Mujibur Rahman

I woke up on Jan. 28 and was shocked to read the news of the execution of five former army officers – Syed Farooq-ur Rahman, Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Mohiuddin Ahmed, A.K.M. Mohiuddin Ahmed and Bazlul Huda, convicted for killing Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding leader of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and the country’s first president. Most of Rahman’s family members were also killed including his 10-year-old son.

The five were executed in Dhaka Central Jail, nearly 35 years after they assassinated Rahman in an army coup. As much as I was shocked to read the gruesome killing of the Rahman family, I was equally pained, as an anti death-penalty activist to note the execution of the five persons.

Rahman’s murder was interconnected by many political norms of the nation, which delayed justice for years. These forces set up a platform and even enforced a change in the country’s constitution.

More than 21 years after the assassination, a case was filed in October 1996, four months after the Awami League party led by Sheikh Hasina, one of Mujibur Rahman’s two surviving daughters, assumed office.

After 17 months of hearings, on Nov. 8, 1998, Kazi Gulam Rasul, a district and sessions court judge in Dhaka sentenced 15 former army officers to death by firing squad in public for the brutal murder of Rahman and 26 others including his wife, three sons, two daughters-in-law, a brother, and other close relatives, political associates and security men in a pre-dawn attack on Aug. 15, 1975.

The accused were Syed Farooq-ur Rahman, Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Muhiuddin Ahmed, A.K.M. Mahiuddin Ahmed, Bazlul Huda, Khandaker Abdur Rashid, Shariful Haque Dalim, Ahmed Shariful Hossain, A.M. Rashed Chowdhury, S.H.M.B. Noor Chowdhury, Md. Abdul Aziz Pasha, Md. Kismat Hashem, Nazmul Hossain Ansar, Abdul Mazed, and Moslemuddin.

On Dec. 14, 2000, when the case went for an appeal hearing, the High Court delivered a split verdict. One judge upheld the death sentence for 10 of the accused and acquitted the other five while another judge upheld the death sentences on all 15 defendants.

Another high court judge then took up the case and a final verdict was delivered on April. 30, 2001, upholding the death sentences of 12 defendants while three – Md. Kismat Hashem, Ahmed Shariful Hossain and Nazmul Hossain Ansar were acquitted. The five – Syed Farooq-ur Rahman, Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Mohiuddin Ahmed, A.K.M. Mohiuddin Ahmed, and Bazlul Huda were convicted and detained in the Dhaka Central Jail, but later appealed to the Supreme Court against their death sentences.

The Supreme Court upheld their sentences on Nov. 19, 2009 and a final review of the case was scheduled on Jan. 24, 2010, as the last judicial remedy to the five men.

However, the entire trial has been questioned for its fairness and the political bias of judges, especially with the Awami League in power. But this is a normal procedure in Bangladesh.

If prisoners are sentenced to death, they can appeal to the High Court against their conviction. If the High Court upholds the sentence, they can appeal to the Supreme Court. If the Supreme Court upholds the sentence, the prisoners have one more judicial remedy and that is a final review of the case by the same bench of the Supreme Court. If the death sentence is still upheld, the only remedy open to the prisoners is a mercy petition requesting clemency from the president.

Five former army officers were executed in Bangladesh on Jan. 28 for assassinating Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding leader of Bangladesh, in 1975. While the death penalty could not be overturned, the local media reported on Jan. 19 that the president had considered and rejected the mercy petition of three of the accused – Mohiuddin Ahmed, A.K.M. Mohiuddin Ahmed, and Bazlul Huda.

It is a tradition that mercy petitions are normally considered after all the judicial processes and options are over.

Sheikh Hasina, one of Mujibur Rahman’s two surviving daughters and the present prime minister of Bangladesh publicly vowed to find six other killers of her father, hiding as fugitives, and execute them at any cost. “Wherever the killers are, they will be brought back and executed. The world is small, where will they escape to?” she said at Gano Bhaban.

Followers of the Awami League party reportedly harassed some family members of the executed men including during the burial of one of the men. The families now fear of persecution and more harassment.

The media mostly played a politically bias role. The notable Daily Ittefaq had labeled the sentenced men as saviors of the nation in 1975, but titled them national enemies after their execution.

In addition, the media did not respect the privacy and security of family members of the executed men, nor did they report their views and comments. The role of Rahman and some of his family members was questionable during a time of conflict that had many political problems. This is widely known in political circles.

The question is whether the trial was free and fair and the answer is, it was not. When the United Nations general assembly adopted resolution 62/149 on Dec.18, 2007, calling for a worldwide moratorium on executions, the resolution was adopted by an overwhelming majority of 104 member states. Fifty-four countries voted against it and 29 abstained.

Bangladesh along with its prime minister and the political regime is practicing the inhuman “death penalty” and wrongly influencing free and fair trials.

For Sheikh Hasina, I leave a note, “To take a life when a life has been lost is revenge, not justice,” Desmond Tutu said.

And for the reader, I pose the question by Victor Hugo. “What says the law? You will not kill. How does it say it? By killing.”

It is time to take a decision and change the “killing law” and make the world more human.

William Nicholas Gomes is a human rights activist and freelance journalist. He can be reached at E-mail:cda.exe@gmail.com

Both of two businessmen have a land of the middle of Rajshahi city. In front of their land have a small piece of land (one and half Katha) which of owner Hindu minority Gopal Ram and Noresh Ram (both of are brother). One side of the land has a small wheat broken factory. Other side they have been living in a small room. But, the influentials businessmen were wanted to buy this land of piece for increasing their multistoried building. Owner of that land was denied to sell it. After then the influentials were making conspiracy to evict from hereditary homestead of them and to grab this land. For this they wanted to use Army men.

On 1st January, 2010 Gopal Ram told, this was a house. My older mother was living here. But, the influentials was destroyed it. When they were doing vandalizing my mother and a daughter of my brother were inside of this house. They would be killed, fortunately they were safe. By brutally they were attacked in the night (at around 3.00am). We were afraid and anxious. Even our lives were hard to safe. In that time nobody was helped us.
They were vandalized our factory and room. A portion of the factory was safe. But, two third portion of our room was destroyed. After this my mother was died few days ago only for overwhelmed with grief of house. Still we are in front of torture. By any means we have been staying here with the life of hand. Of the factory have 440 power lines. It is very risky. In every rainy season here comes horrible scenario. In that time no one can live here. But, we have no alternative.

