-Emarat Hossain Pannah
......................
--- dina khan <dina30_khan@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Yes
> It is a perfect descriptions and definitions of RAZAKARS in
> Bangladesh. I agree with this description 100% as a Very Good job for
> the stupid & nonsense people.
>
>
>
>
> On 1/3/08, Arif Ahamed <ahamed.ahmed@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Who are RAZAKARs?
>
>
>
> Those who opposed & still oppose (mentally, physically,
> intentionally, technically knowingly or mistakenly, openly &
> silently) all or most or some of the (associated) movement, planning,
> struggle and (finally) liberation war for establishment of a
> sovereign, secular, welfare state - Bangladesh with supreme
> sacrifices of millions of Bangalee of different political, profession
> & religious belief since 1948 up to December 1971
>
>
> Those who intentionally, deliberately, technically, calculatedly
> or unintentionally twist the history of different (associated)
> movements, planning, struggle and war of liberation & independence of
> Bangladesh in exchange of supreme sacrifice of millions of Bangalee
>
>
> Those who intentionally, deliberately, calculatedly or
> unintentionally mix ' complete lie ' or 'partly lie' with 'truth'
> about history & facts of the different (associated) movements,
> planning, struggle, sacrifice and war of liberation & independence of
> Bangladesh
>
>
> Those who still holds & keeps in minds the idea of establishment
> of a 'mini' Pakistan (or Muslim Bangla) or confederation with
> Pakistan or want to make Bangladesh as another 'Taliban' state
>
>
> Those who do not recognise & pay proper respect from their mind to
> all the leaders who involved, worked, sacrificed, directly with
> different (associated) movements, planning, struggle and war of
> liberation & independence of Bangladesh and Bangabandhu as the Father
> of Nation
>
>
> Those who pronounce that our liberation war & establishment of
> Bangladesh is mainly through by 'one illegitimate announcement' (of a
> piper) only and not due to prolonged movements, planning, struggle &
> supreme sacrifice of million of Bangalee
>
>
> Those who compare (or make them equivalent) the founder President
> of Bangladesh (due to his supreme leadership, planning, influence,
> contribution, sacrifice & position) with a "sector commander" (out of
> 16 sector commanders of 11 Sectors during our liberation war of 1971)
> who (sector commander) actually appointed & worked under his
> (legitimate government) subordinate 'chain of administration'
>
>
> Those who give more emphasis & importance to one of the "sector
> commander" of 16 sector commanders than the acting President or Prime
> Minister or concerned Minister or Commander in Chief or Chief of Army
> Staff or Deputy Chief of Army Staff etc. (in order of status - before
> the sector commanders) who (sector commanders) were actually
> appointed & worked under their subsidiary 'chain of command'
>
>
> Those who never want betterment of Bangladesh (mentally and
> physically)
>
>
> Those who have no political consistency about their political
> believe – support
>
>
> Those who generally hide their political support or loyalty and
> notify them as "neutral".
>
>
> Those who (known) frequently changes (seasonal) their political,
> personal believe to complete 'opposite' direction & ideology and –
> bend or support from 'left' to 'right' and 'east' to 'west'
>
>
> Those who hardly give or appear to the public media, blogs with
> their 'real' personal & political identity, background, or loyalty so
> that their personal fraud, lies, cheating, can not be verified or
> detected, but they always attack other personally with their natural
> lies
>
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> STUDENT of THE QURAN <irtaza1@yahoo.com> wrote: [1:1] In
> the name of GOD, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
> [40:78] We have sent messengers before you - some of them we
> mentioned to you, and some we did not mention to you. No messenger
> can produce any miracle without GOD's authorization. Once GOD's
> judgment is issued, the truth dominates, and the falsifiers are
> exposed and humiliated.
>
> "O friends, do not worship anybody but Him, the Divine One. Praise
> Him alone." [Rig Veda 8:1:1]
>
> Peace be upon you,
>
> The Vedas, collectively refers to a corpus of ancient Indo-Aryan
> religious literature that are associated with the Vedic civilization
> and are considered by adherents of Hinduism to be revealed
> knowledge. The word Veda means Knowledge and is cognate with the word
> "wit" in English (as well as "vision" through Latin). The word "Veda"
> is derived from the root 'vid'-- to know-- in Sanskrit. Many Hindus
> believe the Vedas existed since the beginning of creation. The texts
> of the Vedas have several references to specific patterns in the
> ancient flows of the Ganges River, which coincide with the sites of
> its ancient (but now dried) tributaries. Many historians regard the
> Vedas as the oldest surviving text of humanity. The newest parts of
> the Vedas are estimated to date back to around 500 BCE. The oldest
> text (RigVeda) found is now dated to around 1,500 BCE, but most
> Indologists agree that a long oral tradition possibly existed before
> it was written down. They represent the
> oldest stratum of Indian Literature and according to modern
> scholars are written in forms of a language which evolved into
> Sanskrit. They consider the use of Vedic Sanskrit for the language
> of the texts an anachronism, although it is generally accepted.
>
> [Quran 16:36] We have sent a messenger to every community,
> saying, "You shall worship GOD, and avoid idolatry." Subsequently,
> some were guided by GOD, while others were committed to straying.
> Roam the earth and note the consequences for the rejectors.
>
> [2:62] Surely, those who believe, those who are Jewish, the
> Christians, and the converts; anyone who (1) believes in GOD, and (2)
> believes in the Last Day, and (3) leads a righteous life, will
> receive their recompense from their Lord. They have nothing to fear,
> nor will they grieve.
>
> [40:78] We have sent messengers before you - some of them we
> mentioned to you, and some we did not mention to you. No messenger
> can produce any miracle without GOD's authorization. Once GOD's
> judgment is issued, the truth dominates, and the falsifiers are
> exposed and humiliated.
>
>
> Nowhere in all the four Vedas there is written anything that
> could go to show that there are more gods than one. On the other
> hand, it is clearly said in many places that there is only one God.
> Whatsoever or whosoever possesses useful and brilliant qualities is
> called a devata, as the earth for instance; but it is nowhere said
> that it is God or is the object of adoration.
>
> CONCEPT OF ONE GOD:
>
> [Quran 6:103] No visions can encompass Him, but He encompasses all
> visions. He is the Compassionate, the Cognizant.
>
> "The Formless Supreme Spirit that pervades the universe can have no
> material representation, likeness or image." (Yajur Veda 32:3.)
>
> "He is bodiless and pure." [Yajur Veda 40:8]
>
>
> "The Great Ruler of the Universe, Who is Self-existent,
> All-pervading, Holy, eternal and Formless, has been eternally
> instructing His subjects - immortal souls - in all kinds of knowledge
> for their good through the Veda." [YAJUR VEDA 5O; 8].
>
>
> "May, O Great God, Wises of the wise, through Thy grace, my
> mind - which like the hub of a wheel into which all the spokes are
> inserted, is the repository of the Rig Veda, the Yajur Veda, The Sama
> Veda and also the Atharva Veda, the mind in which Omniscient,
> Omnipresent conscious Being - the Witness of all - makes Himself
> known - be freed from all ignorance and be endowed with the love of
> knowledge." [YAJUR VEDA 34: 5]
>
> "By One Supreme Ruler is this universe pervaded, even every world
> in the whole circle of nature, He is the true God. Know Him, O man!
