|
US sets example for reaching out
to a community
WSN Network
Thiruvananthapuram: At a time when the Indian government, instead of
trying to bridge the gulf with the Sikh community which is marking
the 25th anniversary of Operation Bluestar attack by the Indian Army
on Golden Temple and Sri Akal Takht Sahib, the genocide of thousands
of Sikhs in Delhi and elsewhere and the continuing repression on the
Sikh youth, is watching as a mute witness the high handedness of
Punjab Police, the efforts by Washington to open the channels of
communication and understanding with the Muslim world stand in sharp
contrast.
Shaming the
Indian establishment's relationship with the Sikh community, the US
Embassy made a major effort to reach out to the Muslims using the
occasion of the holy month of Ramzan.
The US Embassy
last week hosted an Iftaar in distant Thrissur in Kerala where the
CPM and Muslim organisations have a history of stoking anti-US
sentiments. On the menu: Barack Obama’s Cairo speech calling for a
new, more understanding approach to the Islamic world, his Ramzan
message and an interaction led by the Embassy’s Minister-Counselor
for Public Affairs Larry Schwartz.
This was a first
for the town, the state and the Embassy but, as Schwartz said, it
was the best way to reach out to the Muslim community there. And
going by the attendance at the hotel, it was a fairly good
get-together which lasted two hours — several businessmen and Muslim
religious leaders were present.
The Embassy is
doing this as part of its outreach programme under which nearly 25
US diplomats are travelling across India, holding talks and
programmes such as this, depending on the audience. The thrust seems
to be on moving beyond cities, fostering a relationship with smaller
towns.
Using the Iftaar
meet to good effect, Schwartz made it a point to repeatedly
emphasise the Obama Administration’s new approach towards the Muslim
community. He also conveyed that the
US
was open to new avenues of cooperation in this regard.
There were some
in the gathering though who had questions “about US attempts to woo
Muslims against the backdrop of its imperialistic approach and the
Iraqi incursion.”
Prominent
Muslims in the gathering included Kerala Naduvathul Mujahideen
general secretary Hussain Madavoor, Congress leaders K Abdurahiman
and K K Kochumuhammed, Muslim businessmen Bava Moopan and Muhammed
Mether. Organisers had also made arrangements for namaz. When
contacted, Madavoor said he was there not just for the Iftaar party
but also to hear Obama’s speech.
But a senior
leader of the right-wing Popular Front of India denounced the party
hosted by the US Embassy, calling it “a dangerous trend, another
strategy of the US to spread the tentacles of imperialism”. Earlier
in the day, Schwartz had a luncheon meeting with some leading
writers including Marxist intellectual and Kerala Sahitya Akademi
president M Mukundan.
16
September 2009
|
Read Also