Hindu Dharma Newsletter Issue # 5

Jan ‘05

Issue # 5

Dear Friends,

Namaskar,

As we move into 2005, apart from focusing on content and formatting, I hope to be able to do some more work around a few chosen themes (- one of them being “Identity and Symbols”). Your support and encouragement is always appreciated.

As always, do let me know if you do NOT wish to receive this OR send a reply with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject.

Dhanyawaad and Jai Hind,

hindu_dharma@yahoo.com

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MUSLIMS AND BIRTH CONTROL

Amongst the many “what-if” scenarios that get debated whenever Indians meet (- my personal favourite is “what if Netaji Bose would have become Congress President instead of Nehru?”), the one that deserves mention is this “what if we had insisted on a one-child (or even a 2-child norm) right after independence – just as China did?”

The arguments in favour of some restriction on birth rate and birth control were (and continue to remain) so compelling that it seems inexplicable that no political leader has, to the best of my knowledge, ever pressed for it.

The only plausible (and I think almost certainly the real) explanation seems to be that this would have hurt the “feelings/ sentiments” of certain communities and minorities which in our wonderful model of parliamentary democracy wield enough power to make or break governments.

Although I don’t have statistics to suggest that the average number of children amongst Muslims exceeds that of Hindus, I feel reasonably certain that this must be the case (this is at least partially reflected in the increased growth rate). Secularists and Leftists are quick to point out that the reasons are socio-economic rather than religious (i.e. more children = more hands at work and therefore more income for the family – especially true for Muslims who lag Hindus in economic development).

But if it was really so, how does one explain the following news-item?

“Top Ulema Sent Notice for Declaring ‘Birth Control’ Unislamic” [UNI news, New Delhi, Nov 28 ‘04]

The news story talked about how Khazi Mohammad Anees-ul-Haq (former Doordarshan and All India Radio Deputy Director General and author of “Firdaus”) was “….being subjected to harassment and ridicule from various quarters for expounding this view of family planning in Islam in his English novel ‘Firdaus’ after these leaders recently declared that advocacy for any kind of birth control measures was ‘unislamic’.

The author said that after the release of his novel by former Indian Ambassador to US Dr. Abid Husain, the views expressed by top Islamic leaders, including All India Muslim Personal Law Board president Maulana Rabe Hassan Nadvi, Darul Uloom Deoband scholars Mufti Habeeburrahman, Mufti Aijaz Ahmad Qasmi and Mohammad Saleem Qasmi, Shahi Imam Syed Ahmad Bukhari and Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind general secretary Mahmood Madni, have created an atmosphere of fear for him and his publishers as members of the community are accusing them of blasphemy”.

I would be very keen to hear from anyone who has some statistics on birth rates and average number of children amongst Muslims and Hindus.

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TEMPLES & PILGRIMAGE SITES

A few weeks ago, I came across a thought-provoking commentary on Hinduism and Bharat by Shri P K Kulkarni titled, “Ek Aswastha Hindu Man(a)” [Published by Rajhans Prakashan, Pune in Marathi]

Amongst other things, Shri Kulkarni put forward some suggestions regarding how Hindu temples and pilgrimage sites can be kept cleaner, better-maintained and in general, made more welcoming.

Even the holiest of our shrines today are often islands of squalor, disorder and lacking even basic facilities (such as clean toilets and clean drinking water).

This is matter of great shame. There is absolutely no reason why places of worship could not be clean and hygienic. They are in this state only because we tolerate it – and more often than not, we turn a blind eye to it. We don’t complain often enough – and loudly enough- as with the other ills pervading our society and polity. All to often, we blame it on someone else or believe it is someone else’ problem.

Here are Shri Kulkarni’s suggestions (pp 143 – 144), paraphrased to some extent (to make them more readable in translation). I’ve added some comments in italics.

Some suggestion for reforming/ improving Hindu temples and places of pilgrimage

1. One of the biggest obstacles in keeping our temples and holy places clean is the nature of prayers and offerings that we have at these places. Is it not possible to insist on cash instead of milk, oil, ghee, kheer, cut fruits etc. that is the custom today? Cash offerings will be helpful in maintaining and enhancing these places and can also be used for addition of amenities

2. There should be a complete ban on any “private viewings” or “private aarti” (I find this practice particularly repelling & odious. Several years ago, while in Tirupathi, I deliberately avoided going for a darshan because I just could not bring myself to be respectful of an institution that treats devotees differently based on who is prepared to pay what. Why should anyone be treated differently in a temple? ).

