'OUR SENTIMENTS ARE HURT’ This is a blog……………I found necessary to post , as few of my earlier blogs………..elicited this typical emotional phrase
'Our sentiments are hurt ‘ seem to be the prevailing disease in India. Of late, some Indians have attacked others because their 'sentiments were hurt' by the work of the others. They have taken up arms to bash up the person, burnt their homes, ransacked the proceedings and filed police cases. The Indian Government, instead of coming to the defense of the victims of such attacks, has instead colluded with them in certain cases. This country has consistently turned a blind eye to such attacks and in some cases has colluded with such attackers. And therefore, this state and its people have not set the right examples.
Bad Examples
A Muslim party (MIM) of hyderBAD attacked Taslima Nasreen, a Muslim author, for her works, which according to attackers hurt the sentiments' of 20 Crore Muslims of India. They said they anger was so much that they would have killed her. The MIM party which spearheaded the attack on Taslima has gone ahead to file a case for promoting communal enemity.
link
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070022057
Sikhs in Punjab protested against Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, for donning attire 'impersonating' one of their gurus, Guru Gobind Singh. The fuming Sikhs said that it hurt their sentiments by these actions of Dera Chief. The Sikhs have rioted with the Deras and also filed a case against the Dera Chief. Few people were injured in the riots and the police firing.
link
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Dera_Sacha_Sauda/Punjab_remains_tense_Sikhs_seek_apology_from_Dera_chief/rssarticleshow/2060332.cms
A Christian in Mumbai went on a hunger strike to force the government to ban 'Da Vinci Code'. The governments of AP, TN& goa went ahead and banned this book citing the reasons that Christians' 'sentiments would be hurt' by this movie.
link
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/5043934.stm
Hindu protestors stormed an art gallery. And filed a case, when an art student showcased his art for 'internal' assessment in a universitylinkhttp://www.samarmagazine.org/archive/article.php?id=242 In another case, Hindu protestors stormed an art gallery which showcased MF Husain's paintings, and filed a case alleging him for 'hurting the sentiments' of Hindus. This artist is now baited by police and the courts in India waiting him to come back from his self-imposed exile.
link
http://desicritics.org/2007/08/14/045801.php
Indian nationalists and regionalists protested against Narayana Murthy when he preferred the National Anthem to be played by music and NOT sung. This particular incident has 'hurt the sentiments' of many patriotic incidents who have gone onto flie a case against Narayana Murthy under a act called Insult to National Honor Act.
Fatwa against Salman Rusdie (Satanic Verses)linkhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/14/newsid_2541000/2541149.stmDannish Cartoons
link
http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article-southasia.asp?parentid=39537
Latest being fatwa issued by VHP leader on karrrrunanidhi………..asking hindus to behead karunanidhi
link
http://meinvincible.sulekha.com/blog/post/2007/09/vhp-leader-issues-fatwa-against-karunanidhi.htm
Such incidents are NOT symptomatic of just one religion or region. ‘Our sentiments are hurt’ is a disease that has caught with almost every religion and region in this subcontinent. We are making new rules and laws now. They are based on what we call as 'sensibilities'. We are affected by what you wrote, though we have never read it. We are affected by what you think, though we don't know what it is. We are affected by what you paint, though we have never seen it.
Some Hindus are of the opinion that it is OK to vandalize and kick out MF Husain, but it is NOT OK to attack Taslima. Some Sikhs are of the opinion that it is OK to target Deras but not OK to ban the book detailing 1984 riots. Some Muslims are OK with attacking Taslima but not OK with Hindus running riot in Gujarat. These people who opinionate these so selectively are educated and uneducated, both men and women, are coming from rural and urban India. Such selected preferences of our sympathies and selected justifications of curbing of our rights has become symptom of this disease. When we sympathize with those who banned the book that detailed riots of 1984, and when we sympathize with those who ban Da Vinci Code, why can't we sympathize with attack on Taslima now?
Some people justify the Hindu actions, such as those perpetrated against M F Husain or against the artist from Vadodara, as 'largely reactionary and politically motivated'. However, they reason that the cases coming out of Muslims to be entirely different from these actions of Hindus. This preferential treatment holds true for each religion and its supporters. They reason that their own fights are somehow justified and completely valid compared to those of other religions.
Is a 'reactionary' movement slightly better one compared to other kinds of fanaticism? What if one were to prove that the present Islamic antagonism originates from Post-WWI events, and therefore is a 'reactionary movement'? Would that somehow legitimize the Islamic fundamentalism and the terrorism? Aren't MIM actions 'politically' motivated? Is a politically motivated action slightly better than other actions?
While many Hindus have joined the protest against what happened to Taslima in Hyderabad, which everyone agrees is a despicable and shameful attack, they have NOT raised a protest when the book detailing riots of 1984 was banned by the Government of India. What outrages us the most? Is it the 'kind of action itself' or the 'blind irrationality' that motivates those actions? How come so many Hindus, even the educated and elite, actually supported and rationalized the vandalism against MF Husain's paintings terming it a 'natural outburst'? How come so many Hindus justify the Godra incident as a 'natural reaction' to the torching of train by alleged Muslim arsonists?
Such selected justifications will only take us down a spiral path into middle ages. We need to condemn all such actions, whether it comes from a Sikh, or a Hindu, or a Muslim, with the same vigor. We don't seem to do that. We seem to sit back and rationalize some of them 'as reactionary', somehow making them look better!
IT’S TIME FOR ATHEISM……………… SOONER WE ACCEPT BETTER IT IS……………….
