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Editor arrested for 'outraging Muslims'

Protests against Indian newspaper over article reprinted from Independent

By Jerome Taylor

The editor and publisher of a major Indian newspaper have been arrested for "hurting the religious feelings" of Muslims after they reprinted an article from The Independent. Ravindra Kumar and Anand Sinha, the editor and publisher of the Kolkata-based English daily The Statesman, appeared in court yesterday charged under section 295A of the Indian Penal Code which forbids "deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings".

Sections of central Kolkata have been paralysed by protests for much of the past week after The Statesman republished an article by The Independent's columnist Johann Hari. Titled "Why should I respect oppressive religions?", the piece was originally printed in The Independent on 28 January. In it, Hari said he believed the right to criticise any religion was being eroded around the world.

The Statesman, a highly respected liberal English-language daily, reprinted the article on 5 February, causing a major backlash among a small group of Muslims who felt that the piece slighted the Prophet Mohamed and insulted their religion. Peaceful protests were held outside The Statesman's offices at the weekend but by Monday, demonstrations had turned violent. Angry crowds began blocking roads, attacking police and calling for the arrest of the article's author and the newspaper's publisher and editor. On Monday and Tuesday police used baton charges to try to disperse crowds and more than 70 protesters were arrested.

Staff at The Statesman were forced to barricade the front entrance to their building and were escorted into their offices through a side door by police. The office is opposite the Tipu Sultan Masjid, Kolkata's largest mosque.

One journalist at The Statesman said: "The police have surrounded our building all this week but the protesters kept coming back. There was a small section who were absolutely hellbent on causing problems."

Last night, Hari defended his article. "I wrote in defence of the right to criticise religion – all religion – and it is vitally important to keep that right alive in the world's largest, and in many ways most admirable, democracy," he said. On two separate occasions Mr Kumar, The Statesman's editor, issued statements standing by his decision to publish the article. But he also said he had not meant to cause offence to any religion. A note published on 8 February said The Statesman had reprinted Hari's article because "it mourned the marginalisation of the middle, liberal path in modern society". It added: "The Statesman has always upheld secular values and has a record of providing space to all viewpoints, even contentious ones. If we were unable to fulfil this role, we would rather cease publication with honour than compromise our basic values.

"The publication of Johann Hari's opinion was not intended to cause hurt, or defame any community or religion. Nor was it intended to provoke societal tension. If unwittingly we have aggrieved any section of society, we deeply regret it."

As well as the protests, a complaint was also filed at a police station by a member of the public, Mohd Shahid, calling for arrests. Speaking to The Independent last night, Mr Kumar said he voluntarily attended the police station yesterday to try to calm tensions. "Upon learning that a case had been registered by Kolkata police, I contacted officers and offered to assist the investigation and to aid efforts to defuse tensions," he said. "Following this, the arrests were made early today and we were released on bail last night."

Since Mr Kumar's arrest yesterday protesters have dispersed.

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The World Has Gone Mad!
[info]media_myths wrote:
Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 12:45 am (UTC)
When we cannot debate either the existence of god or the adverse effect that religion is having on the progress of the human race then it is a very sad day for us all....

I'm really beginning to fear for the future as debate is being stifled in the name of religious sensitivities but I suspect is really the excuse to control progressives because far too many of us can envisage a future without an elite.
What a surprise
[info]bbc4israel wrote:
Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 12:57 am (UTC)
They never cease to demonstrate why we have nothing to fear from their anachronistic, repressive religion....
Outrage
[info]colincarr99 wrote:
Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 03:06 am (UTC)
It seems that Mr Hari can rest his case.
[info]ridley210 wrote:
Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 05:09 am (UTC)
Well, you could have inserted a link to the offending piece, no?
Pull your socks up, liberal Indians, and speak OUT.
[info]siddistani wrote:
Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 06:34 am (UTC)
As an Indian, I fear for the nation. A fear justified by the increasingly virulent intolerance that has sprung up, in matters communal, social and political. We used to be famous for easy tolerance. Now we're setting each other on fire. And when it comes to suppressing legitimate opinion, no one does it better than the pathetic mullahs and their fawning unemployed young following, and the pseudo-sanyasis trying to create a new fascist Hindu nation.