3. A temple or a sacred place is a site where people come to relieves their stresses, anxieties and worries and to find solace in the atmosphere of the place and the peace that pervades most such places. In this context, keeping a temple closed for large parts of the day under the pretext of “god is taking rest” or god is sleeping” is antiquated and backward practice (which may have originated when only Brahmins could become priests and the priests wanted some time for themselves. Today, there is no valid reasons for continuing with this practice. All temples should be kept open for as long as practically possible.

I would go to the extreme of suggesting that major places of pilgrimage (particularly those that are well funded and have no scarcity of funds) should be kept open for 24 hours – a place of worship should never be closed and should not dictate the time when people can come and pray – people should not be constrained by “timings” whenever they want to be near God.

4. Discipline – there needs to be some sense of discipline and decorum in such places. Most holy places are chaotic and there is no attempt made to maintain even a semblance of order. Just because we are in a temple, should we abandon all restraints of a civil and disciplined society and forget all our civic sense? (this extends also to maintaining a sense of cleanliness around the place – for some reason, we find it acceptable to “dirty” a place of worship (e.g. throwing a banana skin on the grounds – something which we would never do in our private premises)

5. Instead of seeking donations for decorations and ornamentation of the deity, if money is instead sought to maintain the building and the premises, that would help in better upkeep and maintenance of these places. In temples and institutions that already have enough money for maintenance and upkeep, at least 10-15% of all the collection should be earmarked for special projects that could involve community education, social health or money set aside for scholarships for needy students etc.

6. Cleanliness: Amenities and facilities for maintaining personal hygiene – In India, people often come from far and away to visit places of pilgrimage and temples. Such places are often lacking in even basic facilities for personal hygiene. – this is extremely inconvenient – particularly to old people, children and women. Some responsibility for this should also be taken by devotees – people should make an effort to keep the place clean and this should be done out of a sense of devotion – considering this a part of paying homage to the deity.

7. Finally, there should be a ban on personal (as in individual) ownership of these places and there should be some restrictions on the number of places of worship that seem to prosper on every street and every corner (most of which are for more mundane motives than salvation or devotion to God; places of worship should not have a commercial aspect to them)

I would add that one of the most powerful and visible way in which a genuine reformation can be shown to be taking place would be if the priests were themselves take up cleaning the toilets (surely one of the most “impure” thing that anyone can think of?) to underline the importance of cleanliness. I am no great fan of Mahatma Gandhi but I do believe that there was a lot of sense in his maxim that “Cleanliness is next only to Godliness”

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“TAJ MAHAL – THE BIGGEST WHITEWASH IN INDIAN HISTORY?

Several issues back, I had included a piece on Taj Mahal where I had suggested that there is a lot that is unexplained about Taj Mahal and wondered whether we would ever know the truth?

Some weeks ago, I finished reading “Taj Mahal and the Great British Conspiracy” by Shri V S Godbole. My first reaction, after reading the book, was of disbelief and dismay. Disbelief that not one of our worthy historians and scholars had considered digging beneath the surface to uncover the truth. Dismayed at how little attention has been paid to discussing this issue in the mainstream media.

After reading the book, I decide to summarise the evidence that seems to suggest that the existing history of Taj Mahal is not entirely accurate. In his painstakingly done research, Shri Godbole makes the following points:

1. Architect: On the question of who built the Taj Mahal, there is very little agreement amongst various writers and travellers. Even the origin of the person (whether he was Farsi, Indian, Italian(!)) is disputed. The names that comes up most frequently though is that of Ustad Isa – but as Shri Godbole points out, it is certainly a fabrication; there is no mention of him prior to the 19th century.

2. Time Taken and People Involved: Almost all the accounts quote Tavernier who says that the building took 20,000 people and was 22 years in the making. NB: This account differs considerably from Manrique (a Portuguese preacher) who was in India during the same time and only noticed 1000 people working there. Although Manrique’s testimony is not completely reliable either, the difference in numbers is too stark to ignore

One way of resolving the contradiction is that 22 years were taken and 20,000 people were employed to build the original Taj – NOT by Shahjahan but by Raja Mansingh. What Manrique saw (1000 people) was the “embellishment” that was ordered by Shahjahan to (i) formally complete the acquisition of the property and (ii) to change the character of the building by including Islamic motifs and style – e.g. by inscribing 14 chapters of Koran on it.

