Comment by Riaz Haq on February 6, 2022 at 6:59pm

#China, #Pakistan hit out at #India's ‘unilateral’ #Kashmir moves. Both will back each other on “core interests”. Kashmir “should be properly and peacefully resolved based on the UN Charter, relevant Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements” https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/china-pak-hit-out-at-un...

China and Pakistan on Sunday said they opposed “unilateral actions that complicate” the Kashmir issue, as they pledged closer ties following a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.

A joint statement released following their meeting in Beijing said “both sides reiterated their support on issues concerning each other’s core interests” and “underscored that stronger defence and security cooperation between Pakistan and China was an important factor of peace and stability in the region.”

Mr. Khan attended the opening of the Winter Olympics on Friday, which India has boycotted following the use of a PLA commander in the torch relay, and also held talks with Premier and second-ranked leader Li Keqiang prior to his meeting with Mr. Xi.

The joint statement following Sunday’s talks said Pakistan was committed to a “One-China Policy and support for China on Taiwan, South China Sea, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet.” China, for its part, “reaffirmed its support for Pakistan in safeguarding its sovereignty, independence and security, as well as promoting its socio-economic development and prosperity.”

“Both sides reiterated that a peaceful and prosperous South Asia is in the common interest of all parties,” the statement said, adding that “they emphasised the importance of pursuit of dialogue and resolution of all outstanding disputes to promote regional cooperation and advance the goals of lasting peace, stability and shared prosperity in the region.”

On Kashmir, the statement said Mr. Khan “briefed the Chinese side on the latest developments on the situation in Jammu & Kashmir, including its concerns, position and pressing issues at the moment.”

China repeated its official stance that the issue “should be properly and peacefully resolved based on the UN Charter, relevant Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements” and said it “opposes any unilateral actions that complicate the situation”. Beijing had in 2019 voiced opposition to India’s reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir and creation of Ladakh union territory calling it a “unilateral action”.

A readout from Islamabad on Mr. Khan’s remarks to Mr. Xi, published by the official Associated Press of Pakistan, quoted the Pakistani leader as hitting out at India. He claimed that “the persecution of minorities in India in advancing the Hindutva mindset of RSS-BJP, was a threat to regional peace and stability” and “that the rapid militarisation of India was undermining regional stability.”

Those comments and references to India were not mentioned in the Chinese readout, which quoted Mr. Xi as saying “the strategic significance of China-Pakistan relations is getting more prominent since the world has entered a period of turbulence and transformation.”

Mr. Xi said China “firmly supports Pakistan in safeguarding national independence, sovereignty, dignity and fighting terrorism” and would continue supporting the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Both sides on Friday signed an agreement to boost industrial cooperation as part of the second phase of CPEC.

The joint statement said the two sides discussed the situation in Afghanistan and the need to expedite humanitarian aid, and said both sides were “ready to discuss with Afghanistan the extension of CPEC to Afghanistan.”

Comment by Riaz Haq on February 7, 2022 at 10:38am

#Hyundai trolled by #Modi Bhakts in #India after Pakistani partner tweets on #Kashmir. #Pakistan marked the annual #KashmirSolidarityDay and the posts on behalf of Hyundai's partner Nishat Group appeared on #SocialMedia, expressing support for #Kashmiris. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/hyundai-suffers-backlash...

Hundreds of social media users in India, which considers the whole of Kashmir as an integral part of the country, backed calls for a boycott, saying Hyundai must apologise for being insensitive to India's position on the decades-old dispute.

Dozens of Indians posted their intention to cancel orders for Hyundai cars in order to punish the company while urging support for homegrown brands like Tata Motors (TAMO.NS) and Mahindra & Mahindra (MAHM.NS).

Responding to the furore, Hyundai's India unit said that it has a "zero tolerance policy towards insensitive communication and we strongly condemn any such view".

