Secularism: A Conspectus of its Consequences

nov 17th, 2008

a good article, laying out a lot of facts.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Naresh

Secularism: A Conspectus of its Consequences

By: Adity Sharma
October 23, 2005

A retaliatory attack on Muslims after hundreds have been killed, an
isolated attack on a Christian after thousands have been fraudulently
proselytized; the former bit of information makes headlines, the
latter people barely know of. Sounds awfully familiar, doesn`t it?
Whose fault is it? The Islamic terrorists? The Christian missionaries?
Before we can point the finger of blame at any group, we must realize
the cold fact that people among our own midst are fomenting anti-Hindu
anti-India hatred and spreading spurious information.

Over the last few decades, a leftist, self-styled clerisy has emerged
with an ideology that is a detriment to the survival of Hinduism in
India or anywhere in the world. This farrago also known as secularists
consists of politicians, academia, religious figures, human rights
activists, journalists, and the most likely incognizant hoi polli
whose main objective whether conscientiously or unaware is to stay
away from and denigrate anything remotely resembling Hinduism or
Hindutva. This is all usually done in the name of so-called secularism
and impartiality. With these anti-India secularists leading the way,
Islamic terrorists, and Christian missionaries follow the example with
celerity.

Secularism`s essential pillar is indifference to or exclusion of
religion. Through examining events that were highlighted most in the
media, this essay endeavors to challenge and prove that the
secularists network of worldwide anti-India propaganda is a detriment
to the survival of Hindus. It came as no surprise then, when the
"secular" crowd went livid with rage ensuing the Babri mosque
demolition on December sixth 1992, the fact that the mosque stood on
the site of a decimated temple, one of Hinduism`s most sacred places
was of no importance to this crowed. Nor did they care about the ample
evidence in favor of Ram temple`s previous existence. This proof
included the archeological survey of India in 1975 and again in 2003
which excavated the site and found revealing artifacts proving the
temple`s existence from past centuries. Another incrimination is that
Muslim invaders themselves wrote gleefully about the destruction of
Hindu temples not just at Ayodhya but also at Kashi and Mathura. From
another perspective Babri Mosque was emblematic of Muslim domination
and brutality because Ayodhya is just one place that the Muslims
destroyed in their conquest of India. In a way by demolishing the
mosque, Hindus have shortened the list of places where Islamic
intolerance was glaringly perspicuous nothing of this sort is
mentioned in any "secular" writings. The only thing that is stressed
ad nauseam is how India`s secularity and its "helpless" Muslims are
increasingly becoming a target of the purported Hindu extremists.

A question that these "secularists" have still not answered is, where
were they when 300,000 Kashmiri Hindus were ethnically cleansed from
their homes, and hundreds killed, their properties looted or burned.
All of the support for this terrorism comes from the "helpless"
Islamic countries such as Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Also, no one was
killed on December sixth 1992. But what about on March 12, 1993 when
several bombs exploded in Mumbai seriatim killing 257 people and
injuring more than 1,400. How can any sane person condone such an
outrageous and unprovoked act of terror! Some blamed it on Babri
demolition; what is the sense in that? The recent attacks on the
makeshift temple in July did not get any condemnation from the
"secularists" at all. The Indian foreign minister himself assured
everyone that, "The peace process with Pakistan would continue
unimpeded unless there is a terrorist attack like the one witnessed in
London". Gems of wisdom from India`s own homegrown anti-Indians.
Clearly, from this and many other unwise statements on something as
serious as terrorism how can the world take India seriously?
Leadership matters within the borders of a nation, but to an extent it
is even more pivotal when it comes to making a wholesome international
impression. The queen of secularism Mrs. Sonia Gandhi went on the
offensive and said that the event should not be politicized or
publicized by the Sangh. So now it is a crime to publicize the truth,
but it is fine to highlight lies.

