Author: Tarun Vijay
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: August 4, 2005
Recently, a significant report on
the status of Hindus in the Indian subcontinent was released in the
precincts of Capitol Hill, Washington, by high profile Hindu American
Foundation (HAF). It is amazing that Hindus have been facing threats
to their lives and honour in Pakistan, Bangladesh and their own homeland,
India. Yet, the media has so far ignored such assaults on them.
It goes to the credit of American
Hindus, well established in the high echelons of science, technology
and medicine in the US, who decided to bring out a comprehensive
report on the status of Hindus in the Indian subcontinent. They have
formed HAF that took up the onerous task of collecting material from
impeccable sources like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch,
Freedom House, etc.
The US Department of State's annual
reports on religious freedom and human rights as well as the United
States Commission on International Religious Freedom provided important
data in the making of the report. According to the HAF board of directors,
the report was prepared to document a humanitarian tragedy largely
omitted by the human rights organisations. "With over 600 documented
attacks of murder, rape and physical intimidation of Hindus in Bangladesh,
Pakistan and India's State of Jammu & Kashmir last year alone,
the ongoing atrocities against Hindus can no longer be ignored,"
said Mr Ramesh Rao, a member of the HAF executive council who contributed
to the report.
The report specifically denounces
Bangladesh for a long-history of anti-Hindu atrocities that have
recently spiked following the ascent of the Bangladeshi National
Party-Jamat-e-Islami coalition. The decline of Hindus in Bangladesh,
from 30 per cent of the total population in 1947 to less than 10
per cent today, is analysed in the report. The report alleges that
the estimated loss of 20 million Bangladeshi Hindus is a consequence
of their persecution, both overt and covert.
The international community must
demand the Government of Bangladesh to immediately investigate the
ongoing religious cleansing within its borders, and empower minority
and human rights commissions there. The HAF report also discusses
the consequence of Pakistan and Al Qaeda-sponsored Islamist violence
in Jammu & Kashmir, which has left thousands of Hindus and Muslims
dead. Besides, the jihadi terrorism has forced more than 3,00,000
Kashmiri Pandits to leave the Valley. These Hindus are refugees in
their own country, sheltered in temporary camps near Delhi and elsewhere.
There are virtually no Hindus left in the Valley; they have all been
driven out.
Similarly, Pakistan is condemned
for systematic state-sponsored religious discrimination against Hindus
through elaborate anti-blasphemy laws, and for failing to investigate
numerous reports of lakhs of Hindus being held as bonded labourer
in slavery-like conditions. The report drew attention of two senior
co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans
- Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Republican Gary Ackerman. "The
human rights violations that are occurring against Hindus must no
longer be ignored without reprobation," said Mr Ros-Lehtinen.
Hindus have a history of being peaceful,
pluralistic and understanding of other faiths and peoples, yet minority
Hindus have endured decades of pain and suffering without the attention
of the world. Mr Ackerman stressed the fundamental nature of religious
freedom and supported the concept of the annual report produced by
HAF. The Hindu American Foundation has done a commendable work by
compiling the 2004 Survey of Human Rights in defence of the rights
of Hindus around the world to practice their religion without intimidation,
and by shining a light on those who would take away their religious
freedoms.
The report documents serious violation
of human rights against Hindus, and it will be worth looking at the
stark facts presented therein. The human rights of Hindu citizens
are consistently violated in three regions where Hindus constitute
a minority: Bangladesh, Pakistan and Jammu & Kashmir. Over 400
documented attacks have taken place on Bangladeshi Hindus between
January and November 2004. These attacks include the day-to-day acts
of murder, rape, kidnapping, temple destruction and physical intimidation.
Hindus are labelled as 'enemies'
of Bangladesh. The Enemy Property Order II of 1965, under which property
belonging to Hindus was identified as enemy property, was renamed
as Vested Property Act in 1972. Under the 1972 act, the Government
of Bangladesh vested itself with the property of alleged enemies.
Still in force, this Order of the President and the Enemy Vested
Property Act has not been subjected to any judicial review. No wonder
Hindus, who comprised nearly 30 per cent of Bangladesh's population
in 1947, now constitute less than 10 per cent of the population.
By 1991, 20 million Hindus were unaccounted or 'missing' according
to expected population trends.
Hindus constituted between 15 per
cent and 24 per cent of Pakistan's population in 1947. But now they
comprise less than 1.6 per cent of the population. Kidnapping of
vulnerable Hindus is a well-established multi-million dollar industry.
Pakistan officially discriminates against non-Muslims through a variety
of laws and strictures. Specific discriminatory laws are the Hudood
Ordinance of 1979 (offence of Zina, offence of Qazaf, execution of
punishment of whipping ordinance), the Qanoon-i-Shahadat Order, Qisas,
Diyat Ordinance (Section 306 C) of 1991.
The 71-page report compiles media
coverage and first-hand accounts of human rights violations perpetrated
against Hindus because of their religious identity. Prior to its
release on July 13, the report was delivered to the co-chairs of
the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans, who endorsed
it. But so far, none from India has bothered to take the report seriously
or discuss it in human rights forums. Is that not a fact that none
seems concerned about such gross inhuman acts, just because victims
happen to be Hindus?