Author:
Publication: CHANDAN's HOMEPAGE
Date:
URL: http://www.geocities.com/chandanmishra/STOPFUNDINGINDIAcampaign.htm
Following report was created to
document the funding of hate which IDRF does.
http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex/2002/FEH/index.html
As a disclaimer I want to say that
I dont know anyone from IDRF and haven't donated a single penny to it.
The kind of work they do doesn't even inspire me much, as I have entirely
different concept of charity/development work. But the above report does
make me rise to their defense for them getting labeled as hate/terror funding
organization.
When people purportedly working
against communal hate jump their guns, overstretch their imaginations and
use "below the belt" tricks to attack the organizations they think are
hateful, they hurt overall campaign and lower their credibility. Who knows
IDRF might be actually funding hate, but unless actually find out that
to be true in REALITY rather than through implied insinuations, we all
will play into hands of people who might have their agenda beyond fight
against communal hate.
Regardless of what people feel
about IDRF or its projects, I do want to restate the argument, which I
use for people who strongly criticize Madrassahs or Islamic schools. We
may strongly disagree with the kind of education imparted in these schools,
but we should just remember that if those projects aren't run, the students
studying in those schools wouldn't have any education at all. Its always
better to have imperfectly educated individuals than illiterate ones. And
also people stopping the IDRF funding should realize that they are stopping
a small but still important foreign exchange flow to our country.
Lets look at following "below the
belt" tricks used in the above report ad nauseam.
1. Guilt by association: This is
the standard trick used across this report. If some organization's name
gets mentioned in website of some other organization, it would mean that
former organization is completely associated with and controlled by latter.
And report seems to imply that if latter took part in communal riots, former
should also be considered guilty.
2. Hindu cultural events = communal
hate frenzy : Multiple places this report has tried to imply that since
a particular organization organized some Hindu cultural event, it was a
communal hate spewing organization.
3. Extra-Extrapolation of Newspaper
articles: Newspaper articles cited in this reported, have their conclusions
completely extrapolated beyond the factual contents of that newspaper article.
Many times the newspaper articles cited simply have no relation to the
context of accusations where they were cited in.
In summary:
1. There has not been a single proof
that has been cited that IDRF funded organizations actually took part in
promoting hate. No actual legal convictions. No actual linkage of these
organizations to recent riots in Gujarat has been shown.
2. The writers of this report seem
more annoyed with the Hindu overtones in the work of IDRF organizations
and quickly jump to the conclusion that these organizations spew hate because
their activities have Hindu overtones.
3. The writers of this report also
seem annoyed by funds going to people suffering from "terrorist war" (please
note the quotes used in the report).
4. Arguments used in this report
can be used to brand many of the Gandhian NGOs or other similar NGOs hateful
NGOs.
5. And the same line of flawed logic
can be used to prove that some of the organizations behind this report
are India-hating, pro- pak jihadi organization.
I will cite some examples where
false logic, guilt by association, strong insinuations are used by writers
of this report to reach the conclusion that IDRF is a hate funding organization.
[This shows the ideologies of the
writers of this report. It shows their selective sympathy for victims of
hate. THIS REALLY PLACES QUESTIONS ABOUT CREDIBILITY OF THE WRITERS OF
THIS REPORT. They have got no sympathy for victims of terrorism in Kashmir]
In Appendix B.2 of the report:
"Martyrs for National Integration
Fund: This is an in-house IDRF fund-raising effort to generate money for
"families of security personnel, and of civilians" in order "to assist
those who have suffered from the terrorist war being waged on our nation"[98]
[the "terrorist war" here refers to the conflict in Kashmir, particularly
along the Indian-Pakistani border]."
[guilt by association, same logic
is used for all of the IDRF organizations. just because its mentioned in
RSS website, it becomes a hateful organization]
In Appendix B.1 of report:
"In Sangh literature, the origins
and growth of Vikas Bharati is described as follows:
The Vikas Bharati stream, which
originated in the fountainhead called Sangh, has been quietly flowing towards
the ocean called society, gathering many additional streams on the way.[13]
(emphasis added)"
[SVRDS becomes an abhorred organization
for organizing competitions on Krishna Jayanti!!!!!!!!!!, what a hateful
disgusting act!! It doesnt matter that almost all of the schools in India
give a day off to their students on this day]
In Appendix B.1 of report:
"While the stated goal of SVRDS
is rural development and education of tribals, considerable documentation
exists to show its emphasis on tribals learning practices that surround
Hindu religious festivals.[15]
15. In a report to the IDRF, SVRDS
states that it conducted competitions for Krishna Jayanthi (a Hindu Festival)
in which the school children participated enthusiastically. It should be
kept in mind that these tribals do not consider themselves Hindu, nor do
they usually observe Krishna Jayanthi."
