U.S. man charged with plot to bomb Pentagon

NARAYAN LAKSHMAN

While drone strikes have thus far been the bane of militants residing in the remote tribal belt of Pakistan, this week they were almost deployed to take out the Pentagon and the Capitol.

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation announced on Wednesday that Rezwan Ferdaus (26), a U.S. citizen from Ashland, Massachusetts, had been charged in connection with a plot to destroy the key federal government buildings using large radio-controlled F-86 Sabre aircraft filled with what he thought was C-4 plastic explosive.

Ferdaus, said to be a graduate of Northeastern University, was also charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to al-Qaeda with the aim of facilitating attacks on U.S. soldiers overseas; attempting to destroy national defence premises; and attempting to destroy buildings owned by the U.S. using explosives.

According to a cooperating witness in an apparent sting operation by the FBI, Ferdaus stated in January 2011 that he planned to attack the Pentagon using aircraft similar to “small drone airplanes” filled with explosives and guided by GPS equipment.

Outlining his planned attack in chilling detail, Ferdaus told undercover officers: “With this aerial assault, we can effectively eliminate key locations of the P-building. Then we can add to it in order to take out everything else and leave one area only as a squeeze where the individuals will be isolated. They'll be vulnerable and we can dominate.”

In a statement, the FBI underscored Ferdaus' determination to execute his plan despite being presented with multiple opportunities to back out, including being told that his attack would likely kill women and children.

Instead, Ferdaus invoked the option of a Mumbai-style ground attack to complement the aerial strike, and reportedly told federal agents that once he isolated individuals in the two buildings into “one area only as a squeeze,” he would ensure that a six-man team armed with assault rifles would “open up on them” and “keep firing” to create “chaos” and “take out” everyone.

As part of the operation, conducted by more than 30 federal, state, and local agencies on the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, agents supplied Ferdaus with an unspecified amount of “C-4 explosives,” an F-86 small drone aircraft, three grenades and six fully-automatic AK-47 assault rifles. In the course of the investigation, Ferdaus also delivered eight detonation devices to the undercover officers and a training video demonstrating how to make cell phone detonators.

At his final meeting with officers on Wednesday at which Ferdaus inspected the components, brought them to his storage unit and took possession of the entire inventory, he was arrested, the FBI said in a statement. It added that at no point in time was the public in any danger from explosive devices, which were controlled by undercover FBI employees.

No community targeted

Prosecuting officials were quick to dispel any notion that the sting operation against Ferdaus had targeted any larger community. U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz said: “I want the public to understand that Mr. Ferdaus' conduct, as alleged in the complaint, is not reflective of a particular culture, community, or religion.”

If convicted, Ferdaus faces a total of up to 55 years in prison for all three charges and a $250,000 fine.

Keywords: drone attack, Pentagon, Capitol, Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, al-Qaeda, GPS equipment, terrorist attack

http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article2497863.ece?homepage=true

Saudis Turn Mecca into Vegas

September 29, 2011 by TMO 

Historic and culturally important landmarks are being destroyed to make way for luxury hotels and malls, reports Jerome Taylor

A general view is seen of the Grand Mosque during the Muslim month of Ramadan in the holy city of Mecca August 20, 2011.  Saudi Arabia has begun the biggest expansion yet of the Grand Mosque, to raise its capacity to 2 million pilgrims, the state news agency SPA said.  REUTERS/Hassan Ali

Behind closed doors–in places where the religious police cannot listen in–residents of Mecca are beginning to refer to their city as Las Vegas, and the moniker is not a compliment.

Over the past 10 years the holiest site in Islam has undergone a huge transformation, one that has divided opinion among Muslims all over the world.

Once a dusty desert town struggling to cope with the ever-increasing number of pilgrims arriving for the annual Hajj, the city now soars above its surroundings with a glittering array of skyscrapers, shopping malls and luxury hotels.

To the al-Saud monarchy, Mecca is their vision of the future–a steel and concrete metropolis built on the proceeds of enormous oil wealth that showcases their national pride.

Yet growing numbers of citizens, particularly those living in the two holy cities of Mecca and Medina, have looked on aghast as the nation’s archaeological heritage is trampled under a construction mania backed by hardline clerics who preach against the preservation of their own heritage. Mecca, once a place where the Prophet Muhammad (s) insisted all Muslims would be equal, has become a playground for the rich, critics say, where naked capitalism has usurped spirituality as the city’s raison d’être.

Few are willing to discuss their fears openly because of the risks associated with criticising official policy in the authoritarian kingdom. And, with the exceptions of Turkey and Iran, fellow Muslim nations have largely held their tongues for fear of of a diplomatic fallout and restrictions on their citizens’ pilgrimage visas. Western archaeologists are silent out of fear that the few sites they are allowed access to will be closed to them.

But a number of prominent Saudi archaeologists and historians are speaking up in the belief that the opportunity to save Saudi Arabia’s remaining historical sites is closing fast.

“No one has the balls to stand up and condemn this cultural vandalism,” says Dr Irfan al-Alawi who, as executive director of the Islamic Heritage Research Foundation, has fought in vain to protect his country’s historical sites. “We have already lost 400-500 sites. I just hope it’s not too late to turn things around.”