He also mentioned that, still we werent getting justice. Wife of Gopal Ram told, they were looted chair, table, an almirah and other furnitures. Gopal Ram said, many places I went for help even administration. But nobody helped me.

He added that, they were made their multistoried building wall after broken our wall and room. Our house was fine and quite. But suddenly, terrorists group were came here and destroyed. Before that they were threatened to us. I went to local police station and informed to them. The police came and gone after investigation. Later again police was called me. Then I went to the police station with all of our papers. They were took and looking that papers. But, they didnt take any action.

In this way many days have passed. Then again the attackers were threatened to us. At a stage they were vandalized our room during their building was making. They were destruction our wall by land ditch in side of our house wall. I was tried to protect. I was informed to police and local elites. But, they didnt take initiative to protect us. Then I was filed a case. I was seeking security from government. The court was an ordered in favor of me. In spite of one day they were attack and rampage our house and factory in the day light. Around thousand people were took part that operation. Haran and Petar also were present in that time. They were possession some portion of our land. When my wife was tried to protect them then they were attempt to murder her. Again I went to the police station. Then police was come to the spot. But, police was told me that, you have to compromised with them. I told, why and what compromised? Where, I would go. I have a bit of land. By this land we are living and doing something for our lives. I have no alternative to operate for the family. But, they have made their building. I was obtained Court decree from Sadar court and from district Judge Court. Indeed, administration could nothing for us. I have continuing the case. But, the opponents have taking time again and again. I have in great trouble. My demand is the, government should to do something for us. We want justice. We are mentally upset. How long we would wait for justice? How would we alive?

Wife of Gopal Ram told, since 2001we are under torture, panic. They didnt take me some time for cooking. They want to kill us by set fire. They told us that, nobody could anything to them. We have power, we have money. We would manage all the things by money.

She also said, they are waiting for chance again. With children we are under torturing. In spite of have law but we didnt get benefit from law. From administration, police, court anywhere we didnt get helped. To every where they were giving money. Then all of their mouth has stopped. Even an army officer was come and told us that we would destruction your house. Though case has running in the court.

The Sikhs, during Mughal rule , faced a scenario very similar to the Hindus of Bangladesh. They were mercilessly tortured, killed and harassed by Mughal soldiers. They had two options; either to sit   back and watch the annihilation of their race or to fight back. They chose the latter. Under Guru Gobind Singh, they transformed into a martial race. And history is witness to the success of the Sikhs. They are less than 2% of India’s population but are influential in every field. India is today ruled by a Sikh.

Bangladeshi Hindus must take inspiration from Sikhs. It is the need of the hour; Hindus must , in the midst of oppression, turn into a martial race. Not in the sense that they pick up weapons and fight   people but rather using weapons provided by civil society and democracy. So, every time someone is killed for being a Hindu, call a ‘Bandh’ ; whenever our women are molested, ‘gherao’  the police station and civic buildings, jam the roads, block rail tracks and when our properties are seized, do not hesitate to pour black paint on government buildings. In such non-violent actions, the aim must not be to create fear in the minds of non-Hindus but rather to emphasize that Hindus will not take injustice lying down.

Hindus must consolidate. Various Hindu organizations of Bangladesh must come under a common umbrella organization. The plight of Hindus has long been talked and much has been written about it. But the world is not listening. It is time for answers, it is time for solutions. And these must come from within the community. This is our struggle and we must take it to the end alone

The Arpita Sampatti Protapon law of 2009 passed through the government’s offices quite quickly. It is said that with this new law, the government will send one district judge for the tribunal for every district. They said, in Bangladesh two lakh acres of land are in the government’s control under the vested property act. The other 4 lakh acres of land is unknown to the government and in what condition they are in. Then there is Sultana Kamal who said “they will be giving the lands back to their original owners”. Others claim that 26 lakh acres of land in under the vested property act, and did they say it was only 6 lakh acres?

First like the articles claim, they want a definition for “satru” and who they are calling that to. Under the rules, there has to be a gadget published for the list of lands, create district based tribunal and set up dates for the ruling, remove the words that claim that one has to be Bangladeshi citizen and give the land to other family members, partners and sufferers of this act.

Previously Written in: Chotto Mind’s Blog

Sources: Samakal Internet Edition
Prothom Alo

Adv.Rabindra GhoshPresident-Bangladesh Minority Watch (BDMW) was sent news which was published in the daily Sangbad. We have known that, Sangbad is an oldest newspaper in Bangladesh. And they have goodwill as a responsible journalism.

Properties belonging to Minorities at Sherpur District forcefully occupied by Juba League Leader on last Saturday, shops demolished; women injured (The daily Sangbad dated 10 August, 2009)

A group of hoodlums with the leadership of Hafizur Rahman Hafiz andhis elder brother Azizur Rahman Aziz – Cultural Secretary of Juba League (Youth Organisation of Awami League) Nalitabari Upazila underSherpur district on last Saturday morning forcefully occupied seven decimals of lands belonging to a Hindu owner- Surjya Kanta Debnath. In this connection allegations received from the victim’s family that two shops were demolished and their daughter Ms.Lipi Debnath was physically assaulted during operation.

But Juba League Leader denied the allegations of forceful occupation of lands, but he admitted that the lands purchased by his father and uncle were recovered. It is also alleged that since long there was a dispute between Surjya Kanta and Hafizur Rahman & Brothers with regard to seven decimals of lands situated at Garkanda Saha Para within Nalitabari Upazila. Surjya Kanta possessed the lands since long. But before forceful occupation Hafizur and Azizur were putting constant pressure to Hindu occupant to give up the lands.

But Surjya Kanta claimed that the seven decimals of lands were purchased from his maternal aunt- Ms.Khuki Bala and as such he is the real owner of the properties. And the claim of Hafizur is baseless and illegal. Advocate Sudhanshu Kumar Kaloar informed that a group of hoodlums armed with deadly weapon attacked the house of Surjya Kanta and demolished two shops belonging to Surja Kanta and assaulted Ms.Lipi Debnath and occupied the lands forcefully.

It is also learnt that this Juba League leader –Hafizur Rahman is the accused of charge sheeted case of murder of Yousuf and Takan who are also President and Secretary of Nalitabari Chatra League respectively killed by him on 25th October, 1999. This case has been stayed by order of the High Court Division.

Jahangir Alam Akash

Professor Barkat of Dhaka University took a survey and a research about what the regular citizens think about who has taken the vested properties. In his Inquiry into Causes and Consequences of Deprivation of Hindu Minorities in Bangladesh through the Vested Property Act, it mentioned more of the statistics about the vested properties. About 40% of the Hindus or 925,050 Hindu families of Bangladesh were affected by this act.

