Muslim professor forced to stop writing on Ramayana

[prasad1]

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MM Basheer, a literary critic and a former professor of Malayalam at the University of Calicut, has allegedly been forced to stop writing his column series on Ramayana because he's a Muslim.

According to reports, the professor had to stop writing after he received abusive phone calls from unidentified people every day. In each call, he was targeted for commenting on the epic Sanskrit poem by Hindu sage Valmiki.

Pained by the incident, Basheer, who was writing a column on the Ramayana for the Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi in August this year, says at the age of 75, he was 'reduced to a Muslim'. Four days later, after the fifth column was published, Professor Basheer called off the series.

http://www.sify.com/news/muslim-pro...-on-ramayana-news-national-pjepicggedjhf.html


Why this fervent desire to censor any conversation? Why do some think that their "god" needs defending by mortals (that too ignorant ones).

 

[CHANDRU1849]

As you are not aware, religion is a very sensitive thing, in all parts of the word, including highly secular countries (at least on paper).

Hence, it is always desirable to restrict one's activities to his/her religion only, if he/she has faith. Otherwise, it may lead to unnecessary confrontation.

 

[sangom]

As you are not aware, religion is a very sensitive thing, in all parts of the word, including highly secular countries (at least on paper).

Hence, it is always desirable to restrict one's activities to his/her religion only, if he/she has faith. Otherwise, it may lead to unnecessary confrontation.

I have read the articles in question. These only bring out some of the less known points from Valmiki Ramayana. I could not find anything against, or defaming hinduism, rama or ramayana.

This ban is unfortunate. We are trying to make secular muslims to harden their stand against us.

 

[CHANDRU1849]

How far the less known points from Valmiki Ramayana are important? Will they serve any useful purpose? Ramayana is generally centering around Rama and Seetha and their relatives.

For a secularist, the best thing is to keep away from other religions. Can a Hindu be permitted to give a documentary on Islam and bring out unknown things?

 

[Lalit]

Guess Tamilians are more tolerant. Hon'ble Justice M.M. Ismail was widely acknowledged for his mastery over Kamba Ramayanam and used to participate in all the literary discourses as President of Kamban Kazhagam with equal if not more social recognition and acceptance!

 

[krish44]

javed akhthar said in a TV program that three generations of his family have been writing poems on krishna, His well known lyric was in lagaan

His father jaanisar akthar also used to write lyrics for hindi films.

It is stupid to carry on this tirade against those who write in praise of any religion/god

 

[prasad1]

All right-thinking Indians should unequivocally denounce the right-wing fundamentalists who threatened M.M. Basheer, a Malayali scholar, into giving up his column in the Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi. Remaining silent or sitting on the fence on the issue would bring nothing but ignominy upon the very idea of Hinduism, which in its essence stands for tolerance.
One is a Hindu whether or not one visits a temple; whether or not one reads a certain holy book; whether or not one follows a certain set of rituals; whether or not one believes in this, that or the other God. That is why Hinduism was different from all other isms. Always. That is why Hinduism was never so much a religion, as a way of life, which was also adopted, absorbed and assimilated by all the other religions that came in contact with it. And Hinduism had every reason to be proud of what it stood for: A rich way of life.
But this exalted position of Hinduism stands seriously eroded and threatened amidst the petty bigotry, the threats to Basheer and others like him. It is exactly the same extremism of a misplaced “Hindutva” that lead some misdirected elements of society to murder Kalburgi, or Dhabolkar or Panasare and even Gandhi; or others of the same ilk (like a member of Bajrang Dal) to “welcome’ the assassination of these rationalists.”
ndia has been home to Muslims for well over a millennium, and their contribution to the arts, culture and literature is an essential part of what India is today. And for the same reason, Muslims in India are as much Indians as its Hindus. Raking up trouble deliberately seems to be the pastime of the communalists, whether Hindus or Muslims, who seem to be happy dividing a large mass of uneducated and unskilled population along radical lines. They seem to be achieving their ends because a large segment of main-stream segments remain mute spectators to these radical elements.
If the government wants to be seen as truly progressive, both economically, socially and culturally, they must come down on these radicals with a heavy hand, and not let them shoot using the ruling party’s shoulders, even indirectly.
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