The downfall of Hosni Mubarak

The downfall of Hosni Mubarak

Deepening communal divide in Kerala

Perumal Koshy

P.Koshy <caushie@gmail.com>

Only one remaining secular space in Kerala is the meeting sessions of hard-core drinkers before and after arrack/toddy consumption in and around alcohol shops, says Mr. CK Vishwanath. Thankfully, there remains such a secular forum in Kerala, where people of diverse backgrounds can meet and forget their differences and remain together on a common platform for some time.

Swami Vivekananda once called Kerala as a lunatic or a mental asylum during one of his visits. Nothing much has changed since then? Other than State achieving better rating at social and human development indicators, of course, this is not a small achievement! But when mafia – gunda – quotation raj being the reality and norm of the day on the one hand, at the law & order front, at the socio-political front people are deeply divided over community, religious and caste lines.

Today’s Kerala is a highly communalized state. Inter community and inter religious interactions are very minimal.

People are classified on religious, caste and community lines. The potential to garner votes based on identity matter more when a political candidate for an election is being decided.

Over a period of time, with this game played-out by all, divisions within society on the lines of identity based upon caste, religious and community has deepened, poisoning Kerala society, expanding communal divide, resulting in almost irreversible shrinkage of secular space, as Mr. Vishwanath opines.

Many actors are responsible for this kind of shrinking secular space. While not disputing the contributions made by Christian missionaries to Kerala’s social development, role of contemporary Church leadership in communalizing Kerala society is a matter of concern which need serious thought.

Similarly we need to give serious attention to political parties that contribute parochial feelings among broader Kerala society. Just for instance, the name Kerala Congress itself is an example. That name is not attuned to Kerala people’s nationalistic outlook; moreover their suspected - clandestine links with the Church leadership is yet another issue. It is generally believed that various political groupings under Kerala Congress (KC) brand name have much to do with Christian and Church’s political and economic interests.

Support of religious and community leaders are a critical factor for winning elections in Kerala. Knowing this well and the strategy to adopt so as to gain maximum political clout, Churches always attempt to influence voting pattern and thereby electoral fortunes of candidates.

A bishop, if cannot openly declare support to a party or a candidate, often do express his leniency in a number of ways, just for instance, by posing for camera with the candidate to appear that photo in next day’s newspaper, during electioneering time, signaling believers whom should they vote. That may be an old gimmick and highly un- doubtful, if bishops can any longer influence believers considerably.

But the larger civil society is divided and danger is already done and made. Division created will here to stay for a long time to come, at least till the coming up IT generation taking strong strides to break up with the past and move forward with a large number of inter-caste, inter-religious and inter-community marriages. And of course through multicultural worksites especially in the newly sprouting IT and BPO companies!

The problem of communal poisoning arose because, it was a politics related to economic power, managing social infrastructural investments.

Managing a host of social institutions, commercially, is not an easy task. Clearances, extensions, permits, new licenses and a whole lot of things are involved. Here the need to have a political representative, who can help in such matters, is quite understandable, for a country, where dealing with regulatory mechanism functioning with a rent-seeking motto. It is good to some representation at political level to speed up matters and to at least partially overcome rent seeking behavior of people concerned.

There are two kinds of minority institutions in the country. One is a minority religious institute directly managed by the Church bodies. The second category is the institutions formed to grab minority benefits by investors, NRIs from minority community. It is the sprouting of such institutes and support given to them by the contemporary church leadership often causes problem.

Some of these spiritual leaders move on specially imported heavier vehicles that consume much more fuel than fuel economy model cars that are available in the local market. And when they speak out vehemently for minority institutions ( as some of them have minority business men’s investment in them) spectators of all backgrounds raise eyebrows.

And on whose money these heavy model vehicles run? Is it the believers money or the business lobby finance them? And politicians from their community are needed to ensure safe passage of those ‘holy vehicles ‘ at custom points and ensure clearances at various governmental level. Also, political representation are needed to clear up some of the serious violation of various income tax laws in those non-Church managed money making minority institution.Here many out of one advantage it seems to me for the spiritual leaders for aligning with business are may be those heavy luxury vehicles and free fuel, so that cost of running them need not figure in the account statements.

Fall out of this nexus between the trinity, spiritual leaders – business men – political leaders is that other communities, religious groups and caste organizations started adopting same model. And this pattern is now widespread. There is a huge competition between different groups to become the largest capitalist force within the State of Kerala. Interestingly, each and every community organizations have their micro credit arrangements.

Between the Trinity mentioned above, there are mutual give and take which may be broadly finance related, business related, vote related and many more. This has nothing to do with Christianity or the Church. Helping a political leader or a political party is none of Church’s business.

