Minorities are being hit harder by COVID-19. In United States 58% deaths in counties with more black residents. Watch report.

US: 58% deaths in counties with more black residents

United States Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo condemned terrorists and violent extremists who target religious minorities, especially mentioning Pakistan's statement of Hindu minorities among other countries.

Mike Pompeo: People can't practice faith freely

A Tamil version of the Sri Lankan national anthem was removed from the Independence Day ceremony for the first time since 2016.&nbsp;

This was concerning for many, as it reflected the government's policy for national reconciliation which marked the end of the brutal civil war against the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/thousands-missing-in-ethnic-civil-war-are-dead-sri-lankan-president-rajapaksa-275604">Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam</a> (LTTE).

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-announces-third-rate-cut-since-easter-bombings-to-boost-economy-277574">Sri Lanka announces third rate cut since Easter bombings to boost economy</a>

On the occasion of the 72nd National Day, President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/thousands-missing-in-ethnic-civil-war-are-dead-sri-lankan-president-rajapaksa-275604">Gotabaya Rajapaksa</a> assured the people of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-announces-third-rate-cut-since-easter-bombings-to-boost-economy-277574">Sri Lanka</a> that there will be no discrimination, despite the discriminatory exclusion of a minority community at a national celebration.&nbsp;

"As the president today, I represent the entire Sri Lankan nation irrespective of ethnicity, religion, party affiliation or other differences," the President stated.&nbsp;

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/11-indian-fishermen-held-off-sri-lankan-coast-for-fishing-in-territorial-waters-277164">11 Indian fishermen held off Sri Lankan coast for fishing in territorial waters</a>

The Tamil national anthem at the Independence Day had been a part of celebrations since 2016 and was included as a means of achieving reconciliation with the Tamil minority community. It was enshrined in Sri Lanka's constitution and is a direct translation of 'Namo Namo matha' in the Sinhala language.

Though the Tamil community appreciated the symbolic gesture made by the government in 2016 of adding the Tamil version at the Independence Day celebrations, the opposition, then led by the Rajapaksas and a majority Sinhala community member, filed a fundamental rights petition against it.

Concerns are rising that <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/thousands-missing-in-ethnic-civil-war-are-dead-sri-lankan-president-rajapaksa-275604">Gotabhaya Rajapaksa</a>'s remarks may be hinting at the return of a draconian rule under the Rajapaksa-duo's regime, which is marred by allegations of human rights abuses, especially against the Tamil community.

From 2005 to 2015, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/gotabaya-rajapaksa-names-brother-mahinda-as-sri-lanka-pm-spokesperson-263441">Mahinda Rajapaksa</a> served as President of Sri Lanka. Citing data from the UN, up to 40,000 civilians were killed by security forces during his reign, culminating in a civil war that ended with the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009.

During his address, Gotabaya Rajapaksa assured the people that his government wished to accommodate opposing views. "I wish to fully strengthen the freedom of people to think and write freely," he said.

A Tamil version of the Sri Lankan national anthem was removed from the Independence Day ceremony for the first time since 2016. This was concerning for many, as it reflected the government's policy for national reconciliation which marked the end of the brutal civil war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

A Tamil version of the Sri Lankan national anthem was removed from the Independence Day ceremony for the first time since 2016. This was concerning for many, as it reflected the government's policy for national reconciliation which marked the end of the brutal civil war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Also read: Sri Lanka announces third rate cut since Easter bombings to boost economy On the occasion of the 72nd National Day, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa assured the people of Sri Lanka that there will be no discrimination, despite the discriminatory exclusion of a minority community at a national celebration. "As the president today, I represent the entire Sri Lankan nation irrespective of ethnicity, religion, party affiliation or other differences," the President stated. Also read: 11 Indian fishermen held off Sri Lankan coast for fishing in territorial waters The Tamil national anthem at the Independence Day had been a part of celebrations since 2016 and was included as a means of achieving reconciliation with the Tamil minority community. It was enshrined in Sri Lanka's constitution and is a direct translation of 'Namo Namo matha' in the Sinhala language. Though the Tamil community appreciated the symbolic gesture made by the government in 2016 of adding the Tamil version at the Independence Day celebrations, the opposition, then led by the Rajapaksas and a majority Sinhala community member, filed a fundamental rights petition against it. Concerns are rising that Gotabhaya Rajapaksa's remarks may be hinting at the return of a draconian rule under the Rajapaksa-duo's regime, which is marred by allegations of human rights abuses, especially against the Tamil community. From 2005 to 2015, Mahinda Rajapaksa served as President of Sri Lanka. Citing data from the UN, up to 40,000 civilians were killed by security forces during his reign, culminating in a civil war that ended with the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009. During his address, Gotabaya Rajapaksa assured the people that his government wished to accommodate opposing views. "I wish to fully strengthen the freedom of people to think and write freely," he said.

Tamil version of national anthem removed from Sri Lanka's Independence day celebrations, 3 years after being introduced

A 2015 report says 1,000 girls in Pakistan are forced to convert to Islam every year. With minorities facing constant persecution in Pakistan - Are international watchdogs turning a blind eye? WION's Palki gets you in the WION Edit.

WION Edit: Have international watchdogs failed to call out Pak? | Gravitas

A series of recent measures in Saudi Arabia and Iran that violate the rights, if not endanger religious and ethnic minorities call into question their moral claims of adhering to core faith-based values of mercy and compassion.

If anything, the two arch-rivals compete in violating the rights of minorities like Uighurs threatened with deportation to China where they run the risk of being incarcerated in re-education camps in the troubled, north-western province of Xinjiang; Rohingyas who have been the victims of ethnic cleansing in Myanmar; and persecuted Bahais and other religious minorities in Iran.

Saudi and Iranian policies seem more in line with those of authoritarian and autocratic leaders who often seek their legitimacy in civilisationalism that emphasises the supremacy of a distinct civilization at the expense of others rather than principles of humanitarianism.

The plight of threatened Muslim majorities alongside potential different Muslim responses to US President Donald Trump’s controversial Israeli-Palestinian peace plan that favours Israel is likely to sharpen a struggle for leadership of the Islamic world between a Saudi-UAE-led alliance and countries like Turkey, Iran and Malaysia.

Backed by Turkey and Iran, Malaysia last month organised an Islamic summit in Kuala Lumpur that failed to live up to its billing of defending the rights of endangered Muslim minorities. Nonetheless, the summit sparked ripples in various Muslim nations in the Middle East as well as Asia.

Beyond Iran and Saudi Arabia’s overall abuse of universal human rights, recent reports highlight their failure to ensure the safety and rights of persecuted minorities – a principle that was left, right and centre in this week’s commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the German extermination camp in Poland.

“Auschwitz did not fall from the sky,” said 93-year-old historian and Auschwitz survivor Marian Turski.. He argued that Auschwitz was the result of thousands of small steps that stripped minorities of their dignity and humanity. “The 11th commandment is thou shalt not be indifferent. Do not be indifferent when any minority is discriminated against,” Turski said.

The Saudi deportation of Uighurs who are caught in a no-man’s land given the blanket refusal by Chinese diplomatic missions to extend their passports as part of its brutal crackdown on Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang, casts a shadow over a visit this month to Auschwitz by Mohammed Al-Issa, the first by a senior Saudi cleric.

Al-Issa’s visit was designed to project the kingdom under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has defended the crackdown, as a religiously tolerant country that has broken with the intolerant aspects of ultra-conservative Islam, not only in its discrimination against women but also in its attitudes towards other faiths and minority groups.

Al-Issa heads the Muslim World League that for decades was one of the prime Saudi vehicles for the global promotion and funding of Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatism.

The world must ensure that “these kinds of horrible crimes” will never “happen again,” Al-Issa said in Auschwitz, echoing statements by multiple Auschwitz survivors who insisted that ‘never again’ was a principle applicable to all persecuted minorities, not just Jews.

Al-Issa’s statement may well have been genuine. “His face reflected feelings of shock and sadness as he looked at piles of used canisters of Zyklon-B, the gas used to suffocate victims, along with mounds of eyeglasses, shoes, prayer shawls, and human hair that the Nazis collected from incoming prisoners,” The Times of Israel reported.

“Unfortunately, humanity is still suffering from these kinds of crimes on a large scale today, different human beings against each other. I believe there is a huge responsibility on the international community to do something to deal with these kinds of horrible crimes and to make sure none of this will happen again. Our world will not be able to achieve peace unless we have a strong will together to fight evil,” Al-Issa said in Auschwitz.

Fighting evil would mean that arrangements are found for Uighurs rendered without valid documents as a result of Chinese policy, if not in the kingdom itself in cooperation with other countries rather than exposing them to the risk of indefinite incarceration.

It would also mean adopting a compassionate attitude towards the approximately 250,000 Rohingya who have sought refuge in the kingdom from ethnic and religious persecution in Myanmar where they are denied basic rights.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) last week ordered Myanmar to adopt provisional measures to prevent further attempts at genocide against the roughly 600,000 members of the Rohingya Muslim minority remaining in Myanmar. Some 750,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh in recent years to escape what the United Nations called ethnic cleansing.

Rohingya began migrating to Saudi Arabia in the 1950s and were granted residency by King Feisal in 1973, allowing them to live, work and travel within the kingdom and abroad.

Thousands of Rohingya have, however, been expelled in recent years as illegal immigrants or because they entered the kingdom on false documents, the only papers available to them, as part of Prince Mohammed’s efforts to reduce dependence on foreign labour and increase employment opportunities for Saudi nationals.

By the same token, Iran this week ruled that national identity cards would only be issued to adherents of the three minority religions recognized by the country’s constitution, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism.

The ruling eliminated the category ‘other’ on the application forms for the card that is needed to access government and banking services as well as numerous other transactions.

The ruling targets Baha’is, members of a sect viewed as a heretic by mainstream Islam, and other sects, forcing them to lie to obtain the identity card.

Baha’i leaders have been imprisoned and those who openly follow the faith are routinely denied university education and employment, while members of the community have seen their businesses shut down and land confiscated by the state.

Iran’s National Organisation For Civil Registration, responding to a complaint about the omission of the ‘other’ option, advised the Baha’i complainant to in effect disavow his faith and fill out the form with incorrect information.

“Dear citizen, we wish you health. The law neither recognises your religion nor offers a solution. You may submit your application under existing options,” the authority said. 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;

A series of recent measures in Saudi Arabia and Iran that violate the rights, if not endanger religious and ethnic minorities call into question their moral claims of adhering to core faith-based values of mercy and compassion.

A series of recent measures in Saudi Arabia and Iran that violate the rights, if not endanger religious and ethnic minorities call into question their moral claims of adhering to core faith-based values of mercy and compassion. If anything, the two arch-rivals compete in violating the rights of minorities like Uighurs threatened with deportation to China where they run the risk of being incarcerated in re-education camps in the troubled, north-western province of Xinjiang; Rohingyas who have been the victims of ethnic cleansing in Myanmar; and persecuted Bahais and other religious minorities in Iran. Saudi and Iranian policies seem more in line with those of authoritarian and autocratic leaders who often seek their legitimacy in civilisationalism that emphasises the supremacy of a distinct civilization at the expense of others rather than principles of humanitarianism. The plight of threatened Muslim majorities alongside potential different Muslim responses to US President Donald Trump’s controversial Israeli-Palestinian peace plan that favours Israel is likely to sharpen a struggle for leadership of the Islamic world between a Saudi-UAE-led alliance and countries like Turkey, Iran and Malaysia. Backed by Turkey and Iran, Malaysia last month organised an Islamic summit in Kuala Lumpur that failed to live up to its billing of defending the rights of endangered Muslim minorities. Nonetheless, the summit sparked ripples in various Muslim nations in the Middle East as well as Asia. Beyond Iran and Saudi Arabia’s overall abuse of universal human rights, recent reports highlight their failure to ensure the safety and rights of persecuted minorities – a principle that was left, right and centre in this week’s commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the German extermination camp in Poland. “Auschwitz did not fall from the sky,” said 93-year-old historian and Auschwitz survivor Marian Turski.. He argued that Auschwitz was the result of thousands of small steps that stripped minorities of their dignity and humanity. “The 11th commandment is thou shalt not be indifferent. Do not be indifferent when any minority is discriminated against,” Turski said. The Saudi deportation of Uighurs who are caught in a no-man’s land given the blanket refusal by Chinese diplomatic missions to extend their passports as part of its brutal crackdown on Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang, casts a shadow over a visit this month to Auschwitz by Mohammed Al-Issa, the first by a senior Saudi cleric. Al-Issa’s visit was designed to project the kingdom under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has defended the crackdown, as a religiously tolerant country that has broken with the intolerant aspects of ultra-conservative Islam, not only in its discrimination against women but also in its attitudes towards other faiths and minority groups. Al-Issa heads the Muslim World League that for decades was one of the prime Saudi vehicles for the global promotion and funding of Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatism. The world must ensure that “these kinds of horrible crimes” will never “happen again,” Al-Issa said in Auschwitz, echoing statements by multiple Auschwitz survivors who insisted that ‘never again’ was a principle applicable to all persecuted minorities, not just Jews. Al-Issa’s statement may well have been genuine. “His face reflected feelings of shock and sadness as he looked at piles of used canisters of Zyklon-B, the gas used to suffocate victims, along with mounds of eyeglasses, shoes, prayer shawls, and human hair that the Nazis collected from incoming prisoners,” The Times of Israel reported. “Unfortunately, humanity is still suffering from these kinds of crimes on a large scale today, different human beings against each other. I believe there is a huge responsibility on the international community to do something to deal with these kinds of horrible crimes and to make sure none of this will happen again. Our world will not be able to achieve peace unless we have a strong will together to fight evil,” Al-Issa said in Auschwitz. Fighting evil would mean that arrangements are found for Uighurs rendered without valid documents as a result of Chinese policy, if not in the kingdom itself in cooperation with other countries rather than exposing them to the risk of indefinite incarceration. It would also mean adopting a compassionate attitude towards the approximately 250,000 Rohingya who have sought refuge in the kingdom from ethnic and religious persecution in Myanmar where they are denied basic rights. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) last week ordered Myanmar to adopt provisional measures to prevent further attempts at genocide against the roughly 600,000 members of the Rohingya Muslim minority remaining in Myanmar. Some 750,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh in recent years to escape what the United Nations called ethnic cleansing. Rohingya began migrating to Saudi Arabia in the 1950s and were granted residency by King Feisal in 1973, allowing them to live, work and travel within the kingdom and abroad. Thousands of Rohingya have, however, been expelled in recent years as illegal immigrants or because they entered the kingdom on false documents, the only papers available to them, as part of Prince Mohammed’s efforts to reduce dependence on foreign labour and increase employment opportunities for Saudi nationals. By the same token, Iran this week ruled that national identity cards would only be issued to adherents of the three minority religions recognized by the country’s constitution, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism. The ruling eliminated the category ‘other’ on the application forms for the card that is needed to access government and banking services as well as numerous other transactions. The ruling targets Baha’is, members of a sect viewed as a heretic by mainstream Islam, and other sects, forcing them to lie to obtain the identity card. Baha’i leaders have been imprisoned and those who openly follow the faith are routinely denied university education and employment, while members of the community have seen their businesses shut down and land confiscated by the state. Iran’s National Organisation For Civil Registration, responding to a complaint about the omission of the ‘other’ option, advised the Baha’i complainant to in effect disavow his faith and fill out the form with incorrect information. “Dear citizen, we wish you health. The law neither recognises your religion nor offers a solution. You may submit your application under existing options,” the authority said. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Saudi Arabia and Iran: No place for persecuted minorities

The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to the Centre regarding schemes for minorities.

