Home

Archives

AHRC Site

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN RIGHTS

E-Newsletter
Vol.3 No.12
March 19, 2001


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Religious Perspectives on Human Rights is now available online at: http://www.rghr.net

Religious Perspectives on Human Rights is a weekly e-newsletter issued by Buddhist, Muslim, Catholic and Christian Groups on Human Rights, initiated by the Asian Human Rights Commission.

1) APRIL 14: DALIT SOLIDARITY DAY - A PROPOSAL TO UN !
2) MUSLIM WOMEN AND HUMAN RIGHTS: The Unarticulated Quandary
3) SIGNS OF HOPE AND RECONCILIATION - Moluccas
4) INCREASE IN THE RATE OF SEVERLY MALNURISHED in Indonesia
5) HIGH LEVEL OF WAR - RELATED SUICIDES AND MENTAL ILLNESS in Sri Lanka
6) BURMA/ USA: Plaintiffs win round in Yadana lawsuit
7) CHINA: MARKET REFORMS PRODUCE MILLIONAIRES AND MILLIONS OF LAID-
OFF WORKERS
8) EAST TIMOR - Date for Elections Fixed
9) 85-year-old woman freedom fighter-India

1) APRIL 14: DALIT SOLIDARITY DAY - A PROPOSAL TO UN !

The Global Conference Against Racism and Caste-based Discrimination which was convened in New Delhi, 1-4 March 2001, at New Delhi, resolved among other things to call upon UN to Declare April 14 (Dr. B. R. Ambedkar's birthday) as the International Day of Dalit Solidarity. Asian Human Rights Commission whole hearty support this call and call upon every one to observe this day of solidarity from this year on, as a means of getting it officially recognised in the future. As The World Conference Against Racism ----- is fixed for this year, the celebration of this day may be a useful preparation for this world conference.

We suggest that the following and other relevant activities be undertaken for this purpose;

• Write to the United Nations Secretary General, and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to declare a Day of Global Solidarity for the Dalits
• Write to your government to take an active part in promoting the Dalit issue.
• To distribute and display by wearing the Dalit Badge; This badge containing the following words "Caste is discrimination on the basis of Work and Descent.. Equality for All----- can be obtained from AHRC.
• Exhibit Dalit posters; a few available at AHRC could be made use of or feel free to create your own posters.
• Read and spread Dalit literature; Annihilation of Caste by B.R. Ambedkar- available at www.ahrchk.net, is strongly recommended for your reading
• Get copies of the Video Less Than Human and show it to others
• Organise meetings, Get media attention, Organise prayer sessions

Report your activities to Dalit and Human Rights networks

2) MUSLIM WOMEN AND HUMAN RIGHTS: The Unarticulated Quandary

Are Human Rights Compatible with Islam?
The Issue of the Rights of Women in Muslim Communities
Since the modern notion of human rights originated in a Western, secular context, Muslims in general, but Muslim women in particular, find themselves in a quandary when they initiate, or participate in, a discussion on human rights whether in the West or in Muslim societies. Based on their life experience, most Muslim women who become human rights advocates or activists, feel strongly that virtually all Muslim societies discriminate against women from cradle to grave. This leads many of them to become deeply alienated from Muslim culture in a number of ways. This bitter sense of alienation oftentimes leads to anger and bitterness toward the patriarchal systems of thought and social structures which dominate most Muslim societies. Muslim women often find much support and sympathy in the West so long as they are seen as rebels and deviants within the world of Islam. But many of them begin to realize, sooner or later, that while they have serious difficulties with Muslim culture, they are also not able, for many reasons to identify with Western, secular culture. This realization leads them to feel - at least for a time -isolated and alone. Much attention has been focused, in the Western media and literature, on the sorry plight of Muslim women who are "poor and oppressed" in visible or tangible ways. Hardly any notice has been taken, however, of the profound tragedy and trauma suffered by the self-aware Muslim women of today who are struggling to maintain their religious identity and personal autonomy in the face of the intransigence of Muslim culture, on the one hand, and the imperialism of Western, secular culture, on the other hand.

By Riffat Hassan, Ph.D, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky

3) SIGNS OF HOPE AND RECONCILIATION - Moluccas

CRISIS CENTRE: compro@ambon.wasantara.net.id NATIONAL DIALOGUE AT KEI - Today the more than a thousand participants, gathering from the whole Moluccas, were ready to start the three day "National Dialogue on Revitalizing Local Culture for Rehabilitation and Development in the Moluccas towards a New Indonesia" in Tual-Langgur, Kei-Kecil, S.E.Moluccas (see Report 146 no. 1). Large tents have been set up at the Msgr. Aerts Memorial site near the shore at the village of Langgur. The participants have been received with much exultation by the local population with dances according to local tradition. Eight villages were appointed as hosts to the guests.

