‘Fundamental Fright’: Express analysis on mounting violence in North Kerala

Today’s The Indian Express published an article, more correctly to say an analysis on the mounting violence across Northern Kerala for various socio-political reasons. Read, share and comment your views on the issue.

-Editor

A Government vehicle burnt in an act of violence at Kerala

“Riots of late which break out for insignificant reasons have started spreading out to areas hitherto untouched by these communal problems. The most recent riots which have taken place in Kanhangad in October 2011 are a pointer in this direction. Over the last 10 years, we had the same situation which has been termed as political but the accused, victims and witnesses are clearly demarcated on communal lines in Kumbla, Kasargod, Badiadka, Adhur, Hosdurg and Bekal.

“It is high time that the authorities started identifying the problems rather than attempting to shroud glaringly communal problems under political cloud. The analysis of 10 year cases also shows that any place in the coastal belt of Kasargod district is a potential volcano for communal clashes and large scale riots are possible anywhere along the labyrinthe roads and bylanes along the coast.”

—Excerpts from “Overview of the Communal Situation in Kasargod district”, a report submitted by Kannur Range DIG S Sreejith in November 2011 to the Director General Police, Kerala, that paints a grim picture of the social fabric of the north Kerala district, torn by an emerging culture of communal violence.

As north Kerala boils and seethes in fundamentalist frenzy, it has come as no surprise that investigators tasked with cracking open the attack on an Israeli diplomat in New Delhi on February 13 have zeroed in on Kerala to seek those behind the blast. High on the radar of a joint National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) team is the Popular Front of India (PFI), an Islamist outfit that has created a nationwide network in just a few years, with a political wing to boot. In late January, a ‘National General Assembly’ of the PFI had bitterly criticised the deepening Indo-Israeli relationship, saying in a resolution that it “will be a catalyst to the communal and terrorist agenda of Hindutva fascist outfits…”

Depending on who one believes, the PFI, now headquartered in the national capital, is either a sister organisation of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), or an offshoot of it, or the same stuff in a new bottle, or even a little of all. Only one thing’s for sure in the shape-shifting and identity-mutating world of Islamic fundamentalism: nothing can be ruled out. Within the NIA, there is consensus that the PFI’s secret agenda is a ‘state within a state’ for Muslims, and that it could morph into the biggest internal security threat very soon, if allowed to grow freely. The PFI hit the national headlines in 2010 with the forced amputation of college professor T J Joseph’s arm on charges of blasphemy, and ‘love jihad’ allegations in Karnataka and Kerala of the year before.

The communal virus is raging in the streets now, ranging across the spectrum from murder to plain old street thrashing. On February 4, a student of LBS Engineering College, Kasargod, was severely beaten up when he went to the railway station to see off his classmate, a Muslim girl, who was to attend an interview in Ernakulam. Another such incident occurred on January 17 on the occasion of the Kasargod Mahotsav, when a youth named Viswanathan was severely attacked for talking to a Muslim girl, his family friend. Viswanathan was abducted, beaten up and later dumped on the roadside. Six men were arrested in the case. A couple of weeks ago, a Muslim youth was badly thrashed in Kasargod for walking along with his classmates, Hindu girls all.

The Bend of History

The PFI security headache and the communally charged situation in the district of Kasargod are only the latest from the north Kerala hotbed. This region of Kerala, home to a majority of the state’s Muslims, also includes Kannur, the old face of political vendetta between the CPI(M) and RSS, and Kozhikode districts. The same region witnessed the violent Moplah rebellion almost a century ago, an event that most regard as having laid the foundation for the sectarian friction that has only thrived since. And it is through Kannur and Kozhikode districts that one must travel back in time to understand how north Kerala got to where it is today.

Our first stop is Marad Beach, Kozhikode on May 2, 2003, when a group of extremists hacked to death eight Araya fishermen. North Kerala had run into the communal dimension of intolerance. “From more than one direction rushed this rabid rascal gang, with lethal arms and killer plan, stabbed the defenceless Araya gossip group, a devotee returning from the temple and a neighbouring petty tea shop dealer and spread terror by throwing bombs which did not explode. Had they burst, the number  of the dead would have multiplied,” former Supreme Court Judge Justice V R Krishna Iyer wrote about the incident.
It took only five years before the world got to see Kerala’s deepening links with global jihad when four young Keralites en route to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir for training were killed in an encounter with security forces in Kashmir in October 2008. For those unfamiliar with the story, five Malayali youth — Abdul Raheem, Mohammed Fayaz, P Fais, Mohammad Yaseen and Abdul Jabbar — were sent to Kashmir by Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) operative Thadiyantavide Nazeer, hailing from Kannur, for training in an LeT-run camp near Lolab valley. They were shortlisted for arms training under LeT at a meeting held in Kannur on August 14, 2008.

Investigations revealed that Nazeer along with the help of a Gulf-based Malayali Sarfaraz Nawaz, who was based in Muscat, Oman, hatched the conspiracy behind the Bangalore blasts in 2008. North Kerala had been well and truly etched into India’s terror map.

“North Kerala is slowly turning into a hub of communal intolerance and fundamentalism, which often manifests in the form of militancy and terrorism. The communal intolerance is directly proportional to the level of terror which could evolve at a latter point of time. And these disturbances make the region a breeding ground for extremists,’’ says DIG S Sreejith.

The NIA, in its chargesheet submitted against 18 men, including Nazeer, noted on February 9, 2012: “Nazeer had joined hands with the banned LeT to indulge in anti-national activities, that he had conducted study classes and terrorism camps in different places in Kerala. Last heard, Nazeer was trying to convert inmates at the Central Prison, Thiruvanathapuram.” Confirming this, DGP (Prisons) Alexander Jacob, says, “Thadiyantavide Nazeer has been preaching his religious philosophies in prison.”