"The unsolicited social media post linking Hyundai Motor India is offending our unparalleled commitment and service to this great country," @HyundaiIndia said, adding that it stands firmly behind its "strong ethos of respecting nationalism"

Reuters requested comment from Hyundai's headquarters in Seoul and from Nishat Group, Pakistan's largest business conglomerate, but did not receive any immediate response.

Hyundai is India's second-largest car seller after Maruti Suzuki (MRTI.NS) selling close to half a million vehicles in the country last fiscal year and exporting over a million units, making it India's largest car exporter.

Ashwani Mahajan, an official at the economic wing of the powerful Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) group with close ties to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government said Hyundai should clarify its position on Kashmir.

"While not criticising @HyundaiPakistan Indian arm of @Hyundai_Global is not even saying that Kashmir is an integral part of India. Speaks tons about their commitment to India. Doesn't this call for #BoycottHyundai?", he said.

Indian Twitter user Ashutosh Soni said he has cancelled his booking for Hyundai's Verna sedan which was due to be delivered this month and purchased a car from rival Honda Motor (7267.T).

"#BoycottHyundai, that's it!", Soni tweeted from his handle @CA_AshutoshSoni on Sunday, along with a photograph of himself taking delivery of a new Honda car.

"Let's make them bankrupt. India is one of the biggest market for cars," filmmaker and social activist, Ashoke Pandit said on Twitter with a screenshot of a fall in Hyundai's share price on Monday.

While Hyundai's share fell 1.25% on Monday, weakening more than Seoul's benchmark index (.KS11), the main factors behind the drop were concerns over record numbers of COVID-19 cases in South Korea, and ongoing worries that a global chip shortage could hit production and sales.

The trouble over the social media post highlights the risks global companies face amid rising nationalism in the region.

India and Pakistan have twice gone to war over Muslim majority Kashmir and Modi's government has pursued an aggressive policy to combat a militant separatist insurgency that it accuses Pakistan of stoking. Islamabad denies the charge but says it provides moral and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people.

Twitter users in India have made similar calls in the past, seeking to boycott Chinese goods in 2020 after a border clash between the two Asian giants which disrupted automobile supply chains and other industries. Amazon.com Inc has also faced social media backlash in India after its overseas website was found selling goods with faces of Hindu gods and other sacred symbols.

Comment by Riaz Haq on February 12, 2022 at 4:29pm

“#Islamophobia is taking its most lethal form in #India.”

World-renowned scholar Noam Chomsky says #India is turning #Muslims into a ‘persecuted minority’
#KashmirRejectsIndia

https://twitter.com/iMAKsays/status/1492604790349733891?s=20&t=...

---------

WASHINGTON: Noam Chomsky, a leading American intellectual, said Islamophobia has taken a “most lethal form” in India, turning its 250 million-strong Muslim population into a “persecuted minority”.

“The pathology of Islamophobia is growing throughout the West — it is taking its most lethal form in India,” the activist, who is also Professor Emeritus at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), said in a video message to a webinar organised by the Indian American Muslim Council, a Washington-based advocacy organisation.

Apart from Chomsky, several other academics and activists took part in the webinar on “Worsening Hate Speech and Violence in India”.

Chomsky also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s right-wing Hindu nationalist regime has sharply escalated the “crimes” in Indian-occupied Kashmir.

“The crimes in Kashmir have a long history,” he said, adding the state was now a “brutally occupied territory and its military control in some ways is similar to occupied Palestine”.

https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2022/02/12/india-turned-muslims-in...

Comment by Riaz Haq on February 17, 2022 at 11:04am

Silicon Valley Hindus Rally For Yogi & Modi

https://youtu.be/qplCI6hmdMA

https://www.opindia.com/2022/02/nri-car-rally-america-silicon-valle...

Comment by Riaz Haq on March 30, 2022 at 7:20pm

Opinion by @RanaAyyub | I tried watching ‘The Kashmir Files.’ I left the theater to screams of ‘Go to Pakistan.’ #Hate in #India now packs courts and movie theaters — and my despair is giving way to fear. The dark forces seem more invincible than ever. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/03/29/india-movie-kash...