4) INCREASE IN THE RATE OF SEVERLY MALNURISHED in Indonesia

Millions of Indonesian children are still suffering from the effects of an economic crisis that began in 1997, says UNICEF. Since 1997, the number of severely malnourished children in Indonesia has risen 8%, to 1.8 million out of a population of 23 million children under age 5, said the report. "Unless there is a major effort to protect social spending, Indonesia's children will be paying for the folly of bankers for years to come," UNICEF said. (UN Wire)

5) HIGH LEVEL OF WAR - RELATED SUICIDES AND MENTAL ILLNESS in Sri Lanka

Reports in March claim high levels of war-related suicide and mental illness in Sri Lanka. Also, on March 14 TamilNet ( www.tamilnet.com) reports over 75% of internally displaced children under five years old in conflict zones in the north eastern province suffer from malnutrition, The majority of mothers among the displaced in these regions suffer malnutrition during pregnancy & after childbirth. The World Food Program (WFP) has formulated a plan to fund the Participatory Nutrition Intervention Program (PNIP) of UNICEF in response. ACFOA- SRI LANKA PEACE PROJECT

6)BURMA/ USA: Plaintiffs win round in Yadana lawsuit

March 6, 2001

Yesterday, plaintiffs in two cases charging Unocal with slavery, unfair business practices and other violation of other California Law defeated Unocal's attempt to remove their cases from California State Court. In September 2000, the State Claims were filed by 15 Burmese citizens whose rights were violated by the Construction of Unocal's Natural Gas Pipeline Project through the Tenasserim region, and California resident Louisa Benson.

Unocal then attempted to have the case removed from the State Court. They argued that State standards, including violations of the California Constitution such as slavery and involuntary servitude, and California's law on unfair business practices, were not applicable in the two cases,

Doe v. Unocal and Roe v. Unocal. For more information contact ccr@igc.org, or www.earthrights.org or www.ilrf.org. Source: Burmanet (www.burmanet.org)

7)CHINA: MARKET REFORMS PRODUCE MILLIONAIRES AND MILLIONS OF LAID-OFF WORKERS - Closing the Income Gap Becomes a Top Priority

Posted Friday, March, 16, 2001, by Vivien Pik-kwan Chan in Beijing

Premier Zhu Rongji said yesterday the discrepancy between income distribution in China had reached alarming levels and the Government would make closing the income gap a priority.

"According to a 1999 survey the Gini co-efficient [of China] was 0.39, close to the international danger level," Mr Zhu said. The Gini co-efficient measures income equality in a society with zero representing perfect equality. Twenty years of market reform in China has produced not only millionaires but also millions of laid-off workers living at subsistence levels and leaders are becoming alarmed at the increasing number of protests by the unemployed and poor farmers.

8) EAST TIMOR - Date for Elections Fixed

Following the approval of an election law earlier this week, the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor set 30 August as the date for the territory's first free elections. - UN Wire

9) MADURAI: While fakes are masquerading as freedom fighters and enjoying all the benefits, genuine people, who sacrificed everything on the altar of freedom are left in the lurch. This is the case of an 85-year-old woman freedom fighter who lives in penury in Madurai without even a house over her head.

Sornathammal along with another woman Lakshmi Bai was arrested in 1942 when they raised The slogan against the British during the `Quit India' movement. Both of them were taken to the police station, where they were asked to wear khadi clothes. When they remained passive, they were caned by Inspector Rao Sahib Viswanatha Nayar, who was derogatively called `Theechatti Govindan'. Though the khadi clothes they wore were reduced to tatters by the indiscriminate use of the cane, they refused to speak. Incensed by her attitude, the policeman slapped her so hard, that she lost her sense of hearing. The two women were then put into a van and taken to Eanchankadu near Melur at midnight and dropped there. The police ridiculed them, `you wanted Independence, now walk along, you will find it'.

Undaunted, Sornathammal and Lakshmi shouted back, `We know the path to freedom. That is our goal'. Angered by this, the 12 policemen, who escorted the women, beat them mercilessly.

A farmer, who saw them walking along, asked why they were in such a condition and the duo told him that this was the reward that the police had given them for demanding liberation to Bharath Matha. The man moved by their plight took them to his hut.

This was a chapter from the annals of the freedom movement of the nation.

Source: Newindpress.com Posted Thursday, March, 8, 2001