Tackling Terrorism: One Step at a Time
This is probably a less lucid post than most of what I write…In spite of that it has taken me a very long time to draft this.
Last Sunday, after hearing of the blasts in Ahmedabad, I asked myself…what would I have done? What should the Government do? What can we do…as concerned, anxious and angry citizens?
I decided not to write anything more about the attacks until I had some idea of the answers to this questions…This post is an attempt in that direction…It mainly deals with what the government should do/ or consider doing…I may decide to write a separate post on what each one of us, as proud “Bharatiyas”, can do…
The suggestions are organised in different sections (in no particular order):
The Political Will
Effective Policing and Intelligence Coordination
The role of the “middle class”
The role of the Muslim community
The role of Pakistan
Better Legislation
The Ideological Challenge
The ideas I have mentioned below are not all mine – they rely heavily on work and thinking done by others, more experienced and better informed than me…What I have attempted is to bring these ideas together – in a coherent, mostly consistent, way. I will be grateful for any critiques…Please contribute freely with your ideas and suggestions…
Jai Hind.
Tackling Terrorism: One Step at a Time
The Political Will
Our biggest weakness in this war is the lack of political will…No amount of proposals, ideas and counter-terrorist measures will work unless there is a clear, unambiguous and determined consensus – across all parties – at all levels – that this is WAR and it has to be fought with the same intensity and sense of urgency…The time for patting ourselves on the back about the “Spirit of Mumbai” (or Bengaluru or Ahmedabad) is past…
Political Will means bringing pressure on Pakistan …or as Ashutosh memorably mentioned in his comment on this blog, “turning on the heat“…It necessarily involves retaliation – something which NSA M K Narayanan hinted at a few weeks ago (after the attack on the Indian Embassy in Kabul)…It is time to follow-up on these statements…For more than a decade, we have been crying hoarse about terrorist camps and support infrastructure across the border…Well, THIS is the time to do something about it…
As Raja Ram mentioned in his comment following the Mumbai Blasts:
…The GOI has to present the evidence gathered publicly, set forth a clear demand for actions from governments – or agencies of governments – that may be involved with a clear time frame. This should be backed up with a clear promise of retributive action against the perpetrators with or without their support. International support for such should be channelised and developed.
…But this can happen only when the political class has the clarity of mind about dealing with terror in that manner. There are consequences to such actions that we must be ready to face. The political class, mind you is a creature of the people. The people should not only be ready to back them but demand such action from the political class and only then will they respond. Till that happens, concerned Indians can pull their hair and whack their heads – not much is going to come out of it. India will just have to take it in her stride yet again and fight on alone. There is no support for India in her war on terror. What is available is only meaningless platitudes.
The PM needs to get up and say, as did Tony Blair last June: “…This extremism can be defeated. But it will be defeated only by recognising that we have not created it; it cannot be negotiated with; pandering to its sense of grievance will only encourage it; and only by confronting it, the methods and the ideas, will we win.â€
The President, Chief Commander of the Armed Forces needs to declare: India will not negotiate with terrorists… And every political party – and their leaders in Parliament – need to unequivocally support this stance…otherwise there is little hope.
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Effective Policing and Intelligence Coordination
Effective policing and follow-up prosecution are vital tools in this fight…Unfortunately so far “effective policing” in India (in the context of terrorist attacks) has come to mean a few arrests some days after the blasts, a possible ban on some organisations and almost complee lack of any follow-up after that…It is terribly sad that even after so many years, not one suspect has been convicted of any of these attacks – with the exception, of course, of Afzal Guru (which is another story in itself).
There has to be better policing, more effective evidence gathering and better prosecution otherwise you will continue to have questions raised on the government’s motives such as the recent observation of Justice Geeta Mittal on the government’s ban on SIMI:
“What precluded the government from stating the facts? You have to satisfy the tribunal about the sufficiency of the reason behind issuing a fresh notification (on the ban),” Justice Mittal said.
We urgently need a framework to coordinate actions at the national level…to share information, intelligence and evidence…to ensure coordinated rapid response to such attacks…and to ensure that the left hand knows what the right is doing…This is nothing new…It has been suggested by numerous commentators over the last several years…What it needs is just one thing – Political Will…which sort of takes us back to square one.
Prax on Nita’s blog mentioned how the police force has been thoroughly and systematically demoralised and de-motivated:
Mumbai police’s sharpshooter squad and their khabri network or the humanint part has been dismantled with its officers and most officers are dragged to court – The ATS is a joke and the biggest cops was allegedly a benami builder – cid posts are punishment postings and politicians call on shots on which fav cop will become a dcp – now what should one expect?
Most cops only know eating tobacco and doing bandobast or nakabandi – and threatening decent civilians – while having a good rapport with the areas history sheaters – lest any one of them becomes a politician!
And it is important – no, critical – that the police are allowed to do their job without political interference breathing down their collars… If more Muslims are detained for questioning than Hindus, there should not be a dharna against “human rights abuse by police” or police high-handedness… If more Muslims are questioned, it is not because someone is out to get them, but because the odds are heavily stacked in favour of the terrorist being a disgruntled/angry/fanatic Muslim than a Parsi.
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The role of the “middle-class”
The middle-class (that includes me) has a role to play too…and I don’t mean writing occasional articles (such as this) on blogs, newspapers or letters to the editor. We – each one of us – need to understand what we are up against and realise that some hard (and harsh steps) will be necessary…This would certainly involve increased surveillance and a possible intrusion on civic liberties…But such measures are essential in times of war… and make no mistake, this IS war.
Reality Check mentioned on his blog: “(Terrorism) to become a central election issue”…and the only way it will happen is when the middle class that “has been compacted to irrelevance makes itself relevant again…
Offstumped called for a National Satyagraha against Terrorism and 3 specific ideas:
- Make Terror victims the face of this War on Terror by creating a platform that brings all terror victims together and their cry for justice.
- Shame the Congress Leadership with unrelenting bombardment. Flood them with phone calls, snail mail and email
- Turnout the Vote Campaign to motivate every middle class household with a direct stake in the new economoy to turnout and vote in large numbers in favor of a sustained War on Terror.Â
Ramesh suggested making our displeasure known via an open letter. I am sure there are a lot of other ideas out there…The main thing is that something needs to be done…beyond merely cursing the powers that be.
And then there is the task of dispelling the myths and shaping public discourse…(including challenging euphemisms such as “militants“) A good example is the current prevailing myth of anti-minorityism. Neo-experts claim that Muslim backwardness and poverty drives them to extremism. This is simply not true… and is it not a bit rich to talk about anti-minorityism (against Muslims) after what happened in Amarnath.
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The role of the Muslim community
This is a taboo subject in Indian media and in any sensible discussion on how to tackle terrorism. It is the equivalent of the “Elephant in the Room“. Over the last few days, I read numerous articles and Op-Ed pieces on what the government’s response to terror should be. I don’t recall anyone suggesting that the Muslim community must have a role to play in this too…Whether we like it or not (and whether we are willing to openly say this or not), ALL these attacks have been carried out by jihadis in the name of “Islam” and “Allah”. How can we be blind to this? And how can we easily dismiss them as some misguided youth? Misguided they certainly are…but not in their own minds…and this is where Muslim community leaders and Maulvis need to show their leadership and clarity of thought…There is a need to unequivocally condemn terrorism – and that does not mean issuing fatwas. Deoband needs to go beyond this…
Don’t forget that all these “sleeper cells” that are mysteriously activated do need to “sleep” somewhere…and they need to eat…and they need support to carry off what they do…Who is behind them? Who offers them shelter? Who offers them support, logistics, lines of communication? Do we really believe that this happens in isolation? in a vacuum?
It does not…There is a need to say this …and for the community to respond to this…How else can/will they avoid being suspected merely because of their religion?
As Firoz Bakht Ahmed wrote in the The Pioneer “Terrorists don’t deserve mercy“Â Â
The Students Islamic Movement of India, Shahi Imam Bukhari, fanatics in Coimbatore and Maharashtra, the calls for jihad and the distribution of inflammatory posters have enraged middle class Hindus. Minor issues, like a few Muslim leaders opposing the singing of the Vande Mataram on national occasions, adds fuel to fire. The situation gets aggravated because moderate and secular Muslims, who are in a majority, do not get involved in their community’s civic affairs.
Time and again, Muslim leaders and intellectuals have failed in this…Instead of putting out lame statements requesting not to give a “communal” colour to the tragedy, they must face the truth…The tragedy IS communal. It does not need any more colour. The only way to remove that tag is to be unequivocal and clear about certain issues. As Salim Mansur said in “We Muslims Have Work To Do:
This sense of isolation, of being misrepresented and misunderstood, will inevitably deepen as the full story unfolds of the arrests of 17 Toronto-area Muslims on terrorism charges.
But whose fault is this? Let us, Muslims, be brutally honest….
We preach tolerance yet we are intolerant. We demand inclusion, yet we practise exclusion of gender, of minorities, of those with whom we disagree.
We repeat endlessly that Islam is a religion of peace, yet too many of us display conduct contrary to what we profess.
We keep assuring ourselves and others that Muslims who violate Islam are a minuscule minority, yet we fail to hold this minority accountable in public.
For more on how there was major local involvement and logistical support for the attacks in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad, read this and this. Â
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The role of Pakistan
The Islamabad connection to the blasts in Ahmedabad and Benagaluru has surfaced even before the ashes of the unfortunate victims have cooled down. This rediff story quotes an IB official and mentions not only the two suspects who are believed to have a hand in these attacks but also mentions where they live! Not that this is NEWS to any serious observer of terrorism over the last few years…
Time and again, Indian officials and even the government have mentioned Pakistan’s name in connection with terrorist attacks in India and abroad (e.g. in the attack in Kabul). Yet we continue to maintain “cordial” relations with this prickly neighbour…Is it too much to expect at least some retaliatory measures? At the very least, should we not orchestrate international pressure on Pakisan to cooperate with us in hunting down terrorist suspects and criminals such as Dawood Ibrahim?
