Anti-national and anti-Hindu Marxists in Kerala

C I Issac

Kerala once contributed much to Hindu culture and civilization, but is now poised as its destroyer, discharging Yama dharma. This land has a great line of teachers/rishis, beginning with Jagadguru Sankaracharya. Aryabhatta I, astronomer and mathematician; Govindaswamin, ninth century CE, who wrote a bhasya on Mahabhaskaariya; Sankara Narayana, author of the astronomical treatise Sankaranarayaneeyam; Bhaskara II, author of Lilavati, Bijaganita, Sidhantasiromani; Madhava, famous astronomer and mathematician of the fourteenth century, are true sons of the Hindutva tradition of ancient Kerala.


This Kerala has been under threat for the last six decades under communist influence. Communism penetrated Kerala by benefitting from socio-economic situations during the pre-independence decades. Now Kerala thinks and acts just opposite to the national mainstream.


Communism in the princely states of Kerala did not do well. More than 50 percent of its geographical area - British Malabar - was then part of present day Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The Communists realized that the seeds of communism could thrive only in the Malayalam speaking area because this region had been ploughed out by missionaries through western education by which Hindu values were submerged or practically out of use. That is why Communists initiated the movement for a Malayalam speaking Kerala instead of a geographic one.


Their dreams blossomed in 1956. In the next general election in the state, the Communist Party became triumphant. This victory was not of Marxian ideology, but the Hindu reaction against Christian opportunism and monopolization of political and economic power. By encashing the Christian conspiracy behind setting fire to the Sasta Temple at Sabrimala and subsequent Hindu sentiments, communists won the election. But those elevated to power through Hindu votes made their priority the impoverishment of Hindus and dismantling of Hindu faith from this land.


While the undivided communist party was in power during 1957-58, its first priority was to reduce temples to self-extinction and impoverish Hindus. The regime first of all put the enquiry report of the Sabarimala Temple destruction in ‘cold storage.’ Then it began Hindu impoverishment via annihilation of Hindu landownership with the land reforms of 1957.


To save Christian landlords, the church intervened to allow use of excess land in the hands of Christians by including relaxation clauses in the Land Reform Bill, thus excluding plantation lands / estates from the purview of land reforms. Now with mounting minority pressure, again the government amended the old Land Reform Act to incorporate those Christian and Muslim surplus lands which were converted as cashew plantations by giving estate status to it.


Major holders of coconut plantations and paddy lands were Hindus and their temples; their holdings were not brought under ‘estates’ when the land reform bills were drafted. Hence the entire land of temples became surplus land and temple deity the landlord/janmi. But the land owned by churches was not subjected to land reforms. Thus the ‘revolutionary land reforms’ of Kerala only impoverished the Hindus. At present, the average landholding of a Christian family is 126.4 cents and Hindus and Muslims are 69.1 and 77.1 cents respectively [1].



This anti-Hindu approach led a sizable number of Hindus to desert the communist fold, so the Communist Party leaned towards a policy of minority appeasement. The immediate result was the birth of an exclusive Muslim district, Malappuram, when all corners of national life warned of the danger in doing so. Now this district is the hatchery of all anti-national and terrorist activities in Kerala.


Subsequently a Christian district also carved out, a political decision which legitimized the state’s communal divide. History reveals how far Muslim bigots were appeased by the Marxist Party. In 1946, one Unnian Saheb of Perinthalmanna in Malabar, reconverted to Hinduism along with his family and received the name Ramasimhan.


A Moplah mob (Malabar Muslims) brutally exterminated the entire family as an admonition to all who wish to return to poorva dharma. All political parties, with Marxist Party in vanguard position under its self-styled revolutionary leader EMS Namboodirpad, tried to misdirect the police investigation and save the guilty [2].


The state conference of rgw Marxist Party held in February 2005 at Malappuram officially declared stained Muslim fanatic Wariamkunnathu Kunjahammed Haji, leader of the notorious Moplah Revolt who killed thousands of Hindus including innocent women and children in cold blood during the 1921 Khilafat agitation at Malabar, as a martyr of the Communist Party. Even the Muslim League is reluctant to do this.


The universal failure of Communism as an alternative economic and political model and the 1964 split in the Communist Party drained its mass base in Kerala. The communist attitude on vital national issues like Chinese aggression alienated them from the public. EMS Namboodiripad said: “The Chinese had entered territory that they thought was theirs and hence there was no question of aggression as far as they were concerned. At the same time, the Indians were defending territory that they considered theirs and so they were not committing aggression either. …..” [3].


Since 1967 the motto of the Kerala Marxists shrank to mere sharing political power. They also opted for the annihilation of those ideologically against them, resulting in the killings of RSS workers, which continues unabated.


RSS started work in Kerala in the 1940s. The first political murder happened on 12 April 1957 at Alleppey, when a farm labour, Abdul Khader, was stabbed to death by Communists. On 2 May 1957, a toddy tapper, Gangadharan, a member of INTUC, was killed at Alleppey. Thereafter, the Marxist regime sponsored the annihilation of political opponents, which is still going on.


By the 1970s, the communists split into half a dozen parties including Naxalite groups. The splits were caused by power sharing, not ideological differences. The great looser was the Marxist Party, hence its prime agenda became the retaining of cadre and political power. The result was indiscriminate killings of those opposed to their ideology or functioning. Since 1969, RSS became the chief target of Marxist wrath.


The first prey Ramakrishnan of Vadickal village, Thalassery, a Mukya Sishak of the village RSS Shakha, in 1969. An accused in this murder was Pinarayi Vijayan, now State general secretary and PB member of the CPM. From 1969 to this day, 160 RSS workers and 39 workers of other political parties have been murdered Marxists in Kerala. More than 177 houses of RSS workers have been destroyed and a good number of RSS/ BJP activists ostracized from their villages of Kannur district. In some areas in Kannur, especially Thalassery, Panoor, Kathiroor and Kuthuparamba, only those policemen are posted who back Marxist cadre or are their pawns.


On 1 December 1999, K.T. Jayakrishnan, a UP schoolteacher of Panoor in Kannur district, was brutally hacked to death in his classroom in front of 45 children of below nine years of age. All 45 children lost their mental stability and recovered only after six months of intensive treatment. When the Marxists threatened Jayakrishnan, the court had directed the state police to give him protection. At the time of his murder, two policemen were on duty with rifle loaded with dead ammunition.


In the light of government sponsored butchering, the High Court of Kerala recently proceeded suo-motto against the Marxist led Government of Kerala. To save the face of the Party, the Government moved the Supreme Court against the suo-motto suit. The Supreme Court not only declined the Govt. writ appeal but commented that the steps taken by the High Court were laudable.


The Party’s propaganda wing targets Hindu sannyasins and mathams and ridicules them as “human gods.” Their chief target is Mata Amritananda Mai. Most top comrade’s children study in Amma’s educational institutions on an underwriting from comrade parents that their wards should ‘sincerely participate in all the religious activities including Bhajans’.


On the other hand, Hindu sannyasins’ educational institutions are forbidden to ordinary comrades. The reason behind the double standard is that party base will shrink if one becomes a true Hindu. Marxists strictly follow communism’s universal style: “all are equal and some are more equal.”


Once EMS, upholding the Soviet view that the Second World War was “an imperialist war,” was in danger of having his property attached by the British for working against the war effort. As he went to underground, Namboodiripad anticipated the attachment and dodged it by transferring it to his wife’s name [4].


Another Communist priority was the mercy killing of temples – because the temple is the source of Hindu power. Hence they sought to annihilate the influence of temples from the minds of the Hindus. Focusing on textbooks in school, they consciously avoided topics related to Puranas, Epics and Vedas. Before the 1970s, textbooks carried more than eighty percent from ancient Hindu texts. This is now reduced to fifteen percent and is derogatory to Hindu life. A recent development is to create unnecessary controversies regarding famous temples to generate mental stress amongst worshippers.


Now the Marxist Party is in a capitalist mood and is functioning in corporate style. Its state general secretary functions like a CEO of the Marxist Party [Pvt. Ltd]. The party runs businesses like resorts, factories, amusement park, TV channels, and other ventures, and makes more surplus than real capitalist undertakings. To Karl Marx, surplus is ‘unpaid labour’; that is why he stood for socialistic/communist mode of production.


In China, though the party favoured multinationals and private entrepreneurs, it did not directly engage in commercial enterprises. But now the self styled proletarian party has no time to look after the welfare of the working classes and oppressed. All office bears of the state unit are busy with hectic business activities.


Currently in Kerala, the Marxist Party’s chief enemy is not capitalistic forces or Islamic terrorists, but temples and Hindu sannyasins. They fear nationalism and Hindu dharma. That is why they are targeting BJP/RSS workers. The penetration of another Semitic “materialistic religion,” Communism, and its messing up Hindu society is a serious threat to nationalistic forces. I hope one day my mother country will overcome and shine as a Jagadguru.


Notes


1] Kerala Padanam, Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad, Kozhikode, 2006, p 54. Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad is a Marxist party organization.
2] For further information, see EMS’s Selected Works, [Mal], Vol. VII, pp 356-57
3] EMS on Chinese Aggression. Quoted from: Comrade Mohit Sen, A Traveler and the Road – The Journey of an Indian Communist, Rupa & Co, New Delhi, 2003. [Then EMS was then the National General Secretary of CPI [M]. He made this comment in a press conference].
4] “It is also worth noting that the Tesildar found that the value of the property was more than Rs. 50,000/-. Namboodiripad cheated the government of stamp duty and showed the value of this deed as Rs. 9,000/- only. E. Balakrishnan, History of the Communist Movement in Kerala.


The author is a retired Professor of History, and lives in Trivandrum

Governments clueless on tackling terror

Pradeep Ayroor

The very same team of Prime Minister and his ministers, who were at the helm when the nation was subjected to a horrendous terror outrage in Mumbai on 26th November 2008, is ruling the country now. Surprisingly, the utterances of the Prime Minister reflect little precaution and he never echoes the sentiments of a nation that has been continuously bleeding from terrorist attacks. Adding insult to injury, he has extended the olive branch of unconditional peace talks to a treacherous neighbour who has never reciprocated the goodwill gestures shown by India in the past. Hitherto the Indian stand was that Pakistan must bring to book the masterminds of the 26/11 attack before any peace talks could start. This has been a consensual view across the political spectrum in India. In a quick somersault the PM now says talks can begin with Pakistan and he is satisfied with a lame assurance from that country that they would initiate action against the terrorists.


Is not the Prime Minister doing a disservice to the martyrs of 26/11 by adopting a soft stand towards a terrorist country like Pakistan?


