Some years ago, on a visit to Germany, I met with a few friends from primary school times. Two of them I hadn’t seen for over 50 years, but we were quickly familiar again after we got used to our new (elderly) look. The conversation veered to the Turks in town, around 600 of the overall 6000 inhabitants. “Most of them are not integrating into our society and some buy up houses right in the centre of the town”, a former classmate said.
I mentioned that I have become very wary of pious Muslims ever since I read the Quran. Those who believe in earnest what is written there will never see non-Muslims as equals. They are simply not allowed to. They will have to strive to gain majority wherever they live and then bully us others into submission, if we are lucky not to be killed.
There was silence for a while. Then one friend, a confident, feisty woman, said: “Maria, I think like you do. But I wouldn’t have dared to say what you just said.”
Her comment brought home the power of mass media. For decades ‘political correctness’ has been drummed into us all over the world and many have internalized what they are supposed to say and what not. And maybe we did not even notice that we have voluntarily surrendered the right to free speech which is considered one of the greatest plus points of modern democracies.
It is even worse and more complicated. The right to free speech is there, but the right to speak the truth is under threat. The right to free speech even allows expressing offense and falsehood provided it is aimed at the ‘politically correct’ groups of people. In such cases, free speech is often amplified because mainstream media will gladly broadcast it all over the world.
An example was the false accusation that ‘Hindu extremists’ were behind the gang rape of a nun. Hindus were not given a hearing. They were shouted down in TV studios by Christian representatives and left-liberals. A Bishop and Vatican Radio also went ahead blaming Hindus without any proof. When the Bangladeshi Muslim culprits were caught, the damage to the image of Hindus was done and it was not corrected. No case of hate speech was slapped on those Christian representatives. Not even an apology was made.
Who can be freely attacked and who not is one of the incomprehensible features of political correctness. In spite of the fact that Hindus were victims under Muslim and British rule for centuries with millions of them having been killed; in spite of the fact that Hindus never went on the offensive in the name of their gods, they and their tradition are today fair game for verbal attacks which could be termed as hate speech but is hardly ever persecuted as such. The same seems to apply for Jews. Anti-Semitism is again on the rise in the west and not only among the Muslim population there. It is prominent in universities and hidden in mainstream media.
In contrast, Muslims and Islam are generally exempted from verbal attacks in spite of the fact that mainly Muslim boys become terrorists and in spite of the fact that over the past 1400 years, Muslims were more often aggressors, not victims. The reason is that the motto “Islam is a religion of peace” is the politically correct view and cases of ‘hate speech’ are slapped quickly on those who say otherwise. However there is no further debate on why or whether Islam is indeed a religion of peace except for general claims that Islam exhorts its followers to be good human beings.
In a balanced debate it would become clear that Hindu Dharma (the open-minded, tolerant Hinduism does not deserve an ‘–ism’ as postfix) is a better option for a harmonious, peaceful living together of people of diverse natures, because Islam and Christianity require first all to convert and profess belief in their fixed, yet unproven doctrines before homogenous ‘peace’ can be established. Diversity of opinion is not allowed.
Yet this balanced, unbiased debate never happens. It is studiously avoided. Instead, those who stand up for Hindu Dharma are vilified as ‘Hindu fundamentalists’ and those who stand up for Islam or Christianity are paraded all over the news channels as persons of the ‘correct’ insight. Do you hear in public discourse that “Hinduism is a religion of peace”? You may have never heard it. And if you say it privately, politically correct persons will immediately remind you of the ‘atrocious caste system’.
How have we reached such a state where we cannot have a meaningful debate on what is true any longer? Has truth been thrown out of the window? It almost seems like that. I realized only recently that the ‘correct’ line is now apparently that there is no truth as such. Rather, there are so many truths. Whatever somebody thinks is his truth.
A German friend said exactly this, when I mentioned that it is a sad state of affairs that nowadays it needs courage to speak the truth, especially when it comes to Islam. “There is no truth as such”, he replied. I was taken aback. If truth is not taken any longer as the guiding star, we can as well pack up and stop living.