Sami Angawi, a renowned Saudi expert on the region’s Islamic architecture, is equally concerned. “This is an absolute contradiction to the nature of Mecca and the sacredness of the house of God,” he told the Reuters news agency earlier this year. “Both [Mecca and Medina] are historically almost finished. You do not find anything except skyscrapers.”

Dr Alawi’s most pressing concern is the planned £690m expansion of the Grand Mosque, the most sacred site in Islam which contains the Kaaba–the black stone cube built by Ibrahim (Abraham) that Muslims face when they pray.

Construction officially began earlier this month with the country’s Justice Minister, Mohammed al-Eissa, exclaiming that the project would respect “the sacredness and glory of the location, which calls for the highest care and attention of the servants or Islam and Muslims”.

The 400,000 square metre development is being built to accommodate an extra 1.2 million pilgrims each year and will turn the Grand Mosque into the largest religious structure in the world. But the Islamic Heritage Foundation has compiled a list of key historical sites that they believe are now at risk from the ongoing development of Mecca, including the old Ottoman and Abbasi sections of the Grand Mosque, the house where the Prophet Muhammad (s) was born and the house where his paternal uncle Hamza grew up.

There is little argument that Mecca and Medina desperately need infrastructure development. Twelve million pilgrims visit the cities every year with the numbers expected to increase to 17 million by 2025.

But critics fear that the desire to expand the pilgrimage sites has allowed the authorities to ride roughshod over the area’s cultural heritage. The Washington-based Gulf Institute estimates that 95 per cent of Mecca’s millennium-old buildings have been demolished in the past two decades alone.

The destruction has been aided by Wahabism, the austere interpretation of Islam that has served as the kingdom’s official religion ever since the al-Sauds rose to power across the Arabian Peninsula in the 19th century.

In the eyes of Wahabis, historical sites and shrines encourage “shirk”—the sin of idolatry or polytheism–and should be destroyed. When the al-Saud tribes swept through Mecca in the 1920s, the first thing they did was lay waste to cemeteries holding many of Islam’s important figures. They have been destroying the country’s heritage ever since.

Of the three sites the Saudis have allowed the UN to designate World Heritage Sites, none are related to Islam.

Those circling the Kaaba only need to look skywards to see the latest example of the Saudi monarchy’s insatiable appetite for architectural bling. At 1,972ft, the Royal Mecca Clock Tower, opened earlier this year, soars over the surrounding Grand Mosque, part of an enormous development of skyscrapers that will house five-star hotels for the minority of pilgrims rich enough to afford them.

To build the skyscraper city, the authorities dynamited an entire mountain and the Ottoman era Ajyad Fortress that lay on top of it. At the other end of the Grand Mosque complex, the house of the Prophet’s (s) first wife Khadijah has been turned into a toilet block. The fate of the house he was born in is uncertain. Also planned for demolition are the Grand Mosque’s Ottoman columns which dare to contain the names of the Prophet’s (s) companions, something hardline Wahabis detest.

For ordinary Meccans living in the mainly Ottoman-era town houses that make up much of what remains of the old city, development often means the loss of their family home.

Non-Muslims cannot visit Mecca and Medina, but The Independent was able to interview a number of citizens who expressed discontent over the way their town was changing. One young woman whose father recently had his house bulldozed described how her family was still waiting for compensation. “There was very little warning; they just came and told him that the house had to be bulldozed,” she said.

Another Meccan added: “If a prince of a member of the royal family wants to extend his palace he just does it. No one talks about it in public though. There’s such a climate of fear.”

Dr Alawi hopes the international community will finally begin to wake up to what is happening in the cradle of Islam. “We would never allow someone to destroy the Pyramids, so why are we letting Islam’s history disappear?”

Prophet’s (s) Wife’s House

The house of the Prophet’s (s) wife Khadijah was destroyed and replaced with a public toilet block. After lengthy negotiations the site was briefly excavated with artefacts found dating back to the Prophet’s  (s) time.

Expansion of the Grand Mosque

In order to accommodate the ever growing pilgrim numbers, the authorities have begun a £690m expansion. Houses have been pulled, and it is likely the old Ottoman and Abbasi columns will also go.

The Prophet’s (s) Birth House

The building where the Prophet (s) once lived lies just a few hundred yards  from the Grand Mosque. Currently a library, the fear is that it could suffer the same fate as his wife’s house when the mosque expands.

Royal Mecca Clocktower

In order to build the clock tower and its surrounding skyscrapers–most of which house luxury hotels–the Saudi authorities approved the destruction of an entire mountain and the Ottoman Ajyad Fortress that lay on top.

Also under threat

Bayt al-Mawlid

When the Wahabis took Mecca in the 1920s they destroyed the dome on top of the house where the Prophet Muhammad (s) was born. It was then used as a cattle market before being turned into a library after a campaign by Meccans. There are concerns that the expansion of the Grand Mosque will destroy it once more. The site has never been excavated by archaeologists.

Ottoman and Abasi columns of the Grand Mosque

Slated for demolition as part of the Grand Mosque expansion, these intricately carved columns date back to the 17th century and are the oldest surviving sections of Islam’s holiest site. Much to the chagrin of Wahabis, they are inscribed with the names of the Prophet’s (s) companions. Ottomon Mecca is now rapidly disappearing.

