Wikipedia:Mediation Cabal/Cases/2006-08-20 List of terrorist organizations

Mediation Case: 2006-08-20 List of terrorist organizations
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Request Information

 * Request made by: Yukon guy 21:00, 19 August 2006 (UTC)


 * Where is the issue taking place?
 * ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_terrorist_organisations


 * Who's involved?
 * ... Yukon_Guy, Spartian , Basawala, Hkelkar


 * What's going on?
 * ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_terrorist_organisations#Hindu

Some people have taken it upon themselves to decide who is a terrorist group and who is not. RSS, VHP, Bajrang Dal, Shiv Sena are listed as terrorist groups.


 * ''What would you like to change about that?
 * ...These groups are valid political parties. I'm not sure how somebody got it into their heads to include these groups as terrorist organizations. Shiv Sena is the opposition political party in the state of Maharashtra in India. RSS and VHP are the related to the biggest opposition political party in India, the BJP. The BJP was the national ruling party from 1999 to 2004.

1)If you read the description, it does make any sense. A "violent" Hindu political group? Shiv Sena was the ruling political party in the state of Maharashtra until 2004. The sentence Shiv Sena or "The Army of Shiva"." has been included just to inflame. And reasoning behind including this group in the terrorist category? "attacking shops selling valentine's day cards." The hrw link is also not working. 2)The links 11 and 12 link to sites with their own agendas. Private individuals making their own decision on who to include as a terrorist is not a valid reason to cite in this list.

3)VHP has been listed just because it is an offshoot of RSS? What is the reasoning behind it?

4)The very notion that these groups are included in the list of terrorist organizations is mind boggling. These groups are not listed as terrorist groups by any country in the world. These groups are political parties. They are not guerilla groups who hide from the general populace and conduct activities harmful to the existence of the state or its citizens. They do not arm themselves with guns, bombs or undergo military style training. They do not conduct indiscriminate killing of civilians or the military. The opposite of all this is to me the definition of a terrorist or terrorist group. These groups do not meet even of these criteriae, how can they be considered terrorist groups? It baffles the mind.

Shiv Sena: A violent Hindu political group, Shiv Sena or "The Army of Shiva". Activities involve attacking shops selling valentine's day cards.[10] Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) An organisation behind some of the religious violence in India[11][12]. Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) an offshoot [13] of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). [14]


 * Would you prefer we work discreetly? If so, how can we reach you?
 * ...Yes. You can contact me by email.

Update
Seems that a thoughtful user has deleted the offending paragraph about Hindu terrorist organizations from that list. You do not need to actively mediate in this matter but it would not be a bad idea to keep this case on the backburner. The list can be monitored for a month or two and any attempts to vandalize it can be tracked. Thank you. Yukon guy 22:26, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

I'll nominally take this case and keep it on my watchlist as you suggest. Addhoc 11:02, 2 September 2006 (UTC)

Mediator response
Ok, the material has been reintroduced, so I suggest we discuss this on the talk page. Addhoc 10:17, 3 September 2006 (UTC)

Compromise offers
This section is for listing and discussing compromise offers.



Discussion

 * First off, the definition of "terrorist" used to justify their inclusion is vague and nebulous. Only those parties that have been listed by governments as terrorists should be listed as such. There is no reliable third party verification that Shiv Sena/BJP/RSS/VHP are "terrorists". By the present logic logic, even British National Party should be terrorists.Hkelkar 19:25, 7 September 2006 (UTC)


 * Yes, that appears to be the consensus. Addhoc 10:51, 8 September 2006 (UTC)