I am a Hindu now: A former Muslim’s life story

I was born into a very staunch Muslim family in the US. Learning to read the Quran the moment I could read. I was under the misconception that if I did not do as Allah told me to do, I would be punished severely. I was also told that if I didn’t wear modest clothes I was being immoral. Right from a little girl I wore the head scarf. My friends would ask me why, and I would tell them “because God said so’.

As I grew strictness of my family started to go out of hand as they started disciplining me in just about everything. Pointing out to me things that I should do and forced me to do whatever they wanted. I was allowed no freedom outside as well as within the house for the most stupid reasons. My father also refrained me from going out. I was not allowed to speak to the opposite sex but being stubborn, I did just that. When my father found out, about me talking to a guy, when I was 14, my grandmother scolded me and even called me a prostitute. I cried for hours, her words cutting me deep. Once My garandfather and grandmother went to meet our relative, that day I wore jeans and T-shirt and went out with the consent of my mother. I enjoyed with my school friends. When I came to home I saw my grandmother was at home and she was abusing and beating my mother for allowing me to go out without Hijab. My grandmother called me prostitute again and again.

I remember during Bakra eid (sheep slaughtering festival), my mother and myself used to confine into room and used to cry while my family used to celebrate and taking rejoice in killing innocent animals. My mother and myself were nothing but prisoner of our own house. I grew up seeing beating and abusing of my mother by my father and his family.

My majority of school friends were Non-muslims, I was very much comfortable with Hindus, Sikhs and Christians. When my grandmother got to know about this, my grandmother scolded me and my mom and told me that we are not allowed to be friends with kafirs. When I asked her why? she said Hindus are filthy, Jews and Christians are apes and pigs and they are not Humans, they follow satan. I was shocked.

Around the age of 14, I realized how much of life I was missing out on. How my father commanded that I do my prayers 5 times a day and never play any sports because they would only lead me to the devil. One night I was talking to my parents about college and my father said that I would never go to college because he had chosen a boy for me and I was about to get married to him as soon as I turned 18. I was shocked….my mother ran out of the room crying. I began to plead with my father to let me go to college. But he said no. When I asked him why, he told me that Muslim women are not supposed to be educated or go to work. They are supposed to be good wives, who never disagree with their husbands and be good honorable women. I couldn’t belive my ears. This man was still living in the dark-ages.

The next day after school I went to the mosque to talk with our Maulvi Sahab. When I told him about my father’s irrational behavior—he agreed with him. He told me that if all the Muslim men in our community thought like your father, we would be in a really good place right now.

I was stuck and didn’t know what to do. I kept thinking about it till late that night. At around 2am my mom came to check up on me and found me crying. That night I came to know what a sick religion Islam was. She told me that she had been a well educated (Doctor) Hindu woman who had fallen in love with my father in India. During their courtship my father had told her that he was very broad-minded and did not want her to convert when they got married. Against my grand-parent’s wishes she married him and did the Nikaah just so her mother-in-law would like her. Thats where her nightmare began. Her In-laws would not let her go out of the house. No one could come and visit her. She was confined in a home where everyone would spit on her for being a ‘Kafir’. They made her read the Quran and do Namaz. If she didn’t they would beat her. My father would come home and force himself on her. When she would ask him not to, he would tell her that it was written in the Quran, and she was nothing more than a slave to him. After about a year of their marriage, they left for the US. My mom was already pregnant with me.

When I was born he was not too happy with my Mom. He said that if he had married someone of his own faith he would have had a boy for sure. Giving him a girl was the way Allah was punishing him for marrying a Hindu.

When I heard all this I began to hate my father and Islam. I promised to get my mom out of this situation and also never ever end up like her. When I turned 18, along with the help of a lawyer, I managed to get my mom and dad divorced. My mom actually went back to school and has a flourishing practice now.

As for me, you might say that I reverted. I am a practising and loving Hindu now. I have changed my name (new name is not given with the fear of punishment of death for apostasy). I live a life full of love and adoration for a God who does not preach hate, who encourages me to think and gain knowledge, who shows me the way without fear and who loves everyone no matter who they are.

At the age of 23 I got married to my Hindu boy friend and now we have one beautiful daughter. My loving hubby is a great guy, he gave me complete freedom and my rights which my father and his family never gave me. My hubby’s family treat me like their own daughter, and even treat my mom as a part of our family. I thank God for all these.

