Christians in India fearful as election looms

Christians in India fearful as election looms
The BJP admits there is a “level of threat perception,” but says it is trying to change that. (FILE/AFP)
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Updated 26 March 2024
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Christians in India fearful as election looms

Christians in India fearful as election looms
  • Six weeks of voting in marathon general elections begin on April 19, but few doubt the June 4 result
  • India has 1.4 billion people and according to the last census, more than 2% are Christians

Irpiguda, India: Church walls crumble in India’s Kandhamal district, where brutal attacks on Christians 16 years ago means many survivors still worry about their minority’s place in a Hindu-majority nation.
With India’s election on the horizon and Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi widely expected to win, many Christians fear they may once again become targets.
Deepti was among those attacked in 2008 when mobs rampaged through parts of India’s eastern state of Odisha after the murder of a Hindu priest and his four followers.
The murder was widely blamed on Christians, and the ensuing revenge rampage left at least 101 people dead.
Aged 19 at the time, she was gang raped by a mob enraged that her uncle had refused to recant his Catholicism.
“I remember it every minute,” the 35-year-old domestic worker said in tears, using a pseudonym because she feared being identified.
“I had been living there since childhood, I recognized them from their voice,” said Deepti, who moved to the state capital Bhubaneswar after the attack.
“I can still remember each one of them.”
She was one of scores of women who, according to community leaders, were sexually assaulted across the district.
Mobs targeted dozens of churches, prayer halls and Christian homes, forcing tens of thousands to flee.
Last year, the Vatican greenlighted the start of the beatification process toward potential sainthood for 35 of those killed in the violence, a group the church calls the “Kandhamal martyrs.”
Local Odisha Archbishop John Barwa calls the move a “source of renewed faith and hope.”
A simple memorial for those who were killed has been erected in the village of Tiangia.
“Where there is hatred, let me sow love,” the memorial reads, quoting Saint Francis of Assisi.
Prasanna Bishnoi, head of Kandhamal’s survivors’ association, said church recognition that people had “died because of their faith” was welcomed — but that honoring the dead did nothing to address the worries of the living.
“Otherwise, I don’t think it is going to benefit our people,” Bishnoi said.
Six weeks of voting in marathon general elections begin on April 19, but few doubt the June 4 result — with the ruling Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in power for a decade, widely tipped to win again.
Critics accuse Modi’s BJP of wanting to turn officially secular India into a Hindu nation, something he denies.
But many Christians worry.
Right-wing Hindu groups have long accused Christians of forcibly converting Hindus and these allegations, which the community has vehemently denied, have resulted in attacks.
India has 1.4 billion people and according to the last census, more than two percent are Christians.
Believers say the religion has been present in the country for nearly two millennia, since the apostle Thomas arrived in the year AD 52.
The New Delhi-based United Christian Forum (UCF) rights watchdog recorded 731 attacks against Christians in India last year, warning of “vigilante mobs comprising religious extremists.”
In Kandhamal, the trauma of the 2008 attack haunts survivors, fearful they could be targeted again.
“Even now the danger persists,” said Raheli Digal, 40, showing AFP the charred walls of what was once her house in Irpiguda village, where the church also lies in ruins.
“When we remember those old scenes, and watch the news (about ongoing incidents of violence against Christians), we feel scared,” she added.
“They have been saying for a long time that they won’t let Christians live here.”
The housewife said she has lived since the 2008 violence in a resettlement camp nearby, and rarely returns to her village.
“We do not come here... we are still scared to talk to them (Hindus),” she said.
She sobbed as she described how she hid in the surrounding forested hills, watching as a mob chanting anti-Christian slogans came with blazing torches.
“They destroyed our home, set it on fire,” she said.
“We had nothing, not even a piece of cloth, not even water or food,” she added. “We had small children with us — we grabbed them, and ran into the forest.”
When Modi in January inaugurated a grand temple to the deity Ram in the northern city of Ayodhya, sparking Hindu celebrations nationwide, Digal and her neighbors stayed home.
The temple was built on the site of a centuries-old mosque whose destruction by Hindu zealots in 1992 sparked sectarian riots that killed 2,000 people nationwide, most of them Muslims.
The BJP admits there is a “level of threat perception,” but says it is trying to change that.
“It is important that we dispel that,” said BJP national spokesman Mmhonlumo Kikon.
Modi has been “engaging with the Christian community and the leaders to reassure them this country is for everyone — it is not just for the majority community,” Kikon said.
Bishnoi, from the survivors’ association, said seeing Modi meeting Christians helped him feel “safe.”
But he also said that reports of violence worried him and cast doubt in his mind.
“If this government comes to power, then I think minorities will be under pressure,” he said.


Bangladesh urges EU states to expedite formal recognition of Palestine

Bangladesh urges EU states to expedite formal recognition of Palestine
Updated 49 min 56 sec ago
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Bangladesh urges EU states to expedite formal recognition of Palestine

Bangladesh urges EU states to expedite formal recognition of Palestine
  • Only 11 of 27 EU member states recognize the State of Palestine
  • Bangladesh responds to EU’s declared commitment to a two-state solution

DHAKA: Bangladesh has called on EU member states to expedite the formal recognition of the State of Palestine and use their influence to prevent permanent members of the UN Security Council from obstructing a ceasefire in Gaza.

