Top row (L-R): Sima Samar, Kanak Mani Dixit, Hamida Hossain. Bottom row (L-R): Uma Chakravarti, Shahidul Alam, Pamela Philipose, Beena Sarwar. Collage: TheWire.In
Thanks to friends who initiated this statement in solidarity with the artists, thinkers and people of Sri Lanka, that I have signed along with over 250 other activists, academics and journalists from across South Asia. Please feel free to endorse and share. Signatories include human rights activists from Afghanistan and Bangladesh, journalists from Nepal, Pakistan and India, and historians and feminists from India and Pakistan, among others who have been at the forefront of facing similar realities in their respective nation-states for decades. Full text below, updated from the version published earlier in TheWire.in.
May 2, 2019:
We the undersigned, who are from and live in the various nation-states of South Asia, express our deepest condolences to all those who have lost loved ones in the serial bomb blasts in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday. We express our solidarity with those working tirelessly to address the needs of the injured in the aftermath of this carnage and to sustain interfaith and community relationships.
While we support all justice efforts that seek to hold the perpetrators of violence accountable, we also urge the Government of Sri Lanka to ensure that in the name of combating terror and ensuring national security, fundamental human rights and dignity of all concerned are not violated.
We say this because in all our countries, investigation into terror and anti-terror legislation have been accompanied by consistent and continuing violation of civil and democratic rights. Further in the name of ensuring national security successive governments in the region have sought to legitimise their various acts of impunity – directed against not only purported or possible suspects but entire sections of the civilian population. This has led to unaccountable loss of life and a steady erosion of democratic guarantees, institutions and in unaccounted for deaths and disappearances.
We note with concern that media reports and remarks by state officials and political leaders in Sri Lanka have pointed to State inaction with respect to warnings by intelligence agencies about possible acts of terror. Such inaction and indifference, we regret to note, amount to State complicity with the violence that subsequently unfolded.
We are also concerned that the ‘owning up’ of these acts by the so-called ‘Islamic State’ (Daesh) might encourage Islamophobic attitudes attitudes and expressions, both on the part of the Sri Lankan government and sections of civil society. Should this happen, Sri Lanka would be tragically drawn in to a familiar international discourse and practice to do with ‘Islamic terror’ with all the resultant tragedies, as we have witnessed across Asia. In a country that has barely recovered from decades of civil mistrust, war and violence, this cannot bode well for its sovereignty, civil peace and economic and social life.
We wish to point out that the so-called war on ‘Islamic terror’ has resulted in large numbers of the Islamic faith being persecuted, both in their countries and across the world – and this sadly only enhances the appeal of those who seek to wage war in the name of Islam and what they perceive as Islamic concerns and interests. Thus is set in motion a cycle of violence that benefits no one but the Arms trade and industries, and political powers that seek to establish their hegemony in the region at all costs.
In this context:
- We support all struggles to ensure transparent and fair pursuit of justice for the victims of the blast.
- At the same time,
- we stand with those who are against undemocratic anti-terror laws in Sri Lanka, even if they are purportedly deployed for purposes of investigation and national security.
- We protest attempts to target or persecute those of the Islamic faith, in the name of countering terror, whether by the state or vigilante groups.
- We support Muslim communities in the region that have called for peace and are critical of voices from within that endorse extremist religious positions, which polarise everyday life and interactions, and vitiate meaningful dissent and dialogue.
- We affirm the resilience of diverse cultural and religious traditions in the region that have fostered long standing habits of mutuality, trust and co-existence. We do not wish for the specificity of local beliefs and traditions, of all faiths, to be drawn into polarising global discourses of religious ‘unity’ and ‘singularity’ imposed from above.