Source: http://www.interfaithshaadi.org/blog/?p=298

French Actress Brigitte Bardot: Loves dogs, hates Muslims

At 22 she was the darling of France, a talented and beautiful actress who nobody could keep their eyes off. At 77, she’s like that racist old neighbour that you avoid in the street the one that values puppies over asylum seekers.

On Monday, Bardot penned a letter to Nicolas Sarkozy, accusing him of letting down the animal world by not banning halal slaughterhouses. “It’s because of you that throat-slitting has become the norm in France,” she griped.

Strangely enough, Sarkozy’s pals had just spent the previous few days trying to woo animal rights sympathisers (read Muslim-hating-intolerants) with talk of modernising the “medieval” practice.

But crafty old Bardot saw straight through them. She knows all too well that the only politician who really, truly hates Muslims enough to put animal rights first, is far-right darling Marine Le Pen (MLP). She, of course, would have no qualms in banning halal abattoirs in France. After all, the country’s five-million Muslims rely on them. No more halal… no more Muslims? And it would all be done in the name of animal rights, naturally.

Source: http://www.timesofummah.com/2012/03/09/french-actress-brigitte-bardot-loves-dogs-hates-muslims/

Pakistan is turning into another Afghanistan

Last month, a Canadian family went to Karachi for a wedding. The day after their arrival in Pakistan’s centre of commerce, crime and terrorism, their ancestral home was invaded in broad daylight by three armed men. They held a gun to the mother’s head and threatened to kidnap her 3-year-old granddaughter. 

For the next hour-and-a-half, they helped themselves to the bride’s trousseau, including gold ornaments and jewelry, and almost everything else of value. But they did leave behind, after much pleading, the family’s most valued possession: Canadian passports. 

A few days later, a neighbour was kidnapped and released for a ransom of 20 million rupees ($222,000 — a princely sum in Pakistan). And the neighbourhood grocer was robbed and gunned down dead, along with his two sons and two assistants.

 

Such harrowing incidents are routine in the city of 18 million, Pakistan’s largest. 

More people are being kidnapped and killed in Karachi than in the Afghan-Pakistan border areas that provide sanctuary for Al Qaeda, Taliban and other militants. 

Karachi is arguably more Talibanized than Quetta (the exile home of Taliban leader Mullah Omar) or Abbottabad (where Osama bin Laden was killed) or Peshawar (home of Afghan refugees). 

Taliban and several associated militants raise funds in Karachi, and run guns and drugs. 

Karachi is also crawling with other armed political and criminal gangs engaged in turf wars, bank heists and other robberies, occupying properties that are even temporarily empty, organizing labour strikes, shutting down industries and bazaars. 

Pistol-waving youth go carjacking and holding up people for a cellphone or gold rings, bangles or necklaces. 

Police are under-resourced or complicit in the crimes. Other state institutions are equally ineffective and corrupt.

 

About 500 people have been killed so far this year. At least 800 were killed last year, and 775 the year before. 

The downfall of Karachi is tragic. 

It was Pakistan’s capital until 1960 (when it was shifted to Islamabad). It remains the capital of the province of Sindh. It has long been the economic engine of the country, generating more than two-thirds of national tax revenues. It is home to a highly cultured elite of industrial tycoons, landed gentry, the intelligentsia as well as the media and high fashion establishment. 

The port city has also been a key transit point for the underground economy of smuggled goods into Pakistan and landlocked Afghanistan. 

During the 1980s, Karachi was where the CIA delivered 5,000 tonnes of arms and ammunition per month for the Islamic Afghan warriors fighting the Soviet occupation. The hundreds of Arab jihadists who joined them also passed through Karachi, including bin Laden. 

Post-Sept. 11 when Pakistan joined the American-led war on terror, the jihadists declared war on the Pakistan government as well and have waged part of it in Karachi. 

Khalid Shiekh Mohamed, the mastermind of Sept. 11, operated from there. Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was beheaded there. 

“Karachi is microcosm of Pakistan,” says Shuja Nawaz, South Asia expert at the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C. 

“The future of Karachi is the future of Pakistan. You get Karachi right, you can get Pakistan right. If you fail Karachi, you fail Pakistan.” 

But getting it right is not easy. 

Karachi is now Pakistan’s largest Pushtun city, home to 5 million Afghan Pushtuns as well as Pakistani Pushtuns. These Pashto-speaking people are represented by the Awami National Party. 

