After Tehelka report

After the publication of Ashish Khetan’s article in the September 8 issue of Tehelka, detailing how he had exposed the killers and mischief-mongers of Gujarat 2002 one-sided riots through his investigative report in October 2007 and how he made them record on camera the details of their crimes, the readers of Tehelka wrote many letters published in the later issues of Tehelka, praising the courage and honesty of Ashish. In his report Ashish in fact had complained that the countrymen had not reacted to his report which had been prepared with extraordinary struggle and striving in the manner he and his colleagues had expected. In these letters the complain of Ashish was considered right. In the September 8 article of Tehelka the biased attitude of judges and high government officials was also dealt with in detail. The letter writers also welcomed this daring. Some letters of this sort are included in the October 6, 2012 issue of Tehelka. One of them has something extraordinary to say and it is this something extraordinary that is the subject of discussion here.

That extraordinary point

And that something extraordinary has been written by Dibya Mohapatra in her email. After writing that Ashish Khetan has “done a great service to mankind and specially to the people of India”, she has written, “We have made our people no more than animals and the animals in our country have no sympathy at all.” The letter writer has not explained her point of view but the context in which it has been said can be understood. The incidents of Gujarat 2002 are in backdrop, where man-looking beasts exhibited their extraordinary bestiality. Whatever might have been in the mind of the letter writer while writing that ‘we have made our people no more than animals’, it does reveal a fact that in this country there is a group which strives to affect the morality of citizens in a formal, organised and programmed manner. It teaches them how to tell lies, how to spread lies and how to believe in lies; it makes them unjust, and creates hatred and anger in their hearts and minds against the sections that fall from the pale of its oppressive social system.

Sources of animal-making

This work of making animals out of humans has been going on for a pretty long time with the help of textbooks and literature, by metamorphosing historical facts, with provocative slogans and speeches, through campaigns and rallies, and by exploiting media. The range of this campaign spreads right from labourers working in fields, farms and factories to high government officers, police personnel, policymakers, traders, industrialists and judges. In this situation generation after generation is prepared. When they step into the practical life, they display such kind of mentality. Gujarat was made the laboratory of this mentality. This is why when a train was set on fire at Godhra station in February 2002, and on this basis riots were flared up then the animals prepared in this laboratory did their work. Perhaps India is the only land of its kind in the comity of nations where a group having claims of patriotism strives for destruction of morality rather than construction of morality, as a result of which men become animals and according to Dibya Mohapatra animals have no sympathy with anyone. We don’t know how those who are talking of making this country a world power look at this situation.

13/ 10/12 khabar-O-Nazar by Parwaaz Rahmani, sehrozaDAWAT, translated by: Abu Yusuf

Dr. Abdul Haq Ansari

Dr. Abdul Haq Ansari was born in 1931. In his early life he was very intelligent and promising. He was inclined to serve Islam and the Ummah; so during his very student days he got associated with the Islamic Movement. Despite paucity of resources, he kept on getting education higher and higher with his labour, dedication and love for knowledge. He did Aalimiyat from Darsgah Islami, B.A. (Arabic) and later on M.A. (Philosophy) and Ph.D. (Philosophy) from Aligarh Muslim University and M.T.S. from Harvard University, USA. The sensitivity he had to serve Islam and the Ummah kept on advancing and the Movement he had joined also went on progressing. At last he was elected its Ameer viz. supreme leader. After gracing this post for four years, he retired from it in 2007 and kept himself busy in academic activities on the lines of the same movement, the same thought and philosophy and while doing so came the last moment. He passed away on 3^rd October 2012 at the age of 81 in such a way that he was fully satisfied with his faith. – Friends and colleagues buried him with much love and devotion.

And K.S. Sudarshan

K.S. Sudarshan was also born in 1931. In his early life he was very intelligent and promising. Despite lack of resources, he went on getting education with his labour and commitment. He was inclined to serve the nation; so in his very early life he having influenced by the R.S.S. slogans of patriotism got associated with its activities. He also continued his education. He got Bachelor degree in Communication Engineering with gold medal. He went on working with devotion and commitment as well as zeal and enthusiasm to promote the policies and programmes of the Sangathan he had joined to serve the society so much so that he was appointed its highest functionary viz. sarsanghchalak. After rendering his services on this post for nine years, he retired in 2009. But after retirement he used to keep quiet; he devoted most of his time to study. He expired on 15^th September 2012 at the age of 81. But twenty-seven days before his demise a news report about him appeared in newspapers on which different people reacted differently. On the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, on 20^th August, he wanted to go to Tajul Masajid in Bhopal to offer Eid prayers (or to congratulate Muslim brethren).

Comparison interesting, end different

This comparison between the lives of two scholars is interesting in certain ways. These two remained associated with two organisations – large but different and poles apart – for the whole life, reached the highest position in their organisations but there was basic difference in their ends. While Dr. Ansari left the world fully satisfied and contended with their faith – he might have regret, if any, that his ongoing academic works with which he wanted to serve the Movement further could not be completed – K.S. Sudarshan was seen restless and restive in his last days which showed that he was not satisfied with his view on Islam and Muslims and that he was reviewing his views. Even if his mind had gone upset, as his colleagues are saying, there must have been something in his unconsciousness that had been compelling him to go to Tajul Masajid. A report in The Hindustan Times (16^th September) says that Mr. Sudarshan had deep study of the Qur’ān. – Anyway, whatever there was in store for these two after all happened. Anything further is in the hands of Allah. 

10/ 10/12 khabar-O-Nazar by Parwaaz Rahmani, sehrozaDAWAT, translated by: Abu Yusuf

Readership of English newspapers?

Indian Readership Survey (IRS) is an institution that measures the readership of newspapers and viewership of news channels and ascertains their value in the market. It releases its report every three months. It released its report of the second quartet of the current year on October 1. The daily declared by this institution to have the largest readership manipulates this certificate and exercises its superiority over its “rivals”.  The interesting thing is that this meanness is played not by Hindi or Urdu dailies but by big English dailies. In the last quartet report, this institution declared The Times of India to have the largest readership among all English dailies. In its October 3 issue, the Times on its front page carried a big headline, “Number one TOI widens lead over rivals across India”. Then it writes in which city how far ahead it is from its “rivals”. However in capital Delhi it simply says that its readership has grown. That is, it does not say that here The Hindustan Times is No. 1 as usual. It should be mentioned here that the survey does not provide the number of copies published; it only estimates the number of its readers.

Let serious readers think

It is all but natural that serious readers have no interest in this mutual competition between these newspapers and channels. However it is the serious readers who can ponder over their strategy to increase their readership and viewership (TRP). Besides presenting on news channels reports of events in a sensational manner, hair splitting, making mountains out of molehills, and making non-issue an issue and issue a non-issue, these media portals also promote obscenity and waywardness just to increase their TRP. In this regard the print media is also not lagging behind it. The magazine sections of two newspapers of Delhi, The Times of India and The Hindustan Times are replete with obscene pictures. They do not hesitate in destroying the young generation and involving modern prosperous families in mental waywardness just in the name of art and culture. But the most heinous work this media does to increase its TRP and earn monetary benefits is to disseminate the lies of government agencies more and more in covering incidents of violence and terrorism. In this process newspapers and channels try to surpass each other.

Media is also an industry and business

This competition among between these newspapers is not to highlight realities and promote virtues but to suppress realities and spread obscenity.  It was never that a newspaper or channel challenged the police story of a given incident of terrorism. Sometimes police statements on incidents of violence and arresting of Muslim youth and allegations leveled against them are so ridiculous that their realities become obvious even to ordinary citizens. Common people mock at these stories but these newspapers and channels try hard to prove them “solid” and “concrete”. Some so-called reporters even present stories of police and secret agencies as their own. And it is apparent that this strategy of media is aimed at increasing its TRP and reaping some benefits from certain political and social groups. As this report of The Times of India shows, it is these newspapers and channels that confess the fact that newspapers and channels are also business enterprises, and that like other businesses they too have competition among them. 

7/ 10/12 khabar-O-Nazar by Parwaaz Rahmani, sehrozaDAWAT, translated by: Abu Yusuf

Jesus Christ and the Christian world

A conference of Christian scholars on Coptic studies was held recently in the Vatican, the centre of Catholic Christian community. In this conference Prof. Karen King of Harvard University caused havoc with her revelation that Prophet Christ was married. The Professor made this “revelation” on the basis of the papyrus which contains the phrase “Jesus said to them, ‘My wife ...’ ” written in the ancient Coptic language of Egypt was found. The Professor deemed this papyrus belonging to the fourth century. While certain scholars have appreciated this revelation of the Professor calling it a precious document, most of the scholars have dismissed it as a fake document. They are of the view that the fragment might be ancient but it might have been blank, on which someone might have written these words in the twentieth or twenty-first century with some monetary gain in mind. In their view this inept manipulation cannot be accepted. (The Asian Age, September 29). Later on the Vatican organ also dismissed it calling it a fake document. Reuters maintains that in the Middle East dealing in ancient documents has become a thriving business.