Only a very meek and soft state like India can have such a head of state, who suffers from such quick bouts of amnesia when dealing with a virulent neighbour that has been exploiting India's weak policies and heavy doses of uncalled for magnanimity.


Alas, one can only call it a travesty of democratic wisdom that the very same UPA regime that has a very miserable track record in ensuring internal security has romped home with a comfortable majority. The UPA has been somewhat successful in concealing the gross failures of the security and intelligence apparatus in preventing the terror attacks on India. Poor average Indian voter just went with the UPA thinking that it is a better choice than the hydra-headed combination of small regional parties each with a prime ministerial aspirant. The electorate inadvertently endorsed the UPA regime in an attempt to steer the country in a stable and development-oriented direction. In the run-up to the general elections the media was abuzz with the prospects of another hung parliament and the spectre of power hungry politicians pulling in different directions. These things would have definitely swayed a sizable number of votes in favour of the UPA.


However , the new regime has let down the nation as a whole. By delinking terror from the composite dialogue with Pakistan, Manmohan Singh has sent some wrong signals to Pakistan. Islamabad will definitely take this gesture as yet another sign of India's weakness, not as a genuine measure aimed at boosting relations.


The saddest aspect in India's approach to terrorism is that our approach has been on a piecemeal basis. We as a nation, does not have a long-term consistent approach to tackle terrorism which is taking precious lives apart from being a heavy drain on the state exchequer. Shivaraj Patil's replacement with Chidambaram does not seem to have yielded any tangible result on the ground with the UPA government's approach to internal security remaining the same lackadaisical one.




After every terrorist attack, our leadership indulge themselves in ritualistic public relation exercises and make some noises about coordination among states and Center on security issues, beefing up the intelligence machinery, so on and so forth; but as weeks and months pass, we find that decisions taken are not implemented with the result that we have the same old problems and security loopholes on hand. The implementation part is often delayed due to bureaucratic hurdles and to top it up the leaders themselves often lack the determination to take their decisions to their logical conclusions.


It is often argued by security experts that tackling terror would need stringent laws. Then we had the controversial POTA. Despite the arguments against POTA, the fact remains that normal law is too inadequate to comprehensively pin down the culprits in terror cases. There are just a number of loopholes in our laws that criminals and terrorists have always exploited to their utmost advantage. It is high time the political parties reach a consensus on the need of strict common laws that can deal with terrorism effectively.


Down south in Kerala, a sate long held to be insular from the rest of the country for its so called communally friendly and terror-free society, the spate of terrorist arrest is alarming. Both UDF and LDF who have been ruling the state by turns for decades are playing the blame game and they just want to protect themselves in the eyes of the public. Nowadays with the advent of electronic media, with half a dozen Malayalam TV channels each vying for their own pie in the public domain, people are fed with interesting information as how both the fronts pampered the terrorists from time to time. It is quite easy for a discerning Keralite to trace the genesis and evolution of the terror saga in Kerala straight into the vote bank politics of UDF and LDF. If the LDF had aligned with Madani's PDP, the UDF was keen to equal the LDF with an alliance with NDF. Both the fronts have had open and discreet electoral pacts with minority communal outfits which have proved to be the main source of terrorist recruitment. It is ludicrous that Congress leaders of Kerala are putting the blame of the current terror-communal cauldron solely on the shoulders of the LDF – both are equally responsible.

Why this silence on organised anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh?

By Dr. Richard Benkin

Reports began trickling out of Bangladesh this spring about an anti-Hindu violence in the heart of its capital carried out in three stages: March 30, April 17, and April 29. A community of approximately 400 Hindus was reportedly going about its business when “hundreds of Muslims” suddenly descended on them and demanded they quit the homes where they and their families had lived for the past 150 years. Witnesses also report that police watched passively while attackers beat residents and destroyed a Hindu temple.

And although every Hindu, as well as the international community, should have reacted with horror and outrage, neither did.

The Bangladeshi Government denied that any such thing happened, and local police captain Tofazzal Hossain declared, “No demolition of temple occurred. There was no temple there, only a few idols.” Yet, sources for the charge — Global Human Rights Defence at The Hague and the Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist, Christian Unity Council, as well as several local human rights groups and newspapers — are highly credible, prompting our two-month investigation that confirms something terrible did occur, even if not exactly as described by initial reports.

For while not all 400 Hindus were made homeless, a significant number were, which is tragic enough, especially since many remain so months later. Nor has the Bangladeshi Government even bothered to deny that Hindus were beaten, some religious desecration occurred, or that police were present during the attacks. We also confirmed that the area attacked was located directly behind the Sutrapur Police Station in Dhaka and the Shiv Mandir only about 18 m from it; yet, the police did nothing to stop its destruction.

This is not about one terrible event, but about a system of legalised ethnic cleansing that has proceeded non-stop for decades and which places every one of Bangladesh’s 13,000,000-15,000,000 Hindus at risk. For despite Government protestations to the contrary, normal legal protections are suspended for Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh who are often subject to arbitrary actions by the Muslim majority.

Two Hindus, Jogesh Chandra and Taraknath Das, originally owned the land in Sutrapur. They migrated to India in 1947 but before doing so, gifted it to the remaining Hindus; most of them their former servants. A local Muslim, Mahbubur Rahman, tried for years to seize it but could not produce the necessary legal fiction. But after Rahman’s death, his brother and nephews determined to do what he could not because they were politically well-connected.

They used their position to prevail upon police to demand written proof of ownership from the Hindus, which all parties knew they could not provide given their impoverished state and the nature of partition-era transactions. Nevertheless, that was all the Government needed to secretly void the Hindus’ title using Bangladesh’s Vested Property Act. This empowers the Government to declare any ‘non-Muslim’ land vested once its ownership is questioned, no mater how flimsy the pretext, and award it to any Muslim who then can seize it, as was done in Sutrapur.

Next, the police refused to pursue any prosecution in the matter, even though at least three separate crimes were committed: Land seizure, beatings, and religious destruction. The GHRD and other groups have lodged formal protests and brought the matter to Dhaka’s Metropolitan Police Commissioner, but he also “refused to take any action against the perpetrators of crime,” according to GHRD’s Jenny Lundstrom.

Nor did the cover-up stop there. Mr Zakir Hossain, chief executive of local human rights group, Nagorik Uddyog, told me that his organisation appealed to the Bangladeshi Parliament and Awami League MP Shuranjit Sengupta, but neither he nor his party has taken any action. All of the Bangladeshi officials I contacted refused to comment on the incident.

It would appear that these enforcers of the law have become enforcers of lawlessness, abetting crimes against minorities and sending a message that Bangladesh is a country where the law gives Muslims preferential treatment even if it means ignoring elementary standards of justice.

This explains how Muslims have been able to seize 75 per cent of all Hindu-owned land in Bangladesh. It also means that the reduction of Hindus from almost 30 per cent of the population to nine per cent has been no accident but a deliberate process of ethnic cleansing, which if unchecked, will rid Bangladesh of its remaining Hindu population in our lifetime. And nobody seems to care; the world’s self-appointed human rights arbiters remain shamefully silent.


Meanwhile, dozens of Hindu victims from Sutrapur, including mothers and their children, remain homeless. The lucky ones are flopping in different slums each night, but for others, as one victim put it, “We are now passing a miserable life with no home and very little to eat.”

Perhaps Americans and Europeans will think of her the next time they purchase a garment labelled, “Made in Bangladesh.”

-- The writer campaigns for minority rights in Bangladesh.

India eclipsed

Tarun Vijay

The biggest victim of terrorism on earth is being accused of fomenting terror. That's no mean achievement of a state power that is busy making friendship with a terror state whose boy is pleading in our court to hang him for killing 166 people last year. Hundreds of thousands of patriotic Indians killed, raped, uprooted and turned refugees, maimed and humiliated on their own soil by a bloody jihad that has been directly sponsored by Pakistan. See the tones of papers and factual data sheets printed by the XP division of the ministry of external affairs. But the government that pays for printing such fact sheets accepted a joint communiqué sharing the concerns of the state that it has been accusing of sponsoring bloodbath in India, in such a way that the accuser is now accusing us. Firing on Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore was sponsored by India - that's the latest one. From the days of Indira Gandhi to Rao and Vajpayee, all governments were engaging Pakistan in a dialogue but never did such a fiasco occur - the murderous state raising an accusing finger at us and us nodding.

Banana spines can never make a rock, even if collected in millions. A forgetful people and a condescending state can never make a nation nor protect it. Pakistan was created after the massacre of a million innocent people, who had to leave their home and hearth because some leaders had accepted the partition. It was preceded by horrendous killings of Hindus in Kolkata, Punjab and Delhi. Immediately after that, in September 1947, it attacked us and forcibly occupied a part of Kashmir, Gilgit and Skardu that saw the heart-wrenching killings of Mirpur. Still, it wanted its share of Rs 55 crore to be given. And we gave. Noted historian Y D Phadke has described the episode thus, "a sum of Rs 55 crore was the money that was Pakistan's share, from the cash of Rs 375 crore in the vaults of the Reserve Bank of India before partition. On December 1 and 2, 1947, representatives of both countries had discussed the issue and decided that of the cash balance of Rs 375 crore, Pakistan's share was Rs 75 crore. Out of this sum of Rs 75 crore, Rs 20 crore had been given to Pakistan to temporarily take care of its financial needs when Pakistan was just coming into existence on August 14, 1947, and it was decided in the agreement of December 2, 1947, that the balance amount of Rs 55 crore should be handed over later by the Indian Government to the Pakistan Government. Pakistan had a right to this cash of Rs 55 crore and the Indian Government recognized this right. In order to satisfy Pakistan's financial need, the Indian Reserve Bank had indicated its readiness to approve a temporary loan of Rs 10 crore and Deshmukh had been told that the Reserve Bank had to take a final decision and that the Government of India would not interfere. That is why in the meeting at Lahore on January 11, 1948, Prime Minister Nehru had indicated that he was favourably disposed to give Pakistan Rs 10 crore as a temporary loan. Thereupon, Liaquat Ali asked Nehru: "Then why don't you give Pakistan the 55 crore rupees you owe us and put an end to the matter?"

Nehru didn't agree but Gandhi forced him through a fast and finally, after all that Mirpur massacre and losing Gilgit, India gave Pakistan 55 crore.

After that Pakistan "gifted" a part of our land to China. (Govt of India says Pakistan is in illegal and forcible occupation of about 78,000 sq km in Jammu and Kashmir and has illegally ceded 5,180 sq km of Indian territory to China.)

We had 1971, still didn't resolve Kashmir. We had Punjab's Khalistan terrorism, directly sponsored by Gen Zia Ul Haq's Pakistan. Then had to fight the Kargil war. Still gave a red-carpeted welcome to the man in khaki who was responsible for the death of our 600 soldiers.

