IARF Is Shocked by Lack of Respect Towards Indigenous Group in Brazil and Peru

The British newspaper The Guardian reported on Sunday, 27 July about efforts of missionaries to contact the isolated Korubu indigenous group in the border area of Brazil and Peru. The goal of these efforts was reportedly to convert the community to Christianity. The newspaper writes that the missionaries and organisations engaged in illegal activities, since Brazilian law does not permit proselytising in Korubu territory and stipulates that isolated groups must initiate any contact.  

IARF is shocked by the story in the Guardian and maintains that all communities, and especially isolated indigenous groups, must have their beliefs, traditions, and autonomy respected. This principle has been laid down in several treaties and declarations of the UN. Forcing contact with unknown technologies, like described in the article in the Guardian, is both immoral and against the letter and spirit of the UN treaties. It can be considered as a modern form of colonialism which destroys rich local cultures and identities, and can inflict lasting harm. 

IARF urges the organisations involved to cease these activities immediately and insists that individuals and organisations responsible be held accountable.

IARF Applauds Rejection of Bill to Repeal FGM Ban in The Gambia

The National Assembly of Gambia

Since our call for support of the Petition Against FGM Ban Repeal in The Gambia, which the Nala Feminist Collective started, the situation has evolved positively. The third reading of the bill was initially planned for July 24.

IARF, an organization uniting liberal religious groups from diverse faith traditions across the globe, stands firmly against human rights violations, particularly those justified under the guise of religious or cultural practices. We are pleased to report that the bill to repeal the ban on FGM was rejected on July 15, and the planned third reading on July 24 will not take place.

IARF and its member organizations congratulate Parliament Speaker Fabakary Jatta and the National Assembly of The Gambia for this wise decision. This outcome has an impact beyond The Gambia and will continue to forward the dignity and self-determination of all human beings.

We remain committed to supporting efforts that protect human rights and bodily integrity worldwide.

Context

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) is a practice that involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia for non-medical reasons. It affects an estimated 200 million women and girls worldwide, with more than three-quarters of females aged between 15 and 49 in some regions having undergone the procedure. The practice can lead to severe immediate risks such as pain, shock, hemorrhage, and infections, as well as long-term consequences for sexual health and mental wellbeing.

The Gambia’s 2015 ban on FGM/C was a significant milestone in the global effort to eradicate this harmful practice. The recent attempt to repeal this ban had raised alarms among human rights organizations globally. The IARF, as part of its commitment to human rights and religious freedom, had engaged in advocacy efforts, including drafting formal communications to Gambian authorities expressing concern over the potential repeal.

The rejection of the bill to repeal the FGM/C ban not only maintains crucial protections for women and girls in The Gambia but also reinforces the country’s commitment to international human rights standards. This decision aligns with various human rights conventions ratified by The Gambia, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Bahrain: Continued Harassment of Activists by the Government

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) expressed it’s concern about continued harassment of human rights activists by the Bahrain authorities and restricting their right to free expression. Sheikh Maytham al-Salman, a noted spokesperson, human rights defender and chairman of the Bahrain Interfaith Center, our associate member organization, together with several other persons, was summoned for interrogation over a speech he recently delivered. In August the Sheikh was detained. We wrote about it here.

The BCHR:

believes that the Bahraini authorities’ actions are an indication of its increasingly harsh policies aimed at further harassing human rights defenders in order to silence them, in addition to its continued implementation of further restrictions both in law and practice on the right to free expression. Moreover, human rights defenders and activists in Bahrain have been ongoing targets of the authorities who have attempted countless times to silence them, stop their work and oppress their right to freedom of expression, including BCHR President Nabeel Rajab, activist Zainab al-Khawaja, and human rights defender Naji Fateel…

Accordingly, the Bahrain Center for Human Rights calls on the
government of Bahrain to:

• Drop all charges pending on Sheikh Maytham al-Salman for exercising his freedom of speech
• Release all prisoners who have been convicted for their political opinions; and
• Fully comply with the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) recommendations and international laws.

The full text of the article and the Sheikh’s speech over which he was interrogated is available here.

Persecution of Unitarians in Burundi

The International Council of Unitarians and Universalists, many of whose member churches are also members of the IARF – has reported on November 19 that Rev. Fulgence Ndagijimana, pastor of the Unitarian Church of Burundi,

The ICUU has issued an emergency statement on the situation, which you can read on its website, calling upon the government of Burundi

Joshua Eaton’s article on UU World provides interesting background information on the situation in the country and the Burundi Unitarian community, as well as a more detailed account of Rev. Fulgence’s present ordeal and the efforts of the international Unitarian community and its allies to aid him.

The IARF stands in solidarity with Burundi Unitarians and the world Unitarian community in these troublesome and uncertain time, and joins in the appeal to the Burundi government to respect religious freedom and cease all unlawful actions. We are hopeful that the crisis will soon be resolved and the congregation will be allowed to continue its work and worship untroubled. To show your support you may consider joining the Standing With UU-Burundi initiative on Facebook.

