Ayodhya-Verdict & Indian Secularism

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By Nilofar Suhrawardy, MMNS India Correspondent

NEW DELHI: While Indians across the country are pleased that verdict of Allahabad High Court’s Lucknow bench has not repeated the riotous phase witnessed during the 1980s and 1990s, it would be wrong to claim that the controversial Ayodhya-issue stands resolved. The parties not satisfied with the verdict have the right to take their petitions to the Supreme Court. Once a petition questioning/opposing the Allahabad High Court verdict is taken up for hearing by the Supreme Court, the issue shall be viewed as unresolved till the apex court declares its stand on the same.

Besides, considering that numerous cases related to Ayodhya-issue remain pending, particularly regarding demolition of Babri Masjid on 6 December 1992, the recent verdict is linked to just one dispute over the crisis. The verdict seeks to end 60-year legal battle over which community has right to disputed land in Ayodhya. Rather than favor only one or two parties, interestingly, the verdict has stated that the disputed land should be divided among the Hindus, a Hindu sect-Nirmohi Akhara and the Sunni Waqf Board, with each having right to one-third of the disputed land. The history of this case can be traced to 1950, when two local religious leaders appealed for their right to pray at the area. Among the 17 issues raised then, one was whether the disputed site was place of Hindu deity Rama’s birth.

In its verdict, the Allahabad High Court stated that Babri Masjid was built on birthplace of Rama. The latter point has been questioned by those who have criticized the verdict. In their opinion, the bench has overlooked the fact that statue of Rama was placed in the Masjid by use of force in 1949. In addition, research conducted by scholars over historical authenticity of Ayodhya being the place of Rama’s birth has been apparently totally sidelined. Prior to demolition of Babri Masjid as Ayodhya-controversy sparked tension, Center for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (New Delhi) prepared a document, which brought to light several important facts. The document stated that inscriptions from 5th to 8th century BC make no reference to the place (Babri Masjid) being associated with worship of Rama. The Persian inscriptions on two sides of the mosque do not indicate that the mosque had been constructed at the site of a temple. A famous Hindu poet, Tulsidas, an inhabitant of this region, a great devotee of Rama and who lived in the same period in which the mosque was constructed makes no reference in his works of the demolition of a temple at the site of Ram Janambhoomi. There is no evidence of mosque being of much religious or cultural significance for Muslims. The epic, Ramayana which mentions Ayodhya as birthplace of Rama is largely fictional and cannot be accepted as historically authentic, without supporting evidence. The identification of Ram Janambhoomi as Ayodhya is a matter of faith and not of historical significance. The document also states that there is a contradiction in location and cultural life (judged by archaeological evidence) in the fictional Ayodhya and the real Ayodhya.
In view of deliberations being on for an out-of-court settlement of the dispute and a strong possibility of several Muslim organizations filing a petition in the Supreme Court against the Allahabad High Court verdict, clearly the Ayodhya-issue cannot yet be considered as settled. Nevertheless, peace and calm maintained throughout the country, irrespective of different reactions to the verdict, definitely stand reflective of a landmark development in the nation’s socio-political culture. In 1992, certain aggressive elements took law in their own hands by demolishing the mosque and indulging in riotous behavior. Violation and abuse of the country’s legal system and secular norms helped the saffron-brigade politically, but only for a limited period. It helped the saffron brigade’s political wing- Bharatiya Janata Party emerge as an important party at the national level. When the same party’s “secularism” was put to test to win over its “secular” allies for heading National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the center with Atal Bihari Vajpayee as prime minister, the BJP decided to put its “Hindutva” agenda at the backburner (1998).

