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| News and information provided in conjunction with South Asia Citizens Wire and other sources Sunday, January 04, 2004Posted by: Awaaz / 1/04/2004 05:48:36 PM[NEWS DIGEST PROVIDED IN CONJUNCTION WITH SOUTH ASIA CITIZENS WIRE - www.sacw.net] Rediff News January 02, 2004, Friday BBC progamme on Gujarat angers VHP Shyam Bhatia in London The UK head of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has attacked the BBC for its anti-Hindu bias following a radio programme which supported the thesis that the post-Godhra anti-Muslim riots that swept Gujarat were premeditated. "The riots were a spontaneous reaction by an outraged population," said Dr Girdharilal Bhan in his letter to the producers of the programme 'Bilal's return to Gujarat', which was broadcast on New Year's Day as part of the prestigious Crossing Continents series on BBC Radio Four. The programme tracked the return to Gujarat of British-Indian national, Bilal Dawood, who lost his brother, his cousin and a friend of the family in the anti-Muslim riots of February 2002. Crossing Continents quoted Teesta Setalvad, convener of the Concerned Citizens Tribunal, as saying: "What is unprecedented about the carnage was the level of state sponsorship." The programme pointed out that both national and international human rights groups have placed much responsibility for the killings at the door of Gujarat's BJP Hindu nationalist government. In his letter to the BBC, Dr Bhan said: "It is the strong belief in the British Hindu community that the British media, in particular the BBC, is strongly biased against Hindus. I know the BBC strongly repudiates this. However, we have good reasons to make our claim and can cite many examples of one sided and biased reports." He went on to say: "Gujarat riots were deplorable and condemnable. All Hindus, individuals and organisations, have condemned the loss of life and limb and human misery. "The riots however would not have happened if 58 men, women and children had not been burnt alive in a premeditated and cold-blooded manner. The riots were a spontaneous reaction by an outraged population. "There are those who say the burning alive of Hindus was not premeditated. Some even go so far as to say the train passengers had it coming because they were provoking local Muslims and that the setting alight of the train was the handiwork of Hindu extremists. "On the other hand they claim that the riots that followed were premeditated. This is mind boggling stuff. If journalists want to believe it, that is up to them. It simply lowers their standing." ENDS. Posted by: Awaaz / 1/04/2004 05:48:03 PM [NEWS DIGEST PROVIDED IN CONJUNCTION WITH SOUTH ASIA CITIZENS WIRE - www.sacw.net] The Daily Star December 27, 2003 Bigots demand bill declaring Ahmadiyyas non-Muslims Threaten to hem in MPs Staff Correspondent The anti-Ahmadiyya religious bigots yesterday threatened to hem in members of parliament (MPs), elected on Islamic manifesto, if they do not table a bill declaring the Ahmadiyyas non-Muslims in the next parliament session. "Since they promised an Islamic society, Motiur Rahman Nizami, Fazlul Haq Amini, Delwar Hossain Sayeedi (and MPs of Jamaat-e-Islami and other Islamic parties) must place a bill in this regard in parliament,"demanded Mahmudul Hasan Mamtazi, amir of Khatme Nabuwat Andolon Coordination Committee, an anti-Ahmadiyya alliance. "If you don't do so, beware Nizami, Amini, Sayeedi and the others, we will gherao you wherever we find you," warned Mamtazi from a demonstration he chaired at Jatrabari. Some fifteen hundred anti-Ahmadiyyas of a conglomerate of Islamist outfits took part in the demonstration jointly organised by Nabuwat Anodolon and Aamra Dhakabashi, a socio-cultural organisation, on Shaheed Faruq Road after Juma prayers yesterday. "We will paralyse the whole country including the city if the government does not evict the 'kaffir Ahmadiyyas' from the Nakhalpara Ahmadiyya mosque by January 9," Mamtazi threatened. Joint Secretary General of Nabuawat Andolon, Nazmul Haq said, "We will drive the Ahmadiyyas out of their Nakhalpara mosque and lay siege to other Ahmadiyya mosques across the country simultaneously on January 9." "We will begin a countrywide agitation and paralyse the country for an indefinite period demanding declaration of the Ahmadiyyas as non-Muslims and freeing the mosques from their occupation," he added. "The government should keep in mind that the previous Awami League government failed to retain power as they declared fatwa illegal," he reminded. "Ours demands are not political," said Shamsul Haq, president of Aamra Dhakabashi. "No Muslim will accept Ahmadiyyas identifying themselves as Muslims and calling their places of worship mosques while at the same time carrying out anti-Islamic activities and identifying their late leader Mirza Golam Ahmad as the last prophet." "We will not bother them if the government declares them a minority community and not identify them as Muslims," said Abdur Rahim of Khademul Islam Parishad. "The AL government failed to return to power as it shut down 250 madrassahs and the ruling alliance will face the same fate if they do not meet our demands," said Enayetullah Abbasi, a senior Nabuwat Andolon leader. Zakir Hossain, Shamsul Haq Kazemi, Khabir Ahmed, Moklesur Rahman, Tafazzul Haq, Ataur Rahman Atiq and Azizur Rahman, among others, addressed the demonstration. The participants later brought out a procession and dispersed at the Sayedabad bridge. Khatme Nabuwat Andolon will hold another demonstration at Mirpur-10 intersection on January 2. ENDS. The Hindustan Times December 31, 2003 Bajrang Dal issues threat against New Year celebrations Indo-Asian News Service Bhopal, December 30 Activists of the Bajrang Dal in Madhya Pradesh have warned the people against celebrating the New Year. In a statement issued here, the Hindu radical group said people with a "slave-like mentality" were planning to hold "vulgar" programmes on the eve of the New Year of a calendar that had nothing to do with Indians. The group warned the people against all New Year celebrations. The Bajrang Dal's threat was focused on Indore, Madhya Pradesh's commercial capital, which has a number of plush hotels that organise parties to usher in the New Year. The group said such parties were vulgar and against Indian traditions. One hotel is flying in a belly dancer and her troupe from the US on New Year's Eve. Bajrang Dal activists have also decided to stage a torch rally in Indore to warn all hotel and restaurant owners against holding "Western and vulgar" dances. The group's members will tour cities in the state in small groups and stop any programme that they consider to be "against Indian traditions". Around 10 days ago, Bajrang Dal activists disrupted a fashion show in Gwalior district of northern Madhya Pradesh. For the past few years, the Bajrang Dal and other Hindu groups have also been disrupting Valentine's Day celebrations. ENDS. Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2004 02:11:09 - 0800 (PST) 'Conversion' Convulsions in Basti Hazrat Nizamuddin Yoginder Sikand Located off a narrow, congested lane in Delhi's Basti Hazrat Nizamuddin, right opposite the global headquarters of the Tablighi Jama'at, the world's largest Islamic movement, are the offices of the Idara Isha'at-I Diniyat. The Idara is a publishing house that has for decades specialized in producing Tablighi literature in several languages. Indeed, the Idara's publications have played a major role in the global spread of the Tablighi Jama'at. The Idara's books are to be found in almost every country where the Tabligh movement is active, which is to say in almost every country where Muslims live. The Idara and the Tabligh movement have thus enjoyed a close relationship over the years. The Idara has helped popularize the message of the movement, while the movement has helped build up the Idara into one of the largest Muslim publishing houses in India. The cosy relationship between the two is now at an end, however. In a recent announcement the senior owner of the Idara, Muhammad Anas, has declared that he has 'repented' of having been associated with the Tablighi Jama'at and the Deobandi sect, and has now decided to join the rival Ahl-i Hadith school. Given the fierce rivalry between the Deobandis and the Tablighis, on the one hand, and the Ahl-i Hadith on the other, Anas' move has come as a major shock to those who knew him as well as for activists in the Tabligh movement. Anas made his dramatic announcement in late 2003, in an interview given to a certain Muhammad Aqil, an Indian Ahl-i Hadith scholar and activist based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Aqil spared no effort in publicizing the Ahl-i Hadith's latest prize neophyte. He arranged for the entire interview to be put up on a major Indian Ahl-i Hadith website managed out of Bombay (www.ahya.org). Audio tapes containing the interview were also hurriedly produced and distributed through Ahl-i Hadith channels all over India. Clearly, for the Ahl-i Hadith Anas' dramatic conversion is being seen as a major triumph. Meanwhile, although Tablighi leaders refuse to comment on the affair, there is clearly considerable resentment in Tablighi circles about what is regarded as Anas' 'betrayal' of the cause. As one Tablighi activist told me, 'Anas' business empire was built entirely on the money he earned by publishing Tablighi books, and now he decides to stab us in the back'. Recent years have witnessed the remarkable resurgence of intra-Muslim sectarian rivalries in India, and in this the Ahl-i Hadith have had a major role to play. Unlike the Deobandis and the Barelwis, who form the vast majority of the Indian Muslim population, the Ahl-i Hadith is fiercely opposed to Sufism as well as to the rigid following (taqlid) of any of the four established schools of Islamic jurisprudence. Instead, it insists that Muslims should strictly follow the Qur'an and the Sunnah, the Prophetic practice, alone. Sharing a common vision of Islam with the Wahhabis of Saudi Arabia, the Indian Ahl-i Hadith are said to have received considerable sums of money from Arab patrons. Much of this money has been spent on producing highly polemical literature targeted against other Muslim groups, branding them as erroneous and accusing them of polytheism (shirk) and wrongful innovation (biddat). As a result of relentless Ahl-i Hadith propaganda directed against them, other Muslim groups have begun responding by distributing literature defending their beliefs and seeking to portray the Ahl-i Hadith as sinister troublemakers. All this has led to considerable resentment and tension in the wider Muslim community. Anas' decision to join the Ahl-i Hadith will no doubt add a new angle to the ongoing inter-sectarian rivalry between the Ahl-i Hadith and the Deobandis, in particular because some of his statements contained in his interview are sure to be seen as provocative by the Deobandi 'ulama. The manner in which Anas and his interviewer both discuss his decision to join the Ahl-i Hadith gives the distinct impression that both see the act as a radical shift from 'disbelief' to the true faith, as dramatic a conversion as a shift from one religion to a completely different one. It is as if the Deobandi form of Islam that Anas had been adhering to all these years had little or nothing to do with real Islam. Naturally, the Deobandis are not going to take this suggestion lightly. Anas' interview is now available as a slim 48-page Urdu booklet, published by a Delhi-based Ahl-I Hadith publishing house, the Dar ul-Kitab al-Islamiya. The provocative title of the booklet reads, 'Faza'il-i 'Amal (Tablighi Nisab) Ke Nashir Ki Tauba' ('The Repentance of the Publisher of the Faza'il-i 'Amal (Tablighi Nisab'). The use of the word 'tauba' or 'repentance' is, of course, deliberate, suggesting that, as the publisher of the booklet sees it, Anas' earlier Deobandi-Tablighi association was a grievous sin that he has now sincerely repented of. In his introduction to the booklet, the editor of the booklet, Muhammad Aqil, explains why he, like many other Ahl-I Hadith scholars, is so opposed to the Tablighi Jama'at. He writes that the principal text used by Tablighi activists, the Faza'il-i 'Amal, penned by the Tablighi scholar Shaikh ul-Hadith Maulana Muhamad Zakariya, is replete with concocted stories and weak and even fabricated hadith or reports attributed to the Prophet Muhammad. Several of the beliefs that it prescribes, he says, are un-Islamic. Many of these are derived from Sufism, which, he says, has no sanction in Islam. A true Muslim, Aqil argues, must follow only the Qur'an and the genuine Hadith, and he claims that the only Muslim group to do so is the Ahl-i Hadith. He refers to numerous Arab and Indian Ahl-i Hadith 'ulama who have written texts 'proving' the Tablighi Jama'at to be a deviant group, primarily because of the allegedly un-Islamic contents of the Faza'il-i 'Amal. Aqil also quotes a fatwa issued by a leading Wahhabi 'alim, the late chief Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Shaikh Abdul Aziz bin Baaz, to back his claim. In his statement, bin Baaz asserts that that the 'message' (da'wah) of the Tablighi Jama'at is 'replete with errors' and adds that it also propagates 'wrongful innovations' (biddat) and 'polytheistic' (shirkiya) practices. Hence, he asserts, it is not proper (ja'iz) to travel on missionary tours with the Tablighi Jama'at, unless the intention be to warn the Tablighi activists of their erroneous ways. Anas' own narrative of his joining the Ahl-i Hadith reads almost like a Pauline conversion story, a sudden transformation from darkness to light. He relates that he was first introduced to the Ahl-i Hadith recently through audio tapes and CDs containing lectures of leading Ahl-i Hadith 'ulama and through certain Ahl-i Hadith websites, a remarkable testimony to the technological sophistication of several Islamic groups in South Asia. He then compared what he heard and read from these sources with the writings of Hanafi Deobandi 'ulama, and found to his consternation, so he says, that many of the pronouncements of the latter actually have no basis in the Qur'an and Hadith. This led him to read the works of Ahl-i Hadith scholars, and satisfied that their writings are in accordance with the Qur'an and Hadith, decided to join their sect. Anas admits that his conversion experience has not been a smooth affair. Most of his friends and relatives are upset with him, as if, as he puts it, he 'has committed a very grave sin'. After joining the Ahl-i Hadith he says he has sought to strictly follow the commandments of the Qur'an and the Hadith, which has provoked considerable opposition from even people he considers close to him. Thus, for instance, he recently arranged for the marriage of his son, a simple affair in accordance with the Qur'an and Hadith to which only a few people wereinvited. This has, he laments, angered his relatives. Likewise, he says that his daughter is now having to face considerable problems in her in-laws home because she prays in the Ahl-i Hadith fashion. Yet, he says, he has persevered and now his wife, all his children as well as the youngest of his two brothers have followed him into the Ahl-i Hadith. He adds that his middle brother has not yet joined the Ahl-i