I will not say more on this particular aspect but for those who are keen to delve deeper, I would suggest the discussion forums on Bharat-Rakshak as an excellent place to begin.
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Better Legislation
I will not dwell here on the merits or demerits of POTA…Others far more knowledgeable than me, have discussed this subject widely. I believe there is widespread agreement that the present provisions are inadequate to deal with the scale of the problem we face today…
There is also need for secondary legislation, such as the one suggested by S.Sundararaman on Offstumped’s blog:
…What we need is a law to deal with terrorism, whereby all those who knew of the plot and who remained silent like sabeel of glasgow bombing and those who actively support the terrorist operation should be stripped of citizenship and citizenship rights. consequently their residence, employment etc., should be subject to constant surveillance. They would not be eligible for any government benefits. All their assets shall stand confiscated. They can be given option to choose any other country to emigrate and their passport on emigration should be cancelled.
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The Ideological Challenge
Finally, the ideological battle must be fought…At the root of all these attacks is the chilling ideology of Islamism and the fanatic agenda of Islamists who are bent on imposing their version of Islam on the whole world and get it rid of all Kaffirs and infidels…I have talked about this issue on my blog on numerous occassions… e.g. see Will the Darul Uloom now declare war on “Islamismâ€? and How do you distinguish between an Islamist and a Muslim?.
Sadly, the mainstream media prefers to ignore this aspect and pretends it is not a problem at all…Unfortunately a large section of (otherwise politically astute) commentators and observers share this view too…
I think unless this ideology is challenged headlong in an open and public debate, we will continue to believe that terrorists are merely some misguided youth and their acts are merely “reaction” to some real or imagined grievances. Tellingly, almost none of the press reports mentioned this last sentence from the email sent to media outlets just before the blasts: “We the terrorists of India – the Indian Mujahideen – the militia of Islam whose each and every Mujahid belongs to this very soil of India, have returned to execute the compulsion of Allah“
The important – and this is critical – thing is not to direct our anger against Indian Muslims…Although the community does share some responsibility for what has happened, if we start painting the whole population as suspect, that would not just be wrong but plain dumb stupid. As Vishwakarma said in a comment on “Bharat-Rakshak”:
Focus shouldn’t be on screwing misguided Indian muslims. Thats what ISI wants us to do. ISI’s new strategy is to transfer this terrorism war onto out territory, so hindu’s take up fight against muslims within India.
Focus should be to hit the ISI on its home-ground and that is, Pakistan.
Lets not loose focus. Hit the terrorist “in their home”. Fight with them “on their land”. Thats what our strategy should be.
I need not say anything more.
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Related Posts:
The nonsense about the “spirit of Mumbaiâ€â€¦Â
Four Years, Two Attacks, One StoryÂ
Blasts? What Blasts?�Yeh to hota hi rahta haiÂ
Another day, another blast – “Kuch nayee baat batao yaarâ€Â
This article might be relevant:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?pageId=70673
Unless people shun extremist ideologies and intolerance towards other faiths, this problem will never go away.
Dear Sir,
The above post is very objective and analytical. I think that you could have added one more aspect, which is that of the role of the western powers.
The deep idealogical difference between Islam and Hinduism is well known, but the deepening of the gorge can be seen from the encouragement the western powers give to these differences.
The western powers mainly dominated by the evangilists are livid at the Indian Hindu populace that they have been able to sustain the onslaught of the western money power the western media power all these years even with some of the governments, state and central in active collaboration with these evangilists.
The main evbangilist power which is the US has acted in the most despicable way towards Shri. Modi with respect to the visa episode. They dealt with the visa of the Venezualan president Chavez, badly when he wanted to address the UN as a President of an independent nation in the UN.
Did anybody question the US President on his genocide of the Iraqui people?
It may have its own reason for treating Shri. Modi as an individual, but as Chief Minister of a state they have no right to bring religion into it, as they talk of secularism from the highest point.
This evangilist nation did not talk about terrorism until they got hit by 9/11. The Taliban, the ISI, SAVAK of Iran of the Shah, were all funded by the CIA. Were these led by saints to lead people to better life?
Unless the western powers are taught a lesson in PURE HARDCORE TERRORISM by what is hitting India they will be luke warm to it and India and other countries hit by rerrorism will not be able to wipe it out.
The role of the western powers in encouraging terrorism indirectly by quoting acts of genocide, or barbarism or Human Rights or Amnesty International should be brought to a full stop, which will bhe a beginning for a new era of the fight against terrorism of any sort.
Regards,
vck
Viz this sentence in my post above: And then there is the task of dispelling the myths and shaping public discourse…, pl. read this excerpt from The Rediff Interview with Gujarat Home Minister Amit Shah,
‘Terrorism and riots are not interlinked‘
Single sentence summary of the situation by Prof Brahma Chellany quoted in TIME Magazine:
“..India’s problem is its weak leadership and lack of a coherent counterterror strategy”
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Seems like “home-grown terrorism” is coming to haunt UK too…A short excerpt from: British Muslims aid Taliban in attacks on UK soldiers in Afghanistan
Shantanu,
This is an excellent write-up.
But I can’t get to the Firoz Bakht Ahmed’s article – your link leads me to something else. And googling for the article takes me to your blog!
*** NOTE by B Shantanu ***
@ frog: Thanks for the kind words. Sorry for the broken link..This is a long-standing issue with articles in The Pioneer – they are not saved with permanent URLs…
I will try and do another search (on my hard disk) to see if I can locate the original article in full.
Well said Shantanu. Another element that may need to be included is media. I believe the average indian citizen is still unaware of a lot of relevant issues. For instance, I have met many indians who are completely unaware of the fact that the government subsidises haj trips. I tend to attribute this to a lack of a strong right wing media in India. Most of the indian commentators are center or left of center. In this regard, blogs like yours do a good job of spreading awareness among the ones with internet access. However there is still a large percentage of the population without proper access to knowledge but are an important part of the electorate.
Dear Shantanu
Thanks for pointing me to your article. I believe you’ve covered most of the issues, and I couldn’t agree more with you on everything you’ve said. A few quick comments.
WAR
I’m not sure it is going to be safe and sensible for anyone to enter into open warfare at this stage. Game theoretic modelling may show the probabilities of various scenarios based on reasonable assumptions but costs will likely be much greater than benefits. A war must achieve its objectives, else alternative strategies must be adopted. If India walks into Pakistan to destroy terrorist training camps today it could face nuclear escalation. More problematically, destroying 10 camps today won’t guarantee that many more won’t come up in the future. Highly motivated and well organised intelligence operations may be more effective, instead.
BORDERS
Controlling the borders effectively is the job of the armed forces. It will be best to significantly increase funds for this task.
POLICE
The most important strategy at this stage, in my view, is to beef up the police. The police is perhaps the most important organisation of a free society, for it ensures our security. Unfortunately, the Indian police has been treated extremely shabbily for decades.
Despite that, the Indian Police is highly capable (I speak from experience) of detecting home-grown thugs. They live with and mingle with the people on a daily basis, and so they know almost everything that is going around. So long as the people support them with hints and information, our Police can do wonders. Increasing the discretionary budgets (for informers) of the police stations will bring immediate results. I’m sure the Muslim community doesn’t support home-grown terrorists and information can be obtained fairly readily.
Further, significant rewards must be put out for leads leading to the arrest of terrorists or any information on terrorism. All this money will be well spent.
But for the long term, the police needs to be completely revamped. Instead of trying to lose thousands of crores of rupees through war, India should invest these thousands of crores into its police forces immediately.
Doubling the size of the police and tripling their salaries (at least), increasing the salaries of the police leaders ten fold, giving the senior people complete autonomy and independence to hire and fire all police forces under – all these them will help to break the nexus between police, goondas, and the politicians, which is the root cause of inefficiency in the Indian police. The police leaders should be fully empowered to weed out the useless and corrupt ones. No powers should be retained by the politicians except to appoint ONLY the head of police.
Further, the police currently work under the most deplorable and shabby physical conditions, with virtually the poorest possible equipment. This needs to be significantly upgraded. After doing all this, the senior people must be held to account for security.
All this must be done on a war footing; if necessary, counter-insurgency experts from Israel and elsewhere must be brought in to provide expertise and advice.
MARGINALISING RABID HINDUS
Another point: I think it must be noted somewhere that Hindu fanatics have played a significant part in escalating this tit-for-tat drama which besieges India. I don’t care who started it. No one must be permitted be spread the message of hate, whether Hindu or Muslim.
Therefore, not only must Muslim leaders immediately excommunicate any Muslim terrorist who claims the sanction of the Koran while killing innocent people – sanction which the Koran does NOT give, but Hindu leaders must dissociate themselves from all rabid anti-Hindu organisations (offshoots of the erstwhile Hindu Mahasabha) which have repeatedly violated the good work of Hindu religion.
I am certain Vivekanda would have totally dissociated himself from these rabid people who have no sense of the ideals of Hinduism which include tolerance, self-realisation, and peace. However, I don’t find major Hindu leaders dissociating themselves from these rabid organisations. It won’t do to claim that Hinduism is a tolerant religion and then to preach the greatest hatred towards others merely on the ground of religion. We can’t simply ask Muslim leaders to become responsible for their community. Who is excommunicating the barbaric hordes that go about destroying Masjids and indulging in mass killings in Gujarat?
