South Asia Forum for Freedom of Religion or Belief (SAF-FoRB) strongly condemns the barbaric acts of terror in Sir Lanka in which more than 250 people have been killed on Sunday. It deplores the fact that these were carried out against innocent people who had gathered in churches for Easter services and in certain hotels.

We express our solidarity with victims’ families and the people of Sri Lanka at this time of grief. We urge the Sri Lankan Government to take all necessary action to bring the perpetrators to justice.

At this moment, we also bring to the attention of the Government that there have been many incidents of violence against religious minorities in Sri Lanka. We urge the Sri Lankan Government to address these incidents of violence against minorities, and protect the rights of every citizen to practice their religion without fear or intimidation.

We are also quite concerned about the reactions to the recent incidents, leading to further violence against the minority communities. We urge the Sri Lankan Government to take all necessary precaution to de-escalate tension among communities and build trust among various religious communities.

SAF-FoRB Working Group:

• Peter Jacob
• Maung Maung Yin
• Farooq Aftab
• Farzana Mahmood
• Preman Rajan Rohaan
• Ishar Mikrani
• Irfan Engineer
• Samuel Jayakumar ( Coordinator)

Note: South Asia Forum for Freedom of Religion or Belief
(SAF-FoRB) is a collective of Human Rights organizations in six South Asian Countries committed to ensure FoRB and the protection of religious minorities.

The south asia forum for freedom of religion or belief (safforb) strongly condemns the shooting in christchurch, new zealand that took place on 15thmarch 2019 which claimed over 49 lives so far, including that of children and left scores of them injured. The shootings were carried out at two mosques- al noor and linwood in christchurch allegedly by a gunman, brenton tarrant, an extremist who live streamed the ghastly shootings through a video. This terror attack is unprecedented in the multicultural country of new zealand. The prime minister of new zealand, jacinta ardern, the civil society organizations and common citizens of new zealand have unequivocally condemned this terrorist attack, are deeply saddened with this act of hatred and stand in solidarity with the victims. This attack underlines the pressing need for reflection and meaningful dialogue about religions and how they need not be a divisive factor in modern democracies. Religions have influenced with its principles and teachings, the positive morals in human society of kindness, love, compassion and truth.

Different religions and cultures have contributed to a vibrant social fabric where there is potential and precedence of harmonious and meaningful exchanges and cohabitation leading to human advancement. In societies with diverse identities, there is space and freedom for every individual to practice his/her religion or belief without trampling on the rights of other individuals. Every state must ensure through structures the democratic spaces to defend and ensure equality, every individual’s basic right to practice their religion. This is a precondition for a vibrant, resilient and peaceful country and human society. Barriers of religion, ethnicity, race, gender, jingoistic nationalism have to be overcome to embrace humanity and put an end to this bloodlust claiming innocent lives. This bloodshed is an assault on humanity. Safforb stands in solidarity with the families of the victims and new zealanders and rejects this act of violence. Safforb calls for protection of freedom of religion of all, particularly the minorities.

Safforb Working Group:

• Peter Jacob
• Maung Maung Yin
• Farooq Aftab
• Farzana Mahmood
• Preman Rajan Rohaan
• Ishar Mikrani
• Irfan Engineer
• Samuel Jayakumar ( Coordinator)

The undersigned organisations raise serious concerns about violations of freedom of religion or belief in Burma/Myanmar, which have increased significantly since the military illegally seized power on 1 February 2021. We call on United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to personally lead high-level efforts to address this growing crisis.

We have seen in the recent past how, left unchallenged, state-sponsored hate speech and incitement to violence has led to and enabled widespread anti-Muslim violence across Burma/Myanmar and culminated in the genocide of the Rohingya Muslim minority.

Since the military coup, we have seen hate speech and targeting of religious groups increase and the release from prison of prominent anti-Muslim activists. There is serious concern that the military will increase the use of hate speech and propaganda targeted at non-Buddhist religious groups to attempt to divide the resistance and deflect and divert attention from the coup and subsequent oppression and economic collapse.

In recent months, hate speech against Christians has increased, and Christian figures have been murdered and arbitrarily detained by the military. Religious oppression is a longstanding issue in Burma, and the coup has emboldened the military to further persecute Christians and Muslims living in the country.

Most recently, the junta murdered a Christian pastor and three other men. The incident began when several homes were set ablaze by artillery fire during fighting between the Chin Defense Force and the Burmese military on 18 September in Thantlang, Chin State. A Christian pastor named Cung Biak Hum was shot dead while he attempted to help extinguish a fire at another resident’s home.

The junta is currently holding another Pastor, Thian Lian Sang, in custody. Thian Lian Sang is a pastor of a church in Mandalay. He was arrested on 16 September by plainclothes police. His family was later reportedly robbed of Kyat 400,000 by SAC officials, which they had received to help cover the cost of burial for Sang’s father.

Previously, raids occurred at Mohnhyin mosque and Butaryone Street Mosque in Mohnhyin city, Kachin State, on 3 June 2021. During the attack, a custodian of the mosque was arbitrarily detained. Similarly, a Catholic church in Kantharyar Loikaw City, Kayeh State was shot at on 24 May as civilians sought refuge there. Three women and one man were killed in the incident.

Around the same time, an ethnic Karen Church was destroyed on 23 May by the military and police in Insein Township. Three people, including a pastor and a disabled person, were beaten and detained.

The attacks on the protesters and the religious minorities have been widespread and systematically carried out by the order of the same general who also ordered for the mass killings of Rohingya people in 2017, which was described as a genocide by the UN Fact Finding Mission.

The Burmese Military must end all hostilities against religious minorities, release all religious and political prisoners, step down from power, and allow the democratically elected government to resume.

The National Unity Government (NUG) must fully commit to ensuring all rights for religious minorities and present a detailed plan for doing so when they regain power. The international community must increase pressure on the military to comply with these demands to ensure the safety and well-being of everyone in and from Burma/Myanmar.

A global arms embargo and targeted sanctions on the military’s sources of revenue are vital to support the promotion of human rights and democracy in Burma/Myanmar. Countries should impose their own unilateral arms embargo in the absence of a UN-mandated arms embargo.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres should lead high-level efforts to increase diplomatic pressure on the junta and mobilise countries in the region to deploy their influence to end the military’s violence and repression and seek the release of political prisoners and the establishment of genuine federal democracy and respect for human rights for all.

At the same time, the international community should increase humanitarian assistance, especially for ethnic and religious minorities and particularly for those internally displaced, taking care to use civil society channels that do not result in aid being blocked or misappropriated by the military.

It is time to cut the economic lifeline of the illegal military regime while providing humanitarian lifelines to the people of Burma/Myanmar.

With current UN and ASEAN efforts failing to achieve any progress, the office of the United Nations Secretary-General has the authority to mobilise the international community to support his diplomatic efforts to achieve change in Burma/Myanmar.

Repeated warnings regarding the impending genocide of the Rohingya were ignored for years, until it was too late. We sound the warning bell now that there is a real danger of the military again using nationalism and attacks on non-Buddhists for its nefarious political agenda, with devastating consequences for religious minorities in the country.

The time to act is now.

Undersigned by:
Organisations

1. 21Wilberforce
2. ALTSEAN-Burma
3. America Rohingya Justice Network:
4. American Baptist Churches, USA
5. American Rohingya Advocacy
6. Arakan Institute for Peace and Development:
7. Arakan Rohingya National Organisation (ARNO)
8. ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR)
9. Association Info Birmanie
10. Association of Human Rights Defenders and Promoters
11. Athan – Freedom of Expression Activist Organization
12. Boat People SOS – Religious Freedom Project
13. Burma Action Ireland
14. Burma Campaign UK
15. Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN)
16. Burma Task Force
17. Burmese American Community Institute (BACI)
18. Burmese American Millennials
19. Burmese Democratic Forces
20. Burmese Muslim Association
21. Burmese Rohingya Association In Japan (BRAJ)
22. Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK)
23. Campaign for a New Myanmar
24. Cantors’ Assembly
25. Centre for Human Rights Research & Advocacy (CENTHRA)
26. Chin Association of Maryland, Inc (CAM)
27. Chin Human Rights Organization
28. Chin Leaders of Tomorrow
29. Christi Australia
30. Christian Freedom International
31. Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW)
32. Coalition to Abolish Modern-day Slavery in Asia (CAMSA)
33. Committee for Religious Freedom in Vietnam
34. Crane Center for Mass Atrocity Prevention
35. Decency & Clarity
36. Democracy, Peace and Women’s Organization
37. Engage Action
38. Equality Myanmar
39. Fortify Rights
40. Free Burma Action Bay/USA/Global
41. Free Burma Campaign (South Africa) (FBC(SA)
42. Free Myanmar Campaign USA
43. Freedom, Justice, Equality for Myanmar
44. Future Thanlwin
45. Genocide Watch
46. Global Movement for Myanmar Democracy (GM4MD)
47. Human Rights Foundation of Monland
48. Info Birmanie
49. Initiative for Human Rights in Asia (IHRA)
50. Institute for Asian Democracy
51. International Campaign for the Rohingya
52. International Christian Concern
53. Islamic Renaissance Front
54. Jewish World Watch
55. Jubilee Campaign USA
56. Justice4Rohingya UK
57. Kachin Women’s Association Thailand
58. Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
59. Karen Organization of America
60. Karenni Human Rights Group
61. Keng Tung Youth
62. L’chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty
63. Los Angeles Rohingya Association
64. Metta Campaign Mandalay
65. Myanmar Advocacy Coalition
66. Myanmar Cultural Research Society (MCRS)
67. Myanmar Peace Bikers
68. Nationalities Alliance of Burma USA
69. NeT Organization
70. Nguyen Van Ly Foundation
71. No Business With Genocide
72. Palms Australia
73. Parity
74. Pax Christi Victoria
75. Prayer Pioneers
76. Progressive Voice
77. Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association
78. Revealing Light Ministries
79. Rumi Forum
80. Save and Care Organization for Ethnic Women at Border Areas
81. Shan MATA
82. Society for Humanistic Judaism
83. South Asia Forum for Freedom of Religion or Belief (SAFFoRB)
84. Southern Youth Development Organization
85. Spring Revolution Interfaith Network
86. Spring Revolution Interfaith Network
87. Stefanus Alliance International
88. Swedish Burma Committee
89. Synergy-Social Harmony Organization
90. Synergy-Social Harmony Organization
91. Ta’ang Women’s Organization
92. Tanintharyi MATA
93. The Common Good Foundation
94. U.S. Advocacy Coalition for Myanmar (USACM)
95. U.S. Campaign for Burma
96. Vietnam Coalition Against Torture (VN-CAT)
97. Vietnamese Women for Human Rights

