Twisted logic

Sir, - All right-thinking people must unqualifiedly condemn the acts of desecration and vandalism committed by the Taliban. In this context, the observation of the president of the AIMMM, Syed Shahabuddin, and other Muslim intellectuals who have condemned the destruction of the Buddha statues, is interesting. They say that there is no doubt that Islam does not countenance idol worship but the Taliban is wrong because the statues which were destroyed were not being worshipped on account of mutilation. They clearly imply that had the idols been in a state of worship, the destruction could be explained.

It is admitted that the act of a bunch of fanatics in bringing down the Babri structure, in the belief that a Rama temple existed there, was disgraceful. But this single aberration is made out as something unprecedented. Now, an attempt is being to compare the crude and barbaric act of the Afghan outfit with the demolition of the Babri mosque. It is sad that instead of downplaying the Babri incident as an unfortunate aberration, the politicians and the English media have persistently magnified it, poisoning the relationship between the two communities.

T. S. Krishnamoorthy,

Coimbatore

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