History: Great-granddaughter of Tipu Sultan died in Nazi concentration camp

History: Great-granddaughter of Tipu Sultan died in Nazi concentration camp

History: Great-granddaughter of Tipu Sultan died in Nazi concentration camp

Noor-un-Nisa Inayat Khan was the eldest of four children. Her father Hazrat Inayat Khan came from a princely Indian Muslim family (He was a great-grandson of Tipu Sultan, the famous eighteenth century ruler of Mysore.). He lived in Europe as a musician and a teacher of Sufism.

Bottom: Noor's memorial plaque at the Dachau Memorial Hall

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Online

Source / Credit: Wikipedia | Excerpt

Selection by Ahmadiyya Times | September 6, 2010

Assistant Section Officer Noor Inayat Khan / Nora Baker, (Urdu: نور عنایت خان ) GC, MBE (1 January 1914, Moscow - 13 September 1944, Dachau concentration camp), usually known as Noor Inayat Khan was of Indian Muslim origin. She was a British Special Operations Executive agent in World War II and the first female radio operator to be sent into occupied France to aid the French Résistance.

Noor-un-Nisa Inayat Khan was the eldest of four children. Her father Hazrat Inayat Khan came from a princely Indian Muslim family (He was a great-grandson of Tipu Sultan, the famous eighteenth century ruler of Mysore.). He lived in Europe as a musician and a teacher of Sufism. Her mother, Ora Meena Ray Baker, was an American from Albuquerque, New Mexico who met Inayat Khan during his travels in the United States. Ora Baker was the half-sister of American yogi and scholar, Pierre Bernard, her guardian at the time she met Hazrat Inayat Khan. Noor Inayat Khan's brother, Vilayat Inayat Khan, later became head of the Sufi Order International.

In 1914, shortly before the outbreak of the First World War, the family left Russia for London and lived in Bloomsbury. Noor attended nursery at Notting Hill. In 1920, they settled in France, moving into a house in Suresnes near Paris. It was a gift from a benefactor of the Sufi movement. After the death of her father in 1927, Noor took on the responsibility for her grief-stricken mother and her younger siblings.

The young girl, described as quiet, shy, sensitive, and dreamy, studied child psychology at the Sorbonne and music at Paris conservatory under the famous Nadia Boulanger, composing for harp and piano. She started a career of writing poetry and children's stories and became a regular contributor to children's magazines and French radio. In 1939 her book, Twenty Jataka Tales, inspired by the Jātaka tales of Buddhist tradition, was published in London.

After the outbreak of World War II, when France was overrun by German troops in 1940, the family fled from Paris to Bordeaux and from there by sea to London, landing in Falmouth, Cornwall on 22 June 1940.

Although Noor Inayat Khan was deeply influenced by the pacifist teachings of her father, she and her brother Vilayat decided to help defeat Nazi tyranny.

"I wish some Indians would win high military distinction in this war. If one or two could do something in the Allied service which was very brave and which everybody admired it would help to make a bridge between the English people and the Indians."

On 19 November 1940 she joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), and as an Aircraftwoman 2nd Class, she was sent to be trained as a wireless operator.

Upon assignment to a bomber training school in June 1941, she applied for a commission in an effort to relieve herself of the boring work there. Later she was recruited to join F (France) Section of the Special Operations Executive and in early February 1943 she was posted to the Air Ministry, Directorate of Air Intelligence, seconded to First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY), and sent to Wanborough Manor, near Guildford in Surrey, from there to various other SOE schools for training, including STS 5 Winterfold, STS 36 Boarmans and STS 52 Thame Park. During her training she adopted the name Nora Baker.

Her superiors held mixed opinions on her suitability for secret warfare, and her training was incomplete. Nevertheless, her fluent French and her competency in wireless operation—coupled with a shortage of experienced agents—made her a desirable candidate for service in Nazi-occupied France. On 16/17 June 1943, cryptonymed 'Madeleine'/W/T operator 'Nurse' and under the cover identity of Jeanne-Marie Regnier, Assistant Section Officer/Ensign Inayat Khan was flown to landing ground B/20A 'Indigestion' in Northern France on a night landing double Lysander operation, code named Teacher/Nurse/Chaplain/Monk. She was met by Henri Dericourt.

She traveled to Paris, and together with two other women (Diana Rowden, code named Paulette/Chaplain, and Cecily Lefort, code named Alice/Teacher) Noor joined the Physician network led by Francis Suttill, code named Prosper. Over the next month and a half, all the other Physician network radio operators were arrested by the Sicherheitsdienst (SD). In spite of the danger, Noor rejected an offer to return to Britain. She continued to transmit as the last essential link between London and Paris. Moving from place to place, she managed to escape capture while maintaining wireless communication with London. "She refused to abandon what had become the most important and dangerous post in France and did excellent work."

Imprisonment and death

Khan was betrayed to the Germans, either by Henri Dericourt or by Renée Garry. Dericourt (code name Gilbert) was an SOE officer and former French Air Force pilot who has been suspected of working as a double agent for the German Abwehr. Renée Garry was the sister of Emile Garry, Inayat Khan's organizer in the Physician network.

On or around 13 October 1943 Inayat Khan was arrested and interrogated at the SD Headquarters at 84 Avenue Foch in Paris. Though SOE trainers had expressed doubts about Inayat Khan's gentle and unworldly character, on her arrest she fought so fiercely that SD officers were afraid of her. She was thenceforth treated as an extremely dangerous prisoner. There is no evidence of her being tortured, but her interrogation lasted over a month. During that time, she attempted escape twice. Hans Kieffer, the former head of Gestapo in Paris, testified after the war that she didn't give the Gestapo a single piece of information, but lied consistently.

Although Inayat Khan did not talk about her activities under interrogation, the SD found her notebooks. Contrary to security regulations, she had copied out all the messages she had sent as an SOE operative. Although she refused to reveal any secret codes, the Germans gained enough information from them to continue sending false messages imitating her. London failed to properly investigate anomalies which should have indicated the transmissions were sent under enemy control. And so three more agents sent to France were captured by the Germans at their parachute landing, among them Madeleine Damerment, who was later executed.