Late Bishop Paulose Mar Paulose, Late Abraham Marthoma and Bishop Yuhanon Marthoma all used to take strong political positions for different causes, for or against policies and decisions of the governments. Yuhanon Marthoma took a position against former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s emergency rule in the late 1970s.

But participating actively in politics, as behind the curtain strategy masters, religious leaders are poisoning Kerala’s political space! It was indeed a ‘slow poisoning’, a process started with the formation of Kerala Congress!

Many of the UDF constituents, especially, non-Congress constituents, it is highly doubtful, if they can count even 1000 votes for sure to their kitty today. But in a coalition context they bargain for their seats and continuously win elections. It is an interesting phenomenon.

So often those who win seats in the Christian – Rubber clusters are people who have not much grassroots base except for the right equation with the bishops, the Church and community leaders.

Altogether this game where religions, Churches, political leaders and business men are involved has more to do with money making and advancement of individual business interests rather than politics or representing a constituency. It has indeed poisoned secular Kerala polity. It has fragmented Kerala’s secular polity as splinter groups keep on splitting together with their public display of their denominational or congregational oriented claims for rights, as they claim & believe, such as claims for particular number of seats etc.

In the last parliament elections, it appeared in the news paper that certain religious leaders have written to a particular political party to provide seats to members of their diocese as well as persons whom they think as suitable. Threatening statements by church representatives also were being reported by the media.

Where is it all going to end? This kind of intervention by religious leaders is not at all a welcome thing. Political parties and political leadership must decide not to give tickets to people who associate too much with religious leaders. Just for instance, if a young person’s/leaders case is being pushed or advocated by a religious leader too much, that leader should be shown the way. In the secular context of India, for the furtherance of secularism in India, these kinds of measures, a kind of internal discipline measures are needed.

In a country like India, we have too bad experiences related to communalism, communal riots and violence between different religious groups.

For the long term and larger interest of Indian Republic, Election Commission must create a special cell to monitor the pre-poll activities of political parties and political leaders during non-electioneering and normal years 365 days 24X7 or all throughout. This cell should constantly watch and observe all kinds of maneuverings that are happening in the political circles and remove those groups and persons that contribute divisions within society from contesting elections as political parties and black list such individuals.

This cell should have an advisory board consisting of judges, journalists, NGOs, senior academics as well as representatives from industry and businesses. There was a mention by UPA government regarding a legislation to curb communal riots. Nothing has come out yet. UPA can think of this kind of an arrangement to begin with, as a first step in the direction of creating a communalism-free polity.

Pressurizing the leadership of a mainstream national party for allocating tickets to a person from a particular community and a political party with less than 10 voters hijacking a constituency from UDF or LDF is something that we are all aware but always something that is being ignored. It is all at the behest of confidence of their ability to play a communal card during election.

While practitioners of this kind of communal politics thrive all across the State of Kerala and all across the political spectrum , communalization of politics that is also happening with the sanction and approval from the religious leadership.

This trend is being adopted by more and more groups day by day, while how one could use the communal tag effectively being the decisive factor. Just for instance, for a Christian to be successful in the political fray is much to do with how effectively he/she could evoke his/her communal identity.

We need to understand that riots that take place in Gujarat or Orissa and the kind of politics that is being practiced by some of the leaders with the tactic support from the Church leadership is all one and the same.

But there are positive initiatives to clean up the scenario by creating a larger and meaningful secular political space other than that of drinkers’ fellowships in and around arrack/toddy shops.

Members of Dharma Rajya Vethi led by Swami Sachidananda Bharathi are travelling all across Kerala in an attempt to create awareness against alcoholism, as part of their larger movement for a second freedom struggle and to create a violence free, corruption free, hartal free and liquor free Kerala.

Formed in 2009, Dharma Rajya Vethi is a secular political platform consisting of Gandhians, spiritualists, social activists, social workers, businessmen, and professionals etc. The campaign motto is “alcohol free Kerala Panchayats”. The journey began in Malappuram on May 27^th.

Dharma Rajya Vethi is planning to make their political presence felt by contesting in upcoming elections. It may not replace communal political parties immediately, but would provide an alternative socio-spiritual and ideological option to Kerala, to begin with, a possible political awakening in the Gandhian lines!

Lamb Allies with Wolf!

Kerala Christian Group and VHP join Hands against illusory Love Jihad

Ram Puniyani

At a point of time there was a slogan by RSS combine, Pehle Kasai Phir Isai (First the Muslims then the Christians). And lo and behold that was the pattern of communal violence. First it began against Muslims and in the decade of 1990s Christians were also put on the chopping block. It must be a real ingenuity of RSS combine, popularly called Sangh Parivar to rope in the Kerala Bishops Council to fight against the Love-Jihad, a word coined by their propaganda mill, a word which combines two words and converts them in to a tool to torment the lovers, in case the boy happens to be a Muslim and the girl a non Muslim. It is the latest tool to launch attack against Muslim minorities.