And now we are foolishly looking at Islamabad, blood-soaked, yet finding ourselves in a question box.

That's Pakistan. And we are bending over backwards to get a certificate of good conduct from it. And expecting it will change for the good.


Isn't it a shame that a country doesn't feel hurt at the loss of 1.25 lakh sq km to the enemy, didn't feel angry, didn't resolve to take revenge for the loss of our 600 soldiers in Kargil and teach a lesson to a mischievously unrepentant neighbour? So much so that the discredited Musharraf still gets honourable platforms to big-mouth in Delhi. Who felt hurt that the anniversary of Kargil victory was completely ignored by the government, no one paid tributes to the soldiers, there were no special shows on TV channels? Who felt hurt to read stories of the Kargil heroes who lost their limbs and are forced to live at a paltry pension of Rs 5,000? In a country where insulting, humiliating and shamefully ignoring the heroes of war is a politically beneficial practice to garner minority votes, a Kalam honour outcry looks nothing more than a media shamanism. A self-defeating secularism allows a pro-terrorist Jamia crowd clubbed with the apologists to Azamgarh-Batla house syndrome who collected funds for the accused through a vice-chancellor, speak against the Human Rights Commission's clean chit to the police and restoring the honour of Inspector M C Sharma, who was humiliated by Congress and SP leaders even after his heroic death.

This is us and that is Pakistan. Those who bask only in a reflected glory eclipse India's truth.

The eclipse is secular in its darkness that has affected the Indian soul and we ignore the core issue to run after cosmetics. Just have a relook at Kalam saheb's episode.

Agreed Abdul Kalam shouldn't have been frisked. He represents not just his individual persona, but also our country's honour. They know what the Americans do in security matters and Kalam might be a great hero to us, but safety-conscious Americans must be apprised much before to have a proper, honourable safe passage to our ex-head of the state. Was that done? Secondly, those who are agitated over the frisking of Kalam are silent on Rahul Gandhi and Robert Vadra being given the privilege of passing through airport security without a check. Why and on what grounds?

At the end of the day, Kalam remains a great sermoniser who hardly had any action to his credit, except writing morally right good books and attending inaugural functions while fully enjoying all the fruits of a presidency post-retirement. From Kashmir's exiled patriots to Kohima's anti-national insurgency, what did he do to restore faith in the tricolour and protect the honour of those who swear by India? When he is frisked, the starved media makes it an issue and everyone jumps on to the bandwagon. Is this "insult" greater than the hurt our soldiers get from the sultans of Raisina Hill?

Honing Celina, Yogic Ramdev, worrying Christians and Gleeful Gays

Vedaprakash

Media creating controversies or mastermind propaganda against Hindu religion?: How the media has been clever enough to create controversies by asking one person view about anything and then going to another to respond to what the first person said and so on. Otherwise, in what way, Celina has to do anything with Ramdev? The pressman puts a leading question that so-and-so is supporting gays and gays rights, immediately, the respondent comes with his / her view. The media picks up and the stories are spun; articles written; blogs created. The following has been such media-meddling compiled and pruned for brevity. However, if one closely or deeply goes into the subject matter, the affected party has been the church only, as it has long theological implications questioning the fundamental tenets of Christianity. That is why the Christians are now worried about the implications and complications that are going to arise.


1. Delhi High Court decriminalizes homosexuality in landmark judgment[1]:Gay rights activists in India claimed victory on July 2nd 2009 when the Delhi High Court issued a landmark ruling decriminalizing gay sex between consenting adults and overturned a 148-year-old British colonial-era legislation that outlawed homosexuality by describing a same-sex relationship as an "unnatural offence." The Delhi High Court said that homosexual sex among consenting adults is "not a crime," effectively scrapping Section 377 of the Indian penal Code (IPC) which criminalizes "carnal intercourse against the order of nature, with any man, woman or animal," and is widely interpreted to include homosexual sex in India. "We declare that Section 377 of IPC in so far as it criminalizes consensual sexual acts of adults in private is violative of Articles 14, 21 and 15 of the Constitution," the Bench comprising Chief Justice A.P. Shah and Justice S. Murlidhar said. "Consensual sex amongst adults is legal which includes even gay sex and sex among the same sexes," said the division bench of the court. However, "the provision of section 377 IPC will continue to govern non-consensual penile non-vaginal sex and penile non vaginal sex involving minors," the court said. The court further said that this judgment would hold till Parliament chooses to amend the law. "In our view Indian Constitutional Law does not permit the statutory criminal law to be held captive by the popular misconception of who the LGBTs (lesbian gay bisexual transgender) are. Equality and inclusiveness are the tenets of the Constitution. Equality should not be read literally, but in true spirit. It cannot be forgotten that discrimination is antithesis of equality and that it is the recognition of equality which will foster dignity of every individual," the bench said in its 105-page judgment.


1.1 Catholic Sonia government has been silent: Though the "conservative" Indian government remained tightlipped and refused to comment on the judgment, gay rights activists have hailed the court verdict as historic and many supporters of homosexuality were seen celebrating with sweets and smearing each other with vermilion. "We have finally entered into the 21st century. We have been fighting for this right for eight years. Gay people are part of this democracy," said Anjali Gopalan, leader of Naz Foundation, a leading health and gay rights lobby. "We cannot exclude a section of society just because of their homosexual nature. We never demanded repealing of Section 377 IPC. We simply sought that unnatural sexual acts between consenting adults be excluded from the purview of Section 377 of the IPC," Gopalan said. "We are excited that Section 377 vis-a-vis unnatural sex has been excluded from the purview of regressive penal provision," said Mehak Sethi, the advocate for the petitioner.


1.2. The petitioners: Naz Foundation: Naz Foundation, which works to prevent the spread of HIV and began a legal challenge to the law in 2001, had argued the law violated rights to privacy and equality guaranteed under the constitution, and was used to harass or blackmail gay men and women in return for money or sex. However, in 2004, the Delhi High Court had dismissed the same petition, saying that it was an academic challenge to the constitutionality of a legislative provision, which could not be entertained[2]. It also ruled that Naz Foundation was not an affected party under the law. But when the order was challenged before the Supreme Court, judges directed the lower bench to hear arguments in the light of present-day issues facing India[3]. Leading gay rights activist and the editor of India's first gay magazine Ashok Row Kavi welcomed the judgment but said the stigma against homosexuals will persist. "The social stigma will remain. It is [still] a long struggle. But the ruling will help in HIV prevention. Gay men can now visit doctors and talk about their problems. It will help in preventing harassment at police stations,"[4] Kavi told the BBC. "The ruling is a huge step forward. It is fantastic. I hope the government of India accepts the Delhi High Court decision. It has been an eight-year battle and I am glad it came through," said Vikram Doctor of Gay Bombay.


1.3. Aanchal Trust: The feelings of the gays: "Till now we were considered to be criminals. If a gay couple wanted to buy a house together, it was not possible. No financial institute would even consider them," Doctor said. "There are gangs who target gays as they would not go to a police station for the fear of being booked themselves. Even some policemen are part of these gangs. Thanks to the repeal, we can now start fighting and demand our rights," he said. "I don't know whether I want to cry or laugh. I've got goose bumps down my arms and there've been so many who just burst into tears when the verdict was passed. The law was so repressive and regressive and after eight years of this case being in court, it's a feeling of freedom we're experiencing that's hard to put into words," said lesbian activist Geeta Kumana, of the Aanchal Trust.


1.4. Gay and Human right groups: "We are elated. It's a path-breaking, a historic judgment," said Aditya Bandyopadhyay, lawyer and gay rights activist. "I think what now happens is that a lot of our fundamental rights and civic rights which were denied to us can now be reclaimed by us," Bandyopadhyay said. "The government has so far been pandering to narrow parochial groups, religious groups[5] but the court order shows that India is ruled by constitutional laws and not by vote-bank politics,"[6] he added. "This is a long-awaited and incredible judgment. The judges in their verdict spoke about inclusivity, equality and dignity. They spoke about a vision of India as an open, tolerant society and to hear all this from the Delhi High Court was amazing," said Gautam Bhan, gay rights activist. Human Rights Watch has hailed the ruling "a victory for basic rights to privacy, non-discrimination and liberty." According to Scott Long, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Rights Program at Human Rights Watch, "This long-awaited decision testifies to the reach of democracy and rights in India." "This legal remnant of British colonialism has been used to deprive people of their basic rights for too long. British colonizers introduced Section 377 to India in 1860. It became a model for similar sodomy laws imposed on other British colonies, and comparable provisions survive today from Singapore to Uganda," Long said.


1.5. Blaming colonial legacy: "Most of the world's sodomy laws are relics of colonialism. As the world's largest democracy, India has shown the way for other countries to rid themselves of these repressive burdens," he said. Health activists, which have also criticized Section 377, as it acts a barrier in the fight against HIV/AIDS by forcing homosexuals to go underground and making it harder for HIV/AIDS activists to reach them, have also welcomed the ruling. India's National Aids Control Organization (NACO), a department that operates under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, had supported Naz Foundation and in its court application, had said that Section 377 and the suspicion it breeds is obstructing its HIV/AIDS prevention program. "The Delhi High Court has restored the dignity and human rights of millions of men who have sex with men and transgendered people in India," said Michel Sidibé, executive director, UNAIDS, in a statement. "Oppressive laws such as section 377 drive people underground, making it much harder to reach them with HIV prevention, treatment and care services."


1.6. The relation between "gayism" and AIDS: Though since the 1980s, courts in countries such as Britain, Australia, South Africa and the United States have issued verdicts against similar laws that made same-sex activity a crime, more than 80 countries still have legislation that prohibits same-sex behavior, Sidibe said. The Indian verdict, however, "sends a positive message to countries where such laws still exist," she added. According to a report released last year by UNAIDS, about 2.4 million of the world's 33 million people infected with HIV live in India, of which about 1 million are women. Thursday's court verdict came after nine years of legal proceedings initiated by India's gay groups. Under the current law, which was promulgated in 1861, homosexual sex is punishable by up to 10 years in jail. Petitions to change the archaic law have so far been firmly rejected by the government but there has been some softening up on the stand in recent years, with officials saying the possibility of revoking the ban was being discussed. It is not known how the ruling, which can be appealed at the Supreme Court, will be welcomed in India, a country where acts of public hugging and kissing even among heterosexuals triggers glances of unapproval and sometimes beatings. However, several celebrities, who recently stepped outdoor to support the cause of the homosexuals, as various cities in India witnessed gay pride marches, said the judgment reflected a "mature society" and a "progressive India."