There is a pattern in Nazeer’s behaviour. Superintendent of Police T K Rajmohan, who investigated the Kashmir recruitment case, says, “Nazeer had been taking tareeqat classes in different parts of the state, before being arrested by the security agencies. This is a religious class used by Nazeer to persuade youth for jihad.”

The Road to Radicalisation

The radicalisation of the northern districts began in the 1980s when SIMI, which was formed in Aligarh during the late 1970s as a student outfit of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, carved out a support base in Malabar.

In July, 1993, reformist Islamic scholar Moulvi Abdul Hassan Chekannur was abducted from his home and murdered, allegedly by extremist forces. The conspiracy is yet to be unravelled. Earlier, in 1991, Abdul Nasar Madani had formed the Islami Sewak Sangh (ISS). After the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992, when the government banned the ISS, Madani dissolved the ISS and formed a new party People’s Democratic Party (PDP). In 1993, another militant outfit, the National Development Front (NDF) was formed.

The NDF together with the Manitha Neethi Pasarai (MNP) of Tamil Nadu, and the Karnataka Forum for Dignity (KFD) merged at Kozhikode in December 2006 to form the new entity known as the PFI. Later, in 2009, it merged with Association for Social Justice (Andhra Pradesh) Citizens Forum (Goa), Social and Educational Forum (Rajasthan), Nagarik Adhikar Suraksha Samithi (West Bengal) and Lilong Social Forum (Manipur) at the National Political Conference in Kozhikode.

Justice Thomas P Joseph Commission which probed the Marad massacre found that several activists of the Muslim League and the NDF “were actively involved in the planning and execution of the (second) massacre” and that it was unlikely that their activists were involved thus “without the blessings of their respective leaderships, at least at the local level”.

“Post Babri Masjid, one witnessed the direct confrontation of Hindus and Muslims as fundamentalist organisations began to spread their wings in the district. The clashes were becoming an open display of each other’s prowess and dominance. Kasargod was a major working area of PDP leader Madani. Youths started buying cassettes of his speech and started leaving Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) to join PDP,” says V V Prabhakaran, a Kasargod-based social activist.

NDF emerged as the protector of Muslim community in 2001 with the murder of Eethullathil Binu, a jeep driver and DYFI activist who was booked by the police for an alleged attack against a Muslim woman, Nabeesa. “He was hacked to death by a gang of NDF activists at Kallachi taxi stand on June 2, 2001. The police investigation found that the attack was planned and executed by the annihilation wing, one among the five organisational divisions of the NDF,” says retired superintendent of police Subash Babu.

Slowly, NDF activists began to force themselves into all political parties especially the Muslim League. “This infiltration proved to be crucial in the slew of communal fights Kasargod and Kozhikode was to witness. The senior leaders of the IUML failed to draw a clear boundary for the NDF which boosted their influence. In the daylight they posed as IUML activists; by night they took to their true selves. IUML leaders were thus forced to back the NDF,” says social critic and author Hameed Chennamangalloor.
Former Kannur SP Anoop Kuruvila John has another perspective on the relationship between the two Muslim outfits. “In Kannur, the NDF is trying to occupy the same space as the IUML. This has led to tensions between the two groups,” he says.

Communalism unplugged

During the last 10 years (2001-2011) as many as 1,113 cases have been registered in Kasargod district, where the complainants belonged to one community and the accused to another community. As per data, none of the accused was convicted in any of the 1,113 cases. Of the 11,444 accused, only 4,833 could be arrested. While 427 cases have been chargesheeted, as many as 65 cases were withdrawn. The scene is similar in Nadapuram, Kuttiyadi and Valayam regions of Kozhikode district. Over the last few decades, these regions have been witnessing riots and blast cases unlike other parts of the state.

Says Sreejith: “Communal enmity is evident in 1,113 cases in the last 10 years in Kasargod but the number of cases registered under Section 153 (A) (Promoting Enmity between Two Communities) and other relevant sections are just under 300. Despite having communal overtones, the police as well as the political parties were in unison to term these clashes political violence.”

Following Sreejith’s report, the state government has taken cognisance of the emerging danger, and police have begun registering cases under Section 153 (A). However, the IUML, the second largest ally in the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala, challenges these findings and is at loggerheads with the police for calling these clashes acts of communal violence.

Irked by the police report, IUML leaders of Kasargod and Kozhikode met Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and have been pressuring police officials to withdraw Section 153 (A) from the cases against the accused in the riots. “Of late, the police are deliberately giving a communal colour to political clashes. In the police reports, it is noted that a section of Hindus and Muslims clashed against each other. By doing so, police are evoking a communal feeling among the people who hardly have a communal feeling at present. We won’t allow labelling the place as communally sensitive just like regions in north India. Even if a communal colour prevails there, the authorities should play down the issue. Otherwise, people will start thinking on religious lines instead of political views,” says IUML Kasargod district president and former minister Cherkkalam Abdulla.

The CPM and the BJP have a different take on the issue. CPI(M) Kozhikode district secretary T P Ramakrishnan says they are not against charging Section 153 (A) but the police have to ensure that no innocent is punished. “The situation is so critical that every single issue is dealt on communal lines. Whenever an issue arises, they are not addressing the real problem. Instead, people array themselves on the communal basis and the issue widens beyond control. This has to stop at any cost,’’ he says.

BJP national executive member and former state unit president P S Sreedharan Pillai admits that the violence in Kasargod is communal. “BJP has always stood against Muslim fundamentalist organisations that are working against national interests, but the IUML is yielding to extremist elements. Political parties should set aside their vested interests and support the endeavour for attaining sustained peace in the region,’’ he says.