Below you can watch a short video about Burundi Unitarians.

Bahrain: Arrest of Inter-Faith Activist and Head of IARF Member Group Maytham Al Salman

On Saturday 8th August 2015, Sheikh Maytham Al Salman, chairman of the Bahrain Interfaith Centre, an Associate member group of the IARF, and Head of the Religious Freedom Unit in the Bahrain Human Rights Observatory (BHRO), was detained at Manama international airport, charged with “inciting hatred against the regime”. The Sheikh has been detained before. We wrote about this here.

Here you can read our introduction of the Bahrain Interfaith Centre.

Excerpts from article by Global Freedom of Expression, Columbia University (you can read the article here):

Side Events at UN HRC 2014

Two events organised by IARF at the 25th Session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), March 2014

Side Event ‘Rise of Religious Intolerance’

Monday, 10 March 2014   –   2:00 to 4:00 PM 
Room XXV, Palais des Nations, Geneva

UN HRC Side Event ‘Rise of Religious Intolerance’ – Flyer  (PDF, 1 page)

Discussion on the rise of violence attributed to religious intolerance in various regions of the world where antipathy toward members of religious minorities is used to justify targeted hatred, assaults, restrictions and violent attacks on their religious institutions.

Held in conjunction with the Annual Report of the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) – part of the Programme of Work of the 25th Session of the  HRC; complements the Special Rapporteur’s presentation of his Annual Report, which this year is titled “Tackling manifestations of collective religious hatred“. 

Report in Pakistan newspaper The News 
Report in Pakistan magazine Business Standard 
Video report

Thursday 13 March
Room XXI, Palais des Nations 
In collaboration with the CoNGO Sub-committee on Freedom of Religion or Beliefs:

Open/Interactive Dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Beliefs

 NGO Joint Oral Statement

As a practitioner of Human Rights Education in South Asia, IARF at the UN is member of the NGO Working Group on Human Rights Education & Learning within the structure of CoNGO (the Committee of NGOs).

At this session of the HRC, IARF facilitated a workshop which delivered the following Joint Oral Statement regarding the Third Phase of the World Programme for Human Rights Education (2015-2019):

2014 HRC25 – NGOJointOralStatement ITEM 3 – WPHRE P3

Member group leader detained

On Thursday 5th December 2013, Sheikh Maytham Al Salman, Head of the Religious Freedom Unit in the Bahrain Human Rights Observatory (BHRO), and chairman of the Bahrain Interfaith Centre, an Associate member group of the IARF, was summoned to Al Hoora police station by the investigation unit of the Ministry of Interior Affairs, Manama.

For almost two hours, he was interrogated by two officers about his work in the area of religious freedom – namely, in being outspoken to the western press, and holding a press conference on the violations during Ashura on 18 November.

He was accused of:

1- inciting hatred against the regime

2- calling for unlawful gatherings (a press conference on the Ashura violations of 18th November 2013)

3- insulting a government body

He was also questioned about membership in the Bahrain Human Rights Observatory (BHRO) – a coalition of human rights organizations and defenders whose religious freedom unit he has been invited to head. The unit’s role is to defend religious rights and freedoms regardless of ideology or religion.

No violence was involved.

See here for our report on the 18th November 2013 press conference which occasioned this detention.

Bahrain: government violations during Ashura season 2013

Press Conference on Religious Freedom Violations during Ashura (November 2013)

The Department for Religious Freedom in the Bahrain Human Rights Observatory has expressed its strong condemnation of the escalation of the pace of systematic violations on religious freedom in Bahrain during Ashura (November 2013), and the increasing number of official violations carried out by government ministries during Ashura season; noting that the religious ceremony of Ashura has been marked by the people of Bahrain for hundreds of years, on the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, and has become a landmark of Bahrain.

The Head of the Religious freedom Department in the  Bahrain Human Rights Observatory, Shaikh Maytham Al Salman, at a press conference on 18th November 2013 said:

“Bahrain has long been the friendliest model in the gulf states representing acceptance, harmony and tolerance between the various components of its society. Bahrainis have long lived peacefully far away from sectarianism, extremism and fanaticism, however several official and non-official parties sought to sow sectarianism between citizens during the political crisis in the country;  to distort reality and attempt to portray the political crisis as a sectarian conflict between Shia’s and Sunni’s. They have also attempted and planned to upsurge sectarian violence but have failed to do so due to the persistence of the majority of Bahrainis to not accept being driven down this path.

The recent targeting of Ashura commemorations is regarded an extension of the sectarian agenda, since Ashura is appreciated and respected by all Bahrainis regardless of ideological, political and social differences.

We have witnessed a rise in the rate of governmental violations during Ashura season this year and those violations included the following:

1 – 16 religious centers (Ma’tam) leaders, who have a prominent role in organizing Ashura gatherings; were called for questioning and interrogation by the ministry of interior affairs on issues related to their core administrative work for the centres (Ma’tam). A score of them were threatening as well.

