INDIAN
INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH INTO TRUE HISTORY
NEWSLETTER
NO. 70 OF 16 FEBRUARY 2015
1. NEWS AND
CURRENT AFFAIRS
·
Movies
1.1
What happened in
1.2 World War I (1914-18)
Indian politics was substantially affected by this war. Veer Savarkar was in Andaman jail.
He learned about the outbreak of this war. He was alarmed
when he knew was
Viceroy replied, “It is not possible to put into effect your suggestion at the moment.”
Savarkar’s letters were being circulated among all Indian leaders and published in all Indian language papers.
All these letters are available in Government of India
Archives in
* There were several attempts of armed overthrow of the
British. There was an attempt of revolt in the Indian Army. Unfortunately the
leaders Pingale and Kartarsingh were betrayed, caught and executed. Savarkar
learned of many such events (including the Gadar movement) while in jail in
* What happened in
Liberal Prime
Minister Asquith & Tory opposition leader Andrew Bonar Law – both lost their
sons in action.
Lord Salisbury – 5
grandsons were killed
Several younger M.P.s
including William Gladstone, grandson of P.M. joined up & were killed.
* Some 70,000 to
80,000 Indian Soldiers also lost their lives. Hence the demand of Lokamanya
Tilak that just as European nations are to be granted Right of Self
Determination at the Peace settlement,
1.3 Tesco – ugly face of capitalism.
Supermarket was a good concept in the1960s. People could get
all their requirements in one shop. However it had harmful side effects too. Tesco
paid huge donations to Margaret Thatcher’s party and got concessions. They
could open their shops for longer hours and also on Sundays, thus killing
corner shops run by Hindu Gujarathis who came from
At one time Tesco wanted to destroy even Milk Industry,
And suddenly in 2014 came the bad news. Profits of Tescos had plummeted. Their value on the stock market has dropped to less than half.
This is causing a headache for Pension funds as they had invested millions of pounds in Tesco shares.
Will people of Hindusthan learn something from this fiasco?
1.4
Barbarism of ISIS (Islamic state of
This naturally raises the question, “If this kind of barbarity is exercised by Arab Muslims on Arad Muslims today, how Muslim Sultans would have behaved as rulers of Hindus in various provinces from 12th to 18th century? After all, Hindus are Kafirs (non-believers) according to Holy Koran!
On 1 March 2015, one retired Sikh Major sent us an E mail,
“History repeats itself. Sikhs faced the same brutality under Mughals as
Godbole wrote, “You
could have added, but when Maharaja Ranjit Singh established his kingdom in
1801 he got into his head that he MUST BE fair and just to Muslims. And 200
years later Sikhs in
“Yes, that was done by Inderjit
Singh, Editor of Sikh Messenger.”
“Some three years back there were serious floods in
It never occurred to him to ask,
"When did Muslims ever show such generosity to us?"
The major did not reply.
Notes – (i) It seems that Sikhs
do not read their Holy Gurugranth. Guru Nanak expresses his anguish at the
barbarity of Muslim Sultans. He describes brutality of Babar’s soldiers in
Eminabad and says, “Khatriya hi dharma chhodia / mlechhaya bhakhya gahi
Srushti saba ika
In other words, “Khatriyas (the
warrior class) have abandoned their duty (dharma) to protect people and uphold
the honour of women.”
Now, how can a Muslim be a
khatriya? According to their Koran Hindus are Kafirs (non believers) and must
be killed. Would Nanak preach – Hindus and Muslims are the same?
(ii) Guru Govind Singh realized
that merely being pious was not enough. He therefore raised sword to protect
Hindu Dharma. He created Khalsa – a fighting force. And yet he ordered his disciples
to not to violate Muslim women. On other words “Muslim will dishonour
our women but we must not do the same to their women!” That is insane but true.
1.4
Elections in
On 12 October 2014 Malegaon
Corporation elected Yunus Isa of MIM as Deputy Mayor. Shivasena has been
critical of MIM ever since it was started in
MIM
got two seats for the relation gap between Shivsena-BJP in
Alleged communal kingpin
of
In Aurangabad Central former
journalist Imtiyaz Jaleel trounced Sena’s former MP and ex-mayor Pradeep
Jaiswal. Imtiyaz Jaleel got 61,843 winning votes (maximum of the Muslim block
vote) while Hindu votes were divided between BJP and Shivsena. BJP candidate
Tanwani Kishanchand Lekhraj got 40,770 votes and Shivsena’s Pradeep
Jaiswal got 41,861 accordingly. NCP’s Hindu candidate also got 11,842
votes.
