On Hindutva and the Pub Attacks.

I strongly object to the use of the word 'Talibanization' used in reference to the recent attacks (by yet another 'Sena') on girls in a Mangalore pub.

Let's stick to the right terminology, please. It's not 'Talibanization', it's 'Hindutva-ization'. 

To quote the Chief Militant of 'Shri Ram Sene' (the right-wing, Hindutva organization behind the latest dose of 'Hindu Righteousness')  

"We are working for Hindutva, to save Hindutva"

Good. That's more like it. 

Chief militant, Pramod Muthalik, says that cowardly violence on women was absolutely necessary to 'save Hindu sanksruti'. He added that this was the way they treated their mothers and sisters.

Strange. His goons didn't like they had any mothers or sisters. 

I also object to the use of terms like 'moral policing' and phrases like 'taking the law into their own hands'.

Which morals, exactly? And what Law? 

Ajmal Kasab did NOT 'take the law into his own hands'. 

Afzal Guru did NOT 'take the law into his own hands'.

The Hindutva militants, who are currently enjoying a relatively free run in the BJP ruled Karnataka state are NOT, repeat NOT 'taking the law into their own hands'.

Let's condemn them for exactly what they are:  Hindutva-vaadis. 

Are all Hindus Terrorists?

It started with the news of Christians being driven out of their homes, chased into the forest and being murdered in Orissa by Hindutva fanatics.

The pretext for these attacks offered by the Sangh Parivar leaders was that it was 'an emotional response' to the murder of a certain VHP leader by 'so called' Maoists. (Quite an influential leader, this Swami Lakshmananda must have been, for his followers are STILL in the same 'emotional state' even 2 whole months after his murder, and show no signs of coming to terms with their difficult loss anytime soon.)

Their unusually strong emotional distress unfortunately spread to Karnataka, where the newly elected BJP government lost no time in fulfilling its promise of following the 'Gujarat Model' and made the state its new laboratory for the Hindutva 'experiment'.

A church just in my backyard was AMONG THE FIRST TO BE ATTACKED in Karnataka. The desecrated, broken statue of Christ in that church came to represent the horror of HINDUTVA.

Then the emotional distress reached Kerala.

Christians continue to be under attack from violent 'emotional' Hindu groups. Overnight, the churches and nuns became Hindutva's favorite targets.

It was horrifying, yes. But at the same time, I couldn't help but feel a slight sense of selfish relief.

Why?

To begin with - for the first time, it wasn't the Muslims who had to bear the brunt of the Sangh's vitriol. Defending murdered Christians did not constitute 'MINORITY APPEASEMENT' - for Christians do not form any sizeable vote bank.

Yes, and for the first time, it was acknowledged that a 'Hindu' organization, namely the BAJRANG DAL , was responsible and not some sinister ISI plot, jehadi 'sleeper cell' or an 'Islamic conspiracy'.

It was no longer the 'aliens' or 'local pakistanis' or 'mullahs' or 'Islamic terrorists' etc. who were perpetrating 'mindless violence against innocents'. This time, it was the PSEUDO-HINDUTVIS. (Hey, I just like the word 'pseudo', all right?)

As the 'HOPELESSLY BIASED' media started digging deeper, a pattern began to emerge. Home grown religious terrorism - that, for a change, had nothing to do with 'Islam'.

Just a month ago, I wondered aloud on this blog whether 'terrorism' was a Muslim copyright - and was exasperated at the way the Hindutva mobs got away with terrorism, WITHOUT THE LABEL or the stigma.

Not anymore.

For the first time ever, the words 'Hindu terrorists' began to appear in headlines. A true defining moment in journalism. Beat this! 'Hindu terrorism' now even has an 'EPICENTRE'! Indore!

There's more. Hindu terrorists are not even 'MISGUIDED YOUTH'. They are EDUCATED fanatics and hardcore professionals (a little green, yes. But will mature in no time with Bal-T's blessings)

By this point, all REAL secular people (like LK Advani.. as opposed to the rest of us, who are just 'so called' pseudo-wanabes) must have arrived at the logical conclusion that, without doubt, Hinduism is the ROOT CAUSE of all terrorism!

It must surely be IN THE RELIGION itself that Hindu fanatics find it their true calling to explode bombs and kill innocents!

For the terrorists include a certain Sadhvi who has SHARED A PEDESTAL with pseudo-Hindutvi NARENDRA MODI!

There's no denying it. It was purely 'religious' terrorism - and for a change, that religion was NOT Islam. It was Hinduism!. What a heavy load off my back!

A BLAST IN THANE.. a BOMB in Malegaon.. one in Modasa... RIOTS IN RABODI.. VIOLENCE in Mumbai.. EXPLOSIONS in Kanpur.. another in Nanded.. so many innocents, WOMEN and CHILDREN KILLED by explosions...

And for the first time ever, the list of names of the hooded terrorists read 'Shyamlal Sahu, Shivnarayan Singh and Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur alias Poornachetanand Pragya Singh Thakur. Unmistakably 'Hindu' names. Not some random Abdullah or Anees. A real life Thakur, no less!

Yes. I took deep, forbidden pleasure in it.

It was sheer joy to to see the Saffron brigade exasperatedly trying to deny a LINK BETWEEN THE HINDUTVA AGENDA and the apprehended terrorists.

It was truly music to my ears to hear all the RSS Islamophobes who make a living off commenting on news websites crying foul, and trying HARD to resist swallowing this bitter pill.

Must be hard being a Hindutvi at the moment. * sigh! *

The perverse pleasure of seeing Sangh leaders breaking sweat and pleading 'There IS NO SUCH THING AS HINDU TERRORISM' was quite satisfying.

NOW they say religion has 'nothing' to do with terrorism!

Wasn't that what we pseudo-secularists have been saying for a long time? Didn't the "So-Called Liberals" like me NOT repeat a gazillion times that 'terrorism has no religion'? Who was so smug back then?

I had the strong urge to go on as many forums I could and needle all the RSS fans till they wept and milk the moment for all it's worth. Watching them squirm would make my day any day.

It was an opportune moment for me to QUOTE FROM THE MANU SMRITI and the Gita to 'prove' conclusively that Hinduism and terrorism went hand-in-hand.

It was a shining opportunity for me to label all Hindus as terrorists and MAKE THEM realize what it feels like. It was so easy to go ballistic , bust some Hindutvi balls and rub egg in their faces.

The 'All terrorists are Muslims' line has officially been relegated to the trash bin. Some terrorists are now Hindu Sadhvis. (Dare an RSS fanatic throw that line at me EVER AGAIN, and I'm going to make him repent!)

What of the wonderful BJP MP Yogi Adityanath who has no qualms about publicly equating being 'ANTI TERRORIST' with being 'ANTI-MUSLIM'?

Surely, by his own demented logic, REAL secularists like him ought to be 'anti-Hindu' now. Poor sod.

And wait! What's this?! Muslim 'leaders' are now talking of 'counter-terrorism'! This is clearly an improvement, and comparable to 'reconversion' and 'revenge' and 'retaliation' tactics of Hindutvis.

See? What goes around comes around, Advaniji. Violence breeds violence.

The tables have turned big time. The SANGH PARIVAR WILL NOW FACE THE HEAT for the terrorism that they have been fostering all along in the name of 'rashtrawaadis' and 'Hindu nationalism'.

Like I said. It was a moment of tremendous relief.

As the icing on the cake, I savored the moment of that PSEUDO-MARATHI VERMIN, Raj Thakeray's HUMILIATING ARREST. The government took a long time to take a dump, but finally managed to heap the Thakeray with a pile of cases in a few dozen places.

AND YET, my joy was very, very temporary. A momentary heady feeling that came crashing down in no time. It was immediately replaced with profound sadness. And shame.

I read a report about the blasts by these terrorists. A dozen innocents - including a 10 year old girl - was killed in one of these 'Hindu' terror attacks, that were ostensibly to 'avenge' earlier 'Jehadi/Islamic/Muslim' terror attacks.

Avenge WHO for crying out loud!

Once again, it was the common Indian man - and girl - whose life was snuffed out by acts of mindless violence by violent fanatics. It was heart rending.

Does the little girl who died in Malegaon care about the religion of the person who planted death in her budding life?
Does the young girl in Orissa, now burnt and scarred for life, care in WHICH god's name she was ruthlessly attacked?

Does the Nun, WHO WAS GANGRAPED by a bunch of soul-less animals, find any solace in the fact that it was the 'other God's' footmen who violated her?

Does their outrage have any religous connotation? I think not. It's a very human scream of anguish and pain that comes from them. Their tears are human tears, not christian tears or muslim tears. Their loss is a human loss. Their horrific sufferings are a reflection of our collective depravity - and our addiction to violence.

These are but just three of THOUSANDS of Indians suffering in the country, all thanks to the divisive politics of hate spread by the mainstream Saffron parties and Jehadi groups, each feeding the other.

The loser is neither the Hindu, nor the Muslim.. it's the Indian on the street.

It's YOU and YOUR family and YOUR friends and YOUR countrymen, YOUR fellow Indians and YOUR womenfolk being killed, brutalized, raped and burnt out there, and it is YOU who is sitting here and complimenting the perpetrators, justifying their violence, applauding them, and in doing so, JOINING THEM.

