Shariah was never in India

Islam was brought to India by the invading Mughals and propagated with force. The natives were converted with force alright, but the invaders found it monumentally difficult to inculcate conduct in compliance with the Hadits or Shariah. Local customs and practices continued to be followed and Shariah could never be imposed on the converts. After all, it is difficult to change centuries old practices in the first place and that with something that was devised 1400 years ago in a far off foreign land much to the frustration of the Mughals. Try as they might – as Aurangazeb did – to impose the Islamic way of life, it was simply too difficult to force a foreign way of life.

One of the founders of Jamia Milia Islamia (and eventually it’s Vice-Chancellor), Prof. M. Mujeeb, records in his book Indian Muslims, that Shariah could never be enforced in India. And with the wane of Mughal rule after Aurangazeb, Shariah became even more irrelevant. The British began imposing laws that were far, indeed the opposite of Shariah.

The Khilafat movement was the fillip the orthodoxy needed and it brought them back to the table. Now the movement itself fizzled of course when the Caliphate was abolished in 1924, but significant momentum was gained. That led to evangelist movements to spread Islam and ‘purify’ it which in turn eventually led to the demand for Muslim Personal Law. Until then, Muslims all over India were governed by local Hindu customs and laws.

Muslims in Malabar and South Canara were followed the Marumakkathayam and Aliyasanthana laws. Local Hindu laws were followed by Bohras, Memons of Kutch, Khojas. Similar was the case in U.P. It was no different in Punjab, North West Frontier Province and other places. In fact, here’s Dr. Ambedkar countering Muslims members of the Constituent Assembly demanding an exclusive law for the Muslims alone –

My first observation would be to state that members who put forth these
amendments say that the Muslim personal law, so far as this country was
concerned, was immutable and uniform through the whole of India. Now I wish to
challenge that statement. I think most of my friends who have spoken on this
amendment have quite forgotten that up to 1935 the North-West Frontier Province
was not subject to the Shariat Law. It followed the Hindu Law in the matter of
succession and in other matters, so much so that it was in 1939 that the Central
Legislature had to come into the field and to abrogate the application of the
Hindu Law to the Muslims of the North-West Frontier Province and to apply the
Shariat Law to them. That is not all.
My honourable friends have forgotten,
that, apart from the North-West Frontier Province, up till 1937 in the rest of
India, in various parts, such as the United Provinces, the Central Provinces and
Bombay, the Muslims to a large extent were governed by the Hindu Law in the
matter of succession. In order to bring them on the plane of uniformity with
regard to the other Muslims who observed the Shariat Law, the Legislature had to
intervene in 1937 and to pass an enactment applying the Shariat Law to the rest
of India.
I am also informed by my friend, Shri Karunakara Menon, that in
North Malabar the Marumakkathayam Law applied to all-not only to Hindus but also
to Muslims. It is to be remembered that the Marumakkathayam Law is a Matriarchal
form of law and not a Partriarchal form of law.
The Mussulmans, therefore,
in North Malabar were up to now following the Marumakkathyam law. It is
therefore no use making a categorical statement that the Muslim law has been an
immutable law which they have been following from ancient times. That law as
such was not applicable in certain part sand it has been made applicable ten
years ago. Therefore if it was found necessary that for the purpose of evolving
a single civil code applicable to all citizens irrespective of their religion,
certain portions of the Hindus, law, not because they were contained in Hindu
law but because they were found to be the most suitable, were incorporated into
the new civil code projected by article 35, I am quite certain that it would not
be open to any Muslim to say that the framers of the civil code had done great
violence to the sentiments of the Muslim community. [Link]

But the Muslim Personal Law, hoisted on India in 1937, itself is not fully compliant with Shariah. The law board is divided from within and has split a few times with different sects and women forming their own boards. And when you learn that few Muslims abide by it, it becomes clear that the demand for Shariah is a political tool for the orthodoxy to remain relevant and to seek concessions from the state and most importantly, to counter uniform civil code as mandated by the Constitution (article 44) which states "The State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India." The demand for Shariah or personal law is retrograde, backward looking and contradicts our Constitution.

(Much of the above can be found in Arun Shourie's A Secular Agenda).

"a mind with a secular bent"

The recent Swiss referendum to ban constructions of new minarets has riled every "mind with a secular bent". One such mind, Vishnu Som of the NDTV, declared -

"It represents a fundamental threat to millions of Muslims in our country" [Link]

It would seem strange that someone would declare a ban which is the result of a democratic referendum in a sovereign country and which is applicable only within the country's borders to be a fundamental threat to Muslims of another country. And this question was rightly asked by Nitin and others (follow the debate here). The response from Vishnu was unsatisfactory to begin with and entirely typical of "a mind with secular bent". His answer -

"This is as easy to comprehend as it gets." (Complete answer here)

What he seems to imply here is that the issue is so simple only a fool could not comprehend the threat to Muslims. The long, meandering response is anything but an answer. Instead it is a "secular mind" wondering why "right wingers" fail to get it. And Vishnu is guilty of doing the same things he accuses others are doing. In his response he says -

"I cannot tolerate such a generalisation and cannot tolerate people who believe that to be the truth. And it is generalisations like this which represent a fundamental threat to Muslims in India and around the world." [Link]

He disapproves of generalisations yet he paints all those who criticized his views as having a "right-wing edge". So any view that is not congruent to that of a "secular mind" is automatically "right-wing". And the connotations associated with "right-wing" are well known in India. Ergo, all contrary views are invalid. Only Vishu's, possessing a "secular mind", are correct. Indeed in this very first comment he sets a prerequisite to win any debate, one needs "a mind with a secular bend" to understand what he said. After this a "right-winger" can never win.

Another thing that's typical of a "secular mind" is the desire to jump to speak on behalf of the Muslims. If the Indian Muslims feel threatened by something that happened to Muslims elsewhere, let them say so, why should Vishnu feel compelled to do so? The Indian Muslims are capable and have the necessary freedom to do so. Indian Muslims are Indian, Swiss Muslims are Swiss and sovereignty of nations must be respected.

Much of what I feel has been articulated very well here, here and here. This is a very good example of the techniques the left uses when debating, declare your's is the right way, label opponents as "right-wingers", continue arguing "right-wing" is wrong hence anything it says is invalid and declare victory -

"Enough of the great minaret debate. Horrified by the right wing wall I ran into. New subject today ... Will tweet later today." [Link]

Perpetuating stereotypes

The characters that appear on mainstream media debates are nothing more than stereotypes of respective segments of society. And what goes on during these debates does nothing to dispel them. Instead, stereotypes are only reinforced. It would be a mistake to think this is an innocent phenomenon. Rather it is by design to keep the secular vs. communal debate alive.

The only ones that ever represent the "Muslim voice" in the television studios are the fatwa dispensing Mullahs. None of the other well meaning ones ever seem to get invited. And when there is an outrage against the extreme views of the Mullahs, the secular kind ask - why are the Muslims forced to prove their patriotism? They have suddenly found use for the non fatwa reading Muslims. Feigning naivete, the secular kind think the criticism is directed at all Muslims in general. Similar is the case when seeking opinions from the "other side". Groups like the Ram Sene seem to represent Hindus because they fit the secular idea of a fundamentalist. Over 60 years of Independence and we still have the same charade going on.