In the same manner MIM
candidate from Byculla seat got the advantage out of the division of Hindu
votes. Akhil Bhartiya Sena’s Geeta Gawli, daughter of mafia don-turn-politician
Arun Gawli, was in the fray in Byculla. The BJP candidate Madhukar Chavan
got 23,957 votes and Geeta Ajay Gawli got 20,895 votes. Here Advocate
Warish Yusuf Pathan of AIMIM got 25,314 votes as a winning spree. Shivsena did
not file any candidate here to support Akhil Bhartiya Sena’s candidate as a
mark of their inclination to party’s one time friend Arun Gawli.
If there was no division
of Hindu Votes between BJP and SS, certainly no radical Islamist person got any
chance to win from
Madhukar Chavan,
Byculla’s one time Congress ex-legislator and the present BJP contestant said
on defeat that, “MIM won because Hindu votes got split between four Marathi
speaking candidates (MNS, ABS, BJP and Congress). The Muslim voters have won
them the seat. But, this kind of religion induced mandate is harmful for democracy.”
Even as political
observers warned that MIM could eat into Muslim votes courtesy its provocative
brand of politics, the victory came as a huge surprise as Byculla houses a
large Marathi-speaking community.
Prateek Borate a follower
of Hindu Existence from Byculla expressed his concern that the present
BJP-Shivasena leadership had shattered the dream of Late Bala Saheb Thakre and
Late Gopinath Munde. BJP-Shiv Sena must be united again to check the upcoming
invasion of MIM in Maharashtra, otherwise the original site of Marathas will be
a place of Aurangjeeb, instead of Shivaji Maharaj and
Advocate S P
Chapalgaonkar from
1.5 Godbole’s visit to Pune
1.5.1 Godbole and his wife were in Pune from 20 January to 11 February. Godbole had following public engagements –
26 January
(1) PowerPoint presentation on Special London Tour at Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics. This was organized by Dr Rajas Parchure, the director of the institute.
Twenty people attended. Later Dr Parchure wrote, “We were very happy to have you
with us. All the members of the audience made it a point to meet me and gave a
glowing feedback on your presentation. I have also read your books and have
become an unreserved admirer of your mastery over Savarkar's life and work! “
29 January
(2) PowerPoint presentation on Taj Mahal in Pune. This was arranged by Sau Suvarnarekha Deodhar who works for the Rotary club. Forty people attended. It was well received.
31 January
(4) Talk on Rationalism of Veer Savarkar. This was organized
by Shree Vasant Bodwadkar of
Bodwadkar
wrote, “Your program at Senior citizen meeting was found informative &
inspiring and was liked by all.”
(5) Afterwards Shree Bodwadkar took Godbole to a secondary school. There were 30 students of 11th standard and six teachers. Godbole outlined in brief the work of our revolutionaries. He stressed the brutal treatment meted out to tribal people in Hindusthan by the British rulers and how their armed struggles have remained totally unknown. He quoted two famous examples – Umaji Naik and Tantya Bhil. Both were executed by the British.
Bodwadkar wrote, “Teachers in the school liked it very much. However found it just
above the level of the students. They regarded the program should have
been arranged for the 12th standard students. However it was not possible as
the exams for 12th standards were very near and students were busy in
extra guidance classes.” (It was interesting to note that on 2 February, Sakal,
daily paper of Pune paid a tribute to Umaji Naik (page 10) who was executed by (English)
East India Company on 3 February 1832
(6) In the evening Godbole made a PowerPoint presentation on
Taj Mahal in Dr Kurtkoti Hall,
(7) At night Godbole made another presentation on Taj Mahal
in
1 February
(8) Godbole made the Taj Mahal presentation at
40 boys and girls and 15 staff members were present.
Functions 6 and 8 were jointly organized by Bharatiya Itihas
Sankalan Samiti and Nasik Shikshan Prasarak Mandal. (This was advertised in Loksatta,
Dear Vasukaka,
“Your lectures were well received by everyone.
However, some slides need to be modified as they appear with too much text
matter or photographs that are too small to visualise the points you are making in the talk. Yes, people are
beginning to understand that the Taj was not built by Shahjahan and is a much
older building. “
8 February
(9) Godbole talked on Rationalism of Veer Savarkar at Harmony Hall, Deccan Gymkhana, Pune. It was organized by Shree Nitin Welankar. 15 people attended.
1.5.2 Taj Mahal
Godbole also met Sau Jayashree Vaidya (daughter of P N Oak) and her husband. Godbole explained that lot of information has come to light during last 30 years which necessitates updating our research and modifying the CD.
In the 1960s when P N Oak raised his doubts about Taj Mahal,
Prof Ram Nath of
Then Godbole read accounts of Dutch merchant Pelsaert who described
English translation of Pelsaert’s report was published in 1925, but Ram Nath NEVER referred to it. People must know this.
1.5.3 Some observations.
(i) Some organizations wished to organize functions by Godbole, but they will not tell in advance their specific dates (Tuesdays/ Last Friday of the month etc) until Godbole’s arrival in Pune. Also the timing of the day for lectures needs thinking. Other functions in town must be considered.
