What’s happening in Indian journalism today is nothing “strange” but a sheer hypocrisy. For years now our “eminent journalists”, including the NDTV’s poster-girl Barkha and Hindustan Times’ blue-eyed-boy Vir Sanghvi, have sought to assume charge of a “judge” than as a humble journalist. In their decree they were worse than those “kangaroo courts”. When they “went out of their way” they actually trespassed into the territory of judiciary.

Is it prudent to issue decrees all by oneself and “brand” people the way one wants it when they are supposed to report “AS IS” basis?  Barkha and Vir, while at pinnacle of their profession they consider themselves not as the “guardians of the fourth-estate” but as “custodians of law” and that too without any accountability! They misused and even abused their powers beyond comprehension; they gave no chance – whatsoever – to the parties whom they sought to defame and/or ridicule.

Today, those who kept both of them in high-regard stand disillusioned; even betrayed. People have brought them to heels; they have lost their faces. And if they are of the belief that they haven’t, it would just be a matter of time before they actually come to know of it.

A piece of fraternal advice to Barkha and Vir: “Be not be deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth; that shall he also reap.” You have misused as well as abused your power in ridiculing people beyond comprehension and are justly facing consequences of your actions. It’s not – at all – easy… you have no choice but to endure all this. May light of wisdom dawn upon you; may you realize the power of truth.

TERRORISM AND THE ECONOMY: HOW THE WAR ON TERROR IS BANKRUPTING THE WORLD | Author: Loretta Napoleoni | Publisher: Seven Stories Press | ISBN: 978-1-58322-895-1 | Pages: 170 | Price: $10.46

When President George W. Bush assumed office in 2000, his administration inherited a small budget surplus. President Barack Obama, today, faces a national debt of $10 trillion – about 70 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) or 18 percent of the world economy. So where did all that money go in a span of eight years? Answers Loretta Napoleoni, author of TERRORISM AND THE ECONOMY: HOW THE WAR ON TERROR IS BANKRUPTING THE WORLD, “Two wars, still underway, and an extremely ambitious – albeit inconsistent and inefficient – security system have drained American finances and pushed the United States into the ranks of the nations with the highest public debt.”

The book intends to “trace the finances of the war on terror and the global economic crisis, finding connections from Dubai to London to Las Vegas that politicians and the media have ignored.” She believes that “While launching military and propaganda war in the Middle East, America overlooked the war of economic independence waged by al-Qaeda.” She’s convinced that “The Patriot Act boosted the black market economy, and the war on terror prompted a rise in oil prices that led to food riots and distracted governments from the trillion-dollar machinations of the wall-street. Consumers and taxpayers, spurred by propaganda, accepted crushing global debt.” Author presents several strong cases, worthy of our attention, to prove this point.

Among the most important concern presented in the work is pertaining to shell states. For those who are unaware: “A shell state can be defined an embryonic state or a proto-state. It possesses the economic infrastructure of a state, but not the political nucleus of a nation. The shell state lacks the right to self-determination – an example being the PLO and Palestinians in Lebanon during 70s. These shell states flourish in politically unstable environments, such as war zones. After the fall of Saddam Hussein, Sadr City, a suburb of Baghdad, became a Shiite-controlled shell state. Others flourished in areas that had lost a central authority, as in Waziristan, the tribal area of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan; where bin Laden and the Taliban took refuge from 2001 onwards. In Afghanistan, the district of Quetta is a shell state under Taliban control.”

“The dynamics that shape a shell state are always the same. A few armed groups conquer a territory by force and destroy its preexisting socio-economic infrastructure, imposing their own. Meanwhile, the population remains trapped inside this territory, submitting to the violence or war economy only under duress. In Sadr City, Shiite militias patrol the streets and conduct ethnic cleansing. They are responsible for attacks against Sunni families that have not yet abandoned their homes. They also run hospitals and schools. In short, they run entire area. Their goal is to compel the population to make them depend economically and socially on the economy of war thus forcing them to become integral part of the war economy itself.” Suggests Napoleoni “After 9/11, Afghanistan and Iraq became fertile grounds for the incubation and growth of shell states, at times even in areas no larger than a city block.” The assertion, however, is certainly questionable.

In June 2006, a report commissioned by the US government showed that the Iraqi insurgency had become financially self-sufficient. The term “Iraqi insurgency” is an umbrella that compromises the militia and private Shiite armies, Sunni armed groups, and jihadist members of al-Qaeda in Iraq. It’s certainly not untrue that the war on terror is hardly seeing any success in dismantling such “shell states”.

