[Reader-list] We must appeal to Al-Qaeda: Stop hurting and threatening India

[Aman Shanti]

Dear Anupam
I and the people who have drafted this appeal would continue to stick
to the title and its language - we don't think we have made any
fallacy (as you say). It looks a fallacy to you precisely because you
are so rigid in not visiting blog and reading the whole thing and to
see what others have to say, and how many people (about a 100 so far)
have joined the group. You are the only person who is nitpicking the
words. So, thank you if you don't wish to follow what we are trying to
say. Maybe the only fallacy we have made is to announce it on the
Sarai-list. We apologize you for filling up your inbox.

Our appeal never intends to mean that "Indian Muslims have invited
Al-Qaeda to India" and hence they need to drive it out. What you
simply cannot grasp is the fact that Indian Muslims protesting against
Al-Qaeda is not the same thing as saffronites protesting against
Al-Qaeda (and demanding to "nuke Pakistan"). These are two different
things - and there are a lot of subtleties involved in them, which you
refuse to understand. You would understand if you were a Muslim who is
actually affected by the recent trends in India.

One doesn't have to be a stakeholder in something in order to protest
against it. If some American citizens protested against the US attack
on Iraq, does it mean that they were stakeholders in the war? If your
Abdul is not interested in appealing to Al-Qaeda (since he is not a
stakeholder), that's fine. But is he happy about whatever is going on
in the world as a human and not as Abdul?

Aman


On Sat, Feb 14, 2009 at 5:23 PM, Kshmendra Kaul <kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com> wrote:
dear kshmendra and aman,

In your recent comment written:

 "It was not I who wrote 'indian muslims should ask al-qaeda to stop terror
attacks'. So your comment that you found 'my line problematic' was a
misdirected comment.

I personally find nothing objectionable in the 'line' that was actually
posted by Aman-Shanti: """ Indian Muslims (and everyone else) must appeal to
Al-Qaeda and its allies to stop their activities of terror and violence in
the world."

so logically, my misdirected comment actually hit the right spot. and as you
are now saying that there is nothing objectionable in aman shanti's comment,
so you are also a party to it.

to repeat what i said, earlier, the proposition that "indian muslims are
against terrorism" is a good idea. even, your political stand on Jamia
encounters is appreciated. but then what is this message you are sending in
the header: "Muslims must appeal to Al-Qaeda: Stop hurting and threatening
India."?

i personally have no problems with such initiatives but at least aman should
have used the right words.* aman's (your's too kshmendra) understanding of
the situation after reading the header looks like indian muslims have been
inviting alqaeda all this while and now if they ask to stop it, they would
do so.* i am trying to point towards a fallacy which aman has made. you can
change it and i hope you can change your hearts also while dealing with
something so elusive and destructive as terrorism.

and if you guys think, that you can ask anyone to adopt such an initiative
through this mailing list, then you all are wrong. i would not visit your
blog or your facebook as a sign of protest against these specific words:
"Indian Muslims (and everyone else) must appeal to Al-Qaeda and its allies
to stop their activities of terror and violence in the world". it is
completely upto you to change it and come up with something else. to put it
very simply:

how's my friend abdul (being an indian muslim) connected with al-qaeda? in
what capacity should abdul, particularly (as your header
suggests), who paints and dreams of faiz and nazrul, should go to al-qaeda
and ask them to stop their acts? how is he a stakeholder? is every muslim a
stake holder in the crimes committed by a group of mujaheedins? why
should abdul be pinpointed, when all of you self-righteous peace loving
people (including me) are responsible for what has been happening in the
country?

-anupam