01-08-2004, 11:19 PM
Symposium on 'Religious cleansing for centuries in the south Asian
subcontinent'
The Agni Foundation organizes on Saturday 7 February 2004 the lecture '
Religious cleansing for centuries in the south Asian subcontinent'. Agni
organizes annually an informative symposium. Previous year it covered human
rights in a more general sense, but in February 2004 Agni will focus mainly
on religious cleansing in the south Asian subcontinent. In these modern and
progressive times, freedom of religion and tolerance are unfortunately not
self-evident everywhere on the globe.
Expert speakers will deal with the status quo of the rights of Hindu
minorities especially in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan, far
underexposed in western media, from various perspectives. Also religious
cleansing in Kashmir is a part of the programme.
Bangladesh is one of the most violent countries in the world in the case of
human rights violations. Although human rights of minorities and freedom of
religion is guaranteed in the constitution, the authorities fail to protect
the rights of religious minorities. Political and religious murder,
grabbing of land, gang rapes, state sponsored discrimination, and
destruction of images and temples are daily scenes. Bhutan, country of
deportation, has ethnic purification institutionalised and has since 1990 a
sixth of the total domestic population, mainly the ethnic minority
Lhotshampa, involuntarily and forceful deported to Nepal. Until recently
the human rights situation in Afghanistan was plainly disastrous. Terror
became more directed against specific groups like religious minorities.
Strict clothing prescriptions, threats and the strictly Islamic constitution
made the life for these groups unbearable. After the departure of the
Taliban, religious minorities still face many risks and they still are
excluded from active participation in negotiations over the building up of
the country. The National Assembly of Pakistan passed a law formally
abolishing bonded labour and prohibiting the practice, but debt bondage
remains both widespread and virtually unchallenged by the Government of
Pakistan. Almost without exception those in debt bondage are Hindus, working
for landlords who are Muslim. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
(HRCP), one of the country's most prominent non-governmental organizations,
has secured the release of between 7,000 and 8,000 bonded labourers in Sindh
over the past five years, by persuading police or local government officials
to inspect sites where bonded labourers are reported to be held, and
ordering them to be released when they are found.
The federal state Kashmir is tormented through "cross border terrorism". In
the past ten years over 200.000 Kahmiri Pandits feared for their life, have
escaped from Kashmir and live now elsewhere in Indian refugee centres as
"refugees in own country".
The symposium is illustrated with authentic and on the spot taken film and
photograph material. Especially for this symposium, Pandit Ashok Pathak,
revered by the Indian authorities, has developed a religious cleansing
portraying raga with his sitar.
The symposium starts at 18.00 hours till 23.00 hours in the Museon, The
Hague.
www.agni.nl
subcontinent'
The Agni Foundation organizes on Saturday 7 February 2004 the lecture '
Religious cleansing for centuries in the south Asian subcontinent'. Agni
organizes annually an informative symposium. Previous year it covered human
rights in a more general sense, but in February 2004 Agni will focus mainly
on religious cleansing in the south Asian subcontinent. In these modern and
progressive times, freedom of religion and tolerance are unfortunately not
self-evident everywhere on the globe.
Expert speakers will deal with the status quo of the rights of Hindu
minorities especially in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan, far
underexposed in western media, from various perspectives. Also religious
cleansing in Kashmir is a part of the programme.
Bangladesh is one of the most violent countries in the world in the case of
human rights violations. Although human rights of minorities and freedom of
religion is guaranteed in the constitution, the authorities fail to protect
the rights of religious minorities. Political and religious murder,
grabbing of land, gang rapes, state sponsored discrimination, and
destruction of images and temples are daily scenes. Bhutan, country of
deportation, has ethnic purification institutionalised and has since 1990 a
sixth of the total domestic population, mainly the ethnic minority
Lhotshampa, involuntarily and forceful deported to Nepal. Until recently
the human rights situation in Afghanistan was plainly disastrous. Terror
became more directed against specific groups like religious minorities.
Strict clothing prescriptions, threats and the strictly Islamic constitution
made the life for these groups unbearable. After the departure of the
Taliban, religious minorities still face many risks and they still are
excluded from active participation in negotiations over the building up of
the country. The National Assembly of Pakistan passed a law formally
abolishing bonded labour and prohibiting the practice, but debt bondage
remains both widespread and virtually unchallenged by the Government of
Pakistan. Almost without exception those in debt bondage are Hindus, working
for landlords who are Muslim. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
(HRCP), one of the country's most prominent non-governmental organizations,
has secured the release of between 7,000 and 8,000 bonded labourers in Sindh
over the past five years, by persuading police or local government officials
to inspect sites where bonded labourers are reported to be held, and
ordering them to be released when they are found.
The federal state Kashmir is tormented through "cross border terrorism". In
the past ten years over 200.000 Kahmiri Pandits feared for their life, have
escaped from Kashmir and live now elsewhere in Indian refugee centres as
"refugees in own country".
The symposium is illustrated with authentic and on the spot taken film and
photograph material. Especially for this symposium, Pandit Ashok Pathak,
revered by the Indian authorities, has developed a religious cleansing
portraying raga with his sitar.
The symposium starts at 18.00 hours till 23.00 hours in the Museon, The
Hague.
www.agni.nl