SMS Update

The blogger we mentioned in the previous post received some comments on her post and then responded to them. Here is her comment, reproduced in full:

Hi all, thank you for stopping by, taking the time to read the letter from FAOW, and leaving your thoughts. There are a couple of issues I'd like to quickly clarify so that we can, if necessary, take this discussion further.

First, Mayuresh, thank you for your insights. You haven't been rude at all, so don't let that be a worry. I haven't visited the link you directed me to as I can respond immediately to your points. You're right, the SMS itself cannot be classified as communal, perhaps jingoistic. I do think however, that sending that SMS to a Muslim Indian may be perceived of as communal.

Dijo points out, quite rightly I think, that the SMS could have been sent to everyone or several people in the reporter's phone book. It's possible that he didn't target one Muslim, but a group of people whose religion was irrelevant to him. In that case we can either say that he's thoughtless to have included a Muslim name or secular because he sees no difference between Muslims, Hindus, Christians etc. when making an India versus Pakistan joke. Fair enough.

Then too, for a reporter at a national daily to do so is at best unprofessional, at worst irresponsible. He clearly didn't know the activist at FAOW well enough for her reaction and decision to approach his Editor, rather than him directly, proves so.

We can certainly give the reporter the benefit of doubt unless one knows that he has sent or tends to send similar SMS's only to Muslims.

However: I've received so many similar messages, vitriolic and unarguably anti Muslim in the India-Pakistan context, that I have begun to feel that this is a subject which we must all deal with, with some care and sensitivity towards others. I felt, and tell me if you agree, that the behavior of the media and of the crowds at the match was perhaps the best I have ever seen at an India-Pakistan match. Spirit like this embodies what sport is truly about, while SMSs as sent by the TOI reporter do quite the opposite.Pointing out that Shoaib Malik makes pro Islamic comments is in my mind rather childish and illogical. He did it and therefore so can we? I'd rather it be he did it, but we certainly won't. [link]

Her comment validates our theory that it was likely a case of mass SMS forwarding or at the very least these nasty women didn't even care to investigate whether it was. She also didn't think the message is communal.

So let's see here:

1. the SMS itself cannot be classified as communal, perhaps jingoistic
2. the SMS could have been sent to everyone or several people in the reporter's phone book
3. sent to a group of people whose religion was irrelevant to him
4. we can either say that he's thoughtless [..] or secular
   
5. We can certainly give the reporter the benefit of doubt

But they didn't even think twice before killing a guy's career?

Also, see the potent absurdity in the blogger's explanation. If the reporter were secular, sending the message would be ok. Else, he would be considered thoughtless. I don't think the concept of "benefit of doubt" is clear to the blogger. Benefit of doubt applies when there are valid charges but ambiguous evidence. Here the crime was fictional and the charges possibly libelous. It will be cold comfort for Mr. Balkrishna after he loses his job and then receives the said benefit of doubt.

Just because there are other, vitriolic and unarguably anti-minority messages going around and other instances of other dudes heckling minorities, these women thought they would take a hapless dude and slap on charges him they themselves don't believe are true. Even encounter killings have a better logic built into them.

At this point we are not even angry, just sad. We appeal to FAOW to withdraw the letter and issue an apology to the reporter.