This is a continuous process

And this is not the first time that this has been said about Prophet Christ. Such revelations about his personality are made from time to time and Christian “scholars” themselves make these “revelations”. That Prophet Christ was married and had children was not said for the first time. A few years ago this was made public in great detail with “The Da Vinci Code”. Besides the personality of Prophet Christ, ever newer revelations are made about The Bible attributed to him. In March last year famous New Testament scholar Bart D. Ehrman revealed that the six of the thirteen gospels attributed to Paul were fake and some unknown persons have included the names of Peter, Paul or James. (The Times of India, March 28, 2011). Even documentary films on the personality and personal life of Prophet Christ have been released; in some of them he has been presented in a very lurid light so much so that even heinous allegations have been leveled against him. And all this is done by Christian “scholars” and those belonging to the world of art and culture. That is, this is a continuous process.

Let sincere Christians listen

It is as if the Christian world has not decided as yet about their Prophet and the reality of his book though they believe in him and propagate his teachings. It is not only that they have not ascertained his personality and teachings but also do not hesitate in the character assassination of their Prophet. Now how can the religious entity that has such an attitude about its Prophet understand the Muslims’ faith in, love for and commitment to the Last Prophet of Islam? When the Muslims do not bear even the minutest sacrilege against their Prophet – whether it is hurled in the name of freedom of expression or in the guise of art – and condemn it in one voice the world over, the Christian world stands in astonishment. As the Christian world is not serious about their Prophet, nothing can be said to them. However, the serious, sincere and truth-seekers among them can be communicated that the best and only authentic source to know the reality of the personality and teachings of Prophet Christ is the Qur’ān. Only after understanding his personality through the Qur’ān will they be able to realize and appreciate the greatness of the Last Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be to him).

4/ 10/12 khabar-O-Nazar by Parwaaz Rahmani, sehrozaDAWAT, translated by: Abu Yusuf

This campaign is set up for failure if…

A commentator of current affairs, Samar Halarnkar, is of the view that the ongoing battle against terror in the country is set to fail if the chain of implicating innocent persons continues and victims, after being proved innocent by courts of law, are not rehabilitated. Commenting on the sad plight of Mohammad Aamir, who was cleared recently from many cases against him, the commentator, in his article (The Hindustan Times, September 27) has written that young Muslims are arrested on the flimsiest of grounds like possession of religious texts, newspaper clippings and educational certificates, and they and their relations are subjected to serious kinds of mental, physical and social torture. When some of them are released by courts of law, then neither police and secret agencies offer regret for their action nor does the government take it necessary to rehabilitate them. And thus family after family gets ruined. In this regard, the commentator has also kept in view the report of New Delhi’s Jamia Teachers’ Solidarity Association which profiled 16 such cases including that of Mohammad Aamir.

Jamia Teachers’ Report

This report of Jamia Teachers’ Solidarity Association is an extraordinary document of its kind. This Association was established in the background of 2008 Batla House “encounter”. This document took four years of continuous labour and strivings. It has revealed how the “Special Cell” of Delhi Police detains innocents and gathers ridiculous evidences against them. The Association wants a judicial enquiry into this “encounter”. Taking notice of this report, Samar Halarnkar has supported it. Besides Halarnkar, some other commentators have also commented on this subject during the last week and expressed concern on the prevailing situation. Although these commentators too are influenced by the terror stories of international media and the reports of police and national and international agencies, and understand that a section of Muslims is involved in terror incidents in one way or the other, follows the dictates of Pakistan and its ISI, nurtures extremist religious tendencies, and is promoting“Salfism”, etc. etc. as is mentioned in the commentary of Halarnkar. However these commentators are worthy enough to rise above jingoism and speak truth to some extent.

This isn’t the real issue

But this is not the real issue that there is a problem of terrorism in the country and the government want to solve it. Had this been the situation 20 years ago, it would have been true as had happened in the Punjab. Today the issue is something else, which can be seen in the backdrop of international politics, globalisation, overt and covert relations with Israel, and government policies. The ruling class here is doing whatever America is doing with Islam and the Muslim Ummah in the name of war on terrorism. You can challenge on merit the measures taken by police and secret agencies as the Constitution and laws are with you; but what will you do if all this is being done as per the State policy? The fact that whatever has been set as a matter of policy will happen notwithstanding the voice of protest raised by the victims and human rights activists, has come to the fore during the recent months. – If it is not so, it should be clarified first. The media could have done something in this regard, but it is fully with the State policy. The mentality of TV anchors and those participating in discussions is not different. Therefore, human rights activists and right-thinking commentators have to do this work. Jamia Teachers Solidarity Association also can do a lot.

01/ 10/12 khabar-O-Nazar by Parwaaz Rahmani, sehrozaDAWAT, translated by: Abu Yusuf