03-05-2005, 05:55 AM
Foilers - I am copying below the OY and YSS joint statement on Indicorps which we read out after Sonal Shah's Keynote address at the South Asia Conference Committee's conference at Yale on February 5, 2005. Sindhu Srinath and I represented OY and Ayaz Ahmad was there from YSS. Sonal Shah had time for a rebuttal, after which we engaged in a fairly heated and important debate with her and Indicorps volunteers on the issues the statement brought up.
Best,
Saadia
Questioning Indicorps: A Joint Statement by OY! and YSS
What is Solidarity? For us at OY! and YSS [1], Solidarity has always meant a coming together for a common vision of global justice. At OY! and YSS, we see solidarity as an inclusive form of building society. We consider secularism and pluralismâdefined as equality regardless of religious, cultural, and ethnic belongingâin the US and South Asia as our beginning point. We also seek to promote human and civil rights of people everywhere.
As you move forward in your life, I ask you to stop for a moment and ponder the fullness of such a vision. Volunteering for a cause, a vision, a belief is one of the
most inspiring and meanigful ways to enrich the lives of many around the world. Volunteering is an excellent way to express solidarity and to contribute to a vision for justice. Being South Asian Americans one of the first places we turn towards are the countries of our common heritage, the countries of South Asia. In this regard, we applaud the inspiring work of Indicorps and its volunteers in the many
organizations in India.
However, we have some serious reservations about Indicorps' involvement with organizations in India that preach a racist and segregationist outlook towards Indian society and culture.
We have taken a strong position against the Hindu Supremacist politics of groups such as the RSS, the VHP, and the BJP in India. These organizations, commonly referred to as Sangh Parivar, closely coordinate their policies and political actions in order to usher an overall vision of Indian society as Hindu society, where minorities - be they Muslim, Christian, dalit lower casteâare relegated to the status of second class citizens. Through seemingly innocuous front organizations such as schools, hospitals, and community organizations, the Sangh Parivar advances its cause of a narrow, segregationist, and exclusionary ideology. The ideology of Sangh Parivar, known as Hindutva, is fashioned after the cultural supremacist ideologies of Nazism and Fascism. One of the early leaders of the RSS, Golwalkar, who is still revered today by these Hindutva organizations, wrote [2]: âTo keep up the purity of the Race and its culture, Germany shocked the world by her purging the country of the Semitic Races - the Jews. Race pride at its highest has been manifested here. Germany has also shown how well-nigh impossible it is for Races and cultures, having differences going to the root, to be assimilated into one united wholeâa good lesson for us in Hindusthan to learn
and profit by.â
Well, the Sangh Parivar have truly profited from this lesson. They have systematically indulged in violence against minorities. Human Rights Watch has identified them as being primarily responsible for the genocidal pogroms against Muslims in Gujarat in 2002 [3]. In the aftermath of that carnage in Gujarat, over 2000 people were killed and nearly 150,000 made homeless. Equally reprehensible was the large scale violence against women.
Hence, we believe that associating with any Sangh organization provides respectability to the RSS and turns a blind eye to the violence wrought by it and its affiliates. This brings me to our concerns about Indicorps, which arise from their association with the different facets of the Sangh Parivar:
Over the years, Indicorps has teamed up with many Sangh Parivar groups in India, all of them self-acknowledged projects of the RSS [4]. Here in the US, Sonal Shah herself has been a National Coordinator with the VHP of America [5], and Indicorps lists India Development and Relief Fund as an Institutional Supporter [6], working with them closely on several projects. IDRF is a Maryland based group that primarily raises funds for the RSS groups in India, many of which have been directly linked to anti-minority violence in India [7].
In Gujarat, today, the Sangh organizations create an atmosphere of uncivil political pressures and human rights activists are threatened from continuing their causes for social justice [8]. Within such hostile conditions perpetuated by the Sangh-led state government, Indicorps' accepted an award from the very same state government [9]. Indicorps decision showed an absolute apathy and inconsiderateness towards the many human rights acitivists who continue to risk their lives. It is our responsibility, our duty to stand in solidarity with the activists who to speak up for their ideals despite the adverse conditions in Gujarat.
We would like Indicorps to explain why it chooses to associate with the Sangh Parivar. Is Indicorps simply not aware of their RSS connections, or does Indicorp consider itself sufficiently immune to continue working around the hateful vision of the Sangh organizations? We do not wish to imply that by working with Sangh organizations Indicorp is guilty of the same hateful vision. Nor do we suggest that Indicorps volunteers are themselves engaging in the hateful, violent ideologies of the Sangh. We do, however, believe that any association with such groups serves to advance the Sanghâs Hindutva ideologies.
Finally, in an interview last year, Ms Shah tried to explain away Indicorps' reticence in taking any stance. âIt is vital the group avoids taking sides, whether it comes to religious politics or the communalism in Gujarat, where much of Indicorps' work takes place.â Ms. Shah dismissed all talk about the hate ideology saying, "I'm not interested in the ideology." [10] This is where we at OY! and YSS would beg to differ. As you consider your choices of how you can express your solidarity and play a positive role in this world, donât forget to examine things a little more closely. Each and every action takes place in a political context, every aspect of life is imbued with political choices, and it would be highly irresponsible of us to pretend otherwise. Accountability means that we try to understand the political facets of the situation and ensure that our actions are aligned with our core beliefs.
