Asia today resembles a war zone, where
rule of law is the last thing on the mind of the partisans in power and
civil war–like conditions prevail. Our cover story this month tries to
draw out some key players from the political arena in India to tell our
readers what they understand by secularism (and democracy). Much of even
that segment of the political class that still swears by the word has so
abused the word in their political practice that in the perception of many
Indians today it has become a synonym for opportunism, appeasement and
hypocrisy. For us, however, there is no doubt that the only road to ‘moksha’
for multi–religious, multi-cultural, multi–ethnic societies like ours
lies in the rediscovery and reaffirmation of secular principle and secular
politics. The contributions to our cover story this month cannot possibly
be, are not meant to be, a conclusive, one time exercise. We would like our
readers to see these as the launch of a much-needed debate on the subject
that we will keep returning to in the coming issues.
Because we in India and in
South Asia are engrossed in our own petty battles, essentially meaningless
but potentially frightening, we missed being participants in what without
doubt was the greatest global uprising for peace. Let alone being active
participants, we were barely even witness to the unprecedented, in scale,
phenomenon of people standing up to their own governments and demanding that
they "use some imagination" to find "non-violent alternatives
to war and terrorism".
Never before in history have
over 10 million take to the streets in over 600 cities and towns stretching
across continents, as they did on February 15, to assert that Superpower
arrogance and military clout cannot be enough justification to launch a
campaign of death and devastation against Iraq that cannot but bring untold
suffering to millions of people in that hapless country. As amazing as the
numbers involved was the fact that no central committee, no political
presidium could claim credit for having planned and pulled of this amazing
spectacle. And peace activists — may their tribe increase – are too few
and too far in between to have even dreamed up such turnout. Besides, this
spontaneous outpouring inexplicably seemed to be in support of a man who is
no popular hero: only Saddam Hussain. And yet, as one columnist in the Observer,
London put it, "The unheard have spoken out".
And what did they say? This
is what Andrew Miller, 33, from New Zealand, who was one among the nearly
one million people who marched in London had to say: "All the different
groups that are marching today show the world that the West is not the
enemy, that British people do not hate Islam and Arabs and the coming
together of people is the greatest way forward." (The participation of
Arab or other Muslim majority countries in the February 15 mobilisation was
marginal at best).
Following the unpardonable
9/11 terrorist targeting of innocents in the US, a group that calls itself
":‘September 11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows’ came into
existence. Last month, a four-member delegation representing this
organization made a six-day trip of Iraq, "making people–to–people
contacts at schools, hospitals and universities in Baghdad and Basra."
Kat Tinley, whose uncle, Mike Tinley, perished at the World Trade Center on
September 11, 2001 was part of the delegation. And this is what she had to
say of her experience on return: "During our trip, I met a lot of
people who want their country healthy again, and their children happy. Like
much of the world, the people of Iraq have known violence entirely too long,
and they long for peace."
Yes, coming together of
people is the greatest way forward. Bush and Blair are unlikely to be so
easily convinced, but what about you Samuel Huntington and your "clash
of civilizations" thesis?
— Editors