Guest guest Posted March 3, 2002 Report Share Posted March 3, 2002 Gujarat & J&K; Muslims and Islam >Sun, 3 Mar 2002 08:36:24 -0800 (PST) >It is often argued, in the context of the reaction in Gujarat, that we need >not be overly concerned about the opinion of the west or of the >pseudo-secular press in India. I agree with this view, but I do have some >other concerns. >Even while saying that peace must return, I have been maintaining that >Hindus need be guilty about the reaction, since the latter can neither be >contained in the wake of the social dynamics, nor is it of zero value. >After all, the primary offenders are Muslims, whether in Godhra, or in >Ayodhya. >My concern is that while the value of this reaction may be significant as a >deterrent for a while, it causes hurt and damage even to our own selves and >can threaten us with the loss of Jammu and Kashmir. >The Muslims of J&K would simply declare that they will not be with India if >we take a formal policy of eliminating them. We have to decide for >ourselves if we can take this decision for us. Can we adopt a policy of >Muslim cleansing in J&K? Will it work? We need not worry about world >opinion, but we will have to worry about various kinds of pressures. Can we >actually eliminate Muslims in J&K? Or, can we keep J&K with us if we >declare that we endorse elimination of Muslims? One can even say that the >Muslims of J&K are already declaring that they will not be with India, so >what is there to loose? But it must be assessed realistically if the >Muslims of J&K are actually saying this. They also know that there best >chance of peace and prosperity is as part of India. With all the problems >there, J&K is still, largely, with us. We have to assess very carefully if >it can be retained by adopting a policy of annihilating Muslims or we have >lost parts of it for not having done so. > >Friends, these are very complex issues. The problem is not Muslims, but >Islam. We must seek not to annihilate the Muslims but to reform Islam. >Indeed Muslims believe that Islam is not something that can be reformed, >for them it is the word of the Allah and written once and for all. Yet >there are Muslim scholars who have begun to reinterpret Islam as a >philosophy of a given time, which could belong only to its own time. These >Muslim scholars will need to be identified and encouraged toward reforming >Islams. This may take a hundred years, but it is bound to happen. If >mankind continues to move from barbarism to civilization, it will have to >go through the step of reforming Islams, not through the annihilation of >Muslims. The two are different processes, even if achieving one would >guarentee the other. > >- Pranawa > > > >Dr. Pranawa C. Deshmukh >Professor of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology - Madras; Chennai - >600 036; India. >Coordinator, Jammu and Kashmir Project >Bharat Awareness Forum, 1765 Lazy River Lane, >Atlanta GA 30350; USA. >Convener: CIFJKINDIA (http://www.cifjkindia.org) > > > > > > Sports - Sign up for Fantasy Baseball _______________ Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. http://www.hotmail.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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