May Day rally highlights plight of Stockholm’s ‘paperless’

IANS  |  Stockholm  May 2, 2013 Last Updated at 14:23 IST

Source - Business Standard

Swaying, trancing, dervishing to the mantras beat on several score drums, thousands of demonstrators snaked through the wide arteries of the Swedish capital on May Day with one single demand: Let Stockholm be free of discrimination!

An estimated 15,000 to 20,000 of these “illegals” live a catacomb existence, many for over a decade. Known as “the paperless”, for their lack of valid documentation, these miserable people hailing from different countries around the world – a large number from South Asia – await with ever dwindling hope for the various promises of the Swedish Riksdag (parliament) to normalize their situation.

Of the South Asian countries, the worst affected are refugees from war-torn Afghanistan.

Sathbir, an Afghan Hindu, told IANS: “I live in fear, day and year out, under constant damoclean threat of deportation. They contend that since US administration have declared that Afghanistan is safe, we have no reason to desire asylum any longer.

“They hardly realise the realities of clan-feuds that can persist there, no matter how many assurances of peace the government can claim. Especially, the Hindu minority continues to be the most vulnerable; not only from Taliban or other political entities but from our own erstwhile neighbours…friends, their coveting of our lands, homes.”

One marching activist, Anna Fredriksson, told IANS: “Nowadays, the Swedish Immigrations’ Board carry out deportations under draconian secrecy. Their main accomplice is the Turkish Airlines (TA). Bundled aboard their night flight, they are handed over to Turkish authorities that carry out the final leg of the process.

“Just last night we attempted to stop a TA flight leaving Arlanda Airport with two deportees, but our efforts were frustrated…,” said Fredriksson.

Afghan security extends to minority populations

Sikh and Hindu Afghans gratefully welcome a better quality of life after years of extremist-led turmoil.

By Hasan Khan

Source - Central Asia Online

JALALABAD, Afghanistan – Government and coalition actions to restore peace and stability to Afghanistan have improved the quality of life for minorities who endured violence and discrimination by the Taliban and other extremist groups, residents and officials said.

Iqbal Singh, left, a Sikh shopkeeper, sells herbal medicines and perfumes in a bustling Jalalabad market near a Sikh temple February 20. Many minorities are experiencing an improved quality of life with restored security in Afghanistan. [Hasan Khan]

“Gone are the days when people fear Afghanistan will fall into chaos,” Gardiwal, a senior government official who identified himself only by his first name because he lacked authority to speak to media officially, told Central Asia Online. “The prevailing peace and stability in Afghanistan are giving hope and confidence to all Afghans, including minorities.”

And residents and officials predict that life will continue to return to normal as the administration continues the restorative course.

“We are confident in the Afghan security forces’ capabilities for defending the country from any aggression,” said Iqbal Singh, a young Jalalabad Sikh shopkeeper selling herbal medicines and perfumes near a Sikh temple. In contrast to the days of the Taliban reign of terror in Afghanistan (1996-2001), minorities are now fully enjoying religious and economic freedom.

Cases of high-handedness with members of minorities have been reported across the country during the past decade, Amir Khan, a member of the Afghan parliament, said. “These reports are insignificant,” he said. And they have prompted the government to respond, he said.

“For us (parliamentarians) and the government, Sikhs, Hindus and Christians are just like other Afghan Muslims … even our constitution guarantees all rights to the minorities,” Amir told Central Asia Online.

In addition to providing security, the government is ready to listen and resolve the problems of minorities, Singh said in support of the change.

“Not only have their religion and Afghan culture been preserved, but the conditions have ensured protection of minorities’ lives and property,” Haji Din Muhammad, a tribal elder and former governor of Kabul, told Central Asia Online.

Many minorities fled but could return as stability improves

Afghanistan formerly had sizable Sikh and Hindu communities, particularly in the east, but many of them migrated to Pakistan and elsewhere because of instability in the country during recent years, Singh told Central Asia Online.