Indoctrination works

When the Wall Street whiz kids, the doctors, the engineers or what are otherwise called the cream of the society tend to think of Rahul Gandhi as the deliverer of India's destiny, we know that the secular indoctrination that begins with our primary schools has worked wonders. When our children set out of schools the only names with the highest recall value are Gandhi and Nehru. That is further reinforced by breathless secular cheerleaders breaking us news and non-news alike 24x7. And the result is, the Mahatma and the other Gandhis are indistinguishable.

The much publicized visits to the poor by Rahul have led to many gush filled praises by those who find much virtue in such tokenism. It bothers none that Rahul's party pretty much has a monopoly on governance. His is the party that has been winning elections on empty slogans. 'Garibi hatao', 'Congress ka haath gareebon ke saath' are the pertinent ones. Yet India continues to have one of the largest population of absolutely poor people. The involvement of some of the most significant freedom fighters with the Congress and the continued rule of the party by the Gandhi family is still yielding dividends. And visits, such as the ones by Rahul, only reinforce that.

In a country - touted as the largest, most vibrant democracy - dynastic stranglehold on politics and governments is given a free pass. Debates, especially during the elections, are a telling example of how secular parties obfuscate issues. At the slightest hint of being evaluated on governance record, the discussion is hijacked into a communalism and secularism debate. Existential questions 'how can you not support secularism?' are posed. And with enough canards raised and reinforced by newsmen secular parties become the automatic choice.

And no effort is spared in retaining control. When popular mood turns contrary, discussing facial features resembling past leaders, invoking nostalgia are not out of bounds. Once that works, it is business as usual for the next term and the same facial features will only be invoked when needed next.

One only has to take an objective look at Indian politics, particularly the secular parties and their governance record, their continued dynastic dominance, the remarkable congruity in the views expressed by the media and it will be clear that secular indoctrination has worked.

Non-news drown out real ones

Recent weeks have been no exception to the nauseating coverage of non-news that our Delhi based media seems to be so fond of. All the irresponsible hoopla can be termed as juvenile reaction at best. Editorial responsibilities have long been relinquished in favour of SMS polls and the OMG generation is transfixed.

While feckless journos spread panic reporting swine flu outbreak and wearing masks on TV and attributed unrelated deaths to the flu and also completely over blowing the magnitude of the outbreak, the UBS and the US reached a deal. The UBS agreed to co-operate with the IRS of the US in helping it go after illegal money hidden away in secret accounts. The IRS is seeking 52,000 names from the UBS to go after. Already, 5,000 names will be handed over to the US authorities. And the IRS tax net has widened to go as far as Hong Kong. Yet, such significant events are burried under hysterically drummed up issues. Why is India not doing something similar? Why is the GoI not asked to go after tax evaders? The manufactured panic over swine flu helped drown it out. Singh is still the King.

And if you were to believe our newsmen, a certain Hindi film actor being held for questioning at an US airport was an outrage worthy of diplomatic action. Never mind that it is hardly a case unique to this "celebrity". Many others have had to go through the same. Examples include, Ted kennedy, Bob Dylan, Irfan Khan etc. But the inaction, even on the diplomatic front, by the Manmohan Singh govt. over the Mumbai attacks by Pakistani jihadis seems to be fine. Loss of over 300 innocent lives in a terrorist attacks counts for much less than an hour of a celebrity detention. That's the real outrage.

And while all this allegedly "racist" saga was being hyped up on our TV sets, our "oppressed" "brothers" from the "religion of peace" were rampaging on Janmashtani, destroying Lord Krishna idols and attacking processions celebrating the day. It seems Hindus can never live in peace in their own land. This incidence involved Muslims, who are a majority in the Shahpur-Nagoriwad area of Gujarat, burning houses of the Hindus, pelting stones at them and causing much grief in general. Yet, national news cameras would not care to peep. Contrast that with the moral policing incidence of Mangalore. Social justice demands secular censorship.

Happy Independence Day

This is the 63rd and we are still waiting for all the sacrifices by our brave countrymen/women to bear fruit.

Joint statements don't matter

International relations are governed by what two nations agree upon and state the same jointly. The same is then formalised in form of treaties. But astonishingly, a man who served as an under-secretary at the UN and with much international exposure came up with this ridiculous defense of Manmohan Singh's betrayal of India in Egypt -

[...] MoS for external affairs Shashi
Tharoor on Thursday downplayed the significance of the controversial
India-Pakistan joint statement and said it was a "diplomatic paper" and not a
legally binding commitment.

[...] "It (the joint statement) is a
diplomatic paper that is released to the press different from legal papers,"
[Link]

If that's the logic, how can Singh claim victory at Pakistan's mere admission of it's involvement in Mumbai attacks. It could very well amount to nothing since it's not legally binding.

And that's exactly how the Indo-US Nuclear deal too is playing out. The deal that was eventually sold to us ordinary folks was far from what the joint statement of 2004 mentioned.

This doesn't reflect well on a whole lot of things. Tharoor himself, the Congress's intentions, the UN and the general functioning of bodies like the UN. If this is the thought, then the UN and similar bodies are completely ineffective (not that they have been for long).

India’s interests betrayed in Egypt

The Prime Minister of the Union of India is oath-bound to uphold the sovereignty and integrity of the nation. And also to faithfully discharge his duties towards all manner of people in accordance to the Constitution and the law without fear or favour, affection or ill will.

Now India is no stranger to terrorism. Terrorists have been ripping us apart for decades and thousands of innocent lives have been lost under jihadi attacks. These only increased in intensity and frequency in the last few years. Bomb blasts became a routine and the people, appalled at our leaders' inaction, accepted it as a fact of life. Then 26/11 happened. This attack on Mumbai was no routine bomb blast. But we had professionally trained fidayeen attackers wrecking havoc in India's commercial capital. They held the city hostage for over 60 hours and by the time they were neutralised over 300 innocent lives had been lost. Landmark buildings were in flames, many lives were disrupted. People were enraged at this assault on their lives and the PM addressed the nation. Condemnations and promises were a part of it -

The dastardly terror attacks that took
place in Mumbai last
night and today leading to the loss of many precious lives and injuries to many
others have deeply shocked the nation. I strongly condemn these acts of
senseless violence against innocent people, including guests from foreign
countries. I offer my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and
sympathies to those injured. The Government will take all necessary measures to
look after the wellbeing of the affected families, including medical
treatment of injured.

[...] We are not prepared to countenance
a situation in which the safety and security of our citizens can be violated
with impunity by terrorists.

[...] We will take the strongest possible
measures to ensure that there is no repetition of such terrorist acts. We are
determined to take whatever measures are necessary to ensure the safety and
security of our citizens.