1.7. Celebrities support the judgment: One such person is Bollywood actress Celina Jaitley, who has been advocating the rights for gays for nearly a year. "I'm overwhelmed. It's great not to be criminalized for being a human being and what you do in your bedroom," Jaitley said. Agrees fashion designer Wendell Rodricks. "It is a historic moment for all of India. I feel very proud to be an Indian today. It has been a long fight. Now, one is not a criminal when anyway one was not in the first place," Rodricks, a gay, said. "It is a move in the right direction and I would go further to say that India is not a religion-run state and this decision is restoring dignity to a community that has been fighting for a long time," he said, noting that homosexuality is slowly gaining acceptance in some parts of India, especially in its big cities with many bars having gay nights, and some high-profile Bollywood films having dealt with gay issues. Thus, the undue interest shown by Bollywood stars in LGBT has also been intriguing.


1.8. Legalizing the gay-marriages: Meanwhile, though it was not immediately clear whether the ruling would eventually lead to legalization of gay marriages in the country, a top law officer said it could be the next demand from the gay community. "This will be the next level of demand from the gay community," said Indira Jaising, additional solicitor general. "Adults cannot be denied this right as it would be against their fundamental right of equality," Jaising, who has fought for the legalization of homosexuality for more than seven years on behalf of the Naz Foundation, said. Agrees Naz's Gopalan. "This is just the first step in a longer battle," Gopalan said.



2. Celina counters Ramdev claim of "curing" gays: "Ridiculous," says Bollywood's champion of gay rights, Celina Jaitley on how self styled `doctors' like Baba Ramdev are claiming to `cure' homosexuality. "With all due respects to Baba Ramdev he may have the so called `cure' but the point is LGBT community does NOT see homosexuality as a disease. No one is interested in buying this over-the-counter prescription for curing what is not a disease at all . It is who they are. They are not interfering in anyone's life or religion but unfortunately everyone wants to interfere in theirs and tell them how they should eat, sleep and have sex." She adds, " People should not be judged on basis of what they do in their bedroom because if it was only about that... some of our taxes would have to be deployed into a special bedroom vigilance force which I am sure these babas would love to lead." Calling Baba Ramdev 'Samaaj Ka Thekedaar' she feels he is a yoga teacher and should remain one. "Just because he is a yoga maestro, he cannot and does not have the qualification or degrees to diagnose an illness without any medical background because it would fall under fake medical malpractice." Celina, says, "Even if Baba Ramdev screams from every rooftop of India, the reality is homosexuality will not cease to exist." When asked if she feels there is any `cure' for ignorance, she said, "Baba Ramdev is not ignorant, he is doing whatever his remote upbringing and closed mindset is dictating him to do."


2.1. The Media blares against Ramdev siding with Celina: The headlines of the media including cyber one has been as follows:


Ø Celina and Baba Ramdev lock horns[7]


Ø Celina wages war against Baba over homosexuality[8]


Ø Celina is agitated about Baba Ramdev's sexist comments[9]


Ø India's dislike of homosexuality is deeply rooted in its culture and religion[10]


The Mumbai bishop has been consistently opposing the LGBT on TV-channels, but he is spared, but only Ramdev has been picked up. Thus, the foreign media and the Christian missionaries too targeted him. The following has been one example.


3. India's dislike of homosexuality is deeply rooted in its culture and religion[11]: If the name "Baba Ramdev" means nothing to you, then it is safe to say you are not an Indian - or a yoga enthusiast. The 43-year-old guru's international yoga camps - where he preaches a "medicine free world" - have been attended or watched on television by an estimated 85 million people worldwide, making him one of the most recognisable Indian faces on the planet. He is Hinduism's very own Billy Graham[12]. But the usually peace-promoting Swami has been causing consternation this week, after he criticised the Indian high court ruling which legalised homosexuality in Delhi. The Telegraph's Dean Nelson (South Asia editor and blogger) reports: Baba Ramdev, who counts senior government ministers among his devotees, issued a particularly strong response. In his petition he compared homosexuals to "other anti-social groups", and said legalisation would have a "negative effect" on the young, while increasing the prevalence of HIV/Aids. "These are unnatural acts not designed for human beings. The decision of the High Court, if allowed to sustain will have catastrophic effects on the moral fabric of society and will jeopardise the institution of marriage itself. This offends the structure of Indian value system, Indian culture and traditions, as derived from religious scriptures," it said. Baba Ramdev's petition serves to underline India's deeply conservative attitudes towards homosexuality. But it also reminds us where those conservative attitudes are rooted: Indian values, cultures and traditions - as well as Indian religious scriptures.


3.1. Colonial sin ans Noah's Injunction: In a recent book review, Johann Hari argued that it was missionaries who instilled in the colonial East a Victorian understanding of "sin". He writes: In Somerset Maugham's novel Rain, a missionary complains, "I think [it] was the most difficult part of my work, to instill in the natives a sense of sin." But they did. They succeeded. They soaked the East in a Western sense of sin, and saw it freeze up into a new frigidity. Johann isn't the only one. Amnesty International and the BBC seem convinced that Indian anti-gay attitudes miraculously sprung up 149 years ago. I don't buy it. Yes, missionaries and British colonialists certainly helped to enshrine these attitudes in Indian law (the infamous "Section 377", first drafted in 1860), but Hinduism has for centuries treated homosexual men and women with disdain. The Manava-Dharmasastra (the laws of Manu, Hinduism's Noah) are one of the earliest examples of Hindu textual doctrine. They describes how if a married woman is found to be a lesbian, she should have her head shaved and have two of her fingers cut off. Bizarrely, she should also "be made to ride on a donkey". For men who engage in homosexual acts, it's less barbaric - they simply lose their high caste, and become social outcasts. Thus, the blame-game against Hindu religion started!


3.2. Blaming Hindu religion finally: Let's be clear about this: Hindu traditions don't easily die. As William Dalrymple has brilliantly explored in City of Djinns, gay men of low caste still find themselves living as Hijras in India today. They become part of the so-called "third sex" of transgender men, shunned by society, discriminated against, and often forced into prostitution. So if homosexuality is going to be legalised all over India - and worrying HIV/AIDS statistics suggest it should be, very quickly - it will have to overcome a multitude of religious obstacles. Most of these will come from Baba Ramdev and some of his BJP-supporting allies. But you know what? Something tells me India's 150 million Muslims aren't going to help, either [note the mischief of pitting Muslims against Hindus.].


4. Celina Jaitley locks horns with Baba Ramdev over homosexuality[13]: Challenging the Delhi High Court's decision over homosexuality, Baba Ramdev had called homosexuality a `disease' which he claimed he can cure through yoga. Reacting to the claim, Celina Jaitley said `self-styled doctors' like Ramdev's opinion is ridiculous. Asked about the actress' comment, Baba Ramdev said the actress knew nothing about the culture of the country. "They stay away from their parents and have no morals," he said. Gays, Baba Ramdev said, "were like animals who do not realize what brings happiness. They are selfish and only care about themselves and not their families."


4.1. An interview with Celina Jaitley[14]: Recently Baba Ramdev publicly made comments around sexual life of 'actresses like Celina Jaitly' on the front page of a leading newspaper. On her standing up for gay rights, he stated, ''These actresses know nothing about Bhartiya sanskriti. They stay away from their parents and have no morals. Unke partner har mahine badalte hain.'' Not just that, he also termed homosexuality as a congenital disease and claims that he can 'cure' it. Truly livid, Celina bares her heart out. Baba Ramdev seems to have termed homosexuality as a disease. What's your take on it? If he says so, then this self proclaimed doctor has gone against the medical community of the entire world. With all due respect, just because he is a yoga maestro, he cannot and does not have the qualification or degree to diagnose any illness/disease. Without any medical background, it would anyways fall under fake medical malpractice.But he does have a wide following, isn't it? Of course, but then he has the right to teach yoga and help people to use it to their benefit based on prior approval and diagnosis of a trained medical practitioner. However, he cannot make serious medical diagnosis based on religious beliefs and his own personal perspective. It appears that you have really turned offensive this time around and aren't willing to take it lying down. And there is a reason behind that! Reactions such as those coming from the likes of Baba Ramdev are bound to happen every time there is a cultural revolution. Let me state an example. When 'Sati Pratha' was abolished, many people were offended and there were protests. It was the same in case of widow remarriage and child marriage as well. I feel eventually people do come out of it. Didn't Shikhandi, who belonged to sexual minority, fight in the Mahabharata 5000 years back? He has also made comments around 'actresses like her' changing partners every month. Aren't you offended? Well, isn't it strange that this great Brahamachari seems to know more about my sex life then I may know myself? I couldn't be more amused when I heard him making such statements. I really believe though that he himself does not know the meaning of true 'Brahamacharya'.'' He has also challenged on my knowledge of 'bhartiya sanskriti'. Well, this is my take on it:


1) I am a 4th generation Bhartiya Fauji kid


2) I am a Bhartiya Sundari 2001


3) My 80% education has been in Bhartiya Hindi medium Kendriya Vidyalaya


4) My education background is science and computers


5) I had Sanskrit as a subject until 10th grade


6) I have lived all my life in the interiors of India


7) I speak five Indian languages


8) I can recite 500 Sanskrit shlokas


9) I have been a Yoga practitioner since the age of 14.


Need I say more?



In the same way, the Harvard University professors of Sanskrit and theology have been presenting themselves here. In fact, they have more status than Celina, but all appear to be sailing in the same boat targeting Hindus. Why? Perhaps, one day Celina might overtake Ramdev in teaching Yoga!


5. Defending "Progressive" Catholics, but putting blame on "conservative" Hindu religion: Actually, the Hindus have never bothered about the gays, the rights of gays or the judgment, as it has been a non-event. However, for the TV-channels and the media are dragging Hindus and Hindu religion in this issue, while they are no way concerned or bothered about these guys or gays. The usage of expressions have hidden agenda, as they blame time and again that -


Ø Hindu traditions don't easily die.


Ø India's dislike of homosexuality is deeply rooted in its culture and religion


Ø India's deeply conservative attitudes towards homosexuality


Thus, it is evident that they have been targeting Hindus and Hindu religion with overt and covert media-machinations. That the international media and Christian organizations have joined the propaganda makes one in India to think about its mischief and seriousness.