The petitioner has claimed that the government is spending Rs 4,800 crore on teaching skills to minorities and promoting culture and alleged that this is a violation of the right to equality.

The apex court will hear the matter in March.

The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to the Centre regarding schemes for minorities. The petitioner has claimed that the government is spending Rs 4,800 crore on teaching skills to minorities and promoting culture and alleged that this is a violation of the right to equality.

The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to the Centre regarding schemes for minorities. The petitioner has claimed that the government is spending Rs 4,800 crore on teaching skills to minorities and promoting culture and alleged that this is a violation of the right to equality. The apex court will hear the matter in March.

Supreme Court issues notice to Centre over schemes for minorities

Union Cabinet of India clears the citizenship amendment bill in the parliament. Citizenship for persecuted minorities in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan even if they don't possess proper document.

India: Union Cabinet clears Citizenship Amendment Bill

Union Cabinet of India clears the Citizenship Amendment Bill in the parliament. Citizenship Amendment Bill grants citizenship for persecuted minorities in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan even if they don't possess proper document.

India: Union Cabinet clears Citizenship Amendment Bill :WION dispatch

The Citizenship Amendment Bill expected to be tabled in the Indian Parliament in the ongoing session seems to have set the cat among the pigeons but ironically most of those opposing it fail to understand perhaps the gravity of the situation as well as the historical context.

The proposed amendment would help non-Muslim including Hindu refugees from the neighbouring countries of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan to get Indian citizenship much easily than prescribed in earlier regulations.

The genesis of this amendment lies in the failure of these three neighbouring countries to protect its minorities and primarily Hindus. A month before the formation of Pakistan Mohammad Ali Jinnah had declared in a Press Conference in Delhi on July 13, 1947, “The minorities, to whichever community they may belong, will be safeguarded. Their religion or their faith or belief will be protected in every way possible. Their life and property will be secure. There will be no interference of any kind with the freedom of worship. They will have their protection with regard to their religion, faith, their property and their culture. They will be in all respects treated as citizens of Pakistan without any distinction of caste, religion or creed.”

Jinnah had reiterated in his Presidential address to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan on August 11, 1947, “The first duty of a government is to maintain law and order, so that the life, property and religious beliefs of its subjects are fully protected by the State.”

However, the partition saw all these assurances going for a toss. Not only in 1947, but the atrocities on Hindus have continued in Pakistan unabated ever since it came into existence.

JN Mandal, who had accepted the Cabinet appointment as Minister of Law and Labour in the Government of Pakistan, had given a detailed account of these atrocities in 1950 “and, while he was still holding that post, (he) fled from Pakistan in September 1951. In early October 1951, he sent his letter of resignation to the Pakistan Prime Minister. He describes in detail the reasons for his resignation and for leaving Pakistan previously been appointed in the quota of Muslim League as a Minister in the Interim Government of undivided India on November 1, 1946. In this letter in paragraph 9, he complained about the general anti-Hindu policy of the East Bengal Government and the Police administration. (Recurrent Exodus of Minorities from East Pakistan and Disturbances in India, 1965, p. 9)”

Bhupendra Kumar Dutta, a prominent minority leader of East Pakistan speaking in the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan on March 16, 1950 said, “Sir, so far as we on this side of the House are concerned, we meet under the shadow of a great calamity that threatens our very existence as a community. Reports may be exaggerated; reports may be minimised. Killings may be put in four figures but accepted in three. Women's honour may have suffered in many more cases than the world will ever come to know. There will always be different versions of the extent of the loss of property. But the fact cannot be controverted that the sudden flare-up in east Bengal since February 10th has left the vast numbers we represent stunned and dazed, utterly shaken and nervous and psychologically.”

According to official records (Extracts from Recurrent Exodus of Minorities from East Pakistan and Disturbances in India, 1965, p. 4) &nbsp;

● &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; After 1950 killings with which we shall presently deal, the Hindu holdings of properties fell to 12.7% and nearly 90% of Hindu citizen of Dhaka migrated to India. Similar is the case with the student population in Dhaka.

● From 2900 Hindu boys in schools before partition, 2000 remained before February 1950 killings. And at the end of December 1950 the number was reduced to 140.

●Similarly there were about 2100 Hindu girls in schools before partition about 1200 before the February 1950 incident of these only 25 remained by December 1950.

●The population of Hindu college students fell from 65% at partition to 7% in January 1950 and at the end of 1950, only 12 remained.

● Similar is the case with lawyers. Hindu shops at the time of Partition and at the end of 1950 only 157 remained.

● Of these the population of There were about 1500 in each of the 45 big and small towns, with the exception of the five smaller ones, Hindu inhabitants were in majority though taking. The total population the number of Hindus amounted to 30 per cent.

These atrocities have continued unabated. If we look at the recent past, there have been numerous such incidents which were raised in even the Parliament and the governments of the day responded to it.

On July 28, 1987, Eduardo Faleiro, Minister of State, Ministry of External Affairs said in Rajya Sabha, “Reports emanating from Pakistan in May-June, 1987 indicate that there have been attacks on Hindu temples as well as on shops and properties belonging to the Hindu community in Sind.”

Pranab Mukherjee, Minister of External Affairs at that time,&nbsp;had told the Rajya Sabha on December 6, 2007, “Reports of violence and atrocities against minorities including Hindus in Bangladesh are received from time to time. The primary responsibility for the protection of the life, liberty and property of all citizens of Bangladesh, including minorities, rests with the Government of Bangladesh. It has been conveyed at the highest levels of Government that such incidents have an adverse impact on public sentiment in India, which in turn have the potential of affecting bilateral ties, and should be strictly dealt with. The Government of India continue to monitor the situation closely and are in touch with the Government of Bangladesh in this regard.”

SM Krishna, Minister of External Affairs told Rajya Sabha, on May 6, 2010, “

&nbsp;“It is the responsibility of the Government of Pakistan to discharge its obligations towards its citizens, including minorities. However, based on reports of persecution of minority groups in Pakistan, the Government had taken up the matter with the Government of Pakistan. The Government of Pakistan stated that it was fully cognizant of the situation and looked after the welfare of all its citizens, particularly the minority community.”

On March 22, 2012 E Ahmad, Minister of State, Ministry of External Affairs told Rajya Sabha about the ‘Killing of Hindu Doctors in Pakistan. Ahmad said,

“Government has seen media reports about the killing of Hindu doctors in Pakistan on November 7, 2011. Three Hindu doctors were reportedly killed and one sustained injuries when attacked in their village in Taluka Chak, District Shikarpur in Pakistan.”

On September 5, 2012 Mullappally Ramachandran, Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs told Rajya Sabha about the &nbsp;Hindu families from Pakistan seeking refuge in India. The Minister said, &nbsp;“In 2009, 6,437 Hindus entered India from Pakistan via Attari ICP. Of these, 1,198 did not return. In 2010, 6,036 Hindus entered and 491 did not return. Similarly, in 2011, 5,012 Hindus entered and 1248 did not return.

As on June 30, 2012, a total number of 18,185 (progressive figures) Pakistani nationals were staying on Long Term Visa (LTV) in the country.

Government has seen reports that some Pakistani nationals belonging to minority communities including Hindus, who came to India on valid visas have not gone back to Pakistan on the grounds of religious persecution in Pakistan. Representations have been received requesting for allowing extension of visas of such Pakistani nationals and also for permitting them to apply for Long Term Visa.” 
&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) &nbsp; 
&nbsp;

The Citizenship Amendment Bill expected to be tabled in the Indian Parliament in the ongoing session seems to have set the cat among the pigeons but ironically most of those opposing it fail to understand perhaps the gravity of the situation as well as the historical context.

The Citizenship Amendment Bill expected to be tabled in the Indian Parliament in the ongoing session seems to have set the cat among the pigeons but ironically most of those opposing it fail to understand perhaps the gravity of the situation as well as the historical context. The proposed amendment would help non-Muslim including Hindu refugees from the neighbouring countries of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan to get Indian citizenship much easily than prescribed in earlier regulations. The genesis of this amendment lies in the failure of these three neighbouring countries to protect its minorities and primarily Hindus. A month before the formation of Pakistan Mohammad Ali Jinnah had declared in a Press Conference in Delhi on July 13, 1947, “The minorities, to whichever community they may belong, will be safeguarded. Their religion or their faith or belief will be protected in every way possible. Their life and property will be secure. There will be no interference of any kind with the freedom of worship. They will have their protection with regard to their religion, faith, their property and their culture. They will be in all respects treated as citizens of Pakistan without any distinction of caste, religion or creed.” Jinnah had reiterated in his Presidential address to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan on August 11, 1947, “The first duty of a government is to maintain law and order, so that the life, property and religious beliefs of its subjects are fully protected by the State.” However, the partition saw all these assurances going for a toss. Not only in 1947, but the atrocities on Hindus have continued in Pakistan unabated ever since it came into existence. JN Mandal, who had accepted the Cabinet appointment as Minister of Law and Labour in the Government of Pakistan, had given a detailed account of these atrocities in 1950 “and, while he was still holding that post, (he) fled from Pakistan in September 1951. In early October 1951, he sent his letter of resignation to the Pakistan Prime Minister. He describes in detail the reasons for his resignation and for leaving Pakistan previously been appointed in the quota of Muslim League as a Minister in the Interim Government of undivided India on November 1, 1946. In this letter in paragraph 9, he complained about the general anti-Hindu policy of the East Bengal Government and the Police administration. (Recurrent Exodus of Minorities from East Pakistan and Disturbances in India, 1965, p. 9)” Bhupendra Kumar Dutta, a prominent minority leader of East Pakistan speaking in the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan on March 16, 1950 said, “Sir, so far as we on this side of the House are concerned, we meet under the shadow of a great calamity that threatens our very existence as a community. Reports may be exaggerated; reports may be minimised. Killings may be put in four figures but accepted in three. Women's honour may have suffered in many more cases than the world will ever come to know. There will always be different versions of the extent of the loss of property. But the fact cannot be controverted that the sudden flare-up in east Bengal since February 10th has left the vast numbers we represent stunned and dazed, utterly shaken and nervous and psychologically.” According to official records (Extracts from Recurrent Exodus of Minorities from East Pakistan and Disturbances in India, 1965, p. 4) ● After 1950 killings with which we shall presently deal, the Hindu holdings of properties fell to 12.7% and nearly 90% of Hindu citizen of Dhaka migrated to India. Similar is the case with the student population in Dhaka. ● From 2900 Hindu boys in schools before partition, 2000 remained before February 1950 killings. And at the end of December 1950 the number was reduced to 140. ●Similarly there were about 2100 Hindu girls in schools before partition about 1200 before the February 1950 incident of these only 25 remained by December 1950. ●The population of Hindu college students fell from 65% at partition to 7% in January 1950 and at the end of 1950, only 12 remained. ● Similar is the case with lawyers. Hindu shops at the time of Partition and at the end of 1950 only 157 remained. ● Of these the population of There were about 1500 in each of the 45 big and small towns, with the exception of the five smaller ones, Hindu inhabitants were in majority though taking. The total population the number of Hindus amounted to 30 per cent. These atrocities have continued unabated. If we look at the recent past, there have been numerous such incidents which were raised in even the Parliament and the governments of the day responded to it. On July 28, 1987, Eduardo Faleiro, Minister of State, Ministry of External Affairs said in Rajya Sabha, “Reports emanating from Pakistan in May-June, 1987 indicate that there have been attacks on Hindu temples as well as on shops and properties belonging to the Hindu community in Sind.” Pranab Mukherjee, Minister of External Affairs at that time, had told the Rajya Sabha on December 6, 2007, “Reports of violence and atrocities against minorities including Hindus in Bangladesh are received from time to time. The primary responsibility for the protection of the life, liberty and property of all citizens of Bangladesh, including minorities, rests with the Government of Bangladesh. It has been conveyed at the highest levels of Government that such incidents have an adverse impact on public sentiment in India, which in turn have the potential of affecting bilateral ties, and should be strictly dealt with. The Government of India continue to monitor the situation closely and are in touch with the Government of Bangladesh in this regard.” SM Krishna, Minister of External Affairs told Rajya Sabha, on May 6, 2010, “ “It is the responsibility of the Government of Pakistan to discharge its obligations towards its citizens, including minorities. However, based on reports of persecution of minority groups in Pakistan, the Government had taken up the matter with the Government of Pakistan. The Government of Pakistan stated that it was fully cognizant of the situation and looked after the welfare of all its citizens, particularly the minority community.” On March 22, 2012 E Ahmad, Minister of State, Ministry of External Affairs told Rajya Sabha about the ‘Killing of Hindu Doctors in Pakistan. Ahmad said, “Government has seen media reports about the killing of Hindu doctors in Pakistan on November 7, 2011. Three Hindu doctors were reportedly killed and one sustained injuries when attacked in their village in Taluka Chak, District Shikarpur in Pakistan.” On September 5, 2012 Mullappally Ramachandran, Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs told Rajya Sabha about the Hindu families from Pakistan seeking refuge in India. The Minister said, “In 2009, 6,437 Hindus entered India from Pakistan via Attari ICP. Of these, 1,198 did not return. In 2010, 6,036 Hindus entered and 491 did not return. Similarly, in 2011, 5,012 Hindus entered and 1248 did not return. As on June 30, 2012, a total number of 18,185 (progressive figures) Pakistani nationals were staying on Long Term Visa (LTV) in the country. Government has seen reports that some Pakistani nationals belonging to minority communities including Hindus, who came to India on valid visas have not gone back to Pakistan on the grounds of religious persecution in Pakistan. Representations have been received requesting for allowing extension of visas of such Pakistani nationals and also for permitting them to apply for Long Term Visa.” (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

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Sri Lanka presidential candidate <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-wartime-defence-chief-gotabaya-rajapaksa-launches-presidential-bid-242301">Gotabaya Rajapaksa </a>has been a polarising figure for much of his political life. It is an image he is trying to change.

When he was defence chief in his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa`s government he crushed ethnic Tamil separatist rebels, bringing a 26-year-long civil war to a close. But relatives of dead or missing Tamils have accused him of war crimes, including extra-judicial killings and abductions, in lawsuits filed against him in the United States.

Rajapaksa has denied the accusations.

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-wartime-defence-chief-gotabaya-rajapaksa-launches-presidential-bid-242301">Sri Lanka wartime defence chief Gotabaya Rajapaksa launches presidential bid</a>

His failure to publicly distance himself from radical Buddhist monks makes him a figure of suspicion in the minority Muslim community, as well as among some in the small Christian community.&nbsp;

In 2013, he was chief guest at the opening of a leadership academy run by a hardline Buddhist group, the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS). Groups such as BBS see the minorities as a potential threat to the Sinhala Buddhist majority in Sri Lanka.

