[Reader-list] To Taha Mehmood

[Taha Mehmood]

Dear Pawan

Thank you for sharing those splendid words by Shakespeare.

But may I suggest that even poetry, how so ever beautiful or profound it may
be cannot hide a cold fact that in its essence and outlook an organization
like RSS have a lot in common with an organization like  Lashker than seem
otherwise.

RSS actively promotes a view that Muslims must be blamed for the historical
illtreatment of Hindus and Lashker supports an argument that Hindus must be
annihilated for the wrongs they have committed against Muslims.

In doing so they both resort to a fallacy by conjuring up a mythical demon
of the 'other'  based on a homogeneous religious identity.

In practice there is no such thing as either 'Hindu' or 'Muslim'. There are
no written or oral or traditional or theological or historical or customary
or lingual or legal or philosophical evidence anywhere which can lay claim
to a homogeneous imagination of either of these mythical identities. Yes,
one can suggest that in so far as Islam is concerned, there is one book
which is common to all Muslims, but I do not how many people even read that
book let alone make some effort to understand it or interpret it.

On the contrary there are ample evidence or counter assertions which point
towards a heterogeneity of belief systems regarding these religions.

Hence one can argue with a lot of confidence that in its outlook, the RSS is
fundamentally similar to Lashker.

And no amount of apples and oranges, or swans and crows, or elpahants and
cheethas, or corcs and fishes, or plates and saucers, or Shakespeare and
Chaucer, or Ghalib and Mir is going to change that.

This is just an interpretation and not in any way a generaliation and I
would like to know more about your thoughts with respect to the view that
Lashker and RSS are in fact  fundamental dissimilar. Wherein you might want
to assert that they are dis-similar because they do not demonize 'other',
they do not actively promote a 'hatred' and a 'distrust' towards the other
and in the name of nation or rashtra they do not intend the good of only few
citizens.

Warm regards

Taha