Encountering conspiracy theories

Genuine doubts motivated by a spirit of inquiry are apposite in a free and open society for ascertaining the truth.

Genuine doubts motivated by a spirit of inquiry are apposite in a free and open society for ascertaining the truth. However, doubting Thomases who perennially question established facts and events on mere suspicion, without a tinge of contrary evidence betray irrationality. Conspiracy theories are thrilling to some minds. Some people still harbour the lingering suspicion that India8217;s former Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri, died in Tashkent not of cardiac failure but that there was the hand of foreign conspirators in his death. Mohammed Al Fayed persists in his obdurate belief, despite detailed investigations and judicial findings to the contrary, that the death of Princess Diana and her fianceacute;, his son Dodi Al Fayed, was because of UK MI68217;s sinister plot to prevent a Muslim from gaining entry into the British household. A classic case of a closed mind is the President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who solemnly declares that the Holocaust never occurred and it is a myth despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. And there are some who believe that the horrific attack on the Twin Towers, 9/11 was a diabolic American plan to topple Saddam and a pretext to invade Iraq.

Closer home is the perturbing mindset in a section of the Muslim community in Jamia that Inspector Mohan Chandra Sharma8217;s heroic death in pursuit of terrorists and the killing of the two alleged Indian Mujahideen terrorists was a fake police encounter. They resolutely refuse to take into account the incriminating material recovered, which may demolish their fake encounter theory and their glorification of the slain duo as martyrs. But martyrs for what cause? The consequences of such a mentality are tragic and worrisome. It is not funny as in the case of Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman who believes that swimming in Australian Outback waterfalls promotes fertility and might have contributed to her unexpected pregnancy.

Convention on child abduction

The Hague Convention on Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction 1980 seeks to combat parental child abduction by providing a system of cooperation between inter-country central authorities through local courts in contracting countries. More than 80 countries have acceded to the Convention. India has not signed it yet. This situation leads to the grave problem of cross-border inter-parental child removal precipitated by the multi-jurisdictional matrimonial disputes of a swelling 30-million non-resident Indian community that has found overseas abode in 130 nations. The subject was discussed at the recent International Law Association Conference in Brazil. In a comprehensive presentation, Anil Malhotra, a Chandigarh-based advocate and an Indian delegate, stressed the dire need for India to make a codified law on the subject. Drawing on his professional experience, Malhotra pointed out that as Inter Parental Child Abduction was not defined as an offence under Indian law, invoking the writ of Habeas Corpus was difficult. A conference on this issue is expected to be held at Delhi before the end of the year under the auspices of the Law Commission. Hopefully the Law Commission8217;s report could remove the present lacunae by enactment of an appropriate legislation.

Science for polygamy

I have stopped giving credence to scientific studies and medical reports. At one stage Viagra was described as a good cure for diabetes, followed by a subsequent warning of its ill effects on the heart. Lomotil was the favoured prescribed drug for dysentery till medical research warned us of its harmful effects. A recent study by the University of Sheffield tells us that men over 60 from 140 countries that practice polygamy to varying degrees lived 12 per cent longer than men from 49 mostly monogamous nations. The researchers compared the lifespan of men from polygamous countries with those from monogamous nations using WHO data. Polygamy, in addition to religious sanction, now has scientific support. One wonders how long this will last before it is replaced by another study with effusive praise of the healthy effects and virtues of monogamy.