Source: http://expressbuzz.com/magazine/fundamental-fright/368492.html

Rahul FLOPS, glossy road shows of Priyanka unimpressive : Congress in SAVE RAHUL Mode

Source: News Bharati

New Delhi, March 6: It was a series of mistakes that appeared to have cost the Congress in Uttar Pradesh and the efforts taken by Rahul Gandhi have now confirmed that anyone who wants a sureshot defeat, should bring Rahul for his campaign. Rahul's gimmicks like tearing menifesto of opposition in a public rally have boomranged him.

Rahul's 'Mission UP 2012' collapsed due to off the cuff remarks, controversial comments and raking up of sentimental issues by senior party leaders including Union ministers.

Now after the voters have thrashed congress party In State polls, especially in UP, the congress leaders are in a face-saving effort. Congress leaders are saving their faces and trying to divert media attention from Rahul Gandhi. As per Congress leaders, Rahul has done a ‘wonderful’ job which has not done by any congress kingpin before. The much hype about Rahul’s so called charismatic persona, image of Congress winning factor and Priyanka’s family road show has again hit with the feelings of the people with which the congress scions tried to play.

The state assembly poll results are a stunning blow to Rahul Gandhi who had staked his political future on reviving his party’s fortunes in the populous northern state. When trends were emerging on the result day, Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi told reporters that he does not trust trends and Rahul’s leadership is not weak.

It was a total Gandhi-Vadra Family drama in UP as the grounded Rahul and Highflyer Vadras make impressive appearances before the Media. Those performances made media crazy but it seems that rural Indian ‘Pipli’ is not impressed with the style shows of the Gandhi and Vadras. Addressing a public rally on Valentine’s Day, Priyanka followed up her affectionate gesture with a promise of a gift. “I promise Ma that we will get her all the 10 seats of Rae Bareli and Amethi.”

When, Congress chief Sonia and Priyanka had reached the GIC grounds in a red-white helicopter, the brightness of their blue and red sarees outdone by their smiles. And the Media published pictures of Priyanka pinching her mother Sonia Gandhi’s cheek.

Sonia’s claim that Congress has a history of service to the people has been not taken by the people much seriously.

Now when the UP poll trends were coming out and it was visible that the Congress has been thrown to fourth place in UP elections, UP Congress Chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi immediately announced that Rahul Gandhi was just a star campaigner and she will take responsibility if the Congress loses in the state. Congress leaders are announcing themselves as ‘scapegoats’ to save flop performance of Rahul Gandhi.

Now after the Congress has lost in Goa, UP and Punjab, both  Rahul Gandhi and Digvijay Singh are trying to be ‘smart’ and accepting the defeat.

It was also a Series of mistakes appears to have cost Congress Scion in UP. The statements of Union Minister Salman Khurshid on the Muslim sub-quota issue added fuel to fire, while, at the same time, antagonising the Election Commission. The statements of Union ministers Beni Prasad Verma and Sriprakash Jaiswal did not help matters.

A section of the party contends that the 4.5 per cent reservation for minorities decided by the Congress-led coalition at the Centre just a few days before the announcement of the election schedule did more harm than good for the party.

This section says that detractors of the party were quick to project the move as one detrimental to interests of backward Muslims in U P.

The raking up of the Batla encounter issue by Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh also appeared to have not gone down well with the Muslims. Such statements appeared to have helped the BJP to polarise the voter to a certain extent.

Party leaders insist that sizable support from Muslims in the 2009 elections had ensured the Congress to win as many as 22 Lok Sabha seats giving the first signs of the revival of the organisation in its one-time bastion. But the Muslims may have shifted away this time, they feel.

Congress has been in political wilderness in U P for the past 22 years in the wake of the Mandal and Mandir upsurge.

In almost all of these 22 Lok Sabha seats, Muslim vote was crucial ranging from two to three lakh and in constituencies like Moradabad it was upto six lakh.

The statements by some leaders of likely imposition of President's rule in U P if the Congress failed to get majority created an atmosphere of instability and sent the signal that the party was not confident to form government on its own.

Congress in UP, a section feels, failed to present a united picture in the campaign as leaders started making one upmanship to project themselves as the chiefministerial candidates.

All the speculations about Rahul’s charismatic leadership have come to a halt now. Granny Sonia should now give a serious thought to bring Vadra scions into politics. We are serious Mama!!

 http://en.newsbharati.com//Encyc/2012/3/6/Rahul-FLOPS,-glossy-road-shows-of-Priyanka-unimpressive---Congress-in-SAVE-RAHUL-Mode.aspx?NB=&lang=1&m1=&m2=&p1=&p2=&p3=&p4=

Hindus in Pakistan weeping for Dignity: Pak Human Rights Commission confirms Forcible conversion of Hindu girls on rise

Source: News Bharati

Karachi (Pakistan), March 12: It is now officially confirmed that on an average around 20 to 25 Hindu girls are being forcibly converted to Islam every month in the southern Sindh province of Pakistan. This has been disclosed in a recent report of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). 

In a Press conference at Karachi, helpless Hindu families of victims of forced conversions demanded that their girls should be returned to them.

The issue of Hindu girls being forcibly converted has come to the fore after the case of 18-year-old Rinkle Kumari from Sukkur who has converted and taken the Muslim name of Faryal after marrying a Muslim boy. The family of the girl claims she was kidnapped and forcibly converted even after she appeared in court in Sukkur and claimed she converted out of her own free will.

It was a piteous scene in the Press conference that Rinkle’s inconsolable mother covered her face with a dupatta and was weeping silently.

Amarnath Motumal of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said that within a month 20 forced conversions had taken place. “Apart from minor school girls, married women with children are not spared either,” he said. Urging the authorities to take note of these forced conversions, HRCP officials told reporters on Saturday that culprits were taking advantage of loopholes in the law.

Motumal also pointed out that not only were affected families warned of dire consequences but whenever a Hindu girl or her family appeared in court hundreds of religious zealots gather to pressurise them or they take to the streets as pressure tactics and to create an atmosphere of fear.

