The tragedy that struck Paris has reverberated across the civilized world. The city of Voltaire, who made free speech and free thought sacred for all humankind, the capital of France known for its beauty and elegance, its writers, philosophers, artists: a centre of scholarship, intellectual inquiry and unrivalled discourse, was subjected to barbaric assault by two Algerian jihadis, who were eventually cornered and shot dead at the weekend by a French anti-terror squad. Before that the two brothers had killed the editor and staff of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. The shock at the dastardly deed was intensified by the murder of two policemen and four hostages held at a Jewish supermarket by a jihadi accomplice and the dead gangster’s moll, now on the run. Seventeen people in all have died. Shock and consternation have traumatized the nation, which is home to the largest Muslim and Jewish populations in Europe. Je suis Charlie [ I am Charlie) banners were seen throughout France; also France est Charlie [France is Charlie} These were expressions of defiance in the face of terror.The entire nation observed a minute’s silence to honour the heroic journalists and the two dead policemen. Undaunted, another set of journalist brought out the next edition of Charlie Hebdo. The alleged crime of the martyred journalist was a cartoon depicting the Prophet Mohammed considered defamatory to Islam and its Prophet. The issue is more far-reaching and complex. There are Muslim writers such the Bangladeshi novelist, Taslima Nasreen, who lives in India as an exile. Her writings and social documentaries make no mention of the Prophet, but are also banned in Bangladesh simply because they are critical of Islamic societies, their mores and practices. Do apologists want all critical comment on these subjects to be banned or scrutinized for approval by mullahs and imams? At this rate Charles Darwin and his theories of evolution will have to be removed from the curricula of all non-Islamic states in order to satisfy Islamic whims and prejudices. Islamic practices, writes Hasan Haqani, the former Pakistan ambassador to the United States, who fled his country and now lives and teaches in America, in a newspaper column in the aftermath of Paris, pointing to a deeper crisis in the Islamic world which, he says, has been ongoing for centuries. He points to its intellectual stagnation, its lack of progress in the sciences and in all forms of intellectual endeavour. Jihadi terrorism refracts a moral malaise, masks a deep feel of inferiority and insecurity. He has a point. In India, governments and the political class bent over backwards to accommodate Islamic sensitivities. India has kept aloof from the American-led coalitions of the willing, which includes France and Britain, that has decimated Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Libya, reducing these once prosperous countries to howling desolations. America and the West have much to answer for their crimes against humanity in this region. India has played no part in these murderous misadventure, yet it is targeted by jihadis armed and funded from abroad. Mumbai[26/11/2008] suffered a devastating jihadi attack from Pakistan, immensely greater in scope and destructiveness than the Paris tragedy. The masterminds of that assault roam the streets of Pakistan without a qualm, and the Pakistan military is rewarded by large tranches of financial and military aid by its patron, the United States. The scourge of jihadi terrorism was aided and abetted by successive US administrations as statecraft in the Cold War. The chickens are now coming home to roost.
When jihadi terrorism targeted other countries a few words of solace for the victims were all that could be expected. Terror in Kashmir, Mumbai or Delhi or Chechnya was acceptable so long as no harm came to Washington or London, or Paris. Readers wishing to know more about this fraught subject should read Mark Curtis’s widely acclaimed study entitled ‘’SECRET AFFAIRS: Britain’s Collusion with RADICAL ISLAM”. The book makes passing mention of America’s role as well, but the US culpability is dealt with more fully in kindred publications.
