Author: Priya Saha

EVERY Scottish church building paid for with slavery proceeds should bear a public declaration, a clergyman says. Reverend Yousouf Gooljary says the 40,000-member Scottish Episcopal Church (SEC), to which he belongs is “years behind” on addressing institutional racism. The Edinburgh-based expert is calling for the church to adopt in-depth training for all decision- makers from the top of the organisation through to the volunteers taking group bookings at local SEC halls. And he says “appropriate commemoration and displays” should be erected in any SEC buildings paid-for with slavery funds “as a reminder of the history”. The Scottish Episcopal Church –…

Amritsar: Pakistani senate panel rejected a bill that called for giving the minority communities protection against religious violence. Intelligence sources said Pakistan’s Hindus had demanded this bill after the desecration of the Karak temple. The Protection of the Rights of Religious Minorities Bill was presented by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senator Javed Abbasi, who has a good influence among the minorities of India’s neighbouring country and demands free access for them to their religious places. After the standing committee on religious affairs and interfaith harmony turned down the bill on February 3, Pakistan Peoples Party’s Hindu senator Krishna Kumari walked…

A Rohingya family now living in the UK have spoken of their experiences and the atrocities carried out by the Burmese military. They also told of life in a refugee camp. Sirazul Islam, 21, was born in a camp in Kutupalong, Bangladesh and lived there till the age of eight before coming to the UK. He currently lives with his family in Bradford. The world’s largest refugee camp in Cox’s bazaar in Bangladesh is home to one million Muslim Rohingya people. The Rohingya are commonly referred to as the most persecuted minority in the world. Sirazul said: “I am presently…

The Neo-Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (Neo-JMB), which was responsible for the deadly July 2016 Holey Artisan Bakery terrorist attack in Dhaka claimed by Islamic State (IS), has effectively nurtured and nourished a strong network of female jihadists in the country (refworld.org, November 15, 2016). These women members have proven to be a largely unseen, but potent force behind the group’s resilience. They have spearheaded recruitment and propaganda campaigns and even surprised security forces with a suicide bombing on December 26, 2016 in Ashkona area of the capital Dhaka (The Independent, December 26, 2016). Asma’s and Shirina’s Arrests Women jihadists’ roles were…

London, United Kingdom – In September last year, fashion weeks were held in the cultural powerhouse cities of New York, London, Milan and Paris as part of the Spring/Summer 2021 season. Overall, 41.3 percent of models were people of colour, a slight increase from the previous season, which had a rate of 40.6 percent, according to The Fashion Spot, an online magazine that monitors diversity in the industry. However, with the next round of fashion weeks to begin on Sunday, critics say last season’s marginally improved figure was a show of tokenism. They believe much more needs to be done…

India has taken up instances of violence against minorities in neighbouring countries, including Pakistan, both bilaterally and at international forums and sought action to bring the perpetrators of such incidents to justice, the government informed Parliament on Thursday.Responding to questions in Rajya Sabha, minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan said reports of violence and harassment of members of minority communities in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan are a “matter of concern to the government” that are “raised with the respective countries at bilateral levels”.“Upon occurrence of incidents of sporadic violence against minorities and their places of worship in Afghanistan…

YANGON, Myanmar — Civil servants, even police officers, are risking their jobs to protest the military takeover in Myanmar, and one of the more dramatic examples of crossing that line also illustrates the deep roots of the country’s ethnic conflicts. In a small village in the eastern state of Kayah, 42 local police officers stood as one to declare their support for the protesters and refuse entreaties from a senior officer to return to duty. Residents streamed to the scene to protect the defiant police from arrest. A video shot by a local man of Wednesday’s drama showed how as…

Express News Service HYDERABAD :  I have met thousands of refugees, heard their stories, and understood their problems. This has been a real test of my physical and mental strength, endurance, and balance”, says Kiran Chukkapalli who successfully completed the first phase of the Refugee Aid Project (RAP), a 10,000 km motorcycle ride across 18 states to visit refugee settlements in India. “I am overwhelmed by the support of my friends, family and well-wishers, and have renewed sense of hope and confidence to make a difference for the refugees in subcontinent,” he says. The biggest takeaway, he adds, is that…

By S. Binodkumar Singh On February 3, 2021, the Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU) of Police arrested two Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) cadres from the Kotwali Thana crossing of Chittagong District in Chittagong Division. On February 1, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested four Ansar al-Islam/Ansarullah Bangla Team cadres from the Paltan and Vatara areas of Dhaka. 11 books on extremism, 21 leaflets and documents of some 167 conversations on militant activities, were recovered from their possession. On January 28, RAB arrested two Allahar Dal cadres from Merirhat Bazar in Gaibandha District, Rangpur Division. The arrested persons were identified as Mohamad Abdul Alim Mandal (42)…

It is often easier for politicians to say the right thing than to do it, especially if their action might prove unpopular.Case in point involves the failure of our federal leaders to defend Quebec’s minority faith communities, particularly the province’s Muslims. The federal government recently declared Jan. 29 as a day to remember the 2017 Quebec City Mosque attack and promote action against Islamophobia.That decision rightly drew applause for Justin Trudeau’s Liberals. It falls on the anniversary of the shooting deaths of six Muslim men by a warped, 27-year-old Quebec man. In the years to come, each Jan. 29 will…

Indonesia’s constitutions have laid the foundation for education to give citizens not only civic knowledge but also instill in them mutual respect and the need for cooperation and participation in community life.  Official religions, including Catholicism, also impart values through academic institutions. However, trouble comes when religious conservatism is allowed to shape the educational system.  Though intolerance in schools is not uniquely an Indonesian phenomenon, it is dangerous here as it breeds disrespect, discrimination and violence, endangering a secular and democratic society.  Conservatism advocates intolerance, radical thought and eventually extremism, with terrorism as its highest form.  Social reformer and Nobel…

Which religious group is most persecuted online? You might guess a religious minority. An unpopular one, for sure. But according to the Pew Research Center, the group most likely to say they’re harassed online because of their faith is… white evangelicals. Among the 41% of Americans who have experienced online harassment, 29% of white evangelicals said the cause was likely their religious views. 21% of atheists felt that way, while only 15% of Catholics said the same thing. Harassment can mean different things: abusive or threatening language or offline predatory behavior such as stalking. For this survey, the definition of…