'Justice for Hindus' voices concern over Hindus in Pak, B’desh

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News Bharati English    06-Jul-2013
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undefinedNew York, July 6: Justice for Hindus, a social activist group focusing on ending human rights violations against Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh, organized an event at Unions Square of New York City near Mahatma Gandhi’s statue by Vincent Bruno.

Bruno, a former Jehovah ’s Witness, had become a Hindu through the Hindu Students’ Association of his college.  

His activism began when he encountered a dangerous Islamic Sharia Cell on campus, which among other things eventually led to threats of decapitation.  When Bruno took this information to the college administration they refused to properly investigate. He currently has a human rights violation legal case against the college.

In his effort he was supported by Indian American Intellectuals Forum, a New York-based organization which aims at educating Americans about the menace of terrorism in this country.

Justice for Hindus had prepared a flier describing the condition of Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh-both Islamic nations neighbouring India where Hindus and other non-Islamic groups are often subjected to violation of human rights by the rulers and Muslims both.

The Justice for Hindus said that Pakistan officially and routinely discriminates against non-Muslims, particularly Hindus who now formed just 2 per cent of the total population through a variety of laws and constitutional provisions that favor Islam.

In 1947, the Hindus constituted 25 per cent of the population of Pakistan. School textbooks and curriculum continue to promote Islam alongside hatred and intolerance towards non-Muslims, particularly Hindus. Pakistan remains the epicenter of global terrorism and utilizes terror as an instrument of state policy.

Recurring reports point to an alarming trend of Hindu girls being kidnapped, raped, held in madarassas (Islamic seminaries), and forcibly converted to Islam. Hindu temples continued to be attacked and illegally occupied.

The Hindu community lacks independent control over their places of worship. Poor Hindus continue to be economically exploited and subjected to inhumane conditions through the bonded labor system.

Large numbers of Pakistani Hindus have sought refuge in India to escape religious persecution, yet India is denying them refugee status or any great degree of help.

The situation is no different in Bangladesh where in 1947 the Hindus constituted nearly 30 per cent of the total population there. By 2013, estimated 40 million Hindus were ‘missing’ from that country. Today their percentage to total population has been reduced to mere 10.

Hindus of Bangladesh continue to be victims of ethnic cleansing waged by Islamic fundamentalists that includes daily acts of murder, rape, kidnapping, forced conversions, temple destruction, and physical intimidation. Victims call it ‘Slow Genocide’ and ‘Minority Cleansing’.

In 2013, militant Islamists led deadly and violent riots against the Hindu and other religious minority groups and destroyed hundreds of temples, more than 1500 Hindu homes and the undocumented killing of many Hindus and other minorities.

Justice for Hindus had suggested to put diplomatic and economic pressure on the Government of Bangladesh to ensure safety of the Hindus and other minorities; bring to justice the war criminals of 1971 and ban Jamat-e-Islami.

The Justice for Hindus also demanded that Bangladesh government enact hate crime bill; rebuild destroyed temples and give compensation to the affected minorities.