Sandra Aragon, <saragon@hchr@unog.ch>: I would like to introduce myself. I am the newly appointed NGO liaison officer within the Anti-Discrimination Unit, established on an interim basis, at the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva. The unit was constituted to follow up and implement the declaration and programme of action adopted at the Durban conference. I will be undertaking this new task with great pleasure and dedication. Let me take this opportunity to thank my predecessors, Ms. Wiseberg and Fenniche, who previously performed this mission in such a skillful manner. I especially thank Ms. Wiseberg for having established this e-mail network. Through it our office can be in contact with a large part of the worldwide anti- racist movement. I am confident that we will collaborate in a very constructive manner having as our common aim the eradication of the scourge of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. We have an important agenda before us, especially now that an agreement has been reached on the declaration and programme of action of the World Conference Against Racism. As the High Commissioner for Human Rights stated:
“the anti-discrimination agenda the World Conference gave us is now a living, breathing document; with this agenda in our hands, we can regain the momentum created by the conference and get down to the business of making the commitments made at Durban a reality”.
Islamicnews@islaminews.com: Funding is required for the sponsor-a-writer scheme: independent service ummahnews.com seeks to hire a 100 writers in a 100 cities to provide original news. Please help identify sponsors and paid/unpaid writers. Newsfeed alliances sought with friendly media partners. Initially contact ummahnews@mail.com. 6 year old ummah.com is now sponsored by Muslim Directory.
Kaukab Siddique, Editor, New Trend, PO Box 356, Kingsville, MD 21087, USA: A whole galaxy of Christian scholars questioned three Muslim leaders about Islam on a “Christian-Muslim relations” program aired repeatedly on C-Span. The program was a disaster for Muslims and should be looked at critically so that such mistakes are not made again. Muslims who decide to get on TV should have at least basic qualifications to be able to present Islam in America. The three “scholars” committed every mistake they could have made:
- They were not well-versed in Islamic knowledge and could not answer specific questions about Quran and hadith. (2) They were not fluent in English. One of them seemed to have a speech impediment while the other two had difficulty in finding words to express themselves. (3) The three suffered from serious inferiority complex about Islam, Muslims and the Muslim world.
They allowed themselves to be put on the defensive. The Christians, well-trained from seminaries and churches, asked the questions while the Muslims answered as if they were being tried in a court of law. The Muslims accepted the American premise that Sept.11 cannot be discussed and there is no way its causes or related issues in the Muslim world can be brought forth. In other words, Muslims accepted self-censorship as the basis of the discussion. The Christians built on Muslim self- censorship to ask: If you condemn Sept. 11 attacks on US, how can you justify martyrdom attacks on Israel? The Christians floored the three by talking of the freedom of religion in America as compared to dictatorships in Muslim countries. (The three did not have even the basic understanding of separation of church and state in America. Here you are free to follow any religion because religion does not matter. In Muslim countries religion. can change the state).
Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, 1901-Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Suite 802, Washington, DC 20006, USA: Sikhs should not to vote for the Congress Party or any Akali Dal in the coming elections in Punjab to be held on Feb. 13. This corrupt and repressive Badal Govt. must be changed during this election. It is the most corrupt govt. in Punjab’s history. It is time for India to release the over 52,000 Sikh political prisoners and the tens of thousands of other political prisoners and end its repression.
Sister Anisah David, Director, Human Interaction for religious Understanding, PO Box-284, Brookings, SD 57006, USA: Teaching Islam to the American people is an important issue in these troubled times. We have been providing dawaah to people in US for several years. But we need financial support of the ummah to keep up our efforts of educating and sharing the message of Islam to the people in America. As recent events in Afghanistan have shown, Americans need to understand Islam and the issues of oppression and injustice that are occurring in “their nation’s name” so that they can voice and educated opinion on matters that are effecting the lives of our ummah. As long as we deny them dawaah, we will suffer. For too long our ummah has chosen to ignore the duties of dawaah upon all Muslims. We have instead been xenophobic and introverted. Blaming others for our own inaction. We ask you to help us take the task of dawaah in US seriously. Please send financial donations to help us in the mid-America to spread the message of Islam. You can learn more about what our organisation is doing by visiting our homepage at: http://www/ angelfire.com/sd/HIRU. We can also provide mosque contacts, regional and national ISNA contacts to whom you may verify our efforts are legitimate.
- Srinivas Rao, N-6/225/6, Jayadev, Vihar, Bhubaneswar-751 015: Orissa Dalit Samaj has launched an Oriya fortnightly to highlight the Dalit cause. We need your permission to reproduce items from Dalit Voice in Oriya language in our fortnightly Dalit Samaj.
