4peace.org Via Beena Sarwar bsarwar@onetel.net.uk  from Karachi, Pakistan

Convened by the Joint Action Committee for Peace, the country's major political parties, trade union and non-government organisations and concerned citizens came together, March 20, at PMA House, on a joint platform to unequivocally condemn the growing violence and targeted killings of doctors, particularly in Karachi, with serious nation-wide consequences.  the meeting expressed concern at the safety of Pakistan's Christians, and asked political parties to take up this issue from their own platforms as well, in order to isolate the sectarian elements.

 

*South Asia Forum for Human Rights (SAFHR), G. P. O. Box 12855 Kathmandu, Nepal, Tel: +977-1-541026 Fax: +977-1-527852, E-mail: south@safhr.org

The human rights community of South Asia appealed to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to request the governments of the region to stop their restrictive practices which prevent the human rights organizations in the South Asian countries from exercising their moral and political function of extending democratic rights.

 

Quamantri Punjab Bhaichara and Friends of South Asia, Milpitas, California

The monthly global vigil for peace between India and Pakistan, that have been organized by various groups around the world, was continued March 24, at Cardoza Park, by QPB and FSA, to urge the two governments to resolve all issues through dialogue.

 

REACTIONS TO THE RECENT COMMUNAL CARNAGE IN INDIA

 

Durban, S. Africa

Hindu and Muslim leaders urged Indians to maintain communal harmony, after a meeting of representatives of the South African Hindu Mahasabha and five Muslim organizations including the Muslim Youth Movement, Sunni Jamiat Ulama and Palestine Support Committee.

 

Hindu Mahasabha secretary Ragubeer Kalideen said, “We (Hindu and Muslims) are one people and we have not allowed religious disharmony to affect us here. “We are shocked at the uncivilized and unreligious manner in which some groups are behaving in Gujarat,” he added. Religion is supposed to be about peace, tolerance and harmony. But what’s happening in Gujarat is just the opposite,” remarked Moulana Rafeek Shah of the Muslim Youth Movement.

 

San Francisco, CA, USA

A group of Bay Area-based Indians walked down from the Gadar Memorial Hall here March 23 to the Consulate General of India to protest the recent communal mayhem in Gujarat. They carried placards with Hindi and Urdu statements like “Religious Harmony and Social Justice in India,” “India: Secular, democratic, United,” “Godhra HO Ya Ahmeabad, Sampradayikata Hai Barbad” (“Whether it is Godhra or Ahmedabad, Communalism is a Disaster”).

 

Washington, D.C., USA

A peace rally was organized in Washington, DC, on Wednesday afternoon to express people’s concerns about the carnage and try to mobilize people to work for peace and harmony.  The number of concerned Indians belonging to different organizations, religions and culture observing fast for peace at different locations since Tuesday has reached to more than 400.  Some of us are taking turns in staying near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi located in front of the Indian embassy in Washington, DC.  Zafar Iqbal Ph.D. raabta1@hotmail.com

 

Washington, D.C., USA

In order to “challenge the communal forces and stand up for the secular values of the Nation (India)” and to match with peace march to Ayodhya by people's movement, various organizations, and concerned individuals in Washington D. C. observed March 15 the National day for Peace and Communal Harmony. They gathered at the Mahatma Gandhi statue to collectively break the relay fast that they had been observing since March 5.

 

Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, By Prashant Jawalikar

AID, the Association for India's Development and many other organizations, are coming together to send a message, indicating that we, as responsible citizens of the world, condemn this violence in all its forms, and call upon the Indian Government to put all in its ability to dissuade groups and individuals perpetuating such violence.


Seeking inspiration from Gandhiji who came from the same state of Gujarat, we give a c all for a one-day FAST for Peace and Communal Harmony. If you cannot fast, you may express your solidarity by signing up on the website http://aidindia.org/fastforpeace and lighting a candle in remembrance of the victims of violence.

 

Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

Moved by the communal violence that swept across Ahmedabad, and to demonstrate their support for peace and harmony, around 1,000 marchers, including women, from various religious groups on Tuesday staged a six-km long silent march, from Kochrab Ashram to Sabarmati Ashram -- both set up by Mahatma Gandhi in 1917 after he returned to India from South Africa. http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/mar/05train5.htm

 

Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, Report by Teesta & Sushoba

A team of the People’s Union for Human Rights plans to visit different parts of the city of Ahmedabad and the state of Gujarat to document the loss of life and property. Other groups are also collating similar information. This would collectively be the groundwork for a people’s Judicial Commission into the Ethnic Cleansing in Gujarat that would be headed by Justice Krishna Iyer and of which Justice Suresh and Girishbhai Patel would be a part.

 

Delhi, India, By Shaswati Mazmdar  smazumdar@yahoo.com of Delhi University Forum for Democracy 
On the initiative of a large number of groups and eminent individuals a Citizens' March in
defence of democracy and secularism was organized on March 13. It started at 11 a.m. from Mandi House, (Jawaharla Nehru Univesity- City Centre), and to Parliament.