A 2010 UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) report indicates that about 50,000 Hindus and Sikhs lived in Afghanistan in 2000, but most left in the first decade of the century, with only about 1,000 Sikhs remaining, mostly in Jalalabad.

“And my guess is there would be hardly 500 to 600 [Hindu and Sikh] families remaining in Kabul and other cities,” Sardar Singh, a Sikh shopkeeper, told Central Asia Online as he waited for customers.

As the quality of life returns, some predict that more of the minorities who left the country will come back, a trend that is already visible.

Afghan officials, citing difficulties in tracking the movement of people in the country, could not provide any specific numbers for how many have left and returned, but Deputy Parliament Speaker Mir Wais Yasini said, “It is a fact that some [Sikhs and Hindus] who migrated to other countries during the days of jihad and the Taliban are returning.”

Minorities generally feel safe

Of those minorities interviewed for this story, most spoke well of the improved security situation and said that they feel safe today in Afghanistan, but a few acknowledged an undercurrent of concern.

Sardar Singh said he feels no tension between minorities and local Muslims.

Though many are enjoying the freedom and prosperity that peace and security have brought, some still say that life is not as smooth as it was before the “days of jihad.”

“No doubt we are living normally and nobody is harassing us,” said Yaqub Pervez, an elderly man who works at a nearby hotel. “But there is a certain unseen fear.”

Still, if the peace and stability prevail, Pervez predicted they would be good for minorities and for Afghans in general.

“Those who are back are quite happy in their own homes now, and it is sending a good message abroad,” he said.

New Photos

Check out the images section for new album of photos from Afghanistan by Pritpal Singh.

Bayat Foundation helps Afghan Hindus and Sikhs in Kabul

Bayat Foundation Winter Aid Program in 2013, assisted “Ahl-Honoud community” in Karte-e-Parwan Daramsal – Kabul.

More than 100 families were granted foodstuff and winter clothes by Dr. Ehsanullah Bayat – Founder of Bayat Foundation and Mrs. Laya Bayat – Co Chair of Bayat Foundation.

 

 

 

 

Mission Afghanistan – A documentary on Afghan Sikhs and Hindus

“Sarbat Sangat Kabul Guru rakhega….

Sarbat Sangat uppar Meri khushi hai…” 

                     – Paatshahi 10 Samat 1756.

The above quotation is from a Hukamnaama of Guru Gobind Singh of 1699 CE, blessing the Sangat of Kabul.  The opening and concluding lines of the Hukamnaana (edict) read: “Sangat of Kabul, the Guru will save you…. I am pleased with the Sangat of Kabul.”  (Reproduced by Giani Kartar Singh Sarhadi, “Kes Philosophy”, 1960 p.189)

Today, there is fear and desperation in their empty eyes. They have no livelihood and no work; and their growing children receive no education. Their daughters do not have much hope of finding suitable matches; and they are not certain where the next meal would come from. Many women and children live in Gurdwaré, Sikh place of worship relying on Free Kitchen

And so, a young adventurous Afghan Sikh, Pritpal Singh, who had left Afghanistan 2 decades ago, set out from the UK to document the suffering of fellow Afghan Sikhs and Hindus communities in Afghanistan. The film “MISSION AFGHANISTAN by an Afghan” portrays “the life and hardships of minorities in War-torn Afghanistan.”

Those who could afford it, left the country. Those left behind have hardly any means of support. They have no present and no future.

These are Sikh women with children, widows and families left behind in a war-riven Afghanistan. Together with the Hindu community, their numbers are dwindling, as they live from day to day in many towns in Afghanistan. The situation of women is made worse because this is an conservative country where women are confined to walled enclosures and cannot go out to work.

They cannot even dispose off their dead with dignity. Cremations are done with stealth in fading light and away from the sight of local communities.

Even Gurdwaré of great historical significance are in a state neglect and disrepair.

