Above: Issues For Briefing, Allahabad High Court Verdict on Ayodhya, 30th September, 2010
18 September, 2010
Muslim Persecution of Hindus In India
Phyllis Chesler, Fox News
The Story You Won't See In the Western Mainstream Media
The Story You Won't See In the Western Mainstream Media
They are crossing the border illegally and violently displacing the indigenous population whose homes and possessions they either destroy or occupy. They are attacking the young, the elderly, and especially the girls and women, whom they kidnap, forcibly convert, or traffic into brothels. The locals are terrified of them. The police rarely come to their aid, nor do the politically correct media or government. Both are terrified by the criminals and terrorists who are riding these immigrant waves.
I am not talking about illegal immigrants to Europe or North America. I am describing Muslims who are penetrating India’s West Bengal region. These Bangladeshi immigrants are becoming conduits for criminal activities (arms, drugs, and sexual slavery) which also fund global jihad.
You won’t read about this in the Western mainstream media - or even in the Indian media, which has turned a blind eye to this ongoing tragedy because they are afraid to be labeled “politically incorrect” or “Islamophobic.” They are also afraid of reprisals. When Islamic zealots ransacked the office of the renowned newspaper, ‘The Statesman’ in Kolkata, in retaliation for a mere reproduction of an article condemning Islamic extremism, the Indian press remained silent. The editor and publisher of the newspaper were arrested for offending Muslim sentiments and no action was taken against the rioters.
Fortunately, there are a few very brave Hindus who are taking a stand against the Muslim terror campaign in India. One of them is Tapan Ghosh, whom I had the privilege of meeting recently when he came to New York City to talk about anti-Hindu persecution in his homeland. In 2008, Ghosh founded “Hindu Samhati” (Hindu Solidarity Movement), which serves persecuted Hindu communities in both West Bengal and Bangladesh.
As Ghosh emphasized in our interview, the Muslim persecution of Hindus in India is nothing new. Over a period of 800 years, millions of Hindus were slaughtered by Muslims as infidels or converted by the sword. In 1946-1947, when British India was divided into India and Pakistan, Muslims massacred many thousands of Hindus in Calcutta, the capital of West Bengal, and all along the fault line which separated India and Pakistan. Anti-Hindu riots and massacres continued during the 1950s and 1960s, but it was in 1971, when East Pakistan broke away to form the country of Bangladesh, that things worsened for Hindus in the area.
As Ghosh explained to me, “The liberation movement for Bangladesh was characterized by an escalation of atrocities against the Hindus and pro-liberation Muslims. Hindus were specifically singled out because they were considered a hindrance to the Islamisation of East Pakistan. In March 1971, the government of Pakistan and its supporters in Bangladesh launched a violent operation, codenamed “Operation Searchlight,” to crush all pro-liberation activities. Bangladeshi government figures put the death toll at 300,000, though nearly 3 million Hindus were never accounted for and are presumed dead.” U.S. officials in both India and Washington used the word “genocide” to describe what took place.
According to Ghosh, there has recently been a sharp increase in incidents of “Muslim rioting during Hindu festivals, destruction of Temples, desecration of Deities, and large-scale, provocative cow slaughter.” Worse: “Hundreds, thousands, of Hindu girls have been kidnapped, trafficked into sexual slavery, or taken as second or third wives for wealthy Muslim men. In recent years, Ghosh’s organization has rescued nearly 100 such girls, and one of his main missions has been to help reintegrate those survivors into their families and societies.
Ghosh wants the Indian government to stop the illegal immigration from Bangladesh and to force the return of undocumented Muslims; to ban madrassas and polygamy; to enforce a single standard of law and education; and to arrest and prosecute known Muslim mafia kingpins and terrorists. He challenges the media to report on the anti-Hindu atrocities and to address the issue of religious apartheid.
Ghosh is not optimistic. “The establishment of massive Saudi-funded Madrasas across rural Bengal is only contributing to the growing religious extremism among Muslims, [and] implementation of Sharia laws by [Islamic] courts is quite prevalent in many villages.” His greatest fear, he tells me, is that one day shouts of “Allahu Akbar” will ring out across the land and that Muslim zealots will demand that Hindus either convert or leave West Bangal - or die.