Indeed, it's India which is burning with the flames of communal politics. The politics of right wing radicalism, that of hatred, xenophobia, mistrust, anger and division. Of riots and killings and murder. Of dangerous rhetoric, emotive issues and fiery speeches... Where is the LOVE that binds all the Indians together?

I'm afraid it has been lost in all the inflammatory speeches of the pseudo-Ram Bhakts.

Yet, as a proud 'pseudo-secularist', I once again reassert - there IS NO SUCH THING as a 'HINDU terrorist' or an 'Islamic Terrorist'.

There's only terrorism and those who condone them. And it's upto the proud 'so-called liberals' to raise their voices against cheap, violent divisive politics that has never done anyone any good, except perhaps that pseudo-Gujarati, Narendra Modi.

Love,
A 'So-Called Liberal' cum pseudo-secularist.

Two can play this game.

~

LK Advani : I'm secular.

Me: I'm a pink elephant in a fuzzy tutu dancing on a circus ball.

VHP Lies Laid Bare...

A certain ultra right wing enthusiast posted a fancy introduction to the VHP here. It comes straight from the 'Sampark Vibhag' of the Vishwa Hatred Parishad in Mumbai, so I guess it's official.

This certain 'information' section attempts to fool somebody by providing 'examples' of suppression of 'Hindu interests'. Here are some (all) of the tall claims laid bare.

1. The UN charter says that a minority means less than 10% of the population. But Muslims constitute over 15 percent of the Indian population. Yet they are called a minority.

To begin with, there's no mention of the word 'minority' in the UN charter. However, the UN Sub-Committee on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities defines 'minority' as:

"A group of citizens of a State, constituting a numerical minority and in a non-dominant position in that State, endowed with ethnic, religious or linguistic characteristics which differ from those of the majority of the population, having a sense of solidarity with one another, motivated, if only implicitly, by a collective will to survive and whose aim it is to achieve equality with the majority in fact and in law."

Besides, what do you suggest we call 15%? A Majority? :p Lame attempt, this one.

2. Gandhiji prevented the construction of Somnath temple with government funds. But in 1948 he prevailed upon Nehru and Sardar Patel to renovate Delhi's mosques at government expense.

In 1989, The BJP National Executive passed a resolution demanding the construction of a Ram Temple over Babri Masjid. The same resolution urged all parties to "to adopt the same approach in respect to Ayodhya that Nehru government did with regard to Somnath".

So I guess Gandhi didn't 'prevail upon' Nehru and Sardar Patel after all. (Beats me why a great man and devout Hindu, who had the name of Ram on his lips when Hindutva murdered him, would want to scuttle a Somnath Temple reconstruction and build mosques instead?!)

The DPM, Sardar Patel, took a pledge to reconstruct the temple on November 3, 1947 (Despite Gandhi 'prevailing upon' him, and the work was finished in December 1995. Without any problems.

[It might be interesting to note, however, that – being a true secularist - Nehru said in a letter in 1950: "I have been feeling a little uncomfortable over your references to the rebuilding of Somnath Temple. As the government, we cannot undertake the building of religious edifices".]

There just aren't enough Nehrus around.

3. Sucking up to minorities reached its peak when Rajiv Gandhi declared that if the people of Mizoram voted the Congress to power, it would run the government on the basis of the teachings of the Bible.

Even if this preposterous claim is somehow TRUE, tell me how do the teachings of the Bible, or the Quran or the Hindu texts vary? I thought the teachings and principles were the same.

And dude. You seem terribly confused with the terms Majority and Minority. Are you sure that the Christians are a 'minority' in Mizoram? Last time I checked, it was around 87% of their population.

Is that 'sucking up to a 'minority'' ? Surely, it can't be too different from PM wannabe Advani's pathetic attempts to declare Ayodhya a 'National Sentiment'? :p I'm just glad Mr. Gandhi didn't suck up so much that he had to pull down temples to build churches.

4. Muslims and Christians are considered as minorities in Maharashtra, UP, Bihar etc. But Hindus in Mizoram, J&K, Nagaland, etc who are in a minority there are not accorded minority status.

India's a union of states.. and all minorities and backward classes were declared on a National level, if I'm not mistaken. And it's not a simple numbers game.. there's also history behind it. Read the definition of 'minority' again.

5. Congress politicians and the mercenary pro Christian, pro Muslim English media hysterically scream about the death of Muslims in the Muslim provoked Godhra episode. But their silence about the extermination of lakhs of Hindus in Kashmir is thunderously deafening.

