Congressman John Lewis, Georgia Democrat, is often hailed as "one of the most courageous persons the Civil Rights Movement ever produced". In 1960, only 20 years old, he was already counted along with Dr Martin Luther King Jr, among the 'Big Six' leaders of the movement. Today, he is described as "the conscience of the US Congress", and leads the fight against the Bush administration's policies that have shifted the tax burden from the rich to the poor while continuing to finance the war in Iraq by cutting expenditure on healthcare, education and services for the poor. Despite more than 40 arrests, physical attacks and serious injuries, the Congressman remains a devoted advocate of the philosophy of non-violence.
Lewis spoke to Ashish Kumar Sen about Mahatma Gandhi's influence on the Civil Rights Movement and the need to use non-violence as a tool of foreign policy and fighting terror. Excerpts:
Lewis spoke to Ashish Kumar Sen about Mahatma Gandhi's influence on the Civil Rights Movement and the need to use non-violence as a tool of foreign policy and fighting terror. Excerpts:
At the height of the CRM, from 1963 to 1966, you were named chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which you helped set up. Was this non-violent committee inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence and non-cooperation?
Why was the Gandhian form accepted?
Do you think Gandhi's way was the only way CRM could have succeeded?
In what ways did Gandhi's experiments with non-violence influence Dr Martin Luther King Jr?
What does the younger generation in the US think of Mahatma Gandhi and his methods?
So you think Gandhi's non-violent technique is relevant in today's world?
You noted recently that violence is an obsolete tool of US foreign policy. Given the turmoil in the world today, is non-violence a viable foreign policy option?
With people like George Bush insisting that all political opposition has to be non-violent, do you think Gandhian techniques have been devalued?
Isn't it ironic that India, the land of Gandhi, itself does not use non-violence, or Gandhian techniques, in combating terror and in conduct of its foreign policy?
How do you think the Bush administration should have responded to the 9/11 attacks on America?
How do you rate President George Bush's war on terror?
Can this war against the so-called "Islamic fascists" that the Bush administration repeatedly refers to be won through non-violent means?