I tried to make my friend see that though the absolute Truth (that what truly is) cannot be put into words, it nevertheless is present. On another, lower level, a lie is definitely not the truth, even if somebody believes in it. Steadfastly ignoring certain important facts to create a different perception of an issue is also dishonest and akin to a lie. “Satyam vada, Dharam chara” is an ancient Indian advice – speak the truth, do what is right.
Is it so difficult to find out whether the politically correct view is truthful or not?
Let’s take for example the concern to empower women. It’s a worthy concern. But what has happened in the name of feminism and gender equality clearly went overboard and has become harmful.
“Why should I move to the place where my husband gets a job? Why should he not stay where I have my friends?” was a major issue in the early years of feminism in the west. So the discord started right after marriage because one of the two had finally to give in and if it was the wife, she would grudge it, now being aware of ‘gender inequality’.
Further, in the name of gender equality, unequal laws were enacted which favoured women and put men not only at a disadvantage, but in danger to land in jail because their side of the story simply does not count. It is apparently assumed that women are always angels and men always beasts, which is clearly not true. As a consequence, men and women are not anymore complementing each other but opposing each other, and in western societies the family system went bust. Many people there feel lonely and lost, yet the creed of feminism is still adhered to by the politically correct.
Should there not be a genuine debate on this issue? Yet it is not happening. Why is any criticism of feminism shouted down by the so-called opinion-makers in the media? Do they want a defunct society for whatever reason?
When I had finished school in the late 1960s, feminism just started in Germany. If I wanted to be ‘modern’ now, I was suddenly supposed to make a career and as compensation, I didn’t need to know how to cook and could decide whether I wanted children, as it was “my body”.
I remember that some feminists then were even fighting for girls to be included in the 18-months long military training that was obligatory for boys at the age of 18. Many women, including me, did not agree with those feminists, but we had no voice, whereas their voice was heard loudly almost daily in the media. Brainwashing is usually associated with fascist, communist or religious ideologies, but it seems, media, too, are willing henchmen to support it and how effective they are!
Let’s take another example: religion is seen as sacrosanct and freedom of religion is guaranteed in the UN Charter. Yet a clear definition of religion is lacking. Should we not have a closer look at religions regarding what is true about them and what cannot possibly be true? This debate also is not happening. Instead it is politically correct to project Islam as a religion of peace and Christianity as a religion of love, and Hinduism as a loose collection of cults which have many flaws that need to be corrected, preferably by western experts of “South Asia”.
This is turning truth on its head. But why is it done? Do the powerful, influential, wealthy religions of peace and love (both of them gained the huge number of followers through violence and indoctrination) sense that they will be losing out when there is a genuine debate? Hindus would have the upper hand because their tradition is based on philosophy (= love for wisdom) and not on coercion into blind belief.
The insights of the rishis keep being vindicated by modern science and are open to direct, personal experience in this life, provided one purifies one’s inner perception. The followers of the dogmatic religions, however, have to wait till they are dead until they know whether it was true or false what the priests or mullahs told them.
The rishis enquired into truth. “Religion” in the sense of imposing a fixed doctrine was inconceivable for them. Debates on what is true were held in which women, too, participated. The question revolved around how to make life meaningful and fulfilled. The answer they found was: the purpose of life is to discover the truth about ourselves.
Let’s bring truth into our lives and stand by it. Let’s not be swayed by political correctness or other types of indoctrination. Ultimately truth alone is victorious – and maybe it sounds strange, but I am convinced that truth is alive. If it is honoured, it will foster you.
Satyameva Jayate!
By Maria Wirth
35 Comments
Good. Thought provoking.
Jai ho Maria Ji ki
if only more people thought like you maria
Maria thank you for an insightful and timely article. Consider what the Channel 4 documentary had to say. You can watch with this link till approx. 14/5/16 http://www.channel4.com/programmes/what-british-muslims-really-think/on-demand/62315-001
This documentary is well researched and came up with policy guidelines that were sensible and a step forward to seeking the truth and arriving at a better accommodation of the diverse communities that we all live in the world over.
This was followed quickly by the left wing press such as The Guardian newspaper’s “research & survey” with 4 Muslims who seemed to be in denial of the responses from over a 1, 000 Muslims surveyed for this documentary. http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/apr/14/what-british-muslims-really-think-about-channel-4s-show
You touched upon a number of very important issues, all worth a note and remembering. Once again,
You have done your bit, hope others do their little bit.