(ii) It was interesting to note that solar energy is being harnessed even by wandering tribes
(iii) With growing incomes it has become fashionable for middle class families not to cook at home but to go out for meals. This leads to obesity which is frightening.
(iv) Mumbai Airport Terminal 2 is huge. On arrival buggies are provided for senior citizens.
But when departing the terminal is not user friendly. It takes quite a while for the taxi driver to find suitable drop off point. Once inside you need to ask for directions.
Food served on the stalls is 4 times the normal price. This is understandable, but handling food by hand (sandwiches, samosas) is not acceptable. They can easily use wooden tongs
(iv) Rivers are badly polluted. They are like stinking sewers.
(v) Our slavish mentality is nauseating. Our women shamelessly wear western style dresses in public. Marathi paper Lokamat, published a photo of actress Madhuri Dixit. She was wearing no bra and her body from top of breasts to shoulders was exposed.
(vi) When in
(vii) In Maharsahtra leaders of BJP, Shivasena and
Maharashtra Navanirman Sena do not show any maturity. No one is raising the
question – why Sadhvi Pradnya and
(viii) Bharatiya Janata Paksha has become Bharatiya Janata Party. Yes. That is how it is written in Marathi.
(ix) In
(x) It was frightening to read cases of people dying of swine flu. There were at least 21 cases when Godbole was in Pune.
(xi) Problem of domestic waste in cities is getting worse. There is no solution. It is indeed an opportunity for some enterprising young person to make money.
1.8 Special Tour of
After his
programmes in
Vidyanand Theatre where Collector Jackson was shot dead by Kanhere in 1909 is there.
Bhagoor, the birthplace of Savarkar is nearby. Vani Dindori
is also nearby. It was here that Shivaji met forces of Mughals after attacking
Godbole has asked his contacts in
1.9 Celebration of Makar Sankrant (transition of the Sun
to the north)
It is interesting to note that Midland Marathi Association,
1.10 Gandhi again
On 16 November 2014 Narendra Modi was asked to unveil statue
of Gandhi in
We have three comments
(a) As Gandhi made so much fuss about truth and non-violence Indian Government should open up all its files up to 1984 (similar to practice of the British Government).
(b) Gandhi used to sleep stark naked with young girls. Why should this be hidden? This fact was revealed by Acharya P K Atre of Maharashtra in 1950s. Godbole remembers to have read that article. Why should not this fact be published in all books on Gandhi?
(c) Why do the Australians not send a Gandhi Peace Mission
to
1.11 Our dealings with
On 11 November 2014, we received an interesting E Mail from our friend Raghavendra Rao Karadala of Andhra Pradesh
Rupees 3,6,000,00,00,0000
Can you decipher this figure and quickly tell me how much is
this?
(Three Lakhs and Six Thousand Crores of Rupees)
This is the amount of hard earned money of Hindus that was
transferred during the financial year 2013-2014 to
We are angry with
We may rant with indignation at these imports …
But still, purchase Chinese made goods.
We want somebody else to boycott,
Let us not purchase anything that is made in
Chinese products are cheap because, they use slave labour
for production,
Let us be patriots in ACTION; not in WORDS …
Once, when I asked a General stores
keeper "not to sell Chinese products",
He simply said "if I don’t sell; I’ll be out of
business, in a minute …"
So we should proactively desist from patronizing Chinese
products
1.12 Neglect of our Army heroes
On 14 December 2014, we received a bad
news.
By the time you guys read this news,
the body of Major Manish Pitambare, who was shot dead at Anantnag, would have
been cremated with full military honors.
On Tuesday, following news swept across all the news channels 'Sanjay Dutt
relieved by court'. 'Sirf Munna not a bhai' '13 saal ka vanvaas khatam'
'although found guilty for possession of armory, Sanjay can breath sigh of
relief as all the TADA charges against him are withdrawn'
In other news, Parliament was mad at
Indian team for performing bad; Greg Chappell said something; Shah Rukh Khan
replaces Amitabh in KBC and other such stuff. But most of the emphasis was
given on Sanjay Dutt's "phoenix like" comeback from the ashes of
terrorist charges.
Surfing through the channels, one news on BBC startled me. It read "Hisbul
Mujahidin's most wanted terrorist 'Sohel Faisal' killed in
What a shame!
1.13 No students for Marathi
On 14 January, Maharashtra
Mandal London sent an urgent appeal to its members. Marathi A-levels
Cambridge International
Examinations offer A-level facility in almost all the mother-tongue languages,
including Marathi, for last few years. Many Marathi students from other
countries have passed successfully but perhaps Marathi people in the
We urge all Marathi residents in the
For any further guidance visit:
http://www.cie.org.uk/programmes-and-qualifications/cambridge-international-as-and-a-level-marathi-9688/
OR Contact: Madhavi.amdekar@gmail.com
This does not happen for Gujarathi or Punjabi languages.
