HUMAN RIGHTS FEATURES
(Voice of the Asia-Pacific Human Rights Network)
(A joint initiative of SAHRDC and HRDC)
B-6/6 Safdarjung Enclave Extension, New Delhi 110 029, India
Tel: +91-11-619 2717, 619 2706, 619 1120; Fax: 619 1120
E-mail: hrdc_online@hotmail.com
BANGLADESH------------------------------------------
Vested interest: <b>Dhaka legalises dispossession Hindu minorities in Bangladesh</b> face institutionalised discrimination; the violence is only a symptom
The violence against Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh is a
symptom of institutional discrimination against the minorities. The root
of the problem is the Vested Property Act, a reincarnation of the Enemy
Properties Act passed by the former Government of East Pakistan.
Hundreds of thousands of people belonging to the minority Hindu
community, as well as indigenous peoples, have been dispossessed of
their properties under the Vested Properties Act.
At the 56th Session of the Commission on Human Rights, SAHRDC submitted
a written statement titled âviolation of economic, social and cultural
rights of the legally identified enemies of Bangladesh.â The statement
examined the state of the Hindu minorities and the institutional
discrimination faced by them.
The Government of Bangladesh submitted its reply at the 57th Session of
the CHR after examining the SAHRDC document. The reply reflects the
Government's attitude towards its minorities. The reply stated: âThe
very title of the SAHRDC statement, âviolation of economic, social and
cultural rights of the legally identified enemies of Bangladeshâ is
misleading. There is [sic] no legally identified enemies of Bangladesh,
legally or otherwise. The assertion of SAHRDC is baseless and tendentious.
The existence of âenemiesâ however is implicit in the very title of
theâEnemy Properties Act passed by the then Government of Pakistan and
the Enemy Property (continuance of Emergency Provisions) (Repeal) Act,
1974 of the Government of Bangladesh.
The Government of Bangladesh also stated that â[f]ollowing [the]
emergence of Bangladesh as an independent and sovereign country in 1971â¦
All the âenemy propertiesâ which were vested in the former Government of
East Pakistan were declared as vested in the Government of the People's
Republic of Bangladesh (vesting property and assets) order, 1972
(P.O.No. 29/72) and the Enemy Property (continuance of Emergency
Provisions) (Repeal) Act, 1974.â
However, the Interim Report of United Nations Special Rapporteur on
Religious Intolerance Abdelfattah Amor to the Millennium Session of the
General Assembly indicated otherwise. The report that followed Amor's
visit to Bangladesh in May 2000 said: âAfter Bangladesh won independence
from Pakistan, the President of Bangladesh, in his Order No. 29 of 1972,
changed the nomenclature to Vested Property Act, without altering the
content of the law.â
<b>The definition of âenemyâ as provided under the Defence of Pakistan
Rules is therefore still applicable in Bangladesh. Under Section 3(b)(i)
of the âEnemy Property (Continuance of Emergency Provisions (Repeal) Act
1974, âenemy propertyâ and âenemy firmsâ shall have the same meaning as
are respectively assigned to them in the Defence of Pakistan Rules
continued in force by the said Ordinance.â
Clearly, therefore, Hindus are âlegally identified enemiesâ in Bangladesh.</b>
In its reply, the Government of Bangladesh also stated: âNo property of
any bonafide Bangladeshi Hindu National has been enlisted as vested
property since independence of Bangladesh till date.â
The assertion of the Government of Bangladesh is untrue. The United
Nations Special Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance stated in his
report: <b>â[T]o this day, interest groups and individuals continue to
appropriate property belonging to the Hindu community, and indeed to do
so with the complicity of the authorities and of influential people. In
a significant number of cases, Hindus are dispossessed of their
property, even when they are the legal owners of such assets.â</b>
The Law Ministry of the Government of Bangladesh in a direction issued
after the communal riots that followed the demolition of the Babri
mosque by Hindu fundamentalists in India in 1992 urged the Government to
âdetermine whether there are other enemy properties.â The order further
stated âIf the Committees find out [sic] any concealed properties it
will investigate into the matter and bring it to the notice of the
Governmentâ¦
On 9 April 2001, the Parliament of Bangladesh passed the Vested
Properties Return Act, 2001. It was passed after being referred to the
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Land for cursory
scrutiny. The law was an exercise in political tokenism before the
general elections. It also does not adequately address the issue. This
is reflected in the UN Special Rapporteurâs report. (see box below)
The Vested Properties Return Act, 2001, is intended to return the vested
properties to their original owners. However, in all probability, it
will merely serve to legalise the omissions and commissions committed
under a patently discriminatory law.