 

Faizabad, U.P., India, National Alliance of People's Movement (NAPM), 9/982 Indira Nagar, Lucknow 226016, U.P., India, Phone 347365, 342435, e-mail ashain@sancharnet.in

On March 10, a Peace March was organized by Nagrik Shanti Morcha in Faizabad, which is 6 km from Ayodhya. A bare-feet and silent Peace and Harmony March was planned on March 14 to Ayodhya.

 

Hyderabad, A.P., India

Women of diverse faiths held hands by Char Minar in a march to prevent outbreak of communal violnce March 15, the day Hindu radicals planned to conduct a prayer ceremony at the disputed site in Ayodhya.

 

Hyderabad, A.P., India, Report by Sagari Ramdas of COVA

Yesterday a few of us met at DDS office to think of what we can do here at Hyderabad-not only to condemn the happenings in Gujarat but to pre-empt, prevent any such spread which could potentially happen in the city. Particularly in the wake of the latest call by VHP that they are determined to go ahead with their plans of March 15th, it is imperative to act.  Today, a press statement was issued. It condemned the continuing violence was, and the attitude of the govt. in this matter. Teams of volunteers will visit and meet with community members in communally sensitive areas identified in the Bastis around the old city and other parts. They will visit these areas regularly for the next many days, with the aim to set up local Ekta,  Aman and Peace committees in each locality.  An interfaith evening of prayers will be organised on the Tank Bund on 7th March between 5-7pm. An has been made appeal to all organizations celebrating Women’s day on March 8th, to dedicate the day for communal harmony.

 

Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, Report by Kavita Srivastava

On February 28, concerned individuals held meetings with senior BJP leaders to persuade the latter to stop the bandh call or else to ensure peace. Also they were in constant touch with the 18 Muslim organizations, who had set up 4 control rooms to monitor the communal situation. Besides they met with the Intelligence people in order to understand their preparation to prevent something like Gujarat from happening in Jaipur.

 

On the day of the BJP-VHP Rajasthan Bandh, a shanti sabha was held in the center of town. More than eighty people turned up to protest against the carnage in Gujarat and demanded the dismissal of Narendra Modi. People also went around town monitoring the situation particularly around the juma - ki- namaz period.

 

Today, we met in one of the bastis from where riots start. It was very well attended. We are planning to hold a big rally with left and other secular parties on the 6th of March.  The theme for 8th March is Women for Peace and  Development: No  War No Terrorism.

 

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, By Dr. Jalandar Adsule, Director, Salokha; and Maju Varghese, SACH majuv@rediffmail.com

Hundreds of students from the College of Social Work, Nirmala Niketan along with Salokha an NGO working for communal harmony organised a harmony chain from Bandra (E) to Vakola on March 6. Many NGO's including EKTA, CSSS, Pratham, Yuva, Sakya, Sethu etc joined the harmony chain to announce to the world that the young generation and citizens in Mumbai are not with the communal hatred campaign carried out by some fundamental groups in the country.

 

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, By Ammu Abraham <womcentr@vsnl.com

International Women's Day in Mumbai was observed by several local women's organizations (AIDWA, Women's Centre, YWCA, NFIW, FAOW, Mahila Daxata Samiti, Swadhar, Samajwadi Mahila Sabha, Akshara and Forum for Women's Health) as a Peace Dharna at Hutatma Chowk/Flora Fountain, 4 - 6p.m. The common banner was: 'Strenghten Women's Unity for Communal Harmony and National Unity, For Secularism And Protection of the Rights of All Communities'. They endorsed statement demanding (1) that the Central government should act immediately to restore normalcy in Gujarat, (2) that the Karsevaks be cleared out of Ayodhya and, (3) that those who have proclaimed their contempt for the Constitution of India be taken to task.

Slogans like "Commywad se, Azaadi" and even "Sangh Parivar se Aazaadi" reverberated at the Fountain area, where hundreds of working people were passing by on their way to the Churchgate station, and paused to see the dharna and take the leaflets being distributed.
Representatives of the groups present gave short talks or led anti-communal sloganeering. Stree Sangam members sang a song which was specially written about the riot victims. The gathering observed 2 minutes' silence in mourning for the thousands who have been massacred or tortured or rendered destitute in Gujarat's shameful genocide and resolved to strengthen women's unity for a secular India.

 

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, huright@vsnl.com

 

"HUM JEENA CHAHTE HAIN - DHARM KE NAAM PAR HAME "PHIR SE" MAT LADAO. KYA AAP "HUM' ME SHAMIL HONA CHAHTE HAIN?" is the slogan for a campaign regarding the Godhra and subsequent events in India. Individuals, who are neither affiliated to, nor funded by any party or organization, collected 3492 signatures for it in three days from Universities, Slums, Platforms, trains and buses of Mumbai and 195 signatures in a couple of hours in villages of South Gujarat.


New Delhi, India

 

Distressed by the recent communal carnage in India, People for Peace and Secularism organized a fast for peace and communal harmony was held March 23-28 at Mandi House circle in New Delhi. Each group of 50-100 individuals fasted for 24 hours starting at 8:00 a.m. every day.

