They have been calledIndia’s biggest enemy, butMaoist rebels are also theunlikely subjects of arecent rash of movies and booksthat some say are romanticizingthe rebels and their cause. The four-decade-old Maoistinsurgency and its effect on thecommon man are the focus of anew Bollywood film Red Alert,which tells the story of a poorlaborer who gets caught in thefight between the rebels andlaw-enforcement agencies.
We are all proud to call India the world’s largest democracy. But let me ask you where in a democracy is an innocent man given a life sentence? The treatment given to Dr. Binayak Sen, a physician working for the benefit of tribals in remote areas where the elite would not dare to venture, is unfair and unjust. It is a travesty of justice that has created an uproar across India and around the world.
The opinion article by Mathew N. Schmalz (News India Times, Feb. 4) was as disgusting as the fact that you decided to publish it. Your publishing it is probably understandable since you have mostly Christians at the helm at your publication.
There has been a recent deluge of debate about “homegrown terror.” The term refers mostly to young Muslims growing up in America who succumb to extremist ideology, thereby becoming domestic enemies of the state. I am a member of the American Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Community. In contrast to the extremists, we train our Muslim-American youth to love their fellow man, to be loyal citizens and to serve as Muslims for peace.
While trying to rehash and serve the arguments of the Indian consulates, Neera Bahl (News India Times, Jan. 28), fails miserably in understanding the sources of the community’s anger. Let me just take a few arguments to tear them apart. If the consulates are receiving thousands of applications, by corollary, they are getting that much more visa fees, too. Visa fee is charged to cover processing costs and is not supposed to be pocketed.
The spiritual straight talk by Sadguru is often very inspiring. The other day, I was reading an article in which Sadguru wrote about compassion. It was an eye-opener and I wonder how many people really read it. If they had read it, I am sure they wouldn’t be celebrating the 50th anniversary of Gujarat state 10,000 miles away in America.
I have a simple solution for the problem of location of the proposed mosque in Manhattan near Ground Zero. Both sides – the imam and his supporters and the people wanting relocation of the mosque – are very rigid and emotional in their views. The government is not mediating in the matter at present, and the conflict is worsening.
The higher visa fee is not discriminatory but justified. It applies to all companies whose American workforce is more than 50 percent visa-holders. The arguments from Indian companies are baseless. The 50 percent threshold is not a ambiguity, it is the whole point that companies in the United States should hire legal citizens or green-card-holders before they hire from abroad.