> and covet not unjustly the wealth of any creature existing. Renounce
> all that is unjust and enjoy pure delight - true spiritual happiness
> - by the practice of justice and righteousness which is another name
> for true religion.[YAJUR VEDA 40:1]
>
>
>
>
>
>
> "I, O men, lived before the whole universe came into being, I am
> Lord of all, I am the eternal cause of the whole creation. I am the
> source and giver of all wealth. Let all men look up to me alone as
> children do to their parents. I have appointed different foods and
> drinks for all creatures to give them sustenance so that they may
> live in happiness." [RIG VEDA 10: 48, 5].
>
> " I am God Almighty, I am the Light of the world like the sun.
> Neither defeat, nor death, can ever approach me. I am the controller
> of the universe, know me alone as the Creator of all. Strive ye
> diligently for the acquisition of power and wealth such ( as true
> knowledge). Ask ye of me. May ye never lose my friendship. I give
> true knowledge, which is real wealth, unto men who are truthful. I am
> the revealer of Vedas which declare my true nature. It is through the
> Vedas that I advance the knowledge of all. I am the prompter of the
> good and true. I reward those who devote themselves to the good of
> humanity. I am the cause, I am the support of all that exists in this
> universe. May ye never turn away from me. May ye never accept another
> God in my place, nor worship him." [RIG VEDA, 10:48, 5.]
>
> "God, O men, existed in the beginning of the Creation. He is the
> Creator, Support and Sustainer of the sun and other luminous worlds,
> He was the Lord of the past Creation. He is the Lord of the present.
> He will be the Lord of the unborn universe. He created the whole
> world, and he sustains it. He is Eternal Bliss. May ye all praise and
> adore Him as we do." [YAJUR VEDA, 13:4]
>
>
> "That Supreme Being overspreads all. He is entirely spirit,
> All-energy, All-powerful, Pure, Perfect, Omniscient, Inward
> Controller of all, Ruler of All, Eternal and Self-existent. He has
> from all eternity been teaching uncreated immortal human souls, the
> true knowledge of things through the revelation of the Veda - His
> eternal knowledge." [YAJUR VEDA, 40:8]
>
> "He is never embodied, is never born, is never liable to division
> and is free from nervous or arterial systems, never commits a sin ,
> is never subject to pain, grief and ignorance and the like." [YAJUR
> VEDA, 40:8]
>
> CONCEPT OF WORSHIP ONE GOD:
>
>
> [Quran 6:162] Say, "My Contact Prayers (Salat), my worship
> practices, my life and my death, are all devoted absolutely to GOD
> alone, the Lord of the universe.
>
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> "O friends, do not worship anybody but Him, the Divine One. Praise
> Him alone." [Rig Veda 8:1:1]
>
>
> "Endow us, O Lord, who art All-glorious, through thy mercy, at
> this very instant with that wisdom which the wise, the learned, and
> yogis pray for." [YAJUR VEDA32: 14.]
>
> "Thou art Light, be merciful and shed that light into my heart.
> Thou art Infinite energy, through Thy grace endow me with unfailing
> energy. Thou are Infinite strength, endow me with strength. Thou art
> Infinite power, endow me with great power. Thou art wrathful with the
> wicked, make me also wrathful. Thou art moved neither by slander, nor
> by praise. Thou art forbearing towards those who offend against Thee,
> make me also forbearing." [YAJUR VEDA 20: 9].
>
> "May, O Ocean of Mercy, through thy grace my mind - the mind
> that in the wakeful state travels long distances, and, possesses
> brilliant qualities, which self-same mind - light of the senses - in
> sleep attains to the state of profound slumber and in dreams wanders
> over different places - always entertain pure thoughts for the good
> of the self as well as for that of all other living beings. May it
> never desire to injure any one." [YAJUR VEDA 34:1.]
>
> "May, O Omniscient God, my mind - which is the source of all
> activity and which, thereby, enables men of learning, piety and
> courage to perform acts of great public good and heroic deeds on the
> field of battle and other occasions, which possess wonderful powers
> and admirable qualities and rules the senses - harbour only righteous
> desires and completely renounce sin and vice." [YAJUR VEDA 34: 2.]
>
> "May, O lord, my mind - the mind which is the repository of the
> highest form of knowledge, is the faculty for consciousness and
> judgement, is the light of the senses, and is immortal, the mind
> without which a man is powerless to do even the most insignificant
> thing - aspire for purity and shun wickedness." [YAJUR VEDA 34: 3].
>
> "May, O Lord of the Universe, my mind - the mind which is the
> medium through which all yogis acquire knowledge of the past, the
> present and the future which becomes the means of the union of the
> immortal human soul with the Supreme Spirit and thereby makes it
> cognizant of the three periods of time (past, present and the
> future), the mind which is capable of conscious exertion and is
> closely united with the five sense, the faculty of discernment and
> the soul, and is the means of the advancement of that great Yajna
> called yoga - be endowed with true knowledge and yoga and thereby be
> freed from all kinds of pain and ignorance." [YAJUR VEDA 43: 4.]
>
> "May, O Great God, Wises of the wise, through Thy grace, my
> mind - which like the hub of a wheel into which all the spokes are
> inserted, is the repository of the Rig Veda, the Yajur Veda, The Sama
> Veda and also the Atharva Veda, the mind in which Omniscient,
> Omnipresent conscious Being - the Witness of all - makes Himself
> known - be freed from all ignorance and be endowed with the love of
> knowledge." [YAJUR VEDA 34: 5]
>
> "May, O Lord, the Controller of the Universe, my mind - which is
> like a driver who can swing the horses around in all directions,
> sways men hither and thither, is seated in the heart, possessed of
> great activity and extreme energy - restrain all the senses from
> treading the path of wickedness and always direct them in the path of
> righteousness. Mayestt, Thou O Lord, of Thy kindness grant me this
> prayer."[ YAJUR VEDA 34: 6.]
>
> "Lead us, O Bestower of all happiness, Omniscient, Supreme Spirit,
> into the path of rectitude and thereby inspireus withh all kinds of
> knowledge and wisdom, rid us of all that is false and sinful in our
> conduct, and make us pure. To ths end, we in all humility repeatedly
> praise and adore Thee." [YAJUR VEDA 40: 16].
>
> "Mayest not, Thou, O Punisher of the wicked, destroy our young
> ones, nor our old ones, foetuses, mothers, and fathers, nor those who
> are dear to us, nor our relations, nor our bodies. Direct us to that
> path by following which we may not be liable to punishment by Thy
> Law." [YAJUR VEDA 16: ]
>
> CONCEPT AGAINST IDOL WORSHIP:
>
> [Quran 4:116] GOD does not forgive idol worship (if maintained
> until death), and He forgives lesser offenses for whomever He wills.
> Anyone who idolizes any idol beside GOD has strayed far astray.
>
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> " They are enveloped in darkness, in other words, are steeped
> in ignorance and sunk in the greatest depths of misery who worship
> the uncreated, eternal prakrti -- the material cause of the world --
> in place of the All-pervading God, but those who worship visible
> things born of the prakrti, such as the earth, trees, bodies (human
> and the like) in place of God are enveloped in still greater
> darkness, in other words, they are extremely foolish, fall into an
> awful hell of pain and sorrow, and suffer terribly for a long time"
> [Yajur Veda 40:9.]
>
> " I am God Almighty, I am the Light of the world like the sun.
