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Reflections on my beloved India in an election year

Posted on 09/05/202409/05/2024 by cswpress in Asia, India

India is currently holding general elections in seven phases which are due to run from 19 April to 1 June 2024. CSW’s India Researcher, whose name has been withheld for security reasons, lives in Tamil Nadu state in the south of the country. Here she offers some reflections on what is at stake for the future of the nation.

A day before my state Tamil Nadu went to elections, I was browsing social media when I noticed an image posted by an old friend of mine who studied with me in a Christian school. The image was of a women dressed in a white sari who represented an Indian Hindu. Around her were four other men – a Christian, a communist, a Muslim and a member of the Dravidian political party – all with weapons in their hand trying to stab a visibly scared Hindu woman. The caption said ‘vote wisely’ – an apparent warning message to all the Hindus in his friend list that they are in danger and they need to vote for the party that claims to protect them.

I was quite surprised. Yes, I know thousands of radical Hindus in India genuinely believe that their religion is under threat. But to see someone who I knew, who had his whole education in a Christian school and still remained a Hindu, actually succumb to the false narrative that Hinduism is under threat – that was surprising. In the last few years, I have sadly come across many other Hindu friends and acquaintances who have come to believe that.

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139 cristianos protestantes ahora viven en auditorio debido a que el Gobierno Mexicano no ha hecho su trabajo

Posted on 03/05/2024 by cswpress in español, Latin America ES, Mexico ES

En 2015, los líderes de la comunidad informaron a miembros de una minoría religiosa que vivía en pueblos vecinos de la región de la Huasteca del estado de Hidalgo, México, que ya no se les permitiría realizar los actos de servicio comunitario que se les habían asignado.

Para los que no vivimos dentro de una comunidad, esto podría parecer insignificante, especialmente si se lo compara con las violaciones de la libertad de religión o de creencias (LRoC) en otras partes de México y el mundo. Que te digan que trabajes menos podría incluso parecer un avance positivo. Sin embargo, quienes habitan en las comunidades en Rancho Nuevo y Coamila, ambas ubicadas en el municipio de Huejutla de los Reyes, entendieron que la no realización de este trabajo significaría la pérdida del reconocimiento como miembros de la comunidad. Y asociados con ese reconocimiento están los derechos, incluido el acceso a la atención médica, los programas de beneficios gubernamentales y la educación.

La situación empeoró en 2016, cuando se advirtió a los miembros de la minoría religiosa que no podrían acceder o utilizar sus tierras para cultivarlas, su principal fuente de sustento e ingresos. Las personas que ayudaron al grupo, todos ellos pertenecientes a la Iglesia Bautista Gran Comisión, a construir un lugar de culto en un terreno de propiedad privada fueron amenazados y agredidos violentamente. Los bautistas fueron obligados repetidamente a asistir a reuniones comunitarias donde los líderes locales exigieron que participaran en festivales católicos romanos, incluso haciendo contribuciones financieras y participando activamente en actos de adoración. Los líderes les advirtieron que, si no cumplían, recibirían castigos más severos, incluida la eliminación permanente de las listas de miembros de la comunidad.

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139 Protestant Christians are now living in an auditorium because the Mexican government has not done its job

Posted on 02/05/202409/05/2024 by cswpress in Latin America, Mexico

In 2015, members of a religious minority living in neighbouring villages in the Huasteca region of Hidalgo State, Mexico were informed by their village leaders that they would no longer be permitted to perform their assigned acts of community service.

To outsiders, this might seem insignificant, especially when compared to violations of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) elsewhere in Mexico and the world. Being told to do less work might even seem like a positive development. Those in the villages of Rancho Nuevo and Coamila, both located in the municipality of Huejutla de los Reyes, however, understood that the non-completion of this work would mean the loss of recognition as members of the community. And, associated with that recognition are rights, including access to health care, government benefit programmes and education.

The situation grew worse in 2016, as members of the religious minority were warned against accessing or using their land for cultivating crops, their main source of sustenance and income. Individuals who helped the group, who all belong to the Great Commission Baptist Church, to build a place of worship on privately owned land were threatened and violently assaulted. The Baptists were repeatedly forced to attend community meetings where local leaders demanded that they take part in Roman Catholic festivals including by making financial contributions and actively participating in acts of worship. The leaders warned them that more severe punishment, including permanent removal from the community membership rolls, would follow if they did not comply.

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Is European democracy too immature to address freedom of religion or belief?

Posted on 30/04/2024 by cswpress in European Union, International Arenas

While the situation of people in other countries is too rarely a priority electoral issue, some politicisation of human rights is nevertheless common. From the perspective of an advocate for freedom of religion or belief, when done correctly and appropriately, party-political engagement on this human right can of course be expedient. At its best, it can elevate public attention to often severe injustices occurring abroad, and lay a strong policy platform for how they will be addressed post-election. But, at its worst, political positions and electoral tactics can be employed that lack sincerity, nuance, and even basic good will.

Mistakes in this area are perpetrated by both conservatives and progressives. This piece summarises some of the things that these political blocs tend to get wrong and right, respectively. It is meant both for the benefit of voters, making them more aware of the calculations and strategies happening behind the scenes in party HQs; and also, to hold up a mirror to those directly involved in campaigning, challenging them to think more critically, and constructively, about their approaches.

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Después de diez años del secuestro de las niñas de Chibok, el gobierno nigeriano debe por fin proteger a las comunidades vulnerables

Posted on 22/04/2024 by cswpress in español, Nigeria ES, Sub-Saharan Africa ES

El mes pasado, 137 familias de Kuriga, en el estado de Kaduna, Nigeria, dieron un suspiro colectivo de alivio cuando sus hijos e hijas regresaron a casa después de más de dos semanas de cautiverio terrorista.

Los niños fueron secuestrados en su escuela el 7 de marzo, cuando asaltantes armados invadieron el plantel justo cuando las clases estaban a punto de comenzar. La escuela informó que se llevaron a 287 estudiantes; sin embargo, el gobernador del estado de Kaduna, Uba Sani, ha intentado desde entonces descartar la cifra como “producto de la imaginación de alguien”, a pesar de que inicialmente él mismo citó la misma cifra.

De esto surgen algunas preguntas: ¿qué se está haciendo para confirmar que todos los estudiantes han sido efectivamente liberados? ¿Qué pasa con los miles de personas que han sido secuestradas por grupos terroristas en los últimos años? Y, por último, ¿cómo es posible que esto siga sucediendo una década después de que los secuestros masivos en Nigeria aparecieran por primera vez en la agenda internacional?

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