[...] We will take up strongly
with our neighbours that the use of their territory for launching attacks on us
will not be tolerated, and that there would be a cost if suitable measures are
not taken by them. [Link] (Emphasis added)

In the seven months since then, all we saw was a bunch of files exchanged between us and Pakistan. Leave inflicting costs on our neighbour aside, even diplomatic measures weren't forthcoming. When Singh and Gilani met in Egypt last week, this resulted -

Both Prime Ministers recognized that
dialogue is the only way forward. Action on terrorism should not be linked to
the Composite Dialogue process and these should not be bracketed. Prime Minister
Singh said that India was ready to discuss all issues with Pakistan, including
all outstanding issues. [Link] (Emphasis added)

We had Singh assuring the nation, all the while, no dialogue would take place unless Pakistan acted credibly on ending terrorism. And now we have the same Singh agreeing to de-link terrorism from discussions with Pakistan. It gets even worse -

Prime Minister Gilani mentioned that
Pakistan has some information on threats in Balochistan and other areas. [Link]

Balochistan featured in the joint statement. When it is India that is among the worst affected by terrorism in the world and clearly was the victim in the Mumbai attacks, thanks to Singh, Pakistan manages to paint itself as a victim. It was Singh's responsibility to ensure keeping pressure and onus on Pakistan. But what really happened, in his presence, was that both the nations came out as equally aggrieved parties. It is astonishing that images of destruction and innocent blood did not come to Singh's mind when he met Gilani and issued the joint statement in Egypt. And this is the same person who is known to have lost sleep on at least one other occasion. So much for guarding India's interests. Singh's attempt of passing the buck and seeking refuge under "bad drafting" is juvenile to say the least. It lends all the more credence to the fact that he was not being diligent in Egypt.

Singh, being the PM, ought to realise the responsibilities of his position and the potential implications of his actions on nation. He has demonstrated an inability to do so on multiple occasions. This particular joint statement has grave implications. Singh's judgement is a suspect. Until he proves otherwise, it must be concluded that Singh is incapable of keeping our national interest above all else.

Home is where Sharia is

Typical of the Islamists to not feel at home where Islam is under the scanner. It seems, assimilation is something they do not believe in. Every place they seek to inhibit must be turned to a Dar-Ul-Islam and no effort is spared until that is achieved. Apparently, tolerance, respect, understanding and accommodation in general only applies to the kafirs for the Islamists are the chosen ones by their Allah.

Geert Wilders' (see previous posts here and here) efforts at bringing forth the reality of Islam and its crusaders is bearing fruit in Europe. His party - Party for Freedom - is fast becoming popular. Recent opinion polls suggest his will be the largest party if polls were held now. And this growing popularity of an "anti-Islamist" is making the Muslims there queasy. They were quite happy so long as dhimmis apologised for them and Sharia courts were being allowed to function. After all, how can a devout Muslim stand anything that questions Islam?

Findings from the recent surveys of Dutch Muslims -

· More than a third of all
Moroccan-Dutch or Turkish-Dutch say they want to leave the country because of Wilders' growing
popularity, according to a Motivaction poll commisisoned by the current affairs programme Netwerk.
· More
than half (51 percent) say they are thinking more and more about emigrating.
· Three-quarters say they still feel at home in the Netherlands, but a
majority (56 percent) say they fell less at home because of the rise of Wilders' anti-Islam Party
for Freedom (PVV).

· The PVV won 16.9 percent of
the vote in the June 2009 European election, making it the second biggest party
in the Netherlands [Link]

There's a reason conservative parties are winning seats and are on the rise in Europe (British National Party in the UK, Freedom Party in Austria). Back home, our political leaders bitten by the "secularism" bug would do well to understand this.

Stand-up comic up to no good

For all his verbal jugglery, funny man, Laloo really has nothing much to show for his performance. We now learn his much praised tenure as the rail minister was nothing but a fraud. Much like all of the UPA's "social justice" policies, Laloo's claim of having earned crores in profits for the railways is a sham. Here's what Mamta said in the Lok Sabha on Thursday -

“Some people have spoken about a profit of Rs 90,000 crore.
But one can just not talk about the income and skip the expenditure part. After
spending Rs 28,200 crore on account of the Sixth Pay Commission award for two
years, we are left with a cash surplus of just Rs 8,361 crore. This balance is
after taking the entire last five years into account,” Mamata Banerjee revealed
while replaying to the debate on Railway Budget for 2009-10 in the Lok Sabha on
Thursday. [Link]

Here's a summary -

What Mamata exposed
One cannot just talk about income
and skip expenditure part
After spending Rs 28,200 crore on account of the
Sixth Pay Commission for two years, we are left with a cash surplus of just Rs
8,361 crore against much-hyped Lalu claim of Rs 90,000 cr of profit
This
balance is after taking the last five years into account
We are not here to
build up balances of the Ministry but to create infrastructure
Ministers may
come and go but the institution remains
We want a railway that is for
everyone and not for someone special
Reiterates her commitment to come out
with a white paper [Link]

Strangely, when faced with this damning revelation, he didn't seem to have much to say except put up a funny face.

A shell-shocked Lalu Prasad was left
speechless as Mamata seemed well-prepared and armed with every fact and figure
to supplement her claims. Lalu remained a mute spectator as the Bengal tigress
went on demolishing the myth he had created in all these years. “We are not here
to build up balances of the Ministry but to create infrastructure. Ministers may
come and go, but the institution remains. We want a Railway that is for everyone
and not for someone special,” Mamata said. [Link]

Yeah, and all this right under the nose of an "honest liberal economist".

Cowardice disguised as progressive liberalism

Terrorism, as we knew it, is no longer the same. It is now a "man caused disaster". This completely blunts the effect. A "man caused disaster" does not have the same effect as terrorism. Janet Napolitano (secretary, US Department of Homeland Security) beat many of our social justice warriors to it. They would have loved to have come up with that substitute themselves. However, we knew they were implying the same in their many columns and debates.

This is a peculiar trait of our social justice intellectuals. Create nuances to grave problems and hijack public discourse to avoid reaching any concrete solution.

So terrorists entering our borders and gunning innocent people down are really militants fighting for freedom. That's exactly how a terrorist is referred to in our news media. Terrorism cannot be defeated with apologies. It is a tough battle. Pakistan attacks India via terrorists and it us who must understand them. It is us who must extend a friendly hand. Even in the face of increasingly obvious evidence and the history of our conflicts with Pakistan, it is us that must act like a big brother.

It is the same wooly-headed cerebrating that leads many of our public commentators to argue for Kashmir's secession. None is prepared to face the truth, but is inclined to believe that the terrorists will happily give up their killing habits if Kashmir is given away.

The Muslim persecution theory has been in vogue for quite a while now. While the Islamists are free to make a mockery of our constitution and freedom in our country, it seems, anyone else but the Muslims are responsible for them. This theory has been perpetuated without any proof. Muslims prosper as much, if not more, in this country as anyone else. Be it politics, entertainment, art, business, science, technology we have seen many a Muslim succeed. Even the Sachar Committee report contradicts itself.

Our public intellectuals are living in denial. They hope to make problems go away either by choosing to not acknowledge them or by apologising for them. It is not as if these intellectuals do not realise that denial is no solution. Even a man on the street understands cowards run away from problems.

