Comments on: Gandhi’s long shadow

By: Indigo Jo Blogs — Aung San Suu Kyi and futility

Indigo Jo Blogs — Aung San Suu Kyi and futility — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 21:38:00 +0000

[…] some enemies can only be fought the other way. It is no coincidence that some people like to preach about Gandhian resistance to those who are oppressed, but who they don’t actually want to see […]

By: Sunny

Sunny — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 22:28:13 +0000

how it seems to mean the right to bare as much flesh as possible rather than things like the right to an education

The right for a woman to wear what she wants without being harassed for it is as important as her right to an education. Both point towards letting women determine their own lives.

By: Yunus Yakoub Islam

Yunus Yakoub Islam — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 22:08:07 +0000

First of all, the key Ghandian principle is satyagraha - which means much more than simply non-violence. It is an active principle, aiming to transform the world outside and within. Second, why do so few folks ever mention the greatest Muslim proponent of satyagraha (and one of my heroes) - Badshah Khan? Much admired by Ghandi, who thought his non-violent army far braver than his own native Indian followers, Khan's non-violence did help rid India of the British, and he went on to annoy the Pakistanis sufficiently for them to keep him in prison for years. See: http://www.bayyinat.org.uk/peace.htm

By: dawud

dawud — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 21:39:47 +0000

Dal Nun Strong - true about the Prophet being the model, but it’s interesting that at least one muslim successfully employed Gandhi’s non-violent protest methods, and in the least likely of places - AbdulGhaffar Khan managed to get 100 000 Pastho (Pakhtun) tribespeople to non-violently resist British domination, and their resistance supported and assisted in the turfing of the British from India.

By: Dal Nun Strong

Dal Nun Strong — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 18:37:41 +0000

Salaams,

Perhaps one thing that should be mentioned here is that however much Gandhi fascinated and fascinates Westerners, his “brand” has never really worked with Muslims. His (nearly naked) dress-sense, his baffling insistence on pre-industrial communes, and above all his failure to develop a rhetorical style with even cursory references to spiritual traditions Muslims were familiar with - all of this meant that his message never hit home among Muslims.

Perhaps it’s just that we’re a proud people who reckon that all good things come from within the Islamic tradition. I can’t refute this. But what is certainly true is that in looking for models of inspired leadership, Muslims will look to the Prophet every time, and not elsewhere.

By: George Carty

George Carty — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 17:50:55 +0000

Has anyone here heard of Harry Turtledove’s “The Last Article”, a short story set in an India under Nazi rule?

Needless to say, Gandhi’s non-violent resistance comes to nothing in that situation…

By: musab

musab — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 14:57:57 +0000

The 2006 film ‘Lage Raho Munnabhai’ featured a character who believed he was talking to Ghandi, and started acting on Ghandi-like principles.

The film was hugley popular and led to a debate about the place of Ghandis ideals in modern India (link)