Following is a letter to NDTV by anonymous author
until permission is obtained to identify the author.
I want to begin by saying that the technician at NDTV (Mr. Kawaljit Singh) has set the transmission problem right and I am able to resume watching the NDTV debates. Thankyou. I watch them primarily because they are interesting in themselves but also because they provide an insight into what a certain segment of Indian society think about contemporary issues. In that sense NDTV is doing a service.
The most recent one is on Love Jihad (The Big Fight with Vikram Chandra). Given the nature of the topic there was a general disclaimer both from NDTV and Vikram himself that the views expressed were those of the panelists and not of NDTV.
It was a disappointing debate primarily because of the unevenness of the panelists chosen. There was Suhashini Ali (CPM) who raised the important point that if the women being converted to Islam were being recruited for terrorist activity then this is a serious issue. However, by the end of the program she reverted back to the old shiboleths of communalism etc. The same 'ol, same 'ol.
There were two Hindu reps. one from the Hindu Mahasabha and one from the VHP. This latter gentleman also raised the important question of recruits for terrorism. He also drew attention to the fact that the debate had moved from Love Jihad to Love Marriage (an entirely different topic). He was balanced and well prepared.
This skewed topic interested the young teenage audience a great deal and they laughed and applauded. They seemed to have missed the distinction between Love Jihad and Love Marriage.
Gold Medallist Tara Sahadev who had gone through the gruesome experience of Love Jihad began the program but was soon forgotten. Shazia Ilmi was schoolgirlish in her attempts to lecture to the Hindus about what their faith was : Paramatman who does not distinguish between faiths and gender etc. The other Muslim lady was not convincing about the true meaning of 'jihad'. Both ladies papered over the topic of forced conversions after the fraudulent marriages of Hindu women to those of the Islamic faith as in the case of Tara Sahadev.
The history of Islam does not bear out the Muslim lady's sanitised version of 'jihad' as a spiritual struggle ! Both world history and Indian history can attest to that.
Then there was the woman scholar (sporting a tilak) from DU I believe, who went into a fulsome rant against the Sangh Parivar today and against the RSS in particular, claiming that her research had shown her allegations to be true ! I am not familiar with her name and have forgotten it ! Hers was clearly a communal agenda ! It is indeed ironic that these accusations of communalism against the BJP and also the Sangh Parivar are being kept on the front burner by such people.
Nalin Kohli from the BJP was in a difficult situation but he managed to steer clear of any controversy and repeated that the Modi government was committed to sab ka sath sab ka vikas. He said he could not say anything about the topic of Love Jihad.
The facts, though, are that the phenomenon developed from Kerala and spread to Karnataka and other parts of India. In Kerala it is not merely the Hindus who are concerned. The christian Church has also produced stats. which show that more than 2600 young women had fallen prey to Love Jihad in the last year alone. Shortly after the fraudulent marriage they are forcibly converted and often shipped off to distant ME countries for a variety of purposes such as sex slavery. Those who consent to conversion are inducted into terrorist activities ranging from small operations to larger ones.
It is well known that Kerala has become the hub of sending out fighters to Afghanistan and Syria (ISIS).Details can be accessed at Haindava Keralam.com
It is well known that Kerala has become the hub of sending out fighters to Afghanistan and Syria (ISIS).Details can be accessed at Haindava Keralam.com
The Hindu Mahasabha gentleman could have focussed on the issue of what conversions mean to Hindus. In an
earlier program on some other topic the journalist Arati Jerath had disingenuously asked why Hindus who were in the majority were worried about the minorities. I recall that the BJP rep. from Uttar Pradesh made the important point that when some one like Prime Minister Manmohan Singh proclaims as public policy that all the resources of the country first belong to the minorities then the Hindus do feel insecure.
Above all, with the reduction of the Hindu population in Pakistan and Bangladesh from double digit figures (at independence) to single digit, and the driving out of the Kashmiri Hindus from Kashmir, there is a clear and present danger to the Hindus of the subcontinent. The Sikhs in UK have also raised the issue of the impact of Love Jihad on their community. They have done studies on the topic. The BJP could also initiate such a study on an all India basis.
All in all, the program was disappointing and Vikram who is usually well prepared seemed to be ill informed about the topic.
Regards,
Regards,
ANONYMOUS
No comments:
Post a Comment