The families of Rinkle Kumari were also present at the conference in which her brother Inder said that had she been allowed to meet with her family members privately and even once she would never have converted.

“Despite the President’s orders for the girl’s rescue we are still waiting for something to be done.”

Challenging the claims that the conversions are voluntary and not forced, Amarnath Motumal asked, “Why are Hindu men not converting? Why is it that only young girls of a marriageable age are surfacing in these cases? And if these girls are so keen to convert, why don’t they go to madrassas, learn the religion and then go through with it?”

Motumal raised a logic that, “When a girl is converted, why is she married off immediately?” He further asked that if the girl is converted for the sake of Islam, then why she doesn’t join a madrassa to educate herself and spread knowledge about the religion.

 

The family of Rinkle Kumari, who was allegedly abducted, forced to covert and marry a Muslim, claimed that they are receiving death threats. “Take the case back or we will kill you all,” is the threat the family received on March 8, according to the Rinkle’s brother-in-law Inder Lal. A frustrated Inder Lal said that if Rinkle had converted and married of her own free will, she would have held a press conference immediately after the court’s decision. “For six days, she was quiet. It was only when the issue was raised internationally, that she came in front of the media.”

Notably, after the last court hearing in Sukkur, Rinkle appeared before the media and stated that she was not forced by anyone. But her family has stuck to its stance that Rinkle’s conversion to Islam and her marriage to Naveed Shah was forced.

The family, who are in Karachi for the time being, asked that Rinkle should be taken to ‘Darul Aman’, a neutral place for at least eight days and be allowed to meet her family,.

 “We can’t even sleep at night, wondering whether our kidnapped girls would become suicide bombers or would they be sold off into prostitution,” said Motumal.

Motulal said that the ‘forced conversion’ is not a new practice, claiming that extremists are taking advantage of the religion by preaching at madrassas on how to convert non-Muslims. He further said, “When an underage girl is forced to convert, she is not allowed to meet her family. She is told that the people who gave birth to her and raised her have become Kaafirs,”

The press conference was also attended by the family of 29-year-old Dr Lata Kumari, who was kidnapped on February 28 on her way to the College of Physicians and Surgeons in DHA. Her family alleged that she has been forcibly converted and married to Nadir Baig Dhar, the son of a suspended judge.

Lata’s father, Dr Ramesh Kumar, spoke out against the harsh treatment that the family received in the court on March 7. “The police did not even let us meet Lata at the first hearing of the case and they beat us with sticks,” said Lata’s mother, a hypertension patient. “The kidnappers did not leave burqa-clad Lata alone for even a minute. Nadir and his goons would come in front of me every time I approached her. I could not even look at my daughter properly.”

Kumar said that they knew Nadir from before, claiming that the accused had converted five Hindu girls already. According to Lata’s brother Vishal, Nadir works at the quality assurance department of a motor company.

Kumar alleged that the signature on the documents were not Lata’s. Lata, who has an MBBS degree from Larkana, used to live at the Aga Khan hostel and had worked as a medical researcher,. Two of her siblings are also doctors and live in Hyderabad, while the rest of the family lives in Jacobabad.

It was also informed that  a Hindu girl Asha Devi, who used to work at a beauty parlour, never made it home from work, is been kidnapped and converted.

HRCP’s Badar Soomro condemned the forced conversions of the three per cent minority population in the country. “Why are the extremists after the minorities? Let them live freely.”

Soomro said there was a need to enact new laws to restore a sense of security among the Hindu community. He also said if a girl is kidnapped and her family registers a case she should be kept in a Darul Aman at least for a month before she is produced in court to record her statement.

On March 8, the Supreme Court has directed the Sindh police IG to find Lata, Rinkle and another Hindu girl Pooja Devi, and present them at the next hearing on March 26. 

However, the families were not hopeful. “They [the courts] record statements under section 164 and then the girl are sent immediately with the criminals,” said Motumal. “She is given no time to think about her decision or talk to her family.” He suggested that the court should give such girls a week’s time to make up their mind, while they stay at the Darul Aman with their mother.

It’s becoming worst and worst for Hindu families to live with dignity in Pakistan. It is surprising and strange all time furious Human Rights activists or crazy Media in India has kept a complete silence on the issue that Hindu girls are being converted and married to a Muslim.

It might be because such cases happen in India also. What’s new in that?

http://en.newsbharati.com//Encyc/2012/3/12/Hindus-in-Pakistan-weeping-for-Dignity--Pak-Human-Rights-Commission-confirms-Forcible-conversion-of-Hindu-girls-on-rise.aspx?NB=&lang=1&m1=&m2=&p1=&p2=&p3=&p4=&NewsMode=int

Grim fate of minorities in Pakistan: Hindu Girls Abducted and Forced into Muslim Marriages, Who Cares?

Source: News Bharati

Karachi, March 1: Minorities in Islam dominant Nations like Pakistan and Bangladesh are seems to be in a severe crisis of being victims of violation of their basic Human Rights. After recent arson attacks on Hindu Loknath temple in Bangladesh, now the Pakistan is being accused worldwide for not protecting the human rights of its minorities. And it is more serious as the cases of abduction of Hindu girls and their forced Muslim marriages in Pakistan are being traumatising the Hindu community in Pakistan.

IRIN – standing for Integrated Regional Information Networks, has unearthed the issue of abduction of Hindu girls and their forced Muslim marriages in Pakistan.  

Former Radha was abducted and forced to marry some Ahmed Salim and now became Ameena. Sixteen-year-old Ameena Ahmed, now living in the town of Rahim Yar Khan in Pakistan’s Punjab Province, does not always respond when her mother-in-law calls out to her. “Even after a year of `marriage’ I am not used to my new name. I was called Radha before,” she told IRIN on a rare occasion when she was allowed to go to the corner shop on her own to buy vegetables.