With Dhakaâs consistent refusal to acknowledge the fact of
discrimination against its minorities, and in view of its record on
ameliorating their condition, it is also highly improbable that a
regulation - and a flawed one at that - such as the Vested Properties
Return Act will be implemented in the near future.
Special Rapporteurâs report, 9 August 2000
"It appears, however, that this bill would present serious problems.
According to the non-governmental sources, the bill provides that
properties legally vested under the ownership of the Government and
those declared to be enemy or vested property after 16 February 1969
will not be considered as vested property after the said period. Most
Hindu property, however, was declared vested property after that date.
The bill also states that the proprietorship status of the vested
property will not be challenged if the property was transferred to the
Government, a government institution, or to a private individual, has
been sold or has been handed over permanently by the Government at the
directives of a court. It will not even be possible to challenge such
cases in court... Lastly, the bill provides that in the event of the
decease of the original owner, rights of inheritance shall apply in
accordance with Hindu religious personal laws. Hindu women would
therefore be automatically excluded from inheritance, since Hindu
religious personal laws do not accord any rights of inheritance to women.â
Mumbai: Objecting to showing Lord Shiva and Lord Ganesha in their revue Bonheur, a lawyer from Mumbai has served notice to the worldâs most celebrated cabaret, Lido, asking them to remove the scene that hurts the religious feelings of Hindus.
Lawyer Sudhir Shah said that he had watched the revue of Lido on September 27 at Champs Elysees in Paris and his religious sentiments were deeply hurt.
"I have served a notice to the Lido asking them to remove the scene from the revue," he said.
He said that the theme of Bonheur is a womanâs quest for happiness and to show this the revue takes the audience on a 90-minute emotion packed journey to a land of spectacular fantasy and discovery.
"But in doing so, the revue makes use of Indian gods Lord Shiva and Lord Ganesha and thereby humiliates them and makes a mockery of them," Shah added.
The lawyer said that no Hindu could tolerate a scene where topless cabaret girls are shown dancing in front of Lord Shivaâs idol and Lord Ganesha is shown dancing with topless women.
"Why have the creators of the revue enacted a scene wherein deliberate mockery of Hindu Gods have been made?â he asked. âWhy have the producers, directors and the owners not cared for the religious sentiments of Hindus?"
In the notice, Shah said Lord Shiva is considered the destroyer of all evils. Hindus worship Lord Ganesh when they start any new venture. To show Lord Shiva in a satirical cabaret and to make Lord Ganesha dance amongst topless women is an insult to Hindu gods.
Shah said that he would approach the French High Commission in India and the Indian Embassy in France, if the organisers fail to reply to his notice of the confirmation of omitting the objectionable scene
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Saraswathi idol desecrated </b>
Staff Reporter
mailcenter.comcast.net/wm...194&sid=c0
<i>Crime Branch probe begins; dawn-to-dusk hartal in Kollam today</i>
KOLLAM: A Saraswathi idol at the entrance to Panmana Ashram was found desecrated on Sunday morning, leading to tension in the area.
An all-party meeting at the ashram called a dawn-to-dusk hartal in Kollam district on Monday in protest against the desecration. The Crime Branch of the Police Department is investigating the case. R. Krishnabhadran, Superintendent of Police, Crime Branch, Kollam, inspected the site. A strong police force has been deployed in the area. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy called up ashram head Pranavananda Theerthapada. The ashram authorities requested Mr. Chandy to hold the Crime Branch inquiry. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Ramesh Chennithala also called up the ashram.
