"Zero Tolerance" of Times Of India

TIMES OF INDIA' DOUBLE GAME CLEARLY EXPOSED THAT ITS OWNERS AND EDITORS ARE SHAMELESSLY FOLLOWING THE LONG DISCREDITED 'TWO NATION THEORY' AND ARE BENT TO WRECK INDIA'S INTEGRITY, SOVEREIGNTY AND SECULAR POLITY, IN THEIR VAIN AND MISGUIDED HOPE OF FISHING IN TROUBLED WATERS.

AS CORPORATE MEDIA THEY CERTAINLY HAVE FULL RIGHTS TO THEIR NEWSPAPER POLICIES, BUT THEY SHOULD BE BETTER AWARE OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF SOWING DIVISIONS AND INSTIGATING STRIFE IN THIS MULTI-CULTURAL, MULTI-RELIGIOUS AND MULTI-ETHNIC NATION..

MUMBAI'S MUSLIM RAGE RAMPAGE AT AZAD MAIDAN PICKED UP EVEN MEDIA AS ITS  TARGET, WHICH IS A DEPLORABLE ACT IN ANY SENSE OF THE WORD. HOWEVER, THIS SHOULD NOT PREVENT THE MEDIA, ONCE IT HAS FINISHED WITH ITS SELF-DEFENCE LITANY, TO PONDER, HOW BIASED AND PREJUDICIAL IT HAS BEEN; MISUSING ITS INDEPENDENT CORPORATE RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES, WITHOUT TAKING INTO ACCOUNT ITS CAPABILITIES, DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES TOWARDS BUILDING OF A PEACEFUL NATION.

IN TODAY'S EDITORIAL, TIMES OF INDIA HAS TAKEN UP LK ADVANI'S 'PIOUS' LINE THAT THE PRESENT RIOTS IN KOKRAJHAR ARE NOT BETWEEN HINDUS AND MUSLIMS, BUT BETWEEN INDIANS AND FOREIGN MIGRANTS. TIME OF INDIA HAS USED THE WORDS 'BANGLADESHI MIGRANTS', SUMMARILY MISUSING ITS FREEDOM OF PRESS PRIVILEGES, TO CALL INDIAN MUSLIMS AS BANGLADESHIS, WITHOUT FOLLOWING ANY DUE PROCESS OF LAW; IF NOT ANY NORMS OF DECENCY.

JUST A POLICE COMMISSIONER ARUN PATNAIK HAS MOUNTED THE AZAD MAIDAN PODIUM TO REMIND MUSLIMS OF THE 1992/93 RIOTS, IT IS TIME, TIMES OF INDIA TOO BE REMINDED, HOW ANOTHER AZAD MAIDAN MOB HAD EARLIER MADE AN UNPLANNED DIGRESSION, WHILE DISPERSING FROM THE MEETING AND ATTACKED TIME OF INDIA BUILDING, INFLICTING THOUGH ONLY SYMBOLIC DAMAGE. ONLY TIMELY SWIFT POLICE ACTION SAVED IT FROM A MAJOR DISASTER.

AS THE PRIME OPINION MAKER OF THE NATION, IT MUST REALIZE ITS NATIONAL AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES OR THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD STUDY THE DESIRABILITY OF NATIONALIZING OF THIS NATIONAL ASSET THAT IN THE HANDS OF MISCHIEF-MONGERS IS BECOMING A DISTINCT THREAT TO NATION'S COMMUNAL HARMONY AND PEACE..

GHULAM MUHAMMED, MUMBAI
<ghulammuhammed3@gmail.com>

-----------------

 

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Abdul Hameed Yousuf <ahameed12@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, Aug 18, 2012 at 11:21 AM
Subject: {13794} "Zero Tolerance" of Times Of India
To: nrindians@googlegroups.com
Cc: bazmeqalam@googlegroups.com, voiceofaligs@yahoogroups.com

Recently The Times of India wrote two editorials: “Zero Tolerance” (TOI, Aug 14) and “Stop the Persecution” (TOI, Aug 16).

In the first editorial it has taken a stand about the persecution of the Rohingya minority in Myanmar, i.e. “India has no control over events in foreign countries”

But in the second editorial that is related to persecuted Hindu minority in Pakistan it suggests that “the ministry of external affairs must forcefully take up with Pakistan the issue of better treatment and protection of its minorities”

Question: If the government of India can be suggested to take up the issue of persecution of minorities with the Pakistani government, why can it not be suggested to do so with the government of Myanmar?