But that hasn`t stopped Rajapaksa and his Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party from seeking to woo Muslim and Christian voters after he recently declared he was standing in the election due to be held by December 9.&nbsp;

His overtures might work in parts of the Christian community fearful after Easter Sunday bombings of churches and hotels by Islamist militants that killed 250 people.&nbsp;

Some Christians say they are looking for stronger security policies, even if that means going with a hardliner like Rajapaksa.

But Muslims are less convinced because they suspect a Rajapaksa government may turn a blind eye to attacks by Buddhist extremists. That is what some say happened in 2014 when anti-Muslim riots in the southwestern Kalutara district displaced thousands during the time of his brother`s presidency.

A spokesman for the Rajapaksa`s SLPP, Keheliya Rambukwella, said the riots were orchestrated to turn Muslims away from the Rajapaksa camp.

As a politician who respected all communities and religions, Rajapaksa was doing the "right thing" by visiting houses of worship, Rambukwella said.&nbsp;

"It gives a message very clearly that he wants communal harmony." 
Rajapaksa`s office declined a request for an interview with him.

Tamil fears

He has yet to tour the Tamil-dominated north and east of Sri Lanka but has said he would work toward fulfilling their aspirations, including more regional autonomy.

Relatives of Tamils missing since the end of the war, former cadres of the Tamil Tiger insurgent group and people who say their land has been occupied by the military, interviewed by Reuters in recent days, said they feared a military clampdown if Rajapaksa rose to power.&nbsp;

But one Tamil party, the Eelam People`s Democratic Party, is pro-Rajapaksa and says only his leadership can fulfil regional demands.

The political calculations are clear. While Sri Lanka is 70%Sinhala Buddhist, some Buddhists support current Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe`s rival centre-right United National Party (UNP).

Muslims account for about 10% of the island nation`s 21 million population and Christians nearly 7%.

Hardline Buddhist monks enjoyed impunity during Mahinda Rajapaksa`s government, antagonising minorities who voted overwhelmingly against him in 2015, said Hilmy Ahamed, vice president of the Muslim Council of Sri Lanka.&nbsp;

Muslims would not be safe if Rajapaksa won the presidential election, said A.R.M Badiuddin, a former local council head in Dharga Town, about 80 km south of Colombo, which was caught up in the 2014 riots. 
"The Rajapaksas have betrayed us," said Badiuddin, on a day Rajapaksa was due to visit a historic mosque, near his village home. 
"Muslims won`t forget and won`t help them."&nbsp;

Blessings at the mosque

On August 17, the centuries-old Kechimale Mosque, which looks out over the Indian Ocean, was unusually busy for a Saturday evening as it prepared for the first-ever visit by Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother, Mahinda. Hundreds waited for nearly four hours before they arrived in the late evening.

Inside the mosque, a cleric sought blessings for Gotabaya Rajapaksa so he could ensure "unity and equality for all ethnicities in Sri Lanka".

Clerics said they welcomed everyone, declining to comment on the politics of the visit.

Rajapaksa is also trying to win over Sri Lanka`s Catholics, many of whom have traditionally voted UNP.

This month, he met senior Catholic priests in Kandy and Matara. He recently said his government would promptly act on a demand by the Archbishop of Colombo to set up an independent panel to investigate the Easter bomb attacks.

Some were sceptical of the motive but said Rajapaksa, nevertheless, might win the support of Christians.

"Everything is done to win votes, not in a genuine way," a senior clergyman told Reuters on condition of anonymity/ 
"There is a possibility this time that Catholics will vote for Gotabaya."

Mahinda Rajapaksa`s wife, Shiranthi, is Catholic and the couple met the Pope at the Vatican in 2014 and during his 2015 Sri Lanka visit.&nbsp;

Shiranthi also donated land and money to a Catholic church in Colombo during Rajapaksa`s term.&nbsp;

"They helped us a lot", the clergyman added.

But Rajapaksa`s authoritarian style worries many Protestants, who make up about 2% of the population.

"People are waiting to see whether he would actually say that he is moving from a very hardline stance to a more moderate stance," said Godfrey Yogarajah, deputy secretary-general of the World Evangelical Alliance.&nbsp;

"We haven`t heard him say anything at all to that effect."

Sri Lanka presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa has been a polarising figure for much of his political life. It is an image he is trying to change. When he was defence chief in his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa`s government he crushed ethnic Tamil separatist rebels, bringing a 26-year-long civil war to a close.

Sri Lanka presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa has been a polarising figure for much of his political life. It is an image he is trying to change. When he was defence chief in his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa`s government he crushed ethnic Tamil separatist rebels, bringing a 26-year-long civil war to a close. But relatives of dead or missing Tamils have accused him of war crimes, including extra-judicial killings and abductions, in lawsuits filed against him in the United States. Rajapaksa has denied the accusations. Also read: Sri Lanka wartime defence chief Gotabaya Rajapaksa launches presidential bid His failure to publicly distance himself from radical Buddhist monks makes him a figure of suspicion in the minority Muslim community, as well as among some in the small Christian community. In 2013, he was chief guest at the opening of a leadership academy run by a hardline Buddhist group, the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS). Groups such as BBS see the minorities as a potential threat to the Sinhala Buddhist majority in Sri Lanka. But that hasn`t stopped Rajapaksa and his Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party from seeking to woo Muslim and Christian voters after he recently declared he was standing in the election due to be held by December 9. His overtures might work in parts of the Christian community fearful after Easter Sunday bombings of churches and hotels by Islamist militants that killed 250 people. Some Christians say they are looking for stronger security policies, even if that means going with a hardliner like Rajapaksa. But Muslims are less convinced because they suspect a Rajapaksa government may turn a blind eye to attacks by Buddhist extremists. That is what some say happened in 2014 when anti-Muslim riots in the southwestern Kalutara district displaced thousands during the time of his brother`s presidency. A spokesman for the Rajapaksa`s SLPP, Keheliya Rambukwella, said the riots were orchestrated to turn Muslims away from the Rajapaksa camp. As a politician who respected all communities and religions, Rajapaksa was doing the "right thing" by visiting houses of worship, Rambukwella said. "It gives a message very clearly that he wants communal harmony." Rajapaksa`s office declined a request for an interview with him. Tamil fears He has yet to tour the Tamil-dominated north and east of Sri Lanka but has said he would work toward fulfilling their aspirations, including more regional autonomy. Relatives of Tamils missing since the end of the war, former cadres of the Tamil Tiger insurgent group and people who say their land has been occupied by the military, interviewed by Reuters in recent days, said they feared a military clampdown if Rajapaksa rose to power. But one Tamil party, the Eelam People`s Democratic Party, is pro-Rajapaksa and says only his leadership can fulfil regional demands. The political calculations are clear. While Sri Lanka is 70%Sinhala Buddhist, some Buddhists support current Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe`s rival centre-right United National Party (UNP). Muslims account for about 10% of the island nation`s 21 million population and Christians nearly 7%. Hardline Buddhist monks enjoyed impunity during Mahinda Rajapaksa`s government, antagonising minorities who voted overwhelmingly against him in 2015, said Hilmy Ahamed, vice president of the Muslim Council of Sri Lanka. Muslims would not be safe if Rajapaksa won the presidential election, said A.R.M Badiuddin, a former local council head in Dharga Town, about 80 km south of Colombo, which was caught up in the 2014 riots. "The Rajapaksas have betrayed us," said Badiuddin, on a day Rajapaksa was due to visit a historic mosque, near his village home. "Muslims won`t forget and won`t help them." Blessings at the mosque On August 17, the centuries-old Kechimale Mosque, which looks out over the Indian Ocean, was unusually busy for a Saturday evening as it prepared for the first-ever visit by Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother, Mahinda. Hundreds waited for nearly four hours before they arrived in the late evening. Inside the mosque, a cleric sought blessings for Gotabaya Rajapaksa so he could ensure "unity and equality for all ethnicities in Sri Lanka". Clerics said they welcomed everyone, declining to comment on the politics of the visit. Rajapaksa is also trying to win over Sri Lanka`s Catholics, many of whom have traditionally voted UNP. This month, he met senior Catholic priests in Kandy and Matara. He recently said his government would promptly act on a demand by the Archbishop of Colombo to set up an independent panel to investigate the Easter bomb attacks. Some were sceptical of the motive but said Rajapaksa, nevertheless, might win the support of Christians. "Everything is done to win votes, not in a genuine way," a senior clergyman told Reuters on condition of anonymity/ "There is a possibility this time that Catholics will vote for Gotabaya." Mahinda Rajapaksa`s wife, Shiranthi, is Catholic and the couple met the Pope at the Vatican in 2014 and during his 2015 Sri Lanka visit. Shiranthi also donated land and money to a Catholic church in Colombo during Rajapaksa`s term. "They helped us a lot", the clergyman added. But Rajapaksa`s authoritarian style worries many Protestants, who make up about 2% of the population. "People are waiting to see whether he would actually say that he is moving from a very hardline stance to a more moderate stance," said Godfrey Yogarajah, deputy secretary-general of the World Evangelical Alliance. "We haven`t heard him say anything at all to that effect."

Sri Lanka: Presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa reaches out to minorities

Abdulmalik Abdulaziz, a Uighur student, was arrested and handcuffed by Egyptian police and when they removed his blindfold he was surprised to see Chinese officials questioning him in custody.

Abdulmalik Abdulaziz, a Uighur student, was arrested and handcuffed by Egyptian police and when they removed his blindfold he was surprised to see Chinese officials questioning him in custody. He was picked up in broad daylight with friends, and taken to a Cairo police station where Chinese officials grilled him about what he was doing in Egypt. The three officials spoke to him in Chinese, addressing him using his Chinese name, not his Uighur one. "They never said their names or mentioned who they were exactly," said Abdulaziz, 27, who spoke to AFP helping to uncover new details of the 2017 arrests of over 90 Uighurs from the mostly Muslim Turkic minority. Abdulaziz, like most swept up in the three-day crackdown in the first week of July 2017, was an Islamic theology student at Al-Azhar, the Sunni Muslim world's most prestigious educational institution. "Egyptian policemen said 'the Chinese government says that you are terrorists'. But we responded that we are only Al-Azhar students," said Abdulaziz. AFP is using pseudonyms to protect the identities of those Uighurs interviewed. China is one of Egypt's biggest investors, pouring money into massive infrastructure projects such as the construction of a new administrative capital east of Cairo. Trade between the two countries reached a record high of $13.8 billion last year. Just three weeks before the raid, Egypt and China signed a security memorandum focusing on "combatting terrorism". After a few days of questioning in Police Station 2 in Nasr City, an upmarket suburb of Cairo, Abdulaziz was sent to Tora, one of Egypt's most notorious jails. Released after 60 days in detention, he escaped, seeking asylum in Turkey, a hub of Uighur immigration, in October 2017. 'Same tactics' Shams Eddin Ahmed, 26, was arrested outside the Moussa Ibn Naseer mosque on 4 July 2017 in Nasr City. His father in Xinjiang, a region in northwest China, also disappeared that month. Many Uighurs refer to Xinjiang as East Turkestan, including those AFP interviewed, but for Beijing, it has troubling connotations of independence and activism. "I still don't know if he's dead or alive," he recounted. Unmarked black vans pulled up as afternoon prayers ended and around five policemen arrested several Uighur worshippers. Ahmed was also transferred to Tora, the stifling carceral complex which houses many of Egypt's high-profile political prisoners. "I felt so afraid when I got there. It was extremely dark... I thought to myself how will we ever get out of here?" he said. "I was afraid that they would hand us over to the Chinese authorities," added Ahmed. The Uighurs were split into two groups of 45 to 50 men each and languished in large cells for weeks. Two weeks before their release, the Uighurs and other Chinese Muslims of different ethnic ancestry were divided into three groups and given colour codes. Red, green or yellow determined if they would be deported, released or further questioned. Ahmed said Egyptian prison guards handcuffed, blindfolded and then hauled many of the group into vans heading to Cairo police stations. During 11 days in police custody, he claims three Chinese officials questioned him specifically about his father. "Where is he and how does he send you money?" he told AFP. Ahmed was in the green group, meaning he was eventually released. He fled to Istanbul in early October 2017. Abdulweli Ayup, a Norway-based Uighur linguist who has researched the community in Egypt, confirmed hearing similar accounts from other detainees. "It's the same practice and tactic implemented in internment camps in China. I don't believe it's a coincidence," he said, adding Chinese authorities use the same three colour codes for detained Uighurs. 'Muslim brothers' Human rights groups say more than one million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim minorities are held in a network of internment camps in China where they endure political indoctrination. Beijing says the "vocational education centres" are necessary to counter religious extremism. Germany-based independent researcher Adrian Zenz, who has mapped out camps in Xinjiang, said: "China's new push to redefine human rights in terms of economic development... suits many of these nations." "A country giving the Chinese significant leeway can in return expect significant favours," he added, referring to the Egyptian-Chinese security cooperation. Egypt's interior ministry and the Chinese embassy in Cairo did not respond to AFP's repeated requests for comment. "Those found to be overstaying contrary to the law, including Chinese citizens among other nationalities, are expelled", said Ahmed Hafez, Egypt's foreign ministry spokesman, when asked about the deportation of Uighurs in 2017. He did not answer AFP's questions on the 60-day detention of the group that had been picked up by police. Darren Byler, an anthropologist at Washington University, noted "similar attempts by Chinese officials in Thailand and elsewhere" to extradite diaspora Uighurs. "The autonomy with which Chinese authorities were permitted to act in Egypt is unprecedented," he told AFP. Ayup, the linguist, explains the devastating effect of the 2017 raids that reduced a thriving community of around 6,000 people to about 50 families. "For Uighurs, it's a nightmare that your Muslim brother would invite Chinese officials to interrogate you. They have lost their belief and have become paranoid in the diaspora," he said. Abdulaziz considers himself fortunate, but the fate of other Uighurs expelled by Egypt preys on his mind. "It has been years since we heard anything about those deported and our families. We just don't know."

'Nightmare' as Egypt aided China to detain Uighurs

Minorities have never been safer in the country than under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP leader K J Alphons said in the Rajya Sabha Wednesday amid opposition references to lynching cases.

Speaking on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address, he said Modi is "more democratic" than anyone before him.

Five years back it was said that Christians will be beaten up and churches will be burnt once the BJP comes to power, he said.

"Have you seen any Christian being beaten up or any church being burnt (since the BJP came to power)," he asked.

"Never has it been safer for minorities than under Modi," he said as some in the opposition jeered, making references to the lynching of Muslims in some parts of the country.

Alphons, who was a minister in the first term of the BJP government but was not made a minister in Modi-2.0 government, targeted the Congress saying if it wants to live in a make-believe world, history will write it off.

"You shall have a new India," he said in an apparent jibe at Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, who in his remarks during the debate, had called for giving back the 'old India' and Modi keeping his 'New India' with himself.

He said instead of whining, the country should be celebrating achievements such as 99.2 per cent of the population now having toilets, 35 crore people getting bank accounts, 7.

