01-29-2004, 11:28 PM
Nice letter to the editor in washington timesWashington
Indian secularism: A model for Asia
Since September 11, world attention rightly has focused on the dangers of Islamic extremism. Paul Marshall is worried that Hindu extremists and their so-called allies in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are encouraging religious violence ("Make the tough decisions," Op-Ed, Jan. 14). But the world has never seen, nor will it see, Hindu suicide bombers, Hindu holy warriors hijacking planes, or the Indian equivalent of the ayatollahs.
The BJP governs India in a coalition with a number of smaller parties â not all of which share Hinduism's historical religious tolerance. Israel also has a coalition government. It would be outrageously unfair to attribute the words and deeds of some of his coalition partners to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
Mr. Marshall indicts India and the BJP by citing incidents of religious extremism. He would have us believe that attacks on religious minorities in India are a matter of state policy â or state acquiescence. Nothing is further from the truth.
The murders of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his sons were horrific, as were subsequent reports of the burning down of two Hindu temples in Australia. Is the Australian government responsible for those atrocities? The murderers of Mr. Staines and his sons were brought to justice. Twelve of the accused were convicted and sentenced. The main accused has been sentenced to death.
Mr. Marshall misrepresents facts. The reported rape of four nuns by "Hindu extremists" in Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh, is a case in point. Francois Gautier, a French journalist, interviewed the nuns. He reported that the nuns and the local bishop told him that a gang that "had nothing to do with religion" had committed the rapes. In another case, Hindus supposedlyburneddownchurchesinAndhra Pradesh, but Hindu culpability has been disproved.
The Gujarat riots and the loss of innocent lives, Muslim and Hindu, are not among Indian democracy's finest hours and must be condemned. However, Mr. Marshall, while quoting the Indian chief justice, failed to note that court's ruling, in response to petitions filed by various citizens groups, demanding that the Gujarat courts establish a registry for reporting such cases and that they be prosecuted actively. Many of the trials have resulted in lengthy prison sentences.
Mr. Marshall did not note that Diwali, Eid and Christmas all are federal holidays in India. Christians, Muslims, Sikhs and other non-Hindus serve in the highest levels of government, the armed services and the police. India's president is a Muslim. Defense Minister George Fernandes is a Christian. Both enjoy the support and confidence of the BJP. At the dawn of the new Christian millennium in 2000, when many of the non-Christian countries of Asia, including China, refused to allow the pope to visit, it was the BJP-led Indian government that welcomed him.
Like other multiethnic, multireligious societies, India has its problems, but to portray it as a simmering cauldron of sectarian hatred and violence, as Mr. Marshall does, is a grave injustice to an American ally.
SUE GHOSH STRICKLETT
U.S. India Political Action Committee ,Washington
Indian secularism: A model for Asia
Since September 11, world attention rightly has focused on the dangers of Islamic extremism. Paul Marshall is worried that Hindu extremists and their so-called allies in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are encouraging religious violence ("Make the tough decisions," Op-Ed, Jan. 14). But the world has never seen, nor will it see, Hindu suicide bombers, Hindu holy warriors hijacking planes, or the Indian equivalent of the ayatollahs.
The BJP governs India in a coalition with a number of smaller parties â not all of which share Hinduism's historical religious tolerance. Israel also has a coalition government. It would be outrageously unfair to attribute the words and deeds of some of his coalition partners to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
Mr. Marshall indicts India and the BJP by citing incidents of religious extremism. He would have us believe that attacks on religious minorities in India are a matter of state policy â or state acquiescence. Nothing is further from the truth.
The murders of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his sons were horrific, as were subsequent reports of the burning down of two Hindu temples in Australia. Is the Australian government responsible for those atrocities? The murderers of Mr. Staines and his sons were brought to justice. Twelve of the accused were convicted and sentenced. The main accused has been sentenced to death.
Mr. Marshall misrepresents facts. The reported rape of four nuns by "Hindu extremists" in Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh, is a case in point. Francois Gautier, a French journalist, interviewed the nuns. He reported that the nuns and the local bishop told him that a gang that "had nothing to do with religion" had committed the rapes. In another case, Hindus supposedlyburneddownchurchesinAndhra Pradesh, but Hindu culpability has been disproved.
The Gujarat riots and the loss of innocent lives, Muslim and Hindu, are not among Indian democracy's finest hours and must be condemned. However, Mr. Marshall, while quoting the Indian chief justice, failed to note that court's ruling, in response to petitions filed by various citizens groups, demanding that the Gujarat courts establish a registry for reporting such cases and that they be prosecuted actively. Many of the trials have resulted in lengthy prison sentences.
Mr. Marshall did not note that Diwali, Eid and Christmas all are federal holidays in India. Christians, Muslims, Sikhs and other non-Hindus serve in the highest levels of government, the armed services and the police. India's president is a Muslim. Defense Minister George Fernandes is a Christian. Both enjoy the support and confidence of the BJP. At the dawn of the new Christian millennium in 2000, when many of the non-Christian countries of Asia, including China, refused to allow the pope to visit, it was the BJP-led Indian government that welcomed him.
Like other multiethnic, multireligious societies, India has its problems, but to portray it as a simmering cauldron of sectarian hatred and violence, as Mr. Marshall does, is a grave injustice to an American ally.
SUE GHOSH STRICKLETT
U.S. India Political Action Committee ,Washington