LEADERS
We need secular leaders determined to impose sense on everyone and to impose the rule of law throughout the land; to catch and punish anyone who kills anyone else. That is why on the Freedom Team (http://www.freedom.sabhlokcity.com/) we are looking only for leaders who truly believe that ALL Indians are one people. We want people who will defend the life of EVERY Indian, irrespective of his or her religion (or caste, or tribe). It is time for good leaders to arise and retrieve India from this terrible situation.
JUSTICE
Let me say briefly that Indian leadership has allowed, for many decades, the killings of Muslims in communal riots without, in many cases, catching and punishing the killers. Yes, Muslims have started various killings at times (not most of the time though!) – and they must be brought to book – justice must be uniformly delivered. But we should ask: why do Muslims get killed disproportionately more during communal riots? See:
http://www.liberalpartyofindia.sabhlokcity.com/communal/riots.html
And why do the killers of Muslims not get brought to book? – as has happened so far in Gujarat? We must get our justice system to work. Justice must be blind; it must not differ based on the religion or colour of the criminal. The killers of two thousand or so Muslims in 2002 must be brought to book, urgently.
Harsh Mander, a colleague from my Academy days, has been reported to have said in Time magazine (11 August): “We have reduced and entire population [Muslims] to second-class citizens.†Sadly I must agree with him.
While this sad state of affairs can’t ever be made into an excuse for anyone to kill anyone else (and that is why we must catch these Muslim terrorists at once – the so called Indian Mujahideen) we need leaders in India who are willing to call a spade a spade in every way. No false premises, no hypocrisy. We want leaders who SPEAK THE TRUTH.
These leaders should be willing to fix the corruption in our police forces. They should mend the demoralisation in our armed forces. They should provide justice for EVERYONE in India. India cannot afford the luxury of one-sided justice.
I trust these off-hand comments will complement and supplement your excellent writeup.
Regards
Sanjeev
Hi Sanjeev
I dont agree with your argument at all that comes under Justice. It is bias and discriminatory. You must know the real face of Islam. You seems very ignorant.
Now read this brief story of my own ancestors. We use to live in Gujaranwala pradesh Presently it is under Pakistan. It was dominated by Muslims. We (Hindus) were forced to migrate due to torture, harrasment and conversion. Before we settled down in Gujrat we came across many hardship. Now what you accpect from us? To get away from Gujarat! You need to read history. Now we want to live in peace we will not let this happen again. Because of people like you we have suffered and still suffering.
Not only Gujarat, world is against them. Why? Have you ever wondered Or you are also from the same slot of politician who wants piece of cake for your own political party.
If you are really interested in minority read this
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1213794275742&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
All false theory of atrocity.
http://www.news.faithfreedom.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2009
@ Prakash: Thanks for your kind words…You are right…Blogs like these are limited in their reach – both due to the language of communication (although amongst web surfers, I would imagine this is less of an issue) and the negligible rate of internet penetration in the country…
No doubt this will change…but will take time…Sometimes I wonder if there is a way to disseminate information quickly via mobile (using SMS etc)…
If anyone of you have any ideas, please let me know…
Thanks
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@ Sanjeev: Thanks for sharing your thoughts…I broadly agree but there are two or three points of divergence. Re. Borders…you may have read Wajahat Habibullah’s recent statement in which he has mentioned that the BSF routinely took bribes to let terrorists across the border in the 90s and before…
The points of disagreement are with regards a] Marginalisation of rabid Hindus and b] Justice.
I have high regard for Sh Mandar but his figures are suspect..The oft cited figure of 2000 dead is erroneous…Pl. give me a day or two and I will try and unearth some more evidence. Having said that, I hate to bring statistics into such things…
As for the tit-for-tat reaction of Hindus…this is more *discussed (and read) on TV and media * than *observed in real life*…Where was the tit-for-tat reaction to Bengaluru? to Ahmedabad? to Jaipur? to Varanasi? to Mumbai? to Akshardham?
Where was the tit-for-tat reaction to the forced migration of Kashmiri Pandits? Where is the tit-for-tat reaction to the ridiculous statements made by various political leaders on Bhagwaan Shri Rama and Ramar Sethu?
I find it strange that every argument about terrorism and jihad has to be “counter-balanced” with a statement about “rabid Hindus”…
You talk about barbaric hordes destroying Masjids…How many Masjids have been destroyed in India? and how many temples do you think have been attacked, vandalised and destroyed in Kashmir? (or is Kashmir a “special case”?)….See this link e.g. which mentions “…36 temples were the butt of communal violence In 1986, 8 in 1988, 12 in 1989, 8 in 1990, 5 in 1991, and 24 in 1992…”
Did this stop in 1992? I am sure it did not…A July ’06 report suggests that the number of temples attacked, vandalised etc ay be as high as 200!
Anyways, I will add some more thoughts on these two particular aspects in a day or two…
Look forward to everyone else’s comments too…
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@ Indian: Thanks for sharing your thoughts…and I am truly sorry to read about the pain and the suffering your parenst/ grandparents must have gone through post-Partition…I hope you had a chance to read “Cry of the Valley“…
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All: To add to this debate, an excellent post by Atanu Dey “The Unbearable Silliness of Loving One’s Enemy”
Dear Friends
There is only one truth. We may not currently have access to it because our facts may be incomplete or wrong. If so, we need to consolidate and bring together the facts.
My current conclusions are based on facts I believe are correct. The statistics of presented in the first document I pointed you to
http://www.liberalpartyofindia.sabhlokcity.com/communal/lbs-comm-notes.doc
are derived from reports of Judicial Commissions. Please do read the statistics. In fact, why don’t you publish them on your website? These data were consolidated under the guidance of Mr. NC Saxena, a highly respected civil servant who was also the head of the National Academy when I (and Harsh Mander) taught there in 1994. He personally gave me the electronic copy of this document upon my request in 2004. I have no reason to question these data, which speak louder than any write-up can.
Since I do not have the time or resources to consolidate all acts of vandalism and communal nature since 1947, nor the total killings and police retaliation, arrests, etc., could I suggest that a Multi-faith group under the umbrella of Satyameva Jayate (TRUTH ALWAYS WINS!) come together to commission such a study?
Spending a few lakh rupees to consolidate such data and publish the findings – under the joint signatures of all major Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, and Christian leaders of India – would solve these debates on the facts. After all, we cannot do sensible things unless we know the truth. I’m willing to chip in a bit of money for such research, but someone will have to take this seriously and start a major activity in India. The truth must be found out. Let the facts speak.
I will then advocate whatever the results of such a study produce. I am determined to stick to the truth.
Until further studies which consolidate all relevant data are produced to me I will continue to believe that it takes two hands to clap and that no side is innocent.
My direct experience of administration and talking to many Ministers and political activists also convinces me that we have an extremely poor lot of leaders in India. Religious bias runs through their daily conversations. Even in the police many (not all!) senior officials are totally biased against certain communities. These people do not deserve to be in the service of the Indian government, having sworn to protect everyone equally.
I am therefore convinced there is no totally ‘innocent’ religion, at the moment – or rather no religion which has not been distorted by some of its followers. Yes, Muslim terrorists are doing terrible things, and they must be punished. I am not condoning their deeds even by one iota. How could anyone ever condone the taking of even one innocent life?
But we cannot ignore the fact that all religions – not just Islam or Hinduism or Christianity – have been used at times to advance personal political causes by some of their followers. The BJP would be nowhere on the national scene without their leaders posing with bows and arrows on their backs. They marked the lowest ebb in India’s politics – lower even than Nehruvian socialism and Indira Gandhi’s total corruption.
The continued mixing of religion with politics in India has to stop. And everyone who commits a crime must be caught and punished, irrespective of his or her ’cause’ or religion.
These problems boil down in the end to bad governance. Our police is in bad shape. Our borders are porous because of corruption (that is also chronic on the Bangladesh side). Our justice system is virtually non-existent. Therefore the time has come to change the leadership and bring in governments determined to enforce the rule of law. One India, one Indian, one system of justice.
The moment law is equally enforced, all these religious fanatics – of all sorts – will disappear like ghosts disappear on switching on the lights.
Regards
Sanjeev
Sanjeev: Thanks for coming back…A hurried response..
1] The figure I was disputing was the oft-cited figure of 2000 dead in Gujarat. In reality, 254 Hindus and 790 Muslims were killed in Gujarat in the post-Godhra riots.
The figure of 2000 Muslims killed is a gross exaggeration and it needs to be borne in mind that almost a quarter of those killed were Hindus.
And what about the unprecedented violence in Kashmir directed against Kashmiri Hindus which has left at least 2000 dead and several hundred thousands displaced?
Even at an extremely crude (and offensive) level of comparison, (such as numbers killed and families displaced,) the violence in Kashmir that has been going on for almost 15 years now, makes every other communal incident in India pale into insignificance, And yet, the world knows little about it (and cares even less). In fact the numbers far exceed the scale of violence and displacement in Kosovo which prompted NATO action in ’99.
2] You quote Harsh Mander as saying Muslims have been reduced to “second-class citizens”. I find it ironic that these “second-class citizens” enjoy rights and privileges unique to them in India…To mention just a few, Haj subsidies, Government support and funds for Mosques, a separate civil code and now of course a special category of reservations…
Isnt it rich to talk about “second-class cirizens” in the light of these things?
3] This is not a discussion about “religion” being used for political causes…yes, every religion has been used to that end…This is about apparent sanction for “intolerance” and “violence” in certain scriptures and the remarkable silence of the religious leadership on this matter…
I know that once can also cite Hindu sacred texts that suggest intolerance and discrimination but no one – and I mean no one – today supports these beliefs or argues for them (not to mention that it is also illegal).