3. Badshahnama: Another mysterious omission in almost all the accounts of the Taj is the references that one finds in “Badshahnama” – the official chronicle of Shah Jahan’s reign. Not only are references to it scant, the record makes no mention of any grand building newly constructed by Shahjahan during his reign – the two most significant pages of the chronicles are often ignored by historians – I presume because they are unable to verify the authenticity of the actual document itself. However, similar doubts about authenticity and accuracy can be raised about ALL historical records of that time – this argument cannot therefore be the true reason to ignore the passages. Amongst other things, the passage clearly state that Raja Mansingh’s “manzil” (not “zamin” as mistakenly quoted by some scholars) was acquired by Shahjahan

4. Architecture: The architecture of the building, when examined in detail and without bias, clearly reveals a number of features that are unmistakably “Hindu”. The points are too numerous to be listed and for the avid readers amongst you, I would suggest a read through the relevant chapters in the book.

5. Unexplained structures and underground chambers: Other than long corridors and rooms at several levels, these include moorings for pleasure boats (what purpose could they conceivably have in a building meant for mourning?). Several photographs, drawings and reports about the Taj are either still classified or are untraceable. No one quite knows when was the last time (or indeed the first time) that the monument was “surveyed” by the ASI (Archeological Survey of India).

Finally, a couple of minor points to round up the summary.

6. No extant blueprints or scale models of the building have been found to date – there is no mention about these at all except for a “story” about a wooden model that was supposedly built.

7. The only signature on the tomb is that of the calligrapher – was he the only person of note or the only important contributor to the structure? How is it that there is no mention of the designer or the architect or indeed even of Shahjahan? Is that realistic if a building of such grandeur was being constructed from scratch?

As far as I am aware, the government has not publicly responded to either Shri Godbole or Shri P N Oak’s research (In fact, the Supreme Court in July ’00 summarily dismissed a PIL petition by Shri Oak “to reestablish the truth and cultural heritage of our country”) [PTI News item dated Jul 13, 2000]

To me, continued silence by the ASI and the government does not inspire confidence.

Either there is no mystery in which case there is no need for classifying material related to one of the finest buildings in the world OR – the “story” of the Taj is lot more complex and far less “romantic” than we all have been led to believe.

Is it that the Government is willing to remain silent for the sake of “communal harmony” (read Muslim appeasement) and for the sake of continued tourist interest (which might possibly wane if it turned out that the Taj was actually not a monument to true love but a building usurped by force)?

Or is the government fearful about the Muslim backlash if the building that has been proudly trumpeted as representing the best of Islamic art not only turns out to be Hindu but also with a dirty history of lies and forceful occupation behind it (far removed form the romance and mystery that has come to be associated with it?

Another excellent analysis at

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ISLAM AND PAKISTAN

Below, some excerpts from one of the best critiques I have read about the inherent problems that Pakistan faces in modernising itself while being “Islamic”. The article is almost 3 years old but I believe the points are still valid. (Micheal Warby is with the Institute of Public Affairs in Melbourne (one of Asia-Pacific’s most influential think-tank – and used to be the editor of the IPA Review)

“What is the real cost of Pakistan’s atomic dreams?” Michael Warby, 14 January 2002

“Pakistan might have nukes, but it fails virtually every other measure of a nation’s worth. Instead, it provides one of the more dangerous examples or where Islam and modernity clash.

Pakistan as failure

For those who want to speculate about the political implications of Islam, Pakistan provides an excellent test case. It became independent at the same time as India, with the same heritage – British colonialism. Unlike India, it was based on a particular religion: Islam. In fact, Islam is the entire reason for Pakistan’s existence, the inhabitants of the state having nothing else in common: a reason preserved in both the name of the state (the Islamic Republic of Pakistan) and its created capital (Islamabad).

But Pakistan has performed noticeably worse in the 54 years since being granted independence than India has. Apart from the brief interruption of Indira Gandhi’s Emergency (for which she was punished by the Indian electorate with being decisively tossed out of power at the first opportunity), India has maintained democratic governance – including the supreme test, changes of government at the ballot box. India has also performed better economically: the average Indian standard of living is now about 20 per cent higher than that of the average Pakistani, according to World Bank figures. In fact, the real measure of Pakistan’s failure is that a Muslim in India has more rights, and more secure rights, as well as a higher average standard of living, than a Muslim in Pakistan.

