[ppi] [ppiindia] Arjun Singh an Icon of Secularism

** Mailing List|Milis Nasional Indonesia PPI-India **
** Situs resmi: http://www.ppi-india.org **
** Situs milis: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ppiindia **
** Informasi Beasiswa Scholarship: http://informasi-beasiswa.blogspot.com **
<br><br><a href="http://informasi-beasiswa.blogspot.com";><img 
src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/Info_Beasiswa.gif"; height="67" width="200" 
style="border:0" alt="Info Beasiswa Scholarship "/></a><br><br>
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=83016&d=31&m=5&y=2006&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom

            Wednesday, 31, May, 2006 (04, Jumada al-Ula, 1427)


                  Arjun Singh an Icon of Secularism
                  Siraj Wahab, Arab News
                 
                   
                 
                  JEDDAH, 31 May 2006 - Many Saudis will be learning more about 
Arjun Singh, India's minister of human resources development, who is currently 
on a visit to Saudi Arabia to strengthen educational ties between the two 
countries. The minister arrived Monday night in Riyadh at the head of a 
delegation of India's leading academics.

                  What many Saudis may not realize is that Arjun Singh has 
played a pivotal role in Indian politics for decades and is credited with 
preserving that nation's secular identity during dark times in the 1990s after 
the destruction of the Babri Masjid, a 400-year-old mosque, when a wave of 
communal intolerance threatened India's character of tolerance and diversity. A 
loyal supporter of the Gandhis, he helped rebuild the Congress party and 
restored Muslim confidence in the party after it was hijacked by P.V. Narasimha 
Rao, who had given in to communal forces. Arjun Singh was instrumental in the 
restoration of freedom and helped Sonia Gandhi wrest power from the 
communalists.

                  Perhaps the most important lesson to learn from Arjun Singh 
is his respect for all whether they are part of a minority or the majority. It 
was he who purged the hatred and intolerance from the textbooks of India after 
the Bharatiya Janata Party's fall from power, ensuring a secular future of 
freedom for people of all faiths in India.

                  As minister of human resources development, Arjun Singh has 
ensured that India's young people of all hues get the education and training 
needed to drive the Subcontinent giant's economy to the next level of 
development while garnering a rising standard of living for its people that 
might have been unimaginable a decade ago.

                  He long ago roved his mettle and his secular credentials when 
he was at the helm of affairs at India's second biggest state, Madhya Pradesh, 
where Muslims formed a large portion of the electorate. Bhopal, the state 
capital, was once a princely state ruled by a Muslim, and the prince had a 
great say during the pre-partition era. Muslims of Bhopal, which later became 
the capital of Madhya Pradesh, threw their lot with Arjun Singh because of his 
transparent and secular character, and the state prospered under his governance 
and leadership.

                  A true statesman, Arjun Singh's business has always been the 
Indian people's business, and he has held ministerial positions under Rao, 
Rajiv Gandhi and the current prime minister, Manmohan Singh.

                  During his visit, Arjun Singh is expected to expedite the 
implementation of the declaration that Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King 
Abdullah and Manmohan Singh signed in New Delhi earlier this year to strengthen 
educational ties between the two countries.

                  Cooperative agreements between Indian and Saudi universities 
are expected to come out of the visit, and Arjun Singh, now in his 70s, may be 
able to give Saudi educators and civic leaders insights on how to purge the 
cultural baggage from the Kingdom's educational system and replace it with the 
lessons that lead to a future of economic growth and prosperity.
                 
           
     


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> 
Home is just a click away.  Make Yahoo! your home page now.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/DHchtC/3FxNAA/yQLSAA/BRUplB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~-> 

***************************************************************************
Berdikusi dg Santun & Elegan, dg Semangat Persahabatan. Menuju Indonesia yg 
Lebih Baik, in Commonality & Shared Destiny. 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ppiindia
***************************************************************************
__________________________________________________________________________
Mohon Perhatian:

1. Harap tdk. memposting/reply yg menyinggung SARA (kecuali sbg otokritik)
2. Pesan yg akan direply harap dihapus, kecuali yg akan dikomentari.
3. Reading only, http://dear.to/ppi 
4. Satu email perhari: ppiindia-digest@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
5. No-email/web only: ppiindia-nomail@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
6. kembali menerima email: ppiindia-normal@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ppiindia/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
    ppiindia-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
 



--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Situs resmi: http://www.ppi-india.org ; 
Situs milis: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ppiindia ; 
Informasi Beasiswa Scholarship: http://informasi-beasiswa.blogspot.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
<br>
<a href="http://informasi-beasiswa.blogspot.com";><img 
src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/Info_Beasiswa.gif"; height="67" width="200" 
style="border:0" alt="Info Beasiswa Scholarship "/></a><br>

Other related posts: