From: selvakum@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca (C.R.Selvakumar - Electrical Engineering)
Subject: Re: India Today Editorial : Ayodhya- Nation's shame
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1993 05:22:45 GMT

In article <199301090024.AA04073@mp.cs.niu.edu> t60bss9@mp.cs.niu.edu (Bijoy Sagar) writes:
>This is the editorial from India Today's special edition dated
>Dec 31, 1992. Aroon Purie, the editor is very rational IMHO.
>This was typed in by Uma Ramamurthy and I thank her for the permission
>to post it here. Do not flame us for the opinions expressed, these are not 
>necessarily our views.
>
>Happy reading 
>
>-Bijoy
>
>AYODHYA - NATION'S SHAME
>++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>" There come moments in history when a nation's soul is seared. For India,
>that moment came on the afternoon of December 6 when the Babri Masjid-Ram
>to take the law into their own hands. It knew very well the catastrophic 
                                       ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>consequences of such an act. It is a shame that a political party which
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
             Sure ! Those who claim to know the 'pulse of the people
             of India and Ram-is-the-identity-of Bharat conciousness
             can NOT deny this.
             ( Virendra Verma, Girish Bonde, Raj Bhatnagar, Indu,
               Deepak, et al should note !)

>acquired its legitimacy from the ballot box should so callously violate
>basic democratic tenets to achieve its objectives - the tenets of negotiation
>not force, the rule of law not of the jungle. The foundations of any civilised
>society. It is a shame too that the Government did not have the courage to
>enforce the law of the land.
>framework of the courts, Parliament and the Government. The BJP has been
                                                         ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>trying to cloud the issue by arguing that many temples were destroyed in
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>Kashmir and nobody but they raised a voice, so why all this fuss about
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>the destruction of one defunct mosque? On the face of it, a persuasive
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>argument. But, of course, they forget to mention that the destruction of
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>those temples were acts of terrorism, perpetrated by those who live outside
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>the law. Is that what the largest opposition party wants to equate itself
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>with?
^^^^^^^

        Well Said ! 

>  There is little doubt that with 110 million Muslims and many other smaller
>minorities, India can survive as a country only as a secular democracy.
>Otherwise we are doomed to go the tragic way of Lebanon and Yugoslavia,
>multiplied a thousand times.


>  Last week, we in the media got an unsavoury taste of the future if these
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>self-proclaimed warriors of Hinduism were ever to rule. They thought it fit
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>to threaten, intimidate, incarcerate and brutally beat the press into 
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>submission. Although they were attempting to rewrite history, they did not
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>want their misdeeds to be recorded for posterity. The jackboot of fascism
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>shows scant respect for the pillars of democracy and therefore the crushing
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>of the press in Ayodhya was quite in character. It showed the sinister
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>underbelly of the so-called religious movement.
************************************************

            Worth reading and remembering !!
            This is why I used strong words such a
            hindu-nazism. It is well known that 'jackboot
            of facism' WILL show scant respect for
            pillars of democracy ! Yes it IS the sinister
            underbelly of the so-called religious movement !
            Religion is about love, wisdom and harmony but
            unfortunately in the name of religion hatred,
            bigotry and discord is promoted ! 
            
>  It is a matter of great concern that the radical fringes of every 
>community, because they make the loudest noise and attract the maximum
>attention, falsely create the impression of representing the silent
>majority. While this majority, who by and large are more interested
>in peaceful coexistence and in improving the quality of their lives
>than in killing fellow citizens, become the unfortunate victims of
>extremism. This tolerant majority must find peaceful ways of making
>their voice heard above those of power-hungry leaders who play with
>our lives. I, for one, am hopeful because I believe that there is a kind
>of inevitable justice in this world. History has shown that evil carries
>its own seeds of destruction. Brave men and women who stand against these
>forces of bigotry can hasten this day of justice. In my opinion, the
>religious fanaticism which has reared its head today will be defeated by
>the innate common sense and decency of our people. " 
>++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>
>
>******************************************************************
>| BIJOY SAGAR,               *|* ALL DISCLAIMERS APPLY.          |
>| Dept. of Geology, Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL60115|
>| Internet : t60bss9@mp.cs.niu.edu OR bijoy@geol.niu.edu         |
>^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^                                                                                                 
              Thanks Bijoy Sagar and Uma Ramamurthy for this
              post !


     - Selva