Ghosh came to America not just to appeal to Indian-Americans with family and historical ties in West Bengal and Bangladesh but to appeal to all Americans for their support. As he sees it, the battle against Muslim persecution in India is just one front in a much larger battle against Islamic expansionism and terror throughout the world.
All Americans must realize, he told me, “that the war on Islamic terrorism cannot be won without curbing religious extremism amongst the Muslim masses, be it in the suburbs of Detroit or Delhi or villages in rural Bengal. And this will require the active support and cooperation with each other, ranging from cooperation at the highest level to those who work at the grassroots level. We hope that Americans and Westerners will come out and support the Hindus in Bengal in raising resources and creating awareness about our on-the-ground realities.”
Phyllis Chesler, Ph.D. is professor emerita of psychology and the author of thirteen books including "Woman’s Inhumanity to Woman" and "The New Anti-Semitism." She has written extensively about Islamic gender apartheid and about honor killings. She once lived in Kabul, Afghanistan. She may be reached through her website: www.phyllis-chesler.com.
Source
I am not talking about illegal immigrants to Europe or North America. I am describing Muslims who are penetrating India’s West Bengal region. These Bangladeshi immigrants are becoming conduits for criminal activities (arms, drugs, and sexual slavery) which also fund global jihad.
You won’t read about this in the Western mainstream media - or even in the Indian media, which has turned a blind eye to this ongoing tragedy because they are afraid to be labeled “politically incorrect” or “Islamophobic.” They are also afraid of reprisals. When Islamic zealots ransacked the office of the renowned newspaper, ‘The Statesman’ in Kolkata, in retaliation for a mere reproduction of an article condemning Islamic extremism, the Indian press remained silent. The editor and publisher of the newspaper were arrested for offending Muslim sentiments and no action was taken against the rioters.
Fortunately, there are a few very brave Hindus who are taking a stand against the Muslim terror campaign in India. One of them is Tapan Ghosh, whom I had the privilege of meeting recently when he came to New York City to talk about anti-Hindu persecution in his homeland. In 2008, Ghosh founded “Hindu Samhati” (Hindu Solidarity Movement), which serves persecuted Hindu communities in both West Bengal and Bangladesh.
As Ghosh emphasized in our interview, the Muslim persecution of Hindus in India is nothing new. Over a period of 800 years, millions of Hindus were slaughtered by Muslims as infidels or converted by the sword. In 1946-1947, when British India was divided into India and Pakistan, Muslims massacred many thousands of Hindus in Calcutta, the capital of West Bengal, and all along the fault line which separated India and Pakistan. Anti-Hindu riots and massacres continued during the 1950s and 1960s, but it was in 1971, when East Pakistan broke away to form the country of Bangladesh, that things worsened for Hindus in the area.
As Ghosh explained to me, “The liberation movement for Bangladesh was characterized by an escalation of atrocities against the Hindus and pro-liberation Muslims. Hindus were specifically singled out because they were considered a hindrance to the Islamisation of East Pakistan. In March 1971, the government of Pakistan and its supporters in Bangladesh launched a violent operation, codenamed “Operation Searchlight,” to crush all pro-liberation activities. Bangladeshi government figures put the death toll at 300,000, though nearly 3 million Hindus were never accounted for and are presumed dead.” U.S. officials in both India and Washington used the word “genocide” to describe what took place.
According to Ghosh, there has recently been a sharp increase in incidents of “Muslim rioting during Hindu festivals, destruction of Temples, desecration of Deities, and large-scale, provocative cow slaughter.” Worse: “Hundreds, thousands, of Hindu girls have been kidnapped, trafficked into sexual slavery, or taken as second or third wives for wealthy Muslim men. In recent years, Ghosh’s organization has rescued nearly 100 such girls, and one of his main missions has been to help reintegrate those survivors into their families and societies.
Ghosh wants the Indian government to stop the illegal immigration from Bangladesh and to force the return of undocumented Muslims; to ban madrassas and polygamy; to enforce a single standard of law and education; and to arrest and prosecute known Muslim mafia kingpins and terrorists. He challenges the media to report on the anti-Hindu atrocities and to address the issue of religious apartheid.
