A Time for Renewal

I agree totally with chowkies here that the incident at Taj was a very shameful one. It has been unfairly concealed and failed to get the front pages in most dailies. But it does not mean that the incident has not been taken note of.

It has created enough ripples in the public and in the government circles. There is hardly any distinction between youth wing of BJP, bajrang dal or vhp. They all feed on one another. Uma Bharati has always been known to be anti-muslim

and making her a minister does not change anything that constitues her. It is jarring to see her in saffron clothes;for that matter saffron robe around any politician. I am very positive BJP will get a nice drubbing in the coming elections, whatever it might try. It lost all the seats in the recent local elections in kanpur. Kanpur being the hotbed of BJP(bajrang dal,VHP) activity. Though Rajnath Singh does appear to be in control and more capable...BJP must go. Further I hated Vajpayee when he invited Mushy for talks. Old man is in a hurry to enter the good pages of History.

Sadna:

I think you are being very harsh on TOI. It`s not that bad a paper..yes it certainly isn`t an example of a vanguard of journalism. It`s sunday articles,cartoon strips,movie reviews, and ofcourse R.K.Laxman`s -``You Said It``, are very good.As a newspaper with an opinion, I would rather say, it stays out of controversies. :)For that matter- Hindu,THT,Pioneer are biased too.

It has a very strong local flavour. City after after city has been conquered by TOI, sending local papers for cover. The only paper that has given it a fight is the Hindustan Times. In Delhi it is a neck to neck fight for the top. What I mean is, come on give TOI it`s due. Kam se kam pehley din tho raddi nahin hai.

Zafar:

In recent times that is the only nice thing to have happened there. I won`t say more as I am very passionate about that ``lost paradise``.



Pullu

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_1606000/1606203.stm

Thursday, 18 October, 2001, 16:11 GMT 17:11 UK

Taleban return `stolen` aid

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *



Six million people urgently need aid, the WFP says.

Afghanistan`s ruling Taleban have handed back a warehouse containing thousands of tonnes of grain seized from the World Food Programme (WFP).

A WFP spokesman in Peshawar in Pakistan told the Associated Press: ``We`re still checking, but it looks like everything`s intact.``

If there are serious impediments then we could be looking at a humanitarian catastrophe



Catherine Bertini, WFP

The store in Kabul was taken over on Tuesday night when armed Taleban guerrillas entered the building and told staff to leave.

However aid agencies are warning that time is running out for hundreds of thousands of hungry Afghans, and continuous bombing and instability will only make the humanitarian situation worse.

The BBC`s Susannah Price says the medical aid organisation Medicins Sans Frontiers has also reported that several of its supply warehouses in the country have been looted.

The WFP is distributing most aid in Afghanistan



Another WFP warehouse in Kandahar was seized by the Taleban on Tuesday. It is not known whether this too has been handed back.

The warehouses hold a combined total of nearly 7,000 metric tonnes of wheat, more than half of the WFP`s supplies in the country.

The supplies have been stockpiled to feed desperate Afghan civilians. Aid agencies estimate that about six million people are relying on aid to feed them through the winter.

Disruption

The incidents are further disruption to the work of the aid agencies, whose mission has already been complicated by US bombing and the deteriorating situation inside Afghanistan.

Air strikes have taken their toll in Kabul



Most of the food coming into the country has come from the WFP, but distribution has been seriously affected and the UN estimates 400,000 people are already facing acute food shortages.

Catherine Bertini, the executive director of the WFP, has warned that further impediments could lead to a ``humanitarian catastrophe.``

Ms Bertini told a news conference that an estimated 52,000 tonnes of wheat per month is needed to feed those in need and the WFP aimed to step up its aid deliveries.

``In the next ten days we expect to deliver about 16,000 tonnes if all goes well,`` she said. ``If we can sustain this, then we can come fairly close to our monthly goal.``

The window for delivering humanitarian relief is closing



Oxfam

The WFP says it will continue will consider using targeted air drops of supplies if its daily road convoys of supplies do not succeed in getting aid to remote areas.