If the purpose of Pakistan was to preserve the situation of Muslims better than they would have done in a united India, then it has been a patent failure.

………..All of which both explains, and makes utterly pathetic, Pakistani antipathy to India. It is pathetic because Pakistan is completely outmatched in both numbers AND economic power.

It is explained because what greater insult can there be to Pakistani identity than contemplating such unpalatable truths? And what greater need than for some suitable foreign scapegoat?

…………Kashmir manages to package all these tensions in one disputed place. The inhabitants are overwhelmingly Muslim, so ‘rightfully’ part of Pakistan. India insists on keeping it, for reasons of national prestige and because its crucial (strategic) importance, thereby affronting Pakistan’s very raison d’etre.

It was also notable that Kashmiris did not rise up in support of Pakistan when it invaded in 1965. Indira Gandhi’s meddling centralism later aggravated matters by imposing rule by her cronies, thereby adding democratic and local affronts to an already volatile mix (to say India has performed better than Pakistan as a polity is not to say it has not had its own failures).

Kashmir expresses both India’s claim to be a successful secular state, with more Muslim citizens than Pakistan itself, and is a standing denial of Pakistan’s claim to be the necessary state for the area’s Muslims.

But to move from the failures of Pakistan to saying ‘see Islam is the problem’ is a little hasty.

………The same dynamic as with the Israel-Arab conflict operates in the India-Pakistan conflict. India is a more modern society than Pakistan (or, to be more precise, India has successfully absorbed far more aspects of modernity than has Pakistan). Yet, they started at the same place.

It is hard not to finger Islam as the problem.

But is it not Islam per se which is the problem (remember Malaysia, which is modernising quite successfully). It is Islam conceived as the source of identity and unity which is the problem (and Islam is the only thing which the varied ethnic groups of Pakistan have in common).

This is because Islam provides no clear pointers to how to modernise. So focusing on how Islamic you are is a huge handicap in modernising, as there is no demonstrated, clear-cut Islamic road to modernisation on easy offer. Malaysia, for example, has a Malay road to modernisation (try and copy your Chinese minority like fury, a minority which themselves are a great asset in the path to modernisation), but not a Muslim one.

So, by focussing on being Islamic, one becomes diverted from what is required for modernisation. In a piece by Farrukh Dhondy in the City Journal (Autumn 2001, Vol. 11, No. 4) he describes how, growing up as a Parsee in India, he noticed how uninterested in the rest of the world and the concerns of the rest of the world, his pious Muslim acquaintances were.

If you don’t try and grapple with the outside world intellectually, it is a bit pointless whining when it then behaves in ways you don’t like and don’t understand. Deciding that the United States, for example, behaves in the way it does because it is ‘Satanic’ or ‘Jewish-dominated’ may console you by appearing to provide a suitably ‘Islamic’ reason for what happens, but still remains a self-referring fantasy that does not get you far in grappling with the real world. Though, as we have discovered, it can be quite effective at motivating people to slaughter innocents in large numbers.

But, then Nazism and Leninism had strong fantasy elements too, and they have unbeaten records in the deliberate slaughter business: there is little doubt that the right sort of fantasies are a great aid to mass murder.

A depressing dynamic

So the prospects for Pakistan are not good. And now they have nuclear weapons, and a Hindu nationalist party has become a key party of government in India, the solution of re-absorption into India is not on offer (and even a seriously Machiavellian anti-BJP Indian government which might calculate that all those extra Muslim voters could be a good idea would have the obvious drawback of why would said voters vote for their conquerors? It is notable that India has not used either of its victories in the two Indo-Pakistani Wars to increase its territory).

Which is a recipe for more of the same.

That is, a nuclear-armed Pakistan which is a failure in terms of its alleged purpose, teetering on the edge of being a failed state, seeking to hide and exorcise its failure by the scapegoat of Indian enmity (which it in fact does much to provoke) yet lacking the wherewithal to modernise, so becoming ever more of a patent failure compared to its much bigger, more politically stable and ever more richer rival, so ever more driven to failure-exorcising and scapegoating enmity.

