india's own italian sacred cow (thanks to shashi tharoor's tweet) (and her 'baba') were totally silent about this.
why not cancel christmas next year in india? oh no, that would be 'minority rights'. but hindus wherever they are, majority or minority, have no rights. in fact, christist terrorists have canceled durga puja in parts of the northeast at the point of an AK-47 in years past.
ram narayan asks a very pertinent question. where is the busybody USCIRF now?
or for that matter susan arundhati? or shabana? or any of the other sob-sisters?
or prannoy peter? or b g verghese? or t n ninan? or pamela philipose? all the many christists in the indian ELM were very thunderously silent. implication: their loyalties are to ratzy, not to india. in that case, they should emulate their alleged savior the fictional jesus, and walk across the water (in this case the arabian sea) to their holy land [sic] aka the stinking desert of west asia.
silent were all the godman and other louts like john dayal and sajan george, who constantly whine about their rights in semitic-dominated india.
so were all the comrades.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ram Narayanan <ramn_wins@roadrunner.com>
Date: Sun, Sep 27, 2009 at 2:57 AM
Subject: Religious intolerance of Italy
To: communications@uscirf.gov
From: Ram Narayanan <ramn_wins@roadrunner.com>
Date: Sun, Sep 27, 2009 at 2:57 AM
Subject: Religious intolerance of Italy
To: communications@uscirf.gov
Gentlemen/Ladies:
Will the USCIRF take note of this report and and initiate suitable action?
Thanks,
Ram Narayanan
SUNDAY PIONEER, SEPTEMBER 27, 2009
In Rome, Durga is not welcome
Kanchan Gupta
What does it mean to celebrate Durga Puja in Rome? It means to be humiliated, harassed and hounded by city officials who happen to be pious Christians. Alright, I could be utterly wrong in presuming they are pious since I have no independent confirmation of their piety or otherwise. But let's get back to the question with which I began. Late Thursday night I was at the park near my house where the local Bengalis organise Durga Puja every year. It's a raucous celebration of faith and culture. The food stalls are invariably hugely popular and there I was with my nine-year-old daughter, standing in a queue for kathi rolls. After what seemed like an interminable wait, it was our turn to be served. Just then my BlackBerry beeped. Balancing the piping hot rolls, dripping oil, tomato ketchup, green chilli sauce and lemon juice, in one hand, I tried to read the e-mail on my handset.
No luck. I got shoved around, nearly dropped both rolls and my phone, and decided to let the e-mail wait. Later, away from the crowd, I checked the e-mail and it was a fascinating story. Since the identity of the person who had sent the mail is not really relevant, let me reproduce the text: "The Municipal Police authorities of Rome have today withdrawn permission, granted three weeks ago, to celebrate Durga Puja in Rome. The cancellation came a few hours before the Ambassador of India was scheduled to inaugurate the Puja at 8 pm local time. No acceptable explanation has been given. This has caused the local Indian community the loss of thousands of Euros spent in preparatory arrangements. The same thing was done in the same manner in 2008 also. Please monitor developments."
Now that's awful, I told myself, here I am having kathi rolls and there they can't even celebrate their own festival. On Friday, I called a friend in Rome who provided me with the latest details. Our Ambassador, Mr Arif Shahid Khan, a feisty man who has in the past taken up the issue of Sikhs being forced to take off their turbans at Italian airports, campaigned throughout the day, calling up officials, including the Mayor of Rome, and contacting members of the 'Friends of India' group in the Italian Parliament, arguing with them why permission for the Puja should be restored. By evening, the authorities had reversed their order and permission was granted to celebrate Durga Puja, which will now begin on Saturday, Ashtami — a full 48 hours behind schedule. Provided, of course, there is no last minute cancellation, as it happened on Thursday. Mr Khan will inaugurate the Puja, an honour he richly deserves.