Ameena, or Radha as she still calls herself, was abducted from Karachi about 13 months ago by a group of young men who offered her ice-cream and a ride in their car. Before she knew what was happening, she was dragged into a larger van, and driven to an area she did not know.

She was then pressured into signing forms which she later found meant she was married to Ahmed Salim, 25; she was converted to a Muslim after being asked to recite some verses in front of a cleric. She was obliged to wear a veil. Seven months ago, Ameena, who has not seen her parents or three siblings since then and “misses them a lot”, moved with her new family to southern Punjab.

Amarnath Motumal, a lawyer and leader of Karachi’s Hindu community says that the abduction and kidnapping of Hindu girls is becoming more and more common. “This trend has been growing over the past four or five years, and it is getting worse day by day”, tells Amarnath.  

He said there were at least 15-20 forced abductions and conversions of young girls from Karachi each month, mainly from the multi-ethnic Lyari area. The fact that more and more people were moving to Karachi from the interior of Sindh Province added to the dangers, as there were now more Hindus in Karachi, he said.

“They come to search for better schooling, for work and to escape growing extremism,” said Motumal who believes Muslim religious schools are involved in the conversion business.

“Hindus are non-believers. They believe in many gods, not one, and are heretics. So they should be converted,” said Abdul Mannan, 20, a Muslim student. He said he would be willing to marry a Hindu girl, if asked to by his teachers, “Because conversions brought big rewards from Allah [God]. But later I will marry a `real’ Muslim girl as my second wife,” he said.

According to local law, a Muslim man can take more than one wife, but rights activists argue that the law infringes the rights of women and needs to be altered.

Motumal says Hindu organizations are concerned only with the “forced conversion” of girls under 18.

Sunil Sushmt, 40, who lives in a village close to the city of Mirpurkhas in central Sindh Province, said his 14-year-old daughter was “lured away” by an older neighbour and, her parents believe, forcibly converted after marriage to a Muslim. “She was a child. What choice did she have?” her father asked. He said her mother still cries for her “almost daily” a year after the event.

Sushmat is also concerned about how his daughter is being treated. “We know many converts are treated like slaves, not wives,” he said.

According to official figures, Hindus based mainly in Sindh make up 2 percent of Pakistan’s total population of 165 million. “We believe this figure could be higher,” Motumal said.

According to media reports, a growing number of Hindus have been fleeing Pakistan, mainly for neighbouring India. The kidnapping of girls and other forms of persecution is a factor in this, according to those who have decided not to stay in the country any longer.

Parvati Devi, 70 expresses her concerns saying that “My family has lived in Sindh for generations,”. “But now I worry for the future of my granddaughters and their children. Maybe we too should leave,” she said. “The entire family is seriously considering this.”

In November 2011 USCIRF found that textbooks used in Pakistani primary and secondary schools foster prejudice and intolerance of religious minorities, especially Hindus and Christians. Such intolerant references are not restricted to Islamic studies textbooks, they are found in both early elementary and more advanced social studies texts used by all public school students, including non-Muslims.

In December 2011, a group of Pakistani Hindus have urged the Indian government to grant them either refugee status or citizenship, claiming that they are not treated well in their home country.

In January 2012, Hindus in Pakistan claimed that that their numbers are marginalised because Hindu girls are being kidnapped, converted to Islam and forcibly married to Muslim men.

Why the Teestas, Rajdeeps and who not, cry for those minority Hindu families which are humiliated daily in Pakistan by the radical Muslim fundamentalists.

Who cares?

 http://en.newsbharati.com//Encyc/2012/3/1/Grim-fate-of-minorities-in-Pakistan--Hindu-Girls-Abducted-and-Forced-into-Muslim-Marriages,-Who-Cares-.aspx?NB=&lang=1&m1=&m2=&p1=&p2=&p3=&p4=&NewsMode=int

Forced Conversions of Hindu Girls in Pakistan: Pakistan Govt playing blind Dhritarashtra and Pak Media posing Duryodhana

Source: News Bharati

Karachi, March 5: There is no protector for the Religious rights of Hindus in Pakistan in the cases of   ‘Forced Conversions’ of Hindu Girls in Pakistan. Hindus in Pakistan have demanded immediate action against forced conversions of Hindu girls in Pakistan. The leaders of the Pakistan Hindu Council appealed to the Pakistan government at a press conference on Thursday, to take action against forced conversions of Hindu girls to Islam in rural Sindh.

The council’s women wing president, Mangla Sharma, spoke on the alleged abduction of Rinkle Kumari, a 17-year-old Hindu from Mirpur Mathelo, who converted to Islam and got married to a Muslim boy, Naveed Shah, on February 24. Sharma claimed that the girl was forced to convert. “We want the government to hand the girl over to her parents as per her request.” Sharma said that the community has not objected to other cases of marriages between Hindu girls and Muslim boys as they were free-will unions. She alleged that during the judicial hearing, Rinkle was forced to change her statement.

On Sunday, prominent members of Hindu community in Kareach, took out a rally and staged demonstration outside the press club in Pannu Aqil on Sunday against the alleged kidnapping and forceful conversion of Rinkle Kumari who was named Faryal.

It is unfortunate that the Pakistan Government is playing blind on these issues but more surprisingly media in Pakistan is publishing biased and one-sided news on the issue of forced conversion. The immature and regressive media of Pakistan is publishing the news saying that the rally of Hindu community was attended by only a ‘Dozen’ Hindus and that the Hindu girl is not ‘kidnapped’ but ‘eloped’ with the Muslim boy.

It is interesting to see how the Pakistan Media has showcased a ‘fundamentalist’ and ‘anti-human rights’ mindset about the issues related to the Minorities in Pakistan.

In any democratic country the Media plays a vital role in creating, molding and reflecting public opinion. Over the years the Media has acquired the status of "Fourth Estate" as it was aptly described by the British politician Edmund Burke. Its seems that the Pakistan Media has not yet became matured to play ‘its’ role of ‘social engineer’ and is reflecting the views of its majority populace which follows Islam and fundamentalism.