Ironically, the BJP has adopted a cautious approach towards commenting on the Ayodhya-verdict. The same is true of the saffron-brigade. It would be too early to assume that this reflects a major change in their communally aggressive approach on the Ayodhya-issue. Nevertheless, it cannot be missed that rather than talk of taking law in their hands they have expressed preference for using available legal options. In other words, this in itself is suggestive of their backtracking on the communal path they stepped onto 18 years ago marked by demolition of Babri Masjid and nation-wide riots targeting Muslims. Whatsoever be their reasons, political or non-political, Indian secularism has compelled them to exercise restrain on their communal designs. They have tacitly accepted that the communal moves used by them 18 years ago carry little relevance today for the Indians at large. They also apparently fear that aggressive communalism may prove damaging for their political as well as religious credentials. The very elements who vehemently waved communal banners 18 years ago have at least for now abandoned options of using that strategy. This is indeed a major step forward where Indian secularism is concerned. Thus, even though legal wrangling over Ayodhya-issue may continue for years to come, the reaction to the recent verdict is only suggestive of the communal fervor being pushed to the backburner by deep-rooted Indian secularism!

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Ignorance, Not Islam, Is The Enemy

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By John L. Esposito and Sheila B. Lalwani, Religion News Svc

(RNS) In a single vote, the Texas State Board of Education managed to undermine Christian-Muslim relations, hamper religious literacy and impose ignorance on our kids at a time when they need knowledge to live and work in a competitive and integrated world.

Board members–no foreigners to strange and bizarre decisions–voted to scrub textbooks of anything that smacked of a “pro-Islam” or “anti-Christian” bias. Texas textbooks, by their sheer number, end up setting nationwide standards.

The resolution, passed in a 7-6 vote, refers to moments in history when Christianity is portrayed unfavorably and Islamic events that could be deemed unfavorable are “glossed over.” The vote endangers relations between Christians and Muslims at a time when Islamophobia is becoming a worrying phenomenon across America.

Statistics from the Pew Center on Religion & Public Life find that 38 percent of Americans have an unfavorable view of Islam, compared to 30 percent who reported a positive view. Another study conducted by The Washington Post found Islam’s unfavorable image creeping up to 49 percent among Americans.

Here at home, U.S. Muslims have expressed concern and fear over recent developments of burned Qurans and strident opposition to building mosques. Muslims overseas, meanwhile, shake their heads in dismay over the future of Islam and Muslims in America.

The actions of the Texas educators do nothing to change and alter opinions of the U.S. abroad; if anything, they probably make things worse.

Ironically, the Texas vote comes as a new film, “Waiting for Superman,” depicts how America’s best and brightest are educationally unprepared and falling further behind in math and science.

We have a duty to give our kids a well-rounded education, and in today’s world that includes understanding religion and its impact on public affairs at home and abroad.

Indeed, there’s already substantial darkness regarding basic knowledge of religion in this country. The Pew Forum’s new survey of religion literacy, released Tuesday (Sept. 28), found that about half of Americans know that the Quran is the holy book of Islam. It also found that less than a third know that most people in Indonesia–the world’s most populous Muslim nation–are, in fact, Muslim.

Our dangerous religious illiteracy was evident after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Religious leaders from multiple faiths–Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and others–quickly realized the dangers involved. The latest surveys show how little has changed.

We need to prepare our kids for the reality that they will interact with people of different faiths; being sensitive to those faiths can only improve relations. This work begins at home–and in the schools.

The vote of the Texas State Board of Education is not only sad but also dangerous, representing a throwback to willful darkness, something that should not find a haven in centers of education. Students deserve more than that.

Islam is a not the enemy. Ignorance is. And educators–in Texas or any place else–should never endorse it.

(John L. Esposito, the author of “The Future of Islam,” is the founding director of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University. Sheila B. Lalwani is a research fellow at the center.)

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US blames `Communication Breakdown’ for Attacks by NATO Helicopters

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By Anwar Iqbal, Dawon

WASHINGTON, Sept 28: US military chief Admiral Mike Mullen called the Pakistani military leadership on Tuesday and assured them that Washington respected Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The calls, diplomatic sources said, were made after Pakistan lodged strong protests against a series of attacks by the US-led International Security Assistance Force during the last three days, and conveyed to the United States that if forces in Afghanistan continued to violate its territorial integrity it would be forced to consider appropriate response.

