During 2002 genocide in
Gujarat I have seen how seemingly civilized people behaved like murderous mobs,
killing and maiming innocents of "the other", looting and destroying
painstakingly built property, and indulging in unfathomable hate. How pretty educated
young men, who might pass for good sons and brothers for their women and girls,
maimed and raped completely innocent young Muslim women.
What had come to them? And how? It did not happen overnight. But it was there for all to see. Only, it erupted all over suddenly, triggered apparently by a mischief that remains a mystery. We were warned by the knowing for a decade prior to that as to what lay in the offing. Schooling, shakhas, videos, cableTVs, TV serials, religious sermons, political discourse.. all were calibrated to attain one aim: isolate and stand the Muslims apart, create distrust, make a demon out of them, fill your hearts with hate.. And this succeeded well and truly.
We see similar radicalization happening amongst Muslims for considerable time, all over. In the educated West gullible Muslims are falling prey to extremist propaganda. In the most educated state of India, viz Kerala, you can now commonly see burqua [hijab, traditional Muslim women's covering] that was rare just a decade ago. Ditto for Osama trade-mark dress for young men.
Young, prosperous Muslims, learning in advanced professional courses suddenly skipping the college to attend the fanatics' sermons, and then one day disappearing from your midst, for a dream-filled jihad [read murder and suicide].
Watch FB posts: young people - Hindus and Muslims - pouring out venom against one another. Unspeakable hate fills their hearts. Burnt in this un-extinguishable fire they can scarcely be touched by the tenderness of love, of life. Blood, death and murder consume them.
Fed on the diet of hate, born of real and exaggerated tales of discrimination [as were the Hindus of Gujarat, and as are the Indian Hindus in general by the Hindutva], these youth embark upon an irreversible course of unstoppable revenge.
Unmistakably their political Islam will never deliver anything but misery to them, to their families, to their community and to their nations. But the damage would be irreversible and catastrophic. For all Muslims, all over.
In your interest, Muslim friends, pay heed to the voices of moderation. Fight discrimination by all means, and fight hard and for long, but fight constructively, with undiminished love for the innocent of all faith. And fight for good, not for bad to come out of this.
Please watch who your ward are communicating and moving with. Let not your heart bleed later. Let not your young perish. Discuss with them, reason with them, create a a true sense of history and balance in them. And prepare them to be USEFUL for humanity.
What had come to them? And how? It did not happen overnight. But it was there for all to see. Only, it erupted all over suddenly, triggered apparently by a mischief that remains a mystery. We were warned by the knowing for a decade prior to that as to what lay in the offing. Schooling, shakhas, videos, cableTVs, TV serials, religious sermons, political discourse.. all were calibrated to attain one aim: isolate and stand the Muslims apart, create distrust, make a demon out of them, fill your hearts with hate.. And this succeeded well and truly.
We see similar radicalization happening amongst Muslims for considerable time, all over. In the educated West gullible Muslims are falling prey to extremist propaganda. In the most educated state of India, viz Kerala, you can now commonly see burqua [hijab, traditional Muslim women's covering] that was rare just a decade ago. Ditto for Osama trade-mark dress for young men.
Young, prosperous Muslims, learning in advanced professional courses suddenly skipping the college to attend the fanatics' sermons, and then one day disappearing from your midst, for a dream-filled jihad [read murder and suicide].
Watch FB posts: young people - Hindus and Muslims - pouring out venom against one another. Unspeakable hate fills their hearts. Burnt in this un-extinguishable fire they can scarcely be touched by the tenderness of love, of life. Blood, death and murder consume them.
Fed on the diet of hate, born of real and exaggerated tales of discrimination [as were the Hindus of Gujarat, and as are the Indian Hindus in general by the Hindutva], these youth embark upon an irreversible course of unstoppable revenge.
Unmistakably their political Islam will never deliver anything but misery to them, to their families, to their community and to their nations. But the damage would be irreversible and catastrophic. For all Muslims, all over.
In your interest, Muslim friends, pay heed to the voices of moderation. Fight discrimination by all means, and fight hard and for long, but fight constructively, with undiminished love for the innocent of all faith. And fight for good, not for bad to come out of this.
Please watch who your ward are communicating and moving with. Let not your heart bleed later. Let not your young perish. Discuss with them, reason with them, create a a true sense of history and balance in them. And prepare them to be USEFUL for humanity.
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