01-29-2004, 10:36 AM
Israelis, Hindus to discuss terror
FORUM TONIGHT STEMS FROM ALLIANCES BORN IN WAKE OF RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE
By Matthai Chakko Kuruvila
Mercury News
Last March, when Lisa Cohen heard about a terrorist attack in Kashmir, India, she immediately thought about suicide bombings in Israel. So the Menlo Park resident, who is Jewish, went to Fremont and joined a street-corner rally organized by Hindu nationalists to raise awareness about the violence.
``We're both democracies,'' she said this week. ``We're both faced with the daily threat of radical Islamic terror.''
Cohen's presence at the rally is but one of many ways that Zionist Jews and Hindu nationalists -- not traditional allies -- have begun to forge alliances in the post-Sept. 11 era. That continues tonight, when a slew of Israeli and Hindu groups are sponsoring a talk at Stanford titled ``Global Trends That Will Defeat Terror.''
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon visited India earlier this year, a first for an Israeli leader since 1992, when India opened ties with the Jewish state. Some Hindu nationalist Web sites now carry Israeli flags. Rep. Tom Lantos, D-San Mateo, who will be introducing tonight's speakers, told a coalition of Indian and Israeli political action committees last summer, ``We have been drawn together by our joint fight against mindless, vicious, fanatic Islamic terrorism.''
The groups hope joining together will give them a more powerful voice. But their bonds concern many in India's minority Muslim community, including many Bay Area residents who believe the ties are based more on politically convenient stereotypes than reality.
``These organizations try to portray a blanket condemnation of all Muslims,'' said Sajed Ahmed, a Santa Clara resident and volunteer with the Indian Muslim Council. ``In this post-Sept. 11 hysteria, everything Muslim is supposed to be a terrorist. . . . The Hindu fundamentalists are the real terrorists. They're using the Islamophobic atmosphere to justify continuous oppression and communalization of Indian politics.''
Hindu nationalism, or Hindutva, has burgeoned over the past decade with a rise to political prominence. Critics say the Hindu nationalist vision of India excludes the country's religious minorities, including Muslims, Sikhs and Christians. They say the Hindu nationalist government has fueled ethnic violence against them -- a contention affirmed by Human Rights Watch, a New York-based watchdog group.
The past decade, during which India and neighboring Pakistan became nuclear powers, also coincided with a growing relationship with Israel, but supporters of the alliance between the two countries say that the roots run far deeper.
India and Israel both emerged from British colonial rule into modern nationhood soon after World War II. Both countries have had violent clashes with neighboring Muslim nations since their modern inceptions. And Hinduism and Judaism have spawned many of the world's religions.
Fremont resident Mihir Meghani, who has played a leading role in several Hindu nationalist organizations in the United States, saw the opportunity to build a bridge. Last year, he helped organize a meeting at Congregation Kol Emeth, a synagogue in Palo Alto, to introduce the idea of Democracies Against Terror, an organization that would forge an alliance between members of the two groups.
Pointing out that the past year has seen terrorist attacks in Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey, Meghani said that his organization's goal is not anti-Muslim.
``Muslims are also victims,'' he said, adding that there are non-Hindu Indians who are also part of the organization. ``This is not a movement against Islam. This is a movement in support of moderate Muslims.''
Others aren't so sure.
The alliance between Hindu nationalists and Zionist Jews ``brings out the polarized elements in both the Jewish and Hindu communities,'' said Zahir Janmohamed, whose writings on the issue have been followed by many Bay Area Indian Muslims. ``I see it as unrepresentative of all Indians.''
Janmohamed said tonight's event, whose speakers include Ved Nanda, a prominent Hindu nationalist, is important. But it ``should be placed in the larger context of how Indian and Israeli policy has disenfranchised minorities in those nations. In my experience, these types of events have not included such criticism of Israel and India, and they have focused exclusively on Muslim culpability.''