Then, from 1998 to 2000, reports of attacks on Christian missionaries
made sensational headlines and got the world`s full condemnation and
outrage at the Hindu right and its associates who had recently won
elections. One such case was where nuns were raped in Jhabua district
of Madhya Pradesh in 1998; this was quickly blamed on the Vishva Hindu
Parishad (VHP). Another event that was blown completely out of
proportion was the murder of Australian missionary Graham Stains and
his two children in Orisa in January 1999. Several bomb attacks on
churches in Kerala were also blamed on Hindu organizations. The
obvious pattern here is that no matter what the crime is, if it
affects the minorities, Hindu activists automatically without any
substantial evidence are denounced. Now, with further investigation
and personal testimonies, it turned out that all of the attacks were
all carried by Islamic terrorists, tribals who were fed up with
perpetual conversion attempts by the missionaries, or they were
inter-Christian feuds. Even with this evidence some tendentious human
rights organizations such as the U.S. commission on International
Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and New York based Human Rights Watch (HRW)
continued to blame Hindu organizations for anti-Christian activities.

While the world especially the Indian "secularists" shed tears over
putative minority harassment, Hindus continue to be the real victims
of terrorism. No one really seems to be paying much attention to the
terrorism that was and still continues to go on in the Northeast. For
instance, in may 1999 four Rashtrya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) workers
were kidnapped by the national Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and
were taken to forests in Bangladesh. Ransom was demanded from the
organization which refused to pay, and the four were put to death
around December 2000. What was their crime? They were preaching
Hinduism among the tribals! Other terrorist organizations operating in
the Northeast include, Darjeeling Gorkha, Naga, Manipuri, Tripuri,
United Liberation Front of Assam (Ulfa) Bodo with assistance from
Pakistan`s Inter-services intelligence (ISI). More attacks by NLFT
followed in January 2001 where 13 people were shot dead while they
shopped. Also, during that year the NLFT killed around 20 Hindus
because they refused to become "believers". These brutal killings did
not even get one eighth of the "secular" media`s sympathies that the
minorities enjoy.

How many times have we heard from organizations like Gospels for Asia
(GFA) and World Vision asserting that missionary work is strictly
circumscribed to humanitarian work? But (GFA) is not interested in
just helping the poor, they and the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC),
the largest and richest denomination in the U.S., were very upset over
anti-conversion laws passed in several states, thus exposing their own
ulterior motive.

They assert that Hindus themselves come to inquire about Christ. Maybe
this is true for some, but overall the assertion is completely false.
From time immemorial missionaries have been trying to Christianize
India going back to when the Portuguese set foot on the Malabar coast.
Today India has the fourth largest population of Catholic priests, and
that shows something. Money, fraud, and in some case sheer force is a
major factor in conversions. The Indian "secularists" and the
anti-India cabal sloughs over this aspect of the situation. The
tribals like so many others were furious with Graham Stains, so they
resorted to desperate measures. That murder was given maximum
attention by the media but what about the enormities committed against
the innocent Hindus in the Northeast, in Kashmir, and the never-ending
conversion attempts?

Infamous people like Angana Chatterjee and Marxist Ramila Thapar
constantly accuse Hindu organizations of infiltrating in to tribal
society and preaching Hinduism. The fact is that the practices by
tribals are much closer to Hinduism than the monotheistic faiths.
These people are also forgetting one important fact that missionaries
do the same thing. Do they understand that the actions of the Sangh is
not harming Hindu society but the missionary proselytizing is because
the proselyte is isolated from Hindu culture and is hence used as a
vehicle to spread the "good news" to other unaware persons? The
proselyte is also taught to hate the cultural/social way of life
(Hinduism) which is the single thread that holds the nation together.

In addition to conversions and the Kashmir dispute, the religious
demography of the Northeast region due to Christian terrorism and
Bangladeshi infiltration is changing at an alarming rate. According to
the 2001 census, Christian population has gone from 39 percent in 1991
to 45.5 in 2001. States such as Mizrom, Tripura, and Nagaland have
almost completely been Christianized. Manipur, Meghalaya, and
Arunachal Pradesh previously unaffected are now also quickly being
proselytized. In Assam and West Bengal where Bangledeshi infiltration
goes on unhindered, the Hindu population has declined by 3 and 2
percent respectively. In Uttar Predesh and Bihar, the population has
declined by nearly 1 percent from 1991-2001, and the Muslim population
has steadily gone up. These figures come as no surprise given the
missionaries insatiable rapacity for new "believers", and the high
birthrate among Muslims. It is also no secret that aside from seeking
a better living, the illegal infiltrators have a subversive agenda
which is to inundate border states and propagate Islam.