> Neither defeat, nor death, can ever approach me. I am the controller
> of the universe, know me alone as the Creator of all. Strive ye
> diligently for the acquisition of power and wealth such ( as true
> knowledge). Ask ye of me. May ye never lose my friendship. I give
> true knowledge, which is real wealth, unto men who are truthful. I am
> the revealer of Vedas which declare my true nature. It is through the
> Vedas that I advance the knowledge of all. I am the prompter of the
> good and true. I reward those who devote themselves to the good of
> humanity. I am the cause, I am the support of all that exists in this
> universe. May ye never turn away from me. May ye never accept another
> God in my place, nor worship him." [RIG VEDA, 10:48, 5.]
>
> CONCEPT OF DISBELIEVERS:
>
> [Quran 43:40] Can you make the deaf hear; can you make the blind
> see, or those who are far astray?
>
>
>
>
>
> "There maybe someone who sees the words and yet indeed does not
> see them; may be another one who hears these words but indeed does
> not hear them." [Rig Veda 10:71:4]
>
>
> "They are atheists and of weak intellect, and continually remain
> sunk in the depths of misery and pain who do not believe in, know,
> and commune with Him, who is Resplendent, All-glorious, All-Holy,
> All-knowledge, sustainer of the sun, the earth and other planets, Who
> pervades all like ether, is the Lord of all and is above all devatas.
> It is by the knowledge and contemplation of God alone that all men
> attain true happiness." [RIG VEDA: I, 164, 39].
>
> All the scriptures revealed to mankind from God advocate one and
> the same religion. This religion God calls Submission to God Alone
> (in Arabic, Islam). God decreed laws and different rites for each of
> us. God puts us to the test through the revelations. We all should
> compete in rightoeousness.
>
> [Quran 22:67] For each congregation, we have decreed a set of rites
> that they must uphold. Therefore, they should not dispute with you.
> You shall continue to invite everyone to your Lord. Most assuredly,
> you are on the right path.
>
> [Quran 5:48] "Then we revealed to you this scripture, truthfully,
> confirming previous scriptures, and superseding them. You shall rule
> among them in accordance with GOD's revelations, and do not follow
> their wishes if they differ from the truth that came to you. For each
> of you, we have decreed laws and different rites. Had GOD willed, He
> could have made you one congregation. But He thus puts you to the
> test through the revelations He has given each of you. You shall
> compete in righteousness. To GOD is your final destiny - all of you -
> then He will inform you of everything you had disputed."
>
> Sadly, majority of people on earth compete in unrighteousness in
> the name of man made religions! They adopt man made teaching instead
> of God's teaching. Majority of Hindus idolize devatas, deities,
> saints, gurus, priests, etc.beside God. Majority of Christians
> idolize Jesus, Mary, pope, priests, saints, etc. beside God. And,
> majority of Muslims idolize Mohammad, Ali, saint, messenger, peer,
> mullah, imam, etc. beside God!
>
> [Quran 3:64] "Say, "O followers of the scripture, let us come to a
> logical agreement between us and you: that we shall not worship
> except GOD; that we never set up any idols besides Him, nor set up
> any human beings as lords beside GOD." If they turn away, say, "Bear
> witness that we are submitters."
>
> [Quran 2:62] "Surely, those who believe, those who are Jewish, the
> Christians, and the converts; anyone who (1) believes in GOD, and (2)
> believes in the Last Day, and (3) leads a righteous life, will
> receive their recompense from their Lord. They have nothing to fear,
> nor will they grieve."
>
> [Quran 13:16] "Say, "Who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth?"
> Say, "GOD." Say, "Why then do you set up besides Him masters who do
> not possess any power to benefit or harm even themselves?" Say, "Is
> the blind the same as the seer? Is darkness the same as the light?"
> Have they found idols besides GOD who created creations similar to
> His creations, to the point of not distinguishing the two creations?
> Say, "GOD is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the
> Supreme."
>
> [Quran 12:103 - 106] "Most people, no matter what you do, will not
> believe. You are not asking them for any money; you simply deliver
> this reminder for all the people. So many proofs in the heavens and
> the earth are given to them, but they pass by them, heedlessly! The
> majority of those who believe in GOD do not do so without committing
> idol worship."
>
> "Praise be to GOD, Lord of the universe".[Quran 1:2]
>
> "O friends, do not worship anybody but Him, the Divine One. Praise
> Him alone." [Rig Veda 8:1:1]
>
> May God guide all of us,
>
> M. Irtaza
>
> Ref:
> 1.
www.aryasamajjamnagar.org/
> 3.
http://en.wikipedia.org/
> 6. Quran - translated by Dr. Rashad Khalifa
>
>
http://www.masjidtucson.org/quran/frames/index.html
>
>
>
> ===================================================================
> ===================================================================
>
> HayatAnneOsman <> wrote:
> iNTRODUCTION
>
> The term 'Hinduism' has been derived from 'Hindu'. 'Hindu' is a
> Persian word which means dark [Firuz al-Lughat (Lahore: n.d.), p.
> 615. Also see Lugat Sa'idi: (Kanpur: 1936), p. 633.]. The word was
> first used by Muslims [H.G. Rawlinson, Intercourse Between India and
> the Western World, (Cambridge: 1926), p. 20.] for the inhabitants of
> the 'land beyond the Indus (Sindhu) river' and later, for the
> ancient Indians in general. The word was never used in Indian
> literature or scriptures before the advent of Muslims to India
> [Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics (ERE), (New York: l 967),
> 6:699. Also see Swami Dharma Theertha, History of Hindu Imperialism,
> (Madras: 1992), p. vii.].
>
> According to Jawaharlal Nehru, the earliest reference to the
> word 'Hindu' can be traced to a Tantrik book of the eighth century
> C.E., where the word means a people, and not the followers of a
> particular religion. The use of the word 'Hindu' in connection with
> a particular religion is of very late occurrence [Jawaharlal Nehru,
> The Discovery of India, (New Delhi: 1983), pp.74-75]. The Muslim
> rulers used the term 'Hindu' to mean Indian non-Muslims only. The
> Brahmans gladly welcomed it as it brought all the non-Muslim Indians
> under a single umbrella and thus provided them with a rare
> opportunity to expand their social, religious and political
> influence over them in the name of religion. The British rulers
> maintained it with one modification. They excluded the converted
> Christians from those covered by the term 'Hindu'.
>
> The non-Muslim people of the South Asian subcontinent called Hindu
> had no precise word for their religions [Benson Y. Landis, World
> Religions, (New York: n.d.), p. 49.]. They were, as they are,
> divided into thousands of communities and tribes, each having its
> own religious beliefs, rituals, modes of worship, etc. Finding it
> difficult to get the names of the religions of these communities,
> the British writers gave them the word "Hinduism" to be used as a
> common name for all of their religions in about 1830 [The New
> Encyclopedia Britannica (NEB), 20:581.]. Thus the people called
> Hindus got a common element, at least in word, to be identified as a
> distinct, single community.
>
> The people called Hindu have nothing common in their religious
> affairs. 'Hinduism', therefore, cannot give any precise idea as to
> what it means. Attempts were made to define the term but could not
> succeed. Faced with this dilemma, Hindu scholars sometime use the
> word Sanatan Dharma (eternal religion) and sometime Vedic Dharma
> (religion of the Veda), etc. for their religion. But as names of
> their religion, these words are also untenable as they do not imply
> anything precise for all the people called Hindu.
>
> MAIN FEATURES
>
> Hinduism is a bundle of many things, often mutually contradictory.
> It is, therefore, not easy to identify its main features. However,
> some elements which are generally regarded as its main features are
> given below.
>
> LACK OF A COMMON SENSE
>
> Hinduism is not a revealed religion and, therefore, has neither a
> founder nor definite teachings or common system of doctrines
> [Richard F. Nyrof, Area Handbook for India, (Washington: 1975), p.
