Jihadists are driven less by theology than by rage against the societies: N.Ram

The stereotypical elements - poverty or indoctrination in madrasas - had no role to play in Shahzad's life. This stereotype was in N.Ram's mind. The rest of us knew jihad had more to do with an ideology. But he built his theories on this failed hypothesis. Now that his pet theory is turned on its head, he is utterly confused here. So here is the new theory from N.Ram: Jihadists are driven less by theology but by rage against the societies around them.

Political discontent, cultural dislocation and sexual anxieties are problems faced by all immigrants. Even within a country, people moving from rural areas to a city face these culture shocks. How many of them turn to terrorism? Some of them turn to crime, may be. But terrorism? Only members of a certain community seem to think of terrorism as the solution.  And these members are called jihadists because they derive their inspiration from theology which goes by a name beginning with "I" and ending in "slam". But look at how N.Ram blames the society for a holy war waged in the name of an ideology.

Further, he goes on to blame Hindu and Sikh diaspora of having a similar streak of fundamentalism. This is outrageous and totally uncalled for. What is the basis for such insinuation? The Hindu and Sikh community are a highly prosperous and well-respected diaspora and have left a positive impact on the societies. In his overeagerness to justify jihad, N.Ram seems to have crossed the
line of decency.

The Hindu : Opinion / Editorials : Figuring out Shahzad

Many diasporic jihadists are driven less by theology than by rage against the societies around them. Researchers have found this rage to be made up of an inchoate mix of political discontent, cultural dislocation, and even sexual anxieties. Unfortunately, hundreds of young diaspora Indians, among them Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh, have been drawn to the diverse fundamentalisms of the homeland their parents left. The seduction of young people by extremists reflects the failure of immigrant communities and political institutions to tackle the problem at its roots.

Playing both sides of the Iranian field

The recent (sham) elections in Iran has captured the headlines world wide not by the joke which is the Irananian democratic setup, but rather the creative use of social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, blogs etc. by the Iranian opposition to voice their anger against the injustice meted to them by the mullahs.
Chindu in its usual grandstanding view tries to please both sides.
It sings some paens to the Ayatollah,

Thirty years after momentous events brought Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to the fore as Iran’s man of destiny, his Islamic revolution has skidded into uncharted territory.

Then Chindu skids randomly across the scene and voices a phony surprise over the election and the recent order of a partial recount.
The cake though is this statement,

Only a free, fair, and credibly monitored fresh election can heal a nation that is treading a thin line between fear of theocratic authoritarianism and hope of genuine reform that is not in conflict with the revolution’s fundamentals.

WTF! The revolution of Iran was aimed at bringing the entire population into Islamic law. It suppressed opinions of more than half the population, brought the economy to its knees with various practices and wars. I'm shocked that a newspaper which talks about liberty and freedoms of minorities within India would openly support a totalitarian rule and the crazed mullahs who run that country.


Thanks kuttychathan for raising this issue.

Mile Sur Mera Tumhara ...

As rightly pointed by an anonymous reader, I've updated the title.
Chindu has an article - Against extremism

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (centre) joins hands with his counterparts from Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari (right) and Afghanistan Hamid Karzai, as they arrive in Tehran on Sunday for a summit on Islamic extremism and drug smuggling. They signed the Tehran Declaration under which they will work towards bringing security to the region.

Really, a Shia working with a Sindhi Sunni and a Pashtun sounds like a plan. Except that none of the three have the ultimate say in their country.
Ergo the moniker for them - The three stooges.

Foundation for a pragmatic policy towards the terrorist state of Pakistan

It is time for all Indians to recognize Pakistan as the global harbinger of terror and treat them accordingly. If the recent acts of aggression of Mumbai do not prompt this action then nothing will. A friend forwarded this article, '8 things India Inc, govt must do against Pakistan' by R Vaidyanathan, who is a professor of finance and control, Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore.
This article contains a very pragmatic analysis and approach which the mandarins in the North block should heed and was published on Rediff(I'm sure Chindu would've blocked this at the germination stage).
Some excerpts,

Recognise and treat Pakistan as a terrorist state. The state policy of Pakistan is terrorism and their single-point programme is to destroy India.

About the Pak's army

..do not try to think of Pakistan without its army, irrespective of who rules that country temporarily and nominally. At least 70% of the market capitalisation of the Karachi stock exchange is owned by the army and related groups.

About the people within India who support Pakistan,

There are three groups in India, who are obsessed with friendship with Pakistan. One is the oldies born in that part before partition and who are nostalgic about the Lahore havelis, halwas and mujras. The second is the Bollywood and other assorted groups, who look at it as a big market. The Dawood gang has financed enough of these useful idiots. The third is the candle light holding bleeding heart liberals (BHLs) who cannot imagine India doing well without its younger brother taken care of.

This issue needs to be tackled now with the government, sane citizens and members of the media should initiate action against this failed terrorist state.