Both the minorities are facing discrimination, intimidation and maltreatment which should be should be stopped with immediate effect. It is surprising why the TOI adopts dual standard to the two human tragedies: the persecution of minorities in Myanmar and the persecution of minorities in Pakistan.

Here are the two editorials

Zero Tolerance 

Crack down on ethnic rioting,whether in Assam or Maharashtra 

Saturdays violent protests in Mumbai,leaving two protesters dead and over 60 injured,have raised serious concerns about the citys police and law and order management.And it also shows how combustible the Assam situation is if not contained,violence could spread to other parts of the country as well,particularly states with large migrant Bangladeshi populations.The Centre shouldnt treat the Assam riots as happening in a remote part of the country,and therefore of relatively low priority.This is an era of instant communication and violence can easily spill across state borders.There have been instances where northeasterners have been harassed in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.The Union home ministry,in coordination with affected states,must put in a zero-tolerance policy with respect to ethnic violence,no matter who the perpetrator is or in which state it is happening.Its only when authorities send the message that its serious about stemming violence that the anarchy will stop.
One of the curious elements behind the Mumbai rioting is that they appear to have been instigated by mass distribution of text messages and video clips relating to atrocities in Myanmar.A protest organised by the Raza Academy and Madina Tul Ilm Foundation appears to have gone out of control,with large crowds gathering and a section of them going berserk.Its up to community leaders to calm tempers by emphasising the obvious,that India has no control over events in foreign countries.Its one thing to protest peacefully and quite another to engage in arson and rioting.Intelligence also needs to be beefed up in a sensitive city such as Mumbai.

Stop The Persecution 

New Delhi must take up with Islamabad the question of ill treatment of its minorities 

The recent spike in the influx of Hindus from Pakistan highlights the growing tide of extremism in that country.Over the last week,several batches of Pakistani Hindus have travelled to India on 45-day religious visas.But after crossing the border,many families have made plain their intention to stay on and apply for permanent Indian residency.Narrating stories of harassment,forced conversions and persecution at the hands of Islamists,their unwillingness to return to Pakistan is an indictment of that countrys state machinery,which has failed to protect its minorities.Cases such as that of 14-year-old Manisha Kumari who was kidnapped and forced to convert to Islam are not only un-Islamic,they also place the Pakistani government in a bad light.
It is not as if Pakistans intelligentsia is apathetic to the plight of its minorities.Several social activists such as Asma Jahangir and Ansar Burney have long been working for the protection of minority rights in Pakistan.However,Pakistan has witnessed a progressive shrinking of its liberal space and a Talibanisation of its society.The assassinations of politicians Salman Taseer and Shahbaz Bhatti last year for opposing Pakistans oppressive and anti-minority blasphemy laws exemplify this point.Only determined action against extremists and a re-evaluation of anti-minority biases in Pakistani state institutions as well as educational curricula can remedy the situation.With Pakistani Hindus landing at Indias doorstep and asking for asylum,the ministry of external affairs must forcefully take up with Pakistan the issue of better treatment and protection of its minorities.

Abdul Hameed Yousuf

 Bangalroe

9535226784
--

Making history, not repeating it - By Javed Anand and Teesta Setalvad - THE INDIAN EXPRESS, MUMBAI, INDIA | Comments by Ghulam Muhammed

COMMENTS POSTED ON THE INDIAN EXPRESS WEBSITE OVER ARTICLE: MAKING HISTORY, NO REPEATING IT - BY TEESTA SETALVAD AND JAVED ANAND

It is a question of a glass half full or half empty. The Justice and Peace duo, Teesta and Javed have opted for peace rather than justice in these disturbed times and they are correct to laud the police for not unleashing a blood bath. Some of the credit should go to political leadership who are not prepared to sully the scenario with elections so near and so precariously balanced. However, it is certainly notable that Police did not use any of the internationally known measures, like water cannons, tear gas, and rubber bullets. It resorted to shoot to kill. Still we are supposed to appreciate that Police has shown restraint.  Teesta wrote  about the 1983 police shooting of 14 Muslims: “a few hundred Muslims instigated allegedly by one man took to the streets raising incendiary slogans, provoking the police.” Provoking the police will appear to be a new crime and that too through ‘incendiary slogans’.  And Teesta is a votary of freedom of speech. How can she justify 1983 shootings!

