--- On Mon, 20/4/09, Kiran K Karthikeyan <[email protected]> wrote:
> From: Kiran K Karthikeyan <[email protected]>
> Subject: Re: [silk] Need some help
> To: [email protected]
> Date: Monday, 20 April, 2009, 2:00 PM
> >
> > I stayed for a year in Mumbai, and so did a lot of
> batchmates from MBA and
> > we never had a problem find a place to stay even
> though I was a meat eater
> > (even beef, though we never cooked), smoker, and
> regularly had people over
> > drinking alcohol late into the night though we had to
> watch noise levels.
> >
> > I've heard a lot of things said about the Gujaratis
> (mostly by Marathis),
> > but I never experienced any discrimination due to my
> beef eating and
> > bacchanalian lifestyle. So yes, the anti-meat rule is
> almost exclusively to
> > keep out Muslims.
> >
> > I think it is a fact of life that if the sub-community
> you are a part of is
> > causing trouble, you will face social repression. And
> as a member of that
> > community, you cannot just shy away from the
> responsibility of reforming
> > your sub-community. Its either that or you change your
> name and forgo that
> > particular identity. This could be one of the reasons
> my family largely
> > excluded the Menon surname as not to be identified
> with those responsible
> > for quite a bit of caste based discrimination in
> Kerala (though they will
> > never admit to it).
> >
> > Even I would be wary of lending my house out to
> Muslims (or any other
> > communty which is identified as causing terrorism or
> generally disturbing
> > the peace), unless I knew them or they were referred
> to me from somebody I
> > know well. Face it, apart from the LTTE, IRA, all
> other major terrorist
> > groups I know are Islamic in origin to my knowledge
> (fringe groups like
> > Maoists, ULFA etc. being ignored). And I would also be
> vary of those in
> > khaki shorts and carry around a long wooden stick.
> >
> > Kiran
>
>
> I have had it pointed out to be offlist that my post was
> offensive, and
> though it was not meant to be, I realize now that it is.
>
> However, I don't think its fair to bash the entire Gujarati
> community.
Of COURSE it isn't. It was never meant to be a fair, objective comment;
instead, it was intended for light relief, and an obviously over-the-top
statement on the lines of "I hate Saurav Ganguly".
I would be very deeply pained indeed if anybody took it seriously.
The effective desiccation of the civil discourse in Gujarat, and the increasing
desperation to catch up with the international consuming classes that seems to
be a trend are not sufficient reason to call ALL Gujaratis bigots, and I do not
intend it to be taken as such a call.
> And
> yes, it isn't fair to bash the entire Muslim community
> either.It is a tough
> existence for progressive Muslims who are already alienated
> by other
> communities, to voice their opinions and be alienated by
> their own community
> as well.
>
> My post was only meant as an example of how the actions of
> a fringe group of
> a community will nevertheless influence the opinions of
> others about that
> community at large.
>
> Apologies.
>
> Kiran
>
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