[ Typical flat accusations without
any substantiations. For last statement of this paragraph no proof has
been cited]
In Appendix B.1 of report:
"While VKA and its affiliates claim
to work for the 'welfare' of the tribal population, they are in fact mainly
working to 'Hinduise' the tribals and demonize the work of Christian missionaries
in tribal area"
[ Typical example of "guilty by
association". They forgot to mention that Mr. Jois is governor of Jharkhand.
Again no connection with the "hate which this whole report has been blasting
IDRF about]
In Appendix B.2 of report:
"The President of Bharat Vikas
Parishad is Justice Rama Jois, who is actively involved in the VHP movement
for rebuilding a Hindu temple at the site of the 16th century Babri Mosque
in Ayodhya that the VHP had demolished in 1992. As reported in an Indian
daily, "Though his formal position in the Sangh Parivar is as the president
of the Bharat Vikas Parishad, an RSS frontal organization, Mr. Jois is
known more for his legal assistance in the 'Ayodhya movement [to build
the temple].' He has even attended a meeting at the Prime Minister's house
last March when Atal Behari Vajpayee held extensive consultations in an
attempt to deal with the VHP-imposed deadline of 'March 12' [97]" [this
'deadline' refers to the date set by the VHP for the government to allow
it to start the temple construction or to face a nationwide stir]."
[ The link mentioned below has
NO such quote.]
In section 4.4.1.2:
Swami Ashimanandji is in charge
of the Ashram's activities in this district. though is as some (sic) only
before 18 months he is well known as respected by the community. [45]
45. http://www.idrf.org/news/vanvasi/
[ Typical act of overstretched
insinuations. Since IDRF president was in area where there was trouble,
it means he must be involved in it]
In section 4.4.1.2:
Further, it is not difficult to
explain the presence of an IDRF vice president in Gujarat and his reporting
on the activities of the Vanvasi Kalyan Parishad in Waghai. The Vanvasi
Kalyan Parishad is a direct beneficiary of the IDRF. It is listed under
the title "IDRF Supported Projects in Gujarat." [46]
[ Again a blatant attempt at lies,
see the evidence given and the final conclusion derived. No evidence is
given that IDRF organizations were involved in Gujrat riots ]
In section 4.4.2:
The anti-Muslim pogroms that took
place in the state of Gujarat this year had a surprise element in them-the
active participation of the adivasis in the violence against the Muslims.
Several commentators have noted the role played by Vanvasi Kalyan Parishad
and the Vivekananda Kendra (both funded by the IDRF) in actively communalizing
the tribal mind, and creating the anti-Muslim ethos[47]. An affiliate organization,
the Vanavasi Seva Sangh, has also been identified as an active participant
in the anti-Muslim, anti-Christian indoctrination of tribals. [48]
In section 4.4.3:
In summary at all levels, the IDRF's
implication in sectarian work, including support for organizations of the
Sangh that are directly implicated in violent actions over the last four
years, is well documented. The documentation presented leads us to a simple
and single conclusion - the IDRF does fund hate.
[ Again a blatant attempt at lies,
none of the links cited mention that there was any violence started by
the organizations mentioned ]
In section 4.4.3:
Such cases of the IDRF funding
of organizations directly implicated in the violence is not restricted
to Gujarat alone. Documentation exists also for a similar role played by
the IDRF in supporting organizations such as Sewa Bharati, Ekal Vidyalays
and the VKA implicated in violence against Christians in Madhya Pradesh[49].
The implication of Sewa Bharati, Madhya Pradesh in anti-Christian violence
has been recognized by the local State government, which has taken an extreme
step of revoking the license of Sewa Bharati, an the IDRF funded organization,
because of its part in spreading anti-minority violence[50].
49. Sewa Bharati and Ekal Vidyalays
organized the Hindu Sangam in the tribal belt in Madhya Pradesh earlier
this year. A report from Sewa Bharati is available at http://www.hvk.org/articles/0102/98.html.
The aggressively anti-Christian flavor of the meet, and the concomitant
tensions it created are described in RSS temples for tribals spell trouble
for Digvijay, Yogesh Vajpeyi, Indian Express, January 7th 2002 . For Vanvasi
Kalyan Ashram's role, see Appendix F.
50. RSS outfit stripped of its licence
in MP, Yogesh Vajpeyi, Indian Express, February 28th, 2002
This anti-IDRF campaign forces
us to think about something very important regardless of our personal viewpoints,
which is intellectual honesty in any kind of public issue debate and not
losing sight of the actual goal. Many of us (including me) may not care
about IDRF and some of us might be opposed to the way it does charity.
But the key is not to become hostage to dogma of our own personal ideologies
that we start hindering the work of people working towards the same goals
shared by us. This campaign against IDRF didnt help a bit against communal
forces in India, but it might leave some tribal children illiterate.