Ghosh is not optimistic. “The establishment of massive Saudi-funded Madrasas across rural Bengal is only contributing to the growing religious extremism among Muslims, [and] implementation of Sharia laws by [Islamic] courts is quite prevalent in many villages.” His greatest fear, he tells me, is that one day shouts of “Allahu Akbar” will ring out across the land and that Muslim zealots will demand that Hindus either convert or leave West Bangal - or die.
Ghosh came to America not just to appeal to Indian-Americans with family and historical ties in West Bengal and Bangladesh but to appeal to all Americans for their support. As he sees it, the battle against Muslim persecution in India is just one front in a much larger battle against Islamic expansionism and terror throughout the world.
All Americans must realize, he told me, “that the war on Islamic terrorism cannot be won without curbing religious extremism amongst the Muslim masses, be it in the suburbs of Detroit or Delhi or villages in rural Bengal. And this will require the active support and cooperation with each other, ranging from cooperation at the highest level to those who work at the grassroots level. We hope that Americans and Westerners will come out and support the Hindus in Bengal in raising resources and creating awareness about our on-the-ground realities.”
Phyllis Chesler, Ph.D. is professor emerita of psychology and the author of thirteen books including "Woman’s Inhumanity to Woman" and "The New Anti-Semitism." She has written extensively about Islamic gender apartheid and about honor killings. She once lived in Kabul, Afghanistan. She may be reached through her website: www.phyllis-chesler.com.
Source
26 August, 2010
Only Jain temple in Kashmir destroyed
The Times of India, 21st August, 2010
Two years ago, a family from Mumbai built a temple in the lap of snow-capped mountains miles away in Srinagar. The derasar (temple), carved out of teak, decked with marigolds and installed with three idols of Jain tirthankars, was set up for the thousands of Jains who streamed into the volatile region every holiday season.
But last Saturday, the only Jain temple in the Kashmir Valley was burnt down by a mob. ‘‘It is now ground zero. There is nothing left, nothing to go back to,’’ says Jyotin Doshi, chairman of Gem, a travel agency in south Mumbai whose family built the temple. A shaken-up Doshi recalls speaking to the priest, the lone caretaker of the temple, on the night the violence errupted. ‘‘There was curfew in the valley but he noticed people gathering outside the temple,’’ he says.
The priest, who is disturbed and has now returned to his village near Lucknow, quickly gathered the three idols, which were sculpted out of panchdhatu (an alloy of gold, silver, copper, iron and zinc), and hid them in a hotel room. ‘‘And exactly three hours later, the mob struck and destroyed whatever we had built,’’ says Doshi.
Two members of Doshi’s team from Mumbai, Apurva Bhansali and Jiten Dharod, flew to Srinagar the next day when the curfew was lifted. They packed the idols in cardboard boxes and flew to Sabarmati in Gujarat. ‘‘Before the two had reached, the news had spread in Sabarmati. When the idols were installed in Chintamani Parshwanath derasar there, there were more than 14,000 people who came for darshan,’’ he says.
The idols, that has been taken to safety, were built in Kalikund in Dholka, Gujarat. Doshi says that his family set up the temple to realize his 68-year-old mother’s dream.
Two years ago, a family from Mumbai built a temple in the lap of snow-capped mountains miles away in Srinagar. The derasar (temple), carved out of teak, decked with marigolds and installed with three idols of Jain tirthankars, was set up for the thousands of Jains who streamed into the volatile region every holiday season.
But last Saturday, the only Jain temple in the Kashmir Valley was burnt down by a mob. ‘‘It is now ground zero. There is nothing left, nothing to go back to,’’ says Jyotin Doshi, chairman of Gem, a travel agency in south Mumbai whose family built the temple. A shaken-up Doshi recalls speaking to the priest, the lone caretaker of the temple, on the night the violence errupted. ‘‘There was curfew in the valley but he noticed people gathering outside the temple,’’ he says.
