Students sporting tilak on their foreheads and amulet on their bodies were stopped by the physical instruction teacher of a government aided minority institution, Mohamedia Higher Secondary School before they entered the school premises. This institution is situated at Chittarkottai of Ramanathapuram District. The sacred threads and amulets worn for protection on the necks and arms were cut and the sindoor tilak worn in the forehead was erased. Upon hearing of this atrocity, the agitated parents complained to the head mistress Ms Zarina Lotus, to which she had reportedly said that she was only implementing the diktat of the district collector—so stated Shri Ramesh (name changed) father of one of the children. The agitated parents headed by the district head of Hindu Makkal Katchi, Shri Prabhakaran met the district collector Shri K Nandakumar and reported the matter to him. The district collector not only justified his act, but also challenged them to take the matter to the courts, so states the leader of Hindu Makkal Katchi.
In connection with this incident, we contacted the head mistress of the school Ms Zarina Lotus over telephone on 21.01.14, Tuesday. During the course of this conversation, Ms Zarina Lotus stated that she was only obeying the orders of the district collector. Stating further she said that, while addressing a meeting of head masters of high schools and higher secondary schools, the collector had stated that the teachers should advise the students not to sport sacred threads or apply tilak or sport any object that would represent their religion. Do you know the reason extended for the issuance of such a diktat by the district collector Shri K Nandakumar?
“Since the students come to school sporting religious symbols, quarrels ensue and hence students have been sent to reformation schools. Policemen in mufti who have been keeping watch had reportedly stated that the raison d’etre behind the occurrence of these quarrels are religious symbols and listed the schools where such incidents occurred,” continued Ms Zarina Lotus.
In connection with this, an e-mail was dispatched to Shri K Nanda Kumar on 22.01.2014, Wednesday and there has been no reply thus far. When attempts were made to get in touch with Shri Dharman, the personal assistant of the district collector, he stated that since he was busy, he may be contacted later—so saying he disconnected the line. When we tried to contact him again, he did not attend the call. The actions of the district collector raises certain pertinent questions.
- If there is no protection for the students sporting religious symbols, then, has Ramanathapuram become Afghanistan?
- Speaking about religious symbols, even skull caps and purdah would come under the ambit. On the contrary, why did the district collector not advise against the removal of them?
- Sporting of religious symbols is a fundamental right. Who gave the district collector the license to snatch this right?
- Which are the schools where clashes occurred on the basis of sporting of religious symbols?
- Who instigated these? And who were the students sent to the reformation schools?
- What was the action taken to prevent their occurrence in the schools where such a situation is prevailing? And are there any teachers who are associated with these occurrences?
- If we construe the action of the district collector to be an admittance of the worst and precarious nature of situation prevalent in Ramanathapuram, then what action Shri K Nanda Kumar has taken against those indulging in religious extremism and those who instigate such acts?
- Is he admitting to the fact that he would not be able to give protection to Hindus of Ramanathapuram District?
To stop clashes will Shri K. Nanda Kumar order the snapping of mangal sutra of the Hindu women?
Is Ramanathapuram in such a dangerous condition, where the law of the Taliban which rules the roost in countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan is being implemented? The government machinery which is duty bound to stop acts of terror is caving to Jihadi demands.
- Ban on beating of drums in Amman temples.
- Changing of routes traditionally adopted by temple processions.
- Filing of a case against Hindus, who complained about the slaying of a cow by certain Moslems near a temple at a village called Azhagan Kulam.
- No action against those who broke the memorial pillar of Swami Vivekananda.
- Punitive action was not taken against those who hoisted the national flag tied to slippers in the village of Pudhumadam.
- Boards announcing ban on non-Moslems entering the village and those banning playing of songs by vehicles on public roads have neither been prevented nor removed.
- No action was taken against those fundamentalist Moslems, belonging to the area and other states who underwent arms training at Periyapatnam.
With these as background, when one views the severing of protection amulets/threads/dollar chains and erasing of tilak on the foreheads of Hindu children of the government aided Mohamedia Higher Secondary School at Chittarkottai, it only makes the fact evident that Ramanathapuram is fast turning into a mini Kashmir. The painful fact in this whole episode is that the district administration responsible for the prevention of separatist acts is supportive of the very same separatist forces!
The governments, both at the Centre and the State have to wake up to the dangerous conditions prevailing in the district of Ramanathapuram and take steps on a war footing to save it from separatist and fundamentalist forces. Hindus worldwide should raise their voice against the injustice being meted out to the Hindus of the district of Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu.
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Filed under: india | Tagged: civil rights, hindu-bashing, human rights, india, indian muslims, islam in india, islamic iconoclasm, islamic jihad, islamic terrorism, ramanathapuram district, state governments, tamil nadu, tamil nadu government, tamils |
BHARATA BHARATI 
The above article has drawn the following comment on Vijayvaani from an observer.
“I for one totally, 100% agree with the writer that the Hindu or other non-Muslim students in that Muslim school have all the rights to wear what ever religious symbol they like as it is also totally against the teachings of Islam to discriminate someone for his/her religious beliefs.”
I commend the observer for his attempt to project Islam as a tolerant and benign faith for whatever it is worth. Unfortunately for him, it is not worth much. The experience of Hindus (in fact of all non-Muslims) both past and present in India and elsewhere gives lie to his pompous claims. To go no further, How will his comment be received by Kashmiri Pundits or refugees from Pakistan?
As regards the nature and content of Islam’s holy books, I would urge him to visit the website http://www.islam-watch.org. The site is run by people who were born in Muslim families and brought up in Islamic tradition. All of them have studied Islam from its primary sources i.e. Quran and Hadis and, ironically, that was what prompted them to leave Islam and turn apostates. Even a hint of their opinions about the Quran and the Prophet would be enough to cause serious riots by the believers.
What people like observer, who wish to do something good for their faith, should do is face the truth. Muslims must admit that there is something about the theory and practice of Islam which brings them in permanent conflict with their neighbours whom they choose to denounce as kaffirs. The wise men among them,and there is no death of them, could then devise ways to minimise it. That would be beginning of the spread of Islam’s message of brotherhood of mankind, if that is really what the prophet had in mind.
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The school in question deserves to lose its recognition and government support. Although the writer has not said it in as many words, it is possible to guess what was happening. Hindu students wearing religious symbols were being targeted by Muslim students, leading to scuffles. These scuffles were violent enough for some boys to be sent to reformation homes. The school authorities, mostly comprising Muslims, took a position of benign indifference to persecution of Hindus. The stand taken by Ramnad collector is amazing. This administrator was duty bound protect symbols of Hindu dharma and Hindu sentiments in an institution that received government funding in a Hindu majority country. But this impotent, third-gender person took the easy way out and banned Hindu symbols to appease jihadi tots and buy peace . Assume that Muslim students were being targeted in a Hindu-majority school. What will be the stand of this third rate coward and his political mentors? It is time that Hindus insist on getting the same tolerance and respect for their religion and culture from Muslims and Christians that they show towards the latter. Tolerance cannot be a one-way street. Hindus not only in the district but all over Tamil Nadu must fight for the suspension of this officer who is a disgrace not only to the Hindu society but also to the ideals of secularism that he is purportedly upholding.
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The report above only reveals the true face of so called ‘secularism’, that thrives under the world’s longest constitution. The underlying hypocrisy cannot be better exemplified. Will the Hindus wake up?
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Under the guise of ‘Secularism’, people in power conveniently peddling anti-religious measures against certain community, rather than being non-religious(religion neutral)…The definition needs to be amended and redefined in order to protect it’s sanctity from the clutches of the miserable anti-national clan.
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