Marriageable age?

When the chaudharies of khap panchayat of Haryana recently said that one of the causes of assaults on women is late marriage hence marriage should be solemnized in early age, the champions of the “cause” of women mounted their diatribe on them; and the chaudharies too kept mum. And when, last month, the lady president of Indian Psychiatric Society Dr. Indira Sharma, in her presidential address, made the same statement, the champions including some members of her Society made much hue and cry against her as well. Khap chaudharies of Haryana were simple persons; they were not highly educated and perhaps they were aware of it; there they kept mum at the aggression of educated persons. Common people also understood that the villagers of khap panchayat can’t understand such a serious issue. But Indira Sharma was neither a chaudhary of Haryana nor an uneducated villager; she had formed this opinion after much deliberation, and her professional acumen was also behind it. Therefore, she stuck to her opinion (The Times of India, 9 February). Dr. Indira is also Head of the Psychiatric Department of Banaras Hindu University. Her subject is human psychology.

These different opinions
This discussion on the age of marriage is in the backdrop of an incident of sexual assault on a 23-year-old female student in Delhi on 16 December last. Among the six barbarians was a 16-year-old boy whom the Indian law considers juvenile. Another aspect of this is the proposal advanced by the khap panchayat, Dr. Indira Sharma and many conscientious individuals and circles like them. They are of the view that marriage should be solemnized soon after the age of puberty otherwise problems are bound to come. On the other hand, the idea of keeping population under control is lurking behind the government stand on fixing 18 years for girls and 21 years for boys as the minimum age for marriage. Those who are making much hue and cry on the views of the khap panchayat and Indira Sharma say that there is no relation between the age of marriage and sexual assaults. And it is these people who say that sexual assaults should not be linked with women’s lifestyle, dress and stepping out of their homes, and that young girls should not be told anything in this regard.

What looks apparent
An analysis of the entire scenario reveals the insincerity of the Indian society, especially of those sections which create furor on sexual excesses but do not support the need of searching the causes. Rather they get agitated at the very mention of causes. And if the trend, tendency and thinking of the society is deliberated upon more intensively, a sad reality comes to light that the sexual morality of Indian society is changing fast. Some recent court verdicts show it. Recent evidence is the proposal of Justice Verma Committee that the condition for a sexual act with “mutual consent” should be lessened from 18 years to 16 years. It means this is not necessary for the couples to be married. When the national society is not sincere on a serious issue like sexual crimes, there is no hope for any positive result however loud you raise a voice against it. Then is there no need that some far-sighted group comes to the fore to tell the citizens of the country that the issue of sexual crimes should not be taken separately. This is in fact part of the collective moral rot of the country. 

13/03/13 khabar-O-Nazar by Parwaaz Rahmani, sehrozaDAWAT, translated by: Abu Yusuf

“Historic opportunity” in Bangladesh

This is the headline of The Times of India (4 March) and the sub-heading runs thus: “As the battle for Bangladesh’s soul is joined, India must strengthen anti-Jamaat forces”. These titles show what would have been said in the body. The Government of India is being advised that the situation in Bangladesh and the restlessness of the young generation is very good and historic opportunity for India. The Government of India should extend full support to anti-Jamaat forces there and stop Bangladesh at any cost from falling into the hands of Islamic fundamentalists. The future of Bangladesh does not lie in Talibanisation, but in secularism. Khaleda Zia and her Bangladesh National Party will have to be kept from supporting the Jamaat. – Then the same newspaper the very next day (5 March) published an article by a political commentator Sreeram Sundar Chaulia, which is the detail of the idea of this editorial. However, there is a new point in it that the Government of India should have good relations with the opposition parties over there, even with Islamic extremists so that whosoever may emerge as victorious in the next election might not be anti-India. Jamaat-e-Islami has been accepted in the article as an effective power in Bangladesh.

This is the representation of English press
And these two analyses of The Times of India are representing Indian media, particularly English press. The stress of the entire English press is that India should avail herself of the situation prevailing in Bangladesh to stop the Islamists from getting strengthened over there. However, some newspapers are also advising the government to be cautious; they are of the view that direct intervention may promote anti-India feelings there. That is, we should change our strategy. These newspapers have been represented by The Asian Age in its editorial (4 March). The target of English newspapers is apparently Jamaat-e-Islami but the real target is Islam. Whatever abuses editors, reporters, commentators and letter-writers have in their stock, they are using them against the Islamists in the pretext of the terms like “radical Islam, extremist Islam, Taliban, Jamaat-e-Islami and religious fanatics. The utmost effort of Indian media is that the spirit of 1971 war (hatred and enmity) that has been rekindled in Bangladesh should not be dampened. There should not be any talk of Islamic Shari’ah system. Efforts are being made to ignite the Bangla and non-Bangla feelings in the same manner as they had been made during 1971 war.

