Where do I stand?

I have written more than 150 elaborate blogs and each of them is quite lengthy explaining what my stand is on most issues. I have chosen to take a stand on serious issues. Therefore you will not see me writing two sides of a story here. If I believe there are two stories to an issue, I do not write about it. By now, some regular readers have understood me very well and sometimes I guess I even sound quite predictable. That shows they know what to expect from me.

But many times I stump some readers. They have never understood the underlying logic and reason that I present here. They seem to be happy when I praise Hinduism for its tolerance, but they just cannot tolerate my criticism which highlights Hinduism’s intolerance. That speaks more about them than about me.

Many other readers have already slotted me into a category. Some brand me a Marxist, a Communist, and I tend to detest such categorization, and do not have any affiliation to those theories. Some brand me a leftist, and I tend to agree that some of my thoughts lean left- more towards democratic socialism than to communism, but having said that, I do not hold any affiliation to those groups and am equally ready and capable to denounce them when necessary. Also, in practice I have a strong affinity towards capitalism though I support it with some restraint because I tend to see the negatives of it as well. I am an avowed believer in universal laws which I have laid out in many of my previous articles. And I believe morality is completely subjective and I do my best to stay away from that topic.

Some brand me a rabid Muslim under the disguise of a Hindu name. No comments there. If people call me Santa Claus, I don’t have to prove otherwise. If I try to understand Islamic fundamentalism, that doesn’t make me a Muslim, the same way if I try to understand Russian revolutions that doesn’t make me a Russian.

Some people brand me a Hindu-hater. A lady writes:

You hate Hinduism - don't you??

I do not see myself hating Hinduism. In fact, I find Hinduism relatively better than most other religions. This is the only religion where I find my place- as an atheist. Having said that, I cannot stand people who are limited in their intelligence and wisdom but believe they are entitled to define my religion for me. Their prescription of a certain style and standard imposed onto me is what I abhor and I reject their definitions for me. And yes, I do not stand radical and rabid fanatic Hindus who keep defending Hinduism just for the sake of defending it without citing merits or demerits.

I would like to see reason and logic to prevail because when shit hits the fan, the faint hope is that some people are still thinking logically.

This lady summarizes what some people have expressed their opinion about me. She writes:

You certainly have double standards. You repeatedly defend Islamic fundamentalism… demanding that we make strenuous effort to understand the causes and contextual reasons for its emergence.

I do not see myself having double standards. If ever, I strive for consistency. But what is consistent for me may not be for others. Let me clarify my stand on some of those issues. I believe I have not wavered from that stand. You are entitled to your opinion.

1. I have NEVER defended Islamic fundamentalism anywhere.
2. I have only tried to understand Islamic fundamentalism if ever.

Instead, I have defended other things, such as:

1. A man's right to fight for his homeland and to fulfill his aspirations to form an independent nation or state.
2. A man's right to keep his faith and not be imposed upon to conform to the majority to prove his patriotism.

Coming to Islam and other religions, a stance that I have consistently taken is:
Not to judge a religion by its books or its founders.

On a more general note, I have always believed that it is the duty of the majority and the privileged to accommodate minorities and underprivileged to create a harmonious society which in turn would benefit the majority and privileged on the longer run.

And one of the most universal stance has been the promotion of logic, reason, and rationale while sidelining blind belief, irrationality and superstition in the matters of state governance, laws, and mainstream society.

Some people have suggested that while I continuously attack Hinduism, I do not extend the same attack to other religions. I have made it clear many a times that being born a Hindu and Indian I seem to concentrate more on criticism of oneself. I also tend to criticize world powers that seem to suppress small societies (but have not concentrated much on that so far since India keeps me quite busy).

I do not believe that a religion like Hinduism can be belittled or ridiculed just because someone says Rama doesn't exist. However, when people start using such stories to stop constructing dams, or stop dredging sea, or stop people from fishing into the seas, then it becomes a ridiculous state. And I consistently fight that.

If Muslims were to protest against launching of PSLV citing some weird interpretations of Koran, I would completely call it rubbish and call them idiotic and ask them to just keep the religion to themselves. If Muslims were to impose Shariat onto me I would protest vehemently.

Right now, I am more bothered by the fanaticism of Hindus than fanaticism of Muslims. Therefore, I tend to criticize Hindus more. If you want to see criticism of Muslims, there are thousands of blogs already available, you could visit them. I would be very glad to see you off.

Note to readers and commenters

I do not expect to change your opinions (see the main title on this page). I do not expect to teach you anything. I have started this blog to vent my thoughts out – I guess it was the only way I could remain sane in this insane country. I do not pander to the sentiments of my readers. I am not bothered if they go away from this site never to return. It is not my attempt to boost my readership like TOI. If that was the case, I would be sticking to pornography- that would instantly boost the readership.

Also, I am not here to engage in a lively debate. I am here only to express my opinions. If you make sense I would be glad to read yours. If you write nonsense, I am going to call it nonsense. I am NOT going to be politically right about that.

Idiocy is no excuse for writing anything you like on this site. It’s like my way of saying, 'only intelligent responses will be dealt with'. Some commenters expect to see me concede I am wrong based on what they write. Look, its no disrespect to you when I write off your attempts. I am not saying that I am not ready to concede. But you have to understand that I have not written this topic without having thought about it. If you believe you have a different opinion please go ahead and write about it on your blog. To expect that I should change my opinion instantaneously just because you have written against it is a little far too much. I do tend to learn a lot from some of your comments. It helps me learn more - sometimes to refine my opinions and sometimes to alter my opinions.

There are some rational people out there looking for the right argument to make their case. Sometimes, my writings help them consolidate their thoughts. It makes them feel that there is someone out there who feels the same. They are happy to know that I have articulated my thoughts on their behalf. And that is a good enough reason for this blog to exist.