The majority in Karachi consists of Urdu-speaking people, immigrants from India who constituted Pakistan’s original political and administrative elite. They are represented by a party known by its Urdu initials MQM. 

The third major group consists of native Sindhis, represented by the Peoples Party of Pakistan (of the Bhuttos). It is in power both federally and provincially, in coalition with the MQM. 

But Karachi municipality is controlled by the MQM, using “guns and goondas” (thugs). What seems to be happening is that the other two parties are battling the MQM on its own terms. 

Pakistan has a dizzying array of problems, most of them self-inflicted. It has also been duplicitous, allied with the U.S. but also supporting the Taliban. 

Equally, there’s no denying that Pakistan has paid the price for Afghanistan, co-operating with the U.S., first against the Soviet occupation and then in the war on terror. 

In that war it has lost 5,000 troops and policemen, more than all NATO fatalities in Afghanistan. It has lost about 37,000 civilians to terrorist attacks and collateral damage — nearly 10 times those killed on 9/11. While it got $10 billion from the U.S., it has lost an estimated $100 billion in foreign investments in the last decade. 

Its democracy is semi-functioning. For the first time in its history, an elected government may last its full term until next year. Its judiciary is independent. Its economy is doing badly but is not bankrupt. 

A failed Pakistan would threaten the stability of Afghanistan and the entire region. As a paper commissioned in 2008 by Gen. David Petraeus, head of the U.S. Central Command, put it: “The U.S. has no vital national interests in Afghanistan. 

Our vital national interests are in nuclear Pakistan.” 

That holds true for Canada and all NATO partners. 

Source: http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1193996--pakistan-is-turning-into-another-afghanistan

Human rights violations against Kashmiri Pandits; dismantle terrorist infrastructure: US Congress resolution

Congressman Frank Pallone has introduced the Kashmir resolution HR 387. on August 1, 2011 in the House of Representatives. Please see the actual draft below:

HRES 387 IH

112th CONGRESS
1st Session

H. RES. 387
Recognizing that the religious freedom and human rights violations of Kashmiri Pandits has been ongoing since 1989.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
August 1, 2011
RESOLUTION

Recognizing that the religious freedom and human rights violations of Kashmiri Pandits has been ongoing since 1989.

Whereas Jammu and Kashmir has an ancient culture of religious tolerance and pluralism, where Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Christians practiced their faith freely in an atmosphere of mutual respect and peace until 1989;

Whereas Kashmiri Pandits are the original inhabitants of Kashmir, tracing their heritage and culture back several millennia;

Whereas Kashmiri Pandits have been the victims of documented human rights violations resulting in the severe curtailment of their religious freedom for more than two decades;

Whereas the Kashmiri Pandit population has declined from 400,000 in 1989 to a current level of less than 4,000 in the Kashmir valley and many Pandits continue to live in refugee camps;

Whereas international human rights organizations have noted the campaign of intimidation and violence directed by foreign militants and foreign terrorist organizations against Kashmiri Pandits;

Whereas thousands of Kashmiri Pandits, elected officials, and military personnel have been killed in terrorist attacks; and

Whereas numerous groups that have claimed responsibility for these attacks have been designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the United States Department of State: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) condemns the extremist violence, lack of religious freedom, and human rights violations committed against Kashmiri Pandits, which they have endured for more than two decades; and
(2) insists that terrorist infrastructure in the region must be dismantled and terrorists should be held accountable for their actions.

END

Amrita Bazaar Patrika’s historic Gallup Poll saved Bengali Hindus

Every so often strange things do happen in lives, potent enough to exert strong influences on any individual or notion forever. Any such influence may also lead to a different direction or change the course of life on the whole.

Well, we are not here to delve into Hindu spiritualism or any other thing like that but to have a discussion on a survey that changed the course of history in Indian subcontinent once and for all albeit discarded by scholars for weird (governed by self-seeking factors a lot) reasons.

The subject here is the historic Gallup Poll conducted under the aegis of Amrita Bazaar Patrika, highly esteemed daily in Bengal in tumultuous 1940s, in 1947 to comprehend the general mindset of then Bengali Hindus, anguished and petrified, thanks to Muslim League-led atrocities – whether they were for a non-partitioned Bengal or a separate homeland for Bengali Hindus.

