Posted on 02/14/2006 5:26:56 AM PST by Alex Marko
NEW DELHI, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Hardline Hindu groups and radical Muslims burned Valentine's Day greeting cards on Tuesday and held protests across India against celebrating the festival of love, saying it was a Western import that spread immorality.
Saint Valentine's Day has become increasingly popular in India in recent years, a trend led by retailers who do healthy business selling heart-shaped balloons and fluffy teddy bears.
But the growing popularity of the day in officially secular, but mainly Hindu India has also sparked protests which have sometimes turned violent.
On Tuesday, protests were held in the capital New Delhi, some towns in the country's south and the only Muslim state of Jammu and Kashmir, where an Islamic insurgency has raged since 1989.
About two dozen women separatists, veiled in black from head to toe, rummaged shops and burnt Valentine's Day cards in Srinagar, Kashmir's summer capital, witnesses said.
"Valentine's Day spreads immorality among the youth," Asiya Andrabi of the Dukhtaran-e-Milat (Daughters of the Muslim Faith), a group of women separatists, said in a statement.
"We appeal to our children to stay away from this western culture."
In Bangalore, India's technology capital, as well as Hubli town, both located in the southern state of Karnataka, groups of Hindu nationalists burnt a big heart-shaped card.
About 50 Hindu activists wearing holy saffron-coloured scarves held a noisy protest in a popular market near the Delhi University campus, a Reuters photographer said.
They burnt greeting cards which they were carrying and shouted "Down with Valentine's Day". (Additional reporting by Sheikh Mushtaq in SRINAGAR)
"India has no long-term plans to challenge American military dominance in the Wester Pacific. "
Right now they don't. In 5, 10 or 15 + years, who knows?
"And their interests in fighting Islamic extremism is very much identical to our's. "
Kind of like both Al Qaeda and the US shared the Soviets as an enemy back in the 1980s.
Or like how the US and Iraq once shared Iran as an enemy.
Or like The USSR and America once shared Germany as an enemy.
No, I'm not equating India to al qaeda, I'm just showing that today's friends arent necessarily tomorrows and that sharing a common enemy doesnt make two countries friends necessarily.
"Goa and Hyderabad were ends of colonialism"
It could be argued that way. If that's the case, why doesn't Venezuela have the right to Guiana, or an even better example, why doesnt Indonesia have the right to East Timor?
Goa was culturally and religiously different than India. While they wanted independence from Portugal they didnt necessarily want to be ruled by india. But india never did let them have a referendum. Afriad of the results I guess..
"And I seriously doubt India has designs on taking territory from another nuclear power such as China."
To this day they claim parts of Chinese territory, and the Chinese claim part of India.
"Really, the Indian government persecutes Christians? So, they're not allowed to vote, build churches, worship freely etc.?"
Not the gov't but the Indian Hindus persecute Christians. And not all hindus, but many.
"But I am NOT a racist, NOR do I hate India. Actually, my longstanding conflict with gengis khan and others started on an old thread on which I politely suggested (To ANOTHER POSTER!) that India might be a potential enemy of the United States.
Gengis Khan and his fellow Indians began their response with "you SPEWED..." and proceeded to call me a retard, racist b*st*rd, moron, and other much nastier names that I wont mention here.
And all this was just because I suggested tentatively to someone (not even gengis or his friends) that India might be a potential enemy of the United States."
You sound like Al Gore crying/smarting over election defeat.
"Well they werent actually Indians, most of them were Americans who think of India as allies"
Indian-americans.
"Oh you mean that thread where you tried to insinuate a little trouble and got mauled in the process"
Oh I don't think I got mauled. Actually, you failed to make any points and just kept insulting myself and the others who thought of india as a POTENTIAL enemy.
Our side won, because you could not prove your argument.
"You sound like Al Gore crying/smarting over election defeat."
Um, Ok. This is mainly the reason I am disgusted with you. I try to ratchet down the conflict, but you just cant quit can you?
Oh, well, you just keep proving myself and the other numerous people on FR who recognize India and Hinduism for what they truly are, right.
I dont reply to stupid comments, so my "response" will be limited to this.
Rather than a Valentine's Day celebration they could have a "Bloodlust Day". All the nutcases in the world could get together and celebrate hate and death. They could have a bleeding tulip as their symbol... send hate cards to each other -- maybe blow up their children...
Happy V-day, Genghis and the desis out there.
Don't take the damned article too seriously, its just another occasion for the acadhimmis to equate Hindu cultural nationalism with islamic fundamentalism. The left will never learn!
This isn't Scrappleface?
Nobody published offensive cartoons here. The west is being summarily rejected for behavior that has gone on for years.
Stop posting drivel that is blatantly untrue. Methinks you are attending too many "human sacrifices," you "devil worshipper" (don't bother objecting; I am merely reposting your words).
I don't support the IRA they are terrorists and they are rightly illegal in Ireland.
http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?id=14763
The IRA’s agreement to disarm was thought to have brought fresh impetus to the process; however despite optimism in London and Dublin, resistance by leading unionists looks set to thwart any progress.
Such an idiot you are.
So you have problems with New Mexico and California and others?
<< Pinging to post #101.
".....stolen...by Americans".Pinging to post #101.
".....stolen...by Americans". >>
Not by real Americans. Po-Mo Babbling Post-Modernist 'New-Agers' don't count.
Real Americans have no difficulty with acknowledging your ownership of Kamasutra, just as long as you don't mind our affording Kamasutra its due.
Respectful homage, that is.
<}:^)~<
You are off track. We weren't argueing IPR.
Check post #92.
As Razor so succinctly put: "Transplant but with care".
Gorgeous GSDs!!!
Thanks!! Not only are they a handsome pair, they have me exceedingly well trained....;-)
"Stop posting drivel that is blatantly untrue."
It's completely true. In India Hindu savages also rape Christian women.
Hindu is almost as bad as islam, if not just as bad. Like islam, Hinduism is a religion of evil.
We took Cali and New Mexico etc in a defensive war in which Mexico attacked us.
Goa belonged to a civilized Christian Western nation until the Hindus invaded it as part of their expansionist anschluss to oppress the Christians.
If China ever goes democratic they will be a much better ally to the US than India considering that they are Buddhist and tolerant and peaceful.
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