Hadith but reveals that he, too, broadly agrees with its aims and understanding of Islam and will, too, probably soon come around. He admits that his sudden decision would make a major dent in his income, for his business is based on publishing and selling Tablighi books. Yet, he says, he is willing to suffer poverty in God's path. As he relates in his interview, following his conversion Anas has introduced major changes in his publishing house. After consulting his two younger brothers, who are also partners in the business, he has decided to stop publishing the second volume of Maulana Zakariya's Faza'il-i 'Amal, the principal Tablighi text, and hopes to end the first volume soon, too. He has made a list of other books by Deobandi ulama that he was earlier publishing or stocking in his bookshop and which he now believes to contain material not in accordance with his new understanding of Islam. Among the books that he has stopped publishing and selling are the Bahishti Zewar, the Hikayat-i Auliya and the 'Amal-i Qur'ani by the leading Deobandi scholar Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi, the Tarikh-i Mashaikh-i Chisht by Maulana Muhammad Zakariya, chief Tablighi ideologue, as well as popular books for preparing amulets (amaliyat) such as Naqsh-i Sulaimani, Kanz ul-Husain, Shams ul-Ma'arif al-Kubra and Nafis al-Ma'ani. He suggests that if he had his way he would 'dump into a river' all the literature that is stocked in his shop which contains utterances that are not in accordance with the Qur'an and Hadith. He goes so far as to say that people who make a livelihood out of selling such books are actually engaged in unlawful work. Anas is now in the process of radically restructuring what was once the largest publishing house promoting the Tablighi Jama'at. His shop continues to stock certain texts penned by Tablighi ulama but several titles have simply disappeared from the shelves. Their place has now been taken by books written by Indian and Arab Ahl-i Hadith ulama. Anas has probably selected the new titles that he stocks with considerable caution, careful not to display any books that openly condemn the Deobandis and the Tablighis, and the Hanafis more generally, for the locality in which his shop is located is the nerve centre of the Tablighis 'All this is to the good', a friend of mine and a one time Tablighi activist who lives in the area told me. 'I don't agree with the Ahl-i Hadith myself', he said, 'but at least with new sorts of books being kept at the Idara, the Tablighis would be introduced to new ways of thinking, which they are now so hostile to'. On the other hand, he hastened to add, he feared that the changes at the Idara might possibly lead to heightened sectarian rivalries that the Muslims of Basti Hazrat Nizamuddin, already divided between the Tablighis and those associated with the shrine of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya nearby, can clearly ill afford. ENDS. Posted by: Awaaz / 1/04/2004 05:47:06 PM [NEWS DIGEST PROVIDED IN CONJUNCTION WITH SOUTH ASIA CITIZENS WIRE - www.sacw.net] [LETTER TO NEWSPAPERS] D-504 Purvasha Mayur Vihar 1 Delhi 110091 29 December 2003 Dear Editor, While the Sangh Parivar has every right to observe the death of Kushabhau Thakre in any way it pleases, Madhya Pradesh has no business to arrange a state funeral and declare two days of mourning for a person who was neither an elected representative there nor a constitutional functionary. This is misuse of public resources for private purposes. The waste will become far greater because the state's economy will come to a halt for a day. Although on paper we are a democracy and a republic, under the Sangh Parivar dispensation the trappings of monarchy have returned. Narendra Modi's second swearing-in was a regal affair attended by both the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister (who will, naturally, also witness the cremation of the late Mr. Thakre); and the recent swearings-in of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan were also modelled after the circus of ancient Rome and the late Shri Hitler's rally at Nuremberg. Yours truly, Mukul Dube ENDS. The Telegraph December 29, 2003 WATCH THE BAKERY In the recent history of Mr Narendra Modi's winning ways, the Best Bakery case is turning out to be an astonishing chapter. As his state and nation march on to higher and greater things, the Gujarat pogrom is becoming part of a forgettable and disposable past. The experiment has yielded its fruits - electorally and in the larger cause of the war against terror. It has also created an icon of victory, embodied in the figure of the chief minister and party member, wooing investors in his own state and campaigning for his party elsewhere, in cooperation with his colleagues. Mr Modi is now an indispensable part of the new and shining India, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party towards unprecedented economic stability. But the Best Bakery case keeps coming up. Across the network of civic and political institutions in Gujarat, which invariably manages to muffle and distort the course of justice, falls the shadow of the Supreme Court. A local fast-track court had acquitted the Best Bakery accused, followed by the apex court's admonition. This forced the state government to go in for a token appeal, rejected by the Gujarat high court on the last day of its winter session. When the court's reasons for confirming the acquittal are disclosed "later", there will, of course, be opportunities for further appeals. But the case has now been safely led into the labyrinth of endless referrals and deferrals - and India can carry on shining meanwhile. Here, then, is an obvious disjunction between the fast-track courts and the high court in Gujarat on the one hand and the Supreme Court on the other, leading to what is, in effect, the failure of the entire criminal justice system. But a deeper set of rifts can also be seen between the state government, the judiciary and the institutions of civil society (rights-based NGOs and the national human rights commission). The NHRC has filed for the retrial and transfer of several riots cases, while Citizens for Justice and Peace has been trying to protect the key witnesses. But it has been the singular achievement of the machinery of state to make their fight for justice look either like uncalled-for judicial activism or like a ridiculous and outmoded form of left-liberal political correctness. Apart from the Supreme Court's persistence in the matter, protesting against what has happened in Gujarat, and continues to happen there, has begun to look almost like a hippy movement, conducted in isolated venues by assorted rights activists or inconvenient celebrities (usually women, and usually from the minority communities). This is not only a perversion of justice, but also a mockery of the Indian polity and civil society - of the Constitution and the judiciary, and of the lives of individuals and communities. ENDS. The Hindu Dec 29, 2003 Souharda Vedike stages march By Our Staff Correspondent CHIKAMAGALUR DEC. 28. In what is seen as a "response" to the Shobha Yatra conducted by the Sangh Parivar in Chikmagalur on December 7 on the occasion of Datta Jayanti, the Bababudangiri Souharda Vedike (BSV) took out a procession here today. Intellectuals, farmers, labourers, and activists of political parties and swamijis of three maths participated. According to an estimate, nearly 10,000 volunteers of political, cultural, and labour organisations, and members of organisations of Dalits, farmers, women, and students participated in The rally commenced from Basavanahalli Kere field on the outskirts of the Chikmagalur Santhe Maidan, and concluded at the District Grounds. Sri Channamallaveerabhadra Swamiji of the Needumamidi Muth and Sri Murugharajendra Shivamurthy Swamiji of Chitradurga Math led the procession, which was inaugurated by the revolutionary singer, Gaddar. ENDS. The Telegraph December 29, 2003 Sangh sings BJP tune to woo tribals DEBABRATA MOHANTY Bhubaneswar, Dec. 28: Bijlee, sadak, pani was the cry in 2003. But in 2004, the mantra will be jal, jungle and zameen to woo tribals here. The old chant that won the BJP Chhattisgarh is now being remodelled by the Sangh parivar to win tribals in backward areas in Orissa with an eye on the nearing general elections. The Sangh top brass is unsure if the earlier slogan will pull tribals in the state. Therefore, the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, a Sangh outfit, is slowly working on issues concerning tribals here, keen to cash in on the feel-good factor. The step also seems to have Atal Bihari Vajpayee's blessings. "I was specifically asked by the Prime Minister to look into different problems such jal, jungle and zameen being faced by tribals. The tribals are the real owners of forests, land and water. The Vajpayee government is determined to make a 20-year vision plan for the abandoned community of the country," chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Dilip Singh Bhuria, told a gathering of about 15,000 tribals here on Friday. The meeting was organised by the Ashram as part of its golden jubilee celebrations but turned into a BJP campaign platform. "Never before have tribals in the country got so much of attention as under Vajpayee," Bhuria said, projecting Vajpayee as the messiah of tribals. He also reminded the gathering that Lord Ram was the god of tribals. "We are passing through a governance similar to Ram rajya." Union tribal minister and state BJP leader Jual Oram also joined in singing paeans to the Prime Minister. He thanked Vajpayee "for creating a new ministry to address problems being faced by the tribal community". He said his ministry had sanctioned funds for making 200-odd films which would highlight the "rich tribal culture". "The tribals have sacrificed a lot for the progress of the nation. Though they are the real inhabitants in forest areas, they were evicted from forestlands for establishing factories and projects," the minister said. The Union minister is being tipped to become the Orissa BJP chief with an eye on the Lok Sabha elections. About 22 per cent of Orissa's population is tribal. If there was praise for Ram rajya, there was also a veiled attack on Christian missionaries and tribals who had converted to Christianity. Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram president Jagadev Ram Oram demanded that tribals who converted to Christianity should not be provided reservations. According to him, after embracing a different religion they no longer remained tribals. He said the Ashram had decided to organise trips for tribals to places like Puri. Tribal communities from Orissa and its neighbouring states would be taken to Puri to offer prayers to Lord Jagannath. The organisation would reach out to at least 1 lakh tribal families to sensitise them on their rich culture. An 80-member team would visit 120 big cities to make the plan successful, he said. ENDS. The Daily Star December 31, 2003 Eminent HR activist Barrister Salma Sobhan passes away Staff correspondent Barrister Salma Sobhan, a lawyer, social worker and human-rights activist, died of a cardiac arrest at her Gulshan residence in the early hours of yesterday. She was 66. Salma, wife of Professor Rehman Sobhan, an economist and former advisor of the caretaker government, fell sick while reading a book in her room at around 1:00am. She was rushed to Sikder Women's Medical College and Hospital at Dhanmondi, but doctors declared her dead on arrival. Salma Rasheeda Akhtar Banu, known as Salma Sobhan, was born on August 11, 1937. Her father Md. Ikramullah was the first foreign secretary of Pakistan and mother Begum Shaista Ikramullah, one of the first women lawmakers in Pakistan, served as Pakistan ambassador to Morocco. Salma was educated at Westonbirt School in England and studied law at Girton College, Cambridge, in 1958. She was called to the Bar from Lincoln's Inn in 1959 and became one of Pakistan's first women barristers. She started her career as a legal assistant with M/S Surridge & Beecheno from 1959 to 1961 in Karachi. She came to Dhaka after her marriage with Prof Sobhan in 1962. Salma taught law at Dhaka University from 1962 to 1981. She lost her eldest son Taimur in an accident in 1981. She worked with Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs (Bilia) from 1981 to 1988, and served as editor of the Supreme Court Law Reports (SCLR) for several years. In 1982, she co-founded the human rights organisation, Ain-O-Salish Kendra (ASK), and was its first executive director until her retirement in 2001. Salma also helped establish Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (Blast) and Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (Brac). She was on the boards of many organisations working on human rights and social justice including Brac, Blast, Bilia, the international network Women Living under Muslim Laws and UNRISD, Geneva. In 2001, Salma was honoured by the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights in New York for her contribution to protecting human rights. Her major publications are Legal Status of Women in Bangladesh, 1975, Peasants Perception of Law, 1981 and No Better Option-Women Industrial Workers (co-authored), 1988. "She was a wonderfully warm person, with a great sense of humour," said Dr Hamida Hossain of ASK. "She had a lot of friends all over the world and used to spend time mailing to them. She was very keen in swimming and loved sight-seeing," she added. "This sitar enthusiast woman had keen interest in politics, but had no desire to be a politician," said Val Arnold-Forster, a journalist and a family friend who knew her since 1947. Salma left behind her husband Prof Sobhan, sons Babar and Zafar, brother Enam and sisters Naz and Sarvath. Her namaz-e-janaza will be held at Gulshan Central Mosque today after Zohr prayers. Qulkhwani for Salma will be held at her Gulshan residence on January 2 after Asr prayers. Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Leader of the Opposition Sheikh Hasina expressed deep shock at the death of Salma Sobhan. Brac, Odhikar, Bangladesh Nari Progati Sangha, Karmajibi Nari, Nagarik Uddog, ASK also mourned. ENDS. The New Nation Dec 30th, 2003 Salma Sobhan passes away By Staff Reporter Noted lawyer and human rights activist Barrister Salma Sobhan died of a severe heart attack at her Gulshan residence in the city in early hours yesterday. She was 66. Family sources said Barrister Salma Sobhan, one of the country's first women barristers, died at about 2 o'clock after midnight at her residence at Gulshan in the city. She left behind her husband, renowned economist Professor Rehman Sobhan, two sons--Babar and Zafar, brother Enam and two sisters, Naz and Sarvath, a host of relatives, friends and well-wishers to mourn her death. Her namaj-e-janaza will be held at Gulshan Central Mosque at Gulshan Avenue after Zohr prayers tomorrow (Thursday). The Qul-khawni will be held at her house (No. 9, Road No. 69, Gulshan-2) after Asr prayers on Friday. Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia yesterday expressed deep shock at the death of Barrister Salma Sobhan, wife of renowned economist Prof Rehman Sobhan. The Prime Minister, in a message of condolence, prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul and conveyed her sympathy to the members of the bereaved family. Receiving the news of death of Barrister Salma Sobhan, many of her relatives, friends and well-wishers rushed to her house at Gulshan yesterday morning. They included politicians, lawyers, academics, economists, women and human rights activists and journalists. Barrister Salma Sobhan was the daughter of Md Ikramullah, the first Foreign Secretary of Pakistan and Begum Shaista Ikramullah, who served as one of the first woman parliamentarians in Pakistan and its Ambassador to Morocco. She studied at Westonbirt School in England, received her Bachelor's degree in Law from Girton College, Cambridge, UK and was called to the Bar from Lincoln's Inn in 1958. She became one of Pakistan's first women barristers. Barrister Salma Sobhan practiced law in Karachi, and after her marriage, followed her husband to Dhaka and taught law at Dhaka University for 20 years. She was the Editor of the Supreme Court Monthly Reports and a member of Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs (BILIA) and a member of the four-member advisory council of Bangladesh Mohila Parishad. She was a member of the BRAC's Governing Body and the founder member of Ain-o-Salish Kendra, established in 1986 and was its first Executive Director till her retirement two years ago. Barrister Salma Sobhan was a Trustee Member of the Bangladesh Legal Aid Society's Trust. She wrote and lectured widely, with a special emphasis on the legal and human rights of women. In 2001, she was honoured by the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights in New York for her contribution to protecting human rights. Meanwhile, different human rights and socio-cultural organisations and individuals yesterday issued condolence messages expressing their profound shock and deep grief at the death of Barrister Salma Sobhan. In a joint statement, Chitra Bhattacharya and Ayesha Khanam, Acting President and General Secretary of Bangladesh Mohila Parishad said their organisation had lost a great human rights activist with the death of Barrister Salma Sobhan. "We are deeply shocked by losing Salma Sobhan and pray for eternal peace of her departed soul." They also conveyed their deep condolence and sympathy to the members of the bereaved family. In another message of condolence, BRAC said the contribution of Barrister Salma Sobhan, a long term member of BRAC's governing body, to BRAC and the society at large was immense. "She will always be remembered for her dedication and fight in bringing human, specially women's rights, to the forefront." The message said that the BRAC community offered its condolences to her husband, Prof Rehman Sobhan, and her two sons--Babar and Zafar. In a condolence message, Odhikar, a human rights organisation, expressed its deep shock at the death of Barrister Salma Sobhan. "All the members of Odhikar are deeply shocked at the death of Salma Sobhan, and the whole nation has lost a dedicated human rights organiser with the death of her," said Odhikar. Describing Salma Sobhan as one of the pioneers in the country's human rights movement, Odhikar said she involved the new generation in human rights movement and also inspired her students in that movement as a teacher of law. She also made a significant contribution in the national level to strengthen the struggle for protection of human rights through establishing different human rights organisations. © Copyright 2003 by The New Nation ENDS. Posted by: Awaaz / 1/04/2004 05:46:31 PM [NEWS DIGEST PROVIDED IN CONJUNCTION WITH SOUTH ASIA CITIZENS WIRE - www.sacw.net] The Times of India DECEMBER 28, 2003 Scholar destroys own work on Shivaji MANJIRI DAMLE TIMES NEWS NETWORK [SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2003 06:25:10 AM] PUNE: The Shiv Sena's strong-arm tactics have had serious repercussions here, with a distinguished scholar destroying 400 unpublished pages of his biography of Chhattrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The scholar, Gajanan Mehendale, who has painstakingly authored an objective, unbiased and most respected biography of Shivaji Maharaj, after a research spanning over 30 years, was driven to the extreme act on Thursday. Mehendale decided to tear off his work after Shiv Sena activists blackened the face of Sanskrit scholar Shrikant Bahulkar on December 22, for allegedly helping author James Lane, who has made some highly objectionable statements about Shivaji in his book, 'Shivaji: Hindu king in Islamic India'. Incidentally, the Oxford University Press that published the book has apologised for the remarks and has withdrawn the book from market after history scholars like Ninad Bedekar, Mehendale and city MP Pradeep Rawat sent strong letters against the statements. Shiv Sena activists jumped on to the bandwagon after the book was withdrawn, and after reputed institutions like the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute condemned the book's content. What angered Mehendale most was that not a single scholar or professor in the University of Pune condemned the attack on Bahulkar. He personally went to the office of Shiv Sena MLA Deepak Paigude on Thursday to demand that Shiv Sena activists, led by city unit chief Rambhau Parekh, tender an apology to Bahulkar. When he received no response from Parekh, Mehendale tore off over 400 pages of the unpublished biography, 'Shri Raja Shivchhatrapati'. Speaking to TNN here on Friday, Mehendale expressed his disgust over the behaviour of Sena activists against a scholar of Bahulkar's repute, who had nothing to do with Lane's remarks. "There is a competition going on to prove who loves Shivaji the most. Since Parekh has such abundant love for Shivaji, he is an excellent candidate to write the biography of Shivaji", he remarked. ENDS. The Hindu, December 27, 2003, Saturday Kerala : "Politics Of RSS Bomb Attack On BJP Leader's House" Four RSS workers arrested KANNUR, Dec. 26. Four Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) workers were arrested from Chendayad near Panur late last night in connection with the bomb attack on the house of a local leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on December 5. The Panur police identified the arrested as Nachiyot Balachandran (28), K. C. Ajesh (23), K. V. Abhilash (22), and V. Shinoj (23), all hailing from Chendayad. They were arrested at around 10 p.m. on Thursday, the police said. The arrested were produced before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court at Koothuparamba today. They were remaded to police custody for 15 days. The four RSS workers were charged under the Sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting with deadly weapons), 447 (criminal trespass) and 427 (mischief causing damage) of the IPC and Sections 3 and 5 of the Explosives Substance Act. According to the police, the motive behind the attack was to create tension in the politically volatile areas of Panur, which had remained peaceful for the past few years. They thought that the local workers of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) would be suspected of carrying out the attack. ENDS. The Statesman December 28, 2003 Govt wants to shut us down, allege Liberhan panel officials Our Legal Correspondent NEW DELHI, Dec. 27. The Central government is expecting an "unfavourable" report from the Liberhan Commission inquiring into the Babari Masjid demolition and is therefore citing the "delay" by the commission to wrap up its inquiry as an "excuse" to close it down, commission sources here charged. Reacting to reports that the commission would be denied the usual six months extension it has hitherto been getting and would possibly only get a three-month extension to complete its proceedings, commission sources said the Centre's stand that the enquiry had taken too long to complete work is an "excuse". "The government is clearly unhappy with the way the commission has been working. They are also not expecting a favourable report. All this talk of a delay in wrapping up work is just an excuse to close us down," a commission official said. However, the commission is yet to hear from the government on the issue of extension. The commission's current term lapses on December 31 and the Ministry of Home Affairs usually notifies an extension if any on the last day of a commission's working term. A commission official said "although evidence has been closed, arguments have not been completed. These hearings cannot be dispensed with". "So even if arguments were to begin tomorrow, they cannot be completed within three months. Writing the report would also take time in view of the enormous mass of evidence that has to be gone through and analysed". The official also argued that since the subject is "sensitive and with obvious political ramifications", compiling the report is a "task of great responsibility". "We would not like to approach it in a flippant manner." Plus, arguments cannot be resumed till January 9, when the Delhi High Court decides on Kalyan Singh's plea against deposing before the Liberhan commission. Counsel for the Central government and Mr LK Advani have been strongly opposing any move in the High Court to get Kalyan Singh to depose before the commission. Mr Advani, Mr MM Joshi and Ms Uma Bharati, three senior BJP leaders, have been already cleared of involvement in the Babari demolition case by a special court. ENDS. The Times of India Sena to play party-pooper TIMES NEWS NETWORK[TUESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2003 01:49:15 AM] PUNE: Shiv Sena activists in the city have threatened to disrupt New Year's eve entertainment parties and programmes, if they extend beyond the 10 pm -deadline. But police commissioner A.N. Roy told TNN that nobody will be allowed to take law into their hands. "As it is, the government allows all restaurants and hotels to function beyond midnight even on normal days" he said. The police will act strictly against violators of the law, he warned. The Sena's city unit president and vice-president, Rambhau Parikh and Raghunath Kuchik, respectively, submitted a memorandum to Roy on Monday, urging the police to maintain a "strict vigil' on parties at hotels, bars, restaurants and resorts. Kuchik said that the Sena has requested the police to ensure that deadlines are observed. The memorandum also warned that Sena activists will enforce the 10 pm-deadline. ENDS. Manusmriti Dahan Day celebrated as Indian women's Liberation Day on 25th December 2003 at Chaitya Bhoomi, Mumbai A Report Kunda Pramilani At half past four in the evening on 25th of December, 2003, more than hundred activists representing several Dalit, Bahujan and feminist organisations assembled in front of the memorial of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar at Chaityabhoomi, Dadar and set aflame dummy copies of the Manusmriti, Bhagwad Gita and Ramayana, condemning these texts and thus celebrated the ' Bharatiya Stree Mukti Din' This surprise gathering focused the fact that there is a need to protest against violent Hindu Revivalist force manifested in Politics, Media, Art and Cultural forms of expressions. Two activists Ms. Urmila Pawar & Ms Kunda P N of Dalit-Bahujan Mahila Vichar Manch (DBMVM) voluntarily gave the call for this symbolic action. There was tension because Sena Bhavan was just few yards away and Shivaji Park Police station was also at visible distance. The act of burning any religious book being against Freedom of Expression as argued by our Gandhian friend, we had decided not to ask Police and Municipal permission for this programme. However we had decided to gather as 'Flash Mob' and disperse very quickly by registering our protest against Brahmnical order. We have consciously used the term that "we are burning symbols of Oppressive Brahmnical Ideology. " The presense of more than hundred activists belonging to twenty organisations boosted our courage because in spite of knowing all above mentioned possiblities everybody felt the need to protest against present day Hindu Revivalist trend. Urmila Pawar, member of the DBMVM and Aakaar Konkan Dalit Mahila Sanghatana reminded the gathering of the historical burning of the Manusmriti by Dr. Ambedkar and his associates on 25th December 1927 to condemn the oppression of women and shudras. She explained the significance of the event and informed the gathering about the celebration of this day as Bharatiya Mahila Mukti Din over the last five years by several women's organisations in Maharashtra. Another activist of the DBMVM, Kunda Pramilani while speaking on the occasion argued that like the Manusmriti, the Bhagwad Gita and the Ramayana also support in a cunning manner the Varna order and slavery of women and these texts too must be condemned. The Bhagwad Geeta clearly states that violence and war are needed for protection of Dharma while the Ramayana consciously propagates the false myth of Sita being taken back into Mother Earth. It is possible, infact to conclude, she continued, that unable to bear her anger against the unjust order, Sita may have committed suicide. Vandana Gangurde, a firebrand activist of the Tejaswini Mahila Mandal of the Ramabai Ambedkar Nagar spoke about how just the burning of the Manusmriti was not enough that there is a need alongwith this to rid minds of the deep rooted blind faith . This is a big task and all women will have to come forth and provide social leadership for this task of bringing to an end all inequalities in society. Lata. P. M. of NACDOR and Streekathi underlined the need and significance of symbolic programmes such as that of the burning of the Manusmriti for challenging the communal and fundamentalist forces and bringing in social reform in contemporary Indian society. Advocate Vidya Triratne of the Bahujan Samaj Party argued that the Constitution drafted by Dr. Ambedkar was an appropriate alternative to the Manusmriti and the need of the day was true socialist and democratic politics. Pratibha Shinde of the Punarvasan Sangharsh Samiti in her speech narrated a humorous incident from the life of Babasaheb, wherein his wife Ramabai once asked him to cure a patient since he had the title of a doctor. Dr. Ambedkar told Ramabai that he was not a doctor of patients but a doctor of books. Further, he explained to Ramabai that he worked towards bringing to end serious diseases like caste that had grasped texts like the Manusmriti. Pratibha Shinde argued that infact today the disease is not limited to texts and books but that the diseases of casteism and communalism had taken hold of the entire society and that the gathering should vow to cure society of these diseases. Several male activists attended the programme and one of them Mr. Mulanivasi Mala an activist of the Bahujan Mukti Mahasangh argued that it was essential to condemn the Manuvaadi ideology that Dr. Ambedkar had talked about and also the new international Brahmanism that comes to us in the form of the IMF. Aruna Bhurte, an experienced activist of the women's movement said that Dr. Ambedkar had by burning the Manusmriti set into motion a struggle for human emancipation. This movement will gain momentum when combined with the programme for women's emancipation. Sandhya Gokhale of the FAOW argued that this programme should not be viewed as a programme against one particular religion but since all religions subordinate women, the burning of the Manusmriti represents the burning of all non-egalitarian thought. People of all castes and religions must therefore join in this programme. Kusumtai Gangurde , senior activist of the Republican Mahila Aghadi said that by burning the Manusmriti, Babasaheb had initiated the emancipation of women and that it was a welcome sign that several people were gathering in different places to carry forward this message. Usha Ambhore of the Buddhist Association of India said that a lot of Indian literature reflects Manuvaad and must also be condemned. Vandana Shinde of the Andh Shraddha Nirmulan Samiti said that alongwith the Manusmriti , blind faith must be set aflame or else the undue importance of 'Bapu- Bua and Bangali Babas’ ( fake religious men) will only increase in society. The organisations present were 1.Dalit-Bahujan Mahila Vichar Manch. 