1.14 Allah ho Akbar in
On 16 October 2014 we received following E Mail from a friend (Hindu Jagruti)
This is so
"Unbelievable"...
Harwin Central Mall
In
Imam Ali flew one of the planes into the twin towers.
2. AROUND
2.1 On 20 October 2014, we received
following E Mail from Sanjay Kadia.
OFBJP
Along the sidelines of the Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas functions which were held in London today, India's Minister for External Affairs Smt Sushma Swaraj took the time out from her busy schedule in order to meet representatives from leading India-centric, UK based organizations like the Overseas Friends of BJP and the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh among others.
Godbole
contacted Shree Kadia and informed of the Special London Tours he conducts
And
suggested that if in future Cabinet Ministers of Modi’s government visit
He agreed.
It was hoped that despite winter BJP workers could attend a Special London Tour on 29 November, but this did not materialize.
2.2 On 17 November we received another
interesting E Mail from Remya Unnithan
Indian Freedom Fighter tour of
Vasudevji,
I am currently creating a guide that the World Hindu Economic Forum (WHEF)
London 2015 Committee will be distributing to those attending the WHEF
Conference in New Delhi this week. The guide consists of places to visit
in
Currently,
I plan to include the below information (based on previous emails I have
received). I couldn't find the places in
Would you like to visit the places Indian
Freedom Fighters made a difference to their country and
Godbole
supplied necessary information. Let us hope that more Special London Tours
result.
2.3 In January 2015 we received an E
Mail from Priya Bhagwat. She and some of her relatives who had come from
Hindusthan wanted the Special London Tour. This was not possible but Godbole
sent her full details of travel by tube and buses. She managed to visit the
places without any problems.
2.4 London Tour CD – Godbole has added photos of Anandiben Patel (Chief Minister of Gujarath) who took part in a tour in Sept 2009
2.5 The Greater London Council had put
up a memorial plaque on
8 June
1985. A video showing how the municipal workers formed a recess in brickwork,
putting up a small curtain, people gathering, various speeches and unveiling
was prepared by some unknown person. It had been lying in Godbole’s study room
for 30 years. Now he has got it converted to a CD. It is hoped that some IT
Engineer will transfer it on YouTube for wider circulation.
3. BEHAVIOUR OF
CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS TODAY
3.1 The Christians
British social behaviour
3.1.1 Child sex abuse – saga continues.
At first, the British Government appointed Baroness Butler-Sloss as chairman of the commission of inquiry. Soon it became apparent that her brother was involved in the suppression of the scandal and had to withdraw.
Next we had Fiona Woolf, Lord Mayor of City of
On 15/16 November 2014 we heard horrible news on BBC.
Scotland Yard is investing claims of child sexual abuse by men in Establishment.
This went on in 1970s and 1980s. It was revealed that in
3.1.2 Rape
Power of Social Media – Facebook / Twitter / E Mails
Ched Evans,
a footballer was jailed in April 2012 for raping a 19 year old girl in a hotel
room in Rhyl, north
He was released in November 2014 after serving only half his
sentence (i.e. 2 ½ years). Sheffield United agreed to provide training facility
for him. Olympic Champion Jessica
Ennis-Hill called for her name to be removed from a stand if Evans is admitted
back into the Blades. Sheffield United withdrew their offer. Ched Evans
shamelessly said, “I don’t want to be a role model. I just want to play
football because that is what I do. What about rehabilitating the prisoners?”
It is astonishing that his girl friend is standing by him. She does not feel
disgusted by his having sex with another woman who was too drunk.
It is surprising that other football clubs (e.g. Oldham Athletic F.C) were interested in employing Ched Evans, but circulation by E Mails made it impossible. Change.org organized the online petitions.
Hindus need to use this power.
3.1.3 Scale of rape crime
It came out that in
3.1.4 Another celebrity disgraced
Sky News – Friday 5 December 2014
Ray
Teret, a close friend of disgraced DJ Jimmy Savile, has been
found guilty of raping and indecently assaulting schoolgirls. Teret, who was
also a DJ, attacked 11 victims throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
A
crown court jury in
A
lawyer for one of Teret's victims and 169 of Savile's, Liz Dux, told Sky News
"This is the closest we are ever going to get to having Savile on trial. Through
the guilty verdict today,
I
know that the Savile victims will take some comfort that there has been a
finding of guilt associated with Savile."
Teret,
of
The
jury found him guilty of seven rapes and 11 indecent assaults and not guilty of
one serious sexual assault in relation to 11 victims.
Teret
was cleared of various sexual offences relating to six other complainants, and
not guilty of aiding and abetting Savile to rape a 15-year-old girl in the
early 1960s. However, he was found guilty himself of raping the same girl. Teret
was a DJ on the pirate station Radio Caroline. He also worked at Piccadilly
Radio in
Video
producer Lez Barstow worked with the DJ for 18 months in the 1990s, helping him
to put together a show reel which Teret hoped would help kick start a career in
television.
