The mind-numbing tragedy of the Asian tsunami, the devastating hurricanes in the Americas, the terrible floods in Asia, and the horrible earthquake in Kashmir - we have had ample reminders of nature's awesome power in recent months. IHN pays tribute to the resilience of the tens of millions of victims who are rebuilding their lives with determination, and to the world community which so generously stepped forward to help victims of these natural disasters.

If victims of natural disasters are in the tens of millions, in the Indian sub-continent victims of a human disaster called the caste system number at least 170 million, and that is counting only the Dalits or the so-called untouchables. That some people are considered untouchable and denied their human dignity is terrible. It is a moral obligation for the world community to get involved, and IHEU will do its bit to help - details will be announced soon. If South Africa could get rid of its wretched system of apartheid, so can the Indian subcontinent get rid of its shame.

Public policy should be guided by knowledge, reason and compassion, but when the ignorant are in charge, the results can be dramatic. The US has today the ignominy of being led by an administration that has no regard for scientific knowledge and only contempt for global responsibility. Be it its policies on women's reproductive rights, on global warming, on military action in Iraq, or on the UN, the US has been the object of much opprobrium. A recent study establishes some tentative links between religiosity and social dysfunction. Never has the US seemed to be more guided by religion and religious doctrine than today, and one wonders if this could be an explanation for the problems of a once great nation?

How is one to handle the pressures of multi-culturalism in a globalising world? Canada's Ontario province has finally rejected demands for faith- based laws and set new standards for western governments. Multi-culturalism cannot take precedence over considerations of Human Rights, nor should it, it seems, take precedence over common sense. How is one to judge the decision by a bank in the UK to discontinue production of piggy banks on the grounds that representation of pigs offends Muslims?

In its new orientation and focus, IHEU will need to concentrate on the restoration of common sense, on the promotion of basic scientific knowledge and on the defence of Human Rights and Human Values.

Babu Gogineni