5 crore getting a gas connection, 19 crores getting a loan under Mudra scheme, the jump in ease of doing business ranking and India striking at the heart of the enemy.

In his speech on the debate, Veer Singh (BSP) attacked the government for the unemployment rate climbing to a 45 year high due to "ill-planned" decisions and "wrong policies" such as demonetisation of high-value currency notes and implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime.

"Unemployment rate has risen from 2.1 per cent in 2011-12 to 6.1 per cent in 2017-18.

This means 19 crore youth in the country are unemployed," he said, adding a reservation for SC/ST and OBCs is being diluted by the government in outsourcing work to the private sector.

Wansuk Syiem (Cong) said the President's address did not have any mention of special package for the North East.

It also did not have any mention of the telecom sector, where state-owned firms BSNL and MTNL are in a "bad shape" and are "unable to compete with the private sector.

" Kirori Lal Meena (BJP) raised the issue of alleged dilution of tribal rules by the Congress-led government in Rajasthan in granting mining rights in the tribal area.

Minorities have never been safer in the country than under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP leader K J Alphons said in the Rajya Sabha Wednesday amid opposition references to lynching cases.

Minorities have never been safer in the country than under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP leader K J Alphons said in the Rajya Sabha Wednesday amid opposition references to lynching cases. Speaking on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address, he said Modi is "more democratic" than anyone before him. Five years back it was said that Christians will be beaten up and churches will be burnt once the BJP comes to power, he said. "Have you seen any Christian being beaten up or any church being burnt (since the BJP came to power)," he asked. "Never has it been safer for minorities than under Modi," he said as some in the opposition jeered, making references to the lynching of Muslims in some parts of the country. Alphons, who was a minister in the first term of the BJP government but was not made a minister in Modi-2.0 government, targeted the Congress saying if it wants to live in a make-believe world, history will write it off. "You shall have a new India," he said in an apparent jibe at Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, who in his remarks during the debate, had called for giving back the 'old India' and Modi keeping his 'New India' with himself. He said instead of whining, the country should be celebrating achievements such as 99.2 per cent of the population now having toilets, 35 crore people getting bank accounts, 7. 5 crore getting a gas connection, 19 crores getting a loan under Mudra scheme, the jump in ease of doing business ranking and India striking at the heart of the enemy. In his speech on the debate, Veer Singh (BSP) attacked the government for the unemployment rate climbing to a 45 year high due to "ill-planned" decisions and "wrong policies" such as demonetisation of high-value currency notes and implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime. "Unemployment rate has risen from 2.1 per cent in 2011-12 to 6.1 per cent in 2017-18. This means 19 crore youth in the country are unemployed," he said, adding a reservation for SC/ST and OBCs is being diluted by the government in outsourcing work to the private sector. Wansuk Syiem (Cong) said the President's address did not have any mention of special package for the North East. It also did not have any mention of the telecom sector, where state-owned firms BSNL and MTNL are in a "bad shape" and are "unable to compete with the private sector. " Kirori Lal Meena (BJP) raised the issue of alleged dilution of tribal rules by the Congress-led government in Rajasthan in granting mining rights in the tribal area.

Minorities safer under PM Modi, says K J Alphons

All set for a second term as prime minister, Narendra Modi said Saturday his government will now begin "a new journey to build a new India with new energy" and reached out to minorities, saying the ruling alliance has to win their trust and work without any discrimination.

In his over 75-minute address after being elected the leader of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, Modi said the massive mandate has multiplied responsibilities, and advised lawmakers on their public conduct, saying they should avoid speaking to the media for publicity and shun the "VIP culture".

However, it was his suggestion to the MPs in his maiden speech to them that they work without any discrimination and win the trust of minorities that stood out as the alliance, especially the BJP, is often criticised for being indifferent to their concerns and not pursuing inclusive politics.

"Our mantra should be 'sabka saath, sabka vikas and sabka vishwas' (with all, for everybody's development and having everyone's trust)," he said in the speech which he began by bowing to the Constitution.

"They (minorities) cannot be handed over to them (Opposition), who benefit because we keep quiet," Modi said at Parliament's Central Hall, accusing his rivals of making minorities live in fear and exploiting them during elections as part of their vote-bank politics.

He said the poor were deceived all these years but his government managed to break through this "deception" and improved their lot and asked NDA MPs to similarly smash through the deception around minorities.

"Minorities were deceived, like the poor. Minorities were made to live in fear," the prime minister said.

It would be good if their education, social and economic standards are lifted up, he said, lamenting the minorities were instead made to live in an "imaginary fear".

"We have to break through this deception. We have to win their trust... It is a big responsibility that we have to fulfil. Those who vote us are ours and even our most trenchant opponents are ours. We cannot believe in any discrimination," he said.

Invoking the 1857 war against the British rule, he said all communities worked shoulder-to-shoulder for self-rule then and called for replicating a similar unifying spirit for good governance now as India readies to celebrate the 75 years of independence in 2022.

"The Constitution is supreme for us. Whatever form of worship we follow at home but outside there cannot be a bigger God for us than Bharat Mata (Mother India)," he said, likening the country's 130 crore citizens to 130 crore 'Gods' who should be served by the ruling alliance with a similar spirit.

The BJP-led NDA that won 353 of the 542 Lok Sabha seats for which elections were held, made huge inroads in different sections of society. 
However, minorities mostly voted for the opposition due to their wariness over BJP's Hindutva politics, political watchers believe.

"We stand for those who trusted us and also for those whose trust we have to win... We have to take everyone along to take India to new heights in the 21st century," Modi said.

With speculation rife over who will join his Council of Ministers, Modi said he was yet to go through the details of all the NDA MPs and asked them to not trust media reports in this regard, adding they are aimed at creating confusion and often put out with "bad intentions".

Many "Narendra Modis" have cropped up in the country, giving out ministerial positions to MPs, he said wryly and added that newspaper reports do not make ministers.

Responsibilities will be given as per norms, he stressed.

Modi said elections often divide and create gulf but 2019 polls united the people and society.

There was a pro-incumbency sentiment in this election and its result was a positive mandate, he said, adding that there is no better path than serving people when in power.

"We ran the government for poor people between 2014-19 and I can say the poor elected the government this time," he said.

He also called for the NDA to work with cohesion for the country's development and said his "naara" (slogan) for the alliance is "national ambition and regional aspirations".

Asking MPs to work together with him, he said they should shun arrogance as it is people not their personality, any caste or Modi who elected them.

The vote share of BJP and its allies rose over 25 percentage points in this general election, he said, adding in a lighter vein that in absolute terms the rise is as much as the votes polled by US President Donald Trump.

"Wave" is a light word to describe the mandate the NDA has received, he said, noting that the NDA won more than 50 per cent votes in 17 states.

He said the NDA will work to meet national ambition with regional aspirations and invoked BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee to underscore his party's commitment to the National Democratic Alliance, first stitched during Vajpayee's time.

There should be energy and synergy in the alliance, he said.

The BJP has had uneasy relations with some of its allies in the last five years before it worked to repair them ahead of the 2019 election.

All of its allies, including JD(U)'s Nitish Kumar, Shiv Sena's Uddhav Thackeray and Akali Dal's Parkash Singh Badal, were on the dais when Modi spoke to the lawmakers.&nbsp;

All set for a second term as prime minister, Narendra Modi said Saturday his government will now begin "a new journey to build a new India with new energy" and reached out to minorities, saying the ruling alliance has to win their trust and work without any discrimination.

All set for a second term as prime minister, Narendra Modi said Saturday his government will now begin "a new journey to build a new India with new energy" and reached out to minorities, saying the ruling alliance has to win their trust and work without any discrimination. In his over 75-minute address after being elected the leader of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, Modi said the massive mandate has multiplied responsibilities, and advised lawmakers on their public conduct, saying they should avoid speaking to the media for publicity and shun the "VIP culture". However, it was his suggestion to the MPs in his maiden speech to them that they work without any discrimination and win the trust of minorities that stood out as the alliance, especially the BJP, is often criticised for being indifferent to their concerns and not pursuing inclusive politics. "Our mantra should be 'sabka saath, sabka vikas and sabka vishwas' (with all, for everybody's development and having everyone's trust)," he said in the speech which he began by bowing to the Constitution. "They (minorities) cannot be handed over to them (Opposition), who benefit because we keep quiet," Modi said at Parliament's Central Hall, accusing his rivals of making minorities live in fear and exploiting them during elections as part of their vote-bank politics. He said the poor were deceived all these years but his government managed to break through this "deception" and improved their lot and asked NDA MPs to similarly smash through the deception around minorities. "Minorities were deceived, like the poor. Minorities were made to live in fear," the prime minister said. It would be good if their education, social and economic standards are lifted up, he said, lamenting the minorities were instead made to live in an "imaginary fear". "We have to break through this deception. We have to win their trust... It is a big responsibility that we have to fulfil. Those who vote us are ours and even our most trenchant opponents are ours. We cannot believe in any discrimination," he said. Invoking the 1857 war against the British rule, he said all communities worked shoulder-to-shoulder for self-rule then and called for replicating a similar unifying spirit for good governance now as India readies to celebrate the 75 years of independence in 2022. "The Constitution is supreme for us. Whatever form of worship we follow at home but outside there cannot be a bigger God for us than Bharat Mata (Mother India)," he said, likening the country's 130 crore citizens to 130 crore 'Gods' who should be served by the ruling alliance with a similar spirit. The BJP-led NDA that won 353 of the 542 Lok Sabha seats for which elections were held, made huge inroads in different sections of society. However, minorities mostly voted for the opposition due to their wariness over BJP's Hindutva politics, political watchers believe. "We stand for those who trusted us and also for those whose trust we have to win... We have to take everyone along to take India to new heights in the 21st century," Modi said. With speculation rife over who will join his Council of Ministers, Modi said he was yet to go through the details of all the NDA MPs and asked them to not trust media reports in this regard, adding they are aimed at creating confusion and often put out with "bad intentions". Many "Narendra Modis" have cropped up in the country, giving out ministerial positions to MPs, he said wryly and added that newspaper reports do not make ministers. Responsibilities will be given as per norms, he stressed. Modi said elections often divide and create gulf but 2019 polls united the people and society. There was a pro-incumbency sentiment in this election and its result was a positive mandate, he said, adding that there is no better path than serving people when in power. "We ran the government for poor people between 2014-19 and I can say the poor elected the government this time," he said. He also called for the NDA to work with cohesion for the country's development and said his "naara" (slogan) for the alliance is "national ambition and regional aspirations". Asking MPs to work together with him, he said they should shun arrogance as it is people not their personality, any caste or Modi who elected them. The vote share of BJP and its allies rose over 25 percentage points in this general election, he said, adding in a lighter vein that in absolute terms the rise is as much as the votes polled by US President Donald Trump. "Wave" is a light word to describe the mandate the NDA has received, he said, noting that the NDA won more than 50 per cent votes in 17 states. He said the NDA will work to meet national ambition with regional aspirations and invoked BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee to underscore his party's commitment to the National Democratic Alliance, first stitched during Vajpayee's time. There should be energy and synergy in the alliance, he said. The BJP has had uneasy relations with some of its allies in the last five years before it worked to repair them ahead of the 2019 election. All of its allies, including JD(U)'s Nitish Kumar, Shiv Sena's Uddhav Thackeray and Akali Dal's Parkash Singh Badal, were on the dais when Modi spoke to the lawmakers.

Modi asks NDA MPs to work without discrimination, reach out to minorities

The <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wionews.com/india-news/bjp-committed-to-passing-the-triple-talaq-citizenship-amendment-bill-pm-modi-209616&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiNufiBh8_hAhWLu48KHT62C-EQFggLMAI&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw2PAZdKqGSXKz6VfZlj_u_L">Triple Talaq Bill</a> has been a major poll plank of the <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wionews.com/india-news/jaitley-criticises-cong-for-promising-to-withdraw-triple-talaq-bill-196044&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjW9eebh8_hAhUI448KHaCQBCIQFggRMAQ&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw0C8jSa6Y1ZqyiQKByZPJFk">BJP</a>, with the party trying its best to woo a section of minorities with the legislation, even as those who had led the crusade against the practice continue to fight for their survival.

In its recently released manifesto for Lok Sabha polls, the saffron party, which failed to legislate the bill in Parliament due to stiff resistance by the opposition, has pledged to eliminate the practices of instant talaq and nikah halala if re-elected to power.

Vijaya Rahatkar, the national president of the party's Mahila Morcha, said the efforts of the Narendra Modi government to pass the Triple Talaq Bill "will surely yield positive results for the BJP" in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.

Ironically, anti-triple talaq champions - Ishrat Jahan, Shayara Bano and Atiya Sabri - who had moved the Supreme Court to seek an end to the practice of instant divorce continue to live in abject poverty, with little or no means of income.

The court, in a landmark judgment in 2017, held the practice "void" and "unconstitutional".

Divorced in April 2015, Ishrat Jahan lives with her two children in neighbouring Howrah district.

"I am struggling to make both ends meet. I don't have money to send my children to school. As of now, I depend on my relatives for financial assistance," she told PTI.

Jahan had joined the BJP in 2018 and was initially expected to be one of the major minority faces of the party in Bengal. It was also speculated that she would figure in BJP's list of Lok Sabha candidates in the state.

"Things appear to have changed. I am not in touch with the party any more. At times I visit party meetings, but that's about it," she said when asked if the BJP leaders inquire about her.

The story is no different for Shayara Bano and Atiya Sabri, who live under stressful financial conditions with no help from their divorced husbands.

"She doesn't have any income of her own ... We try to help her in whatever way we can," Bano's brother Arshad told PTI from Uttar Pradesh.

Sabri's brother Rizwan, who is a resident of Uttarakhand, said the family wants the court matter to be disposed of soon.&nbsp;

He appealed to both the state and central governments to look into the early disposal of the case.

"My sister stays with me. She is part of my family. We don't want any financial help, we just want this matter to end soon," Rizwan said.

Two other petitioners, Afreen Rahman and Gulshan Parween, could not be contacted.

Rahatkar, when apprised of the condition of the three women, said she had met Jahan and assured her of financial assistance.

"We should always stand by those women who have suffered but not given up. I spoke to Ishrat and told her that we will provide assistance if she needed to send her children to school. We are also willing to give her loan under the government's Mudra scheme to help her start a business," Rahatkar told PTI.

Arguing that the triple Talaq Bill does not empower women, Sushmita, the president of All India Mahila Congress, said, "criminalizing the practice isn't the solution".

"How does it (bill) help a Muslim woman? Punishing the husband does not guarantee financial support for the woman. If you talk about empowering a woman, you have to find her suitable means of income," Dev said.

Uzma Alam, the convenor of Bengal unit of the women's cell of All India Muslim Personal Law Board, said, "no one but Jahan was responsible for her precarious condition".

"When she had issues with her husband and was given the talaq, I told her that we would help her in finding a job and make arrangements for her remarriage. But she had other things in her mind so she can't blame anybody for her condition now," she added.

The Triple Talaq Bill has been a major poll plank of the BJP, with the party trying its best to woo a section of minorities with the legislation, even as those who had led the crusade against the practice continue to fight for their survival.