The collective conscience of India is being altered beyond repair with hatred so potent that it even consumes the seemingly most unlikely people — such as the elderly man who arrived in a wheelchair to the theater to watch “The Kashmir Files.”

Two weeks ago, I gathered the courage to go watch the film against the advice of family and friends. “The Kashmir Files,” which portrays the exodus in the 1990s of Kashmiri Pandits, a minority Hindu community, has triggered anti-Muslim hate chants in theaters across India. As soon as I entered the theater in Mumbai, the audience broke into cries of “Bharat Mata ki jai” (Glory to India), a nationalist chant that has been repeatedly weaponized against Muslims. The man in the wheelchair soon joined the chants of “Sab mulle aatankwaadi” (Muslims are terrorists).

I left before the movie even began. I tried again the next day. A group of teenagers sitting in the front row soon began chanting “Bharat Mata ki jai.” I was seated in the fourth row, between an expectant mother and an elderly man who spoke proudly of how history in India was being redeemed under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The film began, and within 20 minutes there were disturbing scenes of Muslims lusting after Hindu women and a Muslim neighbor betraying his Hindu friend to support terrorism. There were scenes of Muslim kids flaunting Kalashnikovs and insulting Hindu deities. At one point in the movie, a Muslim militant tells a Kashmiri Hindu who wore attire depicting a Hindu god that only those chanting “Allahu akbar” will be allowed to flourish in Kashmir.

That’s when the audience started chanting “Jai Shri Ram” (Glory to Lord Ram). The teens in the front row whistled and started clapping at the slogans. Scenes of Muslims in skullcaps brutally murdering Hindus drew painful gasps from the audience.

The expectant mother seated next to me turned to her husband: “These Muslims are born bastards.” Unable to take the hate, I informed them that I am a Muslim and the language they were using was hate speech against my community. “Hate is what your religion teaches, not ours,” the woman responded. Others seated near us started cheering her statement, and I left the theater, just 30 minutes into the movie, feeling humiliated and physically unsafe. A man yelled at me “Ja Pakistan!” (Go to Pakistan).

When I complained to a theater manager about being heckled and abused, he gave a blank look. The film has been a box-office hit. The theaters are packed. The Indian government has even given the film tax privileges, deeming it important for the well-being of the country. That means audiences can buy the tickets at cheaper rates.

The next day, Modi met the cast and crew of the film. In a televised speech, the prime minister mocked the criticism, saying, “Those who always carry the flag of freedom of expression, this entire group has been rattled these past five to six days.”

I’ve written before about the power these films have to stir nationalist fervor and Islamophobic hatred. It’s now a proven formula. But the record-breaking success of “The Kashmir Files” has taken the propaganda to a genocidal level. The film is dominating all discussions. The head of government promotes it while large networks dedicate hours of programming to extolling the bravado in the film.

Comment by Riaz Haq on March 31, 2022 at 4:26pm

Sam
@SamKhan999
Arun Shourie quoting his ex boss owner of Indian Express Newspaper Ramnath Goenka, He quotes Goenka on a Muslim being hired as editor. Upper Caste Hindus are inherently #Islamophobic and so casual about it. They feel it’s normal

https://twitter.com/SamKhan999/status/1509425590750748674?s=20&...

https://twitter.com/i/status/1509425590750748674

Comment by Riaz Haq on April 8, 2022 at 8:04pm

#Hatespeech and death threats: #Canadian academics harassed after criticizing #Hindu nationalism in #India. "There is a growing violence against Muslims and Dalits," said Jangam, who is #Dalit. #Islamophobia #caste | CBC News

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/academics-harassed-criticism-india-p...


Chinnaiah Jangam opened his computer and saw a cartoon of himself cleaning a white person's boots.

The history professor at Carleton University in Ottawa said he received thousands of hateful emails like that over the past five years, along with abusive voicemails on his office phone. He said he has also been accosted in person by groups picketing his academic lectures because they disagree with his politics.