Dhanywad. Let Dharma always be part of you,
Mukesh Naker, Dharma Sewa Purvapaksha, UK
Exemplary stuff. Just like your self. Keep churning out your ideas. Truth will emerge like the AMRIT from the sea of milk. Thank you Maria Ji
Very nice.
Great article!
schade, dass du nicht bei unserm kleinen Klassentreffen dabei warst…
“It is error alone which needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself.” Thomas Jefferson
You will find on my webpages of past dialogues (http://www.vjsingh.info/dialogue.html) this warning
READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED – THE TRUTH HURTS!
Yes, in Islam they have laws to keep Muslims in ignorance while dreaming of a paradise that doesn’t exist. How much worst can it get?
Thank you Maria for a very gracefully written article on political correctness and the nature of truth…maybe Kaliyuga means duplicity and that is what we see everywhere. When I hear youngsters parrot the politically correct half truths and try to get them to see another view I am always asked, “Oh is that so? Then whom do we believe? Maybe your sources are not well informed either…isn’t that possible? There are many truths, right?!”
One should ask..is being politically correct matters more..or most that matters is the true truth. Why there is a silence is in the sikular camp when asked to explain that not all muslims are terrorists,but then overwhelmingly terrorists are MUSLIMS..!! Mainstream media dubs them as astray, but then forgets to ask, why there are so many astrays in one particular religion?
Either, the entire world is conspiring against them and dubbing peaceful muslims as terrorists, or the religion of peace is conspiring against the entire world.
The facts and logical conclusion in most I guess will tend to agree with the latter part of the statement.
Then why the silence on the menace..? So that you appear politically correct?
Many persons especially in the West, if they get to go out from the prison of brainwashing religions and philosophies, they fall into that line of thought that “each one has their own (valid) truth”, not realizing that one´s own truth does not always imply Real Truth. And with this they justify their “anything goes”.
Besides, most of the people don´t care for the truth, neither for searching for it nor for getting it in their daily lives. Whatever is their sweet will, they convert it into “their own truth”. It is better for them to feel good than to strive for a truth that might be uncomfortable for them and diffficult to stand for. Because of millions prefering comfortability than efforts, there is so much brainwashing in the dogmatic religions and the dogmatic thinking.
So for the ones for whom Truth matters, relative truth and absolute Truth, as much as we can fathom that Absolute, we should stand for it, even in our personal petty lives. Of course that Truth will prevail, but to be Dharmic and to defend Dharma, we have to tune with it and defend it whenever it is required.
thanks Maria, makes things more clear. i only discovered recently this “everyone has his own valid truth” – seems to be another politically correct thing to say to avoid/ scuttle an enquiry into truth
Salute you for your forthright fearless and independent views, my dear Maria!!
Thanks for being bold and truthful. Most of us in india know the truth but are not bold enough or are cowed down by the leftists, who have fatal love affair with the Islamist forces.
Dear Maria, you are truly a courageous person and can change this current thinking – including the censorship of the mainstream media
thank you
So true. Thank you.
The truth is: based on the interpretations of 17th century “historians” Hinduism has been painted as a bad religion(due to caste system etc). Islamists and Churchians and now Communists too – all want this religion to be destroyed. The reason is simple: they cannot create a better religion-they can only destroy an existing one-they want the pleasure of achieving at least one thing in their life – either create a new one or destroy an existing one – it is easier to do the latter. In this, IS, Western Media(and its Indian clients), Communists(whatever remains of them outside India) are all together, even if they fight among themselves in other countries.
Mariaji, I think it is the effect of Kali Yuga why the Abrahamic Duo become major beliefs.
And if Mahatma Gandhi was a follower of Abrahamic religion, I think he might have been awarded Nobel Peace Prize several times.
Love your closing statement, dharma raksata raksita (in Balinese Sanskrit).
Thank you.
[…] ← Truth and political correctness […]
dear maria wirth,
thank your goodselves for an enlightening article.