The level of communalization of society and institutions can be gauzed from the fact that this ‘love-Jihad’ was taken to be something real not only by a section of society but also by the High courts. In its ruling the Karnataka High court, in the case of Sijalraj and Azghar, said that the facts had “national ramifications… concern security, besides the question of unlawful trafficking of women,”! So it ordered the Director-General and Inspector-General of Police to hold a thorough investigation into to ‘love jihad’. Pending that, the girl was asked to stay with her parents. Nothing can be more illegal and influenced by the propaganda prevailing in the society. How can the court ask the adult married girl to separate from her husband just because the disapproving parents have complained against the choice of husband made by her, a citizen of the country?

In a similar case earlier the Kerala High court while hearing the appeal from two parents passed a similar order. Two Hindu girls had eloped and got converted to Islam and planned to get married. The court stated that this marriage of girls to Muslims smacks of a systematic plan, related to trafficking of Hindu women. Kerala court also ordered the Police authorities to investigate this phenomenon. The police investigation showed that there is no such phenomenon as Love Jihad. The Karnataka state PUCL enraged by the decision of the court to send the girl to her parents is planning to knock the doors of Supreme Court.

The propaganda began by organizations like Shri Ram Sene etc. They spread the word that over 4000 Hindu girls have been lured into conversions. The propaganda was that the Muslim youth are receiving money to lure Hindu-Christian girls to convert them to Islam. As per this propaganda the Muslim youth are given a brief to lure the girls for which, they are provided with a lakh of rupees to buy mobile and a two wheeler. They are made to pretend to fall in love, to elope, to convert the girl to marry and to produce four children. This concoction has been aggressively propagated through various mechanisms.

This laughable, figment of imagination spread like wild fire and frightened the parents. Shri Ram Sene associates helped couple of girl’s parents to go to court. In one such case the girl was made to stay with her parents by the court order. The trajectory of many of these girls who initially state about their love for the boy and voluntary conversion, changes after they are forced to stay with here parents. Under a sort of emotional blackmail, some girls give in and later say that they were brain washed, shown a Jihadi CD and what not.

We have witnessed such inhuman acts in the form of propaganda in Gujarat in the wake of carnage, that Muslim boys are luring Adivasi girls. There Babu Bajarangi, who was also a major participant in carnage, formed a goon-gang. This gang attacked couples and forced them to separate if they belonged to different religions. All this is presented as defense of religion! We have the case of Rijwan Ur Rehman where Priyanka Todi, daughter of an affluent and powerful business magnate also turned around under emotional blackmail from parents and relatives. Later Rijwan Ur Rehman was forced to commit suicide. In all such cases the role of police, state machinery, has been totally against the spirit and provisions of law, the protectors of law acting to support the things totally against the law.

Such campaigns against inter-religion, inter-caste marriages are not only against the spirit of national integration they also aim to control the lives of girls in the patriarchal mode. In addition the bogey against a minority is whipped up to aid the divisive politics. It is a double bonus for divisive politics. Since in patriarchal norms women are regarded as property of man and are made to live in the control structure defined by men, such an issue rouses high emotions. Communal politics targets to subjugate Muslims and to promote patriarchal norms. And for achieving this they have succeeded in roping in another victim minority to ally in the communal project. It kills so many birds in one stone.

The committed social organizations have a long list of issues related to women. In Kerala in particular the psychological problems of women are immense. Women all around are victims of gender discrimination. The social organizations falling under the trap in the name of Love Jihad need to wake up and address the real issues of women rather than becoming an ally in a communal project.

It is a pity that the courts rather than clamping on Khap Panchayats, which are taking arbitrary decisions to separate the couples marrying in the same gotra, rather than clamping on Shri Ram Sene’s and Babu Bajrangis, they are snubbing the girls for their choices and letting the anti Muslim tirade grow through another of a make believe myth, a falsity with dangerous portents.

One recalls that it was during the freedom movement, that different communities started interacting more and inter-religion, inter-caste, inter-region marriages started taking place. These are the cement for Indian nationalism. The propagators of Religion based nationalism, any way are against the Secular Indian Nation so this one more fabrication to intimidate the society!

IBN TAYMIYYAH AND HIS FATWA ON TERRORISM

DR. ASGHAR ALI ENGINEER.

APRIL 16-30,2010.

Terrorism has become a worldwide disease which is swallowing the lives of thousands of innocent people in certain intensive conflict areas like Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kashmir, North East India, certain other parts of India, South Thailand and so on. There are different reasons for terrorist violence in different conflict areas which vary from political to socio-economic injustices.

However, it must be clearly understood that terrorism does not suddenly drop out of heaven; it originates here on earth in response to acts of omission or commission by the ruling classes. But soon it acquires dynamics of its own and ceases to be mere response. It becomes phenomenon in itself and various vested interests, political, economic and those relating to armament market beginning to support it directly or indirectly. No terrorist movement can survive long without such support and merely as a response.

