"So, conversion to Christianity, Islam or Buddhism is a must for our people."----Kancha Ilaiah.
With utmost empathy I can feel the pain Kancha Ilaiah and his people suffer from. But I have some points here: 1. Looks like Mr. Ilaiah is running after a gold deer. He has called Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism spiritual democracies whereas to him Hinduism is a spiritual fascism. Treating these four cultures as monolithic, one will probably agree with him. But what is the reality? Let me just take one example: the spiritual democracy of Islam. Is it all that we want? Don't we want social, political, and economic justices also to be guaranteed? What does Islamic history tell us about it? We have seen monarchs throughout history. They exist in the current world too. What do we see in the present world? Do we see any kind of equality in the Islamic world? We also need to understand that Islam is not monolithic. It also has various sects. 2. The same argument as mentioned above also applies to Christianity. But Christian world in general is more civilized in the sense that they are more tolerant and their citizens enjoy better human rights. But the the religious democracy of Christianity has very little to do about it. It is education, respect for scientific knowledge, tolerance with diverse ideas, and rational thinking that make a society more and more enlightened and hence more and more exploitation-free. True, it can be achieved partially by rejecting and reinterpreting many ideas offered by a religion. But the bottom line is that we don't need any religion at all to achieve social equity, although it may help bolster equality if it is in a good hand. Let the religions adjust themselves to the evolving socio-political realities. 3. Missionary works by various religious groups among the down trodden people should be O.K, although that must not be politicized. But a declared religious war may not help. It may rather complicate the issue by being divisive. Attacks on the status quo should come from other directions. They should come from secular social and political activists. Making religion a basis for struggle can be very dangerous as it is likely to destabilize the religious harmony. It may be fruitless as well as simply by converting to Christianity, for example, a Hindu Dalit merely turns into a Christian Dalit. He will have a long way to go before he can be absorbed among the mainstream Christians of the country. It is not religion but the economic conditions that divide a society. 4. Now let us look at India which is not monolithic at all, is a secular country, and constitutionally does not support caste systems. So it mattered least what is written in Hindu swcriptures to the fathers of the constitution. We have seen Dalit President and Dalit ministers. There are dozens of sects and cults among the Hindus which defy caste systems. Scheduled castes enjoy various privileges to various degrees in India. It has a pretty stable and strong secular, pluralistic, and democratic tradition although upsurge of fascist Hindutvabadis is not unnoticeable. But their defeat in last election signifies that religion cannot be the basis for a war that is required to bring about revolutionary changes in the Indian society.
Three years ago on August 29, 2005 Hurricane Katrina's eye passed through the town where I live; consequently, we lost all our worldly goods. Our spirits were high and we rebuilt our home, bought three new cars, furniture, kitchen and bathroom cabinet, washer-dryer, beddings, and the rest of the things one needs to start a life anew. Now we are threatened again. This time another powerful cyclonic force had developed in the Caribbean sea and the system is coming to shore somewhere in Louisiana. As per satellite imagery and prevailing high pressure-low pressure system in mainland USA, Gustav will probably hit the landmass somewhere west of us (100 to 150 miles west of New Orleans). If this scenario plays out, then we will be safe. One never knows the erratic behavior of a cyclonic system. Therefore, we will head northeast harms away from Gustav. Central Alabama is our destination. Hotel rooms were booked in advance and we expect to leave early Monday (September 1, 2008) - a day before Gustav comes to the shore with all its fury. In the aftermath of Katrina as we were rebuilding our house, I made shelving in the garage high above our head. I placed all my audio recording gears, medium format film cameras (Bronica ETSR-i) those that I purchased in 2006 after losing all my cameras and other stereo amp, speakers on the shelf. If a devastating hurricane comes and our town is hit again, I expect to save those items placed high above the ground. My wife is also putting her favorite things in the attic space. This storm comes at a time when I became active in writing once again. I was devoting way too much time in audio recording in 2008. I have recorded only professional blues-jazz and classical musicians' performance. Someday, I will place a few of my recordings in Mukto-mona to show the quality of musicianship in New Orleans, which is the music capital of America. The last thing I would like to mention here is that it has not eluded my eyes the negative subjective criticism of Obama in Mukto-Mona forum. I have no problem seeing write-ups from McCain camp. If supporters of Senator McCain want to make a case (not at the expense of Obama) for the Arizona senator, then there is no harm but to color Obama, a as a Marxist/Socialist, lover of gays and lesbian, promoter of abortion, hater of Corporate America, etc., then I have a great deal of problem. Let us do objective reporting and analysis. For example, Avijit Roy did an expose of Governor Sarah Lapin digging information from various sources. This is all a-OK. If McCain supporters could find dirt on Joe Biden, lets us then hear it. No negative campaign in this forum against any candidate should go unanswered. This should be our motto. This election on November 4, 2008 is too important for America and the rest of the globe. Americans wrongly elected GWB in 2000 and the entire globe is paying a high price for Americans' follies. There should not be a repeat of this in 2008. __._,_.___ *****************************************
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
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Daily Star publishes an interview with Mukto-Mona
http://www.mukto-mona.com/news/daily_star/daily_star_MM.pdf
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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.
