SRK - A blog that rediff would not publish

Back in August, on the 13th to be exact, I wrote the following blog on rediff.com. A maelstrom ensued and within 12 hours the blog was deleted. Muslims were up in arms because I dared ask one of theirs if India or Islam came first, and liberal Hindus were aghast that I asked a Muslim such a question and because I asked I was branded a RSS/ VHP/ Hindu hardliner. A handful said "Go, man", but they too were shouted down. And many were just shocked that I dared question a super star.

NO ONE, repeat NO ONE, touched upon the interview that prompted the blog to start with. I haven't touched rediff since, as I have trouble handling loud mouth ignorants - one of whom definitely is that Thapar fella on TV.

Sulekha seems a much more refined crowd, so here it is again, with an assurance that I do not hate Muslims, just as I do not love Hindus - I just can't stand terrorists and their implicit and explicit backers.
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August 13, 2007. Vancouver

Yesterday we thought about watching Chak De. Being in the USA/ Canada Bollywod films are one of our main connections with India.

Checking for movie reviews online we came across Shahrukh Khan's interview with Rajeev Masand in which Shahrukh Khan said that " I believe in the educated Islamic sect, I belong to it and educated Muslim people are the nicest people in the world. That is my religion and I would like to propagate that through my film without shoving it down your throat"

That made us curious about his general leanings, and especially since an Indian recently attacked Glasgow Airport in an Islamic terrorist attack India needs to know what does her leading Star think of Indians' involvement in Islamic Jihad.

Then we wondered since the extremist Mullahs are recruiting impressionable Muslims in the Netherlands, and France, UK, Pakistan and India preaching hate and violence under the garb of "Islam under threat" rhetoric, what does Shahrukh Khan have to say about India that has allowed him and other Muslims like Azim Premji, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Zakir Hussein, Dilip Kumar, Mansoor Ali Khan Patuadi, Vice President Ansari immense success? Why does he not tell the world that Islam is not under threat and that Muslims' talent and hard work is rewarded - even in a Hindu majority country.

Shahrukh Khan says he likes to propagate messages then why not propagate the message about leaving the walled cities, and coming out in to the open to seek modern education and be a part of a progressive society? Why not use his immense star appeal to propagate value of reason, objectivity, hard work, peace and emancipation to those vulnerable and in the clutches of criminal terrorist breeders?

As a public figure who owes his fame and wealth to his fans, majority of whom are Hindu - simply because his fan base is Indian and India is a Hindu majority country - he needs to clarify his stand on India and Islam, lest the Islamic hate mongers take his statement as support for their acts of terror and death to the innocent. And Hindus need to know how Shahrukh Khan balances his religion and patriotism so our questions are:

1. What is Shahrukh Khan's (SRK's) stand on and definition of Islamic Jihad
2. Why has SRK not used his image and immense reach to dispel lies about Islam under threat by telling the Muslim world about his own and the successes of other hard working Muslims in India and abroad.
3. What is SRK's position on destruction of Hindu temples by Muslim terrorists - at what point is there a justification to destroy a temple,
4. Why has SRK not taken a public stand against attacks on Indian Parliament and recent Mumbai Train blasts, and since he has not, in the event of an Al Qaeda attack against India or a war with Pakistan will he be a Muslim or an Indian first - simply put will he be for India or with India's Muslim enemies
5. Does Shahrukh Khan support India's demand for extradition of Dawood Ibrahim and does he also support India's stand on Kashmir

We as Indians and we as Hindus demand answers from him not only as a man who owes all he has to the Indian public but also to understand the mind of a member of the educated Islamic sect, as he calls himself.

And if SRK refuses to answer then we say that India and Hindus boycott his Films, Stage and TV shows until he tells us who he is as a man, Indian and Muslim.

We did. We have not gone for Chak De, and shan't spend our money or time till we know who we are spending our time and money on.