The priest, who is disturbed and has now returned to his village near Lucknow, quickly gathered the three idols, which were sculpted out of panchdhatu (an alloy of gold, silver, copper, iron and zinc), and hid them in a hotel room. ‘‘And exactly three hours later, the mob struck and destroyed whatever we had built,’’ says Doshi.
Two members of Doshi’s team from Mumbai, Apurva Bhansali and Jiten Dharod, flew to Srinagar the next day when the curfew was lifted. They packed the idols in cardboard boxes and flew to Sabarmati in Gujarat. ‘‘Before the two had reached, the news had spread in Sabarmati. When the idols were installed in Chintamani Parshwanath derasar there, there were more than 14,000 people who came for darshan,’’ he says.
The idols, that has been taken to safety, were built in Kalikund in Dholka, Gujarat. Doshi says that his family set up the temple to realize his 68-year-old mother’s dream.
08 April, 2010
Spirituality transforms Naxalites
H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says "Maoists are good human beings with a lot of dedication and commitment for the country. If they could do a little bit of understanding of spirituality, they could do what others cannot."
25 March, 2010
21 March, 2010
Barkha Dutt & Zakir Naik
Dear Barkha,
We were shocked to see Zakir Naik sits in NDTV studios and says Osama Bin Laden & Taliban are not terrorists. And you all just sit there. Taliban has recently massacred two Sikhs in Pakistan, not even reacting to it is shocking. Millions of Hindus idolize Shahrukh Khan and we were shocked that you did not even say something. I am a secular Hindu but was shocked to see Shahrukh Khan say not even a single word. What happened to Khan? Karan Johar - not even one word uttered - it was disgusting!
We were shocked to see Zakir Naik sits in NDTV studios and says Osama Bin Laden & Taliban are not terrorists. And you all just sit there. Taliban has recently massacred two Sikhs in Pakistan, not even reacting to it is shocking. Millions of Hindus idolize Shahrukh Khan and we were shocked that you did not even say something. I am a secular Hindu but was shocked to see Shahrukh Khan say not even a single word. What happened to Khan? Karan Johar - not even one word uttered - it was disgusting!
20 March, 2010
09 March, 2010
Sri Sri on MF Husain
Above: Poojya Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji comments on the controversy surrounding MF Hussain
28 February, 2010
Non-Muslims targeted in 26/11
Above: Testimony of the Turkish couple who were spared by the Muslim Terrorists during 26/11 attacks in Mumbai. Complete Documentary Dispatches - Terror in Mumbai
22 February, 2010
Jamia Millia Islamia holds conference with Vice President of India & Fake Shankaracharya
Above: Vice President Hamid Ansari, Maulana Arshad Madani & (Fake Shankaracharya) Jagatguru Shankaracharya Onkaranand Saraswati
.
.
Above: Jamia Millia Islamia holds conference with Vice President Hamid Ansari & (Fake Shankaracharya) Jagatguru Shankaracharya Onkaranand Saraswati
The Conference was organized by Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan, Editor of Milli Gazette
15 February, 2010
Marad Hindu Massacre - Kerala Government Report
Above: Findings of Shri. Thomas P. Joseph Commission on the inquiry of Marad incidents
Also View: Marad Hindu Massacre
Also View: Marad Hindu Massacre
09 February, 2010
Wanton killings wrong
Hindustan Times, 9th February, 2010
WHAT WAR? Founding fathers of Naxal movement denounce today's Maoists, say 'revolt' will fail
Three living legends of the Naxalite movement from the sixties and early seventies have denounced the ideology, tactics and the cult of violence practiced by today's Maoists.
"We do not know who these Maoists are," a visibly disenchanted Kanu Sanyal (81) told HT, in his thatched hut in Hathigada village, 450 km north of Kolkata. "They are indulging in wanton killings of innocent villagers. Communism does not approve of this."
"They will not win. They will not be able to achieve their goal," said Santosh Rana (66).
Sanyal, Rana and Asim Chatterjee (67) were household names during the birth and first flush of the Naxalite movement (1967-72) when they let loose a wave of wanton killings that killed thousands in West Bengal.
Now, all three have abandoned the ideology of violence that they gave birth to.
HT spent three months chasing these former rebels to learn their views on the current Naxalite movement.