The upper hands of the idol were damaged. The right one was severed and the left broken and dangling. Hundreds of devotees rushed to the ashram on hearing about the incident. <b>What has alarmed the ashram authorities is that it comes close on the heels of an attack on Chattambi Swamy Samadhi Memorial Library at Panmana last Thursday. The ashram is Chattambi Swamy's samadhi</b>. <b>The police suspect the hand of anti-social elements in the attack</b>. Kaivalyananda Swamy of the ashram said both the attacks appeared to be planned. But there was no reason to conclude that there could be a communal element behind the attacks. "It could be the work of anti-social elements,'' he added.
Unfortunate, says Antony
The former Chief Minister A.K. Antony, who was at Karunagapally, visited the ashram. Mr. Antony, who held talks with Swamy Pranavananda Theerthapada, told presspersons that the attack was pre-planned and unfortunate. He wanted the culprits to be nabbed as soon as possible, and called for stringent action against them.
N.K. Premachandran, MP; A.N. Rajan Babu, Karunagapally MLA; and the Congress leaders K.C. Rajan and Sooranad Rajashekaram called at the ashram.
After visiting the ashram, Kollam MP P. Rajendran and other Communist Party of India (Marxist) leaders, including its central committee member M.A. Baby, called for an investigation by a high-level special team. Mr. Rajendran told presspersons that attacks on religious institutions was on the rise, and there could be a conspiracy behind them. He alleged that the all-round failure of the <b>United Democratic Front Government was giving criminal elements the confidence to unleash such attacks</b>, he added.
FROM The Hindu Dated October 24, 2005<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<b>Brit Hindus revive Bapu's non-violent resistance</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->LONDON: British Hindus are to take the politics of Gandhian non-violent resistance to a new level by sending thousands of unstamped letters to the country's postal department to "clog up the system".
It is part of an ingenious protest against Royal Mail's refusal to withdraw one of this year's controversial new mother and child Christmas stamps depicting a Hindu couple worshipping the Baby Jesus.
The stamp, which carries a nearly 400-year-old painting currently hanging in a Mumbai museum, goes on sale across the UK (on Wednesday) and is priced so that it would mainly be used on post destined for non-European Union destinations such as India. .............<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
On behalf of national and regional Hindu organisations in the UK, we
ask you to kindly protest to Royal Mail about their refusal to withdraw a
stamp that is seen as insensitive and inappropriate to Hindu
sentiments. The stamp shows two Hindus worshiping Baby Christ in a manner that
many Hindus feel is inappropriate because of the issues surrounding
conversions and evangelisation in India.
Royal Mail have categorically said they cannot withdraw it because they
have already sent it to 17000 Post Offices. Royal Mail have IT software
that can enable them to send a message to every clerk in every Post
Office counter to ask them to stop selling the stamps, but yet they have
chosen not to do so. <b>Therefore we URGE YOU TO PASS THIS LETTER TO
EVERYONE ON YOUR EMAIL LIST AND PROTEST IN THE FOLLOWING WAY</b>:
1. Write a letter of protest and send it to Royal Mail Headquarters
148 Old Street LONDON EC1V 9HQ TÂ without affixing a postage stamp. The
Hindu Forum hopes that hundreds of letters will be sent in this way
clogging the local post office where the letters will be accumulated for
collection, thus causing a logistical nightmare worse than withdrawing
the stamp.
2. Send a letter of protest by email to press.office@royalmail.com
3. Send a letter of protest by email to Barry Gardiner MP, Minister for
Efficiency at the Department of Trade and Industry who is responsible
for Royal Mail to gardinerb@parliament.uk Barry Gardiner is a good
friend of the Hindu community and will certainly take note of Hindu
sentiments!
3. Stop buying the offensive stamp when sold by a Post Office counter
and insist on another stamp of similar denomination
4. Write to your local MP explaining why they should ask the Post
Office to withdraw the stamp
5. Ask all your friends and relatives to send letters of protest
without affixing postage stamps. Each individual can even send ten or more
letters to increase the volume of mail reaching the post office without
stamps.
6. Take part in the mass protest march that will be announced at a
suitable time if Royal Mail continue their refusal to withdraw the stamp.
<b>PLEASE FORWARD THIS LETTER TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE AND TAKE PART
IN THE PROTEST BY WRITING LETTERS WITHOUT STAMPS AND BY SENDING EMAILS.