> 163.] It has no organization, no dogma or accepted creeds. There is
> no authority with recognized jurisdiction. A man, therefore, could
> neglect any one of the prescribed duties of his group and still be
> regarded as a good Hindu. "Hinduism has never prepared a body of
> canonical scriptures or a common prayer book; it has never held a
> general council or convocation; never defined the relation between
> deity and clergy; never regulated the canonization of saints or
> their worship; never established a single centre of religious life;
> never prescribed a course of training for its priests."[ ERE. 6:7
> 12.] In the words of S.V. Kelkar, "There is in fact no system of
> doctrines, no teacher, or school of teaching, no single god that is
> accepted by all the Hindus." [Theertha, p. 177.] In Hinduism, none
> is, therefore, regarded to have forsaken his or her religion, even
> if he or she deviates to any extent from the usually accepted
> doctrines or practices.
>
> SUPERIORITY OF THE BRAHMAN
>
> The Brahmans occupy the highest position in the hierarchy of the
> caste system. They are said to have sprung from the mouth of Brahma
> (god), they are the rightful possessors of the Veda. They possess
> spiritual superiority by birth. They have the monopoly right to act
> as priests, conduct religious ceremonies and festivals, and accept
> alms. The Brahman is the deity on earth by his divine status
> [Wilkins: Modern Hinduism, (London: 1975), p.239.]," born to fulfill
> dharma. Whatever exists in the world is his property. On account of
> the excellence of his origin, he is entitled to all. "Let a Brahman
> be ignorant or learned, still he is a great deity. To Brahman, the
> three worlds and the gods owe's their existence." [Theertha, p. 37.]
> (emphasis added). More on Brahman from Hindu Scriptures.
>
> POLYTHEISM
>
> Hindus believe in Many gods and goddesses. Some of them are human
> (e.g. Krishna, Rama) some are animals (e.g. fish, monkey, rat,
> snake), some half animal half humans (e.g. Ganesh), and some others
> are natural phenomena (e.g. dawn, fire, sun). Their number is
> generally believed to be 330 million. According to Hindu belief, god
> incarnates, i.e., takes the form of human being and other animals
> and appears in this earth in that form. Gods and goddesses were born
> like human beings and had wives and children. No god possesses
> absolute power; some of the gods are weaker than the sages and some
> others even weaker than the animals. Another aspect about Hindu gods
> is that the status of their godhood is not fixed. One finds that
> some gods were worshipped for a time and then abandoned and new gods
> and goddesses were adopted instead. The gods and goddesses
> worshipped now-a-days in Hindu homes and temples are not Vedic. The
> Vedic gods like Agni (fire), Surya (sun) Usha (dawn) are completely
> rejected and the gods and goddesses mentioned in the Puranas are
> worshipped by modern Hindus. Similarly, Rama who is currently
> receiving increasing acceptance among Hindus in India because of the
> wide propagation of the official and other media was never
> worshipped as a deity until the Eleventh century.
>
> SEX & SEX-WORSHIP
>
> Hindu scriptures are essentially pornographic in nature, full of
> sexual allusion, sexual symbolism, passages of frank eroticism and
> stories relating to venal love. Some religious sects even introduced
> ritual intercourse as part of their cult and a potent aid to
> salvation [A.L Basham, The Wonders That Was India (Calcutta: 1967),
> p. 172.].
>
> The rituals, festivals and ceremonies are characterized by the
> display of obscene portraits, sex and sex-worship. The temples,
> places of pilgrimage and other holy shrines are full of sculptures
> with all sorts of sexual postures. The sexual life of Krishna, an
> incarnation of Vishnu, is well-known for its indecency. He had
> illicit relations with Radha, wife of his maternal uncle, in
> addition to a number of milk-maids, although he had a large number
> of wives [The number of his wives was sixteen thousand one hundred
> and eight (16,108) and his children numbered one hundred and eighty
> thousand (180,000). See Ambedkar, Riddle of Rama and Krishna,
> (Bangalore: 1988), p.25.]. Among Hindu gods, the most prominent ones
> are: Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the sustainer) and Siva (the
> destroyer). Brahma is found guilty of cohabiting with his own
> daughter, Saraswati. It is for that reason that he is deprived of
> being worshipped. Vishnu is guilty of deceitfully ruining the
> chastity of a married woman, called Tulasi. Siva is not worshipped
> but the image of his linga (sex-organ) is widely worshipped. This is
> because of the curse of some sage [See Chapter 4.]. In the
> sculpture, Siva and his consort Parvati are depicted in various
> explicit poses of the sexual act. Prostitution is encouraged in the
> form of religious custom of devdasi (slave-girls dedicated to temple-
> idols). Hindu gods and rishis (sages) are found engaged in sexual
> act with beautiful women and breeding illegitimate children. As for
> instance, in order that Rama could have strong soldiers in his army,
> the gods engaged themselves in begetting powerful sons. This they
> did by engaging themselves, in the words of Dr. Ambedkar [Dr.
> Ambedkar was the first law minister of independent India and was the
> author of India's constitution],
>
> "in wholesale acts of fornication, not only against apsaras, who
> were prostitutes, not only against the unmarried daughters of Yashas
> [Yaksha, naga, ruksha, vidyadhar, gandharva, kinna, each of these
> words means demigod] and nagas, but also against the lawfully wedded
> wives of Ruksha, Vidhyadhar, Ghandharvas, Kinnars, and Vanaras
> (monkeys) and produced the vanaras who became the associates of
> Rama" [ Ambedkar, p.7.]
>
> AUTHORITY OF THE VEDAS
>
> It is generally believed that the Veda is recognized as an absolute
> authority in Hinduism but the so-called low- caste (non-Aryan)
> Hindus have no access to the scripture because they are considered
> impure by birth. So the Veda is far from being an authority for
> these people. The only people who are allowed to read and listen to
> the scripture are the Aryan Hindus. The Brahmans, the sole
> custodians of the Veda, too hardly benefit from it because it is
> written in Sanskrit, a dead language, 'its content has long been
> practically unknown to most Hindus, and it is seldom drawn upon for
> literal advice' [NEB,20: 581]
>
> COW SLAUGHTER IN HINDU SCRIPTURES
>
> It is interesting to note that the cow used to be slaughtered by the
> ancient Hindus to enjoy its beef, entertain the guests and offer it
> as sacrifice to their deities.
> [Mahatma] Gandhi himself says, "I know there are scholars who tell
> us that cow-sacrifice is mentioned in the Vedas. I... read a
> sentence in our Sanskrit text-book to the effect that Brahmins of
> old [period] used to eat beef" [M.K. Gandhi, Hindu Dharma, New
> Delhi, 1991, p. 120]. He, however, refrained from showing enough
> courage in clearly speaking the truth, may be because he did not
> like to hurt the sentiments of the people who were the main source
> of his political strength.
>
> There are clear evidences in the Rig Veda, the most sacred Hindu
> scripture, that the cow used to be sacrificed by Hindus for
> religious purposes. For instance, Hymn CLXIX of the Rig Veda
> says: "May the wind blow upon our cows with healing; may they eat
> herbage ... Like-coloured various-hued or single- coloured whose
> names through sacrifice are known to Agni, Whom the Angirases
> produced by Ferbvour - vouschsafe to these, Parjanya,
> great.protection. Those who have offered to the gods their bodies
> whose varied forms are all well known to Soma" [The Rig Veda (RV),
> translated by Ralph H. Griffith, New York, 1992, p. 647]. In the Rig
> Veda (RV: VIII.43.11) Agni is described as "fed on ox and cow"
> suggesting that cattle were sacrificed and roasted in fire. Another
> hymn (RV: X.16.7) mentions the ritual enveloping of the corpse with
> cow flesh before applying the fire on it.
