Baba
This post provides greater background into how on certain occasions those not in power create religious rifts to rile people in society just so that they can regain that power.
In every democracy, the party not in power wants to gain the power.
If any party not in power has a better policy to attract the common people in their favor, i.e. if they have a benevolent plan to resolve their miserable situation, then they will propagate their plan to attract the public and get their vote.
Whereas any party not in power that does not have any positive plans or programs then they will resort to negative and dirty sentiments to bring the public in their favour. That is why this Islamic mosque and Koran issues were brought forth in US recently.
Recent Case in The US:
Republicans Raise Anti-Muslim Sentiment
Why did they use this particular sentiment? Because Christians are in the majority in the US, so if they rallied people around the Christian sentiment so they may forget their economic anxiety. With unbridled emotion they will support their ploy. And that is what happened back in 2009.
And when the President's name itself is Barack Hussein Obama, then they escalated the issue by saying that the ruling Democratic party is dominated my a Muslim leader.
The Republicans raised the banner: "Terrorists are Islamic; the President is Islamic; all the problems are related with Islam. Get rid of this president by voting in our favour and the problem will be solved."
First Election Since Republicans Were in Power
Terrorists did not just attack the Twin Towers yesterday. The Twin Towers tragedy happened over a decade ago. In those years from 2001 - 2008, the mosque issue (i.e. proposal to build a mosque near ground zero) was not such a wild and nasty affair. Because earlier the Republicans were ruling. Since the Twin Towers attack, 2010 represented the first time an election was going to happen since those Republicans were in power. So republicans used this negative sentiment to stir the people.
In creating this negative sentiment while the Democrats were in power, the Republicans gained political clout and rattled the present administration. And in the 2010 mid-term elections they gain a lot of seats. However such a hate campaign spilled over into one pastor threatening to burn the Koran. It went beyond the boundaries of Republican control and riled people, like this pastor, to take harmful action.
Baba's Warning
That is why Baba warns us that we should never rally people around a negative sentiment as it does not bode well for society.
More recently, such sentiments led to the Boston bombing whereby Islamic youths killed and injured innocent bystanders because of their own feeling that the western world was mistreating Muslims.
Even then Republicans remain pleased by their strategy - still today. Those in power never wish to disturb the peace, but the party not in power always tries to wreak havoc on the country - especially during an election year. In that sense the Republicans got what they wanted. By creating rifts between religious fronts, they were able to grab votes and carry more seats in Congress. This was their scheme.
In a democracy, the common public can be misguided by any sentiment. The above situation is the proof. That is why any democracy supported by adult franchise is foolocaracy. Because age alone does not give a person the requisite viveka to vote properly. Democracy, however, is OK if the voters have a socio-political consciousness.
And a similar tactic was employed in India surrounding the Babri mosque:
IGNITING BLIND RELIGIOUS SENTIMENT
FOR POLITICAL GAIN
NamaskarThis post provides greater background into how on certain occasions those not in power create religious rifts to rile people in society just so that they can regain that power.
In every democracy, the party not in power wants to gain the power.
If any party not in power has a better policy to attract the common people in their favor, i.e. if they have a benevolent plan to resolve their miserable situation, then they will propagate their plan to attract the public and get their vote.
Whereas any party not in power that does not have any positive plans or programs then they will resort to negative and dirty sentiments to bring the public in their favour. That is why this Islamic mosque and Koran issues were brought forth in US recently.
Recent Case in The US:
Republicans Raise Anti-Muslim Sentiment
Why did they use this particular sentiment? Because Christians are in the majority in the US, so if they rallied people around the Christian sentiment so they may forget their economic anxiety. With unbridled emotion they will support their ploy. And that is what happened back in 2009.
And when the President's name itself is Barack Hussein Obama, then they escalated the issue by saying that the ruling Democratic party is dominated my a Muslim leader.
The Republicans raised the banner: "Terrorists are Islamic; the President is Islamic; all the problems are related with Islam. Get rid of this president by voting in our favour and the problem will be solved."
First Election Since Republicans Were in Power
Terrorists did not just attack the Twin Towers yesterday. The Twin Towers tragedy happened over a decade ago. In those years from 2001 - 2008, the mosque issue (i.e. proposal to build a mosque near ground zero) was not such a wild and nasty affair. Because earlier the Republicans were ruling. Since the Twin Towers attack, 2010 represented the first time an election was going to happen since those Republicans were in power. So republicans used this negative sentiment to stir the people.
In creating this negative sentiment while the Democrats were in power, the Republicans gained political clout and rattled the present administration. And in the 2010 mid-term elections they gain a lot of seats. However such a hate campaign spilled over into one pastor threatening to burn the Koran. It went beyond the boundaries of Republican control and riled people, like this pastor, to take harmful action.
