[Reader-list] does Modi's non-entry into US mean anything?

[S.Fatima]

Dear Rashmi
Its fine if you wish to rest the case here. But I still think you have been only reacting to my most casual and minor points (such as 'smoking out' or the word Gujarati etc.) My main/original point still remains unanswered: Isn't it hypocritical that we do nothing about Modi in India, and have a problem if he travels to the US? And what difference will it make if he can't go to the US?
Does anyone else have an answer to that?

F


--- On Wed, 9/7/08, Rashmi Sawhney <rashmi.sawhney at gmail.com> wrote:

> From: Rashmi Sawhney <rashmi.sawhney at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] does Modi's non-entry into US mean anything?
> To: sadiafwahidi at yahoo.co.in
> Cc: reader-list at sarai.net
> Date: Wednesday, 9 July, 2008, 10:36 PM
> Dera Fatima,
> 
> Two brief points:
> 
> 1. There is a measure of desperation in suggesting that the
> US should take
> responsibility for 'smoking out' Modi as
> they've been doing with individuals
> and nations they see as being problematic around the world.
> Although,
> privately, if they manage to isolate him and do this, I
> will join in your
> celebrations.
> 2. I have a fundamental issue with your point about whether
> Modi's non/entry
> is going to affect the business and trade of the people of
> Gujarat/ of
> Gujarati origin.
> The view: Gujarati = Hindu = pro-Modi/pro-Hindutva is
> problematic and
> furthers the very image and idea of Gujarat that the BJP
> have been
> projecting under Modi's leadership. There are many
> Gujaratis who are
> Muslims, Jains, Parsis and Christians, so the alignment of
> a linguistic
> community with a religious group is problematic.
> 
> I will rest my case here,
> 
> Rashmi
> 
> On Wed, Jul 9, 2008 at 5:40 PM, S.Fatima
> <sadiafwahidi at yahoo.co.in> wrote:
> 
> > Dear Rashmi
> > I know my analogy was stupid, but I was mostly
> reacting to the report which
> > I quoted about the US State department revoking his
> visa earlier under the
> > Immigration and Nationality Act, "which prohibits
> foreign officials who are
> > responsible for or directly carried out, at any time,
> particularly severe
> > violations of religious freedom from obtaining U.S.
> visas". Now, why doesn't
> > such a law apply in India, why can't we punish him
> under similar accusations
> > here. I am sure the US govt is acting in this manner
> only on the basis of
> > the information provided to it by the Indian state.
> >
> > This is what I can't fathom: we in India continue
> to accept Modi, vote him
> > to power, allow him to do all that business of shining
> Gujarat, but we have
> > a problem if he goes to the US (as you say even the
> people outside the US
> > will be agitated if he enters US). So, why aren't
> we doing something about
> > him while he shines in Gujarat. Why doesn't the US
> bomb Gujarat to 'smoke
> > him' out, the way it does to the others it
> doesn't like.
> >
> > I have my doubts if his non-entry is going to affect
> the business and trade
> > of the Gujaratis. On the other hand, the rallying for
> his non-entry by the
> > so-called peace activists only leads to further divide
> between the NRI
> > saffronites and the secularists. The saffronites will
> get further motivated
> > to work against the cause of peace. More hate-dollars
> will pump into India.
> >
> > SF
> >
> >
> > --- On Wed, 9/7/08, Rashmi Sawhney
> <rashmi.sawhney at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > > From: Rashmi Sawhney
> <rashmi.sawhney at gmail.com>
> > > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] does Modi's
> non-entry into US mean anything?
> > > To: sadiafwahidi at yahoo.co.in
> > > Cc: reader-list at sarai.net
> > > Date: Wednesday, 9 July, 2008, 8:54 PM
> >  > Dear Fatima,
> > >
> > > Your analogy, I must agree with you, may probably
> be wrong,
> > > but is certainly
> > > naive and unproductive. A second denial of entry
> into the
> > > US may be seen
> > > from within Modi camps as being detrimental to
> his efforts
> > > of furthering the
> > > lie about a vibrant Gujarat. There are enough
> numbers of
> > > religious
> > > fundamentalists in the Western world who support
> Modi's
> > > Hindutva ideology,
> > > who may probably not take to the visa refusal
> kindly. Had
> > > the US granted
> > > Modi entry so many anti Modi individuals and
> organisations
> > > around the world,
> > > including in India, would be agitaged about this
> too.
> > >
> > > It is not a question of whether the activists in
> the US and
> > > NRIs want
> > > to demonstrate that their sympathy for
> Gujarat's
> > > Muslims is more than
> > > activists in India - I think that is a reductive
> approach
> > > that defeats the
> > > purpose of a collective anti-Modi struggle. If
> you want to
> > > campaign against
> > > the USA's discriminatory and hypocritic
> policies, there
> > > are many other
> > > widely available issues that you could pick on -
> issues
> > > that affect common
> > > people without any clout or power.
> > >
> > > Most countries have their own 'germ-infested
> foods'
> > > that are rapidly
> > > destroying any social fabrics composed of
> difference -
> > > perhaps one could
> > > consider the option of deputing germs-infested
> foods from
> > > different
> > > societies to other parts of the world to see if
> they
> > > survive under hostile
> > > and foreign conditions. Or, if your approach to
> solving the
> > > problem of
> > > Gujarat is to 'export' the germ-infested
> food,
> > > please consider throwing it
> > > in the sea.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On Wed, Jul 9, 2008 at 3:30 PM, S.Fatima
> > > <sadiafwahidi at yahoo.co.in> wrote:
> > >
> > > > Please see the report/appeal below, about