Pakistan’s ‘leading’ Newspaper ‘The Express Tribune’ has reported the news in a totally biased manner. Its use of words expresses all. In its news story published on 4 March, the The Express Tribune’ reports that, ‘Faryal and Naveed Ahmed Shah fell in love, eloped  and went to Daharki to Mian Mohammad Aslam of Bharchoondi Sharif. However, nineteen-year-old Faryal’s father, Nand Lal, had told the Mirpur Mathelo police that she was kidnapped by Shah, who lived in Sufi Mohallah.

Mian Mohammad Aslam, the son of Pakistan People’s Party MNA Mian Abdul Haq had said that the couple had visited him on Friday and the girl had expressed her desire to convert to Islam and marry Shah. Aslam informed the girl’s father and asked him to meet his daughter to confirm her wishes.

The couple was taken to the Dargah Aalia Qadria Bharchoondi Sharif where she had embraced Islam. Pir Mian Abdul Hayee alias Mian Shaman had solemnised the nikkah. Mirpur Mathelo DSP Syed Abbas Shah was informed about the marriage.”

'The Express Tribune’ has not once used the Faryal’s real hindu name which is ‘Rinkle Kumari’.

The Media is trying to hide the fact that there were scores of Hindus who came together at the Karachi Press Club to protest against the kidnapping and forced conversion of Faryal. The family accused that Aslam had backed the forceful conversion of Rinkle Kumari to Islam and marriage to Shah, a supporter of the MNA. Wearing black armbands, the protestors – members of Hindu, Christian and Sikh communities – chanted slogans against the trend of forceful conversion of young girls.

Daya Ram, Kumari’s relative, said, “We want the girl to be produced in the court again. Earlier when the court took decision in her case, they did not allow her parents to be present there.” He added, “The girl said that she wanted to go with her parents, but the court did not decide in her favour.” The enraged community said that they won’t stop protesting till she is handed back to her parents.

They appealed the Supreme Court of Pakistan to take suo  moto notice of this incident and demanded for a fair trial.

Meanwhile, the Hindu community rally was led by writers SG Bhagia and Raj Kumar Lakhwani. The protestors were demonstrating on the streets from Bhelar Road and shouting slogans against the government gathered outside the press club.

Talking to the journalists, the leaders strongly condemned what they declared an act of kidnapping and forceful conversion of Kumari, daughter of Nand Lal.

They said, “We are a peaceful community and do not have a tribal backing, therefore we are are considered to be soft targets.”

The protestors blamed that the Pirs of Bharchoondi Sharif pressurised the girl to convert to Islam and marry Shah. They said that even when she was produced in the court for recording her statement, dozens of armed men from Bharchoondi Sharif had gathered outside the courtroom, which according to them, was a pressure building tactic.

Hindu leaders told reporters that hundreds of Hindu families have migrated to India, because of the crimes against them. They demanded of the government to provide protection to the Hindu community to dispel the sense of deprivation and insecurity prevailing in the community.

The rising cases of forceful conversions of Hindu girls to Islam are clearly indicative of serious violation of Human Rights of the minorities in Pakistan. If the Pakistan Human Rights Commission, Pakistan Government and Pakistan Media are failing to perform their duties, it is the time that, the International community and Human Rights organizations should initiate their actions for the amnesty of Hindu community of Pakistan.

 http://en.newsbharati.com//Encyc/2012/3/5/Forced-Conversions-of-Hindu-Girls-in-Pakistan--Pakistan-Govt-playing-blind-Dhritarashtra-and-Pak-Media-posing-Duryodhana.aspx?NB=&lang=1&m1=&m2=&p1=&p2=&p3=&p4=&NewsMode=int

Misuse Of Foreign Funds For Anti India Activities: Do We Really Care?

Source: News Bharati

New Delhi, March 2: We never expected but Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has got one stand right. At last, he has initiated the issue of the NGOs which receive foreign funds and misuse it against developmental activities.

Recently, Prime minister stated that, “American NGOs are funding the protests that hold India back from building the nuclear reactors it needs to meet fast-growing energy needs”. Dr. Manmohan Singh said this in an interview published in Science magazine on Friday, 17 February. Among the plants suffering delays is the Kudankulam power station, which was due to open last year. Progress on the reactor has been halted by protesters over safety fears.

Prime Minister has said that, “The atomic energy programme has got into problems because these NGOs, mostly I think based in the United States, don't appreciate the need for our country to increase the energy supply”. Prime Minister also blamed protests against genetically modified crops on groups he said were funded from the United States and Scandinavian countries.

After Prime Ministers verbal attack on NGOs and misuse of foreign funds, a debate has started in India. The Bharatiya Janata Party has demanded that the Centre come out with a ‘white paper’ on the issue of non-governmental organizations getting foreign funds and “working against public interest.”

 

Misuse of foreign funds against National Interest is not a new concept. Entire Catholic mission has propelled its Conversion movement entirely on foreign funds. Some so called and self proclaimed Rights activists have gain name and fame on such foreign funds working relentlessly against the nations interest.

The latest report of the Home Ministry showed that more than Rs10,000 crore was sent to India during 2009-2010, mostly from the USA and Europe to NGOs in India. The report says that while it is not proper to make sweeping generalisations, it is necessary to note that the NGO sector in India is vulnerable to the risks of money laundering and terrorist financing. “Therefore, necessary steps for rigorous enforcement as well as coordination with foreign countries for law enforcement will continue. Our efforts for coordination with State police organisations and other specialised organisations will also continue towards this direction,” the report said.

