Alfred Klein, Anti-imperialist Camp, PF 23, 1040 Wien, Austria, (camp@antiimperialista.org, antiimperialista.org): We received your magazines and studied them attentively. Let us express our sympathy for your cause although we cannot agree to all of your points. In order to better understand your positions we would like to know:
1) What is your evaluation of the latest anti-Muslim massacre in Gujarat? 2) What do you think of the partition of the sub-continent between India and Pakistan? 3) What is our agenda in regard to the Kashmir question and the latest war frenzy?
At the same time we would like to draw your attention to our annual anti-imperialist camp, to which we would invite you to maker a contribution: This year’s meeting seems of special importance as the anti-globalisation movement has reached a decisive turning point after Sept. 11, the war against “terrorism” and the meeting of Porto Alegre. The open appearance of a reconciliatory wing led by forces like ATTAC who do not want to support the anti-imperialist resistance and strive for co-operation with the “enlightened” part of imperialism has brought many anti-globalisation forces to search for the construction of an anti-imperialist forum within the movement. This includes forces in Latin America like the mothers of the Plaza Mayor of Argentine (with Hebe de Bonafini present), the FARC of Colombia but also movements in Europe (Basque movement, parts of the Italian No Global), the Middle East (like PFLP with Leila Khaled present) and Asia (CMKP of Pakistan and others). The Anti-imperialist Camp is striving to provide this forum. In this spirit we would like to ask you and your organisation whether you would be ready to support the call of and even to participate at the camp. This year’s meeting is scheduled to take place in Assisi, Italy, Aug. 4-10.
You say you “cannot agree to all your points” We are keen to know the points and correct ourselves. Muslims ruled India for about 1,000 years and the current ruling brahminical class was the obedient servant of Muslims then. The Aryan brahminical people are Aryans and we the Black Untouchables are Dravidians, original inhabitants. The Aryans hate us and to keep us enslaved, they have resorted to new trick of hinduising the non-Hindu Dalits and making our people kill Muslims. This is what happened in Gujarat. Dalits have to be saved from the jaws of Hindus. Partition of India was a brahminical conspiracy. Muslims never wanted Pakistan. Partition has weakened our position. We want reunion of Pakistan, India, Bangladesh. Kashmir is a disputed territory. This is history. The latest war frenzy is fake. It is the creation of brahminical rulers to divert attention from the Gujarat genocide of Muslims. As our passport is impounded by the rulers we can’t get out of India, Globalisation is against our interest, That is why the rulers are thrusting it on us EDITOR.
Autopost@mail.nahdah.org: The massacres committed by Sharon in the Jenin refugee camp which he completely destroyed, where no less than 15,000 people lived, were massacres and acts of destruction that were beyond description. As were the massacres of thousands of Muslims and Christians committed in Nablus, and the rest of the refugee camps and Palestinian cities, all beyond description. His stopping of ambulances from reaching hundreds of injured people, leaving them to bleed to death, his destruction of mosques and hundreds of homes with the people in them, his barring of bodies from being rescued beneath the rubble, his arrest and torture of thousands of people, his obstruction of food, water and medicine from reaching those still alive, his banning of the media from going near these cities, villages and refugee camps that were destroyed so that they could not report on the brutal massacres committed by his army. All of these were more terrible than the massacres he committed in Sabra and Shatilla and what Jewish leaders before him did in Dier Yasin and Kafr Qasim. They remind us of Bush’s massacres of Muslims in the Jangi fort in Mazar-e-Shareef and the rest of the Afghan cities, mosques, villages that were destroyed while people were still residing in them. They remind us of the Serb massacre of Muslims in Srebrenica, and other Bosnian villages that were under the protection of European forces, all of which happened in full view of these forces. They remind us of the massacres committed by Putin in Grozny with respect to the Muslims of Chechnya. These massacres of Sharon were planned by the shaytaans of the White House: George Bush, Dick Cheney. Donald Rumsfeld, Condolisa Rice, Colin Powell and other senior officials of the US Govt. Additionally. they took place with the collusion of the Arab rulers. The blood boils when we see the Arab rulers receive them in their palaces, with a warm welcome. They met the American envoys, like Colin Powell, the US Secretary of State, and others with wide glowing smiles. They met with him while the pure and innocent blood of thousands of shaheeds and injured Muslims in Jenin, and other refugee camps and Palestinian cities, had yet to dry. Those Muslims, who died and were injured, were defending the sanctity of the first of the two Qiblahs, the third sacred precinct, the blessed Masjid al-Aqsa, land of Israa and Mi’raaj, whose surroundings have been blessed.