>
> In the Brahmanas at 1.15 in the Aiteriya Brahmana, the kindling of
> Agni on the arrival of King Some is compared to the slaughter of a
> bull or a barren cow on the arrival of a human king or other
> dignitary. Similarly, at II.1.11.1 in the Taiteriya Brahmana and
> XXXI.14.5 in the Panchavinsha Brahmana, the rishi Agastya is
> credited with the slaughter of a hundred bulls.
>
> In verse III.1.2.21 in the Satapatha Brahmana, sage Yajnavalkaya
> asserts that even though the cow is the supporter of everyone, he
> would eat beef "if it is luscious." At IV.5-2.1 in the same
> Brahmana, it is said that a barren cow can be slaughtered in the
> Some sacrifice. Not only for religious purposes, but also for other
> purposes one could kill a cow and eat beef. Thus at II.4.2 of the
> same Brahmana, it is suggested that a fat bull or fat goat should be
> sacrificed in honour of an important guest.
>
> Similarly, the Brihadaranyaka Upanishada (VI.4.18) advises a couple
> to take an evening meal of beef or veal pulao, if they desire to
> beget a son who is learned in the Vedas [Robert Trumbull, As I see
> India, London, 1957, p.241].
>
> WHO ARE THE BRAHMINS?
>
> The word Brahmin incorporates all the upper-caste Hindus of India.
> They claim that, because they were made God Brahma's head, they are
> the chosen people of God. Worshipping a Brahmin is akin to
> worshipping God incarnate. Serving a Brahmin and offering him alms
> is like serving God himself. These are in the beliefs that are
> included in the minds of all other people, especially in the low
> caste Hindus. As a result 5% of the Indian population have
> psychologically enslaved the other 95%.
>
> The Brahmins are the "ARYANS" invaders of India who entered the
> country thousands of years ago via the Khyber Pass. Over the
> centuries they have established themselves firmly on Indian soil by
> ruling over, and enslaving, the country's original inhabitants.
>
> Brahmins always criticise, condemn and mock other Religions. Their
> criticisms and mocking is unreasonable and unacceptable.
>
> In his autobiography, Dr. Charles an American scholar says that it
> is very simple to define a Hindu. He says a Hindu means "one who
> believes anything and everything if said in the name of God and
> shall never question its authenticity.
>
> The Brahmins claim that Lord Rama is incarnated (came in human form)
> to study and understand the difficulties of mankind. Is it really
> necessary for a god to incarnate Himself? Can he not understand his
> creation? Why should God become a Human or an Animal to understand
> its problem in order or to understand the sufferings of these
> creatures? he is so powerful that he doesn't require.
>
> CASTE SYSTEM IN HINDUISM
>
> Hindu society is divided into several thousands of caste and sub-
> caste. Caste is a highly organized social grouping. A Hindu is born
> in a caste and dies as a member of that caste. As caste is
> determined by birth, one can never move from one caste to another.
> Castes are not equal in status but arranged in a vertical order in
> which one caste is at the top and is the highest (the Brahman),
> another at the bottom and is the lowest (the Dalit) and in between
> them there are the Kshatriya, the Vashya and the Sudra in a
> descending order. This inequality in status is said to be an outcome
> of a person's deeds (good or bad) accomplished in his previous life.
> Caste differences find their expression largely in connection with
> marriages and eating together. In the words of S.D. Theertha, "...
> the Hindu social order is simply a menace to freedom, unity and
> peace. The three thousands and odd castes and the larger number of
> sub-castes, into which the Hindus are irretrievably divided, keep
> nearly ninety-five per cent of the Hindus in perpetual disgrace and
> permanently condemned to an inferior social status [Ibid., p.209.].
>
> More on Caste System.
>
> The most significant feature of the Hindu social system is what is
> called 'caste' under which the people are divided into various
> groups. The status of an individual in the society is determined by
> the caste in which he is born. A Hindu is born in a caste and he
> dies as a member of that caste. There is no Hindu without a caste
> and being bound by caste from birth to death, he becomes subject to
> social regulation and tradition of the caste over which he has no
> control.
>
> A person born in a caste carries the name of that caste as a part of
> his surname [Swami Dharma Theertha, History of Hindu Imperialism,
> Madras, 1992, p. 187.]. The division of the people into various
> castes is said to be eternal so that no act of virtue or vice in
> this earthly life is enough to make any change in the caste or
> social status of a man or woman. The caste system of India has
> generally been regarded as an absurd, unhealthy social phenomenon,
> without parallel elsewhere in the world.
>
> On the top of the caste hierarchy is the Brahman and at the bottom
> is the Untouchable (Dalit) and in between are the Kshatriya, the
> Vashya, and the Sudra in a descending order. According to the Hindu
> scriptures, the Brahmans have been sprung from the mouth of Brahma
> (Hindu god), the Kshatriyas from his arms, the Vashyas from his
> thigh and the Sudras from his feet.
>
> Broadly, Hindus are divided into two groups: caste Hindus (also
> varna Hindus) and low-caste Hindus. The former includes the Brahman,
> the Kshatriya and the Vashya who are the descendants of the fair-
> skinned Aryan invaders and the latter includes the Sudras, who are
> dark in skin and are the offspring of the original inhabitants of
> India. In this group is also included the most unfortunate Dalit who
> is outcaste because he falls outside the original fourfold
> groupings. He is untouchable because his touch is bound to pollute
> the other castes and that is why he must always remain at a
> sufficient distance from them.
>
> The fourfold division is not the end of the caste system; the
> community is subdivided into thousands of sub-castes (gotras).
> According to a survey undertaken by the Anthropological Survey of
> India during 1985-92, those who are called Hindu are divided among
> 2,800 unique communities. The so-called low-caste Hindus are
> officially divided into three broad groups, namely Scheduled Castes,
> Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. According to this
> survey, these groups are subdivided into [Scheduled Castes-450,] ,
> [Scheduled Tribes-461], and [Other Backward Classes-766] distinct
> communities respectively [Dalit Voice, 15:4, p. 20.].
>
> The great distinctions of caste are to be maintained not only in the
> earthly life, but also after death. According to Markandaya Purana,
> after death, the virtuous Brahman goes to the abode of Brahma, the
> good Kshatriya to that of Indra, the worthy Vashya to that of the
> Maruts, and the dutiful Sudra to that of the Gandharvas [John C.
> Oman, The Brahmans, Theists, and Muslims of India, Delhi, 1973, p.
> 50]. Apparently, the Untouchable (Dalit) does not deserve any place
> in any heaven, may be because of his untouchability.
>
> ORIGIN OF THE CASTE SYSTEM
>
> 'Caste' is a Portuguese word, used by the Portuguese as equivalent
> of 'varna' (a Sanskrit word, which means 'colour'). They used this
> word to designate the peculiar system of religious and social
> distinction which they observed among those who are called Hindu.
> Caste originally was a colour-bar, and in India, as later in
> America, served at first to separate free men from slaves.
> Gradually, the Brahmans made it a religiously ordained social fabric
> for the Hindu society. Manu, a Brahman, gave in his book, Dharma
> shastra, details about the caste system.