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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
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Some FAQ's about Mukto-Mona:
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"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
-Beatrice Hall [pseudonym: S.G. Tallentyre], 190  __,_._,___
Sara Palin vs. Barak Obama In stead of comparing Sara Palin with Joe Biden, I want to go a step further. Lets compare Sara Palin as President compared to Barak Obama. Sixteen years ago, Mrs. Sara Palin has entered politics at 28, as a Wasilla city council woman. She ran her campaign as an opponent of tax increases. She fought for reducing taxes. Four years later, she became the mayor of Wasilla by defeating a corrupt 3-term incumbent Republican (i.e. her own party) mayor, and swept mayor's cronies out of bureaucracy. She reduced Taxes 3-times by taking on corruptions. In 2003, Alaska Governor, Frank Murkowski, appointed her to the state's Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. Shortly after joining the oil and gas commission, Mrs. Palin commenced an ethics probe of the state's Republican party chairman, Randy Ruedrich, involving conflicts of interest with oil companies, which resulted $12,000 fine for the party chair. In 2004, she crossed party lines to join a Democratic representative's ethics complaint over an international trade deal against the Republican Attorney General, Gregg Renkes, who had ties to the Murkowski machine. Mr. Renkes resigned. In 205, she ran for Governorship, against then Republican Governor, Frank Murkowski. This was a historic election, because GOP voters turned away from their own party and ceded control of the congress to the Democrats, but elected Mrs. Sara Palin as Governor of Alaska against her Democrat oponent. After being the Governor, she returned 400 million dollar back to US congress, which was part of an earmark for the infamous "the bridge to nowhere." She said, " I told Congress 'thanks, but no thanks' on that bridge to nowhere. She sold the private Jet that governor Murkowski used to get around Alaska. She prefers to use commercial airlines and her family's Jetta and state-issued black Suburban. She said, "I love to drive." She also waived off a security escort, driving herself to and from work every day from Wasilla. Governor Palin's husband earned $46,790 last year working in an oil production facility, and working as a seasonal fisherman. At a Glance: Sara Palin Born in 1964 at Sandpoint, Idaho; lives in Wasilla, Alaska. Competed in Miss Alaska contest in 1984. Graduated in Journalism from University of Idaho in 1987. Worked as a TV sports reporter during 1987-1989 Wasilla city councilwoman during 1992 - 1996 Mayor of Wasilla 1996 - 2002 Chairman, Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission 2003 - 2004 Governor, Alaska 2006 - 2008. Now, compare that with the Presidential candidate that Democrats have come up with, who is still a mystery man. No one knows for sure what he is really about. Obama still needs to explain to American public about his relationship with his Rev. Jeremiah Right, who said, "No God Bless America, God Damn America." Obama needs to come clean with the relationship with William Ayers, an un-repented self-proclaimed terrorist, who said he should have done more to bomb America during 1969 - 1972. His Weather Underground is a terrorist outfit in America. Tony Rezko, real estate dealer, who helped Obama buying his mansion, and who was convicted in 16 counts of corruption in June (Obama was not implicated). Obama needs to explain his relationship with Mr. Auchi, Iraqi Billionaire, lives in London, who was involved in Oil for Food scandal during Saddam Hossain, and allegedly linked to Obama with his properety purchase. Any one asking these questions are being shunned by Obama campaign. They are going to the court to block many of these information from being public. Can you settle on uncertainties for the presidency of United States of America, the strongest Nation on Earth? (The information quoted here are courtesy of The Wall Street Journal, dated August 30, 2008.) Jiten Roy