Ghulam Muhammed, Mumbai
<ghulammuhammed3@gmail.com>
-------------------

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/making-history-not-repeating-it/989242/0

Making history, not repeating it

By Javed Anand and Teesta Setalvad

Ask all the questions, seek explanations, make comments on what the Mumbai police did or did not do before, during and after a Muslim mob behaved in despicable fashion — torching OB vans, attacking media persons and the police, molesting women constables, snatching arms from the police — in the backdrop of a rally at Azad Maidan last Saturday, to protest atrocities against Muslims in Assam and in Myanmar. (Police and the organisers agree that it was an armed group that suddenly surfaced outside the maidan and turned to violence.) But do allow for the possibility that responding in a most “un-police-like” fashion to extreme provocation, the city’s police commissioner, Arup Patnaik, may have opened a happy chapter in the otherwise unhappy Muslim-police relationship in the metropolis.

Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray is most unhappy that the police commissioner did not issue a blanket shoot-to-kill order. But the latter’s exemplary restraint is precisely what peace-loving Mumbaikars need to thank him for. Instead of repeating history, Patnaik has tried creating one.

Flashback to 1989. Even after the then Union government had issued a ban on The Satanic Verses, a few hundred Muslims instigated allegedly by one man took to the streets raising incendiary slogans, provoking the police. The cops gunned down 14 Muslims, to which the additional commissioner of police (law-and-order), S.M. Shingare, added the threat: “If they come for us, we’ll draw more blood.”

Fast forward to December 1992: in the immediate aftermath of the demolition of the Babri Masjid, under orders from the then police commissioner Bapat, well over 200 Muslims were gunned down in less than 72 hours. Bapat’s justification: a “shock treatment” was essential to control the mobs.

Add to these the conviction of over 80 per cent of the more than 123 accused in Mumbai’s March 1993 serial blasts in sharp contrast to the total impunity to the perpetrators of the January 1993 anti-Muslim violence, plus frequent complaints about alleged arbitrary arrests of Muslim youth in recent years, to get some sense of the highly strained, estranged community-cop relationship.

Senior journalists and social activists from Mumbai are aware that, given the absence of justice, the wounds of 1989 and 1992 are still festering. Thankfully, Patnaik, who was a deputy commissioner of police when Bombay burned (1992-93), has not forgotten either. It’s his act of remembering, and reminding, that prevented yet another bloodbath and ensured that the situation did not spin entirely out of control last Saturday.

It perhaps needed both courage and conviction on his part to march up to the dais in the midst of a highly volatile atmosphere and grab the mike to remind the charged gathering that neither police nor Muslims should forget what happened in 1992 and that both must do everything possible to prevent a repeat and reopen wounds. For the violent mob outside the maidan, the message meant nothing. But to the much larger assembly of Muslims gathered inside the maidan, it got home. As most of them dispersed peacefully from the other end of the maidan, it became easier for the police to deal with the murderous mob and to disperse them with the minimum use of force.

Those inclined to think this is too charitable an interpretation of the role of the police may wish to recall that whenever under attack, the police themselves tend to run riot. Every human life is precious and the tragic loss of two Muslim lives is not to be ignored. But nor must we forget that the mob was entirely responsible for the provocation and the overwhelming majority of those injured were policemen and policewomen, not to mention the unpardonable molestation of the latter. Peace was restored in about 30 minutes and mercifully the situation in the city is under control.

What if Patnaik had opted for the “shock treatment” precedent of his predecessors? For well over a week, MMS clips are being forwarded mobile to mobile, in Mumbai and elsewhere, with gory pictures of what’s being done to Muslims in Assam and Myanmar. 

Many of these pictures are obviously doctored, having nothing to do with Assam or Myanmar. But who cares? They are enough to inflame untutored minds, being told to see for themselves how Islam is under attack everywhere and to ask whether they will remain mute spectators. Imagine if pictures of Muslims being gunned down by the police in Mumbai were to get added to the MMS clips?

Mercifully, the Mumbai police have denied such an opportunity to those, whoever they might be, who seem to be working overtime to incite Muslims. As things stand today, the Mumbai police are the injured party, while the city’s Muslim leadership, such as it is, is compelled do all the explaining, apologising, forgiveness-seeking, appreciating the role of the police.

