Double standards for mainstream media vs bloggers

http://shripriya.com/blog/tag/chyetanya-kunte/

A nice critique on NDTV & Barkha Dutt.

Kanchan Gupta on Slumdog Millionaire

http://www.dailypioneer.com/152164/Slumdog-is-about-defaming-Hindus.html

An analysis on the Economist article

http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12701072

My comments on the article below.

"Although there is a general impression that the
two-decade-long insurgency in Indian-administered Kashmir--the
country's only Muslim-majority state--is in remission, it still
festers. Last year the conflict killed more than 800 people. This year
more than 30 unarmed demonstrators were killed in mass protests against
Indian rule. Tension there is again high as a state election, which
separatist leaders want boycotted, is under way."

Note that there is absolutely no mention of the Kashmir Pandits. And info on the Amarnath land transfer. Neutral articles will talk about both sides of a story, and they can tilt towards one opinion based on analysis.

Kashmir's crisis is in remission, at least till PDP & NC played politics with Amarnath. Note how there are no statistics on the killings in previous years. To be neutral, all the way till 1987, when it started.

"Elsewhere in India,
the Muslim minority is economically disadvantaged. A report the
government commissioned in 2006 found Muslims across the country
faring, on average, worse than the Hindu majority in education, jobs
and income."

I can't fault the author here, he is quoting Justice Sachar. However, there are other arguments against Sachar's analysis & methodologies. For instance, lack of comparison with minorities in other countries.

http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=163&page=8
For comparison with say, Pakistan, check: http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=163&page=11

Check out some details on our budget for 2008, after the report, which goes unmentioned:
http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/feb/29budget38.htm

===Budget===

"SC, ST, OBC and Minorities

42. Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, socially and educationally backward classes, and minorities will continue to receive special attention.

Development and Finance Corporations

43. Development and Finance Corporations have been set up for certain disadvantaged groups. I propose to contribute additional equity to these corporations in the following manner:

Rs. Crore1 
National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation 75.00
2
Three National Finance and Development Corporations for Weaker Sections comprising

(i) Safai Karamcharis

(ii) Scheduled Castes

(iii) Backward Classes 106.50
3
National/State Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporations 50.00
4
National Handicapped Development Corporation 9.00


Scholarships

44. In previous Budgets, we had announced a slew of pre- and post-matric scholarship programmes for SC, ST, OBC and minorities. All of them will be continued in 2008-09 with adequate funds as summarised below:

Scheduled Castes Rs.804 crore

Scheduled Tribes Rs.195 crore

Other Backward Classes Rs.164 crore

Minorities (post-matric) Rs.100 crore

45. I propose to allocate a sum of Rs.75 crore in 2008-09 to the Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship Programme. As Honourable Members are aware, this programme supports SC and ST students pursuing M.Phil and PhD courses.

Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes

46. Following the practice initiated in 2005-06, I have included in the Budget documents a statement on the schemes for the welfare of SCs and STs. I have provided Rs.3,966 crore for schemes benefiting SCs and STs exclusively and Rs.18,983 crore for schemes where at least 20 per cent of the benefits are earmarked for SCs and STs.

Minorities

47. The allocation to the Ministry of Minority Affairs will be increased from Rs.500 crore in 2007-08 to Rs.1,000 crore in 2008-09. Government has taken up the report of the Justice Rajindar Sachar Committee for speedy implementation. Apart from the schemes commenced in 2007-08, it is proposed to implement the following schemes/measures in 2008-09:

� a multi-sectoral development plan for each of the 90 minority concentration districts will be drawn up at a cost of Rs.3,780 crore. The allocation in 2008-09 will be Rs.540 crore;

� a pre-matric scholarship scheme with an allocation of Rs.80 crore next year;

� a scheme for modernising Madrassa education for which a provision of Rs.45.45 crore has been made in 2008-09;

� 256 branches of public sector banks have been opened this year until December 2007 in districts with substantial minority population. 288 more will be opened by March 2008 and many more in
2008-09; and

� continuing the exercise started this year, more candidates belonging to the minority communities will be recruited to the Central Para-Military Forces.

