Ganjan and Malala

This is the headline of a letter in the Statesman (17 December 2013). Therein lies the mention of the courage and bravery a 12-year-old student, Ganjan Sharma of Assam, displayed while redeeming eight children from the traps of terrorists. Children were saved but Ganjan was kidnapped by the terrorists. Later, she too was rescued by the police. The media covered this incident but in brief and the government of Assam also announced a Bravery award for Ganjan. But the central government still has not given any attention to this young brave girl. Then, the correspondent compared the Ganjan episode with the incident of Pakistani girl Malala Yusuf Zai, who was “shot at by the Taliban for supporting the education of girls”. He has written that today Malala has emerged as an international figure on the basis of her courage whereas no one outside Assam knows Ganjan although she deserves encouragement and the National Award by the Government of India. This Class VIII student has demonstrated very high morale and extraordinary courage at a difficult time. Correspondent, Ashim Kumar Chakravarty has sent this post to the newspaper from Guwahati. This incident was not seen anywhere in the national media.

This is fair enough, but....

The point of Guwahati’s correspondent is absolutely correct. The brave girl of Assam must be encouraged at the national level. However, by giving reference to Malala in the incident of Ganjan, the correspondent did not provide the proof of his total awareness. The case of Malala is diametrically opposed: she was not attacked; no one shot at her. It was a drama being played by the western powers under a wider conspiracy intended to defame Islam and Islamic groups. Those who are aware of the reality behind the campaign which is going on in the name of ‘War in Terrorism’ and the American conspiracies in this regard are well aware of the reality of the incident of Malala too. But simplistic people too should know that Islam is not against the education of girls, but more than any other religion or ideology, Islam is more supportive. The real Taliban, whether they are from Pakistan or Afghanistan, are also not against girls education. These Islamic groups are against only co-education and the teaching which makes them rebellious against their parents and traditional families by creating moral evils among the new generation.

Awards are political

As far as the question of not giving any big award to Ganjan is concerned, the compliant of the correspondent is fifty per cent right and fifty per cent wrong. It is right because children are given bravery awards each year at the central level; it is wrong because everyone is not given. For this too, they have to do lobbying. Sometimes it could be a matter of political influence and political necessity also. Now the honour like the Bharat Ratna Award has also become a subject of political necessity. This honour has been given to the actor-politician MG Ramachandran of Tamil Nadu, not known in recognition of which national service. The truth is that, Bharat Ratna award became political after only a few years of its launch when it started being given posthumously. Now it is not known to what extent this process will be extended to real or imaginary personalities in distant past. It would be better that the correspondent of Guwahati does not get involved into the matter of any governmental honour for Ganjan. Encourage the girl at the local level and ensure her future education. Along this, high moral education of girls is also important.

22/12/2013 khabar-O-Nazar by Parwaaz Rahmani, sehrozaDAWAT, translated by:Miss Khalida Hussain

The Proposal of Former Chief Justice

KG Balakrishnan wants a separate police cadre to be created in every state to deal with terror attacks. According to him, terrorism and extremism “have been the newer forms of disruptive forces which have to be handled by the police. These terrorist forces worked across many States, with links outside India. They also effectively used the latest technologies. To curb terrorism, the police forces would have to create a new cadre trained in low-intensity warfare.” (The Hindu). K.G Balakrishnan had been the Chief Justice of Supreme Court and now he is the chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission. He advanced the proposal for formation of a separate police cadre for terrorists, during the distribution ceremony of International Jurists Award 2013 and the National Law Day Award in New Delhi on November 30. On this occasion he also shared his ideas on ‘International Terrorism'. He made the statement on ‘separate police cadre’, in the same speech. Obviously, judges, lawyers, police officers and functionaries of law and order machinery must have attended the event in large numbers.

The process has been on for many years

The discussion on the subject of ‘International terrorism’ by a top jurist was not the first of its kind. Meetings of jurists, legal luminaries and heads of security agencies have been held earlier as well to discuss the subject. International conferences are also held. This process has been going on for several years. The most important thing is that, in these meetings, the definition of terrorism, its meaning and concept, its forms and varieties, are not usually discussed because the meaning of terrorism is already understood in the minds of convenors and participants of these conferences. And this meaning is the same which America has made the world understand after the so-called '9/11’ and the first and most vigilant among those who have understood this meaning according to the American Dictionary is the ruling class of this country. Extremism or religious extremism is the extremism of the adherents of a particular religion. To them, demolition of places of worship in the broad daylight with the whole world as witness, to terrorize a community by making (provocative) statements and issuing open threats in meetings and rallies, and genocide of a community by (engineering) riots, is not terrorism.

Had the leadership been awakened

Terrorism is indeed a major problem in this country. However, it must be seen how much it is real and how much fake. But even the need for discussion on this aspect is not felt in these conferences. This is the need in fact of the community which is the target of the entire exercise. But unfortunately, the leadership of this community does not realize it; rather it would not have any knowledge of what is being said on the subject of terrorism and international terrorism. Had there been any realisation and knowledge thereof, it would have (1) constituted a specialized group of scholars for further understanding of its goals; (2) prepared individuals to participate in talks and  discussions; (3) declared that the Muslim community is completely with the government and its security agencies’ efforts to counter terrorist threats, because this community is most affected by it; (4) demanded that the meaning of terrorism and its forms should also be discussed; (5) demanded that all incidents of terrorism in recent years must be re-investigated; and every upcoming incident should be inquired honestly and Muslim representatives be engaged in the process of inquiry, in some form or the other, and (6) the media should not be allowed to go out of control in this regard.

13/12/2013 khabar-O-Nazar by Parwaaz Rahmani, sehrozaDAWAT, translated by:Miss Khalida Hussain