Other aid agencies warn that further complications, particularly in delivering aid to those most in need, are inevitable.

Barbara Stocking, Oxfam`s UK director, has said that lorry drivers are scared of entering Afghanistan after the US mistakenly bombed a compound belonging to the International Red Cross in Kabul this week.

Oxfam`s deputy humanitarian director Nick Roseveare told the BBC that time was running out.

``There is a very small window before the roads are closed by snow and at that time approximately half a million people in desperate need of food to keep them going through the winter will be cut off,`` he said.

Oxfam says that in recent days the Taleban have also started demanding payments from WFP convoys, and restrictions on aid workers communicating remain in place.

`Compelling reason`

The British Prime Minister Tony Blair has dismissed calls for a halt to the bombing to allow a massive delivery of supplies, and says the Taleban are the biggest obstacle to aid.

Aid agencies plan to step up aid deliveries



But Oxfam spokeswoman Helen Palmer told BBC News Online that while ``bombing is not the only hold-up to aid, it is a very compelling reason.

``We have 120 staff in Afghanistan, but their hands are effectively tied. WFP aid has run out - the Kabul warehouse is a drop in the ocean compared to what is needed,`` she said.

Tony Blair has a right to make the decision not to halt the bombing ... but we have the right to bring to attention the suffering of people in Afghanistan



Mohamad Imran, Islamic Relief Fund

Mohamad Imran, emergency relief coordinator from the Islamic Relief Fund said that supplies were not reaching people in anything like the quantities needed.

``Aid is getting in, but is not matching the need inside Afghanistan,`` he told BBC News Online.

``We are mindful of the situation with the onset of winter. If a pause (in the bombing) was achieved, massive supplies could be put in place,`` he said.

``Tony Blair has a right to make the decision not to halt the bombing, but we have the right to bring to attention the suffering of people in Afghanistan.``

Sadna:

I think we are long overdue for a tehelka.com on journalists.

Whole heartedly agree. Wasn`t it a Congress funstionary who said of the Press during the emergency: ``We asked you to bend, and you crawled``

re: Sadna # 485

Bravo!

Our sincere condolences to Indians affected by natural catastrophic cyclone.Those in Florida ,can surely relate to devastating force of such ruthless natural firce



Deadly Indian cyclone wreaks havoc

October 17, 2001 Posted: 7:46 PM HKT (1146 GMT)





HYDERABAD, India (AP) -- At least 27 people were killed when a cyclone, accompanied by the heaviest regional rainfall in 40 years, struck coastal towns in southern India.

Trees were uprooted trees and houses smashed, a state relief official said Wednesday.

The people died Tuesday when they drowned or their houses collapsed upon them in four towns, said Andhra Pradesh state relief commissioner D.C. Roshaiah.

The worst hit town was Cuddpah, where 18 people were reported killed, 450 kilometers (280 miles) south of Hyderabad, the state capital.

Most parts of the town were under four feet (1.20 meters) of water from the flooded Buggavanka dam, Roshaiah said.

The cyclone disrupted telephone lines and power supply to Cuddpah. Uprooted trees blocked the movement of rescue vehicles.

Other deaths were reported from the towns of Chittoor, Kurnool and Nellore.

News reports said another 15 people were reported missing after they had taken shelter atop a temple in Panyam, 270 kilometers (170 miles) south of Hyderabad. Roshaiah said he didn`t know what happened to them.

Transport cut

Using mechanized boats, authorities evacuated nearly 10,000 people from low-lying areas to relief camps on high ground.

``Relief measures are being taken up on a war footing,`` Roshaiah said.

Sullurpeta and Nellore, 500 kilometers (310 miles) south of Hyderabad, received 26 centimeters (10 inches) of rain in 24 hours after the cyclone in the Bay of Bengal hit the coast on Tuesday.

``It was the highest rainfall in the past 40 years,`` C.V.V. Bhadram, the meteorological department director, said in Hyderabad.

