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“Some Mohammedans are the crudest in this respect, and the most sectarian,” Swami Vivekananda had remarked 120 years ago

OpIndia Staff
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“Some Mohammedans are the crudest in this respect, and the most sectarian,” Swami Vivekananda had remarked 120 years ago

On the 127th anniversary of the famous address of Swami Vivekananda at the Parliament of World Religions in Chicago, let us look at another iconic speech of the 19th century Hindu saint. In a speech titled, “The great teachers of the world’ delivered on February 3, 1900, at the Shakespeare Club in Pasadena in California, Swami Vivekananda talked about the significance of Messengers and their importance in the context of religion.

My Prophet is the only true Prophet is not correct, stated Swami Vivekananda

In his speech, the Hindu saint emphasised, “Now, as regards those of you that think that you understand Truth and Divinity and God in only one Prophet in the world, and not in any other, naturally, the conclusion which I draw is that you do not understand Divinity in anybody; you have simply swallowed words and identified yourself with one sect, just as you would in party politics, as a matter of opinion; but that is no religion at all.”

Swami Vivekananda was of the belief that not a single Prophet could embody the ‘Truth’ of the world. Every Prophet had a task to fulfill in the world and that all Messengers together taught the message of God to the people. “So, when each man stands and says “My Prophet is the only true Prophet,” he is not correct — he knows not the alpha of religion. Religion is neither talk, nor theory, nor intellectual consent. It is realisation in the heart of our hearts; it is touching God; it is feeling, realising that I am a spirit in relation with the Universal Spirit and all Its great manifestations,” he stated.

“This very moment let everyone of us make a staunch resolution: “I will become a Prophet, I will become a messenger of Light, I will become a child of God, nay, I will become a God,” he concluded.

We are bound to worship personalities, contrary to Islamic teachings

The Hindu saint added that while such Prophets had been worshipped and admired by every religion, Mohammedans (Muslims or followers of Mohammed) were different from the rest. But, he added that, as humans, we were bound to worship and revere individuals on a higher spiritual level that us. Swami Vivekananda said, “The Mohammedans from the beginning stood against any such worship. They would have nothing to do with worshipping the Prophets or the Messengers, or paying any homage to them; but, practically, instead of one Prophet, thousands upon thousands of saints are being worshipped. We cannot go against facts! We are bound to worship personalities, and it is good.”

Swami Vivekananda pointed out the dangers of sectarian beliefs of ‘some’ Muslims

In his speech, the Hindu monk emphasised, “Now, some Mohammedans are the crudest in this respect, and the most sectarian. Their watchword is: ‘There is one God, and Mohammed is His Prophet.’

Highlighting the dangerous implications of such a belief that had wrought havoc on the lives of disbelievers (Kuffars), Swami Vivekananda said, “Everything beyond that (in Islam) not only is bad, but must be destroyed forthwith; at a moment’s notice, every man or woman who does not exactly believe in that must be killed; everything that does not belong to this worship must be immediately broken; every book that teaches anything else must be burnt. From the Pacific to the Atlantic, for five hundred years blood ran all over the world. That is Mohammedanism!”

Swamiji was a visionary in the sense that the notion of killing every man or woman who didn’t believe in Islam by some Muslims turned out to be true, years later in 2001. On this day, 19 years ago, Islamist terror outfit Al-Qaeda orchestrated four different terror attacks, hijacked planes, and killed 2977 people in the United States.

The Hindu saint believed in the notion of ‘equality’ in Islam

Swami Vivekananda believed that Islam, though it spread through bloodshed, could not have survived the wheels of time if there was nothing good in it. He opined, “How could Mohammedanism have lived, had there been nothing good in its teaching? There is much good. Mohammed was the Prophet of equality, of the brotherhood of man, the brotherhood of all Mussulmans.”

He stated that a lot could be learnt from the life of Prophet Mohammed. “So we see that each Prophet, each Messenger, has a particular message. When you first listen to that message, and then look at his life, you see his whole life stands explained, radiant,” Swami Vivekananda stated.

He further added, “Mohammed by his life showed that amongst Mohammedans there should be perfect equality and brotherhood. There was no question of race, caste, creed, colour, or sex. The Sultan of Turkey may buy a Negro from the mart of Africa, and bring him in chains to Turkey; but should he become a Mohammedan and have sufficient merit and abilities, he might even marry the daughter of the Sultan.”

Comparing it with the ‘orthodoxy’ of some Hindus, Swamiji clarified, “Notwithstanding our grand philosophy, you note our weakness in practice; but there You see the greatness of the Mohammedan beyond other races, showing itself in equality, perfect equality regardless of race or colour.”

However, the great Hindu monk was unaware that years later, the notion of equality will turn out to be a farce. Sunnis will fight the Shias and vice-versa in Iraq and Saudi Arabia and vice-versa, Ahmadis will be deemed as non-Muslims and Hazaras will face persecution at the hands of Sunni ‘brothers’ in Pakistan.