While Kashmiri Hindus are evicted from their 5,000 year old homeland,
the facts about Ram temple at Ayodhya skewed, and the demographic
changes in religious makeup of the Northeast all demand immediate
attention and action, the "secularists" and the anti-Indian cabal go
on condemning spurious acts, and ignore or significantly play down the
real problem. After all, every life is precious, right? Wrong! If this
was the case for every atrocity committed against Christians there are
ten atrocities against Hindus that should get equal media coverage but
are not.

It is also an unfortunate thing that separatism is intrinsic to both
Islam and Christianity; If Hindus do not wake up and realize this
unsavory fact, then 1947 and 1971 are ineluctable.

The offensive called secularism continued. On February 27 2002, 59
Hindu pilgrims (mostly women and children) returning from Ayodhya by
train were burnt to death by a Muslim mob at Godhra town in Gujarat
state. A cycle of violence followed the attack where 254 Hindus and
790 Muslims were killed. It was an unprovoked attack and that caused
the subsequent rioting. The "secular" media`s reaction to this was
disturbing to say the least. Just as the Stains Murder was
exaggerated, this event also had more than its share of slanted
reporting. If there was nothing sensational about a news item, tails
were invented to create that sensation and garner sympathy from an
unsuspecting world.

Malefic canards were and still continue to be disseminated through
bogus one sided human rights organizations and the media. One such lie
was that 2,000 people (mostly Muslims) were killed in Gujarat riots.
Absolutely False! The figures released in March prove that there were
around 1,000 killed in riots. Despite these figures, many continue to
satisfy themselves with a game of reality and fact distortion. Its an
incontrovertible fact however, that the Muslim death toll was indeed
higher, but who killed 59 innocent people in the first place? The
state Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) government led by chief minister
Narendra Modi is accused of complicity in the riots, for fomenting,
and justifying them. In its 2002 report "We Have No Orders to Save
You" - state participation and complicity in communal violence in
Gujarat HRW alleges that the Modi government and the police force were
doing exactly what the report`s title says. It did not provide an iota
of evidence to substantiate its wild allegation however.

Some reasons why this allegation is likely false is that, firstly, the
fact remains that the violence was not a one sided affair; both Hindus
and Muslims were victims. If the Hindu nationalist government truly
wanted to do what it is accused of doing, then there would be no Hindu
death toll to account for. Secondly, assistance from the army was
sought within 24 hours after the Godhra attack to stop any further
violence. Although, the chaos continued, one has to understand that
there are limits to everything; this attack was probably one too many.
For a long time, Hindus have been victims of Islamic terrorism. Some
instances include: the Mumbai blasts in 1993 killing 257, the attack
in Coimbatore in 1998 killing 40, the attack on Delhi parliament in
2001 killing 8, the attack on Akshardham temple in 2002 killing 39,
constant attacks in the Northeast and the incessant harassment of
Hindus in Kashmir. All these events have one essential commonality,
which is that there was absolutely no reprisal! The third reason is as
mentioned earlier, there is no proof that the state government really
fomented riots. HRW then describes in painstaking detail, the attacks
against Muslims, but when describing attacks on Hindus, it brushes
them aside as being retaliatory! So, with this logic, the violence
that ensued the Godhra incident should also have been considered
retaliatory. The media behaved as if these riots had never taken place
before. The truth is that there are innumerable examples of riots that
have claimed many more lives in the last 50 years. What was special
about these riots, was that the secularists and anti-Indians had
presaged the worst scenarios for the minorities if BJP came to power,
but to their dismay they were wrong. But now the riots were an
opportune moment to once again make gloomy forecasts and once again
they were back in the propaganda business!

Furthermore, some anti-Indian propagandists have transgressed the
limits of respectable falsehood and have shamelessly termed what may
very well be called a mere reaction to a brutal attack as being
genocide or ethnic cleansing. These propagandists do not comprehend
the dire implications of genocide or ethnic cleansing at all. Perhaps,
they should all take a trip to Pakistan or Bangladesh and report on
the plight of the Hindu minorities, there they might understand the
true definition of the term they abuse with impunity. Genocide means
when people are deliberately and systematically exterminated because
of their religious, political or social beliefs. What took place in
Gujarat most certainly does not amount to genocide, even if the term
was to be used in its broadest sense. In Pakistan, Hindus that
constituted 20 percent of the population, now they constitute around 2
percent. Similarly, in Bangladesh the Hindu population was 30 percent
in 1971; today it is less than 10 percent, a perfect instance of
genocide.