Sanyal, one of the founding fathers, along with Charu Majumdar, of the Naxalite movement, had spent three months in the 1960s with Mao Tse Tung, whose ideology he followed.
"It's the Congress, CPI and CPM line to engage in personal assassinations," said the reclusive Naxal veteran, whose movements are impaired following a recent paralytic stroke.
The CPI (Maoist) rebellion in Lalgarh, about 160 km south west of Kolkata, which Sanyal has been tracking, has claimed over 300 lives since June 2008.
A son of Lalgarh's soil, Rana led the failed peasant uprising in Gopiballabhpur in West Midnapore, around 160 km south west of Kolkata, in 1969.
He felt Maoists have damaged the Lalgarh peasant uprising. "Initially, the uprising was so strong that the government was forced to withdraw forces," he said. "The formation of Maoist hit squads, their occupation of villages and declaration of free zones have invited state repression."
Rana, who now believes in democracy, criticised Maoists for not allowing people the right to differ with them.
The youngest central committee member of the unified CPI (ML), the original Naxalite party formed by Majumdar, Chatterjee differs with his modern day ideological successors.
"Their struggle is based on underdevelopment, not economic exploitation, as was the case during Naxalbari revolt," said the man who turned Kolkata's Presidency College into a Naxalite hub in the early '70s. "The Maoists are targeting the state machinery; this is not the way to develop a people's war.
"Political struggles cannot be launched with guns. The way Maoists are killing poor people in the name of fighting CPM is suicidal," he said.
27 January, 2010
8 crore people seek ban on cow slaughter
The Times of India, 31st January, 2010
A delegation of religious & spiritual leaders from all faiths on Sunday presented a memorandum - signed by over eight crore people - to President Pratibha Patil, demanding complete ban on Cow slaughter in India and creation of a separate Ministry for protection and promotion of Indian cow breeds.
A delegation of religious & spiritual leaders from all faiths on Sunday presented a memorandum - signed by over eight crore people - to President Pratibha Patil, demanding complete ban on Cow slaughter in India and creation of a separate Ministry for protection and promotion of Indian cow breeds.
Matter of urgency to save the Cow - Sri Sri
Above: Its a matter of urgency to save the Indian Cow say Poojya Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji & other prominent Saints
16 January, 2010
Kumbh: What it means to take a holy dip
Raman Nanda, Global Post
The Kumbh festival along the sacred Ganges river means something different to each of the millions of pilgrims who attend.
Sixty million pilgrims can’t be wrong. But even so, I questioned the point of dousing myself with holy water from the Ganges that looked muddy and uninviting.
It was 2001, and I was living at the Mahakumbh grounds in the north Indian town of Prayag as part of the U.K.-based Channel 4 television team covering the year’s kumbh festival, which is an ancient Hindu gathering featuring holy bathing, prayer and devotional music along the banks of sacred rivers.
The Kumbh festival, which begins again this week, is held every third year. It rotates among four cities: Prayag (near modern day Allahabad), Haridwar, Nasik and Ujjain. This week, an estimated 30 million pilgrims - or three times the population of Los Angeles - will gather in Haridwar, for a “small” three-month kumbh. The duration of the festival, which has been called the largest gathering of humanity in the world, is dictated by planetary alignment and varies from one kumbh to the other.
The full or Purna Kumbh, which occurs every 12 years in Prayag at the confluence of Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers, attracted 60 million the last time it was held in 2001.
Then, a tent city stretched for miles. The food was strictly vegetarian. Alcohol was taboo. Marijuana, though not legal, wasn’t exactly frowned upon. You could smoke a joint with the myriad holy men scattered about. The whole affair had the relaxed ambience of a village festival attended by the poor of India.
Peering over the river’s edge, the water looked dirty. I could imagine it was freezing, though each and every pilgrim who emerged from the opaque waters had a glow of happiness and contentment. One is told that the Ganges, originating in the Himalayas and flowing all the way to the Bay of Bengal beyond Calcutta, is a sacred river.
Back at the Prayag campsite, I asked a priest about the ritual associated with this so-called holy dip.
