A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about how Biju Mathew was in the Bay Area speaking on topics of taxi wallahs, an event coordinated by the people at Friends of South Asia (FOSA). He was invited to speak at Stanford, but then The Stanford Daily wrote a story on April 8th (Friday) which accused Biju of having communist and terrorist sympathies– suggestions received from an anonymous source.
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One source, a man who has protested against previous FOSA events, but wished to remain anonymous, expressed concern over what he perceives as Islamist and Communist sympathies within the organization. Mathew himself has also drawn criticism for his radical political beliefs… At one time his Web page featured a link to the Unabomber’s Manifesto, although the link is no longer active… The same protester said that he is troubled by Mathew’s “support for the Unabomber and his association with the Communist Party of India (Marxist).”[link]
Because of the article, Biju was kicked off of speaking on campus. All this makes me reminisce of that time here at UCLA that Vinay Lal made Dirty Thirty list, and the McCarthyism-like tactics that were used. This article was officially retracted over the weekend, and on Monday The Stanford Daily stated the following apology…
We apologize for last Friday’s article on the upcoming event organized by Friends of South Asia (FOSA) (“Leftist speaker sparks debate,” Apr. 7). FOSA does not have any ties to Communist or terrorist groups. We should not have made such allegations on the basis of a single anonymous source. We also apologize to Prof. Biju Mathew for associating him in any way with the Unabomber and other extremist elements.[link]
Tsk, tsk. Bad journalism at its finest. Even I, as a mere blogger, could have told you not to base your story on one anonymous source. This letter to the editor sums it up, pretty much.
What’s up with the Cold War jargon? And what’s up with using a single anonymous source to discredit an organization? That doesn’t sound like credible journalism to me…[The article] slamming the Friends of South Asia (FOSA) event on the exploitation of taxi drivers in NYC uses terms like “leftist” and “Communist” in a fabulous, uninformed way that makes me all nostalgic for the “Rocky” movies. Remember those? Evil Russian communist boxers duking it out with Sylvester Stallone, that paragon of glorious market capitalism, who won out in the end because, by golly, the man had heart. [link]
But apparently all this drama is not going to stop the people over at FOSA from returning to Stanford’s campus…
We, in FOSA, have a commitment to the working class community, the antiwar groups and the anti-fascist groups in the South Asian diaspora and assure you that we WILL get labor organizer and antiwar activist Biju Mathew on the Stanford campus. [link]
Biju Mathew has done great work, especially with regards to the book he is touring to promote right now, Taxi! Cabs & Capitalism in New York City. It’s a shame when people get so easily distracted from the really great work that is being done to achieve social justice in the world.
Here is FOSM (Friend of Sepia Mutiny) Rajeev Srinivasan’s take on Biju Matthew. Enjoy! 🙂
Being a ‘commie’ is not necessarily a bad thing.
As i’m sure many know, Professor Mathew is no stranger to vilification and name calling. On that venerable website Hinduunity.org he is called an “Anti-Hindu” because of his work exposing Hindutva fundraising in the the US under the guise of the “India Development and Relief Fund”. I wouldn’t be surprised if the anonymous tipster had an agenda other than ‘Communist sympathies’.
See http://stopfundinghate.org/
i just HATE the word ‘Islamist’. HATE IT. GRRRR.
it makes it sound like dangerous frundamentalism is inherent in Islam. I understand that the word is to define the brand of bad fundamentalism (and evry faith has its own) that claims its roots in Islam but the word “islamist” suggests that the views of this faction are dominant and true.
am i crazy?
You can replace the anonymous source in the article with “Hindu fundamentalist”. Whatever has happened is shameful.
He also spoke in NYC last week – did anyone go?
because of his work exposing Hindutva fundraising in the the US under the guise of the “India Development and Relief Fund”. I wouldn’t be surprised if the anonymous tipster had an agenda other than ‘Communist sympathies’.
Everyone has agendas and think their “agenda” is for the betterment of all people. I came to know of a few IDRF folks during the cricket matches they organised and was really impressed. They are collecting funds for the “Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram” to educate tribals.. Biju Mathew claims these schools are used to “Hinduise” tribals. I see no problem with that. If foreign funded missionaries and madrassahs can operate there is no reason why these folks can’t..