I would also like to say here that the very terminology 'Islamic terrorism' is a media creation and it reflects, besides prejudices and ignorance, hostile attitude towards anything Islamic or to do with the Muslim world. No religion can ever encourage mindless violence as terrorists resort to. Religion in its essence is nothing more than moral and ethical way of life upholding the highest values of life. Everything else is culture, politics or other interests. Any conduct or behaviour which does not reflect this moral and ethical core is anything but religious.

Here in this article we are concerned with the terrorist violence which was unleashed by Al-Qaeda led by Usama bin Laden with his attack on New York Business Towers in 2001. We are not going to analyze here why he did it. We have thrown enough light on this in several other articles. We are concerned here with what legitimation he found to justify this attack.

All analysts and scholars agree that Usama and his followers used Ibn Taymiyya's famous fatwa on use of violence against unjust rulers. Ibn Taymiyyah was borne few years after the Mongol sack of Baghdad and unimaginable savagery committed by them killing hundreds of thousands of people in most barbarous ways. Taymiyyah, himself a great jurist, was follower of Imam Hanbal. Imam Hanbal prohibits rebellion against unjust authority as it would result in anarchy and more bloodshed.

However, Ibn Taymiyyah, as against teachings of his own school issued a fatwa justifying violence against unjust and authoritarian rulers so as to re-establish the Islamic rule and rule of Shari'ah. This fatwa is being used by the terrorists to justify their attacks as 'Islamic' and many young Muslims who do not even know who Ibn Taymiyyah was and in what circumstances hr issued this fatwa, get misled and find 'Islamic legitimation" in his fatwa.

Initially the Ulama, though did not necessarily approve of use of this fatwa, kept mum or just whispered heir opposition not to be loud enough to be heard. But when violence intensified and became uncontrollable, their conscience revolted and many of them decided to call al-Qaeda's bluff by opposing the fatwa. Now many of them are coming forward condemning use and misuse of Ibn Taymiyya.

Ibn Taymiyya, undoubtedly a great scholar and eminent jurist, had issued a set of four fatwas known as Mardin fatwas. Mardin was a Turkish fortress in South East Turkey with mixed population. And Osama had quoted this Mardin fatwa repeatedly in his calls for Muslims to overthrow the Saudi monarchy and wage jihad against the United States. Some prominent Ulama from the Islam world decided to meet in Mardin to discuss Ibn Taymiyya's fatwa towards the end of March 2010.

This historic document was referred to by these Islamic scholars and took decisive stand against it. They said, "Anyone who seeks support from this fatwa for killing Muslims or non-Muslims has erred in his interpretation." They further said, "It is not for a Muslim individual or a group to announce and declare war or engage in combative jihad?on their own."

Those who use Ibn Taymiyya's fatwa totally ignore the circumstances in which the fatwa was issued. Nothing can be valid unless seen in historically concrete circumstances. Ibn Taymiyyah himself, as pointed out above, had gone against his own Hanbali School in issuing the fatwa. Even then all Islamic scholars had not unanimously endorsed it. Moreover, as pointed out by an Islamic scholar from Belgium Prof. Yahya Michot, Mardin fatwa has some ambiguity which has been ignored both by terrorists as well as many western scholars and commentators.

It is important to note that the Mardin conference gathered 15 leading scholars from countries including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, India, Senegal, Kuwait, Iran, Morocco and Indonesia. Among them were Bosnian Grand Mufti Mustafa Ceric, Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayyah of Mauritania and Yemeni Sheikh Habib Ali al-Jifri.

It would be seen that while Ibn Taymiyyah was alone in issuing the fatwa here a galaxy of prominent Ulama and Muftis from across the Islamic world from Indonesia in South East to Algeria in the West Africa gathered and rejected the fatwa. It is representative statement of the Islamic world rejecting terrorism. Not that those terrorists are going to stop violence and come on table for negotiations for peace.

There are too powerful interests to care for any such rejection from across the Islamic world but it certainly sets norms and indicates what the Islamic world stands for. For sure even then anti-Islamic tirade is not going to stop and many western commentators and anti-Islamic forces will continue to hold Usama bin laden as real representative rather than this galaxy of Ulama from across the Islamic world.

It is not only these Ulama who met at Mardin who have condemned terrorism but several other conferences and congregations have been taking place in several Islamic countries condemning terrorist violence. Several books are also being written and discussed. One of the remarkable works in this respect is that of Maulana Tahirul Qadri of Pakistan who has compiled a six hundred page volume quoting authorities from beginning of Islam through medieval ages to the present day opposing terrorism and senseless killing of innocent people and non-combatants which is strictly prohibited in Islam.