It must be taken into account that the then British Government’s annunciation of Partition Proposal in 1947, in the days following Great Calcutta Killing and infamous anti-Hindu pogrom in Noakhali, added salt to the gaping wound of Hindus only. A substantial portion of them were not ready to live beside their erstwhile Muslim neighbors anymore while others remained bewildered. This led to further developments too.

Contrary to the clamor of Muslim League to have Pakistan, feeling of need of own homeland to get rid of Islamic atrocities started to gain ground among Bengali Hindus. However, to make it official there was the need of a strong movement and in absence of a strong Hindu leadership (as usual always), Gallup Poll performed the historical duty.

On March 23, 1947 edition of Patrika, a simple but razor-sharp question was asked to its readers. “Do you want a separate homeland for Bengali Hindus?” was asked directly and without a shred of doubt. The same question was repeated on a daily basis in subsequent issues till April 15, 1947. Indeed, there was a brief break of two or three days in the intervening time.

Result of Gallup Poll was announced in the April 23, 1947 edition of Amrita Bazaar Patrika. The result stated clearly that 5,34,239 answers were submitted till April 15, 1947. And its meticulous scrutiny generated the subsequent result. YES – 98.3%; NO – 0.6%; REJECTED – 1.16%.

Was this study authentic? This question, expected and significant, did turn up then as well. To brush aside any such disarray, Amrita Bazaar Patrika referred Sri Surendra Mohan Ghosh, president of then Bengal Provincial Congress Committee and he termed the study not only as momentous but as ‘regular and valid’ also.

To prove its honesty more, Amrita Bazaar Patrika also reported that Messer’s Gupta & Mitra, one of the most distinguished CA (Chartered Accountant) firms in then Calcutta, had certified that the Gallup Poll was ‘substantially accurate.’ Publication of Gallup Poll created an awe-inspiring effect among Bengali Hindus, British Governance and Muslim League and galvanized the struggle for a separate Bengali Hindu homeland under the headship of Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerjee.

The struggle fought tooth and nail subsequently culminated with the creation of West Bengal, Bengali Hindu homeland in India.

Durgadas Rathore

Definition of Bravery

Even if Islamic suzerainty has been inflicting more and more tortures on Hindus for more than a millennium and Hindus alas have not been sufficient enough to usurp the same satanic design, there has never been any dearth of gallant Hindu warriors, intent to sacrifice all to defend Dharma. Durgadas Rathore is one of them and has been influencing the brave chronicles of India, especially annals of Marwar, through centuries.

Here is also a question. What does make him so important? Was he as valiant as Prithviraj Chauhan? Any such question is futile, especially at this juncture, since exploits of one can’t be equaled with another, representing a different age on the whole. What makes him incomparable is his inexplicable valiance, self-possession and strength to confront the then mighty Mughal empire, to preserve rule of the Rathore dynasty in Marwar, following sudden death of its ruler, Maharaja Jaswant Singh in 17 th century.

On the word of historians, his single-handed effort saved one of the last citadels of Hindu empire in Rajputana and its preset Islamization, sole intention of Aurangzeb, reigning Mughal emperor then. It is to be noted, Durgadas’ birth took place in the Kanot branch of Rathore clan and he was a Suryavanshi Rathore Rajput in person. Owing to his valorous deeds in youth, Durgadas got hold of Maharaja Jaswant Singh’s attention; he got apportionment in the royal army and started excelling.

Abrupt death of Maharaja in 1679 devoid of any immediate male heir appeared to be a perfect ploy for the Mughal administration to interfere and bring the state under Islamic rule directly. Aurangzeb, to maintain state’s regular affairs, appointed a Muslim ruler to rule Marwar hurting its Hindu subjects and in particular, Rathore clan. When Maharaja’s widow queen (pregnant during his death) gave birth to a male child, Ajit Singh, it led to a sigh of relief among Hindus.

Noblemen of Marwar including Durgadas Rathore, with infant Ajit Singh, went to Delhi to make the emperor acknowledge his due rights. As an ideal Islamic iconoclast and fervent champion to Islamize India, Aurangzeb did not hem and haw and proposed that the infant king’s upbringing must be under his own guidance in Delhi. The proposal was thoroughly deplorable to Rathore clan, considering it as worst assault on their religious belief. But they had to yield to it for the time being.

Historians confirm that Ajit Singh along his mother was living in “Bhuli Bhatiyari" close to Jhandewalan of modern Delhi. Durgadas Rathore, in the interim, with others of the royal delegation, got engaged in smuggling Ajit Singh out of Delhi. A startling planning was made.

