From: budaraju@cae.wisc.edu (Srinivas Budaraju)
Subject: Babri Mosque - some background - 6/10
Organization: U of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering
Date: 11 Dec 92 15:07:34 CST

The following are excerpts from an interview of Asghar Ali Engineer by Sridhar
D. Damle, a free-lance reporter for India Tribune (Chicago) and co-author with
Walter K. Anderson of the book "The Brotherhood in Saffron: The Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh and Hindu Revivalism", Vistaar Publications, New Delhi,
1987.  Some extraneous or redundant material has been deleted; a few
grammatical errors have been corrected; subheads have been put in for clarity.
 
The interview took place on Dec 2, 1990, in Chicago.
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6. NAGALAND
 
D: If you want to go to Nagaland - I was a student, we invited
students from Assam and Mizoram and all this area, NEFA area, I
was one of the host families. I was told that if you wanted to go
to Nagaland, you required a certificate from the church. Is that
good?
 
A: No, that is bad.
 
D: Is that a threat to secularism or not?
 
A: It is. So, we don't want that kind of state of affairs. If it
is one country, we should be able to move about everywhere. But
that was so because, ...
 
D: Coming to the Congress point, ...
 
A: One minute. Nagaland. What have we done to Nagaland? What sins
have we not committed against the Nagas? We have massacred them,
we have raped their women, our army, our police, I mean, I am a
human rights activist, let us face these facts. The fact that you
could not enter without permission of the church, it was a result
of a certain situation.
 
D: Isn't it a fact, all you are quoting existed is from [many]
years back.  Is it not that the Nagas, being Christians, they
feel that they are not Indian?
 
A: It is not a question of Christianity in Nagaland, it is a
question of Naga identity. They feel that they are a separate
nationality, and they should remain independent. Again, see,
every society is divided. When Muslims were demanding Pakistan,
don't think that every Muslim was demanding Pakistan.
Overwhelming majority of Muslims, ...
 
D: Mostly from UP, Madras and Bombay.
 
A: Not Madras. From UP, Bihar, and from UP and Bihar also, don't
think that all Muslims were demanding - a section of Muslims, ...
 
D: Sunnis.
 
A: Not even Sunnis. People who had strong, educated middle class,
landlords, feudal interests, some merchants, because they all had
interests in having a separate country. So, let us understand
this. It is not religion, it is more interests, but because we
follow one religion and others follow another religion, we
develop strong prejudices in which we ascribe everything to the
other religion. It is not that.  I am a student of communalism
and communal violence in India, I have studied several riots in
depth, and everywhere I have seen vested interests behind this.
Which are mainly political, economic, you follow, it is not
religion which makes you fight.
 
D: I agree.
 
A: I know very orthodox Hindus who have lived in peace and
harmony with very orthodox Muslims. it is not religion that makes
them fight. It is vested interests which make them fight. And
they play with our prejudices and our religious sentiments. That
we should denounce.
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-Srinivas				budaraju@cae.wisc.edu

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