How Islamic organisations in the West are trying to dent India’s reputation abroad and further an Islamist agenda in the name of charity, experts reveal

OpIndia Staff
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How Islamic organisations in the West are trying to dent India’s reputation abroad and further an Islamist agenda in the name of charity, experts reveal

In recent years, we have seen the rise of certain Islamist organisations abroad which work overtime to slander India’s reputation abroad. In the aftermath of the abrogation of Article 370 and the passage of the CAA, there was a surge of anti-India propaganda in the West, fuelled usually by dubious Islamic organisations in collaboration with leftists.

Such propaganda and protests eventually led to an attack on the Indian High Commission at London. A webinar, organised on “Islamizing the West: Muslim Brotherhood, Jamaat-I-Islami, and Tablighi Jamaat” by the Usanas Foundation on the 10th of September, exposed the manner in which such organisations operate and fuel anti-India propaganda.

The speakers at the event were the Director of Research at the Investigative Project on Terrorism Abha Shankar, Director of the US-based think tank Washington Project-Middle East Forum Clifford Smith and Director of the Islamist Watch – Middle East Forum Sam Westrop.

Webinar by Usanas Foundation

The discussion was moderated by Abhinav Pandya, the founder of Usanas Foundation. Abha Shankar spoke on the Islamic charity organisations in the United States of America that indulge in anti-India activities. She said, “The first major organisation is the US Council of Muslim Organisations (USCMO) – an umbrella group of Islamist organisations across the US. It was launched in 2014 and has a political agenda. Every year it organises the National Muslim American Advocacy day that attracts young Muslim American activists to lobby policymakers on the Hill.”

Abha Shankar also elaborated on the manner in which a delegation of the USMCO met the president of the Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in order to “exert maximal pressure on the Indian government to lift its lockdown on Kashmir” and “commit to massive humanitarian assistance for the people of Kashmir.” USMCO representatives also met UN officials to highlight the “dire humanitarian crisis” in J&K.

Then there are organisations such as the Council of American Islamic Relations and the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) who are intimately linked to Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, Jamaat-e-Islami and other Islamist and terror organisations. CAIR has been providing platform to Kashmiri separatists. Recently, Hafsa Kanjwal, a Kashmiri separatist who happens to be one of the co-founders of ‘Stand With Kashmir’, featured in a webinar organised by the Philadelphia chapter of CAIR.

As for the ICNA, convicted Pakistani spy and lobbyist Ghulam Nabi Fai regularly speaks at their events. Together, they were very active in furthering propaganda against the CAA at the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). Abha Shankar concluded ssaying, “If these efforts to change the narrative on Kashmir and push an anti-India agenda remain unchallenged, it will only embolden the Islamists and their allies to spread more lies and will come back to haunt India, its international stature, and US-India relations in the years to come.”

Sam Westrop spoke on the rising influence of Islamic Charity Organisations in the West. He said, “Charity is a key to advancing ideology. Helping Hands for Relief and Development has also organised events with LeT. India finds groups like Helping Hands and Muslim Aid not just on the Pakistani side of the LOC, but also within India itself. The key for the Indian government is to study what they have been doing and what they are doing in India. They must be proscribed and banned in India. Muslim Aid is directly linked with radical charitable organisations in India like the Zakat Foundation.”

We at OpIndia have highlighted the links of the Zakat Foundation to Islamist international organisations abroad including radical islamic preacher Zakir Naik. Westrop mentioned that such organisations are becoming actively involved in spreading the radical agenda of Islamists and are working towards demonising India and provoking terrorism.

He further stated, “We have the ‘Engage’, working for Joe Biden, which connections with radical Islamist outfits. The outfit has also been involved in a lot of anti-India campaigns on Kashmir. The Council on American Islamic Relations is actively supporting Biden. Across the country, Islamists are setting up donors clubs and Political Actions Committees (PACs) and sponsoring legislation not only in Congress but in state legislatures as well.”

Westrop also mentioned that Islamist and terror organisations often moved their money through mosques and third parties. In this context, he mentioned that the UK Charity Commission provides a lot of scope for channelling money people deem fit. Even when evidence was found against Muslim, the members were not prosecuted and instead let off with a warning. He also remarked that cryptocurrency is now being used by terrorists worldwide due to the anonymity it provides.

Commenting on the Tablighi Jamaat, which played a critical role in the spread of the Wuhan Coronavirusand behaved in outrageous fashion with the medical fraternity, Westrop said, “I follow the activities of Tablighi Jamaat in the US and UK very closely. In the 1970s black Salafist mosques were emerging in the US and they used the black identity for promoting Islamism. Their process of indoctrination is really amazing. In terms of membership, it is really the biggest Islamic group in the world. Unlike India, where it has recently become very famous, its name is only known by the law enforcement agencies in the US, as most of the terrorists rise through the ranks of Tablighi Jamaat.”

He added, “There are far too many terrorists coming from that ideology. The problem with Tablighi Jamaat is that it is so shadowy and the inability to track who they are makes it difficult to find who they are and how they operate. They don’t even maintain records and papers. They are groups of extremists that motivate youngsters to resort to extremism and later to terrorism. Countering its influence, the only people which can help the West are the Indians, as India is the place where they have all the infrastructure and base. India was also troubled by the charity from the West and elsewhere by the Islamists in a similar way. So, as we deal with charity organisations for you, you need to deal with Tablighi Jamaat for us. It is a global ideology and requires a global stance.”