Pakistan's clock is ticking

Apparently somewhere Indian politicians and bureaucrats found some b*lls to force Pak into action.
I never thought, I'd read these words in the Chindu,

Islamabad to formulate plan to act against Lashkar-e-Taiba

After all the apologetic positioning by Chindu about Pakistan's so called innocence in the whole sordid affair, with the metaphorical gun being put to Pak's head by both India and the US, Chindu reports the obvious that LeT was involved with the ISI in planning and operating the Mumbai terrorist attack.
Even US politicians like McCain are sympathetic to India and appear resigned to the fact that India would retaliate.

This is India’s 9/11. We cannot tell India not to act when that is what we did, asking the Taliban to hand over Osama Bin Laden to avoid a war and waging one when they refused to do so,

However that article written by Nirupama Subramanian titled, McCain warns Pakistan of Indian air strikes does not have a single statement direct or implied where there is evidence of India's retaliatory air strikes. Such articles steaming with lack of logic appears to be Chindu's style these days.

Post-terror editorial

http://www.hindu.com/2008/11/28/stories/2008112854791000.htm

In a rare departure from tradition, N.Ram shares the grief of the victims of the terrorist attack. I have shown repeatedly in the past how the post-terror editorial followed a similar pattern. N.Ram justified Islamic jihad through the standard phrases:
- discimination against minorities
- babri masjid demolition (this one never ends)
- hindu intolerance
- rss/bjp (any and everything wrong in india can be traced to this)
- pakistan's good intentions
- congress' good governance

The editorial never had any valid recommendation to counter terrorism. How can N.Ram come up with anything valuable when his analysis(sic) is rigidly biased. In this editorial too, he says more policemen and intelligence would do. Empowering them is not an option and no more tough measures required. How can you take this guy seriously?

This terror attack has destroyed the "mumbai resilience". Now the anger is palpable. What incident will trigger a smilar change in N.Ram? Afterall, a "secular" tag and a fully loaded gun could not help Karkare save his own life. And N.Ram is no more immune than him.

Just as the political establishment failed to inspire confidence, the media outlets have failed to trigger any intelligent debate on the issue of tackling terror. I was watching the coverage on NDTV today. It was about joining and not breaking up the nation. The discussion about improving relations with Pakistan never seemed to end. Friendly ties with Pakistan took precedence over terrorism. N.Ram toed a similar line in the past too. I would blame the media as much as the political class for misleading the public.

Some foriegn media outlet has written about the elephant in the drawing room. Very soon, you may expect the Indian media to follow suit. But Chindu will be very frugal with the truth. I doubt if it will even make it to the print edition. So I am posting the excerpts here:

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200811282241.htm

"When faced with fundamentalist demands, India's democratically elected leaders have regularly preferred caving to confrontation on a point of principle. The country's institutions and culture have abetted a widespread sense of Muslim separateness from the national mainstream," the Wall Street Journal said in a stinging commentary.

"The country's anti-terrorism effort is reactive and episodic rather than proactive and sustained. Its public discourse on Islam oscillates between crude, anti-Muslim bigotry and mindless sympathy for largely unjustified Muslim grievance-mongering. Its failure to either charm or cow its Islamist-friendly neighbours -- Pakistan and Bangladesh -- reveals a limited grasp of statecraft," the Journal said.

on taking office in 2004, one of the first acts of the ruling Congress Party was to scrap a federal antiterrorism law that strengthened witness protection and enhanced police powers.

The Congress, it says, has stalled state-level legislation in Gujarat, which is ruled by the opposition BJP. And it was a Congress government that kowtowed to fundamentalist pressure and made India the first country to ban Mumbai-born Salman Rushdie's "Satanic Verses" in 1988.

It is now time to call the WSJ a communalist, hindu fundamentalist, fascist, saffron outfit.

Delayed US visa humilates an editor

Haidar Hussain, Editor of Asomiya Pratidin, alleged that the U.S. Embassy took longer to clear his visa since he was from the minority community. “For the first time I felt that I am a Muslim. Never before in my life, I felt so much humiliation. I have been working for peace and communal harmony since my student days,” he said.

When did visa processing delays become humiliation. There is another person with the same name who is a terrorist. The delay could be because of the name and not religion. Or it could just be a procedural delay. If it were so insulting to be kept waiting and if Mr.Haidar Hussain is so convinced that it is because of his muslim identity, I am waiting to hear Mr.Hussain speak against the mindless violence perpetrated by his co-religionists in the name of religion.

Countering Islamic terrorism

Khare must be the face of Chindu's journalistic stupidity.

Within the same week, a handful of brave men of the Delhi Police were able to gun down at least two alleged terrorists;

The two alleged terrorists were affable people peacefully practicing their religion when the fame-seeking policeman barged in and performed the self-immolation ritual of shooting oneself.

the encounter even produced a hero.