So to convert Tribes to Chritianity == Salvation To reconvert Tribes to Hinduism == Hate Mongering
As George Orwell said, “Some animals are more equal than others”
Being a ‘commie’ is not necessarily a bad thing.
Oblig Princess Bride quote- You keep using that word, I dont think it means what you think it means.
TPG, I totally agree. How did “communist!” become a venomous epithet? The more time I spend lurking on online debates and discussions on religion, reservations etc., the more it seems to me that all you need to discredit your opponent is to call him a communist/pinko/reddy before he does it to you. What do they think communism means? Are they against it as an ideology? or because they didnt like the way it was implemented?do they object to its stance on religion? and free will? Not that I read trotsky with my cereal every morning, but I have a feeling people need some very basic history lessons.
Communists should be paddled with a hard brush.
Or they should be made to watch “Kyunki Saas….” type serials
I love that picture of Biju, he looks like a baby swaddled in a blanket! Cho’ chweet!!!
Ok let’s not start this again. If the IDRF includes Hinduism in its curriculum then that’s their perogative and they have every right to. But by that same token, so do other organizations that have an official religious affiliation.
When I read this article I was thinking about the way Herbert Marcuse was harassed throughout his career at UCSD for being a “commie” – largely by academics that were envious of Marcuse’s own popularity.
This is just classic ad hominem – nothing more to it. And it isn’t fooling anyone!
gaurav bhai- what do you have against poor commies? why the angst?
Yup,
I do agree that he should not have been stopped from presenting his views. This is not about political leanings. This is about freedom of expression.
BTW, do not underestimate the smiling, portly figure sitting with a shawl wrapped around his body to be something cute and cuddly. Biju and his ilk are as vicious as the lunatic right of India. I have no hesitation in making the case for moral equivalence here.
Regards,
Chacha Jan,
I only wished that commies were poor. Commies have infested everything from polity to academics. The result is that instead of being a serious contender India is only a wannabe today
again, gaurav sir, much heat, little light. i’m not defending communism, but if use words like ‘infested’, then u shld at least give reasons, no?.
let me pose my question again – Do you despise pinkos for 1.their economic agenda 2.their atheism 3.their track record in implementation(india/abroad), 4.they ran over your dog 5.all/none of above.
i’m not being flippant, i’m asking from a genuine desire to learn where from this bile floweth so indiscriminately copious.
Aadarniya Foofaji
While I am a theist, I do not find atheism worth losing my sleep over.
Also while I do not have a dog, I used to have a “bhains” (her name was “champakali”), but these commies nationalized it.
If you think infested is too strong a word, I think you have missed past few decades of post-british India.
As far as flippancy is concerned, “to mere pitaji ka kya jaata hai”
Here’s another view of the same story. Besides, If FOSA’s marching with these guys is not disgusting, then I dont know what is. Disgusting bunch!
Gaurav,
The beauty of Democracy is that it allows those despised Commies to express their opinions, even within government decisions. Take that away and you become no better than those you despise. Besides, Communists aren’t the reason India isn’t a “serious contender.” Think about it. India’s been independent for 66(?) years. The United States has been independent for over 250. Give it some time. India will come up.
uses terms like “leftist” and “Communist” in a fabulous, uninformed way that makes me all nostalgic for the “Rocky” movies.
[Addressing the Soviet Union] Rocky: I guess what I’m trying to say is, if I can change, and you can change, everybody can change.
Rocky: During the fight, I’ve seen a lot of changing, in the way I feel about you, and the way you feel about me. I guess what I’m trying to say is that if I can change, and you can change, everyone can change. [loud applause, even by the politburo]
Nicoli Koloff: Whatever he hits, he destroys.
Draggo Tarrin, Tarrin Moral: Rocky movies were never uniformed.
AMON,
I agree, but sure there is nothing wrong with expressing my frustation (in a colourful way) And mind it, I am not frustated that India is not as blingful as US, my grouse is that we could have done way better. India was the biggest disappointment and underachiever of 20th century all due to communist and communist-lite
Regards
Anindo,
I do agree that he should not have been stopped from presenting his views. This is not about political leanings. This is about freedom of expression.
