The greatest nation on earth
Mormons, a religious minority that some Christians think are heretics, are less than two per cent of the United States' population. And yet Republicans have chosen Mormon Mitt Romney to represent them in this year's general election against Obama. Romney beat a Protestant (Ron Paul), a Catholic (Rick Santorum) and a Protestant-turned-Catholic (Newt Gingrich) to win the nomination. His toughest challenge did not come from a Protestant, who are by far the largest religious group in America. In fact other than Obama and John Kennedy (who was Catholic), every single US president has been a white Protestant. Romney's strongest opponent was Catholic Richard Santorum. Catholics are less than 24 per cent of the United States' population. Santorum ran on his faith, and his very moral Catholicism, but remarkably, a majority of Catholics preferred Romney over Santorum. The only example I can think of in all the above where a community voted for its own because of his race or faith was when blacks stood as a bloc behind Obama, but it is difficult to blame them for this.
During Kennedy's era, when Obama was a baby, the United States was in the middle of a civil rights movement aimed at trying to integrate a country divided by law and by culture. American cities had separate schools, restaurants and public places for blacks. Whites had reserved seats even on buses and marriage between the two races was not allowed. Blacks under Martin Luther King agitated with courage against this discrimination, but so did many whites, without whom the laws would not have changed easily. White judges in the bigoted South enforced the Supreme Court's decision striking down segregation, with great courage.
What is happening in America now is quite remarkable. It has not happened in Europe, and it will be a very long time before it happens here in our part of the world.
Obama and Romney represent an American population that is in alignment with its great Constitution, the most important document in the world; one that represents the best values of the human race. The American Constitution took force in 1787. In 221 years, it has had only 27 amendments. Some of these amendments are the most significant additions to law in history, including the right to freedom of religion, the right to a speedy trial and the right against self-incrimination.
India's Constitution was adopted in 1950. It already has 97 amendments. Pakistan didn't just need to amend its Constitution, it had to replace the whole thing many times, and still Pakistanis are restless.
Twelve American presidents were slave-owners, including Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the other far-seeing American document: the Declaration of Independence. Abraham Lincoln, the man from Obama’s state Illinois, freed the slaves in 1865. This act, Lincoln said, also freed the white man — of his prejudice, his hatred and his racism. But America had a while to go before that happened.
Mayawati, India's own great leader of the downtrodden, is an Untouchable who was elected chief minister of India's largest state, Uttar Pradesh. But it is true that she ruled a coalition of Dalits and Brahmins. Mayawati's votaries were and are those of her community; Brahmins are allied with her in UP, only as a means to secure power. Few Indians voted for her because of her policies. This is what makes the choice of Obama and Romney special.
White Europe adores Obama. But Europeans take the vicarious satisfaction of applauding a black man’s success in another white man’s country.
Americans may not be liked in many nations of the world (India is not among them), but few nations are as unprejudiced as they are.
Americans have lifted the son of slaves to the most powerful position on earth. Do you think this is possible in India or Pakistan? Can you imagine your servant’s son as your prime minister?
Published in The Express Tribune, April 29th, 2012.
COMMENTS (75)
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But then what about these stories of injustices perpetrated by this "great" nation? http://dawn.com/2012/05/27/cover-story-archipelago-of-injustices/
@gp65:
No point in listing out names by him since Patel does not challenge that feature of India really. Besides, Minorities (Muslim/Sikh/Christian et al) merely by being in the minority are not children of 'Servants' that the Author has mentioned in the last sentence of the essay. His point to both Indians & Pakistanis was " Can you imagine your servant’s son as your prime minister?" While a tribal KR Narayanan as Prez & a cobbler's granddaughter Mayawati as CM & many others have already provided some proof, it is not difficult to imagine further development in the Executive in India. Given arithmetic of parliamentary democracy theoretically an ex-untouchable may well become PM before long. When will that actually happen remains to be seen. Question arises however: why must it be such a compulsion to make it happen, just as it should never be prevented from happening.
All those readers who have either read the book " Roots" or watched the movie, would understand what the author is trying to convey......it is not about Barack Obama...it is about a Black becoming US President......Also what I hadn't mentioned that it is supposedly right wing BJP that proposed Abdul Kalam as a President of India. Of course prior to that there had been 2 other Muslim Presidents and one Acting President and one Sikh President.