Bangladesh’s delegation took part in a meeting of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution in Brussels on Thursday, where the EU foreign policy chief emphasized the bloc’s commitment to a two-state solution — providing Palestinians with their own nation-state — as “the only viable path to peace in the region.”

But so far, only 11 out of 27 EU member states recognize the State of Palestine, with three — Spain, Ireland and Slovenia — doing so earlier this year in the wake of Israel’s deadly onslaught in Gaza and with a genocide case against Tel Aviv ongoing in the International Court of Justice.

“The Bangladeshi delegation urged the participating member states to expedite their formal recognition of the State of Palestine, affirming this as a crucial step toward legitimizing and empowering Palestinian sovereignty and self-determination,” the Bangladeshi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement following the meeting.

For Bangladesh, which established diplomatic ties with Palestine soon after achieving independence in 1971, formal recognition of Palestinian statehood, was key to achieving peace.

“Already 149 countries have supported the UN recognition of the Palestinian state’s membership,” said Shafiqur Rahman, director general of the Bangladeshi Foriegn Affairs Ministry’s West Asia wing, who led the delegation to Brussels.

“It’s very important to galvanize and mobilize the global community. We must continue to apply pressure, and efforts should persist in this regard. There is no room for giving up,” he told Arab News on Friday.

The Bangladeshi delegation also called on EU member states to leverage their influence to discourage any vetoes by permanent members of the UN Security Council “that could obstruct adopting a permanent ceasefire in Gaza war and resultant peace initiatives.”

The most recent UNSC resolution demanding an “immediate, unconditional and permanent” ceasefire in the Gaza Strip was voted down by the US last week, as Israel’s deadly bombardment of the Palestinian territory continues.

It was the fourth time Joe Biden’s administration has vetoed a UNSC Gaza ceasefire resolution, blocking international action to halt Israel’s war, which over the past one year killed at least 44,000 Palestinians, injured over 100,000 more and destroyed most of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure.

 


Philippines looks to boost ties with Bahrain’s tourism, hospitality sector

Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco speaks during the UN World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism in Manama on Nov. 18, 2024. (Philippin
Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco speaks during the UN World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism in Manama on Nov. 18, 2024. (Philippin
Updated 55 min 47 sec ago
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Philippines looks to boost ties with Bahrain’s tourism, hospitality sector

Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco speaks during the UN World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism in Manama on Nov. 18, 2024. (Philippin
  • Bahraini government is preparing to open its embassy in Manila
  • Cebu and Palawan are top destinations for Bahraini tourists in Philippines

MANILA: The Philippines is expanding collaborations with Bahrain to mutually boost tourism and hospitality expertise, Christina Frasco, the Philippine tourism secretary, said on Friday.

While other GCC countries have for years been the main overseas destination for Filipinos, relations with Bahrain started to expand only recently, with the Bahraini government preparing to open its embassy in Manila this year.

Frasco, who visited Manama earlier this month, held talks with her Bahraini counterpart Fatima Al-Sairafi on increasing tourism between the two countries.

“They’re very interested in learning from our world-renowned Filipino hospitality, as well as our brand of service excellence, and in collaborating to increase opportunities for meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions,” Frasco told Arab News.

Some 57,000 Filipinos currently live in Bahrain, working mainly as accountants, engineers, construction contractors, sales associates, and business and government support staff. The tourism sector, however, remains untapped territory.

“We discussed the potential of wide-reaching collaborations between Bahrain and the Philippines, first and foremost on joint cooperation to increase tourist flows,” Frasco said.

“We also discussed how we may be able to further expand connectivity between Bahrain and the Philippines, not only with Manila, but with other places in the country, especially since, as I learned when I was in Bahrain, there are certain destinations (in the Philippines) that are very popular with the people of Bahrain, such as Cebu and Palawan.”

The number of tourists from Bahrain has been on the rise, with more than 5,500 visiting the Philippines from January to October this year — a 16-percent increase over the same period in 2023.

The Philippines has been trying to attract more visitors from Middle Eastern countries and has been encouraging the local hospitality industry to introduce standards that will make their properties and services attractive to Muslim tourists.

“We note that these countries have recovered very well (from the COVID pandemic travel shutdown) ... and we wish to be able to grow this momentum further by forging strategic collaborations with them,” Frasco said.

“Connectivity is one thing that we are continuing to focus on, as well as really ensuring that our tourist destinations are prepared to receive tourists from that region. This includes the growth of our halal and Muslim-friendly establishments.”