As if by way of a rite of collective catharsis, our mass media spent considerable time in saluting and remembering Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma, the slain hero in the face-off at Batla House in Jamia Nagar. The “encounter” itself has been designated, by a section of the media, as avenging the previous Saturday’s perfidy, perhaps with a hint of a suggestion that the scores are even between the Indian State and the driven merchants of death.

As a journalist, Khare must have done some basic research. So he must be aware of Sharma's past (thanks to girish for the link).
Sharma, who is survived by his wife and two young children, had won seven gallantry medals including a President's medal this year. He joined Delhi Police as a sub-inspector in 1989 and was instrumental in the killing of 35 terrorists and the arrest of another 80 militants, police sources claimed, adding he had killed 40 inter-state gangsters and arrested another 129.
Sharma was a hero even when Chindu has been using a broad brush over the years to paint all policemen as villians. Khare is giving the impression that Sharma's act of valor is a selfish attempt at stardom. He reiterates this by doubting the veracity of the encounter.

... when the terrorists strike next. And, they will. And when they do, they will have the collusive support of the mass media in instilling a sense of insecurity, fear and anger in the citizens. And, once again, the Narendra Modis and the L.K.Advanis will feel vindicated in their poisonous catechism and will gleefully look forward to commandeering a scared electorate into voting them to power.

This is not the first time we are seeing Chindu announce emphatically that the terrorists will strike again. Is this some kind of fatalism that we Indians must resign to? Why does Chindu not begin by asking the tough question: what must be done to make sure there is not another terrorist attack in India? The answer probably points in the direction what N.Ram has prescribed for stopping terrorist attacks in Pakistan -- hard decisions:
- countering the common, unifying religion-based (Religion of Peace) world view of the various terrorist outfits
- elimination of madrassa-based groups,
- government determination in fighting terrorism

Why there is no Patriotism within Kashmir?

As per the implementation of Article 370 of the Indian constitution there are thousands of crores being spent on the citizens of Jammu and Kashmir every year. This includes the military resources used to protect the common citizens from militants. In the light of the Amarnath issue which was precipitated a state logjam by certain Kashmiri Islamist groups who now decide that the money and security provided by India is not enough. They would rather decide to live in poverty, squalor and terrorist mayhem that is Pakistan. As reported by the Chindu in an article titled, Islamists plan pro-Pakistan protest .
Mr. Praveen Swami a proponent of the imaginary theory of socio-economic inequality being a key reason of Islamic terrorism is the bearer of the bad news.

In an unprecedented development, the Jammu and Kashmir government has allowed Islamists to stage a massive pro-Pakistan protest in the heart of Srinagar ignoring warnings from India’s intelligence services that the decision could lead to a meltdown of state authority.

The entire article reads how the various pro-Islamic and quasi-terrorists like the Hurriyat have held the state in a state of virtual blackmail. Even the police is no exception,

Last week, Kulgam Senior Superintendent of Police Imtiaz Mir was reported to have been surrounded by a mob and compelled to raise pro-Pakistan slogans.

The silver lining here in this case appears to be that the moderate leaders like Yasin Malik and Maulvi Shaukat Shah have condemned the secessionist approach followed by the Islamist leaders.

Protestors from various political groups have infiltrated crowds celebrating Shab-e-Baraat a night of fasting and penance when, in popular Islamic tradition, Allah prepares the destiny of mortals for the coming year.

One hopes that in addition to preparing the destiny, some pragmatism is also given to the Islamists.
The Chindu has blamed everyone from Ghulam Nabi Azad to Saurav Ganguly to the BJP and has abrogated the Islamists so far for all their nonsense.
It would be interesting to see how LiC and his cronies would approach the patriotism test when the Islamists ask for an Independent Kashmir or perhaps secession to Pakistan.

N.Ram chooses China over Islamic terrorism

The Hindu : Opinion / Editorials : Terrorism in Xinjiang

The recent revival of terrorist activity in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwest China has coincided with the opening phase of the 2008 Summer Olympics and it is reasonable to conclude that there is a linkage.

Grand opening by the drum-beater. They are not militants but terrorists. By contrast, the serial blasts and suicide attacks in India are by militants.

What is clear after the attacks of August 4 and 10 in the minority region is that Islamist terrorism menaces China as well.

Couple of attacks is enough to label it Islamist terrorism. I am sure if the same incident happened in India, N.Ram would look at it in terms of ethnic conflict or independent movement.

According to this theory, Uyghurs were restive about Han Chinese migrating to the province in large numbers. These stock critiques failed to take into account the fact that the economic condition of the people of Xinjiang, both indigenous and immigrant, has improved significantly after the People’s Republic began its programme to develop the natural resources of the region.

Is this not the same argument used to ridicule the Tibetan movement. Economic grounds is hardly any justification for China to indulge in ethnic cleansing.

That the Chinese central government financed the rebuilding of mosques and other religious institutions was also overlooked.