Baji Rao Kamble, Advocate, Anjali Hospital, 12- Tadiwala Road, Pune 411 001: All-India Conference of Advocate’s belonging to SC/ST/BCs and minorities will be held during the summer vacation at Bangalore.
Pradip Sethi, Atharnala, Puri, Orissa – 752 002: “Caste identity” is undoubtedly a product of the research work of our Editor in the Indian social laboratory. The most important ingrained and strong point of this thesis is one should love one’s own caste. It will definitely check the self-hate mentality (the most weak point) of Dalits. And presently it is helping the weaker jatis for their self- assertation. “Categorisation” or proportional distribution of government facilities among different jatis can make them equal. It is good for social transformation. But, referring to the article of Manjoor Gopalan on DV. Jan. 1, p.18, we need some clarification. Gopalan says from anthropological point that one caste should not inter-dine or intermarry with another caste. This will effect the original spirit of “caste identity” thesis of our Editor. Actually we are suffers fighting for equality and fraternity in this unequal society. We should not make a jati an airtight compartment. It is against social mobility and Dalit-Bahujan unity.
Suresh Jadhav, 201 Konkan Samrat, Konkan Nagar, Jogeshwari (E), Bombay 400 060: Thank you for publishing my writings even after knowing my poor education (non-matric). Today, I am suffering very much. The Bombay High Court has directed our autorickshaw owners/taximen etc. forcing us to change over to CNG/ LPG gas connections which means we are keeping a human bomb in the autorickshaw/taxi etc. It cost about Rs. 30,000. After Feb.28, our registration, permit will be cancelled. My future is bleak.
Gurnam Singh Muktsar, 12 Guru Angad Nagar, Muktsar-152 026: We reached Delhi on Nov 4, 2001 tο witness the historic socio-religious revolution at the Dr. Ambedkar Bhavan. Personally I liked the Budhist conversion ceremony. I witnessed the whole conversion ceremony. I don’t see any conflict between BSP’s social change movement and Ram Raj’s religious conversion movement. Both hit the brahminical social, religious, political, cultural and moral order from different angles. Despite the huge obstacles put by the BSO, it turned out to be the second biggest conversion movement after Babasaheb’s conversion in 1956. I am of the view that religious conversion is the deadliest blow we can inflict upon the BSO. Sikhs in Punjab and abroad were keeping a close watch on the Delhi conversion. They feared that the Dalit Sikhs, ill-treated by the upper caste Sikhs, would cross over to Budhism. But not a single Dalit Sikh attending the Delhi ceremony opted for conversion. The upper caste Sikhs were happy. Muslims, our own blood brothers, were, however, absent at the Delhi ceremony. They could have come at least to express their solidarity with their suffering blood brothers. I was disturbed when this great event was used to criticise our own leaders. You have rightly criticised this tendency as “dog eating dog. (DV Dec. 1, 2001 p.15: “Ram Raj emerges as a mighty Dalit leader“). The attack should have been only on BSO which put all sorts of hurdles to block the conversion. However, I fully appreciate Dalit Christian leaders who occupied the dais at the ceremony and spoke from their heart, boosted the movement with their full support. But no Sikh leader was there to boost the movement of Ram Raj. Sikh religion basically belongs to Dalit-Backward Sikhs. Great intellectuals like our Editor, V.T. Rajshekar, and Udit Raj must deeply ponder and see that public platform are not used to criticise our own brothers. Our Editor has been repeatedly pointing out that jealousy is killing the Dalit movement. That is how a micro-minority is ruling all of us.
Niranjan Haldar, 79-R.K. Ghosal Road, Calcutta-700 042: So happy to meet you in Calcutta and renew our old contacts. My left eye is totally blind and right eye is half blind. My eyes suffer from “macular hole” disease which is not curable. In the meantime I was busy with the publication of documents on Marichjhapi a black history of genocide. We want to publish the book in this month. We are yet to find a publisher, the expenses would be borne by us. The book’s author will be Jagadish Das, the son of late Jogendranath Mondal who was responsible for the election of Babasaheb to the Constituent Assembly from the Bengal Legislature. I will write the foreword. From 1979, 1 was carrying the pain in my heart for my failure to expose Jyoti Basu for the genocide of thousands of Dalits in Marichjhapi in the Sundarbans In the centenary year of Babasaheb, a Thai gandhian published a book on Dr. B.R. Ambedkar criticising Gandhi’s fast in Poona and the latter’s view on caste system. I was curious to know how a gandhian activist could get inspiration from two persons, both opposed to each other in politics. I found that the cooperation started. by Babasaheb with Gandhi for a short while was sabotaged by Gandhi for breaking the “Poona Pact”. In the case of Bengal, he supported Navin Ranjan Sarkar to disown the “Poona Pact”. Babasaheb was the product of two great universities of the world, Columbia and London School of economics. While he was in Germany, his preoccupation with caste politics, which he did rightly, India lost a brilliant economist. I am sending an article of mine on Gandhi and Babasaheb. I feel we must think of the future and cooperate with grassroot gandhian activists while criticising Gandhi on caste system and brahminism.