An apotheosis of ethnic cleansing is when 300,000 Hindus were kicked
out of Kashmir. But these are venial matters and can easily be
explained away with excuses. Besides, "secularists" and human rights
organizations are too preoccupied with reporting untruths and have no
time to pay any attention to issues of real concern. Instead of using
their famed names to expose real and not fabricated enormities
committed against humanity novelist, Arundhati Roy and human rights
activist Teesta Setalvad are too preoccupied with their anti-India
agenda. For instance, Arundhati Roy expatiated about the abuses
against women during the post-Godhra riots, which turned out to be
nonexistent and recently she had the nerve to demand the complete
withdrawal of Indian troops from Kashmir. How about demanding the
complete withdrawal of terrorism from the region!

But for how long can lies last for? Recently, in the Best Bakery Case
in which the star witness Zahira Sheik accused a mob of 21 men of
entering her family`s bakery and killing 14 people. It turns out that
the ,best Bakery Case was indeed a best fakery case, Sheik does not
know who the real culprits were; she has changed her testimony about
three times which spells incredibility. Of course, Teesta Setalvad has
a role to play in defending human "rights". It just so happens that
last November Sheik admitted that Setalvad had tutored her on what to
say in court. Sheik also revealed that Setalvad had threatened to kill
her if she did not say exactly what Setalvad wanted her to. This is
the "secularists" concept of human rights; so, now we have witnesses
being taught to manufacture and recite untruths.

Unchallenged, "secularists" continue their manipulation games even
outside of India. These U.S. based organizations such as Federation of
Indian Leftist (FOIL) Sabrang, Coalition Against Communalism (CAC),
Indian Muslim Council of USA (IMC), Association of India`s development
(AID), Association of Indian Muslim of USA (AIM), Promise of India
(POI), Federation of Indian-American Christian organization of North
America (FIACONA), and the newly formed coalition Against Genocide
(CAG) have formed to fulfill their hate driven agenda of Hindu
bashing. They write in meticulous detail and hold seminars about
topics like Gujarat riots and imaginary Christian persecutions.
Terrorism in Kashmir, Christian militancy in the northeast, literal
annihilation of the Hindu population in Bangladesh and Pakistan, and
the perpetual massacres of Hindus is never a cause of worry for them.

So as one would expect, in 2003 U.S. based organizations Sabrang and
(Foil) released what they called a fact finding report on the funding
of so-called Hindu fundamentalist groups in India after the Gujarat
earthquake by a charitable organization India Development and Relief
Fund (IDRF). These recipient organizations that were targeted by
Sabrang/Foil were namely VHP, Bajrang Dal, RSS, and Ekal Vidyalaya
(Single teacher schools) which were all accused of fomenting communal
hatred; strange that at least IDRF does not fund organizations that
engage in killing innocent people, indulge in fraud conversions, or
pose a threat to the nation`s security and integrity but the
organizations that actually fund hate are free to do what they please.

The Sabrang/Foil allegations according to the rejoinder titled A
Factual Response to the, hate Attack on the India Development and
Relief Fund are false because the material in question was cited from
biased sources, and taken from websites and manipulated to fit a
longtime campaign of calumniation of Hindu groups by the propaganda
agenda of Sabrang/Foil. IDRF was also accused of funding sangh
programs whose supposed agenda is Hinduization of tribals, and what
about the less than benefic agenda of Christianization or
Islamization, all of which is being completely elided. But what is not
false is the simple fact that the Kashmiri terrorists get support from
across the Islamic world and much of the weapons used by the Christian
militancy in the northeast are by in large funded by Churches
especially of the Baptist denomination here in the U.S. The motive is
all too obvious, this was purely a diversionary tactic so the needy
won`t get help and at the same time once again the world realizes how
the "poor" minority is in great peril. Improving lives is not even a
priority on these people`s list of evils, but it is to obstruct
India`s development in any way possible. These orgs have strongly
opposed India`s acquisition of nuclear weapons, arguing that this move
further endangers the Islamic world which already faces an ostensible
threat from Israel. Not a word was uttered when Pakistan also acquired
nuclear weapons. It is never the security of India, of Hindus but the
security of Muslims whose thirst has 'till not been quenched by the
taking of hundreds of thousands of lives.