Aakar, have you forgotten that there are only 1.5% Sikhs in India and there is a Sikh Prime Minister? In fact we have a Parsi CJ of Supreme Court, Muslim VP President and Chief Election Commisioner, Sikh chief of army staff , Christian Vice Marshal airforce, Christian Defense Minister, Atheist Home Minister and Sikh HEad of Planning commission.
@Ali Tanoli: You claim that Islam forbade slavery fifteen hundreds years ago. What rubbish! The Muslim slave trade (selling kidnapped and captured people) was most active in West Asia, North Africa and East Africa up to the 19th century. Only by the end of the 19th century, did Muslim slave trading decline. It was made illegal (in the Middle East) in the early 20th century by Britain and France after the first World War. Unfortunately slavery is still present in Chad, Mauritania, Niger, Mali and Sudan and they claim sanction from Islam. So get your facts right.
@Ali Tanoli
Islam forbidden slavery fifteen hundreds years ago and americans or christians did just in 1872 but in reallty they did in 1972 but its still goes in some forms indirectlly.
According to Islamic sources, in the year 627 after the 'battle of the Trench' the Women and Children of the Banu Qurayza were taken as 'slaves'. And elsewhere there are references to what your 'left hand owns'.
So, do tell me when and where was slavery forbidden?
India doesn't generally care about caste, religion, or status of a politician, until and unless (s)he evokes these factors himself. The percentage of Sikhs/Catholics is, I reckon, far less in India than the percentage of African Americans in the US.
Mayawati is a self-claimed saviour of the dalits. She shouts she's a dalit, and hence you pen the fact that she's a dalit. She has done very little for the dalits than many non-dalits. Had she worked for the amerlioration of UP, instead of just dalits, she would have been re-elected. I think in India, it's more about the politics than about the leaders. Many hindus that I know of are afraid of BJP, which is, according to many, a party of Hindu fundamentalists.
What I'm trying to say is that, it's asinine to suggest a politician's caste, ethnicity, religion or status. If these factors mattered, I think Obama would have played the guilt-card to fetch votes. Mayawati was open about it, and we know she did. When you give the politicians votes for just being Black, or Dalits, or poor, you dig a grave for your own country.
If it's about equal opportunity, well, it is provided in this poor land of ours.
Does one act of redemption makes a nation greatest on earth? What about their acts in Vietnam and does the victims of agent orange too agree with this discovery?
@observer: Certainly not calling Afghanistan or India "villains" -- just stating reality that there is a lot of negative lobbying and very little constructive engagement efforts by Indian or Afghan diaspora in USA. This should change. There should be collective movement for peace rather than demonizing each other and using epithets like "failed state", "terrorist state" blah blah which so many of our neighbors constantly use towards Pakistan. This is not helpful. Yes, there are problems in Pakistan but there are plenty of peace-loving Pakistanis as well who deserve the support of our neighbor, in the context of US_Pak relations.
Neverever a single ministry is formed in India without representation of Dalit leaders or representation of minorities. Not repeating the names already quoted, the present speaker of Indian Lok Sabha (the highest elected body of our representatives) is also from same community.
The writer is from Maharastra, I donot know how he forgets Maharashtra CM Abdur Rehman Antule's name.
Christian, Sikh & Muslim chiefs of air force, Zoroastrian/Sikh chiefs of army, Jewish General during war of 1971, Muslim Missile Man who became C-in-C cum President (he reminds me of Muslim Chief Gunner of the Peshwas at third war of Panipat against Abdali), & so on, are unique to India. But, why talk only of Chiefs,Presidents & Prime Ministers & Party honchos? There are thousands of examples of empowered minorities, Dalits & women considering at grass root levels India has 3 millions of electable jobs in 250000 Panchayats, not to speak of thousands of elected persons in 107 city corporations, 1,443 town municipalities and more than 2,000 other Civic bodies. Author has neglected to mention that in India it is not the white-house type power centre but bottom of the pyramid that is really moving towards the top. It is the grass-root level democracy that is far more important to ensure improvement in a caste-ridden society to root out discrimination. President or PM or CM mean little to a common man as compared to a Sarpanch or an elected Village Chief. That lower end of pyramid is undergoing a change for the better in many States & that is good news, IMO..
The point is not whatever that a secular polity is supposed to do is done-appoint without discrimination-but more important is whatever that a non-secular, even bigoted, society does. There India would do well to learn from US. Americans have fought well & hard with their own demons & in that endeavour they have demonstrated their will by making their polity,judiciary & society to march together to conquer their historically inherited, baser attributes. They are worthy of praise. They had a lighter burden of history to carry,of course. Indian tomes are very heavy by comparison; but considering the way India is expanding, & yet shrinking,the momentum of improvement will take on breathtaking speed.
@Prabhat Pal: You are wrong. The US does not elect the President though popular (direct majority) vote. Electors comprising the electoral college cast their votes for the President. To be elected President, a candidate requires a minimum of 270 electoral votes. This is how George W. Bush became president even though he lost the popular vote in the first election.
@Ali Tanoli:
The “haves" mistreat the “have-nots” every where in the world.
Most religions are mistreat those who believe in another.
Humanity has a long way to go but idiotic articles like this one doesn’t do a bit of good.
@Raj:
Feudalism is state issue. State of Kerala abolished it in the 60’s so go fight with the state. Next you are going to say Dowry is a national problem, no, it is local problem.
Solution to most of the social problem is EDUCATION, EDUCATION and EDUCATION!
@Rajendra Kalkhande:
I was going to write exactly the same. Thank you. Historical facts have become irrelevant and inconvenient to the so called journalists and opinion writers.
Thank you for an excellent rebuttal.
THE AUTHOR ASKS Americans have lifted the son of slaves to the most powerful position on earth. Do you think this is possible in India or Pakistan? Can you imagine your servant’s son as your prime minister? I do not know about Pakistan but YES I AM 100% sure about India. It is not only possible but it has happened here. Author may not know Mr KAMRAJ who was a servant became more powerful then a Prime Minister. He along with Morarji Desai and others had challanged the PM Indira Gandhi. Mayawati is not the only one many many chief ministers in India were/are from the poorest of poor families. We are equally proud of our CONSTITUTION as the Americans are. India is in developing stages of democracy and communal hatred the product of 40's raises its head. But we are ever sure that the destiny of India lies in equality above religion, region, caste and gender. It is a site to see these days in on going IPL matches players of all religions and regions playing in each team.
Islam forbidden slavery fifteen hundreds years ago and americans or christians did just in 1872 but in reallty they did in 1972 but its still goes in some forms indirectlly.
"Americans have lifted the son of slaves to the most powerful position on earth."
The author is incorrect that Obama is a descendent of black slaves. Obama is born out of an African father who had gone to the US for education, not one of the slave descendants. He was raised in a white middle class family by his maternal grand parents. That is why he has no cultural and linguistic baggage and values of typical black Americans, but more of middle class white America. That is what made him acceptable among middle class democrat white Americans.
Akar is seriously wrong since India and Pakistan were slaves 65 years ago. And now slaves are free and ruling themselves. Therefore, like every other post colonial nation, India and Pakistan are the greatest nations in the world.
Dear author, if you are so naive as to divide the USA politics into different sections based on race and skin color preferably, i am surprised. Obama worked for the same people who hired tje white presidents before him. As lomg as he justifies his wages, he is a good bet. The same was true in Pakistan when they brought in the "first female prime minister". She played all the right cards for them and of course was a good product to sell. Its all about marketing campaigns sir.
US is a great Nation..No Doubt
The reason behind Obama election wins was Hillary clinton and G, W bush now question is why my answer gonna be American women rights champions still not ready to have woman there president american public sees women as a girl friend who gets abused and just thrown away and get another one its a women rights and second reason was Bush we know why hahahahaha.
You can't compare Catholicism, Judaism or Hinduism with Islam. No offense but the fact that you were trying to above shows that you don't understand Muslims. The average Catholic and Jewish kid for the most part doesn't care about their family's religion. Its just something they respect and are part of (and might use it for the PR and contacts). For the Muslim kids, the dynamics are completely different.
A non-Muslim friend in high school once remarked about Muslims, "they're ALL religious.... ALL of them." The Muslim kids all seem to be believers and do end up praying or going to their masjid at some point during the week/month. No matter how liberal or Americanized they may be, they maintain this connection, even if its just to hang out with others of their religion. And even if they don't practice, they maintain the fact that they believe and will defend the religion and their belief in God.
The atheists, from Muslim families, are nearly impossible to find. To be honest, I've only seen them rarely in Pakistan and on this site.So you can't compare religious affiliations in America with Pakistan. In America we tell people not to bring religion up at all. Muslims have very different feelings about their faith and you apparently haven't understood that if you are grouping them all together.
Author hasn't heard of Babu Jagjivan Ram who was India's first Dalit Deputy Prime minister and defence minister. However he called himself a leader of all people and did not confine himself to Dalits. Today his daughter Meira Kumar is Lok Sabha speaker.
@Shakir Lakhani:
Obama wished Muslims all over the World last Ramzan, is he convincing them that he is a Muslim? Sonia Gandhi being a Catholic nobody can deny.
India is a strange Country. People say Religion is important, but it goes ahead and elects a PM who is a Sikh. One of the Chief Ministers(ex-CM now) of one of the larger states in India is a renowned Atheist(Tamil Nadu). He even says the Ramayana is a lie, in a state predominantly Hindu.
Only Indian can truly appreciate and understand these things. Pakistanis can never.
US Constitution is the primary reason for US's success. But, the Indian Constitution too is as special as the US one and has ensured India doesn't become like Pakistan.
Indian Constitution has been amended, yes, but you have to mention that these amendments are for the betterment of the Country and the Constitution document.
Besides, institutionalized discrimination ended in India with the adoption of the Constitution in 1950, way earlier than it happened in the US.
India has also made a Sikh the Prime Minister, whose community form around 5% of India's population, long before Obama rose to power. People who said it was a fluke had to eat their words when Mr.Singh was re-elected for a second term.
US took 200 years to end institutionalized discrimination, India did it in just 3 years of its independence. India also can claim the title of the greatest nation on Earth!
Not a very deep analysis. also downplaying mayawati's success is not very valid. We should also remember that Obama repeatedly told that he is not muslim during his campaign, what does it tell about USA?
Akar is wrong as usual.
India isn't great precisely because it is unprejudiced. It doesn't carry a prejudice against corrupt dynasties or politicians like USA does.
USA isn't a great nation because it prioritizes economic well being of the nation above all. It has managed to bring respect of law by stringent implementation of law. It has managed to keep corruption low.
If what Akar calls 'unprejudiced' is why USA is great, then let him also answer if India isn't great as well! India had undiscriminated voting rights in 1950, much before USA gave them in 1964. India had a PM from Minority even before USA - A Sikh became the PM in 2004. A woman became the PM in 1966 (just 19 years after freedom). A Muslim became President in 1974 and another son of a very Poor Muslim (APJ Abdul Kalam) became President in 2002 nominated by a hindu nationalist party! A born catholic Sonia Gandhi is the most powerful person in India (even more than PM in some aspects).
But, India looses out when it comes to respect for Law and focus on economic welfare.
@Shakir Lakhani
I saw a photo of Sonia Gandhi years ago washing her feet in the River Ganges to convince her voters that she’s a Hindu.
For your kind information, Hindus do not 'wash their feet in the Ganges' they take a holy dip , i.e. they immerse themselves in the Ganges or they sprinkle water from the Ganges on their heads as a symbolic immersion.
Incidentally, did you also see her daughter marrying Robert Wadra, a Christaian, and still being politically popular? I bet you didn't.
"the strongest woman in India being roman catholic." I saw a photo of Sonia Gandhi years ago washing her feet in the River Ganges to convince her voters that she's a Hindu.
Obama had a white mother, grew up in white neighborhood and went to harward. He aint no bro from the hood. Point is that he has more in common with whites than black.
It will take a generation to die...such discrimination is in our roots..!
You forget that a) India's present Prime Minister is a member of a religious minority that is not even 2% of the population of India b) K R Narayanan, a former President and an 'untouchable' came from a background considerably more underprivilaged than those of many 'sons of slaves' (as did the author of the Indian Constitution, B R Ambedkar) c) The leader of the country's major party is a Catholic, who are less than 1% of India's population. There are literally hundreds and thousands of 'lesser' examples (including A P J Abdul Kalam, India's revered former and perhaps future President). In India you probably face some discrimination when you start off from certain religious minorities (read 'Muslim') and underprivilaged; but work hard, and sincerely, and even in this age of graft and sleaze, you'll do very well.
I am not sure if BARACK is derived from the root word MUBARAK as you have mentioned. Some say it is from BARAQ, the winged horse that the PRophet ( PBUH) rode during his mystical journey to heaven. ( Shab e Miraj). obama's grandfather served as a cook to the British Army in Kenya, he is not the descendant of slaves. mitt Romney has yet to be nominated oficially as the Republican Candidate. You have however raised some good points in your article.
"Abraham Lincoln, the man from Obama’s state Illinois, freed the slaves in 1865. This act, Lincoln said, also freed the white man — of his prejudice, his hatred and his racism"
I think that explains the whole thing, and what followed later only proved the statement. America being a brand new civilization, reinvents itself every day. There was another article in Tribune where in the author described how George Washington laid the foundation of American foreign policy by saying not to have permanent friend or enemies but only permanent American interest. This too is unheard of till then even in Europe. America can do it and many more such radical social engineering, as they are not bonded to the history. India's 3000 years old epic Mahabharath depicts Karna who could not lead the army as he was born to lower caste, inspite being the most illegible. In that background, when India elects R.K.Narayanan, Abdul Kalam as its president, is equally gratifying and benevolent. But, this lack of "bondage" to mythology also makes the same American susceptible to creating their own mythology in Afghanistan without any sensitivity to human life. The permanent benefit paradigm allows them to hobnob with greatest human right violators such as Saudi Arabia.These and many such acts do not bode well for a greatest nation on earth.
@Prabhat Pal: When people voted in 1967, 1971 they voted for Indira Gandhi - she was the party - remember the name of congress then? Congress (I) - I for Indira...
@Saleem H Ali
(including some blame on Pakistan’s neighbors India and Afghanistan as well who constantly lobby against Pakistan within the US Congress).
And pray, How?
By putting Osama where he was?
By establishing Quetta and North Waziristan on Pakistani territory?
By killing US citizens in Mumbai and at least trying to kill them in Times Square?
Or, may be by blocking the NATO/US supply routes?
Yup, indubitably, India and Afghanistan are the villains of the day.
@Rajendra Kalkhande: Yeah you are right! India gave the slave dynasty to the world?! Slave Dynasty took over India is more like it! Also, before you congratulate yourself regarding the female pm etc., let me remind you the type of politics practiced in that part of the world! There is no democracy within any of the political parties in India and large amount of people vote based on the party symbol or personalty cults or freebies they get! Let us not be petty.
US in deed is a great nation. But I don't agree with the reasons Mr.Patel has given for that. Had Barak Obama been an atheist or a muslim, he would have never been voted to white house. Whether he believes or not, he has to go to church with his family to convince his people that he is a "true American". Additionally, a person born outside of US cannot become its President.
Now take the case of India. Indian politics is filled with leaders belonging to lower castes and dalits. The most powerful leader in India is an Italian born white catholic lady and a widow . In spite of widows being considered inauspicious in Indian culture. India being a deeply religious country has also voted numerous atheists to power.
If you ask me, US has a long way to go before its voters can be as unbiased as Indians.
I thing mr Patel got it wrong in one major aspect. Blacks in the USA wanted equal rights, that is they wanted no discrimination against them; and Obama did not seek votes because he was black but because he felt he was capable of leading his country. Our Dalits, on the other hand want positive discrimination favoring them and people like Mayavathi want us to elect them because they are Daliths. In other words Daliths want to perpetuate the caste system by turning it on its head. Thanks, mtr
@Mark Bainbridge: Very true, Obama is by no means an "American black" - none of his ancestors were slaves in america.
Yes, there is much to admire about America but Mr. Patel has written a rather rash article. Obama was fortunate to have an elite academic network thanks to his Columbia and Harvard education. However, commenters who claim that he was privileged are wrong. His father was Kenyan and his mother was a very unusual Caucasian American who worked tirelessly as a development worker -- including two years in Pakistan as well. Obama's step-father was Indonesian.