What is worse, however, is the absence of a virulent opposition to such acts. The great Indian Middle Class is intellectually bankrupt. Concerned with the immediate creation of wealth, and capable of unbearable degrees of apathy.

If you're Indian and you feel that such ridiculous incidents are not correct, then for heavens' sake, garner some stuffing and STAND UP, SPEAK OUT.
Re: Pull your socks up, liberal Indians, and speak OUT.
[info]drlohits wrote:
Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 12:27 pm (UTC)
Mam this is the fear of hindus, the muslim percentage has increased from nearly 7 to more than 18% (correctly) just in 50 yrs, adding to there is covert coversion by christians showing the greed of money.
Mam all these people can go through the loop holes of our democracy and are changing the demographics of nation.
How can hindus fight out this when most parties are appeasing these people for votes.
Mam if we remain tolerant we will remain tolerant till our demographic will be equivalent, then do think they will be tolerant- mam open your eyes towards Jk, lakshwadeep islands and come to reality.
Someone has to take initiatives against this to create awareness this is what your so called Hindu fanatics are doing today to prevent our last existing place from extinction.
Re: Pull your socks up, liberal Indians, and speak OUT. - [info]arthur_ide - Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 01:07 pm (UTC) Expand
Islam
[info]luxider wrote:
Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 07:32 am (UTC)
as every where, and in any occasion muslims show their inability for intelligence, tolerance, and peace, even (and especially) truth ( written in their "book" ) offend them.

western countries have to take in account this incompatibility, and avoid to respect a "sect" proving everywhere its high dangerosity, islam is the worse and most dangerous fascim of this world
Re: Islam
[info]arthur_ide wrote:
Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 01:17 pm (UTC)
Excellent response. Islam, like most religions, was born out of myth. The Koran is a collection of far older fairy tales including the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus, plagarisms from the Torah (first five "books" of the Old Testament), the writings of the Prophets (Old Testament), and numerous hands who created what was finally codified by the fourth century as the New Testament. While it is claimed that Mohammad lived in the sixth century-seven century--there is no Koran in existence before the eighth century--and its "leader" was known to wed and have sex with eight year old girls. His religion of "peace" never existed, thus Yathrib was overthrown and all those who did not convert at the point of the Islamic sword were killed, and the city renamed Medina. Mecca suffered an equal grotesque fate and history painted out the suffering of the Bedouins whose sole sop was to have their temple to the gods labeled the prison of the Satan. Not one word in the Koran is true--but written to deny women equal rights and to glorify the male. It has the worse record of atrocities in history--all that is closely comparable to it is Nazi Germany and the government of the Third Reich. Islam is rightfully named--for the word means "submission" and in Islam all intelligence and all individual thinking is denied while a few mullahs and ayatollahs (a word for archbishop) have set themselves up as gods to drain the purses of the faithful so they do not have to work like the average Muslim. Islam is a corrupt and bankrupt religion.
Re: Islam - [info]andre_t - Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 02:52 pm (UTC) Expand
Re: Islam - [info]arthur_ide - Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 08:56 pm (UTC) Expand
Re: Islam - [info]exec_ceo - Friday, 13 February 2009 at 09:45 am (UTC) Expand
Muslim Fanaticism in India
[info]jaymonu wrote:
Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 08:47 am (UTC)
The Statesman episode demonstrates once again how an avowedly-secular Republic is being held hostage by a tiny majority of Islamic fanatics. India, for all its other deficiencies and fault-lines, has bent over backwards to accommodate all religious persuasions. The Indian Muslims, in particular, have carved out for themselves major benefits and concessions not available to other citizens. Yet, fuelled by fanatical Islamists across the border and in other parts of the world, many Indian Muslims have adopted violently confrontational policies in the last decade.