Clifford Smith said there are broadly three groups of anti-India elements in the United States of America. Firstly, there are the Islamists of Indian origin. Then there are the Islamists of South-Asian origin. Finally, we have the Islamists of Middle-Eastern origin. The far-left, he argues, aligns with all these three groups.

According to Smith, the Middle-Eastern faction are far ahead in terms of numbers and organisational strength. He argued that such Islamists will weaponize every grievance against India. And that was why a Congressional hearing was organised on human rights issue in South Asia, which primarily focused on the Kashmir issue.

On the matter of terror financing through Islamic charity organisations, he said, “How does that matter if a charity is being directed by groups with a theocratic agenda and has connections with terrorist outfits? The money would find a way if the ideology is the driving force. If you help Hezbollah build homes, you help Hezbollah build bombs. The fundamental issue is to look at who you are giving money to. In this, neither America nor the other countries have not been hesitant to take action.”

Smith also said that although gloom was not necessary with regards to the relationship between India and the US at the moment as ordinary Americans still perceive India to be a decent country, he was not quite sure how things might turn out if Democrats managed to capture the presidency in November. He speculated that Joe Biden would not be as far-left as Bernie Sanders but it was hard to figure where he will land at the end.

He said that under the Bush administration, there was a concerted effort to break the network of Islamic charities. That policy changed under Barack Obama as they believed prosecution of Muslim charity organisations to be fuelled by Islamophobia. Donald Trump, meanwhile, has other priorities. Smith believes that Joe Biden is likely to be better than Obama but it is unlikely that he will able to fix the problem.

Congress leader Ajay Maken calls the Supreme Court order directing removal of slums in Delhi as inhuman, files petition

OpIndia Staff
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Congress leader Ajay Maken calls the Supreme Court order directing removal of slums in Delhi as inhuman, files petition

Senior Congress leader Ajay Maken has moved the Supreme Court challenging the court’s order of removing 48,000 slum clusters located along the railway line in the national capital.

Last week, the Supreme Court had passed the order making it clear that there should be no interference political or otherwise in the removal of the illegal slums in Delhi. The court has also said that if any court passes any interim stay order against the removal, that will be considered ineffective. The court had ordered the slum dwellings along 140 km of railway tracks to be removed with three months.

Maken termed the Supreme Court’s order of removal of slums as ‘inhuman’. Citing an order of Delhi High Court passed in 2019, he said that slum dwellers have a right to the city and they cannot be removed unless prior arrangement for their rehabilitation is made.

He said that the Central government and the State government did not inform the Supreme Court about the Delhi High judgment of 2019 on slum dwellers. He accused both the governments of “playing a fraud upon the court” and fooling the people.

Maken claimed that the order could not be sustained because the slum dwellers or their representatives were not heard by the court before passing the order. The plea has been filed by advocate Aman Panwar and Advocate on Record Nitin Saluja. His petition also mentioned that in the current situation of Coronavirus pandemic, demolition of the slums without arrangement for rehabilitation will be highly risky as the people living in the slums will be moving place to place in search for shelter and livelihood

Karnataka: Three temple priests brutally stabbed to death, hundi cash looted in Mandya

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka: Three temple priests brutally stabbed to death, hundi cash looted in Mandya

In a horrific incident, three priests of Arkeshwara temple in Mandya, Karnataka were brutally killed by unknown miscreants on Thursday.

Police said the bodies of Ganesh (55) Prakash (58) and Anand (40) were lying in a pool of blood in the temple premises situated in Guttalu on the outskirts of Mandya town. The miscreants had brutally stabbed the three priests, smashed their heads with boulders and decamped with currency notes in the temple hundi (donation box), leaving the coins behind. The miscreants had allegedly also ransacked the sanctum sanctorum of the temple in search of valuables.

The three priests, who also worked as the caretakers and lived on the temple premises, were asleep when the miscreants broke into the temple, the police said.

The horrific incident came to the fore when villagers went inside the temple early on Friday morning after finding the main door ajar. After they found the priests brutally hacked to death, lying in a pool of blood in the temple premises, they informed the police.

All senior police officials, including the Inspector General of police, reached the spot and initiated an investigation into the case. Forensic teams and sniffer dogs were also brought in to investigate the crime scene.

Karnataka CM announces exgratia of Rs 5 lakh next to the kin of the deceased priests

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has offered condolences the death of the priests and announced an exgratia of Rs 5 lakh next to the kin of each of the deceased. The CM said: “It is very disturbing to learn that the priests of the Arakeshwara temple in Mandya Ganesh, Prakash and Anand have been murdered by the burglars. A compensation of Rs 5 lakh per family of slain temple priests will be given. Immediate legal action will be initiated against the guilty.”

Why the 1893 speech of Swami Vivekananda at World’s Parliament of Religions is still relevant today

Guest Author
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Why the 1893 speech of Swami Vivekananda at World’s Parliament of Religions is still relevant today

We saw how much power can be achieved in just five words when Swami Vivekananda stood up to respond to the warm reception he received at the first World’s Parliament of Religions held in Chicago on the 11th of September 1893. He started his speech with these words – “Sisters and Brothers of America” addressing about seven thousand people who had assembled from around the globe under one roof. His speech was followed by applause which lasted for more than two minutes.

