THE religious diversity in South Asia is being undermined by violations of freedom of faith and belief (FoRB), the Bishop of Newcastle, Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, has said.
She was speaking within the House of Lords on Monday evening, in a brief debate called by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, about how the UK was protecting FoRB in South Asia.
“A denial of FoRB is commonly a warning sign for challenges and human-rights troubles to return,” Dr Hartley said. “The UK must, subsequently, proceed to reaffirm its commitment to FoRB, particularly concerning regions where increasing threats to this foundational right are present. South Asia is home to a wealthy mosaic of religions. However, the religious diversity on this region is being undermined.”
She drew attention to the situation in Pakistan, where blasphemy laws were being misused, “often leading to mob violence and extrajudicial killings”. Ahmadi Muslims were a “major goal” for prosecutions.
She also spoke about Sri Lanka, where minority-religious groups were being targeted by state authorities. “Government policies reflect the Buddhist nationalist movements present inside the country through the limitation of the flexibility to freely worship by creating discriminatory registration processes for places of worship.” The Prevention of Terrorism Act was also getting used to arrest, detain, and torture Muslims and Tamils, she said.
Dr Hartley went on to say that FoRB was “a worldwide responsibility”, and that the appointment of a special envoy was “a matter of urgency” (News, 4 October)
The former Bishop of Oxford Lord Harries also spoke in the talk concerning the Dalits in India, “the previous untouchables, a terrific variety of whom are Christians or Buddhists”.
Dalits were vulnerable to being trafficked and compelled into slavery, and were also discriminated against in the realm of employment.
Christian Dalit villages had, lately, been “attacked by mobs”, and there had been “great difficulty bringing charges against the perpetrators, followed by long delays in bringing them to trial”.
He asked: “Will the Government press the Indian government to overhaul the criminal-justice system in order that Dalits and non secular minorities can have proper access to justice? At the moment, it’s failing minority communities very badly.”
Baroness Chapman, responding to the talk for the Government, said: “The Government recurrently raise the importance of non secular tolerance and freedom of faith or belief, including at the very best levels. . . Through our programmes, we’re directly supporting communities and affected populations and addressing drivers.”