Afghanistan
- Massihullah, Kabul Afghanistan
- Sima Samar, Afghanistan
Nepal
- Anju Kandel, Nepal
- Deepa Gurung, Nepal
- Hari Sharma, Kathmandu, Nepal
- 101, Nepal
- Kanak Mani Dixit, Kathmandu
- Kunda Dixit, Kathmandu, Nepal
- NayanTara Gurung Kakshapati, Kathmandu, Nepal
- Niranjan Kunwar, Kathmandu, Nepal
- Sarita K.C, Nepal
- Srishti Jayana, Nepal
- Rita Thapa, Nepal
India
- Mangai, India
- Abha Bhaiya, India
- Abirami Jotheeswaran, India
- Amar Kanwar, New Delhi, India
- Anuradha Bhasin, Kashmir Times, India
- Anuradha Kapoor, India
- Arundathi V, India
- Ashish kumar Dey, India
- Bimla CHandrasekhar, India
- Bindu Doddahatti, India
- Deepti Sharma, New Delhi, India
- Dia Da Costa, India
- Dipta Bhog, India
- Divya Vaishnava, India
- Farida Khan, India
- Forum Against Oppression of Women, India
- V, India
- Gopika Bashi, India
- Huma Ahmed-Ghosh, India
- Indu Vashist, India/Canada
- Iram Saeed, India
- Jinee Lokaneeta, India/USA
- K, Lalita, India
- Kamla Bhasin, India
- Khalida Saleem, India
- Madhu Mehra, India
- Mamta Singh, Women Right Activist, India
- Mary John, India
- Maya Sharma Vikalp (Women’s Group) , India
- Meena Gopal, India
- Meera Velayudhan, India
- Mohan Rao, India
- Mrinalini R, India
- Nandini Manjrekar, India
- Nandita Shah, India
- Nastasia Paul Gera, India
- Nazia Akhtar, India
- Neelanjana Mukhia, India
- Neeraj Malik, India
- Nupur Basu, India
- Pam Philipose, India
- Panchali Ray, New Delhi, India
- Ponni Arasu, India
- Poonam Batra, India
- Prathama Raghavan, Hyderabad, India
- Rafiul Alom Rahman, India
- Ramakant Agnohotri, India
- Rita Manchanda, India
- Ritu Dewan, India
- Ritu Menon, India
- Roshmi Goswami, India
- Sabeena Gadihoke, India
- Sahba Hussain, India
- Saheli Women’s Resource Centre, New Delhi, India
- Sameera Iyengar, India
- Sara Abraham, India
- Shohini Ghosh, India
- Shrimoyee N, Ghosh, India
- Snigdha Chakraborty, India
- Sujata Patel, India
- Svati Shah, India/USA
- Swarna Rajagopalan, India
- Tanvi Mishra, New Delhi, India
- The Queer Muslim Project, India
- Uma Chakravarty, India
- Vanita Nayak Mukherjee, India
- Veena Shatrughna, India
- Vibhuti Patel, India
- Mamatha Karollil, India
- Afshana Bano, India
- Supriya Madangarli, India
- Arnicia Kharnaior, India
Pakistan
- Abeera Tanveer, Pakistan
- Ailya Khan, Pakistan
- Ajwah Nadeem, Pakistan
- Aminah Waheed Chaudhry, Pakistan
- Ameena Rahman, Pakistan
- Ammar Ali Jan, Pakistan
- Amna Durrani, Pakistan
- Amna Iqbal, Pakistan
- Amna Mawaz, Pakistan
- Anis Haroon, Pakistan
- Anoosha Shaigan, Pakistan
- Arooj Aurangzeb, Pakistan
- Asma Malik, Pakistan
- Awami Workers Party, Punjab
- Ayra Indrias, Pakistan
- Ambreen Ahmad, Pakistan
- Baila Anjum, Lahore, Pakistan
- Basmina, Pakistan-Afghan Border
- Beena Sarwar, Pakistan
- Beenish Muhammad Ali, Pakistan
- Bonnie Mende
- Candas Anjum, Pakistan
- Qasim Iqbal, NAZ Pakistan
- Faiz Younas, Pakistan
- Farida Batool, Pakistan
- Farida Shaheed, Pakistan
- Fatema Bhaiji, Pakistan
- Fatima A. Athar, Pakistan
- Fatima Butt, Pakistan
- FemSoc at LUMS, Pakistan
- Feroza Batool , Pakistan
- Fiza Khatri, Pakistan
- Furhan Hussain, Pakistan
- Ghausia Rashid Salam, Pakistan
- Ghazala Anwar, Pakistan
- Gwendolyn S. Kirk, USA/Pakistan
- Hadi Hussain, Pakistan
- Have Only Positive Expectations — HOPE, Pakistan
- Hiba Akbar, Pakistan
- Hira Mohmand, Pakistan-Afghan Border
- Huma Fouladi, Pakistan
- Huma Majeed, Pakistan
- Humraz society, Karachi, Pakistan
- Jamaima Afridi, Pakistan-Afghan Border
- Jawad Anwar, Pakistan
- Kashmala Dilawar, Pakistan-Afghan Border
- Khawar Mumtaz, Pakistan
- Khushbakht Memon, Pakistan
- Kishwar Sultana, Pakistan
- Kyla Pasha, Pakistan
- Lubna Chaudhry
- Madiha Latif, Pakistan
- Maheen Asif Khan, Pakistan
- Malik Moeed, Pakistan
- Manal Yousuf, Pakistan
- Mani AQ, Pakistan
- Maria Rashid, Pakistan
- Maryam Hussain, Pakistan
- Maryum Orakzai, Pakistan-Afghan Border
- Masooma Fatima, Pakistan
- Mehlab Jameel, Pakistan
- Melanie D’souza, Pakistan
- Momina Jahan, Pakistan
- Momina Pasha, Pakistan
- Muaaz Ali, Pakistan
- Naazish Ata-Ullah, Pakistan
- Nabiha Meher Shaikh, Pakistan
- Nageen Hyat, Pakistan
- Naheed Aziz, Pakistan
- Naila Naz, Pakistan
- Nasim Begum, Pakistan-Afghan Border
- Nasreen Rahman, Pakistan
