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By Dr Ram Puniyani

The economic plight of minorities, particularly Muslims has been a very disturbing factor for all those who would like the society to strive for equality and justice. If we see the origin of Muslim community in India apart from the spread of Islam through Arab traders from 7^th Century AD in Malabar Coast, the majority conversions have been mainly from the victims of caste oppression who were also economically deprived sections of society. During what is called the Mughal period, the Muslim King ruled from Delhi-Agra. During this the structure of society where landlords were Hindus in great numbers the economic plight of large sections of Muslims remained similar to poor Hindus.

After the 1857 uprising the backlash from the British was directed more against Muslims as Bahadur Shah Zafar was the one who was leader of this rebellion. The Muslim community had to face the bigger brunt of the British wrath. Post Independence the biases and myths against Muslims were highlighted and gradually they became major targets of the communal forces. As other communities were coming forward and lifting themselves through education and jobs, Muslims lagged behind due to multiple reasons, including the prevalent propaganda against them and the inheritance of their economic backwardness.

Our Constitution recognized the social and economic backwardness of dalits and Adivasis giving them the reservation which held the communities in some way. While at National level of OBC’s got 27% reservations in 1990, some states on their own had brought this earlier also. By and large these OBC reservations were strongly opposed by Organizations like “Youth for Equality”.

Even the reservations for Dalits other sections started getting opposed at large level like the anti Dalit and anti caste violence of 1980s and then in mid 1985 in Gujarat. Meanwhile as the Constitution did not recognize the reservations on the basis of religion, the minorities kept languishing in economic backwardness. Some states did try to incorporate Muslims in OBC quota but any move to uplift this community through quotas was strictly opposed by the Hindu Nationalist forces. The economic status for this community was a terrible mix of insecurity due to violence and economic deprivations due to lack of jobs and ghettoization, which was the direct outcome of violence. Every time some talk of reservation for Muslims came up it was strongly countered by the Hindutva politics and they cried hoarse about ‘appeasement of Muslims’. This also put some brakes on the intentions of the state to undertake the implementation of recommendations of the committees.

One recalls that after the Sachar Committee came out with the report in 2006, Dr. Manmohan Singh, the then Prime Minister of the country, stated its intention to undertake the reforms to improve the lot of this hapless community. “The component plans for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes will need to be revitalized. We will have to devise innovative plans to ensure that minorities, particularly the Muslim minority, are empowered to share equitably in the fruits of development. They must have the first claim on resources. The Centre has a myriad other responsibilities whose demands will have to be fitted within the over-all resource availability.”

State did try to understand the economic plight of Muslims through the Gopal Singh Committee, Ranganath Mishra Commission and finally through Sachar Committee. Most of these reports pointed out that the economic condition of Muslims is pathetic and has worsened over a period of last many decades.

This was propagated by BJP company as “This is what the Congress manifesto says,” he (Narendra Modi) claimed, “They will take stock of the gold that (our) mothers and sisters have, they will count and assess it, and then they will distribute that wealth, and they will give it to those people that Dr Manmohan Singh’s government had said – that Muslims have the first right to the nation’s wealth.”

It is in this light that one welcomes a new report from US-India Policy Institute and Centre for Development Policy and Practice, ‘Rethinking Affirmative Action for Muslims in Contemporary India’. The report has been prepared by Hilal Ahmad, Mohammad Sanjeer Alam and Nazeema Parveen. This report takes an approach away from the quota for Muslims. They recognize that Muslim community has different economic layers. While few of them are prosperous who don’t have to be considered for reservations. For the majority of sections of Muslims they suggest a religion neutral approach, focusing more on caste. Here caste-occupation is what should be looked at.

Already an increase in the ceiling is being campaigned by many to increase. With that apart from other things more Muslims categories can also be accommodated in OBC and dalit quotas. The report uses CSDS-Lokniti data. The authors of the report also consider the perceptions of Muslim communities. As reservations for Muslim is like a ‘red rag to the bull’ for the BJP and its ilk, the report talks more of accommodating these sections related to occupation based OBC. The Pasmanda Muslims, (Low caste ones’) the most deprived among Muslims, do fall in the category of Dalits. Many a Christian communities also fall in this category, which also need state support for a decent livelihood.

The report also considers the changing nature of the state and calls it ‘Charitable state’ which uses the word Labharthi for those who benefit from the state schemes. As per Hilal Ahmad, one of the authors of the report as far as state is concerned there is a shift from “…’group centric approach’ to ‘space centric’ welfarism.

They recommend a rational, secular sub categorisation of OBCs. Existing schemes and programs need to be jacked up. Affirmative action is the need of the hour. Here given all other qualifications-experience being equal; preference is given to the marginalized (Caste, Gender) for the selection for a job. There are many artisans in these communities; up-scaling their technology should help them.

The report is comprehensive and keeps the limitations of the present situation where the ruling politics treats minorities close to second class citizens. The million rupee question is, will the current dispensation following sectarian nationalism implement such a report with sincerity, overcoming their political biases’?

27 February 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

By Sumanta Banerjee

“Let  me  have  men  about  me  that  are  fat; Sleek-headed  men  and  sleep  o’nights”

Julius  Caesar  in  Shakespeare’s  play  Julius  Caesar

Two  recent  events  which  have  caught  media  headlines  deserve  close  examination.  THE  TIMES  OF  INDIA  of  February  17,  2025  on  its  first  page  carried  two  reports  side  by  side.  The  first  on  the  left  described  how  eighteen  pilgrims  died in  a  stampede  in  New  Delhi  Railway  Station  while  scrambling  for  seats  in  trains  in  their eagerness  to  reach  Prayagraj  (once  known  as  Allahabad)  to  attend  the  Maha Kumbh  and  take  a  dip  in  the  holy  Ganga.    The  second  report  highlighted  the  plight  of  Indians  who  sneaked  their  way  into  the  US   illegally  in  their  greed  for  dollars  and  were  now  being  deported  back  to  India,  shackled  in  chains  and  handcuffs.  These  two  spectacles  sum  up  the  nature  of  the  present  psyche  which  controls  the  attitude  and  behavior  of  our  people.   The  psyche  is  made  up  of  an   amoral  and  irresponsible  religious  frenzy  among  Indians  living  here on  the  one  hand,  and  financial  greed  of  Indians  looking  for  fortunes  abroad  on  the  other.   Both  the  impulses  are  motivated  by  what  they  believe  will  bring  salvation  to  them  in  their  respective  spheres  of  operation.

The  religious  sphere

To  take  up  the  first  case  of  the  stampede  in  the  New  Delhi  railway  station,  which  followed  soon  after  a  larger  stampede  at  the  Prayagraj  site  of  the  Maha  Kumbh  itself  that  claimed  more  lives,   it  exemplifies  the  typical    outbursts  of  fanatical  worshipping  of   deities  by  their  devotees  even  at  the  risk  of  losing  their  lives.  There  had  been  numerous  cases  in  the  past  of  similar  killings in  stampedes  at  religious  gatherings.  This  raises  a  fundamental  question  that  goes  beyond  the  immediate  case  of  accidents  at  the  Kumbh  Mela.

While  a  worried  administration  is  trying  to  institute   better  safety measures  like  crowd  control  to  avoid  such  calamities  in  future,  it  is  yet  to  tackle  the  problem  at  the  source  –  the  popular  motivation  that  drives  thousands  to  travel  to  these  pilgrimage  spots  to  seek  blessings  from  their  deities.  Both  the  administration  and civil  society  groups,  while  respecting  the  religious  faith  of  these  people,  should  try  to   disabuse  them  of  blind  trust  in  attaining  salvation  only  through  joining  such  suffocating  mass  gatherings,  and  persuade  them  instead  to   practice  their  religion  and  follow  the  rituals  within  the  precincts  of  their  homes  and  local  temples.

They  should  also  warn  these  pilgrims  about  the  health  hazards  that  they  face  when  following  traditional  collective  rituals  like  dips  in  the  Triveni  Sangam  during  the  Maha  Kumbh.  For  instance,  it  has  now  been  exposed  that  the  Ganga  and  Yamuna  rivers,  considered  holy  by   these  pilgrims  who  took  bath  on  that  occasion,  contain  “untreated  sewage  and  human  and  animal  excreta”,  according  to  the  findings  of  the  CPCB (Central  Pollution  Control  Board).  Dermatologists  in  a  hospital  in  Ranchi  are  treating  devotees  who  have  returned  from  the  Maha  Kumbh  with  skin  ailments  like  severe  itching  and  rashes.  In  view  of  these  findings,  civil  society  groups  should  organize  health  camps  at  these  pilgrimage  sites,  and  caution  pilgrims  before  they  drink   these  river  waters,  which  they  worship  as  holy.

