Category Archives: Government Oppression

Agartala: The people of the Chakma community living in parts of Tripura, Assam, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh observe August 17 as Black Day every year, in protest against the decision to give the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) region to what is present day Bangladesh, during Partition.

Who are Chakmas?

Chakmas are one of the largest ethnic groups living in the easternmost area of India and are native to the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) region of southeastern Bangladesh. The people of the Chakma tribe also live in various states of the Northeast, including Tripura, Mizoram, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. They are predominantly Buddhists.

At least 10 ethnic minorities including Chakma, Marma, Tipperas, Chak, Murung, Khumi, Lushai, Bowm, Pankho and Mog live in the CHT. The area spreads across 5,138 square miles and is bound on the north by Tripura, Arakan Hills of Myanmar on the south, Lushai Hills of Mizoram and Arakan Hills of Myanmar on the east and by Chittagong district on the west.

Also read: In Illustrations: The Story of the Chakmas

Since 2016, Chakma people have observed August 17 as Black Day. According to Chakma National Council of India (CNCI), Chakmas mourn the day of August 17, 1947, when the CHT region was awarded to then East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. The decision to include the region as part of Pakistan was announced only two days after India won freedom.

The CNCI was established in the year 2014, to address the problems of Chakmas nationally and internationally. In their first convention held in 2016 in Guwahati, the CNCI workers had decided to observe August 17 as Black Day.

The Chakma community observing August 17 as a Black Day in Tripura. Photo: author provided.

Aniruddha Chakma, vice-president of the CNCI Tripura explained that when the British colonial government finally acceded to the demand of giving independence to India and Pakistan on the basis of the theory that Muslim majority areas would fall in Pakistan and non-Muslim majority areas would be part of India. The CHT region of then undivided India should have been a part of India as it was predominantly a non-Muslim populated area, comprising over 98.5% ethnic hill tribes where the Chakmas were regarded as the majority.

Though the people of CHT and its leaders protested vehemently against this unjust decision and its leaders made every possible effort to bring back CHT to India, Indian leaders were not proactive. Thus, the CNCIs efforts and initiative is to make people aware that Chakmas have been one of the worst victims of partition, which made them stateless and one of the most discriminated and persecuted races on the globe, Aniruddha told The Wire.

He further said, It is noteworthy to mention that the Chakmas of CHT in anticipation of the merger of CHT with India hoisted the tricolour on August 15, 1947 for seven days at the district headquarter of Rangamati, till the Baloch Regiment of Pakistan army pulled it down on August 21, 1947.

He said that many pro-Indian Chakma nationalist leaders had to flee the CHT region due to their loyalty to India.

The Chakma leaders made every effort to merge CHT with India and for that our leaders Lieutenant Sneha Kumar Chakma and Lieutenant Kamini Mohan Dewan made several trips to New Delhi to meet national leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, to convince them to merge the CHT with India, he said, adding that during Independence, at least 98.5% of the region was inhabited by Buddhist and Hindu communities. However, it was still declared Pakistan territory by the Boundary Commission led by Sir Cyril Radcliffe.

Also read: India Needs a Proper Refugee Law, Not a CAA Suffused With Discriminatory Intent

Oppression against Chakmas

Seven decades since Independence, the Jumma tribes an umbrella community comprising 11 tribal clans of CHT, including Chakmas allege that they face oppression from security forces, political factions and land grabbers.

We are loyal to India. We wanted to merge with India at the time when East Pakistan was formed, he said.

Our community is facing oppression continuously. Security personnel keep disturbing them. Chakmas are caught between clashes of political factions like Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti, United Peoples Democratic Front and others. Land grabbing is happening at the hands of settlers.

Aniruddha said the CNCI has appealed to the International Court of Justice to look into the matter.

The rest is here:

Why Chakmas Observe August 17 as Black Day - The Wire

'There is a certain belief that the behaviour of Brahmins and Upper castes is already good. While my behavior needs to be judged, theirs need not,' says Vipin Veetil in this interview.

A 36-year-old assistant professor of the Economics Department at the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras, Vipin P Veetil, quit the premier institution in July and an email he wrote on the alleged caste discrimination he faced in the institute went viral. This caused huge public outrage, once again raising questions about the discrimination faced by both faculties and students belonging to oppressed communities at such institutions in the country.

After quitting IIT-M, Vipin joined another institution, but had to quit due to personal reasons. Vipin will soon be rejoining IIT-M after he decided to withdraw his resignation. According to IIT-M rules, faculty at Vipins position can return within a year after quitting the institution. However, he is waiting for the OBC Commission to probe a complaint that he has filed detailing the discrimination he faced. Vipin, who hails from Kerala, belongs to the Maniyani (OBC) caste.

Speaking to TNM, Vipin says that there is considerable oppression at different institutions in the country. He says there are only two groups in IIT Madras Brahmins and Non Brahmins, and the latter had been silently facing oppression for decades. He does, however, mention that in the case of IIT-M, there are active processes to deal with such cases, but they need to be strengthened significantly.

Answering some of the important questions in a Q&A session with TNM, Vipin clearly lays down the caste dynamics in IIT-M, the root cause of the problem and the solution at hand.

How many times had you written to IIT-M management before quitting?

I have written several emails to the management over the last two years. I had previously written to the grievances committee of IIT-M and have been reporting this incident for a good period of time.

I joined IIT-M in March 2019 and at the end of the year, I wrote for the first time regarding the general circumstances of discrimination and other issues in the campus. And in March 2020, I again wrote to the Head of Department of Economics and staff members of the Department, where I explicitly asked if the rules are different for Brahmins or are we all operating on the same rule? So I have raised such questions and issues for a long time, but none of the emails were leaked.