It must not be easy for Patnaik and the top rung of the Mumbai police to calm the nerves of those whom they lead. But the police commissioner’s remarkable restraint has opened up an opportunity to heal wounds, open a new chapter. It’s an opportunity Muslims must grab with both hands. Patnaik and his police having done their duty, it’s the duty of each one of us now to help identify those who seemed determined to set the city aflame last Saturday and to isolate parties like the Shiv Sena and the BJP who are all too eager to communalise the situation, whether in Mumbai or Assam.

Javed Anand is general secretary, Muslims for Secular Democracy. Teesta Setalvad is secretary, Citizens for Justice and Peace. Both are co-editors, ‘Communalism Combat’

Understanding the Mumbai violence - By Amaresh Misra - Times of India | BLOGS

http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/the-mainstream-maverick/entry/understanding-mumbai-violence


   | BLOGS

Understanding the Mumbai violence

Amaresh Misra
14 August 2012, 06:04 PM IST

0

On 10th August 2012, I was sitting with a bureaucrat friend of mine, in a Delhi restaurant. This friend occupies an important position in the government connected with maintaining law and order. We were discussing my blog post - Pune Blasts: The Story Behind the Story”. At one point in the article I elaborate upon the chilling fourth degree torture unleashed allegedly under the overall superintendence of Rakesh Maria—the current Maharashtra ATS chief—way back in 1993—on the kin of the 1993 Mumbai blast.

The alleged torture story is truly horrific and contains unspeakable instances of state-sponsored sadism on men, women and children.
Our conversation drifted to the framing of innocent Muslim youth in terror cases—the most glaring of which remains the 2008 Malegaon blast instance. Here, even after the late Hemant Karkare exposed the hand of right-wing, Sangh Parivar backed terrorism behind the blasts, Muslims initially charged with the crime—in which nearly all victims were Muslims—were not let off till 2012—and that too only on bail.

The said bureaucrat was worried over several Malegaon blast type incidents existing in India—and the deep sense of alienation that Muslim youths are passing through. At one point, I remarked in the usual arm chair discussion mode that “what will happen if 25 crore Indian Muslims decide to revolt?”

My friend replied calmly that forget about crores—the Indian security apparatus will not be able to handle even a 10,000 strong, militant crowd.

Next day, on 11th August 2012, my friend’s words came back to haunt me as I saw the footage of not more than 500-1000 people, thrashing up the police, media and anyone who came their way.

This aggressive mass had emerged from a 50,000 strong gathering at Azad Maidan, Mumbai, called by different Muslim groups such as the Raza Academy to protest against Assam ethnic violence and the systematic killing of Rohingiya Muslims in Myanmar.

Now, newspaper reports/commentators are talking about the hidden NCP-Congress fight in Mumbai; how the Raza Academy group of maulavis are close to NCP; and how the Azad Maidan protest was used by Sharad Pawar to shift focus away from the investigations (of corruption charges) against a NCP minister and the like.

As an active participant in several mass movements—some of which I actually led in my capacity as a Left student leader of Allahabad University—a campus famous for anti-establishment student militancy—I could not but express scepticism at the NCP-conspiracy angle. I remember in 1985, the students of Allahabad University had organized a massive movement against fee rise; ordinary students—some of them toppers of their disciplines—fought the police for hours with nothing but stones—so much so that several companies of the famed Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) of Uttar Pradesh had to retreat, not once but twice.

During the 1985 Allahabad movement, several elements who kept hand-made guns (katta) and hand-made bombs in their rooms (a normal practice in Uttar Pradesh campus’ at least till the 1990s), too came out to fight when the PAC started invading hostels and beating up the students mercilessly in the lathi-charge melee.

Bombs were thrown—guns were fired—at PAC jawans. All this was done without exception by senior, upper caste Hindu boys, dominating the hostels, some of whom had clear, but small time, criminal connections.

Yet, guns and bombs constituted less than 5 per cent of the student upsurge. The nature of mass movements is such that all elements of society—including the criminal-lumpen constituent—tend to participate. But ordinary people/students/youngsters always—without exception—form the bulk.

Things have changed quite a lot since the 1980s and 1990s. Indeed, the last 15 years has not seen a major mass movement even in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the traditional hotbeds of turbulence. I think media—which has emerged as a phenomenal force in precisely these 15 years—suffers from a lack of experience and perspective as far as mass movements and actions are concerned.