I think you are new to this game. I never knew about IDRF or its RSS connections before. I have played in the cricket tournaments organised by IDRF volunteers and know a few of them. nice folks.. A few years back these guys (biju et.al) raised a big storm about how NRIs are funding “hindutva” etc.. etc.. and IDRF is the main culprit. From then I was following these stories with interest. It is not that these guys (Biju + gang) are all for academic freedom. They have petitioned various universities in US to prevent Ram Madhav of RSS to give lectures.. and successfully prevented Narendra Modi from even coming to the US. This is like battles fought between two groups, who have been given labels like “Hindutvadis” and “anti-Hindutvadis”. They lose a few battles, win a few and the battles go on.. It is fun to watch.. :-))
ponni and gaurav- this is yejactly what i’m confused about.
reading the entries here you’d never know if people dont hate biju for being a commie or for being a sudo secular dogooder..
when people conflate what this guy has done for the taxi drivers in NY, with his attitude towards hindutvadis, and with his being a xtian and all, then they miasmise him in to a hazy goo of hate on which others can paste their favorite expletive.
in other words, poor commies get caught in religious crossfire all the time is my point.
kush tandon- rocky, damn, i remember how my blood boiled when dolf lundgren killed apollo creed the bastard; i cried.
whoops.. above should read ‘people hate biju’…
sylvian ponnu:
I assume your handle and the usage of yejactly was supposed to mock Tamils in general and my handle in particular.. If not please forgive me. 🙂
I don’t know why you bracketed me with being “anti commie”.. I don’t have a strong idea either for or against communism.. While USSR collapsed, China is relatively doing well.. In India I have never lived in Kerala and Bengal, the two states where communists are powerful. Generally I think communists are less corrupt and have a healthy contempt towards religions, which I like.
I assume your handle and the usage of yejactly was supposed to mock Tamils in general and my handle in particular.. If not please forgive me. 🙂
forgiven. sylvan ponnu was a very bad pun on me being a girl, and me being green in such matters (i’m really trying to understand this commiehatred)
although, you should have realized that if any one can make a bilingual pun in tamil and english, they must be tamil, and that they wouldnt be mocking themselves. r having said that, you probably hit upon the reason for my covert sympathy for the reds:when you see so much hindu/muslim/cross bashing online, atheism is so refreshing, no? it almost makes you want to forgive the pinkos for their economic beliefs. given the number of fraction of hindus/muslims in malluland(and in bengal), i think communism deserves some credit for not letting them go the gujarat way. you might argue their lives are shit under communist raj, but then again, gujarat aint no el dorado either apart from a few rich patel/shah junta.
wow, not every day i see my alma mater mentioned here. i’m honestly pretty shocked that an article like that made it to press by the daily. it’s not a spectacular college paper, but overall, it’s decent and it reflects the fact that the campus is pretty liberal. there’s lots of support for liberal-ish movements (sorry to cast them all in one light, but the list would be long, and no, i’m not a conservative). anyway, perhaps the anonymous source is a member of the hindu student council, which was started while i was there, and which i believe is tied to RSS and all that hindu fundamentalist ish. it’s commendable that they owned up to the mistake and corrected themselves. not that often that you see people these days owning up to their mistakes, so kudos to them for that.
sylvan ponnu:
As I said, I don’t have strong opinions for/against communism. They have a contempt towards other religions because communism itself becomes another religion. I don’t know if it’s good or bad. What Karl Marx thought about in mid 19th century Germany (??) cannot be the answer for all the problems in 21st century India.
I don’t like any ‘ism’s other than pragmatism. I don’t know why you brought ‘Gujarat’ in. Again I don’t have strong opinions for/against BJP/Narendra Modi.. And it looks like If I don’t have strong opinions against Narendra Modi, I’d be termed a Hindutva fascist.. :-))
Again I don’t have strong opinions for/against BJP/Narendra Modi.. And it looks like If I don’t have strong opinions against Narendra Modi, I’d be termed a Hindutva fascist.. :-))
Ouch. a fairly diverse group of organizations (human rights organization, political commissions), both intra and international, believe that Modi’s government was at least complicit in the killing and rape of thousands of Gujarati Muslims. If you don’t have strong opinions about Modi, where do your strong opinions lie?
Oh, yeah, TAZ, and would you also consider being honest enough to post the informed READER COMMENTS under that “letter to Editor” by the ISLAMIST (sounds better than “terrorist”, so I’ll use it) Tania Ahmad????
ponni- i brought gujarat in to take a random example of hindu/muslim strife. i could have taken bombay or ayodhya, it wouldnt matter. i’m not saying hindus/modi are to blame, but you do admit that compared to these states,those states under communism with similar hindu/muslim ratios seems to have contained violence fairly well.