Further,  it  is  also  necessary  to  draw  the  attention  of  these  pilgrims  to   the  numerous  cases  of  traffic  accidents  that  kill  devotees  both  on  their  way  to,  and  their  way  back  from  the  pilgrimage  spots,  which  are  their  destinations  for  seeking  blessings.  The  latest  such  case  is   the  death  of  four  pilgrims  who  after  `purifying’  themselves  by  bathing  at  the  Maha  Kumbh,  started  their  return  journey    on  the  night  of  February  23  when   their  SUV  collided  with  a  truck  in  Mirzapur  in  Uttar  Pradesh.  Social  activists  from  civil  society  groups  can  approach  the  survivors  and  pose  the questions:  “Why  couldn’t  your  deities  save  your  dear  and  near  ones,  even  when  they  were  travelling  to  pay  respects  to  those  deities  ?   Why  do  you  still  trust  your  deities  who are  betraying  you  ? ”  When  talking  to  them,  they  can  remind  them  of  these  words  of  frustration  and  despair  uttered  by  Manju  Kushwaha,  wife  of  Manoj,  who  lost  his  life  in  the  stampede  of  pilgrims  going  to  Maha  Kumbh at  the  New  Delhi  railway  station  on  February  15.  Describing  Manoj’s  devotion,  she  said:  “He  was  very  religious.  He  used  to  chant  Hanuman  Chalisa  every  morning.  On  the  day  of  the  incident  also,  he  prayed,  but  Hanumanji  didn’t  save  his  life.”  (Re:  Her  interview  with  The  Wire,  February  19,  2025).

Such  efforts  by  social  activists  to  rouse  the  inquiring  spirit  of  the  devotees  should  not  be  denounced  as  anti-religious.  They  are  in  conformity  with  the  fundamental  duty  laid  down  by  our  Constitution  which  enjoins  us  to  “develop  the  scientific  temper,  humanism  and  the  spirit  of  inquiry  and  reform.”

The  socio-political  sphere

When  we  turn  to  the  secular  sphere  of  public  rallies  and  gatherings  which  are  organized  to  welcome  some  celebrities  from  the  political  or  film  world  or  other,  we  witness  the  same  mass  frenzy  of  worshiping  these  figures  (their  images  re-invigorated  by  the  media)  in  public  gatherings   that  often  result  in  stampedes –   ending  up  in  deaths  like  on  a  recent  occasion  of  public  welcome  to  a  popular  film  star  in  Hyderabad.  I  keep remembering  the  lines  composed  by  the  early  20^th  century  English-Irish  poet  W.B. Yeats:  “The  ceremony  of  innocence  is  drowned/The  best  lack  all  conviction,  while  the  worst  /Are  full  of  passionate  intensity.”  (The  Second  Coming).  Doesn’t  this  verse  sum  up  the  present  situation  in  our  country  ?

Such  manifestations  of  popular  `passionate  intensity’  are  not  confined  within  the  borders  of  India.  Many  among  these  Indians  are  driven  by  the  same  unbridled  excitement  to  rush  to  the  US,  their  new  pilgrimage  where  they  furiously  compete  to  gain  blessings  from  their  new  deity  of  wealth  in  Washington.  Once  reaching  the  shores  of  their  dreamland  of  dollars  (mainly  through  the  donkey  route  charted  out  by  dubious  travel  agents),  the  Hindu  immigrants  among  them  abandon   Lakshmi,  the goddess  of  wealth  whom  they  used    to  worship  in  their homeland,  and  replace  her  with   US  President  Trump.  But  their  new  deity  Trump  has  also  disappointed  them  as  evident  from  his  eviction  of  illegal  Indian  immigrants,  who  are  arriving  in  India  shackled  in  chains.  Their  dream  of  acquiring  dollars  is  thus  dashed  forever.  What  is  even  worse,  now  they  have  to  pay  back  the  money  which  they  took  as  loan  from  creditors  to  cover  their  journey  to  the  US  dreamland.

When  searching  for  the  material  motivations  that  led  these  Indians  to  the  US,  we  find  an  irrational  craze  among  them  that  incapacitated  their  ability  to  judge  the  possible  consequences.  This  is  parallel  to  the  blind  faith  in  deities  among  devotees  at  pilgrimages  which  disables  their  thinking  power  to  prevent  stampedes  and  deaths  –  the  price  which  they  pay  for  their  ill-judgment.  Similarly, the  Indian  returnees  from  the  US  are  now  paying  the  price  for  their  blind  faith  in  the  dollar  empire  which  has  disappointed  them.  They  are  scrambling  to  collect  money  to  pay  back  those  from  whom  they  borrowed  money  to   pay  the agents  who  duped  them  into  undertaking  that  perilous  journey.

Will  these  disenchanted   Indian  returnees  (shall  we  call  them  ex-morons  ?)  try  to  disabuse  their  successors  –  another  new  generation  of  Indians  who  are  dreaming  of  making  fortunes  in  the  US,  and  prevent  them  from  repeating  their  moronic  misadventure  ?

The  Political  Godman

Let  us  now  turn  our  attention  to  the  political  godman  under  whose  blessings  these  aberrations  are  taking  place.  Narendra  Modi’s  popularity  among  the  vast  masses  is  an  outburst  of  imbecility  of  these   morons  who  keep  on  putting   trust  in  him,  despite  repeated  betrayals. They  prefer  to  ignore  their  own  domestic  immediate  economic  problems,  and  instead  go  all  ga ga  over  Modi’s  efforts  to  morph  himself  into  an  upmarket  brand  as  Vishwa Guru  in  the  global  political  scenario.  Dressed  in  a well fashioned  political  attire  designed  by  the  domestic  media,  Modi  prances  around  on  the  ramps  of  the  global  political  fashion  shows,  like  the  G-20  summit  in  Brazil  in  2024  and  the  SCO  (Shanghai  Cooperation  Organization)  meetings.  But  in  his  domestic  backyard   at  home,  the  economy  is  fast  declining,  with    rising  unemployment,  inflation and  marginalization  of  vast  sections  of  the  population   which  are  struggling  for  access  to  economic  opportunities,  housing  facilities, health  care  and  education.  Modi’s  political  bombast  of  India  becoming  a  bullet  train  is  in  sharp  contrast  with the  slow  speed  of  the  bullock  cart  at  which  the  country  is  moving  under  his regime.  The  paradox  reminds  me  of  an  old  Bengali  saying  that  targets  bumptious  characters  who  parade  their  eloquence  while  hiding  their  incompetence  –  Mathaye  ghomta,  ponde nangta  (They cover  their  heads  under  expensive  veils, but  keep  their  backsides  naked).

Yet,  Modi  is  assured  of  a  continuing  support  from  a  crowd   of  sycophants,  charlatans,  a  bemused  looking  audience,  and  a  naïve  electorate  which  is  put  in  a  bubble  of  promises  of  prosperity  during  elections.  His  monthly  speech  Maan-ki-Baat  is  pure  drivel,  but  is  lapped  up  by  listeners  as  a  voice  from   God !  While  the  wider  public  are  taken  in  by  his  claim  that  he  is  a  non-biological  personality  born  from  God’s  sperm,  even  the  educated  elite  believe  that  he  is  endowed  with  an  MA  degree in  Entire  Political  Science  from  the  Gujarat  University –  a  dubious-sounding course  of  studies  that  is   found  in  no  other  respectable  academic  institutions.  Attempts  to  inquire  into  the  authenticity  of  Modi’s  educational  qualification   have  been  stymied  by  the  administration.

In  his  well-planned  scheme  of   projecting  himself  as  a  savior,  Modi  has  recruited  a  bunch  of  mercenaries  in  the  media,  mainly  the  television  channels,  who  propagate  that  there  are  order  and  design  in  Modi’s  policies  which  might  be  adversely  affecting  the  people  now,  but  would  be  beneficial  for  them  in  future.  Known  as  the  Godimedia,  they  come  up  with  catchy  slogans  in  support  of  Modi’s  promises.