One of the key reason for poor performance of war on terror, suggests Napoleoni, is because “… even today, countering terrorist financing is given a very low priority. Against this background, many question the effectiveness of increased airport security, which submits travelers to humiliating and tedious rituals before boarding a plane, while the money that will finance the next devastating terrorist attack continues to freely circulate around the world.” While she sufficiently provides testimonies to prove the involvement of Islamic banks in funding terror, it’s surprising to see the way in which she hails them.

Though filled with brilliant research and analysis from an economist’s angle the book falls short, completely, with regard to role of Islam in promoting terrorism. By blaming the politicians and bankers – squarely – the author seems to be desirous of giving a clean chit to Islam while stating “In the Muslim world, we find a different scenario. Since 9/11, violence has risen. MIPT-RAND, considered the most reliable data bank on terrorism, confirms that the number of attacks in the region defined at the Middle East/Persian gulf rose from fifty prior to 9/11 to 4,800 in the year 2006. In the same period, deaths from terrorism in the region soared from less than a hundred to 9,800. Therefore, the real primary victim of terrorism is the Muslim world, that which we believe poses a threat, the world the Crusades destroyed.” What she fails to take into consideration is that fact that Islamic Jihad has been more persistent than crusades (which ended decades earlier) and have taken millions of lives over the centuries; around the world. If only she could assume the deaths incurred by Jihadists in India and Israel, alone, the figure would be phenomenal. Unless we see the role of Islam in the terrorism facing the world we will never be able to defeat it. Let’s seldom forget that: Terrorism is a symptom which emanates from a disease called Islam.

Book reviewer is author of Folksmagazine.com and distinguished fellow of Royal Asiatic Society (UK).

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE GITA: A CLOSER LOOK AT HINDU SCRIPTURE | Author: VR Narla | Foreword: Innaiah Narisetti | Pages 231 (PB) | ISBN: 978-1-61614-183-7 | Publisher: Prometheus Books | Price: $18.00

In Hinduism itself Krishna, as a person, as a statesman and/or as a God, has been subjected to criticism; not just his detractors but even those who believed in his divinity have criticized him. Scores of his devotees across the ages have sung him in, both, love and rage. However, it was only after the advent of Muslim manslayers that his very existence was oppugned.

Charged with their zeal to reserve a berth for themselves in “Jannat” (read Heaven) with “Houries” (read virgins), referred in Koran, Muslim barbarians presented to Hindu “Kafirs” only two options: Koran or Sword. Over 70 million Hindus slaughtered mercilessly by these Muslim invaders in cold blood is today unknown in India to many. But why? To answer this question one has to delve deep in history and read about the advent of Portuguese and British in India with a sheer determination to plunder.

While Portuguese inquisition of Goa, that which is considered as one of the most blood-soaked chapters in history of Roman Catholics, was charged with religious fervor; British annexation was exclusively for commercial purposes. When British found a phenomenal resistance to their expansionist schemes they discovered the need for “re-writing” history of the land so as to appear as “legitimate rulers”. It’s definitely not easy to look “legitimate” when your allegiance is to a throne miles away from the land you desire to rule. For this they invented a tale of “Aryans”, who “invaded” this land from outside to “subdue” the “original inhabitants” whom they called “Dravidians”. This concoction came to be known as “Aryan Invasion Theory”. After 1857’s “Indian Mutiny”, which was essentially planned by Brahmins and Kshatriyas, they began targeting these classes and even added a chapter to “demean” and, even, “demonize” them. This theory, thenceforward, went on to suggest that Brahmins and Kshatriyas were originally “invaders” who “oppressed” the lands’ “original inhabitants” before turning them into “slaves”. Not content with this, they went still a step further. By paying over one hundred thousand rupees to a pseudo-scholars, like that of Max Muller – who hardly knew any Sanskrit – they sought to translate “Rig Veda” (Hindu’s oldest scripture) in a way as to make Indians to “loathe” it. One of the most preposterous concoctions is that of Rig Veda “approving of beef eating”. After falsifying Rig Veda they turned their eyes at other scriptures of Hinduism, including Bhagavad-Gita. Subsequently even Communists, from Britain, played a substantial role by cooking up ridiculous tales in Indian Scriptures further.

Their task(s) became easier owing to financial constraints faced by all Indians; Hindus in particular. Hindus, then, were haplessly busy finding means to sustain their family. Brahmins were fast leaving their scriptures in race for availing British sponsored education to seek “brighter prospects”. This loss of Hindu scholarship landed Hindus to a state where at one point they even stopped calling themselves as “Hindus”! It was owing to efforts of legendary Hindu saints like Swami Vivekananda that Hinduism was saved; else it would have collapsed effectively by 1900s.