The last email was leaked and got all this attention because I resigned. So unless someone kills themselves or resigns there is no traction, which is unfortunate. However, thats the reality of the matter. Technically, I had resigned even before the email came out and I did not initially intend to write the email because I had written so many before and received no response. All these issues could have been sorted at a much lower level, but the Department is rotten and did not want to do so. I also filed a complaint with the grievances committee before resigning.

What was the incident that made you feel you were being discriminated against on the basis of caste?

I tried to teach a course, to which the Department staff said it cannot be done as I am in my probation period. I demanded that they give this in writing, but the HOD refused. Also a senior faculty member said that this is the time to observe my behaviour and that they cannot allow me to teach a new course.

Of course, people in the past have been stopped from teaching in the first year and this clearly does not account for discrimination. But after 10 months of me joining, another Brahmin faculty joined the Department. He was also on probation but he was allowed to teach two new courses in his first year. While he took classes, those who were against me teaching the course, had no concerns against him. No one in the Department said lets examine his behaviour. This actually prompted me to ask if the rules are different for Brahmins. I do not want him to discontinue teaching the course. My concern has only been about preference over caste.

How do the dynamics of giving preference to others (Brahmins or other upper castes) work in institutions like IIT-M according to you?

There is a certain belief that Brahmins and upper castes are superior and their behavior is already good. While my behavior needs to be judged, theirs need not.

And another important thing is that they are all connected with people in ministries, government committees and so on, and have powerful people to back them. And even if you want to raise something against them, you wont because you know you will have consequences as you come from nowhere.

My parents are not college professors. They havent even gone to college. I do not have MP connections or have anyone in the family who is a judge or even a lawyer.

Explain to us the caste dynamics in your Department that exposes caste privilege?

In our Department, every HOD was a Brahmin. In 2020, when there was a change in HOD, I raised this issue again. I requested that we have someone who is not a Brahmin. It doesnt have to be an OBC or SC member, but someone who is not a Brahmin, but again they appointed a Brahmin.

In our Department, there are 35 faculty members, in a total of 45 sanctioned positions. Now if you apply the 27 percent OBC reservation formula, that means roughly about 10 to 15 OBC professors. And if you apply for SC/ST reservation, that will be 5 to 10 SC/ST professors. But as far as I know, there is only one SC/ST professor and I got in through General Category and not OBC reservation. Hence I cannot be counted and maybe there is one OBC professor who got through reservation.

The Department has people of various ideologies, and most have leftist ideology. They have done PhD from JNU and other institutions, but when it comes to real conflict, they all unite on the basis of caste.

Do you feel this is a particular problem in your Department or IIT-M or other IITs?

There will always be places where the problem is more severe than others, but this is a twofold issue. Firstly, any Department or institute you create in India, you draw people from Indian society. So it will naturally tend to reflect the value, preference and behaviour of the people in the society. So this idea that you somehow can create institutions which will not reflect societies is not going to happen.

Nonetheless, within IIT-M, I feel this Department is particularly problematic among a few other Departments. The Civil Engineering Department, for example, is a good place to work in, I have been told. It is not that IIT-M per se is problematic. There are specific people in specific Departments who are problematic.

Secondly, places with the most amount of conflict need not be places with the most amount of oppression. Because conflict arises when the oppressed feel that they have some chance of victory when they challenge the oppressor. I am certain there are many institutions in India where the circumstances of oppression are much worse but you will never hear about it, because the oppressors know the oppressed will not fight back.

Are you saying you have a chance of victory if you fight back?

Absolutely, because the institute has set up an internal grievances committee and I filed a complaint before I resigned. Then I filed a complaint with the OBC commission and besides this, there is pressure from the media to do things.

So though there is sizable oppression at different institutions, in the case of IIT-M, there are active processes to deal with such cases, but they need to be strengthened significantly.

But what does not help is the comment made by people like Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on July 19 when he was asked by DMK leader TR Baalu about the discrimination at IIT-M and he said there is no discrimination at IIT-M.

There is a grievance committee that is currently inquiring into the matter but someone as powerful as him reaching the conclusion before the committee submits a report is unfair. Additionally, the National OBC commission is yet to begin its inquiry.

It is already difficult for people to report discrimination in this country. I was challenged when I decided to speak up. Because when in March I wrote to the HOD, a senior professor (current HOD) asked me to prove it because he was confident that I would not be able to prove it.

Are you wary about coming back to the Department?

Not at all. People who discriminate should be worried.

Have any of your colleagues warned you or shared their episodes of discrimination with you?

Yes, absolutely. I am able to do a lot of these things because there is support from other professors. When I was denied the opportunity to teach a course, a few professors supported me and said there is no such rule that you are not allowed to teach. I have documented emails about it.

And there were other colleagues who came and told me that there is a professor in the Department with great influence. I should watch what I do. He can call up the former CM and directly talk to him, they said. These are intimidation tactics and it does not work with me. But there are many who will be frightened. Thats why you cannot say if someone is oppressed or not depending on whether they are speaking or not.

Speaking out also depends on circumstances. I am single, but many professors at IIT-M have children who are studying in expensive schools. It is also costly to find another job, because even there another Brahmin or upper caste person will interview you and they will talk to each other and inform each other. Then where will you go?

Can you tell us more about the discrimination fellow colleagues have gone through?

Many fellow colleagues are there who have been denied promotions repeatedly. And in terms of work, the quality is better than the Chairperson who is publishing papers. But the problem is, he (colleague) is not a Brahmin.

In IIT-M, there are only two castes Brahmins and Non- Brahmins. Many faculties who do not belong to SC or OBC communities have also faced discrimination.

Some of them have developed health issues partly because of the structures they have created, structures that Non Brahmin faculty are forced to endure. Every time a Non Brahmin is denied promotion, they will create a new excuse for why he is not promoted and never give it in writing.