Some thoughts on elections-2009

The seculars have defeated the communals. The people's verdict must be respected and the Congress party must be congratulated. While the secular cheerleaders are in rapture, the communal folks seem to be completely disheartened by their inability to win a mandate. Varied reasons are being put forward by one and all for the lesser than expected results for the communals. Some are even resorting to conspiracy theories. But the true ones will only be apparent when a thorough analysis is carried out.

Random listing of my thoughts below -

1. The communals were ineffective in taking their message to the masses.

2. In debates, they let the focus shift away from their message and got tricked into defending themselves against various allegations.

3. The communals were playing by the rules set by their opponents, were never able to turn the tables on the seculars.

4. Party spokespersons were similarly ineffective.

5. Never countered any myth spread by the secular media allowing the urban youth to be drawn away from the communals.

6. Ran a negative campaign and were unable to defend when faced with inconvenient questions.

7. Allowed the media to keep focus on communal issues rather than highlight their development manifesto.

8. Support from RSS and other organisations does not seem wholehearted.

9. Infighting hurt the communals in quite a few constituencies.

10. Strayed away from their core beliefs and distanced their core support base.

11. Bending over backwards to seek the secular approval repudiating the very beliefs that helped them rise to national prominence.

12. Unable to expand their support base beyond their strongholds.

13. Content with playing second fiddle to coalition partners.

The communals should not fall for the trap being set for them by the secular opinion makers who are now urging them to reinvent and adopt a "center right" approach. Not for nothing did they win a series of elections in the last couple of years and were able to retain strongholds. Instead any reinvention must be on the lines of falling back to their roots, regain the core support base back, gain ground in more states and look after the interests of the support base by not reneging on promises. The communals must strengthen themselves and refrain from seeking the secular approval. Koenraad Elst has analysed the communal failure to capture power -

Right-wing parties all over the world have a common trait:
Once in or near power, they betray their own support base. The BJP is no
different. It is needlessly described as a ‘Hindu chauvinist’ party which it is
not. To prove its ‘secular’ credentials, the BJP chose to become the ‘B’ team of
the Congress. And was rejected by the voters

Do read it in full here.

The media's ADD

Hunt for sound bites and the next breaking news has relegated serious research and discussion on matters of national significance to an unimportant exercise. How many national news media put serious thought, carried out any research and objectively discussed matters concerning our nation? None. Instead what passes off as debate is political opponents bickering enticed by the hosts. Arun Shourie, echoing my thoughts, laments the frivolous nature of journalism in vogue today.

In an interview to Claude Apri -

[...] Previously, whatever would happen, the media would go into depth (into the issue). As you know, today the media is as superficial as the politicians. It is even more ephemeral, one day there is a big issue, the next day, it is forgotten. 'Breaking News' (sometimes) lasts a shift, not even for the day.

[...] Sometimes journalists hear that I had spoken in Parliament or a particular issue is (being debated); journalists come and insist (to have my reaction). They come with a microphone and TV crew. They tell me: 'Sir, there was an issue in the morning, what was the issue?' I tell (the subject of the debate) the chap who then says: 'Sir, our editor is sending us, please tell us what question we should ask you.' (Laughs.) It is a really a fact.

Or questions like this: 'Please, sir, tell us, are you for the Budget or against it?' What can you respond? This is the level that issues are treated.

It is true for the Budget or any other matters, 90 percent of journalists will ask you such questions. [...]

[...] not more than one correspondent who came to interview me had read the documents. And yet, apart from this correspondent and perhaps three or four politicians who had read the documents (nuclear deal), everybody had an opinion: 'We should go with America!' Or 'We should be against!' This type of opinion!

The point that I am making is that the examination (of the issue) is not at all present and yet in that particular case (the nuclear deal), it requires no more than 75 pages to read. [Link]

Yet that won't stop the editors pontificating from their studios. Apparently they seem to think, their opinion is all the matters.

Sonia's "development"

Sonia in Chattisgarh -

"We have taken the country on the road to development. The growth rate under the Congress led government has been historic," [Link]

Priyanka in Rae Bareli campaigning for Sonia -

"The entire country looks at Rai Bareli and Amethi. The way you brought about change by continuing to vote for development will show the path to the entire country," [Link]

Ground reality in Rae Bareli -

"aage sadak nahin hai" (there is no road ahead) [...] "farzi udghatan hua hai" (This inauguration is fake).

The road that was supposed to run till another village, Beena Kheda, ends barely 500 metres after the highway.

"We hardly get power for 4.5 hours," says Ajay Awasthi from the village, not before adding, "and we are still better off. Our neighbouring village has no connection at all even 15 years after poles were pitched, despite its inclusion in Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification Project now." [There's more, read here]

The aam aadmi has become even more aam. But Sonia maintains -

"When the common man (aam aadmi) becomes prosperous, the country will automatically progress," [Link]

Priyanka says development is an election issue, the nation agrees and hopes she can convince Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi.

G-20 assessment of Indian measures against terrorism

Cheerleaders won't take the "communal" folk's word on Congress' laxity towards terrorism. Well, then here's the G-20's assessment. India fared poorly against these key measurement criteria -

1. Number of terrorists listed under
UNSCR 1333/1390 for which a freeze order has been issued: NIL

2. Number of other terrorists under UNSCR
1373 for which a freeze order has been issued: NIL

3. Amount of assets frozen for all
terrorists: ZERO

4. Specific risk-based measures in place to ensure that
non-profit organizations cannot be abused for the financing of terrorism?: NO

Even an Islamic country like Saudi Arabia fared better than us. For the complete listing click here. Because this report by the G-20 is inconvenient to the "secular" party and gives more fodder to the "communal forces" no mention was made of this by any news media covering the summit.

It is time the "voice of the people" media shunned its slant and start taking matters concerning our national interest seriously. Reducing the debate on terrorism to a yelling contest only takes the focus away from the grave dangers facing the nation.

Election histrionicses

With the growing number if television news channels, in addition to the print media, this election season seems to have got a lot of exposure. The quality, though, is sub par. However the exposure has brought on record things we already knew happened.

Hours before the elections, police on
Wednesday seized more than Rs 15 lakh cash including Rs 2.80 lakh from an MIM
leader who was distributing money to voters in his house at Toli Chowki. A Praja
Rajyam Party candidate was also arrested for violation of the model code of
conduct.

[...] Police arrested Moinuddin and
recovered Rs 2.80 lakh cash from the house.

In another instance, Cyberabad police
recovered Rs 1.80 lakh from a former TDP Councillor who made a vain attempt to
avoid being caught by fleeing in an RTC bus.

[...] Police recovered Rs 1.80 lakh with
him. [more here]

If only these cashlords had dispensed half their duties, they wouldn't need to be doing this. Now, they lost their money and their face. Besides, voters have gotten smarter. They realise most have failed them, so they'd rather take the money when it's raining and vote whoever they deem fit.

[...] Voters often take money from many parties and finally vote
for the one they support. [Link]

Even as the media scrutiny has helped expose malpractices, the debate leaves a lot to be desired. The primary debate during elections ought be on the incumbent government's performance. None of the prominent media houses cared for an audit on the UPA's governance. Instead we had them parroting the same talking points presented by the various UPA members. What we have witnessed on TVs these last few weeks is the same old "secularism" vs "communalism" debate.

Every such debate is futile because it is an diversion from real issues and more importantly, neither "secularism" nor "communalism" is clearly defined. Even before it's proved, it is readily accepted "communalism" is evil and "secularism" is noble. And the media has made it more than clear, BJP is communal and Congress is secular. That tilts the scales heavily in favour of the "secular" parties even before any debate.

The television debates are also ineffectual for another reason. Participants almost never stay on issues being discussed. Instead any question or issue raised is sought to be diverted so opponent bashing can be carried out rather than answer one's own performance. So, for instance, when faced with a question on terrorism, we have the Congress slamming the BJP by questioning attacks during the NDA regime rather than explain it's own failure. The BJP too is incapable of articulating its criticism of the UPA effectively and demolishing canards about its record. Similar is the case for every other issue. No party can see its mistakes. Every debate is reduced to faulting the other than staying on message.

Another quite intriguing aspect of the media is the slant and bias in its reporting. If you were to scan the election coverage news, you'll notice the favourable, indeed fan like, coverage given to the Gandhi dynasty. It seems the dynasty is beyond scrutiny and the Nehru-Gandhi progeny can never do any wrong and the divine powers have ordained them to rule our nation. The favour is also extended to the Congress party. Contrast that with the unfavourable coverage given to the "communal" parties and anyone who's opposed to the "secular forces".

The "voice of the people" media has failed miserably in holding the UPA accountable. While the UPA goes about faulting the NDA's record, it never cares to explain it's own failure in correcting them. After all it has been in power for the past 5 years, enough opportunity to correct the alleged mistakes.

Teesta's falsehoods exposed

The NGO Citizens for Justice and Peace, headed by Teesta Setalvad, has been doing exactly the opposite of what its name suggests. It has made every attempt to deny justice and derail peace in Gujarat with its concocted theories of "Hindu atrocity" on "Muslim minority". It is now clear that facts are contrary to Teesta's claims. The SIT investigating the Gujarat riots 2002 case has this observation -

The Special Investigation Team
responsible for the arrests of those accused in Gujarat riots has severely
censured NGOs and social activist Teesta Setalvad who campaigned for the riot
victims. [Link]

Here's the SIT noting Teesta's fabrications -

Many incidents of killings and violence
were cooked up, false charges were levelled against then police chief P C Pandey
and false witnesses were tutored to give evidence about imaginary incidents, the
SIT said in a report submitted before a Bench comprising Justices Arijit
Pasayat, P Sathasivam and Aftab Alam. [Link]

And here are a few stories cooked by an imaginative Teesta to guarantee maximum publicity -

The SIT also found no truth in the
following incidents widely publicised by the NGOs:

* A pregnant Muslim woman Kausar Banu was
gangraped by a mob, who then gouged out the foetus with sharp weapons

* Dumping of dead bodies into a well by
rioteers at Naroda Patiya

* Police botching up investigation into
the killing of British nationals, who were on a visit to Gujarat and
unfortunately got caught in the riots Rohtagi said: "On a reading of the report,
it is clear that horrendous allegations made by the NGOs were false. Stereotyped
affidavits were supplied by a social activist and the allegations made in them
were found untrue." [Link]

Teesta Setalvad and her "secular" cohorts have made a career out of their false stories on the Gujarat riots. The SIT's findings will now leave Teesta and her ilk jobless.

Next to Teesta, the media shares the most responsibility for spreading the canards by her and making them part of the popular folklore. The time and publicity given to the false cases from a cahoot media and repeated falsehoods have prejudiced a great number for minds against the BJP and Narendra Modi in particular. The eagerness shown by every "secular" champion to pass an judgement even before the legal proceedings reached their conclusions betrayed their prejudices.

The myopic "secular" eyes fail to see that the Muslims are probably the most prosperous in Gujarat than anywhere else in the country. Various reports indicate that the per capita income amongst Muslims is the highest in Gujarat. Besides various Muslim individuals and organisations have come out in support of Narendra Modi in appreciation of his governance and progress brought about in the state. Such facts are blacked out precisely because they are inconvenient to the "secular" belief.

The alacrity shown by the media to ignore facts, jump the gun, pass judgements and prejudice the people's minds is appalling. It is time that the "secular" cheerleaders stop perpetuating these myths about Gujarat. The various awards granted to Teesta must be revoked and every media house that aligned with her must come clean.

You can read more about Teestas falsehoods here, here, here, here and here.

Look who's friends

The Taliban has friends in the ISI (not that no one had an idea).

Baitullah Mehsud, the brazen Taliban
chief based in Waziristan, has been able to escape several attempts to kill and
capture him because he has friends in Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence
(ISI) agency, according to a Newsweek report. [Link]

And this is how Mehsud gives officials the slip -

An unnamed Pakistani official told
Newsweek that senior US officials had even shared with their counterparts in
Islamabad “some intelligence indicating that renegade ISI elements helped
Mehsud's group train for the December 2007 assassination of Pakistan's former
prime minister Benazir Bhutto”. But despite that and Pakistan's purported
knowledge of his whereabouts, “it's a puzzle why they're ignoring and avoiding
any strike against him,” one tribal elder in the region told the magazine. “On
several occasions over the past couple of years, security forces in Pakistan
have launched operations to kill or capture him, and each time he has vanished
without incident,” the magazine writes citing unnamed officials in Islamabad and
Washington. “Mehsud's contacts, the theory goes, are tipping him off before
Pakistani troops can pounce.” [Link]

Now, with reports of some Talibani terrorists entering India, Mehsud's friend circle seems to be wider than expected.

The 100 day plan that Singh forgot

Manmohan Singh is to visit Assam tomorrow and today this happened -

Terror struck Assam on the eve of Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh's visit when the state was rocked by three blasts and a
grenade attack in the space of five hours on Monday killing seven persons - all
in the Maligaon area here - and injuring 63. [Link]

This in a state represented by Singh himself in the upper house and on the eve of his visit there. Speaks volumes of his complete laxity on terrorism. Assam has been experiencing blasts and terrorists activities have only increased in the past 5 years under Singh's leadership. Yet Manmohan Singh fails to realise the danger posed by terrorism to our nation.

When he visits Assam tomorrow, the people should remind him of this -

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday
suggested setting up of a task force to initiate a 100-day plan to address
"emerging challenges" in the areas of terrorism, Naxalism and insurgency.

"I suggest establishment of a task force
which would initiate a 100-day plan to develop an integrated capability to
address emerging challenges in areas such as left wing extremism, terrorism and
insurgency," Singh said addressing the conference of the country's top police
officers. [Link]

Singh delivered that sermon on 23 Nov 2008. It is now well past the 100 day mark and yet bombs continue to rip our cities apart. Much like everything else, nothing came of this promise.

