On July 5, the writer attended a conference in downtown Philadelphia's sprawling Pennsylvania Convention Centre, organised by the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) and Muslim American Society (MAS). One session was devoted to "Hindutva in India and America," with two guest speakers from India, Father Cedric Prakash, a Christian from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and an eminent syndicated columnist whose columns appear in The Daily Star, Mr. Praful Bidwai, a Hindu from New Delhi. It was truly a privilege and an honour to listen to and talk with the two fiercely patriotic Indians. If I were to list their accomplishments, that will take up the remainder of this column!

Father Prakash, who is the Director of "Prashant," "A Centre for Human Rights, Justice and Peace," spoke first. A soft-spoken and diminutive man, with the stature of a giant and the courage of a lion, Father Prakash recounted the twin horrors his home city Ahmedabad, and his home state Gujarat had become under the BJP and Mr. Narinder Modi. In February of 2002, exacting vengeance for the death of 59 Hindu pilgrims in a railway carriage set on fire by a Muslim mob, the BJP goons "raped Muslim women and girls, massacred Muslim men, women and children and burnt them alive in Ahmedabad -- and I am not exaggerating!" Father Prakash stressed. For protesting the killings in Ahmedabad "I was almost killed myself and asked to go to Pakistan. Yet, I hold no brief for anyone, Pakistan or not. We are only standing up for the truth," the Father added.

Father Prakash displayed the symbol of the city of Ahmedabad, the Tree of Life. "We want to preserve the Tree of Life. The BJP wants to replace it (with an overtly Hindu symbol). They know that cutting a tree produces a lot of noise. Therefore (symbolically) they are cutting the tree by poisoning its roots." Even Hindus are horrified to find that as of June 2003 the school text books of Gujarat blame the minority "foreigners" -- Muslims, Christians, Parsis and Jews -- for all of India's problems. Indian history has been revised; it now starts with the Vedic period. Also in the Gujarat textbooks Hitler is number one among world heroes "because he gave the German race a sense of identity and pride." The books barely acknowledge that Hitler showed "some hostility" towards the Jews!

Father Prakash related that on March 25, 2003 former police chief of Ahmedabad, Mr. Krishnan, gave a blow-by-blow account of the complicity of Mr. Modi's government in the killing of Muslims in February 2002. The next day, Mr. Krishnan was shot dead by assailants in broad daylight! Father Prakash also recounted how his friend, a former Muslim Member of the Indian Parliament was killed. The MP knew, and had appealed to the highest authorities in Ahmedabad to save his life. No police was sent, and the MP was first stabbed to death and then his body burnt! Earlier this month, all 21 Hindus accused of burning Muslims alive were acquitted. The New York Times correspondent Hari Kumar reported on July 8: "A Muslim woman who recanted her testimony that Hindu neighbours burned members of her family said threats from Hindu nationalist politicians in Gujarat caused her and her family to change their testimony...

The woman, Zahira Sheikh, 20, was the key witness in a trial of 21 Hindus accused of burning 14 people alive in March 2002... After the recantations, all 21 were acquitted." So much for justice under the BJP!

Father Prakash added that anyone wishing to change their religion in Gujarat is now required to seek the permission of the civil authorities, failing which they are liable for imprisonment. The punishment is double for women, Dalits and the tribals, "who cannot think for themselves." For Hindutva, Gujarat was a "laboratory.' Now that the experiment has been deemed a success, it will be repeated all over India, the BJP says. Father Prakash pleaded: "We are fighting to preserve the secular character of India. I am not speaking to you as a Muslim, Hindu, Christian, nor as a Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Indian. I speak to you from my heart to respect as human beings our brothers and sisters. In many places in Gujarat and Ahmedabad, Muslims cannot buy a house, own a shop, get a job, attend a good school or hold their heads high and say, 'I am a Muslim.'"

"We cannot discriminate against any religion. The police can arrest any Muslim or Christian on charges of terrorism any time. We don't want Gujarat in every part of India. The world cannot remain silent. We have had a patient hearing in the US. American citizens should pressure the US government. Recently, an American Judge awarded 116 million dollars to the families of two Jews killed by the Palestinians in the Middle East. Two thousand people were massacred in Gujarat in 2002. Will the Judge award 116,000 million dollars to the families of those killed in Gujarat? If not, why not?" the priest posed.