What are the other issues you find in the IIT-M management?

I raised an issue in November-December 2019 where I mentioned that the vast majority of IIT-M directors and deans have been Brahmins. And this needs to change. To let others be part of decision-making authority is a paramount, basic and democratic thing to do.

There is an election during the formation of the committee and Brahmins frequently vote and choose the leaders. Here, an important thing to note is that people from the Bahujan community vote once in four or five years, while Brahmins vote much more frequently.

Now we also want to be part of the committee where we vote ultimately making decisions on the resource allocation in society that we have no say in. It is a tax funded institution, money is taken from us.

If you want to run your own institution, bring your resources. You cannot have a tax funded institution which is not accountable to the general public.

How can discrimination and other concerns be addressed effectively?

Within the government system, there is no incentive to recruit on the basis of merit. Because the pay of the director is fixed, so it doesnt depend on how well the institution does. It is not like if you teach poorly, students will leave and you will lose money. Even if students leave, you will still get money.

Firstly, reservation should be imposed so that all communities have their numbers and representation. And a system where the director and dean positions are on rotation so that people from all castes are part of decision making. And reservation should be there in the IIT-M board also, this needs to be quick.

The education system needs to open up widely. The supply side needs to open up massively- Oxford, Cambridge and numerous American universities want to come to India. The elites have always been able to send their children to foreign countries for studies and now the Bahujan people want that quality of education.

Typically, private institutes in India are able to open up because they have social and financial capital. I would love to raise the money to start a private university, but I have not inherited wealth and cannot use the money made from stock exchanges, as by law, institutions cannot run for profit.

Because we dont have a thriving supply side in education due to the regulatory burden, it hurts the people unequally, especially those who have historically not had access to education.

Earlier (before the BJP government), foreign institutes could not come to India because of socialism and Marxism...as Americans are imperialists and what not. But still their children went to study there. Now, institutes are not allowed to come because of nationalism, so the elite always have some kind of grandstanding ideology. But they dont bear the cost, instead we bear the cost. Now we are not willing to bear the cost, we want that quality education, open up the education system and let people come in.

We want an open recruitment system so that Bahujan members are not preyed on by the social network of Brahmins and upper castes.

More here:

No one cares unless oppressed die or resign, IIT-M prof who alleged casteism to TNM - The News Minute

OTTAWA, ON, Aug. 12, 2021 /CNW/ - Settlement services are crucial to a newcomer's success in Canada. They help new Canadians get work, learn English or French, find a place to live and, more broadly, succeed in this country. With the pandemic exacerbating the already challenging process of beginning a new life in a new land, settlement services have never been more critical.

To help ensure that all newcomers have access to the support they need, the Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, today announced an investment of $100 million over the next 3 years to improve the way newcomers access settlement services through the service delivery improvements (SDI) process.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) launched the SDI 2020 funding process in 2020 to 2021. As a result of this process, 78 projects have been selected. These projects will explore how to better integrate newcomers in their new communities and support the settlement sector as it recovers from the pandemic. For example:

The University of Windsor's Artificial Intelligence: A Rapid Response Leveraging Newcomers' Pathway to Settlement will test whether artificial intelligence can be used to develop an effective settlement strategy for newcomers.

The Accessible Community Counselling and Employment Services' Connecting Canada: Employer Engagement Driving Settlement in Smaller Communities will test whether connecting newcomers with employers in smaller urban and rural communities before they arrive will lead to more newcomers choosing to settle there.

S.U.C.C.E.S.S.'s An Anti-Oppression Framework to Combat Systemic Racism in Immigrant Services will explore service approaches designed with an anti-oppression framework.

Throughout the pandemic, many settlement services have moved online. SDI funding will help IRCC determine the kinds of services newcomers need, while taking into account the increased reliance on online service delivery.

Story continues

Quote

"Settlement services play a fundamental role in Canada's immigration system. From work to housing to language training, they set newcomers up for success. During this challenging year and a half, I think it's safe to say everyone has needed support in some form or another. One can only begin to imagine the additional hurdles this pandemic has presented newcomers trying to start their lives in Canada. These new SDI projects will help us enhance and improve settlement services so every newcomer can reach their full potential here." The Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, P.C., M.P., Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Quick facts

Since 2017, SDI projects have centred on developing innovative approaches to better support the settlement and integration of newcomers.

Funding will begin in the fall of 2021 and run until March 31, 2024.

An SDI expression of interest process is run every 3 years to attract and consider new areas of study, with projects funded for up to 3 years. This 3-year funding cycle is subject to change based on knowledge gained through the SDI process.

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Government of Canada invests $100 million to support newcomers' integration - Yahoo Finance

Anton spent most of his life in Cuba before political oppression pushed him to immigrate to America in 2013.

It was not a lack of love and respect for his country that caused Anton to leave. On the contrary, Cuba was his beloved home. He never dreamed he would have to leave his life behind, but without the freedom to own property and earn a living free from government coercion, he and his wife felt they had no choice but to come to America.

PLF had the great honor of speaking with Antonnot his real nameabout the circumstances that led him to flee his own country because his individual liberty, specifically his right to economic liberty and property, and thus, his ability to pursue happiness, were threatened.

Speaking of his feelings upon making this difficult decision, he quotes a Cuban poet he has always admired: To

emigrate from the country that youre born to another country is like to take a tree, a big tree, and transplant the whole tree with the root in another land.

He added, It takes time, but at the end of the day, he knew it was the right decision.

Some immigrants speak of the material opportunity that led them to America, but for Anton it was the Cuban governments quest to squash the individual that led to his exodus.