On 25 November 1943, Inayat Khan escaped from the SD Headquarters, along with fellow SOE Agents John Renshaw Starr and Leon Faye, but was captured in the immediate vicinity. Most unfortunately, there was an air raid alert as they escaped across the roof. Regulations required a count of prisoners at such times, and their escape was discovered before they could get away. After refusing to sign a declaration renouncing future escape attempts, Inayat Khan was taken to Germany on 27 November 1943 "for safe custody" and imprisoned at Pforzheim in solitary confinement as a "Nacht und Nebel" ("Night and Fog") prisoner, in complete secrecy. For ten months, she was kept there handcuffed.

She was classified as "highly dangerous" and shackled in chains most of the time. As the prison director testified after the war, Inayat Khan remained uncooperative and continued to refuse to give any information on her work or her fellow operatives.

On 11 September 1944 Noor Inayat Khan and three other SOE agents from Karlsruhe prison, Yolande Beekman, Eliane Plewman and Madeleine Damerment, were moved to the Dachau Concentration Camp. In the early hours of the morning, 13 September 1944, the four women were executed by a shot to the head. Their bodies were immediately burned in the crematorium. An anonymous Dutch prisoner emerging in 1958 contended that Noor Inayat Khan was cruelly beaten by a high-ranking SS officer named Wilhelm Ruppert before being shot from behind. Her last word was "Liberté". She was 30 years old.

Noor Inayat Khan was posthumously awarded a British Mention in Dispatches and a French Croix de Guerre with Gold Star. Khan was the third of three World War II FANY members to be awarded the George Cross, Britain's highest award for gallantry not on the battle field.

The Hindu : News / The India Cables : 82638: Afzal Guru's pending execution causing strife for Congress

The Hindu : News / The India Cables : 82638: Afzal Guru's pending execution causing strife for Congress

The Srinagar Valley erupted in protest during the first weeks of Ramazan when the Indian Supreme Court upheld a death sentence for Mohammad Afzal Guru, a convicted facilitator of the 2001 attacks on the Indian Parliament.

82638 10/20/2006 12:49 06 NEWDELHI 7273 Embassy New Delhi CONFIDENTIAL "VZCZCXRO5676OO RUEHBC RUEHDBU RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHLH RUEHPW RUEHROVDE RUEHNE #7273/01 2931249ZNY CCCCC ZZHO 201249Z OCT 06FM AMEMBASSY NEW DELHITO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9763INFO RUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVERUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 4067RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 7475RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 757RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 0556RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 3490RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 8202RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 1718RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 0231RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 3928RUEHCI/AMCONSUL CALCUTTA 6847RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 6901RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI 5704RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE 3097RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 6128RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR 3714RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDCRHEHNSC/NSC WASHDCRUEIDN/DNI WASHINGTON DCRHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HIRUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2613RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FLRUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 4921RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HIRHMFISS/HQ USSOCOM MACDILL AFB FLRUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC" C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NEW DELHI 007273

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/25/2016

TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PTER, PINR, PBTS, MOPS, KDEM, KISL, PK, IN

SUBJECT: KASHMIR: PENDING EXECUTION CAUSING STRIFE FOR CONGRESS NEW DELHI 00007273 001.2 OF 003

Classified By: PolCouns Ted Osius for Reasons 1.4 (B, D)

1. (C) Summary. The Srinagar Valley erupted in protest during the first weeks of Ramazan when the Indian Supreme Court upheld a death sentence for Mohammad Afzal Guru, a convicted facilitator of the 2001 attacks on the Indian Parliament. The Indian President has granted Afzal's family a temporary reprieve, postponing indefinitely his execution until the Home Ministry puts forward a recommendation for or against clemency. India rarely carries out the death penalty, and if Afzal is hanged, he would be only the second convicted terrorist from Jammu and Kashmir formally executed during more than 15 years of armed conflict. For the sections of Srinagar's Muslim population who have been outspoken on this issue, the possible execution highlights concerns about the fairness of the Indian justice system and failures in India's longstanding program to demobilize and reintegrate surrendered militants. For much of the rest of the Indian public, especially non-Muslims, Afzal is a confessed terrorist, who is unrepentant for his role in the 2001 attack on India's Parliament. For much of the public, commuting his sentence would demonstrate that India remains weak in the face of attacks emanating from Pakistan. For the Congress government, the execution presents a significant electoral dilemma. Congress sources tell us that if the UPA grants a pardon for Afzal or stalls his execution, the Congress Party will be portrayed by BJP leaders as weak on national security. If, however, the President lets him hang, some fear Congress may lose support from their traditional Muslim vote block on a national scale. End Summary.

Guilty As Charged?

------------------

2. (C) Mohammad Afzal's part in the Parliament attacks appears to have been as a direct facilitator. Press reports indicate that he gave shelter to Jaish-i-Muhammad members in New Delhi before the attack, was in constant contact with them during their time in New Delhi, and purchased the Ambassador car that was used to get them past the Parliament's first line of security. In trying Afzal, the prosecution found that the now defunct Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) was not strong enough to seek the death penalty for his facilitating role. To be given the death penalty, under POTA, one had to be involved in the attack itself or its direct planning. Instead, Afzal was convicted under Section 120(b) of the Indian Penal Code for conspiring to wage war against the state -- a statute that human rights attorney Ravi Nair claims was written for attempted coups leaders. He says the strongest piece of evidence presented by the prosecution at Afzal's trial was a confession, which the police video taped and aired publicly before his trial began. Chief among Nair's concerns is whether torture was involved in obtaining this confession. Nair also argued that Afzal was denied a lawyer during the first stages of his trial, but when prompted further by PolOff, Nair admitted that the government appointed Afzal a public defender.