Going  back  to  my  initial  attempt  to  unravel  the  Indian psyche,  with  which  I  began,  I  can  only  end  up  with  the  desperate  query  –  when  will  our  people  unmoor  themselves  from  the  bog  of  violent  religious  frenzy,  casteist  discrimination  and  political  manipulation,  which  has  been  created  by  the  BJP  ?  Do  we  have  to  wait  for  another  new  generation   of  social  reformers  (like  those  in  the  nineteenth  century)  to  come  up  and  help  our  people  to  revive  their  thinking  powers  and  rescue  them   from  the  socio-political  morass  into  which  they  are  submerging  themselves  as  morons  ?

Sumanta Banerjee is a political commentator and writer, is the author of In The Wake of Naxalbari’ (1980 and 2008); The Parlour and the Streets: Elite and Popular Culture in Nineteenth Century Calcutta (1989) and ‘Memoirs of Roads: Calcutta from Colonial Urbanization to Global Modernization.’ (2016).

27 February 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

By Mujeeb Rahman Kinalur

The recent hunger strike by V P Suhara, a 73-year-old Muslim women’s rights activist from Kerala, brought attention to the contentious issue of Sharia and women’s rights in India. Suhara’s courageous stance, demanding equal inheritance rights for Muslim women, echoed the struggles of countless women who have been denied their rightful share of property and dignity.

A Complex Issue

The debate on Sharia and women’s rights is complex and multifaceted. Sharia, or Islamic law, is based on the Quran, Hadith, and the consensus of Islamic scholars. However, its interpretation and application have been a subject of debate, particularly in the context of women’s rights.

Inheritance

Under Sharia, daughters typically inherit half the share of sons. This has led to numerous cases of women being denied their rightful inheritance.

Marriage and Divorce

Sharia permits polygamy, allowing men to have up to four wives. However, women are not granted the same right. Additionally, the process of divorce, known as “talaq,” can be initiated by the husband alone, often leaving women without recourse.

Custody and Guardianship

In cases of divorce, Sharia often grants custody of children to the father or his family, leaving mothers with limited rights.

Islamic Feminism and Progressive Islam

Islamic feminism, as argued by scholars like Amina Wadud and Asma Barlas, seeks to reinterpret Sharia in a way that promotes gender equality. Wadud’s concept of “gender jihad” emphasizes the need for a feminist interpretation of the Quran, one that challenges patriarchal interpretations and promotes women’s rights (Wadud, 2006). Barlas, on the other hand, argues that the Quran does not support patriarchy and that a feminist reading of the text can help to promote women’s empowerment (Barlas, 2002).

Progressive Islam, a movement that emerged in the 1990s, seeks to reinterpret Sharia in light of modern human rights standards. Scholars like Khaled Abou El Fadl and Omid Safi argue that Sharia can be reformed to promote justice and equality, and that Islamic law is not inherently opposed to women’s rights (Abou El Fadl, 2001; Safi, 2003).

The Stand of Secular Parties in India

Secular parties in India, including the Congress and Marxist parties, have historically advocated for a Uniform Civil Code (UCC). However, their stance on Sharia law and personal laws has been nuanced.

Marxist Party’s Stand

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has emphasized the need for reform in various personal laws, rather than implementing a UCC. In a 2009 press statement, the party argued that the recommendation for a UCC by the Supreme Court would have a “reverse effect” on national integration, given the context of communal politics.

Congress Party’s Stand

The Congress party has also expressed concerns about implementing a UCC, citing the need to protect the rights of minority communities. However, the party has not taken a clear stance on reforming Sharia law or the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937.

National Debate and Reforms

Suhara’s hunger strike sparked a national debate on the issue, with many calling for reforms to the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937. The Act governs the inheritance rights of Muslims in India and has been criticized for its discriminatory provisions against women.

Government Response

In response to Suhara’s hunger strike, Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs, Kiran Rijiju, met with her in the presence of Suresh Gopi, Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Tourism.

The debate on Sharia and women’s rights is complex and multifaceted. While Sharia has been interpreted in ways that discriminate against women, there are also modern interpretations and reforms that promote gender equality. As Suhara’s hunger strike reminds us, the struggle for women’s rights is far from over. It is essential to continue the dialogue and debate to ensure that Sharia is interpreted in a way that promotes justice, equality, and human rights for all.

References:

– Wadud, A. (2006). Inside the Gender Jihad: Women’s Reform in Islam. Oneworld Publications.

– Barlas, A. (2002). Believing Women in Islam: Unreading Patriarchal Interpretations of the Quran. University of Texas Press.

– Abou El Fadl, K. (2001). Speaking in God’s Name: Islamic Law, Authority and Women. Oneworld Publications.

– Safi, O. (2003). Progressive Muslims: On Justice, Gender and Pluralism. Oneworld Publications.

Mujeeb Rahman Kinalur is an author and cultural critic based in Calicut, Kerala.

27 February 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

By Satya Sagar

Over four decades ago, as a South Indian growing up in the ‘Hindi heartland’ of Madhya Pradesh, I learned something that blew my mind – that Hindi was in fact the language of a minority of people in northern India.

As a ‘Madrasi’ child,  everything I heard around me sounded like ‘Hindi,’ and little did I guess that there was more to this story than the simplistic idea that everyone from Rajasthan to Bihar via Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh spoke ‘Hindi.’

This deep insight about Hindi came from my guru and mentor Trilochan Singh (aka Trilochan Shastri), who was not just a major poet in Hindi, Awadhi, and Urdu but also a linguist of great repute, having compiled an entire Hindi-Bangla dictionary at the Benares Hindu University in the sixties. He was a master of no less than at least seven Indian languages and very familiar with a dozen more.

As a young student just out of school I used to visit Trilochan ji every evening and he explained to me that Hindi was an infant language. A mere fledgling when compared to over a dozen other tongues in vogue in northern India for centuries – from Awadhi (in which Tulsi’s Ramcharitra Manas was composed) and Bhojpuri (Kabir’s mother tongue) to Maithili (the language of Vidyapati’s 14th-century love poems) and Braj Bhasha (Mirabai and Amir Khusro’s poetry and bhajans).

Modern Standard Hindi formally took shape only in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It emerged through deliberate standardization efforts by scholars, writers, and nationalists seeking a unified language for India’s independence movement. While drawing from Khari Boli dialect and ancient Sanskrit vocabulary, today’s Devanagari-written Hindi was also consciously developed to distinguish itself from Urdu through vocabulary choices and script.

As Prof. Alok Rai has explained in his brilliant book ‘Hindi Nationalism’,  the creation of a ‘pure’ Hindi and a ‘pure’ Urdu by  religious fanatics on both sides was the original Partition of the subcontinent that took place much before the physical division of India and Pakistan in 1947. (And ironically, in both countries these ‘national’ languages are not particularly popular even today and have to be imposed on linguistically diverse populations by the state machinery).

The first Hindi-advocacy organization (Hindi Sahitya Sammelan) wasn’t established until 1893, and Hindi only became India’s official language post-independence in 1947. This modern standard form differs significantly from the diverse historical languages of North India, making standardized Hindi essentially a product of recent ‘nation-building’ efforts. And let me make it very clear that here the problem is not with the concept of ‘nation-building’ per se but about whose idea of ‘nation’ is being foisted over everyone else’s.

Within north India it is clear that the imposition of Hindi has stunted the development of regional languages, depriving them of the institutional support needed to thrive. For example, Maithili, spoken by over 34 million people in Bihar and Nepal, was denied recognition as an independent language for decades, being classified as a ‘dialect’ of Hindi. Similarly, Bhojpuri, spoken by over 50 million people, has been relegated to the status of a “folk language,” with little support for its literary or educational development.

Within the so-called ‘Hindi belt’ itself, the state-sponsored promotion of Hindi has also created a linguistic hierarchy, with Hindi speakers often looking down on speakers of other Indian languages as “provincial” or “backward.” This attitude is reminiscent of the way the despicable caste system works and is deeply harmful to the social fabric of the nation. By privileging Hindi over other languages, a form of cultural imperialism is perpetuated, that alienates non-Hindi speakers and undermines their sense of identity and belonging.

The result has been a cultural and linguistic homogenization that impoverishes both India’s heritage as well as local populations and the correlation is not accidental at all. A simple statistical analysis will show that the parts of India where Hindi has been successfully imposed also have the highest rates of poverty, illiteracy, attacks on women and communalism.

Again, while Hindi is often portrayed as the “link language” of India, this narrative overlooks the fact that many Indian languages are older, richer, and more historically significant. Languages like Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali, Marathi, and Odia have literary traditions that date back centuries, if not millennia. Tamil, for instance, is one of the oldest living languages in the world, with a literary history spanning over 2,000 years. The Sangam literature of Tamil Nadu is a testament to the sophistication and depth of this language.