The story behind the cancellation needs to be told, if only to point out that Christian countries in the West, whose Governments so blithely criticise the 'lack' of 'religious freedom' in India, have no compunctions about trampling on Hindu sentiments at home. After last year's experience, when permission for celebrating Durga Puja in Rome was abruptly withdrawn by officials who cited specious reasons to justify their grossly unfair decision, the organisers, led by Mr Rajesh Sahani, a Sindhi from Kolkata who speaks flawless Bengali, took ample precautions this year. They were given permission to organise the Puja at Parko Centocelle, a public park on Via Cailina, Torpignattara. Three weeks ago, permission was granted for the Puja at the park and necessary formalities were completed.
Early this past week, the Puja organisers were told they could not use the park as a crime had been committed there and the location posed security-related problems. The organisers agreed to change the venue. Another park was selected, permission was given to celebrate Durga Puja there, and the preparations began all over again in right earnest. Then, like a bolt from the blue, at 4 pm on Thursday came the withdrawal of permission by the Municipal Police. The organisers were bluntly told to pack up and leave hours before Durga Puja was scheduled to begin with Akal Bodhon in the evening. Why? No reason was proffered.
Some officials are believed to have told the organisers that the cancellation of permission at the eleventh hour, both last year and this year, was meant to be "retaliatory action against the persecution of Christians in India". It may be recalled that the President of Italy, Mr Giorgio Napoletano, has been vociferous in demanding that Europe should do more in support of Christians in India and to help them 'affirm their right to religious freedom'. The Government of Italy has in the past summoned the Ambassador of India to convey to him that it has "deep concern and sensitivity for the ongoing inter-religious violence... that has caused the death of many Christians." The Pope has been no less harsh in denouncing India.
There could be another reason, apart from its "deep concern" about the welfare of Christians in India, for Italy's callous disregard of the sentiments of Hindus in that country. Although the Italian Constitution guarantees religious freedom, under the Lateran Treaty with the Vatican, Italy recognises only the three religions of Semitic origin — Christianity, Judaism and Islam. All other religions are no more than paganism and are to be shamed and shunned. The Vatican would not countenance any open breach of the Lateran Treaty; Italy would not want to be seen as recognising Hinduism.
"It's only natural that Italy should have a surfeit of churches. But it's the rejection of any other faith than Christianity, Judaism and Islam that explains why there are so many mosques but virtually no temples in Italy although this country has a large Hindu expatriate population," my friend told me while regretting the attitude of the Government and the local authorities. According to him, there are only three temples in Italy: One in a garage in Venice; another at Frescolo and the third at Reggio Emilia. These survive at the mercy of local zoning officials.
But for Mr Arif Shahid Khan's pro-active involvement — most Ambassadors tend to stay aloof from community affairs — this year too there would have been no Durga Puja in Rome. Indians in Italy owe him a debt of gratitude. So do Bangladeshis who are equal participants in this annual celebration of dharma's victory over adharma, of the triumph of good over evil. Cultural and linguistic affinities unite Bengalis, irrespective of whether they are from the west or east of Padma, during this autumnal festival celebrated around the world.
Meanwhile, let's not get carried away by the West's bilious and bogus criticism of 'lackof' religious freedom in India and indulge in self-flagellation. Let the West look at its own ugly, septic warts. If Christians can celebrate Christmas in New Delhi, Hindus have the right to celebrate Durga Puja in Rome. This is non-negotiable.
-- Follow the writer on: http://twitter.com/KanchanGupta. Blog on this and other issues at http://kanchangupta.blogspot.com. Write to him at kanchangupta@rocketmail.com
_______________________________
Kanchan Gupta
What does it mean to celebrate Durga Puja in Rome? It means to be humiliated, harassed and hounded by city officials who happen to be pious Christians. Alright, I could be utterly wrong in presuming they are pious since I have no independent confirmation of their piety or otherwise. But let's get back to the question with which I began. Late Thursday night I was at the park near my house where the local Bengalis organise Durga Puja every year. It's a raucous celebration of faith and culture. The food stalls are invariably hugely popular and there I was with my nine-year-old daughter, standing in a queue for kathi rolls. After what seemed like an interminable wait, it was our turn to be served. Just then my BlackBerry beeped. Balancing the piping hot rolls, dripping oil, tomato ketchup, green chilli sauce and lemon juice, in one hand, I tried to read the e-mail on my handset.