And that is why we are asking Indicorps to explain its association with the Sangh Parivar, and questioning its commitment to a plural, mutli-ethnic, mutli-cultural society.
Notes:
1) OY! is Organizing Youth!, and YSS is Youth Solidarity Summer. Both are political education programs for South Asian youth. Please check out www.youthsolidarity.org for details.
2) M.S.Golwalkar, `We. Our Nationhood Defined', Bharat Publications, Nagpur 1939, p.35, 1947 reprint of 2nd ed., p.43)
3) âWe Have No Orders To Save Youâ: State Participation and Complicity in Communal Violence in Gujarat, Human Rights Watch, New York, 2002, Vol 14, Number 3 ©, http://www.hrw.org/reports/2002/india/
4) Among Indicorpsâ projects with clear RSS links are EkalVidyalaya, Jnana Prabodhini and Dr. Ambedkar VaidakeeyaPratishthan, Maharashtra.
5) Sonal Shah is listed as the National Coordinator for VHP-America,
http://www.vhp america.org/dynamic/modules...=article&sid=13
6) IDRF is listed as a grant-making âSupporterâ onIndicorps website http://www.indicorps.org/index.cfm?functio...porters&level=1
7) IDRFâs connections with the RSS are detailed in the report âThe Foreign Exchange of Hate: IDRF and the America Funding of Hindutvaâ available at
http://stopfundinghate.org/sacw/index.html. According to this report, over 80% of IDRFâs discretionary funding goes to RSS programs including the Vanvasi Kalyan Parishad and Sewa Bharati, both of which have been implicated in anti-
minorities violence.
8) Many of HRW reports have documented the continuing harassment of secular activists and lawyers in Gujarat. See, for instance âDISCOURAGING DISSENT: Intimidation and Harassment of Witnesses, Human Rights Activists, and Lawyers Pursuing Accountability for the 2002 Communal Violence in Gujaratâ,
http://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/asia/india/gujarat/
9) 19 young Indicorps volunteers are felicitated in Gujarat, Indo-Asian News Serviceâa news article in News India Times, Nov 19, 2004 gives an account of Indicorps volunteers receiving felicitation from Narendra Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat and also the chief architect of the Gujarat carnage of 2002 according to the Concerned Citizens
Tribunal, http://www.sabrang.com/tribunal/
10) Indicorps: The Saga Continues, Rediff, Dec 2003
http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/dec/18spec1.htm
Best,
Saadia
Questioning Indicorps: A Joint Statement by OY! and YSS
What is Solidarity? For us at OY! and YSS [1], Solidarity has always meant a coming together for a common vision of global justice. At OY! and YSS, we see solidarity as an inclusive form of building society. We consider secularism and pluralismâdefined as equality regardless of religious, cultural, and ethnic belongingâin the US and South Asia as our beginning point. We also seek to promote human and civil rights of people everywhere.
As you move forward in your life, I ask you to stop for a moment and ponder the fullness of such a vision. Volunteering for a cause, a vision, a belief is one of the
most inspiring and meanigful ways to enrich the lives of many around the world. Volunteering is an excellent way to express solidarity and to contribute to a vision for justice. Being South Asian Americans one of the first places we turn towards are the countries of our common heritage, the countries of South Asia. In this regard, we applaud the inspiring work of Indicorps and its volunteers in the many
organizations in India.
However, we have some serious reservations about Indicorps' involvement with organizations in India that preach a racist and segregationist outlook towards Indian society and culture.
We have taken a strong position against the Hindu Supremacist politics of groups such as the RSS, the VHP, and the BJP in India. These organizations, commonly referred to as Sangh Parivar, closely coordinate their policies and political actions in order to usher an overall vision of Indian society as Hindu society, where minorities - be they Muslim, Christian, dalit lower casteâare relegated to the status of second class citizens. Through seemingly innocuous front organizations such as schools, hospitals, and community organizations, the Sangh Parivar advances its cause of a narrow, segregationist, and exclusionary ideology. The ideology of Sangh Parivar, known as Hindutva, is fashioned after the cultural supremacist ideologies of Nazism and Fascism. One of the early leaders of the RSS, Golwalkar, who is still revered today by these Hindutva organizations, wrote [2]: âTo keep up the purity of the Race and its culture, Germany shocked the world by her purging the country of the Semitic Races - the Jews. Race pride at its highest has been manifested here. Germany has also shown how well-nigh impossible it is for Races and cultures, having differences going to the root, to be assimilated into one united wholeâa good lesson for us in Hindusthan to learn
and profit by.â
Well, the Sangh Parivar have truly profited from this lesson. They have systematically indulged in violence against minorities. Human Rights Watch has identified them as being primarily responsible for the genocidal pogroms against Muslims in Gujarat in 2002 [3]. In the aftermath of that carnage in Gujarat, over 2000 people were killed and nearly 150,000 made homeless. Equally reprehensible was the large scale violence against women.