These claps were for the monk who came from a slave country and faced troubles in adjusting in America till a day ago. He was racially discriminated, struggled with his eating habits, and didn’t have enough clothes to wear during cold days. Even after suffering all this, not a word of hatred or a word of complaint was expressed by Swamiji. Despite all this, words that came from his heart while addressing the crowd was, “My dear Sisters and brothers of America”, which became one of the most prominent or historic events of the 19th century.

In a letter to his Madras disciple, Alasinga Perumal, on 2 November 1893, in reference to his 11 September 1893 speech, Swamiji writes “All the rest of the delegates had prepared the speeches and I was without preparation. I bowed down to Devi Sarasvati and stepped up”. [1]And everything else became history. Swamiji became famous throughout America. In his speech, Swamiji thanked each and everyone present there on behalf of all the Hindu people of all classes and sects.

Swami Vivekananda placed before the audience the age-old tradition of acceptance of all religions to be true. He said “I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true.I am proud that I am from the country which gave shelter to the oppressed and the refugees of all religions and all countries. I am proud to tell you that we have gathered in our bosom the purest remnant of the Israelites, who came to southern India and took refuge with us in the very year in which their holy temple was shattered to pieces by Roman tyranny. I am proud to belong to the religion which has sheltered and is still fostering the remnant of the grand Zoroastrian nation.’’ He reminded the audience what narrow religious ideas can do. He said, “Sectarianism, bigotry, and it’s horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilization, and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now.”[2]

According to the book, ‘A Comprehensive Biography of Swami Vivekananda’ by Sailendra Nath Dhar, the Parliament of World’s Religions had representatives of 10 major religions from around the world which includes – Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Tao, Confucianism, Shinto, Parsi, Catholic, and Protestant. But, Swamiji’s statement was the most successful one. Parliament’s President John Henry Barrows said “India, the Mother of religions was represented by Swami Vivekananda, the Orange-monk who exercised the most wonderful influence over his auditors”[3]

Why Swamiji’s 11 September 1893 speech is still relevant

It was a coincidence that on the same day in the year 2001, around 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked airlines and caused enormous destruction in the United States of America. Known as the 9/11 attacks, this event killed approximately three thousand people and injured more than 6,000.[4]

It was the same land where Swamiji delivered his lecture, but it seems the gift was not opened by the world. Even today, when the world is divided into different religions and sects, and when people impose their belief on each other – Swamiji’s message of universal brotherhood is perceived as a way forward for the welfare of the world. It is a message to everyone – ‘not to tolerate but to accept everyone with wholeheartedness’.

Swamiji, who spoke about the ‘’Hindu thought of acceptance’’ at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893, is appreciated and followed by every Hindu in India today. It is our country ‘Bharat’ that has celebrated secularism in the true sense and has not only remained in constitutional papers. Even after 1947 partition, when Hindustan was divided into three parts India, West Pakistan (present-day Pakistan), and East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh), out of the three only India remained secular.

It is noted that the majority Hindu religion has declined from 84.1 percent in 1951 to 79.80 percent in the 2011 census, whereas the Islamic religion has grown from 9.8% in 1951 to 14.23 in 2011 (according to the 1951 census and 2011 census).[5] Not only the population but in every field – from cricket to business, music to acting, the minority communities in India are growing in every field. However, the picture is not the same in Pakistan and Bangladesh. East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh) had 22 percent Hindus in 1951 and 8.3 percent in 2011 (according to the census).[6] In Pakistan, religious fanaticism has increased since the days of partition.

On one hand, India gave its ancient cultural heritage – ‘Yoga’ to the world which is celebrated every year on 21st June from 2015 onwards as International Yoga Day world. While, Pakistan erased the thousand years old cultural heritage by breaking a hundred years old temples, gurudwaras, and churches resulting in religious fanaticism throughout the country. It was once this same land Lahore, Pakistan (then Hindustan) where Swami Vivekananda delivered his famous lecture, “The Vedanta”, on 12th November 1897. [7]

So it’s time for the world to open the gift of Universal brotherhood given by Swamiji 127 years back. India must show the way. For centuries with diversity in custom and rituals in religion, in the language in appearance and diversity in every other way comprehensible, without having any central authority this Nation of ours have remained united till today. India must give that mantra to the world’. We see the earth burning in the fire of communalism more than global warming today and every sect is vying to show itself over the other.

One country is engaged in grabbing the land of another. In the midst of this situation, this message of universal brotherhood by Swamiji looks like a path to the world which excludes human society from bitterness and gives the vision to see the whole world as one family. I would like to conclude this abstract with Swamiji’s words which he spoke while addressing the final session of Parliament of World’s Religions on 27 September 1893 – “The Christian is not to become a Hindu or a Buddhist, nor a Hindu or a Buddhist to become a Christian. But each must assimilate the spirit of the others and yet preserve his individuality and grow according to his own law of growth.” [9]

Author: Nikhil Yadav is a State Youth Head at Vivekananda Kendra, Uttar Prant. He obtained his Masters in History from the University Of Delhi and is pursuing COP in Vedic Culture from the Jawaharlal Nehru University.