Al-Masjid al-Nawabi

For many years, hardline Wahabi clerics have had their sites set on the 15th century green dome that rests above the tomb holding the Prophet (s), Abu Bakr and Umar in Medina. The mosque is regarded as the second holiest site in Islam. Wahabis, however, believe marked graves are idolatrous. A pamphlet published in 2007 by the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, endorsed by Abdulaziz Al Sheikh, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, stated that “the green dome shall be demolished and the three graves flattened in the Prophet’s  (s) Masjid.”

Jabal al-Nour

A mountain outside Mecca where Mohammed received his first Koranic revelations. The Prophet used to spend long spells in a cave called Hira. The cave is particularly popular among South Asian pilgrims who have carved steps up to its entrance and adorned the walls with graffiti. Religious hardliners are keen to dissuade pilgrims from congregating there and have mooted the idea of removing the steps and even destroying the mountain altogether.

http://muslimmedianetwork.com/mmn/?p=9191

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10 point programme for Islamic Banking in India!

H Abdur Raqeeb proposes 10 point programme for Islamic Banking in India. The following is the paper presented by the champion of Islamic Banking in the Islamic Investment and Finance conference on March 28, 2010 at India Islamic Cultural Centre in New Delhi. 

Banking institutions have emerged as very necessary for everyone, poor as well as rich. It is needed to deposit and protect the saving however meagre it may be.

Poor labourers, construction workers and others migrating to the urban centres of the country from remote corners must have access to banking to transfer their earning to the families in far off places. Besides, several social initiatives, welfare programmes and schemes of the government both state and central do require bank accounts of those targeted – below poverty line segments – to receive money safely in their account. Also credit is provided to people through banks. All these requirements make banking an inevitable part of life of today’s men and women.

But the stark reality is that even after forty years, since nationalisation of the banks about 60% population do not have access to formal banking and only 5.2 % of villages have bank branches. Marginal farmers, land less labours, oral lessees, self employed and unorganised sector enterprise, ethnic minority and women, Aam Aadmi of our great country continue to form the financially excluded class.

The financial exclusion of a large segment of the population has far-reaching implications for the socio-economic and educational uplift of the masses. These financially excluded classes would not hesitate in sharing a “return” on their investment but they often find it difficult to meet the demand of a pre determined return unrelated to the yield. If finance is available without the burden caused by pre-determined interest rates, it will be a welcome development for the marginalized and also especially for SME’s. Interest-free Islamic Banking can fill up this gap.

For Muslims, as per the Sachar Committee report based on census 2001 data, the percentage of household availing themselves of banking facilities is much lower in towns and villages where the Muslim population is high. This is due to a certain mindset prevailing in the banking sector which has categorized Muslims and Muslims dominated areas as ‘Negative Zones’ as documented in Sachar report. Prohibition of interest and thus for reasons of faith Muslims are away from the conventional banks as referred to in the report of the Committee on Financial Sector Reforms –CFSR of the Planning Commission headed by Dr. Raghuram Rajan

Interest Free Banking

In the absence of an alternative to the convention based on interest, in the state of Kerala where Muslims make up around 25% of the population of Kerala, which was 31.8 million according to the 2001 Census, it is reported that thousands of crores earned in interest is kept in suspended accounts, as believers do not claim it. Muslims both rich as well as those employed in the Gulf invest their money on gold and real estate which are not productive investments. They also indulge in lavish spending in marriages and other rituals and many of them fall into trap of bogus financial institutions lose their hard earned money.

Therefore there is a strong case to have an alternative system based on equity instead of the debt based banking system catering and caring to the unbanked segments more specially of the marginalized and minorities -particularly Muslims in the country

Government Initiative


RBI Working Group
In 2005, Government of India asked Reserve Bank of India to examine Islamic banking instruments and constituted a Working Group headed by Mr. Anand Sinha, Chief Manager, Department of Banking and Operation and Development along with senior Bankers from SBI, ICICI and Oman International Bank that came up with its report in 2006 which said: In the current statutory and regulatory framework it would not be possible for banks in India to undertake Islamic Banking activities and concluded that if the banks are allowed to do Islamic banking appropriate amendments are required in Banking regulations Act 1949.

National Workshop
After the GOI announcement that Islamic banking is not feasible in India, several interactive sessions were held by ICIF, one of them was a National Workshop on “Road Map on Islamic banking” in Sept 2006, which was participated by prominent National and International Islamic experts and bankers. It passed resolution that Islamic Banking is relevant in the 21st century and India may implement the same by obtaining inputs from the global example in UK, Malaysia and Singapore. It also chalked out a plan of action as well.

CFSR-Planning Commission Recommendation

In August 2007, Govt. of India under the Planning Commission constituted a high level committee on Financial Sector reforms (CFSR) under the chairmanship of Dr. Raghuram Rajan, former chief economist, IMF along with other eleven members who are the finest financial and legal minds in the country.
CFSR submitted its final report in Sept. 2008 to Prime Minister with the specific recommendation of interest free banking in the country:

“Another area that falls broadly in the ambit of financial infrastructure for inclusion is the provision of interest-free banking. Certain faiths prohibit the use of financial instruments that pay interest. The non-availability of interest-free banking products (where the return to the investor is tied to the bearing of risk, in accordance with the principles of that faith) results in some Indians, including those in the economically disadvantaged strata of society, not being able to access banking products and services due to reasons of faith. This non-availability also denies India access to substantial sources of savings from other countries in the region.

While interest-free banking is provided in a limited manner through NBFCs and cooperatives, the Committee recommends that measures be taken to permit the delivery of interest-free finance on a larger scale, including through the banking system. This is in consonance with the objectives of inclusion and growth through innovation. The Committee believes that it would be possible, through appropriate measures, to create a framework for such products without any adverse systemic risk impact.”(Chapter 3: Broadening Access to Finance, Page: 72)

Why Islamic Banking?

The collapse of leading Wall Street institutions, notably Lehman Brothers, and the subsequent global financial tsunami and economic recession, Islamic banking is seriously being considered and has emerged as a possible alternative to the conventional banking because of the followings:
• It is based on Ethical and Socially Responsible Investments (SRI)
• It aims at Equity and Justice and leads to poverty alleviation and
• It acts to new dimension to assets and actual projects aiming to support real economic growth instead of financial engineering.
• It provides services to under banked populations ignored by conventional banks

Efforts Undertaken – Meeting RBI & FM

When it was learnt that RBI is considering implementing a few recommendations of Dr. Raghuram Rajan Committee on Financial Sector Reforms (CFSR), ICIF contacted the Governor RBI and sought an appointment to plead for the case of the recommendation of CFSR regarding Interest-free banking. Accordingly a delegation of ICIF met the Deputy Governor Dr. K.C Chakrabarty on September 11, 2009 and presented a memorandum along with the important documents. RBI conveyed that it has no reservation regarding interest free banking but for that an amendment in the Banking regulations has to be passed in the Parliament which can be done by the Central government.

A memorandum was submitted to FM, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee to accept the recommendation of CFSR committee on interest free banking and suitable legislative amendment. Several meetings and interactions have taken place with the officials of the Finance Ministry and RBI in this regard till now.
In order to amend the Ranking Regulations Act 1949 and accommodate a level playing field for Islamic banking, a bill has to be passed in Parliament. For this, Banking Amendment Bill has been prepared and vetted by Dar Al Shariah, Dubai Islamic Bank and submitted to Parliament secretariat by an MP to be undertaken as a Private Member’s Bill in the next session of Parliament.

Kerala & Islamic Banking

Another significant development has taken place in the state ofKerala. Govt. of Kerala under
KSIDC (Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation) has taken a courageous and commendable step to form an Islamic Investment company named Al Barakah Financial Services Company, an NBFC after an exhaustive feasible report undertaken by a reputed international consulting firm Ernst & Young. This NBFC will be turned into a global Islamic bank as soon as the RBI accommodates it after an amendment in the Banking regulations. Dr. Subramaniam Swamy has submitted a petition in the High court to stop the participation of the Kerala Government. Admission of his petition has put a hold on the proceedings for the time being.

Misunderstanding

To bring Interest free Islamic Banking, misunderstanding and misinformation among the Muslim masses as well as non-Muslims have to be removed. The need and necessity of interest free Islamic finance and banking has to be spread among the Muslims, common people, religious scholars, business men, bankers, politicians, and other stakeholders.

• Among Muslims, criticism has been raised against the banking approach itself. Some allege that it is nothing but the changes of nomenclature only. Some other questions its capability to meet all the financial requirements of modern day economy. Some go further to say that the whole exercise is futile, with the macro level money creation process remaining the same, what is attempted through so called innovative products is nothing but a cosmetic touch and even in international arena, Islamic banks have to price their investments on Global standards like London Inter-bank Offered Rate (LIBOR) which are essentially interest based. These issues have to be addressed properly by the Islamic scholars, finance experts and those who campaign for Islamic Finance and Banking.

• Justice Mufti Muhammed Taqi Usmani, Chairman, AAOIFI (Accounting and Auditing Organisationfor Islamic Financial Institutions) mentions in his famous book titled ‘An introduction to Islamic Finance’:

“Islam, being a practical way of life, has two sets of rules: one is based on the ideal objectives of Shariah which is applicable in normal conditions, and the second is based on some relaxations given in abnormal situations. The real Islamic order is based on the former set of principles, while the latter is a concession which can be availed at times of need, but it does not reflect the true picture of the real economic order.

Living under constraints, the Islamic banks are mostly relying on the second set of rules; therefore, their activities could not bring a visible change even in the limited circle of their operations. However, if the whole financing system is based on the ideal Islamic principles, it will certainly bring a discernible impact on the economy”. (Page 24)

• In the plural and secular country like ours, misunderstanding among majority community has to be addressed; Islamic banking is not just for Muslims. It is only a mechanism for financing business without providing debt. It is also to be focused that it is based on ethics and Socially Responsible Investment (SRI). It has to be show cased that 40% customers in Islamic banks in Malaysia are Chinese of other communities and also in UK, 20% customers are Non Muslims.
Ms. Perrine Fiorina of CELENT, Strategy consulting for financial institutions, talks of ‘Promising Future of Islamic Banking’ thus:

“In addition to the large and untapped Muslim population, Islamic Banking is currently beginning to attract Non-Muslim customers, who are interested in alternative way of banking. Indeed, a growing number of Non-Muslims are turning to Islamic Banking as customers spooked by turmoil in the western banking system increasingly see the sector as a safe and more connected to the real economy. In my opinion, Islamic banking will benefit from this new customers interest and grow even more quickly than it recently did”.