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my mother told me never to argue with people with dung in their name. go away, hate man.
Ouch. a fairly diverse group of organizations (human rights organization, political commissions), both intra and international, believe that Modi’s government was at least complicit in the killing and rape of thousands of Gujarati Muslims. If you don’t have strong opinions about Modi, where do your strong opinions lie?
I think you can blame the govt. only to a certain extent. Communal riots have been taking place for the last (how many) 3 or 4 centuries.. This is probably the first communal riot in the satellite era where people can watch live and shed tears. Also the death toll from the government reports (tabled in Parliament, I think) did give a substantial number of dead Hindus, although it would be inhumane to count if a dead body is Hindu / Muslim.. This is a riot in which people killed other people based on whether he/she worshipped a different God. The reason why everyone is angry because the count of dead bodies are not in the acceptable ratio (skewed in favor of Hindus). Though it feels sick to write, that is the truth..
People who sit in the comfort of a free capitalistic society and seek to foist communism on poor Indian’s disgust me. ABCD’s in particular have absolutely no idea about what they are talking about here.
In Bengal the communist parties have led to a de-industrialization of the state since the late ’60’s. This is inspite of the state having a well educated workforce and relatively well-developed infrastructure thanks to far sighted individuals like P.C. Ray.
Let me narrate a few small anecdotes to you. A cousin of mine is a resident at a Calcutta hospital. He and a couple of his collegues periodically set up “medical camps” in underserved areas. He told me how RSP workers (a smaller member of the Indian left groups) recently beat him up as he did not allow a red banner on this camp and allow the local candidate to campaign at the “medical camp” (he wanted to keep the camp non-political). Did you now that in most of Bengal you cant get even a primary school teachers job if you are not a “party member”.
Another family member recently gave up on his 15 years of effort in running a small scale industry near Calcutta. He attempted to run this place in the face of being shot at by “union organizers” (they were “party members” so the police wont lift a finger). He has forgotten the number of times the state electricity board has charged him “development charges” without ever completing the work. How I myself have gone out with him and his electritians to fix local power line problems after the local junior engineers went on yet another “work to rule” agitation.
A small contibution from a bong to set to attempt to educate people on the havoc and destruction the “left” has visited on Bengal.
Why do we get into these false dichotomies. Biju Mathews and Narendra Modi can both be condemned.
It is not neccessary that you like Modi if you can’t stand this fellow Matthews. Read Varsha Bhosle’s article article in rediff about this professor.
Modi is a despicable character. Some of us who are quite happy to call ourselves Hindus should tell this guy , please “not in our names”.
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Exactly what I was going to say Nara. Both Biju and Modi deserve our contempt.
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Seems as though you’re speculating on the nature of Gujarat riots. There is significant evidence that Modi’s government participated in the targeted killing and rape of Muslims. See the Human Rights Watch report: http://www.hrw.org/reports/2002/india/index.htm#TopOfPage as well as the EU Parliament Resolution: http://www.delind.cec.eu.int/en/political_dialogue/official_documents/2002_epresolution_gujarat.htm
oh this i can’t stand:
the hrw report is good enough to make your point. what business does EU have to do with all this? none of their constituent countries have the history of conflict that is there in india. and when half a dozen immigrants come to their borders, barring UK, they can’t stand it–the “muslims/blacks/browns can’t assimilate” you see. what right do they have to lecture abt gujrat, or katrina for that matter?
People who sit in the comfort of a free capitalistic society and seek to foist communism on poor Indian’s disgust me. ABCD’s in particular have absolutely no idea about what they are talking about here.
Is it really so bad in Kolkata, as compared to say, Delhi ? When I was there a bit back, the people seemed well dressed, the shops and malls bustling, and the temples full of devotees – but perhaps I was just seeing the good things. And also, why do they keep getting elected? Is there fraud involved?
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Also byte, the rotating presidency of EU was held by Denmark, and in perticular by this individual.