I was told to stand in the river. Collect some water with joined palms and throw it back over my head as an offering to my ancestors, he said. The priest told me to think about my loved ones as I dunked my head beneath the water. It all seemed simple enough.
On one particularly auspicious January morning, I decided to join the stream of humanity headed for the river. Wedged between bodies on all sides, I was carried like a leaf atop the current to the river where I managed to find standing space in the ice-cold water.
I made the symbolic offering of Ganges water to my ancestors. I cupped water in my hands and threw it back over my head. Then, I dunked myself in the river wondering if my soul would be cleansed of sins.
I thought about my mother who had died many years ago. I had accompanied my father to Haridwar soon after her death to immerse her ashes in the Ganges. Warmth surged in my heart as I recalled my mother’s smiling face.
I took another dip, this time for my grandfather. I recalled how as a child I used to snuggle in his bed to hear his enthralling stories based in ancient Hindu scriptures that he blended with the rural landscape of the Punjab, which is now in Pakistan and is where he migrated from. His ashes too had been immersed in this river about 40 years ago. The water no longer felt cold or dirty.
More dips, and my thoughts turned to friends and loved ones: my father, children and wife. I thought about my very first crush. One day, my father will die and I’ll bring his ashes to this river, I thought. As my son will one day bring my ashes here. My teenage son too, it struck me, will die one day; his children will bring his ashes.
Every time I raised my head above water, I noticed hundreds of thousands taking dips. I felt like a speck in the story of the Earth. I wondered if everyone around me was thinking the same thing? I felt small, but not vulnerable. I was comfortable with thoughts of death. My body felt light.
The experience of being a part of a mass of humanity is surely a subjective one. Mark Twain, after attending the kumbh in 1895, said: “It is wonderful, the power of a faith like that, that can make multitudes upon multitudes of the old and weak and the young and frail enter without hesitation or complaint upon such incredible journeys and endure the resultant miseries without repining. It is done in love, or it is done in fear; I do not know which it is. No matter what the impulse is, the act born of it is beyond imagination.”
14 January, 2010
Over 1,00,000 sing Vande Mataram together
Above: Inspired by H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, 2750 Hindustani Classical vocalists & over 1,00,000 strong audience sing India's National Song 'Vande Mataram'
07 January, 2010
Global Warming & Vegetarian Food
Global warming has reached alarmingly dangerous proportions and governments all over the world now are taking measures to contain it. It is our collective responsibility to join in these efforts in all our capacities to save our precious planet.
A 2006 United Nations report summarized the devastation caused by the meat industry by calling it "one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global."(1) Everybody today is aware that the environmental cost for producing a meat-based diet is monumentally higher than a vegetarian one.(2,3) These costs have escalated to enormous proportions and now pose as very disturbing details.(4,5,6)
Additionally, more and more people are increasingly becoming aware of the unhygienic and cruel practises involved in producing meat. Apart from the horrible treatment given to animals reared for meat, they are also injected with harmful chemicals and hormones to add bulk to their bodies(7), which show strong signs of being poisonous for human consumption(8,9). Consequently, health agencies are also recommending people to reduce meat consumption(10).
It has been established that if a small fraction of the population brings down the meat consumption, by even a little bit, it will do wonders for the environment. Leading researchers all over the world have started recommending a vegetarian diet.(11,12)
Footnotes
(1) Livestock's Long Shadow - Environmental Issues and Options is a United Nations report, released by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) on 29 November 2006 that "aims to assess the full impact of the livestock sector on environmental problems, along with potential technical and policy approaches to mitigation".
(2) New Scientist, 18 July 2007 by Daniele Fanelli. Magazine Issue 2613. The article summarises the conclusions of a study by Akifumi Ogino of the National Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science in Tsukuba, Japan, and colleagues. Their analysis showed that producing a kilogram of beef leads to the emission of greenhouse gases with a warming potential equivalent to 36.4 kilograms of carbon dioxide. It also releases fertilising compounds equivalent to 340 grams of sulphur dioxide and 59 grams of phosphate, and consumes 169 megajoules of energy. In other words, a kilogram of beef is responsible for the equivalent of the amount of CO2 emitted by the average European car every 250 kilometres, and burns enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for nearly 20 days.
