Pak Tea House » Entries tagged with "Communalism"
Communalism and the two-nation theory
By Saad Hafiz: Press Council of India Chairperson Justice (Retd) Katju was quoted recently as saying that “Before 1857, there was zero percent communalism. Today 80 percent Hindus and 80 percent Muslims are communal.” Justice Katju is also reported to have said, “The cause of the Kashmir problem is the partition of India on a totally bogus basis — the two nation theory — that Hindus and Muslims are separate nations.” In a country which takes pride in its secular and pluralistic society with the second largest Muslim population in the world, Katju’s admission that communalism remains pervasive and that Hindu-Muslim riots can be engineered at the drop of a hat is concerning but welcome. It also raises questions about the frequently made assertion that Hinduism has always tolerated other religious viewpoints. … Read entire article »
Filed under: History
Amaresh Misra, the candidate of Ulema Council from Lucknow Lok Sabha constituency
We are posting an excellent statement released from Lucknow that slams communal forces for attacking the Election commission on the Varun Gandhi issue. Amesh Mishra the candidate is backed by the Ulema Council. PTH posted several pieces on Varun Gandhi and many communal visitors sent us email and some also left comments. The purpose of the earlier posts was not to denigrate India or Indians but to condemn what needs to be condemned. As South Asians we immediately get encouraged by such trends. We have to counter intolerance and bigotry of all kinds. Raza Rumi While speaking at election rallies in the old Lucknow town area on 23-4-2009 and 24-3-2009, Amaresh Misra, the candidate of Ulema Council from Lucknow Lok Sabha constituency, slammed communal forces for attacking the Election commission on the … Read entire article »
Yes, Varun Gandhi is a scary bigot
Raza Rumi PTH’s post and the subsequent sharp comments have attracted some ire among the readers as to what is Varun Gandhi issue doing here? Indeed, the question merits some deliberation. We in Pakistan are constantly being demonised by the Indian mainstream media as a ‘terrorist’ country and that we are a great threat to the ‘secular’, shining India. Varun gandhi’s remarks as the saner elements of Indian media and commentators are saying only show that … Read entire article »
Filed under: Pakistan
"It will cut off Muslims' heads- Jai Shri Ram": Nehru's grandson
By Yasser Latif Hamdani If Nehru could see this, he would probably not be as blind to the religion and caste-based ugliness of his constituents as he was when he refused to recognize that there was some logic to Muslim grievances. If the scion of the supposedly secular Nehru-Gandhi family could use such language what should one say of others? Varun Gandhi reminds one of our own Mr. Aamir Liaqat Hussain. One suspects that both had sheltered upbringing as is obvious from the copious amounts of baby fat on their faces and one also suspects that there might be greater issues pyschologically, mentally and indeed self image that are at play. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKPKXv7PFxg] … Read entire article »
Filed under: India
History and Interpretations:Communalism and Problems of Indian Historiography 4
Posted by Shaheryar Ali History and interpretation – Communalism and problems of historiography in India by Irfan Habib* IF one looks back at 1947 to find out in what ways it brought about changes in the approach to the medieval (that is, the post-ancient, pre-British, and, in much of earlier discourse, the ‘Muslim’) period of India’s history, a few major shifts of emphasis could, perhaps, be immediately identified. First of all, Partition meant that the two communalist camps, Hindu and Muslim, found two different ‘national’ homes. Until 1947 there had been a running debate between the advocates of the two communities. But with 1947, the Muslim side in the communal historical debate shifted entirely to Pakistan, where in its seemingly final version, the history of ‘Muslims in India’ was now projected as a struggle … Read entire article »
History and Interpretations:Communalism and Problems of Indian Historiography 3
This is the third part of the history’s diverse interpretations and their contribution in understanding the world. Indeed, we are not bound by any, nor is any particular version a gospel of truth but as analytical tools these approaches enable us to make sense of the mess that we know, preach and live with as History. Readers are encouraged to comment and indicate examples that validate or challenge the various ways of interpreting History. [Raza Rumi - Ed] Shaheryar Ali we have explained, the “critical” turn of “Modern History”, we have covered, the debate of Marxism and History, the various models, the critique of Nationalism as a philosophy, the advent of “Orientalism”, “Post-colonial critique”, the “critique of modernism”. Critique of “civilizing missions”. The project of modernity, including the “Enlightenment” have come under critique, … Read entire article »
Filed under: History
History and Interpretations: Communalism and Problems of Indian Historiography 2
by Shaheryar Ali We have analyzed, the origins of “communal historiography”, the “socio-political construction” of communal-identities, the conversion of “communal politics into Religious Nationalism. Here we have given a critique of Colonial Historiography, by the secular-nationalist historians of India. What becomes clear is that colonialism in India resulted in formation of 3 types of Nationalism, which Romila Thapar characterizes as Anti-colonial Indian Nationalism, Hindu and Muslim Nationalism, both of whom were not anti-colonial but relied on colonialism for their historical legitimacy, we have demonstrated that looking into history and culture of India in terms of “Muslim” and “Hindu” was essentially British. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Pakistan
History and Interpretation:Communalism and Problems of Historiography
Shaheryar Ali There has been an interesting debate going on in the pages of PakTea House e-zine regarding Indian history. This debate is also at the heart of the “history wars” which are going on in India and Pakistan. In Pakistan it has acquired a specific character because , a version of communal historiography had to be adopted to built “Pakistani Nationalism”. When a nation state was to be built on Muslim identity and Muslim separatism, it had to rely on a version of history which starts with Muslim invaders, all the debates in such form of history revolve around a particular community, in this case “Muslims”. It is supposed that somehow that community was always “separate”, “distinct” and somewhat independent of other people this community was living with. This type of … Read entire article »
Recent Comments