Even Vatican has offered Islamic Finance principles to Western banks as a solution for worldwide economic crisis. “The ethical principles on which Islamic Finance is based may bring banks closer to their clients and to the true spirit which should mark every financial service” the Vatican’s official newspaper, L’ Osservatore Romano said.
Recently, France has amended its laws to issue SUKUK –Islamic Bonds based on assets-of one Billion Euro.
• Post 9/11, oil money has stopped being invested in U.S and is looking for a safe investment destination, and India could well be that destination given its safe economic scenario, huge market, skill and educated labour and good growth rate.

• Among the intellectuals, scholars and politicians, a doubt is lurking in the mind whether banking operations are feasible without the base of interest.
• As Dr. Hussein Hamid Hassan, Chairman, Shariah Board, Dubai Islamic Bank has said “Conventional banks have since inception, had only one product, that is loan with interest, Shariah has unlimited products to suit every customer and every project under any circumstances”.

Various products with Arabic words have to be suitably presented in the prevailing banking terms and the reasons why they are preferable to the conventional banking products and practices provided as they are based on real economy rather than financial engineering in conventional banking has to be suitably highlighted.

Modern, secular and industrialized countries like Britain, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan have become hub of Islamic finance and banking. If London, Tokyo, Singapore and Hong Kong can become hub and house of Interest free Islamic finance and banking Why not Mumbai and Cochin?

10-Point Programme of Action

A 10-point programme of action is suggested to this august house for consideration and serious follow up to make the dream of Islamic Finance and Banking become a reality which will change the face and fortune of the community as well as the country, if Almighty wills.

1. Interest free Islamic banking is emerging as a possible alternative to conventional Finance and Banking – Know why?
2. Start discussion in our circle & make it an integral part of our all programmes.
3. Bring out special issues and supplements in the print media, create space for discussion in electronic media, usage of internet to share the latest development & progress.
4. To remove Misconception among Non-Muslims that interest-free banking is not only for Muslims, a group of strong supporters among them- Abu Talibs has to be included in our efforts to spearhead this great cause.
5. Create awareness among Muslim Scholars, Students and the General Public by using Jum’a Sermons, Conferences, seminars, etc.
6. Human Resource Development – Skills & Spirits, Competence & Character specific to Islamic Shariah – Fiqh ul Muamilat and modern finance and banking has to be produced.
7. General awareness in Media – lobbying for Islamic Banking, Takaful – Islamic Insurance, Sukuk – Islamic Bonds.
8. Conduct seminars & symposium – Contact B-Schools, Professional associations, etc.
9. Create political will – contact & convince MPs of all parties to enable amending Banking Regulation act, 1949 in Parliament.
10. Planning for Islamic Micro finance & Mega Private Islamic Banks when permission granted.

http://luthfispace.blogspot.com/2010/03/10-point-programme-for-islamic-banking.html

Terrorism,Muslims and Media bias

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2011

What is rarely visible in the Indian media, however, are the brutal, illegal methods used against suspected terrorists: torture cells, illegal detention, unlawful killings in “police encounters”; elimination of evidence against the illegal actions of the law-enforcing agencies; and rampant harassment of Muslims. In July 2009, The Week reported on the existence of at least 15 secret torture chambers meant to extract information from the detainees. The methods to extract information include attaching electrodes to a detainee’s genitals as well as the use of pethidine injections. To quote The Week, these chambers are “our own little Guantanamo Bays or Gitmos”, which a top policeman called “precious assets”.

In May 2008, a Muslim boy aged 14 was abducted by the Gujarat police. He was dragged to the police car at gunpoint and taken to a detention centre where he was tortured. He returned home ten days later when the court ordered his release following his mother’s petition. The police subsequently threatened the boy’s family with dire consequences if they pursued the case in court. The police harassment becomes even more acute in light of the fact that most lawyers often hesitate to take up the cases of “terrorists”. As a disempowered community - as the government-appointed Sachar Committee report (of 2006) minutely demonstrates - Muslims themselves don’t have adequate and qualified lawyers to pursue such cases. Muslims’ marginalisation thus renders their voice invisible in the media too.

It is believed that after SIMI was banned, soon after 9/11, its radical members formed IM. During my fieldwork (2001-2004) on Jamaat-e-Islami and SIMI I did not hear anything about IM. SIMI activists and other Muslims I met felt terrorised themselves. It is worth noting that since 2001 far more people have been arrested as “SIMI terrorists” than the actual number of SIMI members, which in 1996 was 413 (when founded in 1976, SIMI’s members numbered 132). Until today, the Indian government has still not legally proved its rationale for banning SIMI.
In the fight against terrorism, evidence and the rule of law are subservient to prejudice. As of this writing, the Indian government has not yet tracked the perpetrators of the July 13 attack. However, only two days after the attack, Subramanian Swamy, a prominent politician and former minister (with a doctorate from Harvard University) wrote an article called “How to Wipe Out Islamic Terror”. Without any evidence, he blamed Muslims for the attack, in the same way that The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Sun suspected Muslim involvement in the Norway shooting nine days later.

