[Reader-list] INDIA: Others Among Us

[Naeem Mohaiemen]

K, Here's how othering works in your emails. You put  "as an Indian"
right after the sentence where you question why I picked the excerpt I
did.

SUBTEXT: As an Indian this is what I think is the relevant excerpt,
which is far more important than what you, a Bangladeshi, selected.

You then write in a follow-up email: "If I am not mistaken, you are
from Bangladesh. It would be good if there are regular postings from
you highlighting significant social and political issues of Bangladesh
including ones related to the minorities."

SUBTEXT: If you must post on this list, please post about Bangladesh,
which is your country, not India, which is my country. Oh and before
talking about our minorities, please fix your minority situation.

Shuddha responded by pointing out that many of the Bangladesh related
posts on Sarai do come from me, and a portion of that are about
Bangladeshi minorities.

I can only assume you skipped my posts on BD minority issues.
Including my chapter on Religious Minorities (2006) and Ethnic
Minorities (2007) for the Ain Salish Kendra Annual Human Rights
Report, URLs for which were posted on Sarai.

http://shobakorg.blogspot.com/2007/04/sorry-choles.html
http://shobak.wordpress.com/2007/05/16/zero/
http://shobakorg.blogspot.com/2006/11/das-tripura.html
http://shobakorg.blogspot.com/2007/02/tattered-flag.html
http://www.drishtipat.org/blog/2008/03/27/adivasi-07/

Or I could respond to your comment: "if you are actually from
Bangladesh may I ask you something. It has always intrigued me that if
India is such a hellish place for Muslims, why would Muslims from
Bangladesh in fairly large numbers steal in as illegal migrants. What
are your thoughts on that?"

By giving link to my piece I posted on Sarai a while back:
http://www.thedailystar.net/forum/2007/august/bangla.htm

But this is a tedious, shopworn and circular exercise. Does this mean
I have to trot out my CV regarding minorities in Bangladesh anytime I
want to venture an opinion on minority issues inside India?