Extermination of 'lakhs of Hindus' in Kashmir? Come again? When exactly were lakhs of Hindus "exterminated" in Kashmir? Don't insult and damage the rightful cause of thousands of Kashmiri Pundits by inventing such utter nonsensical figures and fomenting trouble. Oops! You're VHP! That's what you DO!!

If everything liberal and non-Hindutva and non-fundamentalist in this country is 'Mercenary', then I'm proud to be mercenary! Surely, HinduJagruti is not mercenary?

6. When Christian and Muslim schools are allowed to teach the Bible and the Quran, Hindu schools are prohibited from teaching the Ramayana ,the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad-Gita Geeta

They aren't? I went to a good Christian school and they did teach the Bible to the Catholic students. My cousins went to a Hindu school, and they learnt about Hinduism, Hindu dharm, attended discourses by various swamis, meditation, yoga, and began each morning with a Hindu prayer. I even collect monthly magazines from that school that contain hindu mythological stories and pictures of Hindu godesses.

I don't see why you have a problem.

7. Muslims and Christian pilgrims are given Rs 20,000 as Hajj and Holy land subsidies. But Hindus are denied the same for their pilgrimages. On the contrary, Hindu pilgrims traveling at their own cost to Amaranth receive bullets.

I didn't have to do any research for this point. Being a Muslim myself, I personally feel going on Hajj on borrowed/state money isn't very nice or Islamic. Hajj is only for those who can afford it and are in good enough health to undertake the trip.

I seriously didn't know that Christian pilgrims were 'given Rs. 20 000'. (Pilgrimage to where?).Someone enlighten me on this.

Finally, I know quite a few of my friends who have made the Amarnath pilgrimage and returned quite happily. If they received any bullets, it's carefully hid away along with the rest of their souvenirs from the native Kashmiris. I did hear words like 'hospitable', 'warm' and 'pleasant', though. (Just like the 'Ram Sethu' became a 'centuries old' holy shrine over the last couple of years, even the Amarnath pilgrimage has suddenly turned into a 'bloody affair' overnight with the pilgrims braving bomb blasts and bullets all of a sudden. More HIndutva propaganda.)

8. A nationalist like Dr. Pravin Togadia has been arrested many times on flimsy grounds. But the Shahi Imam of Jumma Masjid has got off scot-free for his various seditious anti national, pro Pakistani actions and utterances.

Dr. Pravin Togadia hasn't been arrested enough times. He's been let off too often on 'flimsy grounds' if anything. Sedition ought to carry larger sentences.

The Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid condemns UPA-Left for being anti-Muslim. The entire file and rank of RSS/Sangh Parivar condemns UPA-Left (and the rest of the non-hindutva world) for being 'anti-Hindu'. You have a lot in common. So what's the difference?

When a bomb blast hit the gates of Jama Masjid, the Shahi Imam called for peace. On the other hand, Narendra Modi and Togadia called for genocide and violence. The Shahi Imam holds no government office and is less accountable to the citizens than a Chief Minister.

The Shahi Imam can board a plane to US, and no one will stop him. Not so for Narendra Modi.

I still wonder why the Shahi Imam is a 'seditious anti-national', while Pravin Togadia is a 'nationalist'. :p

9. Major Hindu temples are government controlled. Revenues from these temples are used to fund Muslim madrassas that teach hatred, sedition and terror. For instance in 2002, Karnataka's income from temples was Rs.72 crores. Out of this Rs.50 crores was given to madrassas, Rs.10 crores to Christian churches and only Rs.10 crores to temples.

Hogwash. I tried to do some research on this point. The only website that seemed to back this ridiculous claim had the unfortunate name of 'pseudosecularism.blogspot.com'. So, I never bothered to waste my time.

10. The government allows muharram processions in Hindu localities. But Hindu processions are banned in Muslim localities

Sometimes I honestly wonder if they serve crack in those terrorist Shakhas. Which piece of legislation in Indian law precisely forbids Hindu processions in Muslim localities - or any public locality in Indian territory?!

11. A Pakistani becomes Indian when he marries a Kashmiri girl. But the husband of a Hindu Kashmiri girl cannot become a resident of J&K. So tomorrow if the ISI Chief from Pakistan marries a Kashmiri girl he will become an Indian citizen and can even try to become the PM, just like Sonia Gandhi.

I'm afraid it's not that simple. The Citizenship laws govern that even if a foreigner marries an Indian girl, he still has to have resided in the country for a period of seven years or more just to become eligible for an application for Indian citizenship. After that he has to go through a series of bureaucratic hurdles starting with Registration Form II.. and I assure, it's no easy task.