Just a year ago, they forced the well-known Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen, who had sought refuge in Calcutta after being hounded out of her native Bangladesh by Islamic terrorists, to leave the city for Delhi initially. Later on, a pliant Indian Government encouraged the author to leave India.

The local State government in West Bengal, led by so-called Marxists and Leftists, have also shamelessly played the Muslim card because of electoral considerations. The British and the Indian establishments have both been pandering to highly-intolerant and violent groups of Islamists ; the results will be be extremely explosive in the medium term.

Jay Bhattacharjee
Re: Muslim Fanaticism in India
[info]bobav wrote:
Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 12:39 pm (UTC)
I think it would be wise to offer a selection of articles about similar violence perpetrated by other religious groups in the past five years. This is not to excuse fanatic Muslims, but to cease to target them as the only religion with violently intolerant practitioners. India itself could provide a plethora of incidences involving Hindus and if one considers the decimation of Iraq as the act of a rapidly Christian president who believed he was doing god's bidding, then we have the blood of a million or more innocent Muslims on Christian hands. Even from Buddhists, a religion that attempts to portray itself as the ultimate peace-maker, we have the carnage in Sri Lanka and other places to attend to before we single out Muslims as the most violently rigid among those narrowly fanatic about their religion. Shall we talk about the goings-on in Gaza?
Re: Muslim Fanaticism in India - [info]arthur_ide - Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 01:22 pm (UTC) Expand
Re: Muslim Fanaticism in India - [info]saraal65 - Friday, 13 February 2009 at 06:03 am (UTC) Expand
Re: Muslim Fanaticism in India - [info]san44 - Monday, 16 February 2009 at 11:37 am (UTC) Expand
Re: Muslim Fanaticism in India - [info]bobav - Thursday, 16 April 2009 at 10:38 am (UTC) Expand
Re: Muslim Fanaticism in India - [info]johnmacvan - Thursday, 16 April 2009 at 09:03 am (UTC) Expand
Re: Muslim Fanaticism in India - [info]bobav - Thursday, 16 April 2009 at 10:31 am (UTC) Expand
Editor arrested
[info]snhebbar wrote:
Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 09:36 am (UTC)
It is sad that in India while vilification of Hindu religion is permissible and considered as progressive, the same thing cannot be said about other religions. It appears only Muslims and Christians are sesitive and their feelings only have to be respected. Hindus have no sentiments and of course may be igonored and if someone hurt protests, he is called hindu fundamantalist out to destroy secular fabfic.
Outrage
[info]barneyson wrote:
Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 10:29 am (UTC)
I am outraged that Muslims are so easily outraged.
To free thought and inquiry - and an end to religious tyranny
[info]cole_55 wrote:
Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 10:55 am (UTC)
I did go and have a look on the Statesman site and the original Johann Hari article is still posted - bravo !!

If you read the article Hari criticizes all religions - but as always its the Muslims - who get ""outraged"", and state calling for Islamic laws (deaths and other punishments) - as no one else seems to be bothered.

Hari is so right - Muslim are going round saying 'Our religion is so important to us' - yes ' but what about my beliefs ?? My beliefs are also important to me !!

I personally feel offended by some of the things we are supposed to say and believe particularly about Islam - that it is peaceful for one - they killed 80-100 million people to bring Islam to India - and as a responsible citizen - I am supposed to learn more about the religion of Islam - not Hinduism and not Buddhism - only Islam - so that I would no longer arrive at my own conclusions - that I will possibly arrive at theirs - and maybe like it so much I might join the religion !!

Learn more about Islam - is like the Christian evangelist on the street - who asks you to go to a bible meeting - you know what they want - they want you to join the religion!!

I thought the original article was really good - and I certainly do hope that those in India - who were brave enough to reprint the article - are safe and that these protests die down and they can get their lives back to normal.