Will the Maulvis come together and have the courage to say that certain verses in the Hadiths, Quran etc are simply incompatible with modern life and must be “modified”? I doubt it.
More on this later…
***
Two spearate news-items that underline how the fight against terrorism still has a long way to go:
Ban on SIMI lifted:
Some Maulivs feel “humiliated” because theyw ere questioned about the finances of the local Madrasas:
I would love to point them in the direction of these posts:
Prescience or “common sense�
Beware the colour of money – Part II
Of Saudi Arabia, Petro-dollars and Terrorism
Shantanu: From Sanjeev’s views and yours and Indian’s I find a serious discord (on some important areas) probably brought about by media either which way – and this needs to be sorted out before holding strong polarised positions. Could we do this on this forum?
I am shocked to hear of SIMI being recognised again due to lack of evidence for the tribunal to continue banning it. Is our govt./investigative agencies or whoever responsible to provide this evidence so disorganised and uncoordinated that our prime suspect in the recent blasts cannot be even banned?? Clearly time for simply haggling and talking is running out
*** Note by Shantanu ***
Hrishi: Thanks…Of course we can discuss and debate on this forum…that is what this blog is meant for… And I hold fast to our national motto (and the title of this blog)…ultimately, “Truth shall Prevail”.
Please continue to share your thoughts and comments…It is only through debate and discussions that we will get clarity (and hopefully, agreement)…
Sanjeev seems very naive and childish, when he says no side is innocent. He need to live in a places where majorities are Islamic. What are the measure to prove that one side is innocent? As per him one side should get beaten up and leave the land. Dont we have two eyes to see the fact?. Have you ever calculated how many blast in India and how many Hindus all over India lost lives, forget about Gujarat. And top of it how many kashmiri hindus have lost lives? Or you just not interested in that.
Is that anything wrong in preventing Gujrat from becoming Kashmir. Is that wrong to protect our land and people?. Or shall we allow terror and killing for the sake of proving innocency. I think Sanjeev will be happy to see Gujrat in kashmir situation and than begging for mercy and refugge status. Are you going to go to their rescue to prevent them killing innocents? Who asked them to fire the train boogy? It is the result of their own act. You must know many facts before asking for numbers and research.
It is better to get rid of 2 criminals than letting 1 innocents get killed. We Gujaratis dont believe in other facts. Let gujratis take responsibilities of their protection if people like you have no guts to protect them. Why all other communities are living in harmony and not Islam?
Only Gujaratis can bring Social changes, no other can. Go and see the history.. From dayanand Saraswati…..to Gandhiji… to Modi. And for your facts it was Gujarat who got rid of Congress and brought BJP not today for many years back. Advani fought his ticket from Gujarat. I am not a Gujarati(caste) myself though I am saying this.
The Topic reads “Tackling Terrorism: One Step at a Time” I have read all the post on this topic… as far as on paper/blog debate/discussion/suggestions it has turned out to be very good.
But i remember Mahatma Gandhi’s Saying “आप जो à¤à¤¾à¤°à¤¤ देश मे बदल देखना चाहते हो वोह बदल सबसे पहले अपने आप मे लाओ”
I am not undermining the brain storming, since i myself derive knowlegde from it and implement it in true life or into praticality.
So i am just curious after the end of the discussion on how to tackle terrorism .. how in practical life are you going to implement it?
I will tell you what my organization and myself have done
Instead of just blaming the security forces or just condemning the terrorist we have
A)extended our organizations manpower and our ground level network to provide info to police and the intel bureau
B)Mostly Whenever some huge festivals are around the corner, we will organize public awareness seminars on how to identify suspicious objects and suspicious people and proper channel of reporting them to the authorities.
जय हिंद ! जय महाराषà¥à¤Ÿà¥à¤°!!
Mahesh: These are excellent initiatives…Thanks for sharing them with us..
I had tried to mention a few things which each one of us can do under “The role of the middle-class”. This includes spreading awareness, getting politically active, educating oneself and developing one’s own understanding of the issues involved, dispelling myths and shaping public discourse via letters to the editors, discussions amongst friends etc.
I would add your ideas to what I have written above.
Dear Shantanu
In order to broaden my references to the claim that Muslims are a divided house and that the bulk of the Muslim population doesn’t support these jihadis, I spent a few minutes to searched the internet and was flooded by websites of Islamic organisations and writers condemning terrorism in all forms and shapes. I’ve compiled this list at: http://www.sanjeev.sabhlokcity.com/terrorism.html
Have a look. I went back to your blog and found people not accepting Benazir’s references. Fine. I understand that people in India have a closed mind to Pakistan by default (not helpful, but that’s a fact). But what about Islamic scholars and organisations across the world who have come out (quite strongly) against such terrorism?
I am convinced that all religious scriptures have been misused and will continue to be misused for political reasons. That is what one has to fight against, I think, at this time. The malaise of religion is perhaps mankind’s greatest bane. I’ve got to write more about this in my second book!
Regards
Sanjeev
after reading the koran (seven translations in english) i feel Sanjeev certainly does appear optimistic. let’s hope he’s right about a majority of muslims condemning terrorism and use of violence to spread religion – but i would rather bolt my door than trust a muslim with saying his religion allows him to condemn violence even where it is used to spread islam’s influence: my immediate feeling – take huge insurance against this being true, but am willing to give it a chance from seeing behavior that matches words, a simple matter of congruence
*** COMMENT COMBINED ***
I have posted video on this blog once in which Benzir was shouting from top of the roof claiming Kashmir to be the place of Muslims and Pakistan. She was clearly seen in that video inciting huge mob. Seems Sanjeev dont want to accept it as true, than how come he is accepting all that materials on internet. I smell some fishy here now! People beware!
He is …..very very naive…and suspicious in his arguments that India is closed mind. I feel sorry for Sanjeev who couldnot recognize India all these years but he is ready to come to the terms with enemy. In Islam it is seen as “Gaddar”.
God save My Bharat from such naive and ignorant people.
***
Can anyone give one name of islamic org., who has come out in open against such terrorism and protested it as strongly as when they had protested against reciting “Vande Matramâ€.
***
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/islamic-group-threatens-attack-during-olympics/70676-2.html?from=rssfeed
@ Hrishi and Indian: Thanks for contributing to the debate.
***
@ Sanjeev: The problem is not that they don’t “condemn” terrorism but that they do not do so unequivocally and unambiguously (e.g. please do read these two posts – which I had also mentioned in my post above: https://satyameva-jayate.org/2008/07/29/deoband-fatwa-terrorism/ and https://satyameva-jayate.org/2008/03/12/darul-uloom-war-on-islamism/)
And a big problem is that the leaders and scholars refuse to acknowledge that there are verses in Koran and in large parts of the scriptures (including Hadiths and Suras) that need to be modified or at least re-interpreted.
As for your list, I am slightly amused that you mention known “supporters” of terrorism such as Qadrawi in that group of “leaders”
Once again, I would request you to please read the two articles mentioned above to understand for yourself the disconect between thoughts and actions and how “political correctness” is maintained even as preparations for the “ultimate war†continue apace.
Shantanu
Dear Shantanu
Thanks. I don’t know who Qadrawi is or where I have mentioned this person/ organisation. Before I respond can I know what you are referring to?
Regards
Sanjeev
Sanjeev: The first link on your list is to Many condemnations by Muslim organizations that has Qaradawi’s name amongst others (Sorry I mis-spelled him as Qadrawi).
This is just one example of the disconnect between his words and beliefs.
Thanks Shantanu
Does my first link contain anything you agree with as well? Surely the entire link can’t be a bunch of lies. In the 10 minutes I researched Google to produce my list I looked at the main message for a fraction of a second and posted the link. I still find the message persuasive. It says: “It has often been claimed in the media that Muslims are “silent” and do not condemn terrorism. This page is intended to refute that claim. Muslims have not been silent. Not even close.” What is wrong with that message?
You do know I don’t control the links within links within links! So neither do I know about Qaradawi nor do I wish to spend time to research links within links.
All I have come out with after a fair amount of reading (books and articles published by reputed writers and publishers, not internet links) is that there is a good reason to claim that the Koran is being distorted by terrorists who claim to use it for their purpose. Do read the latest Time magazine (18 August 2008: “Moroccos’ Gentle War on Terror”) which will add more strength to this view.
My internet research intent was simple: Could I confirm by spending 10 minutes of my time whether AT LEAST ONE Muslim other than Benazir Bhutto PUBLICLY opposes the misuse of the Koran – given no one on this blog seems to want to read what she wrote before she was killed by the terrorists whom she opposed so fervently? I believe that if not a great woman (I don’t know all the details of what she did, including the corruption she was involved in), she is at least a martyr for the cause of freedom. Not all martyrs for freedom were perfect people.
I have by now confirmed empirically with sufficient data that Islam is a house divided against itself. That’s all I claim to know. No more, no less. I therefore do not take the view that merely reading the Koran will necessarily lead its readers to kill others. If that be the case, I cannot claim to argue that the Koran should be banned or otherwise changed.
Having said that, as you are well aware, I disagree with ALL religion – I don’t believe God needs these political organisations to support Him – and therefore do not advocate any religion. That does not mean I advocate burning or amending religious texts. That is not a viable option nor desirable. All literature should be out there in the open and let people decide what is good for them. Religions like Islam (and Hinduism, and Christianity, etc.) are desperately in need of reformers who will change people and stop them from taking up arms on the slightest pretext. We don’t need mutilators who aim to change the original texts. How can that be done anyway? That is not practical nor desirable.
I would like critical thinking and freedom to replace all religions, and so in my spare time I’m adding my own books to the pile of millions of books already there in the world, with the hope that my books will help mankind live in harmony and freedom, without political religions.