Eugene Culas, vodi@fish.co.uk: Seminar on “International Development and Dalit Human Rights” was organised by Voice of Dalit International (VODI) in co-operation with the communities of Ravidasia, Valmiki, Ambedkarite Budhists and Christians of the UK at Guru Ravidass Community Centre, Birmingham on May 18, 2002. Ms. Clare Short, the local MP, was the chief guest. Over 100 people participated. Tarseem Lal Balu, president of the local community, welcomed the gathering followed by an analysis of Indian situation in relation to the Dalits by Ms. Jyothi Raj, director, Rural Education for Development Society, Tumkur, Karnataka. The representatives of different UK Dalit population including Jaswant Rai Chanderh, Guru Ravidass Sabha, Davinder Prasad, Valmik Sabha, Resham Mahy.. Ambedkarite Budhist and Theo Samuel from Christian community, presented their experience of caste discrimination faced by the respective communities. Satpal Muman chaired the session, which became livelier by the inputs from the floor confirming existence of caste discrimination even in the UK as well as raising serious concerns about the inadequacy of governmental, religious and NGO effort to tackle the issue. Eugene Culas, director of VODI, chaired the afternoon session. Brenden Gormley, the director of Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC), spoke on Dalit human rights. Ms. Ann McFerran, journalist, whose article on her visit to the earthquake-affected Gujarat, published in the Sunday Times, shared her firsthand experience highlighting the discrimination in relief and rehabilitation. Salil Shetty, the Cheif Executive of Actionaid, analysed the need for taking into account of caste issues while tackling the problems of poverty. Leo Bashyam, head of Asia desk, presented details about various forms of the international aid to India and listed a series of recommendations for the International Aid Agencies and other bodies to follow while giving aid to India. Ms. Margaret O’Graddy from the Anti-Slavery International drew parallels on apartheid and caste discrimination indicating possible areas of intervention from various quarters so that caste discrimination could be addressed effectively. After that, the release of the book, Dalitology, by M.C. Raj was done by M.C. Sahota, president of the Central Valmiki Sabha, UK, by giving a copy of the book to Ms. Clare Short. Community representatives presented a memento to Mr. and Mrs. Raj.
Queen Quet, gullgeeco@aol.com: I am calling on everyone that I know to support saving my home island, St. Helena, from the potential of becoming similar to Hilton Head Island, SC. Over the past ten years, we have had to deal with the Govt. wanting to four lane the main road that comes through the island. As we have witnessed not just here, but around the country this destroys the character of a “rural” area. It tends to promote more accidents and it will eliminate businesses and homes that are along that road which are either in the “right of way” or too close to it. Many of the buildings that are on Highway 21 on St. Helena Island that are in the right of way are also on the National Register of Historic Places. Thus we do not want anything to happen to them. St. Helena is one of the last of our Sea Islands that has a large contiguous Gullah/Geechee community throughout the entire island. Thus, it is vital that we do not allow designs that we have seen destroy other islands even enter St. Helena.