The Triple Talaq Bill has been a major poll plank of the BJP, with the party trying its best to woo a section of minorities with the legislation, even as those who had led the crusade against the practice continue to fight for their survival. In its recently released manifesto for Lok Sabha polls, the saffron party, which failed to legislate the bill in Parliament due to stiff resistance by the opposition, has pledged to eliminate the practices of instant talaq and nikah halala if re-elected to power. Vijaya Rahatkar, the national president of the party's Mahila Morcha, said the efforts of the Narendra Modi government to pass the Triple Talaq Bill "will surely yield positive results for the BJP" in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. Ironically, anti-triple talaq champions - Ishrat Jahan, Shayara Bano and Atiya Sabri - who had moved the Supreme Court to seek an end to the practice of instant divorce continue to live in abject poverty, with little or no means of income. The court, in a landmark judgment in 2017, held the practice "void" and "unconstitutional". Divorced in April 2015, Ishrat Jahan lives with her two children in neighbouring Howrah district. "I am struggling to make both ends meet. I don't have money to send my children to school. As of now, I depend on my relatives for financial assistance," she told PTI. Jahan had joined the BJP in 2018 and was initially expected to be one of the major minority faces of the party in Bengal. It was also speculated that she would figure in BJP's list of Lok Sabha candidates in the state. "Things appear to have changed. I am not in touch with the party any more. At times I visit party meetings, but that's about it," she said when asked if the BJP leaders inquire about her. The story is no different for Shayara Bano and Atiya Sabri, who live under stressful financial conditions with no help from their divorced husbands. "She doesn't have any income of her own ... We try to help her in whatever way we can," Bano's brother Arshad told PTI from Uttar Pradesh. Sabri's brother Rizwan, who is a resident of Uttarakhand, said the family wants the court matter to be disposed of soon. He appealed to both the state and central governments to look into the early disposal of the case. "My sister stays with me. She is part of my family. We don't want any financial help, we just want this matter to end soon," Rizwan said. Two other petitioners, Afreen Rahman and Gulshan Parween, could not be contacted. Rahatkar, when apprised of the condition of the three women, said she had met Jahan and assured her of financial assistance. "We should always stand by those women who have suffered but not given up. I spoke to Ishrat and told her that we will provide assistance if she needed to send her children to school. We are also willing to give her loan under the government's Mudra scheme to help her start a business," Rahatkar told PTI. Arguing that the triple Talaq Bill does not empower women, Sushmita, the president of All India Mahila Congress, said, "criminalizing the practice isn't the solution". "How does it (bill) help a Muslim woman? Punishing the husband does not guarantee financial support for the woman. If you talk about empowering a woman, you have to find her suitable means of income," Dev said. Uzma Alam, the convenor of Bengal unit of the women's cell of All India Muslim Personal Law Board, said, "no one but Jahan was responsible for her precarious condition". "When she had issues with her husband and was given the talaq, I told her that we would help her in finding a job and make arrangements for her remarriage. But she had other things in her mind so she can't blame anybody for her condition now," she added.

Triple talaq crusaders continue to fight for survival

A leading newspaper in Pakistan has reported that the "religious minorities in the country were more vulnerable than safe".

The report published on Wednesday, days after two minor Hindu sisters were allegedly abducted and were forced to embrace Islam and married&nbsp;said, "The state has a responsibility to preserve and protect the right to freedom of religion, guaranteed under Article 20 of our Constitution."

"But it is impossible to deny the fact that religious minorities are, in many ways, more vulnerable than safe in Pakistan," it said.

The editorial published in Dawn also added that the latest abduction was one of only a handful of the many claims of forced conversions in Sindh.

The daily also highlighted that the majority of new conversions in Sindh took place in socio-economically vulnerable Hindu families and most of the victims of the conversions were minor girls.

Two girls aged 13 and 15, were allegedly kidnapped from their home in Sindh's Ghotki district by a group of "influential" men on March 20, a day before Holi.

A video of a priest purportedly solemnising the marriage of the two girls went viral soon after, triggering nationwide outrage.

&nbsp;

A leading newspaper in Pakistan has reported that the "religious minorities in the country were more vulnerable than safe". The report published on Wednesday, days after two minor Hindu sisters were allegedly abducted and were forced to embrace Islam and married said, "The state has a responsibility to preserve and protect the right to freedom of religion, guaranteed under Article 20 of our Constitution.

A leading newspaper in Pakistan has reported that the "religious minorities in the country were more vulnerable than safe". The report published on Wednesday, days after two minor Hindu sisters were allegedly abducted and were forced to embrace Islam and married said, "The state has a responsibility to preserve and protect the right to freedom of religion, guaranteed under Article 20 of our Constitution." "But it is impossible to deny the fact that religious minorities are, in many ways, more vulnerable than safe in Pakistan," it said. The editorial published in Dawn also added that the latest abduction was one of only a handful of the many claims of forced conversions in Sindh. The daily also highlighted that the majority of new conversions in Sindh took place in socio-economically vulnerable Hindu families and most of the victims of the conversions were minor girls. Two girls aged 13 and 15, were allegedly kidnapped from their home in Sindh's Ghotki district by a group of "influential" men on March 20, a day before Holi. A video of a priest purportedly solemnising the marriage of the two girls went viral soon after, triggering nationwide outrage.

Religious minorities vulnerable in Pakistan: Pak Daily

The United States on Sunday criticised Pakistan for using discriminatory policies against Ahmadiyya community and other religious minorities including Sikhs, Christians, and Shias.

A country report on human rights practices for 2018, released by the US Department of State, last week, says, "Courts routinely failed to protect the rights of religious minorities. Courts discriminatorily used laws prohibiting blasphemy against Shia, Christians, Ahmadis, and members of other religious minority groups."

"Lower courts often did not require adequate evidence in blasphemy cases, and some convicted persons spent years in jail before higher courts eventually overturned their convictions or ordered their release," adds the report.

The report stated that Pakistan had excluded the Ahmadiyya community from participating in the 25th general elections of the country, held in July last year, by creating a separate voter list for the minority community.

"The government requires voters to indicate their religion when registering to vote and requires Ahmadis to declare themselves as non-Muslims. Ahmadis consider themselves Muslims, and many were unable to vote because they did not comply," the report says.

"Authorities generally prohibited Ahmadis, a religious minority, from holding conferences or gatherings. Ahmadis cited the closure by Sialkot authorities of an Ahmadiyya mosque on May 14 and mob attacks on two other mosques in Sialkot and Faisalabad as evidence of the ongoing severe conditions for the community," the State Department adds in its reports.

Rabwah, Pakistan's Punjab province, is one of the few places in Pakistan which has the highest concentration of Ahmadis in the country.

The Ahmadiyya or the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at is an Islamic religious movement founded in Punjab, in the then British India, near the end of the 19th century. However, Pakistan's Constitution has declared the community as "non-Muslims."

The United States on Sunday criticised Pakistan for using discriminatory policies against Ahmadiyya community and other religious minorities including Sikhs, Christians, and Shias.

The United States on Sunday criticised Pakistan for using discriminatory policies against Ahmadiyya community and other religious minorities including Sikhs, Christians, and Shias. A country report on human rights practices for 2018, released by the US Department of State, last week, says, "Courts routinely failed to protect the rights of religious minorities. Courts discriminatorily used laws prohibiting blasphemy against Shia, Christians, Ahmadis, and members of other religious minority groups." "Lower courts often did not require adequate evidence in blasphemy cases, and some convicted persons spent years in jail before higher courts eventually overturned their convictions or ordered their release," adds the report. The report stated that Pakistan had excluded the Ahmadiyya community from participating in the 25th general elections of the country, held in July last year, by creating a separate voter list for the minority community. "The government requires voters to indicate their religion when registering to vote and requires Ahmadis to declare themselves as non-Muslims. Ahmadis consider themselves Muslims, and many were unable to vote because they did not comply," the report says. "Authorities generally prohibited Ahmadis, a religious minority, from holding conferences or gatherings. Ahmadis cited the closure by Sialkot authorities of an Ahmadiyya mosque on May 14 and mob attacks on two other mosques in Sialkot and Faisalabad as evidence of the ongoing severe conditions for the community," the State Department adds in its reports. Rabwah, Pakistan's Punjab province, is one of the few places in Pakistan which has the highest concentration of Ahmadis in the country. The Ahmadiyya or the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at is an Islamic religious movement founded in Punjab, in the then British India, near the end of the 19th century. However, Pakistan's Constitution has declared the community as "non-Muslims."

US criticises Pakistan for discriminatory policies against minorities

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has slammed Pakistan yet again for commenting on the situation of minorities in India but also drawn parallels how New Delhi refrains to comment on the situation of minorities in other regional countries.&nbsp;

Asked about the deteriorating situation of Uyghurs minorities in China, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, "We have taken note of reports on this matter. Normally, it is not our practice to comment on matters pertaining to the internal affairs of another country. I might add here that on the contrary Pakistan and its leadership have this compulsive habit."

He further added, "suggest that Pakistan may be asked this question as they have been commenting on the status of minorities in India and have meddled in the internal affairs of its neighbours."

The developments come days after Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said his country doesn't treat its minorities as second class citizens as India does.

India immediately hit out at Pakistan PM saying remarks are an "egregious insult to all citizens of India" &amp; "Pakistan’s Prime Minister has yet again demonstrated his lack of understanding about India’s secular polity and ethos."

Earlier also Pakistan's PM has many times commented on the situation of minorities in India. In December he said he will "show Modi government how to treat minorities" while on December 25 2018, the birth anniversary of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the man who partitioned India, Khan tweeted, "Naya Pakistan is Quaid’s Pakistan and will ensure that our minorities are treated as equal citizens, unlike what is happening in India".

Although Pakistan has been keen to comment on the situation of minorities in India, it has been silent on the situation of Uyghur minorities in China. Uyghurs live in Western China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region &amp; practise Islam. Many media reports have suggested that Chinese authorities are subjecting Uyghurs with torture and political brainwashing in internment camps and prisons.&nbsp;

Recently, Turkish foreign ministry issued a statement condemning the situation of Uyghur minorities in China and said, "The reintroduction of internment camps in the 21st century and the policy of systematic assimilation against the Uighur Turks carried out by the authorities of China is a great shame for humanity."

It further added, "We call on the international community and the Secretary-General of the United Nations to take effective measures in order to bring to an end this human tragedy in Xinjiang."

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has slammed Pakistan yet again for commenting on the situation of minorities in India but also drawn parallels how New Delhi refrains to comment on the situation of minorities in other regional countries.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has slammed Pakistan yet again for commenting on the situation of minorities in India but also drawn parallels how New Delhi refrains to comment on the situation of minorities in other regional countries. Asked about the deteriorating situation of Uyghurs minorities in China, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, "We have taken note of reports on this matter. Normally, it is not our practice to comment on matters pertaining to the internal affairs of another country. I might add here that on the contrary Pakistan and its leadership have this compulsive habit." He further added, "suggest that Pakistan may be asked this question as they have been commenting on the status of minorities in India and have meddled in the internal affairs of its neighbours." The developments come days after Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said his country doesn't treat its minorities as second class citizens as India does. India immediately hit out at Pakistan PM saying remarks are an "egregious insult to all citizens of India" & "Pakistan’s Prime Minister has yet again demonstrated his lack of understanding about India’s secular polity and ethos." Earlier also Pakistan's PM has many times commented on the situation of minorities in India. In December he said he will "show Modi government how to treat minorities" while on December 25 2018, the birth anniversary of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the man who partitioned India, Khan tweeted, "Naya Pakistan is Quaid’s Pakistan and will ensure that our minorities are treated as equal citizens, unlike what is happening in India". Although Pakistan has been keen to comment on the situation of minorities in India, it has been silent on the situation of Uyghur minorities in China. Uyghurs live in Western China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region & practise Islam. Many media reports have suggested that Chinese authorities are subjecting Uyghurs with torture and political brainwashing in internment camps and prisons. Recently, Turkish foreign ministry issued a statement condemning the situation of Uyghur minorities in China and said, "The reintroduction of internment camps in the 21st century and the policy of systematic assimilation against the Uighur Turks carried out by the authorities of China is a great shame for humanity." It further added, "We call on the international community and the Secretary-General of the United Nations to take effective measures in order to bring to an end this human tragedy in Xinjiang."

Ask Pakistan, they have a habit of commenting on status of minorities, India says when asked about China's Uighurs

US: China is treating minorities horribly 

United States Congressman vowed to use every way possible to prevent Pakistan from oppressing its minority communities, ANI reported on Saturday.&nbsp

The congressman, Thomas Garrett Jr voiced his ire over human rights violation in Pakistan's ethnic and religious minorities while addressing the inaugural ceremony of The Voice of Karachi and South Aisa Minorities Alliance Foundation in Washington DC.&nbsp

Garett said, "Every tool that we have in the toolbox whether its sanctions, whether it is the application of Little Magnitsky concepts on leaders who oppress their people whether in Pakistan or anywhere else, I will advocate on behalf of that."

He expressed his disgust over incidents of harassments and intimidation by some elements to stop peaceful activities of these organizations on the US soil.

A United States-based advocacy group representing various ethnic minorities of Pakistan has formed a joint platform 'South Asian Minorities Alliance Foundation' against what they alleged as the massive human rights violation by security forces and ruling establishment of the country.

Garrett including Scott Perry from Pennsylvania extended their support to the newly formed group and expressed concerns about Pakistan's oppressed ethnic and religious communities.

"If you look at the constitution what some might say is controlled by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), it's the leadership of the nation that denies individuals the rights that they are entitled to," Congressman Thomas Garrett told ANI.

"You don't take American money and oppress your people with our money. That's not good," Congressman Perry told the gathering of people representing various ethnic groups of Pakistan Mohajirs, Baloch, Gilgit and Hazara. Perry has voted in House of Representative against funding for Pakistan.

"We should be sure that the people with whom the United States is engaging with are in favor of relations, and we must ensure that the citiizen's of the state (Pakistan) have basic rights. We can choose whom to do business or not to do business, or have relations or not have relations to encourage bad behavior," Garrett said.

