By: Ravi Razdan
ravirazdan@yahoo.com
December 06, 2003

Latter to Center for Religious Freedom (religion@freedomhouse.org), Washington DC on their Press Release: “INDIA SUBJECT OF MAJOR NEW REPORT BY RELIGIOUS FREEDOM CENTER” 

I am writing to express my outrage at the venomous and factually incorrect report below by the biased Dr Paul Marshall. You charter mentions "...defends against religious persecution of all groups.." not just some or the politically expedient ones. This report reads more like a tirade against the evil Hindus with all violent acts against them either not mentioned or being obfuscate by Dr Marshall`s "clever" prose. http://www.freedomhouse.org/religion/news/bn2003/bn-2003-11-25.htm 

My point- in this report there no mention of the Muslim violence on Hindus or the rise of Muslim extremism in India funded by the Wahabi dollars. The so called Hindu extremism did not gain strength all of a sudden over the past 15 years. Majority of Indians see it as a backlash against the rise of the Islamic extremism. Here are some facts which this report totally ignores:

a) Half of million Kashmiri Hindus; living there from times before the advent of Islam were ethnically cleansed from the valley by the Islamist. http://www.kashmir-information.com/Atrocities/index.html 

b) 56 women and children were torched alive by Islamist in the train prior to the Gujarat riots not "reportedly killed". Mr Marshall like a typical Jihadi blames it on overturned stove! I did not know that overturned stove also paralyzes people so they can`t move and leave. c) No mentions of Marad massacre of Hindu fishermen again by an armed gang of Islamist leaving a mosque after Friday prayers. http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/may/09rajeev.htm  http://www.hinduunity.org/marad-massacre-may2-2003.htm 

So does your organization see Muslim extremism and killing of Hindus as a good thing to be encouraged? Is that why it is being ignored in this report.

Islamist intolerance for minorities and their general aggressiveness is well known throughout the world, India is no exception.

Your report needs to reflect that reality. Either fix this report or have a separate report on Muslim extremism in India. I look forward to your thoughts on a speedy way of rectifying this bias.

Sincerely,

Ravi Razdan