Baba's Warning
That is why Baba warns us that we should never rally people around a negative sentiment as it does not bode well for society.
More recently, such sentiments led to the Boston bombing whereby Islamic youths killed and injured innocent bystanders because of their own feeling that the western world was mistreating Muslims.
Even then Republicans remain pleased by their strategy - still today. Those in power never wish to disturb the peace, but the party not in power always tries to wreak havoc on the country - especially during an election year. In that sense the Republicans got what they wanted. By creating rifts between religious fronts, they were able to grab votes and carry more seats in Congress. This was their scheme.
In a democracy, the common public can be misguided by any sentiment. The above situation is the proof. That is why any democracy supported by adult franchise is foolocaracy. Because age alone does not give a person the requisite viveka to vote properly. Democracy, however, is OK if the voters have a socio-political consciousness.
And a similar tactic was employed in India surrounding the Babri mosque:
Demolition of Babri Masjid
(courtesy of Wikipedia)
The city of Ayodhya is regarded by Hindus to be the birthplace of the God-king Rama and is regarded as one of India's most sacred and religious sites. In 1528, after the Mughal invasion, a mosque was built by Mughal general Mir Banki, who reportedly destroyed a pre-existing temple of Rama at the site, and named it after emperor Babur. For several years, the site was used for religious purposes by both Hindus and Muslims. After independence, several title suits were filed by opposing religious groups claiming possession of the site.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) used the Ayodhya debate as a major campaign issue in the 1989 elections. In September 1990, BJP leader L. K. Advani started Rath Yatra, a tour of the country to educate the masses about the Ayodhya struggle.
Demolition
On 6 December 1992, the BJP and other supporting organizations organized a religious ceremony to symbolically start the building of a temple at the sacred site. About 150,000 karsevaks had assembled to witness the ceremonies, including speeches by BJP leaders L. K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi.
On that Sunday morning, LK Advani and others met at Vinay Katiyar's residence. They then proceeded to the disputed structure, the report says. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Katiyar reached the puja platform where symbolic Kar Seva was to be performed, and Advani and Joshi checked arrangements for the next 20 minutes. The two senior leaders then moved 200 metre away to the Ram Katha Kunj. This was a building facing the disputed structure where a dais had been erected for senior leaders.
The report notes that at this time Advani, Joshi and Vijay Raje Scindia made "feeble requests to the Kar Sevaks to come down... either in earnest or for the media's benefit". No appeal was made to the Kar Sevaks not to enter the sanctum sanctorum or not to demolish the structure. The report notes: "This selected act of the leaders itself speaks of the hidden intentions of one and all being to accomplish demolition of the disputed structure." The report holds that the "icons of the movement present at the Ram Katha Kunj... could just as easily have... prevented the demolition."
Photographs and video of the event show that an angry crowd soon stormed the site and attacked the structure. At noon, youths were seen at the top of one of the domes, attaching a flag and beating on the structure with a stick, signaling the breaking of the outer cordon. Using only hand implements, the crowd reduced the substantial structure to rubble.
Demolition Planned in Advance
In a 2005 book former Intelligence Bureau (IB) Joint Director Maloy Krishna Dhar claimed that Babri mosque demolition was planned 10 months in advance by top leaders of RSS, BJP and VHP and raised questions over the way the then Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao, had handled the issue. Dhar claimed that he was directed to arrange the coverage of a key meeting of the BJP/Sangh Parivar and that the meeting "proved beyond doubt that they (RSS, BJP, VHP) had drawn up the blueprint of the Hindutva assault in the coming months and choreographed the ‘pralaya nritya’ (dance of destruction) at Ayodhya in December 1992... The RSS, BJP, VHP and the Bajrang Dal leaders present in the meeting amply agreed to work in a well-orchestrated manner." Claiming that the tapes of the meeting were personally handed over by him to his boss, he asserts that he has no doubts that his boss had shared the contents with the Prime Minister (Rao) and the Home Minister (S B Chavan). The author claimed that there was silent agreement that Ayodhya offered "a unique opportunity to take the Hindutva wave to the peak for deriving political benefit."
Communal Riots And Terrorism
The destruction of the Mosque sparked Muslim outrage around the country, provoking several months of intercommunal rioting in which Hindus and Muslims attacked one another, burning and looting homes, shops and places of worship. The ensuing riots which spread to cities like Bombay, Surat, Ahmedabad, Kanpur, Delhi and several others, eventually resulted in 1,500 deaths. The Mumbai Riots alone, which occurred in December 1992 and January 1993, caused the death of around 900 people, and estimated property damage of around INR 9,000 crore ($3.6 billion). The demolition and the ensuing riots were among the major factors behind the 1993 Mumbai bombings and many successive riots in the coming decade. Banned jihadi outfits like Indian Mujahideen cited demolition of the Babri Mosque as an excuse for terrorist attacks.