In politics as well, a new breed of managerial-technocrat—yuppies and foreign educated—politicians have emerged. They dominate nearly all parties. Let alone mass movements and mass actions, they do not understand mass dynamics. In 2011, they failed terribly in reading the dynamics behind the Anna phenomenon. In 2012, incidents at Manesar and Mumbai leave them speechless.

This is unfortunate. The attitude which sees politics as an entity that can be `managed’—or masses as consumers who can be manipulated into buying poll promises—misses the entire point.

Several 21^st Century, fab-india jholawala types—not Leftists but NGO marka activists—also suffer deeply from this malaise. These elements see masses as objects of suffering, passive and bhola-bhala. They commit the fatal mistake of viewing violence or aggression as some outside impulse, brought into a mass action either by vested interests or certain lobbies and so on and forth.

Violence and aggression are part and parcel of mass movements/actions. After an incident of mass violence in Chauri Chaura, Gorakhpur, Mahatama Gandhi withdrew the non-cooperation movement in 1921. But the same Mahatama did not utter a word of condemnation of the massive violence unleashed by the Indian people against the British colonial State in 1942.

After Independence, though violence remained part of mass movements and actions, the art of negotiation and growth of leaders who could talk to—or listen to—masses—minimised to a great degree the role of bloodshed. However since the late 1990s—the art of going deep into the people—entering people’s homes during election campaigns to have a cup of tea—and occurrences of leaders breaking security cordons to shake hands with the people—allowing literally the tearing apart of their kurtas—has vanished.

Especially in the 2000s, political leaders have ceded the middle ground of interacting with the people, going on padyatras and the like. Even when they take such initiatives, it is for a limited period of time. In some cases, it even appears pretentious.

Mumbai violence essentially emerged out of the pent-up rage of Muslim youth. The brutal killings in Assam and Myanmar may have served as a trigger—and yes, some lumpen elements were definitely present to add fuel to fire. But serious issues should not be reduced to mere manifestations—one has to understand the reasons behind incidents of mass violence.

There is something seriously sick with a society that allows 4,00,000 of its own citizens to live like animals in Assam in relief camps—and does not condemn the planned violence unleashed on them by trained anti-national militias. Instead, political leaders are seen harping on the illegal immigration issue—forgetting conveniently that at least 20-30 per cent of the 400,000 people living in camps in Assam are Bengali Hindus, Santhals or Biharis.

A society which looks the other way when haves unleash violence on the have-nots has no business complaining when the have-nots retaliate. In Manesar we saw how while the profits of Maruti Suzuki soared by 2200 per cent, wages of workers stagnated at 5.5 percent.

Violence is written in the script of the new India that emerges following the liberalization process. In Manesar, many workers who took part in the movement are graduates—in Mumbai and other metros, a new generation of Muslims—with university degrees, skills, MBAs up their sleeves—have emerged. The material wealth around them has made their aspirations run high. They want more—and unlike their fathers or grandfathers—they are vocal and aggressive about their wants. But the delivery is poor. Most of the educated Muslims still live in ghettos and slums where basic amenities like electricity, water, health centres are missing. They seldom see the face of their local body representative, MLA or MP. Unlike the old days, there is no one to organize at least a meeting in their locality, to express shame and regret, at say, Assam type killings.

On the other hand, these youths have mobiles and can access the internet. They are tech savvy; when the political class fails to address them, they go by what they see on the screen or what they hear from their mobile phones. Why will they not react with violence?

Right wing bloggers will now say that the combination of education, technology and backwardness is not particular to Muslims. True, this is a general Indian phenomenon. That is why I quoted Manesar where 95 per cent workers are Hindus of different castes. So don’t say that Muslims resort to violence because their ideology or religion says so—try instead, to understand—irrespective of caste or creed—the social roots of contemporary violence in all its shades and complexity.