S.P. Singh, Takiapar, Danapur, PO Digha, Patna 800 012: This refers to your signed article in DV, “Dalit- Muslim unity not for conversion” (Nov. 16, 2001 p.10). Your opposition to conversion to Islam is in bad taste. Why should you be opposed to conversion to Islam? Also you say you are opposed to conversion to Christianity and Sikhism. I am opposed to conversion to Budhism simply because Brahmans are the head of the dept. of your Budhist institute, particularly your Bangalore-based Mahabodhi Society. During the time of Budha, 90% of Budhist monks were Brahmins and after that also it was entirely under their control. Budhism deteriorated as another section of the beggary dept. of Hindu or Indian society. Islam as a religion is far superior to every other religion in its moral principles. It is the one religion which sanctions all other religions of the world. Our only aim is to kick out the vaidiks from our SC/ST/BC/minority maha sangh and also from politics. Let the doors to conversion to other religions also remain open. I have embraced Islam, purposely. Let BC/SC converts feel happy that they are Musalmans.
Shambhu Prasad Anugulia, PO Mathili, Malkangiri dt. -764 044: The Orissa Dalit Samaj (an organisation to protect Dalit rights) has been launched under the leadership of R. Srinivas Rao, who is a noted Ambedkarite. We have opened an office at Jayadev Vihar, Bhubaneswar-15. We have started conducting priestless marriages, inexpensive, strictly under Budhist traditions. An Oriya magazine, Dalit Varta (the only one weapon of Orissa Dalits), was forcibly suppressed by the BSO. But the ODS has tried to revive the Dalit Varta to fight brahminism. We regret to say that some of fake and selfish Ambedkarites are trying to undermine ODS at the behest of BSO.
Krishna Rao, Research Scholar. Sociology Dept., Hyderabad University 500 046: A war-like situation. between India and Pakistan is developing. Earlier they had two wars which led to a great amount of destruction and recently Kargil to cite the latest one. But they failed to learn from their past mistakes. Both nations failed to resolve the problems of poverty, religious fundamentalism, caste inequalities, Sunni and Shia differences, regionalism, child labour, all sorts of backwardness etc. Both countries achieved nuclear progress but what purpose? Destructive purpose. They made some remarkable achievement on the nuclear front but what about their poverty, unemployment, religious fundamentalism, unscientific rituals and destructions, mindless violence, useless waste of human resources or energies? Have they achieved anything to be called welfaristic? Look at China, it achieved a tremendous progress despite having the highest population in the world. Similarly Taiwan, Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Hongkong. Fantastic development they achieved through their dedicated hardwork and commitment. They too have some problems of similar kind but at the development front they didn’t lag behind.
Ram Parshad, 1564, Phase-5, SAS Nagar (Mohali) – 160 059: My numerous friends like S. Bhag Singh of Mohali (DV Jan. 16, 2001 p.17) write and praise DV for its boldness, sincerity, services to the oppressed nationalities. This is a marvellous and enthusiastic step. Besides spreading DV in the North, I have taken up many other work. But we have to defeat not only external enemies but also internal ones who are acting as new Brahmins (white-ant) acquiring manuwadi thoughts and deeds just to meet with their selfish means.
Paul Divakar, Sakshi Human Rights Watch AP, 1-142/ B. II floor, Dama Residency, III Cross, Prenderghast Road, Secunderabad-500 003: A conference called as the Bhopal Conference was held at Bhopal on Jan.12 and 13. The MP Govt. headed by Chief Minister Digvijay Singh is attempting to mainstream Dalit concerns basically in MP which will have a spin off effect throughout the country. Many of the National Campaign Committee for Dalit Human Rights collaborators were actually involved in this conference as participants as well as resource persons. Most of our colleagues were present. About 250 academicians, other professionals and activists from all over the country gathered on the invitation of the govt. to focus on the theme “transforming India through a Dalit paradigm”. The “Bhopal declaration” was unanimously passed at the conference. Digvijay Singh promised to implement it. He further promised to set up a task force to monitor the “Bhopal declaration” and review it within six months. He also said that 30% of the purchases made for the Ashram Schools (around Rs. 1,200 crores) amounting to over Rs. 300 crores worth material will be bought from the Dalit and Adivasi-owned enterprises. This has been recognised as a post-Durban event and has been influenced by the NCDHR’s efforts in lobbying for the past three years in this direction.