Another seminar took place at Oxford when some Islamic scholars met to discuss a book written by Prof. Yahya Michot, an Islamic scholar from Belgium who teaches Islamic history and culture in Belgium University. This book, Muslims Under non-Muslim Rule, has been written on four fatwas issued by Ibn Taymiyyah known as Mardin fatwas. The book, besides discussing life and work of Ibn Taymiyyah, analyses the four fatwas issued by Ibn Taymiyyah.

Yahya Michot maintains that Taymiyyah issued these fatwas in certain historical context and hence it is imperative to study and explore his writings in the existential circumstances in which they were produced otherwise one is not only likely to misunderstand but also misinterpret them. His Mardin fatwa is a good example. Mardin "occupies a strikingly strategic location. It is dominated by a fortress reputed to be unassailable, from which the view reaches deep into the vast plain of upper Mesopotamia."

Though the precise date of the fatwa is not known, Ibn Taymiyyah issued it in response to a request to clarify whether Mardin was a domain of peace (dar al-salam) or domain of war (dar al-harb). According to Prof. Yahya there is sort of ambiguity in this fatwa and there is no clear answer coming from the fatwa.

In his own words, "Is (Mardin) a domain of war or of peace? It is a (city of a status) composite (murakkab) in which both the things signified (by those terms are to be found). It is not in the situation of a domain of peace in which the institutions (ahkam) of Islam are implemented because its army (jund) is (composed of Muslims. Nor is it in the situation of domain of war, whose inhabitants are unbelievers. Rather, it constitutes a third type of (domain), in which the Muslim shall be treated as he merits, and in which the one who departs from the Way/law of Islam shall be combated as he merits.".

Thus it is important to note that Ibn Taymiyyah refused to say whether Mardin was a domain of war or peace and it is most significant aspect of the Mardin fatwa which has been ignored by Usama as well as western scholars who demonize Ibn Taymiyyah. Today's world is almost entirely composite in nature. There are either significant Muslim majorities or minorities.

The Ulama opposing terrorism are repeatedly emphasizing this fact of religious plurality of world today and no medieval opinions expressed by jurists can be valid. Any fatwa, like the Mardin one, can be issued without taking concrete conditions into account and there is unanimity among Islamic scholars that if Muslims are allowed to leave in peace and have guaranteed religious freedom such a region cannot be but dar al-salam i.e. abode of peace, in Taymiyya's own words. No violence can be justified in such region. Thus terrorism has no place for modern world.