In March, Coalition Against Genocide and Indian Muslim Council of USA
claimed to have pressured the U.S. State department to deny Mr. Modi a
visa. It is disturbing that with a law oriented maxim of (innocent
till proven guilty), our government would yield to such allegations by
dubious organizations. Modi has not been indicted let alone convicted
by an Indian or the international court. Uscirf`s International
Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) was used to justify this unjust action by
the U.S. government; the act states that any government official who
engages in violation of religious freedom in his/her nation, is
ineligible for a U.S. visa. It is odd that this act was in existence
for seven years but was used for the first time in March; there were
countless occasions where it could have been applied. For instance, in
the case of any government official from Bangladesh, Pakistan, or
China would all fit in to this category of the act the secularists
never make a sound when the terrorist President of Pakistan comes to
the U.S. This is also yet another manifestation of the U.S. human
rights organizations proclivity to be pro-Christian no matter what the
situation is. The neo-conservatives that have grown more powerful with
Bush`s reelection probably could not stand the fact that the chief
minister opposed conversions and took appropriate measures to
neutralize them in his state. (Justice for all, appeasement of none).

Along with distorting, manufacturing, and ignoring facts, another
problem in India is minority appeasement. Now, any democratic country
that indulges in placating any section of the population based on
religion can not be considered secular in its actual sense. Last year
when the Indian government foolishly repealed the Prevention of
Terrorism (POTA), it clearly wanted to please the minorities, and it
is just one example of the secularist`s way of justice. The U.S.
government will never discard the Patriot Act simply because a section
of the minority population feels that it is being unfairly
discriminated against. The question, who is responsible for most of
the terrorist activity around the globe, is not an esoteric one at
all.

Another example is, after the death of Pope John Paul 2 in March, the
Indian government declared three days of official mourning. Mourning
for the head of an institution (Catholic Church) that refused to
apologize for the Goa inquisition that was responsible for the death
of more than 100,000 people! In a predominantly Hindu nation, three
days of official mourning were declared, when in countries such as
Ireland, and France did not declare even a single day of mourning.

A couple of months ago Andra Pradesh government announced five percent
reservations in education and employment for Muslims. What's more is
that about a month this same government also was willing to grant
Muslims five percent reservations in political representation. These
activities are clearly antipodal to the true ideals of secularism. How
many Islamic countries accord Hindus reservations in living a
fear-free life let alone in political representation, education, or
employment? In Saudi Arabia Indians were warned against carrying
religious scriptures to the country.

While churches across the country have acres and acres of lands, the
Communist Party of India (CPI) demands that Hindus give up their
temple lands to the poor. Of course the needy should be taken care of,
but with land that belongs to the Hindus? Another classic example of
appeasement! These communists will not dare demand lands from any
other religious community. So, this overview evinces only a fraction
of how a concept that should serve as equipoise between different
religious communities, has been permanently turned in to a deleterious
situation for a society that had given a warm welcome to all humanity
that came to its shores.

It is truly astonishing that people who make claims and then are
proven wrong, people who display flagrant disregard for facts, people
who willfully distort information, and people who indulge in
appeasement to ensure their own political success, are held in high
esteem, and with the slightest incidents, are consulted for answers
they obviously do not have.

Now, the way to stop or greatly reduce this propaganda networks
damaging affect depends on what options are employed; the best option
is to create awareness among the masses, and that is the single most
powerful counteraction that will actually work. Awareness, in the
sense that educational/informational seminars should be held both
inside and outside of India. The second part to awareness is a media
outlet where events and viewpoints are analyzed objectively. Only then
can the "secularists" and their anti-Hindu, anti-Indian cabal be
defeated at the intellectual level which is probably the most
consequential level. For example, to counter American hegemony, a few
Latin American countries have united and have come up with a
television channel whose primary goal is to air the Latin American
perspective. The Hindus would do well to emulate this noble example.
Of course it will take some hard work and a fairly long time but the
eventual outcome will surely be rewarding.

Adity Sharma