Hence, we believe that associating with any Sangh organization provides respectability to the RSS and turns a blind eye to the violence wrought by it and its affiliates. This brings me to our concerns about Indicorps, which arise from their association with the different facets of the Sangh Parivar:
Over the years, Indicorps has teamed up with many Sangh Parivar groups in India, all of them self-acknowledged projects of the RSS [4]. Here in the US, Sonal Shah herself has been a National Coordinator with the VHP of America [5], and Indicorps lists India Development and Relief Fund as an Institutional Supporter [6], working with them closely on several projects. IDRF is a Maryland based group that primarily raises funds for the RSS groups in India, many of which have been directly linked to anti-minority violence in India [7].
In Gujarat, today, the Sangh organizations create an atmosphere of uncivil political pressures and human rights activists are threatened from continuing their causes for social justice [8]. Within such hostile conditions perpetuated by the Sangh-led state government, Indicorps' accepted an award from the very same state government [9]. Indicorps decision showed an absolute apathy and inconsiderateness towards the many human rights acitivists who continue to risk their lives. It is our responsibility, our duty to stand in solidarity with the activists who to speak up for their ideals despite the adverse conditions in Gujarat.
We would like Indicorps to explain why it chooses to associate with the Sangh Parivar. Is Indicorps simply not aware of their RSS connections, or does Indicorp consider itself sufficiently immune to continue working around the hateful vision of the Sangh organizations? We do not wish to imply that by working with Sangh organizations Indicorp is guilty of the same hateful vision. Nor do we suggest that Indicorps volunteers are themselves engaging in the hateful, violent ideologies of the Sangh. We do, however, believe that any association with such groups serves to advance the Sanghâs Hindutva ideologies.
Finally, in an interview last year, Ms Shah tried to explain away Indicorps' reticence in taking any stance. âIt is vital the group avoids taking sides, whether it comes to religious politics or the communalism in Gujarat, where much of Indicorps' work takes place.â Ms. Shah dismissed all talk about the hate ideology saying, "I'm not interested in the ideology." [10] This is where we at OY! and YSS would beg to differ. As you consider your choices of how you can express your solidarity and play a positive role in this world, donât forget to examine things a little more closely. Each and every action takes place in a political context, every aspect of life is imbued with political choices, and it would be highly irresponsible of us to pretend otherwise. Accountability means that we try to understand the political facets of the situation and ensure that our actions are aligned with our core beliefs.
And that is why we are asking Indicorps to explain its association with the Sangh Parivar, and questioning its commitment to a plural, mutli-ethnic, mutli-cultural society.
Notes:
1) OY! is Organizing Youth!, and YSS is Youth Solidarity Summer. Both are political education programs for South Asian youth. Please check out www.youthsolidarity.org for details.
2) M.S.Golwalkar, `We. Our Nationhood Defined', Bharat Publications, Nagpur 1939, p.35, 1947 reprint of 2nd ed., p.43)
3) âWe Have No Orders To Save Youâ: State Participation and Complicity in Communal Violence in Gujarat, Human Rights Watch, New York, 2002, Vol 14, Number 3 ©, http://www.hrw.org/reports/2002/india/
4) Among Indicorpsâ projects with clear RSS links are EkalVidyalaya, Jnana Prabodhini and Dr. Ambedkar VaidakeeyaPratishthan, Maharashtra.
5) Sonal Shah is listed as the National Coordinator for VHP-America,
http://www.vhp america.org/dynamic/modules...=article&sid=13
6) IDRF is listed as a grant-making âSupporterâ onIndicorps website http://www.indicorps.org/index.cfm?functio...porters&level=1
7) IDRFâs connections with the RSS are detailed in the report âThe Foreign Exchange of Hate: IDRF and the America Funding of Hindutvaâ available at
http://stopfundinghate.org/sacw/index.html. According to this report, over 80% of IDRFâs discretionary funding goes to RSS programs including the Vanvasi Kalyan Parishad and Sewa Bharati, both of which have been implicated in anti-
minorities violence.
8) Many of HRW reports have documented the continuing harassment of secular activists and lawyers in Gujarat. See, for instance âDISCOURAGING DISSENT: Intimidation and Harassment of Witnesses, Human Rights Activists, and Lawyers Pursuing Accountability for the 2002 Communal Violence in Gujaratâ,
http://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/asia/india/gujarat/
9) 19 young Indicorps volunteers are felicitated in Gujarat, Indo-Asian News Serviceâa news article in News India Times, Nov 19, 2004 gives an account of Indicorps volunteers receiving felicitation from Narendra Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat and also the chief architect of the Gujarat carnage of 2002 according to the Concerned Citizens
Tribunal, http://www.sabrang.com/tribunal/
10) Indicorps: The Saga Continues, Rediff, Dec 2003
http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/dec/18spec1.htm