Similarly, Bengali has produced Nobel laureates like Rabindranath Tagore, whose works have left an indelible mark on world literature. However, let me point out that producing great literature is not necessary to justify preserving one’s mother tongue, just as one’s mother need not be a genius or celebrity for us to love her.

Linguistically, in terms of vocabulary, grammar, and creative output, many Indian languages surpass Hindi easily. The literacy rates in mother tongues like Tamil, Malayalam, Bangla, Khasi, Manipuri, Mizo and Kannada are higher than in Hindi-speaking states, reflecting the strong educational and cultural foundations of these languages. The vibrant translation and publishing industries in these languages further demonstrate their vitality and relevance. For instance, the Tamil publishing industry produces thousands of books annually, while Malayalam and Bengali cinema and literature have gained international acclaim.

The simple fact is that India is a land of unparalleled linguistic diversity, home to over 19,500 languages and dialects, as recorded by the People’s Linguistic Survey of India. This diversity is not just a statistic; it is the very fabric of India’s cultural, historical, and social identity. By promoting Hindi as a ‘national’ language, its proponents ignore the fact that a vast majority of Indians do not speak Hindi as their first language. Forcing Hindi on these populations is not just impractical; it is an affront to their linguistic and cultural identities.

There is no doubt that the current attempt by the Modi regime through the New Education Policy, which makes Hindi a compulsory language to be taught in schools nationally, is nothing more than a continuation of similar efforts at ‘linguistic colonialism’ over the last 75 years of the Indian Republic. The foisting of the language of the urban, upper castes of some parts of India over the entire country has been opposed for long by the Dravidian movement in Tamil Nadu since the days of Periyar and continues to be resisted, very rightly, even today. There are strong sentiments against imposition of Hindi in neighbouring Karnataka too.

The warning is clear: Hindi cannot be pushed down the throats of India’s diverse cultures without serious consequences. The people of India will not stand by as their languages, traditions, and histories are marginalized in the name of a biased idea of national unity.

And it does not matter how many times the Hindi-wallahs took a dip in the Ganges during Mahakumbh. Some sins cannot be washed away but many sinners can be.

Satya Sagar is a journalist and public health worker and can be reached at sagarnama@gmail.com

27 February 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

By Cedric Prakash

February will always be a painful month for some particularly the Jafri family: on 28 February 2002, Ehsan Jafri, a former Member of Parliament and an authentic and much-loved citizen of secular India was murdered; on 1 February 2025, his wife Zakiaben was called to her eternal reward

In the death of Zakiaben the people of India have lost a great soul! She was a woman of strength and substance. She suffered much since that fateful day, when her dear husband Ehsan Jafri was brutally murdered. Since then, as a victim- survivor, she has fought relentlessly for justice not merely for herself but all women and others – who are victims of an unjust and violent system

The Gujarat Carnage 2002 can easily rate as one of the bloodiest chapters in post-independent India. The burning of the S-6 compartment of the Sabarmati Express (from Faizabad to Ahmedabad) some distance away from the Godhra railway station on  27 February (resulting in the deaths of 59 innocent people) was (and is) strongly condemned … Several persons were convicted for this act, though there was (and  is )still a raging debate on what caused the fire. The sad fact is that any death – particularly the tragic ones – is bound to leave a great void in the lives and the hearts of the loved ones whom they have left behind.

What followed this, was however, a carnage beyond comprehension and totally unjustifiable. Apparently (and this from eye witness accounts), the then Chief Minister of the State convened a meeting of some high level BJP and Government functionaries very late evening of  27 February.  What transpired at this meeting has two different versions – but the actions that resulted were blatantly obvious: Muslims all over Gujarat were brutalized, raped, dispossessed of their lands and houses and murdered. The intensity of violence for days on was a crime against humanity. Thousands were affected all over Gujarat! Numbers, pale into insignificance, when one recollects the brutality of what took place. For weeks and then months, rampaging mobs indulged in some of the most despicable acts. Besides, the law and order mechanism had not merely abdicated its responsibility but were also seen actively involved in this carnage.

Zakia’s life became intrinsically linked to the search for justice after the tragic events of 28 February 2002, when a mob attacked the Gulbarg Society, killing 69 people, including her husband. The massacre at Gulbarg Society remains one of the most horrific episodes of the 2002 post-Godhra carnage.A mob of over 15,000 people descended upon the Muslim-majority area, looting homes, setting them ablaze, and killing at least 69 people, including Ehsan Jafri. Despite Ehsan desperate attempts to seek police help, no assistance arrived, despite the proximity of police stations.

On 21 November2002, the Concerned Citizens’ Tribunal  consisting of several eminent citizens and headed by Justice V. Krishna Iyer (a former Judge of the Supreme Court of India), made public a report entitled ‘Crime Against Humanity’, on the Gujarat Carnage.  This report was written on the basis of more than 2000 oral and written testimonies, both individuals and collective, from victim-survivors and also from independent Human Rights Groups, Women’s Groups, NGOs, academics and others.  The Tribunal, in its findings and recommendations, clearly indicts the  Government  of  Gujarat  and  holds  them  responsible  for  the  unfettered  violence,   murder, arson and looting that took place in  Gujarat that year.

The findings of the Citizens’ Tribunal also corroborate with the findings of several other fact-findings of  independent and impartial groups. These include:

• what took  place in Gujarat was  not merely communal  violence or riots;  it was a  genocide,  a carnage,  an ethnic cleansing,  designed  to wipe out , to marginalise an entire community.
• it was well-planned and well-executed.   It was not a “spontaneous reaction” as some people make it out to be.  The preparations must have taken several months.   Sometime earlier, a widely circulated Gujarati daily listed several hotels run by the Chilya community which had non-Islamic names.   During the carnage, most of their hotels were razed to the ground.  A meticulous census   was conducted on the Muslims and Christians of Gujarat in 1999.  The data helped marauding mobs   know exactly whom to attack and where.
• it was  meant  to break  the  backbone of an economy generated/owned by Muslims;it succeeded to a great extent.
• the  middle-class   ( including  several  well-to-do  and  educated   women )   were blatantly involved  in the  violence;  there were  very  few people  who were willing to  come  out  and  take  a  stand  to  prevent  what  was   happening.
• in   some  areas,  adivasis  and  dalits  were  used  very effectively in  the arson and looting  of  Muslim  homes  and  establishments.
• it was clearly a State-sponsored  genocide.  The Citizens’ Tribunal has indicted in addition to the Chief Minister and politicians, several high-ranking bureaucrats and police officials.  The SanghParivar was given a free hand to do what they wanted.  The police were apparently given clear instructions not to take any action.  There is also evidence to show that some were encouraged to join in the violence – which they did, with ruthless finesse.  State Ministers and leaders of ‘the Parivar’ were seen leading the mobs. (a couple of them even were in the Police Control room at the time of the violence). (The ‘Tehelka’ sting operation which was made public in October 2007 provides ample evidence to substantiate these facts).

In December 2003, the then Chief Justice of India V.N. Khare presiding over a Divisional Bench of the Supreme Court criticized the Government of Gujarat saying, “I have no faith left in the prosecution and the Gujarat Government. I am not saying Article 356. You have to protect people and punish the guilty. What else is raj dharma? You quit if you cannot prosecute the guilty.” In a landmark ruling on  8 February 2012, the Acting Chief Justice of Gujarat Bhaskar Bhattacharya, very emphatically stated, “Gujarat government’s inadequate response and inaction (to contain the riots) resulted in an anarchic situation which continued unabated for days on…the state cannot shirk from its responsibilities”.

In the context of the many cases and the fact that several fingers were pointing to the connivance of the Modi Government, the Supreme Court of India appointed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into certain cases, very specially a complaint made by Zakia Jafri with regard to the murder of her husband, the former Member of Parliament Ahsan Jafri and several others. It is common knowledge that the role even played by the SIT was highly questionable.  There were speculations and plenty of ‘leakages’, of the final SIT Report.  Whatever it says and does not say; lapses and manipulations therein; the complicity and the culpability of the powerful and of vested interests, is beyond doubt.