Kaukab Siddiqui, PO Box 356, Kingsville, MD 21087, USA: Israeli Prime Minister Sharon led his juggernaut against the defenseless people of Palestine. He claimed victory and the media trotted out pictures of victorious Israeli tanks patrolling Palestinian towns and montages of young Palestinians with their hands tied behind their backs. The media prattled of battles and heavy fighting and gave the impression that the Jews had done something heroic and had actually squelched the hotbeds of Palestinian terrorism. CNN. MSNBC, Fox tirelessly trotted out Netanyahu, Shimon Peres, Emerson and an entire bevy of Israeli govt. staffers to spin stories about Palestinian terrorism. Finally, having crushed the dirty Arabs, Sharon rushed to Washington to get his pat on the back and to collect many more millions from America’s Jews and right wing Christians. And then it happened: Another martyrdom operation, near Tel Aviv. Once more the Islamic resistance struck back showing that occupation of Palestine will be resisted. All that billion dollar propaganda drive went down the drain with one martyr’s self-sacrifice. (DV June 1. 2002 p.19: “The miracle of suicide bomb“). The Israelis met the Islamists in battle only once in Jenin and were defeated with a loss of 23 dead and 40 wounded. In revenge, the Jews destroyed the entire Jenin refugee camp, firing 100 missiles into it in one day. With the media in their control, the Jews then successfully stopped a fact-finding mission from being sent to Jenin. As historian David Irving so aptly put it, Sharon is a holocaust denier. Denial of accurate reporting to the American public has taken on unprecedented proportions, outdoing even the sanitized war against Iraq where the future of an entire generation was destroyed while US TV pundits chirped of the evils of Saddam,
Salil Shetty, Chief Executive Officer, Action Aid, 13 Partridge Close, Arkley, Heart ford shire, EN5 2DT, London: It is now eight years since the South Africans voted in a government committed to equal opportunities for all people, rather than different treatment linked to the colour of their skin. But, in India, the world’s biggest apartheid system based on another hereditary factor, caste-remains intact after more than 3,000 years. How symbolic that the term Dalit, for the lowest caste once called Untouchable, is an ancient word defined as ground or broken to pieces. The American scholar, Dr. Eleanor Zelliot, elaborates the meaning. She writes that Dalit implies those who have been broken, ground down by those above them in a deliberate and active way. The Dalits number 167 million of India’s billion people. Yet because of the caste system many are doomed to the harshest conditions from birth. In rural India, they live on the margins of villages, denied access to wells and temples. Dalits are confined to work that most other people reject labouring and clearing human excrement and animal carcasses. Dalits must not touch or even walk in the shadow of upper caste people. Repression is rife -assaults, rape, murder and homes set on fire. The future for new generation of Dalits hardly seems better. Dalit children often receive verbal and physical abuse from teachers and perform less well than others. While many people are gaining from India’s economic growth, the boom is leaving the Dalits behind. Although the Constitution of India includes quotas on fair employment opportunities almost one in five government posts is supposed to go to a Dalit for example – these principles are clearly ignored when staff are appointed. Through efforts like this, the Dalits, oppressed for centuries, are increasingly organising to demand access to education, healthcare and jobs. Those with ultimate authority. accountable to the electorate, must discharge their responsibilities. In India, the “largest democracy” on earth, the media and judiciary must help enforce the law and Constitution to ensure that these basic rights are honoured. For many activists in the international human rights arena, the Dalit question presents a real dilemma. On the one hand, we are tired of donor conditionalities, which seldom work, imposed on the developing world and the steady erosion of the sovereignty of poor countries. But can the international community silently watch as 200 million Dalits in South Asia are denied their basic human rights?
M.I. Krishnaknkutty, Editor, Peeditha Janatha, Manalur, Thrissur 680 617: A new magazine titled Peeditha Janatha is being published in Malayalam from here. I am its editor. Many people of different walks of life have promised support. As this is a news magazine, the difficulty is in getting news from different places. I remember about your call for a “Media Centre” which did not materialise. I have taken the privilege of our relation from 1986 in processing this news magazine. We need your support.
