Discrimination........When will it end?

* It's absolutely disgusting to read or hear about discrimination in the civilized world, particularly in the 21st century. Two news items have disturbed me immensely. One, in the world's oldest democracy, and another in the world's biggest democracy.  

*    In the U.S. a famous actress has decided to boycott this year's Oscars because the awards are heavily loaded in favour of the white actors, ignoring the rightful claims of black actors. Imagine, this is happening in the most advanced nation in the world, and not in some banana republic.

*    The second news is from India where in one temple the women are not allowed to perform the puja. This is as strange as stupid, because God, if He exists, wouldn't discriminate between the men and the women. Remember, the women after God are the only being who are blessed with the power to create a life. And what an irony? the mortal creator is being prevented by the conceited man to perform the puja of the immortal creator.

*    Like million others, sometimes I wonder whether we have really evolved as a human being?

  

Is democracy working for the Arab World ?

*     It has not been long since the famous Arab spring took place. Much euphoria was created and the entire world was hopeful that the dictators would be thrown out and democracy would bring joy and smile on the million faces. But nothing of that sort happened, nothing positive seems to be happening. In most countries the dictators have been removed leaving behind a political vacuum, turning the strife-torn nations into nurseries for terrorists. Iraq and Libya are examples of the failed western policy.

*    The U.S. invaded Iraq, removed Saddam without having a contingency plan of governance for that country. It resulted in the power struggle amongst the Shias, the Sunnis and the Kurds. The vindictive politics of the Shia rulers added to the misery. The Sunnis who under Saddam had enjoyed the fruits of power were left disillusioned with the present political system. 

*    The situation became perfect for the birth of Islamic State terrorists. The situation in Syria and the U.S.'s short sighted policy and one-point agenda of removing Assad from power proved to be a policy disaster. But the Americans have a history of committing one blunder after another. From Vietnam to Afghanistan to Iraq to Syria to Libya, they have destabilised one nation after another. To fight the Russians in Afghanistan they created the Taliban, which created Al-Qaeda 

*     The rise of the ultra-right, or the conservatives in Turkey and some other countries has poured water over the growth of  liberal democracy in the Muslim world. And tacit support of some countries to the Islamic State has made the world more dangerous than it was ever.

Exodus................ mankind's eternal fate !!!

 

*    Since the dawn of the civilisation the world has always been at war with itself, resulting into oppression of the minorities and the weak. And the women and children have suffered the most at the hands of the tormentors. Many centuries, it  was Moses who with thousands of Israeltis escaped the tyranny of Ramesses II, making it perhaps the mankind's first exodus. 

*  Sadly the mass migration of people from their homelands still continues in some form or the other, because the human beings, unlike the animals refuse to live in peace and harmony with one another. It's indeed sad when one reads or sees people being driven out of their ancestral homes. Imagine the plight of the sick and old folks thrown out of their homes at gun point.    

*    If today it's Syria, yesterday it was Iraq, and day before yesterday it was Afghanistan. Tomorrow it will be some other war torn country. Wars are fought in every continent, but what wrong the common folks have done to deserve such a fate. 

*      Moses would have thought several centuries ago that he had saved the weak and the underprivileged by taking them out of the clutches of a tyrannical Pharaoh forever, but his soul would now be crying in pain to see the similar conditions existing in every war-torn region. 

*     Exodus is the mankind's eternal fate, because in every century in many countries the tyrants, elected leaders or otherwise continue to unleash the forces of terror on the minorities and the weak, and thus force them to leave their native country and head towards the west. Unfortunately Moses was never reborn and earth has no vacant land where such people could settle down permanently. For them its a sub-standard existence in the adopted country. 

*     Wish Gods have solutions  for their problems !!!!!

The Yazidis.............ethnic cleansing of

                                                                (Photo credit - Joshua project)

                                                                    (Photo credit - Creofire.com)

*  The Yazidis are a distinct and independent minority community who have their own religion and culture. They live primarily in the Nineveh Province of Iraq. They are a distinct ethnic group and don’t consider themselves as Kurdish. Since Aug 2014, they have been targeted by the Islamic State, the deadliest militant group hell bent to eliminate non-Islamic minority groups in Iraq and Syria.  

*    The Yazidis live primarily in the present-day Iraq, Syria, and Turkey, and also in significant numbers in Armenia and Georgia. The bulk of the Yazidi population lives in Iraq, where they make up an important minority community. Their emigration has resulted in establishment of large diaspora abroad, mainly in Germany, where more than 100,000 Yazidis live. Some Yazidis also live in Belgium, Denmark, France, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Australia. 

*    In August 2007, about 500 Yazidis were killed in a series of bombings in Qahtaniya. In August 2009, at least 20 people were killed and 30 wounded in a double suicide bombing in northern Iraq. Two suicide bombers carried out attacks at a cafe in Sinjar, west of Mosul. 

*     ISIS which considers the Yazidis devil-worshippers, captured Sinjar in August 2014, forcing about 50,000 Yazidis to flee into the nearby mountains where they face starvation. Their plight initially received international media coverage, leading the western leaders to carry out humanitarian air drops of food and water in the Sinjar Mountain. Limited air strikes against the militants in support of the Yazidis was also carried out but it has not been able to prevent the genocide of the Yazidis out on the Mount Sinjar. 

*    However, the military action by the westerns powers leaves much to be desired. The Yazidis and other minority groups are still being killed and their women taken as sex slaves. What hold the US and its allies to go all out against the Islamic State? I fail to understand!

U Tirot Sing.............India's Unsung Hero.

*      U Tirot Sing, was one of the Khasi chiefs in the 18th century drew his lineage from the Syiemlieh clan. He was Syiem (chief) of Nongkhlaw, part of the Khasi Hills. He shared authority with his council, representatives of leading clans within his territory. He fought against the British to prevent them from taking over control of the Khasi Hills. 

*   The British gained control of the Brahmaputra valley after concluding the Treaty of Yandabo in 1826. They wanted to construct a road through this area to connect Guwahati with Sylhet to save weeks of travel. David Scott, the agent of the British Governor-General for the Northern Territory, found that U Tirot Sing wanted to regain the duars (passes into Assam) in return for the permission for the road project. 

*   But when the news came that the British were deploying forces in Assam, U Tirot Sing convened a Durbar and passed orders for the British to evacuate Nongkhlaw. The British refused and the Khasis attacked the British garrison in Nongkhlaw in April 1829 and killed two British officers thus inviting the British retaliation against U Tirot Sing and other Khasi chiefs. In the Anglo- Khasi Wars the Khasis lacked firearms and fought with swords, shields, bows and arrows. Unable to engage the British in open battle,the Khasis resorted to guerilla warfare that  dragged on for about four years. 

*      U Tirot Sing fought with with native weapons such as a sword and shield. He was shot at by the British and hid in a cave, but was eventually captured by the British in January 1833 and deported to Dhaka. The location of his hiding place was given by a Khasi chief who was bribed with gold coins by the British. He died on 17 July 1835. His death anniversary is commemorated every year as a state holiday in Meghalaya.

*      Only a few Indians outside the North-East know about this great hero of India's freedom struggle. It's high time he gets his due recognition.