What Swamy did is standard practice in Indian media. In September 2006, a blast killed 35 people at a Muslim graveyard in Malegaon (in the state of Karnataka). The media blamed Muslims. Likewise, in 2007, after a blast killed 10 Muslims praying in Hyderabad’s Mecca mosque, Praveen Swami freely wrote about the Muslim terrorists he believed caused it and about what he perceived to be the “Islamist threat to India’s cities”. However, investigations later showed that Hindu nationalists carried out the Malegaon and Mecca mosque terror attacks.

Returning to Subramanian Swamy, Swamy wrote: “We need a collective mindset as Hindus to stand against the Islamic terrorist. The Muslims of India can join us if they genuinely feel for the Hindus. That they do I will not believe unless they acknowledge with pride that though they may be Muslims, their ancestors were Hindus”. Those refusing to acknowledge this, Swamy advocated, “should not have voting rights”. He proposed declaring India “a Hindu Rashtra [state]”.

Stories of Muslim terrorists abound in both the Indian and Western media. Since the July 13, 2011 Mumbai bombings, vitriolic pieces like Subramanian Swamy’s have appeared frequently in the media. These pieces subtly influence the analyses of many liberal intellectuals. By contrast, stories portraying Muslims as the terrorised remain fairly sparse. One wonders if, and how, such stories will be told

Irfan Ahmed in Al Jazeera. 

http://luthfispace.blogspot.com/2011/09/terrorismmuslims-and-media-bias.html

Modi's nasty 'fast politics': Shifting the BJP rightwards

Modi's nasty 'fast politics'

From: Rediff.com, September 23, 2011
September 24, 2011

by Praful Bidwai

Modi's fast has failed to put even a paper-thin moderate or secular gloss on his image. But he has succeeded in shifting the BJP politically to the far right, decisively and firmly, says Praful Bidwai.

Through his contrived sadbhavana mission and outlandish three-day fast, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra 'Milosevic' Modi staged a grotesquely fraudulent act in ugly political theatre, which he hoped would catapult him to the apex of the Bharatiya Janata Party and make him the topmost contender as the prime ministerial nominee of the National Democratic Alliance.

But besides consolidating his image as a Hindutva hriday samrat, Modi's manoeuvres may achieve little. Yet they will inflict a heavy burden on the BJP by isolating it from its potential allies.

Modi's shenanigans will certainly do nothing to make him acceptable to the Muslims, who suffered Independent India's worst state-organised butchery under him in 2002. The presence of skull-capped men and burqa-clad women at his fast means nothing.

Modi didn't express remorse at the violence or signal moderation. He came through as an arrogant, duplicitous and hubris-driven politician bent on further humiliating Muslims. His fast wasn't about sadbhavana (goodwill or harmony), but about hyping himself up as a politician.

Modi even belittled his former mentor L K Advani

Yet much of the BJP's senior leadership danced attendance upon Modi. This encouraged him to flex his muscles. He even belittled his former mentor L K Advani by making him sit in a smaller chair than his own at the venue of the fast, thus symbolically challenging conservative notions of hierarchy.

Symbols apart, one of Modi's main objective was to undercut Advani's bid to regain his pre-eminence in the BJP through his unilaterally announced rath yatra, which is designed to politicise religious sentiment through the image of a mythical warrior riding a Bollywoood-style version of an ancient chariot.

Modi has queered the yatra's pitch and forced a shift in its starting-point to Bihar. Since then, the RSS has further snubbed Advani.

Two other motives inspired Modi: first, to celebrate the recent Supreme Court ruling in the Zakia Jafri petition as a 'clean chit' for him in the Gulburg Society massacre; and second, to use the fast, a tactic perfected by Anna Hazare, to show that the opposition space in politics isn't entirely occupied by civil society; the BJP still retains its relevance.

However, the Supreme Court by no means exonerated Modi or the Special Investigation Team's report which holds that there is no prosecutable evidence against him and 61 others named by Jafri. Although the court sent the case to a trial court in Gujarat, it directed it to examine that report, as well as the comments made on it by amicus curiae (friend of the court) Raju Ramachandran, and to give the petitioners a hearing.

Modi's credibility has been damaged by Mallika Sarabhai

The trial court can proceed against the accused even though the SIT didn't file a charge-sheet against them. Of course, how the court acts within Gujarat's vitiated political climate remains an open question, but it cannot simply bury the case or accept a closure report without hearing the petitioners, and summoning witnesses if necessary.

Meanwhile, Modi's credibility has been further damaged by the disclosure by dancer-activist Mallika Sarabhai, based on an affidavit filed by former top police official R B Sreekumar, that his government tried to scuttle her writ petition for prosecuting him for the violence by paying a Rs 10-lakh bribe to her lawyer.

This showed that the Modi regime could stoop to the rock bottom to suppress efforts to bring the culprits of the 2002 communal violence to book.

The Modi government undermined its sadbhavana platform by cracking down on Sarabhai, Jan Sangharsh Morcha activist-lawyer Mukul Sinha -- who has done outstanding work in exposing the cover-up -- and others, for attempting a symbolic protest fast.

This fast would have carried much more credibility than Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela's own hunger-strike, not least because of his past association and numerous compromises with the Sangh Parivar. Preventing the activists' fast is one more black-mark against Modi.

