Oppression of women in Pakistan: Myth or Fact scout:

behind the gloss of `miss india` is a generous glow of `bhartiya kumari`. in most cases of educated indian women, this is a delightful combination of the two (which most educated indian men are quite fond of!). in fact, it is a delicate balancing act which educated indian women perform with admirable ease.

yes, somewhere during this transition from bhartiya kumari to miss india, there has been, regrettably perhaps, a certain `loss of innocence`. not only in the women, but also in the nation as a whole. however, from aicha to anNy to nachiketa to sadna would (perhaps) tell you that the `feminine innocence` was more taken advantage of than admired. so, in the greater scheme of things, this was probably a good thing.

as for you mr saxena, you and scout should perhaps, ummm... meet? one hopes, though, that scout`s real name doesn`t begin with `s`! for when `the happy one` returns to write his sequel, he wouldn`t have to grapple with the dilemma of having the little desi`s initials bearing an uneasy resemblance to r.s.s.

nav-varsh ki shubhkamnayen, everyone!

Democracy in Pakistan: The Missing Link? UK universities, mosques hunting ground for militants

http://www.hindustantimes.com/nonfram/291200/dtLFOR45.asp

...He said every year, between 1,800 and 2,000 such recruits `go abroad for military training`, adding `they either go for national service in Pakistan or to private camps in South Africa, Nigeria or Afghanistan where they learn of weapons and explosives`...

The Soft Option LASHKAR-E-TOIBA: Its past, present and future

http://www.saag.org/papers2/paper175.htm

The Mandir Mirage f k#508:

[...`None of my ancestors or my friends` ancestors are open to scrutiny in my presence...`]

that was good for a laugh. too bad your presence is not felt when solitude and hamidm are around. can`t take on them, can you? or are you cowed down by them? holy cow!

The Mandir Mirage pankaj #526 on the other farzana board:

bangaru laxman, the bjp president, said in an interview couple of days ago - `vajpayee did not make these statements out of the blue. he has consulted some muslim leaders before saying it.`

don`t have the url for it.

The Mandir Mirage fuzair`s feelings are summed up as `small-nation syndrome` in the think-tanks of usa.

there is no cure for it.

The Mandir Mirage dear bilal,

[...``Permit me to ask you: Could you explain to me what is the focus of our discussion? Why? And, how could we contribute?...``]

you seem to be of the view that the onus (completely or at least a major portion of it) of ensuring communal harmony falls on the majority community. i disagree. every citizen of a country, regardless of his religious affinity to a particular group, has an equal responsibility. if anyone expects `special treatment`, then they have to be prepared to deliver `special reponsibilities` as well.

md. azharuddins and farzana verseys of india are enough to shake anyone`s confidence.

The Mandir Mirage Dear bilal,

I am well aware of the positive aspects of your post. otherwise I won`t have bothered interacting with you.

Minority concerns can NEVER be fully satisfied in any country (including US, with all its freedom, and education and prosperity). Any progress towards a compromise is inevitably linked to empathy on both sides.

Growing up in a small town in UP, I would have been horrified to hear and would have found it unbelievable - what you attribute to your son`s friend (I still am). I suppose his feelings must be due to some very personal experiences of his family. two mosques, two temples and a gurudwara are within 2 minutes of walk from our house. The shops near those are lined up with owners who are hindus and muslims and sikhs. the families around our house are mostly hindus and muslims.

There has not been even one religious conflict in that town since independence. I am not sure about the period before.

To an outsider, your story would give the impression that hindus have been brought up with the idea of killing all muslims in india. since you have been in academic field and are aware of the education system/curriculum in india (particularly of the time period that you refer to), you know that that is not true. Therefore, I fail to see the purpose in letting us know this story. Any number of personal stories can be told by any one to rationalize his view.

If your purpose was to educate me then I have to say – thank you, but I certainly did not need to know this to form any opinion of hindus/muslims.

The Mandir Mirage dear bilal,

pointing out/discussing issues does not necessarily mean complaining or engaging in tit-for-tat. your mention of `human rights violation against the minority community by people claiming the higher moral ground` can also be categorized in the same way.

The Mandir Mirage zee tv`s site is called zeetelevision.com

zeetv.com is owned by a guy who bought the url for $24 years ago and now wants to sell it to zee television for an amount that should have $24 in it followed by several zeroes.

The Mandir Mirage correction -

bilal #116 not #160

The Mandir Mirage bilal #160,

I am afraid you have misinterpreted my earlier post. i am not advocating that the events in america and india are equivalent, merely that the `reasoning` connecting the `before and after` events is similar.

I also agree with arun that a muslim living in raja bazar, calcutta or anywhere else in india for that matter, can not be blamed for the `bad deeeds` of the mughals. conversely then, can the `representatives` of these everyday muslims take `credit` for the `good deeds` of the mughals? i would refer to the shahi imam`s interview in rediff where he says `...After ruling India for 900 years, Muslims today live like slaves...`

when we talk of `minority sentiments`, can we overlook `majority sentiment`? do we believe that there is a mutual agreement on `hurt sentiments`?

the desecration of religious places must be bemoaned, no questions about that. but, such bemoaning must not be restricted to one community only.

The Mandir Mirage Dear bilal,

No, I did not `fail to read and interpret` your earlier post. I realized that you had merely quoted someone else. But since you posted the comment, I wanted to get your opinion. Further, would it be fair to assume that you agree with the author?

As far as `...mughals have perished` is concerned, can the whites in america argue along similar lines to tell the blacks that no remedies are necessary for the sins of their forefathers? should the people (in the subcontinent) who claim to be direct descendants of the mughals take up some responsibility?

The Mandir Mirage bilal #100:

dear bilal,

while it may be fair to ask advani to apologize for babari, his supporters may then call for a counter apology for `x numbers of temples destroyed during the glorious mughal rule to build such mosques`. who would/should render such an apology in your opinion?

The Mandir Mirage correction -

...since none of us here IS `widely read and respected`...

The Mandir Mirage farzana,

[...``Whose private views on controversial topics have I questioned?...``]

forgive me if i don`t subscribe to your persoal philosophy of `don`t look for logic`. a question like `How about child marriage or the widows of Benares?` would indicate a desire for some discussion on these issues. since none of us here (except you) are `widely read and respected`, the views expressed (if any) would have to be `private`, don`t you think?