The pattern of the last Indo-Pakistani wars – the Pakistanis initiated the major military action, followed by Indian victories – manifests the essential dynamic of the tension between the two countries. This, needless to say, is not a terribly encouraging long-term prospect. If India can keep its nerve with those nuclear weapons pointed at it, the balance between the two will continue to shift ever more strongly in its favour. So, provided it does not find the strain too much, it has little incentive to do more than slap Pakistan periodically if it goes too far. This probably also reduces the incentive to ‘take out’ the Pakistani nuclear capacity in the way Israel did against Iraq in 1982. India does not have a single target and does not face the possibility of obliteration in the way Israel does.

Pakistan, on the other hand, faces an ever more unpleasant situation of deteriorating relative power and increasingly obvious relative (and absolute) failure. The temptation to do something drastic before things get even worse is likely to be commensurately greater. But probably not so great as to do anything REALLY stupid. After all, a Pakistan which used its nuclear weapons is a Pakistan which would cease to exist: not only would India retaliate but it would become crystal clear that Pakistan’s continued existence as a state was a risk India could no longer tolerate…”

Warby concludes by saying, “…Still, Pakistan will not progress until it finds a way to make Islam and modernisation compatible. For Islam provides it only source of purpose and identity, while true modernisation is its only path out of snowballing failure.

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VIMANAS – SCIENCE FICTION OR UNEXPLAINED MYSTERY?

A few months ago, I came across one of the best compendium of facts, information and articles related to Hinduism on the web. The site is www.atributetohinduism.com and is painstakingly maintained by Sushama Londhe.

Below, I have included a single excerpt from one of the sections on the site dealing with advances in Science and Technology that were achieved in ancient India. It deals with the flying aircraft/ vehicle described in several Indian epics and legends – the “Vimana”.

As a preface, Sushama includes this quote by Sri Aurobindo:

“European scholarship regards human civilization as a recent progression starting yesterday with the Fiji islander, and ending today with Rockefeller, conceiving ancient culture as necessarily half savage culture.” It is a superstition of modern thought that the march of knowledge has always been linear.” “Our vision of “prehistory” is terribly inadequate. We have not yet rid our minds from the hold of a one-and-only God or one-and-only Book, and now a one-and-only Science.” – wrote Shri Aurobindo Ghosh, (1872-1950)

“In the Vedic literature of India, there are many descriptions of flying machines that are generally called Vimanas. There are no physical remains of ancient Indian aircraft technology but references to ancient flying machines are commonplace in the ancient Indian texts.

Several popular ancient epics describe their use in warfare. Depending on one’s point of view, either it contains some of the earliest known science fiction, or it records conflict between beings with weapons as powerful and advanced as anything used today…

Here is the fascinating excerpt from a text which is believed to have been authored by Maharishi Bharadwaaja

“Vymaanika Shaastra Aeronautics of Maharshi Bharadwaaja – By G. R. Josyer (excerpts)

Rahasyagnyodhikaaree – Sutra 2.

“The pilot is one who knows the secrets”

Bodhaanada: Scientists say that there are 32 secrets of the working of the Vimaana. A pilot should acquaint himself thoroughly with them before he can be deemed competent to handle the aeroplane. He must know the structure of the aeroplane, know the means of its take off and ascent to the sky, know how to drive it and how to halt it when necessary, how to maneuver it and make it perform spectacular feats in the sky without crashing. Those secrets are given in “Rahashya Lahari” and other works by Lalla and other masters, are are described thus:

“The pilot should have had training in maantrica and taantrica, kritaka and antaraalaka, goodha or hidden, drishya and adrishya or seen and unseen, paroksha and aparoksha, contraction and expansion, changing shape, look frightening, look pleasing, become luminous or enveloped in darkness, deluge or pralaya, vimukha, taara, stun by thunderstorm din, jump, move zig-zag like serpent, chaapala, face all sides, hear distant sounds, take pictures, know enemy maneuver, know direction of enemy approach, stabdhaka or paralyse, and karshana or exercise magnetic pull.

These 32 secrets the pilot should learn from competent preceptors and only such a person is fit to be entrusted with an aeroplane, and not others.

Some of these secrets are:

1. Goodha: As explained in ‘Vaayutatva-Prakarana’, by harnessing the powers, Yaasaa, Viyaasaa, Prayaasaa in the 8th atmospheric layer covering the earth, to attract the dark content of the solar ray, and use it to hide the Vimana from the enemy.

2. Drishya: By collision of the electric power and wind power in the atmosphere, a glow is created, whose reflection is to be caught in the Vishwa-Kriya-drapana or mirror at the front of the Vimana, and by its manipulation produce a Maaya-Vimana or camouflaged Vimana.

