01-08-2008, 06:44 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Bow before fanatics </b>
The Pioneer Edit Desk
Dasmunsi is welcome to do that
Some politicians suffer from what is known as 'foot-in-mouth' disease. Those afflicted by this illness tend to open their mouths once too often, only to put both their feet in. Union Information & Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, who also doubles up as Parliamentary Affairs Minister, is one such politician.<b> On Sunday he pompously declared that dissident Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen should "bow down and apologise with folded hands" for hurting the sentiments of Muslims.</b> He then went on to add, rather gratuitously, "We are a pluralistic nation and we respect all religions." What does Mr Dasmunsi want Ms Nasreen to "apologise with folded hands" for? Presumably he was referring to the contentious portions, contained in all of three pages, of her book, Dwikhondito. Perhaps the Minister needs to be informed that she has already offered to delete those portions and instructed her publisher to withdraw all copies of the book from the market. She has also clarified that she neither intended nor wishes to hurt anybody's sentiments. And whom does Mr Dasmunsi want Ms Nasreen to "apologise with folded hands" to? Fanatical Islamists who are supported in their murderous mission by those who have nothing but contempt for the law of the land and our open, plural society.
The vast majority of India's Muslims, Mr Dasmunsi also needs to be informed, is not agitated by Ms Nasreen's writings; those who preach hatred and intolerance are. So, if he must speak for those who are "offended" by Ms Nasreen's book, let him speak for the likes of Idris Ali who heads the 'All-India Minority Forum' and organised the anti-Taslima Nasreen riots in central Kolkata on November 21 last year. Let him not defame all Muslims. The hate-monger is an exalted 'leader' of the party to which Mr Dasmunsi belongs; it is not surprising that they should think so remarkably alike. And since the Minister for Information & Broadcasting appears to be so appallingly ill-informed, it would be in order to remind him that Dwikhondito, banned by West Bengal's CPI(M)-led Government, has been cleared by Kolkata High Court. In a sense, he has questioned the judiciary's wisdom, and thereby cast aspersions on the law. <b>It is obvious that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's esteemed Cabinet colleague, who claims to "love literature", is indulging in no more than competitive communalism to outdo the Marxists in pandering to the lowest common denominator for whom violence is the only means of demonstrating their loyalty to Islam. He is welcome to bow before them with folded hands -- that's something Mr Dasmunsi, as a courtier, should be adept at -- but he should desist from asking others to emulate him. </b>
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The Pioneer Edit Desk
Dasmunsi is welcome to do that
Some politicians suffer from what is known as 'foot-in-mouth' disease. Those afflicted by this illness tend to open their mouths once too often, only to put both their feet in. Union Information & Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, who also doubles up as Parliamentary Affairs Minister, is one such politician.<b> On Sunday he pompously declared that dissident Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen should "bow down and apologise with folded hands" for hurting the sentiments of Muslims.</b> He then went on to add, rather gratuitously, "We are a pluralistic nation and we respect all religions." What does Mr Dasmunsi want Ms Nasreen to "apologise with folded hands" for? Presumably he was referring to the contentious portions, contained in all of three pages, of her book, Dwikhondito. Perhaps the Minister needs to be informed that she has already offered to delete those portions and instructed her publisher to withdraw all copies of the book from the market. She has also clarified that she neither intended nor wishes to hurt anybody's sentiments. And whom does Mr Dasmunsi want Ms Nasreen to "apologise with folded hands" to? Fanatical Islamists who are supported in their murderous mission by those who have nothing but contempt for the law of the land and our open, plural society.
The vast majority of India's Muslims, Mr Dasmunsi also needs to be informed, is not agitated by Ms Nasreen's writings; those who preach hatred and intolerance are. So, if he must speak for those who are "offended" by Ms Nasreen's book, let him speak for the likes of Idris Ali who heads the 'All-India Minority Forum' and organised the anti-Taslima Nasreen riots in central Kolkata on November 21 last year. Let him not defame all Muslims. The hate-monger is an exalted 'leader' of the party to which Mr Dasmunsi belongs; it is not surprising that they should think so remarkably alike. And since the Minister for Information & Broadcasting appears to be so appallingly ill-informed, it would be in order to remind him that Dwikhondito, banned by West Bengal's CPI(M)-led Government, has been cleared by Kolkata High Court. In a sense, he has questioned the judiciary's wisdom, and thereby cast aspersions on the law. <b>It is obvious that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's esteemed Cabinet colleague, who claims to "love literature", is indulging in no more than competitive communalism to outdo the Marxists in pandering to the lowest common denominator for whom violence is the only means of demonstrating their loyalty to Islam. He is welcome to bow before them with folded hands -- that's something Mr Dasmunsi, as a courtier, should be adept at -- but he should desist from asking others to emulate him. </b>
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