This is a poor argument. China is altering the demographics of Xinjiang by migrating Han Chinese. The Uighurs are reacting. That China is rebuilding mosques is hardly an issue in this discussion.

The Uyghur extremists have demonstrated, in much the same manner as their fellow jihadists in other parts of the world, that their agenda is not shaped by a desire to redress socio-economic grievances!

We have demonstrated on several occasions how Chindu justified jihad in India on the grounds that it was a reaction to the socio-economic inequalities. Here Liar-in-Chief goes on to say that jihad worldwide is not shaped by socio-economic grievances. Turncoat editor views China and the rest of the world with different lenses.

China, which repulsed the first wave of Uyghur extremism in the 1990s, should be able to contain the recent attempt at a revival by the East Turkestan Islamic Movement. However, it could certainly do with more assistance than it has received so far from the leading actors in the campaign against global terrorism.

Now he indulges in his characteristic drum-beating for the Chinese. Not only is he standing up for China but asking the whole world to put its weight behind China.
What a contrast with all those editorials we see from N.Ram on Islamic terrorism in India.

Why is the Government silent after the Ahmedabad blasts?

The blasts in Bangalore which killed 2 people and injured several was followed by serial blasts in Ahmedabad, Gujarat which killed at least 8 and injured several others. The act was perpetrated by the 'Indian Mujahideen' or some group which claimed ownership with this statement,

We the Indian Mujahideen have carried out attacks and will continue to do so. Stop us if you can.

Some pics from the brutal attacks:




The impotent government of Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi pleads for peace while the perpetrators walk away free. Where is the accountability? Why is there no retaliation for these attacks? This impotence is going to cost our countrymen their lives while the so called principles of secularism have to be upheld. This is BULLSHIT.
When you cannot protect your people from attackers from the outside and inside you have lost the responsibility to rule. But the cowardly media will not question the government and the police about the lack of action. It is sad to see that our countrymen and women lack protection and freedom within their own country.
The police are being handicapped by the Government which does not provide the regulations, information and equipment to fight this war on terror.

A serving intelligence officer said in absence of laws like Prevention of Terrorism Act and Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (prevention) Act, terrorists who have built a formidable network within India do not have any fears.

Update from Chindu:
Both the PM and the President have appealed for peace.
The CPM went a bit further stating,

unfortunate that despite a series of such attacks, the government and the intelligence agencies are unable to crack down on those responsible for these heinous crimes.

Beyond the trite statements, the Union minister Shakeel Ahmed the braniac decided to put the ball in the Gujarat's state govt.'s court stating,

adding that the State government should have been more alert and alive to the potential threat.

Mr. Ahmed surely you don't expect the Government and police to search every cycle in a public area? How about providing the law and order mechanism some teeth?

Fwd: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia bankrolled Amarnath agitation

Thanks to Girish for the link.
At the time when N.Ram lashed out at the Governor, we raised some questions. Ram made some pretty harsh statements against the Governor. He then went on to blame the BJP and Islamists, fabricated lies, and tried to mislead the readers. Instead of supporting the Goverment's responsibility towards the citizens, Liar-in-Chief attacked the BJP on the pretext of overheads.

As in the context of islamic terrorism (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)Ram did not make any attempt to trace the root cause of violence or it would have dug up some inconvenient truths. We are now hearing confirmation that the violence was sponsored by the usual suspects.

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia bankrolled Amarnath agitation: Azad - Yahoo! India News

In his first public appearance in this border town, former chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad Sunday accused Pakistan and Saudi Arabia of bankrolling the parties behind the violent agitation on the Amarnath land row.

Lashing out at all the groups that made an 'issue' of the allotment of the land to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) and subsequent cancellation of the same, Azad said: 'Less than one percent of the population of the state was involved in these agitations, which were being carried out with money provided by Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.'

The Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley was rocked by violent protests after the former Congress-led government transferred 40 hectares of forest land in south Kashmir to the SASB, the temple trust of the Himalayan Amarnath cave shrine.

The Hindu : Opinion / Editorials : In god's name

When Jammu and Kashmir Governor S. K. Sinha demits office on Wednesday morning and flies to New Delhi on a government jet, the ground beneath his feet will be ablaze with hate. Sharpening a communal divide, engendering street violence, uniting anti-India secessionists, and precipitating a showdown between the Congress and People’s Democratic Party: these will be remembered as this Governor’s abiding legacies.

The critics were, on point of fact, wrong, for no land was actually transferred to the SASB.

Relevancy of title to the article

The creation of a title to an written article is an art. The writer is forced to summarize what he has written in a few words to convey the overall theme but also interest the audience to bite. In a pure metaphorical sense it is the bait to reel in the fish (something this writer strugges with). The Chindu does a reasonably good picking its titles, mostly safe and bland but gives the reader a reasonable sense of what is contained within.
However a recent article had an interesting title, War for the soul of Islam in India by Praveen Swami. The summary beneath the title detailed that Islamic leaders have rejected terrorism and the terrorist remain outside the fringe.

