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{{cquote|''The atmosphere at the conference was frankly hostile... When it was my turn, I was heckled somewhat by the Leftist crowd, especially by a well-known Indo-American Communist academic, who was rolling his eyes like a madman and making obscene gestures until an elderly American lady sitting next to him told him to behave. At the end, Mathew came to collect a copy of my text (...), called me a “liar”, and told his buddies that they needed to write a scholarly rebuttal. Which is still being awaited today.''<ref>Koenraad Elst, Ayodhya: The Case Against the Temple, chapter 11</ref>}} {{cquote|''The atmosphere at the conference was frankly hostile... When it was my turn, I was heckled somewhat by the Leftist crowd, especially by a well-known Indo-American Communist academic, who was rolling his eyes like a madman and making obscene gestures until an elderly American lady sitting next to him told him to behave. At the end, Mathew came to collect a copy of my text (...), called me a “liar”, and told his buddies that they needed to write a scholarly rebuttal. Which is still being awaited today.''<ref>Koenraad Elst, Ayodhya: The Case Against the Temple, chapter 11</ref>}}


Elst has also published many articles in Dutch, he contributed for example to the conservative magazine <ref></ref>, along with other sources described as emanating from right-wing circles in Belgium<ref>See "some more reading matter about Dr. K. Elst" by Prof. R. Zydenbos in .</ref>; he has also been accused of connections to the ] by an Indian journalist.<ref></ref> Koenraad Elst is also a contributor to the "conservative-libertarian" internet magazine ], the Flemish satirical weekly ] and other Belgian or Dutch publications. He has also written for mainstream Indian magazines like ]. He wrote a postcript to a book written by the neoconservative ] ("]"). Elst has also published many articles in Dutch, he contributed for example to the conservative magazine <ref></ref>, along with other sources described as emanating from right-wing circles in Belgium<ref>See "some more reading matter about Dr. K. Elst" by Prof. R. Zydenbos in .</ref>; he has also been accused of connections to the ] by an Indian journalist.<ref></ref> Koenraad Elst is also a contributor to the "conservative-libertarian" internet magazine ], the Flemish satirical weekly ] and other Belgian or Dutch publications. He has also written for mainstream Indian magazines like ]. He wrote a postcript to a book written by Middle-East scholar ] ("]").


== Bibliography == == Bibliography ==

Revision as of 12:04, 5 October 2006

Dr. Koenraad Elst is a Belgian writer, scholar and researcher. He is the author of over ten books on topics related to Hinduism, Indian history, and Indian politics.

Biography

Template:Hindu politics He was born in Leuven, Belgium, on 7 August 1959, into a Flemish Catholic family. He graduated in Philosophy, Chinese Studies and Indo-Iranian Studies at the Catholic University of Leuven.

During a stay at the Benaras Hindu University, he discovered India’s communal problem and wrote his first book about the budding Ayodhya conflict. While establishing himself as a columnist for a number of Belgian and Indian papers, he frequently returned to India to study various aspects of its ethno-religio-political configuration and interview Hindu and other leaders and thinkers. He also met the Hindu writer Sita Ram Goel in India, and was influenced by his writings. His research on the ideological development of Hindu revivalism earned him his Ph.D. in Leuven in 1998. He has also written about multiculturalism, language policy issues, ancient Chinese history and philosophy, comparative religion, and the Aryan invasion debate. Dr. Elst became a well-known author on Indian politics in the 1990s.

Controversies and influences

Elst stated in 1999 to be a member of the Christian-Democratic trade-union. He described himself as "a secular humanist with an active interest in religions, particularly Taoism and Hinduism, and keeping a close watch on the variegated Pagan revival in Europe."

He seems not to have changed his religion, for he said: "I am neither a Hindu nor a nationalist. And I don’t need to belong to those or to any specific ideological categories in order to use my eyes and ears." And he wrote: "However, I do readily admit to being a “fellow-traveller” of Dharmic civilization in its struggle for survival against the ongoing aggression and subversion by well-organized hostile ideologies."

Koenraad Elst has been at times a controversial figure, and especially some Indian Marxists have a negative view of Elst's works. Elst described some of these controversies in his works:

The atmosphere at the conference was frankly hostile... When it was my turn, I was heckled somewhat by the Leftist crowd, especially by a well-known Indo-American Communist academic, who was rolling his eyes like a madman and making obscene gestures until an elderly American lady sitting next to him told him to behave. At the end, Mathew came to collect a copy of my text (...), called me a “liar”, and told his buddies that they needed to write a scholarly rebuttal. Which is still being awaited today.

Elst has also published many articles in Dutch, he contributed for example to the conservative magazine Nucleus , along with other sources described as emanating from right-wing circles in Belgium; he has also been accused of connections to the Vlaams Blok by an Indian journalist. Koenraad Elst is also a contributor to the "conservative-libertarian" internet magazine The Brussels Journal, the Flemish satirical weekly 't Pallieterke and other Belgian or Dutch publications. He has also written for mainstream Indian magazines like Outlook India. He wrote a postcript to a book written by Middle-East scholar Daniel Pipes ("The Rushdie Affair: The Novel, the Ayatollah, and the West").

Bibliography

Notes

  1. Article from bharatvani.org
  2. bharatvani.org op. cit.
  3. Elst interview
  4. Voice of Dharma review
  5. Koenraad Elst, Ayodhya: The Case Against the Temple, chapter 11
  6. bharatvani.org op.cit.
  7. See "some more reading matter about Dr. K. Elst" by Prof. R. Zydenbos in .
  8. Sanjay Subrahmanyam in the Times of India, August 22, 2006

See also

External links

Controversies

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