Let us expand on the theme. Today’s non-state actors in terrorism have been, and are, funded, trained equipped and let loose by states, from Saudi Arabia, the Gulf sheikhdoms and Pakistan. They are all clients of the United States, the United Kingdom and Nato generally. ISSL is in the field occupying parts of Syria and Iraq with financial help from the Gulf States. Its forces have sophisticated arms because such funding makes this possible. A week or so ago, a boat with suspected jihadis on board was making its way from Pakistani shores to the Indian coast, presumably to conduct a terrorist operation. It was tracked by Indian Intelligence agencies, and intercepted by the Indian Coast Guard in Indian waters before it could fulfill its mission. The awful events in Paris should make us all think long and hard about our responsibilities to make the world a more civilized place in which all men and women of every faith, race, ethnicity and creed can live in peace and harmony. The million-strong demonstration in Paris, which included leaders from the European Union, Russia and Ukraine is hopefully the first step towards true internal cooperation to eradicate the menace that now confronts civilization.
Era of hope for Sri Lanka as Rajapaksa is ousted
Mahinder Rajapaksa called a general election two years before one was due, and lost his gamble to retain power for a third successive term as his country’s president. It was his final service to the people of his country. He resigned immediately on receiving the electorate’s verdict. His opponent, the former health minister in the Rajapaksa government, Maithripala Sirisena, who became the opposition’s joint candidate takes over as Sri Lanka’s new President. Mr Sirisena had been increasingly disturbed by the growing authoritarianism of the administration and Mr Rajapaksa’s preference for rule by executive order bypassing Parliament, neutering the judiciary with placemen and stooges, intimidating the media and silencing voices of dissent across the country. Like all strongmen, he was intoxicated and corrupted by power in what was also fast turning into dynastic rule with close relatives in charge of key ministries. Mr Rajapaksa, having presided over the victory against the Tamil Tigers (Ltte), eventually lost the peace through his inflexible policies towards Sri Lanka’s minority Tamil population, hence was unable to heal the deep wounds of war; he failed conspicuously to bridge the country’s ethnic divisions. Greater autonomy, guaranteed by constitutional safeguards for the northern Jaffna province, would have been a surer way to win back the trust and confidence of the Tamil people, but this was an anathema for Mr Rajapaksa. His successor, President Maithripala Sirisena’s tryst with history will rest on his ability to win back the trust and confidence of all Sri Lankans through conciliation and compromise. Tamils and Muslims must be allowed sufficient space to participate meaningfully in national life as equal partners with the majority Sinhalese community to the benefit of all the parties. The mainstream will be enriched and stronger for that. Mr Sirisena’s arrival opens a window of opportunity to strengthen Indo-Sri Lankan relations, which had been subjected to periodic strain under the Rajapaksa dispensation. President Sirisena has said mending ties with India would be his first foreign policy objective. Trade and investment can move forward with speed as political and strategic cooperation at every level deepens. President Sirisena has the opportunity to embrace the future and make it work as never before. We wish him luck.
Indian student shines in Israel
Some twelve years ago, Zulfiqar Sheth watched in fear as a Hindu mob attacked his Muslim locality in Himmatnagar town, 20 kilometres from Ahmedabad, during the infamous Gujarat riots of March 2002. Now, aged 27, he has become the first foreign member of the students’ union at Israel’s Hebrew University in Jerusalem. “I’m delighted to be the first overseas representative in the students’ union. This election is testimony to the broadmindedness of the (university) community,” he told a reporter back home in India. A PhD student from Aligarh Muslim University, Zulfiqar was chosen by India’s Ministry of Human Resource Development for the Hebrew University’s “visiting fellow programme.” He arrived in Israel in early November for an eight month research project on “Performance Evaluation of Social Policies.” He says he became interested on learning that no overseas student at the Hebrew University had ever become a member of its students’ union. Well, it’s nice to be a first in an institution of 2,000 members known internationally for its high standard of academic excellence. Zulfikar comes from a humble background. His father was a shopkeeper back home and his mother a homemaker. Neither had been to school. His first schooling was at a local madrasa.
His time at Hebrew University, he says, has been an uplifted experience. Fellow students, some also Muslim, from foreign countries, have enjoyed the tolerant and welcoming spirit of the place. Zulfikar Sheth looks forward to completing his studiers at Aligarh and putting the skills and knowledge he has acquired at the service of his country, India.
