Secularism Triumphs: Three incidents

Secular hypocrisy and pseudo-secularism are not new in India. But now they are threatening that they may well become a matter of Government Policy and simultaneously prevail as common sense in media . There are three incidents that are the defining moments in modern "secular" theology.

1. Case of Dr. Mohammed Haneef -

This is what B Raman writes in outlook in his article - The Cover Up? (B. Raman is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai.)

".....During the investigation into the Madrid blasts of March 11, 2004, in which 191 civilian suburban train commuters were killed, the Madrid Police had arrested two Indians and questioned without arrest two Spanish citizens of Indian origin on suspicion that the SIM cards used by the terrorists for triggering the explosions had been bought by the terrorists from their shops. All the four were Hindus. The investigation indicated that they were not aware of the background of the persons to whom they had sold the SIM cards. They were, therefore, not charged and released from detention...

There was no campaign against the Madrid Police in India at that time. The Indian media did not try to create a drama over the issue. The Indian intelligence and investigative agencies did not adopt an un-cooperative attitude. No attempt was made by the government of India to exercise pressure on the government of Spain in order to secure the release of the detained Indians before the completion of the investigation.

Western counter-terrorism experts have expressed concern and resentment over the manner in which the government of India has been trying to exercise pressure on the government of Australia to release, before the completion of investigation.... "

Now whether or not you get help in a foreign land depends also on your religion! If selective insomnia of our Prime Minister is not triumph of secularism then what is.

2. Secular President -

Shivraj Patil could well have been the President of India. But as it turned out to be - he is not secular enough. Because he is a devotee of Sri Satya Sai Baba. But he is secular enough to be the Home Minister of India. Dr. Karan Singh is an eminent scholar of Hinduism. Again, this is a disqualification. You need to be a scholar who repudiates Hinduism, not one who glorifies it to become the head of state. He has also done a lot of research on Shri Aurobindo Ghosh. No one in his right mind can make such a person supreme commander of armed forces. This is secular blasphemy.

So the top leaders of a secular government are secular for seeing that the administrative machinery of the whole country is not biased but are not secular enough to take up a symbolic post!

3. Secularism For Train Blast Victims:

This is again from B Raman - Article - Cry, The Beloved Country

"..Large sections of the nation shed tears on July 11, 2007, in memory of the 190 innocent Indians belonging to different religions who were killed a year ago in a series of explosions in suburban trains of Mumbai by jihadi terrorists inspired by the ideology of Al Qaeda. Their tears were also an expression of solidarity with the surviving relatives of these victims.

Just as millions of Americans and their leaders belonging to both sides of the political spectrum shed tears on September 11 every year in memory of the over 2,500 innocent civilians belonging to different nations who were killed by Al Qaeda in the US homeland on September 11,2001, and in solidarity with their relatives.

Just as millions of Indonesians and Australians and their political leaders shed years every year on the anniversary of the Bali bombing of October,2002, in which nearly 200 innocent civilians--Indonesians, Australians and others--were blown to pieces by jihadi terrorists.

Just as millions of Spanish people, their royal family and their political leaders shed tears every year on the anniversary of the Madrid bombing of March,2004, in which the jihadi terrorists targeted suburban trains, killing nearly 200 innocent civilians.

Just as millions of British, their royal family and their political leaders shed tears every year on the anniversary of the London bombings of July,2005, in which jihadi suicide terrorists targeted the public transportation system killing over 50 innocent civilians.

There was a significant difference between the observance of the anniversaries of these great human tragedies inflicted on humanity by the jihadi terrorists in other countries and in India.

In other countries, the head of the state or government participated in the observance of the anniversaries. On July 7, 2007, we saw on the TV touching scenes of Mr Gordon Brown, the British Prime Minister, and his wife visiting the tube stations where the terrorists struck and placing flowers at the scene of the tragedy.

In India, our so-called secular political class and elite kept away from the observance of the anniversary of the Mumbai tragedy of July 11, 2006.

Forget about flowers.

Not a drop of tear.

Not a word of sorrow.

Not a sign of grief.

Not a single expression of solidarity with the relatives of the victims.

I did not write this article yesterday because I waited to see whether our Prime Minister would fly to Mumbai and lead the people of the nation in remembering the innocent Indians--men, women and children--who were blown to pieces by the jihadi terrorists last year. I was convinced in my mind that he would not. Still, I was hoping that he would prove me wrong by participating in the observance of the anniversary. He didn't.

Why didn't he?

Busy dealing with grave crises confronting the nation?

No.

Lack of time?

No.

Bad weather?

No... "


Is there a limit to this perversion?

If Afzal Guru case is any indication, the shrill campaign for the Mumbai Blast conspirators has the potential of leaving these three incidents far behind!!