SC takes up plea against gay sex, issues notice[15]: The Supreme Court. on July 9th 2009, issued notices to the Centre, the Delhi government and the NGO Naz Foundation seeking their stand on a lawsuit challenging the July 2 verdict of the Delhi High Court decriminalising gay sex. A bench of Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice P Sathasivam issued notices on the lawsuit filed by a Delhi advocate Suresh Kaushal. The bench has sought replies of the various parties by July 20, the next of hearing of the matter. Challenging the high court verdict, Kaushal contended before the bench that the high court had delivered a "perverse ruling" that would threaten the natural balance of society. "By any standards this is animal instinct. This is unnatural. It should have been avoided and not permitted because tomorrow people will seek to have physical relations with animals. West is supplying all these problems to us. None of our scriptures say this is tradition or a right. Only one way...our one is is relationship between man and woman," Kaushal said. He alleged that since the High Court verdict there have been seven cases of gay marriages and order was likely to affect the institution of marriage. However, the Supreme Court said: "we have not changed the definition of marriage." For "gay sex, to my knowledge, no body has been prosecuted," said Justice Sathasivam.


Politicizing the gay issue: Of the major political groupings, only the Communist Party of India-Marxist has welcomed the court order. The Congress and the BJP have reacted cautiously and have not said what stand will they take if the issue comes in Parliament. Religious leaders of all faiths have also united against legalising homosexuality. On Thursday, a Hindu Shankaracharya, a Jamaat-e-Islami cleric, Delhi's Catholic Bishop and a Jain muni held a press conference where they described gay sex as immoral, unnatural, and alien to Indian society, culture, tradition and religious ethos. Gay rights activist Sunil Gupta, however, strongly disputes their arguments. "We want decriminalisation not legalisagtion. We are talking about the rights of people. The kind of comments being made about homosexuals are immature. We must be allowed to live with dignity and freedom. Millions are silently being harassed," he said. Meanwhile, Union Law Minister Veerappa Moily says the Government has not received the Supreme Court's notice but will reply in due course. He said, "It's not the view of an individual minister but the view of the Government as a whole. The PM has directed all three ministries to analyse the High Court's verdict and its impact. The report will be submitted in a day or two."


Church to oppose legalization of gay sex in India[16]: Joseph Dias, general secretary of the Catholic Secular Forum, concurs. "The Church's stand on the issue has always been clear. For us it is an unnatural act, against the divine law. We will definitely oppose it," he said. Averthanus L. D'Souza[17] has pointed out, "In the context of this discussion, it is necessary to bear in mind that the Law does not encompass all of Morality. Morality has to do with Truth, Beauty, Goodness and, above all, Love. Morality cannot be encapsulated in a legal framework of a set of rules and regulations. The most insightful observation about the relationship between morality and the law is the statement that Jesus made to the Pharisees (the guardians of the law in his time) that Man is not made for the law; but rather that law is made for Man. (Matt.12: 1-8; Mk.3: 1-6)…………The misguided campaigns by homosexual groups to "legalize" homosexuality - which they admit is an "orientation," - is akin to the equally ridiculous campaign of some women's groups to gain legal recognition of women's "reproductive rights."…….. The campaign for "homosexual" rights is equally specious and ridiculous."


What Islam and others say about it? The Maulana said that according to Islam homosexuality is a crime. "Such behaviour is against the moral values of our nation that is based on cultural and ethical traditions. The government should take our views seriously." Father Dominic Emmanuel, the founder of Sarvadharma Sadbhav (Communal Harmony and Peace), said: "We have no objection or opposition to de-criminalisation of homosexuality because we never considered them (homosexuals) as criminals. "However, we are also clear that we are against legalising it… because what they do is unnatural and against the design and will of god."


Homosexual priests not acceptable, say India's Anglican churches[18]: Protestant church leaders in Mumbai have likened homosexuals to people "not of sound mind" as the Anglican Church thundered towards a schism between liberals and conservatives. Both the Church of North India (CNI) and the Church of South India (CSI) are supporting a conservative breakaway faction of the Anglican Church, called the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, on the battle over allowing gay clergies. The Fellowship, which was at odds with the Anglican Church over the issue of ordaining homosexuals as clergy and blessing same sex unions, was set up at a conference held in Jerusalem last month. It effectively meant a split of the Anglican Church. The Church faces another summit at the Lambeth Conference to be held in London on July 16, at which global representatives will decide the future of the faith of its eight crore followers. Both CNI and CSI did not confirm if they would join the Fellowship, but said the issue would be on top of their Lambeth agenda. "We are not comfortable with the idea of gay priests," said Reverend Prakash Patole, Bishop of Mumbai, CNI. "CNI and CSI have accepted women priests but we haven't got to the stage of welcoming homosexuals," said Reverend K.I. Dyvasirvadam of St Stephen's Church, Bandra. "The Bible talks of eunuchs, lepers and people not of sound mind and homosexuality being accepted by Jesus… but there is a big difference between a gay man coming to church and having gay priests." Similar views were echoed by the CSI. "The Bible does not recognise gay marriages or gay priests," said Reverend Benny Thomas of CSI, Mumbai. Gay Christians in Mumbai have reacted strongly to the news that their church has lurched further to the right, and pointed out that King James of England, who introduced the modern Bible, was a homosexual. "Indian Church leaders should place King James under the `not of sound mind' list and stop using his Bible," said George Thomas (26, name changed), a designer from Andheri and member of CSI. "I never divulged my sexuality fearing backlash. But church leaders should encourage more tolerance." Agrees gay activist Ashok Row Kavi. "The church should come in line with the Church of England and allow gay priests and marriages."


Sex, psychology, theology and religion (CBCI AND LGBT): Christianity is more worried about sex issues of whatever nature, as every such issue questions its fundamental tenets. Why the church has been so vociferous about pre-marital sex, teenage pregnancy, teenage mothers, and why even American President has to take view against abortion[19] etc., Indians might not have thought about so far. Thus, the homosexuality, gay, gay-marriage and other issues also cause great concern for Christian theologians in India and elsewhere. Ironically, three months back, when the issue of pubs, pre-marital sex, i-pill, and other issues came up, they kept proverbial silence, putting blame on the "Hindutva" activists, but actually, they affected only their belief system theologically. Even now, note what is said in the CBCI website: )…………The misguided campaigns by homosexual groups to "legalize" homosexuality - which they admit is an "orientation," - is akin to the equally ridiculous campaign of some women's groups to gain legal recognition of women's "reproductive rights."…….. The campaign for "homosexual" rights is equally specious and ridiculous."


What is wrong in the recognition of women's "reproductive rights"? Christianity revolves around the following fundamental tenets[20]:


1. The concept of sin


2. The Immaculate Conception.


3. The Crucifixion.


4. The Resurrection.


5. The Ascension.


The "sin" (moral defection) brought into this world by the First Adam is removed by the Second Adam with his blood by dying on the cross. The First Adam is responsible for the creation of woman – that is to say, a man produces a woman without any conception or sexual activity. And from such father and daughter, by actual sex, the humanity is created. Thus, homosexuality or self-sexuality turns into real sexuality resulting with the man-woman sexual activities. However, in the second time, a woman has to produce man, as Adam did. Thus, Jesus is born to Mary without any sex [Mary says, "I know no man"]. Thus, as the sin is increased, the Second Adam – Jesus Christ has to cleanse it with his blood. Thus, the Father made the First Son to get sacrificed on the cross. Thus, one can understand how the Christian theology is woven around the concept of sex in all aspects.


Man, sex, language and mixing of races and languages: Monogenetic or autogenetic creation of humanity has been divine and thus such things cannot take place. Only one Man can create woman and only one Woman can create Man and none can do such things thereafter. Thus, "the babel of tower" confronts the theologians, who make the deployment of linguists, psychologists, genetic experts and others come to rescue to come out with the concepts of ontogeny, phylogeny and epigeny in the creation of languages. Heterogenetics and variety of species, different languages etc., question the monogeny, autogeny, immaculate conception etc. Thus, homosexuality confronts such theologians and scientific experts. However, in flora and fauna, there have been species that produce on their own. Believing in one makes to bewilder at times about the existence of more than one. Accepting more than one has no problem in considering one or the only one also without any difficulty. But, knowingly the existence of more than one, if one claims that it is only one and there is no one other than it etc., makes not only mathematics but also theology complicated. However, monists, monotheists and such other "only one" / "The One" hypothesists and theorists confront with others.


Nature has and exhibits symmetry and symmetry implies existence of many with some fundamental similarity but not sameness. Here, only the uniqueness of Indian / Hindu tradition, culture, tradition and heritage comes into play. For them, nothing prevents seeing one in many and also many in one with differentiation and integration. For them "One" is "complete" an from one, all have come; even after coming, the one does not become less or empty, but full as before; again if all have come into it, again it is full and complete and there is no change [Om Purnamatha purnamidham purnath purnamudhachyathe; purnashya purnamadhaya purnamevavasisyathe]. This fundamental is known to Indians one way or the other and such concepts are made known to them in Indian traditional way. But during the last 600 to 300 years, such system had been disturbed, destroyed and now misinterpreted and therefore, al have been confused and confusing others. Everybody tries to impose his known views as authenticated and thus, there have been many authorities in every subject matter. Ironically, in such highly "democratic" evolved system, there has not been any patience to listen to others and understand. And thus, one appears many and from many - many more are generated.


Vedaprakash




19-07-2009.









[1] Next World Article 02 July 2009 @ 8:30 pm IST

http://www.ibtimes.co.in/articles/20090702/delhi-high-court-decriminalizes-homosexuality-landmark-judgment_all.htm

[2] Then, how a dismissed petition was admitted, entertained and favorable judgment was also given has to be analyzed. As a legal precedence has been created, similarly, the petitions that were dismissed on frivolous grounds could be filed again on the basis of question of law in the same High Courts? What would happen, if a petition is filed against the injunctions against kafirs, as one Chopra did in Calcutta High Court? As the killing of kafirs in Jammu & Kashmir and Afghanistan, imposing Jizya on kafirs in those areas have been happening when we discuss about this issue.

[3] Thus, when petitions are dismissed or not entertained, the Supreme Court could be approached, so that it can remand back to High Court to look into the issue under the present context. Why not other also follow the suit?

[4] The relation between homosexuality and the AIDS is intriguing and the details have to be obtained and discussed in the context.

[5] That these guys do not mention specifically the "religious groups", it appears that these involved guys and gays play double game.

[6] Giving favorable judgment at High Court level and at the same time accepting the petitions filed against it in Supreme Court and the latter giving notices to the parties etc., might point to a fact that the issue may be stage managed to show that the so-called "secular" government has been following and exhausting the legal remedy. Of course, the Sonia-men could talk anything on any subject without hesitation, as they have been trained in such talking.

