U.S. looks increasingly to India as it explores new allies

US-INDIA FRIENDSHIP.NET ^ | February 28, 2003 | John E. Carbaugh, Jr.

[SupplySider]

I don't think she cares if they are Muslim or Hindu. As long as they don't hold the same beliefs as her and her friends, they are evil and unworthy of friendship. An unusual take on Christianity.

[Movemout]

"Yes, until they decide they don't want the Christians in their midst to live anymore unless they are converted. "

I think most of India's post colonial history weighs against this statement. I don't expect you to take up the Hindu religion but it doesn't have the violent flavor of another religion, e.g. Moslem.

[lavrenti]

And your point is...what?

What you described is no more bizarre than many aspects of Christian traditions. To the outsider, the Holy Trinity is utter madness.

Get an attitude adjustment before you post any more of smarmy, bigoted remarks.

[swarthyguy]

What? India? What bout Lichtenstein, Andorra and Luxembourg?

On a side note, you want to drive an Indian nuts or at least get him/her thinking, present the following hypothesis:-

It was Clive and later the Raj, that for all its faults, stemmed the inexorable tide of Muslim takeover and conversion of the Hindus. At least one factor among many; even tho' Hindus were present in the Mughal Courts, their existence was defined by the whims and vagaries of the current ruler; consider the openness of Akbar with his Hindu wives and Hindu scholars in his court and studying of Hindu texts with the fiery islam of Aurangzeb, repressing and rolling back the tolerance of Akbar, both Mughal Emperorors of Northern India, ruling the North one after the other.

If not for the British influence, would the islamis have taken over the Hindu kingdoms near Bombay and points south. A historical hypothesis, but has caused rather heated discussions at dinners when i've brought it up as a change from the ad infinitum dotcom discussions so prevalent here a couple of years ago.

Whatever Lord Mountbatten's machinations in India, he did NOT deserve to be blown up by the IRA.

[keri]

Do you have any idea what the word "symbolism" might mean?

Where do you get your information?

Your arrogance is matched quite nicely by your ignorance.

[swarthyguy]

>>Shiva was the Hindu god represented in the movie "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom."

You shouldn't waste your time. A movie directed by a Jewish dude is her point of reference.

Maybe Spielberg is a zecret convert.

[Bill Raka]

Lets look at this from an Indian perspective. India's experience with the US over the past 55 years hasn't been very good :-
1. In 1947 Pak invaded Kashmir using tribals & irregulars. After evicting them from most of Kashmir India took the issue to the UN hoping to have Pak declared as an agressor - but USA & Britain ganged up & got aresolution passed equating both parties.
2. In the 50's & 60's the US armed Pak (giving them weapons free of cost) so that Pak launched Op Gibraltar into Kashmir. India hit back by invading Pak Punjab.
3. In 1971 when the Indian Army was in the process of liberating Bangladesh after the atrocities commited by the Pak Army on their own people, the US threatened India by moving their 7th Fleet into the Indian Ocean.
4. During the 80's Pak was fermenting trouble in Indian Punjab & the US wa supplying them with arms (incl Stinger missiles).
5. Even today the US turns a blind eye to terrorism perpetrated by Pak in Kashmir while professing to fight a war against terror.

Considering that background, India would have to extremely cautious before committing herself to a serious tie-up wth the US.

[caly_dude]

Any religion can be mocked. You can mock 33 gods, but I can mock the idiocy of the bible that says you must have seen Christ (who wandered a shitty little strip of desert for 30 years) to go to heaven, when about 300 million people in the world didn't see him. Does the red sea parting sound any less ridiculous than 33 gods? AT least hindu priests don't rape little boys like christian priests do! And at least hindus don't knock on your door handing out stupid bible readings to try to get you to convert. SO before you mock other religions, look at your own outdated faith. You should be a jihadi, since you have their same irrational religious fervor.

[MeekMom]

Well that was incredibly stupid.
Christian priests do not rape little boys. In the last couple of years the world has seen Catholic men in the news having their sins exposed. And I'm most glad for that.
Convert? No. I'm not converting anyone. The Holy Spirit does that.
No, I do not find any of God's Holy Word ridiculous; on the contrary, life saving!
I'm sorry you don't feel the same.

[Magna]

Well, why should Hollywood portray your country and your beliefs accurately? Don't you have your own multi-million Bollywood movie industry to tell your side of the story? Why are you guys instead wasting out on that opportunity and influence by being more interested in doing song and dance numbers? And girls dancing and seducing people in the rain?

Why not have the guts to make movies about how the Moslem invaders butchered your unarmed Hindu religious people and beliefs, or how the Christians raped and plundered your people during the colonial rule?

Why? Because you people are divided and a pathetic lot. Your weakness is the reason why your Hindu nations has been attacked and conquered time and time again. And it's not changed. And even now, the psuedo-secularist Hindus themselves are involved in Hindu bashing.

Holloywood would never make a movie deemed anti-Jew. Why? Because the finances of that country are in their hands.

Hollowood would also never make an anti-Christian movie. Why? Because that's the country's fundamental belief system. No matter how much we deny it, church and state are one and the same.

Holloywood would also never make an anti-Moslem movie. Why? The violent nature and fanatical followers of the faith will make sure fatwas are issued faster than you can say "action".

Since you Hindus are divided and getting bashed by your own fellow Hindus, who would rather step on their own tolerant religion to protect religious minorities in your country, you are obviously fair game indeed.

The President of the US is not shy of his Christian roots. They have breakfast prayer meetings, and no one says anything. You guys on the other hand are so ashamed of your own Hindu religion, you dare not even have the Prime Minister so much as utter any quotes from your holy book, or be caught have any similar official breakfast prayer meetings in a temple.

So until your country and your religion is willing to stand proud on its own two feet, without being ashamed of being actually the only religion in the world besides the Buddhist to never have had any organized and systematic killing or converting of people of other faiths, by sword or violence, you should all just shut-up and get your act together.