My Name is Khan and US doesnt likes it

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If the national mental illness of the United States is megalomania, that of Canada is paranoid schizophrenia. – Margaret Atwood

There was a report a few days back by some USCIRF – which calls itself US Commission on International Religious Freedom! It said that it had put India on a watch list for not adequately protecting its religious minorities. And this was by yet again picking up the same old isolated incidents of Gujarat and Orissa.

Just like the way Pakistani dictator Musharraf got it back royally from Indian muslims (see videos below) when he tried to project as if Pakistan was trying to protect Indian muslims, even this USCIRF got it back from Indian chrisitians who termed the report as ignorant about the nature of the secular fabric of India.

Musharraf being grilled by a Proud Indian muslim.

Musharraf being grilled by Dr.Farooq Abdullah.

Now the first thing is who gave this commission or US the right to poke its nose into the affairs of another country? What is the meaning of having India on a watch list? Are they going to take some action against India? Can they?

Does these US officials have any idea that the minority population in India is almost the same size of the entire population of United States?? And what is the religious freedom allowed in United States? Has any non-christian ever become the President of United States so far in its so called secular democratic history of over two centuries? India can proudly say that it has had both minority presidents as well as minority prime ministers within such a short span of its post independence history. The present Indian prime minister is a Sikh and is in his second consecutive term. And India is proud of its Great Muslim Population.

The next thing that we are going to look now is about the adequacy of religious freedom in the United States itself. Post 9/11 US has had a paranoia about Muslims and this goes without saying irrespective of what US presidents say in their speeches or what US state department says in its daily briefings.

First it was the CEO and founder of the third largest IT company in India, Mr. Azim Premji of WIPRO who complained about the hassles he faced in US post 9/11 just because he was a muslim. United States should understand that Mr.Azim Premji who is the richest muslim in the world is an Indian. Can the US make a similar claim regarding its minorities? Mr. Azim Premji went on record to say I’ll tell a Muslim, if you want to be Premji, you’ve every chance to do that in India.

Coming back to the treatment of Indian muslims in US, next it was the former President of India – Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam who was recently frisked, made to remove his shoes, hand over his belongings and made to wait for long hours inspite of the internationally agreed protocol that present and former state heads should be exempted from such checks. How about India frisking Bill Clinton if and when he arrives to India? Inspite of being a former state head was Mr.Kalam frisked by US airliner just because he happens to be a muslim?

And today it is ShahRukh khan, the most popular Indian actor and a bollywood star who was detailed for over two hours at United States and Shahrukh went on record to say that the US officials did it after they saw the word Khan in his name!. The US officials who did it had no idea that Shahrukh is more popular in the world than the most of the Hollywood stars themselves.

And these three are not isolated incidents. See the list here. Kamal Hassan was detained because of his second name. Irfan Khan who had been to US to receive the award for Slumdog Millionaire was detained because of his second name. And can you believ this that Nitin Mukesh was detained and questioned at New York airport because he was too fair to be an Indian! My God, what a racism! Is being fair a patent of US or west? Probably most americans are unaware that there are Indians who are fair than most whites, who are darker than most blacks, and there are browns, yellows and all. India is not just a multi-ethnic or multi-cultured society, but multi-colored as well. We see all the colors of the rainbow, not just the blend of all in isolation

Now the above incidents are the ones that involved those who are globally well known and respected personalities. So if this is the treatment meted out to such popular figures, then one can imagine the kind of harrassment common muslims undergo in United States. When asked about whether he felt bad after today’s incident, this is what Shah Rukh had to say I did feel bad for a lot of people in that room, I know because I had an escort and someone would recognise me, I will get out. Others may face more trouble. referring to the place where all others detained (obviously muslims) were staying.

And these US officials who cannot keep their own house in order set up commissions to monitor the status of religious freedom in other parts of the world. What an irony!

USCIRF should realize that the minorities in India have already put US on a “watch list” for the inadequate protection provided to them while traveling to US. Shahrukh Khan has gone on record to say that he doesnt prefer shooting in US for his movies.

So its better that US first set up a USCNRF – US Commission on National Religious Freedom and cleans up its own house before setting out to advise rest of the world. What the USCIRF officials should understand is the fact that the protests by common muslims all across the world, be it Middle East or Europe, is against United States and not against India. And this is what the International angle with which USCIRF should be probing about.

And finally here is a look at the so called freedom of press in US for foreign journalists. Read about the humiliating experience of a British journalist in United States! Where is USHRC – is there no such Human Rights Commission in US? I have been to UK and I must say it definitely is a free society. And it continued to be so even after 7/7 which is when I visited UK (which was immediately after that unfortunate incident). Can somebody please vouch for the same about US? Even India has had numerous such 9/11 incidents, but there never has been such a paranoia about any particular religion or community in India at such level and that is because Indians are mature enough to distinguish between a community and criminals who make crime in the name of that community.