Mr. Shiv Shankar Menon is a highly respected and experienced bureaucrat if integrity. I am afraind his comments sound very scholrly couched in scholarly language, not easily understand by a common man in India or Pakistan. Being a very responsible diplomat, he naturally can call a pade a spade. The people in both Pakistan and India are tired of the constant friction and passing the buck between the politicians of both countries. The only way to bring peace between the two countries is to solve the Kashmir dispute with a lot of give and take, using the LOC as an international border, subject to some adjustments. Simultaneously, every thing possible should be done with patience and perseverence. Bilateral trade and people-to-people contacts must be enhanced. Social organisations like Red CRoss, Rotary, Lions, Chambers of Commerece and Industries, Students and Professors must freely move between the countries and try to create an atmosphere of mutual trust, respect and confidence. It is also necessary to rope in the Government in Washington DC to exert its influence on Pakistan to come to terms with India. Likewise, India should listen to what Washingtn has to advise India qabout what India should do to Pakistan. Meanwhile, enhance diplomatic and friendly and trade relations with China, besides furter strenthening the existing relations with Russia. All these developments will soften Pakistan's misbeliefs about India. We should also go out of the way to help Pakistan in its economic growth. Pakistan can buy its coal and sugar from India. We should buy oour sports goods and cotton from Pakistan and so on.Patience and hard efforts will pay in the long run.
The ideology of Islam embedded in Quran and Sunnath(Way of Mohummmad) is the problem. The Personality of Mohummad (Beheading those he disagreed with, being a 50 man wedding 6 year old Aisha) are medieval and barbaric. But Islam idealises Mohummad and asks a muslim to emulate Mohummad. Quran has ayats calling for terrorising non-Muslims, killing them and treating them as inferiors.
So whether we like it or not, India Pakistan problem will persist till Islam is discredited and people feel bad standing up for Islam.
RE:Islam is the Problem
by babar on Apr 22, 2007 01:30 PM Permalink
What does your religion teach..women dancing before gods to impress them for what..Further before commenting on anything know what is true..Prophet Muhammad (SAW)married Ayesha who was not 6 then but more than that age ..first find the facts and then write up..Islam is the way of life ..Quran does not have ayats for terrorising people but to convey the message of One God ..and further if Non muslims are ruling you and are being brutal to you then wage war against them..If you are calling it terrorism then it is your mistake..You better find some good points about your religion first Mr Shivkumar
My religion does not teach me to kill those that I disagree with.
Let me state the facts.
* Non Muslims including the historic Quresh were much more considerate to Muslims than Muslims have been towards non Muslims.
* Mohummad himself was intolerant and violent towards those that disagreed with him. (His tolerance lasted till he was militarily weak). Context and Verses of Quran 3.151, 5.51 factually support the above intolerance.
* Message of one God is communicated not just in Islam but numerous other traditions. But they dont do it by advocating violence against those that follow other creed.
* Dancing and Singing in front of God, immersed in his greaatness are any day superior to killing in the name of God that Quran and mohummad advocate.
You may like to visit www.faithfreedom.org to learn the truth about Islam.
RE:Islam is the Problem
by anand ganesh on May 08, 2007 05:43 PM Permalink
Babar, Everyone has a right to believe the fairytales he wants to. Hinduism does not insist that others believe its fairytales or taht those who don't believe its fairytales will be killed, But the moment somebody says-"Believe my fairytales or else"-that is unacceptable. That is the case with Islam. Please study the following verses of Quran which incite muslims to kill and hate non-muslims: Sura 8, ayat12 & Sura 48, ayat29 i.e.8:12 &48:29.
RE:RE:Islam is the Problem
by Firoz PH on Jan 12, 2008 02:16 PM Permalink
Quran is not complelling the peolple to embrace islam. Please read quran carefully. Quran is asying that everybody has thier own rights to believe what they like. no force in religion. why dont people understand this. Quran is clearely saying this. muslims are not forcing to anyone to believe islam. muslims are inviting to islam. accepting or rejecting up to the people.
RE:Time for a hindu armed struggle
by anand ganesh on May 08, 2007 05:45 PM Permalink
Aryaputra, u are sounding like muslims. This is deabte. Put forth your views with facts and in a civilised language. Don't forget the legacy of arguments left behind by Adi sHANKARA
I feel there is a solution to kashmir problem. Divide India again on basis of relegion and let kashmir decide there own fate. BUT all the muslims should leave India and go to any where they like including Kashmir. There had been many killing in name of Islam so lets decide once and this time final.
Pakistani military mindsets see themselves as components of the Islamic world. While many Indians think fondly of Pakistan as brothers, and former Indians. Our perceptions may be a social reality but a minor factor in strategic calculus. The entrenched Pak Junta was foisted by US and NATO. Later it acquired strong nexus with China and terrorists. This was initially encouraged by NATO but has now become a grave threat to them. Yet appeasing the Junta continues, probably because Iraq weary forces clearly does not have the might to taken on Sino-Pak combine. They may not have the toughness to wage a long 'losing' war, the way George Washington did in 1776. Indians with our heritage of Ranjit Singh, Rana Pratap, Shivaji and Tipu Sultan may have acquired the social chemistry to make modern winning combinations of many such historical ethos.
RE:Indians may have the social chemistry for a winning combination
by Aditya on Apr 17, 2007 07:29 PM Permalink
Great post Ramesh. Would you kindly further elaborate on some of your thoughts?
Also, what do you think about India aggressively adopting more integrative social doctrine so as to eliminate some of it's own problems with fundamentalism/sectrarianism or to prevent such problems in the future so as to not go the Pakistan way.
History proves that India was attacked by invaders claiming to be followers of Islam and have butchered people uner the name of Islam. This country was partitioned because some Muslim leaders felt that India wont give equal opportunities to Muslims, Pakistan has been creating trouble because they just hate India, its simple most of them people have been told since childhood that any person following any other faith is an infidel and shouldnt exist. This author is giving all wrong logic and concclusions.
the recent childish statement of rahul that his paternal grandmother broke pakistan was very unfortunate. through his foolish and feudal statements this boy is trying to say that in this country of 110 crore population, only his family has done and can do anything good for the country. before bangladesh got liberated in 1971, there were lot of agitations and civil war type of situation has developed in the then east pakistan, because all development were taking place in west pakistan and urdu was being forced on the bengalis. under these circumstances, the then government of the country sided with the 'mukti vahini' of sheikh mujiboor rahman and bangladesh was liberated. to say that india broke pakistan is rediculous. this will have bad impact in pakistan as well as bangladesh. pakistanis will think that india wants to break them and b'deshis will feel that the impotance of their freedom struggle against pakistan is being undermined. though rahul is a young mp, but since he belongs to the ruling dynasty of nehrus, his utterances get weightage. even the sycophantic PM manmohan singh sees country's future in him.
Pakistan is always tellling that they are not invole in the terroritis activity and not resposible for the any activity carried out by terrorist group, but indirectly they may support if they dont care then we should eleminate the terrorist activity camp and reoccupy the entire pok region by operation vijay we should immediately by which pakistan should not interfear in between as they always pretentd that what they can do if terrorist activity is being expanded in the vally so they are not suppose to tacke care of it india will do it self Jai Jawan Jai Kisan