Nadeem Nusrat, Chairman of the Voice of Karachi, told the US legislators that Pakistan's oppressed ethnic and religious communities were looking towards the US and the international community to play their role in stopping state atrocities being committed by the Pakistani security forces, ISI in particular. 
&nbsp

The congressman, Thomas Garrett Jr voiced his ire over human rights violation in Pakistan's ethnic and religious minorities while addressing the inaugural ceremony of The Voice of Karachi and South Aisa Minorities Alliance Foundation in Washington DC

United States Congressman vowed to use every way possible to prevent Pakistan from oppressing its minority communities, ANI reported on Saturday. The congressman, Thomas Garrett Jr voiced his ire over human rights violation in Pakistan's ethnic and religious minorities while addressing the inaugural ceremony of The Voice of Karachi and South Aisa Minorities Alliance Foundation in Washington DC. Garett said, "Every tool that we have in the toolbox whether its sanctions, whether it is the application of Little Magnitsky concepts on leaders who oppress their people whether in Pakistan or anywhere else, I will advocate on behalf of that." He expressed his disgust over incidents of harassments and intimidation by some elements to stop peaceful activities of these organizations on the US soil. A United States-based advocacy group representing various ethnic minorities of Pakistan has formed a joint platform 'South Asian Minorities Alliance Foundation' against what they alleged as the massive human rights violation by security forces and ruling establishment of the country. Garrett including Scott Perry from Pennsylvania extended their support to the newly formed group and expressed concerns about Pakistan's oppressed ethnic and religious communities. "If you look at the constitution what some might say is controlled by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), it's the leadership of the nation that denies individuals the rights that they are entitled to," Congressman Thomas Garrett told ANI. "You don't take American money and oppress your people with our money. That's not good," Congressman Perry told the gathering of people representing various ethnic groups of Pakistan Mohajirs, Baloch, Gilgit and Hazara. Perry has voted in House of Representative against funding for Pakistan. "We should be sure that the people with whom the United States is engaging with are in favor of relations, and we must ensure that the citiizen's of the state (Pakistan) have basic rights. We can choose whom to do business or not to do business, or have relations or not have relations to encourage bad behavior," Garrett said. Nadeem Nusrat, Chairman of the Voice of Karachi, told the US legislators that Pakistan's oppressed ethnic and religious communities were looking towards the US and the international community to play their role in stopping state atrocities being committed by the Pakistani security forces, ISI in particular.

US Congressman vows to curb Pakistan oppression on minorities

Union minister &nbsp;Consumer Affairs Ram Vilas Paswan on Sunday expressed his unhappiness over some of the secular leaders&#39; voice being suppressed in BJP.

Paswan also appealed to the BJP top brass that there was a need to change the perception in terms of minorities, Dalits. &nbsp;

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They (BJP) need to change mass perception in terms of minorities, dalits. Aren&#39;t there secular leaders in BJP?There are people like Sushil Modi,Ram Kripal Yadav,what happens is that their voice gets suppressed&amp;there are others whose voice gets attention:Union Min Ram Vilas Paswan <a href="https://t.co/1KT1cJrwLg">pic.twitter.com/1KT1cJrwLg</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/975402203300188161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&#39;&#39;Aren&#39;t there secular leaders in BJP? There are people like Sushil Modi, Ram Kripal Yadav. What happens is that their voice gets suppressed and there are others whose voice gets attention,&#39;&#39; he said.&nbsp;

&nbsp;Reports said that the LJP chief also cautioned few &lsquo;hardliner&rsquo; leaders in the BJP to refrain from making &lsquo;off- the- cuff&rsquo; statements in order to prevent distancing of voters of certain sections of the society including Muslims.

Paswan&rsquo;s statement comes on the backdrop of BJP&#39;s defeat in bypolls to two high- profile parliamentary constituencies- Gorakhpur and Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh and Araria constituency n Bihar. The bypolls were held on March 11 and counting and results were declared on March 14.

Incidentally, BJP Bihar chief Nityanand had stirred a controversy by saying in an election meeting on March 9 that &lsquo;Araria will become the den of ISI if RJD candidate won&rsquo;. An FIR was also lodged against him over his &lsquo;provocative&rdquo; statement on March 10 on charges of violation of model code of conduct.&nbsp;

In a similar instance, firebrand BJP leader and union minister Giriraj Singh also said in New Delhi on March 15 that Araria will become &lsquo;terror hub&rsquo; with the victory of RJD&rsquo;s candidate in the bypolls to the Muslim- dominated constituency.

Paswan also appealed to the BJP top brass that there was a need to change the perception in terms of minorities, Dalits.

Union minister Consumer Affairs Ram Vilas Paswan on Sunday expressed his unhappiness over some of the secular leaders' voice being suppressed in BJP. Paswan also appealed to the BJP top brass that there was a need to change the perception in terms of minorities, Dalits. They (BJP) need to change mass perception in terms of minorities, dalits. Aren't there secular leaders in BJP?There are people like Sushil Modi,Ram Kripal Yadav,what happens is that their voice gets suppressed&there are others whose voice gets attention:Union Min Ram Vilas Paswan pic.twitter.com/1KT1cJrwLg — ANI (@ANI) March 18, 2018 × ''Aren't there secular leaders in BJP? There are people like Sushil Modi, Ram Kripal Yadav. What happens is that their voice gets suppressed and there are others whose voice gets attention,'' he said. Reports said that the LJP chief also cautioned few ‘hardliner’ leaders in the BJP to refrain from making ‘off- the- cuff’ statements in order to prevent distancing of voters of certain sections of the society including Muslims. Paswan’s statement comes on the backdrop of BJP's defeat in bypolls to two high- profile parliamentary constituencies- Gorakhpur and Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh and Araria constituency n Bihar. The bypolls were held on March 11 and counting and results were declared on March 14. Incidentally, BJP Bihar chief Nityanand had stirred a controversy by saying in an election meeting on March 9 that ‘Araria will become the den of ISI if RJD candidate won’. An FIR was also lodged against him over his ‘provocative” statement on March 10 on charges of violation of model code of conduct. In a similar instance, firebrand BJP leader and union minister Giriraj Singh also said in New Delhi on March 15 that Araria will become ‘terror hub’ with the victory of RJD’s candidate in the bypolls to the Muslim- dominated constituency.

Secular voice in BJP 'gets suppressed': Ram Vilas Paswan

&ldquo;The year 2017 will be one of peace and love,&rdquo; Naheed Naz told me. &ldquo;There is nothing in the scriptures about it, but Jesus puts feelings in your heart about what is going to happen. It is a matter of faith and we believe in it.&rdquo;

I met Naz, in her 40s, and a nursing teacher with a Masters degree in Public Health, at the All Saints Church in the heart of Peshawar&rsquo;s old city. She sounded optimistic despite the last days of 2016 bringing more turmoil in Pakistan for Christians.

Christmas messages were received with death threats and a Christian man was arrested on December 30 for allegedly desecrating the Koran. He currently faces the death penalty.

I could feel this tense atmosphere as I approached the All Saints Church on Christmas Day. The 19th-century building of Islamic Saracenic style reflecting in the brilliantly sunny day outside.

As I entered the the church&rsquo;s hall, the faithful were taking seats in anticipation of the Christmas mass. I had to come in through heavy security. The street where the church stands was blocked at both ends by sand barriers and guarded by security personal. On 22 September 2013, a twin suicide bomb attack during a Sunday mass at the church killed 127 people.

I asked Naz how the Christmas of her childhood differed from now. She recounted memories of her childhood and her sister&rsquo;s: the letter to Santa, her mother and father who used to make their life loving and rich, and the moral values of love and peace Christmas used to bring. Naz lost her mother in the 2013 bombing.

A little later, as I sat in the church, I met Shafi Maseeh, 75, who also lost his son in the same terror attack. He had little to say. Shafi is the real prototype of a Christian in Pakistan. A janitor by trade, he had no good memories to share of anything.

Most Christians I talked to felt a loss of identity, isolation and a deep sense of alienation. There was no nostalgia for the past, nor any enthusiasm for the present.

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Pakistan is roughly 1.6% Christian. (Others)
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In the All Saints Church, I was not alone at the Christmas ceremony. The local media had come too. Father Patrick Naeem was happy to see them and thanked the government, the media and the chief of the Pakistani army, while also asking journalists to respect the parishioners as they took photos of the ceremony.

One reporter asked me what I was doing there. When I told her I was going to do a story on Christmas and would like to interview her too she angrily replied, &ldquo;I am not a Christian, do I look like one?&rdquo; I was shocked for a moment. &ldquo;There is nothing wrong with being a Christian,&rdquo; I said.

Another reporter warned me as I was leaving the place: &ldquo;Be careful, liberals are on the hitlist.&rdquo; I just kept quiet.

Pakistan&rsquo;s Christian minority

There is no definitive figure, but Christians make up roughly 1.6% of the population of Pakistan, as many as Hindus, according to the latest official statistics.

Christians mostly converted from Hinduism to escape the caste-dominated Indian society before the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947. But changing religion didn&rsquo;t help: the roots of discrimination based on caste run deep in both Indian and Pakistani society.

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The Christmas ceremony is an event on its own as media gathered to film. (Others)
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The plight of Christians has persisted for decades, but there has also been a rise of hatred against Christians since the late 1980s, when the dictator Zia ul Haq introduced Pakistan&rsquo;s blasphemy law, particularly used to persecute Christians.

A double oppression

Pakistani society is still marred by racism and questions of caste, even among Muslims, despite the Qur&rsquo;an setting out radical equality for all.

Across South Asia, Muslims remain divided up by various hierarchical systems. This long trail of caste-related injustice goes back to the beginnings of subcontinental societies and seems impervious to the intrusion of other sources of identity such as the nation-state or religion.

So the Christian community reels under a double oppression of racism, based on the low castes many Christians come from, and religious intolerance towards their belief system.

But even among minorities, Christians are particularly singled out, for a number of reasons. They are visible: they live mostly in urban areas and are often employed in low-wage jobs. They are also the poorest of the community.

In December 2015, the Capital Development Authority of Islamabad submitted a report suggesting that the Christian &ldquo;ugly slums&rdquo; of the capital be destroyed to keep the city clean. The CDA, in this unprecedentedly stupid move (&ldquo;their Trump Moment&rdquo; as the English daily Dawn put it), argued that the campaign of destruction would preserve Islamabad&rsquo;s aesthetics and maintain its Muslim-majority demographic balance.

The proposal was rightly contested by political parties, activists, and NGOs and thwarted by the Supreme Court, but it was a worrying sign of just how poorly Christians are thought of by the Pakistani elite.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/image-20170106-18650-s47tpw-20171220072034.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
The street outside All Saints Church. Poor Christians live in this quarter of the city. (Others)
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Adding insult to injury, Christians in Pakistan are also seen as representatives of the US and other Western powers who are often held to be responsible for the plight of Muslims around the globe.

Christianity in politics

The plight of Christians is linked to the political foundation of Pakistan and the much criticised Two Nation Theory which became the basis of Partition in 1947. Partition aimed to create a state for Hindus (India) and one for Muslims (Pakistan).

Christians are historically considered to have positively contributed to Pakistani statehood, thus helping the development of the Pakistani society, but today they, along with other non-Muslims, are forbidden from holding high office.

The Christian vote in Pakistan is around 1.3 million, second to the Hindu vote, which is around 1.5 million. While the Hindu vote is mostly concentrated in the Sindh and Punjab regions, Christian voters are more scattered. Since the minority vote is restricted to a few electorates, political parties are not generally interested in serving them, though there is a lot of lip service to minority issues.

Minority representatives protest the problem of segregation from mainstream politics. There is no doubt that the electoral system adds to the problems of already frustrated minority communities in Pakistan. Minorities don&rsquo;t have the right to place their own candidates in elections. They can vote for any Muslim candidate in their constituency from within the general seats, and they also have the right to vote for a minority candidate, but they don&rsquo;t have the right to choose these. They are instead given minority seats for which tickets are allotted by mainstream political parties.

Fractured communities

While talking to various Christians, I observed very little sense of community. All identity revolves around the personal and in Pakistan, that is steeped in the psychology of status.

Christians in Pakistan are faced with both victim-blaming from without and the self-loathing it generates within the individual.

Continuous repression as a community within social and political life in Pakistan has led some to blame themselves for their problems. Self-incrimination, a shallow sense of belonging to the mainstream and the loss of the social self-were often apparent in my conversations for this article.

&ldquo;Our people are not serious about their studies; they don&rsquo;t save money,&rdquo; a priest who works as a waiter at my university&rsquo;s student accommodation told me. &ldquo;I do save, though I am usually in debt, while keeping my needs to the minimum.&rdquo; When I asked if it is because of the loss of hope that some Christians struggle in school and work, he replied, &ldquo;No, I have made it from a janitor to a waiter. My boys are going to school. Isn&rsquo;t it an environment conducive to success?&rdquo;

Living with contradiction

Christians are often the recipient of local charities. &ldquo;Yes, we like them, because they grew up with us,&rdquo; a high-level political activist in Peshawar told me. &ldquo;They clean our homes and we give them our used clothes, and also food. They are good people. We also offer them gifts for Christmas. We just did this year, too.&rdquo; The activist was also a trader in the market in front of the All Saints Church.

Christians often feel the same way. &ldquo;The political parties don&rsquo;t care for us,&rdquo; the priest at Peshawar University said. &ldquo;Some politicians do, though. They offer us gifts for Christmas. I also got my package. They change the carpets of our church every now and then. This is good.&rdquo;

In the present environment of hopelessness and fear, the only option left for Christians is to learn to live with Pakistan&rsquo;s deep contradictions &ndash; discrimination from the state, but charity from politicians.

Centuries of continuous repression have left many without any sense of identity within their home country. Many Christians here just want to breathe &ndash; being able to truly live is a distant dream.

This article was originally published on&nbsp;<a href="https://theconversation.com/au" rel="nofollow" target="blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/breathing-without-living-the-plight-of-christians-in-pakistan-70892" rel="nofollow" target="blank">original article</a>.