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How the left hold on to power is a “hot” subject in India today. Its called “scientific rigging” where the left cadres make detailed lists of individuals who are hostile to the left, on vaction, deceased and vote on their behalf. An activist election commission is trying hard for a fair poll this time. If I look in google news under “Bengal Rigging” there is a whole lot to enjoy:
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=bengal+rigging&btnG=Search+News
Fundamentally, the party is very well organized with a large dedicated “cadre”. The “left” controls the “street” with rival gangs being ruthlesslly eliminated. It has also encouraged Bangaldeshi immigration to prop up its vote bank. Think of it as the mafia that has eliminated all its competitors.
It will be a grose trivialization to liken Indian ultra-leftits movements to McCarthism. The threat of Indian communists is real however “american left” they might sound today. If you happen to go to these talks, present your views about Kashmiri terrorists and Maoist menace. You are sure to get “extra-ordinary circumstances” and “injustice” as a “justification” of mass murder. Or just ask them to denounce communism or praise Israel a bit and see the mercury meter in the room shoot up. A little bit praise for America or “world is flat” could also do the job.
I will pay $$ to someone who can deduce from them that they dont have communist connections in India (if you dont agree with what others have already proved).
Communism is responsible for the brutal death of circa 300 million. It is the most inhuman ideology ever devised by man.
it almost makes you want to forgive the pinkos for their economic beliefs. given the number of fraction of hindus/muslims in malluland(and in bengal), i think communism deserves some credit for not letting them go the gujarat way.
Depends on who you talk to, no? Give me “riot prone” Lucknow/Bombay/Delhi/Hyderabad/Bangalore (all high Muslim populations, no CPI anywhere on the horizon) any day over singing kumbaya in Calcutta or Kerala (they were so busy concentrating on communal harmony they forgot to develop any major city in Kerala).
Empty rhetoric such as the above simply holds Muslims hostage to fear while creating a reliable pool of votes without delivering much. Illiteracy rates for Muslims in West Bengal are equal to those in Delhi, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh [Link from some site called Islam Awareness] and for all their paradise-like harmony in Kerala, the far more vulnerable Bohri Muslim community of Gujarat still kicks the ass of Keralite Muslims economically (Gulf dollars notwithstanding).
Funnily enough, this sort of comment that implies religious harmony is THE most important measure of a party loses sight of the one worthwhile contribution of communists in India – land reform. But why focus on bettering the teeming millions of India’s poor when we can focus on sensationalistic Hindu Muslim clashes? (the CPI in West Bengal also saw more bang for their buck with this approach and took to playing tapes about the Gujarat massacres repeatedly in Muslim neighborhoods to really remind them who their protector was)
Excellent points SMR. Comparing West Bengal with rest of the Indian states (except Bihar) in itself is a disgrace. The communists have dictated WB for 30 years but still it is among the all round worst states. 70% of WB Muslims live in abject poverty and the rest barely make it to above the poverty line. Untouchability, human rikshaws are still prevelant in many areas… Read more at “Oh, Calcutta, ill-fated Calcutta!” If in doubt, read about the naxalite nexus.
SMR-good points all. I think most of us here will agree that bengal/kerala are shitholes, economically. the point i was making is that it could’ve been worse, a lot worse, and an atheistic ruling party is partly the reason and i mean true atheism, not the anti-brahminism religion the dmk seems to preach. again, as you said, it depends on whom you ask..
Wasnt the IDRF involved in arming the thugs who killed hundreds of people in Gujarat. I guess that isnt too bad because I am sure all the Muslims killed in Gujarat were terrorists.
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lets hear it, how did “the party” make things better, a lot better
..by not lighting religious fires?
Topic under discussion: Taxi-wallah rights/activism/book..whatever. 49 comments as of this writing. Quite interesting, that 38 are anonymous – a pretty odd stat for SM, no? (while I must concede here that all those ~commenters~/Gaurav interaction was hilarious :D) Currently discussing leftist thuggery in Bengal. I likey.
While I have not much idea abt Biju or this taxi activism, but branding him ISLAMIST was very appropriate. You see, the NGC genogrophic project traced his DNA bang in the center of Saddam’s palace, his wife once flew over Taliban-ruled Afghanistan(there are rumours she even had to pay transit visa fees – thusly funding hate), his cherubic cho-chweet smile is like Al-Zawahiri (if at all he were to smile), and I presume he is from Kerala, the land of communism and Gulf-expats (mostly Muslims). So the Islamist label is quite appropriate. No?
~osama uncle~: der aaye, durust aaye. Been there, done that 🙂