Especially not for an 'ISI chief'.

:p

As for residing in Kashmir... forget Kashmir, you can't even travel to many of the North Eastern states without a RAP… a permit. Ever wondered why?

12. A majority of criminals in Indian jails are Muslims. They are allowed to offer Namaz in jail. But when HH the Sankaracharya was imprisoned on trumped up charges following a conspiracy carried out by Sonia Maino at the behest of the Vatican, he was not allowed to perform pooja.

This ridiculous inanity deserves no response… but then, neither do any of these demented rants. So here goes anyway.

Once again you're confused with the word 'majority'. The National Crime Records Bureau says that the majority of inmates in Indian jails are… well, just criminal. However, in a country of over 80% Hindus, it's not surprising that 60% - 70% belong to the majority community. (Not Muslims. Majority, in this case, meaning MORE in numbers! :p)

Criminal tendencies have more connection to social background, poverty, illiteracy, access to legal aid, etc (do look at the complete prison statistics) than religion. It's common sense. But this is VHP. There's no grounds for common sense here.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but when you're locked up inside a grimy, dirty prison – or kept in solitary confinement, or hung upside down by your heels, it's not very easy to perform Namaz or pooja. I wouldn't recommend it.

As for your second assertion that Sonia Gandhi, at the behest of the Vatican, has not allowed this HH the Sankaracharya to perform his Pooja. This is the scoop of the Century!! You could make millions if you sell this exclusive to the world press, and the Vatican might even kindly sponsor your stay in an asylum of your choice!

Pray what does the Vatican care if a certain HH the Sankaracharya offers a Pooja in jail or not? How does it bother them in the least?!

Aren't you insulting the collective intelligence of the entire VHP organization with absolutely ludicrous claims such as this one? Oh wait... this is the VHP. You don't need facts. Just anarchy, chaos and violence at any cost.

13. The Pope was invited to India as a State Guest. But the Hindu King of Nepal was not permitted to attend a makara sankranti function in Nagpur in 1965.

Balderdash. Everyone knows that the Nepali King had full Indian government support (even when he didn't have Nepali support!) And I don't mean just Gyanendra… The relationship has gone back generations.

The Nepali King, Queen, Prince, Army chief, delegations, foreign ministers have all visited India and stayed as state guests several times… and Indian leaders have officially visited Nepal. Thank you very much.

14. Muslims are allowed to follow their personal law that includes the right to marry four wives. But Hindus are convicted for bigamy if they do so.

Personal laws are also applicable to Hindus in this country.. and the scope extends beyond marriage. It includes property, inheritance, etc. If you really want to get married to four wives, and are feeling frustrated because of it, I suggest you convert to Islam! This is a free country! :p

15, Bhajans are prohibited in Mumbai's local trains. But Muslims are allowed to sing quawalis in trains.

They are? Or is it yet another concoction to add a divisive tinge to an already unacceptable sermon by VHP terrorists? :p

16. Bangalore's Jakkur airfield belonging to the defence ministry was not allowed to be used for a Dutta Jayanti function. But the same airfield was allotted to the rabidly anti Hindu Benny Hinn for his traitorous function to convert Hindus.

I happen to live not too far away from Jakkur Air Field… And it's not just open to Benny Hinn, but also to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar of the Art of Living foundation for his grand silver jubilee bash where Chief Justices, Governors, Vice Presidents, etc were in attendance - and a hundred other functions over the years.

17. Hindustan Times termed the Ganesh immersion festival as "immersion frenzy" But does not dare describe Muharram and Good Friday processions inn such derogatory term.

'Immersion frenzy' is a derogatory term? Since when? And why is Hindustan Times is so 'brutally suppressing' the Hindu community? :p

These are but a very, very few examples of how Hindus are treated in their own land and how the Muslims and Christians are being pampered.

Yes, very few - and very wrong too.

More than enough to reaffirm the VHP as a libelous, clueless and desperate organization. This piece of junk I quote comes straight from their propaganda section.

Propaganda is one thing, but these Vishwa Hindutva terrorists not only attempt to create utter confusion with their incoherent banalities, but actually find audience among their ultra-fundamentalist ilk. Post this same post on a HinduJagruti – and you'll actually find real human beings nodding along in astonished agreement. (Comments such as 'I agree with every line' and 'so true!!' are expected in response to such junk!.)

Any utterance by these maniacs can be ripped apart by a fourth grader.

I've had enough of this Violent Hindutva Parishad. It's time these anti-nationals, along with their extended family (the RSS, Shiv Sena, MNS, Bajrang Dal...) are banned and booked for sedition, terrorism and libel.

God Bless India!


- yaamyn.