Teret's
offences finally came to light following the publicity surrounding Jimmy
Savile in 2011. The first of his victims contacted police in October 2012
and Teret was arrested the following month. According to police the ensuing
publicity caused a domino effect, prompting a number of other victims to come
forward.
Detective Chief Inspector Graham Brock of Greater Manchester Police said: "There are no positives to take from Savile's appalling crimes, but by prompting Teret's victims to come forward, someone who is still alive has now been brought before the courts and finally made to answer for their heinous crimes. He added: "This was not the trial of Jimmy Savile ... we need to focus on the victims who not only suffered appalling abuse at the hands of Teret but also suffered in silence for decades, fearing they would not be believed, that it was their fault or that it would tear their families apart."
Teret
will be sentenced later.
3.1.5 In December 2014
a
former child cancer specialist has been jailed for 22 years, for sexually
abusing 18 boys in his care. A judge told Dr Myles Bradbury that his campaign
of abuse was "cruel and persistent" and undermined public trust in
the health service. Sky's Rachel Younger reports. Doctor worked in
Reader’s Comments -
Dreadful to read that this gay Doctor (he
only abused boys) was able to practice even after
Canadian Police notified that he bought a
video full of boys being abused, this is why I
strongly feel Homosexuality should be
banned once more as just like with Priests, young
boys are always the victims...
The GMC is to blame, there is reported to
be around 1,000 doctors with criminal offences
for sexual abuse still practising as GPs and in hospitals. All these dirty doctors should
be struck off at their first offence, but
many are allowed to work under supervision.
Our
comments – if this is the situation in
height of British Raj 100 years back?
3.2 The Muslims
By Mehreen Zahra-Malik | Reuters – Thursday, Jun 26, 2014
The
United Nations said in 2008 that Jamaat-ud-Dawa was a front for LET and
Pakistani authorities vowed to crack down. But Jamaat-ud-Dawa continues to
operate openly in
"In
December 2001, the Department of State designated LET as a Foreign Terrorist
Organization. Since the original designation occurred, LET has repeatedly
changed its name in an effort to avoid sanctions," the State Department
said in a statement on Wednesday. "More specifically, LET created
Jama'at-ud-Dawa as a front organization, claiming that the group was an
'organization for the preaching of Islam, politics, and social work'."
The
U.S. Treasury Department separately announced that it was designating two LET
leaders, Nazir Ahmad Chaudhry and Muhammad Hussein Gill, as "specially
designated global terrorists", imposing economic sanctions on them. Yahya
Mujahid, a spokesman for Jamaat-ud-Dawa, rejected the allegations. "We are
a welfare organization working for the people of
Mujahid
was referring to attempts by the Pakistani government to prosecute several
Jamaat leaders and ban the organization after the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
Pakistani courts rejected the moves.
In
2012, the
Reader’s comments - (i) It’s not the only one, I just wonder how much money UK and USA taxpayers have given to terrorist organisations, Cameron will give money to anyone so long as there not British poor
(ii) Well, NORAID was a charitable front for
terrorists for years, but the
Associated Press Saturday 20 June 2014
BEIJING (AP) — Police in China's restive western region shot dead 13 assailants who rammed a truck into a police office building and set off explosives in an attack on Saturday that also wounded three officers, state media said. The Tianshan website said in a one-line report that no civilians were hurt in the attack in Kashgar prefecture in Xinjiang's southwest. Officials in the region contacted by phone either said they were unclear about the situation or refused to comment.
Dilxat
Raxit, spokesman for the German-based group World Uyghur Congress, said he
called several residents in the Yecheng area who described hearing rapid
gunfire, likely from police, before an explosion rang out. He said that
authorities quickly placed the county under martial law and started rounding up
people in a nearby market. "It's undeniable that the armed police are
using excessive force to deal with the unrest in the region. Why did they need
to shoot them dead on the spot?" Dilxat Raxit said. "If they just
injured them they would still have a chance to be put through the legal
process."
It
was the latest in a series of attacks pointing to growing unrest in the
sprawling region of Xinjiang, where the native Muslim Uighur (pronounced
WEE-gur) people want more autonomy from
The
government has sought to stem the attacks by handing down heavy punishments to
people authorities say organized, led and participated in terrorist groups,
committed arson, murder, burglary or illegally manufactured explosives. Earlier
this month,
Uighur
activists say public resentment against
By Nina Strochlic | The Daily Beast – Friday, June 20, 2014
Languishing in a prison cell in southwestern Iranian city of
For
decades,
As
a 14-year-old girl, Ebrahimi’s father reportedly arranged for her marriage to
an older neighbor, a schoolteacher with a university education. One year later,
she gave birth to a son. For the duration of her marriage, Ebrahimi reportedly
experienced physical and mental abuse at the hands of her husband, who would
beat and insult her at the slightest provocation. Three years into the
marriage, after returning from a party at her husband’s aunt’s house, the
couple fought and she was beaten. That night, Ebrahimi says she snapped.