REGARDS FROM THE TEAM AT
THE HINDU FORUM OF BRITAIN</b>
___________________________________________________________________
Royal Mail refusal to withdraw stamp will lead to mass protests by
British Hindus
2 November 2005 - Hindus in Britain are organising new ways of
protesting after Royal Mail yesterday refused to consider a request by the
Hindu Forum of Britain to withdraw a Christmas stamp featuring Hindus
worshipping Jesus Christ. Hindu leaders from national and regional
organisations across UK were quick to join the Hindu Forum of Britain in
supporting its request for a withdrawal of the stamp.
The stamp features the picture of a man and a woman with Hindu markings
worshipping baby Christ. The man has a 'tilak' marking on his forehead
clearly identifying him as a Vaishnava Hindu and the woman has the
traditional 'kumkum' mark on her forehead identifying her as a married
Hindu lady.
"After Royal Mail refused to withdraw the stamp, Hindu leaders
representing some of the largest organisations across UK have informed us that
they will take this matter straight to the community to protest about
it," explained Ramesh Kallidai, secretary general of the Hindu Forum of
Britain. "It has now caused even greater resentment since Royal Mail
had not even originally consulted us before the stamp was issued. We
could easily have offered them advice on a suitable depiction of the Mother
and Child image that would not have offended anybody."
The stamp is priced at 68 p, which is the amount of postage for letters
to India. "They have shown utter disregard for the issue of evangelical
conversions in India," explained Jo Thanki President of the Hindu
Council of Birmingham. "Many newspapers in India have reported that
evangelical churches linked to terrorist organisations in the North West region
of India have intimidated tribals at gun points into conversion. It is
therefore a deeper issue that Royal Mail seem to have not addressed."
"We strongly object to the stamp depicting a Hindu couple worshiping
Baby Christ. We are followers of a culture which respects all religious
and beliefs but this type of depiction is denigrating and undermines our
religious sentiments," said Kishore Ruparelia, General Secretary of the
Vishwa Hindu Parishad UK and Europe. "We strongly advise Royal Mail to
withdraw this stamp otherwise we intend to bring out a mass
demonstration to protest abbout it. This is a deliberate attempt to dilute the
thinking of ordinary Hindus."
Hindu leaders now plan to start mass mailing of letters without stamps
to the Royal Mail headquarters to clog the post office at Old Street,
letters of protest by email to the Royal Mail and DTI and lobbying with
friendly Parliamentarians. If Royal Mail continue their refusal to
withdraw the stamp a mass protest outside their headquarters in London is
also being planned.
"We cannot accept the Royal Mail argument that the stamps have been
distributed and cannot be recalled," confirmed Ratilal Chohan, General
Secretary of the Hindu Council of the North. "If they had been a food
chain with a product containing cancer causing agents on the shelves of
their outlets, would they not withdraw them?"
A Royal Mail spokesperson confirmed on BBC today that they had
consulted the Museum in Mumbai where the painting hangs, but could have done
more to consult Hindus widely.
Hindu leaders identified that Royal Mail had the necessary information
technology and resources to withdraw the stamp but did not seem willing
to use it.
"Royal Mail have appropriate distributed systems software to send a
message to every Post Office counter asking them to stop sale of the
stamp," explained Venilal Vaghela, Chair of the Hindu Council of Brent. "Yet
they are showing unwillingness to withdraw it and this does not sound
good enough."
"We are appalled and shocked that they chose to do this without
consulting the community," commented Sheila Maharaja, spokesperson for the
Hindu Human Rights group. "Now they are saying that they cannot even
request Post Office counters to stop selling them by sending a simple
message that will take them ten minutes to create. This is the height of
irresponsible behaviour in public service."
"Royal Mail explained that it was a piece of art and could therefore
not be offensive," said Raman Barber, President of the Sanatan Hindu
Temple in Leicester. "But just because something is a piece of art does not
mean it is appropriate to be put on public display in a way that
offends people. I have seen portraits of Jesus Christ offering respects to
Lord Krishna as His Supreme Father. While they are perfectly appropriate
inside a Hindu temple, it would be unacceptable for it to be used as a
stamp."
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>HHR Press Release: Is The Royal Mail Stamping out Hinduism ??</b>
We at Hindu Human Rights would like to express our growing concern at the reaction of the Royal Mail to protests by Hindu groups here in the UK. For those that are not aware of the situation, the Royal Mail has issued Christmas stamps depicting an offensive painting of Hindus worshipping Jesus. So far the Royal Mail has shown a dismissive and apathetic attitude towards the concerns expressed by the Hindu community and it is for this reason that we have chosen to voice our opinion on this matter.
We ask the Royal Mail to take the concerns of the Hindu community seriously and to reconsider their refusal to approach the Hindu community over this issue. Further, we request the immediate withdrawal from sale of the said offensive stamps. To our knowledge the Royal Mail has not consulted with any mainstream Hindu organisation or group before deciding to use Hindu imagery for their Christmas stamps. It is precisely because of this ignorant behaviour, which we have found to be quite prevalent, that we find ourselves in this situation.
For many this may seem like a trivial and harmless matter but we ask people to look into the wider context of this issue. There is a deep irony in that, because while the Royal Mail is issuing stamps depicting Hindus with tilaks (head markings) worshipping the Jesus, Hindus in Christian-dominated North-eastern India are banned from even walking down the street with those tilaks and face attacks from Christian Extremists if they even dare to openly perform any Hindu worship.
It is for this reason that we also request Royal Mail and the British Government to publicly investigate and uncover right wing Christian groups operating here in the UK, who prey on the innocent public to raise and transfer funds (most probably using Royal Mail) to promote intolerant, extremist and even terrorist behaviour in India. Their aim obviously being the destruction of indigenous cultures around the world and in particular, that of Hinduism and Hindu civilization in India. This is clearly illustrated on Evangelical television channels and websites which repeatedly defame Hinduism as being satanic and a demon worshipping cult that needs to be cleansed by the mass-conversion programs of the Christian missions which happen to be heavily funded by the Western countries. If they have their way, soon there won't be any Hindus left to worship Hindu Deities, just like the fate of the indigenous Deities and philosophies of Africa and other continents.
We ask the Royal Mail and the British Government to consider the plight of those Hindus in North-Eastern India who have not been able to celebrate Diwali this year in the fear of being attacked in the name of Christ.
Thanking You
Hindu Human Rights
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--> <b>
Kidnappings of Hindu girls reaches fever-pitch in Pak</b>
2005-11-03 Published by new kerala.com Gathered by Staff Reporter
KARACHI,NOVEMBER 3: Pakistan Human Rights Commission (PHRC) has
expressed deep concerns at the recent rise in the number of
kidnappings of Hindu girls, especially in the Punjab province. An HRCP
release issued here yesterday stated that as many as 19 girls, mostly
from Punjab, were missing from their homes. <b>Condemning the practice of
kidnapping of Hindu girls and their forcible conversions</b>, the
Commission charged the Pakistan government of being incapable of
handling this issue, and that such practice was against constitutional
provisions of the country. <b>Relatives of these young girls had reasons
to believe that they had been kidnapped and being forced to change
their religion, the Dawn quoted the PHRC as saying in the release. The
Commission also urged the federal government to take immediate action
on each reported kidnapping case of Hindu girls.</b><!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
In France, Hinduism is not recognized as a religion [While Islam and Buddism are], so I am very happy to see Islamofascists rioting in that country of bigots.
11-06-2005, 07:59 AM (This post was last modified: 05-12-2006, 02:36 AM by Bharatvarsh.)
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Daily Mirror
5 November 2005
JESUS STAMP AXED
A 68p Christmas stamp has been withdrawn after Hindus claimed it was offensive.
The stamp depicts the Virgin Mary with traditional Hindu markings on her forehead worshipping the baby Jesus.
Royal Mail said stocks of the stamp bearing the 17th century painting from Mumbai, India, will run out in three days and only be available on request.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Finally something good happened, UK Hindus are showing the way and are ahead in Hindu activism more than any country, Hindus in other countries need to follow suit, it really is surprising that Hindus in India are the most servile (they couldn't even do anything about m.f hussains paintings) while the diaspora Hindus (especially in UK) are moving ahead.