 


Former Kosovo rebel commander ordered to pay victims

Former Kosovo rebel commander ordered to pay victims
Updated 29 November 2024
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Former Kosovo rebel commander ordered to pay victims

Former Kosovo rebel commander ordered to pay victims
  • The judges “set the total reparation award for which Mr.Shala is liable at 208,000 euros” ($220,000),” Judge Mappie Veldt-Foglia told the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague
  • Although the “responsibility to pay the compensation lies exclusively with Mr.Shala“” the judge said, “he does not appear to have the means to comply with the order“

THE HAGUE: A special international court on Friday ordered a former Kosovo rebel commander to pay $220,000 in damages to victims of abuses suffered in 1999 during the Serbian province’s struggle for independence.
Pjeter Shala, 61, also known as “Commander Wolf,” was sentenced to 18 years behind bars in July for war crimes committed during the tiny country’s 1998-99 independence conflict, when separatist KLA rebels fought forces loyal to then Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic.
The judges “set the total reparation award for which Mr.Shala is liable at 208,000 euros” ($220,000),” Judge Mappie Veldt-Foglia told the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague.
“Mr Shala is ordered to pay (damages) as compensation for the harm inflicted” on eight victims, she said.
The total amount comprised individual payments to the eight victims ranging from 8,000 to 100,000 euros, as well as a collective sum of 50,000 euros, the judge said.
Although the “responsibility to pay the compensation lies exclusively with Mr.Shala“” the judge said, “he does not appear to have the means to comply with the order.”
Kosovo’s current Crime Victim Compensation Program “could be one way to execute the Reparation Order,” Veldt-Foglia suggested.
However, the maximum sums per victim awarded by the program would be lower than those awarded by the court, she said.
Shala faced charges of murder, torture, arbitrary detention and cruel treatment of at least 18 civilian detainees accused of working as spies or collaborating with opposing Serb forces in mid-1999.
The judges acquitted him of cruel treatment and he was sentenced on the other three counts.
The judges said Shala was part of a group of KLA soldiers who severely mistreated detainees at a metal factory serving as a KLA headquarters in Kukes, northeastern Albania, at the time.
Shala was tried before the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, a court located in The Hague to prosecute mainly former KLA fighters for war crimes.
They included former KLA political commander Hashim Thaci, who dominated Kosovo’s politics after it declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and rose to become president of the tiny country.
Thaci resigned in 2020 to face war crimes and crimes against humanity charges, and has pleaded not guilty.


Germany indicts Turkish national for spying on alleged Gulen activists

Germany indicts Turkish national for spying on alleged Gulen activists
Updated 29 November 2024
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Germany indicts Turkish national for spying on alleged Gulen activists

Germany indicts Turkish national for spying on alleged Gulen activists
  • Gulen built a powerful Islamic movement in Turkiye and beyond

BERLIN: German federal prosecutors on Friday said they had indicted a Turkish national for alleged spying on individuals that he associated with cleric Fethullah Gulen.
The suspect, who is not in jail and was only identified as Mehmet K., in line with German privacy laws, contacted Turkiye’s police and intelligence service via anonymous letters, prosecutors added.
Gulen built a powerful Islamic movement in Turkiye and beyond, but spent his later years in the US mired in accusations of orchestrating an attempted coup against Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan.
Gulen died last month.


Death toll in Uganda landslides rises to 20 as search for more casualties presses on

Death toll in Uganda landslides rises to 20 as search for more casualties presses on
Updated 29 November 2024
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Death toll in Uganda landslides rises to 20 as search for more casualties presses on

Death toll in Uganda landslides rises to 20 as search for more casualties presses on
  • The Uganda Red Cross Society spokesperson Irene Kasiita told reporters that bodies of four more people were found on Friday while a fifth person, died at Mbale Hospital
  • Soldiers have been deployed to help with the digging

KAMPALA: More bodies buried under the mud were retrieved in eastern Uganda on Friday and an injured person died in a hospital, bringing the death toll from this week’s landslides to 20, officials said as search efforts pressed on in the stricken area.
Heavy rains had triggered the landslides that engulfed six villages in the mountainous district of Bulambuli, 280 kilometers (175 miles) east of Kampala, Uganda’s capital, on Wednesday night. Some 125 houses were destroyed.
The Uganda Red Cross Society spokesperson Irene Kasiita told reporters that bodies of four more people were found on Friday while a fifth person, one of the injured in the landslides, died at Mbale Hospital.
The society in a statement said 750 people had been displaced, with 216 of those living temporarily at a neighboring school while others were being housed by relatives.
The Bulambuli Resident District Commissioner Faheera Mpalanyi said soldiers have been deployed to help with the digging.
“More bodies are still buried under the heaps of soils and stones and we are trying as much as we can to recover them,” she said.
Local officials told a journalist in the area on Thursday that an excavator would be brought to assist in the rescue efforts, but the roads were covered in mud and rain was still falling. The impacted area is about 50 acres with homesteads and farmlands spread downhill.
Lawmaker Irene Muloni from the Bulambuli district said Thursday the government would help relocate residents from the landslide-prone area.
“Waterfalls are everywhere, and the rainfall is excessive,” she said, urging everyone who had lost their home to seek refuge with relatives and “leave this dangerous place.”