Media
suffer from "dhimmi" disorder
By
Shankar Sharan, New Delhi, India
http://www.indiacause.com/OL_101502.htm
A B Vajpayee, 14 Apr. 2002:
"It is indeed strange
that I am praised as a secular leader when I condemn, as I recently did,
intolerance and other negative features exhibited by certain self-styled
champions of Hindutva, but criticised as a "communal leader" when I
point out the negative aspects of militant Islam. Such double standards do no
good to a healthy debate on what is true secularism and what is in the interest
of our nation and the world"
The Outlook weekly
put an online opinion poll asking: "What do you think should be done in the
aftermath of Godhra and ‘retaliatory killings’ in Gujarat?" And gave
the following six options: "(1) Narendra Modi and his minisiters should be
removed, arrested and prosecuted along with the killers of Godhra. (2) VHP and
Bajrang Dal leaders should be arrested and prosecuted for their role in Gujarat
and Ayodhya. (3) BJP government at the centre should resign. (4.) All of the
above -- 1, 2 & 3. (5) None of the above, they're not to blame for
"Newton's third law applies and only so much can be done by the
administration". (6) Do not know." The poll began on 5th
March 2002, that is, within three days of the Godhra carnage the magazine was
sure that the answer lies within these options.
And
what ingenious options! In
the garb of six there is but one choice. All the differently worded options just
condemn Hindus and Hindutvawadies. Even the last one leaves no
opportunity to say different – it says shut up, if you want to blame anyone
else. Please think over this poll design. It is on the line of Stalinist Russia
or Musharraf’s Pakistan where electorates had only one candidate to
‘choose’. The Outlook poll structure exposes the mindset of our
mainstream especially English media.
This
poll is also an example of dhimmi mentality (the Arabic word means ‘the
non-Muslims tolerated by Islam on conditions’, one being that dhimmis are
always required to show subservience and acknowledge the supremacy of Islam and
the Muslims).
The weekly comprises an overwhelming majority of the Hindus as staff. Yet it
refuses any option to blame Muslims in a visibly communal conflict. Which is a
manifestation of dhimmi state of mind. Explaining all its facets is a
separate task. The interested should read a book entitled "Islam and
Dhimmitude: Where Civilizations Collide" written by Bat Ye'or, a
British scholar. She has really opened a new field in sociology. Dhimmi mentality
is a very significant concept. Meaning a voluntary acceptance of Islamic
superiority by non-Muslims with a sense of dread from Islamic vehemence.
Acceptance by people who lived under Islamic rule for ages as inferior subjects.
These subjects, the dhimmis, were allowed to live, but granted only a
second grade existence. Now the subjects have so internalized this inferior
mindset that even being free they continue to revere Islam at the cost of other
faiths, traditions and egalitarian theories. This, in short, is dhimmi mentality.
To understand it, however, one must have at least some gray cells left
uncorrupted by the Marxist-secularist dogmas.
Dhimmi
mentality
in India is reflected everywhere in the society. Including the media. Kashmir
is the hottest news spot in the country. Yet it is difficult to find
regular correspondents of the mainstream media. Usually the stringers do. What
they report, whom they quote and which version they narrate are interesting to
watch. They seldom report about local terrorist networks – though at times
they know about it. Understandable. Who wants to become a Daniel Pearl?
But Kashmir reporting is not an exception. Same dread is felt anywhere in the
country when it comes to report affairs Muslim. It is NOT about respecting
Muslim feelings. Though some scribes genuinely believe doing so by, say, being
silent on Satanic Verses, shariat codes, the contents of Madarsa
education etc. Yet respecting feelings is not the whole truth. Large section of
the media keep mum because they know the reprisal would be violent. Each time a
Muslim mob resort to violence upon newspaper offices, saying ‘sorry’ is the
media custom. Just think – victims say sorry to the lawbreakers! In Bangalore,
for instance, all leading English dailies in turn tendered apologies whenever
something – anything: a headline, a cartoon or a report - angered certain
Muslims. There is no case when a newspaper stood in the name of freedom of
expression or constitutional rights. One rarely finds a harsh adjective used by
scribes against Muslim offenders – from Kashmir to Mumbai to Hyderabad to
Kolkata to Dubai.
Now, please contrast this
timid attitude with the manner adopted in the abovementioned Outlook
options. What boldness when it comes to disparage
Hindu leaders and masses! Here is the key to understand regular Hindu-bashing.
Our media - columnists, anchors and reporters - feel
free to call Hindus names. Hindutvawadies are repeatedly called fascists,
killers, beasts, hate-mongers etc. Everyday in some write up or
analysis these adjectives can be found. Because, the dorks know too well what
these ‘fascists’ really are. The ‘Hindu fascists’ are anything but
dreadful. Hence no fear of violent reprisals while abusing Modis, Sudershans,
Vajpayees, Advanis, Joshis, Togadias et al. Why,
even Hindu gods and goddesses can be abused freely! Our brave and beautiful -
from media to academia – take all liberties when talking matters Hindu. They
can openly defend insulting Hindu deities; liberally offer suggestions about
making playgrounds or libraries on sites of Hindu faith. Painting
nude goddess Saraswati, Durga was stubbornly supported as an act of artistic
expression by these brave and beautiful. Most recently a senior Hindi editor,
Rajendra Yadav, called the deity Hanuman as ‘the first terrorist’. By no
stretch of courage he can call Prophet Muhammad so, who had wreaked havoc on so
many cities to clear it from idols and idol-worshippers. Such feats are properly
recorded history, and always highly praised in Islamic discourses. But no Yadav
(or Jha, Pannikar, Thapar, Habib, Chandra, Sarkar, Roy et al , who are
permanently sahmat with every kind of Hindu-abusing) would point to it in
the manner he did to Hanuman. They are all reverence before an Islamic figure.