>
> When the fair-skinned Aryans invaded India, about two thousand years
> before Jesus Christ (pbuh), they defeated the dark-skinned
> indigenous people, Dravidians, who were the founder of the Indian
> Civilization. The Aryans subjugated them, learnt many things from
> them and built up another civilization which came to be known as the
> Ganges Valley or Hindu Civilization. To perpetuate the enslavement
> of the original inhabitants of India, the Aryans created the caste
> system, and thereby excluded them from their own society with the
> name of Sudra (which means slave).
>
> In the words of S.V. Theertha, "When the ancient priests set
> themselves up as an exclusive caste of Brahmans in order to
> establish their self-assumed superiority, they had to inflict
> degradation on all other Hindus (i.e., original Indians) and press
> them down to various layers of subordination. They had to keep the
> people divided, disunited, weak and degraded, to deny them learning,
> refinement and opportunities of advancement, and permanently and
> unalterably to tie them down to a low status in society. The Hindu
> social organization based on hereditary castes was evolved by the
> Brahmans with the above object and was enforced on the people with
> the help of foreign conquerors." [Theertha, p.1 64]
>
> CASTE DETERMINES DUTY
>
> In Hindu community, the basic duty of every individual is determined
> by his caste. The Brahman is the rightful possessor of the Veda and
> is the chief of the whole creation. He has the exclusive right to
> become a priest. It is through his benevolence that other mortals
> enjoy life.
>
> The Kshatriya is described as the dispenser of justice, particularly
> as the one whose duty it is to punish law-breakers; he exercises the
> civil power and to his tender mercies the Brahmans could hand over
> law- breakers. He has to see that the various castes attend to their
> prescribed duties; but in doing this work he must abide by the
> decisions of the Brahmans.
>
> The Vashya comprises the merchant, the agriculturist, and the keeper
> of cattle. His chief work is keeping cattle.
>
> The Sudra has been created to serve the other three castes (i.e.,
> the fair-skinned Aryans). "He is spoken of as a slave, his property,
> as well as his person, being at the disposal of his master."
> [Wilkins, Modern Hinduism, London, 1975, p. 247.]
>
> The Untouchable (Dalit) is to perform the most unpleasant tasks:
> cleaning lavatories, carrying night soil, skinning carcasses and
> making footwear.
>
> SOCIAL, ECONOMIC & OTHER ASPECTS
>
> The social, economic and other aspects of life are controlled by the
> caste regulation. Caste differences are largely invoked while
> arranging marriages and eating together. For rural Indians, castes
> shape almost every aspect of their lives: the food they eat and who
> can cook it; how they bathe; the colour of their clothes; the length
> of a sari (cloth worn by a woman); how the dhoti (cloth worn by a
> Hindu man) is tied; which way a man's moustaches are trimmed and
> whether he can carry an umbrella. Everything is determined by caste
> and nothing is left to chance.
>
> Caste regulations formulated by Manu are discriminatory in nature;
> they favour the Aryan Hindus and discriminate against the so-called
> low-caste Hindus. In teaching the duties of the 1ow-caste people
> concerning marriage, Manu declares that a man aged thirty may marry
> a girl of twelve, and a man of twenty-four years may marry a girl of
> eight. He, however, is very particular about the marriage
> regulations of Brahmans. A Brahman must avoid marrying a girl whose
> family has produced no sons, that which has thick hair on the body,
> or is afflicted with hereditary disease. Let him choose for his wife
> a girl whose form has no defect, who has an agreeable manner, who
> walks gracefully like a young elephant, and whose body has exquisite
> softness [ Ibid., p. 196.].
>
> Punishment for offence is also determined by discriminatory caste
> regulations. A crime against a man of his own caste by a Sudra is
> venial offence; but a similar offence committed against a man
> belonging to so- called higher caste is proportionately greater. If
> a Sudra through pride dares to give instructions to priests
> concerning their duty, hot oil will be dropped into his mouth and
> ears. A high-caste man having intercourse with a Sudra woman is to
> be banished; a Sudra having intercourse with a woman of the superior
> castes is to be put to death. Whatever a Brahman's offence, the king
> must on no account put him to death; he may, at the most, banish
> him, allowing him to take his property with him. Further, in case of
> wrongdoing against him, a Brahman need not approach the civil court,
> he is free to take vengeance upon the offender [See Wilkins, 1975,
> pp. 239-40; Oman, p. 52.]
>
> Inferiority of The Dalit
>
> The so-called Dalits (Untouchables) are the most pitiable victims of
> the obnoxious and pernicious caste system. Manu has little to say
> about them. He affirms that the members of three castes, the
> Brahman, the Kshatriya, and the Vashya, are twice-born; the fourth,
> the Sudra, once-born; there is no fifth.' All others are outcastes.
> The common name Dasyas (slaves) is applied to them all. [Wilkins:
> Modern Hinduism, London: 1975, p. 263]
>
> The treatment accorded to the Dalit is simply inhuman. According to
> Manu Smriti, 'Outcasted persons have no share in inheritance.'[ John
> C. Oman, The Brahmans, Theists, and Muslims of India, Delhi, 1973,
> p. 47.] The orthodox Brahmans still believe, if the shadow of a
> Dalit falls on them, they are polluted and will have to purify them
> by sprinkling over themse1ves water from the holy river, the Ganges
> [F.M. Sandeela, Islam, Christianity and Hinduism, Delhi, 1990, pp.
> 69-70]. 'You may breed cows and dogs in your house,' wrote Mr. M.C.
> Raja. 'You may drink the urine of cows and swallow cowdung to
> expiate your sins, but you shall not approach an Adi Dravida [i.e.,
> original Indians: Dalits, Sudras, tribal people].
>
> These people are still denied the use of public wells and tanks and
> at the same time stigmatized as unclean. They are still kept out of
> schools and colleges maintained by public funds and at the same time
> despised as ignorant and illiterate. They are still Shut out from
> temples, and yet branded as ungodly and unfit to associate with. For
> access to public roads and even for spaces to bury the dead, they
> have to depend much on the capricious benevolence of their caste-
> Hindu neighbours. [Swami Dharma Theertha, History of Hindu
> Imperialism, (Madras: 1992), pp. 184-85, quoted from P. Chidambaram
> Pillai's Right of Temple Entry, p. 150.]
>
> WOMEN'S IN HINDUISM
>
> The Brahmin media made a big campaign recently out of the Shah Banu
> case and they blew it out all proportion. They implied that lslam
> restricted the freedom of women. Let us compare the positions of the
> Hindu women and the Muslim women. See the following facts for
> comparison and then try to bring these Brahmins to their senses.
> Inequity and degradation of women are sanctified in the Hindu
> religion. Manu Smriti says:
>
> "Never trust a woman.
> Never sit alone with a woman even if it may be Your mother, she may
> tempt you Do not sit alone with your daughter, she may tempt you.
> Do not sit alone with your sister, she may tempt you."
>
> Again the same Manu Smriti continues:
>
> "Na stree swadantriya marhathi"
> "No liberty for women in society".
>
> The Brahmins make a big campaign that Islam restricts the freedom of
> women. Let us compare the positions of the Hindu woman and the
> Muslim woman. See the following facts for comparison:
>
> Hindu Women Muslim Women
> 1. The Hindu Woman has no right to divorce her husband. The Muslim
> woman has the same right as the Muslim man in all matters including
> divorce.
> 2. She has no property or inheritance rights. She enjoys property
> and inheritance rights. (Which other religion grants women these
> rights?). She can also conduct her own separate business.