The report, approved by Union Home Secretary RK Singh in January 2012, revealed that major donors from abroad and receivers in India are Christian Missionaries and Church-sponsored NGOs. “The list of foreign donors is topped by the Gospel For Asia Inc of the USA (Rs232.71 crore) followed by Fundacion Vicente Ferrer, Barcelona, Spain (Rs228.60 crore) and the World Vision Global Centre of the USA (Rs197.62 crore),” said the report of Home Ministry on foreign contribution and regulation for the period of year 2009-2010.

These three are evangelical organisations. The fourth largest donor, Compassion International, is also from the US (Rs131.57 core) and belongs to the same category.

The India Today, in its story ‘Freelancers of God - Independent churches mushroom across India attracting foreign funds’ (published on 9 May 2011) has given an account of indian Christian missionaries who are propelling their ‘work’ to convert Hindus to Christianity with the help of foreign funds.

The India Today story says that, “The preachers are not trained in theology. They often play with the sentiments of people and lure them with incentives and create communal tension. Most new pastors work among Dalits in the region. They also widely use faith-healing methods, which are not popular among mainstream churches. Political parties such as the Congress and the Akali Dal have refused to make conversions a controversy and the VHP and Bajrang Dal have accused both parties of playing to the Christian vote bank.”

Senior French journalist and writer Francois Gautier reveals in his article that, “The foreign funds sent for Gospel cause has a huge but obscure impact. Out of seven states in North East India four have absolute control of the Church. Most of the North East subversive groups / Terrorist outfits including Maoists have definite connection with Evangelical groups. 45% of non-arab foreign funds coming to India are utilized through Churches for conversion and camouflaging services, while 40% Arab foreign funds are coming to boost up Jihad and Islamic services. Christian Fathers and nuns are living most lavish life in India by utilizing the money collected from overseas in the name of service to the poor people of the third world.”

 

Francois Gautier has busted the myths of the so called ‘social and human rights activists like Medha patkar. In his article ‘The Truth about Medha Patkar’, Gautier has given a reference of letter of Dr Urmilaben Patel, member of the Congress Working Committee, written to Shri Pranab Mukherjee, Minister for External Affairs. Patel wrote that, “You are kindly aware, that Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) headed by Medha Patkar is actively involved in opposing all hydro projects in India. I have recently received material which I find quite disturbing. I specifically draw your attention into the message of Ms. Patkar using the words of "pressurizing the UPA government", and "honouring" a Supreme Court Judge for a favourable verdict, as is explicit in the emails.”

Gautier gives details of exchange of confidential emails between Patkar and Patrick McCully, Ex. Director, International Rivers Network (IRN) based at Berkeley (United States). This mail conversation exposes how Patkar ‘reports’ to Patrick every details of the case and which Judge ‘favoured’ her and should be ‘honoured’ at a function in London.

Gautier writes, “She also sends a soft copy of the judgment and the profiles of Justice C K Thakker and Justice Altamas Kabir. Patrick reverts on July 17 congratulating Patkar, and suggesting that five or six people associated with managing "this verdict" be honoured at a function in London (UK). The mail says: "...We must honour Judge Kabir for supporting you. Please explore the possibility. He will retire in 2013 - a very useful man for your future battles.”

It might be mentioned that the verdict was written by hon'ble Justice Kabir, says Gautier. No need to explain more on this nexus and face off of Medha Patkar. It seems that Patkar has received several international awards for fighting ‘battle’ for unknown foreign hands. India populace is totally ignorant about these kinds of facts.

 

It is always demanded to inspect the income source of the infamous Teesta Setalvad and her NGO ‘Citizen for Justice and Peace’. Teesta Setalvad is always been in clouds of mystery for her activities and how she raised funds for her NGO and how does she managed expenses of providing legal help and from which source, she got money to lure witnesses for the cases against Narendra Modi in Gujarat riots. Her bank statements with specific details are out suggesting how Setalvad allegedly used money to buy witnesses and how through manipulative activities, false submission before different probe panels and courts were allegedly filed. Again the pointer turns to the source of foreign funds. But no one wants make understand the fact.

 

No scope for Indian Media to escape in case of foreign funding issue. Gospels of Charity in Spain, Southern Baptist Church, World Christian Council, St. Peters Pontifical Church Melbourne, Joshua Society, Berne , Switzerland are some of the sponsorers which funds major Indian Media which ‘speaks for’ secularism and human rights in India. 

The analysis of the Home Ministry’s 42-page report shows that 14,233 NGOs received foreign contribution of Rs10,337.59 crore. The biggest fund inflow to NGOs has come from the USA (Rs3,105.73 crore) followed by Germany (Rs1,046.30 crore) and the UK (Rs1,038.68 crore). These three countries have topped in the donors’ list of Home Ministry for many years.

As per the report, most the funding has been generated from Christian missionaries of USA, Germany and UK and the donor missionaries have also formed their Indian subsidiaries. The other toppers come from Italy (Rs583.47 crore), the Netherlands (Rs509.46 crore), Spain (Rs437.25 crore) Switzerland (Rs302.06 crore), Canada (Rs297.98 crore), France (Rs189.12 crore) and Australia (Rs148.28). The eleventh big donor to Indian NGOs is from UAE with Rs133.15 crore.

According to MHA figures, the funding for Christian mission agencies has shown a regular increase. Also, over 80 percent of the voluntary organisations receiving foreign funds are Christian Mission agencies. “The highest amount of foreign contribution was received by the World Vision of India, Chennai, Tamil Nadu (Rs 208.94 crore).

The Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) was passed in 1976. This act regulates receipt of funds by non-governmental organisations (NGOs). It is managed by the Union ministry of home affairs. It is very easy for the Home Ministry to track the foreign funds and their channels in the country.