പ്രഫ. ജോസഫിന് തുറന്ന കത്ത് | മാധ്യമം

പ്രഫ. ജോസഫിന് തുറന്ന കത്ത്

Friday, July 16, 2010

പ്രിയപ്പെട്ട പ്രഫ. ജോസഫ്,

താങ്കള്‍ക്കുണ്ടായ തിക്താനുഭവത്തില്‍ ഞാന്‍ ദുഃഖിക്കുന്നു, ഒപ്പം അതിനെ അപലപിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നു. ആശുപത്രിക്കിടക്കയില്‍ കിടന്നുകൊണ്ട് സുഹൃത്തുക്കളുടെ സഹായത്തോടെ മാധ്യമങ്ങള്‍ക്കായി താങ്കള്‍ നല്‍കിയ കത്ത് വായിച്ചു. ആരോഗ്യവാനായിരുന്ന നാളുകളില്‍ താങ്കള്‍ പറയുന്നതുകേള്‍ക്കാന്‍ ആരും തയാറായില്ലെന്ന് അതില്‍ പറഞ്ഞിരിക്കുകയാണല്ലോ. കോളജ് മാനേജ്‌മെന്റിന് താങ്കള്‍ നല്‍കിയ മറുപടിയിലെ ഭാഗങ്ങളാണ് ആ കത്തിലുള്ളതെന്നും അറിയുന്നു. 'ഇതാണ് സത്യം. ദയവായി എന്നെ ജീവിക്കാന്‍ അനുവദിക്കൂ' എന്ന പേരില്‍ താങ്കള്‍ എഴുതിയ ആ കത്താണ് ഈ കത്തിന് ആധാരം. ബോധപൂര്‍വമല്ലാത്ത ഒരു പദപ്രയോഗമാണ് 'മുഹമ്മദ്' എന്ന താങ്കളുടെ വിശദീകരണം പൂര്‍ണമായും ഉള്‍ക്കൊള്ളാന്‍ കഴിയുന്നതല്ല. പ്രഫ. ജോസഫ് ഒരു സാധാരണ പൗരനല്ല. അറിവും വിവേകവും ലോക പരിചയവും യുക്തിബോധവുമെല്ലാമുള്ള കോളജ് പ്രഫസറാണ്. ന്യൂമാന്‍ കോളജ് മാഗസിനില്‍ താങ്കള്‍ എഴുതിയ ലേഖനത്തില്‍ മുഹമ്മദ് നബി സ്‌നേഹ പ്രവാചകനാണെന്ന് വിശേഷിപ്പിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ടല്ലോ. ഇക്കാര്യം മുസ്‌ലിം വിദ്യാര്‍ഥികളോട് ചോദിച്ചിരുന്നുവെങ്കില്‍ ഈ സംഭവം ഉണ്ടാകുമായിരുന്നില്ലെന്നും താങ്കള്‍ പറയുന്നുണ്ട്. ഈവിധം പ്രവാചകനെ ആദരിച്ചിരുന്ന താങ്കള്‍, അതേ വിദ്യാര്‍ഥികളുടെ മുന്നിലെത്തിച്ച ചോദ്യപേപ്പറില്‍ ദൈവം 'നായിന്റെ മോനേ' എന്നു വിളിക്കുന്നയാളായി 'മുഹമ്മദി'നെ പ്രതിഷ്ഠിച്ചതിലെ ഔചിത്യം മനസ്സിലാകുന്നില്ല. പി.ടി. കുഞ്ഞുമുഹമ്മദിന്റെ ലേഖനത്തിലെ ദൈവവുമായി സംഭാഷണം നടത്തുന്ന കഥാപാത്രമായ ഭ്രാന്തന് മുഹമ്മദ് എന്ന് പേരിടുകയാണുണ്ടായതെന്ന് താങ്കള്‍ പറയുന്നു. ദൈവത്തെ 'പടച്ചോനേ' എന്ന് സംബോധന ചെയ്യുന്നത് ഇസ്‌ലാം മതത്തില്‍പ്പെട്ടവരായതിനാല്‍ ആ മതത്തില്‍പ്പെട്ട ഒരാളുടെ പേരാവട്ടെയെന്നും വിചാരിച്ചതായി താങ്കള്‍ പറഞ്ഞിരിക്കുന്നു. ഇസ്‌ലാം മതക്കാരുടെ 'പടച്ചോനെ' തിരിച്ചറിഞ്ഞ താങ്കള്‍ക്ക് മുഹമ്മദ് ആ മതക്കാരുടെ പ്രവാചകനാണെന്ന അറിവ് ഉണ്ടായില്ലെന്നത് ഖേദകരമാണ്. കര്‍ത്താവായ ദൈവവുമായി സംഭാഷണം നടത്തുന്ന ഒരു ഭ്രാന്തന്‍ കഥാപാത്രത്തിന് 'യേശു' എന്ന് പേരിടാന്‍ പ്രിയപ്പെട്ട പ്രഫസര്‍, താങ്കള്‍ തയാറാകുമോ? ദൈവത്തിന് 'നായിന്റെമോനേ' എന്നു വിളിക്കാനായി തോമസ്, ജോസഫ്, പത്രോസ്, മാത്യൂസ് എന്നീ പേരുകളിലുള്ള കഥാപാത്രത്തെ നല്‍കാന്‍ താങ്കള്‍ തയാറാകുമോ?

ഈശ്വര വിശ്വാസം മനുഷ്യ സംസ്‌കാരത്തിന്റെ ഭാഗമാണല്ലോ. വിശ്വാസികളല്ലാത്ത മനുഷ്യരുമുണ്ടല്ലോ. അവരുടെ ഭാവനയില്‍ പോലും ദൈവദാസനെ 'നായിന്റെ മോനേ' എന്ന് സംബോധന ചെയ്യുന്ന ദൈവം ഉണ്ടാവില്ല. ക്രിസ്തുമത വിശ്വാസിയും കോളജ് അധ്യാപകനുമായ പ്രഫസറുടെ ചോദ്യപേപ്പറില്‍ മേല്‍പറഞ്ഞ മ്ലേച്ഛഭാഷയില്‍ ദൈവദൂതനെ സംബോധന ചെയ്യുന്ന ദൈവം കടന്നുവന്നത് കര്‍ത്താവ് പൊറുക്കുന്ന കാര്യമാണോ എന്ന് ചിന്തിക്കണം. പിതാവും പത്രോസും പരിശുദ്ധാത്മാക്കളുമടങ്ങുന്ന ക്രൈസ്തവ സംസ്‌കാരത്തിന് യോജിച്ചതാണോ ആ ചോദ്യപേപ്പര്‍?