48. I also propose to provide Rs.60 crore to enhance the corpus fund of the Maulana Azad Education Foundation.


=== Budget Ends ===

Some Kerala specific articles here on whether minorities have been oppressed:
http://rajeev2004.blogspot.com/2008/03/anatomy-of-crime-how-they-destroyed_02.html
http://rajeev2004.blogspot.com/2008/05/facts-about-those-oppressed-mohammedans.html

"And Muslims have occasionally been subject to hideous
communal slaughter. More than 2,000 died in a pogrom in the state of
Gujarat in 2002, for which the perpetrators have never been brought to
justice.

That pogrom followed allegations that a Muslim mob had been responsible
for the deaths of Hindu activists. This highlights one of the dangers
facing India now: of a rise in communal tension and tit-for-tat
violence."

The official figures for Gujarat, I believe, are around 800. The rioting consumed approx 30% Hindus & 70% Muslims. By Goebellian speak: "truth by repeated assertion",this figure has increased to 2000, and nowadays, I see 3000. Mostly Muslim has changed to 100% Muslim.This makes the article no longer neutral & truthful. The author used the Sachar report earlier published by the govt, but doesn't use the official figures published by the govt in this case.

"In this it may now be constrained by the
recent arrest of alleged Hindu bombers, seeking to avenge the attacks
by the Indian Mujahideen. But the emergence of that new
phenomenon--Hindu terrorism--is scarcely a comfort."

The state should be neutral. Punish anyone regardless of religion. However,look at the article.When dealing with Islamists, the author, like other currently accused 'pseudo-secular' authors such as Somini Sengupta of NYT, uses the term: militant or extremist instead of terrorist. Check out some reader comments: http://community.nytimes.com/article/comments/2008/11/29/world/asia/29mumbai.html

"Islamist extremists"

"He has annoyed jihadists by
describing Kashmiri militants as "terrorists" (as India has long wanted
them to be known)." Note the total lack of reference to what the 'militants' did to Kashmiri Pandits. http://www.kashmiri-pandit.org/sundry/genocide.html


"where since the Bali bombings
in 2002 the extremists have been in retreat; or in Iraq, where the
Sunni "awakening" illuminated the resentment many Iraqis felt for the
terrorists. Killing fellow Muslims has been the group's biggest
mistake. But countries where Muslims are in a minority may offer
terrorists a better target."

I do agree with the conclusion of the article. Indian muslims follow a mosque called the Barelvi mosque. Some mosques actually have signs (published in India Today) that fundamentalists aren't allowed to pray there. Saudi Arabia has been trying to convert the entire world to a 'purer' form of Islam called Deobandi Wahhabbi, which is fanatical. A lot of muslims also get 'radicalized' during their Haj pilgrimage. I have no idea why India is the only country in the world that actually sponsors this, in spite of being secular.

However, Britain has managed to cultivate an intelligence network among the Muslim moderates, who have provided sufficient intelligence to avoid a repeat of London & Heathrow.Even in India, the recent string of arrests including the Yahoo principal engineer, Peerboy, was acknowledged as good intelligence inputs from moderate Muslims. 

I'm not completely sure about Pakistan's long-term & strategic gameplan in the Mumbai attacks though.

Let off on religion

All the hostages were asked to reveal their religion. When the Muezzinoglus said they were Muslims, their captors told them that they would not be harmed. The other three Caucasian women were removed from the room next day, and the terrorists informed the Muezzinoglus that they had been shot.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Turkish_couple_let_off_by_terrorists_for_being_Muslims/articleshow/3766609.cms

A Muslim excommunicated for buying a Laddoo

Very sad... When will intolerance end...