Emperor Tiberius rightly remarked, ‘if the gods think that they have just claims for grievance, they can surely take care of themselves’. In that vein lest us ask Allah and Hindu and Christian Gods to fight amongst themselves and resolve matters and let us know the results through a public announcement. Why do we tiny puny humans get involved in the wars between the Gods? Is that our job at all?
The intent of this blog, in my view, is to find the truth. Satyameva Jayate is a very powerful statement of critical thinking. That is why I participate here, with the aim of finding the truth.
* * *
Does this mean I believe the Muslim community in India has done enough? NO! As I’ve written for the next edition of “Freedom First” (people here can subscribe to it by going to:
http://www.liberalsindia.com/freedomfirst/rightframe.htm and writing to freedom@vsnl.com for details on how to subscribe):
“Enlightened Muslims always emphasise that the Koran forbids the killing of innocents. Assuming that this is true, surely the great Muslim community of India can do more. Are all young Muslim children being taught the right things? And how about excommunicating terrorists and handing them over to the police?”
I’d like Satyameve Jayate to play a genuinely empirically correct, and constructive role. It can do so by building networks with those Muslims in India who condemn terrorism and encourage them to organise their opposition and hand over terrorists to the police. That is the strategic way to resolve this problem, not hitting all Muslims on the head with a big hammer.
I found one such young Muslim Indian from Hyderabad who now teaches in USA:
http://www.ijtihad.org/MuqtedarKhan.htm
I’ve written to him yesterday to join the debate on this blog. Let’s try to get India’s best people here. To get such people we can’t take a shotgun approach, nor can people who participate here be called ‘gullible’ without a basis. Let’s focus on the truth.
Regards
Sanjeev
“It has often been claimed in the media that Muslims are “silent†and do not condemn terrorism. This page is intended to refute that claim. Muslims have not been silent. Not even close.â€
Having gone thru the links it appears Muslims have made verbal condemnations of 9/11 attacks in NY largely with an odd mention of London bombings
At first cut its like the Nazis’ PR machinery saying “we condemn the gassing of 30 Jews” because a few bodies were discovered by world media – and then going ahead with massacring the remaining 6 Million!! OK that’s a first cut feeling and an exaggeration BUT I am more than willing to see an open discussion with a Muslim pov and would welcome someone Mr. Muqtedar Khan whom Sanjeev and invited.
Condemning violence in words have to followed up with change in behavior – and that goes for all of us Muslim or Non-Muslim… I’m afraid I for one have seen painfully little in the Indian scene – though I admit my exposure is the tv, tv talk shows, and the written media in print and internet. But what I’ve seen in myself is subtle but unmistakable change from a die-hard secularist in my political leanings to an unhealthy fear-and-insecurity
driven sympathy for a group that would protect my rights to a free life that guarantees my fundamental rights. In short, the ‘secularists’ in India frighten the shit out of me.
@ Sanjeev: Good, thought-provoking points..Please give me a day or two to respond…
***
@ Hrishi: I see the same shift (from a die-hard secularist’s position) in many of my friends and within myself…(E.g. pl. see “The beginning“). More on this later.
http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/aug/15ahd1.htm
Gujarat cops breakthrough in blast cases of all of India.
Please read the mind behind all blast. More information will be given on Saturday by N. modi himself.
@ Sanjeev: In my comment # 19, I had clearly said:
“The problem is not that they (Muslim leaders) do not condemn terrorism but that they do not do so clearly and unequivocally”
Hrishi has also picked up on this point (indirectly) in his comment # 23.
What is there to disagree with condemnation of terrorism…Of course I agree with everything that might have been said condemning terrorism…the problem is NOT everything was said.
I am very happy to get (aand publish) alternative view points from Muslims in India or elsewhere…There are at least a few posts on this blogs where Muslims have actively contributed (at least for a short while)
and I welcome that.
I dont know why you got the impression that I was “hitting all Muslims on the head with a big hammer”…that was not the intent – but the truth can sometimes be hard to digest.
I will have a look at the link you sent me…But the young professor has obviously not yet joined this debate.
***
@ Indian: Thanks for the link.
Tackling the terrorism-techis, engineers, doctors, scientists doesnot come under liberal muslims, if we go as per the recent(by Modi govt and police) and the past(sept 11)arrest by the cops. Women either dont come under this definition, as they are the one who reads religious book in their home to their as well as other children by organising classes inside their homes on regular basis. (How many of Hindu mother does this? I have seen adults get together for sastang but not for supersede any other religion) Mullhas and other; we all know their mind. So question is who are libral muslims? Either he has denounce Islamism or doing upfront something in action which had made some impression on the map of the world for supressing terrorisism. That is very far to think…. leaving Taslima Nasreen, Salman Rushdi… and some fellows like them. But we all know their struggling. So there are no liberal muslims all are religious when the time comes!
From: Muslim leaders should take stock by Swapan Dasgupta
Dear Shantanu,
Well said. a social and political dimension has to be aded to this dialogue.
We are aware of this “ISLAMIC TERRORISM”. But is anybody aware of the other TERRORISM?
Yes sir, I am talking of the terrorism that is stalking this countrytin the form of conversions.
I am talking about the terorism that tends to change the demography of a nation.
A terrtorism that is wanting to change the way of life of a country.
A terrrorism that wants to wipe out this way of life, just as it has done in nations like Mexico, US and Peru.
You are very justified in asking for a political and social dialogue to eradicate terrorism.
Terrorism does not only mean maiming and killing it also includes destruction of a way of life, how insidious it may be!
Let us advocate dialogue rather than policing and terror laws.
regards,
vck
Excerpts from Internal insecurity by Shekhar Gupta (Aug 02, 2008)
Priyanka Gandhi for strict punishment for Mumbai attack perpetrators
Shantaru
Here is something to consider, when you write your future articles.
The WHY? of Terrorism in Islam
I am an American living in Asia. I am not Moslem, but I am a writer and historian. I would like to share some information with you: information concerning Moslem terrorism, and why the United States, its military allies and their intelligence services must continue to be vigilant, and when appropriate, respond to Islamic terrorism with relentless, overwhelming, and deadly force.
This information may help you understand what is going on not only in India, Pakistan, and China, as well as other parts of Asia, but also the Middle East, as well as Africa, Europe, and even the United States. In the not too distant future, Moslem extremists intend to involve you and your loved ones, as well as a vast number of other innocent victims in a man-made catastrophe: an organized and violent calamity of biblical proportions that is based on teachings taken from the Koran.
Disregarding the social, economic, and political factors that serve as underpinnings for Islamic terrorism, I will address the more fundamental issue: the religious teachings that sanction violence against non-Moslems and against women. Here are seven verses from the Koran. These scriptures have been translated into modern English.
…murder, crucify, or cut off the hands and feet of non-Moslems…Chapter 5 Verse 33 – The Koran
…create terror in the hearts of non-Moslems …cut off their heads…Chapter 8 Verse 12 – The Koran
…and fight non-Moslems until Allah’s religion is the only one…Chapter 8 Verse 39 – The Koran
…of all the loot you plunder from non-Moslems, 20% belongs to Allah and to Mohammed. Chapter 8 Verse 41- The Koran (Author’s note: Loot included kidnapped female sex-slaves.)
…Take as many as four wives from the women you are sexually attracted to … Chapter 4 Verse 3 – The Koran
…God has made men superior to women… Virtuous women are obedient. If a woman becomes disobedient, beat her. Chapter 4 Verse 34 – The Koran
…When it comes to marriage, Allah makes it legal for you to take as wives, women whom your right hand possesses. Chapter 33 Verse 50 – The Koran (Author’s note: This verse talks about the “loot†non-Moslems call… kidnapped female sex-slaves.)
Most people in the western world have never heard of these astonishing scriptures, but they are in the Koran … along with a relatively short list of others, just like them. This is important because not all Moslems are the same; there are two very different types. Militant Moslems view these verses as commandments from their god – a violent, primitive god. They think these teachings apply to life in the Twenty-first Century and they try to use them, regardless of the suffering and mayhem they create, whereas moderate Moslems ignore such verses because they were uttered a long time ago: when the Arabian peninsula, from whence Islam came, was a wild and savage place.
Historians tell us these terrorist teachings are part of a cluster of ferocious beliefs that were deliberately added to one specific part of the formerly peaceful and tolerant Koran. These changes were made decades after the faith was first organized.
In fact, historians also tell us Islam didn’t simply fall from the sky as a full-blown religion, but rather evolved from a persecuted sect of Jewish-Christians. The first Moslems were actually part of a larger group of Jesus’ followers called the Ebionites.
Ebionites were peace-loving disciples of Christ, who shared their wealth with fellow believers, and taught that a man should marry only one wife. In fact, women were much more independent in the Ebionite Jewish-Christian days of Islam. They were more influential too. I say this because my research has determined that the first prophet of Islam may have been someone other than Mohammed: I believe the first prophet was a very special Arabian princess named Khadija the Pure. Khadija was Mohammed’s first and only wife for twenty-four years. Khadija was fifteen years older than Mohammed. She was considered to be fabulously wealthy, and she was Mohammed’s employer.
Mohammed on the other hand, before he became Khadija’s employee, was an impoverished youth who had been raised as an orphan. Ultimately Mohammed worked his way up to a position as Khadija’s business manager. With time, Khadija grew fond of Mohammed. Khadija asked Mohammed to marry her! Even though Khadija had already converted to Christianity, throughout her lifetime Mohammed’s first and only wife for twenty-four years remained an influential Arabian princess in the ruling family that controlled worship in the Kabba Temple, with it’s pantheon of more than three hundred pagan gods and goddesses. Clearly, Khadija was a person of great influence in Arabian society. http://www.TheMoslemInstitute.com
After Khadija’s death, Islam was hijacked by a cartel of corrupt men, headed by Mohammed himself. New beliefs were added to the Koran, old beliefs were deleted or relegated to unimportance, and the religion was changed beyond recognition. In the end, Islam abandoned many of its Ebionite Jewish-Christian teachings and turned cruel and predatory; women suffered the most: they became the focus of repression, scorn, and violence.
