By Kulamarva Balakrishna
Vienna,Monday,February 4,2008:Mr.Anup
Shah´s following message in response to my
defense of Mr.Arun Gandhi.That Arun Gandhi
is the grandson of the Mahatma is beside
the point,excepting it has a sentimental value.
Other wise we all are inheritors of Gandhi legacy,
as the Mahatma was speaking for Tolstoy!The
Mahatma had lived for the world of humanity,Jews
included. Arun was just echoing that to the best of
his ability.We can not find fault with Arun.
Mr.Anup Shah directed me to the Swede Mr.Jan Oberg´s
posting of January 30 (Mahatma assassination day)
on his transnational org site.
I reproduce the whole text in full for the benefit of my
readers.Jan hails from the near ideal State of the world
we live today.It is Sweden of the late Olof Palme, who
was assassinated as he went to a cinema unguarded
as every one else.Who killed him remains mystery.
Among the suspects South African resident
Jewish interests are included.Before that statesmanly
Prime Minister, Alfred Nobel, the founder of Nobel
Organization was also was a Swede with global vision.
Great people leading the human advance.
I must acknowledge, the man who gave me shelter
in Austria,in 1976 of Indian Total Revolution and
Total emergency days,Dr.Bruno Kreisky, who
was of Jewish origin and who fought Hitler from
the underground until he landed finally in Sweden
and safety during the fag end of the war years, only to return
later to Austrian politics and lead the country for more
than ten years as its Chancellor,working for the lasting peace
between Palestinians and Israelis.The lasting peace remains
ellusive even though the Palestinians were willing to listen
to Dr.Kreisky.But not Israelis. They needed peace of their
trade mark (TM). Dr.Kreisky was not proud he was a born
Jew.He was proud he grew up in Jawahar Lal Nehru School
of Fabian Socialist Thoughts.This he mentioned to me every
time I met him.His elder brother was an orthodox Jew.
He emigrated to Israel. As long as the elder Kreisky
lived, his younger brother Dr.Bruno Kreisky sent
him monthly a substantial amount as living allowance.
He had stood by his brother as well without giving up
humanity.
Aside, I want to you all know there was a girl of
Jewish origin.Her name was Anne Frank.She perished
under Hitler´s hate crusade.Her diary,written
ever since she was thirteen years old until she
perished two years later after being grabbed by the
SS is a best seller for all to read.Her identity was
not evidently a Jewish one.She was human female
child entering womanhood.
I present you Mr.Shah and you are free to derive your own
conclusions.Mr.Anup Shah of Global Issues:
Text:
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hi,
Arun Gandhi
That whole incident was unfortunate...
Judging by Arun Gandhi's typical actions, words and writings from earlier, I
am sure he didn't mean his comments to come out that way (though he did
unfortunately write them like that). I believe that often on forums and
emails, it is very easy to try and write briefly and quickly and thus
shortening sentences and making points which might sometimes not get
justified etc is all too common. What then often happens is that those words
are taken as face value, sometimes out of context, or sometimes as a mistake
just in that moment for which consequences occur -- in this case the uproar
from the Jewish community and Gandhi's subsequent resignation from that
institute...)
As an aside, last year I was asked to contribute a chapter to an anti-war
book, which is coming out very, very soon. Arun Gandhi also contributed a
chapter to it. I will probably post a link or something to it once it is
published.
Thanks.
--------
Regards,
Anup Shah
Mr.Anup Shah later guided me to Mr.Jan Oberg.
Hi,regarding Arun Gandhi,I just came across this
from Jan Oberg of Sweden who is often quite good.
It is a bit short but hope that is of interest to you.
Anup Shah.
The following is Mr.Jan Oberg´s posting dated
January 28,2008: Text:
On Ahimsa & super powers!
Arun Gandhi
That whole incident was unfortunate...
Judging by Arun Gandhi's typical actions, words and writings from earlier, I
am sure he didn't mean his comments to come out that way (though he did
unfortunately write them like that). I believe that often on forums and
emails, it is very easy to try and write briefly and quickly and thus
shortening sentences and making points which might sometimes not get
justified etc is all too common. What then often happens is that those words
are taken as face value, sometimes out of context, or sometimes as a mistake
just in that moment for which consequences occur -- in this case the uproar
from the Jewish community and Gandhi's subsequent resignation from that
institute...)
As an aside, last year I was asked to contribute a chapter to an anti-war
book, which is coming out very, very soon. Arun Gandhi also contributed a
chapter to it. I will probably post a link or something to it once it is
published.
Thanks.