Anton and his family had committed what he describes as the three cardinal sins under communism: They were religious, they owned property (a few acres of land), and they had a history of distrust for the communist government. This painted a target on their backs and earned them a reputation as being capitalist sympathizersthe worst trespass of them all.

Antons family owned a small farm where they planted fruit and raised livestock which they would then sell to their local community. Community was important to his family. They also built churches for communities around the country.

Anton embraced the individualist mindset and used his skills to improve himself, his family, and his broader communities.

Owning property was bad enough on its own, but having the nerve to privately sell goods was a direct violation of communist principles.

His familys reputation followed Anton everywhere he went, from grade school to his first job. Communist governments make the claim that everyone is equal under their system, but Anton and his family were not treated as such.

Their beliefs were contrary to the post-1959 revolution Cuban way of life, and the family was discriminated against accordingly.

But Anton was brave beyond measure. Despite the great danger he and his family faced, they continued to build churches and feed the community.

Building an enterprise of any scale was not the communist way. Any form of entrepreneurship not sponsored by the government needed to be squashed in the name of the collective good.

As a young boy in school, Anton was taught to follow the works of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. He and his classmates were told that they would one day have one society where money would be useless. Under this ideal system, the Cuban people would work in factories, they were promised. When they finished their nine-hour shifts, the government would provide them with everything they needed. If they needed clothes, they would be given clothes. If they needed food, they would be given food.

This was the utopia the Cuban socialists strived to create. But such a system can never exist unless the individual is sacrificed to the masses.

Human nature dictates that individuals each have different wants and needs. It was of little importance to communist supporters that some may not want to work in a factory. Others may prefer goods and services not provided to them by the government. And some may not be willing to sacrifice the freedom to own property and keep the income they earn for whatever is deemed in the interest of the public good.

This ideal society does not and cannot exist.

As Anton expressed, We are not in a perfect world. And, what happened in Cuba in 1959 when the revolution took power, they took everything from the rich people. They made everybody equal. So, everybody in the end was very poor. There was no incentive for people to work, no incentive for the farmers to grow food. There was no incentive for people to go to factories to work because, again, in a perfect world, this idea that they are talking about is nice, but like I say, were not in perfect world.

Communist regimes make grandiose promises of free stuff and equality, but there is no such thing as a free lunch, and equality of outcome is a perverse distortion of equality of opportunity. As Anton explained:

In my opinion, nothing in life is free, because yeah, its like that you are try to kill me and give my stuff away for free. Really?

He continued: People have good intentions, I understand this, but I will have to say that the way to the hell is good intentions.

The sanctity of the individual is undermined by collectivists ideologies, both in our own country and abroad. By placing the collective good before the sanctity of the individual, socialism and its more extreme form, communism, jeopardize our ability to live freely, peacefully, and productively without interference by government.

While our free-market, democratic system has helped keep full-fledged socialism and communism at bay, other countries have not fared so well absent these economic principles, as Antons story shows. We should use his story to be vigilant in protecting our capitalist system from the threat of socialism.

Anton laments that, thanks to American filmmaker Michael Moore, westerners have developed a false perception of socialism, especially when it comes to Cuban healthcare.

Michael Moore never went to our hometown hospital. He went to the best government hospitals. When he came back, he said that Cuba is a paradise.

He does not deny that the doctors in his country are talented, but they are underpaid. Doctors are expected to work without incentives. They bring home $40 to $50 per month, according to Anton.

The concept is free, he says, but in the reality it is very expensive, and as a Cuban, we are paying for this. Instead of bringing home an income and deciding for yourself if you would like to spend the money on a doctor, you are left with no choice.

And the education in Cuba is often not sufficient to train doctors; they have to go to other countries, like Brazil or Venezuela.

When we say free things, personally, we dont believe it. They are not free. This is a lie.

It was with a heavy heart that he and his wife eventually had to make the painful decision to leave their children, grandchildren, and friends behind in Cuba. It wasnt just their own lives they feared forthey also feared for those involved in the organizations they were active in.

If we dont leave the country, he thought, We will have serious problems, especially the part of the organization that we work over there in Cuba. The motive that I had to leave Cuba was more for safety and security, not just for me and my wife, but also for what was being done in Cuba.

So they left their old life behind and came to America.

The textbook definition of socialism is when the collective, or the government, controls the means of production, distribution, and exchange. Communism takes this further, giving the government total control over economic and even social issues.

Anton explains that each self-described socialist and communist country has adopted its own version of what this economic system means, despite what the actual definition may be. When asked the difference between socialism and communism, Anton explained that there is very little difference between the two.

In America today, many people push for socialism as a means of getting to equality. Anton would like to give advocates of such a system, like Senator Bernie Sanders, the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps they arent talking about the same kind of socialism that destroyed his own country. But having seen the horrors of collectivism first-hand, he knows to be wary of such ideologies.

Anton has adapted to his new life in America. The freedom to hold and express ones own opinion is among his favorite aspects of American way of life. Unlike Cuba, in America, he loves talking to people with a host of different beliefs. He may not always agree, but he treasures the freedom they are allowed to exercise.

Our American government was instituted to keep each individual sovereign, possessing an inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of our own happiness, something Anton did not have in Cuba.

One core concept all our Pacific Legal Foundation cases have in common is the principle of individualism. Whether we are fighting for equality before the law, property rights, economic liberty, free speech, or separation of powers, protecting the individual stands at the center of all we do.

When organizations like PLF fight for the dignity of the individual here in America, we are doing it to protect our countrys founding principles that have helped us maintain our freedom while other countries have crumbled.

PLFs main focus is law. But Antons story gives an example of how law and economics go hand in hand. Without the freedom to pursue his own happiness and earn his own living, there was no individual liberty. Socialism cant work on a foundation of individual liberty.And under such an oppressive government, there was no one to fight for him.