Now to add it all up, which party took over most of these properties?
Bangladesh Awami League 44.2%
Bangladesh Nationalist Party 31.7%
Jatiya Party 5.8%
Jamaat-e-Islami 4.8%
Others 13.5%

Bangladeshi Parliament Building

Abraham Lincoln said, “Democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people,” while Karl Marx said, “Democracy is the road to socialism.” The people of Bangladesh are wondering where they are headed. The country was born out of a long democratic movement coming out of civil war against the Pakistani junta. It’s been almost four decades since independence.

Bangladesh may become the greatest threat to peace and security in South Asia. While it was the focus of concern for activists back in 1971, and still remains so, the scenario has totally changed. Back in 1971, the situation was that activists and humanitarians in Bangladesh were being threatened, but now those outside of Bangladesh who desire peace may be threatened by Bangladesh. In the absence of democracy, the nation has been hijacked by military dictatorship and Islamic extremism. The country remains under the pressure of these two non-democratic groups.

Bangladesh has fully failed to establish democracy as an institution. In Bangladesh, every person, whether in a position of power or not, is very vocal about the idea of democracy, but the nation has failed to become democratic in a substantial way. Parties voted into power for the purpose of institutionalizing democracy bring their own version of democracy. The country today is plagued by a variety of problems threatening the peace and security of the South Asia region.

The requisites of democracy are absent in the democratic practice of Bangladesh. From liberty to equality, fraternity to sovereignty, an independent judiciary to the rights of the people, all are denied and demonized by the defective democratic system in Bangladesh.

In the absence of democracy, a sort of theocracy is taking its place and is being institutionalized into the sociopolitical system of Bangladesh. Islamic extremists have formed a shadow government in Bangladesh, while failing to gain support for an Islamic theocracy from the masses.

In 2009, there are 78,000 NGOs registered with different government institutions. NGOs play a vital role in the development of Bangladesh. The Islamic extremists successfully raised foreign donations during the term of the BNP-led alliance government in an amount nearly equal to Bangladesh’s 2009 financial budget.

In fostering democracy, poverty is a challenge before the nation, while Islamic extremists are trying to take the opportunity to take control of the areas of economy and development in Bangladesh, with Islamic institutions being able to control politics in Bangladesh.

Robert M. Hutchins said, “The death of democracy is not likely to be an assassination from ambush. It will be a slow extinction from apathy, indifference, and undernourishment.” In a very different way, the Islamic extremists have formed a shadow government here in Bangladesh, so that the death of democracy is certain.

Benjamin Franklin said, “Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!” When the wolves fight for the lamb, democracy, they are fighting to kill it. Democracy is death here in Bangladesh. The Islamic theocracy has triumphed.

William Gomes is an independent human rights activist, a Catholic ecumenical activist, and a political analyst. He is also the Executive Director of the Christian Development Alternative (CDA), a national organization against torture and human rights violations.

Sri Lankan Team, a file picture

The India and New Zealand cricketers wore a black band during their ODI match, held in New Zealand. The whole cricketing fraternity was stunned by this disgraceful act and the lack of responsibility shown by the Pakistan government. There were opinions and comments flying in from ex-cricketers and common public from all around the world in protest. The Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera, Kumar Sangakkara, Tharanga Paranavithana and Ajantha Mendis suffered injuries and were attended duly. However, the tour was immediately called off and the players are returning home soon.

Everyone is in depression and is not seeing anything positive as far as Pakistan is concerned. I am not sure what stance the ICC or BCCI, for that matter would take in this regard, but it seems that there will be no cricket played in Pakistan in the next 4 to 5 years at least. It is time some strong steps are taken and some harsh decisions are made to ensure this type of incident does not occur in the future.

However, the big bang comes in from Pakistan, in which a Pakistani minister, Sardar Nabil Ahmed Gaboi (Minister of State for Shipping) states that the attack on Sri Lankan cricket team was done by terrorists from India, who has crossed over the Indo-Pak border and attacked the Sri Lankan team to defame Pakistan internationally! How ridiculous is this, now? A minister of state who holds high position and much higher responsibility is saying something like this. This not only shows how irresponsible the Pakistani government is, but also is a clear gesture to prove the support these terrorist groups are getting from Pakistan. India is trying to aid Sri Lanka to fight LTTE terrorists in Jaffna and Northern territories of Sri Lanka to give them a better future; and these rascals are talking shameful about India herself! Even there is a segment in India and Sri Lanka which feels that India should not be any part of the steps taken against the LTTE there in Sri Lanka – they do not support India’s humanitarian act for peace.

This is not the only case where India was sent down recently. The recent violence in Bangladesh that saw the BDR taking to arms against the Government and the Army was mentioned to be an act by Indian bureaucrats. A few people did not feel ashamed to even mention it as a conspiracy by India to ignite violence in Bangladesh! Bangladesh, a country which was torn apart from undivided India, got its existence, recognition and language because of India – Indian brotherly behavior from time immemorial. They forgot everything – and why would not they? Indian never tried to influence Bangladesh or its politics in any manner whatsoever. India fought for Bangladesh’s cause and lost brave sons of the soil and just left Bangladesh with their own dirty thoughts and mischievous lives! Well, that was a gesture renowned and appreciated from all groups across the world, but what has that given in return? Conspiracy against India? Home for the black listed ULFA, SULFA, ATTF and NLFT terrorists? Free route to India for Talibani terrorists? What else and what not!

It is alarming! The three neighboring states are at cross with India. And she is going on showing compassion and brotherly gestures – and looking into the recent signals that has come from the Indian government, I doubt this is going to stop in recent times. It is high time to stop and take the bull by its horns. There is no other way out. India has already seen Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Bangalore, Agartala, Guwahati, Delhi and Mumbai shake in terror. What else is she waiting for now? Isn’t it enough now? Hope the government act soon… The Parliamentary elections are here, almost knocking at the door. I hope the people will choose the right persons now, who can and who will act readily. Or else, we would suffer – for all we are banking right now, is suffering and more suffering – for us, and for our coming generations!

Also posted at: Thus Spake Tan!

Sheikh Hasina [Bangladesh Awami League

It is, however, quite disingenuous for representatives of that same government to try and avoid their own country’s responsibility for its actions by complaining that my protests of its persecution of journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury insult its sovereignty. It reminds me of a debate I had last year in the public square of a West Bengal village where I interviewed Hindu victims of Islamist attacks. The ruling Communist Party (CPIM) was trying to intimidate the residents into silence and the local commissar told me that “only the CPIM is allowed to solve our problems.”