Let’s make things better............
beware when reasoning stops emotions predominate...........
'Our sentiments are hurt ‘ seem to be the prevailing disease in India. Of late, some Indians have attacked others because their 'sentiments were hurt' by the work of the others. They have taken up arms to bash up the person, burnt their homes, ransacked the proceedings and filed police cases. The Indian Government, instead of coming to the defense of the victims of such attacks, has instead colluded with them in certain cases. This country has consistently turned a blind eye to such attacks and in some cases has colluded with such attackers. And therefore, this state and its people have not set the right examples.
Bad Examples
A Muslim party (MIM) of hyderBAD attacked Taslima Nasreen, a Muslim author, for her works, which according to attackers hurt the sentiments' of 20 Crore Muslims of India. They said they anger was so much that they would have killed her. The MIM party which spearheaded the attack on Taslima has gone ahead to file a case for promoting communal enemity.
link
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070022057
Sikhs in Punjab protested against Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, for donning attire 'impersonating' one of their gurus, Guru Gobind Singh. The fuming Sikhs said that it hurt their sentiments by these actions of Dera Chief. The Sikhs have rioted with the Deras and also filed a case against the Dera Chief. Few people were injured in the riots and the police firing.
link
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Dera_Sacha_Sauda/Punjab_remains_tense_Sikhs_seek_apology_from_Dera_chief/rssarticleshow/2060332.cms
A Christian in Mumbai went on a hunger strike to force the government to ban 'Da Vinci Code'. The governments of AP, TN& goa went ahead and banned this book citing the reasons that Christians' 'sentiments would be hurt' by this movie.
link
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/5043934.stm
Hindu protestors stormed an art gallery. And filed a case, when an art student showcased his art for 'internal' assessment in a universitylinkhttp://www.samarmagazine.org/archive/article.php?id=242 In another case, Hindu protestors stormed an art gallery which showcased MF Husain's paintings, and filed a case alleging him for 'hurting the sentiments' of Hindus. This artist is now baited by police and the courts in India waiting him to come back from his self-imposed exile.
link
http://desicritics.org/2007/08/14/045801.php
Indian nationalists and regionalists protested against Narayana Murthy when he preferred the National Anthem to be played by music and NOT sung. This particular incident has 'hurt the sentiments' of many patriotic incidents who have gone onto flie a case against Narayana Murthy under a act called Insult to National Honor Act.
Fatwa against Salman Rusdie (Satanic Verses)linkhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/14/newsid_2541000/2541149.stmDannish Cartoons
link
http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article-southasia.asp?parentid=39537
Latest being fatwa issued by VHP leader on karrrrunanidhi………..asking hindus to behead karunanidhi
link
http://meinvincible.sulekha.com/blog/post/2007/09/vhp-leader-issues-fatwa-against-karunanidhi.htm
Such incidents are NOT symptomatic of just one religion or region. ‘Our sentiments are hurt’ is a disease that has caught with almost every religion and region in this subcontinent. We are making new rules and laws now. They are based on what we call as 'sensibilities'. We are affected by what you wrote, though we have never read it. We are affected by what you think, though we don't know what it is. We are affected by what you paint, though we have never seen it.
Some Hindus are of the opinion that it is OK to vandalize and kick out MF Husain, but it is NOT OK to attack Taslima. Some Sikhs are of the opinion that it is OK to target Deras but not OK to ban the book detailing 1984 riots. Some Muslims are OK with attacking Taslima but not OK with Hindus running riot in Gujarat. These people who opinionate these so selectively are educated and uneducated, both men and women, are coming from rural and urban India. Such selected preferences of our sympathies and selected justifications of curbing of our rights has become symptom of this disease. When we sympathize with those who banned the book that detailed riots of 1984, and when we sympathize with those who ban Da Vinci Code, why can't we sympathize with attack on Taslima now?
Some people justify the Hindu actions, such as those perpetrated against M F Husain or against the artist from Vadodara, as 'largely reactionary and politically motivated'. However, they reason that the cases coming out of Muslims to be entirely different from these actions of Hindus. This preferential treatment holds true for each religion and its supporters. They reason that their own fights are somehow justified and completely valid compared to those of other religions.
Is a 'reactionary' movement slightly better one compared to other kinds of fanaticism? What if one were to prove that the present Islamic antagonism originates from Post-WWI events, and therefore is a 'reactionary movement'? Would that somehow legitimize the Islamic fundamentalism and the terrorism? Aren't MIM actions 'politically' motivated? Is a politically motivated action slightly better than other actions?
While many Hindus have joined the protest against what happened to Taslima in Hyderabad, which everyone agrees is a despicable and shameful attack, they have NOT raised a protest when the book detailing riots of 1984 was banned by the Government of India. What outrages us the most? Is it the 'kind of action itself' or the 'blind irrationality' that motivates those actions? How come so many Hindus, even the educated and elite, actually supported and rationalized the vandalism against MF Husain's paintings terming it a 'natural outburst'? How come so many Hindus justify the Godra incident as a 'natural reaction' to the torching of train by alleged Muslim arsonists?
Such selected justifications will only take us down a spiral path into middle ages. We need to condemn all such actions, whether it comes from a Sikh, or a Hindu, or a Muslim, with the same vigor. We don't seem to do that. We seem to sit back and rationalize some of them 'as reactionary', somehow making them look better!
IT’S TIME FOR ATHEISM……………… SOONER WE ACCEPT BETTER IT IS……………….
Let’s make things better............
beware when reasoning stops emotions predominate...........