"Imagine every Monday, you get up and see that picture," said Jangam. "Half your day will go, coming to terms with it."

He closed most of his social media accounts in response, in part, he said, to try to shield his family.

Jangam is one of several Canadian academics whose work relates to India who say they are being harassed and threatened by diaspora groups for being critical of both the country's politics under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Hindutva, the right-wing political ideology it espouses.

"There is a growing violence against Muslims and Dalits," said Jangam, who is Dalit — the lowest strata of the Hindu caste system. It's a group previously called "untouchables" because their low status meant they weren't even touched by others.

"I come from that background. I have a social responsibility and also moral responsibility to speak out."

Steven Zhou, a former researcher with the Canadian Anti-Hate Network who has chronicled far right movements within diaspora groups, said Hindutva is a superficial politicization of Hinduism.

Its aim, said Zhou, is "to cast the Indian society as one that should be for Hindus first and foremost above other religious minorities."

Zhou said Hindutva is a modern political ideology that advocates for Hindu supremacy and seeks to transform India, a secular democracy, into an ethno-religious country.

Although the supremacist ideology of Hindutva has its roots in Hinduism, there is debate as to whether the political aspects of the ideology can be separated from its religious and cultural foundation. Many academics argue it is separate.

Gopala Krishna, director of Dwarapalakas, a self-described Hindu advocacy group in the Greater Toronto Area, said Canadians don't understand Hinduism and are presently getting their perspectives from "non-Hindu religions talking to and talking down to Hinduism."

Sectarian violence
Zhou said the Hindutva ideology has led to discrimination and sectarian violence against minority groups in India such as Muslims and Christians. Human Rights Watch has also attributed religious and ethnic violence to alleged Hindutva groups.

In December 2021, in the northern Indian city of Haridwar, Hindu religious leaders openly called for a genocide against Muslims at a Hindutva-organized event. And in March, an Indian court upheld a ban against hijabs in schools — the matter is before the Supreme Court of India.

Zhou said while Hindutva has not led to physical violence in Canada, the ideology has become "rhetorically violent" and is used to silence academic criticism of Indian politics.

Comment by Riaz Haq on April 8, 2022 at 8:06pm

Saffron Terror and Hindutva Ideology - Australian Institute of International Affairs - Australian Institute of International Affairs

https://www.internationalaffairs.org.au/australianoutlook/saffron-t...

Shining India under Saffron Terror

When minorities, particularly Muslims, are assaulted by saffron terrorists, they are often forced to recite “Jai Shri Ram,” a slogan raised for the glorification of Hindu lord Rama, or else are offered a life-or-death choice: to accept Hinduism as their religion or be killed. Such situations occur throughout India, whether in Assam’s Barpeta District or Mumbai’s crowded streets. The horrifying images of a photojournalist trampling the body of a Muslim man who had been killed by state police illustrate the state-sponsored brutality.

Comment by Riaz Haq on April 8, 2022 at 8:08pm

Citing Indian High Commission Interference, 13 Academics Resign From Australia India Institute

In a letter, the academics wrote that research work "unflattering" to the image of India has repeatedly been junked and that official events often "carried the flavour of propaganda".

https://thewire.in/world/citing-indian-high-commission-interference...

A group of 13 academic fellows has resigned from the Australia India Institute (AII) of the University of Melbourne citing interference from the Indian High Commission to Australia and shrinking academic space as a consequence, Australian daily the Age reported.

On March 29, the fellows signed and sent a letter to Melbourne University vice-chancellor Duncan Maskell in which they alleged that the high commission has repeatedly interfered with the institute’s work and research. Views that are “unflattering” to India’s image have repeatedly been junked, they said.

The fellows who resigned worked across various disciplines and universities and held unpaid posts.

The newspaper also reported that a similar letter had been sent to the university’s deputy vice-chancellor, international, Michael Wesley in 2020 in which academics expressed concerns that the AII’s focus on bilateral ties between India and Australia was getting in the way of scholars engaging with topics which might displease the Modi government.

