It was quite pathetic to read your column.These days human life has no values and a person is not being respected as a human being but importance is given more for religion caste and his standing in the society. Could you imagine such things about 15 to 20 years ago. I am sure there was lots of peace and certainly better understanding betwen fellow countrymen.I am sure Mr Ashraf you should belong to one of those moderate and well educated muslims with respects to only human values and certainly not based on religion cast or creed.We have had blasts killing several people in Mumbai, Coimbatore, Benaras, and so ON. If you carefully analyse these you will realise the fact that Muslims are being misguided by some ruthless elements for their own gain and Hindus retaliate. I am sure if someone threatens at GUN point for some reason I am sure just to save yourself you will relatiate. Todays peace in India is in the hands of moderate and well educated muslims like you and also with Hindus who belive in peace and human values. Instead of shunning and suspecting hindu bretheren please believe them and try to do your best to reform the misguided muslims for peace.
My curiosity on religions and culture led me to study about different cultures (Aryans, Davidians, Persians, Romans),different languages (Sanskrit, Tamil, Malayalam etc),different religions (Hindu, Jews, Christians, Muslims, Sikhs) and the interconnections between Religion Vs Language & Culture. I then understood why and how India became the melting pot of all cultures, religions for last thousand years.
Now being in USA, I feel more comfortable to live with my Hindu, Muslim friends than the local Christains. cos here there in no tamil or hindi or Hindu or Muslims we all are DESIES.
Come on guys, wakeup. It is only a small period of time that we would be leaving in this world. Why then waste our time and energy in fighting among each other. After all the world is becoming flat and we will all loose our nationality and would be called as "Human Beings" or "Global Citizens".
I know this might remain only as my wish. This can happen if there is an Alien attack. Then the entire humanity would come together to fight the common enemy.Let us not wait for that.
Keep smiling and live and let others live peacefully.
Till my early teens, I never ever took the pain to understand the importance of leaving together.But,Babri Masjid and other violence promt me thinking Why??? What was happening?? During the same time, Kashmir issues came to the peak. I became very angry to understand that, my country is being destroyed by the agents of Pakistan. Probably this feeling pushed me to join a Hindu nationalistic organizations and serve of that party. But later I found that this concept does not have any implications on the society that I am leaving. Even if it was a Hindu Nationalistic organization; I could find Christians and Muslims being members of that organization. Crazy right!!!!!
Later on started working in a software firm in Chennai. I started realizing that my North Indian friends were not comfortable working in the Tamil Nadu, and Tamils not comfortable with North Indians being around. Fortunately, both my Hindi and Tamil colleagues were comfortable with me. Probably I thought it was because I speak Tamil and Hindi .. So when we have joint gettogether,I used to say SPEAK ONLY ENGLISH, NO Tamil/Hindi.It started working and even improved our frindships.
Sorry I am not able to post my complete message and will post the message in pieces
I as rule I will love to live among Hindus and Muslims and Sikhs and Jews and Christians or any other religions in this world.
As a Christian from Kerala, I have been born and brought up in a society where Hindus, Muslim and Christian (and Jews) all live together peacefully. We were staying together, we are staying together and we will stay together. I am really proud to say this!!!! We celebrate the festivals together. We celebrate Diwali and local template festival together. During Christmas all my Hindu and Muslims friends come to my house for party, during the Id we all go to our Muslim friends for having Biriyani. Again we all celebrate Onam and Vishu (Malayalam New Year) together though it has reference to the ancient Hindu beliefs.
This problem seems to be acute in westerns states like Maharashtra and Gujarat. People have written about this thing happening in UP and that thing happening in Kashmir and so on. Our reality is the city and state in which we live.
As individuals, we have limited resources and time. Writing an article on rediff is just one step. Have you thought of taking one more step, reach out and convince just one Hindu friend or Hindu builder to rent or sell an apartment to one Muslim family. Or have you thought of making requests to political leaders and famous personalities to make public statements to stop this discrimination? You have a cause in front of you. We can change the world one step at a time.
RE:Solution
by Mahboob Hussain on May 13, 2006 11:49 PM Permalink
I sincerely hope Syed Firdaus Ashraf has seen my message.
sgpal, you pointed me to a site (by a Mr. Ali Sinai, whose motto is "Let us eradicate Islam") and say I will understand clearly the so lovable and peace loving Muslims. That's kind of funny that I should go to such a site to understand myself.
Mr. Sinai says, "You can trust them only when you hear them say Muhammad was a sick man and Islam is evil." Applied to our reality i.e the city in which Muslims live and the people we live with, such thoughts just add to more ghettoisation.
You know what! The few minutes I spent browsing Mr. Sinai's site is not wasted. He says "Mountains move aside to make way for those who are determined." Kinda my request to Syed Ashraf.
Mr. Ashraf, please take one small step and so that this discrimination reduces. Talk to one Hindu friend or builder to rent/sell to a Muslim. Or take the help of public figures so that this practice of not allowing Muslims in residential buildings ends. You have a cause in front of you.