The pro-Government responses of others are on expected lines: “2002 was just an aberration in fact a distraction”; “look at the way, we have progressed since; the roads, the shopping malls, the riverfront, the flyovers…in fact all the industrialists want to come only to Gujarat”; “didn’t they deserve it, after all, they are but terrorists”; “why is the same importance  not being given to the massacre of the Sikhs in 1984 and for that matter, to the Hindu pundits in Kashmir?”; “We Muslims need to move on…” The rationalisations are typical.  They come from the educated elite and also from those who are afraid to deal with the past. Statements like these often gripped by fear…Fear seems to rule the roost… the truth is, a sizeable section of the population is terribly afraid of the plain truth. Besides, many suffer from selective amnesia!

One person who fought relentlessly these past many years was Zakia Jafri. She was the voice of many of the victim-survivors . However, on 24 June 2022,the Supreme Court dismissed her plea. Zakiaben had moved a Special Leave Petition (SLP) before the Supreme Court of India demanding a thorough probe into the larger conspiracy behind the violence. The SLP, where CJP secretary Teesta Setalvad was the second petitioner, showcased investigative lapses as well as complicity of people in power at the time in allowing the violence to continue unabated. The judgement dismissing her plea rocked the conscience of the nation.
The court observed that, “As a matter of fact, all those involved in such abuse of process, need to be in the dock and proceeded with in accordance with law.”Not surprisingly therefore the above extract was also quoted in a complaint filed on behalf of the State by one Darshansinh B Barad, Police Inspector, Detection of Crime Branch, Ahmedabad City, just a day after the judgment was delivered. In the complaint dated June 25, 2022, Barad asks for an FIR to be registered against Setalvad, former Gujarat Director General of Police (DGP) R.B Sreekumar and former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt . Teesta and Sreekumar were arrested . after spending a considerable of time in jail were granted bail. Bhatt was already in jail at that time,on  another charge.  He still continues to be in jail, these past many years. The case on all three – is still not closed chapter.

When Zakia died on 1 February she was with her daughter Nishrin ( aka Nargis)  and son-in-law Najid. Both Nishrin and Najid are residents in the United States but have been coming down to India to spend  some time with Zakia . Nargis has vivid and powerful memories of her mother. In a voice choked with emotion she says, “that morning my mother was not too well – but we really did not think that it was going to be her last moments; she called out to me ‘Nargis, Nargis’ and then breathed her last” Nargis has fond memories of her mother saying, “my mother was the daughter of a farmer, who married at the age of 21 and made Ahmedabad her home. She adapted very beautifully to her new environment- even choosing to wear a sari happily and proudly as her preferred dress. After 2002, she was convinced that she had to fight for justice; she did so with plenty of personal pain. However she was also able to transcend the killings and violence of 2002, and had no bitterness towards anyone”.  Nargis adds for good measure , “my mother came from Rustampur , a village in the Khandwa district of  MP. She used to take great pride in saying that her house was opposite Ashok and Kishore Kumar’s house,’ghantaghar ki samnay’!”

Najid  remembers the warm and loving treatment he always received from his mother-in-law- from ensuring that  non-spicy food was prepared for him to  having a  fan specially installed for him. “ Her love was for all.  She did not speak ill of anyone. In every sense of the word she was a great and wonderful mother.” The same sentiments are shared by Tanveer , her elder son who lives in Surat and Zuber her youngest who lives in the United States.

Zara Chowdhary, author of The Lucky Ones: A Memoir, in a recent interview puts it poignantly saying,  “Zakia Jafri was more than a widow seeking justice. She was a mother, a grandmother, a community member. She carried others with her. That reminds me of a story my friend Zehra Mehdi shares about the Shia tradition of demanding justice. Hazrat Zainab, daughter of Hazrat Ali and granddaughter of Prophet Muhammad, survived the massacre of her family. She stood before the tyrant who had slaughtered them and demanded justice—not just for her personal loss, but for her entire community. That distinction is crucial.”

Zara adds, “In marginalised communities, we never carry our burdens alone. Dalit liberation movements embody this as well—you walk with your entire community. Out of hundreds of Gujarat cases, Zakia Jafri’s was the one that insisted: this wasn’t just a personal tragedy; it was an attack on an entire people. That difference—seeing oneself as part of a larger struggle—is what fuels me. I am not writing alone. I am not walking alone. Even the dead are with me. And whatever comes, it comes for all of us”

Zakia was truly a woman of strength and substance; her resilience and her calm demeanour in the face of all odds – easily bear testimony to a woman who can be called ‘Mother India’. Whilst relentlessly pursuing the cause of justice for all, she held no bitterness no rancour, epitomising the best of womanhood and motherhood. Today as we remember the Gujarat Carnage of 2002 – we salute Zakia Jafri – one o India’s greatest women!

Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ is a human rights, reconciliation and peace activist/writer. Contact: cedricprakash@gmail.com

27 February 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

By Ranjan Solomon

The world has entered a new era in global politics. In just the three weeks that Trump has been in power, he has created disarray on a range of issues. The world is rather despondent but clearly unwilling to allow the USA to assume the reigns of super power to which all others, especially, the weak must pay obeisance. A major democracy – if you can any longer reckon that the USA is a bona fide democracy – has faulted, and faltered. It makes-believe that there exists a political pyramid where Trump seeks to sit atop and issues orders the world around that must be fulfilled. Don’t they know that an era of multilateralism has been launched has ended? The world now finds itself in a bitter contest with Trump.

Almost every democracy which boasts its system is superior to so-called autocratically-oriented political systems has succumbed to the fault lines of democracy. An election every couple of years does not imply there is a functional democracy. With a vote percentage of 66% in the elections, it was clear that people’s enthusiasm for Washington is fast evaporating.

The crisis in the Middle East has further complicated matters. Trump had announced he would end the, and restore peace. It turns out that Trump is a mere wind bag. 25-plus days after his arrival in the Oval office, he has no solutions. Trump has injected chaos and an overdose of tactless and unachievable proposals as prospective solutions. Each step he takes creates more turmoil.

Despite the horrors that Israel inflicted on them, supported by the USA and a handful of Europeans, the people of Gaza have demonstrated their resilience. They are clear that they are here to stay. The sight of Gazans flowing in relentless streams is a sign of their hopes and dreams. By contrast, Israel is emptying out. Two million or more have left – bag, baggage, pension funds and investments. They see neither security nor peace as a prospect under the Zionists. Israeli coffers are emptying with the flight of people and capital and industry is at a standstill.

The progressive website Countercurrents.org website Kerala, India reports that “the death toll from Israel’s genocide in Gaza has reached 48,239, with 111,676 others injured, according to the Health Ministry on Thursday. Many bodies remain trapped under rubble and in the streets, with rescue teams unable to reach them due to ongoing Israeli restrictions. In the last 24 hours, 17 more bodies arrived at hospitals, including 14 recovered from the rubble and 3 killed or succumbed to injuries…Israel’s ongoing deadly assault in the occupied West Bank has nearly emptied several refugee camps. Some 40,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced since Israel’s military operation dubbed “Iron Wall” launched in the northern Jenin refugee camp on 21 January”.

Gazans need time to fully overcome damage from the ruthless killing spree and destruction of all things valued. Yet the audacious determination of the Palestinians and the colossal pledges of support from other Arab States, and wide sections of the international community, assure Gaza a new future. Egypt confidently announced its intentions to join the rebuilding rather than to create an entity that the USA prefers to auction for profit.

Trump refuses to countenance the exchange of hostages in drips and drabs. He wants all of the exchanges to happen ‘just now’. He has promised to let all hell loose if his wish and command does not work. He announces that we will then take over and own it and operate it. Callous imperialist arrogance!

In conversations with Palestinian comrades, I enquired their vision of the future as they viewed it. They reject the intimidation of the USA and the way Israel is confusing facts-on-the-ground. They speak with confidence that “in droves our people have returned to their homes in Gaza unafraid to face the wrath of Israel’s war machines”.

They steadfastly stand by the letter and spirit of the ceasefire agreement. Trump’s whims and fancies are wild ambitions and dreams and are already in the ashes of history. They assert: “We Palestinians are a people with dignity and rights and refuse to be pressed into solutions that are half-baked, and promoted by political know-nothings like Jared Kushner. They proudly claim: “Palestinian history in the land goes back millennia. Our roots are cultural, religious, and sociological”.

Countries like Egypt and Jordan who were once prone to support the USA-Israel alliance, are also training their guns on Trump’s proposals. King Abdullah II was seen as being intimated in his one-on-one with Trump. Away from the optics, he spoke more forthrightly. Arabs believe they have an Arab solution just as the Palestinians are convinced that they do not require a romantic-colonized ‘Riviera’ to replace the Gaza of their preference and design.  Not a single Arab trusts that Gazans will be allowed to return to Gaza once they are ethnically cleansed. This is a despicable bid to steal Gaza and replace the population.