Dear Maria,
I am glad that you have touched upon this very hypocricy in today’s world in the context of Religion.
I find it extremely difficult to digest the fact that the bullies get to play the victims and the bullied are crucified.
I have a few things to add to your inputs.
First and Foremost, this whole window dressing of “Islam is a Religion of Peace” will be torn to shreds if we look at the “actions” of the followers of Islam. History and Statistics has another story to tell. From as early has 634 AD, the mode of Islamic expansion has been through the sword.
I do not, however, discard the messages of peace from the Almighty through his messenger – Muhammad. But I would also like to believe that those golden words have gone through various editions in the hands of power hungry bullies.
A devout Muslim lady had once told me – “Islam is a great Religion, but those claiming to be the followers of Islam are anything but Mussalmaans, May Allah protect the meek and the innocent”. I was afraid for that lady’s life, lest another muslim overheard what she said. She spoke the truth, she understood her own religion and simply refused the distortion of it. How can anyone debate or talk logic with a sword hanging near his neck or a gun pointed at his/her head?
As for the Christians, I have often wondered behind the logic of mass persecution of non-Christians more commonly known as pagans since the 4th Century. That way even Islams and Hindus are pagan, I wonder why Christians are not taking any interest to convert their unruly muslim brothers to Christianity. Well they got the liquid gold, gold and the gun. Difficult job indeed to wrestle against such a powerful aggressive brother. Better look for softer targets! Holy Cow! They find the meek and the already subdued Hindus to be the perfect candidates for such conversion!
Basically might is right is the name of the game. If that is so, then none of us are talking about Religion here. And certainly no one is talking sense when it comes to Islam or Christianity. More importantly no one is following their preacher.
Speaking about Caste System and those who target Hinduism everytime we call their attention to their own dogmatic religion. I would recommend them to find out a little more about “Gunas” or “Qualities” as per the so called flawed Hinduism, read a little bit of Purushsukta of Rig Veda translated in loose english. That should make their brains do the rest of the math unless it has been rendered dud with repeated hammerings of their dogmatic religion.
And yes! Truth is Righteousness, it is the essence of Holiness, Unity and Dharma. Thus righteousness protects those who protect righteousness!
Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitaha!
[…] correctness in speech. The post, which I encourage you to read for yourself, can be accessed by clicking here. It starts with her recounting a conversation she was a part of in which she said something that […]
Dear Babylon.
Very well said about the bullies and the bullied…
No doubt there are good people everywhere, and this Muslim woman you quote is one of them. She sees only the good in Islam and maybe she never even read the Quran except in Arabic and does not quite know what is in it. However, her conclusion that Islam is a religion of peace is flawed as long as the violent verses who exhort the followers to kill kafirs are not restricted to their historical context and declared as not valid in our times. This so far has not happened and the youth who can access the Quran and Hadiths on the net, check for themselves and they cannot be blamed if they follow those instructions.
I feel all those who don’t belong to either Christianity or Islam (both religious doctrines discriminate heavily against “others”) need to demand a stop of this discrimination. Maybe it’s an idea whose time is coming, as more and more people are tired of political correctness and don’t believe anymore the nice words when actions speak so much louder and in a terrible way.
One important point is further, to stress that truth simply cannot be contained in a book. It’s neither in the Veda, nor Quran nor Bible. Maximum they can do is to point to the truth. And maybe even this task some of the dogmatic religions don’t fulfil, but point into a wrong direction. The misery which the dogmatic religions brought on humanity is an indicator.
Yes, Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitaha! Yet today we don’t seem to follow Dharma in an important point. We shy away from pointing out falsehood when it is preached as truth by “others”. Ideally, in Dharma there are no others. We need to take responsibility for them, too and not be afraid to speak the truth.
[…] Originally HERE […]
Wonderful article Maria! I would request you to inquire about Mr Rajiv Malhotra’s work. I also assume that you are an “insider” and not a “good cop”{you will need to know more about this vocabulary by reading articles by Rajiv Malhotra}
With best wishes,
Prabhat Gupta
[…] [i] https://mariawirthblog.wordpress.com/2016/04/17/truth-and-political-correctness/ […]
Reblogged this on Hindu Internet Defence Force.
Thought provoking article.