2. Tejaswini Mahila Mandal 3. Ramabai Ambedkar Nagar mahila Mandal 4. Panchashil Mahila Mandal 5. Akaar Konkan Dalit Mahila Sanghathan. 6. Streekathi . 7. NACDOR . 8. Bahujan Samaj Party Mumbai. 9. RPI Mahila AGhadi. 10. Bahujan Mukti Mahasangh 11. Punarwasan Sangharsha Samitee 12. Nirbhaya Bano Andolan. 13. Forum Against Opression of Women. 14. Women Centre. 15. Phule Shahu Ambedkar Vichar Manch 16. Andhasharadha Nirmulan Samitee Thane. 17. Raada Sanghatan. 18. Budhist Association of India. 19. Dr. Babasahesb Rashtriya Smarak Samitee. 20 Filmmaker Anand Patwardhan & Simantini Dhuru. This report was immediately faxed to all mainstream news papers in Maharashtra but no one wanted to give the space or coverage to this news . All the mainstream news papers are full of euphoria ! They want to cover news about PM’s birthday celebrations at various places, anouncements of all Carnivals, Youth festivals and New year parties and not the news about protest Kunda Pramilani, is film maker, writer and member of the Dalit-Bahujan Mahila Vicharmaanch. ENDS. Posted by: Awaaz / 1/04/2004 05:46:01 PM [NEWS DIGEST PROVIDED IN CONJUNCTION WITH SOUTH ASIA CITIZENS WIRE - www.sacw.net] The Telegraph (UK) 27 December 2003 Appeasement is Musharraf's worst enemy By Ahmed Rashid in Lahore (Filed: 26/12/2003) Human body parts and fragments of car engines littered a major highway between Islamabad and Rawalpindi yesterday after President Pervaiz Musharraf escaped a second attempt on his life in 11 days. Bloodied and badly wounded civilians and policemen were in shock after two vans loaded with explosives tried to ram into Gen Musharraf's convoy in an attack that stunned Pakistan and let loose a flood of conspiracy theories. Gen Musharraf's bodyguards were recently trained by the US State Department's special protection service and the CIA had provided him with the latest high-tech jamming devices. But these were not enough to stop determined suicide bombers. The attack, and the Dec 14 attempt to kill him by blowing up a bridge over which his convoy crossed, both took place in Pakistan's highest security area. Within a few hundred yards of the two sites are the general headquarters of the Pakistan army and Army House, Gen Musharraf's official residence. Gen Musharraf's security is so tight that only a handful of military officers know the route and timings of his travel plans. Retired military officers ominously point to the fact that these assassination attempts could not have taken place without inside information from disaffected army officers linked to extremist Islamic groups and possibly al-Qa'eda. In September, al-Qa'eda issued a death threat to Gen Musharraf, blaming him for the arrest over the past two years of some 500 of its members, who have been handed over to the US. Al-Qa'eda increasingly operates within Pakistan with the help of Pakistani extremist groups who want their country to continue the jihad in Kashmir and Afghanistan where they back groups fighting the Indian army, as well as the Taliban who are trying to unseat President Hamid Karzai and his new government in Kabul. In recent weeks the extremists have been infuriated by Islamabad's rapprochement with India. After intense American pressure, a major summit next week between Gen Musharraf and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Indian prime minister, was expected to lead to serious negotiations on resolving the Kashmir dispute. The extremists, and the fundamentalist nuclear scientists who dominate Pakistan's nuclear programme, are also furious at Gen Musharraf for accepting demands by the US and the International Atomic Energy Agency to investigate the sale of Pakistani nuclear technology to Iran and North Korea. Fundamentalism is also growing in the army. After a tip-off by the CIA, at least five army officers were arrested in October for helping al-Qa'eda members in Pakistan's border regions with Afghanistan. Despite all these threats, Gen Musharraf has always tried to appease the Islamic parties and his half-hearted crackdowns on extremist groups have only been carried out because of inordinate pressure from the Americans. Until recently the army has allowed extremist groups to continue crossing into Indian Kashmir to battle Indian troops, while the intelligence agencies are turning a blind eye to the resurgent Taliban. Gen Musharraf has refused to talk to the mainstream non-religious parties, who would be his natural allies in any genuine battle against the Islamic extremists. These parties are demanding that the army give up power and return to the barracks, which Gen Musharraf has refused to do. The result is that he is seriously isolated, trusted by none of the political forces in the country - secular or religious - and increasingly disliked by a public frustrated by his fluctuating policies and the lack of economic development and investment. Until now Gen Musharraf has kept his one constituency - the army - happy by giving them hundreds of jobs in the civilian sector and other perks and privileges, which have infuriated the public, civil servants and the police. He has also done little to root out fundamentalists in the army's officer corps. His unwillingness to take the fundamentalists seriously is now proving to be a direct threat to his life. ENDS. The Asian Age December 26, 2003 Girish Karnad to take on Sangh Parivar By Bhaskar Hegde Bangalore, Dec. 25: The Sangh Parivar in Karnataka is up against a new adversary in the form of noted playwright and film personality Girish Karnad. Mr Karnad has joined the ranks of playwrights and intellectuals like Vijay Tendulkar in taking on the saffron brigade. While Mr Karnad has not gone as far as the Maharashtrian playwright who was recently quoted as saying he would shoot Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi if he had a pistol, he makes no bones about his opposition to the Sangh Parivar. In the forefront recently of an agitation opposing the Sangh Parivar's moves to take over a disputed Sufi shrine in Chikmagalur, he has been labelled anti-national and a Naxal sympathiser by the BJP. The playwright is, however, unfazed by the criticism. In an interview with The Asian Age, he said, "I don't want to react to these people. No one has the right to say that so and so is a nationalist and so and so is an anti-national." About Vijay Tendulkar's criticism of Mr Modi, he said, "I have great respect for Mr Tendulkar. He has done research on communal clashes and knows what he is speaking about. I empathise with him." The spotlight turned on Mr Karnad when he got involved earlier this month in the Bababudangiri Souharda Vedike which was formed to counter the VHP's plans to convert the Bababudangiri-Datta Peeth dispute into a mini-Ayodhya. The controversy over the dargah of a Muslim saint in Bababudangiri, Chikmagalur, which the Sangh Parivar claims is actually the birthplace of a Hindu deity, Dattatreya, has been simmering over the past five years. The Sangh Parivar roped in the likes of VHP general secretary Praveen Togadia to rake up the issue on the eve of the Datta Jayanthi, held to celebrate the birthday of Dattatreya in Bangalore in early December. About his involvement in the anti-VHP vedike Mr Karnad said he had joined in, as he felt it was neccessary to combat the Sangh Parivar when even the Congress and the Janata Dal in Karnataka were giving "tacit support" to the Sangh's activities. "When there is no opposition to the Sangh Parivar from political parties, it is writers and intellectuals like us who have to take up cudgels," he maintained. The playwright thinks the Sangh Parivar will try to foment trouble in Karnataka in the run-up to the general elections. "These people always take up sensitive issues like Ayodhya and Bababudangiri before the polls," he said. ENDS. The Australian December 24, 2003 Anti-Christian pamphlets raise fears From correspondents in Ahmadabad, India December 24, 2003 THOUSANDS of anti-Christian pamphlets have been mailed to or slipped under the doors of Hindu and Christian homes in western India, raising fears of attacks during Christmas celebrations, a Christian leader said today. The pamphlets accuse Christians of forcibly converting impoverished Hindus, a charge denied by Christian leaders. It wasn't immediately clear who was distributing the pamphlets in Gujarat state, where Hindu-Muslim clashes last year left more than 1000 people dead, mostly Muslim. "We have found these pamphlets being circulated openly all over the state. But the government is not taking (action against) this vicious propaganda," said Father Cedric Prakash, a Jesuit priest and human rights activist. K Nityanandam, the state's home secretary, said he knew of the pamphlets. "But nobody has lodged a complaint with police so far," he said from Gujarat's state capital of Gandhinagar. Prompted by the pamphlets, a Christian group - the All India Christian Council - filed a petition today in the Gujarat High Court seeking protection during Christmas celebrations. Judge C K Butch asked the state government to respond to the concerns. One pamphlet accuses Christians of destroying 200 Hindu temples in western Goa state. Another pamphlet was titled: "A conspiracy to make India a Christian country." Christians comprise only around 2 per cent of India's more than 1.2 billion people. The pamphlets printed telephone numbers, but calls to those numbers by The AP were unanswered. Similar pamphlets were distributed in 1998, days before attacks by Hindu nationalists on Christian prayer halls in southern Gujarat. Hindu nationalists have targeted Christians and their organisations in Gujarat and other states since they came to power in 1998. One of the most gruesome attacks was in 1999, when a Hindu mob torched the vehicle of an Australian missionary, burning him and his two young sons alive in eastern Orissa state. Muslims, another minority in predominantly Hindu India, have also been targeted by Hindu extremists, though typically Hindus, Christians and Muslims have lived together peacefully for centuries in India. Jiwajibhai, a Christian living in southern Gujarat who uses one name, said an activist of the right-wing Bajrang Dal group gave him some pamphlets last week and said: "Look what your missionaries have been doing." Sailesh Christie, a Christian resident of Gujurat's main commercial hub, Ahmadabad, said he had also received some pamphlets. "When I read them, I got scared because this really is mischievous propaganda," he said. ENDS. The Telegraph December 28, 2003 Retrial plea heads back to SC OUR CORRESPONDENT Ahmedabad, Dec. 27: Human rights activists will approach the Supreme Court against Gujarat High Court's dismissal of the state government's appeal seeking retrial in the Best Bakery case. The Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) said it will move the apex court in the first week of January when it reopens after winter vacation. "We will point out legal loopholes in the judgment. The cases which the CJP wants to be transferred outside the state are listed for hearing on January 30. We expect the court to take up the matter that day," Teesta Setalvad, the NGO's secretary, said over phone from Mumbai. "By then," she added, "we will have the copy of the high court judgment giving reasons for dismissing the amended appeal." The division bench of Justices B.J. Sethna and J.R. Vora had yesterday said, while passing the judgment, that "the reasons will follow later (after the winter vacation)". The Mumbai-based NGO had first moved the apex court after a fast-track court in Vadodara acquitted all 21 accused of charring 14 people at the bakery on March 1, 2002, during post-Godhra communal riots. "The CJP had also assisted the victims to file an application in the current high court proceedings but Gujarat High Court thought it fit not to entertain the revision," Setalvad's statement said. "The dismissal is indeed shocking, but we still have faith in the highest court in the land," it added. For riot victims such as Sayed Khan Pathan of Gulbarg Society, which was set ablaze, the high court judgement was not unexpected. "We knew it was coming. We never expected that we would get justice in Gujarat. Unless riots cases are conducted outside the state, the Best Bakery acquittal case will be repeated," he said. Ahmedabad-based rights activist Cedric Prakash said: "We will move the Supreme Court to challenge the order dismissing the appeal." The state had filed the amended appeal three months ago after being pulled up by the apex court for filing an "eyewash of an appeal" earlier. Analyst Achut Yagnik said the case showcased the "failure of (the) criminal justice system" and the dismissal confirmed there was something wrong either with the "investigation or prosecution". High court advocate Mukul Sinha blamed the government for its inability to convince the high court of the necessity for a retrial. "It is entirely the government's failure. It was the government's own case. The fast-track court judgment was bad and justice was denied to the extent that the state government was forced to seek retrial.'' So, he said, it was up to the government to take the matter to the apex court. "The Supreme Court has the power to direct a retrial outside Gujarat," said a member of Setalvad's organisation. ENDS. Best Bakery case: Ball in Gujarat government's court Ahmedabad, Dec 27 (IANS) : Rights activists are likely to pressurise the Gujarat government to move the Supreme Court for the retrial of a case relating to carnage at a Vadodara bakery, in which 14 people died during last year's sectarian violence. On Friday, the Gujarat High Court turned down the state government's appeal for a retrial of what has come to be known as the Best Bakery case. "The case is lost. That was only expected when the state government was not intent on delivering justice. Everything now depends on the Supreme Court," advocate and rights activist Girish Patel told IANS. "It is unfortunate that the review appeal has been dismissed by the high court. But the Supreme Court can take care of the matter and I hope ultimately justice will be delivered," said Dwarika Nath Rath of the NGO, Movement for Secular Democracy. Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's government has 30 days to appeal this and, while it might be reluctant to do so, it might find itself cornered - as had happened when a trial court acquitted the 21 people charge-sheeted in the case. As the Gujarat government soft-pedalled on the appeal, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) moved the Supreme Court, which asked the Gujarat government to appeal the acquittal. This the state government did in September. For the moment, the government says it is awaiting details of the high court verdict. "For any further proceedings, we will have to wait for the bench to cite the reasons for the dismissal," said a law department official. This will happen only after January 11, when the court reopens after its winter vacation. Legal experts opine the Supreme Court could rule on the matter as the NHRC has filed a petition urging that cases relating to the communal carnage be transferred out of the state in the interest of a fair trial. A high court bench, consisting of judges B.J. Sethna and J.R. Vora, Friday dismissed the state government's amended appeal challenging the acquittal of all 21 accused in the case. The carnage had occurred in Vadodara, 110 km from here on March 1, 2002. The victims were burnt to death in a building that housed a bakery on the outskirts of the city. Eleven of the victims were Muslims and one was a Hindu. Two bodies have yet to be identified. A fast-track court in Vadodara acquitted all the accused June 27 after a majority of witnesses turned hostile and retracted their statements in court. Zahira Shaikh, a key witness, said later she had retracted as she had been threatened. ENDS. Date: 27-12-2003 If these are the hard facts, then what other outcome could have been expected in Best Bakery Case? The High Court of Gujarat has dismissed the half-hearted demand of the Government of Gujarat for retrial in the Best Bakery case. The High Court of Gujarat has confirmed the order of the trial court of Vadodara. This should not really come as a surprise if we take into consideration the way in which the Government of Gujarat has filed, amended, argued and pleaded the case even after Supreme Court intervention. Here is a case where the main intention of the petitioner, the Government of Gujarat, was and is to get the case defeated. It will be very tough fight to get justice in this and other such cases. It will be interesting to read the whole judgment, because to arrive at the conclusion it has, the judgment will have analysed the role of the Government of Gujarat. A striking aspect of the case is that not only was the lawyer for the accused- Mr. Rajendra Trivedi- a BJP Councillor, but the lawyer representing the Government's case was also representing the case of BJP Government. If these are the hard facts, then what other out come could have been expected? Rohit Prajapati Nandini Manjrekar Trupti Shah Johannes Manjrekar Kiritbhai Bhatt Chinu Srinivasan Deeptha Achar Renu Khanna Rajkumar Hans Human Rights Activists of Gujarat ENDS. The Times of India DECEMBER 28, 2003 NGOs blame parties for riots TIMES NEWS NETWORK[SUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2003 02:41:38 AM] HYDERABAD : Seven voluntary organisations in the city, which formed a fact finding team to report on the December 6 violence in the Old City have blamed political parties for the riots. Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, the team comprising the members of Confederation Of Voluntary Associations, Human Rights Forum, Coalition for Peace and Harmony, Sakshi Human Rights Watch, National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights and Anveshi said while one party observed a protest day the other celebrated it as a 'Showrya Divas'. Police intelligence has failed to understand the tense situation and the lurking fear that was looming in Old City at least 15 days prior to the Black Day., they said The police pickets should not have been withdrawn at 6 pm on the Black Day and firing without proper assessment, supervision and guidance by a superior officer worsened the situation, they said. It said neither the district administration nor the police could effectively negate the spreading rumours and restore confidence in people. The two earlier commissions Krishna Rao commission and Ramana Chary commission, who made suggestions to improve the situation in the Old City should be examined and implemented, they said. The team also said the government should pay at least Rs 2 lakh compensation each to the dependents of the persons killed in the violence.. ENDS. Posted by: Awaaz / 1/04/2004 05:45:30 PM [NEWS DIGEST PROVIDED IN CONJUNCTION WITH SOUTH ASIA CITIZENS WIRE - www.sacw.net] The News International (Pakistan) NWFP Government bans display of mannequins in shops (Updated at 1250 PST) PESHAWAR: NWFP government bans the display of dummies kept for the exhibition of cloths and jewellery. The government has ordered shopkeepers and traders in urban areas to remove the mannequins from their stores being used for exhibition of the ladies garments and ornaments saying that these mannequins are like idols, which are prohibited in religion. The provincial police has confirmed the news that the orders were issued by the Chief Minister of NWFP Akram Khan Durrani. ENDS. The Telegraph December 22, 2003 On two sides of the jihad partition - People speak out against the culture of extremism but palace does not listen BHARAT BHUSHAN Karachi, Dec. 21: The "jihad project", a number of Pakistanis believe, is over. But they also think that their establishment does not seem to have fully realised this fact. The so-called jihadis have little support among the Pakistani masses. They are also realising that after 9/11, jihad is a word that shuts doors internationally. Within Pakistan, the internal impact of the jihadi culture on society has been so great that youngsters are speaking out against it. Amra Ali, a young art critic, said: "We were used by the Americans who first projected these jihadis as freedom fighters and branded them terrorists after 9/11. These terrorists that were created have had an impact on our society - today, there is a gun in front of every house. A Kalashnikov culture has taken birth in our society. Even our mosques need to be protected from the extremists." A youngster who did not want to be identified felt that the Kashmir policy of the government has encouraged sectarianism within Pakistan. "A lot of people they train and send to Kashmir have a sectarian domestic agenda. When they return from Kashmir, they follow a sectarian agenda here and for a long time the state has turned a blind eye to them," he said. Naveed Akhtar, a 27-year-old, went to the extent of saying: "I don't think states should be based on religion. Earlier, Hindus and Muslims used to fight. Now, in our country, Muslims are killing each other. Up to the time of Partition, the difference between the Shias and the Sunnis, the Barelvis and the Deobandis did not warrant their killing each other. So where has this sectarianism come from? Who is giving these maulvis money to create strife in our society?" "The jihadis remain a force. But they cannot be a real threat without some support from the establishment," Ghazi Salauddin, a senior journalist, said. Iqbal Haider, a former senator and human rights lawyer, felt the jihadi forces had damaged Pakistan. "They have grievously hurt Pakistan's international image, economy and society. What is the achievement of their so-called jihad? Our society has been brutalised by them," he said. General Pervez Musharraf himself has been a target of these groups and after the latest assassination attempt against him, he has admitted to several other such bids in the past. Yet there are those in Pakistan who believe there is reluctance in sections of the establishment to let go of the jihadis. "The pattern of this regime's policy since 9/11 is to do under pressure the minimum necessary to keep Washington sweet. They have not realised that the jihad project is passé," Rashed Rahman, former editor of The Frontier Post, said. This view is supported by the fact that even by its own admission, out of the 500 people that Islamabad has handed over to the US, 490 are al Qaida members and only 10 are Taliban. There are periodic bans on the jihadi groups but they resurface in a different garb. "Two years ago, a ban was imposed on internal jihadi groups. But the regime chose to look the other way while these groups continued to function. Once again, two years down the road, pressure is mounting on Pakistan. So there is a fresh wave of bans, freezing of assets, etc. What is interesting about this new campaign is that except for the Shia leader, Allma Sajid Naqvi, accused of the murder of Azam Tariq, the leader of a virulently anti-Shia group called the Sipah-e-Sahaba, no other leader or member of a banned group has been arrested," Rahman pointed out. He said: "It is a policy of 'preservation' rather than elimination that the Pakistani establishment is following." Rahman argued that a three-way nexus had developed between "the domestic jihadis, the Afghan jihadis and the Kashmir jihadis - retaining one means retaining the others and abandoning one means abandoning the others". Those supporting the jihadis "had merely put their head down in Afghanistan when the Americans had blood in their eye and waited for the storm to pass. Then they quietly put together a fresh triangular alliance between the Taliban, al Qaida and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar who was resurrected from exile in Iran. That forms the backbone of the resistance in Afghanistan today", he added. "The nexus between the different kinds of jihadis is now causing rancour with the Americans. In Afghanistan, they are at the receiving end of it. And vis-à-vis India, it does not fit in with their grand design for the region of promoting trade, investment and possibly hoping that India would act as a counterweight to the new emerging power of China." Rahman felt that regardless of Musharraf's secular credentials, "because of international, regional and domestic pressures, the regime will find it increasingly difficult to revive and continue with its past policies towards the jihadis". ENDS. The Times of India December 24, 2003 'BMAC, VHP two sides of same coin' TIMES NEWS NETWORK [WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2003 01:46:35 AM] LUCKNOW: The very credentials of Muslim Personal Law Board and Babri Masjid Action Committee in resolving issues pertaining to Muslims or the Ayodhya imbroglio was on Tuesday questioned by Muslims for Secular Democracy (MSD), an organisation opposed to religious fundamentalism and communalism and one which seeks to make no distinction between majority and minority communalism. Addressing a joint press conference noted script writer and lyricist Javed Akhtar and editor of Combat Communalism Javed Anand questioned the very authority of the Board in deciding matters pertaining to Muslims. They sought to know whether the Board was an elected body and if it was an ad hoc one, then who vested it with the power to speak or take decisions on behalf of the vast majority of Muslims. Reacting to a pointed query on the Ayodhya issue and the role of Babri Masjid Action Committee, Javed Akhtar stated that the MSD firmly believed that Ayodhya was not a religious issue and it was for the court to take a final decision on it. He added that both the action committee and the VHP were not a solution to the vexed problem but were the problem themselves. Akhtar dismissed all talks of a uniform civil code by the BJP as an election gimmick and said if the party was genuinely interested in such a code it should place its blueprint before society so that a discussion could be held. The script writer maintained that the MSD was not opposed to such a code, provided a blue print of it was made available to it. He added that laws of all communities were unjust towards women. He also stated that the amendment of the Constitution in the Shah Bano case was wrong and that the government had bowed before the fundamentalists on that count. Denying that the MSD had any political leanings or was affiliated to any political party, Akhtar said as a national forum of secular and democratic-minded Muslims the MSD is aimed at being in the forefront of the ideological battle against fundamentalist and communal Muslim politics. The organisation was also in agreement with all secular-democratic groups in the sub-continent that the fascist terror in the name of Hindutva posed the greatest threat to democracy and the religious minorities in India, just as fanaticism and terrorism in the garb of Islam were the greatest threat to democracy and religious minorities in neighbouring Pakistan and Bangladesh. Earlier, MSD members including Akhtar interacted with students at the philosophy department of Lucknow University. ENDS. Date: Wed, 24 Dec 2003 19:09:29 +0000 From: Shabnam Hashmi for ANHAD Dear friends, 1. The recent election results painfully reveal how deep is the penetration of communal ideologies in remote tribal regions of central India. We are particularly anguished by the lack of success of secular and progressive political and social organisations to put up significant resistance to this sectarian juggernaut. All of us need to be stirred to act even more cohesively and collectively to put up a united battle to the advance of fascism. In all regions with large tribal belts where communal organisations are active, we must urgently reflect intensively with partners and friends about what are the causes of the spectacular success of Hindutva forces to win over almost the entire tribal belt of idea. How do we reclaim social justice and secular agendas for tribal areas. Equally bewildering and ominous is the attraction of communal ideologies for increasing segments of dalit people. This is particularly ironical because Hindutva forces have traditionally resolutely denied dalits a place of equality within the social order, and dalit people continue to suffer brutal forms of untouchability and atrocities. Yet they are being successfully mobilised to join hands with their oppressors against another discriminated social group. In order to reflect on the causes of the spread of communal ideologies to oppressed social groups, and what can be done to combat these, but to revive a genuine egalitarian agenda, a small reflection meeting is being organised in Bhopal on 3 January,2004 at indian Institute of Forest Management , Nehru Nagar, Bhopal -462003 (Phone : +91-755-2775716, 2773799 Fax : +91-755-2772878) from 10 AM to 5PM. Meeting is being called by a number of groups including Anhad. 