“I couldn’t sleep all night, until the morning
I was sitting above him looking at him. I was looking at him and I was thinking
of what he had done to me and thinking about why he humiliates me and what can
I do, what should I do. Every single event that happened is rolling in front of
my eyes like a film and in the morning I took a gun and I shot him,” she is
quoted as saying in Iranian newspaper Shargh Daily on Wednesday. She buried her husband in their
backyard, and her family turned her into the police not long after.
For
the past four years, Ebrahimi has awaited execution by hanging for her crime.
Ebrahimi came close to the noose once before. In May 2013, on the day her
execution was scheduled, she informed the prison guards that she had only been
17 at the time of her crime and they stopped the proceedings and brought her
back to jail.
“It’s
all a matter of luck of who is taking her to be executed,” says Roya Boroumand,
executive director of the Abdorrahman
Boroumand Foundation, an organization that tracks human-rights
abuses in
At
least three juvenile executions have been reported this year, according to HRW,
though it’s impossible to know how many went uncounted. With few official
numbers, the Boroumand Foundation pulls testimony from political prisoners who
live side by side with all types of female inmates behind bars. The political
prisoners say that most of the other women in prison are there for murdering
their husbands.
“The laws against women are such that women
are put in a very vulnerable position, and sometimes they snap because there is
no way out,” Boroumand says.
In
March,
Under
Iranian law, after a guilty verdict is announced, the family of the victim
decides the penalty. They have the right to demand either execution or “blood
money,” a hefty ransom that spares the life of the accused. This sum, outlined
in the penal code, is double for a male than it is for a female. In Ebrahimi’s
case, her husband’s family has refused the offer of money for her life.
“The
worst thing is the Iranian government has privatized justice—you don’t leave a
decision of life and death to a grieving party,” Boroumand says. And such a
bounty system has bred an industry. Earlier this year, a family demanded $76,000
for the death of their son. Over the past few years, activist groups have
raised money to spare the lives of juvenile offenders who are unable to pay the
fee.
Iran
is a signatory to the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child (along with
every other country in the world other than the U.S. and Somalia), but
with a caveat that if it is “incompatible with the domestic laws and Islamic
standards at any time or in any case, the Government of the Islamic Republic
shall not abide by it.” The international law bars execution of juvenile
offenders, but that hasn’t stopped the Islamic Republic from executing an
untold number of boys and girls who were underage at the time of their crimes. Under Sharia law, girls over nine and boys over 15 are
considered adults.
In
2013, Amnesty International counted at least 11 executed prisoners who were
juveniles at the time of their crime. Since 1990, 51 juvenile executions have
been reported,
the highest rate in the world (the
The
last tally
of children on death row, in 2011, estimated at least 143 child offenders were
awaiting the gallows in
Ebrahimi’s
lawyer requested she be retried under this new law, but the Supreme Court
rejected his petition.
“In
the [Iranian] judiciary, it’s retributive justice—an eye for an eye. Their
position is this doesn’t involve us, it’s a completely private matter between
two families,” says Faraz Sanei, the
The
injustices putting girls like Ebrahimi on death row trace back to a heavy
patriarchal cultural and legal bias that tilts the scales of treatment in all
aspects of life. If a man murdered his adulterous wife as a crime of
passion, he couldn’t be put to death, Sanei says. If a woman did the same, she
could be. Likewise, a man is legally pardoned from killing his child or
grandchild, but a woman is not. “These types of discriminatory legal
provisions are littered throughout the Iranian legal system,” says Sanei.
For
abused women like Ebrahimi, there are few places to turn. To get a divorce in
In
“The
number of cases of women who resort to violence to be set free is an indication
of the problem,” she says. “Most women live in miserable circumstances with
their husband because they don’t want to resort to violence.”
The
injustice doesn’t only hit minors. Currently awaiting execution is 26-year-old
Reyhaneh Jabbari, who was 19 when she stabbed a man attempting to drug and rape
her. He bled to death and she was sentenced to die. A campaign has succeeded in
pushing her execution date back, but “that doesn’t mean they’re not going to
kill her,” Boroumand says.
In
For
now, it’s unclear when Ebrahimi’s execution could get underway. She remains in
Sepidar Prison. HRW’s Sanei says there seems to be little rhyme or reason to
these decisions, but her judgment has already been sent to the Office of the
Implementation of Sentences.
“These
cases are many and they will continue to exist and people will continue to
commit crimes because they're desperate and have no way out of difficult or
abusive situations,” Boroumand says.