Images credit: Altaf Khan (Author)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Christians' plight in Pakistan reflects the confused identity and ideologies of the country they live in

“The year 2017 will be one of peace and love,” Naheed Naz told me. “There is nothing in the scriptures about it, but Jesus puts feelings in your heart about what is going to happen. It is a matter of faith and we believe in it.” I met Naz, in her 40s, and a nursing teacher with a Masters degree in Public Health, at the All Saints Church in the heart of Peshawar’s old city. She sounded optimistic despite the last days of 2016 bringing more turmoil in Pakistan for Christians. Christmas messages were received with death threats and a Christian man was arrested on December 30 for allegedly desecrating the Koran. He currently faces the death penalty. I could feel this tense atmosphere as I approached the All Saints Church on Christmas Day. The 19th-century building of Islamic Saracenic style reflecting in the brilliantly sunny day outside. As I entered the the church’s hall, the faithful were taking seats in anticipation of the Christmas mass. I had to come in through heavy security. The street where the church stands was blocked at both ends by sand barriers and guarded by security personal. On 22 September 2013, a twin suicide bomb attack during a Sunday mass at the church killed 127 people. I asked Naz how the Christmas of her childhood differed from now. She recounted memories of her childhood and her sister’s: the letter to Santa, her mother and father who used to make their life loving and rich, and the moral values of love and peace Christmas used to bring. Naz lost her mother in the 2013 bombing. A little later, as I sat in the church, I met Shafi Maseeh, 75, who also lost his son in the same terror attack. He had little to say. Shafi is the real prototype of a Christian in Pakistan. A janitor by trade, he had no good memories to share of anything. Most Christians I talked to felt a loss of identity, isolation and a deep sense of alienation. There was no nostalgia for the past, nor any enthusiasm for the present. Pakistan is roughly 1.6% Christian. (Others) × In the All Saints Church, I was not alone at the Christmas ceremony. The local media had come too. Father Patrick Naeem was happy to see them and thanked the government, the media and the chief of the Pakistani army, while also asking journalists to respect the parishioners as they took photos of the ceremony. One reporter asked me what I was doing there. When I told her I was going to do a story on Christmas and would like to interview her too she angrily replied, “I am not a Christian, do I look like one?” I was shocked for a moment. “There is nothing wrong with being a Christian,” I said. Another reporter warned me as I was leaving the place: “Be careful, liberals are on the hitlist.” I just kept quiet. Pakistan’s Christian minority There is no definitive figure, but Christians make up roughly 1.6% of the population of Pakistan, as many as Hindus, according to the latest official statistics. Christians mostly converted from Hinduism to escape the caste-dominated Indian society before the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947. But changing religion didn’t help: the roots of discrimination based on caste run deep in both Indian and Pakistani society. The Christmas ceremony is an event on its own as media gathered to film. (Others) × The plight of Christians has persisted for decades, but there has also been a rise of hatred against Christians since the late 1980s, when the dictator Zia ul Haq introduced Pakistan’s blasphemy law, particularly used to persecute Christians. A double oppression Pakistani society is still marred by racism and questions of caste, even among Muslims, despite the Qur’an setting out radical equality for all. Across South Asia, Muslims remain divided up by various hierarchical systems. This long trail of caste-related injustice goes back to the beginnings of subcontinental societies and seems impervious to the intrusion of other sources of identity such as the nation-state or religion. So the Christian community reels under a double oppression of racism, based on the low castes many Christians come from, and religious intolerance towards their belief system. But even among minorities, Christians are particularly singled out, for a number of reasons. They are visible: they live mostly in urban areas and are often employed in low-wage jobs. They are also the poorest of the community. In December 2015, the Capital Development Authority of Islamabad submitted a report suggesting that the Christian “ugly slums” of the capital be destroyed to keep the city clean. The CDA, in this unprecedentedly stupid move (“their Trump Moment” as the English daily Dawn put it), argued that the campaign of destruction would preserve Islamabad’s aesthetics and maintain its Muslim-majority demographic balance. The proposal was rightly contested by political parties, activists, and NGOs and thwarted by the Supreme Court, but it was a worrying sign of just how poorly Christians are thought of by the Pakistani elite. The street outside All Saints Church. Poor Christians live in this quarter of the city. (Others) × Adding insult to injury, Christians in Pakistan are also seen as representatives of the US and other Western powers who are often held to be responsible for the plight of Muslims around the globe. Christianity in politics The plight of Christians is linked to the political foundation of Pakistan and the much criticised Two Nation Theory which became the basis of Partition in 1947. Partition aimed to create a state for Hindus (India) and one for Muslims (Pakistan). Christians are historically considered to have positively contributed to Pakistani statehood, thus helping the development of the Pakistani society, but today they, along with other non-Muslims, are forbidden from holding high office. The Christian vote in Pakistan is around 1.3 million, second to the Hindu vote, which is around 1.5 million. While the Hindu vote is mostly concentrated in the Sindh and Punjab regions, Christian voters are more scattered. Since the minority vote is restricted to a few electorates, political parties are not generally interested in serving them, though there is a lot of lip service to minority issues. Minority representatives protest the problem of segregation from mainstream politics. There is no doubt that the electoral system adds to the problems of already frustrated minority communities in Pakistan. Minorities don’t have the right to place their own candidates in elections. They can vote for any Muslim candidate in their constituency from within the general seats, and they also have the right to vote for a minority candidate, but they don’t have the right to choose these. They are instead given minority seats for which tickets are allotted by mainstream political parties. Fractured communities While talking to various Christians, I observed very little sense of community. All identity revolves around the personal and in Pakistan, that is steeped in the psychology of status. Christians in Pakistan are faced with both victim-blaming from without and the self-loathing it generates within the individual. Continuous repression as a community within social and political life in Pakistan has led some to blame themselves for their problems. Self-incrimination, a shallow sense of belonging to the mainstream and the loss of the social self-were often apparent in my conversations for this article. “Our people are not serious about their studies; they don’t save money,” a priest who works as a waiter at my university’s student accommodation told me. “I do save, though I am usually in debt, while keeping my needs to the minimum.” When I asked if it is because of the loss of hope that some Christians struggle in school and work, he replied, “No, I have made it from a janitor to a waiter. My boys are going to school. Isn’t it an environment conducive to success?” Living with contradiction Christians are often the recipient of local charities. “Yes, we like them, because they grew up with us,” a high-level political activist in Peshawar told me. “They clean our homes and we give them our used clothes, and also food. They are good people. We also offer them gifts for Christmas. We just did this year, too.” The activist was also a trader in the market in front of the All Saints Church. Christians often feel the same way. “The political parties don’t care for us,” the priest at Peshawar University said. “Some politicians do, though. They offer us gifts for Christmas. I also got my package. They change the carpets of our church every now and then. This is good.” In the present environment of hopelessness and fear, the only option left for Christians is to learn to live with Pakistan’s deep contradictions – discrimination from the state, but charity from politicians. Centuries of continuous repression have left many without any sense of identity within their home country. Many Christians here just want to breathe – being able to truly live is a distant dream. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Images credit: Altaf Khan (Author) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Opinion: Christmas and the plight of Christians in Pakistan

Recent weeks have seen an <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2017/09/who-are-the-rohingya-and-why-are-they-fleeing-myanmar/">escalation of violence against the Rohingya</a> in Rakhine, the poorest state of Myanmar. A tide of displaced people are seeking refuge from atrocities &ndash; they are fleeing both on foot and by boat to Bangladesh. It is <a href="https://theconversation.com/world-must-act-to-end-the-violence-against-rohingya-in-myanmar-83645">the latest surge of displaced people</a> and is exacerbated by the recent activity of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA).

Religious and ethnic differences have been widely considered the leading cause of the persecution. But it is becoming increasingly hard to believe that there are no other factors at play. Especially given that Myanmar is home to <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/interactive/2017/03/myanmar-major-ethnic-groups-live-170309143208539.html">135 official recognised ethnic groups</a> (the Rohingya were removed from this list in 1982).

In analysing the recent violence, much of the western media has focused on the role of the military and the figure of the de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Her status as a Nobel Peace Prize laureate has been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/08/desmond-tutu-condemns-aung-san-suu-kyi-price-of-your-silence-is-too-steep?CMP=soc_567">widely questioned</a> since the latest evidence of atrocities emerged.

She continues to <a href="https://theintercept.com/2017/04/13/burmese-nobel-prize-winner-aung-san-suu-kyi-has-turned-into-an-apologist-for-genocide-against-muslims/">avoid condemning</a> the systematic violence against the Rohingya. At least the media gaze has finally shifted somewhat towards <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/sep/04/the-guardian-view-on-the-slaughter-in-myanmar-a-against-humanity?CMP=fb_gu">their plight</a>.

But there remain issues that are not being explored. It is also critical to look beyond religious and ethnic differences towards other root causes of persecution, vulnerability, and displacement.

We must consider vested political and economic interests as contributing factors to forced displacement in Myanmar, not just of the Rohingya people but of other minorities such as the Kachin, the Shan, the Karen, the Chin, and the Mon.

<figure class="align-center "><img alt="" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/185357/width754/file-20170910-12546-g93x37.JPG" />
<figcaption>
Major ethnic groups in Myanmar. Al Jazeera
</figcaption>
</figure>

Land grabbing

<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2017/jan/04/is-rohingya-persecution-caused-by-business-interests-rather-than-religion">Land grabbing and confiscation</a> in Myanmar is widespread. It is not a new phenomenon.

Since the 1990s, military juntas have been <a href="https://www.globalpolicy.org/social-and-economic-policy/world-hunger/land-ownership-and-hunger/52166-commission-will-report-over-300-land-grabs-to-myanmar-mps-.html">taking away the land of smallholders</a> across the country, without any compensation and regardless of ethnicity or religious status.

The land has often been acquired for &ldquo;<a href="http://www.ashleysouth.co.uk/files/COHRE_November_2007.pdf">development</a>&rdquo; projects, including military base expansions, natural resource exploitation, and extraction, large agriculture projects, infrastructure, and tourism. For example, in Kachin state, the military confiscated more than 500 acres of villagers&rsquo; land to support extensive gold mining.

Development has forcibly <a href="http://saskiasassen.com/PDFs/publications/SS%20Massive%20Loss%20Habitat.pdf">displaced thousands of people</a> - both internally and across borders with Bangladesh, India, and Thailand - or compelled them to set out by sea to Indonesia, Malaysia, and Australia.

In 2011, Myanmar instituted economic and political reforms that led it to be dubbed &ldquo;<a href="http://thediplomat.com/2016/11/myanmars-opening-doing-business-in-asias-final-frontier/">Asia&rsquo;s final frontier</a>&rdquo; as it opened up to foreign investment. Shortly afterward, in 2012, violent attacks escalated against the <a href="http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/library/prspub/2613925/upload_binary/2613925.pdf;fileType=application/pdf">Rohingya in Rakhine state and, to a lesser extent, against the Muslim Karen</a>. Meanwhile, the government of Myanmar established several laws relating to the management and distribution of farmland.

These moves were <a href="https://library.ecc-platform.org/conflicts/land-grabbing-myanmar">severely criticised</a> for reinforcing the ability of large corporations to profit from land grabs. For instance, agribusiness multinationals such as POSCO Daewoo have <a href="https://www.farmlandgrab.org/post/view/26876-posco-daewoo-launches-agribusiness-in-myanmar">eagerly entered the market</a>, contracted by the government.

A regional prize

Myanmar is positioned between countries that have long eyed its resources, such as China and India. Since the 1990s, <a href="http://thediplomat.com/2016/03/between-china-and-myanmar-the-battleground-region-of-northeastern-myanmar-faces-an-uncertain-future/">Chinese companies have exploited</a> timber, rivers, and minerals in Shan State in the North.

This led to violent armed conflicts between the military regime and armed groups, including the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) and its ethnic allies in eastern Kachin State and northern Shan State.

In Rakhine State, <a href="https://www.sisp.it/files/papers/2013/andrea-passeri-1531.pdf">Chinese</a> and <a href="http://thediplomat.com/2016/09/the-trouble-with-indias-projects-in-myanmar/">Indian</a> interests are part of broader China-India relations. These interests revolve principally around the construction of infrastructure and pipelines in the region. Such projects claim to guarantee employment, transit fees and oil and gas revenues for the whole of Myanmar.

Among numerous development projects, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/ericrmeyer/2015/02/09/oil-and-gas-china-takes-a-shortcut/#566f99c07aff">a transnational pipeline</a> built by China National Petroleum Company (CNPC) connecting Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine, to Kunming, China, began operations in September 2013. The wider efforts to take Myanmar oil and gas from the Shwe gas field to Guangzhou, China, <a href="https://ejatlas.org/conflict/shwe-gas-field-and-pipeline">are well documented</a>.

<figure class="align-center "><img alt="" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/185352/width754/file-20170910-3138-1l370ec.jpg" />
<figcaption>
Pipeline from the Shwe gas field to China. The Shwe Gas Movement
</figcaption>
</figure>

A parallel pipeline is also <a href="http://archive-3.mizzima.com/business/natural-resources/item/16206-kyaukpyu-deep-sea-port-ready-to-send-oil-to-china/16206-kyaukpyu-deep-sea-port-ready-to-send-oil-to-china">expected to send Middle East oil</a> from the Kyaukphyu port to China. However, the neutral Advisory Commission on Rakhine State <a href="http://www.rakhinecommission.org/statement-kofi-annan-chair-advisory-commission-rakhine-state-interim-report/">has urged</a> the Myanmar government to carry out a comprehensive impact assessment.

In fact, the Commission <a href="http://www.rakhinecommission.org/app/uploads/2017/08/FinalReport_Eng.pdf">recognises</a> that pipelines put local communities at risk. There is significant local tension related to land seizures, insufficient compensation for damages, environmental degradation, and an influx of foreign workers rather than increased local employment opportunities.

Meanwhile, the Sittwe deep-sea port was <a href="http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2017/03/31/are-indias-plans-in-myanmar-a-pipeline-or-a-pipe-dream/">financed and constructed</a> by India as part of the Kaladan Multi-modal Transit Transport Project. The aim is to connect the northeast Mizoram state in India with the Bay of Bengal.

Coastal areas of Rakhine State are clearly of strategic importance to both India and China. The government of Myanmar, therefore, has vested interests in clearing land to prepare for further development and to boost its <a href="https://www.adb.org/countries/myanmar/economy">already rapid economic growth</a>.

All of this takes place within the wider context of <a href="https://nsnbc.me/2012/09/08/myanmar-gas-and-the-soros-funded-explosion-of-a-nation-state/">geopolitical maneuvering</a>. The role of Bangladesh in fuelling ethnic tensions is also hotly contested. In such power struggles, the human cost is terribly high.

Compounding the vulnerability of minorities

In Myanmar, the groups that fall victim to land grabbing have often started in an extremely vulnerable state and are left even worse off. The <a href="https://theconversation.com/world-must-act-to-end-the-violence-against-rohingya-in-myanmar-83645?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=twitterbutton">treatment</a> of the Rohingya in Rakhine State is the highest profile example of broader expulsion that is inflicted on minorities.

When a group is marginalised and oppressed it is difficult to reduce their vulnerability and protect their rights, including their property. In the case of the Rohingya, their ability to protect their homes was decimated through the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2016/nov/03/myanmar-casts-minorities-to-margins-citizenship-law-denies-legal-identity">revocation of their Burmese citizenship</a>.

<figure class="align-center "><img alt="" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/185329/width754/file-20170909-32284-lofmnv.jpg" />
<figcaption>
Rohingya settlement near Sittwe.Thomas Johnson
</figcaption>
</figure>

Since the late 1970s <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/interactive/2017/03/persecution-path-myanmar-fleeing-rohingya-170314125333337.html">around a million Rohingya have fled</a> Myanmar to escape persecution. Tragically, they are often marginalised in their host countries.

With no country willing to take responsibility for them, they are either forced or encouraged to continuously cross borders. The techniques used to encourage this movement have trapped the Rohingya in a vulnerable state.

The tragedy of the Rohingya is part of a bigger picture which sees the oppression and displacement of minorities across Myanmar and into neighboring countries.

<img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/83726/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" width="1" />The relevance and complexity of religious and ethnic issues in Myanmar are undeniable. But we cannot ignore the political and economic context and the root causes of displacement that often go undetected.

&nbsp;

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/religion-is-not-the-only-reason-rohingyas-are-being-forced-out-of-myanmar-83726">original article</a>.

The tragedy of the Rohingya is part of a bigger picture which sees the oppression and displacement of minorities across Myanmar and into neighboring countries.