2. ANHAD is also exploring the possibility of organising an evening of protest poetry, music, street theatre etc on January 3rd in Bhopal to rededicate ourselves to the struggle ahead against the growing communalism. Warm regards, Harsh Mander, Shabnam Hashmi, Gauhar Raza, Apoorvanand ENDS. The Times of India December 25, 2003 Modi shadow on Christmas IANS[WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2003 05:06:17 PM] AHMEDABAD: Christians in south Gujarat might have to celebrate Christmas this year amid police protection with the festive spirit subsumed by the fear of being a cornered minority. "Massive rallies and meetings are being held in Christian settlements of south Gujarat by rightwing outfits, who are harassing Christian minorities in every possible way. This has created a serious law and order situation," said Samson Christian, general secretary of the All-India Christian Council. Dang district, for instance, is reliving the horrors of 1998 when churches had become the targets of a frenzied mob led by a rightwing group. Five years later, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) is allegedly holding a massive Virat Hindu Sammelan, or massive Hindu meet, in Christian settlements. Tribals who are said to have converted to Christianity are allegedly being coerced to participate in the VHP rally while the police watch. This even as the Gujarat High Court in an interim oral order on Monday directed the state government to maintain law and order during the Christmas season. The court had given the order following a petition by the All-India Christian Council drawing attention to mounting tension in south Gujarat . Giving an instance, Christian said, "On Sunday in Pareva village near Dahod in Panchmahals (100 km from here), loudspeakers were used without permission by anti-social elements who propagated hatred against Christians." Local newspapers also reported a large VHP rally in a Christian settlement in Dolara village of Surat district, 350 km from here, where loudspeakers blared out hate messages against missionaries allegedly involved in conversions. People were reportedly brought in trucks from neighbouring villages to a temple where VHP activists raised slogans of 'Jai Shri Ram' and warned tribals of dire consequences if they converted to Christianity. ENDS. Posted by: Awaaz / 1/04/2004 05:44:54 PM [NEWS DIGEST PROVIDED IN CONJUNCTION WITH SOUTH ASIA CITIZENS WIRE - www.sacw.net] Invitation to the Release of the Final Report of the International Initiative for Justice in Gujarat (IIJG) THREATENED EXISTENCE - A Feminist Analysis Of The Genocide In Gujarat Wednesday, 24 December, 2003. 3.30 pm. Indian Women's Press Corps, 5 Windsor Place, Near Hotel Meridien, New Delhi. The IIJG came into being to develop a feminist critique of justice and democratic governance in the context of the genocide of Muslims in Gujarat last year. The final report of the Initiative, Threatened Existence will be released in New Delhi by an eminent panel comprising: Leila Seth, first woman judge of the Delhi High Court, and the first woman Chief Justice of a state High Court (Himachal Pradesh) – who will speak on the urgent need for the equal and just application of the rule of law on all citizens of the country. Shabana Azmi, well known actor and former MP, who will speak on increased communalism in our times. Urvashi Butalia, feminist activist and publisher, who will focus on the specific impact of increased communalism on women. The gathering will also be addressed by two panellists of the IIJG, Farah Naqvi and Uma Chakravarti. Threatened Existence is a comprehensive document based on hundreds of testimonies, eyewitness accounts and other relevant information. It makes the following major points: - Twenty two months after the massacres of February/March 2002, the violence continues 'in different and frightening forms with long-term consequences on the lives of all members of the Muslim community particularly women' - Sexual violence is central to the Hindutva project in Gujarat, and the use of rape and sexual assault, occurred with the knowledge of highly placed State actors. - The ongoing persecution of the Muslim community constitutes Crimes against Humanity under International Law. PLEASE DO JOIN US FOR THE RELEASE EVENT. For as the report states in the conclusion, "This report can operate as a reflection on the inadequacy of existing processes - both legal and otherwise - to provide justice and redress to victims… we need to understand the genocidal nature of the Hindutva project so as to emphasize the critical responsibility of intervention that lies with both, civil society and the State." The panelists of the IIJG were feminist jurists, activists, lawyers, writers and academics from all over the world: Anissa Helie (Algeria/France), Gabriela Mischkowski (Germany), Nira Yuval-Davis (UK), Rhonda Copelon (USA), Sunila Abeysekara (Sri Lanka), Farah Naqvi (India), Meera Velayudan (India), Uma Chakravarti (India) and Vahida Nainar (India). The International Initiative for Justice in Gujarat and was set up by: Citizen's Initiative (Ahmedabad), People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL)-Shanti Abhiyan (Baroda), Communalism Combat, Aawaaz-e-Niswaan, Forum Against Oppression of Women (FAOW) and Stree Sangam (Bombay), Saheli, Jagori, Sama, and Nirantar (Delhi), and Organised Lesbian Alliance for Visibility and Action (OLAVA, Pune). Aman Ekta Manch ENDS. The Daily Star December 21, 2003 Editorial Anti-Ahmadiyya agitation Religious fanaticism must be countered effectively Religious fanatics, who have long been fomenting anti-Ahmadiyya sentiments, have again threatened the government with 'dire consequences', should it fail to evict the Ahmadiyyas from their mosque at Nakhalpara by January 3. The threats are the words coming from a group of fanatics who do not represent the majority Muslims. But the very fact that the ultimatum has been issued, and the fanatics are making a determined bid to execute their plan of occupying the mosque, speak volumes for the inadequate government response to the movement being launched against the members of a small sect. The minister for religious affairs had assured us that the government would protect the religious rights of all citizens. The latest ultimatum, however, gives us a different picture the fanatics are ready to swoop on a small, vulnerable community, which has been identified as non-Muslims by the aggressors. Now the question is, who has given them the authority to decide who is a Muslim and who is not? The government, we believe, has a lot to do to make sure that the religious rights of citizens are not encroached upon by any individual or group. The pure law and order approach is the solution here since the fanatics are threatening to resort to violence. However, a peaceful settlement of the issue is what people would like to see. The government should talk to the agitators and convince them that their demand goes against the spirit of Islam, democracy and the basic principles that the country is committed to. It is often said that our image abroad will be lowered if we allow activities that smack of religious extremism. Why can't the government realise that the international community will be greatly perturbed by what the fanatics are doing in the name of serving religion? If our international image has any place on its agenda, the government can ill afford to allow anybody to disrupt religious harmony. ENDS. The News International December 14, 2003 Ministry of Education-I Dr Farrukh Saleem First things first. What the MMA has achieved for the supremacy of the civil society is something that no other political entity, under the current scenario, could have. The entire civil society is going to be indebted to the able leadership of Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman, Liaqat Baluch and Hafiz Hussain Ahmed. Now, the topic of the week. Punjab Textbook Board in concert with the Curriculum Wing of the Ministry of Education has somehow become the principal source of what can only be termed as 'hate literature'. Our textbooks disseminate a whole array of 'half truths' and propagate Taliban-like values. This first review of a two-part series is a brief survey of the hate literature that our children are being taught. Part II will be a review of half-truths that are being taught at our elementary and secondary schools. Punjab Textbook Board's Social Studies for Class VI has been authored and translated by Professors Mian Muhammed Aslam and Muhammed Farooq Malik. The Chief Coordinator is Dr Fouzia Saleemi (Sitara-e-Imtiaz, Izaz-e-Fazeelat). Page 100 of Social Studies for Class VI states: "The foundation of Hindu set up was based on injustice and cruelty." Going back a class and students are being taught that "India is our traditional enemy and we should always keep ourselves ready to defend our beloved country from Indian aggression (page 123, Social Studies, Class V). On the same page there is the claim that "When India was defeated in the war of 1965, she excited the Muslims of East Pakistan against the Muslims of West Pakistan." Social Studies for Class VII states that "Some Jewish tribes also lived in Arabia. They lent money to workers and peasants on high rates of interest and usurped their earnings. They held the whole society in their tight grip because of the ever increasing compound interest (page 13). On page 25, children are told that "History has no parallel to the extremely kind treatment of the Christians by the Muslims. Still the Christian kingdoms of Europe were constantly trying to gain control of Jerusalem. This was the cause of the Crusades." On page 26, children learn that "All the Christian countries united against the Muslims and sent large armies to attack the holy city of Jerusalem." Page 43 of Social Studies for Class VII states that "European nations have been working during the past three centuries, through conspiracies on naked aggression to subjugate the countries of the Muslim world" adding that "During the Crusades, the Christians came in contact with the Muslims and learnt that the Muslim culture was far superior to their own." In Class IV, 9-year-old Pakistanis are told that "Sikhs destroyed the Muslim towns from the river Sutlej to the river Jamna. Sikhs turned the mosques into their Gurdawaras, demolished the shrines of the Muslim saints and burnt the religious schools and the libraries. Ranjit Singh demolished a number of mosques and shrines at Lahore. The Hindus also turned against the Muslims during the Sikh rule (page 81, Social Studies for Class IV)." Then there is the claim that "The Muslims of Pakistan provided all the facilities to the Hindus and the Sikhs who left for India. But the Hindus and the Sikhs looted the Muslims in India with both hands and they attacked their caravans, buses and railway trains. Therefore about one million Muslims were martyred on their way to Pakistan (page 83, Social Studies, Class IV)." Class IV students are also told that "India invaded Lahore on the 6th September 1965. After 17 days the Indian authorities laid down arms acknowledging the bravery and gallantry of the Pak Army and the civilians (page 84, Social Studies, Class IV)." The conclusion is stated as: "India is a neighbor of Pakistan. Both the countries ought to have good mutual relations but Bharat always maltreated Pakistan." Under 'The Impact of Islam in South Asia', Social Studies for Class VI states: "Before the Arab conquest the people were fed up with the teachings of Buddhists and Hindus. The main cause was the benign treatment of Muslims with the Hindus. Due to this attitude Hindus began to love Muslims and they became nearer and nearer to Muslims (page 97, Social Studies Class VI)." Under 'Influence of Islam on Social Life' the same book says that "The caste system of the Hindus had made the life of common man as miserable and as such they were fed up with this system (page 100, Social Studies, Class VI)." Class VI students are also told that the "British sent rare books from these libraries to England. Thus the British ruined the Muslim schools (page 99, Social Studies, Class VI)." Eleven year Pakistani students are taught that "The people of India fell prey to starvation and poverty. Poverty, starvation, unemployment and ill treatment by the British rulers compelled the people to be rebellious. The people had become too poor during the reign of the East India Company. The people had already developed immense hatred for the British (page 121, Social Studies Class VI)." Social Studies for Class VI also alleges that "The British changed the curriculum of Madarasas and they had their full say in Education also they could change the syllabi according to their minds. The teaching of Hadith and Fiqa was stopped all together (page123, Social Studies Class VI)." Pakistan Studies for Class IX-X is approved by the Federal Ministry of Education, Government of Pakistan and authored by Dr Hassan Askri Rizvi, Javed Iqbal, Ghulam Abid Khan and Qamer Abbas. Fifteen to sixteen year olds are told that "The Muslims promoted equality and social justice as against the division on the basis of (Hindu) caste system (page 19, Pakistan Studies Class IX-X)." The same students are told that "In connivance with the Government the Hindus started communal riots and caused loss of life and property. At the time of prayers the Hindus tortured the Muslims by playing bands in front of the mosques. Before the commencement of classes the students saluted the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi and Muslim students were also forced to do so (page 37-38, Pakistan Studies Class IX-X)." Page 63 of Social Studies for Class VI has three paragraphs. First, "The Hindu children wear dhoti and kurta while the Muslim children wear shalwar, pajama and kamiz. The Bharati children also like trousers and coat." Second, "Hindu children like to eat vegetables and pulses while the favorite food of the Muslim children is meat." Third, "The religion has deep impact on children in Bharat. The Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Christian children have their own separate identity. They also speak different languages." Under 'Conquest of Debul' students are told that a "furious battle was fought between the two forces. There was a temple in the middle of the city. A red flag was hoisting on the top. The Hindu people had a firm belief that no body could defeat them as long as the flag was there. The Muslims chanted the slogan of Allah-o-Akbar and catapult was operated and started throwing heavy stones. A stone hit the flag and it fell down. The temple was severely damaged. The Hindus lost all hopes. The enemy was defeated and the fort was conquered (page 95, Social Studies Class VI)." Then there is the claim that the "Hindus could not face the Muslims the Governor of Multan fled away (page 96, Social Studies VI)." The same chapter states that the "sun of life of Raja Dahir set forever from the universe on 10th of Ramadan. After his death the government of Hindus vanished away from Sind." There is then the additional claim that the "Hindus began to embrace Islam in great number due to the good and kind treatment of Muslims." To be sure, our Pakistan is now full of distortions and the concerned education departments are also involved in all this misrepresentation. ENDS. The News International December 21, 2003 Ministry of Education-II Dr Farrukh Saleem This is the final part of a two-part series on Punjab Textbook Board's prescribed textbooks. Punjab Textbook Board in concert with the Curriculum Wing of the Ministry of Education has somehow become the principal source of what can only be termed as a whole array of 'half truths'. Here are only some of the half-truths that our children are being taught at our elementary and secondary schools. Dr. Ferozah Yasmeen, Professor Mirza Munawwer, Mian Mohammad Javed and Mrs. Zarina Ashraf, Bashir-ud-Din Malik have authored Punjab Textbook Board's Social Studies for Class V. Mian Mohammad Aslam, the Ex-Head of the History Department, University of the Punjab and Mian Mohammad Aslam, Ex-Professor Geography, Government College, Lahore, translated the prescribed textbook. On pages 122-123, nine and ten-year old Pakistanis are told that: 'all of a sudden India attacked on Lahore early in the morning on September 6, 1965. When the Indian army was