Kashmiri Anger

--------------

3. (C) Nair's comments mirror strong public statements by Kashmiri leaders ranging from separatist leader Yasin Malik to former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah that the entire

NEW DELHI 00007273 002.2 OF 003 Srinagar Valley will go up in flames if Afzal is hanged. Press reports indicate that hardline separatist Sayed Ali Shah Geelani has led multiple protests in Srinagar, calling for Afzal's martyrdom, and using the slogan ""Go forth, Afzal. We are with you."" Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad also stepped into the controversy, urging the President to at least postpone the Supreme Court's order to hang Afzal until after Ramazan because of religious sensitivities. The President subsequently agreed to hear Afzal's wife's request for clemency, a decision that fulfilled the Chief Minister's request and could potentially postpone the execution for many years, as has been the practice with several death penalty cases in the past.

Surrendered Combatant

---------------------

4. (C) For Yasin Malik -- himself a former terrorist who has become an advocate against violence -- the case represents a crucial problem for India in its efforts to bring former combatants back into mainstream society. Press reports argue that Afzal's history as a surrendered militant, who was prompted by the Indian government to spy on his former colleagues, left him vulnerable to Jaish-i-Muhammad members when they came to New Delhi asking for help in carrying out the attack. When so many common citizens in the Valley are threatened by both security forces and militants, Malik commented to PolOff, many Kashmiri Muslims feel sympathy for Afzal. Afzal's only crime, Malik argued, was buying a car. How does this warrant a death sentence?

Meeting a Violent End

---------------------

5. (C) Malik's comments, however, do not reflect the beliefs of many Kashmiri separatist leaders in the Valley. Moderate XXXXXXXXXXXX\ Hurriyat Leader XXXXXXXXXXXX told PolOff candidly that his faction of political separatists were remaining as quiet as possible about the issue because they do not feel strongly that India should pardon Afzal. While they were concerned that Afzal did not have adequate representation during parts of his trial, privately they say that he should be executed if he is guilty. ""If someone is a terrorist,"" XXXXXXXXXXXX said, ""they should meet a violent end."" He said politically, however, moderate members of the Hurriyat are unable to express this view publicly, given the mood in the valley and the threat from terrorists. For this reason, the moderate Hurriyat as a body has remained relatively quiet about the issue. While some may speak on Afzal's behalf individually, this was only out of a sense of obligation rather than strong conviction. XXXXXXXXXXXX further commented that moderates like himself were losing support because of the controversy among Kashmiri Muslims, especially a small but growing cadre of Kashmiri youth who are being educated in extremist madrassas springing up across Srinagar with Pakistani Jamaat-i-Islami party funding.

Let Him Hang

------------

NEW DELHI 00007273 003.2 OF 003

6. (C) Kashmiri Pundit leader Shokti Bhan mirrored many of XXXXXXXXXXXX arguments about the Afzal case. Having protested the President's willingness to consider clemency, Bhan argued that the Supreme Court's decision to overturn two other convictions and to commute another death sentence stemming from the attack to life imprisonment demonstrates that Afzal's case has been held up to significant judicial scrutiny. If the Supreme Court believed that he was not given a fair trial, they would have overturned his sentence. She applauded a recent Supreme Court decision admonishing the President and state governors from granting clemency purely for political reasons. She said that it didn't matter that Afzal did not pull the trigger in the case -- he knew what was being planned, and he helped the terrorists carry out that plan. She said if the Congress government spares Afzal, the entire country will be against them because they are leaving India vulnerable to terrorists.

An Electoral Dilemma for Congress

---------------------------------

7. (C) Comment: The case raises electoral problems for Congress at a national level. Outside of Kashmir, public opinion -- still raw from Mumbai -- is strongly in favor of Afzal's execution. A journalist commented that Congress can't be seen giving a pass to both Pakistan in the Mumbai case as well as giving clemency to Afzal or else the BJP will subject them to withering attacks. On the other hand, Congress does not want to anger the Muslim population in Uttar Pradesh just ahead of crucial elections in February 2007. The Afzal case has also provided an issue to the Left parties, which have called for clemency and the abolition of the death penalty, winning points from both Muslims and secular leftists. This means that the Congress is now under pressure from both the Left and the Right. Internally, the case may also bring to light longstanding animosity between President Kalam and Sonia Gandhi, especially as a member of her own party, Chief Minister Azad, has argued on Afzal's behalf. The easiest option for Congress may be to delay Afzal's execution for years to consider his appeal for clemency, but if President Kalam believes Sonia won't grant him a second term next summer, he may choose to push the issue into the forefront again at a crucial moment. Regardless of the outcome, the case presents a difficult electoral challenge for Congress.

PYATT

Keywords: The India Cables, cable82638, Geoffrey R. Pyatt, Afzal Guru, Congress, Parliament attack

The Hindu : News / The India Cables : Sonia versus Kalam?

The Hindu : News / The India Cables : Sonia versus Kalam?

U.S. Embassy official on the Congress ‘dilemma' over Afzal Guru's execution

The issue of executing Mohammed Afzal Guru, sentenced to death in the 2001 Parliament attack case, “may bring to light longstanding animosity between President [A.P.J. Abdul] Kalam and Sonia Gandhi,” states a cable sent by the United States Embassy in New Delhi to Washington in 2006. It added that this was so “especially as a member of her own party, [Jammu and Kashmir] Chief Minister [Ghulam Nabi] Azad, has argued on Afzal's behalf” — a possible reference to news reports that Mr. Azad had pressed for clemency to be granted to the convict.

Sent on October 20, 2006 by Geoffrey Pyatt, U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission, the cable (82638: confidential) goes on to conjecture mischievously that “if President Kalam believes Sonia won't grant him a second term next summer, he may choose to push the issue into the forefront again at a crucial moment.”

Accessed by The Hindu through WikiLeaks, the cable highlights the “significant electoral dilemma” the Afzal Guru issue posed for the Congress, just ahead of the “crucial” elections to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly in early-2007. It quotes unnamed party sources as telling the Embassy that if “the UPA grants a pardon for Afzal or stalls his execution, the Congress Party will be portrayed by BJP leaders as weak on national security. If, however, the President lets him hang, some fear Congress may lose support from their traditional Muslim vote block on a national scale.”

