Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Seminar on ‘Conflict Resolution : Hindu - Muslim Case in India’
8 January, 1997
The Editor
The Times of India FAX:262 0144 / 0401
Mumbai PHONE:2620271
Sir,
Your report ( 8/1) on the recent Seminar on ‘Conflict Resolution : Hindu - Muslim Case in India’ has unfortunately, missed out the drama played out over the 2 days of vigorous discussion, intrigues, behind-the-scene manipulations and the sheer antipathy of even the so-called secular left-liberals to the very name of the Muslim community. Swami Agnivesh, in an aside, related how his fellow-passenger commented when he mentioned about the proposed Seminar, while traveling from Delhi to Mumbai. The wise man commented on how strange it was that Asgharali Engineer and Swami were to try to solve the conflict, while Muslims do not count Engineer as Muslim and Hindus do not count Swami Agnivesh as Hindu. Swami and the joint organiser of the Seminar, Prof. Iqbal Ansari had come with a set agenda and it remained for Mr. J.B. D’Souza to say the last word, when he wrote out a message, and passed it on to Asgharali Engineer, who read it out to the participants. It read:
“Dr. Engineer: Listening almost silently to the discussions over the last two days, I get the impression that we are unduly, and unwisely, concentrating on how accommodating Muslims should be, on how they should appease the majority.
Should we not recall to what appeasement led in the 1930’s in Europe?”
#189
The Editor
The Times of India FAX:262 0144 / 0401
Mumbai PHONE:2620271
Sir,
Your report ( 8/1) on the recent Seminar on ‘Conflict Resolution : Hindu - Muslim Case in India’ has unfortunately, missed out the drama played out over the 2 days of vigorous discussion, intrigues, behind-the-scene manipulations and the sheer antipathy of even the so-called secular left-liberals to the very name of the Muslim community. Swami Agnivesh, in an aside, related how his fellow-passenger commented when he mentioned about the proposed Seminar, while traveling from Delhi to Mumbai. The wise man commented on how strange it was that Asgharali Engineer and Swami were to try to solve the conflict, while Muslims do not count Engineer as Muslim and Hindus do not count Swami Agnivesh as Hindu. Swami and the joint organiser of the Seminar, Prof. Iqbal Ansari had come with a set agenda and it remained for Mr. J.B. D’Souza to say the last word, when he wrote out a message, and passed it on to Asgharali Engineer, who read it out to the participants. It read:
“Dr. Engineer: Listening almost silently to the discussions over the last two days, I get the impression that we are unduly, and unwisely, concentrating on how accommodating Muslims should be, on how they should appease the majority.
Should we not recall to what appeasement led in the 1930’s in Europe?”
#189