Recent weeks have seen an escalation of violence against the Rohingya in Rakhine, the poorest state of Myanmar. A tide of displaced people are seeking refuge from atrocities – they are fleeing both on foot and by boat to Bangladesh. It is the latest surge of displaced people and is exacerbated by the recent activity of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA). Religious and ethnic differences have been widely considered the leading cause of the persecution. But it is becoming increasingly hard to believe that there are no other factors at play. Especially given that Myanmar is home to 135 official recognised ethnic groups (the Rohingya were removed from this list in 1982). In analysing the recent violence, much of the western media has focused on the role of the military and the figure of the de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Her status as a Nobel Peace Prize laureate has been widely questioned since the latest evidence of atrocities emerged. She continues to avoid condemning the systematic violence against the Rohingya. At least the media gaze has finally shifted somewhat towards their plight. But there remain issues that are not being explored. It is also critical to look beyond religious and ethnic differences towards other root causes of persecution, vulnerability, and displacement. We must consider vested political and economic interests as contributing factors to forced displacement in Myanmar, not just of the Rohingya people but of other minorities such as the Kachin, the Shan, the Karen, the Chin, and the Mon. Major ethnic groups in Myanmar. Al Jazeera Land grabbing Land grabbing and confiscation in Myanmar is widespread. It is not a new phenomenon. Since the 1990s, military juntas have been taking away the land of smallholders across the country, without any compensation and regardless of ethnicity or religious status. The land has often been acquired for “development” projects, including military base expansions, natural resource exploitation, and extraction, large agriculture projects, infrastructure, and tourism. For example, in Kachin state, the military confiscated more than 500 acres of villagers’ land to support extensive gold mining. Development has forcibly displaced thousands of people - both internally and across borders with Bangladesh, India, and Thailand - or compelled them to set out by sea to Indonesia, Malaysia, and Australia. In 2011, Myanmar instituted economic and political reforms that led it to be dubbed “Asia’s final frontier” as it opened up to foreign investment. Shortly afterward, in 2012, violent attacks escalated against the Rohingya in Rakhine state and, to a lesser extent, against the Muslim Karen. Meanwhile, the government of Myanmar established several laws relating to the management and distribution of farmland. These moves were severely criticised for reinforcing the ability of large corporations to profit from land grabs. For instance, agribusiness multinationals such as POSCO Daewoo have eagerly entered the market, contracted by the government. A regional prize Myanmar is positioned between countries that have long eyed its resources, such as China and India. Since the 1990s, Chinese companies have exploited timber, rivers, and minerals in Shan State in the North. This led to violent armed conflicts between the military regime and armed groups, including the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) and its ethnic allies in eastern Kachin State and northern Shan State. In Rakhine State, Chinese and Indian interests are part of broader China-India relations. These interests revolve principally around the construction of infrastructure and pipelines in the region. Such projects claim to guarantee employment, transit fees and oil and gas revenues for the whole of Myanmar. Among numerous development projects, a transnational pipeline built by China National Petroleum Company (CNPC) connecting Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine, to Kunming, China, began operations in September 2013. The wider efforts to take Myanmar oil and gas from the Shwe gas field to Guangzhou, China, are well documented. Pipeline from the Shwe gas field to China. The Shwe Gas Movement A parallel pipeline is also expected to send Middle East oil from the Kyaukphyu port to China. However, the neutral Advisory Commission on Rakhine State has urged the Myanmar government to carry out a comprehensive impact assessment. In fact, the Commission recognises that pipelines put local communities at risk. There is significant local tension related to land seizures, insufficient compensation for damages, environmental degradation, and an influx of foreign workers rather than increased local employment opportunities. Meanwhile, the Sittwe deep-sea port was financed and constructed by India as part of the Kaladan Multi-modal Transit Transport Project. The aim is to connect the northeast Mizoram state in India with the Bay of Bengal. Coastal areas of Rakhine State are clearly of strategic importance to both India and China. The government of Myanmar, therefore, has vested interests in clearing land to prepare for further development and to boost its already rapid economic growth. All of this takes place within the wider context of geopolitical maneuvering. The role of Bangladesh in fuelling ethnic tensions is also hotly contested. In such power struggles, the human cost is terribly high. Compounding the vulnerability of minorities In Myanmar, the groups that fall victim to land grabbing have often started in an extremely vulnerable state and are left even worse off. The treatment of the Rohingya in Rakhine State is the highest profile example of broader expulsion that is inflicted on minorities. When a group is marginalised and oppressed it is difficult to reduce their vulnerability and protect their rights, including their property. In the case of the Rohingya, their ability to protect their homes was decimated through the revocation of their Burmese citizenship. Rohingya settlement near Sittwe.Thomas Johnson Since the late 1970s around a million Rohingya have fled Myanmar to escape persecution. Tragically, they are often marginalised in their host countries. With no country willing to take responsibility for them, they are either forced or encouraged to continuously cross borders. The techniques used to encourage this movement have trapped the Rohingya in a vulnerable state. The tragedy of the Rohingya is part of a bigger picture which sees the oppression and displacement of minorities across Myanmar and into neighboring countries. The relevance and complexity of religious and ethnic issues in Myanmar are undeniable. But we cannot ignore the political and economic context and the root causes of displacement that often go undetected. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Are Rohingyas being forced out of Myanmar because they are Muslims?

Women and minorities are faring better in Hollywood and feature prominently at this year&#39;s upcoming Oscars, but they are still woefully underrepresented overall in the entertainment industry, according to a report issued on Tuesday.

The &quot;2017 Hollywood Diversity Report&quot; -- the fourth in a series by the Ralph J&nbsp;Bunche Center for African American Studies at the University of California Los Angeles -- examined 200 top-grossing films released in 2015 as well as 1,206 television shows that aired or streamed during the 2014-15 season.

It also tracked hiring of women and minorities, both on screen and behind the camera, in 11 job types.&nbsp;

&quot;Since the last report, the good news is that minorities and women have made some progress, particularly in television, which is currently engaged in what might be characterized as a &#39;Golden Age&#39;,&quot; the report said.

&quot;The bad news is that despite these gains, minorities and women remained underrepresented on every measure in television during the 2014-15 season.&quot;

The study comes just days before the Academy Awards which in past years faced scathing criticism and boycott calls for nominating only white actors in the main categories.

This year, however, a record number of black actors were nominated for the glitzy awards ceremony being held on Sunday, averting a repeat of the #OscarsSoWhite controversy.

Still, the UCLA study said that despite the inclusion of more black actors in this year&#39;s nominations, &quot;the exclusion of people of colour and women from Hollywood remains a concern.&quot;

&quot;While there have been some improvements, especially in television, the numbers remain disheartening across the board,&rdquo; said Darnell Hunt, the report&rsquo;s lead author and director of the Bunche Center. &quot;At the heart of it is the fact that Hollywood is simply not structured to make the most of today&rsquo;s market realities.&quot;

The study noted that minorities make up 40 per cent of the population in the United States but only 13.6 per cent of lead actors in films and 10.1 per cent of Hollywood directors.

As for women, despite the fact that they make up 50 per cent of the US population, they got just 29 per cent of lead roles in films and fewer than 10 per cent of the directors of the top 200 films in 2015 were women.

&nbsp;

&#39;Diversity and financial sense&#39;&nbsp;

&quot;In terms of sophistication of content, television might be considered to be in something of a golden age,&quot; said Hunt, who also is chair of the UCLA sociology department. &quot;But in terms of representation and opportunity, we still have a long way to go.&nbsp;

&quot;White men are still dominant, and women and people of colour struggle to get the opportunities to succeed.&quot;

The report said television hit shows such as &quot;Empire,&quot; whose cast is primarily people of colour, and &quot;Transparent,&quot; a comedy-drama about the transgender patriarch of a California family, have helped push Hollywood&rsquo;s diversity agenda, but more was needed on all fronts.

It underlined that the industry needs to consider the buying power of minorities, who in 2015 purchased 45 per cent of all movie tickets sold in the US.

&quot;Less-diverse product underperforms in the marketplace, and yet it still dominates,&quot; said Ana-Christina Ramon, the report&rsquo;s co-author and assistant director of the Bunche Center. &quot;This makes no financial sense.&quot;

(AFP)

The study examined 200 top-grossing films and 1,206 television shows from 2015, and said minorities are still 'woefully underrepresented'

Women and minorities are faring better in Hollywood and feature prominently at this year's upcoming Oscars, but they are still woefully underrepresented overall in the entertainment industry, according to a report issued on Tuesday. The "2017 Hollywood Diversity Report" -- the fourth in a series by the Ralph J Bunche Center for African American Studies at the University of California Los Angeles -- examined 200 top-grossing films released in 2015 as well as 1,206 television shows that aired or streamed during the 2014-15 season. It also tracked hiring of women and minorities, both on screen and behind the camera, in 11 job types. "Since the last report, the good news is that minorities and women have made some progress, particularly in television, which is currently engaged in what might be characterized as a 'Golden Age'," the report said. "The bad news is that despite these gains, minorities and women remained underrepresented on every measure in television during the 2014-15 season." The study comes just days before the Academy Awards which in past years faced scathing criticism and boycott calls for nominating only white actors in the main categories. This year, however, a record number of black actors were nominated for the glitzy awards ceremony being held on Sunday, averting a repeat of the #OscarsSoWhite controversy. Still, the UCLA study said that despite the inclusion of more black actors in this year's nominations, "the exclusion of people of colour and women from Hollywood remains a concern." "While there have been some improvements, especially in television, the numbers remain disheartening across the board,” said Darnell Hunt, the report’s lead author and director of the Bunche Center. "At the heart of it is the fact that Hollywood is simply not structured to make the most of today’s market realities." The study noted that minorities make up 40 per cent of the population in the United States but only 13.6 per cent of lead actors in films and 10.1 per cent of Hollywood directors. As for women, despite the fact that they make up 50 per cent of the US population, they got just 29 per cent of lead roles in films and fewer than 10 per cent of the directors of the top 200 films in 2015 were women. 'Diversity and financial sense' "In terms of sophistication of content, television might be considered to be in something of a golden age," said Hunt, who also is chair of the UCLA sociology department. "But in terms of representation and opportunity, we still have a long way to go. "White men are still dominant, and women and people of colour struggle to get the opportunities to succeed." The report said television hit shows such as "Empire," whose cast is primarily people of colour, and "Transparent," a comedy-drama about the transgender patriarch of a California family, have helped push Hollywood’s diversity agenda, but more was needed on all fronts. It underlined that the industry needs to consider the buying power of minorities, who in 2015 purchased 45 per cent of all movie tickets sold in the US. "Less-diverse product underperforms in the marketplace, and yet it still dominates," said Ana-Christina Ramon, the report’s co-author and assistant director of the Bunche Center. "This makes no financial sense." (AFP)

Women, minorities fare (a little) better in Hollywood: Report

The leaders of Muslim and gay rights groups in Chicago, one of America&#39;s biggest cities, on Monday joined forces to slam Donald Trump in the wake of the Orlando massacre, saying now was not a time for divisions. 
 
On June 12, 49 people were killed and 53 others wounded in the shooting at a gay nightclub in the central Florida city. The shooter Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old Muslim American of Afghan descent, was killed in a shootout with police. 
 
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has since renewed calls for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States and controversially suggested on Sunday that profiling of Muslims was not off the table. 
 
In Chicago, which has both a large Muslim population and a vibrant lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, leaders said Trump&#39;s comment were divisive and unproductive. 
 
&quot;We&#39;re scared, because it starts rhetorically, and then more people accept it if you don&#39;t nip it in the bud,&quot; Ahmed Rehab, the leader of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told AFP. 
 
&quot;If common sense doesn&#39;t step in right now, people are capable of mass hysteria, and he is fanning those flames,&quot; he said, speaking of Trump. 
 
Rehab said there was fear in Chicago&#39;s Muslim community, one of the largest in the United States, that they could potentially become targets of hate crimes. 
 
In the past week, there have been two threats emailed and phoned into area mosques, he said. 
 
&quot;There is never a time to divide Americans, and of course that is especially true at a time of deep national pain,&quot; James Bennett of Lambda Legal, an LGBT group, told a press conference. 
 
Rehab told reporters that his group and Lambda Legal planned to meet every two weeks with the goal of making &quot;clear statements on a mutual agenda of equal civil rights of all people regardless of their background.&quot; 
 
Bennett chimed in: &quot;I would encourage people to watch Chicago&#39;s example.&quot; 
 
Sending a message 
 
Illinois is home to an estimated 400,000 Muslims and 370,000 LGBT people, most of them located in the greater Chicago area, which has a population of about 5.2 million people. 
 
&quot;We&#39;re trying to send a message that this is not the time to try to pit communities against each other,&quot; said Brian Johnson, CEO of Equality Illinois, a gay rights group. 
 
&quot;Any public official or media personality who says such things that would not only suggest divides, but suggest putting in place actual divides, is deeply concerning,&quot; Johnson told AFP. 
 
On Sunday, Trump said profiling of Muslims, and racial profiling more generally, was &quot;not the worst thing to do.&quot; 
 
&quot;I hate the concept of profiling. But we have to use common sense. We&#39;re not using common sense,&quot; Trump said. 
 
African-Americans, Latinos, Muslims and other minorities in the United States have complained bitterly for decades about the practice in which police use a person&#39;s race, religion, national origin or ethnicity as grounds for suspecting them of committing a crime. 
 
&quot;He questions Muslims&#39; assimilation into America. I question his assimilation into our American values,&quot; Rehab said.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)

'There is never a time to divide Americans and that is especially true at a time of deep national pain,' they said

The leaders of Muslim and gay rights groups in Chicago, one of America's biggest cities, on Monday joined forces to slam Donald Trump in the wake of the Orlando massacre, saying now was not a time for divisions. On June 12, 49 people were killed and 53 others wounded in the shooting at a gay nightclub in the central Florida city. The shooter Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old Muslim American of Afghan descent, was killed in a shootout with police. Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has since renewed calls for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States and controversially suggested on Sunday that profiling of Muslims was not off the table. In Chicago, which has both a large Muslim population and a vibrant lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, leaders said Trump's comment were divisive and unproductive. "We're scared, because it starts rhetorically, and then more people accept it if you don't nip it in the bud," Ahmed Rehab, the leader of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told AFP. "If common sense doesn't step in right now, people are capable of mass hysteria, and he is fanning those flames," he said, speaking of Trump. Rehab said there was fear in Chicago's Muslim community, one of the largest in the United States, that they could potentially become targets of hate crimes. In the past week, there have been two threats emailed and phoned into area mosques, he said. "There is never a time to divide Americans, and of course that is especially true at a time of deep national pain," James Bennett of Lambda Legal, an LGBT group, told a press conference. Rehab told reporters that his group and Lambda Legal planned to meet every two weeks with the goal of making "clear statements on a mutual agenda of equal civil rights of all people regardless of their background." Bennett chimed in: "I would encourage people to watch Chicago's example." Sending a message Illinois is home to an estimated 400,000 Muslims and 370,000 LGBT people, most of them located in the greater Chicago area, which has a population of about 5.2 million people. "We're trying to send a message that this is not the time to try to pit communities against each other," said Brian Johnson, CEO of Equality Illinois, a gay rights group. "Any public official or media personality who says such things that would not only suggest divides, but suggest putting in place actual divides, is deeply concerning," Johnson told AFP. On Sunday, Trump said profiling of Muslims, and racial profiling more generally, was "not the worst thing to do." "I hate the concept of profiling. But we have to use common sense. We're not using common sense," Trump said. African-Americans, Latinos, Muslims and other minorities in the United States have complained bitterly for decades about the practice in which police use a person's race, religion, national origin or ethnicity as grounds for suspecting them of committing a crime. "He questions Muslims' assimilation into America. I question his assimilation into our American values," Rehab said. (AFP)

In Chicago, Muslim and gay rights leaders take on Trump

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