The roads connecting Nellore with Madras and the Madras-Calcutta highway were closed after trees were knocked across the lanes by gales with a wind speed of 65 kilometers (40 miles) per hour.

Several trains were canceled after stretches of track were submerged by flood waters.

Ylh (reply#429):

``Why are Indians so obsessed with Pakistan? No seriously why? Please leave us alone.. We dont like you, and we dont want to talk to you!``

It may be surprising for u, but i was born and bred in Pakistan. It perhaps never occured to u that some person in pakistan can criticise the army for its nafarious designes and vested interests. people like u think that survival of islam and pakistan is conditioned on survival of army. newsflash: u r wrong

Eklavya,

I am not mad at Tahmed. Merely disappointed.

I am just returning the favour.

Khabrain: Another Interesting Show to look into.

Forwarding:

[for those of you that stay up late, a special episode of Politically Incorrect will be tonite at 12:30PM. The panelists are all Muslim students, and in talking with one of the brothers after the taping of the show, it was supposed to be quite a highly charged episode, with some things discussed that were very ... interesting to say the least. 12:30PM on ABC - Politically Incorrect check it out! ]




Mahesh G:

Just wanted to let you know that I will respond to your reasonable views, for you need to be enlightened.

Mr. JB:

Go to www.usps.com and ask them to issue Basant and Baisakhi stamps.]

Good Point! Why don`t you take on the responsibilty of requesting the usps on the above?

I think if we can have mother`s day, father`s day, granny`s day, green-pattas` day, we must look into the festivities that are in our culture as well. Specially, knowing the fact that the music and other cultural practices are prevalent all over the world, why not have a bhagraa group on the cover of a stamp. And kites with all shades of yellow on another stamp. My suggestion would be that you draw a few pictures for the suggested look of that stamp. Reason: There are duffers all around and they would pick the most conservative version of our culture and religion to portray that community. Again, the issue that Ali Minai raised on moderates hiding like shutar-murgh is quite pertinent here.

I am running short of waqt. later,

tahmed321 # 422

I thank you for your response. I do appreciate your sincere desire to see the Muslims of this world live in peace, with honor and dignity. I will restrict my comments to problem #3 that you have identified in present day Saudi Arabia. It is indeed a very important point that you have brought up.

“PROBLEM 3: There is much that needs to be fixed in Saudi Arabia, but how does one do it without raising emotions.”

I understand your heartfelt view on this matter. Of course, two of the holiest places on earth for us (Muslims) are in present day Saudi Arabia… The last thing we wish to see is an unstable Saudi Arabia… But you know, it is equally important, if not more, to destroy the idols that line up “alongside” and “inside” our beloved kaaba… Why don’t/shouldn’t the governments of Muslim world represent the interests and views of their people? It is increasingly becoming obvious (thanks to information sources such as Aljazeera) that this situation is no longer acceptable to majority of Muslims – especially in the Middle East.

It is very easy to point the finger at Osamas or the Talibans of this world right now. And while we, the educated/moderate/liberal/enlightened Muslims, are quick to criticize the Talibans for their repression of women and children, and quick to point out their medieval, and barbaric approach to understanding Islam, we choose to remain quiet about essentially the same kind of regimes in Saudi Arabia and in much of the Muslim world. Why? I tell you why… because Talibans do not have the means to suppress our voices!
This is hypocrisy and cowardice of the worst form on our part!

Yes the USA/West has supported corrupt, dictatorial regimes in the Mid East. And yes we can blame the West for applying double standards when it comes to issues such as Palestine… and so on and so forth. But I reckon it is time we think about putting our own house in order (apnay grabaan main jahaankayn) before we blame anybody else for our ills… I reckon we should own up to Osamas and Talibans of Muslims world as the results of our own sins!

As long as the educated/moderate/liberal/enlightened Muslims of the world remain indifferent and watch the game from sidelines for fear of being dragged into dirty politics, people like Osama & Talibans will speak for all of us. And we have ourselves to blame for it!

