Two recent headlines

Headlines:

1.Remove burqa and get photographed for voter ID : SC tells Muslim women New Delhi, Jan 22

2.Shiv Sena targets Australians in IPL: 14 January 2010 (New Delhi)

1.Remove burqa and get photographed for voter ID : SC tells Muslim women New Delhi, Jan 22

The Supreme Court said on Friday that religious sentiments should not be exploited to oppose the making of electoral rolls with photographs. ''You cannot say I am still a burqa-clad,'' a Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice Deepak Verma said.

I applaud the court decistion!!👏 👏 what you people think?

I'm from Kerala.. In Kerala percentage of Hindus, Christians and Muslims are almost the same. Kerala is the one Indian state with least caste, religious, gender discrimination.. We had several (successful) social reform movements , while in some other states such movements were suppressed with an iron hand.. But for the past one or two years things are changing slowly.. You see small muslim girls(5 or 6 years old) going to school wearing pardas..!! I don't know how the children feel when they walk in the scorching heat with black cloth covering their bodies... It was never like this before. More and more restrictions are being imposed on muslim women with each passing day..

2.Shiv Sena targets Australians in IPL

14 January 2010 (New Delhi)

A Hindu nationalist political party says it will try to stop Australians playing in the upcoming Indian Premier League season, as a protest against violent attacks on Indian students in Australia.
Bal Thackeray, leader of the Shiv Sena political party, said activists would target IPL games involving Australians in Mumbai. The Shiv Sena will "not allow Australian cricketers to step on Mumbai's soil," the party newspaper Saamna quoted Thackeray as saying. Thackeray did not indicate how activists would target the IPL games.

I remember reading another news some years back. "Shiv Sena beats up candidates who reached Mumbai to appear for SSC(staff selection commission) exams"!!

The party as always is trying to strengthen it's hold among hindus and local maharashtrians by raising such issues..

Should we hate all Australians for crimes committed by racists..? Our country is in no way backward in racial attacks and discrimination. In rural north India many regions are still ruled by zamindars(land lords). (It's not the rich, shinning India we see in bollywood.) Zamindars still consider the backward classes as slaves and use them as slaves.(politicians support them). There are areas were neither police not the media would dare to enter. People who belonged to scheduled castes were burned to death in out country not in the ancient or medieval times but in recent times.

We dont need religious fundamentalism, gender bias, racism, regionalism-patriotism(patriotism too is a narrow concept no..? we created nations.. all boundaries are imaginary..)

What you think?

The first article: Yes, I agree. At least take the burqa out for a photograph, which will be your identity in India. I don't understand why they wear it anyways. Must be very uncomfortable. I really feel bad for them. But times are changing and we see many Muslim ladies not burqa-clad. Hopefully this continues. Oh, so you're from Kerala, the most literate state in India.👏

Second article: I agree with Shiv Sena on this decision because it is all cause and effect or tit-for-tat. The Australian governement is doing very little about this, which is very unfortunate and sad. Look at the Nitin Garg murder, so unfortunate. And all the police is saying is We're looking into the matter. That's what happens in a country full of criminals. 😡 And what you say is not racism, it's discrimination based on caste(which is bad no doubt, but on a much smaller scale) But Shiv Sena have taken many other bad decisions, which is really bad and shows how corrupt India is and what bad influence Shiv Sena has.

cultural identity, religion, communalism, sexism, racism, etc.. i dont get it..

I'm really mad at Shiv Sena's 'dadagiri', acting like a bunch of bullies. How can mature people act like a bunch of sixth-graders? How can they stoop so low?

Originally posted by: debayon

I'm really mad at Shiv Sena's 'dadagiri', acting like a bunch of bullies. How can mature people act like a bunch of sixth-graders? How can they stoop so low?