Déjà vu in Mumbai - Editorial - THE HINDU, Chennai, INDIA

Comments posted on THE HINDU website over Editorial: Déjà vu in Mumbai

It is not déjà vu. Never in the past has such violence been unleashed by Muslims in the city. Even the 1989 protest march against Rushdie's book was peaceful until a political decision by Sharad Pawar translated into a shooting spree by a communal police commissioner in charge. Pawar's worry was that such huge crowd was organised by politically lightweight Muslim leaders, threatening his own Muslim proxies. Currently too, there is clear sign that the group - Brelvis were more aligned to Sharad Pawar's NCP and it is widely believed Sharad Pawar was raring for a showdown with Congress, its coalition partner, who were investigating a big irrigation scandal by a NCP minister. Hindu has clear independence to go deeper into the news and views beyond the news and views that seems to become stereo-type coverage of Muslim affairs. Muslims are not allowed to have an independent existence, without first paying their dues to the political parties. Hindu must probe and boldly report all sides.

from:  Ghulam Muhammed

Posted on: Aug 13, 2012 at 14:43 IST

------------------------------

PS : Brelvis themselves were led up the garden path. Their meeting was hijacked by professional goons.

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/article3758393.ece

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Opinion » Editorial

August 13, 2012

Déjà vu in Mumbai

Share  ·   Comment (4)   ·   print   ·   T+  

Saturday’s arson and vandalism during protests by Muslim groups against the ethnic killings in Assam and Myanmar caught the Mumbai police on the wrong foot, and not for the first time. The violence erupted despite advance intelligence reports and the deployment of an 800-strong police force and is a sad commentary on the state of law and order management in the city. Inflammatory speeches by irresponsible Muslim ‘leaders’ goaded the crowds to go on a rampage, burning media OB vans and vehicles, smashing buses and paralysing South Mumbai for a while. The police itself bore the brunt of the mob’s fury. The manner in which the violence unfolded points to pre-planned disruption and even city police commissioner Arup Patnaik, who made an attempt to pacify the crowds, admitted it was a close call. The media too came under fire and had to run for cover with many photographers and TV crew assaulted. While the madness lasted, a sense of insecurity and terror prevailed in the city with protesters taking over local trains and, for a while, the roads in front of Azad Maidan. For a police force that had reasons to fear the rally might end in violence, the failure to deploy and plan adequately was glaring.

That is not to say that political protests — even those built around the emotional pull of religious solidarity — must not be allowed in the city. In the past too, the roads of Mumbai and the sprawling Azad Maidan have been jammed with Muslim groups demonstrating against the Iraq war and earlier over the Supreme Court's Shah Bano judgment. Despite the overwhelming numbers, the protests were peaceful except during the 1989 rally in Bhendi Bazar against Salman Rushdie’s book, The Satanic Verses, which resulted in nine deaths in police firing. After that, Mumbai witnessed its worst communal carnage in 1992-93 in which hundreds of Muslims lost their lives. In the 20 years after the riots, the city has witnessed many bomb blasts after its first in 1993, the terror strike of 2008 and the serial blasts last year. There is a sense of fear, especially among Muslims, after each bomb blast since they are on the radar of suspicion. The failure of the criminal justice system to punish the instigators and facilitators of the 1992-93 violence also rankles them. This is the emotional terrain that self-styled community leaders and aspiring politicians are quick to cash in on by playing on the insecurities of the Muslim community. Saturday’s violence could well be the result of such mischievous instigation. Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan must now take swift action against these vested interests and prevent the city from turning into a cauldron of hate.

Keywords: Assam riots, Mumbai protest, Azad Maidan Ground

Comments:

Why would Muslims in Mumbai indulge in unruly violence to protest against alleged killings of Muslims in Assam and Myanmar? Feeling of insecurity, as stated by you, could be one of the many reasons. But surely, these are not local Muslims or else they should have protested about more valid reasons rather than alleged violence in far away Assam or Myanmar ( a foreign country). What is the country having common borders with both Assam and Myanmar? The answer is Bangla Desh. Why were these protestors having more affinity towards issues pertaining to Bangla Desh rather than towards the local issues? This is a matter of investigation.

from:  Pramod Patil

Posted on: Aug 13, 2012 at 06:21 IST

Police and state intellgence have bene caught napping. In such
agitations for which thousands travel in groups in suburban traisn,
there is a laot of advance indication. People trek from trains right
from 1 am onwards. The precise questrion is on the issue of police
lack of alertness and not being rpeapred to meet the situation. All
these potential demonstrators congregated in VCST station. EVEN TGHEN
POLICE DID NOT GET ALERTED AND AUGMENT THE FORCES. the result the mayhem in A MAIDAN. politcal accountability demands the home minsiter's resignation.

