Quote of the Day: Regarding Hate

The following was said to me many years ago by an educated professional, an immigrant to the United States from Pakistan. Some background information. The Dominion of India was granted independence by Great Britain in 1947. Prior to that time, Muslims and Hindus lived in close proximity and in harmony. Fearing independence in a Hindu dominated India, Muslims organized in the Muslim League led by Mohammed Ali Jinnah, a secular Muslim, and demanded that a Muslim nation be created side by side with a Hindu nation. What was created were two states, Pakistan and India. This was accompanied by the greatest mass migration in history, with millions of Muslims leaving today’s India for Pakistan and millions of Hindus leaving Pakistan for India. Pakistan, a majority Muslim nation, had two segments, designated as East and West Pakistan. Besides religion, the two segments of Pakistan had little in common. Different languages, culture and history made for tension between East and West Pakistan. The capital was in Karachi (west) and the West dominated the East. In 1971, East Pakistan broke away from West Pakistan, with Indian military intervention, and the nation of Bangladesh was born. Bengalis fled the remaining Pakistan (west) and West Pakistanis returned to the western remaining segment, now named Pakistan. The speaker, a West Pakistani who grew up in East Pakistan, in discussing the history of these incidents stated the following:

“The Bengalis, they’re even worse than the Hindus”.

This statement has left a deep and lasting impression on me. From this, I learned that however irrational hate is, everyone has a hate group. As we enter 2024 next week, it should give us pause to think how far we have come out of the cave Plato described in the Republic. Unfortunately, we haven't come very far. We probably still have at least one foot, if not more in that cave. Hate is irrational.

Now might be a good time for our academic leaders, university presidents and professors as well as their students to sit down, shut up and think what they have wrought these last two months with their irrational accusations, hatred and advocacy of genocide. Such conduct is neither excusable nor forgivable. Much better is expected of them.

Garry S. Sklar

At sea in the South Pacific

Dec. 27, 2023