Returning the favour

Not for nothing did the nation's prominent mainstream news editors win the various padma... titles. Their fierce protection of the warped secularism practiced in our nation has impressed their far from secular political masters. This favour meted out by the Congress lead government is more than being returned by the news hounds in this election (not that any other election is any different). Integrity has become redundant in editorial ethics.

Measurement criteria differ when it comes to the "communal" or "saffron" folks. While a doctored video (which took about 10 days to produce) is passed off as evidence of hate speech, actual hate speeches by patron parties do not have to pass the "secular" test. It simply is enough to belong to a convenient political party. National editors turn a blind eye over all that is inconvenient. Here are instances that will not make prime time debate or proportional to "communalism" coverage -

RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Monday said he
would have ‘crushed’ BJP candidate Varun Gandhi under a roller for his
anti-Muslim speeches if he had been the country's Home Minister. [Link]

The Congress had organised a rally near
the Jama Masjid ground, supported by 23 Muslim organisations. While addressing
the largely Muslim gathering, Kidwai had allegedly said, “Main mufti nahin hoon
iska mujhe afsos hai, kyunki Mufti log hamare yahan fatwa de sakte hain. Aur
agar main mufti hota to sirk ek fatwa deta ki musalmaan ka BJP ke sath jana kufr
ke barabar hai. (I regret not being a cleric as only clerics can issue a fatwa.
If I were a cleric I would have issued only one fatwa that for Muslims to vote
for the BJP is a sin.)” [Link]

Senior Congress leader and former
minister Kagodu Thimmappa, who had stirred the hornet's nest by allegedly
instigating partymen to 'chop-off the hands of Hindu chauvinists' in an election
campaign meeting recently, today charged that some vested interests had twisted
his statement. [Link]

Mines Minister Sis Ram Ola has winked at the court judgement, transferred department Secretary Shantanu Consul, ignored suggestion of the nation’s Cabinet Secretary, paid no heed to his Cabinet colleague Ram Vilas Paswan’s claim that the national mineral company NMDC should have the mining right at Ramandurg and bulldozed his way through in granting mining right to the PSU trading company, MMTC, which has set up JV with a private company, India Bulls, with the steel czar LN Mittal as the ultimate beneficiary. And all these have been done when the model code of conduct has been in force and the Government led by Manmohan Singh is just a caretaker one. [Link]

A 45-year-old rickshaw puller was beaten
to death allegedly by an acquaintance and his accomplices when he objected
to
them passing lewd remarks at his daughter at Bawana in Outer Delhi on
Saturday.
Three of the accused have been arrested.

The tragic incident took place around 10
p.m. when Harpal went to meet his neighbour Rasool and warned him against
passing vulgar comments at his daughter. This led to an altercation between
them, following which Rasool and his friends allegedly beat up Harpal.
[Link]

Police today imposed prohibitory orders
under section 144 at Kayathamaranhalli extension here, after a clash between two
groups last night, in which, many vehicles and houses were damaged.
Police
said today they resorted to tear-gas to disperse the warring groups. Two
Assistant Sub Inspectors and four constables, were among others, who were
injured in the incident.
Four temples were damaged. The miscreants also
attacked the house of the former Mayor H N Srikantiah and ransacked furnitures.
[Link]

This blog chronicles the molestation and
abduction of Hindu
girls my Muslims in Bengal. [Link]

I just returned from a month in India
during which time an incredible number of significant events were occurring. My
primary mission in going was to document and raise awareness of the ethnic
cleansing of Bangladeshi Hindus. I found plenty, including evidence of ongoing
attacks on them both in Bangladesh and in West Bengal, India. The border between
the two is so porous that terrorists and contraband move freely with and without
the help of India's Border Security Force or West Bengal police. But I also
witnessed the tragic beginning of the end for Pakistan's Hindus. Once one in
five Pakistanis, they have been reduced to one percent of the population.
[Link]

In connection with indulging in rampage
in a banana plantation belonging to Babbukatte Nityadhar Church and trying to
disrupt peace in the region, Ullal policemen arrested seven persons on Wednesday
March 18.

They are Jayson Verghese (23), Vijit
Sunny Rozario (21), Araki Alfred (20), Roshan Cutinho (26), all from Nityadhar
Nagar and Ronald Roshan (22), a resident of Kuttar Prakash Nagar. They were
produced in the court on Wednesday.

On Monday morning, the banana plantation was found to have
been damaged heavily to look as if people belonging to a particular community
had barged into the plantation, and a saffron flag had been planted there,
signifying that Hindu outfits had been involved with the destruction. The
incident took place at a time when Hindu Samajotsav was being organized in the
city. [Link]

The internet is replete with scores more of such incidents. Yet only the convenient ones get reported and debated.

One by one most of the Vadra family members have dropped dead. Mysteriously all of them died either in an accident or committed suicide. Something is clearly not right. But the CBI will not investigate them. Political masters will rein it in. And we will also not see national editors debating this. The media, we are told, only expresses public opinion. However, a majority seems to be excluded from the "public".

Telling it like it is

Paul Sheehan, a columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald sees something every dhimmi secularist fails to all around the world. The prejudiced "secular" mind is a prolific myth making machine. Outcomes are already decided and countless hours are dedicated in justifying them. "Secularists" couldn't be bothered with objective analysis, rather inconvenient facts are ignored so existence in denial can continue.

What about proving that Islamophobia
exists at all? That would be the logical, ethical and scholarly starting point. But it appears the outcome has already been decided. This would
fit the prevailing orthodoxy in academia that the default position for
Muslims in Australia is victim. The jargon, "Islamophobia" is part of
this ideological construct. Literally, it means fear of Muslims. [Link] (Emphasis added)

Actually, the Muslim victimhood theory is prevalent all around the world, not just Australia. Our own PM, Manmohan Singh seems to think so. So pained is he at the plight of Muslims in India that he awarded them the right to lay claims on our national resources before anyone else. Every "secular" discussion or column in our news media applies this theory when talking of "social justice". Highly typical of the "secular intelligentsia". However, they seem to forget that it is their same patron "secular" party that has ruled our country for over 5 decades since our independence.

A look at reality presents a completely different picture -

On March 8, the night of the Sydney Gay
and Lesbian Mardi Gras, police say a group of about 100 young Muslim men,
allegedly members of a loose gang called MBM - Muslim Brotherhood Movement -
moved through the centre of the city intimidating, harassing and beating
bystanders.

On March 15, Abdul Darwiche was murdered,
shot to death in a shopping centre in the latest hyper-violence involving two
warring Lebanese Muslim clans.

[...] Channel Nine obtained a copy of a
video surveillance tape which shows the former mufti of Australia kicking in a
door, then returning soon after in the company of police. Apparently he called
police over vandalism which he committed, blaming others who are engaged in a
power struggle at the mosque [...]

A few days later, yet another rape
sentence was handed down to one of the K brothers, three of whom, during their
various trials for gang rape, claimed they were victims of an anti-Muslim
conspiracy. Between them, four K brothers have been convicted of gang-raping
five girls.