We should remember Antons powerful words: Cuba was heaven before 1959; when he left, he says, it was hell.

More here:

One Cuban immigrant's story reminds us of the importance of fighting for individual liberty - Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF)

It felt as if we were close to having a normal life again. People were getting vaccinated. We could see friends and family without fear of what could be. Times felt a lot less lonely and a little fuller of life.

We stood in lines, got a needle stabbed in the arm and were asked to sit for a few minutes to make sure there were no reactions. We had waited for that moment for a year. Wished, prayed, begged for something to help protect those whom we love most. Finally, we got news of a vaccine. It was like seeing pink skies after a storm. There was a new light born, though it had just been dark.

And yet, we went through all of this for people to sit there and compare Covid restrictions and the vaccines to the Holocaust. Yes, some folks are comparing a vaccine check to six million Jews who perished during the Holocaust. Who wouldve guessed that the two had so much in common? Its mind-boggling. Its disrespectful. Its an unthinkable comparison and more than a little anti-Semitic.

How privileged is it to think that a thing were going through is the same depth of oppression that caused large numbers of people to be rounded up, systematically starved and then murdered? How comfortable are we that the slightest inconvenience within our lives is called persecution? The things that were going through shine no light on what others have gone through before us. To compare the two is not only irrelevant, but selfish. To be living a free life, its almost like some folks want to be oppressed (or at least claim the idea). That is, until they realize what those words mean.

I was 17 years old when I got called into the office at my high school. They sat me down at an oval table and explained that because I never got vaccinated for chicken pox, I might not be able to go to college. But at that time, I had already been sick with it, so there was no need to be vaccinated again. But even then, I realized that certain institutions and careers (like medical) require people to be vaccinated before and during their time there to ensure the safety of their business. Heck, even to get into public school. No matter how many tears I shed while growing up getting the vaccines, I didnt realize that we were being oppressed by the government.

No matter how much it made my hands sweat, I knew it was something we had to do. Its not even new. So, why is it only bad now?

Im not one of those who think everyone should be forced to get vaccinated, contrary to a lot of popular opinions. Most folks should, but medical issues do hinder some. I understand and empathize. Id rather be more cautious around them than be on edge wondering if their body can handle it or not.

But because there are people living and breathing human beings who could be severely affected by this should be enough to disprove that this isnt a form of persecution, but merely an act of humility.

I pray they never have to endure true oppression, but they should learn the difference between real and perceived.

Hannah Morgan, a native of Wyoming County, is attending WVU in pursuit of a career in journalism. Her email is hannahmorgan13943@hotmail.com.

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A truer meaning of persecution | Opinion | register-herald.com - Beckley Register-Herald

PALESTINIAN journalists are facing increased violence and oppression at the hands of the Palestinian Authority (PA), according to a report from a leading media rights group today.

The Palestinian Centre for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) said that a crackdown by President Mahmoud Abbassaw violations committed by the PA against media workers exceed those of Israel for the first time.

It described the development as shocking and dangerous with reporters facing a wave of serious attacks and restrictions on press freedom in the occupied territories.

Mada said the situation for journalists had deteriorated since the mysterious death of prominent PA critic Nizar Banat in PA custody in June, which triggered mass protests calling for Mr Abbas to resign.

His cousin, who was present when Fatah security forces raided Mr Banats home, said he was beaten with metal and wooden sticks before being stripped naked and bundled into the back of a military vehicle.

Human rights groups and Mr Banats family said that the autopsy showed that he suffocated from blood in his lungs after being beaten by security forces.

Demonstrations in the aftermath of the killing of the former Fatah member were met with a brutal response from the security forces, with scores taken into custody and tear gas being fired at protesters.

Mada said there was a clear official Palestinian attempt to prevent media coverage of the protests in the West Bank after Mr Banats killing, without any consideration for press freedoms or the safety of journalists.

Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammed Shtayyeh insists that the PA respects press freedom, but said that coverage should be responsible and not distort issues to favour certain political agendas.

Madas June report said that the media NGO viewed with great seriousness the dangerous deterioration in freedom of expression, which is now subject to serious violations by security agencies that are supposed to protect citizens, journalists and media workers, and not violate their rights.

In 2017 Mr Abbas introduced the oppressive Electronic Crimes Law, which has seen journalists and government critics arrested and jailed while websites, Twitter accounts and Facebook pages have been shut down.

Mr Abbas delayed elections scheduled for May the first in Palestine for 15 years blaming Israel for refusing to administer the poll in occupied East Jerusalem.

Critics said the poll was delayed deliberately with Mr Abbas fearing a strong showing forHamas.

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Palestinian journalists face increased oppression as PA violations exceed those of Israel for first time - Morning Star Online

Understanding the challenges of creating unity in the diversity that was going to become India, the founding fathers of this nation drew from the constitutions of 10 other countries. The words in the Preamble of the Indian constitution are from the American and French constitutions.

Give to ourselves this Constitution points to the necessity that Indians believe it is theirs, and therefore, they own and apply it. This implies the securing of justice for each other.

To ensure these responsibilities and expectations are understood, the constitution expands these four points into fundamental rights. These are nothing but guarantees of freedom.

For example, the right to equality is nothing but freedom from institutional and social discrimination, injustice and oppression. Acknowledging the chains of feudalism and caste, the right to freedom has been explicitly incorporated. There is also the right to the freedom of religion, and cultural and educational rights.

Also read:The Paradoxes of Indian Democracy That Babasaheb Ambedkar Predicted Are Coming True in Unexpected Ways

The fundamental duties, taken from the erstwhile USSR, is the constitutions practical guide for citizens. These include abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institution; to promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of India transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities; to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women; to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform.

Recognising that diversity can create dissonance, the Indian constitution was not only a North Star but a handbook to achieve and maintain stability.

This year, India begins celebrations of its 75th year of independence. Also, it is the eighth year of celebrating Independence Day with Narendra Modi as Prime Minister. As August 15 commemorates India attaining freedom from colonial rule, it is a good time to discuss the health of our constitutional freedoms and our ability and desire to fulfil our fundamental duties.

Indias freedom distorted

Take for example the fundamental duty of developing a scientific temper. The countrys current scientific temper is not based on the spirit of inquiry and reform. It is constructed on fragile egos, the need for self-affirmation and the desire to make real a mythological past to polish the present. So it is no surprise that the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, threatened violence if religious and caste sentiments are hurt during the proceedings of the conference on Culture and Linguistic Hurdles in the Achievement of Scientific Temper co-hosted by the Central University at Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, and Montclair State University. The Central university cancelled the event hours before it began.

But what can be expected from Indian citizens when their leaders, right from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, eschew rational thought and misrepresent mythology as science to further their Hindutva agenda?

PM Narendra Modi. Photo: Facebook

It is but natural the other fundamental duties like promoting harmony and striving towards excellence are given short shrift. A scientific temper leads to respect for differing views and encouraging them. Opposing and alternate views are a political, societal and intellectual stimuli necessary for a country and people desiring excellence. But in todays India, this is a depreciating asset and therefore facing an existentialist crisis.

Prime Minister Modi has claimed on the international stage that democracy is an ancient tradition in India. If that is so, then why would the centuries-old caste system be so oppressive and restrictive? And why is it used to repress millions in modern Indian society? It is possible that nobody has brought to Modis attention Dr. B.R Ambedkars quote,

Democracy is not merely a form of GovernmentIt is essentially an attitude of respect and reverence towards fellowmen.

It could also be that Modis post-graduation in entire political science did not cover democracy and forms of governing in ancient India. Thus, it is important to look at the state of at least two fundamental rights the right to freedom and the right to equality.

There can be no freedom without equality, and vice-versa.

Also read:Of the Thin Line Between Dissent and Terrorism: The Substance of Democracy

The strangeness of the countrys situation is this: Indians are choosing to be led into dystopia. Citizens are egging on leaders to carry out their plans and revel when government critics are squashed. This in a way is the highest form of freedom and democracy.

Given how the Hindutva narrative has been built and spread over the last few years one wonders whether the choice really belongs to Indians or have they been made to believe it is theirs? When differing thoughts are labelled anti-national what choice remains?

If there is no choice, can there be freedom? There is also no equality, because the state criminalises and punishes those with a contrarian stance, and others are coerced into taking a pro-government stance and vilified for not doing so.

It is not only the absence of choice of criticising or supporting the government. The freedom to choose how to live is also narrowing. Indian Hindu-Muslim couples face the wrath of bigoted laws and society. Moral policing by the state and zealots has extended to food and humour too.

The stability that the Indian constitution promises require freedom, respect and equality. This is being replaced by the stability of a monoculture. Therefore as Dr. B.R Ambedkar cogently and presciently observed every act of independent thinking puts some portion of an apparently stable world in peril.

The independence, and therefore freedom, of every pillar of Indian democracy has been purposefully toyed with or curtailed. Everything from judicial independence to elections and the media has been affected. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) governments alleged use of Pegasus on Indian citizens suggests the value it places on the right to freedom.

Concurrently, the BJP government has bestowed on itself two freedoms freedom from accountability, and freedom from the truth. The Prime Minister and his government have not taken responsibility for the consequences of demonetisation, the sudden announcement of lockdown, the lack of oxygen supply and the flailing distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. This has been enabled by them using the freedom from truth. India bore witness to this when the health minister in Rajya Sabha stated that no one died from lack of oxygen.

One cant help but see the humour, even if gallows humour, of this. In lieu of the BJP governments seeming inability and reticence to secure for Indians the guarantees enshrined in the Constitution, it has instead provided Indians with freedom from rational thought, freedom from trusting democratic institutions, freedom from a free media while giving to itself freedom from accountability and freedom from the truth.

Samir Nazareth is the author ofthe travelogue,1400 Bananas, 76 Towns & 1 Million People. He tweets at @samirwrites.

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Our Guaranteed Freedoms in the Constitution Now Stand Subverted - The Wire

ISLAMABAD - You are free! You are free to go to your temples. You are free to go to your mosques or to any other places of worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion, caste or creedthat has nothing to do with the business of the state, Quaid-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah delivered these historical remarks in his speech on 11th August 1947.

Quaid-Azam in this memorable speech mainly focused on religious freedom, rule of law and equality of all in the country.

The founder of Pakistan set the framework for future national behaviour about the religious minorities in his last speeches by strongly emphasizing that this country is for all segments of religions and everyone is free to go to his worship place whether it is temple, mosque or church.

This laid down the liberal dimensions of ideology as many thought that Pakistan got independence on Islamic basis and there would discrimination with religious minorities.

But, Quaid framed the foundation that Islam is not conservative, and identity and ideology are quite separate entities and not to be mixed. This is the need of the day now that what is meant by independence, liberty, freedom and liberal character of modern statehood orientation.

Following the guidelines of Jinnah, all the governments in Pakistan in their tenure give respect to the religious minorities. The country the other day [August 11, Wednesday] observed the National Minorities Day with full respect to honour the services and sacrifices of the minorities.

Prime Minister Imran Khan and President Arif Alvi, in their separate messages, expressed their views that all communities living in the country will be treated and respected equally so that the country could further march on the path of progress and development.

