Sharing here an email from Shabnam Hashmi in New Delhi. Please write to Financial Times and the British High Commission in Delhi to protest the FT award to the ‘butcher of Gujarat’, and ask your friends to also do this. Thank you.
From: shabnam hashmi
Date: Sun, Aug 30, 2009 at 11:17 PM
Subject: stop the award
The Financial Times group in London has decided to confer the ‘FDI Asian Personality of the Year 2009’ on Narendra Modi.
It is well known and documented by over 30 human rights fact finding reports that he was complicit in and personally responsible for the communal carnage that occurred in Gujarat in 2002, seen as India’s worst instance of violence against minorities.
Even today over 5000 families of Internally Displaced Muslims, the victims of 2002 communal carnage live in rehabilitation colonies built by NGOs as they have not been allowed to return to the villages which bear the sign of the Hindu Rashtra.
It will be a matter of great shame if this award is given to him.
The FT Group, is part of Pearson PLC, a London headquartered media conglomerate. The current CEO is Marjorie Scardino, she serves on the board of MacArthur Foundation, which ironically gives out peace grants.
The award in question has been instituted by the FDI Magazine [glossy, 15,000 circulation], which is part of the FT Group. It is a fortnightly and focuses on the business of globalisation.
The panel which chose Modi includes the editor at FDI Mag — Courtney Fingar, [E-mail: courtney.fingar@ft.com/ Tel: +44 (0) 20 7775 6365].
I am sending a letter of protest to the British High Commissioner tomorrow. Please write to the British High Commissioner (Email: web.newdelhi@fco.gov.uk) and send copies to courtney.fingar@ft.com or write to her directly.
shabnam hashmi
Here’s the email I just sent:
Subject: Re: ‘FDI Asian Personality of the Year 2009’ for Narendra Modi.
To: Courtney Fingar
Cc: “British High Commission New Delhi”
Dear Courtney Fingar,
Please pardon this intrusion into your mailbox, which I felt necessary since you were on the panel which decided to confer the ‘FDI Asian Personality of the Year 2009’ on Narendra Modi, an award instituted by the FDI Magazine that you edit.
I would like to bring to your attention the over 30 human rights fact-finding reports that found Mr Modi complicit in and personally responsible for the communal carnage that occurred in Gujarat in 2002, India’s worst instance of violence against minorities. Even today over 5,000 families of Internally Displaced Muslims, the victims of 2002 communal carnage live in rehabilitation colonies built by NGOs as they have not been allowed to return to the villages which bear the sign of the Hindu Rashtra that Mr Modi is part of.
It will be a matter of great shame if the FDI award is given to a person who has such a huge scourge on him.
Sincerely
beena sarwar
Beena