THIS is dhimmi mentality. Islamic feelings, figures, arguments are
superior; but those of Hindus inferior – so reckons a dhimmi by habit.
This mindset is here for centuries now. And duly internalised by the terrorized
Hindus. Rajendra Yadav is not an isolated case, he is just a good specimen of
this attitude.
Another contrast is the
attitude of the US media to that of ours while covering national disasters or
crises. Take, for instance, their 9/11 and our 12/13. Our brave and beautiful
copy the Americans in food, suit, lingo, fashion, slang and everything (mostly
useless things); but not in how to keep the national moral, image and strength.
Especially when the chips are down. At such times watch the Time, Newsweek,
CNN, BBC etc. at work. They never talk about ‘govt failure’ until the
disaster is overcome. Here every disaster is a godsend to tarnish the govt of
the day, be it Kargil, Orissa or Gujarat. Given the contrast, are we to boast
that our scribes are more dutiful, intelligent, responsible and wise in
contributing to national strength and honour? No, just the opposite! Francois
Goutier (the most senior foreign journalist, except Mark Tully, in India)
rightly observed that Indian media behave like an enemy to its own government
and people. Because, among other things, it suffer from the dhimmi disorder.
So eager to show – at the cost of one’s own brethrens – ‘see, how
secular, objective etc. I am’. It is a disorder needed to be exposed and
remedied. Just think: how the very lot who always steer clear from dangerous
individuals and organisations, become so vociferous when it comes to abuse
‘Hindu fascists’ or the ‘fascist govt’? Simple: these fascists are
anything but fascist! Hence the valor. As Ghalib had expressed so beautifully: hamara
bhi jor chalta hai gariban par.
Such feverish and routine
Hindu-bashing has done immense harm to the nation, society, economy and polity.
By scrupulously avoiding any hard talk about Islamic problems - for instance,
effects of shariat laws on Muslim women or the anti-national use of
scores of madarsas - our media perform its ‘social responsibility’. Only
bravery it shows in harming the Hindutvawadis. Even by resorting to lies,
or refusing to report plain truths. A lot of scribes won’t report an event or
publish a comment if that is likely to benefit, in the dorks’ view, the Sangh
Parivar. They unwittingly follow the Leftist, anti-Hindu, anti-national
political agenda. But do the people living all over country feel like them? Do
the countrymen see only what the fanatic secularists want them to see? No. [For
example, to the opinion poll mentioned above 60% readers (that is, even secular
ones; as Outlook patrons must be different from the Organiser’s) favoured the
fifth option, while only 2% and 1% supported the options one and two
respectively. Thus the Outlook judgement on Modi, VHP, etc. was rejected
decisively by its readers as well.] Hence the reactions. We have to recognize,
sooner or later, that a Hindu mob violence is always
an expression of cumulative frustration resulting from injustice done. This is
the end result of fanatic secularism. What the secularists do is mostly
raksha men hatya.
That, at least partially,
explains the difference between US public reaction to 9/11 and Indian (in this
case Gujarati Hindu) public reaction to Godhra. The commoners, watching for
years the farce going on about Kashmir, secularism, terrorism, human rights and
all, understood perfectly well, without effort, that there would nothing come by
way of a justice (what happened to the Bombay blasts culprits, SIMI bombers,
terrorists of all kind?). The burnt Ram bhakts of Sabarmati Express would
be forgotten in due time (indeed they were forgotten the same day! as the dhimmis
in all trades, including the edit-writing, blamed the VHP for the train
carnage). There was no justice in sight. Hence the law in Gujaratis’ own hands
- unlike the Americans. Americans took their reprisal through their Govt, to
teach a lesson, without caring for morality and justice theories. There was
nothing despicable in US action in Afghanistan in the wake of 9/11, was it?
After all, big settlements always come by way of a war. Always. Colonialism,
communism, fascism, terrorism – in every case the warring sides fought for
finish. Godhra, too, raised the stakes too high. The moot question appeared on
horizon: would you accept the carnage meekly? No one asked this aloud, but the
question was in every mind. Answer yes, and you will perish. No? Then do
something. So they decided, the hapless common people of Gujarat decided. Not
some organizations, some leaders, few communalists – as brazenly publicized by
secularist media. If that was so, why they opposed assembly elections on the
first mention of it? Because they knew that Hindus in general either committed
or supported the reprisal, not ‘some communalists’. True, the reprisal was
horrendous. But please accept: it was also a mad expression of a keen desire to
defend Hindus from further killings and repeated humiliations. It can be
criticized, rightly, but one should not deny that it was the people who did so.
Godhra and aftermath is a
complex phenomenon. Dhimmi secularism cannot explain it, much less find a
solution. For solution, getting rid of the dhimmi attitude is the first
prerequisite. Face the hard truth first. Then try to find out the best way.
There is no other option. In any case, Hindu bashing is certainly no option. Not
any more.
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