--------
Regards,
Anup Shah
Mr.Anup Shah later guided me to Mr.Jan Oberg.
Hi,regarding Arun Gandhi,I just came across this
from Jan Oberg of Sweden who is often quite good.
It is a bit short but hope that is of interest to you.
Anup Shah.
The following is Mr.Jan Oberg´s posting dated
January 28,2008: Text:
On Ahimsa & super powers!
By Jan Oberg
-
Jan Oberg oberg@transnational.org
Two countries in the world have developed a media and propaganda power to transform every criticism of their policies into a sentiment of being victimised as a nation - the United States and Israel. Think tanks, media, blog monitors etc will come out saying that we are just “anti-American” and “anti-semite” the moment we criticise their wars, weapons – including nuclear weapons - and their occupations.
I for one have criticised the foreign policies of, say, Denmark or Sweden, but I have never been accused of being anti-Danish or anti-Swedish. These countries don’t have such opportunistic self-victimizing justification as legitimising force under-lying their policies. And they don’t have the propaganda machinery needed to influence world public opinion.
There are many reasons why these two countries (Israel and the U.S.-kb) tell us that we are racist rather than react matter-of-factly to what we say. One is that they are both super powers, the US worldwide. Israel is the only superpower in the Middle East with its 200-300 nuclear weapons and occupation policies since 1967 which is perceived as threatening by everyone else in the region and thus serve as major peace prevention.
Arun Gandhi was born in South Africa in 1934 and is the fifth grandson of Mohandas K. Gandhi. More important, he is co-founder and, until a few days ago, president of the M K Gandhi Institute of Nonviolence at the University of Rochester in New York. “Until a few days ago” I write because he has felt forced by the circles operating the opinion-manipulating system mentioned above to hand in his resignation from the institute that he co-founded in 1991.
The reason is this column of his in the Washington Post’s On Faith blog “Jewish Identity Can’t Depend on Violence”
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/arun_gandhi/2008/01/jewish_identity_in_the_past.html
Read it yourself and you’ll see that his message is about reaching out to your enemy and his urging the Jewish people will have peace, not violence, as an integral part of their identity.
Then read also his express and very precise apology for what could be perceived as a careless formulation. He it is:
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/arun_gandhi/2008/01/my_apology_for_my_poorly_worde.html
Should this very decent apology not be accepted by the offended people? No, they go the whole way no forgiveness there! If you bother, browse the attacking comments on that blog, including the university’s President Seligman – in about the same intellectual calibre as President Bollinger at Columbia when he introduced Iranian President Ahmedinejad.
Then compare for a moment with the ways the Serb as a people and Muslims as a whole have been demonized for years virtually without much lifting of eyebrows in the democratic West. Freedom of the press includes the freedom to demonize ad libitum – and it is being repeated these very days about Iran – and Serbs who don’t understand that it is in their own best interest to give away Kosovo, their civilisation’s cradle. (I do agree hundred per cent on this appreciation of events by Jan-kb.)
It’s time to look up! The Israeli-US lobby – so well described by Uri Avneri in his review of the most solid analysis of this lobby – will keep on bombing any criticism of the arrogant exceptionalist policies of their countries.
http://usa.mediamonitors.net/content/view/full/46438
See also former CIA analyst Ray McGovern’s article on the Israel-US lobby's fear-based influence:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18514.htm
Three things we can do
1. Read more about Arun Gandhi. TFF Board member Vicky Samantha Rossi has travelled with him in India and did this interview with him last year:
http://www.transnational.org/Columns_Rossi/ArunGandhi.html
There is also this one about the scandal, from Associated Press
http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Jan26/0,4670,GandhiPeaceCenter,00.html
2. You may then want to send a supportive e-mail to Arun Gandhi at arun@totalnonviolence.org
3. Finally let’s keep on speaking the larger truth about the Middle East, including the aspects we are not supposed to discuss. Some messengers will be silenced or even killed, but if we are more and more telling it in a balanced way - who knows? - diversity, free media and peace may become a reality one day in the – perhaps distant – future.
Empires, super power status and arrogance won’t last forever. Neither will the suppression of truth.
Ahimsa! =Ahimsa Paramo Dharmah= -Buddha Shakyamuni
Jan =
Thanks Jan. This world is meant to last even with exclusive clubs of all kinds.
Your level of discussion and debate is what desirable.
Kulamarva Balakrishna
(end)
Arun Gandhi thanks for solidarity:
Thank you for sending me the articles of support. They mean a lot to me.
Keep well and keep in touch. -- Arun
No comments:
Post a Comment