The UK will become an Islamic Country soon, or atleast will have a 'partition' to create a mini Pakistan within it.
<!--QuoteBegin-Mudy+Nov 6 2005, 10:37 AM-->QUOTE(Mudy @ Nov 6 2005, 10:37 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Hindus of India are brainwashed.
[right][snapback]40712[/snapback][/right]
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
When a Hindu girl is converted to Islam, hundreds of extremists belonging to religious parties such as Maulana Fazlur Rehmanâs Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam (JUI), take to the streets and chant religious slogans
Karachi: An alarming trend â that of Muslims kidnapping Pakistani Hindu girls and forcing them to convert to Islam â in Pakistanâs Sindh province is forcing the worried resident Hindu community to marry off their daughters as soon as they are of marriageable age or to migrate to India, Canada or other nations.
Recently, at least 19 such abduction cases have occurred in Karachi alone, while several others have been reported in the media.
Sanao Menghwar, a Hindu resident of Karachiâs Punjab Colony, is a traumatised man; all three of his daughters âAishwarya, Reena and Reema â have been kidnapped and forced to convert to Islam.
In the police complaint that he filed at the behest of the Panchayat after two days of futile searching for his daughters, he stated that when he and his wife returned home from work, they discovered their daughters had gone missing.
The police arrested three Muslim youths in connection with the crime, who were later granted bail by a court because theyâre minors. Menghwarâs daughters continue to remain missing.
âKidnapping Hindu girls like this has become a normal practice. The girls are then forced to sign stamp papers stating that theyâve become Muslims,â says Laljee Menghwar, a member of the Hindu Panchayat in Karachi.
According to him, the Pakistani government needs to examine and put a stop to the social oppression of religious minorities in the country. âHindus here are too frightened to vent their anger â they fear victimisation. But we have now decided to go public with these cases and demand justice,â Laljee says. Their cause has found support in the Pakistani Christian community, who carried out a demonstration with them in Karachi, protesting against this crime.
Similarly startling incidents have occurred in several districts of Sindh and evoked identical responses. At least six Hindu girls met this fate a few months ago in Jacobabad (a tribal area heavily inhabited by Hindus) and Larkana districts.
Sapna, the daughter of one Seth Giyanchand, was recently taken to a shrine (Amrote in Shikarpur district) by Shamsuddin Dasti. Dasti, a Muslim friend of Sapnaâs brother, is a married man and father of two.
Nevertheless, the custodian of the shrine, Maulvi Abdul Aziz lost no time in converting Sapna to Islam (her names was changed to âMehekâ) and marrying her to Dasti. The case came to light only when Sapnaâs parents stated that their daughter hadnât eloped but been abducted.
Human rights activists, such as Nuzhat Shirin who belongs to the Aurat Foundation, says that religious extremism is rapidly increasing in Jacobabad and other Sindh districts.
Extremists in turn encourage shrines, which are involved with forced conversions. When a Hindu girl is converted to Islam, hundreds of extremists belonging to religious parties such as Maulana Fazlur Rehmanâs Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam (JUI), take to the streets and chant religious slogans.
In Sapnaâs case, when she was presented in court with Dasti, extremists showered rose petals on them and loudly chanted religious slogans. The fanaticism was so daunting that Sapna was too frightened to even speak with her own parents who were also present in the courtroom. At that, Maulvi Aziz, who was also standing in the courtroom, was said to have remarked, âHow can a Muslim girl live and maintain contact with kafirs (infidels)?â
Sapnaâs story sparked widespread demonstrations by the Hindu community. Presidents and mukhis of Panchayats from various towns and districts met in Jacobabad to discuss this serious issue. Activists and leaders from educated segments of society strongly criticised the role of religious leaders, like Maulvi Aziz, in these forced conversion cases.
Still, the threat of victimisation by Muslims is palpable; Shirin says when forced conversion cases make it to court, lawyers themselves avoid taking them up, fearing a backlash from maulvis.