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE GITA: A CLOSER LOOK AT HINDU SCRIPTURE by VR Narla is a work which is significantly based on such distorted works. This book is written with a sheer focus of discrediting Krishna – in particular – and Hinduism – at large, by presenting distortions as “truth”.

Innaiah Narisetti in his foreword declares that “The Hindu religion is perhaps unique among world’s religions in that it prohibits 85 per cent of its followers from reading its own scriptures. That is because invading Aryans were so racist that they never considered the subjugated native Indians as equal to them or as deserving respect.” He continues “… the Hindu religion, which saw god in fish, in tortoise, and even in boar, treated some humans worse than that the quadrupeds and reptiles. Their treatment in Hindu society was much worse than that of Jews in Nazi Germany and black people under the apartheid regime of South Africa.” These allegations aren’t new. In fact, they are borrowed from Jesuits’ and Communist’s anti-Hindu propaganda literature. The hollowness of these claims are easily exposed on understanding the fact that: even to this day there is a large mass of “lower caste” population who are still reluctant to get converted to any other faith and, thus, continue to be true to Hinduism. There are strong evidences to suggest that, expect for deception and force, proselytizing faiths like Christianity and Islam have hardly witnessed any success. If these tales of “subjugation” of “lower caste” people by that of “higher caste” Brahmins had any truth in it, then why didn’t these lower class people reject Hinduism and join any of those Semitic faiths? Even though Dr. BR Ambedkar, “one of the leaders of the untouchables, a great intellectual and humanist thinker, and the architect of the Constitution of free India” is supposed to have declared that “Hinduism was nothing short of racism, Fascism, and Nazism combined” the author fails to state the truth that even today a large mass of population adhering to his leadership are “Dalit” Hindus. It must be no less fascinating to note that: though Dr. Ambedkar converted to Buddhism (note: after refuting Christianity and Islam) he hardly succeeded in making this “lower class to follow suit.” Why? Also, why does “Brahminical caste(s)” continue to be respected by these “lower class” even after being “subjugated” like “Jews in Nazi Germany”? Why are Dalits continuing to be more devoted to Hinduism – even more than Brahmins – after six decades of attaining independence? This book completely fails to give any details – let alone evidences – about “anti-Buddhist pogroms” by “evil Brahmins” through “Hindu kings” even though it repeatedly speaks about it.

Thanks to scholars/historians like Natwar Jha, NS Rajaram, David Frawley and Koenraad Elst “The Aryan Invasion Theory”, today, stands completely exposed. Their works are also enforced by independent research by institutions without any allegiance, neither to Hindus nor to India. Tracing of the extinct river Saraswati’s riverbed is the final nail on AIT’s coffin.

With regard author’s comments on “Krishna’s existence” it’s truly worthwhile to recall research by Dr NS Rajaram; well-documented in his book THE SEARCH FOR THE HISTORICAL KRISHNA; which has effectively established existence of Krishna. However, Rajaram’s work speaks nothing about Krishna’s miracles. He wonders if it was invention of the money-minded priestly class. Absence of analytical approach towards their own history has paved way for such myths in Hinduism’s history. It’s absolutely unfortunate that history embedded in Rig Veda, that which led to discovery of extinct Saraswati’s riverbed and scores of other archeological sites are being looked upon as “book of rituals” and not science or knowledge by millions of Hindus themselves. Hinduism’s priestly class is equally responsible for denigration of their scriptures. Another myth of “Krishna having 16,000 wives”, too, stands debunked by Rajaram. “The original texts point to only one wife of Krishna… her name is Rukmini.” he declares.

Narla’s allegations like “Krishna is no less famous for his abductions. He carries away Rukmini a day before the time fixed for her wedding with Shishupala. He kidnaps Mitravinda from her Swayamvara grounds. His marrying with Lakshmana daughter of the King Madra, is forcible seize conquest, he adds sixteen thousand women from harem of Naraka to the list of his wives.” are all from those said anti-Hindu propaganda materials.

Whatever be the belief of the people about Krishna even to this day there exists no evidence(s), whatsoever, to prove of anti-Human pogroms by his followers, or by any Hindu sect for that matter. None of these self-styled historians have been able to present evidence(s) to prove “manslaughter of Buddhists by Hindus”. Even with flush funds and after years of work to “debunk” Hinduism these pseudo-scholars have failed miserably – beyond doubts.

The phenomenal influence of Krishna in evading shortcomings in our global society becomes evident on author’s – VN Narla’s – own words: “There are few; if any, non-Hindu devotees of Rama. But in case of Krishna, it’s different. As early as second century BCE, there were some Bactrian Greeks who worshipped him under the name and style of Vasudeva. And today his influence seems to be spreading like forest fire in Christian world. The tongue of that fire has started to spread even to godless Communist world. To change the metaphor, Krishna-ism is now one of the most important export items of India. It is a super-product in the super-market of America. Krishna consciousness is the escape route from the world of drug culture. It is the panacea for all personal and public ills. To follow Krishna is to attain eternal bliss. A scion of the Ford family of Detroit has given away all his millions to spread the Krishna consciousness.”

Irrespective of what Krishna was and regardless of the concoctions brought in by anti-Hindu pseudo-scholars, Krishna has been and will continue to be an inspiring figure to his devotees and masses – at large. The very idea of Krishna, for his devotees, is divinity. Acts of these devotees – more than often – have been in best interests of mankind; unlike those followers of Jesus and Mohammad whose history is replete with crimes against humanity.

Book reviewer is editor-in-chief of Folksmagazine.com and distinguished fellow of Royal Asiatic Society (UK).

Defeating Political Islam: The New Cold War | Author: Moorthy S Muthuswamy | Foreword: Steven Emerson | Publisher: Prometheus Books | Pages: 287 (HB) | ISBN: 978-1-59102-704-1 | Price: $25.98

Book review by U. Mahesh Prabhu

Nine years have passed since United States of America, along with its allies, commenced its “War on Terror”. Yet, what we see on ground is far from encouraging. Taliban is still operational; its ally Al-Qaeda along with its leader Osama Bin Laden is still on the loose perpetrating terror on “infidels”. America’s two major war fronts – Afghanistan and Iraq – are yielding zilch other than death of their soldiers and debt on its economy. But why is it so? Where did we go wrong? Moorthy S. Muthuswamy’s maiden work “Defeating the Political Islam: The New Cold War” offers remarkable insights in this respect.

Before even fighting an adversary, with an obvious intent of winning, one has to construe it – and well. The most crucial question raised by the author is as to whether the United States’ leadership truly understands its foe. Consider this: would the Allied powers in World War II have won if they had directed their war efforts solely at “Blitzkrieg” or “Kamikazes”? The obvious answer is “No”. Today’s US lead coalition forces are directing their efforts to defeat “terrorism”. But terrorism is only a symptom. But what’s the disease? Inability of our leadership to answer this question is – unarguably – the core cause for the current pitiful state of war on terror.

As we already know the hijackers of those planes, which were rammed into twin towers and Pentagon, were taking their orders from Osama Bin Laden, who quoted nothing but Islamic texts – namely: Koran, Sirah and Hadith – to justify his act(s) of violence against non-Muslims, repeatedly; similar to Pakistan sponsored terrorists against India and Saudi/Iran sponsored terrorists versus Israel. If only we can observe closely these acts of violence against non-Muslims by Muslim terrorists we could see that their sources of inspiration are one and the same – Islam’s holiest scriptures. Besides, there are substantial evidences to establish sponsoring of terrorism by Pakistan, Iran and Saudi Arabia. Pakistan is even regarded as “epicenter of international terror” by several terrorism experts. Given this, isn’t it baffling to note that, except for Iran, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are still regarded as “friendly nations” and “allies” by US against its war on terror? Isn’t it perplexing to cognize that the “faith” which is today’s source of inspiration to world’s deathliest terror establishments is being persistently took to be a “religion of peace”? According to Moorthy for any worthwhile progress to be made against terror, free thinking nations have to rectify or annul these assumptions.

Author minces no words while suggesting that Islam is not a “religion” but a “political ideology”; therefore the term “Political Islam”. According to him “this ideology has spawned a worldwide movement whose intent is a violent conquest of unbelievers.”

Apart from unveiling terrorist links to “moderate” Muslim “charities”, author also reveals an even more lethal strategy of Al-Takia (an Islamic law which approves deception to defeat or subjugate non-Muslims) which is furthering negations to pose Muslims as “victims” to extort phenomenal benefits for themselves in Kashmir, France, Britain and even in Israel. This book maintains that Islam has to be fought just the way in which Communism was forestalled during the cold-war: as a “repressive political ideology” – not as a “faith”.

