| |
Letter to His Majesty King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia
Subject:
Denying religious freedom at
home to non Muslims, yet exploiting and abusing such liberties abroad smacks of
dupicity , intolerance and exploitation.
Your
Majesty King Abdullah,
A recent media report
confirmed that a Saudi investor, Anees Ikbal, collaborating with an Indian
fashion Company, Luster, has decided to construct a new “film city" with an
investment of Rs. 1,000 crores, on a 50-acre plot in
Kasara, Maharashtra, India (Attachment A). Films, as your Govt. must fully
recognize, are an integral part of the cultural domain of all nations, the
Indian civilization included. Therefore, the initiative of Mr. Anees Ikbal, a
Saudi VIP, has been causing enormous amount of concern and resentment amongst
the vast majority of non-Muslim communities particularly the Hindus in
India.
This resentment is based on the fact that the
Saudi Kingdom under
its exclusivist, discriminatory and unjust law does not allow any non Islamic
cultural or religious activity under its jurisdiction, even in the privacy of
people’s homes. This brand of Saudi expansionist activity in the cultural domain
of India is being launched in addition to your Kingdom’s funding for the
construction of hundreds of mosques, Madrassas and other Islamic institutions.
Some time ago in Saudi Arabia, Agents from the
Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, better known as
the 'Muttawah', against the international law and “freedom of religion” promoted
by the United Nations, India and the United States of America, demolished a so-
called clandestine makeshift Hindu temple in an old district of Riyadh and
deported three worshippers found there (attachment B). The
crime committed by them was that they dared to “pray and worship” under their
own religious traditions – a right upheld by the UN and all civilized nations of
the world. And this was not just an isolated incident.
***Surely your Govt. must understand that relations between the
realistic sovereign nations are generally based on reciprocity.
Regrettably however, in the present case the Saudi regime seems to be usurping
and exploiting those rights in other sovereign countries, in this particular
case India, that it refuses to give to their citizens under the Saudi
jurisdiction. They cannot even carry and possess their religious books. This
unilateralist attitude at best is out dated, isolationist and primitive. Why
should the Saudi’s enjoy nay exploit the freedoms of other nations while denying
the same to the members of the non-Muslim religious formations from outside when
living within the frontiers of Suadi Arabia? The “doctrine of reciprocity”
demands that Saudis should be entitled to have only those rights which their
Govt. allows for the citizens and the members of other countries and religions.
As such unless they want to be known as hypocrites and/or exploiters they should
not engage in Islamic and cultural activities of other religionists in non-
Islamic countries.
You
may recall that
India warmly welcomed you during a
state visit and honored you as the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations
on January 26, 2006
in New Delhi. May we also point out that the Indian Govt. with tax
payers money – more than 85% of whom are non-Muslims, subsidizes the Hajj
pilgrimage to the tune of Rs. 380 crores (including subsidy to Airlines). No
other Muslim or non-Muslim country in the world shows such generosity and
magnanimity towards the Hajj pilgrims, yet some sheikhs emboldened by the power
of their petro-dollars do not hesitate to abuse India’s system of freedoms,
liberties and hospitality.
The citizens of
India cannot but wonder about the real Saudi intention behind making such a
large investment. Not that the
Indians object to any genuine developmental investments in their country. But
truth remains that the national ideology of
Saudi Arabia continues to be
“Wahabbism” yes – the same politico-religious philosophy that ended up creating
the Sinistrous Taliban, Al Qaeda and the fundamentalist Islamic turbulence that
destabilized the entire civilized world. Two countries namely
Pakistan and Afghanistan that attempted to
follow the Wahabi ideology are already in a precious state of their existence.
While one (Pakistan) has become an epicenter of fundamentalist terrorism and
therefore, a failed state the other (Afghanistan) has lost its sovereignty and
freedom and has been converted into an occupied territory.
Therefore, any participation in religious and/or cultural domain of non-Muslim
nations by Saudis naturally causes a great amount of concern and apprehension.
Accordingly, the people of India, where the 2nd largest Muslim
population in the world resides, are justified in expressing their doubts
about the real intentions of Saudis for making such an enormous investment.