Investigation
On 16 December 1992, the Union home ministry set up the Liberhan Commission to investigate the destruction of the Mosque, headed by retired High Court Judge M S Liberhan. Totalling 399 sittings over the span of sixteen years, the Commission finally submitted its the 1,029-page report to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on June 30, 2009. According to the report, the events of December 6, 1992, in Ayodhya were "neither spontaneous nor unplanned".
(courtesy of Wikipedia)
The city of Ayodhya is regarded by Hindus to be the birthplace of the God-king Rama and is regarded as one of India's most sacred and religious sites. In 1528, after the Mughal invasion, a mosque was built by Mughal general Mir Banki, who reportedly destroyed a pre-existing temple of Rama at the site, and named it after emperor Babur. For several years, the site was used for religious purposes by both Hindus and Muslims. After independence, several title suits were filed by opposing religious groups claiming possession of the site.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) used the Ayodhya debate as a major campaign issue in the 1989 elections. In September 1990, BJP leader L. K. Advani started Rath Yatra, a tour of the country to educate the masses about the Ayodhya struggle.
Demolition
On 6 December 1992, the BJP and other supporting organizations organized a religious ceremony to symbolically start the building of a temple at the sacred site. About 150,000 karsevaks had assembled to witness the ceremonies, including speeches by BJP leaders L. K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi.
On that Sunday morning, LK Advani and others met at Vinay Katiyar's residence. They then proceeded to the disputed structure, the report says. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Katiyar reached the puja platform where symbolic Kar Seva was to be performed, and Advani and Joshi checked arrangements for the next 20 minutes. The two senior leaders then moved 200 metre away to the Ram Katha Kunj. This was a building facing the disputed structure where a dais had been erected for senior leaders.
The report notes that at this time Advani, Joshi and Vijay Raje Scindia made "feeble requests to the Kar Sevaks to come down... either in earnest or for the media's benefit". No appeal was made to the Kar Sevaks not to enter the sanctum sanctorum or not to demolish the structure. The report notes: "This selected act of the leaders itself speaks of the hidden intentions of one and all being to accomplish demolition of the disputed structure." The report holds that the "icons of the movement present at the Ram Katha Kunj... could just as easily have... prevented the demolition."
Photographs and video of the event show that an angry crowd soon stormed the site and attacked the structure. At noon, youths were seen at the top of one of the domes, attaching a flag and beating on the structure with a stick, signaling the breaking of the outer cordon. Using only hand implements, the crowd reduced the substantial structure to rubble.
Demolition Planned in Advance
In a 2005 book former Intelligence Bureau (IB) Joint Director Maloy Krishna Dhar claimed that Babri mosque demolition was planned 10 months in advance by top leaders of RSS, BJP and VHP and raised questions over the way the then Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao, had handled the issue. Dhar claimed that he was directed to arrange the coverage of a key meeting of the BJP/Sangh Parivar and that the meeting "proved beyond doubt that they (RSS, BJP, VHP) had drawn up the blueprint of the Hindutva assault in the coming months and choreographed the ‘pralaya nritya’ (dance of destruction) at Ayodhya in December 1992... The RSS, BJP, VHP and the Bajrang Dal leaders present in the meeting amply agreed to work in a well-orchestrated manner." Claiming that the tapes of the meeting were personally handed over by him to his boss, he asserts that he has no doubts that his boss had shared the contents with the Prime Minister (Rao) and the Home Minister (S B Chavan). The author claimed that there was silent agreement that Ayodhya offered "a unique opportunity to take the Hindutva wave to the peak for deriving political benefit."
Communal Riots And Terrorism
The destruction of the Mosque sparked Muslim outrage around the country, provoking several months of intercommunal rioting in which Hindus and Muslims attacked one another, burning and looting homes, shops and places of worship. The ensuing riots which spread to cities like Bombay, Surat, Ahmedabad, Kanpur, Delhi and several others, eventually resulted in 1,500 deaths. The Mumbai Riots alone, which occurred in December 1992 and January 1993, caused the death of around 900 people, and estimated property damage of around INR 9,000 crore ($3.6 billion). The demolition and the ensuing riots were among the major factors behind the 1993 Mumbai bombings and many successive riots in the coming decade. Banned jihadi outfits like Indian Mujahideen cited demolition of the Babri Mosque as an excuse for terrorist attacks.
Investigation
On 16 December 1992, the Union home ministry set up the Liberhan Commission to investigate the destruction of the Mosque, headed by retired High Court Judge M S Liberhan. Totalling 399 sittings over the span of sixteen years, the Commission finally submitted its the 1,029-page report to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on June 30, 2009. According to the report, the events of December 6, 1992, in Ayodhya were "neither spontaneous nor unplanned".
(courtesy of Wikipedia)
