st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) } Hindu Extremism Being Ignored
Monday January 19, 2004
The American media often has a lot to say about Islamic militants and Muslims who commit violence in the Middle East, and it is true that they pose a threat to others (as well as to other Muslims). However, that same media typically ignores similar extremism and similar violence committed by Hindu nationalists in India. Pakistan's Daily Times reports:
Paul Marshall, a senior fellow at Freedom House’s Centre for Religious Freedom who recently published a book on the rise of Hindu extremism in India, writes that a country once personified by Mahatma Gandhi is fast becoming known for religious hatred and violence. While India remains the world’s largest democracy, the ruling BJP is linked to Hindu extremist groups like the RSS, the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), which mount hate campaigns and sometimes-violent attacks against religious minorities and demand that Hinduism dominate society and politics. The RSS was founded by admirers of fascism and Nazism, produced Gandhi’s murderers and is now perhaps the world’s largest paramilitary organisation, with millions of members, he adds.
India's political traditions are founded upon liberalism, democracy, and tolerance - but the growth of extremism in that nation threatens those foundations, and threatens to ignite not only internal violence, but also conflict with other nations like Pakistan. There are justifiable concerns about the possibility of Muslim extremists taking over in Pakistan, a country with nuclear weapons, but we should have similar concerns about India as well - a country which is much larger, more powerful, and which possess more nuclear weapons than Pakistan.
Hindu Extremism on the Rise in India
Conservative News Service, Feb 14, 2000
NEW DELHI, India (CNS) -- Hindu fundamentalist groups in India are trying to curb the activities of other religious groups and control the "expressions" of those not conforming to their world view, according to analysts here. As examples, analysts point to Hindu attempts to change the Indian constitution in ways that would curb artistic free expression and restrict the right of minority Christians and Muslims to preach and practice their religion freely.
"Increasing intolerance among the Hindu fundamentalist organizations, which pose a grave threat to democracy, are an indication of the rise of fascist forces in India," said politics professor M. Mohanty of Delhi University.
"What happened with European fascism is now happening with the Hindus," he told CNSNews.com.
Kanti Bajpai, professor of international politics at Jawaharlal Nehru University, agreed, telling CNSNews.com that "the rise of right-wing politics in India is far more advanced and violent than in Austria."
More than 80 percent of India's nearly one billion people are Hindus. Muslims form a sizeable minority of around 15 percent, while just 2.5 percent are Christians.
Although Hindu fundamentalist leaders have formally denied responsibility for attacks on minority religious communities, their propaganda is characterized by threats of violence.
In Orissa, where Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons were murdered 13 months ago, the local government passed an order last November prohibiting religious conversions without the prior permission of the local police and a district magistrate.
The order, an amendment to the 1967 Orissa Freedom of Religion Act, stipulates that a citizen wishing to convert must undergo a police inquiry to explain his or her reasons.
India's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, has passed a bill restricting the building and use of places of worship. It is awaiting the approval of the Indian president.
The western state of Gujarat recently lifted a ban on government employees being members of the Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (national self-service organization, or RSS).
The RSS, which claims to be a socio-cultural organization, is the main think tank of several fundamentalist bodies in India, including the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The RSS functions as the principal guardian of Hindu ideology.
An RRS member assassinated Mahatma Gandhi in 1948. It has been banned three times since independence for its activities.
Also in Gujarat, lawmakers soon will debate a draft Freedom of Religion Bill, which makes it a criminal offense to use force or fraud in converting a person from one religion to another.
Hindu fundamentalists forced an Indo-Canadian movie director, Deepa Mehta, from filming a movie that reportedly depicted an upper caste Hindu widow falling in love with a lower caste laborer as well as widows being forced into prostitution by those in the upper castes.
Taking exception to the storyline of "Water," activists said it "tarnished the image of the country and Hindus."
Actress Nandita Das, who stars in "Water," said the fanatics were misleading people and causing trouble for the whole society "in a country known for its unity in diversity."
Political scientist Mohanty warned that the greatest danger to India's "extremely strained social fabric" may come not from Sikh or Muslim separatists, but from Hindu fundamentalists.
The vice-president of the ruling BJP, J.P. Mathur, said Hindus were known for their tolerance, but that "Muslim fundamentalism has now forced us to raise our head and counter it. It is all because of the survival of the fittest."
India has a long history of violence between the Hindu majority and Muslims. Recently, Christians also have been targeted.
