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2017 HAF Hindu Human Rights Report, Executive Summary

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2017 HAF Hindu Human Rights Report, Executive Summary EXECUTIVE SUMMARY "All men are brothers; no one is big, no one is small. All are equal." Rig Veda, 5:60:5 HINDU AMERICAN FOUNDATION Board of Directors Fred Stella Rishi Bhutada, M.B.A. Swaminathan Venkataraman Pawan Deshpande SriVani Yerramilli Padma Kuppa Mihir Meghani, M.D. Rajiv Pandit, M.D. The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) is a 501(c)(3) Aseem R. Shukla, M.D. advocacy organization for the Hindu American community. The Foundation educates the public Executive Director and Legal Counsel about Hinduism, speaks out about issues affecting Suhag A. Shukla, Esq. (Editor) Hindus worldwide, and builds bridges with institu- tions and individuals whose work aligns with HAF’s Senior Director and Human Rights Fellow objectives. HAF focuses on human and civil rights, Samir Kalra, Esq. (Author) public policy, media, academia, and interfaith re- lations. Through its advocacy efforts, HAF seeks to Senior Director cultivate leaders and empower future generations Sheetal D. Shah (Editor) of Hindu Americans. Director of Communications The Hindu American Foundation is not affiliated Mat McDermott (Editor) with any religious or political organizations or enti- ties. HAF seeks to serve Hindu Americans across all Director of Education and Curriculum Reform sampradayas (Hindu religious traditions) regardless Murali Balaji, Ph.D. of race, color, national origin, citizenship, caste, gender, sexual orientation, age, and/or disability. Director of Government Relations Jay Kansara Director of Philanthropic Partnerships CONTACT HAF Seetha Aiyer, M.B.A Hindu Amercian Foundation 910 17th St NW, Suite 316A Associate Director of Membership Washington, DC 20006 Krishna Parmar USA Associate Director of Programs WEB: www.HAFsite.org Aesha Mehta SOCIAL MEDIA: @HinduAmerican EMAIL: [email protected] Associate Director, West Coast PHONE: +1 202 223 9222 Padmavathy Mana FAX: +1 202 223 8004 Office Administrator Deidra Prather National Leadership Council Nikhil Joshi, Esq. Raman Khanna, M.D. Nicholas O’Connell Kavita Pallod “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948, Article 1 INDEX Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................. 6 EGREGIOUS VIOLATORS Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ........................................................................................... 7 Peoples Republic of Bangladesh ......................................................................................... 8 Malaysia ...................................................................................................................................10 Islamic Republic of Pakistan ...............................................................................................12 COUNTRIES OF SERIOUS CONCERN Kingdom of Bhutan ...............................................................................................................14 Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir .................................................................................16 Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka .....................................................................17 MONITORED COUNTRIES Republic of the Fiji Islands ...................................................................................................19 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia .....................................................................................................20 Republic of Trinidad and Tobago ...................................................................................... 22 HAF Fact Finding, Humanitarian, and Advocacy Projects ....................................... 23 HINDUS ACROSS THE DIASPORA • Hindus, numbering over one billion (1.03 billion), constitute the third largest religious group in the world. • Hinduism is one of the oldest surviving religions with its origins tracing back at least five thousand years. • Hindus are pluralistic in their beliefs and accept the myriad means of worship and prayer available to human beings seeking spiritual enlightenment. • Hindu minorities living in countries throughout South Asia and other parts of the world are subject to varing degrees of legal and institutional discrimination, restrictions on their religious freedom, social prejudice, violence, social persecution, and economic and political marginalization. Hindu women are especially vulnerable and face kidnappings and forced conversions in countries such as Bangladesh and Pakistan. In several countries where Hindus are minorities, non-state actors advance a discriminatory and exclusivist agenda, often with the tacit or explicit support of the state. • Persecution by state and non-state actors alike has led a growing number of Hindus to flee their country of origin and live as refugees. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS As in the past, numerous grassroots organizations were involved in collecting data about the violation of human rights of Hindu minorities, and HAF thanks them for their fact-finding and data collection efforts. Chief among these organizations are Global Human Rights Defence (GHRD), a human rights organization based in the Hague; Bangladesh Minority Watch (BDMW) and Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council USA (BHBCUC-USA), organizations that have been at the forefront of publicizing the plight of Hindus in Bangladesh; the Indo-American Kashmir Forum and the Kashmir Taskforce, which have worked to bring the attention of the United States government and media to the plight of Kashmiri Hindus; Panun Kashmir, advocating tirelessly to resettle Kashmiri Pandits and recover their lost properties and homes in the Kashmir Valley; Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF), also known as Human Rights Party (HRP) Malay- sia and Malaysian Hindu Foundation (MHF), working for the human rights of Hindu minorities in Malaysia; Hare Rama Foundation (HRF) and Scheduled Caste Rights Movement (SCRM) Pakistan, which works on behalf of marginalized Hindus in Sindh province and southern Punjab in Pakistan; Pakistan Hindu Sewa Welfare Trust; and Pakistan Hindu Council (PHC), a national advocacy group for Hindus in Pakistan. HAF further thanks Bhutanese American community leaders and organizations, and Dr. DNS Dhakal, Duke University Fellow for information on the situation facing Bhutanese Hindus in the US and those remaining in Bhutan HAF acknowledges the work of other human rights organizations, including Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), an independent voice in the struggle for human rights and democratic development in Pakistan; and the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC),which keeps track of human rights abuses in Asia. Similarly, the International Crisis Group, Amnesty International, Freedom House, and Human Rights Watch have played a critical role in widely publicizing the denial of human rights around the world. Also, important historical information and contemporary updates were obtained from the US Department of State’s annual reports on religious freedom and human rights, as well from a number of think tanks, foreign policy analyst, and historians. Samir Kalra, Esq. HAF Senior Director/Human Rights Fellow 6 Hindus in South Asia and the Diaspora: A Survey of Human Rights, 2017 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The human rights of Hindu citizens are consistently violated in nine countries and one state in India where Hindus constitute a minority: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Pakistan, Bhutan, the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, Sri Lanka, Fiji, Saudi Arabia, and Trinidad and Tobago. This report documents the ongoing violations of human rights in these countries, as well as those of specific refugee populations. EGREGIOUS VIOLATORS Countries designated as Egregious Violators have either engaged in or allowed rampant and systemic human rights violations to take place against their Hindu populations. HAF has categorized the follow- ing countries as Egregious Violators in 2016: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Malaysia, and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF AFGHANISTAN Area 652,230 sq km Population 33,332,025 (July 2016 est.) COUNTRY OVERVIEW Religions Islam 99.7% (Sunni 84–89%, Shia 10–15%), Other 0.3% (includes Hindus, Christians, and Sikhs) 2016 was once again marked by violence, rampant corruption, a lack of governance, and instability in Ethnic Groups Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek, oth- Afghanistan. Human rights continued to deteriorate er (includes smaller numbers of Baloch, Turkmen, throughout the year, as government officials, security Nuristani, Pamiri, Arab, Gujar, Brahui, Qizilbash, forces, local militias, and militant groups were all Aimaq, Pashai, and Kyrghyz) Note: current statistical responsible for committing gross human rights abuses data on the sensitive subject of ethnicity in Afghan- in violation of international law. istan is not available, and ethnicity data from small samples of respondents to opinion polls are not a The Afghan Taliban, which controls nearly 30 percent reliable alternative. of the country, attacked civilians with impunity, and Languages Afghan Persian or Dari (official language, the government was unable to protect its citizens though much of the population is bilingual) 50%, from violence or enforce the rule of law in many Pashto (official) 35%, Turkic languages (primarily -Uz parts of the country. Islamic State (ISIS) fighters have bek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily also established a significant presence in the country Balochi and Pashai) 4% exerting
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