HIJACKERS DEMAND RELEASE OF PAKISTANI CONVICT, KASHMIRI TERRORISTS
Dr. Jai Maharaj
http://www.flex.com/~jai/satyamevajayate
RELEASE PAK. RELIGIOUS LEADER, KASHMIRI ULTRAS: HIJACKERS
The Hindu, via News Plus
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Saturday, December 25, 1999
Islamabad, Dec. 25 (AP) - More than 30 hours after
hijacking an Indian Airlines airbus, the hijackers issued
their first demand asking India to release a Pakistani
religious leader identified as Maulana Masood Azhar and
several Kashmiri militants held in Indian jails, Taliban
spokesman Wakil Ahmad Mutawakel said.
The Taliban has passed on the demands to the United
Nations in New York with a request to negotiate with the
hijackers who landed the aircraft with 161 people on
board at Kandahar, the headquarters of the Afghan
militia, after releasing 27 passengers in Dubai.
"We have conveyed their demand to the UN. It is up to the
UN to intervene and end this. The Taliban will not
mediate," Mutawakil said in a telephone interview with
AP.
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Panchaang for 18 Mrgshirsh 5100, Saturday, December 25, 1999:
Pramathin Nama Samvatsare 5101 Utarayane Moksha Ritau
Dhanush Mase Krishna Pakshe Manta Vasara Yuktayam
Ashlesha Nakshatra Vishakambha Yoga
Bava-Balava Karana Chaturthee Yam Tithau
Jai Maharaj
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Communalism Watch and Governance Monitor Alert
VEHEMENT ANTI-ISLAMIC WEBSITE
S. P. Udayakumar
May 24, 1999
With much pain and agony, a few Muslim friends have pointed out a disgusting
website that maligns Islam, Prophet Mohammed and Muslims in general. Almost all
of the pieces that are found in the site are bubbling with bigotry, fanaticism,
and schitzophrenia. Sickening the reader to the core of her being, the website
along with its intense hatred and dangerous intent sends a chill through the
reader's spine. The site is so abrasive and vehement that the religious
sentiments of Muslims are bound to be hurt. The site in question is this:
http://www.flex.com/~jai/satyamevajayate/
The content of the site makes one think about the difference between free
speech and hate speech and where (or how) one draws the line between the two.
Some of the bigoted sections of various religious communities in India do not
distinguish between free speech and hate speech. For them any speech that
attempts to come close to their closed minds is an extremist speech, and they
panic to protect their minds by stifling free speech. When the Deccan Chronicle
published a short story under the title, "Mohammed, the Idiot" in 1987, some
enraged Muslims in Hyderabad attacked the newspaper office and set it ablaze.
The widespread condemnation of and dangerous threats to the lives of Salman
Rushdie and Taslima Nasreen, and the Hindutva brigades' cowardly attacks on
various writers and artists such as M. F. Hussain, Anand Patwardhan and others
are some of the infamous episodes of intolerance related to free speech in
India.
Without condoning this kind of hypersensitivities, fettered-speech avocations,
and extremist tendencies of the bigoted sections of our religious communities,
any fair-minded reader of the above website who hails from a pluralistic
society would readily agree that it has to be filtered if not shut down all
together. One could and should be able to discuss the beliefs and practices of
various religious communities in the spirit of open inquiry for that is part of
being an open and democratic society. However, denigrating the Prophet and the
Book of a religious community, especially a minority community that lives
amidst an overwhelming 'Hindu' majority, in such a vulgar and revolting
language with obscene and despicable arguments is not acceptable. As we all
know, hate speech often kindles communal passions and gives rise to tensions
and riots in India and other parts of South Asia.
Intriguingly enough, the Hinduva bigots with their fascist mindset do not even
see the need to justify their extremist speech by any meaningful arguments.
They do not invoke their right to speak or freedom to speak (or write or think)
what they please. Nor do they stake a claim to the equality of speeches of
various communities. Theirs is an authoritarian attitude of saying what they
want to say and stifling what everybody else would like to say. In other words,
as the sole proprietors of the fascist "Bharatvarsh Inc.", they are free to
speak but no one else is. 'Free speech' for them means 'free of responsibility'
speech. The loose-tongued Bal Thackeray and the intolerant hoodlums of Shiv
Sena, blow-hot-blow-cold practices of the BJP leaders, obtuse remarks of the
VHP personalities and the outright hooliganism of the Bajrang Dal all
demonstrate this point.
Turning to the website, the Hindutva bigots have chosen the title
"Satyamevajayate" quite deliberately. Misappropriating the secular State slogan
(which means "Truth Alone Triumphs"), and packing the site with their trademark
'mythologized history' and 'historicized mythology' and so much of anti-social
venom, the bigots try to send a not-so-subtle message to the Indian Muslims
that they are not part of the Indian nation. Some of the typical Hindutva
topics such as the 'indigenous Aryans' theory, destruction of Hindu temples,
Taj Mahal and so forth are also included in the site to consolidate their
hateful 'Hindudom.'
Contrary to the cunning claim that the site is managed by a Muslim
(zulf...@usa.net), even a cursory look at the site would reveal that it is a
concerted effort of some perverted and dangerous Hindutva elements. The site is
part of the homepage of a "Vedic astrologer," who asks the readers if the BJP
will gain in the coming elections. This "Jai Maharaj" (email: j...@flex.com)
also runs a Hawaii List with people who have or have had Hawaiian connections.
The website is hosted with ro...@flex.com, an Internet Service Provider based in
Honolulu, Hawai'i.
Lurking in the hidden corners of the internet, these Hindutva bigots are sowing
the dangerous seeds of bigotry and bestiality not just in India but around the
world. The societal ramifications of their dastardly act can be far-reaching
and very dangerous in India, other parts of South Asia and the larger the
world. Some of the angry and resentful emails already denounce this site as a
"Hindu" effort and these emailers fail miserably to differentiate between
"Hindus" and "Hindutva bigots." This kind of quick and easy diagnosis can only
mean simple and generic remedy, and sudden and swift administration. Innocent
individuals and their families may pay a heavy price, and the already volatile
Indian society may suffer further. The impending general elections will only
add further to this scary specter.
India being a multi-religious country, mutual respect for the religious
sentiments of one another and self-restraint have been and should continue to
be the hallmarks of our societal peace. Tolerance of the intolerant is not and
cannot be a choice for a diverse society like ours. How do we deal with this
tricky situation is beyond the purview of this alert.
But something needs to be done with this website venom. What can we do? Two
simplest things could be emailing the website host at (webm...@flex.com) or
calling them directly at (1-808-539-3790) and pointing out the seemingly
innocent role they are playing in the treacherous game of some bigots and
fascists.