“What?” I said outraged. “I should think that a moral government would first and foremost want its problems solved then worry about who gets credit for it!”

Hence, the irony of an inefficient Bangladesh complaining about my solutions to its long known problems of oppressing dissidents and journalists.

The protests are falling ever more on deaf ears in today’s global society. With examples in front of us from Darfur, Rwanda, and elsewhere, it is very difficult for moral individuals to buy that “sovereignty” defense as a justification for the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Bangladeshi Hindus, who have fallen from almost one in five Bangladeshis to fewer than one in ten.

People around the world, however, hoped that December’s free and open elections meant that was changing. They were ready to accept the new government’s promises that it would move Bangladesh away from a past that has been characterized by suppression of individual rights and minority oppression, patronization of Islamist radicalism, and massive corruption whereby leaders enriched themselves while impoverishing the nation. After 60 days in office, however, the Awami League (AL) already is blowing that goodwill.

The AL presented itself as the party that would end the oppression of Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh, and it was successful in thereby getting the minority vote and an assumption of honesty in those claims. Yet, from its very first day in office, the AL had a golden opportunity to show everyone just how serious it is about ending that oppression; but it never even came close to taking it. It has thus far taken no action to repeal the Bangladesh’s racist Vested Property Act (VPA); a law that even otherwise careful officials have labeled “a black law that [the new] government must repeal.” Imagine what it would have done to boost optimism among Bangladeshis and improve the country’s standing worldwide if within the first few days of taking office Sheikh Hasina said her government would repeal the VPA and thereby end a shameful chapter in her nation’s history. It would not be very different than US President Barack Obama’s recent address to Congress in which he stated loudly and clearly that he will close the US base at Guantanamo. Closing Guantanamo is even more complex than repealing the VPA, but Obama’s statement indicated his determination to make it happen nonetheless even without actually doing it yet. The fact that the AL has given no indication that things will be any different under its rule while at the same time doing nothing to stop the daily attacks on Bangladeshi minorities is slowly eroding the optimism with which it was greeted.

The AL’s other mistake was allowing a gang to invade the office of dissident journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, severely beat the peace activist, and refuse to leave the premises. There is extensive evidence showing that the attackers were Awami League activists, which according to reliable sources, is why the police have refused to press the case against them. The incident is already causing a great deal of consternation in Washington, where the admittedly false charges against Shoaib Choudhury have been the reason why several pieces of pro-Bangladesh trade legislation have been defeated without ever getting out of committee. Assessing the government’s actions and knowing that the Bangladeshi Embassy has a pretty good understanding of them one individual who works with Congress told me on conditions of anonymity that people wonder if “Dhaka even looks at anything coming out of the embassy.” Another Washington insider said that at this point, “words won’t cut it and if the Bangladeshis have any hope of tariff relief, they will have to take action first in the Choudhury case.”

Given Congress’ pre-occupation with the economy and President Obama’s promise to cut the deficit by 50 percent, individual foreign aid appropriations are likely to come under increased scrutiny. In such an atmosphere decisive action might be the only way to avert deep cuts in US aid based on the Bangladesh government’s failure to address oppression of dissidents and minorities or to comply with House Resolution 64 on the case of Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury.

Struggle of Hindus in Bangladesh

With the scheduled date for national elections fast approaching, the Awami League (AL) continues its decades-long courtship of Bangladesh’s minorities. Its 2008 “election manifesto” identifies five “priority issues” and buried as one of seven points under the fifth priority is:

“Use of religion and communalism in politics will be banned. Security and rights of religious and ethnic minorities will be ensured. Courtesy and tolerance will be inculcated in the political culture of the country. Militancy and extortion will be banned. Awami League will take initiative to formulate a consensual and unanimous charter of political behavior.”

To be sure, the AL is on solid ground when it urges minorities to reject the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) with its long history of coddling Islamist radicals. There is nonetheless a real question of the AL’s commitment to these ideals aside from the total befuddlement among all observers about how it would implement these high-sounding principles. AL has yet to say how it will ban “use of religion and communalism in politics.” How does it propose to stop such things as leaflets being distributed in districts with minority candidates, as reported in The Daily Star? The paper notes that leaflets distributed in the Thakurgaon-I district urges voters to reject AL candidate Ramesh Chandra Sen because he is a Hindu and uses verses from the Quran to try and convince voters. Another leaflet was entitled “Al-Quraner-Bani” and asks Muslims not to vote for any non-Muslim candidate. According to an election officer, however, these things already are legal. How the AL would make sure these things do not happen is something they never have spelled out.

Moreover, the AL’s history should not encourage religious minorities. By now, all Bangladeshis recall the AL’s shameful agreement with Khelafat Majlis (KM) in December 2006. In that MOU, the AL discarded all pretense of being a party committed to minority rights when it agreed not only to let the Islamist party into its coalition if it won the election, but it would all the KM to proceed with implementing Sharia Law on all citizens. Fortunately, the elections scheduled for the following month were postponed, but the AL’s action revealed that its members are far more concerned about winning an election no matter what it means for millions of Bangladeshi citizen.

Moreover, the AL had five years of uncontested rule between 1996 and 2001 during which time it did not stop minority oppression. It was during this period that Hindus fell to a minority of less than ten percent of Bangladeshis for the first time in history. In fact, the Bangladeshi Muslim population grew about five times as fast as the Hindu population in that period, due in large part to continued attacks and Hindu emigration because of them. Additionally, the AL had five full years to repeal the racist Vested Property Act (VPA) that legalizes the plunder of Hindu assets. Yet it waited until the eve of its exit from power when it passed the impotent Vested Property Return Act, which was never implemented or structured to return looted properties to their rightful owners. Professor Abul Barkat of Dhaka University has conducted the most authoritative study of the VPA and found that the AL and BNP were virtually identical in the extent to which they benefited from plundered minority assets under the VPA. Barak found that only about four percent of the Bangladeshi Muslim population is given the “vested” Hindu lands, and all of them are associated with one political party or another. During the terms of BNP rule, that party controlled 45 percent of the spoils to the AL’s 31 percent. But during Awami rule, it received 44 percent to 32 percent for the BNP. Clearly, while the two parties say different things, their actions are essentially the same.