Giyanchand meanwhile has said that he has no other option but to migrate to India â it will be difficult for him to find grooms for his other daughters because of Sapnaâs controversial conversion.
And forced conversions are not the only problem that the Hindu minority (there are 2.7 million Hindus in Pakistan; Pakistanâs total population is 140 million) is facing in the country.
A powerful syndicate of bandits and patrons in the northern districts of Sindh regularly kidnap rich Hindus for ransom. They not kill hostages if the ransom doesnât arrive on time, they even kill some despite their ransom being paid.
Sadham Chand Chawla, the former president of the Hindu Panchayat, Jacobabad, was abducted and murdered. His killers remain at large despite enormous protests. Following his murder, his family had received several threats until they secretly migrated to India.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Press Release â <b>Hindu Human Rights Protest on Sunday 18 December 2005 to the Pakistan Government for Human Rights Abuses upon the Hindu Minority</b>
20 November 2005, London
The recent upsurge in the kidnappings of Hindu women and girls in Pakistan has raised deep concerns about the rights and future of the Hindu minority in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Reports suggest that murders and lootings of Hindus have also been on the increase in Pakistan. Numerous Hindu temples have been vandalised or destroyed in the last few years. The small Hindu minority lives in constant fear of persecution and harassment in Pakistan. Yet the authorities have failed in every case to take action against known criminals and have yet to lift a finger to help find those Hindus who are still missing. Indeed, the constitution and legal system of the country openly discriminates against the Hindu minority. Enough is enough and it is time for all civilised people to stand up and let their voices be heard in a protest to the Pakistani authorities.
Before independence from colonial rule, in 1947, Hindus made up approximately 25% of the population of what became Pakistan. Even after the Partition of the Indian Sub-continent, Hindus were still a 15% minority in that region. Today, repeated genocide and ethnic cleansing has forced the number of Hindus down to below 2% of the population â however this represents more than 5 times the number of Hindus living here in the UK.
Join us to protest against the ongoing Human Rights abuses against the Hindu minority in Pakistan on Sunday 18 December 2005 from 12 pm onwards outside the Pakistan High Commission, 34-36 Lowndes Square, London. Nearest tube station: Knightsbridge (Piccadilly line).
Hindu Human Rights
Serving Hindus Worldwide
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<b>Hindus in Pakistan: What the History Books Wonât Tell You</b>
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->n    There is a lack of awareness across the world about the very existence of a significant yet dwindling Hindu community in Pakistan. Presently it is estimated that Hindus make up 2% of Pakistanâs population. This is at least five times the number of Hindus in Britain.
n    Before the end of colonial rule in 1947, the land that was to become Pakistan had a large proportion of Hindus, accounting for over 26% of the population. The Partition of India was the biggest forced migration of people in human history, and was accompanied by large scale massacres. During this period, the population of Hindus dropped to 15% in this region.
n    Even though there was heavy risk, many Hindus chose to remain in their ancestral homeland and were promised protection by the Government of Pakistan. However in practice, Hindus found it very difficult to live in Pakistan, where they were very vulnerable and often subject to persecution.
n    There was a constant level of crime and harassment against Hindus in Pakistan. The constitution and legal system that was framed for the new country openly discriminated against Hindus. During periods of tension between India and Pakistan, Hindus were killed and expelled in large numbers. In 1965 a law was passed that openly incited and legitimised confiscation of Hindu property. This was called âThe Enemy Property Actâ. Therefore the Hindu population steadily dropped.
n    During 1970 and 1971, huge massacres were perpetrated upon Hindus, by the Pakistani army. A proper study into the casualty figures has never been conducted. Estimates for the number dead are up to 3 million. Millions of Hindu women were raped and kidnapped in this period. It was one of the largest massacres in recent history, and also one of the most ignored.
n    In 1977, General Zia ul-Haq led a military coup in Pakistan. He introduced Islamic Law, which further excluded and marginalised Hindus.
n    In 1989 and 1992 over 300 Hindu temples were destroyed. Many Hindus lost their homes. The largest outward migration of Hindus from Pakistan since Partition took place during these years.
