I know Hindus who have had to leave Malaysia for opportunities elsewhere because of overt discrimination against them. I saw Al Jazeera describe the chemical attacks on the Hindus and it was not colored water. I watched the coverage of the arrest of the leaders of the Hindu community and the effective oppression of their voices.

India has done more to alleviate poverty than any other government - the poverty left in India by the British and Islamic colonialist far exceeded that of the whole continent of Africa. Which is in a better state today?

Whites in America don't realize how much discrimination is ongoing. I doubt that a muslim in Malaysia has much better of a perspective.

Oh by the way, I'm sure you wouldn't mind if a few small mosques were destroyed because they were built before the British left. Just small ones.

hariaum

There are 23,000 Hindu temples and shrines in Malaysia, but the government has refused to grant them land or record their land holdings as done for Islamic places of worship. Hundreds of Hindu temples have been demolished, and some relocated near garbage dumps and sewage tanks.

- Prof. Rao

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Zoning laws. Quite a number of Hindu temples build "illegally". And the so-called "hundreds" demolished are overstating on small shrines comprising a single statue of specific Hindu god/godess being asked to relocate.

Having said that, Malaysian Indians are from myriad groups and caste before even if the majority are Tamils.

Malaysians generally leave Malaysian Indians to sort out their own interests. There are old and new political parties and political alignments by Malaysian Indians.

The rise of Hindraf is seem as a failure of the traditional political parties, which characterised themselves as champions and defenders of Indian interests and rights, as not quite doing their job.

These traditional parties, such as Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) has failed the Indian community in Malaysia on everything from education they seek to maintain the Tamil school system too, seem by some Indians as stunting the Indian community from the Malaysian "mainstream" to demands for more places in the public sphere.

In the intensely competitive Malaysian political climate, where there are political parties representing ethnic groups and rights, religion-affiliated parties, parties which cross ethnic-religous groups, the Indian community in Malaysia is divided in their political affiliations too.

As the third biggest ethnic group in Malaysia, the Malaysian Indian community do lose out to the more organised and coherent Malaysian Chinese community in the political and public sphere.

Good for Hindraf to wake up Malaysian Indian politicians, NGOs and the Malaysian government on the marginalised Indians in Malaysia, even by the better off Malaysian Indians.

On August 15, 2010, Waytha Murthy, President of Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF), wrote in a memo to the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh requesting 2,237 full scholarships and seats in universities in India for Malaysian-Indian students segregated and denied scholarships, student loans, and refused seats in colleges and universities by the Malaysian Government.

- Prof. Rao

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I would love to see the reactions of the Indian government on that, and what Mother India is going to do about it.

The Indian goverment, from news reports before on Indian nationals staying on in Malaysia illegally, has been silent. As silent as when Indian nationals goes to other countries besides Malaysia and stayed on illegally.

There is an "Hindu American Foundation", with an annual Human Rights Report?

What about "dalits" in India which even Malaysian Indians complained about?

Or the report is only protecting the rights of PIOs outside of India but not within India?

Nor to care for the rights of Indians who are not Hindus in India itself or in America?

"The Malay authorities broke up the rally using tear gas and chemical-laced water under the pretext of maintaining national security."

- Prof. Rao

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"Chemical laced water?"

Err...I have been in demonstrations in Malaysia. Tear gas are the one that stings one's face.

The police sometimes use cannon cannons with coloured water to make sure our shirts are tainted, so they can identify and chase us and drag us into cells as the "guests" of the government.

What is a "moderate" and "modern" Indian anywhere? Barring those who left India to live in the west?

India itself being "moderate" and "modern" means it is being "secular" in spite of barely contained ethnic and religious strifes?

Ehhh...an Indian PIO writing about rights of Indians in other places and countries but not in India?

I look up Prof. Rao, and his actions to defend the rights of PIOs in other countries outside India. He is most laudable.