Today, although moderate Moslems are loath to admit these ideas, and many of them are terrified to voice criticism of their militant Islamic brothers, because of fear that violence will come to them and their families, the fact remains that these added teachings are not the original beliefs of Islam; they are amendments: They are the terrorist teachings of Islam.
In the near future, militant Moslems hope to unleash a Jihad: a Moslem holy war upon the non-Moslem world: not only the United States and Western Europe, but also in non-Moslem parts of Asia, such as India, China, and Japan. Because the terrorist teachings of Islam sanction deception, treaty breaking, and war, as well as looting, murder, kidnapping, terrorism, and human slavery (including sexual slavery), so long as these crimes are directed against non-Moslems, there is no limit to the things these fanatics can do. But the scariest part: Militant Moslems will do everything… in the name of god. During this violent holy war, these fanatics believe Allah will grant them harems of kidnapped sex slaves taken from destroyed cities and nations, as well as enormous fortunes of loot plundered from the non-Moslem world. The Koran says, ransoms paid to Moslem terrorists, to redeem stolen property, and kidnapped men, women, and children, are part of the Islamic loot these vicious criminals are entitled to receive.
Islamic Law given in the Koran even allows Moslem men to force their kidnapped female sex slaves to marry them in Moslem wedding ceremonies, and bear children for them: whether the women want to or not. The only requirement Moslem teachings mandate is, that the women must come from Christian, or Jewish backgrounds.
If the Moslem fanatics die while committing these crimes against humanity, they believe Allah will admit them to paradise and bless them luxurious palaces filled with seventy-two virgin brides, as an eternal reward for their cruel deeds.
With that said, it is important to remember that the majority of Moslems are moderate, decent people, who recognize such teachings as obsolete and out of place in the Twenty-first Century. In spite of enormous cultural and ideological differences that exist between the Judeo-Christian world and the Islamic world, in the author’s opinion, it is with this moderate Moslem majority that any long-term resolution to the Islamic terrorism issue will ultimately be negotiated.
However, given the massive population increases taking place in the Moslem world, at a time when poverty, chaos, criminality, and religious fanaticism are burgeoning, the numbers of Moslems worldwide who declare themselves militant is increasing; the influence their growing networks of terrorist cells exert on Islamic governments throughout the world has reached crisis levels. A great deal of violence and death looms ahead of the non-Moslem world; the attacks on Mumbai, India, the World Trade Center in New York, and the subway bombings in Spain and England are simply previews of things to come. In this ferocious Jihad, nuclear and biological weapons could ultimately come into play. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, the road before us will be long and dangerous; the United States and Europe must be resolute… and take courage. The survival of our civilization depends on it.
Are you are interested in learning more about an array of Islamic topics including: The Seventy-two Virgins of Islam, or the role of the Ebionites and Khadija the Pure, in founding Islam, or facts concerning militant Moslem terrorism and its involvement in modern human slavery? Visit The Moslem Institute website: http://www.TheMoslemInstitute.com
Regards,
Dane Dahl
Author and Historian
Excerpts from a great post by Offstumped, “Countering Pakistan’s Salami Tactics”
***
So given these factors what kind of a strategy would be effective against the many competing interests of Pakistan.
While these initial thoughts need to be further baked it is increasingly clear that
Hence the Strategy must not be military and must also not be initiated externally.
Which leads Offstumped’s half baked thinking towards a path that
***
From: The obvious battlefield is Pakistan, by Bharat Verman, December 03, 2008
Bharat Verma is the Editor, Indian Defence Review
Courtesy StratFor, “From the New York Landmarks Plot to the Mumbai Attack” By Fred Burton and Ben West, December 3, 2008
Thanks to Dr Bedekar for alerting me to this.
Great post from Rohit:
How Not to Fight Terror
.
Am reproducing in full below:
I agree with Rohit that legal right to defend. Captured terrorist, has every right to defend himself. He was brain washed and his age is also tender. He was victim of poverty and miserable childhood. Going further he has not been hugged and kissed by his parents every night.
Another question: Did anyone asked or advised Muslims community to give land to bury died terrorists? They too need a space to rest their soul. Why are they still lingering in morgue of some hospitals?
Now… “If anyone thinks that security can be ensured by deliberately targeting and marginalizing a community….living in fool’s paradise” ..
It’s very serious issue. Let’s make clear who lives in fool’s paradise. Should we wait for govt or superman to save the lives of family and children? Or one should take law in its hand to be safe? Personal Safety is everyone’s responsibility. I am not arguing on this issue because every Hindu heart bleeds for injustice done to anyone at the end of the day. We don’t see problem as Hindu and Muslim. But there are many questions one needs to ask himself/herself.
Questions occurs to my mind when I was pondering why this? I am analysing Surat as what I have observed. Surat constitutes Muslims, Hindus, Jain, Sindhis, and Parsees. Jains, Sindhis, and Parsees are shine of the Surat. If I evaluate both side. I think both communities have taken a religious step to be safe and secured in their area. Surat is not Mumbai! People still has conservative life styles and food. High vegetarian %, and traditional culture. They give credits to their spirituality that they have been saved and found 22 bombs alive.
One will be surprised to see Islamic school where young students from all over the world comes for studying is located in strong Hindu locality. Why they never had any problem where majority is Hindus. Why that Islamic college were never been targeted by Hindus. Whereas Godhara is one such place where muslims are in majority. And fear came true when 59 people had been roasted in a coach. Did anyone predict that they will gather on railway station to burn the coach?
Muslims in Surat are not same as other part of India. Here they are safe as they hold properties like farms, businesses, lands and several villages. Many muslims are NRI’s and wealthy. So hindus decision is not going to deprive them any ways.
In the last, but not least. Muslims community had been found encroaching Hindus residence in many parts where Hindus have fled away by selling their homes at minimal prices. Why? “Sugam society” once was thriving with hindus, today it seems haunted houses. Why? Adjacent to it came up majority of muslims residence. Safe when time is good, but fear and tense when communal tension in any part of the state or country.
I don’t view this as hate and discrimination issue but there should be some dialogue between this 2 communities. We see them as they are taking this decision on the basis of hate and discrimination but there are some other rifts and that is living style and very different ideology.
How to be safe without being biased to any community? Question and fear in their mind 22 alive bombs from different part of Hindu locality. Why not one in muslims area? What if casualties had been there and fear that they had been saved once, now it’s up to them to take measure and secured the future. Actually they are wrong; they are inviting more trouble by this decision. I want to know what is the first, and the foremost solution without preaching? My friends in Surat asking me show us How to be Safe? any suggestions for them?
One even asked me a front question. Did Indira Gandhi dreamt that her own Sikh body gaurd will shoot her on the basis he belongs to the same community? For them it is the safest way to be safe.
Jai Hind!
Terrorists are ‘animals’: Senior SC judge.
New Delhi: A senior judge of the Supreme Court on Tuesday likened terrorists killing innocent people to “animals†and said they cannot be allowed to take benefit of human rights. “Those who violate the rights of society and have no respect for human rights cannot be a human,†Justice Arijit Pasayat said at a seminar on terrorism here.
Mark Steyn writing in The Hole at the Heart of Our Strategy:
Pl read this brief excerpt from Sam Harris’ post, Bombing Our Illusions in the context of “The role of the Muslim community”:
It is not enough for moderate Muslims to say “not in our name.†They must now police their own communities. They must offer unreserved assistance to western governments in locating the extremists in their midst. They must tolerate, advocate, and even practice ethnic profiling. It is simply a fact that the greatest predictor of terrorist behavior anywhere in the world (with the exception of the island Sri Lanka) is whether or not a person believes that Allah is the only god and Muhammad is his prophet. Moderate Muslims themselves must acknowledge this fact without equivocation. The time for political correctness and multi-cultural shibboleths has long passed. Moderate Muslims must accept and practice open criticism of their religion.
After I published this post in 2008, many of my friends criticised me for including the point about “The role of the Muslim community” in my analysis above.
Today’s The Hindu has carried a WikiLeaks cable which shows why the point was(is) valid:
“The Embassy conducted an informal survey of Muslim contacts from Lucknow and other cities..
All expressed disdain for what they characterized as the ‘weak response’ of India’s Muslim leadership to the Mumbai attacks, accusing such leaders of taking a ‘head in the sand’ approach and denying stark realities. They pointed out that after a string of terrorist assaults by Muslim extremists throughout India, it is now common knowledge within the Muslim community that the terrorists have established a support system and sympathizers’ network among Indian Muslims to help carry out attacks conceived and orchestrated by foreign Muslims.â€
Our Muslim contacts have reported over the past six months that SIMI and other Islamic extremists, (including mysterious individuals they claim are ‘members of al Qaeda’) have been active in the Muslim community, recruiting disaffected young men with offers of physical training, study of the Qu’ran, job opportunities and easy money. They are worried that these are nascent terrorist cells that could be activated to carry out attacks at the behest of foreign-based organizations,†he added in the cable.