ALL INDIA MUSLIM MAJLIS-E-MUSHAWARAT D-250, Abul Fazal Enclave, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi-110025 Tel.: 011-26946780 Fax: 011-26947346 Email: mushawarat@mushawarat.com Web: www.mushawarat.com AIMMM Statement on fears of attacks on minorities in J&K New Delhi, Saturday, 30 August 2008: The All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat (AIMMM) President Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan expressed his concern over the statement issued yesterday by 32 civil society organisations and important personalities in Kashmir expressing their fears that Indian intelligence agencies may be planning massacres in Jammu & Kashmir with the aim to create an atmosphere of fear and mistrust amongst communities and divert the attention from the popular and peaceful protests in the Valley. These civil society organisations were reacting to a news story carried by the Indian media on 28 August, 2008 saying that Indian Intelligence agencies fear possible attacks on minorities in Kashmir. The Kashmir Valley has witnessed unexplained massacres of minorities including the killing of 36 Sikhs at Chittisingpora in 2000 by the security agencies on the eve of the visit of the then US President Bill Clinton and later cold-blooded murder of local villages by the same agencies claiming that those villagers were responsible for the killing of the innocent Sikhs. The head of AIMMM, the umbrella body of Indian Muslim organisations, observed that any such murder of minority community members in Kashmir will be only a diversionary tactic by the agencies which have full protection of the questionable Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) which offers immunity to the security forces deployed in J&K under the pretext of fighting militancy. Now that the whole Valley is under total curfew, any such incident will only be possible with the consent of the security forces which use renegade militants for such crimes. Dr Khan warned that any such incident will be another blot in our human rights record and will allow the people of the Valley and the world to question our policies and the role of our armed forces in that part of our country. [--
Sukhia Sab Sansar Khaye Aur Soye
Dukhia Das Kabir Jagey Aur Roye The world is 'happy', eating and sleeping
The forlorn Kabir Das is awake and weeping ------------------------------------ *****************************************
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:
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Who is Sarah Palin? Here's some basic background:
* She was elected Alaska 's governor a little over a year and a half
ago. Her previous office was mayor of Wasilla, a small town outside
Anchorage. She has no foreign policy experience.
* Palin is strongly anti-choice, opposing abortion even in the case
of rape or incest. * She supported right-wing extremist Pat Buchanan for president in
2000. * Palin thinks creationism should be taught in public schools. * She's doesn't think humans are the cause of climate change. * She's solidly in line with John McCain's "Big Oil first" energy
policy. She's pushed hard for more oil drilling and says renewables
won't be ready for years. She also sued the Bush administration for
listing polar bears as an endangered species—she was worried it
would interfere with more oil drilling in Alaska. * How closely did John McCain vet this choice? He met Sarah Palin once at a meeting. They spoke a second time, last Sunday, when he called her about being vice-president. Then he offered her the position. courtesy: moveon.org Also there are some other sources to look at: Sources:
========
1. "Sarah Palin," Wikipedia, Accessed August 29, 2008
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Palin
2. "McCain Selects Anti-Choice Sarah Palin as Running Mate," NARAL
Pro-Choice America, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17515&id=13661-2733243-32U40qx&t=1 3. "Sarah Palin, Buchananite," The Nation, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17736&id=13661-2733243-32U40qx&t=2
4. "'Creation science' enters the race," Anchorage Daily News,
October 27, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17737&id=13661-2733243-32U40qx&t=3
5. "Palin buys climate denial PR spin—ignores science," Huffington
Post, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17517&id=13661-2733243-32U40qx&t=4 6. "McCain VP Pick Completes Shift to Bush Energy Policy," Sierra
Club, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17518&id=13661-2733243-32U40qx&t=5 "Choice of Palin Promises Failed Energy Policies of the Past,"
League of Conservation Voters, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17519&id=13661-2733243-32U40qx&t=6 "Protecting polar bears gets in way of drilling for oil, says
governor," The Times of London, May 23, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17520&id=13661-2733243-32U40qx&t=7 7 "McCain met Palin once before yesterday," MSNBC, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=21119&id=13661-2733243-32U40qx&t=8
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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:
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Hillary's Speech at the DNC Dr. Abdul Momen Hillary Rodham Clinton until June 7, 2008 was the fiercest contender of the Democratic Presidential candidate Barak Obama blasted her critics in her historic speech on the 2nd day of the Democratic National Convention in Denver stating that 'No way, No how, No McCain. Barack Obama is my candidate. And he must be our president". Senator Clinton that won over 18 million votes in the last primary eloquently reached out to her supporters that firmly believe that Hillary is a better candidate and secondly, many of them believe that Obama campaign treated them badly stated "Whether you voted for me, or you voted for Barack, the time is now to unite as a single party with a single purpose". She reminded the Democrats that they must not endure another 4 years of John McCain, the continuation of 8 years of Bush. She said, 'Bush and McCain would be in the same podium in the Twin city next week'. Senator Clinton thanked her voters for supporting her historic campaign and reached out to those wary of Obama by telling them they weren't in this for her, but for her cause. That cause, she said, is the same thing that Obama and the rest of the Democratic Party are fighting for years. Therefore, no one should miss this opportunity to put Obama, a Democrat in the White House. Sen. Clinton also praised Obama's choice of vice presidential candidate, Sen. Joe Biden, a veteran foreign policy expert and a Washington insider. The former first lady called Biden "pragmatic, tough and wise." Her supporters were hoping that Obama would choose Hillary as his running mate and therefore, they were dissatisfied. However, Joe Biden being an "insider" is a good match as he has expertise and experience to team up in bringing the necessary 'change' that Obama has assured the nation. There are around 4,000 delegates at the Convention and almost half (1900 delegates) are her supporters. There are a total of 75,000 attendees at the Convention. In fact, Senator Clinton's speech electrified the delegates and the democrats across the nation. It was simply a 'presidential speech', a speech of historic proportion. At times, media was harsh on her and they repeatedly stated that she was mean and selfish. They remarked that her prolong campaign basically was to be the 1st Women President. Tonight those critics were put into shame and they must be repenting for their narrowness. Tonight she came out truly as a crusader for a better America and a better world for all. However, as soon as her speech was over, the McCain campaign issued a statement implying that Clinton did nothing to dispel her previous criticism of Obama. McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds stated, "Sen. Clinton ran her presidential campaign making clear that Barack Obama is not prepared to lead as commander-in-chief. Nowhere tonight did she alter that assessment". Tomorrow, former President Bill Clinton, her husband and the VP nominee Sen. Biden are scheduled to speak at the DNC. President Clinton might deal with this issue and also more on economy and Barack's theme of 'change'. There is no doubt that Bill Clinton, a people's man and an effective speaker would try to put down the Republican criticism. And now we know Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is also a very effective speaker. Her speech however put Barack Obama into a more challenging position. Barack Obama is scheduled to speak tomorrow to accept his party's nomination and unless he equally reciprocate Hillary's theme of unity and graciousness, the division within the party may linger till November 4, the day of national election. This is the 2nd time that a Democratic National Convention is being held in Denver, Colorado. Last time Denver hosted a Democratic Convention more than 100 years ago, in fact, in 1908 when its nominee was defeated and no woman were allowed speak at the podium and no African-American were allowed to be seated as a delegate. This year, a large number of women spoke at the convention including Hillary Clinton and Mrs. Michelle Barack Obama plus over 50% delegates are women and nearly a quarter of delegates are African-American. More importantly, the main speaker Barack Obama is an African American, something unthinkable in America only fifty years ago. __________________ August 26, 2008, 11:40 PM
__._,_.___ *****************************************
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
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Some FAQ's about Mukto-Mona:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/new_site/mukto-mona/faq_mm.htm
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VISIT MUKTO-MONA WEB-SITE : http://www.mukto-mona.com/
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"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
-Beatrice Hall [pseudonym: S.G. Tallentyre], 190  __,_._,___
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