Is this policy of ours right?
But this attitude of Indian media is in fact the expression of Indian foreign policy and it is evident that this policy must have had the support of America and Israel that do not want Deen and Shari’ah live in the collective life of a Muslim country. Now the question is whether this foreign policy of ours is right and useful. The experience in Bangladesh in the past itself replies in the negative. The Muslims of Bangladesh are practising. Despite instilling the poison of Bangla nationalism and irreligious secularism in them in 1971 their relation with Islam could not be cut off. – The other point is that every noble person in the world knows that the allegations levelled against the leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami there are baseless, absurd and full of political vendetta and this fact will be known to the world very soon. As for the efforts to establish Islamic life there, the people of that country respect Jamaat-e-Islami despite certain indifferences. Therefore, keeping these realities in view, our government should draw a policy. If a government is formed there on Islamic principles, there is nothing to worry about. That country would establish good relations with our country; and also keep in mind the presence of twenty crore Muslims here.

10/03/13 khabar-O-Nazar by Parwaaz Rahmani, sehrozaDAWAT, translated by: Abu Yusuf

The ire of an English daily

A report in the Indian Express (26 February) says that some Pakistani TV anchors have taken the responsibility of moral policing nowadays and are attacking the “freedom” of people. By raiding beauty and massage parlours, they are trying to prove them as brothels. Young couples at parks and other public places are harassed. They are asked whether they are married and whether their parents are aware of their affairs. The newspaper says that TV channels are competing in this work in a bid to surpass one another to gain popularity. The Indian Express is also annoyed at that one anchor Kamran Shahid recently said that one aspect of sexual waywardness is co-education; therefore co-education system should be abolished. According to the newspaper, the people and human rights groups are concerned over this situation. These groups say that TV groups are doing so under the influence of the religious teachings of the “right wing”.

Context of the situation

The context of the situation is that with the strengthening of American influence in Pakistan the shameless culture of the west is spreading rapidly over there. Its foundation was laid during the regime of Perwez Musharraf. Earlier this culture was found in prosperous families and westernised citizens and that too stealthily. But the Musharraf administration allowed it to go public. Therefore shameful acts started taking place at co-ed institutions, parks and other public places. Foreigners were allowed to open brothels in the name of beauty and massage parlours. This was increasing day after day due to American influence. As the rule of American slaves continued even after the exit of Musharraf, there was no question of making any effort to contain it at the government level. Therefore religious circles started taking notice of it. Voices against it started finding place in print media as well and some responsible TV channels have come to the fore.

What Indian media wants

But the Indian media takes it something wrong. It wants that as in India, shamelessness, obscenity and sexual waywardness go public in Pakistan as well; the channels there should be free to promote it as the channels are doing here; a net of brothels should spread under the pretext of running beauty parlours and massage centres there, as they are spreading here. Thanks to the Indian media, the government of Pakistan also wants the same. But unfortunately the people there do not want it; they are not ready to accept this cultural slavery of the west. It is the double-speaking of Indian media that it cries along with gentle citizens when girls and young women are sexually assaulted; but when the causes of those assaults are searched, it does not come along, rather opposes it calling it an attack on the freedom of women. The media of Pakistan does not do so. The media of both the countries should have worked together against this evil but perhaps India media’s love for corporate nature and globalisation does not allow it (to do so).

07/03/13 khabar-O-Nazar by Parwaaz Rahmani, sehrozaDAWAT, translated by: Abu Yusuf

The role of Indian police

About 17 years ago a book on communal riots and Indian police was published in English, Hindi and Urdu and was well received in earnest circles. Its author was Vibhuti Narain Rai, a senior officer of Indian Police Services. After a long research of one year, he, in the light of ground realities and authentic information, brought to the notice of the nation the irresponsible behaviour of Indian police and its heinous role in riots. But in fact this was not a book rather a research document which he had put before the police establishment for serious consideration so that police behaviour might be reformed in its light. But the police system totally neglected it. Therefore, Mr. Rai had to get his precious and extraordinary research work published in book form. Renowned and active human rights activist Teesta Setalvad has mentioned it in her recent analysis (The Hindu, 20 February). The article was written in the context of the recent riots in Dhule (Maharashtra) which was in fact one-sided police action against Muslims. The scenes of this police barbarity were well captured in mobile cameras but the media did not pay any importance to them.