3. Vimukha: As mentioned in “Rig-hridaya”, by projecting the force of Kubera, Vimukha and Vyshawaanara poison powder through the third tube of the roudree mirror and turning the switch of the air mechanism, produce wholesale insensibility and coma.

4. Roopaakarshana: By means of the photographic yantra in the Vimana to obtain a television view of things inside an enemy’s plane.

5. Stabdhak: By projecting apasmaara poison fume smoke through the tube on the north side on the Vimana, and discharging it with stambhana yantra, people in enemy planes will be made unconscious.

6. Chaapla: On sighting an enemy plane, by turning the switch in the force center in the middle section of the Vimana, a 4087 revolutions an hour atmospheric wave speed will be generated, and shake up the enemy plane.

7. Parashabda Graahaka: As explained in the “Sowdaaminee Kalaa: or science of electronics, by means of the sound capturing yantra in the Vimana, to hear the talks and sound in enemy planes flying in the sky.

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According to Shownaka, the regions of the sky are 5, named, Rekhaapathaha, Mandala, Kakshaya, shakti and Kendra. In these 5 atmospheric regions, ther are 5,19,800 air ways traversed by Vimanas of the Seven Lokas or worlds, known as Bhooloka, Bhuvarloka, Suvarloka, Maholoka, Janoloka, Tapoloka and Satyaloka. Dhundinaatha and “Valalmeeki Ganita” state that Rekha has 7,03,00,800 air routes. Mandala has 20,08,00200 air routes, Kakshya has 2,09,00,300 air routes, Shakti has 10,01,300 air routes, and Kendra has 30,08,200 air routes.

It discusses what kind of food to eat, clothing to wear, metals for vimanas, purification of metals, deals with mirrors and lenses which are required to be installed in the vimaanas, mechanical contrivances or yantras and protecting and different types of vimaanas.

More on this fascinating subject in the next issue.

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LAST WORD

Finally, I am pleased to see at least some voices in the mainstream media drawing our attention to the threat posed by radical Islam and the anti-Indian bias on which some of our journalists thrive. In this vein, below are some excerpts from an article by veteran journalist Ms Tavleen Singh [“Radical Islam poses threat to India”, http://iecolumnists.expressindia.com/full_column.php?content_id=59288 published on Nov 22, ‘04]

“Strobe Talbott in his new book, Engaging India, describes a lunch with Jaswant Singh at which he points out to Berger the rumblings of radical Islam and how important India’s role could be in helping the West fight it and Berger replies that he is as worried about Hindu fundamentalism in India.

This was before 9/11 but for Berger (President Clinton’s National Security Adviser) to even consider the comparison is indicative of how good we Indians are at maligning our country.

It is from the writings of Indian journalists that Western policy makers got the impression that Hindu nationalism was as much a threat to the world as radical Islam and that nuclear weapons were as unsafe in our hands. It is from the writings of Indian journalists that Western NGOs formed the impression that Christians and Muslims in India were on the verge of being wiped out.

You may remember how often we reported that Gujarat was the ”laboratory” for this plan but what you probably do not remember is the untruthful reports (never denied) that churches were being burned by Hindus in districts like the Dangs. What you probably do not remember is the alleged gang-rape of nuns in Jhabua (allegedly by Hindu fanatics) that never happened and that again went un-denied.

…….With Hindutva gone for the foreseeable future, can we now please start dealing with the more serious problem of radical Islam? And can we hope that the magazines who thrived on painting India as a country of fanatics will now concentrate on exposing communalism of the other kind?

Personally, I doubt this or we would already have seen some attempt in these journals to draw attention to the fact that the most successful exercise in ethnic cleansing in India has been of Hindus from the Kashmir Valley….

There was a time when secularists argued that there was no point in worrying about ”minority communalism” because it could not break up the country while Hindu fundamentalism could. With radical Islam transcending international borders this is no longer the case.

Javed Anand,(co-editor, with Teesta Setalvad, of “Commualism Combat”) in his response to my questions, charged me with ”unfairly tarnishing an entire community” when I wrote of the dangers of Islamic terrorism.

But I would be telling less than the truth if I did not say that on my travels I see a dangerously radical mood among ordinary Muslims that manifests itself mainly as rage against the US.

I do not know how this rage can be calmed but do know that it would be dangerous to ignore what is happening.”

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