Though the counter measures suggested towards restraining Islamic terror may be subject to disagreements; the arguments and testimonies presented to prove the political basis of Islam would be hard to differ. This book is incontestably a monumental work and therefore a must read for policymakers.

Book reviewer is editor-in-chief of Folksmagazine.com and distinguished fellow of Royal Asiatic Society (UK).

Violence and burning of holy scriptures as well as symbols of others’ faith is a legacy of Islam. You can’t beat your adversary at a game where they are excelling. The only way we can afford to win is by SPREADING TRUTH ABOUT KORAN AND ISLAM. If we non-Muslims retort to violence we would have given a stick unto them to whip us. I am pleased that we have not.

Remember: It has been NINE YEARS since 9/11 attacks on World Trade Center by Islamic terrorists; almost eight and six years – respectively – since INVASION OF AFGHANISTAN and IRAQ by US [led] Forces. Yet, the THREAT OF “TERRORISM” is still prevalent. All because: This is because SAUDI ARABIA and PAKISTAN are still regarded as a “FRIENDLY NATIONS” while ISLAM is still regarded a “RELIGION OF PEACE”. Unless these perceptions are reversed and/or annulled we are way away from “winning”. So spread the TRUTH.

This is all because of sheer lack of knowledge about Islam as well as Hinduism. True, there are violent extremists from Hinduism. LTTE – a separatist and terror outfit from Sri Lanka – was called by some [misleaders] from media as “Hindu terrorists” much before Saadhvi Pragya and Col. Purohit hit media headlines. Though there have been no concrete – only “circumstantial” – evidences against these “Saffron Terrorists” the media’s anxiousness to BRAND them as “terrorists” has been baffling – to say the least.

However, what is IMPORTANT TO NOTE is that: these “Saffron terrorists” weren’t found quoting Hindu scriptures to justify their acts – if at all. Contrary to this, Islamists, or Islamic Terrorists, have been frequently quoting verses from Koran, Sira and Hadith – better put Islam’s Trilogy – to justify their acts of violence(s). In case of Islamic terorirists their inspiration is their triology; there is not one Hindu “terrorist” who’s quoting his’ to justify his violence.

Given this, isn’t it appropriate to resolve that: while it is RIGHT to use the term “Islamic terrorists” it’s completely illogical to term “Hindu Terrorists” or “Saffron Terrorists”?

It’s important that the ONLY Hindu-nationalist party of India educate itself of this fact and, thereby, shun it’s DHIMMITUDE. Ignorance is NOT a bliss – anymore.

Nine Years After 9/11: The Struggle Against al Qaeda

September 10, 2010 — Anniversaries of tragedies offer an occasion to reflect as well as to mourn, and the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks should lead us to think on our triumphs and shortfalls in the struggle against al Qaeda during this period.

The Bush and now the Obama administrations can rightly take pride in having prevented mass-casualty attacks on the U.S. homeland even though many pundits and officials have regularly predicted that another 9/11-scale attack was just around the corner. Luck of course explains part of this success, but so too does the hard work of government officials and, in the case of the “shoebomber” (December 2001) and the “jock-strap jihadist” (December 2009), vigilance on the part of airplane passengers.

But U.S. offensive measures against al Qaeda also make it harder for the terrorist group to strike the U.S. homeland. Predator strikes, disrupting the haven in Afghanistan, and the worldwide police and intelligence hunt for al Qaeda operatives all make it far harder for the group to plan and organize on a grand scale, though of course such measures do not stop all attacks from going forward.

The bigger problems lie in the more nebulous but perhaps more important realm of working with allies, choosing the right enemies, and strengthening the anti-al Qaeda narrative. Many groups share parts of al Qaeda’s agenda, but not all of these are subservient to the organization itself, and Washington is often better off leaving local regimes and forces to fight these organizations rather than attacking them directly. Persuading Pakistan to embrace the fight against al Qaeda and its allies rather than cut side deals with jihadist organizations has proven difficult at best and farcical at worst, and Afghanistan – a problem briefly thought largely to be solved—edges toward disaster. While al Qaeda has suffered ideological blows when former salafi-jihadist fellow travelers denounced the organization, U.S. efforts to gain the goodwill of Muslims, or at least further demonize al Qaeda, have often met with little success. Ugly domestic political issues, like the contretemps over the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque,” have worsened the U.S. image far beyond what skilled public diplomacy can counter.

So nine years later it is right for many hard-working officials to pause and give themselves credit for keeping our country safer. But it is also time to focus on how to make sure the years to come see no return of mass-casualty terrorism to our shores.