It is shameful that Modi has not been criminally prosecuted

As for the objective of pressing the BJP's pre-eminent claim to the opposition space, Modi's fast was a laughable parody of the Anna Hazare original: pointless, artificial, insincere, cheaply self-justificatory, and patently lacking in introspection.

The farcical gimmick drew ridicule from the BJP's most valuable ally, the Janata Dal-United, with whom it shares power in Bihar.

The support extended to the fast by the Akali Dal, which is widely expected to lose the coming elections in Punjab and get marginalised, and the AIADMK, which isn't even remotely considering allying with the BJP, doesn't mean much.

Modi hasn't overcome even an iota of the stigma he earned by presiding over the anti-Muslim pogrom of 2002. It is of course utterly shameful that he hasn't been criminally prosecuted, and worse, even politically punished, for his role in falsely communalising the Godhra train fire, and systematically organising and colluding in the ensuing violence.

India's entire political class failed to compel the ruling NDA to dismiss the Modi government in March 2002 for manifestly violating the fundamental right to life of citizens and plotting the massacre of more than 1,000 people.

Modi's presence has been poisonous, not just in Gujarat

Arguably, had the secular opposition, including the Congress's Sonia Gandhi, the Communist parties' Harkrishan Singh Surjit, Jyoti Basu and A B Bardhan, and centrist leaders like Lalu Prasad, Mulayam Singh Yadav and others, insisted on its dismissal through a sustained agitation, the NDA might have had no choice but to impose President's Rule.

Similarly, assembly elections were held in December 2002 despite Gujarat's communally charged atmosphere, the terrorising and disenfrachisement of a whole community, and the near-total absence of rehabilitation of the violence-affected.

After rightly raising objections initially, the Election Commission unfortunately agreed to hold elections, citing a questionable legal precedent. Modi cynically capitalised on Hindutva hubris and won even as the Congress adopted a soft-Hindutva line, reducing itself to the BJP's 'B Team'.

Instead of cooling his heels in prison, Modi continues to occupy the seat of power in Gandhinagar. He has methodically covered up his crimes even as his police have brutalised people and intimidated witnesses.

His presence has been poisonous, not just in Gujarat. No one has brought as much international disrepute to India. No other Indian chief minister has been denied a visa in numerous countries for complicity in gross human right violations.

Modi's ambition is to win the Gujarat elections due next year

Modi has ruled Gujarat despotically, and pampered big business by offering it huge tax breaks at the expense of public welfare and human development. Gujarat has stagnant or falling indices in health, education and gender equality:

Seventy four percent of Gujarat's women and 46 percent of its children are anaemic. The state's sex-ratio is an abysmal 487:1000 in the 0-4 age-group and 571 in the 5-9 age-groups (national averages, 515 and 632 respectively). Gujarat's health indices are barely higher than Orissa's. In social sector spending as a proportion of public expenditure, Gujarat ranks a lowly 19 among 21 major states.

Modi's fast has failed to put even a paper-thin moderate or secular gloss on his image. But he has succeeded in shifting the BJP politically to the far right, decisively and firmly. Not only has he imposed his will upon the party; he has drawn praise from such unlikely sources as Sushma Swaraj, a party rival.

Even Advani now says Mr Modi can handle "any responsibility", presumably including the nation's top job.

Modi's ambition is to win the Gujarat elections due next year, probably by advancing their date, and then become BJP president when Nitin Gadkari's term ends in December 2012. This would give him a definite edge over other "second generation" leaders like Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, M Venkaiah Naidu and Rajnath Singh.

The BJP will soon realise Modi is more a liability than an asset

He then hopes that with the backing of powerful business lobbies, he will become the NDA's prime ministerial candidate.

However, such a pre-poll arrangement can be safely ruled out. The JD-U will certainly oppose it. It's also extremely unlikely that former NDA constituents like the Biju Janata Dal and Telugu Desam will return to the alliance under Modi's leadership.

It's only in the unlikely event of the BJP winning 200-plus Lok Sabha seats that a post-election alliance will emerge. But it's difficult to see how the BJP can increase its tally by 84 seats or over 70 percent (from the present 116) unless it does miraculously well in Uttar Pradesh, where it's currently Number 4.

Ironically, by shifting the BJP rightwards, Modi will have narrowed its base and electoral appeal. A hardline Hindutva party will massively and irrevocably repulse the religious minorities, which form one-sixth of the national vote, or roughly one-half of what's needed for a party to win a national election. That's a recipe for losing elections.

Narrowing of the BJP's base will probably open up new political spaces while weakening the trend towards bipolarism. This would offer interesting opportunities to secular Left-of-Centre forces, admittedly amidst some endemic national-level instability.

The BJP could soon find that Modi, with his insufferable arrogance, megalomania and obnoxious ultra-individualism, is more a liability than an asset both for itself and its allies. It stands warned.

Courtesy: http://communalism.blogspot.com/2011/09/modis-nasty-fast-politics.html

Gujarat’s Wounds

Can Fasting bring harmony, while the scars remain unattended to?

Ram Puniyani

Life is full of strange paradoxes. Narendra Modi undertook fast for three days for Sadbhavna (Harmony), to mark complete peace, unity and harmony (Sept 2011). This came in the backdrop of the Supreme Court verdict which has asked the trial court to examine all the evidence and amicus curie’s report so that his culpability or otherwise in Gulbarg society case is decided. The Supreme Court order has directed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to file its final report into the allegations of Narendra Modi being the architect-in-chief of the 2002 Gujarat massacre. This was interpreted by BJP as a clean chit to Modi. Modi in turn took sigh of relief and pronounced, ‘God is great’. Shrewd as Modi is, he has tried to project that this has exonerated him from his sins of Gujarat carnage 2002.