ആഗോളതലത്തില്‍ സാമ്രാജ്യത്വ അധിനിവേശ ശക്തികള്‍ തയാറാക്കിയ പ്രവാചക നിന്ദയുള്‍പ്പെടെ മുസ്‌ലിം വിരുദ്ധ അജണ്ട നടപ്പാക്കുന്നുണ്ടെന്ന കാര്യം അറിയാത്ത ആളല്ലല്ലോ താങ്കള്‍. ഹണ്ടിങ്ടണിന്റെ 'ക്രൈസ്തവ ഇസ്‌ലാമിക സംഘട്ടനം' എന്ന കൃതി പ്രചരിച്ചതോടെയാണ് വേള്‍ഡ് ട്രേഡ് സെന്റര്‍ തകര്‍ക്കുന്ന സംഭവമുണ്ടാകുന്നതും ലോക മുസ്‌ലിം ജനതയെ ഭീകരരായി ചിത്രീകരിച്ചതും. സദ്ദാമിനെ ഭീകരനാക്കി ഇറാഖിനെ കൈയടക്കിയതും ഫലസ്തീന്‍ ഉള്‍പ്പെടെയുള്ള മേഖലയിലെ അമേരിക്കന്‍-ഇസ്രായേല്‍ ഭീകരതാണ്ഡവം അരങ്ങേറിയതും അതിന്റെ തുടര്‍ച്ചയായിരുന്നു. കേരളത്തില്‍ ലൗജിഹാദ്, പ്രവാചക നിന്ദ, മഫ്ത ധരിക്കല്‍ പ്രശ്‌നം എന്നിങ്ങനെ ആ അജണ്ട അരങ്ങേറുന്നത് പ്രഫസര്‍ അറിയാത്ത കാര്യമല്ലല്ലോ. ജസ്റ്റിസ് ശശിധരന്‍ നമ്പ്യാരുടെ ലൗ ജിഹാദ് കേസ് വിധിയോടെ എട്ടുനിലയില്‍ പൊട്ടിയ ആ നുണക്കഥ തികഞ്ഞ മുസ്‌ലിം വിരുദ്ധ അജണ്ടയുടെ ഭാഗമായിരുന്നു. ക്രൈസ്തവ കേന്ദ്രങ്ങള്‍ അതില്‍ വഹിച്ച പങ്ക് താങ്കള്‍ക്ക് അറിവുള്ളതാണല്ലോ. ഇംഗ്ലണ്ട്, ഫ്രാന്‍സ് തുടങ്ങിയ രാജ്യങ്ങളിലും ഇത്തരം പ്രചാരണം നടക്കുന്നുണ്ടല്ലോ. മഫ്ത (തട്ടം) ധരിക്കല്‍ നിരോധിച്ച പാശ്ചാത്യ രാജ്യങ്ങളെ അനുകരിച്ചാണല്ലോ കേരളത്തിലെ ക്രൈസ്തവസ്ഥാപനങ്ങളും മഫ്ത നിരോധിച്ചത്. ഇംഗ്ലണ്ടില്‍ പട്ടാളക്കാരെ വെടിവെക്കാന്‍ പരിശീലിപ്പിക്കുന്നത് മുസ്‌ലിം പള്ളി മിനാരങ്ങളുടെ രൂപം ഉണ്ടാക്കി അതിലേക്ക് വെടിവെപ്പിച്ചാണെന്ന വാര്‍ത്ത വന്നിരുന്നല്ലോ. ഖുര്‍ആന്‍ കോപ്പികളെ പട്ടിയെക്കൊണ്ട് കടിപ്പിക്കുന്ന 'നായിന്റെ മക്കളേയും' നാം കാണുന്നുണ്ടല്ലോ. ഇന്ത്യയില്‍ നടന്ന നിരവധി സ്‌ഫോടനങ്ങള്‍ മുസ്‌ലിം സംഘടനകളുടെ തലയില്‍ കെട്ടിവെച്ചിരുന്നല്ലോ. അവയെല്ലാം ഹിന്ദുസംഘടനകളുടെ പ്രവൃത്തിയായിരുന്നു എന്ന് ഇപ്പോള്‍ സി.ബി.ഐ തെളിയിച്ചുകൊണ്ടിരിക്കയാണ്. മുസ്‌ലിം ഭീകരത, തീവ്രവാദം തുടങ്ങിയ പ്രചാരണം നിലനിര്‍ത്താനുള്ള നീചപ്രവൃത്തികളാണവയെന്ന് തിരിച്ചറിയാന്‍ വിഷമമില്ല. പത്തനംതിട്ടയിലെ ഒരു ക്രൈസ്തവ സംഘടന പ്രവാചകനെ നിന്ദിച്ചുകൊണ്ട് ഇറക്കിയ പുസ്തകം വിവാദമാകുകയും പ്രതികള്‍ അറസ്റ്റിലാകുകയും ചെയ്തുവല്ലോ. ആ പുസ്തകത്തില്‍ കാണുന്ന വിലാസങ്ങള്‍ അത് ആഗോള അജണ്ടയുടെ ഭാഗമാണെന്ന് തെളിയിക്കുന്നു. ഒരു വിലാസമിങ്ങനെ: 89/22/216 st. Queen's villa, Ny-(ന്യൂയോര്‍ക്ക്) 11427, U.S.A. പുസ്തകത്തിലെ മറ്റൊരു വിലാസമിതാണ്: Abundant life publication P.B 47, Ankamali, Kerala 683572.