References

[1] https://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/vivekananda/volume_5/epistles_first_series/005_alasinga.htm
[2] https://belurmath.org/swami-vivekananda-speeches-at-the-parliament-of-religions-chicago-1893/
[3] Bhuyan, P. R. (2003), Swami Vivekananda: Messiah of Resurgent India Swami Vivekananda: Messiah of Resurgent India Page- 17
[4] https://www.britannica.com/event/September-11-attacks
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Census_of_India#Religious_demographics
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Bangladesh#Religion
[7]https://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/vivekananda/volume_3/lectures_from_colombo_to_almora/the_vedanta.htm
[8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranganathananda
[9 ]https://belurmath.org/swami-vivekananda-speeches-at-the-parliament-of-religions-chicago-1893/#Address-at-the-Final-session

How UPA era environmental laws just cost us 900 km strategic road near China border

Abhishek Banerjee
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How UPA era environmental laws just cost us 900 km strategic road near China border

Have you ever been frustrated at the pace at which things move in our country? Of course, you have. You know the drill. They announce a megaproject. With much fanfare, a politician lays the foundation stone. Everyone knows that the target date for completion is just pure fantasy. Everything seems to run into delays, missed deadlines and humongous cost overruns.

We don’t expect anything in this country to be completed on time. Generally speaking, we blame either politicians or bureaucrats for this. But it’s not always their fault. Sometimes, we could just be paying the price for traps left behind by governments from decades ago, to sabotage our progress.

You must have heard about PM Modi’s ambitious Char Dham road project, a 900 km long all-weather system of national highways connecting the Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamnotri in Uttarakhand. Think of the jobs created, the boost to tourism and industry in the tiny hill state. And of course, there is the unsaid part: we would have 900 km of the highway close to the border with China.

PM Modi laid the foundation for the project on Dec 27, 2016. So what are we waiting for? Let’s do it, right?

WRONG!

Let me take you to step by step through the frustrations involved. For starters, you can’t just order 900 km of new highways in Uttarakhand. The prospective highway would cut through ecologically sensitive regions of the Himalayas. You would need an extensive environmental impact study as per our laws. All sorts of activists, foreign-funded NGOs and lobbies want their pound of flesh before we can start. In other words, see you in a few decades.

So what does the government do? There is a small loophole for small “civil works” that are less than 100 kms in length. So, in order to bypass the environment lobby, the Central govt first breaks down the single 900 km project into 53 different “civil works.” Imagine the loss of efficiency this causes and the bureaucratic nightmare this creates.

Not so fast. Do you think that “activists” will just let the government get away with this? The road will create jobs, economic growth and give us a strategic asset against a powerful neighbour.

This one time, can’t the activists just let it be? Of course not. This road project is in too much national interest to be acceptable to the NGO ecosystem of our well-wishers. And with an evil Hindu name like “Char Dham road,” how could we even hope for mercy?

And so the activists get together and sue. Their friend is the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) notification of 2006. The 2006 notification makes sure India can neither develop too much nor too fast. Otherwise, who would vote for…?

Well, the law is the law and the Supreme Court can only rule according to the law. This week, the activists have won in the Supreme Court. As expected. You can check the usual liberal mouthpieces. The usual suspects are thrilled that they have nailed the “lies” of Modi sarkar. They are salivating. They are celebrating. Everyone is happy. Especially China.

The Center had requested for a width of at least seven meters so that military vehicles could ply on the road. The request was denied. The planned two-lane highway is now down to a single lane.

Do you think China is stopping work on any of its strategic roads near the border due to environmental considerations? Ha!

Not a chance. We are in this fight, blindfolded and with our arms and legs tied behind us. These environmental rules were slipped into the system in 2006 and fourteen years later, we are still suffering.

One final note. You might ask: If these laws are such a bother, why doesn’t Modi sarkar just get rid of them? That’s exactly the plan, now that the government has the numbers in the Rajya Sabha. The new draft EIA notification 2020 is ready. And look who is unhappy.

Article by the Economic Times

These days, Sonia ji rarely speaks. But when she does, it is always on the most important issues of all.

Step towards setting up kangaroo courts run by Sharia? Telangana Govt mulls giving Waqf Board far more power than it deserves: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Step towards setting up kangaroo courts run by Sharia? Telangana Govt mulls giving Waqf Board far more power than it deserves: Details

In what appears as a move to set up kangaroo courts governed by Sharia law, Telangana government is reportedly contemplating on extending judicial powers to Waqf Boards, a report published by Telangana Today said.

The Minority Welfare Minister Koppula Eshwar said that the issue of granting judicial status to Waqf Board will be soon considered by the Chief Minister.

While answering to the question raised by AIMIM floor leader Akbarududdin Owaisi, the minister assured that the government is committed to protecting the Waqf properties across the state and it would soon call a meeting with respect to the delay in gazette notification of the details of the second survey of the Waqf lands.

Since a long time, fundamentalist Muslim bodies, including the All India Muslim Personal Law Board(AIMPLB) had expressed its desire of setting up Sharia courts in India. AIMPLB had gone to the extent of claiming that it wants to establish Sharia courts in each district of the country.

Granting legitimacy to Sharia court would invite disaster for the country’s judicial system

The Telangana government’s decision to consider legitimising Sharia courts is fraught with dangerous consequences and might spell doom for the law and order situation in the country. If authorised, the precedent set by the Telangana government, might be exploited by other state governments, who would use it to pass similar orders in their respective states to garner the support of Muslim fundamentalists.

The Sharia courts would undermine the authority of the judicial courts and would be akin to a parallel judicial system in the country. 

It would also provide an opportunity to the Mullahs to establish a more puritanical form of Islam, and conferring them with the authority of punishing those who are seen infringing it. The rabid Mullahs, with their overzealous penchant for imposing medieval versions of Islam, would run amok with the newfound legitimacy, resulting in the total collapse of the judicial order in the state.

People must listen to VHP because the Church’s mission in India is not a failure: Here is how The Print is wrong

Suren
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People must listen to VHP because the Church’s mission in India is not a failure: Here is how The Print is wrong

Once in a while, opinion pieces are published that seek to mollify upper-middle-class Hindu anxiety about rapid conversion by Christian denominations. One such piece by the business journalist turned archaeogenetics expert Mr Tony Joseph appeared in Outlook in 2015, which was rebutted in this Indiafacts article. 

In a fresh edition of Church apologetics masquerading as opinion, Mr Dilip Mandal again seeks to allay fears by declaring people should not pay attention to VHP because the Church’s mission in India a failure. To begin with, our position is that the Church in India wields power and influence far in excess of simple headcount. Their ability to influence public opinion has been taken for granted, to such an extent that one may point to such artefacts as the Hindu Civil Laws that largely reflect Christian values and ethical positions.

Be that as it may, we will turn our attention to the specific four claims he makes as part of his argument and examine the veracity in each of them. 

The demographic claim

Mr Dilip Mandal quotes figures of Christian demographics in large cities, but ignores the fact that large swathes in the North East of India – Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Eastern Manipur – are Christian majority. Native Meitei of Manipur are facing demographic pressures, such smaller tribes as the Bru-Reang have been ethnically cleansed from their original homelands.

Nagaland went to becoming a 100% Christian State from a small Christian minority in the space of a century. Arunachal Pradesh has seen a rise in Christian population to more than 30% in just a few decades of missionary activity. The forest regions of Central India, South Tamil Nadu, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Central Kerala are regions where local politics, voting patterns and even environmental policy is decided by the Church.

Liberation Theology

Mr Mandal points to the absence of a liberation theology driven approach of the Church as a reason for it’s failure in India. To posit that liberation theology is a theological approach that builds greater adherence to the Church is to ignore historical facts, especially the history of the last 4 decades.

The Church’s ecclesiastical authorities until the current Pope have been strongly against such theological innovations – both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI were conservative.  On the ground, one may note that such regions as Chile, Argentina, Southern Mexico and the Andean regions where priests preaching liberation theology, viz, attributing redistributive economic philosophy to Jesus Christ, are the where the Church has seen the highest erosion in congregational strength. On the other hand, in regions where the Church took positions in favour of traditional conservatism such as the United States, Northern Mexico, Brazil, Poland, Philippines and Romania are still strongholds of Catholicism.

All other denominations have not taken such a route to preach. It may also be noted that the elevation of Pope Francis, a leading liberation theologist, to the papacy does not have much to do with winning and retaining congregants, but to do with a sex scandal involving the highest members of the Papal Curia. This claim of Mr Mandal’s is thus a totally irrelevant one. However, Mr Mandal neglects to look at the Church’s role in ethnolinguistic sub-nationalist movements like Nagalim for Christ, the Mizo insurrection, it’s covert support of Kashmir separatism or its recent role in such chaotic events as Kudankulam agitations, Sterlite agitation, Niyamgiri agitation and Jallikattu protests.

Christianity and the Freedom Movement 

The leaders of the freedom movement, including the all-powerful Gandhi-Nehru faction, never expressed hostility to the Church. They may have expressed misgivings about conversions, but always held that the Church’s message was one of service and love to fellow human beings. The role of the Church in incubating and fostering the Dravidian movement, which played an obstructionist role in the Indian freedom struggle, has largely remained out of sight until very recent times.

Christianity and Caste

The Church has several tools for take-over of a new region. One such is the rapid conversion of social and political elites. This was the technique that succeeded spectacularly in Europe. However, it largely failed in India, since the first converts in South India turned Christianity into yet another bastion of privilege. Instead, when we look at newer Protestant denominations such as Baptists, Pentecostals and Lutherans, we note that they are making rapid strides in conversion among the downtrodden masses.

Mr Mandal also makes the mistake of taking Christian claims of Brahmin ancestry at face value. Christian converts have carried their caste to their new faith but for a few generations. Oldest Christian congregations often make claims of Brahmin ancestry for themselves, since the advantages conferred by early entry into the Church far outweigh those for new converts. They utilize their superior educational attainments and economic status to create a Brahmin or Kshatriya origin for themselves. The claims of Catholics in Central Kerala or that of Goan Catholics must be seen in this regard.

Schooling by Christian Church

Mr Mandal’s final claim that the Church runs separate schools for elites and the poor is indeed true. In recent times the Church’s dominance in elite English-medium schools is being challenged by private schools run by education entrepreneurs. But a quick glance at the list of aided Tamil medium schools in Pondicherry demonstrates a near-total dominance of schools run by Christian denominations. It is obvious that education for poorer people is in the hands of the Church

In the final reckoning, we offer up such proof as to the Church’s role in Indian elections or grooming entrepreneurs that are sympathetic to demonstrate its outsize role in India.