Even attempts to prevent the traditional intimidation of and violence against minority voters do not appear to be earnest. Earlier this month, for instance, at a public hearing, the newly constituted National Human Rights Commission was challenged publicly by the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC) over the fact that it did not include a single member who was a religious minority. The Commission was unable to answer BHBCUC’s challenge. At a December hearing by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), the current US ambassador to Dhaka, James F. Moriarty, was asked about the current state of affairs in Bangladesh by the Commission. (USCIRF has had extensive involvement in Bangladesh, and its conclusions about the nation are considered extremely authoritative.) The Ambassador expressed a hope that elections would be free and fair and reflect “Bengalis practicing a unique form or religious syncretism.” He added, however, that “there are those who would like to end this tradition of moderation and tolerance—and that is a matter of grave concern.” The AL no less than the BNP has assiduously avoided any specifics about how it would prevent that from happening.

How committed is the AL or the BNP to minority rights and representation in a new parliament? The AL is fielding 13 minority candidates and the BNP six. With 450 seats in the parliament, that means a maximum 2.9 percent minority seats for the AL and 1.3 percent for the BNP with minorities representing anywhere from 11 to 14 percent of the Bangladeshi population. Hardly a ringing endorsement of either party!

Some members of minority communities are beginning to tell their co-religionists that they would do best to avoid associating with either of the major parties and run as an independent force in the elections. In a recent conversation, one Bangladeshi Hindu who has been living in the United States told me how American Jew have been thought to vote reliably for Democrats in national elections; but with the growth of organizations like the Republican Jewish Coalition and other party shifts, that is changing. Enough Jews have been donating to and voting for Republicans in recent years that “the Democrats can’t take your vote for granted, and Republicans know they can get it if they work for it. Bangladeshi minorities ought to do the same here.”

The notion of a regional solution entails throwing the many “regional” conflicts and issues in one pot and trying to determine which ones have priority for the major parties in the way of “solutions.” In a very broad way, it makes sense; but when it comes down to specifics, these approaches always fail. (Just look at their record in the Middle East.) Moreover, the solutions involve satisfying some of the combatants while ignoring others; securing rights for some in the region, while ignoring those of others; then assuming that the unsatisfied parties will decide to play nice. Given the recent focus on Kashmir and US interests in Afghanistan, that area will be the subject of these efforts. Deeper conflicts between India and Pakistan and between Hindus and Muslims in the area will be ignored. Moreover, is there anyone who believes a regional solution will address the ethnic cleansing of the Bangladeshi Hindus? This is no small matter, and the results of ignoring the carnage should feel all too familiar.

Dr. Richard Benkin with Refugees

Our history of responding to genocide and ethnic cleansing is a sad one. The international community response seems to respond only after the bodies are piled too high to ignore. Pious statements of condemnation, memorials for the victims, and studied outrage are indeed the order of the day—but onlyafter our inaction allowed far too many deaths, most of them brutal. European Nazis murdered six million Jews in the 1940s. In the 1960s, Fulani-led Nigerians slaughtered around a million ethnic Ibos who formed the Republic of Biafra. Three decades later, majority Hutus murdered almost a million Tutsis in Rwanda; and Serbs did the same to about 10,000 ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. And the humiliating saga continues without end. Ethnic Arabs are still killing non-Arab Sudanese; so far over half a million. While there have been smaller mass killings, too, these crimes grabbed the world’s attention—albeit too late for the victims. The United Nations (UN) issued proclamations and sent aid through its human rights and refugee organizations. Amnesty International (AI), Human Rights Watch, and others loudly condemned the perpetrators, documenting the atrocities and raising money for their aid programs. Several international celebrities took on highly visible roles, and massive protests worldwide gave vent to peoples’ outrage.

et, a case of ethnic cleansing, a-genocide-in-the-making, with numbers that dwarf these crimes has been proceeding for decades with little more than the occasional whimper. When Bangladesh won its independence from Pakistan in 1971, Hindus made up almost one in five of its citizens. Today, they are less than one in ten. There are regular reports out of Bangladesh of young Hindu girls being abducted, raped, then forced to convert to Islam. The government has been investigating some of these incidents but thus far has taken no action. The practice continues unhindered. Demographers and others estimate that anywhere from 20 to 35 million Bangladeshi Hindus have disappeared. At least that many remain at risk; but no George Clooney or Angelina Jolie; no declarations from the UN, despite its mandate to stop such atrocities. Its largely misnomered human rights organizations ignore the matter. Even the UN High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) has never helped the victims, though several organizations have documented their suffering. Earlier this year, I visited almost two dozen extra-legal camps of Bangladeshi Hindu refugees in West Bengal, India, and saw their need for help. The international human rights industry, too, has been silent. AI has devoted pages upon web pages to the United States and Guantanamo and spends a high percentage of its resources criticizing Israeli democracy. It recently devoted the cover story on its web site to Sunnis treating Shias like “second-class citizens” but to date it has shown no stomach to oppose what could be the worst case of ethnic cleansing in our time. The last time AI or Human Rights Watch gave the Bangladeshi Hindus even passing mention was in 2006.

This is not the first time the world has ignored mass murder in South Asia. Towards the end of the Bangladeshi war of independence, Pakistani troops and their Islamist allies slaughtered between two and three million mostly Hindu Bangladeshis; noncombatants, women, children, the elderly. All manner of brutality from mutilation to ritualized gang rape accompanied the carnage, but the world remains silent even while the victims’ descendants cry out for justice. NATO sent troops into Kosovo when thousands were at risk but did nothing to save millions in East Bengal. Hindu refugees flood West Bengal and live in semi-legal squalor, but the UNHCR refuses to recognize them as refugees. Several refugees and others attribute this disparity to religious bias. Fear of terrorist reprisals, the lure of petrodollars, and a rigid political correctness prevent many from taking a stand against Islamists, according to one Indian activist. But he and others blame “our own nature” that militates against activism and tolerates corruption.

As I told Indian journalists, “Everyone in India seems to know about the Bangladeshi Hindus, but no one is doing anything about it.” The action of Bangladeshi Islamists while atrocious is not unexpected. Imagine, however, refugees barely escaping with their lives, leaving murdered loved ones behind. They described crossing into the largest Hindu nation in the world; but found no welcoming arms of co-religionists. Instead, they were “treated like trespassers”; given no aid, no shelter. They reported being forced into camps where captors took advantage of them no less than did their Islamist tormentors. In West Bengal, refugees testified that local officials let them squat on some land; in exchange, they would be forced to attend Communist rallies. They would get vote cards only to be told that officials of the ruling Communist Party of India/Marxist (CPIM) would fill them in for them. But if anyone else desired the land, the refugees would be ejected; something I observed first-hand.