This sentencing followed closely on the
conviction of seven Sydney schoolboys for the aggravated sexual assault of a
13-year-old girl in a toilet block in Yagoona in 2007. According to police, the
ring-leader was on his phone speaking in Arabic during the assaults and most or
all of the boys are of Muslim background.

If this is so, these latest convictions
produce a morbid tally of more than 30 young Muslim men involved in serious
proven sexual assaults of non-Muslim girls in Sydney [...] Because sexual
assault is the least reported crime (about 15 per cent of incidents are reported
to police) this particular phenomenon was certainly much broader. [Link]

This behaviour, the "secularists" would have us believe, is demonstrated by "oppressed victims". Non-Muslim girls in our own country are suffering the same crimes and far worse fate than reported above. The magnitude, again as noted in the report, is bigger than apparent because of the nature of crime. Apparently, Jihad can be waged in ways not necessarily involving guns/bombs. Social costs prevent majority of rape victims from actually reporting them. This, somehow, escapes the "secular" radar. However, the advocates of "social justice" howl to their capacity should the "communal forces" raise these issues.

Our media seems to cover its spectacular failure is putting things in the right perspective by raising enough non-issues to drown out the real ones. There is a need to tell it like it is.

A whole lotta noise, very less news

News reporting is fast becoming extinct. Instead slanted reporting peppered with liberal doses of personal views is now the norm. Political correctness demands conformity to the "secular" construct.

Shrieking opinion manufacturers raise enough din to drowns out real issues. Karnataka seems to be getting an awful lot of attention lately. It seems the "saffron brigade" breaching the south, much to the chagrin of the "seculars" predicting a Congress majority, has something to do with this. If one were to go by the reporting on Karnataka in the mainstream news media, one would think all troubles started only after the BJP came to power. A saffron connection is sought in every incident in the state. The alacrity shown in dragging the entire Sangh Parivar into controversy is sharply contrasted with the complete silence when facts turn inconvenient.

Any mischief involving anyone else but the "communal" folks is given a miss. Matters of grave importance such as illegal occupation of temples and historical structures, the growing threat of home grown terrorism, unscrupulous churches etc. are deemed unworthy of "secular" attention. Similarly, the serious threat to national security posed by unchecked Bangaldeshi infiltration, their aggression towards local people and take over of local lands, Churches dictating politics in the North East, foreigners becoming MPs are either only mentioned in passing or met with silence.

The Varun Gandhi incident is a good example of "secular" noise winning over issues. The BJP candidate made some serious claims during his alleged "hate speeches" in his constituency. His claims included molestation of underage girls, mass slaughter of cows, an unfair local administration. These are serious enough issues not to be sidelined. Yet no media house seems to have invested any time in verifying and unearthing the issues. The whole "hate speech" saga began after a convenient 10 to 11 days after the "communal" Gandhi said something "unsecular".

The Election Commission seems to have fallen for the "secular" trap in reaching to its conclusion. Apparently, it seems unwilling to go through the rigours of justice. It formed an opinion without verifying the allegations and without giving a fair hearing to the matter. However the Kidwais of the Congress seem to get away with their blatantly communal meeting with Muslim voters. This, perhaps, is a precursor to things under Naveen Chawla.

"Goodwill gesture"

Pakistan is fast capitulating to the Taliban. It has released 20 Talibanis hoping to broker peace in the Swat valley. History will reliably prove that the Taliban and peace can never co-exist. This will only add 20 more "militants" to the Talibani ranks that will spray more rockets on the NATO routes. So much from a "partner" in war on terror!

Pakistani authorities on Friday freed 20 jailed militants as a "goodwill
gesture" to carry forward the peace process in the Taliban-dominated Swat
valley. [Link]

Also, that is Pakistan's "in your face" to India. 26/11 is far from reaching its logical end. Too many "protesters" seem to take their cue from the Taliban as evidenced back home. The various Christist groups in the North East, Lawyers in TN, The various Islamists etc. They have seen that aggression pays rich dividends. And the mainstream media has successfully perverted public discourse to an extent that right questions do not get asked anymore. One only hears a lot of "secular" noise.

The election coverage is another such example. Secular indignation seems directed only towards the "communal forces" while it is OK for patron political parties to blatantly chum up to their vote banks comprising the "victimised minority". The "Secular" intelligentsia seems to have no trouble reconciling their outrage at the "saffron" folk while maintaining collective silence when powerful churches recommend political candidates and Muslim leaders openly call for support using religion.

Neither the "seculars" nor the "minorities" ever care to wonder how is it that they are stuck in the same place while their patron overlords have ruled our land for about 5 decades since our independence. For an "oppressed minority", they seems to burn far too much public property and murder far too many "communals". Hardly a trait of someone "oppressed".

President O, with his "engagement" policy seems to think there is a "moderate Taliban". That it is an oxymoron has not occurred to him. His juvenile views on foreign policy vis-a-vis the Muslim countries will yield to more such victories for the Taliban. It may be too late before he (and our Congress leaders) matures to realize the reality of Pakistan and other Islamic states and what they stand for. Or is "engagement" President O's "goodwill gesture"?

Islam takes over UN

The charade that began as an innocuous sounding measure to counter "defamation of religions" is ending on being Islam specific.

A new U.N. resolution circulated today by Islamic
states would define any questioning of Islamic dogma as a human rights
violation, intimidate dissenting voices, and encourage the forced
imposition of Sharia law.

UN Watch obtained a copy of the Pakistani-authored
proposal after it was distributed today among Geneva diplomats
attending the current session of the UN Human Rights Council. Entitled
"Combating defamation of religions," it mentions only
Islam.

While non-binding, the resolution constitutes a
dangerous threat to free speech everywhere. It would ban any perceived
offense to Islamic sensitivities as a "serious affront to human
dignity" and a violation of religious freedom, and would pressure U.N.
member states -- at the "local, national, regional and international levels" --
to erode free speech guarantees in their "legal and constitutional systems." [Link] (Emphasis added)

So, how does this resolution concern human rights, when religion is a belief, remains unexplained. It gets very tricky when dealing with defamation to religion -

The law on defamation protects the reputations of
individuals, not beliefs. It also requires an examination of the truth
or falsity of the challenged remarks -- a determination that no one,
especially not the UN, is capable of undertaking concerning any religion.
[Link] (Emphasis added)

Ask any Mullah and he will tell you Koran is the ultimate truth. Objective criticism of Islam now is well nigh impossible.

Follow the link and read it in full. It also carries the draft of the UNHRC resolution on the matter. It does not seem to occur to the UNHRC that in adopting this resolution, it is trampling on the human rights it proclaims to protect. India should get out of the UN, now.