defeated at Lahore sector, they opened different fronts on our border. The Pak Army occupied a vast area in India. When the Indian government realized that Pakistan will inflict a crushing defeat on her, she requested the U.N.O. to intervene.' Social Studies for Class V presents a very simple reason behind the creation of Bangladesh. On page 123, the prescribed states: 'When India was defeated in the war of 1965, she excited the Muslims of East Pakistan against the Muslims of West Pakistan. Thus East Pakistan was separated from West Pakistan.' Social Studies for Class VI probably has more half-truths than any other book within the Land of the Pure. The Chief Coordinator behind all these half-truths is Dr. Fouzia Saleemi (Sitara-e-Imtiaz, Izaz-e-Fazeelat). Punjab Textbook Board's Social Studies for Class VI has been authored and translated by Professors Mian Muhammed Aslam and Muhammed Farooq Malik. The book tells 11 and 12-year old students that: 'Before the Arab conquest people were fed up with the teachings of Buddhists and Hindus. The main cause was the benign treatment of Muslims with the Hindus. Due to this attitude Hindus began to love Muslims and they became nearer and nearer to Muslims' (page 97). The following paragraph states: 'the treatment of the Muslim army was also good with the local community. The Arabs treated the locals with generosity, good treatment and justice, with the result that most of the Hindus embraced Islam.' Consider Pakistan Studies for Classes IX-X. The book states that: 'Urdu has been closely associated with the Pakistan Movement' (page 178) and that the 'object of the Muslim League was to establish a separate homeland i-e. Pakistan, for Muslims' (page 40). The book also states that: 'The Hindus were encouraged by the Government to force the Muslims to join the Congress' (page 38) and that 'a new culture was founded in the subcontinent with the advent of Muslims. This culture was different in its form and spirit from the local culture'. The book also alleges that 'the Muslims of Bengal were greatly exploited by the English and the Hindus' (page 49). Page 205 claims that 'In September, 1965, India launched a sudden attack on Pakistan.' Take Punjab Textbook Board's Social Studies for Class VII. This book is written by Professor Dr. M.H. Bokhari and Syed Hassan Tahir. The authors tell 12 and 13 year old Pakistanis that: 'History has no parallel to the extremely kind treatment of the Christians by the Muslims. Still the Christian kingdoms of Europe were constantly trying to gain control of Jerusalem. This was the cause of the crusades' (page 25). Then there is the allegation that 'All the Christian countries united against the Muslims and sent large armies to attack the holy city of Jerusalem' (page 26). Social Studies for Class VIII insists that: 'Before the advent of Islam, ruthless, strong dictators usurped power and ruled people mercilessly' (page 89). Social Studies for Class IV is adamant that 'our army also occupied a large area of India. After 17 days the Indian authorities laid down arms acknowledging the bravery and gallantry of the Pak Army and the civilians' (page 84). Then there is the claim that: 'The Muslims of Pakistan provided all the facilities to the Hindus and the Sikhs who left for India' (page 83). Social Studies for Class VII states: 'Before Islam people lived in untold misery all over the world', and that 'Some Jewish tribes also lived in Arabia. They lent money to workers and peasants on high rates of interest and usurped their earnings. They held the whole society in their tight grip because of the ever increasing compound interest' (page 13). The same book also preaches that: 'Pakistan has very close religious, cultural and social ties with the Muslim countries', adding that 'Islamic bonds have strongly tied the Muslims of the world together' (page 10). Then there is the claim that: 'Pakistan has always made sincere efforts to establish good relations with its neighbours' (page 52). Social Studies for Class VI tells 11 and 12 year old Pakistani students that: 'Hindus could not face the Muslims....', and that: 'British sent rare books from [Muslim] libraries to England. Thus the British ruined the Muslim schools' (page 99). It is rather intriguing that the concepts of 'jihad' and 'shahadat' made their debut in the post-1979 curriculum. 'Jihad', 'shahadat' and 'mujahideens' are notions that are hard to find in the pre-1979 curriculum. Primary Education's Curriculum Document specifically prescribes: 'to make speeches on 'jihad' and 'shahadat'. The Document further instructs teachers 'to judge their spirits while making speeches on 'jihad', Muslim History and Culture'. Another prescribed 'Learning Outcome' is to 'recognize the importance of 'jihad' in every sphere of life'. To be certain, our Pakistan is now full of distortions and Punjab Textbook Board along with the Curriculum Wing of the Ministry of Education have both played a central role. ENDS. The Times of India December 21, 2003 'Minister told Dangs tribals to live as Hindus' Times News Network [Sunday, December 21, 2003 01:58:54 Am] AHMEDABAD: The 'International Religious Freedom Report 2003' released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour of the US State Department has also hovered on Christian related issue in Gujarat and specifically mentioned the anti-conversion law passed by the state Assembly earlier this year. The report released in Washington on Thursday says, there was a gradual but continual institutionalisation of Hindutva. "This m a n i -fested its e l f through t h e spread of anti-conversion laws in some states, the rewriting of textbooks in favour of Hindu extremists' interpretations of history and illegal surveys of Christians by police in some areas of Gujarat to collect statistical information not sought from other religious groups". It also said that during the period covered by this report, the states of Tamil Nadu and Gujarat passed anti-conversion laws. Under both laws, those 'forcing' or 'alluring' people to convert are subject to criminal action. Since that which constitutes forced conversions or allurement is not specified, human rights groups, Christian religious l e a d e r s , and Dalits have exp r e s s e d c o n c e r n that aut h o r i t i e s will use these laws selectively in the future to shut down educational, medical, and other social services provided by Christian groups to Dalits and tribals. The report also said, when one Christian and one Buddhist organisation filed a case in Ahmedabad High Court against the act, the court dismissed the petition as premature, since the rules and regulations for the act had not yet been gazetted. Also the rules had not been published by the end of the reporting period, it added. It further said the Gujarat government had aggressively surveyed Christian families and Christian agencies during the reporting period, allegedly under the orders of Chief Minister Narendra Modi. The survey activities were carried out by police, often in the middle of the night. The survey was first taken up in February which continued through May. This, even after the Gujarat High Court's ruling in March that such a survey was illegal. Apparently, the survey included questions about the number of converts in the household or parish, the circumstances of conversion, and the sources of funding received from abroad etc.. The report states that the Gujarat State Higher Secondary Board (GSHSB), to which nearly 98 percent of schools in Gujarat belong, requires the use of certain textbooks in which Nazism is condoned. In the Standard X social studies textbook, the "charismatic personality" of "Hitler-the Supremo" and the "achievements of Nazism" are described at length. But the textbook does not acknowledge Nazi extermination policies or their concentration camps. The Standard IX social studies textbook implies that Muslims, Christians, Parsees, and Jews are "foreigners". In October 2002, the Gujarat minister for social justice and empowerment, Karsan Patel, instructed 400 Dangs tribal children, who were boarders at a Christian school in Subir "to decide whether they want to live as Hindus or die as Christians"?. Patel made this statement at the "Ram Katha" in Subir. The report also mentions the marriage in Ahmedabad between a Catholic, Anthony Rebello, and a Hindu, Reema Sompura. They were married in a legal Hindu marriage ceremony, but due to strong opposition from Bajrang Dal and their families, the couple was forced into hiding. Search warrants were issued against them when Sompura's mother made a complaint against Rebello. Further, when Sompura testified in court that she went with Rebello willingly, the couple was attacked by VHP and Bajrang Dal members outside the court premises. A pregnant Sompura was kicked in the stomach which later led to the baby's abortion. At the police station, the couple was separated. Rebello was again beaten by VHP and Bajrang Dal members and Sompura was handed over to her family. ENDS. http://www.asianage.com/main.asp?layout=2&cat1=1&cat2=22&newsid=25016 Gujarat mantri threatens Dangs Christians By Deepal Trevedie Ahmedabad, Oct. 21 The saffron brigade on Monday threatened Christian missionaries in Dangs, telling them "to give up luring tribals," and reportedly warned them to behave or "experience another spell of riots, this time targeting foreign-funded Christians." Five tribal children, boarders at a school run by the Navjyot Social Service Society, have been threatened and told "to decide whether they want to live as Hindus or die as Christians." A senior BJP minister in the Narendra Modi government, Mr Karsan Patel, has warned Christians in the sensitive Dangs area "to behave with restraint." The BJP minister is camping in Dangs to ensure the Ram katha in his constituency is a success and "wants Christians to cooperate or face the consequences." Mr Patel, who ironically is the state minister handling the welfare of the socially and economically backward classes, told The Asian Age he "is not against Christians but they should behave like Indians, not Italians. If they have the right to propagate their religion, we have the right to propagate ours also. Why should they create a ruckus?" Over 15,000 Ram bhakts have quietly converged on Subir, a nondescript village in Dangs, to attend a Ram katha which begins on Tuesday. The Ram katha is being organised by the Shabri Mata Seva Samiti headed by Swami Aseemanand, the man who led the Vanvasi Chetna movement of the BJP and "fought" against conversions leading to Hindu-Christian turbulence in 1998 that drew international attention. This Ram katha is being held to create awareness amongst Hindus and to warn them of conversions which the Shabridhaam authorities feel "have increased tremendously after Sonia Gandhi became powerful." However, sources told this newspaper that the main Ramayana kathakar (Ramayana reciter), Moraribapu, a well-known saint, is likely to reprimand the organisers for their fundamentalism. He is Gujarat's most popular Hindu saint and has mellowed over the years. He recently took out a peace rally in Ahmedabad to protest against violence. However, after the riots in Gujarat, fundamentalists like Swami Aseemanand have got more support. "Dangs is a Hindu area since Lord Rama came here to look for Sita. It was here that Shabri waited for the Lord and it is our dream to stop the conspiracy of vidharmis to lure tribals in this belt for this is our Hindu legacy," said Mr Karsan Patel. Mr Patel represents Dangs and on Monday evening "warned" half-a-dozen Christian missionaries "not to make a mountain of a molehill." The BJP minister told The Asian Age that he was "personally camping" in Dangs just to make the Ram katha a stupendous success. "It is bullshit that I threatened Christian missionaries. They are trying to frame me. I just said that Hindus have the right to propagate just like Christians do," he said, adding that he had "requested" district collector Mamta Varma and DSP Raju Bhargava to hold a special "shanti samiti" meeting "to give confidence to the Christians." However, Christian priests and nuns claimed that "tension was in the air" and that the minister had behaved extremely rudely at the end of the meeting. "He told us, 'You tried to rake up Dangs and got international attention. Did Godhra ever happen in Dangs? Has a single Christian died? Why do you people make a mountain of a molehill? And don't dare talk to the English media,'" the priests and nuns said. The minister, however, denied this. Meanwhile, Christians have urged the local authorities and the Gujarat government to provide them adequate protection. "Already provocative and inflammatory statements are appearing. This morning our boarders have been told by people setting up one of the pandals to leave the school or be killed. Over 400 children live with us and are panicky," Father M.A. Anthony, the president of Navjyot Social Service Society, told the district collector and police superintendent in a written memorandum. Father Cedric Prakash, the director of Prashant, a human rights centre, deplored the "attempts made by the Sangh Parivar associates to vitiate peace." However, the locals feel there are less chances of trouble with Mr Raju Bhargav heading the police. Mr Bhargav, a capable officer, recently lost his post as Godhra DSP after the ruling Narendra Modi government found him not very compliant. While Mr Bhargava was out patrolling, his office said they had made adequate additional police bandobast to avert any trouble. ENDS. Posted by: Awaaz / 1/04/2004 05:43:54 PM [NEWS DIGEST PROVIDED IN CONJUNCTION WITH SOUTH ASIA CITIZENS WIRE - www.sacw.net] Herald, Panjim, Goa 18/12/03 Saffronising anti-colonialism By Lambert Mascarenhas The celebration of the 42nd anniversary of Goaís Liberation on December 19 this year cannot enthuse the genuine Goan freedom fighters, due to the perverse under-estimation of their role and the projection of a new breed of Goa freedom fighters that has sought recognition from the present Government of India and received it. This new History of the freedom movement has been written by the RSS leader and Akhil Bharatiya Goa Swatantra Sangram president Ram Tupe of Pune, who reportedly has claimed and received a pension from the government for four thousand Goa satyagrahis from Maharashtra. He is seeking the same for six thousand more satyagrahis from the other states of India, in the pension scheme declared and known as the Swatantra Sainik Samman (SSS). This satyagraha by these 4000 plus 6000 is said to have been offered in 1954-55 on the Maharashtra-Goa frontier, or in Goa itself. That this Mr Tupe waited for some forty odd years after Goaís Liberation to project the existence of these persons as Goa satyagrahis testifies to the fact of degeneration in the country of the truth and values once cherished, in the last two decades, with the growth of scams, crookedness and political perversity. It is indeed regrettable that the Goa government is encouraging such knavery. The claim of Mr Tupe that the Portuguese-held enclave of Nagar Haveli was liberated by RSS elements is a travesty of truth par excellence. The fact is that this territory was liberated by Goans of the Azad Gomantak Dal, a few days after the smaller enclave of Dadra, adjoining Nagar Haveli, was liberated by the elements of the United Front of