India is today an economic and military powerhouse. Yet it has never advocated for the thousands of victims streaming across its borders. If it has protested the ethnic cleansing to Bangladesh, it has done so ineffectively and invisibly. Just last week, Pakistan demanded that India turn over any evidence of its complicity in the Mumbai attacks or cease its accusations. With Pakistan’s now aggressive approach in its own defense, the outcome of regional negotiations is anything but clear even with regard to what appeared to be the clearest issue in the region. How even more unclear are things with regard to the Bangladeshi Hindus. It would also be a mistake for the US and others to focus on the India-Pakistan conflict and Kashmir while ignoring Bangladesh. There really are many in that nation struggling to make democracy a success there. Moreover, there are issues of trade, minority protection, anti-poverty programs, and a host of other matters that any truly regional solution would have to address.

India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh are the second, sixth, and seventh largest nations in the world by population respectively. An agreement that encompasses the varied and complex issues that plague the quarter of all humanity living in those countries would be nothing short of monumental. But it would have to be truly regional and tackle all of the critical issues in the region. Unfortunately, our track record on this score is not encouraging. No parties who claim to defend international justice have given a serious thought to the Bangladeshi Hindus; none have done anything concrete to stop the ethnic cleansing that is already transpiring. Any talk of a regional solution in South Asia is misguided at best, extremely dangerous at worst, as long as it and the participants ignore what could become the worst case of genocide even in our genocide-ridden age.

Mahatma Gandhi

We are all familiar with the name of Mahatma Gandhi. He is one of the most influential person in the world at this time period. He has been the father of a country that is well remembered as a country of secularism. The religion that is in that country is viewed differently than that is in the other countries. The part of his way to solve the country and the problems that followed were taken differently and solved differently. He is currently remembered as one of the most influential man in the South Asia because no one followed his rule and the concept like he did other ways.

He wrote a autobiography to encourage others to the way to fight these problems without any other harm to the others or without using any violence. His autobiography can be listed here: http://www.nalanda.nitc.ac.in/resources/english/etext-project/biography/gandhi/

From this we hope that other world leaders will learn and fight using non-violence. That is why it is encouraged to read this book and learn from this.

Anyways, a friend from youtube requested me to feature his rebuttal on the  BS theories going around regarding 26/11 attack. Enjoy…

Not less, more than Mumbai, Bangladesh will face mass destruction of Islamic terrorism in forth coming election. The Islamic extremist groups are deploying their well trained combatants’ country wide. They arms of mass destruction are gathered in the central commanding point.

It will be a Sub continental Tsunami of Islamic terrorism and peak point of systemic beginning of Islamic theocracy in Bangladesh. The attack may introduce a new “Butto” of Bangladesh. The DGFI and NSI seem cool in fighting the Islamic terrorism. I have shared the information with the international community. What is the reason behind the coolness of DGFI and NSI in fighting the Islamic terrorism?

To be continued ….

[William Gomes is a Catholic Human rights activist, freelance journalist and the Executive Director of the Human rights organization “Christian Development Alternative(CDA). Visit: www.persecutionbd.org ,Email:CDA.exe@gmail.com, Cell:+8801912342809]

A few days back, someone named “Allah Ke Bande” left a horrible comment against Hindus in general. I didn’t make a big deal out of this because I wanted people to realize the impact of Islamic Extremism that the world needs to encounter.

Allah Ke Bande, I made this video specifically for you. The background song is by Kailash Kher.

This is the time for us to reflect on the deaths and victims of Islamic extremism that people need to encounter on a daily basis. This is just one attack but for thousands of years, Hindus, Christians and Jews have to live with these types of radicalism from Islam. The funniest thing is that killing innocent people actually has been working for the Muslim extremists. The world population is not doing enough to end this extremism.

I said before and I am saying again. Certain aspects of Islam has problems and Muslims need to clarify those aspects. If Muslims don’t clarify the positions on Islam then more hatred will arise on the Muslims themselves.

Dr. Richard Benkin

On November 1, 2008, I delivered the Arvind Ghosh Memorial Lecture to the Human Empowerment Convention in suburban Chicago. The address was interrupted more than a half dozen times with applause and received a standing ovation at its conclusion. The following are excerpts from that address.

“Some years back, my mother, wife, and daughter were sitting in a Jerusalem restaurant enjoying a meal. Not many weeks later, a Palestinian terrorist entered the restaurant and blew himself up, [and] I realized that had my mother, my wife, and my daughter been there that day, the murderers would have considered their deaths something glorious…. Anyone who could glory in the deaths of my mother, my wife, and my daughter is an enemy so vile that…there can be no quarter, no negotiation, no compromise; and in the fight against it there can be no rest….

“Why is there any question about the need to fight them unrelentingly and to destroy them utterly….Our enemy’s expressed goals are to destroy our faiths, our values, our ways of life….Fuzzy thinking about this can destroy us, and…no matter [who] tries to convince us otherwise, [we] must remain focused on what we have to do to defeat them….This enemy has a name, and we need to use it: radical Islam. Not terrorism, which is only a tactic; or unspecified radicals, militants, or whatever politically correct word is in fashion but Islamist radicals….If we are engaged in a war on ‘terror,’ we are [merely] reacting to a tactic [and] not engaged in a comprehensive effort to defeat the terrorists and those who send them. If our enemies are merely “the extremists,” we have [abandoned] the search for any ideology…that unites those extremists and motivates them. [That] dilutes our struggle, weakens us, and strengthens our enemies…radical Islamists.

“An alliance of Israel, India, and the United States…can [easily] dispose of the terrorists and the national leaders that support them…Look at what each nation has done by itself. Ever since its 1948 birth, Israel has been bedeviled by nation-states and terrorist groups determined to destroy it. It is the only nation on earth that has never known a day of peace….Invaded by multiple Arab militaries in 1948, 1956, 1967, and 1973…Israel beat them all back so thoroughly, that they had to change tactics and send terror proxies to do their work…. But the terrorists have failed, too. Suicide bombings [and rocket strikes from Gaza] have been virtually eliminated….In a 2007 conversation with an Israeli insider, I noted how the number of terror attacks dropped significantly, even though the terrorists keep trying….‘Let me tell you a secret,’ he whispered, smiling. ‘We stop most of them in their beds.’ Israel has survived; more than that, it has thrived to become one of the world’s technological giants….