In his talk, Mr. Praful Bidwai said that four recent events have shaped India negatively: The 1975 emergency rule, (which had more to do with Indira than India,) the 1992 demolition of the Babri mosque (people's revenge on a holy place), the 1998 detonation of the nuclear bomb (which degraded India's secular ethos), and most disturbing the carnage of 2000 people, mostly Muslims (which visited darkness upon 50 million people of Gujarat.) The last was instigated by a political agenda to undermine the plural and secular character of India. Mr. Bidwai painted the true pictures of India: "India's richness lies in the fact that India has always been multicultural, multireligious, multilingual, multiethnic, with different cuisines, modes of dressing and social interactions. India boasts of not only of Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Christians, Jains and animists among its population, but also of Jews in Maharashtra and Kerala. Islam in India is as old as in the Middle East. It was introduced in India not through force, but by the Arab traders in the middle of the 7th century. Christianity came to India in 52 AD along with St. Thomas."

According to the people in power today in India, Mr. Bidwai said, India is a Hindu country, which was repeatedly invaded by foreigners, who must now be destroyed. They argued that the Babri mosque was built on the birthplace of Rama. When archeological excavations revealed that what lies beneath the Babri mosque is an OLDER mosque, the BJP, VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) and RSS said, "it is a matter of faith." Mr. Bidwai pointed out "there is no text book that says so. It is a fabricated faith, a negative faith bent on destruction." (The bottom line is, Indian court's ruling notwithstanding, a small Hindu temple has been operating on the site of Babri mosque since 1992, and it is now clear that the BJP will demolish two more mosques at Kashi and Mathura, as was reported by Mr. Kuldip Nayar in the Daily Star on July 13.) The plan of the ruling party, which has no respect for people of other faiths, is to transform secular India into Hindu India, so that all non-Hindus are disenfranchised. The idea is to drive Muslims out of the political process, commented Mr. Bidwai. Dalits listening to Vedic verses have been threatened with the pouring of molten brass into their ears!

Before the 10th century, Hinduism was more complex, Mr. Bidwai said. The hierarchy in Hinduism, with privileges for a few Hindus, not the masses, dates back to the 10th century. The European fascists of the 1930s inspired the Indian fascists. The RSS, modeled after Hitler and Mussolini's parties, was founded in 1925. Now Jews in Israel, Indians and neoCons in America support them. As the prime force behind non-alignment and multilaterism, impoverished India used to exude moral superiority. BJP's India has formed a strategic partnership with the worst aspect of American policy. Eightyfive per cent of Indians opposed the Iraq war; there were 500 demonstrations against it. Both countries have a stake in demonising a community (Muslims) with the label "terrorists," with arrest without warrants, and killing them as "terrorists," Mr. Bidwai added.

"Hindutva is hegemonial, not Hinduism," Mr. Bidwai stressed, while exhorting the audience not to despair but to act: "Let us not accept BJP's version that India is a Hindu state, and that all Muslims are terrorists and agents of Pakistan. Majority of Indians are not fundamentalist. They have a stake in this. They want India to remain multi-religious, they want to normalise relations with Pakistan, and they share a tradition of human rights, dignity, tolerance and respect for each other." With the instigation of Hindutva forces, there have been 15,000 communal riots in India. Hindus in the UK, and most notably in the USA fund them. The conference quoted from some Hindutva leaders: "If Muslims behave like Jews in Germany, there is nothing wrong with their being treated that way," (Bal Thackery, 1992). "Gujarat was a successful experiment and will be repeated all over India" (Ashok Singhal of VHP). The Sangh Parivar and RSS have established 125,000 schools all over India. Bajrang Dal, BJP's military wing advocates suicide bombing.

Although the BJP government has presided over the ethnic cleansing of Muslims in parts of India, it has suffered no consequences. On the contrary, BJP's main fundraising wing in the America, VHP, has opened 73 chapters in the US and enjoys tax-exempt status! VHP is a very powerful presence in the US. When the US Senate attempted to pass a resolution criticizing the Gujarat massacres, the VHP went into overdrive, and the US Senators backed off!

The BJP and the Sangh Parivar are upper class Hindu-led movements. Even former actress turned politician, Miss Jayalalitha, defended 1992 and 2002 Gujarat. BJP draws support even from the most modern and highly educated Indians of the Indian Silicon Valley. Mr. Bidwai lamented that in Mahatma Gandhi's own Gujarat, now polarized, the Mahatma, whom the world idolizes, is "hated;" the real hero is "tough" Sardar Patel! Mr. Bidwai cautioned that the BJP is succeeding in tainting the minds of the young. During interviews for admission into one of New Delhi's most selective and prestigious colleges, 65 per cent of the applicants named Hitler as their number one hero! Mr. Bidwai also warned of the BJP's hidden agenda against the Muslims. "In Utter Pradesh and West Bengal no party can win an election without some degree of Muslim support. By attempting to disenfranchise the Muslim voters through intimidation, the BJP wants to deny them political power." Stripped of political power, Indian Muslims will be really at the mercy of the BJP!