Shantanu… there is no concept of a “one shoe fits all sizes” kind of a solution when we talk about finding a solution to terrorism. But one glaring cause is disaffection. The cause of such disaffection could vary from place to place. In the Indian context, it may vary from regional aspirations not being addressed to misplaced sense of relgious supremacy which some muslims of the wahabi school may nurture or can also result from a sense of alienation experienced by our minorities both real and assumed. A sense of deprivation arising from starvation and acute poverty in a country experiencing burgeoning wealth and opportunities gives rise to the terrorism of the naxal kind. Only yesterday I had watched this expose on a news channel the suicide by farmers in the Bundelkhand area. In the last three years 1400 farmers have committed suicide which the UP Government refuses to accept. Eighty percent of the population of Bundelkhand are farmers and seventy six percent amongst them are debt ridden. The state government has a scheme whereby the affected family (kith and kin of the farmer committing suicide) is given a financial assistance of Rs.20,000/-. But when the family seeks the same, the officials refuse to release it without getting a share of the relief amount as bribe (caught on video). The family of the deceased are not even given the death certificate or the post mortem report of the farmer who committed suicide unless palms are greased. How much deeper into the abyss of hopelessness can we slide when we as a people feed on our dead?and if this is not a tinderbox waiting to be lit then what is it? That being said about some of the causative factors the sure shot treatment of the disease must necessarily be the cure of the afflication itself or removal of the disaffection. However, administratively, I can only state what has been stated ad nauseum by so many, Improve intelligence, Have more special courts to try the offenders, Have more stringent and deterrent laws, Improve the quality and training of the police so on and so forth, but all these measures must fail as you and I being Indians have a price. We will sell ourselves consistently to the highest bidder. If you think that Kim Davy, the prime accused in the Purulia Arms Dropping case escaped out of India and made his way back to Denmark on his own think again and check out this link http://www.timesnow.tv/articleshow/4371758.cms . He made it back to Denmark because we Indians have a price. Likewise, whenever terrorist want to bomb or burn us, they will, after paying us off of course. The impunity with which they strike is actually a statement made by them that we will hit you whereever and whenever we please and you can do nothing about it. The fact that we are a society so badly fructured along lines of regionalism, caste, religion, disparity in wealth and united only by our dishonesty makes the task that much more easier for them. The anger of the public that was seen in Mumbai today where one after the other kept berating a dishonest political setup for their maladies instead of pointing all ten fingers at themselves was depressing. But we are in times where if we stand by the damned and the destitute we are labelled as “Maoist” if we stand by the minorities we labelled as “Pseudo-Secularist” and if we stand by the likes of Narendra Modi we are graced with the epithet of “Nationalist”. It is not possible to reverse the tide unless each Indian changes himself without waiting for his neighbour to do so.
^ Atul, the issue is not of disaffection – no one among us will deny that disaffection and grievances exist. But do we solve those grievances through guns and bomb blasts, or through other means? And do we continue to tolerate the violent methods and keep justifying them by citing disaffection?
@Kaffir- I have only mentioned disaffection as a cause of terrorism. I have never sought to justify terrorism on account of disaffection or any other cause for that matter.
@Atul,
“I have only mentioned disaffection as a cause of terrorism.”
That is not true. if that were the case minorities Hindus/Christians and Hindus in Kashmir would be the first to pick up a gun. Not minorities in India with its article 30.
Perhaps you should look at the ideology as a source of inspiration for violence and hatred against the Kaffir/Pagan/Heathen.
So called Maoists are hand in glove with Christian Missionaries, read about Swami Laxmananana’s murder.
Excerpts from the concluding lines from India in Slumber by Sh Maloy K Dhar, ex Chief of Intelligence Bureau:
For lack of space I propose only to deal briefly with only two items. The rest would require broader attention and realization of the country as whole for overcoming ideological and political and vote-bank compulsions. National Security cannot be made a part of political ideology and historical day-dreaming of unity of the people. Jihad can be fought with actual understanding of the harsh realities and not on the basis of mantras like “ostrich-secularism.â€
Indian States (provinces) are not prepared with trained, equipped and motivated and dedicated Intelligence Wings that can take care of jihadi thrusts. Police Intelligence is simply out of date and not tuned to tackle jihadi and terrorist thrusts.
The Central Intelligence Bureau can perform well. Their abnormal deficiency has occurred because the governments have failed to give more trained, equipped and motivated manpower to the IB. A Security Assistant in IB is equated with a dak delivery peon, process server and daftary, so is the police constable. Why would a process server risk his life for fighting terrorism? How can the citizenry expect protection from a daftary? The nation should not expect best out of a force that is treated by 150 year old civil administration as chaprasis. …
Political color of the government decide attitude of enforcing agencies to jihadist organizations and situations. A Chief Minister in UP decides in his wisdom that SIMI is not a terrorist organization, though the Supreme Court has told SIMI, “You are a terrorist organization.†..Political color should not affect war against jihad and terrorism. Hindu resilience should not be taken for granted.
The madrasas, maktabs and certain schools teach hate-campaign. This is required to be monitored and corrective measures are required to be taken. A section of Muslims in India have been infected by jihadi ideology. This is being exploited by Pakistan. Minority pampering is not the answer. The community leaders must be sensitized that rooting of jihadism may harm them in the long run.
India requires something like Homeland Security Act and ancillary administrative, intelligence and investigation agencies. Today even POTA is not enough. Indian political breed should stop thinking in terms of Hindu-Muslim relationship as it existed between the times of Sir Sayid Ahmad and M. A. Jinnah. If we cannot respond as one nation and one people and at the slightest allegation that only Muslims are being targeted in the name of anti-terrorist actions, India cannot avoid looming greater catastrophe.
The damn truth is: what is happening in India is not terrorism. It is jihadist action directed at dividing India.
Is India prepared to face the facts that the international jihadists and subverted Indian Muslims are trying to impose jihad as the final acts of redemption of Islamic glory that once ruled India?
If that be so, let us compose a requiem to Motherland India.
Do read Nitin Pai: Fighting terrorism, starting with the easy stuff…Manage grievances, improve social capital, take security seriously and get better ambulances.
Excerpts from Missing links in India’s war against terrorism by Prakash Singh:
..Much has been done, but a lot more remains to be done.
NCTC: It was part of this process that the home minister recently announced the proposal to set up a National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) to perform “functions relating to intelligence, investigation and operations†for “preventing, containing and responding to terror attacks The home ministry’s Indian version of NCTC obviously goes beyond the US model.
Chidambaram made three grievous mistakes while implementing the proposal: He did not care to take the states into confidence; made the NCTC a part of the IB; and gave it powers of arrest and seizure. These issues are likely to be taken up at the forthcoming meeting of the home ministry with the chief secretaries and directors general of police of the states. Hopefully, a meeting ground should be found. The country definitely needs an NCTC — and a strong one at that. However, it should not be given authority which the Central government may be tempted to misuse some day.
Policy: We still don’t have a well-defined policy to deal with terrorism. Successive governments have avoided drafting the anti-terror policy for political reasons. The fundamental principles which guide the US response to terrorism are: Make no concession to terrorists and strike no deals; bring terrorists to justice for their crimes; isolate and apply pressure on states that sponsor terrorism; and bolster the counter-terrorist capabilities of countries that work with the US. We have no such enunciation.
Law: It is also ironic that we do not have a strong anti-terror law in our statute book. Terrorist offences are dealt with under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, which is not stringent enough.
State Police: Weakness of the police infrastructure is another grey area which neutralises our anti-terror capabilities. The thana police are the first responders to any act of terrorism. And yet, police at the ground level are in terrible shape. Manpower is inadequate, transport and communication facilities are pathetic, forensic support is minimal, and there is too much of extraneous pressure on the day-to-day functioning of the police. It is a great pity that even Supreme Court’s orders on police reforms are not being complied with by the states.
The battle against terrorism would require a comprehensive approach: a well-defined policy, a codified law on the subject, a capable and motivated police force and an NCTC to coordinate all the intelligence operations.
Read about the slow progress in an apparently straight-forward case like this..and you will begin to understand why judicial & police reforms are a critical part of fighting terrorism..
From Aftab Ansari Pleads Guilty in Gujarat Arms Haul Case, dt 25 Apr ’12:
..Aftab Ansari, the mastermind of the 2002 American Center attack in Kolkata today appeared before the special CBI court here in connection with the 2001 Radhanpur arms haul case, and pleaded guilty.
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A huge cache of arms and ammunition was recovered by the police from Radhanpur, Patan district, in October 2001. It included four AK-56 rifles, six magazines of AK-56, over 500 live rounds and 250 pistol bullets.
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Ansari was brought to the city in February in connection with the case. He has been sentenced to death by a trial court in Kolkata in the American Center attack. His appeal is pending in the Supreme Court, which has stayed the death sentence.
Terrorism! The very word creates terror in our lives today. How does terrorism come into existence? Who are the actual terrorists? How to eradicate terrorism? Perhaps it is high time that we find answers to these questions. This will require an in-depth, unbiased and sincere analysis of the whole situation to find out a permanent and peaceful solution for this dreadful and chronic disease against humanity. Therefore, it is the responsibility of all of us to sincerely ensconce combine efforts to eradicate this vile from our lives.
Terrorism is a major cause of fear, anxiety, and destruction all over the world, in countries like India, Pakistan (Home ground of terrorism), USA, UK, France, China, and Spain. The current approaches are failing. Is there another solution to terrorism?
Terrorism is a major cause of fear, anxiety and destruction all over the world, in countries like India, Pakistan, USA, UK, France, China or Spain.
Can anyone ever get used to terrorism? No, terrorism is always a traumatic event for the people involved.
A survey, funded by the National Center for Food Protection and Defense, conducted over the Internet by TNS-NFO 2005 among 4,260 U.S. residents over the age of sixteen found that 98 percent of U.S. residents believed there will be another terrorist attack during their lifetime. Further, the response to terrorist attacks seldom addresses issues that produced terrorism in the first place. Significantly, the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373 does not require nation state members to investigate the reasons, which produce these horrendous acts of violence.