This is regarded by BHRO as a clear violation of religious freedom which is guaranteed under international conventions on human rights, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as the Constitution of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

 Article (22) of the constitution of Bahrain states that “Freedom of conscience is absolute. The State guarantees the inviolability of worship, and the freedom to perform religious rites and hold religious parades and meetings in accordance with the customs observed in the country.”

2 – 11 residential areas marking Ashura, have been targeted by removing or destroying commemorative banners, flags and black cloth.

3- The Destruction or vandalizing of artistic works of Ashura. The Ministry of Interior on the  (13 / November 2013) demolished the fine artistic monument (Safinat al Najat or the Ship of Salvation) in the Juffair area.

Juffair residents was surprised by the destruction of the monumental Ship that stood 27 meters long and 10 meters high. Security forces used tear gas to disperse people which caused suffocation to a large number of women and children in a women’s religious center (Ma’tam) near the demolished artistic monument.

4 – The Ministry of Interior raided Ma’tam Al Qaem religious center (Ma’tam) in A’ali and violated its sanctity on 18/11/13 without legal or legitimate justification.

5 – The Ministry of Interior targeting a religious Commemoration march “Labayk ya Hussain ” in the village of Nuwaidrat on 15.11.2013, causing injuries to at least 12 participants.

6 – Summoning the religious vocalist Abdul-Amir Al Biladi on 15/11/2013 to Noaim police center, who was questioned on matters related to his religious belief and personal views.The vocalist Mohammed Jaber and cleric Sheikh Mahmoud Taheri were also summoned by Budaiya police center  on 17/11/2013.

7 – A number of citizens were called for interrogation under the pretense of displaying Ashura commemorative banners and flags over their homes or rooftop. This is a clear violation of human rights. It is also a clear indicator that the government provokes serious sectarian tension and denies Shias their right of  expressing their religious beliefs freely

8 – Harassment of Citizens heading to the Ashura Commemorative ceremony in some areas in Bahrain and the disruption of the flow of traffic, including issuing traffic tickets to vehicles parked in the designated parking areas

9. Terrorizing the Island of Sitra during its central Ashura Commemoration on 18/11/2013; through breaking into the village with dozens of vehicles and deliberately destroying artistic displays of Ashura hours before the beginning of the ceremony on the 13th of  Muharram.

There is no legal justification to prevent citizens from exercising their personal and religious freedom by displaying flags or banners expressing their religious beliefs on their homes or rooftops, and the expression of Grief at the martyrdom of Imam Hussein through processions. Similarly there is no justification to the raiding of Religious centers (Ma’tams) and the destruction of the displays of Ashura. All these practices are considered an obvious war on religious freedom in Bahrain.

Al Salman called on the government of Bahrain to respect its international obligations and commitments to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states in Article (18): “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to practice his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”

Finally, Al Salman said that the call by the Bahraini Human Rights Observatory to respect the rights and freedom of religious groups is not limited to a certain religious sect or religion without the other; but to respect all of them regardless of religious differences

Bangladesh attacks on Hindus condemned

“Dear Peace Loving People of the World,

The Executive Communities of International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF), United Religions Initiative (URI) and Religions for Peace (RfP) Bangladesh in an emergency joint meeting condemned with the strongest possible language against the atrocities done towards the Hindu communities in the recent past particularly, on the 2nd November, 2013 in Pabna (Northern Part of Bangladesh).

The members present urged upon the Govt. of Bangladesh and the people of conscience to come forward so that such kinds of atrocities towards the Hindu communities cannot take place in future. They condemned the Islamic political party namely, Jamat-e-Islam of Bangladesh and its students wing SHIBIR for creating all these heinous acts which are against Human Rights, Religious Freedom and especially against the teachings of Islam, which is, in truest sense of the term, a Religion of Peace.

The meeting was presided over by [Chair of IARF Bangladesh Chapter] Dr. Kazi Nurul Islam, Professor and Founding Chair, Department of World Religions and Culture; and Director, Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, University of Dhaka.

Yours in Peace:  Md.  Abu Taher, a Human Rights Activist of Bangladesh”.

British Chapter committee member elected to IFN-UK Executive

1 July 2013
The British Chapter of IARF has congratulated committee member Derek McAuley on his election to the Executive Committee of the Inter Faith Network for the United Kingdom.

The Inter Faith Network plays a key role in promoting good relations between people of different faiths in this country and advancing public knowledge and mutual understanding of the teachings, traditions and practices of the different faith communities in Britain.
The Executive Committee are the trustees and directors of the organization which is a registered charity and company.

Derek was nominated in the category of ‘Other Inter Faith Organisations’ at the Annual General Meeting held in Birmingham on 1 July 2013 and acts in an individual capacity.

Derek said:

“I am pleased to have the support of the IARF in my new role. IFN plays a significant role in promoting inter faith dialogue which as recent events have shown is key to good community relations. I am proud of the long-standing commitment of IARF, from its establishment in 1900, to developing good inter faith relations among the religions of the world and was a founder member of the Inter Faith Network”.