The cable records the difference in the manner in which Kashmiri Muslims and the rest of the Indian public reacted to Afzal Guru's possible execution. It says that for Srinagar's Muslim population, it “highlights concerns about the fairness of the Indian justice system and failures in India's longstanding program to demobilize and reintegrate surrendered militants [such as Afzal Guru]”… For much of the public, commuting his sentence would demonstrate India remains weak in the face of attacks emanating from Pakistan.”

KASHMIR FACTOR

It quotes Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front Chairman Yasin Malik as telling a Consulate political officer that many “Kashmiri Muslims feel sympathy for Afzal” and that his only crime was “buying a car.” (Afzal Guru was not a member of the team that attacked Parliament but had bought the Ambassador car which breached Parliament's first line of security.) “How does this warrant a death sentence?” Mr. Malik is said to have asked. However, Mr. Malik's comments were at variance with many moderate Kashmiri separatist leaders in the Valley. One Hurriyat leader told the Consulate's political officer that his faction was “remaining as quiet as possible because they do not feel strongly that Indian should pardon Afzal.”

He said “moderate members of the Hurriyat are unable to express this view publicly, given the mood in the Valley and the threat from terrorists. He claimed that the controversy over Afzal Guru had led to a loss of support for moderates such as himself among Kashmiri Muslims, “especially [among] a small but growing cadre of Kashmiri youth who are being educated in extremist madarassas springing up across Srinagar with Pakistani Jamaat-i-Islami party funding.”

The cable suggests that the “easiest option for the Congress may be to delay Afzal's execution for years to consider his appeal for clemency.” This is exactly what has happened. In February 2011, Home Minister P. Chidambaram clarified in Parliament that Afzal Guru's mercy petition, filed on October 3, 2006, had not yet been forwarded to President Pratibha Patil.

Keywords: Cable82638, The India Cables, Cablegate, WikiLeaks, Afzal Guru mercy petition, President Kalam, Sonia Gandhi, Geoffrey Pyatt

The Hindu : News / The India Cables : REVEALED: THE INDIA CABLES FROM WIKILEAKS

The Hindu : News / The India Cables : REVEALED: THE INDIA CABLES FROM WIKILEAKS

Fascinating insights: 5,100 cables, six million words; what they're about & what's in store

Starting today, March 15, The Hindu offers its readers a series of unprecedented insights into India's foreign policy and domestic affairs, diplomatic, political, economic, social, cultural, and intellectual – encountered, observed, tracked, interpreted, commented upon, appreciated, and pilloried by U.S. diplomats cabling the State Department in Washington D.C.

The range of subjects, issues, and persons covered by the India Cables is extraordinary. While the trained diplomat's eye is almost always on the ball – the developing Indo-U.S. strategic relationship and everything that helps or hinders it – the range includes India's relations with its neighbours, with Russia, the European Union, East Asia, Israel, Palestine, Iran, and the rest of West Asia, Africa, Cuba, the United Nations. It covers issues and actions relating to defence cooperation, nuclear policy, arms control, terrorism, intelligence sharing, export control, human rights, Indian bureaucracy, environment, AfPak, and much more. There is a special focus on 26/11, Kashmir, India's policy towards and dealings with Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, and where the Indian polity is headed.

Politicians of all shades, diplomats and other officials, sleuths, businessmen, journalists, busybodies, bigwigs and smallwigs figure in the WikiLeaks India Cache – which comprises 5,100 U.S. Embassy and consulate cables relevant to India (not all of them originating in India) and aggregates an astonishing six million words.

These American diplomats have been trained to listen, probe and prod, massage egos, milk sources, report, and write (supplying accessible and, at times, witty and elegant headings and sub-headings) to inform, analyse, and amuse – as though they were full-time journalists. Many of them work like wire service beavers: long lunches, yes, but very often, same day reports of important meetings. Few things escape their notice. Most of the time, they see Indian men, women, and matters through the reflected mirror of U.S. strategic interests and policy.

The India Cables have been accessed by The Hindu through an arrangement with WikiLeaks that involves no financial transaction and no financial obligations on either side. As with the larger ‘Cablegate' cache to which these cables belong, they are classified into six categories: confidential, confidential/noforn (confidential, no foreigners), secret, secret/noforn, unclassified, and unclassified/for official use only.

Our contacts with WikiLeaks were initiated in the second week of December 2010. It was a period when Cablegate had captured the attention and imagination of a news-hungry world.

On November 28, 2010, five major western newspapers (The Guardian, The New York Times, Der Spiegel, Le Monde, and El Pais) and WikiLeaks made a huge splash by publishing a selection from the cables that provided readers worldwide with what WikiLeaks has described as “an unprecedented insight into U.S. government foreign activities.” These newspapers had put the cables through a painstaking and painfully slow process of ‘redaction,' applying varying criteria according to their lights. They drew on the cables to publish dozens of stories, ranging from the sensational through the instructive to the amusing; the newspapers' journalists provided context, background, analysis, interpretation, and comment.

But by now WikiLeaks was under siege. An organisation committed to openness, transparency, and justice and its charismatic Editor-in-Chief, Julian Assange, had come under fierce, concerted attack orchestrated by the United States. The attack dogs were after Mr. Assange's blood and the organisation had to use the utmost ingenuity to continue to function.

That it was able to do so and even spread its wings in a matter of weeks speaks to the tremendous vitality and technological power of “this new form of indestructible publishing” (to borrow Guardian Editor Alan Rusbridger's phrase) and the solidarity and practical support this mission, which Mr. Assange considers an integral part of journalism, has been able to inspire among thousands of people round the world.

The WikiLeaks database made available to the five newspapers comprised 251,187 cables from 280 U.S. embassies and consulates in 180 countries. The total word length of the cables was estimated to be 300 million. From the start of our interactions with WikiLeaks, The Hindu had its eye on the India Cables, reported to number in the thousands, of which only 40 have been published (http://213.251.145.96/origin /60_0.html).