“India was born with an enemy dedicated to its destruction on its northwest border. For the last ten years, Pakistan has been a nuclear power. It has supported anti-Indian terror for decades, and since 1996, the entire Muslim ummah in the form of the Organization of Islamic Conferences and its members stand with Pakistan in claiming Kashmir. India faces a steady stream of terror attacks [and] a steady flow of Muslim infiltrators trying with some success to change the demographic realities in East and West Bengal. As I rode through villages near the Bangladesh and Nepal borders…I was told how each one has gone from having a mixed Hindu-Muslim population to an exclusively or almost exclusively Muslim one.…Yet India, too, survives and is becoming one of the new century’s economic giants….

“The United States remains the world’s only superpower and its largest economy…[Its] efforts in Iraq are succeeding. Terrorist actions are down, calm is returning, and Iraqis are taking on ever more of their national responsibilities. [It] has defeated an Islamist onslaught…conducted with no regard for the safety of innocents or for any international conventions. It has done so despite a worldwide ideological crusade by leftists and elites to demonize the United States and its anti-Islamist efforts. They have called it a war for oil, a war for Israel, and a war against Islam….

“Radical Islam threatens every country and people on earth but targets these three nations specifically for extinction….Yet, all three nations are told to negotiate with the enemy; to make concessions; to understand their grievances and our sins….Never mind that Israelis were being blown up on public busses; Palestinians said they were ‘humiliated’ by Israel’s security checkpoints. So the world leaned on Israel, not the Arabs, to engage in what they called confidence building measures [that is] unilateral concessions [that only built] our enemy’s confidence in our weakness….

“India is the key. Israel and the United States have had a strategic relationship at least since the 1960s. [India] did not even recognize Israel until 1992 and was a staunch ally of the Soviet Union during the Cold War.…But the collapse of the Soviet Union and growth of the Islamist enemy changed international realities and caused most nations to take a new look at their strategic interests….

“This has caused something of a generation gap among members of the India’s media and government. Many remain tied to the ideologies and policies of the past, while much of the younger generation does not….The [leftist] Congress Party recently broke with its communist allies over the…nuclear cooperation deal with the United States [and] West Bengal [Communists] suffered some reverses in local elections for the first time in its thirty-year, iron-fisted rule of that state….Earlier this year, I addressed a group of journalism students at the University of Lucknow [about] Islamist ethnic cleansing of Bangladeshi Hindus. [They] voiced their opinions about how the Indian media has failed to identify the true nature of this genocide-in-the-making [but also] avidly drank in any detail I could provide about life in the Jewish state…and about the way Jews and Hindus share so many values and sensibilities. More than anything else, however, these journalists of tomorrow wanted to know how tiny Israel was able to ‘defeat the terrorists and jihadis…so India can adopt these methods and defeat our terrorists like the Israelis did….’

“Members of [the] mainstream media…were quite candid about the media’s leftist bias, corruption in the Congress government…and about the severity of the Islamist threat….But because, they told me…they “would surely be sacked” if their editors or colleagues heard those candid opinions, we met in out of the way hotels, coffee shops, and other inconspicuous places….

“In the United States…the political correctness police see a potential offense in virtually every comment that calls our enemy what it is. In Israel, it is the misnomered peace camp; misnomered because the only peace their policies would bring is the peace of the grave. In India, it is pseudo-secularism, a policy that legislates Hinduism to a second-class status….The recent budget included millions to fund Muslim religious pilgrimages but not a penny for Bangladeshi Hindus living stateless and abused in refugee camps. Even in its final days in office, Israel’s Kadima Party is looking to strike a deal that would give up ancestral Jewish lands on West Bank, but also part of Israel’s capital, Jerusalem [and] Hebron, where Judaism’s patriarchs and matriarchs are buried….There had been a continuous Jewish presence in Hebron from biblical times until 1929 [when] Muslims with help from local authorities rioted and attacked the ancient Jewish community. Those who were not murdered were expelled [and] today, the descendants of the murderers have the gall to say the descendants of the victims have no title to the land, and the world disdainfully calls them ‘settlers.’ So, tell me, at what point does the statute of limitation run on genocide….

“We are also fighting what I have termed the Red-Green Alliance… of Communists and Islamists…In 2004, Al Qaeda terrorists were on the run from U.S. forces that dislodged them from their strongholds in Afghanistan….Friendly [Pakistani] border guards got them safely… to terrorist-controlled sections of Kashmir and into Nepal where they set up terror bases….Nepal is overwhelmingly Hindu and hardly a likely candidate to become the next Taliban state, but the Nepalese King had seized dictatorial powers in response to a decades-long communist revolt. That made for social chaos and uncontrolled borders that allowed Islamists in the Pakistan Embassy to engineered an agreement with the communists to provide Al Qaeda with safe haven.

“The Islamists were…interested in the world’s third-largest Muslim country just down the road: Bangladesh [where] Islamists had infiltrated virtually all of the country’s social institutions and had been part of the government since 2001. They were all set to make further gains in the upcoming January 2007 elections [until] a military coup stopped them—for the moment. [But] the Islamists remain in the area ready to seize power when conditions allow it….The Maoists’…reward was a role in Nepal’s coalition government, which gave them enough legitimacy to masquerade as a political party and run in the next election [and seize] power. [We see Red-Green] collusion between West Bengal communist government and Bengali Islamists [in] ongoing attacks by local and Bangladeshi Islamists that the government tolerates. I recall one village where the local commissar got there before I did to intimidate the refugees into silence. It appeared to be working until one elderly woman stood up in the public square and said, ‘I’m not afraid of anyone,’ and with the red official looking on, proceeded to tell me about the continuing attacks. [Its] less violent side is even more influential in blocking a US-India-Israel alliance….Leftists sympathize with Islamist goals, demonize Israel, and oppose anything the United States does….

“Wherever I went in India, I heard, ‘There are no democracies between Jerusalem and New Delhi.’ India and Israel…have been able to maintain their democracy without military coups or contrived states of emergency, without the suspension of rights or elections, despite pressure so continuous that few nations would be able to withstand it. In our tripartite alliance, we have the world’s oldest democracy, the United States, the world’s largest democracy, India, and the only democracy in the Middle East, Israel…. Each offers something the others do not….India’s greatest enemy is Pakistan; at least for now, the United States maintains extensive relations with it. Iran is Israel’s nemesis (America’s, too); and India has a good relationship with that country. America’s greatest rival, China (also a threat to India), has some serious ties with Israel.