At Pentagon, spokesman Col Dave Lapan told journalists on Tuesday that recent cross-border air strikes by Nato helicopters in Pakistan might have violated procedures and resulted from “communication breakdowns”.

“I don’t know that I’d call it a disagreement but there are certainly discussions under way between our forces and the Pakistanis about this particular incident,” he said.

Col Lapan said the talks were focused on “what were the communication breakdowns, what happened, what was supposed to happen”.

ISAF forces were not able to notify Pakistani officers about the helicopter strikes until after the operation, he said.

“I think I can say that clearly in these instances things didn’t occur in the way that they’re supposed to. And that’s what we’re trying to get to,” Col Lapan said.
Isaf said in an earlier statement that the helicopters went after insurgents in Pakistan after an Afghan security forces’ outpost in the Khost province came under attack on Friday.

Diplomatic sources in Washington told Dawn that Pakistan had informed the Americans that while Islamabad was America’s partner in the war against terror, “they are very sensitive to their sovereignty and territorial integrity”. The Pakistanis insisted that the UN and Nato mandate for operating inside Afghanistan ended on the Afghan border and “it does not cover an inch of Pakistani territory”.

The Pakistanis said that they were still investigating the three incidents to see if the helicopters fired their weapons from the Afghan territory or physically entered Pakistan.

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Cockroaches

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online sources, including Wikipedia

 

Cockroaches are insects of the order Blattaria.

There are about 4,500 species of cockroach, of which 30 species are associated with human habitations and about four species are well known as pests.

Among the best-known pest species are the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana, which is about 30 millimetres (1.2 in) long, the German cockroach, Blattella germanica, about 15 millimetres (0.59 in) long, the Asian cockroach, Blattella asahinai, also about 15 millimetres (0.59 in) in length, and the Oriental cockroach, Blatta orientalis, about 25 millimetres (0.98 in). Tropical cockroaches are often much bigger, and extinct cockroach relatives and ‘roachoids’ such as the Carboniferous Archimylacris and thePermian Apthoroblattina were not as large as the biggest modern species.

Mantodea, Isoptera, and Blattaria are usually combined by entomologists into a higher group called Dictyoptera. Current evidence strongly suggests that termites evolved directly from true cockroaches, and many authors now consider termites to be an epifamily of cockroaches, as Blattaria excluding Isoptera is not a monophyletic group.

Historically, the name Blattaria has been used largely interchangeably with the name Blattodea, though in most recent treatments, the latter name refers to a larger grouping that includes numerous fossil groups that were related to roaches, but not true cockroaches themselves. Another name, Blattoptera has come into use for this same paraphyletic group. These earliest cockroach-like fossils (“Blattopterans” or “roachids”) are from the Carboniferous period between 354–295 million years ago. However, these fossils differ from modern cockroaches in having long external ovipositors and are the ancestors of mantises as well as modern cockroaches. The first fossils of modern cockroaches with internal ovipositors appear in the early Cretaceous.

Cockroaches are large insects. Most species are about the size of a thumbnail, but several species are bigger. The world’s heaviest cockroach is the Australian giant burrowing cockroach, which can reach 3.5 inches in length and weigh more than 1.1 oz. Comparable in size is the Central American giant cockroach Blaberus giganteus, which grows to a similar length but is not as heavy.

Cockroaches have a broad, flattened body and a relatively small head. They are generalized insects, with few special adaptations. The mouthparts are on the underside of the head and include generalised chewing mandibles. They have large compound eyes, two ocelli, and long, flexible, antennae.

The first pair of wings are tough and protective, lying as a shield on top of the membranous hind wings. All four wings have branching longitudinal veins, and multiple cross-veins. The legs are sturdy, with large coxae and five claws each. The abdomen has ten segments and several cerci.

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