The New Delhi-based United Christian Forum for Human Rights has documented more than 120 attacks against Christian individuals, churches, and schools, allegedly by Hindu fundamentalists, in the past year. Half of the incidents have occurred in Gujarat.
The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Delhi, Alan de Lastic, said extremists were employing a national-level strategy to try to stem the influence of Christians.
"It is more pronounced in states where there is a government affiliated to the Hindu ideology and a small Christian population," he said.
A resurgence of Hindu fundamentalism has taken place over the past decade, beginning with an RSS television campaign in the late 1980s to forge a self-conscious collective Hindu identity.
In 1991, present Home Minister L. K. Advani undertook a historic "chariot journey" from a Hindu temple in Gujarat to the legendary birthplace of the Hindu god Ram.
The symbolic journey helped transform the BJP from marginal group with just two seats in parliament a decade ago to the ruling party today.
In 1992, Muslims became the main targets of Hindus with the destruction of a mosque built in the 16th century on a site some Hindus believe a Hindu temple once stood.
International politics professor Bajpai compared the strategy used by the RSS to that of Joerg Haider and the Freedom Party in Austria.
"The right here too advocates extreme and flagrant positions and then retreats and recants as a way of disarming critics and opponents - and succeeds only too well."
The fundamentalists had also used the fear of "outsiders within" to build a support base.
"Immigration has been one way of doing this, but more important here has been the portrayal of religious and ethnic minorities as aliens whose loyalty to the nation is questionable," Bajpai explained.
"Measures need to be taken to curb this trend, otherwise it will destroy the multi-cultural fabric of India," warned Mohanty.
Hindu elites and religious fanatics have a very long history of ethnic-cleansing and terrorism against the Native people (Shudhar aka Delite aka untouchable) and non-Hindu minorities. In the past, they almost eliminated the Bhuddist and Jain communities - most of which escaped to Indo-Chinese countries ot the Middle East. During last days of Mughal Empire, Skhism emerged out of Hindism - and under British rule (1750s to 1947) - Christianity was adopted by many low-caste Hindus to escape Hindu racism.
Afghan and Persian Muslims ruled Indian sub-continent for nearly a thousand year. However, since Muslim Hindustan was occupied by British East India Company in 18th century - Muslims have been targetted by both British occupation. After the unsucceful rebellion of 1857 - It were Muslims who suffered the most Hindu-British terrorism. The communal roits increased after the Muslims of India demanded more representation in government, military and economic sectors under British Raj after WW I. The British and Hindu elites’ indifference towards Muslims’ genuine demands lead Muslim leaders of United Bengal to establish All India Muslim League, which eventually succeeded in partition of India, resulting in creation of a separate Muslim State of Pakistan on August 14, 1947.
It is becoming worse day by day. I fear the day when the BJP will return to power. The congress is planning to ban the Bajrang Dal as a terrorist outfit, Inshallah, they shall be successful.
Police are randomly picking up Muslim men and torturing them, most of those who are poor. Luckily, I can escape this due to my father's political connections. However, I can't say the same of my brothers and sisters who suffer from police brutality.
Banning the Bajrang Dal isn't going to be as easy as it appears. We're not talking about Africa in the immedieate post-independence era, where any dictator can cocncot false charges against you and have you fast tracked through a kangaroo court and hanged before you know it.
The Hindu nationalists, even though predominantly loyal BJP supporters, still wield considerable influence in Mr Singh's coalition government, and for any indian government to retain power, they have to placate those who sympathise with right-wing Hindu doctrine. And they constitute a significant part of the electorate.
Plus, when you have immoral, hideous and uncivilzed antagonists like Narendra Modi in Gujarat mobilizing the masses by playing a right wing populist card which popularizes groups like the VHP, Shiv Sena etc, it isn't easy to neutralize them. It could open up the spectre of upheavals and communal riots.
I would like to ask whats the difference between hindu radicals using violence to create a hindu state and muslim radicals(like Muslim Brotherhood,Hamas and dozens of others) who use violence to build an islamic state?
This country is dying because of a lack of men, not a lack of programs.
I would like to ask whats the difference between hindu radicals using violence to create a hindu state and muslim radicals(like Muslim Brotherhood,Hamas and dozens of others) who use violence to build an islamic state?
I would like to ask whats the difference between hindu radicals using violence to create a hindu state and muslim radicals(like Muslim Brotherhood,Hamas and dozens of others) who use violence to build an islamic state?
Hindu extremists are the majority, are in power, and are killing and torturing not just Muslim minorities but christians and other minorities as well.
The difference is that everyone in India is one race, one color, and one group of people, just following different religions.
Hamas is a legitimate government voted for and by the people. It is the western powers that have labeled them as terrorists for refusing to bow down let their people be tortured, oppressed and murdered in cold blood by the real terrorists, the zionists. Hamas is not killing its own citizens like hindus are, but rather fighting an occupation of a foreign and oppressive regime and it's state terrorism.
Muslim brotherhood is not a violent group as you have grouped it with hindu radicals. Muslim brotherhood is the largest body of group in Egypt and the most popular by public demand as well as the most supportive of the people. They basically are the government since they provide jobs, social welfare, housing, and many other amenities that egypt dictator failed to provide his people. Do you know there are over 13 million egytpians living in cementaries because of the incompetence of this dictator?
Hamas is a legitimate government voted for and by the people. It is the western powers that have labeled them as terrorists for refusing to bow down let their people be tortured, oppressed and murdered in cold blood by the real terrorists, the zionists. Hamas is not killing its own citizens like hindus are, but rather fighting an occupation of a foreign and oppressive regime and it's state terrorism.
I think that Hindutva is like their(hindu) Hamas(which is palestinian branch of Muslim Brotherhood). Hamas and other islamistic groups want to create islamic states in whole muslim world, BJP and other Hindutva groups want to establish hindu state in India. Both political islamists and hindutva are ready to use violence for this, all of them breed prejudice and intolerance against religious minorities, all of them use religion to gain power.
Muslim brotherhood is not a violent group as you have grouped it with hindu radicals. Muslim brotherhood is the largest body of group in Egypt and the most popular by public demand as well as the most supportive of the people. They basically are the government since they provide jobs, social welfare, housing, and many other amenities that egypt dictator failed to provide his people. Do you know there are over 13 million egytpians living in cementaries because of the incompetence of this dictator?
Hamas is palestinian branch of MB, so they also use violence. Hindu nationalists were also elected in democratic elections, they are also most popular now probably. They also build kindergartens, schools, hospitals in rural areas of India. Thats why they have so many supporters.
I would say moreover, in Pakistan and probably in Bangladesh half of the parties are political islamists, radicals. I dont know it, but its possible that the rise of Hindutva is the answer on religious extremism of India's northern neighbours.
This country is dying because of a lack of men, not a lack of programs.
The extremist parties are very weak in Pakistan. Most of them lost a huge majority of their seats during the last elections for supporting Musharaff. Bangladesh is largely secular.
Just FYI. I've seen and read a lot of stuff on Hindu extremism. In fact there's a front page article in today's New York Times on Hindu's terrorizing Christians to convert.
So I hope it makes you feel better that Hindu terror is getting at least some mainstream media press.
Hamas is palestinian branch of MB, so they also use violence. Hindu nationalists were also elected in democratic elections, they are also most popular now probably. They also build kindergartens, schools, hospitals in rural areas of India. Thats why they have so many supporters.
I would say moreover, in Pakistan and probably in Bangladesh half of the parties are political islamists, radicals. I dont know it, but its possible that the rise of Hindutva is the answer on religious extremism of India's northern neighbours.
I don't know where you are getting your information from but it definitely is not accurate. Palestinians and Egyptians are two different people. Palsetine is in Middle East where as Egypt is in Africa. The brotherhood of Muslims in Egypt is a full organization that provides social welfare and everything else a government is support to provide its citizens. The Hamas is a political group separate from the brotherhood and a legtimate goverment voted to power by the palestinians. I'm not surprised to hear you say hamas uses violence and is radical while not utterint anythign against zionist terrorism. Everything Hamas is doing is in defense against the continued occupatino and oppression by the state terorrism of zionists with full support of USrael and the spineless international community.
Hamas is indeed affiliated to the Muslim brotherhood. It's the Palestinian branch of the MB. The MB has many branches scattered throughout the world. While the MB mainly preaches non-violence, it does allow attacks, including suicide attacks, against the Zionists, as Israel is a militarised society.
Hamas is indeed affiliated to the Muslim brotherhood. It's the Palestinian branch of the MB. The MB has many branches scattered throughout the world. While the MB mainly preaches non-violence, it does allow attacks, including suicide attacks, against the Zionists, as Israel is a militarised society.
It was national headline news yesterday on all channels.
The bible burning, wrecked houses etc.
Occupation: The term of control of a territory by foreign military forces: Iraq 2003-2005 Liberation:when something or someone is freed: Operation Telic 2003
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