3.2.4
Back to stone age in
Around 1,000 Iranians staged a rally on Friday to demand
that the government fully enforce obligatory rules that women be veiled in
public. The demonstrators, both men and women, protested in central
A defining feature of Iran's
interpretation of Islamic law since the 1979 revolution, hijab obliges women to
cover their hair and much of their body in loose clothing when outside,
regardless of their religion. Hijab is among the practices that religious
leaders and more traditional and conservative Iranians fear are being targeted
by a so-called "soft war" launched by the West against
A dedicated "morality
police" has long handed out fines, verbal notices or even arrested women
it considers are not observing the rules properly. Despite such measures, the
protesters on Friday wanted more responsibility and action from the government
of President Hassan Rouhani, who has expressed a desire to expand social
freedoms -- to the disapproval of hardliners.
"In some parts of the
city, the veils are coming off right now and the full violation of hijab can be
witnessed," Hojjatoleslam Kazem Sediqi said in a Friday prayers speech at
3.2.5 So called Honour killing continues in
(i)
Sky News 28 May 2014 A Pakistani
man whose pregnant wife was stoned to death outside
a court in the eastern city of Lahore by family members
for marrying the man of her choice claims police watched on as she was beaten with bricks.
Farzana
Iqbal, who was three months pregnant, was attacked for marrying against her
family's wishes. A mob of around 30 people that included her brother, father
and spurned husband attacked her outside Lahore High Court, police told AFP.
The
25-year-old, who was also called Farzana Parveen, was attending court to defend
her new husband, Mohammad Iqbal. He was accused by the family of kidnapping and
forcing marriage upon her. Speaking to AFP from his home
Police
in
"The
brother first opened fire with a gun but missed. She tried to run away but fell
down," senior investigator Rana Akhtar told AFP.
"The
relatives caught her and then beat her to death with bricks."
Mr. Iqbal was a widower with five children when he began seeing the
victim. "We were in love," he said. "We demand justice. We were
being threatened since we got married."
Mr.
Iqbal said they had survived a previous attack during the first hearing of the
case on May 12. "On Tuesday as we were going to court from our lawyer's
office almost 30 people attacked us, including her father, brothers and
cousins," he said. A group of 10 or so people accompanying the couple were
overwhelmed by the attack and fled, Mr. Iqbal added.
Some
869 women died in so-called "honour killings" last year, according to
the independent Human Rights Commission of
"Such
crimes persisted because of the impunity enjoyed by the killers," the
commission said in a report, which noted that
(ii) Pakistan: Girl Survives after being Shot and Thrown in River by Family in Honour Killing / IBT : By Ludovica Iaccino | IB Times – Friday, June 6, 2014
A
Pakistani girl has survived an alleged attempted honour killing by members of her own family,
who wanted to punish her for having married the man she loves. Saba Maqsood,
18, was shot and thrown in a canal by her father, brother, cousin and aunt in
the city of
"The
victim,
"It
is an honour
related incident."
Honour
killing is a widespread practice in Pakistan.
The killing occurs when someone supposedly acts in a way that brings shame upon
their family. The murder is carried out in order to restore the family's honour. Akbar said he had recorded a
statement from Maqsood in which she blamed her family for the attack. "I
was tortured and shot by my father Maqsood Ahmad, brother Faisal Maqsood, uncle
Ashfaq Ahmad and his wife Sajida Bibi," he quoted her as saying. After
minutes in the water Maqsood regained consciousness and managed to reach the
bank, where two passers-by helped her. She was then rushed her to hospital. Akbar
added: "Her condition is out of danger and we have registered a case
against her family on her complaint." Police had raided her father's home
in the nearby city of
Out of the
5,000 honour killings that occur
internationally each year, about 1,000 happen in Pakistan, according to international digital
resource centre Honour
Based Violence Awareness (HBVA).
In
September 2013, the
The
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan reported 943 cases of women who died due to honour killings in 2013. Amnesty International
reported 960 honour
killings in
Sky News – Monday 30 June 2014
A 17-year-old girl and her husband have been tied up and had
their throats slit shortly after they married for love, according to police in Pakistan Muafia Bibi and
her partner Sajjad Ahmed, 30, were killed in a village which is part of Daska
town in
The
couple married earlier this month and Mr. Ali said the family had lured them
home by saying they accepted the marriage. The family said they had been
embarrassed by the marriage of their daughter to a man from a less important
tribe, police were quoted as saying.
District
police chief Gohar Nafees said they admitted killing the couple in
the name of honour.
Cultural traditions in many areas of
A
woman marrying a man of her own choice is considered an unacceptable insult to
many families. According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, some 869
so-called "honour
killings" were reported in the media last year. The true figure is
probably much higher since many cases are not reported.
Under
Pakistani law, the woman's family are able to forgive the killer even if they
are convicted. Many families nominate a member to do the killing and then
formally forgive the killer.