“In the area of energy, competition for resources between India and the United States helped drive up the price of oil. [They accounted] for one third of the world’s oil consumption ….We appeared dependent on OPEC while they seemed independent of us [until] recent US actions to increase drilling, dip into its oil reserves, and conserve energy…drove down the price of oil [and] sent OPEC into a panic. If these two giant oil importers could unite in deliberate action to collapse the price—then take advantage of some extremely exciting Israeli advances in alternate energy technologies—the three could turn defeat and dependence into victory….

“Both the United States and India now have troops training in Israel, studying anti-terrorism tactics, urban guerilla warfare, and other tactics. In January, an Israeli spy satellite was fired into orbit on the back of an Indian rocket; and…India is now the largest importer of weaponry from Israel….Intelligence sharing has also grown with time, and Israeli intelligence is particularly active in providing India with good information to keep Pakistan in check….

“To make an India-Israel-US alliance a reality….First, we have to commit ourselves to doing what it takes to achieve this…As I have found in my own human rights efforts, there is nothing that can stop a committed individual who continues to impress upon leaders the moral nature of his or her claims. Second…we have to organize…identifying people who are willing to put together structures, raise funds, and do the leg work needed to convince people in Washington, New Delhi, and Jerusalem to further these ties. Third…we need to make this an issue that [politicians] cannot ignore. Bring it to their attention; tie donations to it; take out ads; get media time [and secure] cooperation of lawmakers from [all] parties…When I toured the Hindu refugee camps earlier this year, it was a member of the Congress Party who stood with me [even though] many in his party opposed his decision but….It is no different in the United States. The last protest letter I asked be sent to the Bangladeshi government was signed by four Members of Congress: Trent Franks of Arizona, a conservative Republican; Mark Kirk of Illinois, a moderate Republican; Steve Rothman, a moderate Democrat from New Jersey; and Allyson Schwartz, a liberal Democrat from Philadelphia….And work to defeat those who reject the seriousness of the existential threat that all three nations face. Do it as if your life depended on it because it does.

“Fourth, there are many ways to build a corps of supporters in the United States Congress and Senate. Networks of like-minded individuals exist in all three countries and all over the world….Fifth, find the ‘good guys’ in the media. Although we rightly complain about a media tendency to avoid naming the threat and to downplay its seriousness, there are many writers and outlets that are not like that. We need to identify them and cultivate those relationships….

“Over the past couple years, I have become more and more involved in trying to protect the Bangladeshi Hindus from the genocidal efforts of Bengali Islamists, the corruption of Bengali leaders, and the shameful inaction by India, the United Nations, Amnesty International and the other so-called human rights groups…Some 20 million Bangladeshi Hindus who should be here are not….As a Jew, I am extremely sensitive about the Nazi holocaust against my people. I have family who survived it and family who did not. There is nothing in history that comes close to it [but this situation is eerily familiar]….Contact me….Work with me….Do not let this opportunity pass.” You can help me return to India in March to fight for the Bangladeshi Hindus by donating at Interfaith Strength.

Richard Benkin

We are delighted to welcome Dr. Richard L. Benkin to our site. Through personal email discussions, I found Dr. Benkin to be most considerate when it comes down to helping the Hindus of Bangladesh. He has been to Bangladesh and India several times involving human rights issues.

He was also the champion behind the lobby of getting Shoaib Chowdhury released from jail. Mr. Chowdhury, a journalist from Bangladesh was arrested for advocating peace between Islam and Judaism. Dr. Benkin has worked on many projects alongside Mr. Chowdhury and therefore has crucial knowledge on where minorities face hardships, including property rights, rape, assault, cultural genocide etc.

I would like you to check out his site Interfaith Strength. He started this site to encourage understanding between different faiths and encourage discussion of human rights violations.

He is planning to visit India soon to lobby for human rights for Bangladeshi Hindus. We strongly appreciate his goal and honest approach. We would like to request everyone to donate to Dr. Benkin’s cause. The information on how to help him in his journey will be posted soon. However,  even $1 donation would be a great start and you can help him to help our people in Bangladesh.

At the end of the day, everyone wants peace. This will happen when there is a mutual understanding between the groups. However, for political and votebank reasons the Indian media has been really alienating the Hindu group. If this continues more disturbances and mistrust will arise among the population.

Whenever there is a terrorist attack carried out by Islamist radical organizations, the Indian media always downplays the incidence and uses ambiguous terms such as “anti-Indians” or “disoriented youths” etc. However, whenever there is a remote chance of any Hindu involvement on anything, they don’t hesitate to point out the Hindu involvement

How many terrorist attacks have taken place in India that have been carried out by Islamist organizations? In the last 3 months there has been at least one attack each month. The government hasn’t done a single thing but the media such as IBN and others jumped on the boat of calling Indians intolerant and that they are wrong in calling terrorists “Islamists.” They also point fingers at BJP for calling Islamist terrorists, “Islamist terrorist.” Are you serious?

Sagarika Ghost of IBN even blamed BJP for protesting against legalizing SIMI. This is a democracy for God’s sake. We are allowed to protest against whatever we like. Legalizing SIMI had no impact whatsoever. This was an ideological battle defeated in India by the pro-peace and pro-democracy people.

I am sick and tired of these types of double standards in the media. My friend, this is called “pseuedo secularism” not at all “secularism.”

That’s why blogging becomes so freaking important. This gives us a voice to fight back against the media. Whenever there is an article in the Indian media acting all “psuedo-secularizing”, we see 10-15 comments neutralizing that article. This is what we need…taking full advantage of Web 2.0. Neutralizing the media.

This is also a trend in the US/Canada. Web 2.0 is a huge force. A lot of people tend to learn and believe a lot from the web interactions rather than what is implied in the media. Therefore, Indians need to get this started. More bloggers need to enter into the arena. The internet is becoming a big force in India and as a result we saw the Indian government banning blogspot.com a few years back.

An effective blogging community can bring about changes and raise awareness in the community. The PC myth needs to stop! Appeasement needs to stop!

Hindus of Bangladesh blog.

“Greatest Transfer of Wealth in History” by Shadow Warrior talks about financial meltdown

South Asian Bleeding Heart Association is a really good effort in showcasing the so-called psuedo-secularism practiced by the Indian governments.

India View talks about the debate regarding Religious Conversions.

Finally, the Hinduism Today newsletter provided with a very nice inspirational quote on India by Mark Twain.

India is the cradle of the human race, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend and the great grandmother of tradition. The most valuable and the most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only. – Mark Twain