I agree with u Debu but just this once I think that Shiv Sena is right....the Australian govt needs to know that they are a faliure when it comes to the security of foreigners in their country....and one of the best ways to show it is by bycotting the popular sport.....do not PLAY with the Australians..period ...until their govt does something to crack down on the killers...shame on an advanced country like australia for letting that happen....😡

Regarding the removal of Burqa for the identification.....totally justified.....its not just for their own security ...its for the security for the others as well....nothing and absolutely nothing should come in the way of security.

Originally posted by: debayon

The first article: Yes, I agree. At least take the burqa out for a photograph, which will be your identity in India. I don't understand why they wear it anyways. Must be very uncomfortable. I really feel bad for them. But times are changing and we see many Muslim ladies not burqa-clad. Hopefully this continues. Oh, so you're from Kerala, the most literate state in India.👏

Second article: I agree with Shiv Sena on this decision because it is all cause and effect or tit-for-tat. The Australian governement is doing very little about this, which is very unfortunate and sad. Look at the Nitin Garg murder, so unfortunate. And all the police is saying is We're looking into the matter. That's what happens in a country full of criminals. 😡 And what you say is not racism, it's discrimination based on caste(which is bad no doubt, but on a much smaller scale) But Shiv Sena have taken many other bad decisions, which is really bad and shows how corrupt India is and what bad influence Shiv Sena has.

Good article, pogo ji👏

Yup we see many muslim women out of the burqa, but those are the women from the elite class alone. Religious fundamentalism is strengthening among middle and low income groups. Here in Kerala no women used to wear parda some time back, but now even small children wear them.

And I dont think caste discrimination can be considered bad on a much lower scale!! People were burned alive..! Beaten to death..!

I dont agree with 'tit for tat'. Should we lower ourselves to their standards? What is the use in punishing australian players. Let's remember Gandhiji's words.. "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."

It's true that Australian government did little.. But I dont think preventing australian players from playing helps much..

Originally posted by: pogo

Yup we see many muslim women out of the burqa, but those are the women from the elite class alone. Religious fundamentalism is strengthening among middle and low income groups. Here in Kerala no women used to wear parda some time back, but now even small children wear them.

And I dont think caste discrimination can be considered bad on a much lower scale!! People were burned alive..! Beaten to death..!

I dont agree with 'tit for tat'. Should we lower ourselves to their standards? What is the use in punishing australian players. Let's remember Gandhiji's words.. "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."

It's true that Australian government did little.. But I dont think preventing australian players from playing helps much..

Yes, bt that's an internal problem in India. So, it doesn't affect the entire world. However, that occurs in only low-class families and in villages. I have never seen it in villages in W. bengal bu I'm sure it's there, not only in W. Bengal but in the other states too. All the state governments should do something about it and SBI should open more branches in the rural areas too. That way, more jobs can be provided and the interest is not astronomical. ABout the second issue, do we just sit and twiddle our thumbs while so many innocent Indian students are getting killed? That's what India has been doing for so many years. But for how long do we have to stay quiet so that other countries can take advantage of that?

Originally posted by: pogo

Yup we see many muslim women out of the burqa, but those are the women from the elite class alone. Religious fundamentalism is strengthening among middle and low income groups. Here in Kerala no women used to wear parda some time back, but now even small children wear them.

And I dont think caste discrimination can be considered bad on a much lower scale!! People were burned alive..! Beaten to death..!

I dont agree with 'tit for tat'. Should we lower ourselves to their standards? What is the use in punishing australian players. Let's remember Gandhiji's words.. "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."

It's true that Australian government did little.. But I dont think preventing australian players from playing helps much..

thats why no body is saying that people should start hurting the Australians living in India.....if u quote Gandhiji don't u think that refusing to play with the australians is kind of a non-cooperation movement in the field of sports....a non- voilent way....after all is it not what Gandhiji has taught us....maybe bycotting Australians in cricket will make the australian govt. sit up and take notice.......after all no sport is more imp. than the lives of those innocent Indians...

I dont think boycotting players will have much effect..Our govt. should pressurize Aussie govt. Indian students are organising there.. Govt. will be induced to act now.