As a Pakistani-American, I try to give audience to perspectives from both sides -- and regarding US-Pakistan relations there is enough blame to go around (including some blame on Pakistan's neighbors India and Afghanistan as well who constantly lobby against Pakistan within the US Congress).
@Honorliving: that's true in a way since the diversity of nationalities in the US cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
This is a good article which asks to look for merits in a person rather than their background religious or otherwise. American electorate shows its maturity by electing people from minority communities to the highest in the land. However the author seems to have lost his nerve in that he does not mention that India, a predominantly Hindu nation, has elected three Muslims as Presidents which also showed the maturity of its people. I do not think Pakistan will ever elect a Hindu as its President.
@AnIndian: PM in India is not elected directly by the people, it's elected by the party. In USA, people elect the President directly.
........Mayawati, India’s own great leader of the downtrodden.......
Are you sure she is great?
Indians and Chinese are learning everything they can from the West, while Pakistanis are consumed by anti-Americanism and madness.
When we show anger towards US policies and their actions,it's generally because of human rights abuses that they have undertaken in many parts of the globe.However,their society is really unprecedented in many ways due to their consitution and charter. There's this Pakistani scholar named Jawed Ahmed Ghamidi,he clearly said in this famous interview that even though Western powers implemented certain wrong actions but if you look closely at their societies and their history of past 500-700 years then would realize how they've come a far way ahead by tackling religious bigotry,authority of Popes and Bishops,feudalism and monarchy.
Well being an untouchable(lower caste) in India, I felt humiliated(my heart still cries) in my own country India. Now after living in US for more than seven years, I can't agree more with the essence of this article here. There is hardly any discrimination to any human being I came across in USA and I have lived in four states so far. Unless it is Saharukh Khan who doesn't like to be frisked at ariport like all other citizens, nobody will find any issue here. I know many people from all continents in my office including many muslims, all feel lucky/happy to live in USA. Its worst in Muslims countries when it comes to equal rights for women and minorities. But people always blame US without knowing actual facts. Ask somebody who lives here
POssible in India. Kamraj - an untouchable - was offered the prime minister's chair after Nehru. However he declined.
IN India untouchables can be offered the highest office. And also an untouchable, as also another person who is a woman, can decline the highest office.
Incredible India !
@Babloo Indian Muslims and American Blacks have same problems and common Discrimination.
Transformation will come slowly. We first need to get rid of our prejudices. Media willhave to take a lead. Currently there is a headline in Indian media "Aamir Khan visits Auto Rickshaw driver".Unspoken is -- "see this - a star visits a lowly, poor, en-slaved, dirty, rickshaw driver". The media is stoking such feelings by highlighting our prejudices. Aamis Khan is free to visit whoever he likes - why does the fact that the host is a rickshaw driver got such headlines? Lets start with ourselves in small ways - lets Thank the waiter when he serves. Lets wish the gatekeeper - Good Morning and ask how is his family. Lets share our utensils and our dining table and the sofa on the drawing room with the servant.Can we talk civilly with the rickshawpuller and part with a few extra rupees as tips (which we proudly give in hundreds in 5-star hotels)? Can we thank the bus-driver as be get down? Can we share a table with a daily-wage labourer? Lets start treating these so perceived "low" people like humans.
All the above may draw horrors from many Indians and Pakistanis - but is common and accepted behavior in many Western Societies. We take great pride in our 4000 year old history - are we really more Civilised than the West?
America is the world and Americans are the mankind.
Agree with what you say, however technically Obama is not a son of a slave, but a black man from Nigeria. So perhaps Obama didnt have to carry the emotional baggage being a black man with slave roots.
P.S His mother was white so again technically he is 50% white and 50% black...yet we all refer to him as exclusively black...just because he is brown?
I don't understand fully Sir. While it is true that India would have to be one of the most bigoted placed anywhere with its legacy of the caste system, still, Indians do vote for the Congress, for example, irrespective of their backgrounds.
It may be true that they vote a political dynasty, and not on egalitarian terms. However, increasingly, they are likely to find diverse prime ministers (like Manmohan Singh, or Mr Narasimha Rao) for their efforts, and yet they continue to vote this party and its policies.
If you think Congress is an exception, think of CPI, National Conference, Janata Dal of yore.
