Violence, 'threats to culture', etc.

[David Salmon]

Dear Prof. Raman,

Many of us on this list, as you say, do not share the same kind or intensity
of emotional and cultural involvement in these issues as do you and others,
but we do hope strongly that India, after passing through its fire, will
emerge with its principles intact.

I am very much aware that mixing politics and religion in India is
explosive, but this forum, within the limit of its defining purpose, I
understand to operate on democratic principles.  Which means that anyone
recognized as a scholar in the field of Indology is entitled to voice any
idea relating to Indology so long as he or she does so in a scholarly
manner.  As Dominik Wujastyk wrote elsewhere, the forum "has no editors": it
does not ban ideas.

The phrase, "in a scholarly manner," means that people qualified to post
here must rely upon facts, reason, and reasonable inference, and must avoid
insult, personal vilification, threats, and all other discourteous acts.
The forms of courtesy are the oil in the social gears that keeps speech
civil and temperate and the discussion of ideas possible.

Hence, you should not draw the conclusion that you or others are unwelcome
from the attempts of scholars to keep the subjects scholarly and
the manner of speech scholarly, nor from the forum's openness to ideas.  To
the contrary, the forum has been generous and patient in its response to
messages that violate these rules, in the main.

The experience of Europe and America with ethnic and racial and religious
issues is very recent, as is yours.  We are not unaware that ideas can be
explosive.   It is not mere political correctness that insists on freedom of
speech:  it is the only thing that really works in problems of this kind, if
one is also to safeguard of liberty.   Otherwise, it simply becomes a
question of whose bully boys are bigger.  Violence is best answered by
reason, not by avoiding the subject, and not by avoiding the forum.

Not every person in every circumstance should say everything, nota bene, the

current Babri Mosque affair.   But if your deep social problems cannot be
addressed openly and politely among scholars, you are closing the barn door
after the
horse has already bolted.

Respectfully,

David Salmon



----- Original Message -----
From: "V.V. Raman" <VVRSPS at RITVAX.ISC.RIT.EDU>
To: <INDOLOGY at LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK>
Sent: Thursday, December 14, 2000 12:32 PM
Subject: Re: Violence, 'threats to culture', etc.


> 3. Nor do they (many of them) share the same kind or  intensity of
cultural
> affiliation or emotional attachment that most Hindus have,  much less the
anger
> and anguish that modern Hindus feel in the context of alien
> intrusions/invasions/occupations/exploitations, etc. that the Indian
> subcontinent has suffered over the ages. It is also unrealistic to expect
them
> to have such feelings, any more than that we feel anything about the Roman
> occupation of Britain or the German Occupation of France.
> 4. Therefore, it seems to me that if they do not wish to get involved in
our
> feelings,  frustrations, and perspectives, we cannot compel them into
this. Nor
> is it fair for us to be unpleasant in our disappointment or even anger,
given
> that there is no indication that any of them harbors any ill-will towards
our
> culture or heritage.
> 5. What some of us may fear most from all this, and what some other Hindus
will
> probably welcome, is that in a few decades scholarly interest in India on
the
> part of non-Hindu scholars might diminish considerably. Whether this will
be
> for India's good or bad, only the future will tell.
> 6. In the meanwhile, if we are not welcome here, it is only fair that we
should
> probably leave, as Mr. Tiwari wisely did.
> With best reards to all,
> V. V. Raman
> December 14, 2000
>
>