Dr. K. Bhoominathan, G-7 Railway Colony, G-Corner Road, Golden Rock, Trichy 620 004: I have been a regular reader of DV. I like your magazine very much even though sometime I have some reservations about your point of view. But I like the wonderful way of discussion, opinion about all points and causes. Indeed DV is the best magazine I read. But unity of our people is lacking. That is the main reason for our failures. We fight among ourselves on minor issues.
R.L. Chandapuri, Saraswati Bhawan, North Mandiri, Patna-800 001: 1 totally agree with you that day by day brahminism is on the upward surge and we are gradually sinking. We shall continue to be sinking till our men do not revolt. I shall write more when I regain health.
Bhante Prajnasheel, Monk-in-charge, Buddhagaya – 824 231: I am sending the following Times of India (Jan.20) report on our hunger strike:
In an alarming development less than 72 hours before the commencement of Kalachakra prayers, the mega religious event of the Tibetan Budhists, four monks deputed at strategic points, including the sanctum of the Mahabodhi shrine, have gone on fast unto death and even threatened to commit suicide to register their protest against the alleged high-handedness and unbecoming conduct of the Temple Management Committee (TMC) secretary Kalicharan Yadav. The monks are Bhadant Mahanama, Bhadant Darshan Deep. Bhadant Dhamma Nand and Bhadant Deepankar. They accused Yadav of defiling the sanctity of the place by open boozing on the TMC office premises almost daily in the evening. He also alleged that two Yadav men assaulted Darshan Deep on the temple premises. All the four monks fearing threat to their lives have locked themselves inside their rooms on the first floor of the temple guest house and have refused to take anything. The frightened monks talked to this correspondent through the sole window opening in the corridor.
S.Haque, Patna: In the history of the world no ambassador was harassed for representing a country. No ambassador is put behind the bars. But the US has arrested the Taliban Ambassador to Pakistan, Abdul Salaam Zaif. Arresting an ambassador is an international crime, a blatant human rights violation. No one can be called a human right protector just by having a statue of liberty with torch. What is the fault of Zaif?
- Akhtar, Kanpur Deh 392 150: Since madrasas impart merely the teachings of Quran, only the world- devouring leaders like Gladstone can be terrorised by it as he had once, holding a copy of the Holy Quran in his hands, proclaimed in the British Parliament that those who believed in this book could never be suppressed. So, if fighting against oppression without any fear of death is terrorism then it has been taught by all the previous Divine books also.
- Haris, Librarian, Al-Irshad Library, Palliserickal PO, Sasthamcotta, Kollam-690521: P’happened to see your magazine at the Islamic Youth Centre Library, Calicut. It gave me a hilarious experience. I am a degree student of the Al-Anwar Islamic University run by Abdul Nasir Madani, the voice of poor and suppressed Muslims of Kerala and your good-old friend. Now he is rotting in the Coimbatore jail as a victim of brahminical terrorism. (See also p. 11: “Madani rotting in jail“). This university run by the Anwarul Islam Charitable Society supports poor and educationally backward students and gives masters degree in Islamic theology without charging any payment for food and other facilities. About 1,000 students are here. Its library called “Al-Irshad” is run by its students association. Though a majority of the students here are poor, we are anxious to know the condition of Indian Dalits and other Backward communities like the Muslims. Abdul Nasir Madani, whose party, PDP, you inaugurated at Calicut, is our guiding spirit. As Dalit Voice is the only journal of India serving the cause of Dalits and poor Muslims, the two most oppressed sections of India, we need your journal to understand India and who and how of its oppressed. Please send us a complimentary copy. We will be too glad to receive letters from your DV family world-wide.
Brother Abdul Naser Madani is our good old friend who is the leader of Kerala’s poor oppressed Muslims. That is why the “marxist Chief Minister Nayanar and Hindu nazis wanted to get rid of him. They conspired to get him implicated in the Coimbatore bomb blast case We met him in the jail (DV Sept. 16, 2000 р.5: “Editor meets Madani in Coimbatore Jail“) where he is rotting since years without being charge sheeted. Even the Supreme Court is silent. Leaders of poor Muslims, Dalits and all other oppressed Bahujans, one by one will face the fate of Brother Madani because india has already become a Hindu Rashtra – EDITOR.