In India it has happepened before America elected a 1/2 white Obama to presidency. Muslims make same percentage of population as blacks in America. India have had 3 Muslim presidents, I sikh president, 1 sikh prime-minister and numerous people of so called lower castes in chief-minister and other ministerial posts including the president of the constituent assembly that drafted the constitution. Is the author not aware of it ?
Correction Mr Barak Husain Obama (named on his kenyan father) was not a son of slave but white mother and black really educated muslim african father and america is reliegous state one can see during election time and Obama proved many times that he is catholic and believes jesus was son of god (which is not muslims believes). and america is biggest donor of reliegous propaganda in the world and biggest suppoter of israel based on faith believe. and india was not too long ago was part of Russian Blocks and in this change of party process i guess india is no diffrent than americans.....
Good one Aakarji.
America may be worst country for people of other countries (whom it invades, slap sanctions, bully) but it's the best country when it comes to right of it's own people.
I would have been impressed if there policies were not so similar. Either way, with the way the country is going, the many wars we are in, and the trillions of dollars we have on debt. I don't think Europe feels threaten by our 'greatness'.
Can you imagine your servant’s son as your prime minister?
Don't know about Pakistan, but the day we accept a servant's son as Prime Minister over some ex-Prime Minster's son provided the former is most eligible, that day India will be a great nation with a great present and future. Feudalism is the key obstacle to India's goal to achieve the title of a modern and developed nation.
Dear Mr Patel, nice to hear great words about America. However, try to look closer home a bit more carefully you will know that it was the Indian subcontinent which gave the first slave dynasty to the world. Now let us switch over to the place of women in politics. America is yet to have a woman president, where as India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh all had women prime ministers and presidents. Name me four other neighboring nations in the world where women have ruled ? I take you further down into the history of subcontinent. Chandra Gupta Mauriya was also the son of a "dasi" (female slave) and become one of the most powerful ruler of this part of world. I can write entire book giving you such examples. Great king Bharat ( after whom we have the name of our country) was also the illegitimate son of a girl called "Shakuntala" who used to do some menial work in the Ashram of Durwasha Rishi. How come you assign no importance to Mr Man Mohan Singh being prime minister of India in spite of the fact that Sikhs constitute only 2% of Indian population? Mind you, he is PM for the second time. Then we have Italian catholic lady as president of ruling national party. Will you please quote a similar example from USA or any other country? Even persons like Lal Bahadur Sashtri, who had the most humble back ground, made it to the post of PM. Does USA have Lal Bahadur Sashtri type one example?
Romney hasn't won yet.
Barak Obama was never a son of a slave. His dad is from Kenya and he flew to the US and was not taken there on a slave ship. But I agree with the sentiment that the US is a great nation despite all it's flaws.
You do realize that many colored people in Europe were enjoying better rights before they got same in US? Anyways, the topic requires a short book if not NYT Bestseller to tackle the issue of 'the greatest nation on earth' so I shouldn't be too harsh in judging the oversimplification of the issues of race, ethnicity and social prejudices in late 20th to early 21st century.
Perhaps as nation states we have some time before we become as free of prejudice in electoral politics as they but it isn't all bad here. Take India for example, they've had a Muslim president, a Sikh pm at the same time as well as the strongest woman in India being roman catholic. In Pakistan our current president and pm are both Shiite which is a minority sect and has its fair share of haters. Also our people may not have a son of slaves as president yet but we've had slaves as kings here, popularly known as the slave dynasty. Having said that I do agree that their is lots of room for improvement in fitting prejudice here.
It is possible in India. K.R. Narayanan, ex-president was from a lower caste considered as untouchables.
Obama was not the son of a slave. His father was from Kenya, and his mother was white; who happenes to be related to the Bush family. Rather, Obama and his ancestors belonged to a very privileged background.
And I would very much doubt that a 'true' son of a slave, black american would become a president of the USA. The nearest hope of that ever happening was Martin Luther King; but look what happened to him.
It's a genuine wager, I concur...
But we have to give ourselves the due credit also: America got independence in 1776 and until today they don't have a woman president. India & Pakistan became independent in 1947 - we had woman PM's in 1967 and 1988 respectively...
I agree, We have a long long way to go; but, we have also come a long way...
Get your facts rcorrected,It wasn't black against white, it was male against female, gender discrimination that is