(3) Water Inputs in California Food Production by Marcia Kreith Davis, CA, September 27, 1991.
(4) Livestock and Climate Change by Robert Goodland and Jeff Anhang, November 2009. According to earlier estimates, 7,516 million metric tons per year of CO2 equivalents (CO2e), or 18 percent of annual worldwide GHG emissions were attributed to livestock. But in this report, analysis shows that livestock and their byproducts actually account for at least 32,564 million tons of CO2e per year, or 51 percent of annual worldwide GHG emissions.
(5) Deforestation in the Amazon by Rhett A. Butler, www.mongabay.com. Between May 2000 and August 2006, Brazil has lost nearly 150,000 square kilometers of forest - an area larger than Greece - of which 80% is used to raise livestock.
(6) Livestock’s Long Shadow, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2006 In all, livestock production accounts for 70% of all agricultural land and 30% of the land surface of the planet.
(7) "Meet your meat" is a film, available at www.meat.org that, graphically, documents the inhumane and unhygienic treatment that animals are put through before being slaughtered.
(8) The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports that 70 percent of food poisoning is caused by contaminated animal flesh. Amy Ellis Nutt, “In the Soil, Water, Food, Air,” The [Newark] Star-Ledger, 8 Dec. 2003.
(9) USDA researchers have found that “eating 2 ounces of chicken per day - the equivalent of a third to a half of a boneless breast - exposes a consumer to 3 to 5 micrograms of inorganic arsenic, the element’s most toxic form.” Dennis O’Brien, “Arsenic Used in Chicken Feed May Pose Threat,” The Baltimore Sun, 4 May 2004.
(10) Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective, also known as the Expert Report, was an expert report published by the World Cancer Research Fund global network in 2007. The report recommends avoiding processed meat for reducing cancer risk.
(11) Lord Stern, author of the 2006 Stern Review on the cost of tackling global warming, predicts that eating meat could in the future become as socially unacceptable as drink driving. The Telegraph, 27 Oct 2009.
(12) Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which earned a joint share of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, said people should have one meat-free day a week if they want to make a personal and effective sacrifice that would help tackle climate change. The Observer, 7 Sep 2008.
Source
A 2006 United Nations report summarized the devastation caused by the meat industry by calling it "one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global."(1) Everybody today is aware that the environmental cost for producing a meat-based diet is monumentally higher than a vegetarian one.(2,3) These costs have escalated to enormous proportions and now pose as very disturbing details.(4,5,6)
Additionally, more and more people are increasingly becoming aware of the unhygienic and cruel practises involved in producing meat. Apart from the horrible treatment given to animals reared for meat, they are also injected with harmful chemicals and hormones to add bulk to their bodies(7), which show strong signs of being poisonous for human consumption(8,9). Consequently, health agencies are also recommending people to reduce meat consumption(10).
It has been established that if a small fraction of the population brings down the meat consumption, by even a little bit, it will do wonders for the environment. Leading researchers all over the world have started recommending a vegetarian diet.(11,12)
Footnotes
(1) Livestock's Long Shadow - Environmental Issues and Options is a United Nations report, released by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) on 29 November 2006 that "aims to assess the full impact of the livestock sector on environmental problems, along with potential technical and policy approaches to mitigation".
(2) New Scientist, 18 July 2007 by Daniele Fanelli. Magazine Issue 2613. The article summarises the conclusions of a study by Akifumi Ogino of the National Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science in Tsukuba, Japan, and colleagues. Their analysis showed that producing a kilogram of beef leads to the emission of greenhouse gases with a warming potential equivalent to 36.4 kilograms of carbon dioxide. It also releases fertilising compounds equivalent to 340 grams of sulphur dioxide and 59 grams of phosphate, and consumes 169 megajoules of energy. In other words, a kilogram of beef is responsible for the equivalent of the amount of CO2 emitted by the average European car every 250 kilometres, and burns enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for nearly 20 days.
(3) Water Inputs in California Food Production by Marcia Kreith Davis, CA, September 27, 1991.