Deoband’s rejection of the jihad will do nothing to persuade violent Islamists to end their campaign. It has made clear, though, that jihadists enjoy no support except at the polar fringes of Islam in India.

While this seems a logical extension to Khare's earlier rant, this article meanders into historical anecdotes of how the Deoband was created to the history of mushrooming of madrassas in Pakistan and finally
meanders into a discussion on Islam and modernity. The article does not present any cogent arguments or evidence on how the jihadists remain on the fringes but rather delves into irrelevant history.
The disturbing information presented in this article is the repeat of a statement by Maulana Khalid Rasheed on the challenges to Indian muslims,

India’s Muslims have faced three critical challenges. The first was Partition itself, which communalists leveraged to coerce those Muslims who chose to live in India. Second came the demolition of the Babri Masjid, which represented a full-blown assault on the economic and political future of our community.” “Now,” says Mr. Rasheed, “terrorism poses a third make-or-break threat”.

This makes little sense.
After the partition if the communalists were so powerful how come the Congress ran the Central and most of the state governments for about 40+ years?
Why is that Babri Masjid destruction blamed for every issue?
Why does Chindu take everything said by these so called Islamic leaders at face value, but question any word said by people of certain other sections of society?
The poor summarization by Chindu coupled with such illogical articles often does not help put forward any useful thoughts towards the resolution. Praveen Swami has proved that he's the political irrelevant equal of Judge Iyer.

Khare's 'Advice' to UPA on Statecraft

Harish Khare’s op-ed on ‘statecraft’ is a good read of how not to conduct it. He starts out fine:

As most political innovations go, the UPA was born out of sheer expediency. It remains essentially a power-sharing mechanism, tactically an anti-BJP conglomeration, and symbolically an anti-communal, secular front. It has yet to realize its promise as the arrangement that will help the Indian state maximize its power potential at home and abroad.

So far so good. Then it goes off the rails.

If the BJP and the NDA find themselves stranded in the margins of political imagination, it is because the Left parties have managed to appropriate the opposition space. Be it people-centric issues or the disquiet over the proposed closer ties with the United States, the Left was first off the block in protest. In any case, because of its class composition and ideological preferences, the BJP has long ceased to speak for the masses, especially the poor. The Left may have caused considerable discomfort to the UPA but it has also helped to checkmate the NDA.

Left has managed to appropriate the opposition space. Left has checkmated the NDA. Eh? The left is limited to three small states in India and that is it. It is hardly in a position to checkmate a major national party like the BJP. BJP has ceased to speak for the poor. How does Khare know? Did the poor call him up to inform him about their changed preferences? The left and the BJP have been taking very similar positions on most issues. Yet, in his eyes, the Left gets all the credit and the BJP gets none. Both of those claims are mutually contradictory which only goes to show that they are not only patently false but utterly confused.

Perhaps in no other country have the Islamist terrorists been so forthrightly isolated within their community as in India. It is no surprise that the “Indian Mujahideen” (the group that claimed responsibility for the Jaipur blasts) reserves its harshest words for those Muslim leaders who have tried to inoculate the community against the jihadi agenda.

If the terrorists were so isolated within their communities, the intelligence community ought to have been able to gather information in advance and prevent it. Yet, the fact that the blasts were carried out successfully tells a different story that they are not entirely isolated and have managed to build and sustain a critical mass of support within the community that allows them to carry out their sinister agenda. Their harsh words for the Muslim leaders indicate their outrage that the clerics have sold out their community. The email and the blasts may well be their way of attempting to win their community’s hearts and minds by highlighting their grievances while highlighting their ability to take revenge for them at the same time – a case for vengeance and a show of strength at the same time. It tells me that the battle for hearts and minds has only begun, not ended as Khare seems to think.

This wholesome beginning needs to be encouraged to deepen and consolidate itself if this country hopes to defeat the terrorist’s challenge. That challenge can be met only if we are allowed to prefer the politics of inclusion and accommodation over the politics of division and exclusion (code words: minorityism, appeasement, vote-bank politics, etc.). The terrorist’s tactics are calculated to provoke rage; the secular challenge is to defeat all those whose politics depends on working on the citizens’ anger, anxiety and resentment over the terrorist’s ability to get away.

The secular challenge is not to defeat terror but to defeat the politics that accompanies and follows the attacks. No word on the need to mobilize the country to defeat these devastating attacks on soft targets that are occurring almost as a matter of routine, only advice on PR strategy to deal with its aftermath. God help India with advisers like Harish Khare.

Thus, between now and the next Lok Sabha election, the UPA leaders need, first, to convince themselves and, then, the voters that the country has done reasonably well in providing a caring, governing arrangement. By accommodating regional voices and aspirations, the Manmohan Singh government commends itself as a worthwhile experiment in initiating regional leaders into the responsibility of governing from New Delhi this vast country.