Hopes of getting our hands on the entire India Cache rose in the second half of December when Julian Assange spoke, in a newspaper interview, of “the incredible potential of the Indian media” in a context of “a lot of corruption” (waiting to be exposed), a rising middle class, and growing access to the internet – and specifically mentioned and praised The Hindu.

To cut the story short, our active contacts with WikiLeaks resumed in mid-February 2011. A breakthrough was achieved without any fuss, resulting in a detailed understanding on the terms and modus of publication, including redacting (where, and only where, necessary) and compliance with a security protocol for protecting and handling the sensitive material – and we had the whole cache of the India Cables in our hands in early March.

Unlike the experience of the five western newspapers, which were involved in a prolonged and complex collaborative venture even while making independent publication choices (described in two books published by The Guardian and The New York Times), The Hindu's receipt, processing, and publication of the cables is a standalone arrangement with WikiLeaks, which, as in the case of the five newspapers, has no say in the content of stories we publish based on the cables.

We quickly assembled a team of experienced journalists – writers, including foreign correspondents, and editors – as well as digital information and data specialists for the India Cables publication project, to which we gave no particular name.

The team worked long hours in a secured office space, practically without a day's break, sifting through the data, categorising, segmenting, and speed-reading the cables, searching with keywords, redacting if necessary, making a large first selection of what seemed most relevant and interesting, and re-reading the cables to write dozens of stories, formatting and uploading the cables online for global reach. Quiet, controlled excitement reigned for the most part within the confined environment, even when fatigue set in and nerves were frayed. It is still work in progress.

Keywords: The India Cables, WikiLeaks, Cablegate, Indo-U.S. strategic relationship, Julian Assange

The Hindu : News / The India Cables : 73697: Indian Muslim resentment smouldering over Lebanon and Gaza

The Hindu : News / The India Cables : 73697: Indian Muslim resentment smouldering over Lebanon and Gaza

Events in Lebanon and Gaza have attracted considerable attention in India, but are of particular concern to the country's 130 million Muslims. The Urdu press has treated Lebanon/Gaza events in great detail. Editorial opinion --some planted by Iranian agents-- is uniformly anti-Israel and anti-US.

73697 8/4/2006 9:15 06NEWDELHI5470 Embassy New Delhi CONFIDENTIAL "VZCZCXRO0380OO RUEHBC RUEHDBU RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHLH RUEHPWDE RUEHNE #5470/01 2160915ZNY CCCCC ZZHO 040915Z AUG 06FM AMEMBASSY NEW DELHITO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7344INFO RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVERUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVERUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 3306RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 6651RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 6665RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 9704RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 7346RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 9558RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 3669RUEHCI/AMCONSUL CALCUTTA 5735RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 5760RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI 5084RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE 2928RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 4973RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR 3569RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDCRHEHNSC/NSC WASHDCRUEIDN/DNI WASHINGTON DCRHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HIRUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1940RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FLRUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 4240RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HIRHMFISS/HQ USSOCOM MACDILL AFB FLRUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC" "C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 06 NEW DELHI 005470

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/04/2016 TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PHUM, PINR, PTER, KISL, SCUL, EINV, IN, LE, IS SUBJECT: INDIAN MUSLIM RESENTMENT SMOLDERING OVER LEBANON AND GAZA

NEW DELHI 00005470 001.2 OF 006

Classified By: Charge Geoff Pyatt for reasons 1.4 (B,D)

1. (C) Summary: Events in Lebanon and Gaza have attracted considerable attention in India, but are of particular concern to the country's 130 million Muslims. The Urdu press has treated Lebanon/Gaza events in great detail. Editorial opinion --some planted by Iranian agents-- is uniformly anti-Israel and anti-US. Despite this, Muslims have just started to demonstrate. Islamic firebrand preacher Kalbe Jawad held an anti-US rally in New Delhi on August 3 and numerous Islamic organizations are expected to demonstrate after Friday prayers on August 4. Our Muslim contacts assert that there is growing anger against the US and Israel, with demonstrations and violence possible. Generally pleased with the GOI condemnation of Israeli actions and its support for an immediate cease-fire, they agree that if a cease-fire proposal is tabled soon, with the possibility of enactment in a manner of days, it would take the wind out of the sales of planned protests. However, Indian Muslims are angry and could still be mobilized in the streets should hostilities continue. Seeking to manage this reaction, the Foreign Ministry has issued several strong condemnations of Israeli action, conveniently overlooking the increasingly tight security and technology relationship between the two countries. End Summary.

Following Middle East Events

----------------------------

2. (C) Our Muslim contacts confirm that India's Muslims are following events in Gaza and Lebanon with great interest, and that the Urdu press has devoted much more space to these issues than English and Hindi language newspapers. Indian media (both print and electronic) have made some of the same points emphasized in other countries with sizable Muslim populations, pointing to the increased prestige accorded to Shias and Hizbollah through its ""resistance,"" and the increased importance of Islamic groups in Lebanon and Palestinian areas. Shias are a small minority among Indian Muslims, but the conflict between Hizbollah and Israel has focused Muslim attention on this Shia organization, with Sunnis expressing admiration for a Shia group they once held in contempt. Following the outbreak of Israel/Hezbollah hostilities, the US has been repeatedly identified within the Muslim community as the power behind Israeli ""aggression,"" while US calls for a ""new Middle East"" and a sustainable cease-fire have been subjected to ridicule.

