FROM THE EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

We don’t have to agree on everything. But we don’t have the option to eliminate differences. What we can do is try to manage the differences. That’s why on March 21, 2012, the court rejected the prosecutor’s petition. The Gita is an ancient book which Indians have been reading for a very long time, and it has never promoted intolerance in the country, so it is impossible to say that it’s a book of intolerance. In fact, those calling for the ban over the Gita are the ones who are intolerant. Demanding that ‘this’ or ‘that’ book should be banned is not a healthy trend. Every book is a source of learning, and to promote learning and understanding, we should encourage the reading of the Gita rather than trying to banish it. Of course, it is naive to believe that a ban can bring an end to the circulation of any book. We don’t have to agree on everything. But we don’t have the option to eliminate differences. What we can do is try to manage the differences. I am a practicing Muslim, and in my personal library there are three editions of the Gita—in Urdu, Hindi and English. These do not pose any threat to me nor have they incited me to threaten others. o Dr. Farida Khanam hub@thespiritofislam.org