17.10.08

On and off - 5

Not on…

The Kerala government confirmed two Muslim police drivers were removed from BJP leader L K Advani’s convoy during his visit to the state but the state’s home minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan clarified,. “No one was kept out intentionally. There were also four Hindus who were taken off.’’


Slamming a statement made by external affairs E Ahamed criticizing the removal of the Muslim drivers, Balakrishnan said the Muslim League leader’s view was in contrast to the country’s secular values.

Wow. Look who is talking about secular values. If we are so darn secular, then please whenever there is a bomb blast do not mention the religion of the ‘alleged suspect’, okay? Don’t say things like Muslim ghetto or Christian locality. Don’t talk about how Muslims are like this and like that. If you can’t, then stuff your holier-than-thou moral stance.

It seems hundreds of cops were deployed. How many Muslims were in that group? One is compelled to ask only because of what has happened. Otherwise, who cares who protects these politicians? If Mr. Advani is going around giving lectures on secularism, then the right signal would have been to retain those two Muslim policemen.

On…

A judge has thrown out a Nebraska legislator’s lawsuit against god, saying the Almighty wasn’t properly served due to his unlisted home address. State senator Ernie Chambers filed the lawsuit last year seeking a permanent injunction against god.


He said god has made terroristic threats against the senator and his constituents, inspired fear and caused “widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth’s inhabitants”.

I love this guy Chambers. In one smart move, and I don’t care whether it was intentional or not, he has made god answerable. A god with no fixed address. A god that can reside anywhere in anyone and therefore can cause all the ills he accuses the respondent of.

In a sense it is a most democratic suit. No individual based on specific affiliation can be blamed. Even the god is non-generic.

Chambers conveys that if a country refuses to call itself atheistic, then he has a case. As he stated, “The court itself acknowledges the existence of god. A consequence of that acknowledgment is recognition of god’s omniscience. Since god knows everything, god has notice of this lawsuit.”

Touche.

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10 comments:

  1. Anonymous17/10/2008, 18:25

    FV:

    On...
    A minimum of three blogposts at Cross Connections: one political, one international and one personal.

    Not on...
    A day with no blogposts on Cross Connections :-(

    All hail Ernie Chambers for his ingenuity. In India, they wouldn't have accepted his writ in the first place and media would have labelled him imbecile.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous17/10/2008, 21:41

    Thanks for picking a topic very close to my heart......there are three facts I have concluded over last few years...

    God is the best "Fiction: that had ever been written, sold and preserved ...let me elaborate, all religions are so sacroant about the way their God was...from Ram to Buddha...Religions have reproduced the "god" but not replicated the "god". The Book remains the learning doesnt.

    Second, Religion feeds on faith...faith is human reality which goes beyond religions....if you think about someone and think about them very very hard , you tend to imagine them, ape them, follow them ......faith starts at birth ....the warmth of a mother starts the faith in a child that he will be taken care of and fed....we extend our emotions and faith to Religion.

    Religion are the most systematic , profitable MNCs, they have reach, the product which sells 24/7/365 and a growing market share, unfortunately run by Politicians.....worldwide.....some are elected by ballot and some by destiny....they thrive on your insecurities that you dont want to be killed, raped, tortured one day because you believe in one kind of MNC...

    Thoughts ....Manish

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous18/10/2008, 01:19

    uh-oh...

    BJP had no role in removal of Muslim drivers: Advani



    New Delhi, Oct 16 (PTI) BJP leader L K Advani today clarified that neither he nor his party had any role in the recent controversy where two Muslim drivers of Kerala Police were allegedly removed from his motorcade and said his party did not believe in discrimination on the basis of religion.
    In a statement issued today, Advani said, "A controversy is sought to be created with insinuations directed at my party. I would like to state that neither I nor any one in my party had any knowledge whatsoever of the incident, which I have come to know only through the media." The BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate was on a visit to Calicut on October 14 for the Vijay Sankalp rally of the party when the incident took place.

    Advani said no instructions were given either by him or his party to remove the two Muslim police drivers. "We don't believe in discrimination on the basis of religion in any matter," the BJP leader stated.

    Later, BJP spokesperson Prakash Javdekar claimed in a press conference that Congress was behind the incident and its undue publicity.

    "This seems to be the handiwork of the Dirty Tricks Department of the Congress Party to malign the opposition in an attempt to arouse communal passions," he said, adding, "The BJP demands that the central government should come clean on the subject." He added that members of the car protection team, which had two inspectors, three sub-inspectors, and doctors in the ambulance were all from the Muslim community. PTI

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous18/10/2008, 06:44

    Uh-oh...reality throws a spanner in the victim narrative..

    On Kerala trip, Advani’s security was in Muslim hands
    The pullout of two Muslim drivers from BJP leader LK Advani’s security detail on his recent visit to Kerala sparked allegations of religious profiling. But by sheer coincidence, all key aspects of the trip were in the hands of Muslims, a fact that went unnoticed.

    What emerged is that all of Advani’s security on the trip was in the hands of Muslims. Even the official doctor was a Muslim.

    The helipad where Advani landed was manned by Superintendent of Police Abu Bakr. The podium put up for the BJP’s PM candidate to address the public was guarded by a Muslim officer, Inspector Mohd. Salim, before and after the arrival of the National Security Guards. Intelligence inputs were being given to the NSG by inspector-general of Kerala intelligence, Mohd. Yasin. Another SP, Jamaluddin, from the intelligence, was overseeing Advani’s movements.

    Balakrishnan said that a Muslim fundamentalist newspaper could be behind the rumours that religious bias had resulted in removal of the Muslim drivers.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous18/10/2008, 13:56

    PS:

    We do have some weird cases in the Indian courts too...but yes one against god would be, never...

    Re. On and Not on...:)

    Manish:

    Extremely thought-provoking views, esp. about faith starting at birth. There is faith and belief in a belief system, the latter usually forced, the former instinctive.

    Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous18/10/2008, 13:56

    Anon:

    Uh-oh:

    The first report is the standard stance. Blame the Congress, which is not blameless in many areas, but does not apply here.

    Re. the second report,(source?)

    "What emerged is that all of Advani’s security on the trip was in the hands of Muslims. Even the official doctor was a Muslim."

    Aww, now why was that done? You think if it was such a major coup, they would have kept quiet? They would have gone to town about how they trust Muslims.

    And they are now blaming a Muslim fundamentalist newspaper. What happened to the Congress?

    And do remember: we are not talking about victim narrative. Next time Modi is attacked verbally he should then stop his rant about being demonised.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous18/10/2008, 19:27

    The report is from the hindustan times.

    And do remember: we are not talking about victim narrative


    Yes you are. All the time. It's always about the muslim victim narrative. Even in the case of the kashmiri pundits forced out of their homes by the jihadis.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous18/10/2008, 19:40

    Thanks for the source.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous20/10/2008, 19:47

    Have been thinking about the "On" part. Seems to me that atheists are free to poke fun at religion, but a religious person having a shot at atheism would be thought narrow minded...and that Chambers fellow just wanted some attention.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous21/10/2008, 19:47

    Agree with you. A religious person has as much of a right to question the unfaithful. Let me add that it isn't always atheists that question the mullah/sadhu/priest stranglehold; it could be anyone.

    Even if Chambers wanted attention, sometimes these issues do raise valid points.

    ReplyDelete

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