What the Urdu Press is Saying

-----------------------------

3. (U) A July 26 editorial in the Urdu daily ""Jadeed In-Dinon"" called for the ""Islamic world to stand united against Israel,"" and accused the US of ""double standards"" and ""hypocrisy"" by ""providing sophisticated arms to Israel"" while ""the entire world community is silent over Israeli aggression against Lebanon and Palestine."" The editorial then claimed that Israel is acting as a stalking horse for the US to ""test the courage and spirit of Iran, which has been creating lots of trouble for America for a long time."" A July 27 editorial in the Urdu daily ""Munsif"" praises ""Shah Abdullah of Saudi Arabia"" who ""has once again shown courage by warning Israel of a possible war spreading over the entire West Asian region."" and points out that ""as the custodian of the two

NEW DELHI 00005470 002.2 OF 006

holy mosques and the ruler of the biggest (sic.) Islamic country, the statement comes as a resurgence of the slumbering Arab conscience."" On July 25, another Urdu newspaper ""Dawat"" criticized the US as the ""self assumed leader of the world"" and warned that the US could be subject to a ""public onslaught in the event of a worsening situation in Palestine and Lebanon."" ""Rashtriya Sahara,"" the Urdu newspaper of the powerful Sahara business combine on July 29 described Israel as a nation ""drunk with power and might,"" which has ""oppressed and wreaked havoc on innocent civilians and helpless citizens."" It urged the US, ""the patron force behind Israel,"" to stop the war at once.

More Demonstrations Expected

----------------------------

4. (C) Muslim demonstrations in India center around the Friday prayers. July 28 was largely quiet. The big exception was at Old Delhi's Jamma Mosque. In his Friday sermon, Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari told the congregation that Israeli actions in Lebanon ""had the full backing of the United States,"" and was part of a continuing pattern of Israeli and American attacks against Lebanon and Palestine. Bukhari pointed out that the GOI had long been sympathetic towards the aspirations of the Palestinian people, but had now changed its tune, as it had become ""US-centric."" He accused the GOI of taking a muddled stance on the Lebanon issue in response to American pressure. Muslims paraded through the old city after the prayers waving Palestinian flags and shouting anti-Israel slogans. Our Muslim sources tell us that Muslim organizations are planning large anti-Israel and anti-US demonstrations after the Friday prayers on August 4, which they expect will be much more widespread and virulent than on July 28.

Views of a Leading Maulvi

-------------------------

5. (C) Poloff met with Imam Bukhari on August 1 to sound him out about the Lebanon situation. He predicted that August 4 would be a quiet Friday and that we should expect a quiet weekend. Noting that he had already made a statement on the issue, Bukhari said he had no intention of bringing it up again. He pointed out that the large anti-US demonstrations that took place during the POTUS visit were motivated by the controversy surrounding the Danish cartoons and that Indian Muslims did not look at the Lebanon issue in the same light. Without that emotional catalyst, he maintained, there was little likelihood of a massive spontaneous outburst. According to Bukhari, Indian Muslims look to their leadership to organize a successful agitation, and in this case no ""trusted leader"" has stepped forward. He claimed that several organizations had approached him to lead demonstrations on August 4, but he declined.

Support for Lebanon Not Hizbollah

---------------------------------

6. (C) This does not mean, however, that Indian Muslims are not angry. Bukhari emphasized that there is universal support for Lebanon and against Israel. Despite this, Muslims in India are inherently ""weak"" and incapable of concerted action without direction from above. Bukhari also pointed out that Indian Muslims do not widely admire

NEW DELHI 00005470 003.2 OF 006

organizations like Hizbollah and the Taliban, as they are ""always preaching war."" Most Indian Muslims have concluded that ""there is something wrong"" with the Jihad approach to Muslim problems. There is a perception that Jihadis are not ""blessed by Allah."" Instead, Indian Muslims look for a ""positive approach."" He asserted that despite the media hype, there has been no appreciable increase of support for Hizbollah in India and that Indian Muslims are tired of the Sunni/Shia divide and look at sectarian organizations like Hizbollah with suspicion.

But Tempers Could Blow

----------------------

7. (C) Bukhari warned, however, that Muslim sentiments will become roused if the Lebanon situation goes on much longer, as ""oppression of innocents unites Muslims."" He noted that the onus is on the US and the UN to end this ""oppression"" before sentiments get out of hand. He asserted that Indian Muslims are universally unhappy with the Bush administration's support for Israel, stating that you can ""ask any Muslim and they will tell you they are unhappy with Condaleeza Rice's statement that Israel has the right to defend itself."" He confirmed that Indian Muslims will ""blame the US"" for Israel's actions. Conceding that ""Hizbollah is not a great organization,"" he lamented what he called Israeli over-reaction, saying ""you cannot fight a fire with more fire."" Bukhari urged the USG to sponsor a conference on the Middle East in which prominent Muslims could sit down and discuss US foreign policy with a USG representative, saying that this would go a long way towards cooling tempers.

Barelvi Maulvi Less Complacent

------------------------------

8. (C) Qari Mian Mazari, a leading Maulvi politician from the moderate Barelvi school, was less complacent than Imam Bukhari. He maintained that Muslim emotions were being fired-up by a steady stream of propaganda from the Urdu press. He pointed out that there are over 100 Urdu newspapers in India with an enormous influence over Muslim attitudes. Mazari claimed that the Iranian Embassy had paid for the placement of 15 anti-Israel/anti-US articles in the Urdu press since hostilities began in Lebanon and planned to continue to spending large sums to play up the Lebanon story. He was particularly angry with the Urdu newspaper ""Nai Duniya (New World),"" which is published by Shahid Siddiqi, a Muslim MP from the Samajwadi Party (SP). Mazari noted that Siddiqi had published a special edition of the paper with 24 pages devoted to the glorification of Hizbollah and had distributed 50,000 copies free of charge throughout India. He claimed that the entire project was funded by Teheran.

9. (C) According to Mazari a loose group of ""wahhabi"" organizations including the Jamaat-Islami, and Jamaat-i-Ulema-i-Hind and the recently-founded ""Peoples' Democratic Front"" of firebrand Shia cleric Kalbe Jawad, have organized protests to follow Friday prayers on August 4. Although these organizations are well-funded, he noted, they have only limited appeal. Mazari agreed with Bukhari that Muslim groups that ""go for the negative"" do not fare well in India. He asserted, however, that Kalbe Jawad's Lucknow following would ensure a sizable turn-out in the Uttar Pradesh capital.