- Neelam Hussain, Pakistan
- Nighat Dad, Pakistan
- Nighat Said Khan, Pakistan
- Nimra Akram, Pakistan
- Noreen Naseer Pakistan
- O Collective, Pakistan
- Omer Arshad, Pakistan
- Outcast Magazine, Pakistan
- Palvashay Sethi, Pakistan
- Queer Karachi, Pakistan
- Quratulain Faraz, Pakistan
- Rafia Asim, Pakistan
- Rahma Muhammad Mian, Karachi
- Roohi Khan, Pakistan
- Rubina Saigol, Pakistan
- Rukhsana Rashid, Pakistan
- Saadia Haq, Pakistan
- Saadia Toor, USA/Pakistan
- Saba Gul Khattak, Pakistan-Afghan Border
- Sabeen Andleeb, Pakistan
- Sadaf Aziz, Pakistan
- Sadia Afridi, Pakistan-Afghan Border
- Sadia Khatri, Karachi, Pakistan
- Saima Jasam, Pakistan
- Saima Munir, Pakistan
- Saleha Rauf, Pakistan
- Saman Rizvi, Pakistan
- Samavia Malik, Pakistan
- Samina Orakzai, Pakistan
- Samina Orakzai, Pakistan-Afghan Border
- Sana Naeem, Pakistan
- Sarah Humayun, Pakistan
- Sarah Suhail, Pakistan
- Sarah Zaman, Pakistan
- Sehrish Tariq, Pakistan
- Shafeeq Gigyani, Peshawar Pakistan
- Shagufta Rehmat, Pakistan
- Shazia Shaheen, Pakistan
- Shirkat Gah – Women’s Resource Centre, Pakistan
- Shmyla Khan, Pakistan
- Shumaila Kausar, Pakista
- Shumaila Shahani, Pakistan
- Syed Raza Haider, Pakistan
- Tabitha Spence, Pakistan
- Tahira Kaleem, Peshawar, Pakistan
- Tehreem Azeem, Pakistan
- The Enlight Lab, Pakistan
- Wafa Asher, Pakistan
- Women’s Action Forum, Pakistan
- Yusra, Pakistan-Afghan Border
- Zahra Durrani, Pakistan
- Zakia Majid, Pakistan
- Zeenat Afridi, Pakistan – Afghan Border
- Zeenia Shaukat, Pakistan
- Zehra Keshf, Pakistan
- Ambreen Ahmad
- Zahra Batool
- Zoya Anwer
- Zoya Rehman, Pakistan
Bangladesh
- Amena Mohsin, Dhaka Bangladesh
- Anusheh Anadil, Dhaka , Bangladesh
- Arup Rahee, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Adilur Rahman Khan, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Dr Asif Nazrul, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Dr Hameeda Hossain, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Dr Ridwanul Hoque, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Dr. Faustina Pereira, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Dr. Shahidul Alam, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Dr. Shahnaz Huda, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Fahmidul Haq, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Firdous Azim, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Galiba Rabbani, Bangladesh
- Gitiara Nasreen, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Hana Shams Ahmed, Bangladesh/Canada
- Inclusive Bangladesh, Bangladesh
- Jibanananda Jayanta, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Khushi Kabir, Bangladesh
- Md.Nur Khan, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Meghna Guhathakurta, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Mirza Taslima Sultana, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Mohammad Tanzimuddin Khan, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Mohammed Iqbal Hossaion, Bangladesh
- Monika Biswas, Bangladesh
- Muktasree Chakma Sathi, Bangladesh
- Perween Hasan, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Rahnuma Ahmed, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Reetu Sattar, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Rezaur Rahman Lenin, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Rina Roy, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Selima Sara Kabir, Bangladesh
- Shaheen Anam, Bangladesh
- Shamsul Huda, Bangladesh
- Sharnila Nuzhat Kabir, Bangladesh
- Shireen P Huq, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Sultana Kamal, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Zareen Mahmud Hosein, Bangladesh
- Farzana Ferdausi , Possibility, Bangladesh
Others
- Aurangzaib Alizai, Thailand
- Kumkum Dey, New Jersey
- Rumah Pelangi Indonesia
- Indonesia for Humanity (IKa), Indonesia
Filed under: 'War on terror', enforced disappearances, Freedom of expression, Human rights, Violence in the name of religion | Tagged: Afghanistan, fundamental rights, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, Southasia, Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka bombings |
Journeys to democracy 
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