"Engaging" the wrong people

What do general Pakistanis think of the US aggression against terrorists? See below (via The Acorn) -

-- Do you see drone attacks bringing
about fear and terror in the common people? (Yes 45%, No
55%)

-- Do you think the drones are accurate
in their strikes? (Yes 52%, No 48%)

-- Do you think anti-American feelings in
the area increased due to drone attacks recently? (Yes 42%, No
58%)

-- Should Pakistan military carry out
targeted strikes at the militant organisations? (Yes 70%, No
30%)

-- Do the militant organisations get
damaged due to drone attacks? (Yes 60%, No 40%)

[Link] (Emphasis added)

And these opinions are right from within the FATA. Liberation from terrorists and freedom from the Ummah is what they want. Leader of the free world (a.k.a. President O) is "listening" to and "engaging" the wrong people. So are we at home. The resentment against the West and all "infidels" is largely only amongst the warmongering Islamists. Their sole interests are furthering Islam and establishing Sharia. Talking to Islamists is hardly going to give us any "hope" for "change" in their attitude towards us. Swat is an example of what entails when we cede space to them. Contrary to Zaradri's claims, the Taliban is growing stronger.

Sharia spreading under the garb of "multiculturalism"

Courts around the world are giving in to Islamists. They seem unwilling to take on the freedom challengers and hope incorporating Sharia will placate them. This is a monumental folly. The free world continually fails to realise what the Islamists stand by. Nothing short of a global Sharia implementation will gladden the "true of Muslim faith". Rallying crowds holding placards that proclaim "Islam will reign supreme" or "Islam will rule the world" are not being humourous. They similarly proclaim "Death to {insert non-muslim country name here}" and are serious about it.

Sharia is now spreading thick and fast across (an increasingly dhimmi) Europe. We have seen the Geert Wilders case earlier. Now Italy and France join the ranks of dhimmis.

In the first trial, the three were
sentenced for sequestration and bad treatment. The court acknowledged
that the teenager was "brutally beaten up" for having "dated" a non-Muslim and
in general for "living a life not conforming with the culture" of her
family. But on appeal, the family was acquitted because the
court deemed that the young woman was beaten up for "her own good." The
Bologna public prosecutor's office then disputed the acquittal of the three
accused parties, but the Italian Supreme Court of Cassation dismissed it and
ruled in favor of the charged parties. [Link] (Emphasis added)

Girls apparently want to flee into France. But do they have any hope there?

Indeed in one very publicized case, last
June, a French judge ruled in favor of a Muslim man who wanted the
annulment of his marriage because his wife turned out not to be a
virgin. What this decision amounted to was the endorsement of the
repudiation concept. [Link] (Emphasis added)

No they don't. Sharia follows them there too. And apologists do not get it.

In Switzerland [...] an anthropology
professor at the Fribourg university wrote that a special jurisdiction for
Muslims could be envisioned in Switzerland. He added that including elements
from Islamic law could allow to better manage the multiculturalism issue. [Link] (Emphasis added)

There, that word again. Curiously, multiculturalism seems to accommodate only the Muslims, while every other immigrant group must adapt and assimilate. Where the "secular" champions fail, this British Muslim MP gets it right.

[...] Sadiq Khan, a British Muslim MP
said that Sharia courts would discourage Muslims from developing links
with other cultural and ethnic groups. He feared also that women could be "abused" by Sharia courts, which may give
unequal bargaining power to the sexes. [Link] (Emphasis added)

Thus allowing the Muslim "isolation" and "segregation". Precisely the same Muslim "grievances" giving fodder to the Ismalists. It is baffling that rather than listen to reformed Muslims, the "secularists" insist on appeasing the Mullahs. Conceding to them is pushing the Muslims deeper into their grips. Giving in to Sharia is giving up our freedom.

Optical illusion

While Manmohan Singh is the declared PM candidate for Congress, look who's being projected prominently -

The stand alone campaign of the Congress is
centred on Rahul Gandhi who, the hoardings say, will bring about the
seamless transition from a glorious present to a spectacular future.

This is what makes the Congress campaign an
optical illusion. The proclaimed candidate for PM is, as Punjabis say,
a good man di lalten but the person being projected is Rahul.

The question naturally arises: is Singh the
mukhauta who will quietly step aside for the real prime ministerial
candidate after the election is won? Or is he just a night-watchman? [Link]
(emphasis added)

That was Swapan Dasgupta in TOI. We are really being sold some snake oil here. Congress quackery is legendary. Hope the gullible masses are wiser than commonly perceived by the pundits.

Jihad ‘in an organised manner’

That was the latest call by Taliban (see previous post). And sure enough it is being waged quite systematically. We have seen earlier, how Islamists have succeeded in curbing our freedom by petitioning a measure curbing 'hate speech' at the UN. The real intentions behind this measure, however, remain something else. The same plans are at play in the UNHRC. The previous UN conference at Durban, in August 2001, on the matter gives us enough clues -

DurbanI was a notorious hate-filled gathering that
devolved into one of the most racist and prejudiced meetings in the UN's
history. Its anti-Semitism and anti-Israel agenda and
hysterical crowds of extremists still send shudders of horror through the
corridors of human rights organisations. This is why many nations, especially
from the West, are considering boycotting Durban II which, like Durban I, is
likely to become a platform for anti-Semitism and anti-Western xenophobia and hatred.
[Link]
(Emphasis added)

So much for an "anti-racism" conference! What began as a noble sounding cause soon morphed into an occasion for furthering Islamic interests. Very peculiar of the Islamists. What is their real agenda?

Using the catch-all phrase of Islamophobia, the OIC is attempting to deny
nations the right to criticise extremism and violence. [Link]

The all encompassing "anti-racism" has now become "Islamophobia"! The second round is set to begin in Durban on April 20. And the draft, this time, makes no attempts at hiding its intentions -

"Calls for ... the international
protection of the Palestinian people throughout the occupied Palestinian
territory." [Link]

Deduction: Israel is the aggressor and racist. So, Pakistani Ambassador Masood Khan was serious in seeking a "new instrument or convention" to achieve intended goals. After having realised the nefarious plan behind this measure, Israel, Canada have decided on boycotting the conference and a number of European nations are quite rightly concerned about the UNHRC legitimising this Islamic agenda. But, the council is only trying to be 'secular'. Instances of genuine violations escape its radar -

..genocide in Darfur; child soldiers in
Chad and Congo; compulsory sterilization of women in China; suppression of
dissent in Cuba, Iran, Syria and Russia; rape as a political weapon in Zimbabwe;
sex trafficking in Asia; denial of human rights to minorities and women in Saudi
Arabia and other Arab countries.. [Link]

However notices are promptly issued to Israel for responding to Islamic terror. President O's failure to realise the games at play exposes his inexperience. For all the hope he sold in bringing 'change' to America, this is anything but encouraging -

But when the Palestinian delegation laid
their new proposal before the drafting committee, what did Obama's team do?
Nothing, absolutely nothing. They made no objection at all. [Link]

His administration, in fact, 'shares their reservations'. Anti-Semitism and holocaust denial is continuing in the UN without the hitherto US objection. In his eagerness to 'reach out' to the Muslim world, President O is sending out wrong signals. Another dhimmi in the making -

His foreign policy of engagement amounts
to a new willingness to sacrifice Israel and an indeterminate number of American
values for the sake of a warm welcome from the enemies of freedom. [Link]

An 'organised jihad' is indeed on and we are in denial.