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IF YOU'RE INTERESTED
The talk will be held at Jordan Hall, Psychology Building 420, Room 041 on the Stanford University campus at 7 p.m.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Washington Post and the Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact Matthai Chakko Kuruvila at mkuruvila@mercurynews.com or (650) 688-7581.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews...cal/7813039.htm
FORUM TONIGHT STEMS FROM ALLIANCES BORN IN WAKE OF RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE
By Matthai Chakko Kuruvila
Mercury News
Last March, when Lisa Cohen heard about a terrorist attack in Kashmir, India, she immediately thought about suicide bombings in Israel. So the Menlo Park resident, who is Jewish, went to Fremont and joined a street-corner rally organized by Hindu nationalists to raise awareness about the violence.
``We're both democracies,'' she said this week. ``We're both faced with the daily threat of radical Islamic terror.''
Cohen's presence at the rally is but one of many ways that Zionist Jews and Hindu nationalists -- not traditional allies -- have begun to forge alliances in the post-Sept. 11 era. That continues tonight, when a slew of Israeli and Hindu groups are sponsoring a talk at Stanford titled ``Global Trends That Will Defeat Terror.''
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon visited India earlier this year, a first for an Israeli leader since 1992, when India opened ties with the Jewish state. Some Hindu nationalist Web sites now carry Israeli flags. Rep. Tom Lantos, D-San Mateo, who will be introducing tonight's speakers, told a coalition of Indian and Israeli political action committees last summer, ``We have been drawn together by our joint fight against mindless, vicious, fanatic Islamic terrorism.''
The groups hope joining together will give them a more powerful voice. But their bonds concern many in India's minority Muslim community, including many Bay Area residents who believe the ties are based more on politically convenient stereotypes than reality.
``These organizations try to portray a blanket condemnation of all Muslims,'' said Sajed Ahmed, a Santa Clara resident and volunteer with the Indian Muslim Council. ``In this post-Sept. 11 hysteria, everything Muslim is supposed to be a terrorist. . . . The Hindu fundamentalists are the real terrorists. They're using the Islamophobic atmosphere to justify continuous oppression and communalization of Indian politics.''
Hindu nationalism, or Hindutva, has burgeoned over the past decade with a rise to political prominence. Critics say the Hindu nationalist vision of India excludes the country's religious minorities, including Muslims, Sikhs and Christians. They say the Hindu nationalist government has fueled ethnic violence against them -- a contention affirmed by Human Rights Watch, a New York-based watchdog group.
The past decade, during which India and neighboring Pakistan became nuclear powers, also coincided with a growing relationship with Israel, but supporters of the alliance between the two countries say that the roots run far deeper.
India and Israel both emerged from British colonial rule into modern nationhood soon after World War II. Both countries have had violent clashes with neighboring Muslim nations since their modern inceptions. And Hinduism and Judaism have spawned many of the world's religions.
Fremont resident Mihir Meghani, who has played a leading role in several Hindu nationalist organizations in the United States, saw the opportunity to build a bridge. Last year, he helped organize a meeting at Congregation Kol Emeth, a synagogue in Palo Alto, to introduce the idea of Democracies Against Terror, an organization that would forge an alliance between members of the two groups.
Pointing out that the past year has seen terrorist attacks in Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey, Meghani said that his organization's goal is not anti-Muslim.
``Muslims are also victims,'' he said, adding that there are non-Hindu Indians who are also part of the organization. ``This is not a movement against Islam. This is a movement in support of moderate Muslims.''
Others aren't so sure.
The alliance between Hindu nationalists and Zionist Jews ``brings out the polarized elements in both the Jewish and Hindu communities,'' said Zahir Janmohamed, whose writings on the issue have been followed by many Bay Area Indian Muslims. ``I see it as unrepresentative of all Indians.''
Janmohamed said tonight's event, whose speakers include Ved Nanda, a prominent Hindu nationalist, is important. But it ``should be placed in the larger context of how Indian and Israeli policy has disenfranchised minorities in those nations. In my experience, these types of events have not included such criticism of Israel and India, and they have focused exclusively on Muslim culpability.''
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IF YOU'RE INTERESTED
The talk will be held at Jordan Hall, Psychology Building 420, Room 041 on the Stanford University campus at 7 p.m.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Washington Post and the Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact Matthai Chakko Kuruvila at mkuruvila@mercurynews.com or (650) 688-7581.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews...cal/7813039.htm