Specious claims such as Mr Mandal’s are done with a view to discredit and vilify organizations such as VHP and RSS that are doing a service in alerting the general Indian public of possible threats to India’s secular fabric.

If Uddhav Thackeray comes to Ayodhya, he will face opposition: Read why Hindu seers of Ayodhya are irate with Maha CM

OpIndia Staff
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If Uddhav Thackeray comes to Ayodhya, he will face opposition: Read why Hindu seers of Ayodhya are irate with Maha CM

Amidst the ongoing face-off between Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government and Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut, the Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray faces yet another embarrassment as the Hindu seers of Ayodhya on Thursday said that Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray was no more welcome in the temple town of Ayodhya.

According to the reports, the Hindu sadhus of Ayodhya, extending their support to Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut, questioned the action of Maharashtra Chief Minister against the actress.

Mahant Raju Das, priest of the Hanuman Garhi temple on Thursday said that Uddhav Thackeray and Shiv Sena are no more welcome in Ayodhya. The Hindu seer added that if Maharashtra Chief Minister visits Ayodhya, he will face stiff opposition from seers of Ayodhya.

Questioning the action of Shiv Sena-led BMC against Kangana Ranaut, Mahant Raju Das said, “The Maharashtra government acted without wasting any time against the actress. But the same government is yet to take action against the killers of two seers in Palghar.”

Maharashtra govt shielding anti-social elements, says Mahant Kanhaiya Das

Similarly, another Hindu seer Mahant Kanhaiya Das, head of the Ayodhya Sant Samaj, alleged that the Maharashtra government was shielding those who are involved in anti-social activities and also issued a warning to Uddhav Thackery against coming to Ayodhya.

“Now, Uddhav Thackeray is no more welcome in Ayodhya. Why is the Shiv Sena is attacking Ranaut? Everyone can understand. It is not a mystery. The Shiv Sena is not the same what it used to be under Balasaheb Thackeray,” said Mahant Kanhaiya Das.

Extending their support to the national award winning actress, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, said that the action against Kangana Ranaut is very clear that the Shiv Sena is deliberately targeting the actress because of her support to nationalist forces, who has raised her voice against drug mafia of Mumbai.

Sharad Sharma, the regional spokesperson of VHP, said that the Maharashtra government was acting with malafide intention against Kangana Ranaut.

The face-off between Maharashtra govt and Kangana Ranaut

The Kangana vs Shiv Sena standoff began after Shiv Sena leaders as well as NCP leaders had abused and threatened Kangana Ranaut for referring to Mumbai as Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir after Azadi slogans were spotted on graffiti on the streets of Mumbai.

Joining the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, Mumbai Commissioner of Police had also ‘liked‘ that asked for public shaming of Kangana Ranaut. Adding salt to the injury, Shiv Sena MP and chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut had gone on to refer the national award-winning actress as ‘haramkhor ladki’.

In addition to the abusive tirade against Kangana, the Maharashtra government had also decided to launch a probe into the alleged consumption of drugs by actor Kangana Ranaut. 

The stand-off escalated after Sanjay Raut had threatened the actress not to visit Mumbai ever again. Taking the threat as a challenge, Kangana Ranaut landed at Mumbai on Wednesday, leading to a massive embarrassment to the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

Besides ad-hominem attacks, the state apparatus had pushed into taking punitive action against the actress for her remarks that were at odds with the Maha Vikas Aghadi government. The distraught actor had shared videos on Twitter, alleging that Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials had raided her office premises and threatened to demolish her property.

The BMC officials demolished a portion of the property even as the actor was on her way to Mumbai from Manali. However, the courts came to her rescue by staying further demolition of Kangana Ranaut’s property.

Broken moral compass: How the media came together to defend Netflix’s paedophile movie ‘Cuties’

K Bhattacharjee
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Broken moral compass: How the media came together to defend Netflix’s paedophile movie ‘Cuties’

The normalisation of Paedophilia has been underway in the West for quite some time. We have seen TedX speakers offer sermons on how society is risking the safety of children by demonising and marginalising paedophiles. We have seen how ‘Drag kids’ have become a phenomenon and one of them Desmond is Amazing was spotted dancing at a gay bar in New York while adult men threw money at him. ‘Virtuous Paedophiles’ is actually a phrase that the media is seeking to normalise. However, the most audacious bid on that front is undoubtedly the movie Cuties by Netflix.

Cuties has been at the centre of controversy ever since its posters were first released by Netflix. People had slammed the platform for what was obviously the hyper-sexualisation of children. Netflix then offered an apology, not for the movie itself but for its advertising campaign. The platform had also said it could not comment on whether it supports paedophilia or not.

The warning signs were all there from the very beginning. Its description read, “Amy, 11, becomes fascinated with a twerking dance crew. Hoping to join them, she starts to explore her femininity, defying her family’s traditions.” That, too, attracted a lot of outrage. However, its defenders damned those offended by it claiming that they could not criticise a movie before actually having watched it.