Re: To free thought and inquiry - and an end to religious tyranny
[info]arthur_ide wrote:
Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 01:24 pm (UTC)
Islam is an outrage against sanity and justice. It is the antithesis of democracy and intelligence.
[info]scot_in_canada wrote:
Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 11:16 am (UTC)
Egad. Now the Muslims are shooting the messenger. Mr. Hari had better start checking his car for bombs.
What a joke
[info]nickiuk wrote:
Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 11:41 am (UTC)
what is the world coming too when a newspaper's editor is arrested for something that everyone does when they talk about religion.

Here in the UK, being a christian is now becoming pretty much illegal, eg the foster mother stuck off because a 16 year old muslim child in her care, after being removed from her home due to violence, converts to christianity, and a christian nurse is suspended because she offer to pray for someone. When I went to church that is what we did, we prayed for people, be they christian, muslim or any faith, it didn't matter to us, we called on god to support and help them. Don't all the religions, excluding paganism, support the one god, the god almighty, we all call him by a different name, but isn't he the same.

Didn't christianity come from the jewish faith and didn't islam come from the same source, if by different routes. I critise christianity, the jewish faith, islam, and all the other religions at points, then arrest me and put me on trial, or any person who does the same.
Re: What a joke
[info]kleio_caissa wrote:
Friday, 13 February 2009 at 07:50 pm (UTC)
The article about the foster mother being struck off due to the muslim child becoming christian was highly irresponsible and inaccurate. This was not the reason she was struck off at all, but social services cannot address the press about it due to an upcoming court case.

Edited at 2009-02-13 07:57 pm (UTC)
One Question
[info]edwod wrote:
Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 11:59 am (UTC)
I get the feeling Johann Hari is simply anti-religion.
Last week Johann Hari wrote in The Independent: "Why should I respect oppressive religions".

I have one question for Hari:
What about oppressive governments?

Re: One Question
[info]tijum wrote:
Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 12:32 pm (UTC)
There is no logic in this comment. The point under discussion is "why should I respect oppressive religions", and not repression in general. The points of the debate could well have been lost if not focussed in this way.
There is nothing, of course, to prevent you making your own comments to widen the discussion
Re: One Question - [info]andrea_2 - Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 02:44 pm (UTC) Expand
Are we still free?
[info]mstooth wrote:
Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 12:33 pm (UTC)
Someone gets arrested fo 'outraging Muslims' and the world slips a little nearer to being overtaken by narrow thinking religious fanatics.To defend freedom of opinion surely must take precedence over religious sensitivity?
Re: Are we still free?
[info]arthur_ide wrote:
Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 01:31 pm (UTC)
Well written. It is because the people of the European Middle Ages were afraid to speak out against the attrocities of the Roman Catholic hierarchy and its entrenchment and greed for gold that many were killed by the nefarious Inquisition, tongues were cut out from mouths, eyes blinded, and children raped by religious brothers and priests. These vile actions were sanctioned by the church and applauded by the popes from 800 to 1586 who sang Te Deums to thank their gods for the slaughter of babies, children, women, elderly as its "crusaders" marched into the "Holy Land" to free it from Islam but also killed native Christians, Jews, and other people so that they could carve out a Kingdom of Jerusalem and find the fabled True Cross. The popes, very few who ever lived saintly lives, commissioned various crusades, the most notorious being the Children's Crusade which in the end led to the enslavement and sale of children who marched for "the Cross." Today the conservative Anglicans in the USA, like the nefarious Mormons of the LDS, would deny the right of choice not only in private matters but in public, demanding like evangelical Christians that a particular version (out of three in the Old Testament) be displayed on public buildings even though not every citizen is a Christian (I fortunately renounced my Christian baptism and confirmation, for those were forced on me when I was young). Atheists, agnostics, freethinkers and others, are still disenfranchised in most countries, especially the USA which has little respect for divergent opinions if they go against "community standards". Not until all religion evaporates from the minds its strangles will any mortal be free.
The offending passage
[info]davidmww wrote:
Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 12:39 pm (UTC)
This is the passage which caused the Muslims to take to the streets:

"I don't respect the idea that we shoud follow a 'Prophet' who at the age of 53 had sex with a nine-year old girl, and ordered the murder of whole villages of Jews because they wouldn't follow him"

They have said their religious feelings were outraged, but none so far have explained why anyone should respect the idea that we shoud follow a 'Prophet' who at the age of 53 had sex with a nine-year old girl, and ordered the murder of whole villages of Jews because they wouldn't follow him

Any ideas?
A free press
[info]arthur_ide wrote:
Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 01:02 pm (UTC)
For centuries UK, USA, Canada and other democracies have fought in courts and on battle fields for the right of a free press (enshrined as a basic tenet of democracy in the Constitution of the USA). The radical right-wing of the Muslims in India not only must be criticized, but to demand the arrest and trial of a newspapers editor and publisher is the height of absurdity and abuse of free speech--it is tantamount to crying fire in a crowded theater. I applaud the courageous and rightful stand of Hari and Kumar as guardians of liberty and condemn Mohd Shahid as an instrument of evil in calling for the arrest of those he disagrees with. If every person who disagrees with another is arrested, soon the world's population will be in jail. This article for me was the last straw and I denounce the fundamentalists within the Islamic faith as being more oriented toward demonology than the Koran, for they have mocked the Koran and betrayed the principles of self-healing and spiritual inwardness. The Statesman of India must be applauded as a beacon to others for it prints a variety of opinions and articles and is a major source of pride for those who believe in a free society. Intelligent people will damn the Muslim religion in India after the pathetic complaint of Mohd Shahid.
Criticism of Religion
[info]chiennoir wrote:
Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 01:22 pm (UTC)
The tragedy in Gaza consists in my opinion in the fact that the only choice now open to people is that between a fascist Israeli state and a fascist Hamas. The left supports Hamas because it opportunisticly thinks that my enemy's enemy is my friend. It simply doesn't realise the consequences of such a position. Look what happened to the left in Iran after the revolution. Tudeh, for example, supported Khoumeini and lived to rue the day. When will people realise that religious monomaniacs such as compose Hamas and Hizbollah should never be courted under any circumstances. It is suicide to do so. They should be completely marginalised and not given the time of day, meanwhile a politics should be developed which transcends these stupidities. In other words, the left should be more principled in who it chooses to support. Meanwhile, criticism of religion, should be defended by all those who care for civilisation.
Re: Criticism of Religion
[info]exec_ceo wrote:
Friday, 13 February 2009 at 09:48 am (UTC)
No, the tragedy in gaza is that a hundreds of thousands of crazy people live there and gaza is ruled by lunatic radical islamic fundamentalists who refuse to stop attacking Israel.

It isn't israel's fault.
Re: Criticism of Religion - [info]chiennoir - Friday, 13 February 2009 at 01:41 pm (UTC) Expand
Re: Criticism of Religion - [info]san44 - Monday, 16 February 2009 at 11:44 am (UTC) Expand
[info]ashokmehta13 wrote:
Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 01:42 pm (UTC)
The arrest is just another example of the Congress Party and the leftists appeasing the Muslims fo votes. There are so many things that the Congress and the UPA have done to get Muslim votes that the list would run into many pages. Everyday the newspapers carry stories about new privileges being conferred on this community to the detriment of the Hindus. In India, with the active connivance of the media which claims to be secular but is actually pro Muslim, new steps are taken to downgrade the Hindus and comment adversely on Hindu religion. I have read the article that was published in the Independent a few days back and agree with every word that it contains.
Muslims again
[info]ouldbob wrote:
Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 02:27 pm (UTC)
When are we going to wake up and call a spade a spade? Islam today is backward and repressive, fuelled by ignorance and illiteracy. Pakistanis in Britain import illiterate or semi-literate husbands for their daughters, to try to prolong the malign influences of radical islam, and prevent the liberalism and fairness of British custom infecting them.
That which they consider to be their 'values', fair minded people would dismiss out of hand.
Yet, although we see their evil infecting every nation where they are settled, we, still, here in Britain, can be jailed for telling the truth, and attacked viciously, or threatened with death by muslims who seem to posess an immunity from the law.
Oddly, Britain was the first nation to declare itself Christian (156 A.D.), and equally oddly, islam used to be a way of intelligence - the renaissance owes its origins to the influences of scholarly muslims.
Well, I'm fighting back as best I can, and have started by going to Church again, since if there is a religious void, something will crawl in and fill it.
More of the same
[info]andrea_2 wrote:
Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 02:51 pm (UTC)
This so depressing. The truth is that people find it difficult to face the truth about their belief system. Muslims must squirm when Mohammed's marriage to Aysha comes up and they feel they must try and hide his conduct. Because it is not the conduct of a good or holy man.