Someone ought to tell Khare that coalition governments have been the norm for quite a while and this is hardly the first time that the experiment is being conducted. National Front government led by V.P.Singh, United Front led by Gowda and Gujral – remember? Even the NDA government was a coalition. What exactly is so new or commendable about Manmohan Singh ‘accomodating regional voices and aspirations’? It is not as if the Congress does not want to be ruling on its own. It is simply that they have been forced to accommodate regional voices for the sake of getting the magic number.

It may be that often these regional leaders have not met the “mainstream” standards of probity and competence; but these standards can be enforced only in an environment of non-partisanship and non-divisive politics. Be that as it may, the best interests of the Indian state can be defended and promoted only if the “national” and the “regional” leaders and parties arrive at a working protocol.

‘Not met the ‘mainstream’ standards of probity and competence’ is polite language for corrupt and incompetent. National and regional leaders and parties should arrive at a working protocol says Khare. Actually they have. It is called a coalition government where cabinet positions and other appointments are parceled out to party leaders to fill with their chosen nominees. Failed nuclear deal,no firm action on terrorism,a virtually halted reform agenda, overreach on the price rise issue, eviction of Taslima - certainly the list of documented ‘achievements’is a long one for everyone to see how the best interests of the country are being defended by this ‘working protocol’.

However, irrespective of the BJP’s inadequacies in answering the polity’s needs, the country will still yearn for a more decisive and more effective governance than the UPA has been able to provide these last four years. The “mainstream” discourse insists on a “firm” response to a meddlesome Pakistan, and an insensitive United States…

Mainstream India insists on a firm response so that it does not recur. The focus is not on any country but on solving the problem. The answer is the same whether it is people within India or Pakistan or Bangladesh. An ‘insensitive United States’? The US concluded the nuclear deal with India. They have offered sophisticated military equipment for the Indian military to buy. And they have pressured Pakistan into peacefully resolving Kashmir. How is any of this ‘insensitive’?

Khare’s cheap partisan potshots have gotten the better of his analytical abilities. His motives and assertions are so hollow, blatantly partisan and transparently false that his and his paper’s credibility are likely to be the only casualties of his casuistry.

Reaction of a country to an attack

There are several incidents in the recent past where a country was subjected to dastardly attacks on its unsuspecting civilians by extremist groups. Terrorist attacks target the country in more ways than the obvious civilian casualties. However each incident is followed by responses by its leaders and the journalists, in most cases pandering to the vote banks but in some cases real pragmatic actions. The recent Jaipur terrorist attack and the reactions have been covered by some excellent posts in this blog. To summarize from the present to the past, we've seen Chindu try to steer the discussion away. There has been some idiotic statements by Praveen Swami like ignoring the author of the e-mail by the so-called Indian Mujahideen. Most importantly the uncaring attitude which smacks of Stockholm syndrome so clearly exhibited by N.Ram where he blathers in blatant sloganism over reality.
There is a lack of real action to tackle the issue by the UPA government, the Left wing comrades and the BJP. When the Tibet issue happened, the Chindu railed on how peaceful Chinese citizens were killed by murderous Tibetian monks. Where is that sense of outrage when something happens to our own country?
When 9/11 happened America was unprepared (conspiracy theories aside) but there has been real activities by the US Government since then. The path taken by America might not be perfect but at least it sent a statement to the world that you mess with our backyard and touch our people(yes not just one section, but any section of the population) we will hit back. Terrorism is a cancer which hits a country and it needs chemotherapy otherwise the patient (or country) will fall. Dr.Singh with his impotent government in a political quagmire decides to put relations with Pakistan in the forefront against formulating real world strategies aimed at protecting his own people.
Here's what I would like to see enacted (in no real order):

• Creation of a real federal bureau to target terrorism with real budgets allocated and someone with experience to lead like say Mr. Gill or Julio Ribeiro.

• Invest in ensuring the poor sections of Muslims are integrated within society by implementing real measures, maybe some features of the Sachar report. Yes this might flow against some of my earlier statements however the last thing this country needs is a set of misguided Islamic youth taking up arms. Break up the Muslim bastis in major cities as that is the single important place where the infestation occurs.

• Formulate a real foreign policy and warn countries like Saudi Arabia not to push the Wahhabi crap into India.

• Ensure that financial networks are being monitored closely to prevent the transfer of funds to certain groups which fund these activities.

• Provide the BSF with some legal teeth and funding to prevent illegal Bangladeshis and other characters from entering into India.

• Reenact laws to protect citizens from terrorist acts and empower the states to take on certain security responsibilities. Clean up the legal process to ensure punishment can be rapidly delivered to criminals unlike the case where 15 years taken to punish the Mumbai blasts case.

