Opinion Tackling terrorism
Terrorism is bred and fostered in the minds and hearts of people. It stems from deep rooted beliefs which sanction indiscriminate killing of even innocents in defence of ones religion and avenging perceived wrongs perpetrated on co-religionists. This contaminated mindset is the genesis of suicide bombers,all of whom are not Muslims. Justification of terrorist acts […]
Terrorism is bred and fostered in the minds and hearts of people. It stems from deep rooted beliefs which sanction indiscriminate killing of even innocents in defence of ones religion and avenging perceived wrongs perpetrated on co-religionists. This contaminated mindset is the genesis of suicide bombers,all of whom are not Muslims. Justification of terrorist acts by reference to the tenets of any religion exhibits culpable ignorance and prejudice. The Darul Uloom fatwa of 2008,to its credit,makes it explicit that Islam rejects all kinds of unwarranted violence,breach of peace,bloodshed,killing and plunder,and does not allow it in any form. Sadly the fatwa has not reduced terror activities and suicide bombings. Darul Uloom may well consider issuing another fatwa which unequivocally brands terrorists and suicide bombers as enemies of Islam and imposes strict religious sanctions on them.
Terrorism has to be combated relentlessly and ruthlessly. However,as our Vice-President Hamid Ansari perceptively pointed out in an excellent recent speech,terrorist acts emanate from a radicalisation of the mind propelled by perceived grievances and sought to be anchored on ideology or faith. Combating terrorism thus becomes a sociological,psychological and political effort as much as a security one; the corrective effort on each of these needs to begin simultaneously rather than sequentially. Regrettably,there is no realisation of the urgency of the corrective effort.
Singing Vande Mataram
Vande Mataram is an inspirational song connected with our freedom struggle and is joyously sung by a vast majority of our people. However,many Muslims are opposed to singing Vande Mataram on the ground that its verses are against the tenets of Islam and that compelling them to sing the song would violate their freedom of religion.
Our Supreme Court had to deal with a similar issue. School children belonging to the Jehovahs Witnesses faith refused to sing the national anthem because their religion forbade its members to sing the national anthem of any country. The students were expelled. The Supreme Court observed that a secular court cannot enquire into the correctness or otherwise of religious beliefs. The issue on which Court has to be satisfied is whether the belief is genuinely and conscientiously held by a sizeable section of the community for a period of time and that the belief is not opposed to public order,morality or health. The Supreme Court struck down the students expulsion as violative of their freedom of religion guaranteed by Article 25 of the Constitution. The legal position is that Muslims,who because of their conscientious religious belief refuse to sing Vande Mataram,cannot be forced to do so nor can they be penalised for their abstention. What is the rationale of the Supreme Court judgment? In the words of celebrated Justice Chinnappa Reddy: Our tradition teaches tolerance; our philosophy preaches tolerance; our Constitution practises tolerance; let us not dilute it.
Idyllic Switzerland
Switzerland attracts several people for different reasons. Its scenic beauty coupled with its excellent public transport system charms the tourists. To some,its attraction lies in its exquisite liqueur chocolates and delicious cheeses. To the oldies,it is an ideal place for rest and recreation. To some corporates,and especially to military dictators who have plundered their people and stashed their ill-gotten corrupt gains in banks,Swiss secrecy banking laws are the greatest attraction.
Next to gay Paris,Americans love Switzerland. The US Government as part of a broad crackdown on Americans who use offshore accounts to evade US taxes,had fixed October 15 as the deadline for Americans to come clean about the money they have hidden offshore. It is reported that numerous wealthy Americans have come forward,hoping to avoid large fines or possibly even prison. But many others are still weighing their options and gambling that they will not be caught. We keenly await the initiatives of our government in response to the writ petition pending in the Supreme Court about recovery of funds lying in Swiss banks. This is a fertile pitch for our Finance Ministers characteristic googlies.
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