- Rajendra, Ambedkar Pratishtana, Thoralakki PO, Malur Tq., Kolar dt.-563 137: This refers to the Letter of Brother Chinta B (DV May 16, 2002 p. 15-16). The “Caste identity” philosophy of our Editor is the result of a vast study and clear understanding of caste system and its machanism. Caste is not just cutting into 6,000 pieces horizontally but keeping it vertically. One caste looks down upon the one below with deep hatred and utter contempt. This results in each individual feeling superior or inferior to other caste man at a single point of time. This notion clearly isolates every individual from the society. Such 6,000 groups are not only divided but made to hate each other. The “caste identity” philosophy of the Editor is to make every caste (nation) know and fight for its share by establishing its “caste identity”. That is to love its own caste first, get united and work for the progress of its jati. The philosophy asks you to forget about hating other castes and waste no time and energy in fighting each other. Once you establish your jati identity and consolidate it, where is the need to fight the other caste? The next job is to inculcate pride about their caste. Did not the Untouchable castes of Andhra Pradesh go in search of Brahmin surnames like Rao. The Kuruba caste (shepherd) has a large population. They were hesitating to call themselves Kuruba and took a false name. Halu Mathastaru. The Gollas became Yadavas. Thigalas became Vahnikula Kshatriya. Khammas became Naidu. What difference it made? Every “low caste” hated its caste and changed into a “dignified” name but in the eyes of the upper caste they were still “low caste” and hence contemptible. Self-hated leads to change of names. Did any Brahmin subcaste change its name? Never. Coming to Dalits, predominant among them are Holeya (Mahar or Mala) and Madiga (Chamars). They changed their names as Adikarnataka, Adi Jambhava, Adi-Dravida, Adi Andhra etc. Did it make any difference? M.K. Gandhi called Untouchables as Harijans. Dr. Ambedkar was against any such change. He said with whatever style you call yourself the listener will know that you are an Untouchable. Have pride in identifying yourself with your original name. Never think of alternatives. The change of name never brings social status. This is what our Editor says. But small minds did not understand him. “Caste identity” includes caste pride (name) also. As a result of the sustained propaganda launched by Dalit Voice every caste started identifying with their caste and formed caste associations all over India. The people may not give credit to our Editor for the proliferation of caste associations and the holding of caste conferences but this entire movement is influenced by the Editor’s philosophy. Each caste association is concentrating on its progress. Fighting the rival, caste is coming down. Taking pride in the name of one’s own caste, uniting as a unit to work for the progress of the jati are the fundamental principles of “caste identity” philosophy. Without understanding these basics, we start discussing unwanted points. Brother Chinta must forget that he is a Mala or a Madiga. He speaks about the Mala-Madiga “divide” in AP and asks our Editor to amend his time-tested philosophy. Were Mala and Madiga united at any time in history or in any part of India? I am a Mala myself and live in a village. If they were “united” where was the need of the Madiga Porata? What was the reaction of the Malas when they launched their agitation against the Madigas? If the Malas and Madigas were united why did they go to court against the government order providing “categorisation” of reservations? It is the Mala agitation against Madigas that created the bad blood and spoiled the Mala-Madiga harmony. Why find fault with Chandra Babu Naidu or the Congress? In Punjab, later bifurcated into Haryana, provided a separate share to Madiga. There was no agitation though the “categorisation” was working for the past 25 years. It was only Andhra created the problem about the all-India news and had its impact on Karnataka. Tamil Nadu subcaste groups are political groups. They are not formed to agitate for share in reservation. They have such parties from the beginning. This is going on with perfect understanding of each caste, not by the order of government. Tamils have better and wiser leadership which the Andhra Dalits lack, Identifying the common enemy and unitedly fighting that Enemy is the historical mission of Dalit Voice. It is not the political agenda of DV. Dalit Voice is a university by itself. The Editor is neither a Mala nor a Madiga. His sole interest is to rescue the entire Untouchables from the clutches of Brahminism. Unity is possible only among the equals -never between unequals. Therefore every caste must love its jati people and then only it will grow. About Ambedkarism, people say a non-Budhist can never be an Ambedkarite. Some others say Dalit-Muslim unity is not part of Ambedkarism. Some others say Kanshi Ram has Dr. Ambedkar on his tongue not in his mind. But the fourth brother wants our Editor to amend “caste identity” theory because it is not Ambedkarism. Every one speaks as if he is an authority. Will someone tell the world as to what is Ambedkarism?
S.P. Singh, Takiapar Danapur, PO Digha, Patna – 800 012: Prime Minister Vajpayee to save the face of his Brahmana Jati Party has not demanded the resignation of Narendra Modi. This NDA is a farce. Hidden agenda of BJP is working. Nitish and Kanshi Ram have taken the sin of so many innocent lives on their own heads. All non-BJP parties in India have to take an united stand on this issue, forgetting all their differences. The country shall not forgive them. If the word “Hindu” means keeping mum on the killings of innocent Muslims, I spit at the word “Hindu”. I have rightly embraced Islam. During partition days Jinnah gave shoot-at-sight orders to the police and the army against the Muslim hoodlums in Punjab who were attacking Hindu families. No temple or Gurudwara was touched after the partition in Pakistan. The word Islam and Muslim stands for Truth and Character. The word Hindu means cowards, idolators and imbecile people.