> 3. Choice of partner is limited because she can only marry within
> her own caste; moreover her horoscope must match that of the
> intending bridegroom/family. She can marry any Muslim of her
> choice. If her parents choose a partner for her, her consent must be
> taken. She has the right to reject also
> 4. The family of the girl has to offer an enormous dowry to the
> bride groom and family. The dowry in Islam is a gift from a husband
> to his wife (not the other way around as is practiced by some
> ignorant people).
> 5. If her husband dies she should commit Sati (being cremated with
> her dead husband). Since today's law forbids Sati, society mainly
> punishes her in other "holy" ways (see below). A Muslim widow is
> encouraged to remarry, and her remarriage is the responsibility of
> the Muslim society.
> 6. She cannot remarry. Mixed marriage is encouraged and is a means
> to prevent racism creeping in society.
> 7. The widow is considered to be a curse and must not be seen in
> public. She cannot wear jewelry or colourful clothes. (She should
> not even take part in her children's marriage!) A Muslim mother is
> given the highest form of respect.
> 8. Child and infant marriage is encouraged.
>
> What right do the Hindus have to criticize the Muslims? Have you
> ever heard of a Muslim burning his wife? In India women die daily of
> dowry deaths, Hindu women being burnt by the husband or in-laws. It
> is a fact that upper caste Hindus ill-treat their women. The
> Brahmins are trying to claim that Muslims do not give freedom to
> their women. I ask you again. "Do the Hindus respect their women?"
> You be the judge!
>
> The concept of modesty and hijab in Islam is holistic, and
> encompasses both men and women. The ultimate goal is to maintain
> social stability and to please God. Since Muslim women are more
> conspicuous because of their appearance, it is easier for people to
> associate them with the warped images they see in the print and
> broadcast media. Hence, stereotypes are perpetuated and often
> sisters seem "mysterious" to those not acquainted with Muslim women
> who dress according to Divine instructions. This aura of "mystery"
> cannot be removed until their lifestyles, beliefs and thought-
> systems are genuinely explored. And, frankly, this cannot be
> achieved until one is not afraid to respectfully approach Muslim
> women - or any Muslim for that matter. So, the next time you see a
> Muslim, stop and talk to him or her - you'll feel, God-Willing, as
> if you're entering a different world, the world of Islam: full of
> humility, piety, and of course, modesty!
>
> Sati (Widow-Burning)
>
> According to Hindu scriptures, a widow is required to mount the
> funeral of her dead husband and be cremated along with his corpse.
> If the husband dies at a distant place, the widow is nonetheless to
> be burned alive on a pyre by herself. A widow who burns herself to
> death this way is called sati. The guiding force to motivate Hindus
> to practice sati is the instructions given in their scriptures. Some
> of these are as given below [Wilkins: Modern Hinduism, London, 1975,
> pages 186 and 223.]:
>
> "It is proper for a woman, after her husband's death to burn herself
> in the fire with his corpse; every woman who thus burns herself
> shall remain in paradise with her husband 35,000,000 years by
> destiny." "The wife who commits herself to flames with her husband's
> corpse shall equal Arundathi and reside in Swarga (heaven)."
>
> "Accompanying her husband, she shall reside so long in Swarga as the
> 35,000,000 of hairs on the human body.
>
> "As the snake-catcher forcibly drags the serpent from his earth, so
> bearing her husband [from hell] with him she enjoys heavenly bliss."
>
> "Dying with her husband, she sanctifies her maternal and paternal
> ancestors and the ancestors of him to whom she gave her virginity."
>
> "Such a wife adorning her husband, in celestial felicity with him,
> greatest and most admired, shall enjoy the delights of heaven while
> fourteen Indras reign."
>
> "Though a husband had killed a Brahman, broken the ties of
> gratitude, or murdered a friend she expiates the crime."
>
> The rite of sati was prevalent in India until it was prohibited by
> the British Government in 1829. Regulation XVII of 1829 declared
> sati illegal and punishable by the criminal courts as 'culpable
> homicide' amounting to manslaughter,' for which a death sentence
> could be awarded. [S.R. Sharma, The Making of Modern India, Bombay,
> 1951, p. 478.].
>
> The orthodox Hindus protested that measure and made an appeal to the
> Privy Council in England, but, fortunately for the would-be Hindu
> widows of India, the council dismissed the appeal. Thus after having
> been practiced in India for over two thousand years, the institution
> of widow-burning became illegal by the law enacted by a foreign
> power. Until the practice of widow-burning was made a punishable
> offence, the number of widows sacrificed every year was appalling.
> Early in the nineteenth century, in Bengal alone, the annual number
> of such cases was about twelve hundred. In 1818, no fewer than 839
> cases of sati occurred in Bengal. Of these cases, as many as 544
> were accounted for by Calcutta division alone [S.R. Sharma, The
> Making of Modern India, Bombay, 1951, p. 478.].
>
> It appears that Hindu society was not ready to honour the ordinance
> which banned sati except under duress. Long after the date of
> enactment of the ordinance, the rite was freely practiced in Hindu
> States outside the jurisdiction of the British power. The sati which
> accompanied the cremation of the body of Maharaja Ranjit Singh of
> the Punjab in 1839 is a case in point. Four of his wives and seven
> female slaves were burnt to death on the funeral pyre with his
> corpse when it was cremated [John C. Oman, The Brahmans, Theists,
> and Muslims of India, Delhi, 1973, p. 192]. Sati continued to be
> practiced in some parts of India even after independence (i.e,
> 1947).
>
> Apparently, the institution of sati highlights the chastity of
> women. However, when one considers the institution of devdasi (i.e.,
> the system of keeping temple prostitutes) to satisfy the lust of the
> priests and enable them to earn handsome income through engaging
> these girls in immoral activities with rich pilgrims, one fails to
> understand what is the real purpose of sati, upholding the chastity
> of women or torturing them to death.
>
> The alternative to the rite of sati is enforced widowhood, with all
> its degrading accompaniments. It seems as if the Hindu law-givers
> made harsh regulations to be strictly followed by a widow to make
> her life as miserable as possible. The widow had from the moment her
> husband died not only to deplore the loss of a companion, but she
> had also to take a position of utter degradation in the household
> where formerly she had an honourable place. In the words of J.C.
> Oman, "In many parts of India, it is customary a few days after the
> cremation of the husband, to perform what may be called the ceremony
> of formally degrading the widow, when she has her head shaved by the
> barber and is deprived of the use of all her personal ornaments..."
>
> Status of The Sudras
>
> The Sudra has a precarious position in Hindu community. According to
> Manu Smrithi, a Brahman is forbidden to give advice or even food to
> a Sudra, for the ghi (clarified butter) having been offered to the
> gods, must not be eaten by him(sudra) Further, the Brahman must not
> give 'spiritual counsel to him,' nor inform him of the legal
> expiation of his sin. He who declares the law to a servile man, and
> he who instructs him in the mode of expiating sin, sinks with that
> very man into hell.
>
> A Brahman should never be the guru of a Sudra. 'While the first part
> of a Brahman's name should indicate holiness that of a Kshatriya's
> power and that of a Vashya's wealth, that of a Sudra 's should
> indicate contempt. The Veda is never to be read in the presence of a
> Sudra, and for him no sacrifice is to be performed. He has no
> business with solemn rites [Wilkins, Modern Hinduism, London, 1975,
> pp. 247-48.].