The participation and celebration of religious minorities on the Independence Day [14th August] with zeal and zest is testimony to the fact that they are being provided equal rights and opportunity in the country without any discrimination.

Following the teaching of the founder of the Pakistan, the governments immediately react in case of any discrimination with minorities in any part of the country. Recently, a news regarding attack on a temple by a mob in Bhong [village in Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab] flashed on electronic media and even some elements made an attempt to negatively portray it on social media. But, the law enforcement agencies on the special instructions of the Prime Minister have taken notice to control the situation in the area.

The lawmakers in the Parliament also unanimously passed a resolution to condemn attack on a Hindu temple, saying that Islam and the Constitution of Pakistan provide protection to the rights of non-Muslims.

The lawmakers, in the recently passed resolution from the National Assembly of Pakistan, reaffirmed the commitment to protect rights of non-Muslims. The lawmakers from both sides of the aisle unanimously expressed their resolve that the steps should be taken to avert such incidents in the future, and Pakistani nation stands by the Hindu community in this hour of grief and sorrow.

Though MNAs expressed their resolve that the non-Muslims should enjoy equal rights in Pakistan, yet they also regretted that the minorities in India are also not safe from the Modi governments oppression. The prompt response of authorities concerned, against the charged mob ransacking the temple, is testimony to the fact that the government in Pakistan is taking care of all the rights of the minorities in the country.

Showing reverence to Quaid on his special message about minorities in the Pakistan, the Independence Day [14th August] is celebrated without any discrimination in the country to reaffirm the commitment that despite belonging to different faiths, we are one nation.

Read more:

Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and religious minorities of Pakistan - The Nation

The nosy neighbor, pictured with a pair of binoculars, standing in dubious moral shadows (of a curtain), in pursuit of gossip-cum-information, has long been a mainstay in Indian media. This trope is emblematic of the Indian sensibility around privacy or, rather, the lack thereof.

Right from a widespread acceptance of men and censoring elders looking at women on the street, to neighbors who think nothing of socially surveilling each other, invasions of privacy are normalized or socially sanctioned in the name of protecting culture, or morals, or a communitys honor, Usha Raman, a professor of media studies and digital culture at the University of Hyderabad, notes.

Just as people accept seemingly innocuous surveillance from family members and communities, the idea of the government surveying its people too doesnt grate on us. Societal acceptance of physical surveillance leads to an acceptance of privacy digitally. On an individual level, the gaps in understanding personal privacy also impact how (little) we think about it in a digital arena. Collectively, surveillance becomes normalized on a national level, becoming a democracys Achilles heel.

A 1992 study showed people in South Asia tend to report a lower need for privacy than western counterparts. Theorist Hofstede also postulated that India is a collectivist society because of which people have more trust and faith in other people.Be it people elbowing each other in a crowded bus or strangers sharing berths on a train without raising an eyebrow, Osama Manzar and Urvashi, researchers at the Digital Empowerment Foundation, wrote in a 2017 article, personal space is not considered of significance at home or outside [in India]. The social nexus is perpetuated owing to unique family structures, crowded public spaces, and a general understanding of sharing; social interactions become of the highest priority consequently.

This is because the radius of what Indian families consider private is small, and a culture of submission paints demanding more space as an anomaly to Indian values. Individual privacy is only recently becoming even recognized in Indian society, and within families its a very tenuous concept, Raman notes.In other words, privacy is almost an illusion or worse, considered an extravagance we dont need.

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Rohini Lakshan, a technologist and public policy researcher, compiled a list of some movies that further this understanding of exploitative surveillance. Mainstream films like Humpty Sharma ki Dulhaniya, Masaan, or Chappa Kurishu carry the motif of surveillance things like hidden cameras planted in bathrooms. The perpetrators of such invasions face no punitive action. In a way, these depictions show a level of normalization Lakshan says.

In the end, the issue of privacy is too often presented as a binary. You can have privacy, or you can have security. But no one asks security from whom? [security] for what? Raman points out.

There are certain T.V. crime shows which show the police tapping phones or keeping a tab on an individual or families, where the police believe that the concerned person is a terrorist or a criminal, Pallavi Bedi, a researcher at the Center for Internet and Society, notes. The problem, however, is most of these thriller shows do not depict the actual procedure involved in undertaking surveillance, leaving the legality of these operations unclear.

This doesnt stray too far from real life. The argument of imposing surveillance in the name of national security has become an easy go-to for the government.

In the absence of adequate oversight and safeguards, surveillance by the government can be used to profile people and take down populations or individuals that the government wants to repress or oppress. The tabled DNA Bill, which is expected to be taken up in this years Lok Sabha session, is a pertinent example to that effect.

Interestingly, in the list of people allegedly being surveilled using Pegasus a spyware that can hack into smartphones and even take control of it numbers of various activists, such as Umar Khalid, were found. Research has also shown the extent to which data can be weaponized to influence voter perception, ideologies, and even distort realities.

Our general disregard for privacy and its value in our everyday (offline) lives has led to a blindness to how this right to privacy is being flouted by powerful actors, Raman adds.

As a result, people dont hesitate to volunteer information, or unassumingly give it up, when asked. The raft of personal information required in the context of an Aadhar card, or even Aarogya Setu, is then not considered a breach of privacy. What happens to this data or who uses it are all but semantics.

Related on The Swaddle:

Report About India Spying on Journalists, Politicians Sparks Concern Over Illegal Surveillance

Our cultural ideas around privacy inevitably translate into a tepid demand for privacy and data protection laws. In a world where we are increasingly dependent on digital services and digitized data, it is absolutely necessary to have legislation that safeguards the rights of citizens, Rohini notes. Only in 2017, mere four years ago, the Supreme Court recognized the right to privacy as a fundamental right. Indians cultural context imposes challenges in understanding and implementing privacy as a right that is intrinsic to life and liberty, a lawyer noted. Even in the 2017 SC guidelines, privacy was largely posited as the right to be left alone.