Reader’s comments (1) The UK may not be perfect but as more and more Sharia law is accepted and more and more Muslim ghettoes are created, it will become commonplace here too. We seriously must challenge this crazy liberalist view and reinstate the values that our parents and their parents fought and died for.
(2) Why are we letting these mad people into our country with their antiquated beliefs, when are the open door immigration idiots going to see our country is going to be over run by these animals, what about indigenous populations human rights , to be able to live in peace in our own country without...
(3) They were embarrassed? They were embarrassed!!, these creatures are not part of the human race; sooner the west just puts a complete block on EVERYTHING with countries like this is not soon enough. The western nations need to get all together and implement a total boycott of.
(4) It's shocking how any parent can value religion and family honour above that of their own flesh and blood.
By TOM HAYS | Associated Press / Friday 26 June 2014
The
encounter came in a case where Mohammad Ajmal Choudhry has pleaded not guilty
to charges he arranged the killings last year of two relatives of a man who
helped his daughter flee an arranged marriage in
"I
don't want to hear any more complaints about you," Amina Ajmal claimed her
father warned her when he first learned she wanted out of the marriage. "I
will kill you if you do anything wrong."
Though
she agreed to testify for the government, Ajmal often sounded and acted on
Thursday like she didn't want to be there. There were long pauses before meekly
mumbling answers to prosecutor's questions about her father's alleged misdeeds.
Yes, she answered, he had threatened her, but she quickly added, "I don't
think he meant it." Asked earlier to describe their relationship, Ajmal
responded, "We were very close. ... He loved me."
The
defense claims that Choudhry, who was in Brooklyn at the time of the deaths in
Ajmal,
23, was born in
Shortly
after wedding in a traditional ceremony in 2012, Ajmal asked a man she
described as her true love to help her flee. She slipped away and flew to the
When
Choudhry began threatening to track down the man and kill him unless she
returned home and restored the family's honor, she agreed to let federal agents
record their phone calls. On tapes played for the jury, he can be heard
repeatedly bemoaning the humiliation he felt over her disobedience.
In
their culture, sons were free to come and go, he explained. But, he added,
"When a daughter runs away, parents are demeaned forever." He warned
in another recording, "If you don't come back, there is only death."
Shortly
after Ajmal learned that the victims had been gunned down in
He
responded that another person "killed this time and made me part of
it." But he also repeated the threat that he would "not leave a
single member of their family alive" if she didn't return home.
News
of the killings had made him "a man of no honor," he lamented.
"My daughters are whores. ... You still have time. Think about it in the
next 24 hours."
"What
will you do after 24 hours?"
"What
else? Another person will be gone."
4 Historical research
4.1 Savarkar in Andaman
Guy Aldred’s exposure in
Hotilal Varma's letter describing horrors of
prison life of political prisoners in Andaman Jail was published by
Surendranath Banerjee in his paper Bengalee on 27 April 1912 (This was
obtained by Shree Pednekar and sent to Savarkar web-site) It caused uproar In
Hindusthan.
Later on Maratha (English paper of
Lokamanya Tilak) also published some news on 28 July 1912. It gave news of
suicide of Indu Bhushan. (This was also sent to Savarkar web-site)
Guy Aldred, one of sympathisers of Veer Savarkar ran a paper called Herald of Revolt.
In its issue of October 1912 he published information
in Bengalee and Maratha.
He reprinted that issue in 1947. Late Mukund
Sonapatki gave Godbole a copy. He scanned a copy for use in Savarkar web-site.
Guy says that a British M.P. had agreed to raise
the matter in British House of Commons.
Some I.T Engineer may know how to get at
Hansards (Records of proceedings of House of Commons)
4.2 So called Kutb Minar –
Dr Bhatnagar, a professor of Geography once hired a helicopter and took a photograph of so called Kutb Minar from air. It revealed that it is a glowing Lotus Flower. He wrote an article about it in 1977. After the discovery of E Mails Godbole has been sending the same to his friends. It is surprising how the same is being sent to him from all over the world. Our friend Shridhar Damle sent us the same on 6 November 2014.
And yet one reader from
I do not claim any
deep knowledge, but find we are using forced arguments to distort history in
one direction.”
This just shows how
deeply falsified history is still haunting us. Godbole replied to the person
who did not respond.
4.3 How Maratha King Shivaji dealt with pirates.
Kalnirnaya is a famous calendar among Marathi speaking people. On back pages one finds some interesting information.
Two years back historian Babasaheb Purandare wrote an
article on how Shivaji wiped out pirates from costal areas of
“Next came the turn of Portuguese pirates. Once Shivaji’s forces killed them all (including Padres). When the Portuguese rescuers arrived they saw the dead bodies of their comrades. Again word spread around that the Portuguese too are not invincible, they can be killed. They stopped menacing the costal towns.”
Alas, that is the lesson Hindu kings never learnt!