>
> A Sudra has no right even to listen to the Veda. Recitation of or
> listening to this sacred book is exclusively a privilege of the
> Aryan Hindus. There is provision of severe punishment for a Sudra,
> in case he dares to enjoy this privilege. If he "overheard a
> recitation of the Vedas, molten lac or tin was to be poured into his
> mouth; if he repeated recitation of the Vedas, his tongue should be
> cut; and if he remembered Vedic hymns, his body was to be torn into
> pieces." [Swami Dharma Theertha, History of Hindu Imperialism,
> Madras, 1992, p. 42.]
>
> A Sudra is debarred from marrying a woman of the higher castes; if
> he does, their offspring will sink into a class even lower than his
> own. He must not participate in carrying the corpse of a Brahman. He
> is allowed to carry his dead only through the southern gate of the
> city where he may live. The murder of a Sudra by a Brahman is equal
> only to killing a cat or a frog or a cow [Wilkins, 1975, p.248.].
>
> In fact, the Sudras who have only deprivations and sufferings in
> their lots, are not Hindus. As Wilkins suggests, "the Sudras were
> not originally part of the Hindu system, but were engrafted into
> it..."[Ibid., p. 255.] Still worse than the Sudras are the Dalits
> (also called Untouchables) who fall outside the caste system and are
> therefore the worst in the social hierarchy.
>
> Untouchability in Practice
>
> Untouchability has been banned in the constitution of India, which
> was drafted by a committee headed by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, himself an
> untouchable. It was his great ingenuity that he could tactfully make
> such a provision in the constitution of a country dominated by the
> Brahmans. However, there are plenty of evidences that the
> constitutional provision is honoured more by violation than by
> observance by millions of so-called high caste Hindus. Here are some:
>
> "An attempt by a group of Harijans (untouchables) to enter an
> historic Hindu temple at the holy town of Nathdwara in Rajasthan
> state failed on Monday evening when high caste priests and others
> beat them back with sticks, injuring at least six. The attempt was
> organized by social reformers to coincide with the 120th anniversary
> of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, the spiritual founder of independent
> India, who named the Untouchables (Dalits) 'Harijans.' Reports from
> Nathdwara say, a large contingent of police, deployed by the state
> government to maintain peace, took no action to prevent the attack
> despite the high court ruling." (Financial Times, 6 October 1988)
>
> "In a village 100 miles from Delhi, villagers hanged and then threw
> on to a fire a girl and two boys; the boys had first been tortured,
> while their fathers made to watch, and one of them and the girl had
> still been alive when put in fire. They had managed to crawl out,
> but were thrown back. The girl, from the powerful Jat caste, had
> tried to elope with one of the boys, assisted by his friend; both
> were untouchables, a group so low they are not even on the bottom
> rung of the caste ladder. Not long before, in three villages in the
> state of Bihar, the huts of 400-odd families of untouchables were
> burnt down by gangs working for the local landowning caste, because
> they were demanding the legal minimum wage, 16 rupees (78 cents) a
> day." (The Economist, June 8th 1991).
>
> "At school Harijans are often made to sit on the floor; in some
> villages they have to take off their shoes while walking past upper-
> caste houses, and are usually banned from drawing water from the
> village well for fear they will pollute it...
>
> A Brahmin on a packed bus cannot hop off and bathe six times each
> time he fears the shadow of an untouchable has fallen on him." (The
> Economist June 8th 1991).
>
> "Twenty Harijans (untouchables) have been hacked to death in a
> village in southern India by high caste Hindus and their bodies
> thrown into a nearby canal, news papers reports said. The Statesman
> said the incident occurred on Tuesday at Tsundur village near Guntur
> town in Andhra Pradesh state. Other reports said a group of Harijans
> were attacked by deadly weapons while trying to flee across marshes.
> A police picked in the village remained passive to the gruesome
> murders, The Hindu newspaper said. The incident had its origins in
> an incident that occurred about a month back in a local cinema hall.
> A Harijan boy watching a movie stretched himself and his leg
> accidentally touched a high-caste boy sitting in the next seat. Soon
> there was an altercation between them. The Hindus took this as an
> affront on their authority. They summoned the teacher-father of the
> Harijan boy and held him hostage until they caught hold of the boy
> and beat him. After this, other minor incidents between the two
> groups snowballed and finally led to arson and mayhem. The southern
> Indian incident comes three weeks after two lower caste youths and a
> 15-year old upper caste girl were publicly hanged by their own
> fathers goaded by a vigilante mob in a north Indian village. They
> were punished for defying the Hindu social code barring inter-caste
> marriage." (Arab News, August l0, 1991).
>
> "In 1989, the national government (of India) recorded 14,269 cases
> of atrocities committed against outcastes, including 479 murders and
> 759 rapes." (Arab News, March 31 1991).
> "Jagjivan Ram (former Union Minister of India) with all power and
> wealth at his command was made to know that his social status was
> not even equal to the poorest and uneducated Brahmin of India. When
> he visited Varanasi on invitation and garlanded the statue of
> Sampurnanand (a Kayasth), the statue was washed with Gangajal
> (sacred water of the Ganges) and mantras were recited to make
> it 'pure' as the touch of a SC (untouchable) had desecrated the
> stone Statue." (Dalit Voice, Vol. 12, No. 21, p.17).
>
> "In Kerala, Namboodiri Brahmins till very recently were
> compelling 'low caste' women not to wear blouses lest they should
> appear as high caste. The result was that these women had to go bare-
> breasted which was condemned by all civilized nations." (Dalit
> Voice, Vol. 12, No. 21, p. 17).
>
> Dalits and Hinduism
>
> A recent example of caste-based atrocities was published by the
> Indian Express (June 24, 1995). A Scheduled Tribe woman, Prakash
> Kaur, was most painfully murdered in a village in Maharashtra
> province in May, 1995. Brutes from the Aryan Hindus:
>
> (l) dragged her to the village temple;
> (2) shaved her head;
> (3) beat her with sticks,
> (4) inserted a stick into her private parts;
> (5) blackened her face;
> (6) put her on a donkey and paraded her in the market; and
> (7) continued to beat her till she died. When the dying woman asked
> for water, the killers poured hot water and kerosene in her mouth.
> Her only offence (?) was that her 12-year old son had entered the
> local Hindu temple. The place where the incident took place is very
> close to the local police station. The more painful aspect of the
> incident is that when the Home Minister of the state was contacted
> by the All India Democratic Women's Association, he refused to take
> any action in the matter saying that it was not a murder but
> a "reflection of mob anger."
>
> Another recent example of caste-based atrocities was published by
> The Times of India in its issue of 18 January 1997. A 41-year old
> low-caste women was stripped and paraded naked through a village
> near Muradabad town (U.P.). Her only offence (?) was that her son
> had, allegedly, teased a girl who was a caste Hindu. The woman cried
> for help but none dared to come to her aid.
>
> The racial atrocities meted out by the arrogant caste or Aryan
> Hindus to the under- privileged people of India have no parallel in
> modern world. The above instances are only few of such incidents
> presented to indicate how things are going on in a country claimed
> to be The largest democracy in the world. I dedicate this page in
> the memory of the women who was most brutally murdered by religious
> fanatics as described in the June 24, 1995, issue of the Indian
> Express. No one cared to save her from such inhumanity.
>
> Source: http://www.allaahuakbar.net/hindu/index.htm
>
> From: Ahumanb <ahumanb@yahoo.com>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> [33:62] God's Sunnah is unchangeable
> [39:23] The Quran is the best Hadith
>
> ---------------------------------
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