[7] http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=HomePage&id=d11dfbbe-4e0e-4e91-aa16-1a4715b95cbd&Headline=Celina+and+Baba+Ramdev+lock+horns+

[8] http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/news/2009/celina-baba-homosexuality-war-150709.html

[9] http://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/2009/jul/140709-Celina-Jaitly-Baba-Ramdev-sexist-comments-bollywood-updates.htm

[10] http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/willheaven/100002923/indias-dislike-of-homosexuality-is-deeply-rooted-in-its-culture-and-religion/

[11] http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/willheaven/100002923/indias-dislike-of-homosexuality-is-deeply-rooted-in-its-culture-and-religion/

[12] Note the comparison, however, it is not known as to why they are worried about Ramdev, as he is not evangelizing anybody.

[13] http://www.christianmessenger.in/news/gays_130709/745.php

[14] By glamsham Friday Jul 17 10:40 AM Joginder Tuteja, Bollywood Trade News Network

http://in.movies.yahoo.com/interview-detail/389/2983/An-interview-Celina-Jaitley.html

[15] http://ibnlive.in.com/news/sc-takes-up-plea-against-gay-sex-issues-notice/96719-3.html



[16] http://in.christiantoday.com/articles/church-to-oppose-legalization-of-gay-sex-in-india/4118.htm

[17] Averthanus L. D'Souza, Dissecting Human Functions, http://www.cbcisite.com/cbcinews3020.htm

[18] http://www.hindustantimes.com/storypage/storypage.aspx?id=6ce3372a-df7f-4c85-96f2-d33b88ae64b5&&Headline=Gay+priests+not+acceptable%3A+India%27s+Anglican+churches

[19] Can any progressive, secular and elite researcher, expert or professional of India give any explanation as to why he is opposing abortion or abortion has been an issue in the Presidential elections?

[20] If Indians do not understand these fundamentals, they are in no way to have any discussion or debate to have with Christians.

Hindu Identity Formation

Dr. BABU SUSEELAN


(Summary of speech at the KHNA conference held at Los Angeles from July 10-13



The Changing Context

We are living in a postindustrial world, a new society characterized by different problems and needs than those in the past. The complexity of technological advancement has the potential to increase our alienation by decreasing connectedness between people and our community. The rapid development in information technology has created a strange paradox. While pursuing a vision of progress and development in the human condition, modern technology has led to increasing dehumanization and alienation. We are faced with terrorism, crime, violence, substance addiction, alcoholism, global warming and healthcare crisis. These threatening issues have become more intractable with the Cartesian-Newtonian reductionist paradigm. Modern disciplines studying the human phenomena have tended to reduce the psyche to a complex mechanical reflexes and interacting neurological forces. As a result our ancient wisdom has been reduced into knowledge and knowledge into information and information into data. And data is used to manipulate human beings.

In this context what is the responsibility of Hindus living in the post industrial society? In this ever changing information society virtual reality has become reality, transient-throw away values has become virtues. There is no place for Dharma, spirituality and human development. Spirituality is seen as a sign of primitive superstition, intellectual and emotional immaturity.
In this context, the only way Hindus can minimize the psycho-social problems in this ever changing society is to develop a comprehensive and systemic perspective based on our Sanathan Dharma. We, Hindus are living in a society that has changed from an industrial economy to a knowledge economy. Recent success in information technology has its roots in our sacred Vedas and Sanskrit and its cultural affection towards knowledge.
What is now required for Hindus is to establish a Hindu identity and realize their inherent strength and potential to grow in a knowledge economy. Hindu cultural forces have a chance to grow on their own and get organized to transform knowledge based societies.

HINDU IDENTITY FORMATION

Hinduism is unique. And Hindus have distinctive cultural roots, identity, belief system and values. A component of Hindu identity includes a sense of personal continuity and uniqueness from other people. To be successful, we need to carve out a potential identity based on our sacred Dharma. Hindus acquire a social identity based on their membership in various groups-familial, linguistic, regional, ethnic, and occupational and others. These identities, in addition to satisfying the need for affiliation help Hindus define themselves in the eyes of both others and themselves.

According to our Purusharathas, identity formation from birth through adulthood is very important for a successful living. A variety of changes that affect one’s work, status, or interpersonal relationships can bring a crisis that forces one to redefine oneself in terms of values, priorities, and chosen activities or lifestyle. In general, Hindus face predictable or unpredictable crisis in this country that can challenge their conception of themselves and result either in personal growth or stagnation.

We have seen Hindus in America identifying themselves as Tamils, Telugus, Nair, Ezhavas, and Guajarati, Marathas, Punjabis and Brahmins. Why can’t they identify themselves as Hindus? Compared to other ethnic immigrant groups, Hindus have significant history, culture and sacred tradition. Hindu culture and identity are interrelated. People who identify themselves as Hindus can negotiate life passages in this increasingly individualistic, complex and chaotic world.

Hindu identity is the subjective state of perceiving oneself as a Hindu and as relating to being Hindu. Hindu identity, by this definition does not depend on whether or not a person is regarded as a Hindu by others, or by an external set of religious, legal or sociological norms. Accordingly Hindu identity can be cultural in nature. Hindu identity can involve ties to the Hindu community. Hindu identity may be religious, secular and people who are atheists can have Hindu identity.

For countless American Hindus, Hindu identity is shaped by linguistic, and caste model as well as living as a minority group struggling to protect its heritage against assimilation. To preserve, practice and protect our sacred, eternal Hindu Dharma, we need to continue our Hindu identity. To establish Hindu identity, we need to practice our Hindu rituals and Samskaras. Yet the reality for many today is that they do not practice our rituals or insist on practicing our rituals with our children.

Economically and socially successful Hindus are part of this pluralistic society in which the primary factor determining religious identity is individual choice. We need a new, more helpful descriptive model that recognizes the vital role that personal decision play in Hindu-American identity construction.

First, Hindu identity is made up of choices. We pick, consciously, or otherwise, from a set of identity menu that offer us options for behaviors that we understand as Hindu because we see them as Hindu things to do or as done in Hindu way. At the cutting edge of cultural change, the menu expands increasingly listing behaviors that belonging to others. Increasingly, Hindus are selecting non-Hindu menu such as birth day party at a hotel, eating non-vegetarian food at the birth day party, burning candles instead of traditional lamp etc.

Second, identifying ourselves as Hindu does not necessarily say anything about how we express that identity. From a purely descriptive standpoint, it is essentially a choice of self-identifying that makes as Hindu, even when it is not clear how that identity expressed or conveyed.

Third, Hindu identity has become increasingly fluid. It is linked to personal choice. Life cycle changes, professional affiliation, caste identity and linguistic affiliation also affect our Hindu identity formation.

Fourth, most contemporary American Hindus are suspicious of our traditional experts and rarely consult Swanijis or pundits in choosing how to be a Hind. Many resist any pressure to affiliate with Hindu organizations or institutions. If and when few chose to affiliate, it generally is not because they feel duty bound but because doing so meets their needs.
Hindu identity implies on the one hand alignment, a shared belonging with members of other Hindus. Alignment may be based on a perception of similarity or a feeling of interdependence. Confusion often exists how the Hindu group should be defined and what their relation is to other Hindus whom they see as dissimilar from themselves in so many respects. At present, Hindus from different states of India, Hindus from the Caribbean, Hindus from Fiji, and Hindus from Pakistan seldom associate even though there is a common thread. A feeling of interdependence shall be invoked to have a common Hindu identity among all Hindus. The feeling of interdependence, of a common fate, represents the widest minimal basis, the common denominator of Hindu identity.

Hindus need to enhance Hindu identity, given the realities of today. Anyone who identifies as Hindu today only needs to go back three or four generation to find Hindu culture and traditions. There is an unbroken chain of Hindu living that goes back more than five thousand years. Hindus who are trapped in Islamic countries have lost to the Hindu community. Hindus without Hindu community and Hindu culture cannot last more than a couple of generations. Unless Hindu Diaspora returns to living Hindu way, the children of unobservant Hindus will get lost.

A family of unobservant Hindu will lose one or the other-either Hinduness, or the unobservance. We cannot have both. The importance of Hindu continuity is no secret, it’s obvious. Living-breathing Hindutva produces living-breathing Hindus. It is time for Hindus to do for our children what our grandparents did for us. We need to be a living example of what it means to live a vibrant Hindu life. It is time for Hindus to get self-organized on a larger scale with unity of purpose and strength. The current world scene requires Hindus to be assertive and proclaim as proud Hindus. Once Hindus are united, the cultural strength will emerge as a strong force in world affairs.

Murshidabad Communal Riot : Update

Although district administration and West Bengal govt trying hard to suppress the news of the riot and casualties, etc, more news are coming out.

Names of 2 Hindus who were killed by the Muslims with sharp weapons are Manik Mandal and Gopal Mandal of Jhaubona. Another Hindu, Sumanta Mandal got serious injury on shoulder and left hand. He is now fighting for life at Amtala Hospital.

One Muslim student of class XI, name Minarul, died in hospital after he got injury in scuffle in the school. Minarul was adamant to perform Namaz in school. He challenged all Hindu students to stop him to perform namaz.

Today 2 headless deadbodies were found in the nearby field of betel leaves. Identity of these bodies could not be established till now.

All Hindu shops at Trimohini market have been looted and burnt.

All 25 Hindu houses of Darapara village (a part of Jhaubona) have been looted and burnt.

The whole attack on Hindus was pre planned. Notorious Muslim criminals were brought in and were lodged in the large mosque at Trimohini market.

At about 2.30 pm, provincial police force and RAF led by District Superintendent of Police Mr. Saratlal Meena rushed to the spot to stop the rioters. At that time, announcement was made from the local mosque that this police force is not actual police force, those are false policemen sent by Kartik Maharaj from Beldanga Bharat Sevashram Sangha to attack on the Muslims. Hearing this announcement from mosque, Muslims started pelting stones and attacking the police force with redoubled vehemence. Even after that the S.P. did not order firing. As a result, 10 policemen were injured and the car of Addl. D.M. was broken. After one hour being at receiving end, when lives of police personnel were in danger, then only S.P. ordered to fire. In this firing, it is learnt that some Muslims were injured and died in this police firing.

BSF searching in 2 Muslim villages named Kajisaha and Kapasdanga is going on.

All roads towards Jhaubona have been sealed by police. Nobody is being allowed to enter the area. In Beldanga town, prohibitory order of sec. 144 has been clamped restricting any gathering.

12 Hindus dead and Hundreds injured in communal riots in Murshidabad

Major communal riot in Murshidabad (West Bengal) , 12 Hindus dead and hundreds injured including one deputy superintendent of police

Today, 10th July, 2009, a major communal riot broke in Murshidabad district. Till now 12 persons dead, most of them Hindus, hundreds injured including 10 policemen and one D.S.P. rank police officer. Two village markets and hundreds of Hindu houses were looted and burnt. Firing between police and Muslim rioters still going on at 11.30 night. Curfew imposed in the whole area. BSF and CRPF deployed to help police and RAF.