After publication of the interview
Thereafter Teesta Setalvad questioned the entire police structure and its system and said that she had done a long interview with Vibhuti Narain Rai in 1995 which was published in about 30 publications. In the interview, Mr. Rai, in the light of his experiences and observations, further highlighted the role of Indian police, according to which the rioters belonging to the majority community take the police as their protector and friend during the riots. Teesta has written that after the publication of Mr Rai’s book and her interview with him the government and the police department did not take notice of it; however responsible citizens and some senior security officers, including the founder and former head of Border Security Force KF Rustomji and DIG Padma Rosha, turned towards it. Expressing concern over this situation, he had emphasised that the police department should take stock of the serious issue of communalism and casteism and take immediate corrective measures otherwise this situation of communal conflict among the various sections of society will take a serious turn. In her article, Teesta has also severely criticised the priorities of TV channels.

It’s not about police alone
The question here is why after all is this character of the police of Indian State? Teesta has confined her analysis to this question. But the area of the question should be wider. Is there all well with other departments of the State? Now this question takes us to the formation of independent India. The situation relates to a mentality which was created before the independence. It was this mentality that created the situation for partition and all the responsibility of partition was thrown on the shoulders of Muslims. A part of the land with Muslim concentration areas was separated in the name of Pakistan. Then a well-thought-out unwritten policy was adopted for the Muslims opting to remain in Independent India. According to the declaration, though the Constitution of the land remains democratic and secular, in which all citizens hold equal status, there is respect for all religious entities; however the ground reality is quite different. A particular mentality was granted full independence and all facilities to create hatred against religious entities and prepare lots of biased government workers with the help of its private educational institutions, literature and organised groups. Today it is that mentality which is at work. The question is not about police establishment only; it is about the behaviour of the State. Therefore, people like Teesta Setalvad and Vibhuti Naraian Rai should concentrate on this very basic question.

04/03/13 khabar-O-Nazar by Parwaaz Rahmani, sehrozaDAWAT, translated by: Abu Yusuf

The claim of a channel and its action

‘ZeeNews’ – This is perhaps the oldest of private TV channels. Its claim nowadays is that it is different from all other existing news channels and reports incidents and developments in a quiet neutral manner; that it does not indulge in sensationalisation, prompting and colouring of news. It has reiterated all these claims while reporting Hyderabad bomb blasts from the evening of 21 February till late night. But if we present a gist of the colour and tone of its whole night reporting, it would be like this: “These blasts prove that the roots of terrorism in the country are very deep and strong. They have links abroad; Pakistan, Dubai and Riyadh are their centres, wherefrom they get funds and these funds are used to propagate a particular ideology…. These blasts cannot be carried out without help from inside. Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Indian Mujahideen and other groups are active here. The recent report has it that Pakistan beheaded two of our army jawans and people belonging to Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad were present there….”

All wore the same colour
All the channels wore the same colour but none of others had been claiming piety; only ZeeNews staked such a claim, for it wanted to surpass others in concocting false stories, reporting sensational “discoveries” and holding criminal fake groups ascribed to a particular religious entity. However it is common that TV channels and English and Hindi newspapers compete with one another in promptings after each terror blast; every channel and every newspaper wants to surpass others in this job. Some English newspapers also claim courage and neutrality. For example, The Indian Express, whose masthead carries “Journalism of courage”, also does not want to lag behind others in reporting sensational news and spreading absurd long stories after terror dramas. It has never happened that this newspaper carried an investigation on its own after a terror incident, or challenged any story of police and secret agencies from any aspect while reporters of this newspaper make all efforts to hair-split the political and fund scandals so much so that they grill police and secret agencies personnel. But they do not see through any other angle in cases of terrorism.

This mentality is common
And why this media alone? The fact remains that after every incident of violence, great commentators, analysts, former bureaucrats and former ambassadors appear standing in the same line in holding responsible a particular ideology and its followers. Everyone’s wisdom, intelligence, honesty, nobility, and modesty surrender here. None says, even by mistake, that some other terror groups have come to the fore; they too should be investigated. It appears that this unwritten national policy on terror cases has been adopted and it is at work. This is the extraordinary situation prevailing in India which those Muslim leaders cannot comprehend who hold big conferences to demand surface-level demands; however silent Muslim intellectuals and scholars will have to think over it deeply. Today the biggest problem facing Indian Muslims is this which is related to their future in this country. One good factor is that amidst this jaundiced lot of media persons and political commentators there are many honest and truth-loving journalists, analysts and commentators who though speak the truth in low voice today, would definitely support the cause if Muslim leadership makes some concerted efforts for the betterment of the situation. Today Muslims should make only one demand: ‘honest enquiry into terror incidents of the last ten years and the blasts taking place these days’.

28/02/13 khabar-O-Nazar by Parwaaz Rahmani, sehrozaDAWAT, translated by: Abu Yusuf