Goans, a Goan political party of which this writer was one of the founders with Francis Mascarenhas, Waman Desai, Cristovam Furtado, J Salelkar, J M DíSouza and a few others. The take-over of Dadra was described by the media of the time as the ìfirst nail in the coffin of the coffin of the Portuguese rule in Indiaî. The Portuguese defence in Dadra was however negligible; it was in Nagar Haveli that a sizable force of Portuguese troops was stationed under a Portuguese Administrator, and that the Azad Gomantak fighters had a tough opposition to face. The claims of the RSS that their elements liberated Nagar Haveli, apart from its distortions, runs counter to the stand taken by the Government of India at the Hague International Court in its defence against the charge by Portugal that India had occupied its position and that, in full justice, the territory should be returned to it. The court accepted that it was Goans, or the people of Goa, that had liberated the Portuguese-held Indian territory. The case went in favour of India. As for the 4000 Maharashtra satyagrahis plus 6000 more from the other states claiming participation in the Goa freedom movement, and thus pensions, it must be affirmed that the idea of satyagraha came to the Goan political parties in Bombay and that after the infructuous attempt of the first batch of Goan satyagrahis to enter Goa by being fired upon and wounded and killed, some of them by the Portuguese soldiers on the frontiers, there was no other satyagraha on the order of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Nehru was shocked at the ìmassacreî and had ordered the Government of Bombay not to permit any Goan or Indian satyagrahis to enter Goan territory in future. By this token, it can be noted that no Maharashtrian or any other satyagraha group entered Goa from across India territory. In their sense of generosity, the true Goan freedom fighters may grant appreciation if these RSS persons 4000 plus 6000 were desirous, yes just desirous, of offering satyagraha. But, in fact, they did not. It must be stressed here that the pension scheme known as the Swatantra Sainik Samman (SSS), in its various clauses, is clear and precise as to who is to be called a freedom fighter and a deserving applicant for this pension. Every clause admits of arrest of a person in Goa, imprisonment, sentences of weeks, months and years in the jails, incapacitation or dead after release due to serving the sentence, loss of livelihood due to arrest and detention, etc. According to these clauses, the so-called satyagrahis projected by Tupe are ineligible for these SSS pensions. I may be permitted to place my own perception of these 4000 plus 6000 pension move that must be considered as sinister. The BJP party, with this manifest opposition to secularism, propped up by the RSS, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal, wants to push these so-called satyagrahis into Goa. Or, by any other means, to afford them the right to vote in the elections to the Goa assembly, so as to boost the BJP vote bank in Goa, and thus to perpetuate their rule here. Evidently, they have realized that this small state can be made the BJP flagship, its fortress. The recent BJP session in Goa, where it proclaimed that Hindutva was the culture of India (not of Hinduism, that it really is), the concept of Goa being the fittest place for an IFFI run-by and promoted-by personalities from Bombay, Delhi and elsewhere, these are indications of the BJP trying to set up a strong structure to actuate the end of Goanness in Goa. If any opposition to this BJP motivation is to be found it can, according to them, be easily and effectively subdued by the acclaimed visionary chief minister Parrikar, who reportedly has a dossier on the misdoings and illegal acquisitions of the former Congress ministers. I myself sincerely concede that Manohar Parrikar is very intelligent, an able administrator and that he has done, and is doing, much to alleviate the physical image of Goa. But I must also convey to him what I, and many other persons in Goa much older to him, and also heir to some wisdom, another reality. The truth that it is not the landscape or natural scenery represented by the white-sanded beaches, hills and rivers but the bonds of oneness, amity and friendship existing between the two major communities, Hindu and Christian, and also the third, the Muslim, that is non-existing in any other State of India. This is what is therefore singular and remarkable. This, the BJP must not, nor be allowed to, disrupt. Let Mr Parrikar publicly declare that he is for secularism in the widely accepted usage of the term and not communalism that all the other political parties in India accuse to be, and I will fall at his feet. And finally, let me place before the public of Goa for their enlightenment the findings of the Washington-based Centre for Religious Freedom, which is linked to the Freedom House, the oldest human rights organisation in the US. The report alleges that the BJP functions as the political wing of the Hindu nationalist Sangh Parivar, and is allied with the extremist groups like the RSS, which was founded by admirers of Fascism and Naziism and produced radicals who killed Gandhi, and is now a major para-military organisation with million of members. The report noted in this context that Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee ìpublicly praises the RSS and attends their functionsî. The report on India is titled The Rise of Hindu Extremism and the Representation of Christian and Muslim Minorities in India. The report includes a long list of violent attacks against Christian missionaries in India. The director of the Centre, Ms Nina Shea is quoted as saying, ìDespite the continued integrity of some of Indiaís proud democratic institutions, the hate-filled, often violent Hindu nationalist trend, with key BJP support is threatening Indiaís tradition of tolerance and its reputation as a liberal, pluralist democracy.î She added: ìA country once personified by Mahatma Gandhi is becoming known for religious hatred and violence.î Former joint editor of the Navhind Times, Mascarenhas is a freedom fighter himself and launched and ran Goa Today from the ësixties till the mid-eighties. He lives at Dona Paula. ENDS. The Hindu December 18, 2003 Sena warns against Indo-Pak veteran series New Delhi, Dec 18. (UNI): The Shiv Sena activist, who dug-up the Feroz Shah Kotla cricket pitch resulting in the cancellation of an Indo-Pak cricket match in 1999, is flexing his muscles again threatening to disrupt any match between the two South Asian neighbours. Mangatram Munde, who led a group of Shiv Sainiks in digging up the pitch at the Firozshah ground on January 6, 1999, today threatened that the activists would not allow the scheduled second match of the Veteran series between India and Pakistan on December 21 at the Karnail Singh stadium here. "We are prepared to dig up all the cricket pitches in the country and awaiting the order of our chief Balasaheb Thackeray," Munde, the working head of Delhi unit of Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena (BVS), the students wing of the Shiv Sena, said in a statement. He said a group of hundred Shiv Sainiks under the leadership of Deepak Pawar had been formed to disrupt any cricket match between India and Pakistan in Delhi. Pawar, senior vice-president of the Delhi unit of BVS, was among the Shiv Sainiks who dug up holes at the Kotla ground and poured petrol on the pitch. Munde warned the Centre that the Shiv Sena would not allow the resumption of cricketing links between the two countries unless Pakistan handed over the 20 terrorists, including Dawood Ibrahim, to India and dismantle terrorist training camps on its soil. Meanwhile a report from Agra said activists of the local unit of the Shiv Sena damaged the cricket pitch at the Agra sport stadium, the venue for the December 24 veterans' match between the two countries. The Sena activists reportedly scaled the wall of the stadium late last night and dug up the pitch, the report quoting police officials said. The activists had planned to pour grease on the pitch and then set it on fire. However, two alert constables reached there on time and chased them away. ENDS. The Daily Times December 20, 2003 Supreme Court allows free-will marriages * Says wali's consent not necessary * Admission by couple sufficient proof Staff Report ISLAMABAD: Muslim girls can marry without their wali's (guardian's) consent and an admission by the couple is sufficient proof of marriage, according to Friday's decision by a full bench of the Supreme Court (SC). "The consent of the wali is not required and an adult and sane Muslim female can enter into a valid nikah of her own free will," states the apex court's 26-page judgment. After reaching puberty, a Muslim girl is competent to marry of her own free will. As such, her father's custody can be denied after the marriage, says the judgement. The SC decision upholds an earlier judgement of the Federal Shariat Court that states free will marriages are valid. The bench ruled that the high courts and all subordinate courts were bound to follow the judgment of the Federal Shariat Court under Article 203GG of the Constitution. The Federal Shariat Court has consistently taken the view that an adult and sane Muslim girl can contract her own marriage and the consent of her wali or other guardian is not required for the marriage to be valid. The bench also disposed of two appeals concerning free-will marriages, a criminal appeal filed by Hafiz Abdul Waheed Ropri against Asma Jehangir and a civil appeal filed by Muhammad Iqbal against his alleged wife Shabina Zafar. In the first, Hafiz Abdul Waheed's daughter Saima Waheed married Arshed Ahmed of her free will on February 26, 1996. Her father challenged the validity of the marriage in the High Court. One bench of the High Court declared the marriage valid, but another bench gave a contrary decision. Ms Jehangir, who protected Saima and gave her a place to live, represented Saima in the case concerning her free-will marriage. Mr Waheed filed a habeas corpus petition against Ms Jehangir in the Supreme Court. The Apex Court disposed of the criminal appeal against Ms Jehangir by declaring Saima's marriage valid. Saima is now living with her spouse and two children in Norway. In the second appeal, the bench also set aside the High Court's judgement in Muhammad Iqbal's civil appeal. The High Court had ordered the police to challan Muhammad Iqbal and his alleged wife Shabina Zafar under the Hudood Ordinance on a zina charge. A detailed judgement of the full bench has settled the legal, moral and religious question of marriages involving runaway girls because the Federal Shariat Court's 1981 decision will govern all such cases. The Supreme Court full bench was comprised of Justice Mian Muhammad Ajmal, Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan and Justice Karamat Nazir Bhandari. ENDS. Posted by: Awaaz / 1/04/2004 05:43:25 PM [NEWS DIGEST PROVIDED IN CONJUNCTION WITH SOUTH ASIA CITIZENS WIRE - www.sacw.net] Herald, Goa 12/12/03 GOA PATRIOTS TAKE UMBRAGE AT ATTEMPT TO SAFFRONISE FREEDOM STIR PANAJI (Goa), Dec 11: Prominent freedom fighters from Goa have urged the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee to reconsider the "arbitrary" decision sanctioning Swantantra Sainik Samman Pension (SSSP) to 4000 persons merely on the basis of their presumed participation or "dubious" willingness to participate, in the satyagraha against the Portuguese in Goa in 1954-55. Goa, a former Portuguese colony, won an end to overseas rule only in 1961. But even though it's freedom fighters are younger than those in most of the rest of India, it is seen as odd that pensions are being allotted even a full four decades after Liberation, as the political changeover is termed here. In a representation sent to the prime minister, the freedom fighters have pointed out that the decision of the Government of India is a "serious transgression" of the rules of the scheme governing the award of the SSS pension. Under this, they said, only those freedom fighters who have made the "exceptional sacrifices" and faced "extraordinary sufferings' are eligible for the award of the pension. On the contrary, the patriots said, none of the 4000 persons should be considered eligible for the pension as none of them fulfill any condition. Prominent among the signatories of the representation are: Sharda Savoikar, poet-broadcaster and freedom fighter Nagesh Karmali, former Goa police chief Prabhakar Sinari, Gurunath Kelekar, ex-editor Lambert Mascarenhas, Jose Francis Martins, Alvaro Pereira, former PTI bureau chief Flaviano Dias, Krishnarao Rane, Prabhakar K K Shankwalkar, Vasant Karapurkar, Armando S Pereira, Roque Santan Fernandes, Fulgenio Moraes, Anand Thali, Bonifacio Dias, Jose Manuel Viegas, and others. The decision to grant a new batch pensions comes in the wake of the demand of Ram Tupe, president of Akhil Bharatiya-Goa Swantantra Sangram Sangh, who has also claimed that other than these 4000 from Maharashtra, there were 6000 more from other States whose cases for pension are pending. But Goa's own veteran freedom fighters have lamented that the Manohar Parrikar-led BJP government in Goa, which has proven to be fairly controversy-prone, is supporting the "illegitimate stand" of Tupe. It elaborated to note that the satyagrahis from Maharashtra and other States were prevented from entering Goa due to the ban imposed by the then Bombay state government on the instructions of the late Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru who was keen to observe international law. This is the second time the BJP-led government at the Centre is engaged in flouting the rules of SSSP, charged the freedom-fighters. The first time, they said, was when pension was granted to 115 RSS workers, who got the financial benefit on grounds of being liberators of another tiny former Portuguese colony -- Dadra and Nagar Haveli close to Gujarat. This too, the freedom-fighters said, had thus contradicted India's own stand before the International Court at Hague, when New Delhi had claimed that these territories had been liberated by Goans themselves of the Portuguese-held Goa and not by nationals of India. In its struggle to retain its colonial toehold in this part of India, the Portuguese had appealed to the international court, seeking the vacation of the conquest of these territories, decades ago. "Well established facts and historical records show that it was the underground (patriotic) organisations from Goa namely United Front of Goans, Azad Gomantak Dal and Goan People's Party liberated the Portuguese enclaves", said the protesting freedom fighters. Only around 20 volunteers from the RSS had joined Azad Gomantak Dal, one of the organisations then active, for a week or two. But they were removed from Nagar Haveli following one incident in which they assaulted the priest of a local church, the signatories have said. At the most, their participation was marginal and symbolic, they added. In a function held at Pune, presided over by the Deputy Prime Minister, L K Advani and Petroleum Minister, Ram Naik, it was projected that the 115 RSS beneficiaries of the Centre's largess were the only liberators of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The nucleus of the fig | ||