The Arab League has collectively dismissed Trump’s plan with downright contempt. The world has slighted Trump’s devious proposal to shift the Gazan people to Jordan and Egypt because it “threatens the region’s stability, risk of expanding the conflict, and undermine prospects for peace and coexistence among its peoples.”

Netanyahu, probably the man most desperate for a face-saving formula, has suggested that Saudi Arabia could create a Palestinian State there. Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Prime Minister, struck down the idea with fury. Each idea of Trump and Netanyahu has come a cropper. After all, ethnic cleansing contradicts international law and there is zero tolerance for it.

It feels as if the ‘MAGA’ bunch of oligarchs sits together for brainstorming sessions on a ‘Future Search’ for Gaza and come up with wild ideas. With no connect to the ground and their eye exclusively on profit and self-advantage, they just don’t get it right.

Trump will shift uneasily and retract his grandiose plans and bullying threats with a face saver. He has angered far too many countries with his extreme covetousness. He wants Greenland, Canada, Panama Canal, and Gulf of Mexico as Americas. The outbursts from the EU, Canada, Mexico and the people of the street everywhere has exposed him as the most contemptible President that the USA has ever had.

The ‘Battle of tariffs’ is another one Trump is beginning to lose. He is ening weaker, more amenable countries to accept his foul deals. In his talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who derives huge satisfaction from having got a White House meeting with Trump, India may have just ended up with India on the losing side. In the optics of the Trump-Modi Bonhomie, Bhabani Shankar Nayak, political economist and Professor of Management, asks: “Is India Buying America’s Nuclear Junk?”

India is signing up to deals with the US that may not be in India’s interests. Trade arrangements and purchases will get more costly.  The US dollar will further rise and our economy will confront. Modi’s visit was no success story even though the Godi media will say it was. India must maintain its integrity. That is a tough ask of country that is essentially weak and under the control of a small band of oligarchs – just as in the USA. India’s democracy is much too weak. Dignity and assertion; these must constitute India’s leadership ideals, not caving in to bully USAQ. .

Trump treats the world as business under a command structure. This entire political extravaganza will crumble. Global politics cannot be handled as if it were sheer business. The manner in which Trump signs order after order in the presence of the media, and keeps his mind on other things, demonstrates that the USA will soon lose serious governance.  The oligarchs will desert him if the gains are not commensurate. He would soon lose qualified bureaucrats on the pretext he is fighting the deep-state. Under Elon Musk and the newly established DOGE (department of government ethics), power will shift to a small group of oligarchs. Trump will without doubt lose control; he is a tired and confused septuagenarian.  Trump is already looking fatigued and often sounds incoherent. He is fuzzy, repeats himself, and is ambiguous about his ideas. There is speculation that his health can displace him. The instability can have far-reaching ripple effects around the world.

China will, perhaps, deal USA it toughest blow. That trade war is on and it was the US started it with tariffs with harsh measures. China retaliated against US tariffs by imposing counter tariffs by imposing an additional 10% ad valorem duty on imports from China. China announced tariff measures targeting specific American products, with tariffs ranging from 10% to 25% ad valorem. These tariffs, which took effect on February 10, 2025, impact products such as coal, crude oil, liquefied natural gas, agricultural machinery, and large-engine vehicles. The USA will confront irreversible economic punishment. The US imposed tariffs on Chinese goods to address concerns over intellectual property theft, forced technology transfer, and trade imbalances. China has responded by imposing its own tariffs on US goods, leading to a tit-for-tat trade war. The impact of these tariffs is being felt by businesses and consumers on both sides, with increased costs and reduced trade volumes. The situation remains fluid, with further negotiations possible to mitigate the effects of these tariffs. Clearly China has the upper hand in this bitter war. Trump sought to patch up his blunders with made desperate calls to the Chinese President who refused to even take his calls.

With all the prevailing antagonism against the USA, Trump will have to climb down from his high horses. Trump threatened BRICS. Donald Trump has been quite vocal about his stance on BRICS nations, particularly regarding their efforts to reduce the US dollar’s dominance in global trade. He has threatened to impose 100% tariffs on BRICS countries if they pursue de-dollarization efforts.

He had warned that if BRICS nations want to proceed with de-dollarization, the US will respond with tariffs. The BRICS nations, which include Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa, and India, have been working towards reducing their dependence on the US dollar in global trade. They’ve been exploring alternative currencies and payment systems, which has led to tensions with the US.

BRICS has large and rapidly growing economies with a combined GDP of over $16 trillion.Each BRICS country has a unique economic profile, with strengths in industries

BRICS countries are home to numerous innovation hubs. Moreover, BRICS countries have over 3.2 billion people and a growing middle class who drive the engines of consumer demand and economic growth. They are strategically located, with access to key markets, resources, and trade routes and are increasingly influential in global governance, with membership in organizations like the G20, WTO, and IMF. With potential to enhance South-South cooperation, BRICS can open up partnerships among emerging economies. BRICS can dismiss the idea, but his dream is just that. A dream.

On the Ukraine front, Trump knows that Putin is a tough nut to crack. Russia has prevailed both on the battle field as well as diplomatically. Zelensky has to fend for himself simply because he is an illegitimate President. His own people barely trust him. EU countries will scream and shout but will not pay out and make the needed sacrifices. Trump sees greater benefit in dumping Zelensky who he has referred to as acutely corrupt, and a country on the brink. The skeletons are tumbling out of the cupboard.

These are challenging times and a new future is unfolding. The era of old-style colonialism could face demise if they continue undeterred. The new alliances that evolve should revitalize and remodel the UN and multilateral agencies so they neutralize the US as the hegemon. Global governance must discard and convert from the current western-dominated pattern to one which is universal and collective in their truest sense.

Ranjan Solomon is a political commentator

27 February 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

By Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor

Palestinian Territory – The Israeli Defence Minister has ordered the army to take control of three Palestinian refugee camps in the northern West Bank and block residents’ return. Euro-Med Monitor strongly condemns the move, which reveals a serious escalation of Israel’s apartheid and forced displacement practices against the Palestinian people, beginning with the 1948 Nakba.

The Israeli Defence Minister has publicly confirmed the expulsion of approximately 40,000 Palestinian refugees from the Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams refugee camps in the northern West Bank, citing the need for combat in order to dismantle “terrorist infrastructure” in these areas. What is actually occurring on the ground, however, is the mass displacement of Palestinians from their places of refuge, along with the destruction of their homes, livelihoods, and civilian infrastructure, including water, electricity, and roads. Israel clearly aims to create a new reality that will prevent their short- and long-term return.

The Israeli army’s actions amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, as they are conducting military operations in ways that flagrantly violate international law, which mandates the protection of civilians and civilian objects and prohibits their targeting or subjection to indiscriminate or excessive attacks. Such repeated and large-scale violations demonstrate Israel’s blatant disregard for its international legal obligations and pose a serious threat to the civilian population in the West Bank. Immediate international intervention is needed to ensure those responsible for these crimes are held accountable as swiftly as possible.

Moreover, the Israeli army’s deployment of tanks, its establishment of military sites within these refugee camps, and its prevention of residents’ right to return reflect a deliberate effort to impose a military fait accompli. These actions violate international law and effectively undermine the agreements under which the Palestinian National Authority was formed.

Euro-Med Monitor’s field team observed the movement of approximately three Israeli tanks late on Saturday evening. The tanks were travelling from Muqeible, near Israel’s Jalamah military checkpoint in Jenin, and positioning themselves near Jenin’s refugee camp, marking the first occurrence of its kind since 2002.

Israel’s deployment of tanks in densely populated residential areas within a purely civilian environment occurred 33 days after its army launched the large-scale “Operation Iron Wall” in Jenin and the Jenin refugee camp, which it later expanded to include Tulkarm and Tubas, leading to full Israeli control over the northern West Bank camps and the destruction of hundreds of homes. This indicates that the deployment of these heavy vehicles serves no security or military purpose, but is instead part of an Israeli attempt to establish military control over the region.

The Israeli army is systematically destroying the aforementioned areas despite there being no military necessity to do so, using bulldozers to pave new roads over the ruins of destroyed homes. Additionally, the army has been instructed to establish military sites within the camps in an apparent aim to alter the geographical reality of these areas and diminish the symbolic significance of the camps, which represent the Palestinian refugee cause following the displacement of Palestinians from their cities and villages in 1948. The presence of the Israeli army in these camps has destroyed any means of livelihood, leaving thousands of residents displaced, living either in temporary shelters or with relatives.