ഇതിന്റെയെല്ലാം നടുവിലാണല്ലോ, താങ്കളും ഞാനും ജീവിക്കുന്നത്. അതുകൊണ്ടാണ് താങ്കളുടെ കുമ്പസാരം പൂര്‍ണമായി ഉള്‍ക്കൊള്ളാനാവുന്നില്ലെന്ന് ഞാന്‍ പറഞ്ഞത്.

ഇത്രയുമെഴുതിയത് താങ്കള്‍ക്കുനേരെ നടന്ന കിരാത ആക്രമണത്തെ ന്യായീകരിക്കാനോ ലഘൂകരിക്കാനോ അല്ല. ചില യാഥാര്‍ഥ്യങ്ങള്‍ തുറന്നുകാട്ടാന്‍ മാത്രം. സാധാരണ ജീവിതം നയിക്കാനുള്ള ആരോഗ്യവും ശേഷിയും വളരെ വേഗം താങ്കള്‍ക്ക് ഉണ്ടാകട്ടെ എന്ന് ആശംസിക്കുന്നു.

ഡോ. എം.എസ്. ജയപ്രകാശ്

ഗുല്‍വിഹാര്‍, കൊല്ലം

Centre-State relations in india

Centre-State relations means the relations between Centre and it's units where there exist Federal System. It is of great importance in a country like India constrained by regionalism,religion,uneven development,demand for autonomy,identity politics, competing political interests ,caste and race. The Centre-State relations in india have always contained the seeds of conflict and this partly follows from the arrangements made in the constitution.
history and politics of the question

Early statement on this question in India can be credited to Gopal Krishna Gokhale.In his evidence before the Decentralisation Commission in 1908 he proposed for devolution of financial authority among Provinces .It implied the schema of Federal System.


First official expression of Indian national Congress(INC) of the desire for a federal govt.came through the report of it's 31 st session in 1916 on the Condress-League Scheme of reform.It stated "Except customs ,post,telegraph ,mint,salt,opium,raiways,army,navy and tributes from indian states , all other sources of revenue should be provincial (sec.7a). "The provincial Council should have full authority to deal with all matters affecting the internal administration of the province"(Sec.7c).The scheme was not for independent India but for a self governing colony within the British Empire .Thereafter INC used to voice the demand for a federation with full provincial autonomy .

Famous Quit India Resolution of Aug 8,1942 demanded the British to quit India and said about the new India's constitution :"The Constitution according to the Congress view should be a federal one ,with the largest meassure of autonomy for the federating units and with the residuary powers resting in the units ".

Nehru's objectives resolution moved on Dec 13 ,1946 in the Constituent Assembly assured that the British Indian provinces "shall possess and retain the status of autonomous units together with residuary powers".

Finally the Union Powers Committee set up with Nehru as Chairman in January 1947 submitted it's first report on April 17,1947,outlining the scheme of distribution of powers between the Union Govt. and the provinces that left the latter a very large meassure of autonomy.
Thus whole history of advocacy for a federal form of govt. with large meassure of autonomy came to an end as soon as Lord Mountbatten ,the last British governer General announced on June 3,1947,that India would be partitioned in to India and Pakistan.The Union Constitution Committee took a decision on June 6,1947,to make the constitution of India "Federal with a strong Centre ".On June 7,1947, the Provincial Constitution Committee and the Union Constitution Committee in a joint session approved the previous day's decision.There after things moved very fast towards the creation of a constitution which provided a "Fedral polity with a strong centre".
There are certain reasons for this sudden and drastic departure of the Consttuent Assembly from the continuous committment of the INC to the principle of federalism with a large meassure of autonomy for the constituent units . The necessity of a strong central govt. for handling the situation arising out of communal riots that preceded and accompanied partition,for meeting the food crisis,for settling the refugees,for maintaining national unity and for promoting social and economic development,which had been thwarted under colonial rule.But this shift is more associated with the changing position of the indian bourgeoisie.

women reservation bill and backward classes

The issue of 1/3 reservation for women in parliament and state assemblies has become a burning one in our present political discourses. It is not a mere issue of representation but of enjoying, sharing and handling of power.84 th &85 th amendment of the constitution provides for the realisation of it.But many political parties are opposed to it. The party of Mulayam singh and Muslim league are some of them. The formation of two groups i.e. one in favour and other against the reservation bill has complicated the whole issue. It arises the question that whether reservation bill address the case of women of backward classes. The clamours for political empowerment of women have benefited only the women of upper class/caste. Thus the proposed reservation would help only such women, if it fails to take in to account the case of women of backward classes and Muslims.