Currently, communication surveillance mainly takes place under two laws the Telegraph Act, 1885 (interception of calls) and the Information Technology Act (surveillance of electronic communication). There are no regulations to address the various gaps in both legal frameworks in order to discourage overreach.

Despite performing several transactions online, allowing servers to access our digital footprints, our understanding of the implications remains grossly thin; people think all of this is par for the course in a digital society, Raman adds.

Such normalizing of the governments intervention in daily life inevitably leads people to do self-censorship for an outside chance that the government might be listening.

All of this then leads to a normalized or socially sanctioned culture of surveillance some scholars call this co-veillance, Raman argues. It is where we forgive a great deal of intrusion from our communities, and are made to feel guilty if we choose to remain private, and to not share.

Those who make demands of privacy are viewed as particularly deviant, because privacy becomes synonymous with secrecy, akin to a rebel teenager asking for space or deleting texts to prevent their parents from seeing it. People in power can brazenly say things such as only wrongdoers need privacy.

People who resist such surveillance are labeled as people who are up to some kind of wrongdoing, or have skeletons in their closet, or are immoral and disreputable. Ive noticed persons who oppose government surveillance being labeled anti-national, terrorist sympathizers/apologists or terrorists themselves,Lakshan notes. In the absence of adequate oversight and safeguards, surveillance can be used to profile people and as a tool of oppression.

The I have nothing to hide argument normalizes any form of surveillance by making a moral judgment about what people hide insisting that no harm will be caused to people if privacy is breached. The idea of consent is grievously missing: people should choose to share whats happening inside their homes, or their hides.

Privacy is termed a bug in Indian culture. In 2018, for instance, a lawyer representing the central government noted the futility of privacy in India, and how Indians cannot import conceptions of privacy.

The problem with disowning privacy as a foreign concept, or a colonial hangover, is what leads to it being viewed as a frivolity. Most Indian languages, Manzar and Urvashi noted, dont have a word for privacy; the closest they come to understanding is through perceptions of things such as shame. Such gaps in understanding are telling of a larger crisis of personal identity, socio-cultural values, and national identity.

Before databases are linked, before there is interoperability of government and corporate and legal and financial data, we need to stop and ensure that better protections are in place, that we are given the option to decide what we share and to what extent we share it, says Usha Raman.

These issues need to be explored to a point of exhaustion. What hangs in the balance is our power to define ourselves in the most fundamental ways. There is too much at stake for us not to fight for this right to privacy and really spell out what it means.

Read more:

Indian Culture Normalizes Spying. This Affects How We View Digital Privacy - The Swaddle

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AfghanistanThe Taliban have now captured the provincial capital of Ghazni, a strategically important city on the Kabul-Kandahar Highway, less than 100 miles to the south of Kabul. The fall of Ghazni marks the 10th city the militants have taken in less than a weeks time. With the fierce advance of the Taliban, who now control an estimated two-thirds the country, Afghan officials are rushing to revive ties with militias and get their help fighting the Taliban. For years, the Afghan government worked to disband and disarm warlords and their militias, but now its doing a 180. The Worlds Shirin Jaafari reports from Herat, Afghanistan, on the role of anti-Taliban militias .

OPECWith the price at the pump heading north, the Biden administration is putting pressure on the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to pick up the pace and restore global supply of petroleum to pre-pandemic levels. The push for more oil production would appear to cut in the opposite direction of Bidens attempts to counter climate change and shift the country away from fossil fuels. White House officials argue the higher prices are slowing economic recovery following the global recession.

ItalyThe brutal heat wave in southern Europe continues to dangerously plague the region, creating optimal hot and dry conditions for widespread wildfires. Though not independently verified, Sicily reported on Wednesday a temperature of 48.8 degrees Celsius (119.84 degrees Fahrenheit), that if confirmed, would mark the highest temperature ever recorded in Europe surpassing 48 degrees Celsius (118.40 degrees Fahrenheit) recorded in Athens, Greece, in 1977 in Athens.

Under the UK's British National Overseas visa program, people fleeing from oppression in Hong Kong are trying to make the most of their new lives in England. And though they are looking forward to more freedom of expression, some of them are finding it difficult for their families to settle in and adjust.

The Greek government has announced relief measures for those impacted by massive wildfires that have ravaged the country for more than a week. Meanwhile, officials say significant progress has been made containing the wildfires that engulfed parts of the country for more than a week. But locals in fire-prone areas are still on alert. The Worlds Lydia Emmanouilidou spent the day with a group of Evia locals battling the flames.

It's not a great feeling when you get on the wrong bus on your way to an important appointment. This is what happened to Jamaicanhurdler Hansle Parchment as he was heading to the track and field venue for the 110m semi-final at the recent Tokyo Olympics. He took the wrong bus and found himself at the aquatic venue for the games, penniless.

An Olympic volunteer gave Parchment money for a cab, arriving just in time for him to warm up and compete. He placed second and later took gold in the final. Now, the Jamaican government has invited Trijana Stojkovic, the good samaritan who gave Parchment the cab fare, to the Caribbean Island.

In Afghanistan, three more regional capitals fell to the Taliban yesterday. That makes nine in less than a week. One of the latest to fall is the city of Pul-i-Khumri, in Baghlan province, a vital piece of territory. And wildfires continue to rage in parts of Greece, including on Evia island. The Greek government has announced relief measures for those impacted. Also, EU officials are accusing Belarus' strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko of using the migrants as political pawns to retaliate against EU sanctions.

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The Taliban take 10th provincial capital in offensive - The World