(4) Livestock and Climate Change by Robert Goodland and Jeff Anhang, November 2009. According to earlier estimates, 7,516 million metric tons per year of CO2 equivalents (CO2e), or 18 percent of annual worldwide GHG emissions were attributed to livestock. But in this report, analysis shows that livestock and their byproducts actually account for at least 32,564 million tons of CO2e per year, or 51 percent of annual worldwide GHG emissions.
(5) Deforestation in the Amazon by Rhett A. Butler, www.mongabay.com. Between May 2000 and August 2006, Brazil has lost nearly 150,000 square kilometers of forest - an area larger than Greece - of which 80% is used to raise livestock.
(6) Livestock’s Long Shadow, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2006 In all, livestock production accounts for 70% of all agricultural land and 30% of the land surface of the planet.
(7) "Meet your meat" is a film, available at www.meat.org that, graphically, documents the inhumane and unhygienic treatment that animals are put through before being slaughtered.
(8) The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports that 70 percent of food poisoning is caused by contaminated animal flesh. Amy Ellis Nutt, “In the Soil, Water, Food, Air,” The [Newark] Star-Ledger, 8 Dec. 2003.
(9) USDA researchers have found that “eating 2 ounces of chicken per day - the equivalent of a third to a half of a boneless breast - exposes a consumer to 3 to 5 micrograms of inorganic arsenic, the element’s most toxic form.” Dennis O’Brien, “Arsenic Used in Chicken Feed May Pose Threat,” The Baltimore Sun, 4 May 2004.
(10) Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective, also known as the Expert Report, was an expert report published by the World Cancer Research Fund global network in 2007. The report recommends avoiding processed meat for reducing cancer risk.
(11) Lord Stern, author of the 2006 Stern Review on the cost of tackling global warming, predicts that eating meat could in the future become as socially unacceptable as drink driving. The Telegraph, 27 Oct 2009.
(12) Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which earned a joint share of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, said people should have one meat-free day a week if they want to make a personal and effective sacrifice that would help tackle climate change. The Observer, 7 Sep 2008.
Source
06 January, 2010
Youths rally in Kashmir for return of Pandits
For the first time since insurgency began in Jammu and Kashmir, a rally was held on Saturday demanding the return of Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley.
Kashmiri youth having no political background assembled at Pratab Park in Srinagar Lal Chowk, carrying placards that called for the return of the Pandits.
"There is a widespread sentiment among Kashmiri Muslims that Pandits should return. We have decided to give voice to the popular sentiment," said Jehangir Raina, a software engineer.
He said the campaign didn't have links with any political group. "Pain is pain, whether it is of Muslims, Jews or Hindus. We want to show solidarity with the Pandits who have suffered for years," Raina said.
The youths have named their organisation Restructuring Economic Assets and Social Obligations of the Nation, or REASON. The REASON, Raina said, was an advocacy group of young professionals and would take up various causes in public interest.
The group said a 30 minute sit-in would be organised on the first Saturday of each month to show solidarity with the Pandits. The group, however, opposed the demand of a separate homeland for the Pandits.
The state government, too, seems to be gearing up to facilitate the return of the Pandits. On Wednesday, chief minister Omar Abdullah approved the creation of 3,000 posts for unemployed migrants.
Source
Kashmiri youth having no political background assembled at Pratab Park in Srinagar Lal Chowk, carrying placards that called for the return of the Pandits.
"There is a widespread sentiment among Kashmiri Muslims that Pandits should return. We have decided to give voice to the popular sentiment," said Jehangir Raina, a software engineer.
He said the campaign didn't have links with any political group. "Pain is pain, whether it is of Muslims, Jews or Hindus. We want to show solidarity with the Pandits who have suffered for years," Raina said.
The youths have named their organisation Restructuring Economic Assets and Social Obligations of the Nation, or REASON. The REASON, Raina said, was an advocacy group of young professionals and would take up various causes in public interest.
The group said a 30 minute sit-in would be organised on the first Saturday of each month to show solidarity with the Pandits. The group, however, opposed the demand of a separate homeland for the Pandits.
The state government, too, seems to be gearing up to facilitate the return of the Pandits. On Wednesday, chief minister Omar Abdullah approved the creation of 3,000 posts for unemployed migrants.
Source
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