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History repeats itself (Excerpt)

History repeats itself (Excerpt)

Author: Coomi Kapoor
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: May 21, 2006
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/story/4828.html

Protests over the movie version of Da Vinci Code have once again highlighted the tussle between religious fanaticism and freedom of expression. It is an old issue in India. In fact, a recently released book Enduring Legacy, about eminent Parsis of the Twentieth Century, describes a debate on the same subject which took place in the Parsi press 150 years ago which is remarkably similar to the recent controversy over the publication of a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed in a Danish newspaper. In 1851, a Parsi monthly magazine called Chitragyan Darpan, which regularly carried biographical sketches of great men with the best of intentions, included the Prophet along with an imaginary sketch in one of its issues.

Overnight there were widespread riots in Bombay. Parsi houses and fire temples were burnt. The police and government put pressure on Parsi leaders to make the editor apologise. Dadabhai Naoroji, who had just brought out the new Parsi newspaper Ras Goftar, protested against the ''weak-kneed Parsi leadership and government''. His new paper's first crusade was that freedom of expression not be curbed by religious tyranny.


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