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2 days ago
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Wikileaks and Propaganda Warfare
Just saw this video on the recent episode of the Wikileaks video regarding the US military's shooting of Reuters journalists. The professor's comments were thoughtful and something worth reflecting on as the Indian government is increasingly confronting a similarly hostile media environment in recent times. Security forces universally make judgment errors which cost lives of innocent people - that is not new but the enormous amount of adverse publicity it generates in today's world creates a challenge for governments in managing the situation. I have no issue with the need to ensure justice to victims but how are the broader consequences of adverse publicity to be combated when doing so is in the interest of retaining the support of the civilian population, morale of the security forces and the prerogative of the state to use force itself?
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2 comments:
On another point...
The chindu's second editorial on 9th April, 'Barbaric Practice' rightly concludes "...Without a change in this reactionary attitude, India will remain a country that ritually holds elections but falls way short of a truly modern, liberal democracy."
But such strong words apply only to (Hindu) caste panchayaths. The chindu's darling Muslims are a class apart. They are permitted to become a law unto themselves.
The Chindu has a new correspondent in Hyderabad. His name is Iftekhar. He was evidently recruited from Jamaat-E-Islami or some other similar fanatic organizations.
On April 7th, the new jehadi kid worries over 'Nikah over the Net, Phone'. The kid tells us that a rabid Mullah had "issued a fatwa terming 'phone marriages' invalid" in 1975 itself. But nobody is paying heed to the fatwa. So what? Shari-at courts?
On April 9th, Mullah Iftekhar tells us that the 'Muslim community (was) unhappy with the Shoaib-Ayesha row".
"The campaign unleashed by Mr. Malik and Ms. Siddiqui to prove each other wrong was in brazen disregard for Islamic principles", the kid informs us.
He then goes on to say
"Traditional Muslims are shocked at the way tennis star Sania Mirza and Mr. Malik, her husband-to-be, have been moving together even before they are formally married. “What we are seeing today is the result of such waywardness and unfettered freedom,” Ms. Aquila said.
And who is this Aquila? She is a member of the Muslim Law Board.
"Islam has laid down clear instructions to resolve disputes arising out of marital discord. “But all these are given the go-by and the families just traded charges through the media,” said Professor Rehana Sultana of the Maulana Azad National Urdu University."
"Religious leaders also failed to nip the crisis in the bud. “They ought to have come forward and exerted both moral and social pressure,” added Professor Sultana, who also heads the Progressive Women's Welfare Organisation."
So let us expect Ram to write an editorial soon demanding the establishment of Shariat courts delivering Saudi-Iranian-Taliban style shariat punishments to men and women who move together freely around "before they are formally married".
Let me congratulate Ram for appointing a Jehadi kid to write on Muslim affairs in Hyderabad. Let us hope that he will move on and appoint similar correspondents recruited from Jamaat-E-Islami, in all cities, towns and villages across India . Then he will not have to worry about advt revenue or circulations. The oil money from Gulf would take care of all such worries.
If TOI, IE or any other news paper causes trouble for Ram, he will not have to worry. Swarms of Jehadis, returning from a friday afternoon prayer from a neighbouring mosque would burn down the offending newspaper's office. And secularists would rise to defend the Jehadis because secularism in India has come to mean sucking up to Jehadis.
Your comment deserves to be a post by itself, Kuttychatan.
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