No luck. I got shoved around, nearly dropped both rolls and my phone, and decided to let the e-mail wait. Later, away from the crowd, I checked the e-mail and it was a fascinating story. Since the identity of the person who had sent the mail is not really relevant, let me reproduce the text: "The Municipal Police authorities of Rome have today withdrawn permission, granted three weeks ago, to celebrate Durga Puja in Rome. The cancellation came a few hours before the Ambassador of India was scheduled to inaugurate the Puja at 8 pm local time. No acceptable explanation has been given. This has caused the local Indian community the loss of thousands of Euros spent in preparatory arrangements. The same thing was done in the same manner in 2008 also. Please monitor developments."
Now that's awful, I told myself, here I am having kathi rolls and there they can't even celebrate their own festival. On Friday, I called a friend in Rome who provided me with the latest details. Our Ambassador, Mr Arif Shahid Khan, a feisty man who has in the past taken up the issue of Sikhs being forced to take off their turbans at Italian airports, campaigned throughout the day, calling up officials, including the Mayor of Rome, and contacting members of the 'Friends of India' group in the Italian Parliament, arguing with them why permission for the Puja should be restored. By evening, the authorities had reversed their order and permission was granted to celebrate Durga Puja, which will now begin on Saturday, Ashtami — a full 48 hours behind schedule. Provided, of course, there is no last minute cancellation, as it happened on Thursday. Mr Khan will inaugurate the Puja, an honour he richly deserves.
The story behind the cancellation needs to be told, if only to point out that Christian countries in the West, whose Governments so blithely criticise the 'lack' of 'religious freedom' in India, have no compunctions about trampling on Hindu sentiments at home. After last year's experience, when permission for celebrating Durga Puja in Rome was abruptly withdrawn by officials who cited specious reasons to justify their grossly unfair decision, the organisers, led by Mr Rajesh Sahani, a Sindhi from Kolkata who speaks flawless Bengali, took ample precautions this year. They were given permission to organise the Puja at Parko Centocelle, a public park on Via Cailina, Torpignattara. Three weeks ago, permission was granted for the Puja at the park and necessary formalities were completed.
Early this past week, the Puja organisers were told they could not use the park as a crime had been committed there and the location posed security-related problems. The organisers agreed to change the venue. Another park was selected, permission was given to celebrate Durga Puja there, and the preparations began all over again in right earnest. Then, like a bolt from the blue, at 4 pm on Thursday came the withdrawal of permission by the Municipal Police. The organisers were bluntly told to pack up and leave hours before Durga Puja was scheduled to begin with Akal Bodhon in the evening. Why? No reason was proffered.
Some officials are believed to have told the organisers that the cancellation of permission at the eleventh hour, both last year and this year, was meant to be "retaliatory action against the persecution of Christians in India". It may be recalled that the President of Italy, Mr Giorgio Napoletano, has been vociferous in demanding that Europe should do more in support of Christians in India and to help them 'affirm their right to religious freedom'. The Government of Italy has in the past summoned the Ambassador of India to convey to him that it has "deep concern and sensitivity for the ongoing inter-religious violence... that has caused the death of many Christians." The Pope has been no less harsh in denouncing India.
There could be another reason, apart from its "deep concern" about the welfare of Christians in India, for Italy's callous disregard of the sentiments of Hindus in that country. Although the Italian Constitution guarantees religious freedom, under the Lateran Treaty with the Vatican, Italy recognises only the three religions of Semitic origin — Christianity, Judaism and Islam. All other religions are no more than paganism and are to be shamed and shunned. The Vatican would not countenance any open breach of the Lateran Treaty; Italy would not want to be seen as recognising Hinduism.
"It's only natural that Italy should have a surfeit of churches. But it's the rejection of any other faith than Christianity, Judaism and Islam that explains why there are so many mosques but virtually no temples in Italy although this country has a large Hindu expatriate population," my friend told me while regretting the attitude of the Government and the local authorities. According to him, there are only three temples in Italy: One in a garage in Venice; another at Frescolo and the third at Reggio Emilia. These survive at the mercy of local zoning officials.
But for Mr Arif Shahid Khan's pro-active involvement — most Ambassadors tend to stay aloof from community affairs — this year too there would have been no Durga Puja in Rome. Indians in Italy owe him a debt of gratitude. So do Bangladeshis who are equal participants in this annual celebration of dharma's victory over adharma, of the triumph of good over evil. Cultural and linguistic affinities unite Bengalis, irrespective of whether they are from the west or east of Padma, during this autumnal festival celebrated around the world.
Meanwhile, let's not get carried away by the West's bilious and bogus criticism of 'lackof' religious freedom in India and indulge in self-flagellation. Let the West look at its own ugly, septic warts. If Christians can celebrate Christmas in New Delhi, Hindus have the right to celebrate Durga Puja in Rome. This is non-negotiable.
-- Follow the writer on: http://twitter.com/KanchanGupta. Blog on this and other issues at http://kanchangupta.blogspot.com. Write to him at kanchangupta@rocketmail.com
_______________________________
5 comments:
E L M was silent about the cow's head anti Hindu temple march in Malaysia also. Did not see any coverage anywhere.
We should also highlight the racist/sexist/mafia-criminal Italian PM among Indians.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silvio_Berlusconi#Legal_Problems
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silvio_Berlusconi#Controversies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silvio_Berlusconi#Alleged_links_to_the_Mafia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silvio_Berlusconi#Wiretaps_and_accusations_of_corruption_through_the_exploitation_of_prostitution
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silvio_Berlusconi#Prostitution_accusations_and_divorce_case
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silvio_Berlusconi#Jokes.2C_gestures_and_blunders
Who is Silvio Berlusconi (P01)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oEYaXOXm7E
It seems Italian democracy is as wretched & farcical as Indian democracy.
It is in the same sprit that
www.uscirf.blogspot.com was setup to highlight double-standard and contradictions.
It provides a comparative analysis of india report vs. other report and highlights several shortcoming like Lack of standard structure and consistency across reports, Conflict of Interest, Lack of transparency and disclosure, Quality of content, Lack of independent verification of IRFA compliance, Faulty premise, Failure to represent both sides in an intra-member conflict etc.
For example:
Most USCIRF reports are critical of police excesses like detainment, profiling, harassment and usage of lethal weapons during civil unrest. For India, USCIRF reports police profiling, harassment, detainment and two gun-battle deaths of Muslim youth during police investigation of several 2008 terror bomb blasts which killed 308 and injured many more. As a rule, USCIRF acts as a champion of human rights and civil rights of accused civilian. However, there is one exception to rule. USCIRF India report has listed five events of civil unrest and mass rioting. In one incident alone police detained 35,552 civilians, fired 10,000 rounds of bullets killing 170 civilians and injuring many more. In recent times, only few civil disorders like Tiananmen Square witnessed higher usage of lethal weapons, killing and detention of civilians. Indian police response to civil unrest and rioting is too late, too crude and too lethal. Need is for rapid response, preparedness, prevention, usage of non-lethal weapons like Taser and greater protection of civil rights. However, USCIRF displayed little civil right or human right violation concerns around massive arrests and usage of lethal force during civil unrest. On the contrary, it is focused on punishing the accused. It correctly laments about sloppy prosecution and poor conviction rate. It describes Indian police response as “inadequate” meaning “too little”. It states “Mass arrests following the Orissa violence did not translate into the actual filing of cases”. In it's righteous zeal to punish, is USCIRF overlooking the fact that mass arrests without filing cases probably violates Article 9 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights?
Don't insult the Holy Cow!
-Satya
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