10-01-2003, 11:40 AM
[url="http://www.bharatvani.org/reviews/rev-fest.html"]http://www.bharatvani.org/reviews/rev-fest.html[/url]
Freedom of Expression Secular Theocracy vs Liberal Democracy
by Sita Ram Goel
New Delhi, Voice of India, 1993
135 + xxxv pages, Rs 120 (PB).
Reviewed by Dr. N.S. Rajaram
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The phrase âsecular theocracyâ holds the key to the book, which is in two distinct parts. The first part consists of several cases in which the Indian Government, sworn to uphold âsecularismâ, persecuted individuals who were only expressing their views on various topics from religious freedom to communism. Prominent among the victims was the compiler of this volume under review, Sita Ram Goel, who for several decades has carried on a tireless and sometimes highly risky battle against the forces of theocracy. As he correctly points out, in India, this theocratic tyranny is carried out in the name of âsecularismâ. No one should be fooled by this Orwellian rhetoric, for what is at stake is freedom of expression which is sought to be subverted by controlling institutions of the government and centers of learning. The skeletons now tumbling out of the academic closet bear eloquent testimony to how deep the rot has been during the decades of âsecularistâ dominance.
The second part of the book consists of twelve reviews of the famous book Why I Am Not A Muslim by Ibn Warraq. It is a sad commentary on the state of scholarship in India that this celebrated book has been barely noticed. It is not available except in pirated copies. There has been only one important review in an Indian publication â a Telugu magazine. (Happily it is a highly competent review.) And yet the authors of the reviews â from Daniel Pipes to Jan Knappert â could be taken from a Who is Who of Islamic scholarship, attesting to its importance. The titles of the reviews also, like "Islam is Religious Fascism", "Far More Dangerous than Nazism" give an idea of the scope and thrust of the book. The only Indian review of Why I Am Not A Muslim describes it as "a deeply felt intellectual tour de force by a great Muslim scholar whose heart bleeds for the fate of his fellow Muslims, and whose thirst for knowledge has led him on a path of incomparable research and study."
A welcome feature of the book is a collection of related articles by outstanding scholars like Ram Swarup, Arun Shourie and Koenraad Elst. Not the least among these is the long Preface by Sita Ram Goel. An intriguing aspect of Goelâs article is the role of Mahatma Gandhi that led to an intellectual and political climate in India that makes a critical examination of Islam all but taboo. (At the heart of this problem is Gandhiâs principle of sarva dharma samabhava â which this reviewer has pointed out, protects not tolerance but moral relativism. This allows Muslims to be intolerant and violent, while asking Hindus to be tolerant and nonviolent.) The book under review is a welcome shaft of light in this Stygian darkness. One hopes that it will lead to a more enlightened climate.
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Freedom of Expression Secular Theocracy vs Liberal Democracy
by Sita Ram Goel
New Delhi, Voice of India, 1993
135 + xxxv pages, Rs 120 (PB).
Reviewed by Dr. N.S. Rajaram
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The phrase âsecular theocracyâ holds the key to the book, which is in two distinct parts. The first part consists of several cases in which the Indian Government, sworn to uphold âsecularismâ, persecuted individuals who were only expressing their views on various topics from religious freedom to communism. Prominent among the victims was the compiler of this volume under review, Sita Ram Goel, who for several decades has carried on a tireless and sometimes highly risky battle against the forces of theocracy. As he correctly points out, in India, this theocratic tyranny is carried out in the name of âsecularismâ. No one should be fooled by this Orwellian rhetoric, for what is at stake is freedom of expression which is sought to be subverted by controlling institutions of the government and centers of learning. The skeletons now tumbling out of the academic closet bear eloquent testimony to how deep the rot has been during the decades of âsecularistâ dominance.
The second part of the book consists of twelve reviews of the famous book Why I Am Not A Muslim by Ibn Warraq. It is a sad commentary on the state of scholarship in India that this celebrated book has been barely noticed. It is not available except in pirated copies. There has been only one important review in an Indian publication â a Telugu magazine. (Happily it is a highly competent review.) And yet the authors of the reviews â from Daniel Pipes to Jan Knappert â could be taken from a Who is Who of Islamic scholarship, attesting to its importance. The titles of the reviews also, like "Islam is Religious Fascism", "Far More Dangerous than Nazism" give an idea of the scope and thrust of the book. The only Indian review of Why I Am Not A Muslim describes it as "a deeply felt intellectual tour de force by a great Muslim scholar whose heart bleeds for the fate of his fellow Muslims, and whose thirst for knowledge has led him on a path of incomparable research and study."
A welcome feature of the book is a collection of related articles by outstanding scholars like Ram Swarup, Arun Shourie and Koenraad Elst. Not the least among these is the long Preface by Sita Ram Goel. An intriguing aspect of Goelâs article is the role of Mahatma Gandhi that led to an intellectual and political climate in India that makes a critical examination of Islam all but taboo. (At the heart of this problem is Gandhiâs principle of sarva dharma samabhava â which this reviewer has pointed out, protects not tolerance but moral relativism. This allows Muslims to be intolerant and violent, while asking Hindus to be tolerant and nonviolent.) The book under review is a welcome shaft of light in this Stygian darkness. One hopes that it will lead to a more enlightened climate.
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