• Join the global war on terror and collaborate with countries like Israel, Britain, Germany and also China(just not to get on LiC's bad side).

What are some of the things you would like see be done to tackle terrorism given the current limitations?

Chindu's own jihad

The Hindu : National : The jihad in “God’s Own Country”

why residents of States with no history of large-scale communal pogroms, like Kerala and Karnataka, are contributing cadre to Islamist terror groups.

Lets take this at the face value for the moment -- there is no communal violence in Kerala and Karnataka.

In 1990, angered by the religious discrimination he encountered in Mumbai, Basheer joined SIMI full-time.

Chindu is implying anger due to discrimination leads to terrorism. Do we not see widespread terror attacks by the severely oppressed lower castes.

Kamakutty, a computer engineer-turned terrorist held in Bangalore last month, is known to have worked closely with Lashkar commander Muhammad Faisal Khan, a key organiser of bombings in Mumbai during 2002-2003.

Kamakutty lived in the Kerala and Karnata, the same place where, the author claims, there is no discrimination or communal violence. Oops! Wait a minute. There are other reasons.

How does one account for the growth of Islamist terror networks in Kerala? One important point is that most of SIMI’s key leaders in Kerala worked or studied elsewhere — thus encountering communal discrimination of an intensity unknown in the State itself.

Yes, it is discrimination "elsewhere"; "anywhere" for that matter.

Highly educated, their access to the internet enables them to link local grievances to the larger, global jihadist movement.

Let me understand this clearly: Education leads to jihad among Muslims. We know illiteracy leads muslims to violence. That leaves us with not much choice, does it.

Religious neo-conservatism has been seen by some Jamaat-e-Islami ground-level leaders as a means of fighting the secular tide.

I absolutely love this one. Religious fundamentalism is a reaction to secularism. Hence Islamic terrorism is justified.

On a final note, consider the Moplah Rebellion.

Annie Besant stated: "They Moplahs murdered and plundered abundantly, and killed or drove away all Hindus who would not apostatise. Somewhere about a lakh (100,000) of people were driven from their homes with nothing but their clothes they had on, stripped of everything...Malabar has taught us what Islamic rule still means, and we do not want to see another specimen of the Khilafat Raj in India.

Kerala has a history of Islamist terrorism. It was a case of muslim aggression against the Hindus driven by extraneous motivations.

Moulvi Harish's sermon

Chindu is going gaga over the "anti-terrorism" convention organised by the Darul Uloom Deoband and the resolutions passed condemning terrorism. It is nobody's case that the entire community is guilty of extremism. However, there are certain fanatical elements that are going on a mad killing spree. These are the elements that must be ruthlessly rooted out. What is there to rejoice when a few clerics denounce terrorism? Were they involved in terrorism? If not, of what significance is their condemnation? Moulvi Harish says "Clerics not suspected with terror links have condemned terror, hence even when jihadis strike, don't blame Muslims"

I have a question to the Chindu . If the BJP/RSS/VHP pass a resolution condemning communal riots, will Moulvi Harish sound half as effusive as he has done here?

Slap in the face of ELM

http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/24/stories/2008022450190100.htm

It is fashionable for India's spineless ELM to "invent" " facts" justifying Islamic extremism. Till 2002 , every terrorist act was attributed to Babri Masjid - never mind the fact that the masjid came down in 1992 but Kashmiri terrorism started at least 3 years earlier. From 2002, Akshardam, Malgaon, varanasi, Parliament attack, IISc attack, Mumbai 7/11,Delhi Diwali Bombs, Samajhuta, Hyderabad Mecca Masjid bombs and the n- J&K terror strikes are all because of Gujarat! Not content with this, the ELM blames the "alleged" marginalization and neglect of the minorities , lack of employment and educational opportunities as the prime reasons for the "frustrated" (and innocent?) youth to turn to terrorism. By some strange logic, the Dalit and other socially backward youth - who too "allegedly" face similar hardships - never manage to get hooked to terrorism. It is only the poor and innocent minority youth. But will education and employment solve the problem and wean away Muslim youth from terrorism?

People like Yahya Iyash Kamkuttdy give the answer. An REC Calicut graduate, Yahya graduated with distinction in Engineering and was employed with GE. Why did he take to terrorism? What effect did education and employment have on his psyche? It has only made him plan heinous crimes with greater sophistication. What about the Glasgow bomber who was a doctor? Several of those arrested on terrorism charges hold post graduate degrees. Who is the ELM trying to cheat by suggesting education and employment?

Even if one were to accept the ELM's reasoning, how does it explain the spread of Islamic extremism from New York to Bali? It is an indisputable fact that this hydra-headed monster is a global phenomenon. Does the ELM say that in each of these countries the Muslims are marginalized? Isn't it ironic that people who float such senseless ideas are called "intellectuals" ? If Muslims are up in arms in every region of the world then there certainly is a problem that prevents them from co-habiting peacefully. Their retrograde customs, treatment of women, intolerance and their inclination to live in ghettos could be factors that prevent them from living in harmony with people from other faiths. Add to this a vicious propaganda of marginalization and the pseudo secular political class that merrily divides people for votes, you have the spark necessary to set the house on fire.

