WRT: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/message/48369
I don't know whether to laugh or cry at the level of sheer ignorance coupled with communal passion displayed by this post. For general information, please note that 'Islamist' is a relatively new term, at most 25 yrs old. We use the term to describe a Muslim who is hell-bent on perceiving his religion as a means, which sometime includes violence, for gaining a fascistic political end. We did not use the term for describing the Pakistani occupiers of 1971, nor did we use the term even for the 1971 Bengali collaborators of Pakistanis. We now use the term to describe the Jamaatis and other Islamic extremists and ideologues like S. A. Hannan in Bangladesh, and the dominant rebarbatative Islamist goons in Pakistan. Dr. Yoginder Sikand is not a Muslim (for those who cannot figure that out). He is neither a Bangladeshi nor a Pakistani. He is a renowned scholar of Indian Islam and is the author of several books. His Ph. D. is from a reputable University in UK and I believe his dissertation was on the rise and growth of the socio-religious movement of Tablighi Jamaat (not to be confused with Moududi's political party) in the Indian subcontinent. As a non-Muslim Indian specializing on the religio-cultural aspect of a community belonging to one of the major religions in India, even if that religion happens to be Islam, there absolutely no way does he deserve the label of an 'Islamist.'
Yogi is beloved by not only all kinds of Indians, but by people from all over the world for his indefatigable energy, dedication to cultural pluralism, and thoroughness of scholarship. I have not had the good fortune to meet him in person, but we form a mutual admiration club over the internet. My friend and fellow Board Member of ICPP in Boston, MA, USA, Dr. David Gordis, President of Hebrew College, was interviewed by Yogi several years ago. David was touched by Yogi's energy and valuable contribution to promoting world religious harmony. Mukto-mona moderators have also called such a person a 'religionist,' a pejorative term in MM vocabulary. How inappropriate is such a limited world-view for a group that proclaims its 'open-mindedness' so proudly? To prove my point about how well Yogi's work is received by open-minded Indians of all faith, here is a response from a fellow member of a forum (to which Avijit Roy belongs also) who happens to be a Jain. It is the response to the same posting with the same subject line: a historical speech by a leading Deoband maulvi:
Thank you Sikand ji, for sharing this translation.
Please do share other related views, from this era (1920-1940s), if you would come across them, and your perspective.
Yashwant
Mukto-mina should feel honored to have a distinguished member like Dr. Yoginder Sikand instead of childishly branding him as an Islamist or a Religionist.
Thanks
Farida Majid
------------------------------------
*****************************************
Sign the Petition : Release the Arrested University Teachers Immediately : An Appeal to the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh
http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/university_teachers_arrest.htm
*****************************************
Daily Star publishes an interview with Mukto-Mona
http://www.mukto-mona.com/news/daily_star/daily_star_MM.pdf
*****************************************
MM site is blocked in Islamic countries such as UAE. Members of those theocratic states, kindly use any proxy (such as http://proxy.org/) to access mukto-mona.
*****************************************
Mukto-Mona Celebrates 5th Anniversary
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/5_yrs_anniv/index.htm
*****************************************
Mukto-Mona Celebrates Earth Day:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Earth_day2006/index.htm
*****************************************
Kansat Uprising : A Special Page from Mukto-Mona
http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/kansat2006/members/
*****************************************
MM Project : Grand assembly of local freedom fighters at Raumari
http://www.mukto-mona.com/project/Roumari/freedom_fighters_union300306.htm
*****************************************
German Bangla Radio Interviews Mukto-Mona Members:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/german_radio/
Mukto-Mona Celebrates Darwin Day:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/index.htm
*****************************************
Some FAQ's about Mukto-Mona:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/new_site/mukto-mona/faq_mm.htm
****************************************************
VISIT MUKTO-MONA WEB-SITE : http://www.mukto-mona.com/
****************************************************
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
-Beatrice Hall [pseudonym: S.G. Tallentyre], 190Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:mukto-mona-digest@yahoogroups.com
mailto:mukto-mona-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
mukto-mona-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: