Appeal to the Indian PM

George Abraham, Non-Resident Indians for a Secular and Harmonious India; Dr. Angana Chatterji, Professor of Anthropology, California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco; Ms. Sapna Gupta, South Asian Progressive Action Collective; Dr. Ashwini Rao, Campaign to Stop Funding Hate; Dr. Shaikh Ubaid, Indian Muslim Council; Dr. Usha Zacharias, Professor of Communications, Westfield State College, Massachusetts

Dear Prime Minister,

We at the Coalition Against Genocide, representing a wide spectrum of over 35 organizations representing thousands of NRIs, urge you to not contest the US denial of a diplomatic visa to Mr. Narendra Modi and the cancellation of his existing tourist/business visa. CAG considers the denial of visa to Mr. Modi as a clear victory for all Indians and for supporters of human rights and justice in the US and in India. Claims made by Mr. Modi and the Sangh Parivar that this represents an “insult to India and the (Indian) Constitution” are laughable, coming as it does from people who have stained the Indian Constitution with the blood of thousands of its citizens.

The complicity of Mr. Modi’s government in the February-March 2002 Gujarat pogrom is now public knowledge. Mr. Modi unleashed a virulent campaign against Muslims even after the pogroms and particularly during the campaigning for the December 2002 assembly elections. We assert that while accepting that Mr. Modi was elected to power, we also need to remind ourselves of the willful flouting of constitutional and Election Commission norms in the run-up to the assembly elections, the circumstances under which the elections were held, and the human costs of Mr. Modi’s electoral victory.

The issue is not simply of Mr. Modi’s devious rise to power. In a scathing indictment of Mr. Modi, the Indian Supreme Court pronounced: “The modern day Neros (a reference to the Gujarat government) were looking elsewhere when Best Bakery and innocent children and women were burning, and were probably deliberating how the perpetrators of the crime can be saved or protected.” The Supreme Court also castigated the Gujarat government for shielding the guilty and ordered the reopening of 2,000-odd riot cases that had been closed in a hurry. Perceiving danger to the victims and witnesses, the court also shifted some cases outside Gujarat. We aren’t the least bit surprised at Mr. Modi’s reaction to his visa snub, but we’re appalled that the Indian government has lodged a strong protest to the American Embassy and asked for an “urgent reconsideration.” Mr. Modi’s criminal conduct in India ought to have been the real basis for censure and legal redress. It is unfortunate that the issue had to come down to the US revoking his visa, when the UPA government itself should have acted against Mr. Modi’s criminal misrule after it came to power on behalf of the Indian people almost a full year ago. In keeping with your common minimum program, we urge you to take immediate action to ensure speedy justice for the victims of the Gujarat pogrom, and bring the perpetrators to book. We also urge you to curtail the fund-raising activities in the US of hate groups such as the one Mr. Modi belongs to.

Published 22 March 2005

Appeal to the Indian PM [2]

There is no space left in the world for jingoist, extremist, racialist and exclusivist political movements. The world has not forgotten the horrors of their past incarnations.

India’s own experiment with such an ideology sneaked through democratic loopholes has not yet been fully exposed to world scrutiny. The US action against Modi has for the first time put Hindutva with all its warts and blemishes in the glare of world scrutiny. In a way, the US action has given the Indian government enough grounds to reclaim political courage to deal with a festering wound that the Gujarat riots symbolize.

Ghulam Muhammed, Bombay published 22 March 2005

Appeal to the Indian PM [3]

While Modi’s actions have been widely condemned by all sections of society, including many in his own party, the denial of a US visa has added an international dimension to the issues involved. The Indian government, by urging the US to review Modi’s case, is indirectly helping a cause in opposition to which the UPA had come to power. Meanwhile one hopes the BJP would seize this opportunity to go ahead with its earlier plan to replace Modi before he causes any further embarrassment to the party and the country.

A. G. Danish, Jeddah published 22 March 2005

Stray Camel

This refers to the report, “Stray Camel Spoils Brigadier’s Weekend” (March 19). You are not fair. The report should have been entitled “Brigadier Spoils Stray Camel’s Weekend.” It is reported that the camel hit the car. How could it be? It must be the other way round. A Saudi took the injured officer and his family to King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Taif. Very good. Thanks. But what about the injured camel?

M. Kannan, Jubail published 22 March 2005

Perfect Guide

After Lubna Hussein told us of her encounter with the mutawaa about jeans, many people have started asking the question: Is it OK for women to wear jeans? This is uncalled for. Islamic teachings and modesty demand that women should not wear jeans and other Western attire that are either revealing or meant for men. The Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) give us all guidance, not only in relation to our dress but how we should conduct ourselves as human beings and communities. The Holy Qur’an contains God’s words and as such is the perfect guide to human conduct and is valid for all times and for all the people. In fact the tragedy facing Muslims throughout the world is due to two things: Their failure to live up to the teachings of the Qur’an and the Prophet’s Sunnah and their failure to take these teachings to non-Muslims.