- Perianayagam. Main Road, Ayandur village, Tirukoilur taluk, Villupuram dt. 605 755: I like Dalit intellectuals and activists who speak the truth frankly and fearlessly on the reasons for not achieving the desired changes in the life of ordinary Dalits living in the villages in spite of several schemes exclusively for the Dalits. Some of our own Dalit leaders and intellectuals become an obstacle to the development of the Dalits. Many Dalit leaders are more interested in encashing the Dalit brand for their personal gain. Dalits in govt. service keep their mouth shut for the fear of losing their jobs. Those Dalits in politics (MPs and MLAs) keep their lips shut before party bosses to retain their power and position. Disciplinary action will be taken against such leaders if they raise their voice in favour of the Dalits. So the Dalit leaders have begun to exploit the Dalits for their personal gain. Hence, we cannot expect these leaders to work for the liberation of Dalits. I am of the opinion that the source of livelihood is very important in determining whether a person can speak the truth or not. So, it is the proper time that we should gather such Dalit intellectuals and activists who depend on their own earnings and discuss the important issues which obstruct the development of the ordinary Dalits. I am conducting a 3-day workshop from June 5 to 7 at IRDS centre (Integrated Rural Development Society) Alambadi Cross Road,. This seminar is conducted in collaboration with Motilal Bhimraj Charity Trust headed by Dr. Bharat Jhunjhunwala.
Roshan Minz, Dangratoli, Near Sandhya Gwala Lane, Prulia Road, Ranchi – 834 001: It is a great pleasure for me that you have recognised my thoughts and understood its importance. (DV May 16, 2002 p.5: “Until Dalit identity is restored, Gujarat will go on repeating”). I am very sorry that nowadays I am not feeling like expressing my thoughts though I am reading Dalit Voice regularly. Today’s politics is disgusting. We are living in a blind country. In spite of that the ray of hope coming from you will slowly but steadily enlighten our blind people. Your thoughts give us strength and light to fight. And I want to fight till death and not to surrender. I hope in future we will meet with you.
Dr. R.P. Harsh, Harsh Clinic, Barnala Road, Sirsa-125 055; I fully endorse your views that Dalit the Black Untouchables of India are completely hinduised (enslaved). They cannot understand the significance of media unless they go through the Protocols The Zionist Arthasastra (for copies write to DV office). The Gujarat genocide of Muslims is nothing but continuation of the state terrorism which started in 185 BC. Dalit-Muslim unity is the only solution.
Ramdeo Paswan, K/165-Hanuman Nagar, Patna-800 020: This refers to DV article on reservation in highest judiciary by Anil S. Sutar and the Law Ministry reports. The mind of the Hindu nazi govt, is crystal clear. Reservation in services for SC/ST means and includes everything making them quite fit for it. Provisions of Articles 124 and 217 of the Constitution does not mean reservation in appointments.
Rajinder Kumar, Raghu Majra, Patiala: Prof. Gurtej Singh and Prof. Gurnam Singh have expressed extreme views (DV May 1, 2002). In fact Prof. Gurtej is a rich, upper caste Sikh scholar. But Prof. Gurnam is a Dalit living with common people. Jats are a dominant caste in Sikh and Punjabi society. They form 70% of the Sikh population and constitute about 40% in Punjab. Jats are mostly Akalis and always support the mainstream Akali Dal. They also own most of the Punjab landed property. even Sikh temples. They are more educated than Dalits who form 30% of the Punjab population but are badly divided. They are also poor and uneducated. They have not been able to throw up any intelligent leadership. They even do not follow Kanshi Ram, who is of course a farsighted leader. Another reason of great importance in Punjab is that there is no untouchability in the state. This is due to Sikhism. Even Hindus are made more liberal than other parts of India. Dalits work in homes as domestic servants. We cannot think of such a social setup in UP, Bihar. Rajasthan, MP etc. It is for this reason BSP is not doing well in Punjab. Buta Singh and Zail Singh, about whom Prof. Gurtej Singh was critical, are/were devout Sikhs and remained loyal to Sikhism. But they were not happy with the casteist Akali approach of the Jats. Sikhs are very arrogant in their behaviour towards non-Jats. But there are many Jats who are hostile to Sikh life and thought. They neither allow other castes to serve the Sikh religion nor they adhere to it. That is why Sikhism is on the “death bed” on which DV is having a long Debate.