The AII was formed in 2009 as an initiative to strengthen ties between the two countries amid numerous reports of attacks on Indian students in Australia. The government of erstwhile Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd had given Melbourne University a $8 million grant to establish the institute.

The vision of the AII, as stated on its website, is to be “Australia’s leading authority on the Australia-India relationship and the principal convener of strategic dialogue between the two nations.” 

The 2020 letter said that the academics hoped that values such as ‘academic freedom’, ‘scholarly dissent’, ‘impartiality and independence’ and the like would find space in the AII’s future. Here, the letter also cited the Union government’s use of sedition laws to curtail free speech and incarceration of academics, journalists and human rights defenders, without evidence, due process or bail.

The Modi government has come under fire from several corners, both within and outside the country for its increasingly frequent use of laws such as the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, an anti-terror legislation, on activists and rights defenders. 

The 2020 letter also alleges that official events at the institute have “carried the flavour of propaganda” and that events which were “likely to be controversial” were discouraged, which they also relate to the high commission’s interest in the AII.

In that letter, the signatories called for AII’s scope to be “broader than the bilateral relationship between the governments of the day” rather than carry out “think-tank type” activities designed to promote official engagement. While acknowledging the benefits the goodwill of the Indian government brings (such as easier access to visas and so on), the signatories said these considerations should not “dilute the universities commitments to academic freedom.”

Apart from this, the 2020 letter also called for a new director for the institute who would stand up for its independence against “forces which try to influence its activities” as well as having adequate knowledge to promote scholarly research on India.

Also read: It’s Time for the Government To Redeem Itself and Repeal the UAPA

In the present letter, the academics express doubts about the institute’s “quasi-diplomatic focus” being consistent with the mission of the university.

The newspaper spoke to one of the letter’s signatories, who wished to remain anonymous, and reported that one such controversial event, ‘Keywords for India: Violence’ which discussed the ongoing violence being perpetrated by Hindu nationalist groups against Muslims and other minorities in India, was initially billed as a public event but was eventually downgraded into a private, invite-only seminar.

The last few weeks have seen reports from across the country on Muslim journalists attacked by a Hindutva mob in Delhi’s Burari; Muslim traders being barred from selling their wares in and around Hindu temples; calls to boycott ‘halal’ meat, and many more such incidents.

The March letter provides another example academic freedom being stifled. Following attempts to behead a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Melbourne, two AII fellows prepared a piece discussing attacks on Gandhi. However, the institute refused to publish the same, while it was successfully published in the journal of another college. Moreover, a podcast by the same two fellows was not put up on the institutes website.

“We think that those who engage in such critical scholarship, despite facing hate from supremacist groups, should be supported rather than silenced. In this context, the Aii not supporting the fellows is deeply concerning,” the letter read.

The letter goes on to note a “troubling lack of diversity” in among distinguished follows and says that they mostly consist of “white men”, with only two of the 11 distinguished fellows being women. The letter also says that there is a failure within the institute to respect fellows with long-standing experience in South Asia.

Another report by Australian media start-up South Asian Today notes that in the letter, the fellows also raised the matter of their lack of involvement in appointing the AII’s CEO, Australian MP Lisa Singh. The academics had reportedly discussed the selection of two “finalists” at length, yet Singh, who has not been mentioned as being in the running, was appointed to the post without any further deliberations.

Also read: Hijab, Halal and Sexually Trained Males: Hindutva’s Anxieties About...

Moreover, the report detailed instances of fellows’ names being removed from the AII’s website and their employment being terminated without any prior notice. 

In response to the March letter, the university argued that the restrictions imposed on the work of the academics were “not restrictions of academic freedom, but rather are an exercise based on editorial judgement as practiced by academic institutions everywhere”.