URS:

Your post on Sexy Ossama was quite hilarious :) I was at a family wedding where one of my first cousins, who have grown up in the US, very sadly told me, that she was quite disturbed to hear the killing of the Northern Alliance Leader. I cannot seem to recall his name. Amazingly, my cousin has read his biography and agaa-peecha so damn well that I felt like an idiot, not even knowing his name. She, a very charming gal, very sadly put, that she cannot think of marriage anymore. I was taking her lightly till I heard her speak about the deceased in a very warm and affectionate tone :) I think he was very much liked amongst the Talibaan Haters. I was told about the depth of his eyes, the cut of his face and etc etc. She talked about his bravery and chivalry. For a minute, I thought that my pophi-zaad has lost her mind, but then I could understand what she liked about him :) I guess, character. Our women, wherever, they grow up have a tendency to fall for that, specially if they have had fathers as strong figures in their lives. Just thought of giving you another perspective :D

Take Care!

Stuka #479

I would be grateful even for a `pseudo-secular` press these days, let alone a secular press. But it seems to have deteriorated into pseudo-``pseudo-secularism``.

The Times Of India, that raddi paper, spoke of Yuva Morcha guys losing it ``inspite of Ms Bharati`s comments that BJP youth cadres were more disciplined than those of other parties``. The raddi paper TOI didnot have the honesty to quote her other remarks, notably something about eliminating the root cause Islam. IMO the raddi paper TOI was actively trying to cover up for her in this matter. I saw these remarks quoted elsewhere, but cannot now find the source on the Web, though in the news report about the petition to the Supreme Court, these remarks of hers are referred to.

I can see there may be editorial judgement used about `spreading` inflammatory and sensitive news, esp at this time, making matters worse vs total honesty. But in these matters of BJP rhetoric, I think TOI and other newspapers have not been cautious, they have been craven cowardly sellouts. They are not so cautious about reporting Imam Bukhari`s statements, are they? I think we are long overdue for a tehelka.com on journalists.

Zafar:

The article that I talk about in a previous post is this one only. I just got a bit confused.

Also, SameerJBs thoughts on this article are instructive WITH REGARD TO EVERY RELIGION.

Btw, someone had posted a belief o matic test. Did you take that? I turned out 100% Sikh, no big deal there, but then 94% conservative judaim and like 90% liberal Judaism, with Hinduism being a distant fourth. Looks like I am living proof of the Sikh-Jewish conspiracy.

re: hobbyty # 451

I think there are two fundamentally different kinds of objections that one can raise against the current conception of modernity. The first sort of objections relate to the PROCESS of defining modernity, the second to its CONTENT.

We can argue that the WEST (by which we seem to mean some secularized, rationalized (science and technology heavy) version of Christianity) has excercised an undue influence in defining modernity. We may then suggest that everyone else (traditional Christians, fundamentalist Christians, Catholics, Evangelists, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Environmentalists, Luddites et al) should also be able to make equal contributions to defining modernity. Here the focus is on the process.

We may alternatively be concerned less with who DOES the defining, and more with WHAT modernity stands for. We may want to say that the current view of modernity places far too much emphasis on material consumption and not enough on sustainability. Or, we may argue that we need to build into our notion of modernity an ability to live together peacefully in the midst of diversity, that we need to promote a healthy (by no means blind) respect for all cultural traditions. Here the focus is on the content.

Are the two related? Not entirely. As I pointed out, one can bring in the focus on God and family (if modernity did require that) without including all (at least some specific) religions. Medium is the message, but many media may offer the same message, just as one medium may have multiple messages.

My point is that we need to be very clear about what it is that we are looking for. Is it merely a place for all of us/one of us at the table? Or, is it a fundamental redefinition of modernity itself, according to some objective criteria that most of us can share? If our objective is the latter, then merely adding one more member to the table will not help.

re: MaheshG # 466

Why are you so angry with tahmed321? Is it because he loves Pakistan, or because he loves Islam? Neither of those is a crime...kya baat hai?

As an Indian, you must surely have come in touch with some wonderful Muslims. And, you don`t seem to be mad at other Pakistanis here on Chowk.