Prime minister’s remarks have sparked the battle against the Misuse of Foreign Funds for anti India activities. This battle should continue and each individual, organization should be made answerable for the source and its expenses.

 http://en.newsbharati.com//Encyc/2012/3/2/Misuse-Of-Foreign-Funds-For-Anti-India-Activities--Do-We-Really-Care-.aspx?NB=&lang=1&m1=&m2=&p1=&p2=&p3=&p4=&NewsMode=int

Uttar Pradesh voter Packs off (white) Elephants

The five states assembly elections have thrown in some interesting & shocking results. The shocker evidently came from the state of Uttar Pradesh. A clear mandate of 224 seats to the Yadav father - son duo was predicted by another Yadav in Yogendra from CSDS. Yogendra predicted a 232 seats minimum for SP and it has come true to the disappointment of the incumbent government of Mayawati of BSP. The two national parties congress & the BJP have fallen flat. The last two mandates clearly indicate that the two national parties are no more relevant players in UP politics.

In the run upto the UP elections the media was occupied with stories of Rahul Gandhi & his new image as a tough young leader making inroads into the UP electorate. The media gave a thumps up to Rahul & his brand of politics & expected congress to do well this time. In the middle of the seven phase polling Rahul Gandhi invited editors of MSM for an "Off the record" briefing on his campaign. Post this famous episode we saw a media course correction in their narrative. Out of the blue Rahul was no more the angry young man but it was Akhilesh Yadav who was hogging the limelight as new hope of UP and probably the next CM of UP. And the results did come in favor of Akhilesh Yadav. Now what did Rahul tell the editors & why the media narrative changed after that is for the conspiracy theorists to explore :). What is interesting is that this is by far the best result a party has had since the BJP victory in the 90's. For the Samajwadi Party which came into existance in 1992 this is their best outing ever in UP. I wish & hope the father - son duo give a better governance this time around unlike the previous governments of theirs which is known for complete lawlessness.

For Mayawati this result must have taken her by surprise. She was battling anti incumbency but coming down to 80 seats from 206 was indeed a bad fall. She had done well for her own Dalit constituency but neglected the other social groups who were instrumental in getting her the 206 seats in 2007. Looking back she must be wondering if she could have refrained from those statue parks & did some good work for the other social groups who supported her in 2007. But now its too late and people of UP have clearly told her to park her Elephant in her own backyard. Well for the two national parties it was a disastrous outing. The results of Amethi & Rae Barelli shows the end of Nehru family clout in their backyard. The congress paraded the complete family in their home constituencies for an assembly polls, shows their confidence in the heir apparent. Rahul has never won an election for his party. He tried his best in Bihar & was shunned by the people there. In UP he has been shown the door twice now. By rejecting the Nehru Dynasty in the assembly polls the people of UP have taken the first for the much needed change in congress and the country as a whole. Will they repeat the same in the general elections in 2014 is a million dollar question worth waiting.

In 2007 post assembly elections it was widely believed by many that the BJP cannot do worse than what it had done then by getting a mere 51 seats. The part had enough time to rebuild & win back its votes/ base by working at grass roots level for full 5years. The bigwigs of BJP instead of doing that were busy playing power games sitting in Delhi. In June 2011 the realisation struck to them and they parachuted Uma Bharti & Sanjay Joshi to UP in the run upto the 2012 polls. At that time i had written a blog post if this could be the "Nemesis" for Nitin Gadkari. Unfortunately it does seems so now. Uma Bharati could win her seat in which she contested but could not translate her persona into votes as expected. Sanjay Joshi remained below the radar and the result remained below par. The heavy weights in UP like Rajnath, Kalraj, President Sahi, Tandon, Katiyar AND many more have come a cropper again. The loss of Ayodhya constituency in this elections signifies the end of Lotus clout among hindu community in UP. When Nitin Gadkari took over as the president of BJP, the first task he assigned himself was to improve the vote share of the BJP state wide and nationally. But going by the last few elections in states the BJP is losing its vote share barring one wonderful performance by Manohar Parikkar ji in Goa this time. There is complete disconnect between the party president, the BJP Delhi leaders & the grass roots. Kushwaha is one such example/experiment which failed because the leadership did not respect the local leaders like Yogi.

For second time on succession the people of UP have given a strong message to BJP. The Delhi bosses dont seem to get & Nagpur as always maintains its connectivity with the party through a few select individuals. There is need to change this power structure in BJP immediately. Nagpur needs to take some tough decisions. The Delhi power club wings need to clipped in the first place. The contributions of leaders like Rajnath,Kalraj,Ananth Kumar and a few more is well known to every cadre & sympathiser of BJP. Nagpur should take the initiative to gracefully retire the deadwood. They have outlived their utility by a long distance & are now hurting the prospects & the very entity of BJP as a national party. Post UP results the party looks like a glorified version of regional party & not a national party anymore. The media 's hatred for BJP is a well known fact but the Delhi power club is not helping it by sending its sub standard spokespersons for prime time debates which are conducted by channels with a clear modus operandi to show the party & sangh in poor light. The idea of NDA allaince also has outlived its utility. The BJP needs a strong course correction and will need to take some tough decisions ASAP. There is no point in appointing good president who cannot override the tall leaders of Delhi who dictate terms per their agenda & not per party needs.

The people of UP have told Mayawati to keep her Elephant in her backyard for now , but for BJP they have sent a strong message "To pack off the white Elephants" by giving them a lesser vote share than what the party got in 2007.

The people of UP have told Mayawati to keep her Elephant in her backyard for now , but for BJP they have sent a strong message "To pack off the white Elephants" by giving them a lesser vote share than what the party got in 2007. For any National party to come to power in Delhi it will need to get a good chunk of numbers from UP, from the current verdict it looks like BJP is long long way away from reaching Delhi.

Author : Naveen Gnosis | Follow the writer on twitter.com/emanin
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Disclaimer: The author is a commentator on issues of national interest. These are his personal views and do not necessarily reflect IBTL's opinion.

 http://www.ibtl.in/news/opinion/1785/uttar-pradesh-voter-packs-off-white-elephants