Bitter ladoo for Muslim Ganesh fan

A carpenter had to apologise to his community leaders to be “re-admitted” to his faith from which he was “excommunicated” for participating in an auction for a ladoo during the Ganesh Utsav. 


Mohammed Yusuf, who lives in Borabanda locality of Hyderabad, has been participating in the Ganesh Utsav for years with his friends and co-workers. This year, he wanted to make a contribution for the Ganesh Puja. 

During an open auction for the ladoo held in the hand of an idol of Ganesha, he outbid his rivals by paying Rs 12,000 for the sweetmeat. The money collected through auction goes to the Ganesh Utsav fund.

The Radhakrishna Ganesh Utsav Samiti, the organisers of the puja in Borabanda, felicitated Yusuf, presenting him with a garland and shawl. Next day, the city paper of a local daily carried his picture with a small write-up on the auction. 

It didn't go down well with the local members of the community. A meeting was called and Yusuf excommunicated—they used the word kharij. He was told that he was no more a Muslim and should move out of the locality with his family.

Yusuf, who is the only earning member of the family, called on community elders and begged for mercy. He was “accepted” back in the fold after he read the Kalma several times.

“I did not know that my action was shirk (prohibited) in Islam. I purchased the ladoo in the auction as it is said to bestow one with good fortune. I decided to follow elders' advise and put an end to the controversy, " Yusuf said.

“It is not permissible in Islam. He should not have done that. Now that he has accepted his mistake, we have taken him back in the community,” a community elder, Yakub, said.

Fatwa for celebrating Ganesh Utsav

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/fatwa-against-salman-for-attending-ganesh-puja/49007-8.html?from=search-relatedstories

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/salmans-father-fumes-against-fatwa-warned-again/73455-8.html?from=rssfeed

Per Islam, if a Mohammedan man marries a Kaffir (in this case, a Hindu), the sons are de-facto Mohammedans, bound to follow Islam or be penalized, not members of both religions, or a person of choice.

Mehbooba Sayeed calls for murder

akin Jinnah in Direct Action.
http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/aug/24amar1.htm
"The only way temperatures can be brought down is to open the Muzzafarbad-Srinagar road. If the army could be withdrawan from the state of Punjab after the militancy there was under control, why can't we do the same in Jammu and Kashmir [Images] in an honourable manner. Many nationals leaders wanted to catch me by my throat for making that statement at the all-party meet called by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh [Images]," she said.

Raising her voice she accused the members of the shrine board of being the most corrupt persons who should be shot dead.

"The need of the hour is that an amicable solution should be found to the Kashmir problem. Do not go by the statements of politicians as they say one thing while in Delhi and another while in Srinagar [Images]. In case of the National Conference, Omar Abdullah says he would resign from Parliament if force is used against the people of Kashmir while Farooq Sahib says that greater autonomy would satisfy the people. But the truth is that no leader is in control of what is happening on the ground," Mehbooba countered the stiff and pointed questions flung in her face by the national media.

She conceded that the gun culture had failed to yield desired results. The people, according to her are peaceful. "Our party is against violence from either side whether it comes from across the border or Indian side. We will stand against the violence. I floated the theory of double currency as it does not post a threat to the unity and integrity of India," she said.

China re-educates & detains people for applying to protest

http://www.rediff.com/sports/2008/aug/24close.htm
US ADMONITION

Rogge said the IOC could not force change on a state "or solve all the ills of the world", but that the Games had promoted a heightened awareness of the environment in China and left an array of venues to nurture future champions.

He had less to say though when confronted with the tale of two women in their seventies, who were sentenced to a year's re-education for applying to stage a protest during the Games.

"The IOC is not a sovereign organisation and we have to respect Chinese law," he said.

The United States took a tougher line, pressing for the immediate release of eight Americans detained for staging protests in favour of Tibetan independence during the Games.

"We are disappointed that China has not used the occasion of the Olympics to demonstrate greater tolerance and openness," the US embassy said in a statement.