Rafiq Ali, Dammam published 22 March 2005

Iraq Two Years Later

The world is a much safer place with Saddam Hussein ousted, President Bush declares every now and then as justification for his Iraq war. If the world is safer as a result of the war, obviously Iraq is no longer part of this safe world. A killing frenzy has taken hold of the nation ever since its “liberation” two years ago. Not a day passes without car bombs, roadside bombs, blasts, suicide bombings by insurgents or aerial bombing by US forces. Even American papers admit that Baghdad has become one of the world’s most dangerous cities in which people live in constant danger of being killed by insurgents or the coalition (read US) troops. Violence unrelated to the insurgency or hunting of terrorists or dead-enders is growing too. Whoever the killers — insurgents, occupation forces — the victims in most cases are Iraqis. The independent organization Iraq Body Count estimates that up to 18,670 Iraqi civilians have been killed since the United States invaded nearly two years ago. A study published in the British medical journal Lancet estimated that more than 100,000 Iraqi civilians had been killed since the invasion and attributed most of the deaths to coalition forces — aerial bombings in particular. More than 200 foreigners have been kidnapped and at least 30 have been killed. Prisons in Iraq are bloated with detainees, some of them as young as 11.

Bush and the US media may enumerate the war’s democratic and other dividends but they know the truth. Let us ignore what the opponents of the war say. Instead let us look at what the supporters of the war refrain from doing.

Last June when “partial sovereignty” was handed over to Iraqis, the ceremony was held in camera. None of the liberators from US or UK attended the event. The opening of the national assembly after the “historic” Jan. 30 election was shrouded in mystery. The second anniversary of the liberation too went unmarked. There was no ceremony in Iraq. The chief liberator did not go to Iraq to receive flowers and applause from a grateful nation. And why is it taking so long to form a government? Immediately after the Sept. 11 attacks, the question on everybody’s lips in the US was: Why do they hate us? Karen P. Hughes, who has just been appointed undersecretary of state for public diplomacy, reportedly came up with the answer: “They hate us because we elect our leaders.” No madam, some people hate you because you want to elect leaders for other people too.

Muhammad Ismail, Taif published 22 March 2005

Iraq Two Years Later [2]

The corporate media is orchestrating a campaign in favor of US President George Bush over his Iraq achievements. Why not take credit for the sunrise over Iraq? The media focus on the so-called emerging democracies is an attempt at hiding the ugly realities of the Iraq war! How much of the CIA is tattooed all over these alleged pro-democracy demonstrations? Who is all of a sudden funding these “spontaneous” crowds? Why now!

Otis G. Barlow, Newark, NJ published 22 March 2005

Traffic Offenses

I was not surprised to read that Mansour Aziz (Letter, March 19) was charged with traffic violation for turning right on a red signal. I have attended Defensive Driving courses both at Saudi Aramco and Saudi Electricity Co. and their instructors have told us that it is a violation to turn right on a red signal anywhere in Saudi Arabia. I congratulate the traffic officer on following the traffic law correctly. I hope other traffic officers do the same at all signals where most of the drivers do not care to wait for the green signal, thereby causing problems to oncoming drivers.

Some object to traffic violators being put in jail immediately just like criminals. How do you think those killing and maiming people by rash driving, speeding, zigzagging through traffic and running through red light should be treated? We need strict laws and disciplined drivers to avoid the tragedy taking place on our roads.

Clarence Gomes, Dammam published 22 March 2005

Airport Travails

Much has been written about the inefficiency and rudeness of the immigration officials at airports. Lubna Hussain’s “You Cannot Leave Because You Never Arrived” (March 18) only stated the obvious. It often seems that these officers are trained to behave rudely or they are not trained at all on courteousness and efficiency or they are accustomed to it as the major part of the passengers they deal with are laborers coming from Asian countries who don’t deserve any kind of courteousness. The incident that Lubna mentioned has happened to many expatriates here. Either the officer forgets to put the entry/exit stamp on the passport or forgets to enter the information in the system. It keeps on happening as all these mistakes are unchecked and no action is taken against those who repeat the mistakes. The way they do things makes it more prone to make mistakes, as they are busy chatting with colleagues and are in the habit of leaving the counter while tired passengers wait for an end to their ordeals. The mobile phone phenomenon has now made the situation worse.

The passenger could double-check whether the stamping is done properly in the passport. But entry in the systems is beyond the passenger’s eyes. The computer program should have been made in a way that it would not move to the next entry until all the necessary columns of the previous entry are filled and saved. I must also add that airport customs have become more courteous and efficient according to what I have observed at the Jeddah airport.

Nasar Hyder Mahin, Jeddah published 22 March 2005