Nice article; insightful and challenging on the biases on the commons by the so called liberals and leftist…
[…] Source: Truth and political correctness […]
Normally I get a few good ideas to record at toilet, is my experience every day. So I got some ideas regarding Lord Siva, the God assigned duties of destruction, sits quiet; holding Ganga Ma at his head. So the Nandi, the Rishaba (in Tamil we call it Kovil Kalai – a wandering Bull – allowed to eat whatever, even from the things spread for sales by street vendors and no one hurts it; also it is presumed to have sex with any cow; I think in Hindi they call such as “Sandu), sits quiet before Lord Siva. It is also a part of such Epic that Lord Siva grants any prayer to His Bakth. So he granted to one Asur, the prayer that on whose ever head he touches, the victim will burn. The Asur wanted to verify on Lord Siva himself, who runs pillar to post to escape (the Lord destined to Destruct tries to escape Destruction?) – There appears Lord Vishnu – the Lord destined Protector as Mohini (as a beauty queen and the Asur is attracted – rather distracted from Lord Siva, and Mohini tells Asura to perform his daily routine – that is to perform Sandhiya Vandhan – during the course of which Asur has to keep his hand on his head and burns himself – but Lord Siva has Sexual intercourse with lord Vishnu in Mohini Avatar – thus Lord Ayyappan is born). Moral – Lord Siva destined to destruct runs not to be destroyed (one) – (Two) – When Lord Siva sits quiet, then Kovil kalai sits quiet before him is -Nandi. Like wise; when Beef Exporters realize that Cows are not to be slaughtered but to be worshipped – Abdul kalam became Super Atomic; Nano Scientist.
We need to conduct Seminars to argue for and against Hindu philosophy Vs Arabs & Western Philosophies – Approaches of Ayurvedha medicines & Yoga to Cure a disease from the root while Allopathy approaches to cure Symptomatic. Like wise there are huge wealth of information to explore, Discover to LEAVE A CIVILIZED WORLD TO OUR CHILDREN. I have founded a Trust for these objectives.
By the way I write the thoughts that come to me every day in the toilet first before forgetting and only then I go to see mails. So To-day I recorded my thoughts and went to see my mail, where in both my thoughts and information in my mails matched.
Thank you,
Yours sincerely,
K.S.Nagarajan.
Founder Trustee, Tad Dvam Asi trust (registered for these objectives)
Chennai. Email: nagarajanks27@yahoo.co.in
Hey, I wish I could feel as free to say this as you do. But I think you know that “intellectual spaces” are liberal until you differ in opinion. I sit through hours of hearing people make fun of, and talk hatefully against Hindus. When a valid statement is made against the other two religions, the same people cry and play victim.
So to be able to read someone like you write this is truly comforting because it reassures me that I am not going crazy.
Thank you for always writing how you feel.
You’ve captured an awful lot in this article of immense value to read and reflect. One year later, after Islamic attacks in Europe, your words stand out even more.
Could you elaborate on the unequal laws by overboard feminism? You have a unique vantage point to talk about it.
I am asking because India is catching up on this new fad, and could learn a few lessons from the fall outs. While Hindu Dharma is bashed as women suppressive collectively with other ‘religions’, it ironically does not have anything codified by scriptures or papacy. The paradox is – It is only in Hindu Dharma does one find a female form of God (or energy if we are more comfortable to assimilate it). Most rivers are feminine (Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Kaveri,…). It has least conflicts when it comes to civil laws in nation states (divorce, family planning, abortions in the case of rape or incest or health issues, etc). To conclude ‘Janani Janmabhoomischa Swargardapi Gariyasi’ – Mother and Motherland are better than heaven. Contrast that with the ’72’ virgin doctrine in Islam, where the earth is used as a transit lounge to heaven or having family planning is anti-Christ.
The problem with terminologies (often not formally explained/defined) is, a spectrum of ideas get hidden under the hood. Be it Secularism, Right Wing, Dharma, etc.
feminists bashing India is just one more attempt top demean India..
i touch on the topic in this article towards the end
https://mariawirthblog.wordpress.com/2014/01/27/why-this-focus-on-rapes-in-india-by-world-media/