While the university said it respects the decisions of the academic fellows, it also highlighted the importance of the Australia-India relationship, saying that it was “deeply committed to growing and building our ties with India,”

“The University of Melbourne is committed to academic freedom and freedom of speech. They are central to our core values and identity. The University has been working on strengthening our policies in this area for the past two years and take any allegations of this nature very seriously,” the Age quoted the university as saying.

The Indian High Commission, in a statement, said that the University of Melbourne “responded suitably to the story” and that the issue was “not a matter for the High Commission of India to comment on,” as detailed in the Age report.

Ties between the two countries have received a boost recently after the signing of the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement on April 2, by which import duties on Australian goods coming into India and vice-versa will be slashed.

Following the signing of the trade agreement, minister of commerce and industry Piyush Goyal and his Australian counterpart Dan Tehan on April 6 held talks at an event hosted by the AII.

Comment by Riaz Haq on April 16, 2022 at 7:40am

#US Professor Calls #India "Sh*****E". "They're taught that they are better than everybody else because they are Brahmin elites and yet, on some level, their country is a sh*thole,” UPennProfessor Amy Wax said. #Caste #Brahmin #Xenophobia #Hindu https://www.ndtv.com/indians-abroad/us-professor-calls-india-sh-e-i... via @ndtv

Leading Indian-Americans, including US Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, have slammed a law professor from University of Pennsylvania for her disparaging comments about the Asian American community, with a specific disdain for Indian-Americans.
In a recent interview to Fox News, Prof Amy Wax from the University of Pennsylvania alleged that “Blacks” and “non-Western” groups have “a tremendous amount of resentment and shame against western people for [their] outsized achievements and contributions.” “Here's the problem. They're taught that they are better than everybody else because they are Brahmin elites and yet, on some level, their country is a sh*thole,” Wax, who has a long history of inflammatory remarks, said.

She also said that the westerners have outgunned and outclassed the Asian Americans in every way.

“They've realised that we've outgunned and outclassed them in every way… They feel anger. They feel envy. They feel shame. It creates ingratitude of the most monstrous kind,” she said.

Wax then targeted the influential Indian-American doctors' community as well. “They are on the ramparts for the antiracism initiative for ‘dump on America,'” she alleged.

The comment was condemned by the Indian-Americans across the US.

“After President Trump left office, I thought the days of calling others “shithole” countries were over,” Krishnamoorthi said in a tweet.

“As an Indian-American immigrant, I'm disgusted to hear this UPenn Professor define Indian-American immigrants, and all non-white Americans, in such insulting terms,” he said.

Stating that such comments are borne of hatred and fear, he emphasised that such talks make it much harder to accomplish common-sense immigration reform.

“Comments like these are borne of hatred and fear, and they lead to real harm for my constituents and our minority communities. They fuel hate crimes against minorities, and they make it much harder to accomplish common-sense immigration reform,” Krishnamoorthi said.

Indian-American Law professor Neil Makhija also slammed Wax for her comments.

“It's irresponsible to use your position to lend credibility to these overtly racist sentiments that don't recognise Indian-Americans for who we are," he told Axios.

Indian-American Impact is slated to hold a summit next month in DC Makjiha told Axios he's planning to adjust programming to discuss the incident and create solutions against anti-Asian and South Asian hate in educational settings.

“The most unfortunate thing is that we have a lot of brilliant and incredible students at the law school,” he told NBC News.

“It makes you question whether she can fairly grade or educate,” he said.

This is not the first time Wax's controversial comments about race have gone viral, the US media reported.

Her appearance on Carlson's show is not the first time Wax has made anti-Asian remarks. In an interview in December, she said that Indians Americans should be more “grateful” to be in the US and that the country would be “better off with fewer Asians.” Penn has confirmed that the school is in the middle of disciplinary proceedings against Wax, NBC News reported.

“The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School has previously made clear that Professor Wax's views do not reflect our values or practices,” it quoted a representative as saying.

“In January 2022, Dean Ruger announced that he would move forward with a University Faculty Senate process to address Professor Wax's escalating conduct, and that process is underway,” the report quoted the Penn representative as saying.

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