K.S. Fayaz Pasha, Prof. of History, 10 Cherangal Abdul Ghani Saheb Street, Ambur, TN-635 802: The “national” toilet papers are full of “terrorism” targeting Islam and the Muslims. While these toilet papers alone have branded the Taliban regime in Afghanistan-and Afghanistan has never been conquered in world history as a devilish regime, the exceptional DV known for its free, frank and fearless expression did not criticise Taliban which has the reputation for military invincibility and religious parity which together endeared them to the Afghans. The Taliban has derived inspiration from the 18th century Islamic scholar Shah Waliulllah. Consequently it has become a model for young Muslim revolutionaries fired by the “Spirit of Islam“. It has the potential to overthrow the pro-Western Muslim regimes who hate the “Spirit of Islam“. Taliban regime, a victim of the racist White Western conspiracy, is being subjected to round-the-clock terroristic aerial bombardments by the anti-Islamic “civilized” Western barbarians practising double-standards in international politics by blindly supporting Israel in spite of all its acts of terrorism on the oppressed and helpless Palestinians legitimately fighting for their homeland Palestine (fighting is enjoined on those who have been wronged to quote the quranic verse) and deliberately targeting Muslim countries whenever they assert their sovereignty which is guaranteed in international law. The only crime of the Taliban regime is that it has asked the US, the most powerful and arrogant country in the world, to show adequate evidence which can stand in a court of law against Osama bin Laden who is suspected in the World Trade Centre attack. But by refusing to hear reason, the US, the world’s policeman, arrogated to itself the right to define terrorism and how it could deal with it. So, it has labelled Afghanistan a terrorist country and started devastating it (in violation of international law). Even now it is not too late for all Muslims to bury their differences and rise as one man by grasping the revolutionary “Spirit of Islam” enshrined in the quranic verse:
And unite all of you in the bond of Allah and be not divided among yourselves.
This ayath shows how strong the Islamic call is towards brotherhood, for even those who are enemies are urged to unite. Certainly Muslims are not called upon to be enemies of one another. Only then will the Muslims be able to identify their common enemy, understand his conspiracy behind his divide and rule policy and finish him once and for all so that he may never raise his ugly head again threatening international peace and security. As god is with those who are steadfast, their common enemy will go into oblivion and disappear into the vortex of history to make the world safe for humanity.
- Rahman, Govt. Hr. Sec. School, Bolung, via Roing, Arunachal Pradesh 792 110: Both the electronic and print media is playing havoc on the life of common people. Simple-minded and gullible Tribals here in Arunachal have fallen an easy prey to the media propaganda. Who will listen to truth? Despite hostile circumstances I am ready to work among my tribal friends to make them acquainted with DV and Dalit literature (English-Hindi).
Fazal Mohammed I. Patel, Secretary, Gujarat State Samajwadi Party, 17- Aashirwad Complex, Panch Batti, Bharuch – 392 001: We strongly condemn the ban on Students Islamic Movement. Communal organisations like the Bajrang Dal are giving arms training openly, breaking law and order, arranging march past in public, holding weapons like guns, swords, trishuls. But the government is not banning them.
Hasnain Sarshaar, 294 H.H. Hall, AMU, Aligarh – 202 002: Recently I came across your booklet titled Curse of Allah (Dalit Sahitya Akademy, 1997). The articles included in this booklet have been very awakening for me, making me realise my very important responsibility and duty which most Muslims particularly of this subcontinent do not take heed. I want to gather more information regarding the Dalits and Muslims of India and I also want to be in touch with the current status and problems of the same. I want to read all your books as it would help me gather information regarding the subject. A subscription to the Dalit Voice would help solve my problem. I hail from Islampur, West Bengal. I came to Aligarh in 1991. After doing 10+2 and MBBS, I am continuing as a PG student in Anaesthesiology here. Being from a poor family, I have always great concern for the poor, needy and the illiterate. Poverty, illiteracy and disparity are intertwined and makes a vicious cycle which prevents the poor mass from being uplifted. In the prevailing society the poor people are being continuously and repeatedly oppressed as they do not have the opportunities to know their very existence. Earlier I was thinking of only of the poor Muslims as they are my brothers in faith. And we are already running a school for the poor Muslim children by contributing money from among ourselves. But after going through the books Dr. Ambedkar Aur Islam (Hindi) by R.S. Adil and lately your book, Curse of Allah, I want to broaden my efforts. Before I assure you any help at AMU (or anywhere) I would like to acquaint myself with more knowledge regarding you and the cause.
Mohd. Zakir Hussain, 10-4-41, Ex-Servicemen Colony, Kothagudem 507 101: After going through your literature my feeling is you are well aware of all religious knowledge. But I have some questions:
- To which religion do you belong? (2) If you belong to a religion other than Islam what prevents you from embracing Islam?