It is high time that the ELM stopped pandering to minority interests and start treating issues objectively. Every religion -not just Islam- has some historical reason or the other to be rebellious. Can everyone take to arms?By refusing to accept that certain Islamic elements are being unreasonable and unjust , the ELM is only running away from the problem. If it does not have the guts to take the bull by its horns, it may jolly well shut up and leave the job to more competent entities while it continues to lick the shoes of jihadis. By sympathizing and justifying extremism, the ELM is making this world more dangerous.

Easy answers from N.Ram

The Hindu : Opinion / Editorials : Hard questions from Glasgow

Among other things, communal conflict within India and the state’s poor record of dealing with it have provided recruits to terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, and Harkat ul-Jihad Islami.

Terrorism in India has been traced back to communal conflicts. An extraordinary display of intelligence from Comrade Ram has helped us identify the root cause of terrorism. No, no, stop there. Do not ask why communal conflicts occur in India. It is not appropriate to mention the word "muslim" here but Gujarat may fit nicely into Ram's theory. And you can always blame the government, of course.

Still the question remains: just what made three upper middle class
Indian men who received privileged education participate in acts of
terrorism against a society that nurtured them?

I am dying with curiosity to know the truth.

From the evidence so far available, anger against the war in Iraq seems
to have motivated the authors of the car-bomb operations.

Yes, that is it - the Iraq war. It prompted these well-educated Indians to go to Britain and bomb innocents. Very convincing.

If the profile of past terror cells is a guide, cultural alienation and experiences of racism may also have played a role.

This exemplary brilliance from Comrade Ram is blinding. These elitists faced cultural alienation but the cause of such alienation, which could have been due to their beliefs or ideologies, is not mentioned. And that political bomb called racism. By now, Ram has blamed the Indian and British governments for the Glasgow incident. What else?

It will be facile, however, to attribute the actions of the cell to primal anger against the murderous war in Iraq.

Ram backtracks a little. It is not Iraq war although he earlier identified it as the root cause.

While anger against the U.S. and the United Kingdom is indeed widespread, the car bomb is not its dominant mode of expression.

It is not even against the foreign policies of USA and UK. At this point, I am left with Indian and British governments on the list.

Western media reports often attribute Al Qaeda actions to “Muslim
rage,” a misleading term that obscures the fact that the overwhelming
majority of believers unequivocally reject the world view of Osama bin
Laden’s organisation.

There is no "Muslim rage", N.Ram affirms. Whereas the Telegraph poll shows that one in four Muslims sympathises with motives of terrorists. In absolute terms, about 1,00,000 muslims who, if not prepared to carry out terrorist acts, are ready to support those who do. Given a chance, N.Ram would call it the revolution of the proletariat and justify it.

Instead they embraced a far-right vision of Islam that is anathema to most Muslims.

The facts fly in the face of it. But N.Ram braves it on.

Democracy, the Indian experience teaches us, is not a deus ex machina that will prevent individuals from turning to religion-based extremism, be it of the Islamist, Sikh or Hindu variety.

Finally here it comes. Those bloody fascist Hindoos.
N.Ram never directly laid the blame on this terror attack on Islamist extremism. So why is he trying to justify it by evaluating it against some other form of extremism.

Weakening Al Qaeda’s ideology by demonstrating that democracy works is a more durable solution.

N.Ram earlier concludes that, from the Indian experience, Democracy will not prevent people from turning to religion-based extremism. Two sentences later, he says that the solution to terrorism is democracy.

the west will have to work at building inclusive societies free from Islamophobia - and India should look hard at its own, flawed record in nourishing and defending secularism

N.Ram has earlier reduced the problem to British and Indian governments. Now he reiterates that the solution is for Britain to tackle Islamophobia and India to promote secularism. It is an established fact that in the Indian context, secularism means promoting muslim interests. In the British context, tackling Islamophobia means promoting muslim interests. This apologist of Islamic terrorism is asking countries to put muslim interests above national interests.

N.Ram's affinity to Islam is perfectly understandable when you consider that both communism and Islam demand trans-national loyalties. In this sermonizing editorial N.Ram has braved overwhelming facts to condone Islamists. The Islamists will, after achieving their set objectives of domination, will dispose off such "useful idiots" with utter disdain and in the "halal" way. As you can see, no Islamic country has a communist party. Good riddance, I would say.

Godhra not a conspiracy, CBCNN joins the chorus

Godhra riots : Gujarat seeks more time to submit reply

One-sided reporting by CBCNN on Godhra. Only Mukul's statements, on why Godhra is not a conspiracy, are reported. CBCNN is eager to coverup Islamic terrorism.