Most of the known terrorists today are networks from Saudi, Pakistan.
As we all know very well Osama Bin Laden was fully supported by Pakistan Government and whole world agrees to this point.Some are home grown inside nation states, with or without support from powerful groups inside that nation state or with external support even from other nation states. Many are loose international movements functioning as autonomous cells with sophisticated support and functional systems.
Our regime needs to announce that India will not negotiate with terrorists countries especially like Pakistan and other Gulf countries which indirectly affords funds to terrorist … And every political party – and their leaders in Parliament – need to unambiguously sustenance this stance…else there is little optimism.
It will take time and effort to heal the wounds. Let’s strive and join our hands together in this endeavour of making this society, this world a better place to live for now and for generations to come.
We need to create coordinated efforts to deal with challenges of terrorism whatever its origin, whether internal or external. “There are plenty of questions that the burden of the fight against terrorism falls largely on the states’ machinery. The Centre must ready to work with the states to put in place strong and effective institutional mechanisms to tackle this problem.
The challenges of terrorism demand constant vigilance on our part and we are always slaughtered abysmal by them. We need to be tackled firmly but with sensitivity. The forces behind them must not only be contained but should also be effectively rolled back.
“Like other internal security matter, we need joint and coordinated efforts to deal with the challenge of terrorism, whatever be its origin, whether internal or external, and whatever its motivation.
“This is a struggle in which we Indians cannot relax. When we see turbulence in the region and growing factors of instability around us, we must strengthen our defences against terrorism.â€. “Today, terrorist groups are nimble, more lethal than ever and increasingly networked across frontiers.â€
The internal security situation in the country has by and large been “not good enoughâ€, for which the efforts of the states and the Centre need to be commended. “But we must make sure all of us would agree that much more is required of us. Serious internal security challenges remain. Terming the task of dealing with the security challenges as a “complex and onerousâ€, said it is an endeavour that requires the united effort of everyone and about Jammu and Kashmir, there has been a annoyance in the security and law and order situation.
“But we Indians still have a long tactic to go, together in terms of including people in the pretentious areas in our emergent economy and civilisation, and in terms of providing them with adequate account of sanctuary. Stressing that accurate and timely intelligence was a prime necessity for defeating terrorism, we need to oblige some progress including strengthening intelligence gathering apparatus.
“The pilferage of development funds by militant groups is hurting our efforts to improve the lives of the people of the region. Inter—factional clashes, countries such as Saudi, Pakistan and other Gulf countries are another source of income to terrorist. “It is therefore important that we find ways and means of improving not just the number but also the quality of our security personnel.
How can Man Mohan Singh be honest when his own Congress party is corrupt and bigots. Indian needs revolution like Egypt and take out Sonia like Saddam, who has billions of Dollars in Swiss bank. Well let see who are fraudulent Sonia Gandhi, Rahul, Priyanka, P Chidambaram, Sarad Pawar, Lalu Prasad and Manmohan?
Lastly we need leaders like Narendra Modi to be next PM who can look after our country in thriving sagacity. Congress is on defensive now and they would do whatsoever to vilify Gujarat people and it chief minister Narendra Modi.60 years of congress RAJ and its brutality is well known. Narendra Modi and people of Gujarat will triumph and hell with congress vote back politics.Man Mohan is just and remote control for Congress he does what is being told by Sonia Gandhi.
Placing this link here for the record, An unacknowledged war by Tavleen Singh, Feb 24 2013. Some excerpts:
The biggest threat to India’s security today is jihadi terrorism. Have you ever heard any of our political leaders acknowledge this? Have you heard them admit that this jihad is a war against the very idea of India and that its ultimate goal is to see this country divided once more in the name of Islam? Have you heard them tell the people of this country in clear terms that what the Pakistani army did after its Kargil misadventure was arm, finance and train Islamist groups to wage an insidious new war against India more lethal than those fought on battlefields?
Quite the opposite has happened since Dr Manmohan Singh’s ‘secular’ government came to power in 2004. On more than one occasion, senior Congress leaders have gone out of their way to emphasise that the real threat to India’s security comes from ‘saffron terrorism’. Rahul Gandhi said this to an American ambassador according to Wikileaks, and his political mentor Digvijay Singh publicly promoted a book whose title was, ’26/11: an RSS Conspiracy’.
The most recent statement of this kind came from the Home Minister himself when he charged the RSS with running terrorist training camps.
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the time has come to admit that this sort of namby-pamby response is the reason why we are no closer to winning the war against jihadi terrorism than we were four years ago when Mumbai was attacked. After the 26/11 attack there should have been a concerted strategy, a robust time bound plan of action and it is time to ask why this did not happen. Did it not happen because of fears that it might alienate Indian Muslims? If this was indeed the reason, then it is hard to think of a bigger insult to them because it amounts to an admission that all Muslims support jihadi terror. Is this what ‘secular’ Congress leaders secretly believe?
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I use the word jihadi deliberately because I am tired of hearing politically correct nonsense about how terrorism has no colour and no religion. It absolutely does. When jihadi groups kill innocent people in their cowardly war, they do it for what they believe is the greater glory of Islam. They believe infidel lives are worthless. And, when Hindutva groups try to counter this with their own cowardly attacks on unarmed people in bazaars and mosques, they do it because they believe they are defending the Hindu faith. What is not right is the consistent effort of senior Congress leaders to portray Hindu terrorist groups as the real threat to national security. They are not.
The real threat to India’s security comes from jihadi terrorist groups because they are financed and trained by the Pakistani army to the point that they act as its fifth column. Until those in charge of national security acknowledge this, there is every likelihood that jihadi terrorism will continue to spread its poison through the veins of India.
Posting this here for the record..
From K Rahman Khan’s crazy thinking on the Indian Mujahideen by Praveen Swami, Jul 29, 2013
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He’s clearly been practicing the art of magical thinking, has K Rehman Khan, the Union Minister for Minority Affairs. Earlier this week, Khan went on record to say he’s sceptical the Indian Mujahideen exists, because “nobody knows what it is, where it was formed, and who runs itâ€. “The Muslim community,†he went on, “is not buying its existenceâ€. Khan says these aren’t his personal views—â€the community has that feelingâ€â€”but added that no Indian Muslim had ever been actually convicted of involvement in terrorism. “A few are suspected,†he said, but “their involvement is not proved.â€
Perhaps Khan is just playing to the gallery: in a nation ever-more obsessed by religious identity, politicians from the late Bal Thackeray to Akbaruddin Owaisi all know bizarre invective pays.
There’s a more terrifying prospect, though: that Khan actually believes what he’s saying. If that’s the case, it tells us something deeply depressing-even terrifying-about the state of our polity.
First up, it’s flat-out untrue to assert, as Khan does, that there haven’t been any convictions of Indian Muslims in terrorism-related cases– and that’s not counting Shahzad Ahmad, who is awaiting sentencing after having been convicted for the 2008 Batla House shootout. I’m guessing the minister read, not that many weeks ago, of the death sentence awarded to Mirza Himayat Beigh for his role in the bombing of the German Bakery in Pune, which claimed 17 lives.
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The charges filed in the German Bakery bombing, morever, to claim that no-one knows what the Indian Mujahideen is: the Maharashtra Police says it does. So does the National Investigations Agency, which just filed against five alleged Indian Mujahideen operatives. The NIA states that the organisation “was formed in 2003 after ultra-radicalised Muslim youth segregated from the Student Islamic Movement of Indiaâ€. It adds: “they do not believe in India’s Constitution and IM’s members nurse communal hatred against the Hindu community.†In case that’s too much reading for Khan, I’ve written up a short summary of the organisation and its genesis.
…Indian Muslims have been often been acquitted of terrorism charges–just like lots of people who are neither Indian or Muslim have been, for good reasons or for bad. Enough have been convicted, though, to leave no rational person in any doubt there is a problem.
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Let’s leave aside these trivial details, though, to address Khan’s more substantial argument: that there’s no ideological support for jihadism among Indian Muslims. He says, “Have you ever found a single Indian Muslim going and supporting terrorists in Kashmir?â€
Not one, no.
Oh, wait.
The NIA, in 2011, charged 24 men, several of them Kerala residents, with training with the Lashkar-e-Taiba in Jammu and Kashmir. The story dates back to 1996, when Islamist activists in Kerala began recruiting jihad volunteers, operating under cover as proslelytysers for a religious order called the Noorisha Tareeqat. In September, 2008, the NIA alleges, five of those men made their way to a Lashkar-run training camp in the mountains above Kupwara, in northern Kashmir. The NIA is yet to prove its charges in court, but four of those five men were shot dead by the Indian Army–so there’s pretty compelling evidence at least those four Indian Muslims supported terrorists in Kashmir.
Had Khan bothered to check, he’d have found plenty of other cases like this. In the summer of 2001, for example, police determined that three Jalgaon men, Sheikh Asif Supdu, Sheikh Khalid Iqbal and Sheikh Mohammad Hanif, were killed in a firefight with Indian troops while training with the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen near Kishtwar, in Jammu and Kashmir.
Later, in 2002, at least six residents of Gujarat are believed to have trained at Lashkar-e-Taiba bases in the Hil Kaka mountains, near the frontier town of Poonch. Five of the group crossed the Line of Control to undergo advanced training while one, Munir Ahmad, is thought to have been killed in an encounter with the Army.
In June, 2006, the Jammu and Kashmir police and the Army shot dead Kolhapur-based seminary student Mohammad Irfan near the town of Tral, in southern Kashmir.
There are, we know, other cases: among them, a certain Zabiuddin Ansari, who, sitting in the 26/11 control room, guided the perpetrators to their targets that night. He’s being tried for his crimes, too….