They're not offended, they're frightened, because in their heart of hearts, how can they worship a man who married a six year old and had sex with her when she was nine? They can't, but undoing a lifetime of brainwashing and conviction is very hard to do. Simpler to hide from the truth and try and make sure no one elese hears it.

I always feel that such demonstrations against the free press make it all the more imperative that they continue to tell the truth whenever they can.

A war against freedom is being waged and those who value freedom must not allow it to lose.
People confuse the right with racism
[info]independantview wrote:
Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 03:42 pm (UTC)
Hari's purpose is not "critisising a religion", but clearly boosting racism. If one honestly wants to critisize a religion, why not Christianity, jewish and other. Then, we can think that he is using the right to critisize the religion. Other religions aren't all perfect, none is. The article is racist, nothing to do with freedom, or tolerance in a religion.

Let me also remind everyone that the reason for Iraq's invasion was not "weapons", not democracy, nothing to do with September 11, or terrorism (there was no link found); millions of innocent people were killed just because they were muslims (no other reason was justified). The talk of democracy came later to justify the initial lie about weapons of mass destruction. Isuggets people shouldn't buy every bullshit they hear on tv or around, should be wiser to evaluate the situation with an "independant view", not as a Christian, jewish, or position in finance etc.
Re: People confuse the right with racism
[info]kleio_caissa wrote:
Friday, 13 February 2009 at 08:23 pm (UTC)
If you bothered to read his article, he criticizes all religions...

Johann is not racist.
Oppressive Muslims!!
[info]samb_uk wrote:
Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 04:37 pm (UTC)
We must take a stand against Islam in the same way we fought Nazism in the early half of the last century.

I belong to the left, but I cannot reconcile my devotion to free speech, respect for the equality of women and the dignity of gay people with Islam.

Religion
[info]miker100 wrote:
Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 05:09 pm (UTC)
I believe it was Karl Marx who said that 'religion was the opium of the people'. Well. I have no regard for Marx (except Groucho), but that statement is a cracker. Religion sucks, end of story, but some religions suck more than others. I find it hard to believe that sane intelligent human beings actually follow this unproven, unprovable Tosh about a supreme being, that, in the case of Islam can't even make up his/her/it's mind about the most basic aspects of creation.
Memo to Self
[info]geo32 wrote:
Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 06:43 pm (UTC)
Do not go on holiday to India.
I am a non believer.
Mr. Kumar and Mr.Sinha allegedly slighted the muslim religion and were taken to court.
I shudder to think what would happen to me if I voiced my non belief in any faith!!
Liberal editor + Johann Hari = jail
[info]scot_in_canada wrote:
Thursday, 12 February 2009 at 08:45 pm (UTC)
Arthur_Ide: your points are well taken however ham-fisted. It appears you are an atheist after spending some time in religious worship. You rally against the violent tactics of Christians and Islamists which is an opinion that you have every right to assert. However, you wish violence to rid the world of this religious blight that mankind has created.
Isn't that what the Islamists are doing and early Christians did? Did the human race not learn anything by these early attempts of "cleansing"?
Atheism and religion can co-exist, even though they are mutually exclusive, provided the one side doesn't attempt to "convert" the other side.
Instead of anger and vitriol, let's have peace in our time.

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