n    Unbelievable as it may seem, Hindus still exist in Pakistan, numbering over 2.5 million. The Hindu population is largest in the Sindh province, but there are Hindu communities dotted all over Pakistan. They suffer constant threats against their security, property and lives. Hindus in Pakistan have to live a very low profile existence, and have to put up with many insults to their honour and dignity, with no legal safeguards. They authorities in the country rarely intervene to help Hindus, and often make matters worse. There are regular reports of kidnapping of Hindu women and children, looting of Hindu property, and other forms of discrimination, persecution and dehumanisation.
n    Unfortunately the international media and human rights groups do not take much of an interest in all this. Together with the apathy of the general public around the world, this has meant that the Hindus of Pakistan remain a forgotten and voiceless people. The brutality that has been melted out to the Hindus in Pakistan knows few parallels in history.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<b>Until decent minded people across the world show concern for the fate of the helpless and speak out for those without a voice, there is little hope for the Hindu men, women and children who remain in Pakistan.</b>
<!--QuoteBegin-AbhimanyuG+Nov 18 2005, 09:14 PM-->QUOTE(AbhimanyuG @ Nov 18 2005, 09:14 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->I don't know where would this go but in any case ...
Don't forget to sign the petition
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Admin move it to the appropriate place if needed.
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This hussain bloke is extremely sick person. A street loafer who was made a hero by Indians, is paying back to his country by manifesting his mental pervertness here</b>!
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Hindus in Pakistan
The Pioneer Edit Desk
The recent abduction and conversion of three Hindu girls in Pakistan clearly shows that, despite the isolated example of a Danish Kaneria playing for the country's cricket team, Hindus there are a marginalised and persecuted lot stalked constantly by insecurity. The details are shocking. The three - Reena (21), Usha (19) and Rima (17) - who lived in Karachi's Punjab Colony along with their parents and two other siblings, went missing from October 18, 2005.
As the local police station refused to lodge an FIR, they approached the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Clifton, who forced the Station House Officer to register a case. Accordingly an FIR was recorded on October 22 and three young men of the locality were mentioned as suspects. Almost immediately thereafter, the family began receiving threats and, within days, it received, through courier service, three affidavits by the three girls stating that they had converted to Islam on their free will and wanted to live separately.
They had been, according to the affidavits, renamed Ahsan, Anam and Nida and were living in a hostel of madarsa Taleem-ul-Quran and were instructed by a local moulvi. That the affidavits were signed under duress became clear when the parents, Sanno and Champa Amra, finally managed to meet their abducted daughters following a court order on November 10 directing the police and the administration of the madarsa to arrange a meeting.
In the presence of a dour woman, a moulvi and several cops, which most certainly prevented the girls from speaking their mind, the three, covered head to foot in burqa, and with only their eyes visible, said in subdued voices that they wanted to stay where they were. The youngest girl's eyes were bloodshot with crying.
The unfolding of events has been recalled in some detail because it underlines two things. The first is the tragedy of three young girls, abducted, forcibly converted and made to live in the hostel of a madarsa - where no one knows what is being done to them - away from their parents and siblings.
The second is the reminder they provide of the continuing persecution of minorities - mainly Hindus, Christians and Ahmadiyyas - in Pakistan who live hunted and terrorised lives in the shadow of the threats of prosecution under the Blasphemy Act which carries a death penalty, desecration of their shrines, forcible conversions and physical violence.
All civilised Governments must pressure Pakistan to have the three girls restored to their parents, punish their abductors and provide an environment in which the minorities can live in peace and honour. The Government of India and the human rights organisations in this country, which have been hyper-active in defence of minority rights and condemnation of "communal" elements, have a bounden duty to take up the case of the three girls and minority rights with Pervez Musharraf's regime - and in all international fora should it prove unresponsive.
Silence and inaction on the ground that it is Pakistan's internal matter and making an issue of it will have an adverse bearing on India-Pakistan relations which are on the threshold of a stunning improvement, will not wash.
If such considerations have not prevented Islamabad from trying to internationalise the totally spurious issue of human rights violation in Jammu & Kashmir, there is no reason why India's United Progressive Alliance Government should not make a global issue of the case of the three girls and persecution of minorities in Pakistan.
