In a move that is mostly aimed at reviving its sagging fortunes the Shiv Sena has called for a ban on the burqa in Maharashtra (India). The obvious reason is their well known dislike for the Muslim religion. But like many religious fundamentalist groups in the West, they have pointed to other reasons for imposing [...]
Some of the questions that I am asked most by readers of this blog and by a few of my friends are whether I am nationalistic and whether I see anything wrong with nationalistic thought. My first reaction normally is to ask for clarification on what they mean by nationalistic thought. In most cases the [...]
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (Maharashtra Reformation Army) is now indicating that they will not allow foreigners to work in Bollywood movies as item girls. This was conveyed by the MNS cine-worker’s union president Shalini Thackeray. Talking to news reporters she said that “Why can’t our Indian actors dance with locals? We will insist that only local [...]
It is very clear that the Indian government has a major problem on its hands in Maharashtra. The Shiv Sena is not only challenging the state and central governments authority over the state but is also trying to influence India’s foreign policy. If the government does not handle this swiftly and cleverly then it has [...]
Every society has their cultural warriors and defenders of the so-called cultural values. In the United States you have the religious conservatives within the Republican Party. In India you have organizations like the Shiv Sena and certain sections of the BJP and Muslim League that want to decide what is acceptable and what is not. [...]
In an editorial on Saamana (Shiv Sena party mouthpiece) Shiv Sena Chief Bal Thackeray has mentioned that “fundamentalist Muslims are the biggest threat to the country and that we need to fight against it”. He added that “Except some like Salim Khan, Javed Akhtar, Mukhtar Abbas and Farooq Abdullah, the rest are trying to destroy [...]
Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray indicated that “If you don’t want to salute the motherland, then whom do you salute? What is the shame in saluting Bharat mata? Those who don’t want to salute Bharat mata should go to Pakistan or Bangladesh.
