Why is EPW, India's leading progressive weekly playing the publicist for the Arab Muslim Right ?

By Dilip -
Last week (29 November 2011) it was India's left leaning daily newspaper The Hindu that published an Op-Ed from The Guardian arguing that Supporters of democracy must welcome Political Islam, now taking this game further an editorial in India's highly respected progressive journal The Economic and Political Weekly, in its edition dated 10 December 2011 openly pleads a case to do business with the Muslim Right in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. All in the name of revolution of ideas where a simple contrast between the secular and the fundamentalist doesnt seem to helpful to EPW anymore. 

The EPW editors seem ga ga over the Nato installed islamists in Libya. Have they not read about National Transitional Council leader Mustafa Abdul-Jalil declaration that Islamic Sharia law would now be the main source of legislation, that laws contradicting its tenets would be nullified, and that polygamy would be legalized in Libya. (see:http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Latest-News-Wires/2011/1025/Sharia-law-to-be-main-source-of-legislation-in-Libya)

The recent sword wielding Islamist protest with Enhaada and Hizbut tahrir flags on a university campus in Tunisia for the right to veil is a non issue for the new age EPW? The Islamist attack on the public TV station for showing the film Persepolis is just a slight hick up in the larger cause in democracy of numbers and majorities. (EPW doesnt recommend but i would suggest you read the report: Women Fearful of Islamists’ Rise (http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=105823)

Revolution in ideas they call it . . . "Religion is the opium of the masses" so why spoil the party? Secularism is all 'Kaput', it was the clothing of the old regimes, we should all be wearing the veils and skull caps in solidarity? When is a new fancy dress coming at the internationalist EPW. Religion and faith laced politics is good they argue for Turkey, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt; so what about India may one ask? 

Is Erdogan's Islamist Party in Turkey that is so loudly acceptable to EPW, very different from the by now perfectly respectable and acceptable and 'normalised hindutva' entity in India. I hope we wont live to see the day when EPW begins to argue a case for BJP saying its no longer useful to make the contrast between secular and the fundamentalist parties, better have democratically elected govt even if of the BJP kind than an authoritarian militarised dictatorship or a faux secular parties . . . . So far was it was just the TATA's and big business arguing for Modi as India's PM, who knows whats coming next from our EPW pundits? - Harsh Kapoor - sacw.net


http://communalism.blogspot.com/2011/12/why-is-epw-indias-leading-progressive.html
December 05, 2011

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