Of course Malaysia is moderate and modern, much more than India in terms of infrastructure, education, standard of living etc.:)

No matter how intense the religious and ethnic differences and strifes, Malaysians self-"moderated" them in stepping back and letting the law takes its course.

Prof. Rao leaves out quite a bit about Indian rights and Hindraf which are better written and addressed by Malaysian writers and bloggers.

Malaysian Indians are allowed to learn in their vernacular language (Tamil) in their own school.The Mandarin medium school system in Malaysia is the largest outside of China and Taiwan.

Prof. Rao left out the bit about all Malaysians being water cannoned and tear gassed if and when they have assemblies without police permit. The four Hindraf leaders were released from detention.

Prof. Rao also left out the bit about those who burn and descretated houses of worships are apprehended, tried in court, and leveled punishments.

Prof. Rao also leave out the bit about Malaysia having the highest percentage of illegal migrants in Southeast Asia, including some over 30,000 Indian nationals last year "dissapearing" in Malaysia when there was a visa vaiver for Indian nationals to visit Malaysia, addding to the number of Indians without a birth certificates.

The Indians in Malaysia are as restive as other ethnic and religious groups in Malaysia on their rigths, including the majority Malay Muslims. Only in Malaysia in Asia outside of India are there Indians billionaires such as Ananda Krishna and Freddie Fernandez.

In spite of all its flaws and warts, South Africa wants to continue to "learn" from Malaysia. Malaysians are more honest about about problems arising from multiculturalism not only among themselves but with outsiders.

One can't even say "Slumdog Millionaires" do show Mumbai slums truthfully without being taken to task by Indians of all stripes, they preferring one to see Bollywood fantasies of life in India.

Nor do Prof. Rao wrote about Malaysian Muslims questioning the fatwa on yoga themselves.

India is a country Indians wants to get out of if one can, not go into unless one is a desperate refugee. Or one would not have a large Indian diaspora elsewhere, everybody from Deepak Chopra to Prof. Rao.

Yes, well, fun being a "patriotic" Malaysia in the face of patronising, condescending Indian migrants in the west, the best and brightest who leave Indian and carried their "nationalism" elsewhere.

Get over it. No one in Asia really look to India as a country to be emulated, modeled on. We all look within outselves. Let it rip, my fave Indian reader-posters in "On Faith" .... ^_^

Thank you Prof. Rao for an insightful piece. We Americans have a tendency to Shangri-la-ify "the Orient" and this piece is a positive step towards busting any myths about Malaysia's version of moderate.

Professor Rao, well said. A "moderate" Muslim country is very different from a "moderate" voice from another spiritual or religious tradition, & not necessarily a role model for the world.

to "bloggersville usa": you ask -- "in what country of the world other than Malaysia will you find that the dominant majority grants a 7% minority a full, free K-12 public education in its own language?"

answer -- india.

as to dominant majorities "granting" something, i hope you study the history of malaysia and the presence and influence of hinduism through the centuries, long before the arrival of islam.

also, you ask: "No one has ever questioned the continuous occupation of the magnificent Batu Caves just 13 km from KL by the Hindus for their religious ceremonies."

hindus have for ages used the batu caves and it is where their holy shrines and holy men are. non-hindus are not barred from visiting the batu caves. your assertions and your language betrays your mindset about nation and nationality -- a classically muslim majoritarianism approach to the world and to modernity.

In what country of the world other than Malaysia will you find that the dominant majority grants a 7% minority a full, free K-12 public education in its own language? Indeed, the only place outside India where Tamil schools still survive is Malaysia. For some news articles about Tamil schools visit http://schoolstamil.blogspot.com/ or google on your own: Tamil school Malaysia

No one has ever questioned the continuous occupation of the magnificent Batu Caves just 13 km from KL by the Hindus for their religious ceremonies, although logically they should be a national resource for the benefit of ALL the people.
http://www.journeymalaysia.com/MHIS_batucaves.htm

Pix at: http://www.google.com/images?q=batu+caves

Let's see what happens if Muslims in the West occupy something analogous to the importance of Batu Caves here - say, Niagara Falls or the Matterhorn. Or, perhaps, just want to establish a mosque near Ground Zero.