On one hand this fast is seen as an attempt to project him on the national scene, as after the political absence of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the eclipse on the fortunes of Lal Krishna Advani, there is tussle for the top slot in BJP. So far Modi has been projecting an image of man for development, but we know that the minorities and many allies of NDA are keeping a safe distance from Modi. This is a hindrance for his Prime Ministerial ambitions. BJP on other hand is celebrating the Supreme Court verdict just to create an impression of victory, which it is not. Now the process of justice is wide open and the path is open for the legal battle in times to come. It also seems that many goals have merged together leading to this fast by Modi.

One aim of course has been that Modi can never be acceptable for the Prime Ministerial candidate by NDA, unless he comes clean of his role in Gujarat 2002 by seeking an apology. This has a problem as seeking apology will also be a confession of guilt, which will alienate his hard core constituency who were made to believe that they are insecure because of the tiny Muslim minority. Cleverly Modi even refused to take the moral responsibility of 2002 by mocking the interviewer by retaliating as to what is this moral responsibility! The second goal seems to be a longing for image change over without really apologising for the 2002. The idea for such a fast must have come from the Anna’s fast, which was successfully elevated into a spectacle for the hidden goals of RSS and the corporate, the backbones of Anna movement. Seeing the success of Anna experiment, Modi has been quick to grab the idea of creating similar spectacle by using the public money. Thirdly, it seems that the ground is slipping from under Modi’s feet, so in order to retrieve the ground he undertook this exercise with the hope that it may help him retain Gujarat and then claim National leadership.

As such the truth is that at National level most of the allies of NDA know that the allegations against Modi have gone down too deep in the psyche of people. The acts of commission and omission of this person who was called as the ‘classic fascist person’ by the prominent social scientist, Ashish Nandy, are too glaring to be put under the carpet. Modi is trying to deflect all the criticism against him by saying that it is an insult to the six crore Gujaratis. This ploy may not work as a large number of citizens from Gujarat know that Modi may be the elected Chief Minister of Gujarat, but he is not the one who represents the essence of ‘Gujarat of Gandhi’ or Gujarat of dalits, Adivasis and Minorities, who also live in Gujarat in large numbers. Modi has done his best to create an image of ‘man of development’, thanks to the policies which have supported the large corporate houses, who have got state loans at minimal rate of interest, while the farmers continued to commit suicide burdened by loans etc. It is remarkable that while ‘shining Gujarat’ is projected, the ‘whining Gujarat’ is cleverly hidden from public vision.

The claims of Harmony in Gujarat are far from true. Those working at ground level know that post Gujarat carnage the divides between religious communities have widened. The place like Juhapura, Ahmadabad is a good example of that. In Juhapura Muslims from all over the state are trying to settle, in search of safety, physical and emotional, in the hostile environment created by post carnage situation. The average banking and other social facilities are not reaching to such places. Not only Muslims, even the Christians minorities are feeling insecure despite the lapse of close to a decade after the carnage. The Godhra train burning verdict clarified the attitude of state authorities, where the chief accused of the train burning Haji Umarji was tried for years without any evidence whatsoever and then was exonerated by the Court. The minorities are feeling discriminated against and marginalized. On the top of that the lack of justice for the victims is a major issue. Despite one after other police officer coming out with sworn affidavits the high handed attitude of state leadership continues.

The beginning of Sadbhavna has to be by seeking sincere apologies by Naremndra Modi. You cannot have peace and amity on the foundations of ‘hidden hate’ and ‘overt injustice’ prevailing in Gujarat. The polarization of religious communities has become more or less structural and the victims of carnage are finding no respite in their daily lives. Even the Human rights activists who have been taking up the cases on behalf of victims are being targeted and there are no brakes on the authoritarian nature of Narendra Modi. The gimmick of fasting for peace is a hollow move as the beginning of harmony has to be with the remorse for injustices which have been heaped on the minorities. Times and over again the TV anchors and social activists have tried to urge upon Modi to begin the process of harmony by apologizing for the carnage of 2002, but all these well meaning appeals have fallen on the deaf years.

The process of Harmony fast revealed many things about the nature of politics being pursued by Modi. While he was more than keen to be wearing the head gears offered by other priests, he refused to put on the Muslim cap. While he could mobilise some victims on the stage, many a victims of injustices were not permitted to come anywhere close to him. We also witnessed that protesters were not allowed to vent their grievances while the fast for amity was in progress. All this is a clear reflection of the shape of things to come. The attempt to win over minorities of the state and the country will not cut any ice. The factors related to mis-governance may come to the fore and be a counter to the five star fast undertaken by Modi.

This present move of fasting has deeper political agenda and has nothing to do with the longing for peace. One wishes the genuine aspirations for harmony are begun through a process of remorse, reparation and proper justice to the victims who have been languishing in ghettoes, bereft of proper rights as citizens. We do need to distinguish between genuine efforts for harmony from these hollow attempts meant to consolidate the politics of Hate...