From: aam9n@honi1.acc.Virginia.EDU (Ali Minai)
Subject: Letter to Prime Ministers
Originator: aam9n@honi1.acc.Virginia.EDU
Organization: University of Virginia
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 05:17:57 GMT

As you might already know, some of us (183 at last count) are planning to send
a letter of protest to the Prime Ministers to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh
regarding the Ayodhya tragedy and its aftermath. We also plan to send the letter
to several prominent newspapers and magazines in each country, and, if finances
permit, to place it as an advertisement in the international editions of one or
two papers.

We plan to mail the letter tomorrow, so if you would like to add your name to
the list, please do so now. I am appending a copy of the letter. You can send
e-mail to me, but in order to be certain of making the deadline, it would be
better to send mail to P.J. Narayanan at pjn@CS.CMU.EDU. If you feel that the
crisis in our countries involves you, please do read the letter, and if you
find yourself in agreement with its spirit, please consider adding your name
to the list of those who have signed it. Thanks.

Ali Minai

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Respected Prime Ministers,

We, the citizens and well-wishers of India, Bangladesh and Pakistan,
jointly wish to convey our deep shock at the recent turn of events
following the destruction of the 16th century mosque in Ayodhya
against the orders of the Supreme Court of India. We are, in
particular, greatly distressed by the tragic loss of innumerable
innocent lives in the aftermath of the event in all three countries,
and by retaliatory acts including the destruction of Hindu temples
outside India. We fear that this Ayodhya incident, and the ripple
effects it has caused, may have set a dangerous precedent; we ask
that such an event never be allowed to happen in the future. We
condemn the inability and lack of determination of the respective
governments to avert the tragedy.

Current news media and eye-witness accounts of casualties
in the riots are, indeed, unsettling. While acknowledging the
difficult and dangerous task being performed by security forces
in the containment of riots, we regret that preservation of human
life has often been a secondary consideration in the process.
What we also find alarming is that security forces, at times,
have become ruthless and partisan in quelling rioters belonging
to minority communities, thus furthering the cause of those who
feed upon destructive communal passions.

We deplore the various extremist groups involved in inculcating
and spreading hatred amongst Hindus and Muslims. Such groups
desecrate our most cherished cultural traditions, conveniently
forgetting the history of religious tolerance and peaceful
co-existence of different communities in the Sub-Continent.
In pursuing their political ends, these extremists use
diversionary, divisive and selfish agendas instead of
providing viable alternatives in working constructively
towards alleviating the many hardships plaguing our societies.

It is still not too late for us to forgive our collective errors
of the past and usher in a new era of peace, cooperation and
prosperity in the region. We sincerely appeal to the various
fighting groups to restrain themselves from indulging in further
violence. We ask our respective governments to punish the
perpetrators of these heinous crimes, to take the necessary
steps to restore peace and order in the region to ensure that
the lives of all citizens, and especially the minorities, are
protected everywhere. Above all, we earnestly ask that the three
governments, in recognition of our common cultural heritage,
spare no effort in launching a massive re-education campaign
to fight ignorance and prejudice.

We implore our peoples to rise above religious and other
differences and march towards enlightenment and understanding
at the dawn of a new century so that we can bequeath its promise
to our successive generations.