This is the problem with mullahs (by that all Muslims--all of them are mullahs or fanatics). Even the so-called "moderate" ones living in countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, UAE, are also mullahs because they know full well what is happening to minorities but do nothing about it. They support and push for government policies that openly discriminate and oppress minorities or infidels. Oppressing infidels is very much sanctioned by Islam. All you have to do is read the Koran.

Now these mullahs want more rights in secular countries like India and the United States. Their strategy is we mullahs will not grant any rights or freedom of religion in our own countries but we will demand more and more rights for ourselves and for Islam in stupid infidel countries. They think they are very clever--infidels are stupid that they cannot understand this grand mullah strategy. They are very good at using bleeding-heart infidel liberals for this purpose.

I saw Al Jazeera's coverage of the chemical attack on Hindu protestors in Malaysia. The commentators argues how a state needs to use force sometimes to sustain the state. This convinced me of the "objectivity" of that network.

Moderate modern islam means: if they can't kill you off (as they did in Bangledesh and are doing in Pakistan) then at least they can keep you as an underclass and with a thousand legal cuts, decapitate, diembowel, and quarter away the other. Moderate modern islam means: if they don't have the power to enforce sharia, then they play nice and call for freedoms.
Moderate modern islam means: point out the few sufis and modern thinkers on islam, let the other ideas be banned, and then claim islam is moderate and modern.

Moderate modern islam is Moderate medeival islam. Mohamed, the medeival contriver of islam, used the sword to oppress. Modern islam uses the liberal laws of option nations, the media controlled to remove historical accuracies, and terror groups to enforce a state of fear all over the world. When they can't pick up the sword, they pick up the AK47. Then, when given the option, they enforce police based chemical attacks on the others and feel they are just.

They are just medeival.

hariaum

Prof.Rao should be thanked for highlighting the persecution of Hindus in so-called moderate Islamic country.The persecution should be publicized in the media and brought to the notice of Human Rights panel of UNO and USA. Besides Hindus in Malaysia should be supported morally and financially to carry the fight further. They have to follow the way of Mahatma Gandhi - fight for your right non-violently. Truly, Meek shall inherit the earth.
M.D.Kini

Hear Hee, Hear Hee, Hear Hee this is the face of the moderate Islam. I want to dare any of the so many muslim bloggers on the to defend this type of moderation. When we people like me stand up against the so called moderates and label them as enablers of extremists all the sympathizers come out of the wood works. Unless these, they take the stand and condemn these atrocities I have no sympathy for their causes. Their causes are only furthering the interests of islam towards world domination. Unless these US muslims willingly adopt the policy that they will boycott all these countries, including their Haj trips I say they are supporting apartheid. They are no different than teh Afrikaaner governments of south africa before FW De Klerk

This is news to me. Have Amnesty, Human Rights Watch or other third parties documented this?

Siddhartha Banerjee
Oxford, Pennsylvania

Malaysia is modern...for a Muslim society. That is the problem. Moderate Muslims ultimately must stand up for more equality, including religious equality, if they want to be respected worldwide. For example, there are a significant population of Indian Muslims in the country. Many have risen to high levels in the government. In the past, although there were exceptions, many have not spoken out to defend the rights of their Indian brethren.

Our job is to continue to help Malaysia advance. If they want to be considered modern, they can continue their Muslim ways...they simply have to allow for others to practice their religion and freedoms as well.

www.neoavatara.com/blog

Bravo, Prof. Rao! The Hindu minority has long been suffering human rights violations in Malaysia...and they have by and large been unnoticed by the media. Thanks for drawing attention to these abuses...and keepin it real!