Perhaps the whole incident planned to welcome the proposed Aligarh Muslim University Campus in this district.

Jhaubona High School is a big higher secondary school in Jhaubona village under Nawda polie station in Beldanga sub division in Murshidabad district. Among total 1000 students of this school, about 50% are Muslim students. For long they were demanding to offer Friday Namaz inside the school. But school management and the Hindu students resisted it apprehending that it will create a virtual mosque inside the school. So, the furious Muslim students made objection against Saraswati Puja in the school and the school management has been compelled to stop Saraswati puja last year in the school.

In spite of that, the Muslim students were not satisfied. So they planned to offer Friday Namaz today (10 July) by force inside the school without any permission from Head Master or School Management. Hindu students protested and altercation started at 12 noon between two groups of students. Muslims were prepared. Through cell phone they spread the false message that Hindu students attacked Muslim students in the school. Within 10-15 minutes, thousands of Muslims led by the students of nearby Trimohini Madrasa rushed to the school. They attacked the school students, the big village market of Trimohini, and two Hindu villages Jhaubona and Trimohini. Many Hindu shops in the Trimohini market were burnt and looted. Many Hindu houses were burnt and looted in the villages Jhaubona and Garapara. In one house 4 Hindus died in the fire including one father and his daughter were burnt alive.

Till now, according to our sources, 12 Hindus are dead, more than one hundred injured, though the district administration will surely give a lesser number.

Many are missing. Nobody knows how many of the missing persons are already dead.

Police and RAF could not control the situation. So, BSF and CRPF are called in. Till evening, police fired 250 rounds. 10 policemen were injured, among them condition of 4 are very serious. One D.S.P. is seriously injured. He has been admitted in a private nursing home to avoid media scrutiny. On the road at Begunbari village, Muslims burnt 2 buses and one matador. One Tata Sumo car and its passengers were attacked. The broken car and its passengers have been brought to Beldanga Bharat Sevashram Sangha for their safety.

The injured persons have been admitted to Baharampur and Amtala hospitals. Till mid night, firing was going on between Muslim rioters and security forces at Trimohini bazaar.

As usual, the electronic media/ TV channels are silent and totally blacked out this major incident.

Murshidabad district is a Muslim majority distrct. All the 3 police stations in Beldanga sub division - Beldanga, Nawda and Hariharpara - are Muslim majority. This is a border sub division. All the Hindu villages under Nawda and Hariharpara p.s. are awake tonight. They are scared of possible Muslim attack upon their villages.

In sub divisional town Beldanga, in evening Muslims gathered in front of Congress office. Hindus are fearing that the famous Bharat Sevashram Sangha, whose President highly revered Swami Pradiptanandaji (Kartik Maharaj) may be attacked by communal Muslims. Swamiji is now away from Ashram. He went pilgrimage to Mansarovar-Kailas. He is expected to return in 5-6 days.

India’s Finance Minister Mr. Pranab Mukherjee has been elected from this Murshidabad district. As a gratitude to the Muslims of this district, he announced in his finance Budget in parliament that he would allocate a huge sum of money to establish a campus of Aligarh Muslim University in this district. This Aligarh Muslim University spearheaded the separatist movement for creation of Pakistan in pre 1947 years.

News Source: http://www.hindusamhati.blogspot.com/

Jihadis killed 137 Hans - China

China: Communist Regime in China closed down Mosques yesterday to prevent re-grouping of Jihadis in Urumqi. In the communal clashes erupted here last week Chinese Jihadis killed 137 Hans - The Majority population in China. In the crackdown of violence 46 Jihadis were also killed, reveals Chinese state media.

Jihadis erupted into streets defying the millitary power of China burnt buses and cars,smashed shops and attacked the Hans in the Muslim majority provinceof Xinijang.

But finally Communist's kneel down infront of Jihadi might when hundreds of them turned out to defy the ban order on Friday prayers.

Chinese officials blamed Extremism, Separatism and Terrorism is trying to split the country.

In response to Jihadi uprisal Thousands of Hans also took into streets to wielding Knives, poles, meat cleavers and other make shift weapons.

Return to Ayodhya

Tarun Vijay


Ayodhya belongs to us all, like Ram. Having made the nation wait for 17 long years, the Liberhan Commission report hasn’t made even an iota of
difference. The only course left for the government now is to approach the Guinness Book of Records to get an award for the longest procrastination to the commission and carry on with the national business. If the Congress, in its zeal to encash on its value for Muslim appeasement, wants to create a scene after it, it will be in for a shock. Ayodhya is a difficult issue for it - its hands are everywhere from opening the locks to laying the foundation stone and later the Rao era.

The fact is no power can now shift the temple built on Ram Janma Bhumi. Daily puja is going on uninterruptedly, notwithstanding a terrorist attack on it. The chargesheets and the case etc. have lost their relevance. Those who took up the cause politically are a divided house, some converting to the neo-‘secularism’ and have lost all credibility in the public eye. Even if the temple was a long-distance call, they could have at least taken care of the Ayodhya city, its protectors and the carriers of an invaluable flow of traditions - the sadhus and mathadhipatis. They didn’t do anything.

Take care of Ayodhya.

It’s a city of Ram and India would be less than a nation if Ram is taken away or left isolated like a post-Columbus American-Indian village.

Turn Ayodhya into an international city of grandeur like Thailand has done to its own Ayutthaya. It’s a city defining India, the heritage, the immortal literature woven around it, the dreams and aspirations of people sung keeping it in the centre, the river Sarayu and the dust turned holier because Ram had played in it. It’s incredibly Indian and unbelievably divine. It will earn spiritual solace. Those who think in terms of euros and dollars won’t be disappointed. That would come with a political mileage for all times without ruffling any feathers or denting a vote bank.

After all, Rajiv Gandhi had started his election campaign from there, promising Ram Rajya. For a devout Sikh Manmohan Singh, Guru Granth Saheb has most adorable references to Ram. And for others, Ram is India, which has given them so much of respect and power without bothering about their religion or origin. Mohammad Iqbal, the famous poet had said: Ram is Imame Hind - the greatest icon of India. They all owe a great deal to repay a debt to this land’s civilisational power that has been soothing and compassionate to all coming from diverse backgrounds and having different ideas.

Don’t deny Ayodhya this time. Die unsung but be honest once to your conscience. Ayodhya has been ditched immeasurably by her own small-time courtiers.


Ayodhya deserves to be developed as an international city of Ram, the Prince of Ayodhya, who fought the devils and gave us reason to celebrate Diwali, now the global festival of lights. And his return to Ayodhya makes us enact Ram Lilas and burn effigies of an unrepentant wicked demon. That’s why we have a Vijaya Dashami, the Dushehra. Ayodhya is unquestioningly intertwined into the lives of billions of Hindus who would prefer a Ram Ram or Jai Siyaram as a salutation than a Namaste. The joys and sorrows of Sita, the Janaki, the Van-gaman, exile to the forest, the Luv and Kush episodes. And the ultimate JalSamadhi, self-immersion by Ram in Sarayu. It's all Ayodhya. Later Luv established Lahore and even the Pakistan government feels proud about this fact in its travel literature and Kush established Bedi clan, to which belonged Guru Goovind Singh Saheb as per his Bani, the holy words.

That's us put together. That’s Ayodhya’s legacy.

Make Ayodhya a union territory. A city extraordinaire must be maintained under extraordinary dispensation - central government. Let NRIs design and fund it. Reward the pujaris and sadhus who had been keeping the flame of dharma and city’s sanctity alive, living in penury, ignored and isolated. They deserve warmth of belongingness and we owe it to them. The bungalow owners of metros and those who raise decibels in parliament for nothing never help in protecting the heritage. Those who do it must be recognized. Ayodhya is more than Ang Kor Wat, because from Korean princes to the builders of Ang Kor, they all took inspiration from this city on the banks of the Sarayu. It’s not just a parliamentary or assembly seat.

An International Rama University, a Janaki International airport, a Shabari University for Women, a Hanuman Academy for warfare, a think Valmiki thinktank to study invasions on India and the resultant socio-political changes, Luv-Kush panoramic garden of Indian culture and history on Sarayu bank, with a Pakistani contribution too, the city must resonate with elements that define and sustain Bharat that is India.

Think about it. Liberhan reminds you of smallness. Ayodhya is universal.

IF ISLAM IS SO PEACEFUL, WHY DO THEY HAVE TO KEEP REMINDING US?

By Don Feder

“Last week, four Southern Baptists were arrested for plotting to blow up St Patrick’s Cathedral. The men, who became born-again Christians in prison, wanted to kill and terrorize Catholics.”

If that was the opening paragraph in a newspaper story you were reading, your gut reaction would be – huh? Baptists don’t do things like that in the name of their faith. Neither do Catholics, Presbyterians, Seventh Day Adventists or Mormons.

But when we read the headline in a May 21st New York Times’ story — “4 Accused of Bombing Plot at Bronx Synagogues” — it was ho-hum stuff.

It wasn’t exactly a revelation when The Times informed us, in the 9th paragraph, “They are all Muslims, a law enforcement official said” – just in case you thought the conspiracy involved Episcopalians, Rotarians or the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.

If you hear about a hijacking, suicide bombing, sniper attack or the beheading of a hostage anywhere in the world, your first reaction is: a Muslim did it. Why? Because 9 times out of 10 a Muslim did do it.

In the case of The Newburgh Four, here’s what we know:

* Their names are David “Daoud” Williams, James “Abdul Rahman” Cromitie, Onta “Hamza” Williams and Laguerre “Amin” Payen. At least two were prison-converts to the Big Peaceful.
* They planned to blow up two synagogues with what they thought was C-4 explosives, supplied by the FBI.
* They wanted to obtain Stinger missiles to shoot down military aircraft.
* As Assistant US Attorney Eric Snyder stated when the defendants were arraigned in federal court, “These are people who were eager to bring death to Jews and the Jewish community.”
* According to an informant, Cromitie said of the Jewish people: “I hate those motherf—–s, those f—ing Jewish bastards. I would like to get a synagogue.” Also, while scoping out a Jewish community center as a potential target, Cromitie is alleged to have said of nearby pedestrians that if he had a gun at the time, he would “shoot each one in the head.”

If Islam is such a “religion of peace,” why do they have to keep reminding us? Nobody’s running around saying “Christianity is a religion of peace” or “Judaism is a religion of peace” – because neither proposition is in doubt.

Yet, George W. Bush felt compelled to regularly reassure us (especially after 9/11) that Islam was about as peaceful as a religion can get.

Speaking at a 2005 dinner marking the end of Ramadan, Bush’s Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, said Mohammedanism was “the religion of love and peace.” For Condi, being peaceful wasn’t enough. Islam had to be warm and cuddly too. “We in America know the benevolence that is at the heart of Islam,” Rice absurdly remarked. “We’ve seen it in many ways” –including in glorious Technicolor, in the video of the decapitation of Daniel Pearl.

President Obama boasts of his Muslim relations and his upbringing in Jakarta. In a speech to the Turkish parliament during his first trip abroad as president, Barack Hussein Obama assured the Muslin world that America “will convey our deep appreciation for the Islamic faith, which has done so much over so many centuries to shape the world for the better, including my own country.”

When was the last time a U.S. president conveyed deep appreciation for the Christian faith?

So, Islam is a religion of peace and love, as well as a benefactor of humanity. If this is intuitively obvious, why do they have to keep saying it? Perhaps because the vision of a compassionate Islam is so often obscured by explosions, flying body parts, collapsing skyscrapers, rolling heads, and rabid imams preaching hate the Jews, hate the Christians, hate America, hate the West, etc.

If Islam is so gentle and kindly, why does it have such appeal for the most savage and sadistic element in our society – those filled with resentment and rage, who like to hurt people (a lot)?

Question: Under what circumstances is an infidel most likely to convert to Islam:

1. While volunteering at a hospice or homeless shelter?

2. While working at a day-care center?

3.While planting flowers and singing Kumbaya at a peace rally? or

4. While incarcerated at a state or federal prison?

What’s that? Someone told you, didn’t they?

Conversions behind bars are so common that Mitch Silber, chief NYPD intelligence analyst, says cops have a name for it “Prislam.” Chuck Colson of The Prison Fellowship Ministries was warning us of the coming jailhouse jihad almost a decade ago.

More than 2 million are imprisoned in the United States, of which an estimated 6% are members of the religion of rest-in-peace. Sometimes their real-world experience at hurting people (a lot) is put to good use as newly-minted Muslims.

Have you ever noticed how converts to a faith, or those with a newfound commitment to the religion of their birth, tend to be, well – nicer. Born-again Christians – including those who come from dysfunctional backgrounds – often exemplify the New Testament admonition to be “salt and light,” likewise committed Catholics and those who’ve moved from a secular Jewish identity to orthodoxy.

Islam is the exception.

By all accounts, John Walker Lindh, born into an upper-middle class family, was as normal as a child of broken home in Marin County, California can get. Then, at age 16, he converted to Islam and began calling himself Suleyman al-Faris.

In 1998, at age 17, John/Suleyman traveled to Yemen, to study Arabic so he could read the Koran in its original language. From there, the religion-of-peacenik went to Pakistan to study at a madrassa. The spring of 2001 found him at an al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan.

When captured by U.S. forces in November 2001, Lindh was fighting for the blissful rule of the Taliban. Now, he’s serving a 20-year sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Terre Haute, Indiana, and probably proselytizing the other inmates, when he isn’t studying his peace-manual.

Other converts to Islam, unlikely to be mistaken for Mister Rogers, include:

* John Muhammad – Born John Allen Williams, he converted to Islam in 1987. Mr. Prophet was a member of the Nation of Islam for a time and reportedly provided security for Farrakhan’s 1995 “Million Man March.” Along with his boy companion, Lee Boyd Malvo, Muhammad shot and killed 16 people in 7 states in the fall of 2002. In custody, Muhammad told authorities that he was following in the footsteps of his idol, Osama bin Laden. He’s currently on death row in Virginia.
* Jose Padilla (AKA: Abdullah Al Muhajir) – Joining a Puerto Rican street gang as a teen, Padilla compiled an impressive juvenile and adult rap sheet, including attempted theft, aggravated assault and unlawful weapons possession. In 1998, Padilla became a jihadi tourist, traveling to Egypt, Pakistan and Afghanistan in search of the peace only Islam can bring. Padilla was trained at the camp of an al Qaeda affiliate in Afghanistan in 2000. Bin Laden deputy Abu Zubaydah sent Padilla back to the United States with $20,000 and an elaborate scheme to set off a radioactive “dirty bomb.” Apprehended, he’s now serving the remainder of a 17-year sentence.
* Richard Reid (Aka: Abdul Raheem, AKA: the Thom McAnn of terrorists) – Born in London the son of a Jamaican immigrant, he spent time in a number of British prisons, where he converted to the ROP. As a member of al Qaeda, Reid was assigned to blow up American Airlines Flight 63, en route from Paris to Miami, by igniting explosives hidden in his shoes. In this religious duty, Reid/Raheem failed, and is now serving a life sentence in the U.S.
* Sgt. Hasan Akbar – While stationed at Camp Pennsylvania in Kuwait (preparing to deploy to Iraq), on March 23, 2003, Akbar attacked other soldiers with grenades and a rifle, killing two officers and wounding 14 servicemen. His diary revealed a man of all-consuming hatred. (“Destroying America is my greatest goal.”) Prior to the murders, Akbar confessed in his journal “I will have to decide to kill my Muslim brothers fighting for Saddam Hussein or my battle buddies.” It didn’t take much thought. A military court convicted Akbar of the murders and sentenced him to death. He temporarily resides at Ft. Leavenworth, on his way to a rendezvous with 72 virgins.

The apologists for Islam (Crescent-kissers) respond that these ex-cons and psychos are no more representative of Islam than Bernie Madoff is of Jewish financiers or Ted Haggard (former president of the National Association of Evangelicals, who had a relationship with a gay hooker) is of Christian leaders.

This is a plausible argument, at first blush. But if the Johnny jihadists, snipers, and homicidal anti-Semites got Islam wrong, who gets it right?

How about the Muslim-American groups which, in a rare show of empathy, rushed to condemn the Newburgh Four, including the Muslim Public Affairs Council, the Islamic Society of North America and the Council on American –Islamic Relations?

Putting aside the fact that each of these groups has questionable connections, other than paying lip-service, what are they actually doing to fight terrorism?

Robert Spencer, the editor of Jihad Watch, muses: “One might wonder why Muslim groups don’t become more proactive, and institute programs in mosques and Islamic schools in the West (as well as in the Islamic world) to teach Muslims why the views of Osama bin Laden et al are wrong, and how true Islam eschews violence against and hatred of unbelievers. Yet CAIR, ISNA, MPAC and the rest have never instituted or even called for such a program. They are ready with the condemnations after arrests or explosions, but why wait passively? Why not head off jihadist activity by Muslims”? This is a rhetorical question.

Who gets Islam right? How about a Palestinian religious figure who took the bold move of attending the Second Congress of Imams and Rabbis for Peace in 2008? Attendees vowed to “condemn any negative representation” of each others religions.

For Zaid Abu Alhaj that pledge lasted about a year. On April 3, 2009, he gave a sermon on Al-Aqsa TV which included the following prediction: “The time will come, by Allah’s will, when their property will be destroyed and their children will be exterminated, and no Jew or Zionist will be left on the face of the earth.”

Oh, fine, this crazy Palestinian cleric probably also doesn’t understand the religion he’s practiced his entire life either. How about Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al Sudais, who – as imam of Mecca’s Grand Mosque — holds the most prestigious Moslem pulpit in the world?

In a 2003 sermon, Al Sudais prayed that Allah would “terminate” the Jews, who he called “the scum of humanity, the rats of the world, prophet killers … pigs and monkeys,” also “evil,” “tyrannical,” ‘treacherous,” and part of a “continuum of deceit.”

Cairo’s Al-Azhar University is the Vatican of the Muslim world. Is it reasonable to suppose that Sheik Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi, grand imam of Al-Azhar since 1996, knows a thing or two about Islam?

The Shriek tells us the Koran condemns Jews for “their own particular degenerate characteristics” including “corrupting” the words of Allah, “consuming the people’s wealth frivolously, refusal to distance themselves from the evil they do, and other ugly characteristics, caused by their deep-rooted lasciviousness.” But, there is hope. “All Jews are not the same. The good ones become Muslims, the bad ones do not.”

You’d think the Muslim chaplain at Harvard could put a happy face on his faith.

According to the April 14 Harvard Crimson, in an e-mail response to a query from a Muslim student, Taha Abdul-Basser wrote that there was “great wisdom (hikma) associated with the established and preserved position (capital punishment (for apostates)) and so, even if it makes some uncomfortable in the face of the hegemonic modern human rights discourse, one should not dismiss it out of hand.” Thankfully, the Islamic world isn’t troubled by that darned hegemonic modern human rights discourse.

Harvard’s official chaplain later explained that he was merely expressing a position that “I do not hold … personally” — but which contains “great wisdom” and which “one should not dismiss out of hand.”

What is the West’s response to the Rampaging Religion of Peace?

As Obama-appointed Director of the Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano doesn’t have time to watch the jailhouse jihadists. She’s too busy staking out pro-life demonstrations, NRA conventions and American Legion meetings. This is where the real danger to our national security lies, Nepalitano informed us in the DHS report “Rightwing Extremism: Radicalization and Recruitment,” issued on April 7.

Nepalitano’s counterpart in the United Kingdom, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, focuses on fighting evil Islamaphobes – witness her decision to ban the likes of Dutch parliamentarian and “Fitna” producer Geert Wilders and talk-show host Michael Savage from the shores of Albion.

So PC is she that Smith wants British officials to begin referring to Islamic terrorism as “anti-Islamic activity.” Not only are terrorists’ acts no reflection on Islam, they’re giving the religion of peace a bad name!

Smith knows Islam has nothing to do with terrorism. How? Muslims told her so. “As so many Muslims in the U.K. and across the world have pointed out, there is nothing Islamic about the wish to terrorize, nothing Islamic about plotting terror, pain and grief.” If I was a used-car salesman, I’d pray Smith would wander onto my lot.

In the U.K. each bombing and kill-the-infidels sermon becomes an indoctrination moment to assure the credulous that to call attention to slaughter committed in the name of Islam and condoned by the words of Islam (contained in the Koran), slanders Islam. Oh for the days when Labor governments only wanted to destroy Britain’s economy, not the nation itself.

Nepalitano prefers the designation “man-made disasters” to terrorism.

Obama is too busy fighting a war on capitalism and trying to close down Guantanamo (and mainstream the jihadists into the U.S. prison population) to pay much attention to an ideology backed by guns and bombs and bent on world domination.

The day is approaching when TV and radio broadcasts will be interrupted every 15 minutes with the message “Islam is – you betcha – a religion of peace.” Otherwise, we’re bound to forget.