> another
> > > effort to stop the
> > > > Gujarat CM Narendra Modi from entering the
> US. While
> > > withholding all my
> > > > angst against what he allowed to happen in
> Gujarat in
> > > 2002 and the fact that
> > > > he shamelessly continues to be blind to the
> growing
> > > hatred against Muslims,
> > > > I wonder if the efforts by our activist
> friends in the
> > > US to stop him from
> > > > entering that soil mean anything other than
> a
> > > hypocracy. After all, he
> > > > continues to live and do what he pleases in
> > > India/Gujarat, but we won't
> > > > allow him in the US... Isn't that
> ridiculous?
> > > >
> > > > Are they trying to teach him a lesson, or
> punish him
> > > through this gesture?
> > > > Is his non-entry into the US going to badly
> affect the
> > > Gujaratis' business
> > > > and trade (which he is supposed to solemnize
> in New
> > > Jersey)? Not the least,
> > > > I think. So what is it then? Is it a
> symbolic
> > > rejection of his leadership?
> > > > Or do the NRI and American activist want to
> show that
> > > they care about
> > > > Gujarat's Muslims more than the
> activists in
> > > India?
> > > >
> > > > Although this analogy maybe completely
> wrong, but I
> > > can't help think this:
> > > > "We won't allow a germ-infested
> food that is
> > > killing thousands in India to
> > > > enter the US"....
> > > > Other thoughts are welcome.
> > > >
> > > > ==========
> > > >
> > > > USCIRF Urges Denial of U.S. Visa to Gujarat
> Chief
> > > Minister Narendra Modi
> > > > FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
> > > > July 8, 2008
> > > >
> > > > Contact:  Judith Ingram
> > > > Communications Director
> > > > (202) 523-3240, ext. 127
> > > >
> > > > WASHINGTON - The United States Commission on
> > > International Religious
> > > > Freedom urges the U.S. State Department to
> reaffirm
> > > its past decision to
> > > > deny a tourist visa to Gujarat Chief
> Minister Narendra
> > > Modi, who has been
> > > > invited to attend a conference in New Jersey
> this
> > > August celebrating
> > > > Gujarati culture.  Modi was previously
> denied entrance
> > > to the United States
> > > > due to his role in riots that overtook the
> Indian
> > > state of Gujarat from
> > > > February to May 2002 in which reportedly as
> many as
> > > 2,000 Muslims were
> > > > killed, thousands raped, and over 200,000
> displaced.
> > > Numerous reports,
> > > > including reports of official bodies of the
> Government
> > > of India, have
> > > > documented the role of Modi's state
> government in
> > > the planning and execution
> > > > of the violence, and the failure to hold
> perpetrators
> > > accountable.
> > > >
> > > > Following Modi's invitation to attend
> conferences
> > > in the U.S. in 2005, the
> > > > Commission successfully urged the State
> Department to
> > > revoke Modi's U.S.
> > > > tourist visa.  Despite pressure from the
> Indian
> > > government, the State
> > > > Department revoked his visa under the
> Immigration and
> > > Nationality Act (INA),
> > > > which prohibits foreign government officials
> who are
> > > "responsible for or
> > > > directly carried out, at any time,
> particularly severe
> > > violations of
> > > > religious freedom" from obtaining U.S.
> visas.
> > > This section was added to the
> > > > INA by the International Religious Freedom
> Act of
> > > 1998. The Commission once
> > > > again urges the State Department to announce
> > > Modi's ineligibility for a visa
> > > > under the terms of the INA.
> > > >
> > > > "We have not seen changes that would
> warrant a
> > > policy reversal," said
> > > > Commission Chair Felice D. Gaer. "As
> official
> > > bodies of the government of
> > > > India have found, Narendra Modi is culpable
> for the
> > > egregious and systematic
> > > > human rights abuses wrought against
> thousands of
> > > India's Muslims. Mr. Modi
> > > > must demonstrate to the State Department and
> to the
> > > American people why
> > > > he-as a person found to have aided and
> abetted gross
> > > violations of human
> > > > rights, including religious freedom-should
> now be
> > > eligible for a tourist
> > > > visa.
> > > >
> > > > Following the riots in 2002, India's
> National
> > > Human Rights Commission
> > > > issued a report that pointed to the role of
> Modi's
> > > government in the
> > > > systematic murder of Muslims and the
> calculated
> > > destruction of Muslim homes
> > > > and businesses. In 2003, the Indian central
> government
> > > found corruption and
> > > > anti-Muslim bias to be so pervasive in the
> Gujarat
> > > judiciary that riot cases
> > > > were shifted for trial to the neighboring
> state of
> > > Maharashtra.  Despite
> > > > this action, the lack of justice for victims
> remains a
> > > serious concern, as
> > > > there have been very few court convictions
> in the six
> > > years since the
> > > > religion-based riots. In 2007, a series of
> articles in
> > > the Indian
> > > > publication Tehelka documented police
> officers and
> > > government officials on
> > > > audio and videotape confessing that they
> facilitated
> > > the violence, at times
> > > > at the direct behest of Modi.
> > > >
> > > > "The inaction of Gujarat's
> government and
> > > police force in the face of
> > > > severe violence against religious minorities
> is an
> > > inexcusable abuse of
> > > > international human rights
> obligations," Gaer
> > > said.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >      Unlimited freedom, unlimited storage.
> Get it now,
> > > on
> > > >
> > >
> http://help.yahoo.com/l/in/yahoo/mail/yahoomail/tools/tools-08.html/
> > > >
> > > > _________________________________________
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