Euro-Med Monitor warns that Israel may attempt to impose a new fait accompli in all areas under Palestinian National Authority sovereignty, effectively breaking the agreements signed with it and nullifying its role in these areas. This could be a step towards annexing the West Bank and imposing Israeli sovereignty by force, which would be in line with the directives of right-wing Israeli ministers who have declared 2025 to be the year for sovereignty over the region.

Official Israeli statements suggest that the military assault will not be confined to the refugee camps in the northern West Bank, but will spread to other areas in both the northern and southern West Bank, putting hundreds of thousands of civilians at risk of death, injury, arrest, displacement, or loss of property.

Israel’s impunity over the past decades was made possible due to international inaction—or complicity—in the face of its crimes of aggression, apartheid, forced displacement, and land seizure over 77 years, as well as the global silence regarding the 15-month genocide in Gaza, has emboldened Israel to intensify and expand its aggression against the Palestinians and the territory it occupies. The ongoing lack of any deterrence or legal consequences increases the likelihood of more crimes being committed by Israel, which poses a serious threat not only to the rights of the Palestinian people but to the stability of the entire international system.

The recent advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Israeli policies and practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territory affirms the illegality of Israel’s presence in these areas. The Court confirmed that Israel must end its illegal presence as soon as possible, compensate those affected for their damages, and fulfil its other obligations toward the Palestinian people. The international community must exert effective pressure on Israel to adhere to international law, cease its military operations in the northern West Bank, withdraw from illegally occupied areas, allow residents to return, and halt its decades-long policy of destruction and displacement.

Euro-Med Monitor urges the international community to guarantee the rights of the Palestinian people to live in freedom and dignity; support their right to self-determination under international law; work to end the illegal Israeli occupation and settler colonialism in the Occupied Palestinian Territory; dismantle the system of apartheid and isolation imposed on Palestinians; lift the unlawful blockade on the Gaza Strip; ensure accountability for Israeli perpetrators; and guarantee the right of Palestinian victims to redress and justice.

Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor is a Geneva-based independent organization with regional offices across the MENA region and Europe

27 February 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

By Alfred de Zayas

One year ago, on 25 February 2024 the 25-year old US Airman Aaron Bushnell self-immolated in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C. to protest against the Israeli genocide of tens of thousands of Palestinians, he said that he refused to be “complicit in the genocide of Palestinians”, and as his body burnt in flames, he cried out six times “Free Palestine”.

The politicians in Washington, London, Paris and Berlin took no notice.  No one cared.  Washington and the Europeans continued delivering lethal weapons to Israel, weapons to kill more women and children.  And, indeed, since Aaron’s death, many tens of thousands have lost their lives under Israeli bombardment in Gaza, Palestine and Lebanon.

The International Court of Justice has issued three orders requiring Israel to stop the killing.  Orders that were ignored by Israel.  The ICJ also issued an Advisory Opinion on 19 July 2024 specifically ruling that the Israeli occupation was illegal, demanding its termination and the payment of compensation to the Palestinian victims. To no avail, because Washinton, London, Paris and Berlin are all complicit.

On 27 February 2024 I published an article honouring Aaron Bushnell.  Allow me to quote from that article[2]:

“The live-streaming and subsequent videos of US active duty airman Aaron Bushnell’s extreme sacrifice in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C. on Sunday 25 February 2024 should make us reflect on the complicity of our governments in the on-going genocide being perpetrated by Israel on the hapless Palestinian people….

The self-immolation brings back memories of the Vietnamese monks who self-immolated in the 1960s in protest against the oppressive Saigon government and the US aggression of their country. Further self-immolations took place in the United States, including on 16 March 1965, Alice Herz, an 82-year old peace activist, in front of the Federal Department Store in Detroit, Norman Morrison, a 31-year old Quaker pacifist, who poured kerosene over himself and set himself alight outside the Pentagon, and Robert LaPorte in front of the United Nations.

It reminds us of the Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi who in 2010 self-immolated in protest against the police brutality of the Tunisian government, and whose sacrifice was the occasion that triggered what came to be known as the ‘Arab spring’, and which I consider more like a neo-colonial effort on the part of the US and Europe to cement their control in the MENA region….

Aaron Bushnell, a young man of 25 with all of his life before him, performed the ultimate protest to make the point against the indifference of the world in the face of the Israeli genocide in Gaza, a continuing tragedy which Professor Norman Finkelstein has documented in his comprehensive book GAZA[3] and in his numerous articles and television appearances.

On the video, minutes before setting himself ablaze, Bushnell said with a quiet, measured, resolute voice:  “I am about to engage in an extreme act of protest, but compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers, it’s not extreme at all.”  Bushnell was a respected and loved cyber defence operations specialist with the 531st intelligence support squadron at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas.

In an interview with Newsweek Senator Bernie Sanders said “It’s obviously a terrible tragedy, but I think it speaks to the depths of despair that so many people are feeling now about the horrific humanitarian disaster taking place in Gaza, and I share those deep concerns…. The United States has got to stand up to Netanyahu and make sure this does not continue.”[4]

Yes, a genocide is unfolding before our eyes.  Articles 2 and 3 of the Genocide Convention are clearly engaged, and the issue of “intent” is overwhelmingly established in pages 57-69 of the legal brief submitted by South Africa to the ICJ.  On television and the internet we watch the bombardments of hospitals, schools, UN shelters.

While the entire world is clamouring for a cease-fire, the U.S. government abused the veto power in the Security Council three times to block the three draft resolutions on a cease-fire….

On 26 January 2024 the International Court of Justice issued a comprehensive order of “provisional measures”[5] of protection, an injunction, which is legally binding under article 41 of the Statute of the ICJ, and which Israel has systematically violated, as it violated the ICJ’s earlier Advisory Opinion on the Wall, dated 9 July 2004[6].

On 16 February the ICJ published a decision on the South African second request for additional measures of protection:

“The Court notes that the most recent developments in the Gaza Strip, and in Rafah in particular, ‘would exponentially increase what is already a humanitarian nightmare with untold regional consequences’, as stated by the United Nations Secretary-General (Remarks to the General Assembly on priorities for 2024 (7 Feb. 2024)). This perilous situation demands immediate and effective implementation of the provisional measures indicated by the Court in its Order of 26 January 2024, which are applicable throughout the Gaza Strip, including in Rafah, and does not demand the indication of additional provisional measures. The Court emphasizes that the State of Israel remains bound to fully comply with its obligations under the Genocide Convention and with the said Order, including by ensuring the safety and security of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.”[7]…

While I understand Aaron Bushnell’s motivation and his noble hope that his self-immolation would make an impact on our politicians, I fear that the deep-seated cynicism in the US and Israeli governments and the cavalier attitude of the mainstream media will effectively give carte blanche to … Netanyahu, who will continue ignoring all calls for a cease-fire and will very soon “cancel” the memory of Bushnell’s sacrifice….

It is rare to see someone today actually following his principles and going through to the ultimate (and excruciatingly painful) sacrifice.  In my opinion, and in that of many peace-activists, it would have been more sensible to live for the cause of peace and not to die in protest against a criminal war.  Peace-making is work-in-progress, a daily commitment.

The deconstruction and desacralization of Western society has made gestures as Aaron Bushnell’s harder to relate to than in the past, because our society has lost its moral compass, its capacity for empathy. Indeed, Western society is impregnated with cynicism to such a degree that a sacrifice for a cause greater than oneself seems incomprehensible, a far harder concept to grasp intellectually — let alone feel — for modern rootless materialists. …

I urge fellow Americans and the US military, especially Bushnell’s Airforce comrades,  to demand that the US government stop supplying arms to Israel immediately and that the US cease blocking the Security Council when a resolution is tabled by Algeria or any other country.

We know that the world stood and watched when Pol Pot massacred his own people in Cambodia in the 1970s, the world did nothing to stop the Rwandan genocide of 1994.  Today it is up to us to demand accountability.  We must all stand together against the genocide in Gaza.

And if we really mean it, we should pray for all the victims of this senseless slaughter in Gaza, we should also pray for the soul of Senior Airman Bushnell.  I would like to see a bronze monument erected to him, exactly where he self-immolated himself.  His extreme sacrifice must not be forgotten.

As a practising Catholic, I will have Masses read for his soul.  I also extend my deepest sympathies to his family and friends.  God bless his soul….”

On the night of 8 March 2024 Dave Clennon[8], a former US Air Force Training Corps member, delivered a eulogy at a vigil held for Aaron Bushnell at the Venice Pier over the Pacific Ocean in Los Angeles, California.  Clenon said : “I do not know how to express the reverence, and the gratitude, and the sense of loss we all feel about Aaron Bushnell. All I can say is, ‘Aaron, our brother, we thank you, we bless you, we grieve you, and we will honor you, by our actions. We will carry on your struggle.’… Aaron Bushnell knew he was serving in an Air Force that was supplying bombs and rockets to the ruthless, vicious, Israeli pilots, and navigators, who are slaughtering the people of Gaza, with no mercy, and not the slightest sign of remorse. Because he knew that he was serving a radical evil, Aaron liberated himself from that unholy force, by an act of divine violence….In defiance of his criminal government, Aaron martyred himself.”

On 10 March 2024 the West Bank city of Jericho renamed a road after Aaron Bushnell. The mayor revealed the new sign of Aaron Bushnell Street in front of a small gathering of people. Bushnell “sacrificed everything” for the Palestinians, said Jericho mayor Abdul Karim Sidr.[9]

On the first anniversary of Aaron Bushnell’s death, let us reflect on the meaning of his act. Let us work for peace and reconciliation throughout the world.

Prof. Dr. Alfred de Zayas is a US and Swiss citizen, residing in Geneva, Switzerland.

26 February 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

By Ramzy Baroud

Decolonizing solidarity is now an urgent task. There is no time to waste when the very existence of Palestinians in their historic land is at stake.

We have long argued that the Israeli war and genocide in Gaza must catalyze a change in the overall political discourse on Israel and Palestine, particularly regarding the need to free Palestine from the confines of victimhood. This shift is necessary to create space where the Palestinian people are seen as central to their own struggle.

It is unfortunate that centering a nation in a conversation about its own freedom from colonialism and military occupation requires years of advocacy. But this is the reality Palestinians face—often due to circumstances far beyond their control.

As outrageous as US President Donald Trump’s comments about purchasing Gaza were, they were a crude interpretation of a pre-existing culture that viewed Palestinians as marginal actors in their own story. While previous US administrations and their Western allies didn’t use such blatant language as Trump’s “taking over the Gaza Strip” they did treat Palestinians as irrelevant to how the West perceived the “solution” to the “conflict,” a language that rarely adhered to international and humanitarian laws.

For many Palestinian intellectuals, the fight for justice has been waged on two fronts: one to challenge global misconceptions about Palestine and the Palestinian people, and the other to reclaim the narrative altogether.

Recently, I have argued that reclaiming the narrative by centering Palestinian voices is not enough. Many of these supposedly “authentic” Palestinians do not represent the collective aspirations of the Palestinian people.

This argument responds to the Western exposition of certain types of Palestinians whose narratives do not directly challenge Western complicity in the Israeli occupation and war. These voices often focus on highlighting the victimization component of the ‘conflict’, often indicating that ‘both sides’ should be equally supported – or blamed.

Decolonizing Solidarity w/ Dr. Mads Gilbert

This is why it was refreshing to talk with the iconic Norwegian emergency medicine doctor, Mads Gilbert, who is fighting to decolonize the concept of solidarity in medicine—and, by extension, western solidarity as a whole.

Dr. Gilbert has spent much of his career working in Gaza, as well as among Palestinian doctors and communities in the West Bank and Lebanon. Since the start of the war, he has remained one of the most tireless voices in exposing the Israeli genocide in the Strip.

Our conversation touched on many subjects, including a term he coined: “evidence-based solidarity.” This concept applies evidence-based practice in medicine to all aspects of solidarity, both within and beyond Palestine.

It means that solidarity becomes more meaningful when it is supported by the kind of information that guarantees the support does more good than harm.

A good example was his explanation of the field hospital as a strategy to cope with man-made crises, such as the genocide in Gaza. Our discussion elaborated on an article by Dr. Gilbert and other colleagues, published on February 5 in the medical journal BMC, entitled “Realising Health Justice in Palestine: Beyond Humanitarian Voices.”

The article was a critical response to another piece, published last May by Karl Blanchet and others, entitled “Rebuilding the Health Sector in Gaza: Alternative Humanitarian Voices.” Dr. Gilbert found the original article reductionist for failing to recognize that the crisis in Gaza was “entirely manufactured” and for overlooking the centrality of “Palestinian perspectives.”

This conversation may seem rhetorical until it is placed within its practical context. Field hospitals, which could be seen as the ultimate act of solidarity, in Dr. Gilbert’s view, often deplete local resources and exacerbate the challenges facing Palestinian healthcare.

He pointed out how the establishment of these temporary foreign-run facilities can contribute to a “brain drain,” while simultaneously exhausting the local healthcare system by creating parallel structures that, despite being well-funded, do not integrate with the native system.

According to Dr. Gilbert, these efforts divert critical resources away from the urgent task of rebuilding and restoring Palestinian hospitals and providing fair wages for the dedicated healthcare workers—doctors, nurses, paramedics, and midwives—who are integral to the local medical infrastructure.

It must be frustrating for Palestinian medics, hundreds of whom have been killed in the Israeli genocide on Gaza, to watch others have a conversation about helping Gaza without acknowledging the vital role of the Palestinian Ministry of Health and local hospitals and clinics. They fail to recognize the unmatched experience—let alone the resilience—of the Gaza medical community, which has proven to be one of the most durable and resourceful anywhere in the world.

This is but a manifestation of a much larger issue: the West, whether “evil-doers” or “good-doers,” insists on seeing the Palestinian as an outsider—either to be removed from Gaza altogether or treated as a person with no relevant input, no worthy experience, and no agency.

Many often engage in this thinking, while assuming they are indeed helping the Palestinians.

But the genocide should serve as the watershed moment for these conversations to escape the academic realm and enter the public sphere, where the centrality of the truly representative Palestinian experience becomes the litmus test for any outside ‘proposals,’ ‘plans,’ ‘solutions,’ or even solidarity.

As for the latter, decolonizing solidarity is now an urgent task. There is no time to waste when the very existence of Palestinians in their historic land is at stake.

25 February 2025

Source: palestinechronicle.com

By MEE staff

Hunter College was ordered to remove two job postings for Palestinian studies positions by the Democratic governor of New York in the latest targeting of academic freedom in the state.

Hunter College – which makes up one of City University of New York’s (Cuny) 25 campuses – advertised it was seeking both humanities and social sciences faculty to take “a critical lens to issues pertaining to Palestine including but not limited to: settler colonialism, genocide, human rights, apartheid, migration, climate and infrastructure devastation, health, race, gender and sexuality”.

The roles were announced Monday afternoon after they were posted on Cuny’s website, but the posts were removed by mid-week.

In a Bluesky post announcing the roles, sociology professor Heba Gowayed said on Monday, “I am so pleased to announce a Palestinian Studies cluster hire. This is an incredible source of pride for me as a faculty member and one of the many reasons that I feel so lucky to work here.”

She also said she felt like “the luckiest person in academia…Proud of Hunter administration for being a voice for justice in the face of so much horror.”

By the next day, on Tuesday, Governor Kathy Hochul had taken action to order the postings be removed “to ensure that antisemitic theories are not promoted in the classroom”, according to a statement that The New York Post said her office had issued.

The very same day, Cuny chancellor Felix Rodríguez and board of trustees chairperson William C Thompson Jr capitulated and announced they agreed with Hochul’s decision to remove the postings, and the university would continue to “tackle antisemitism”.

In a joint statement, they said: “We find this language divisive, polarizing and inappropriate and strongly agree with Governor Hochul’s direction to remove this posting, which we have ensured Hunter College has since done. CUNY will continue working with the Governor and other stakeholders to tackle antisemitism on our campuses and combat hate in all of its forms.”

By Wednesday, the postings had been taken down. The same day, Gowayed said she was “feeling grief at the dehumanization inherent to all this”.

The Professional Staff Congress, a labour union representing 30,000 faculty and staff at Cuny, hit back at the removal of the postings, calling it “a violation of academic freedom” at Hunter College, in a letter to Hochul and Rodriguez.

“We oppose antisemitism and all forms of hate, but this move is counterproductive. It is an overreach of authority to rule an entire area of academic study out of bounds,” the letter said.

A protest will be held at City College at 2:45pm on Thursday local time to oppose Hochul’s order to remove the job postings.

Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond.

27 February 2025

Source: middleeasteye.net