Radical Faith and Freedom of Expression Sunday, Feb 5 2006 

faith and politics and religion and Religion & Politics and views musing 3:59 am

When the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published 12 cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad –
including one in which he is shown wearing a turban shaped as a bomb
with a burning fuse – it expected a strong reaction…[it] provoked demonstrations
in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir, death threats against the
artists, condemnation from 11 Muslim countries and a rebuke from the
United Nations.

Flemming Rose, cultural editor of Jyllands-Posten, Denmark’s largest newspaper,…said
he decided to commission the cartoons when he heard that Danish
cartoonists were too scared of Muslim fundamentalists to illustrate a
new children’s biography of Muhammad.

Annoyed at the self-censorship
he said had overtaken Europe since the Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh
was murdered last year by a Muslim radical for criticizing Islam’s treatment of women, he said he had decided to test Denmark’s free speech norms.

Link

Reading the entire news story gives us the necessary insight to
understand the ongoing debate and strife in democratic societies faced
with an alarmingly intolerant and radicalized Muslim reaction to
anything said or done in relation to Islam in the true spirit of
secular and democratic freedom. They begin to blackmail everyone.

The said cartoons were published on 30 september 2005.

But Islam’s claim that Prophet Mohammed hasn’t been portrayed in art because it has never been allowed is not true. You can see here a compilation of depictions of Mohammed spanning a considerable period of time in history.

 

A Glimpse of Indian Politics Sunday, Feb 5 2006 

opinions and politics musing 3:56 am

Do you know what ‘horse-trading’ means in Indian political parlance? It’s one of the ‘democratic practices’ followed in India to keep its democracy vibrant.

I’ll explain.

It’s the era of coalition governments in India, at
the center and at many states. The coalition is lead by one of the many parties that very often work at cross-purposes, but join hands by sinking their differences for a while for the sake of power. As a result, barring one or two exceptions, the government so formed is always shaky- the warring interests of the constituents of thecoalition cannot be held in check always.
The numerically strong party of the coalition, whose leader heads the government, is seen with suspicion by others
because of its potential for creating disaffection among the members of each constituent by dangling plum portfolios or positions or any other tantalizing attractions before them. Those who are truly tempted (it’s not possible to hold oneself against such temptations and we all know that) ditch their party and cross over to the other side or bring the
government down by creating a first rate political crisis by leaving the coalition and striving for the formation of a new government.
Transaction of huge amount of money also takes place in the bargain.
The entire deal is called ‘horse-trading’ in Indian politics.
In some cases the breakaway party or group reaches an understanding with the opposition party and engineers a crisis to pull down the government and try to form a new one.
This is exactly what has happened now in the South Indian state of Karnataka.
It’s almost certain that the state government will fall and another coalition government lead by the break away party
and the opposition will come to power. The speaker of the assembly has asked the government to seek a vote of confidence in the assembly on 27 January. The speculation is that the Chief Minister will probably resign before that to avoid the embarrassment of being voted out of power.
The breakaway party has herded all its MLAs (Members of the Legislative Assembly) into the tourist paradise of Goa and the opposition party into the tourist resort of Kodaikkanal in
Tamil Nadu in order to avoid poaching by the government. The MLAs are kept in star hotels in good humor by all possible means by their bosses.
They are worth a lot- I mean a lot.
There’s no other way to avoid ‘horse-trading’ and save democracy.

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An Unholy Lot Sunday, Feb 5 2006 

opinions and politics and views musing 3:54 am

“Do you have a professor who just can’t stop talking about President Bush, about the war in Iraq, about the Republican party, or any other ideological issue that has nothing to do with the class subject matter? If you help … expose the
professor, we’ll pay you for your work.”

Link

Rigtwingwing politics and their proponents anywhere in the world have many things in common. I think the most visible trait is their disdain for
intellectual freedom. As a result they try to intimidate those who
think and speak differently from them. Anyone who is not in their camp
is considered an enemy (of the nation!) and therefore should be
silenced by any means.
Another trait is their proclivity to selectively quote religious texts of the
faith they profess for basing their wild prescriptions for civil
conduct.
Rightwing politicians everywhere take it for granted that their country is the
property of their faith and those who are in the fold of that faith.
They promote a sense of ‘mission’ for their country to fulfill in the
world.
Another astounding trait is that they scoff at science and its method of
investigation of reality. For them science is ‘dogma’ and scientific
knowledge ‘superstition’. Yet rightwing politicians embrace technology
for military purpose and marshal all its powers for arming themselves
against other nations. Naturally all rightwing politicians are
warmongers.

 

Family Vehicle Sunday, Feb 5 2006 

family and views musing 3:18 am

If this were a photo from India, you would see children in place of the
sheep on the petrol tank with the man’s wife as the pillion rider. It’s
a common sight here. Mostly a family moving on a two-wheeler prefers a
scooter, which is considered a ‘family vehicle’. Two kids can stand on
it between the handle and the front seat. If the children are tall,
they bend down so that the rider (their father)’s view is not
obstructed. A two-wheeler family ride on Indian roads is a sight to be
seen.

Family Vehicle

The advertisement by Bajaj company, the maker of the
hugely popular Bajaj brand scooter, has a cheerful family of four
riding their scooter with the caption “Hamara Bajaj (our Bajaj)”.

But these days the demand is more for motor bikes.
Gone are the days when grown up boys would use their family scooter.
They go for a chic bike now.

Still Bajaj scooters are the choice of those who use them to carry milk
cans, vegetable sacks, etc. So “Hamara Bajaj” is not only a family
vehicle, but also a multipurpose vehicle.

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An Eye for an Eye Sunday, Feb 5 2006 

life and views musing 3:08 am

The wife and mother of Naushad, who is facing an ”eye-for-an-eye” punishment in Saudi Arabia today left for New Delhi to meet Saudi King Abdullah, when he visits the national capital next week and seek his mercy.

Naushad had been lodged in a Saudi jail for the last three years after a Sharia court slapped him with an ”eye-for-an-eye” verdict for causing damage to the eye of a Saudi national in an alleged altercation.

Link

Ah! Justice!
An eye for an eye will make the world blind, said Mahatma Gandhi.

 

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