Abani Mohan Roy, President, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Memorial Society, Milon Sangha, Bardowali, PO A.D. Nagar, Agartala -799 003: I want you to write literature promoting pujas of Ravana, Mahishasura, Hiranya Kashipu, our great non-Aryan patriots and heroes. They sacrificed their lives to save the native Indian culture against the tyrannical Aryan demons/gods and their culture. The non-Aryan Indians can thus establish a platform to denounce the Aryan gods such as Durga, Kali, Parshuram and Rama who destroyed our culture. Ravan puja should be first organised in each state and in every Dalit area. Guidelines on how to prepare Ravana statue and mantras in local language and precept are sought. The performance of Ravana puja should be fixed on the days of Durga puja. Durga was a dancing girl from Kashmir who came forward to help the defeated devatas and entered Mysore state, lured by king Mashishasur on the night of Mahalaya misusing his innocence and killed him at a lonely spot in the dead of night.
For years we have been urging our DV family members to protest Ram Lila celebrations and If the Hindus don’t stop injuring our religious feelings by burning Ravana, our hero, they should retaliate by burning the Hindu god Rama. But we are sorry to say that our people did not heed our suggestion despite Dr. Ambedkar criticising the conduct of Rama and Krishna in his book (Riddle of Rama & Krishna. DSA-1995). Our people have been hinduised to the core. They take the lead in burning their own ancestor Ravana. Brahminism is winning and winning enslaving our people. And in Gujarat the hinduised (enslaved) Dalits were made to kill Muslims. We have been wanting to visit Ahmedabad but our Dalit brothers are refusing to invite us. See how the clock has turned the full circle. It is a “Sunset on the Dalit World”. Did we not predict this? – EDITOR.
Nizam Uddin Ansari, 205/92 Sahukara, Arshivila, Ujhani (Budaun)-243 639: I have been reading DV since its very inception and read also all your books. You have also published my several articles and Letters in Dalit Voice. I want to write on the significance and relevance of Dalit-Muslim unity of which you are the pioneer. I have been reading with interest in DV about the genocide of the Gujarat Muslims committed by the Hindu nazis. I also read in the Times of India that at some places the Dalits saved Muslims. If the Dalits had attacked some Muslims, they were misused by the Hindu nazis by offering them money and liquor. Muslims should establish good relationship with Dalits. Muslims cannot hope good results without doing hard work and serving the Dalits.
Mohammed Saeed Ansari, 13-15, 2nd Ghelabhai Lane, Hasan Manzil, Top Floor, Madanpura, Bombay Central, Bombay 400 008: Despite there being a reservation policy for seats in higher education for the last 50 years, a large number of Dalits have studied only up to the secondary level and ended up in menial jobs. Poor implementation of the reservation policy and the policy’s misuse by educational institutions were blamed for the Dalits insufficient education. Also Dalit girls are not getting the benefits of the education. In 1998 in Bombay, 80% of SC females were illiterate while SC male illiteracy was 20%. A noteworthy thing is that SC male literacy has been decreasing. In 1961, it was 73.7% while in 1991 it was 61.51%. The education level of ST’s is particularly alarming with no students making it beyond the higher secondary in 1998. Dalit scholars say STs are more backward than SCs as far as education is concerned. It was only in 1991 that Nomadic Tribes (NT) and other Backward Class (OBCs) were included in the reservation policy. The education of SCs and STs actually started improving in 1981 which was when students started thinking of enrolling in engineering, medicine, agriculture, veterinary and teaching programmes. In 1981, Bombay produced 0.08% female SC doctors and 0.8% male SC teachers, no girls went for engineering. In 1998, 65.83% of SC boys and 78.08% of girls received less than matric level education. The percentage of boys who reached the degree level in this period was 7.5% while for girls it was 5.71%.
This is the first time we are finding a Muslim making a study of the Dalit problem. Though over 95% of Muslims are also oppressed, they have taken hardly any interest in our plight. Before tackling a problem, you have to first study the problem. The Muslims are facing the problem of Hindu nazism. But they have hardly made any study of the problem. How you have become an exception? EDITOR.
- Akhtar, Khanpur Deh-392 150: I had been to Bharuch where I heard that a Dalit has lodged a complaint against H. Rehman (Editor, Anjuman Voice) alleging that he is trying to create enmity between Dalits and upper castes (Hindus). There seems to be a vast difference between the Dalits of Gujarat and those in the rest of India especially of South India.