Unfortunately for them, the movie has released and it is even worse than we previously imagined it to be, a million times worse. We shall not link the problematic clips doing the rounds on social media as many people are likely to find it extremely disturbing. From the clip, it is evident that such content should never be permitted on screen, regardless of the intent on the part of the filmmakers. However, the mainstream media is continuing its brave defence of the paedophilia content.

The mainstream media often pretends to be the voice of the masses. But time and again, on every contentious issue, they invariably tend to take the stand that the masses stand strongly opposed to. It is all the more clear in light of the movie on Netflix that the media is not a friend to the masses, and in fact, is an enemy towards all values cherished by ordinary citizens.

The Telegraph described Cuties as “a provocative powder-keg for an age terrified of child sexuality”. Quite clearly, the ‘reputed’ newspaper wants people to celebrate ‘child sexuality’, whatever that means. If I were in law enforcement, I would definitely want to pay that critic a visit and everyone at Telegraph, just to be sure.

Cuties Telegraph review

The New Yorker, too, defended the movie claiming in its review that Cuties became the target of a ‘right-wing campaign’. The implication appears to be that those in the left-wing should naturally defend the content that appears to be paradise for paedophiles since right-wingers are outraging about it. The critic misses the point completely. Paedophilia is not a left-wing or right-wing issue, sexualisation of children is a phenomenon that ought to be opposed by every sane individual.

Cuties the New Yorker review

Others defended the movie calling it a ‘thoughtful coming-of-age drama’. It may be thoughtful indeed, in fact we have no doubt that it is thoughtful, which makes it even worse. To claim that a lot of thought went into a movie that sexualises children is not precisely a good-look for the filmmakers. Again, it ought to be emphasised that the intent does not matter when it comes to content that serves the sexual desire of paedophiles.

Cuties NME review

Vulture says in its review of Cuties, “The movie was condemned sight unseen by many online, even as those who’d actually viewed the film insisted that it was in no way exploitative. Since then, perhaps unsurprisingly, the anti-Cuties cause has also been embraced by various trolls and conspiracy nuts; I’ve heard from a couple of defenders of the film that they’ve been targeted for harassment.”

“Even so, on the surface, you’d think that this controversy might prove to the picture’s ultimate benefit, turning it from a foreign-language obscurity (the kind of movie that tends to get lost on Netflix) to a must-see flash point. And Cuties certainly deserves to be seen. But it’s also a delicate work that strikes a very careful balance in its portrait of the world, and that balance is upset if a viewer is more worried about social propriety than the truth of lived experience,” it added.

Cuties Vulture review

Quite conveniently, Vulture claimed that the movie was a target of ‘trolls’ and ‘conspiracy nuts’ despite the fact that the movie has been opposed by people across the board. It also attempted to evoke sympathy for the filmmakers and defenders of the movie claiming that they had been subject to death threats.

NPR went a step further and claimed that the filmmakers were being criticised for ‘calling out’ the sexualisation of children. It said in its review, “The French film, Cuties, is being praised for its critique of the hyper sexualization of young girls – and the consequences of that – as they rush to become adults in the age of social media.”

Netflix NPR review

It is almost as if these movie critics are living in a parallel universe and have found their way here through a glitch in the matrix. The Independent, too, bemoaned the criticism the movie was receiving and said, “Netflix’s Cuties is too intelligent and moving to be marred by one bad-taste poster”. The poster is the least troublesome issue here, given what the clips doing the round tell us about the movie.

Cuties Independent review

One would have expected the critics in India to be more aware of the problematic aspects of the movie but that was certainly not the case. In their bid to ape the West, Indian critics too appear to have lost all their sense of proportion. The Firstpost review claimed, “Maimouna Doucoure’s debut captures the difficult transition from tween to teen”.

The critic writes, “Watch a two-minute clip or a single representative image, and the chronically angry feel obliged to participate in every debate, and throw in a casual death threat like it were a legitimate form of criticism. Of course, these people have not seen the movie. Perhaps, they never will.” It says a lot about the sorry state of the media, indeed, when they attempt to shame people for opposing the sexualisation of children.

Cuties Firstpost review

At least, the Firstpost review does acknowledge that it is an excruciatingly difficult watch. It says at one point, “Surveying this minefield will definitely test viewers with low discomfort threshold, but it compels us to question our own gaze.” It concludes with the declaration, “It’s a young girl experiencing joy, freedom and innocence in its purest forms.”

The moral compass of the media appears to be utterly beyond recognition. Instead of recognising the problematic aspects of the movie and its disgusting sexualisation of children, it seeks to blame those opposing it for the controversy. The argument appears to be that the movie actually critiques the sexualisation of children. Sexualising children to critique the sexualisation of children does appear a rather strange way of doing it. As one right-wing journalist correctly pointed out, it is akin to arguing that snuff movies are actually meant to condemn senseless violence.

It is also pertinent to mention here that Cuties has the endorsement of the entire movie industry. It is not surprising given the fact that the movie industry has long been the cherished home of sexual predators and paedophiles. It also received an award at the Sundance movie festival, one of whose co-founders is in jail currently on charges of child sex abuse.

As it turns out, the movie is far more outrageous than previously thought. One of my colleagues watched the movie so you don’t have to. You can read her review here.

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