NEW DELHI 00005470 004.2 OF 006

Muslim Cross-section Angry and Adamant

--------------------------------------

10. (C) On August 2, Poloff met with six Muslims, including a Deobandi Maulvi, a Secretary in All Indian Congress Committee, the leader of a Muslim NGO, and several journalists and Congress party workers to discuss Lebanon/Gaza developments. They expressed happiness with UPA handling of Middle East developments, pointing out that 18 Muslim MPs from various parties met with both the Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi to discuss the Lebanon/Gaza issue. In the meeting, the MPs purportedly told the PM and Party President that they unanimously condemned the Israeli actions and urged India to push for an immediate cease fire and for a resolution of all disputes through negotiations rather than armed conflict. The MPs were said to be pleased with their reception and the reassurances provided by Mrs. Gandhi and the PM, who agreed that a committee of Muslim MPs would provide ""advice"" to the GOI on Middle East policy.

11. (C) The group were unhappy with the Urdu media, accusing Urdu newspapers of ""exploiting the feelings of Muslims to encourage sales."" They pointed out that ""educated Muslims"" did not rely on emotions and took a more detached approach to the issues. All agreed that Muslims in India viewed events in Lebanon as a clear case of Israeli aggression. They noted that Muslims may not take out mass processions and protests, but were angry and ""protesting"" in myriads of ways, such as letters to the editor, speeches during Friday prayers and statements in Parliament. They also stated that in Muslim eyes, the US was ""protecting"" Israel and this was increasing anti-US sentiment. They noted that the popular view is that the UN and world opinion had condemned ""Israeli aggression,"" but the US had ignored these developments and ""encouraged Israel to act immorally."" This ""double standard,"" they asserted, had negated all USG Muslim outreach efforts of the past year.

Overlap With the Left

---------------------

12. (C) Muslims are not the only group that has focused on events in Lebanon. India's Leftists have an historic animosity against Israel, routinely link the USG with Israeli policy, and do not want to see New Delhi and Washington growing too close. Their attitude was summed up in a July 26 editorial in ""The Telegraph,"" by veteran journalist KP Nayar, who has close ties to Left. Nayar asserts that the Israeli action against Lebanon mirrors the US policy in Iraq and that both will backfire. He predicted that the Israeli ""aggression"" will destroy Lebanon's nascent democratic government, while increasing the prestige and power of both Hizbollah and Syria. This, he asserted, will reconfigure opposition to Israel into a strict Islamic mode, and Israel will face ""a formidable, wholly radical Islamist enemy in Palestinian territories.""

13. (C) Nayar maintained that this will have a huge impact on Indian Muslims, who will become energized against the US and the budding US/India relationship. As proof, Nayar pointed to a June 22 meeting between two Muslim Congress leaders from Kerala and Party President Sonia Gandhi in which they purportedly ""emphasized to her the need for the UPA to

NEW DELHI 00005470 005.2 OF 006

demonstrate to India's minorities that the country was not cosying up to America."" Nayar asserted that ""from Malaysia to Morocco, for Muslims, America is the number one enemy today. To ignore that sentiment in a country with around 140 million Muslims is to ignore a sizable segment of public opinion.""

But No Intention to Rock the Boat

---------------------------------

14. (C) In an August 2 meeting, veteran journalist Zafar Agha opined that while the Left has traditionally staked out a pro-Palestine stance, it was not going to press the Lebanon/Gaza issue this time. Agha noted that there is a growing consensus among the Left parties that it does no good to overly antagonize the US. This, claimed Agha, stems from the increasing stake that the Left has in managing West Bengal and Kerala and the lack of economic alternatives. The pro-investment camp has purportedly determined that foreign policy issues should not be allowed to endanger foreign investments. Agha maintained that the Left leaders, like the rest of the Indian upper middle class, send their children to study in the US and expect them to land good jobs in American multinationals afterwards and don't want to endanger their future. Thus, he emphasized, the Left will make common cause with the Muslims on Lebanon, but only up to a point and not enough to endanger the status quo.

15. (C) Agha also maintained that the Muslims will ""lie low,"" as they are still reeling from the aftereffects of the Mumbai terrorist attack. The attack focused unwanted attention on the Muslim community and encouraged Hindu nationalists to link Muslims with terrorism. The security apparatus also supposedly engaged in wholesale roundups of Muslims in Mumbai, arresting 2,000 innocent Muslim males and holding them on suspicion, many because they wore skullcaps and beards. Agha stated that with the Mumbai bombing such a recent occurrence, Muslims would not prefer to take to the streets over Lebanon and attract a feared backlash. Describing the Indian Muslim leadership as a ""bunch of mercenaries,"" Agha was all but certain that the GOI/UPA had paid off most prominent leaders to maintain peace, leaving only those on Iran's payroll to sponsor demonstrations.

Has an Impact on the GOI

------------------------

16. (C) Imam Bukhari asserted to his congregation on July 28 that the GOI was rudderless when it came to events in Lebanon as it had grown too close to the US. Stung, and mindful of the electoral clout of Muslims, the GOI moved quickly on August 1 to dispel such notions. In a statement by its official spokesman, the MEA asserted that, ""India strongly condemns the continued irresponsible and indiscriminate bombing of Lebanon by the Israeli military, ignoring calls for restraint. Particularly outrageous is the bombing this morning of a building in Qana in South Lebanon."" The MEA statement went on to call for an ""immediate and unconditional cease-fire."" In addition, Parliament on July 31 passed a unanimous resolution strongly condemning ""the large-scale and indiscriminate bombing by the Zionist Regime on Lebanon,"" and calling for an ""immediate and unconditional cease-fire to prevent further destruction in Lebanon."" These overt condemnations of Israeli policy have yet to have an impact on

NEW DELHI 00005470 006.2 OF 006

burgeoning India/Israel ties. The GOI's quiet, but growing technology and security relationship with Israel continues unabated.