from:  s.subramanyan

Posted on: Aug 13, 2012 at 10:01 IST

Its a matter of deep concern that self-styled leaders hijack the collective thinking of Muslims and do not allow individual perspective to take root.What pains me more is the concern for 'Muslims' and not Indians.Had it been a protest against communal violence,it would have had credibility and support of all. This sectarian approach has alsways hindered the Muslim integration in the main stream and will continue to do so until we have minority leaders with nationalistic outlook.

from:  Apurv Sharma

Posted on: Aug 13, 2012 at 10:23 IST

It is not deja vu. Never in the past such violence has been unleashed by Muslims in the city. Even the 1989 protest march against Rushdie's book was peaceful until a political decision by Sharad Pawar translated into a shooting spree by a communal police commissioner in charge. Pawar's worry was that such huge crowd was organised by politically lightweight Muslim leaders, threatening his own Muslim proxies. Currently too, there is clear sign that the group - Brelvis were more aligned to Sharad Pawar's NCP and it is widely believed Sharad Pawar was raring for a showdown with Congress, its coalition partner, who were investigating a big irrigation scandal by a NCP minister. Hindu has clear independence to go deeper into the news and views beyond the news and views that seems to become a stereo-type coverage of Muslim affairs. Muslims are not allowed to have an independent existence, without first paying their dues to the political parties. Hindu must probe and boldly report all sides.

from:  Ghulam Muhammed

Posted on: Aug 13, 2012 at 14:43 IST

                            

16 injured as anti-Assam riot protest turns ugly in Mumbai - THE INDIAN EXPRESS, MUMBAI

IF CONGRESS GOVERNMENT IN MUMBAI ALLOWS POLICE TO SHOOT AT MUSLIMS ON THE RAMPAGE, WHY CAN'T ANOTHER CONGRESS GOVERNMENT IN ASSAM ALLOW POLICE TO SHOOT BODOS WHEN THEY GO ON RAMPAGE IN ASSAM KILLING MUSLIMS?
GHULAM MUHAMMED, MUMBAI
-----------------------------------------------------

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/16-injured-as-antiassam-riot-protest-turns-ugly-in-mumbai/987080/0

16 injured as anti-Assam riot protest turns ugly in Mumbai

Agencies : Mumbai, Sat Aug 11 2012, 18:11


At least 16 persons were injured when a protest against Assam riots today turned violent as protesters set fire to vehicles, including media vans, and pelted stones, leading the police to fire in the air and use batons to the disperse the unruly mob here.

Hundreds of protesters gathered at the Azad Maidan Ground in south Mumbai this afternoon on a call given by a city-based outfit, Raza Academy, to denounce the riots in Assam and also alleged attacks on a minority community in neighbouring Myanmar.

They suddenly turned unruly and torched vehicles, damaged buses and pelted stones. Police opened fire in the air and resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the mob and restore order, said a policeman deployed at the Azad Maidan.

Azad Maidan Ground, a regular venue for protests, is located near Mumbai civic body headquarters and CST Mumbai railway station. The bustling area wore a deserted look as policemen cordoned off the locality and patrolled the streets.

At least 16 people, including some media persons, were injured. The situation has been brought under control, police said, adding cause of the violence was being probed.

Due to the unrest, several suburban train services were briefly disrupted and road traffic was also affected.

Eight of the injured were rushed to St George Hospital while four each were taken to G T and J J Hospitals, officials at Disaster Control Room said.

"Three media OB vans and a police vehicle were set on fire. A BEST (civic) bus, two four-wheelers and five two-wheelers were damaged in the stone pelting," they stated.

Meanwhile, Raza Academy distanced itself from the violence. "While we were protesting at the ground, some people got aggressive and started behaving violently," Mohammed Saeed, General Secretary of the academy, said.

"We never encourage violence and strongly condemn such acts," he added.

