ACTION ALERT, 06/26/2002
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PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY AMONG FRIENDS
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Ever since Dr. Rafiq Zakaria wrote the article "What's Muslim About Kalam?" on June 19, 2002 in Asian Age, he has been under fire from the right wing Hindu journalistic quarters.
Excerpts from Dr. Rafiq's article:
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"Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who will be our next President, is by all accounts a great scientist; his contribution to India�s defence is of the highest order; he is rightly called the Missile Man; every Indian feels proud of him..."
"I am afraid, Dr Kalam has kept himself completely away from Muslims; he refused to mix with them and even when invited to participate in their nationalistic activities, he politely declined.As chairman of the All-India Khilafat Committee I requested him to be the chief guest at the mammoth Prophet�s birthday celebrations in Mumbai, which is attended by more than ten lakh Muslims every year, but he refused..."
FOR FULL ARTICLE, SEE:
http://www.asianage.com/main.asp?layout=2&cat1=6&cat2=42&newsid=5949
This resulted in a barrage of articles condemning Dr. Zakaria's viewpoint, among them were the following:
Kalam, Islam and Dr Rafiq Zakaria By Saisuresh Sivaswamy
http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/jun/22sai.htm
All the President's Men� By Rajiv Sreenivasan
http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/jun/21rajeev.htm
Carefully constructed facades By Varsha Bhosle
http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/jun/24varsha.htm
ACTION REQUESTED
SEND LETTERS OF APPRECIATION TO DR. ZAKARIA AND ASIAN AGE:
Asian Age Editorial Review: [email protected]
Asian Age Feedback: [email protected]
SEND LETTERS OF CONCERN TO:
Rediff Letters to the Editor: [email protected]
Saisuresh Sivaswamy : [email protected]
Rajeev Srinivasan: [email protected]
Varsha Bhosle: [email protected]
Talking Points:
* We appreciate Asian Age for carrying out opinions of learned muslim scholars like Dr.
Zakaria. Dr Zakaria has rightly highlighted the vote bank politics behind Kalam's
nomination. By pointing the finger at Kalam, Dr Zakaria simply and correctly identified the
vote bank politics that BJP is trying to play.
.
* Kalam may be a decent man and a brilliant scientist but he is not a "muslim". He fits the
profile of a hinduised muslim, one that the sangh parivar is trying to make all muslims into ,
even by force. By selecting kalam, the bjp has clearly restated its choice to the muslims:
"either remain muslims and be killed (as 5000 were in gujarat in the most brutal fashion) or
become hinduised and you will not only survive but can thrive too", a choice that all
civilized people should reject. Kalam cannot be a substitute for cleansing the Sangh Parivar's hands off the Gujarat Carnage.
* Worshipping graves at "Dargahs" is considered idolatory by all jurisprudential schools of
mainstream Islam. Kalam's attending Dargah's does not bring him any close to Islam or
Muslims. If he really represented the Muslim community, he would have visited the victims
of the Gujarat carnage, as he did after the Gujarat Earthquake.
* Islam neither represents a culture nor a race, only those who follow the basic tenets of
Islam are known as Muslims. Kalam certainly cannot be presented as a representative
selection of the Muslim community.
Sample Letter
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing this mail to congratulate the Editors and staff of AsianAge, for publishing the article "What's Muslim about Kalam" by Dr.Rafeeq Zakaria. Dr. Rafiq Zakaria�s article was a
factual analysis of the vote bank politics in India which will in the coming weeks thrust a �Muslim� upon the nation�s highest office. Time and again the successive governments in India
have played with the emotions of the Minority communities by elevating undeserving puppet-heads to ceremonial positions, and trying to win over the Minority votes.
What is apalling is that the Sangh Parivar, that rallies the Hindu votes behind them on the issue of "Minority Appeasement" by previous governments, is itself indulging in Minority appeasement. This contradiction can be explained by their desperation to wash the blood of the Gujrat genocide, off of their hands. The policies of Minority appeasement has always hurt the Minorities, and we do not want yet another insult to injury, in the form of Abdul Kalam as the President of our nation.
As Dr. Zakaria noted, Dr. Kalam is a brilliant scientist and will indeed make a fine President, but to identify him with the Muslims is a great folly and disservice to the countless Muslims who have served the nation with unwavering loyalty yet never flinched or lost sight of their duties and commitments to the larger Muslim community. Dr. Kalam in all his capacities of popular appeal and long tenured positions at various high offices, has essentially failed to reach out to the Muslim masses in India. At a time when religion has indeed become an important criterion in the selection of the Presidential candidate, it is paramount that the Muslims assert to a candidature that recognizes in both spirit and actions, the urgent need for social, economic and political betterment of the tattered Muslim society. Most certainly, Dr. Kalam does not fit that profile.
Regards