Let us assure you that we strongly favor the equality based relations between
your Kingdom and
India.
Equality is the general rule which guides the relationship between the sovereign
countries under the existing world order as recognized by the United Nations.
Hence, in furtherance of equitable and amiable relationship and to avoid
resentment between the two peoples, may we ask your Majesty to: a) order
that Saudi Arabian investor, Anees Ikbal, should withdraw from pouring his
dollars in building the so called film city at Kasara, in Maharashtra; and, b)
order immediate termination of funding of mosques, Madrassas and other Islamic
activities in India till your Kingdom is ready and willing to allow the similar
rights to the members of other religious formations. Obviously, when
your government considers Indian religions as vice, it is most inappropriate and
highly objectionable for Riyadh to fund Islamic activities and meddle in the
local cultural domain of India.
Understanding the very
sensitive and national security related nature of this issue we hope you will
take immediate action either for updating the Saudi policy and match it with
that of India or maintain a hands-off policy as you expect New Delhi to follow
in your country.
Thanking you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely
Dr. Jagan Kaul
Krishan
Bhatnagar
Hindu
Jagran Forum (USA)
April 10, 2007
Attachment
A
Exposed:
Saudi's Rs 1000-cr link with Boll
By: Ketan Ranga
mid-day.com; March 28, 2007
http://mid-day.com/news/city/2007/march/154325.htm
Fashion company to build a new film city;
Includes a resort for film and fashion fraternity
Pravin Rathod ties up with Saudi Arabian investor Anees
Ikbal. Luster, an Indian fashion Company, is all set to construct a new film
city on a 50-acre plot in Kasara. The project, which is called Luster Bagicha,
is being financed by Saudi Arabian investor Anees Ikbal.
He will be investing Rs 1,000 crore into the venture, which also includes a
resort for the film and fashion fraternity. The work is scheduled to start in
April and will be completed by February 2008.
The company settled on Kasara for the project, as large parts of it are rural
and still very peaceful. In recent times, several production houses seem to be
opting for such areas for shoots, the most recent being Ashutosh Gowariker’s
Jodha Akbar and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya, which are being shot in
Karjat.
Pravin Rathod, chairman of Luster, confirmed, “Yes, we
have planned to build a film city and a resort. The work will start next month,
but I can’t discuss our plans now.”
According to a Luster official, “The resort is being built for filmstars and
people from the fashion world. However, the resort may be opened to the public
at some point. Though the money is coming from a Saudi Arabian investor,
everything that is built will carry Luster’s name.”
He added, “The Company is also planning to include some filmstars on their board
of directors, but nothing has been finalized yet.”
Attachment
B
Saudi Police razes Hindu
temple in Riyadh
03/31/2005 18:33
http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=2905
Riyadh (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Saudi religious police last Tuesday destroyed a
clandestine makeshift Hindu temple in an old district of Riyadh and deported
three worshippers found there, Arabic daily al-Hayat reported.
Agents from the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice,
better known as the Muttawah, stumbled across a room converted into a temple
while raiding a number of flats suspected of being used to manufacture alcohol
and distribute pornographic videos.
A caretaker who was found in the worshipping area ignored the religious police
orders to stop performing his religious rituals and was deported along with two
other men who arrived on the scene to worship. Their nationality was unknown
Saudi Arabia is host to 8.8 million foreigners, mostly workers, out of a
population of 23 million. The largest communities are from Bangladesh, India and
Pakistan (1 to 1.5 million).
All forms of non-Muslim worship are banned in the country and Wahabbism, one of
the most fundamentalist forms of Islam, prevails.
Religious freedom does not exist although authorities have started tolerating
non Muslim religious practices when conducted in the privacy of the home.
None the less, the Muttawah continues arresting non Muslims even when they
worship in private at home.
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom last month urged the US
government to impose sanctions on Saudi Arabia for its systematic violations of
fundamental religious rights.
Last year
the US State Department for the first time named the Saudi Kingdom
one of the "countries of particular concern" in its annual report on religious
freedom. (LF)
|
|