Individual

1. Denise Nichols OAM, Practitioner Affiliate
2. Dr Lionel Fernandes, Retired Reader In Politics & Former Head, Department of Civics & Politics, University of Mumbai, India.
3. Hon. Rollin A. Van Broekhoven
4. John Ball
5. Michael Mullerworth
6. Nguyen Dinh Thang, PhD, Laureate of 2011 Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award
7. Rabbi David Wirtschafter –Temple Adath Israel of Lexington
8. Revd. Harry Kerr
9. Scott Morgan, President, Red Eagle Enterprises
10. Scott Stearman, -U.N. Representative Baptist World Alliance (ECOSOC) / Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (DGC)
11. Sr. Catriona Devlin csb

South Asia Forum for Freedom of Religion or Belief (SAFFoRB) strongly condemns series of attacks that happened in Bangladesh since 13th October, 2021 on the Hindus, their houses and temples by Muslim extremists while they were celebrating their religious festival – Durga Puja.

Hindus constitute nearly 10 % of the total population and the second largest religious community in Bangladesh. Durga puja is an important cultural festival for Bangladeshi Hindus. Unfortunately, on 13th October, 2021 upon the rumor of desecrating the Holy Quran in the Puja Mandap, a group of miscreants attacked the Darpan Sangh puja Mandap in Comilla city. This incident initiated a chain reaction of similar events around the country throughout the Durga puja festival period. It is reported that around 6 people have been killed during the communal attacks, many were injured, dozens of Hindu temples were attacked and many houses were burnt down in Bangladesh. The situation continued to be tense in different parts of the
country. The nature of the attacks suggest that these were done by the religious fanatics and communal forces with malicious intention and prior planning to sabotage the celebration of Durga Puja.

SAFFoRB demands that, to ensure justice, strong and effective legal actions be taken against those who planned the attacks and were involved in commencing the attacks. We note that the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina has affirmed- “anyone involved in these heinous crimes will be not be spared and it doesn’t matter which religion they belong to”. Even though a good number of suspects have been detained, the violence still continues. Therefore, more deterrent actions are required.

SAFFoRB urges the Government of Bangladesh to punish those who are responsible for spreading rumor with malicious intention and unleashing mob
violence, according to the Bangladeshi laws. SAFFoRB also demands that the
victims of communal attacks be fully compensated by the Government of
Bangladesh.

SAFFoRB supports the ongoing anti-communal movements in Bangladesh and the
call of Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity council protest through hunger strike on October 23rd.

SAFFoRB calls upon the people of Bangladesh to safeguard the spirit of their
liberation war, the secular ethos of the Bangladesh Constitution and protect their pluralistic Bengali culture.
SAFFoRB extends support to the Hindus of Bangladesh to exercise their right to practice religion freely and express solidarity with them at this difficult time.

SAFFoRB working committee members

• Farzana Begum
• Farooq Aftab
• Irfan Engineer
• Maung Maung Yin
• Preman Rajan Rohaan
• Peter Jacob
• Samuel Jayakumar (Coordinator)