On a momentous night, Durgadas fastened infant king on his back and with 300 other Rajputs, especially Thakur Mokam Singh Balunda and Mukund Das Khichi, escaped.

As per the secret planning, Baghleji, wife of Thakur Mokam Singh Balunda, placed her own infant girl instead of Ajit Singh. But while approaching to fringes of Delhi, Rajputs were identified. It was a followed by an extremely fierce and close range fight between the two armies. Mughal army, as usual, was gigantic compared to Rajputs but the later could not be subdued even for once.

In the vicious struggle, 15-20 Rajput warriors were found to resist pursuing Mughal army every so often and got killed. During the combat, Thakur Mokam Singh Balunda along with his son was severely injured and in the evening Durgadas Rathore was left with just 7 Rajputs among 300, his original force. But nothing could prevent him and he managed to escape with the infant king safely to Balunda.

Completely humiliated Mughal empire, following this incident, made several attempts to seize independence of Marwar. But it remained under a Mughal governor in a self-autonomous manner. Durgadas Rathore was the last person to sit down silently after this; he conducted struggles like plundering trades of Mughal empire, attacking imperial armies from time to time affecting treasure of empire a great deal.

Nevertheless, his best chance came with the death of Aurangzeb in 1707. Taking this opportunity Durgadas occupied Jodhpur and grownup Ajit Singh was declared as Maharaja of Jodhpur. Durgadas Rathore also adopted a policy to rebuild all temples desecrated by Muslims in the past.

Thus he accomplished his objective. Durgadas Rathore, after a few years, left Jodhour and went to Ujjain to worship Mahakal. He breathed his last at the age of 81 years on November 22, 1718, on the banks of Shipra River at Ujjain.

Here is a commentary of Colonel James Tod of Durgadas Rathore.

“What a splendid example is the heroic Durgadas, of all that constitutes the glory of Rajput valor, loyalty, integrity combined with prudence in all the difficulties which surrounded him, are qualities which entitle him to the admiration which his memory continues to enjoy.

The temptations held out to him were almost irresistible... Durga had, indeed, but to name his reward, but as the bard justly says, he was ‘amolak’ beyond all price ‘anokha’ unique. not even revenge, so dear to the Rajput, turned him aside from the dictates of true honor... but to conclude our eulogy in, the words of the bard, he has reaped the immortality destined for good deeds, his memory id cherished, his actions are the theme of constant praise, and his picture on his white horse, old, yet in vigor, is familiar amongst the collections of portraits of Rajputana.”

Hindu India needs another Durgadas Rathore at this instant.

Hindu wrath to stop Friday 'namaz' prayers in Toronto school overwhelming

Even if the Indian Hindus are futile still to lodge any sound protest or campaign against rising Islamic atrocities in India aided by its political cohorts, American Hindus are determined to walk in the opposite direction. They are definite to nip any such approach in the bud and anger of an assortment of Hindu advocacy groups against Friday 'namaz' prayers at a school in the Toronto suburb of North York confirm the same spirit.

Hindu advocacy groups wish for the 40-minute prayers, conducted by an 'imam' specially brought from a mosque, to be stopped without more ado.

Canadian Hindu Advocacy in the vicinity, under aegis of Ron Banerjee, is involving assorted Hindu organizations to hold protests outside the school to pressure management to stop the Friday prayers. "This is alarming and unacceptable. We respect the separation of church and state," Banerjee said in interviews to the media.

"There's not supposed to be any religious classes taking place in public schools. We will be asking the board to stop the practice," in accordance with Banerjee. He also said that the advocacy group is adopting all constitutional measures, including writing letters to Toronto District School Board (TDSB), to put an end to all these. They are planning to make TDSB to get involved and instruct the concerned school management to call the Friday 'namaz' prayers a halt.

The school has the responsibility for ensuring secular education for students, Ron Banerjee stated with conviction. Distressed parents of Hindu students at the Valley Park Middle School had brought this practice to their notice.

Nevertheless, Hindu advocacy groups refuse to stop here. In keeping with Ron Banerjee Hindu groups will also start protesting against "the serving of 'halal' meat within TDSB schools.” He made this clear through stating, “Our organization is determined to ensure all Hindu students are provided non-'halal' meat alternatives."

Muslim fundamentalist groups, remaining ever busy to introduce Islamic curriculum everywhere, are experiencing such an organized, dedicated Hindu wrath first in Toronto.