MY TODAY'S TWEETS: August 10, 2012

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1m Ghulam Muhammed Ghulam Muhammed ‏@GhulamMuhammed

If Assam govt cannot protect its citizens, it should let them arm to protect themselves.
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@ZeeNews If you work hard at stealing, may be you 'deserve' more.
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LK ADVANI hides his communalism by pushing his ethnic cleansing on the basis of Hindu immigrants welcome, Muslims unwelcome; old RSS agenda.
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Times of India editorially turns dictatorial advising Govt ignore overwhelming opposition to Wall-mart and Carrefor as its legally empowered
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http://www.examiner.com/article/kera-exclusive-dallas-muslims-inspired-embracing-the-ramadan-fasting-um-pastor

Why a Dallas UM pastor is observing the Muslim fast of Ramadan

• Islam
• July 29, 2012
• By: Dina Malki

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• Islam
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• Ramadan
• love your neighbor

United Methodist Rev. Wess Magruder has not only decided to observe the Ramadan fast this year with his Muslim friends, blog about his experience, but break his fast with Muslims as well. Last night, Magruder accepted the invitation of a local Muslim to eat “iftar,” the fast-breaking meal at the McKinney Islamic Association. Having succeeded in fasting from sunrise till sunset for eight consecutive days, the pastor appreciated God's grace in this communal meal. Most importantly, this celebration reminded him of the main reason why he had decided to fast: neighborly love.
Magruder writes on his blog how he has been feeling spiritually stale lately and how he was yearning to the old Christian fast that he believes Americans are not big fans of. Therefore, Magruder turned to the Muslim faith for inspiration since he knew that Muslims have successfully been fasting for 30 days each year during Ramadan for over fourteen hundred years. The Muslim fast is a total abstention from eating and drinking during the daylight hours. Furthermore, the fast goes beyond the stomach to include the eyes, the tongue, the ears, and all limbs which are expected to be trained to submit to the pleasure of God by refraining from ill manners and moral vice. A few Muslims succeed in attaining a heart-fast where they become spiritually submissive to the divine as well.

 

 

View slideshow: Ramadan in Dallas and all over the world

 

UM Dallas Rev. Wess Magruder is observing a month long Muslim fast during Ramadan

 

Photo credit:www.unitedmethodistreporter.com

Thus, Magruder’s blog includes a lot of comparative religion as well as spiritual efforts for a quest for the Divine. "I feel a constant “buzz” [during the fast] in my head," he wrote. "This buzz serves a useful purpose, by the way. It keeps me conscious of God, of God’s presence, of God’s will that is bursting to become real in the world. And so when something else isn’t going on in front of me, the buzz reminds me to speak to God."

Another main reason that the pastor took on the Muslim fast is his Christian ethics of loving God and loving neighbors. “But there’s another reason that I have chosen to ‘act like a Muslim’ over the next thirty days. I truly want to stand in solidarity with my friend, [Imam Sheikh] Yaseen, and his congregation in Plano. I want them to know that I do not resent their presence in my community and country. In fact, I am very glad that they are here.” (The New MethoFesto)

Not realizing what his blogging experience might trigger, Rev. Magruder woke up on July 26, the seventh day of Ramadan, to a flooded email inbox with comments from his blog. His blog posts have been picked up by local Muslims and Christians as well as by nation-wide readers who sent words of encouragement, advice, and support. The Huffington Post Ramadan Liveblog even included his posts. “I am overwhelmed by the response,” Magruder wrote.

Most Muslim commentators gave the pastor “high fives,” advice on surviving the fast, and thank you notes for sharing the experience online. One particular reader, Osman, invited Magruder to the break-fasting meal at the McKinney mosque mentioned earlier. 

Thus, this individual initiative on the part of a loving Christian neighbor was received with outpouring love and compassion and resulted in more friendships.

However, not all blog readers are Muslim. A few are Christian fellows who appreciated Magruder’s initiative in building bridges within the Abrahamic faith and in sharing the Muslim experience. 

Others were not quite impressed as they believed that this fast is a tough one and meaningless. Some non-Muslim readers also expressed their critical views about Islam and Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia as far as tolerance and the status of women. In a nut shell, the blog turned out to be an interfaith dialog where people from every faith contribute a thought or two and carry on a civilized conversation.

The DFW Muslim community has always been blessed with friendships, alliances, and bridges it shares with the larger American community. But this year, as more non-Muslims like Rev. Magruder are choosing to observe the Ramadan fast with Muslims as signs of compassion and solidarity, American Muslims locally and nationally are appreciative of such initiatives to close gaps between faith traditions and bring more understanding to our nation. American Muslims know that they are not alone in fasting this year because they are home.

 

 

Suggested by the author:

• Holy-friendly media: Radio Azad broadcasts special Ramadan shows
• Ramadan boot camp just started: The race towards God
• Dallas message: Pass the baton on to the Muslim youth
• How to get out of the clash of ignorance: the legacy of religious coexistence
• Islamic love notes and the story of marriage