Dalits having been culturally deprived by the Hindus have become an unconscious people. Hence there is no wonder if they are tricked by the Hindus to say they are Hindu-though the historical fact is that Dalits are not Hindu and were never Hindu. But what happened to Muslims who are culturally so rich with a revolutionary religion? Why do they consider Dalits as Hindu? Does it not prove that Muslims despite being in India for centuries lack the basic knowledge of its social structure? Μ.Ν. Roy, a noted Bengali Brahmin intellectual and the founder of the Indian communist party, says If there is any one weapon which can simply crush and defeat Brahminism it is Islam. But in India Islam is getting defeated by Brahminism. Read his book, Historical Role of Islam, Ajanta Publications-1981. Alas not even 1% of Indian Muslim elite has read this book despite writing about it many times in DV. We pity the Ignorance of Muslim- EDITOR.
Shamsul Arifin, M-91, Abul Fazal Enclave, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi 110 025: Only for their vested interests our corrupt and selfish politicians have created a gap between Hindus and Muslims. Apparently they are following the same divide and rule policy. Always they are seen trying their best to keep Hindus and Muslims away from each other. Because they know if we both happen to get together, it will be disastrous for these shrewd politicians who are fooling us. Everywhere in the world Muslims are being targeted and victimized by state-sponsored crime and terrorism. And this is only because corrupt and criminal kings and politicians govern almost every country. I call upon all the common people of the world whom I consider the genuine people (Christians, Jews. Hindus, Budhists, Sikhs etc.) to be unbiased and impartial and then scrutinize the thoughts and deeds of Muslims who are showing reluctance to accept the crime, corruption and terrorism inflicted upon the society by the criminal and corrupt people in power. Today everybody knows what kind of hawkish and bloodsucking policy the US and UK have adopted to establish their imperialism. What kind of discrimination and injustice US and UK are doing with the world is also not hidden from anyone who has even a bit of sense. Then why we Muslims are being called a terrorists, separatists and extremists if we are trying to check these crimes, corruption, injustice, inequality, discrimination and their unjust and impious imperialism? I call upon all the genuine people of the world to open your mind and recognize these devils (people in the power) who are in flesh and blood. Not only Muslims but every common man and woman of every community is the victim of their blood-sucking policy and satanic ideology. Then why we Muslims alone should fight at the cost of our life and property against these dishonorable self-seeking politicians? Is it not your moral responsibility to join us in cleaning the society and filtering out all this rubbish? Will your silent smoldering with discontent solve the problems? In no religions we have been taught to go only to the mosque, temple, church, synagogue, pagoda, gurdwara to pray and be free from all the responsibilities. Rather more importantly and emphatically it has been ordained to fight against corruption, crime, injustice, inequality and discrimination. And establish a rule of peace and justice, equality and brotherhood. In India, since the time of “independence” till today we all Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and others have been becoming victims of our selfish criminal, corrupt politicians. For example not only Gujarat riots in which about 1,000 our own common people have lost their lives but also a countless communal riots have taken place in this country at the same instance of these very treacherous politicians in which hundreds of thousands of our own innocent people have been mercilessly killed. So far Muslims have been grossly misinterpreted and suppressed by the unjust and dishonest politicians who find us as a stumbling block in their way. I appeal to all my Hindu, Christian, Sikh brothers not to misjudge and hate the Muslims. There is no need of your hating and be scared of Muslims. Muslims will not scare you and harm you. You are our own people. We love you.
Rizwan Shaikh, 49 – Tawakkal Society. Sarkhej, Ahmedabad 382 210: Congratulations on your bold writings on Gujarat. I appreciate your invitation to the Muslims to be united with Dalits of India. If materialized. I fully agree with your views that we become a majority and then this 15% wicked oppressors cannot rule over us. At present they are not real Hindus but terrorists, killing, harassing, raping, looting, murdering and burning alive the Muslims and Dalits in Gujarat the heinous deeds which the whole world has criticized. It tarnished the good name of India and that Indians and Gujaratis are tolerant has become a proven hypocrisy in the eyes of the world by the genocide of Muslims committed by the Gujarati terrorists. Friends and educated persons at Baroda and Bhavnagar etc. have appreciated your bold writings on genocide and burning the innocent families in Gujarat. They will write to you and will join your circle. K.P.S. Gill has now started arresting the culprits and punishing the police who were lent spectators while heinous deeds.