 

Some 30 Opposition Members of Parliament, March 5, attended a meeting and peace march at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

 

The Left parties organized, March 6 a large demonstration at Jantar Mantar at noon. 
On March 7, at 4:30 p.m., a planning meet was held at the Indian Social Institute to develop a strategy for the following week.

 

New Delhi, India

 

Well-known artists in the capital city, including K.G. Subramanium, Satish Gujaral, Krishen Khanna, and Jatin Das, expressed its solidarity with the victims of Gujarat violence by donating paintings and art works displayed at an exhibition organized by Sahmat, a city-based cultural organization. The proceeds of the sale were routed through Commual Combat, an NGO.

APPEAL FOR FUNDS TO HELP FOR THE VICTIMS OF GUJARAT VIOLENCE

To help the victims, Center for Study of Society and Secularism, has started a fund drive. “We wish to reach it to the sufferers irrespective of their religion and caste strictly on secular lines,” said Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer, the chairman of the Center and a well-known secularism activist in India. Our readers have frequently seen his columns in ACHA PEACE BULLETIN.

As a first step in building this fund Center has decided to donate a modest sum of Twenty Thousands. Dr Engineer urged people to “donate generously for this humane cause.” Please make your checks payable to Center for Study of Society and Secularism and mail them to the Center at 9B, Himalaya Apts, 1st Floor, 6th Road, Santacruz (E), Mumbai:- 400 055, India.

Pritam Rohila, Editor, ACHA Peace Bulletin

 

FEATURE

*Gujarat Riots: Despatch From KARACHI, Pakistan, By M.B Naqvi, March 4, 2002 Via Harsh Kapoor aiindex@mnet.fr

It is entirely possible to reconcile the Hindus and Muslims because the bases for discord and enmity as well as of understanding, friendship and fraternity simultaneously exist. A people-to-people reconciliation between Pakistan and India – that must also include the people of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka – can create a whole new dispensation in which the communal politics can be contained and countered, both inside each South Asian state and among the states of the
region. Only, it is necessary to see the utility of this approach for first resolving India's persistent problem and this can go on to resolve inter state confrontation, which incidentally would resolve many of Pakistan's domestic problems. Even Bangladesh may thereby be able to evolve a truly
common nationalism for all Bangladeshis to fit the new state. For full text email a request to pritamr@open.org with KARACHI as its subject.


*RECLAIMING the Real Hinduism, By Vijay Rana, Free Press Journal

My Nana's day began with the chants of: 'Servey bhavantu sukhinah, servey santu niramaya...'  (May all living being be happy and free from fear.') Then I didn't understand the relevance of these lines, but I understand now. When rampaging mobs, chanting the name of my Lord Rama, kill innocent women and children. I say, 'No! That's not the Hinduism I was taught. My Hinduism
promised to ensure freedom from fear, not for Hindus alone but for all living being.'…
 That was the Hinduism that echoes in my ears. The Hinduism of Ramchndra Paramhans or Ashok Singhal is alien to me. The sword wielding, slogan shouting and hate spewing Karsevaks terrorise me, a Hindu, too. No, I am not prepared to accept them as protectors of Hinduism. No, I am not prepared to accept the VHP and Bajrang Dal as champions of Hinduism. Yes, I would welcome a Rama temple in Ayodhya, a temple of compassion and social harmony. I do not need a temple made with the shilas of hatred, a temple that is cemented by communal intolerance. I am in no rush. I can wait till courts come up with an acceptable answer. I can wait till
Hindus and Muslims come to a sensible compromise.  For full text email a request to pritamr@open.org with RECLAIMING as its subject.

 

*Hindu FAMILY’s Islamic Tradition, By Kamil Zaheer, India West, March 22, 2002

“I feel good that the Basu family looks after the mosque on their compound,” Muslim priest Mohammed Abu Bakkar told Reuters. “Itshows that despite Gujarat and all the religious hatred, Muslims and Hindus are basically one,” said Bakkar, a 76-year-old with a white goatee beard and a skullcap. For full text email a request to pritamr@open.org with FAMILY as its subject.

 

*Erasing Dividing LINES: An Indian-owned gallery showcases Pakistani artists, By Lavina Melwani lavina@juno.com, Newsday, March 20, 2002 Via South Asian Journalists Association  http://www.saja.org

For most Americans, Pakistan, which has been catapulted into world consciousness with the painful events of the past six months and the war in Afghanistan, has remained an enigma. In presenting Painting Over the Lines: Five Contemporary Artists from Pakistan, Indian-owned IndoCenter of Art & Culture (ICAC) is providing a glimpse into contemporary Pakistani culture and conflicts. For full text email a request to pritamr@open.org with FAMILY as its subject.

 

*Historic WRONG Redressal, By Shamsul Islam

It is really intriguing that in a country like India whose civilization is more than two thousand years old, a period of 400-500 years (so called Muslim Rule) only is put under scanner. It may still be relevant to inquire into two aspects of this 'Muslim Rule'.Firstly, why the common Muslims of today's India pay for the sins of Muslim rulers who had very solid and cordial relations with high caste hierarchy of Hindu ruling classes…Secondly, in spite this persecuting 'Muslim Rule', India remained  a country predominantly inhabited by Hindus who constituted around 80 percent of the population.