08-16-2007, 07:24 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Tolerance under attack </b>
Pioneer.com
JS Rajput
The assault on Taslima Nasreen is being perceived as a section of Muslims attacking a defiant Muslim woman whose books enrage the clergy. This should worry those who wish to preserve India's culture
The reactions to the attack on Taslima Nasreen by MIM MLAs and cadre in Hyderabad on August 9 have been along predictable lines. For the electronic media, it was a big opportunity and the footage of the shameful incident was telecast for hours. The 24x7 channels repeatedly informed their viewers that the footage had to be edited as some of the utterances of the attackers were too indecent to be telecast.
Then there were experts to offer comments. A woman writer, who obviously does not like Taslima Nasreen, asserted that her entire career was built on "controversies". To create a sense of balance, she criticised "fundamentalists" of every faith. Surprisingly, there has hardly been any vociferous protest by the 'secularists' and women's rights activists. The media has noted this 'secular' silence and that is a ray of hope!
The import of the Hyderabad attack must be seen in totality and not in isolation. After all, it contributes to 'communalising' the mutuality of the two major communities in the country and provides fodder to fundamentalists of all hues. It can be exploited to create social dissension and poison impressionable young minds
The MF Husain issue is largely seen as a Muslim making sustained efforts to provoke Hindu sentiments. The incident involving Taslima Nasreen is being seen as a section of Muslims attacking a defiant Muslim woman who dares express herself and writes books unacceptable to the Islamic clergy and, hence, to the community.
Well-known 'secularists' from the majority community have criticised the 'communal persecution' of MF Husain. Most of them, however, have not found it worthwhile to condemn the attack on Taslima Nasreen.
When intellectuals and scholars look at issues from an ideological perspective instead of analysing them on the basis of facts, it is time to worry about inter-faith amity and the demise of objectivity. It is also time to worry about India's culture, heritage and efforts to create a better future for its people.
Hindus and Muslims share a common culture and also a common heritage. They have to preserve it together, not in isolation. Jawaharlal Nehru best illustrated this in his convocation address at Aligarh Muslim University on January 24, 1948: "I am proud of India, not only because of her ancient, magnificent heritage, but also because of her capacity to add to it by keeping the doors and windows of her mind and spirit open to fresh and invigorating winds from distant lands... How do you feel about the past? Do you feel that you are also a sharer in it, an inheritor of it and, therefore, proud of something that belongs to you as much as to me? ... I ask these questions because in recent years many forces have been at play diverting people's minds into wrong channels and trying to pervert the course of history. You are a Muslim and I am a Hindu. We may adhere to different faiths or even to none; but that does not take away from that cultural inheritance that is yours as well as mine. The past holds us together; why should the present or the future divide us in spirit?"
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Before Partition, Mohammed Ali Jinnah was of the opinion that 75 per cent of India's Muslims were converted Hindus. Nehru put this at 95 per cent. </span>The fact remains that in India, Hindus, Muslims and Christians, barring a small percentage, have common ancestors. Apart from faith-specific rituals and practices, Indians of all faiths have innumerable common places of worship and prayer spread across the country.
In the 21st century, all the nations of the world visualise a better future for their next generations and are striving to create a conflict-free world. But certain elements would like to plunge humanity into violence. Afghanistan stands brutalised, Iraq suffers its killings and suicide bomb attacks. Pakistan has begun to taste terrorism. India continues to be a victims of externally supported terrorism.
Had the international community realised the gravity of the situation, the sufferings of so many nations could probably have been minimised if not eliminated fully. In this century, we have to work and live together with 'others' of every variety.
In a multi-religious society, the need for religious harmony and tolerance is of paramount importance. It alone can establish social cohesion without which the question of learning to live and work together shall just remain a distant dream
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Pioneer.com
JS Rajput
The assault on Taslima Nasreen is being perceived as a section of Muslims attacking a defiant Muslim woman whose books enrage the clergy. This should worry those who wish to preserve India's culture
The reactions to the attack on Taslima Nasreen by MIM MLAs and cadre in Hyderabad on August 9 have been along predictable lines. For the electronic media, it was a big opportunity and the footage of the shameful incident was telecast for hours. The 24x7 channels repeatedly informed their viewers that the footage had to be edited as some of the utterances of the attackers were too indecent to be telecast.
Then there were experts to offer comments. A woman writer, who obviously does not like Taslima Nasreen, asserted that her entire career was built on "controversies". To create a sense of balance, she criticised "fundamentalists" of every faith. Surprisingly, there has hardly been any vociferous protest by the 'secularists' and women's rights activists. The media has noted this 'secular' silence and that is a ray of hope!
The import of the Hyderabad attack must be seen in totality and not in isolation. After all, it contributes to 'communalising' the mutuality of the two major communities in the country and provides fodder to fundamentalists of all hues. It can be exploited to create social dissension and poison impressionable young minds
The MF Husain issue is largely seen as a Muslim making sustained efforts to provoke Hindu sentiments. The incident involving Taslima Nasreen is being seen as a section of Muslims attacking a defiant Muslim woman who dares express herself and writes books unacceptable to the Islamic clergy and, hence, to the community.
Well-known 'secularists' from the majority community have criticised the 'communal persecution' of MF Husain. Most of them, however, have not found it worthwhile to condemn the attack on Taslima Nasreen.
When intellectuals and scholars look at issues from an ideological perspective instead of analysing them on the basis of facts, it is time to worry about inter-faith amity and the demise of objectivity. It is also time to worry about India's culture, heritage and efforts to create a better future for its people.
Hindus and Muslims share a common culture and also a common heritage. They have to preserve it together, not in isolation. Jawaharlal Nehru best illustrated this in his convocation address at Aligarh Muslim University on January 24, 1948: "I am proud of India, not only because of her ancient, magnificent heritage, but also because of her capacity to add to it by keeping the doors and windows of her mind and spirit open to fresh and invigorating winds from distant lands... How do you feel about the past? Do you feel that you are also a sharer in it, an inheritor of it and, therefore, proud of something that belongs to you as much as to me? ... I ask these questions because in recent years many forces have been at play diverting people's minds into wrong channels and trying to pervert the course of history. You are a Muslim and I am a Hindu. We may adhere to different faiths or even to none; but that does not take away from that cultural inheritance that is yours as well as mine. The past holds us together; why should the present or the future divide us in spirit?"
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Before Partition, Mohammed Ali Jinnah was of the opinion that 75 per cent of India's Muslims were converted Hindus. Nehru put this at 95 per cent. </span>The fact remains that in India, Hindus, Muslims and Christians, barring a small percentage, have common ancestors. Apart from faith-specific rituals and practices, Indians of all faiths have innumerable common places of worship and prayer spread across the country.
In the 21st century, all the nations of the world visualise a better future for their next generations and are striving to create a conflict-free world. But certain elements would like to plunge humanity into violence. Afghanistan stands brutalised, Iraq suffers its killings and suicide bomb attacks. Pakistan has begun to taste terrorism. India continues to be a victims of externally supported terrorism.
Had the international community realised the gravity of the situation, the sufferings of so many nations could probably have been minimised if not eliminated fully. In this century, we have to work and live together with 'others' of every variety.
In a multi-religious society, the need for religious harmony and tolerance is of paramount importance. It alone can establish social cohesion without which the question of learning to live and work together shall just remain a distant dream
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