[Reader-list] No Burqa, No teaching in West bengal

[anupam chakravartty]

Taraprakash ji,

I was surprised that some of my posts and yours have been deleted on the
discussion about bank accounts and Muslims in India. I have also observed
that you engage in a name calling exercise when your arguments are
countered. I can see that I was being referred as a scoundrel in your
previous post.

But you have been continuously trying to dilute very essence of the argument
about the difficulties faced by Muslims opening a bank account. Your
attempts on diluting this issue starts from a comparative analysis
(basically attempting to talk about the similar such experiences of other
communities) to pushing for an utopian ideal: "I will be with those who ask
for a new country as long as they promise that every Muslim will be treated
equally in that country". Then you offer: "Forcing a homogeneous identity on
all the Muslims is wrong." But the very next line has a list of identities
(we are not sure if they fit your homogeneity index), which you think, have
constituents with share of stories wherein they have been discriminated.
Finally, you suggest that: "We must recognize and expose the double
standards"

Taraprakash jee, such attempts to dilute a particular issue doesn't work
especially your name calling business.

My observations about Muslims not allowed to open bank accounts have an
empirical basis to it which was shared by others as well on this very list.

Thanks
Anupam


On Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 6:01 AM, TaraPrakash <taraprakash at gmail.com> wrote:

> Ignore my previous mail Rakesh. I found the mail. I would like to differ
> with you on one account. The term is not "misusing", it should be "using."
> Anyone using a religious text or any other text for that matter, to control
> another human being's life should not be allowed to enter a place like
> university. Not sure if their place is behind the bars, but I agree that
> those who curb other people's freedom, have not right to remain free.
>
>
> As I found the missing mail, I also found the mail of a scoundrel, that I
> missed earlier. Well, I am borrowing the term "scoundrel" from Samuel
> Johnson who said "Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel." The
> scoundrel wanted me to make India a great country in my response to my mail
> about bank accounts. Well, I am not a scoundrel to be bound by such
> shackles. Why not make Pakistan also great? Every country has a right to
> become great as long as they don't define greatness in heinous way.
> Tagore's dream for India, mind without fear, is broken by the nightmare
> situation that we are in right now. When the government on the other side of
> the border of Shonar Bangla has brought fanatics under control somewhat, the
> "secular" set up on the Indian side is letting them flourish. A "minority
> community" that does not justice to the "minority" within, has no legitimate
> right to ask for justice from "majority community." We must recognize and
> expose the double standards.
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Rakesh Iyer" <rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com>
> To: "Pawan Durani" <pawan.durani at gmail.com>
> Cc: "reader-list" <reader-list at sarai.net>
> Sent: Thursday, July 29, 2010 5:05 AM
> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] No Burqa, No teaching in West bengal
>
>
>  This is dubious. The university should be stripped of its legitimacy if
>> they
>> continue with this dubious aspect. Nobody anywhere in India should have
>> the
>> right to determine this dress code for teachers. If teachers feel any
>> dress
>> code should be maintained, it should be out of their own individual
>> convictions and shouldn't be enforced by them on others.
>>
>> As for the Left front, it should be congratulated for spectacularly
>> promoting fundamentalism and conservatism among the Muslim community to
>> seek
>> votes. While the BJP and the RSS indulge in feeding off the fear of the
>> Muslims to seek votes (through demonizing Muslims), the Congress and the
>> other 'secular' parties just feed off this fear of Muslims and let them
>> remain in bad economic conditions in perpetuity to get their votes.
>>
>> Left is the third factor which people don't talk about. I as a Hindu don't
>> have to refer to the Gita, Mahabharata, Ramayana or other religious texts
>> to
>> prove that women deserve equal rights as men or that untouchability is
>> wrong
>> or that women should also have the right to ask for divorce like men
>> equally. I just have to refer to the Constitution. But a Muslim has to
>> prove
>> this using the Koran. And some fools are making the wrong use of it.
>> Anybody
>> misusing religious texts for such purposes should be put behind bars and
>> they should get life term straightaway.
>>
>> And the disaster is for our people, including the Muslims.
>>
>> Rakesh
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