Limited but Noticeable Impact on PA Programs

-------------------------------------------

17. (C) The conflict in Lebanon has had a direct impact on some PA programs, while others have proceeded normally. PA speaker Akram Elias, a Lebanese-American (Christian) in India and part of a program on ""Religious Diversity in the US,"" had two of his speaking engagements canceled due to opposition to US policy in support of Israel. ""Islamic Voice,"" a moderate Muslim magazine in Bangalore canceled his program after receiving letters of protest and threat saying is was inappropriate to have a US-Lebanese speaker now. Saifia College, a Muslim college in Bhopal, also canceled a program citing scheduling problems, although an official informally informed the Embassy it was due to US policy supporting ""Israeli aggression.""

18. (C) Separately, a media outreach program with US speaker Dr. Wais, a scholar on the Urdu language, has proceeded normally in Moradabad (UP), with a DVC with Kashmir University in Srinagar, and a lunch for Muslim Urdu editors in Delhi. Finally, 15 students from Jamia Millia University in Delhi backed out of a planned ""town hall"" meeting with A/S Boucher citing their opposition to US policy in Lebanon.

The Muslim Factor

-----------------

19. (C) Congress came to power on the strength of its oft-proclaimed ""secularism."" It contrasted its attitude towards ""minorities"" (meaning Muslims) with that of the Hindu nationalist BJP. Many commentators have asserted that with the strong overlap in economic and foreign policy between the two parties, this was one undeniable difference. Since coming to power, Congress has tried to win back the Muslim voter from the regional parties to which most Muslims currently claim allegiance. Indian Muslims have demonstrated time and again that they are opposed to the US tilt towards Israel and have strong sympathies with Palestine (and now the people of Lebanon). In the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh (UP), the ruling Samajwadi Party has determined that the best way to maintain Muslim allegiance is to adopt a pro-Iran, pro-Hizbollah, anti-Israel, anti-US stance. While Congress would like to win over the Muslims, it is constrained as to how far it can go, as it does not want to risk alienating the US. At the same time, the Left wing of Congress and the Communist/Socialist parties of the Left front share a deep animosity to US Middle East policy. This has forced the GOI to play a delicate balancing act.

20. (C) Much will depend on the reaction of Indian Muslims to Middle East events. So far, while Muslims are smoldering, their deep resentments have not burst into flame. Demonstrations and public outpouring of emotion have been few. We should expect more demonstrations on August 4 and perhaps throughout the weekend.

21. (U) Visit New Delhi's Classified Website: (http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/sa/newdelhi/)

PYATT

Keywords: Geoffrey Pyatt, cable73697, The India Cables, west asia unrest, India West Asia policy

The Hindu : News / The India Cables : West Asia policy hostage to ‘Muslim vote'

The Hindu : News / The India Cables : West Asia policy hostage to ‘Muslim vote'

The United Progressive Alliance government's policy towards West Asia is dictated by its anxiety to keep the “politically influential Muslim vote bloc” in good humour, thus forcing it to walk a “tight rope” and refrain from engaging “too deeply” with the region. This is the recurring assessment sent to headquarters by confidential U.S. Embassy cables, accessed by The Hindu through WikiLeaks. New Delhi's reactions to Hamas's election victory in 2006, to Israel's attacks on Lebanon later that year, and to its air strikes on Gaza in 2008 are all interpreted through this lens.

‘GUTLESS’

Communications to Washington from senior American diplomats in the New Delhi Embassy constantly portray India's West Asia policy as being hostage to the Muslim factor in domestic politics. In its bid not to antagonise Muslim voters, the cables explained, the government was forced to play down its “strategic relationship” with Israel.

In one raw cable dated March 31, 2006 (58913: confidential), Ambassador David Mulford characterised India's public position on its relations with Israel as “gutless” and lacking in “moral clarity.” “The underlying straddle of meek statements about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict combined with full-steam-ahead engagement with Israel on practical and strategic matters,” he wrote scathingly, “is unlikely to change. We should not expect any public courage from India anytime soon when it comes to condemning Hamas or reacting on [Ehud] Olmert's recent victory. Pragmatism trumps moral clarity in Delhi's Middle East policy.”

In Mr. Mulford's view, India had “chosen to remain silent” on Mr. Olmert's victory in order “to avoid ruffling Muslim sentiments.” He added: “India will wait until other nations voice their opinions and only then may decide to speak up, if forced or if advantageous to do so, a feature typical of the GOI when it comes to reacting particularly about Middle Eastern issues, given the importance of the Muslim vote bank to the ruling Congress party.”

In a cable dated August 4, 2006 (73697: confidential), a senior U.S. diplomat, Geoff Pyatt, wrote that Indian condemnation of Israeli military actions in Lebanon and Gaza was an attempt to “manage” the Muslim anger over the issue, “conveniently overlooking the increasingly tight security and technology relationship between the two countries.” Another cable, dated December 29, 2008 (184997: confidential), attributed India's strong reaction to Israeli attacks in Gaza to “public consumption.” It was in keeping with “India's past practice of publicly condemning Israeli actions for public consumption, yet privately protecting healthy bilateral relations.”

“The Government of India again walks a tightrope influenced by its election cycle,” the Embassy cable summed up. “It must convey to Israel that it understands Israel's current plight while doing its diplomatic duty to condemn what is seen by many here as oppressive tactics. From time to time Muslim leaders in India organize protests when they feel the GOI has not taken a strong enough stance against Israel during heightened periods of violence, and it is likely that by quickly condemning the air strikes, the Indian government felt it could preempt such demonstrations.”

Keywords: cable58913, cable73697, cable184997, The India Cables, WikiLeaks, Cablegate, West Asia, Muslim countries, UPA government, Muslim vote bank

"Kashmir Ka Dard" By Dr. Hari Om Panwar (National Awakening)

Uploaded by ShivKumarBhat on Feb 6, 2008

Kashmir Ka Dard is heart rending Patriotic Poem by Dr. Hari Om Panwar Ji, giving true sordid picture of Kashmir and Kashmiri Pandits.
Category:

News & Politics
Tags:
Kashmir Hari Om Panwar Aastha Ramdev Shivkumar Bhat