The country has been torn apart by war for decades and peace is not in sight when the Americans, British and other foreign troops leave. For minorities like the Sikhs and Hindus, the situation is quite hopeless. As a Sikh lady points out in the documentary, they cannot just depend on short term handouts by generous Sikhs from abroad.

The need is for sustained support projects which set up schools and also provide work for the poorer Sikhs in Afghanistan. Much can be done by the more prosperous business Afghan Sikhs who are doing well in Sikh diaspora countries like the UK, Germany, India, UAE & US.

Funded by Gurdwara Guru Nanak Darbar, Southall (UK), Pritpal had only a very limited budget. The main advantage of this low budget but professionally produced documentary was that, with one local cameraman, and dressed as an Afghan fluent in Farsi & Hindko, Pritpal was able to merge and mix with communities, and keep a low profile in a highly dangerous environment. Travelling on mined countryside roads, strewn with destroyed army vehicles, he was able to film remote places and intermingle with communities in a war zone. This is a country where tourists make attractive targets for hostage-taking by terrorists, and filming crews have to travel with convoys.

Pritpal returned from this dangerous mission with, in his words, “The treasure of well over 1500 photographs and films of key historical Gurdwaré, Mandir & Mosques of Afghanistan – something which has never been done in past!”

He travelled to Kabul, Jalalabad, Sorkhrod, Agh Sarai, Charikar, Salang and Ghazni.

Truly, his mission to bring out the truth about the desperate condition of his fellow Sikhs in a country where their forefathers lived for thousands of years, is a remarkable achievement. He loves his country of origin and is concerned that “if they migrate to other countries, our history and our historical sites will vanish”.

It is a highly informative journalistic documentary. In Hindko, English, Farsi, Panjabi & Pashto with English subtitiles.

Written by Gurmukh Singh
UK Civil Service

Hindus and Sikhs – homeless Afghan citizens

 

Source: Deutche Welle - 3-Dec-2012

Hindus and Sikhs have no place to carry out cremations

After returning to Afghanistan, many minorities feel they must now leave again

Arandar Singh feels lucky to have a shop

For hundreds of years, Hindus and Sikhs have lived in Afghanistan. But even after the fall of the Islamist Taliban regime, they face growing discrimination, forcing many to leave.

Sometimes you can recognize them on the streets, usually because of their black or wine-red turbans and opulent beards. Others look no different from the rest of the pedestrians, aside from the fact that they may be homeless.

Hindus and Sikhs are a religious minority in Afghanistan. But, despite being there for centuries, they are discriminated against for their beliefs. The war years forced many people belonging to these two non-Muslim minorities to leave the country.

‘Brothers’

Some, however, returned after the Taliban were overthrown. Arandar Singh is one such person. The 50-year-old Sikh was born in Kunduz. He owns a shop and wears a black turban and a long, black beard. Other than that, he wears typical Afghan clothing. Singh sees himself as a part of Afghan society and calls the local residents his brothers.

“We are treated well by the government and the locals. Work and daily life are satisfactory. We also pursue our religious obligations,” says Singh.

People of a different faith, he says, are welcomed as neighbors by the Muslim majority. In Afghanistan, Muslims make up 99 percent of the population. Most people see Hindus and Sikhs as Afghans and appreciate that they stay out of all the political machinations.

According to Ahmad Farid, a resident of Kunduz, the Hindus and Sikhs are “very simple people who do their work and don’t cause trouble.” He says they are very open and friendly and that he has never experienced bad behavior on their part. “We have to respect that they have a different religion because that is an Afghan tradition – and they respect ours,” Farid points out.

Singh says that he has friendly relations with his neighbors and, despite religious differences, no problems have cropped up. But the actual problem for both minorities is that they have no property and no houses, he says quietly. For this reason, they have to live in temples, the so-called daramsaal. This is also where their children go to school.

Homeless

“Even today, no one in Kunduz has offered us a house or property. We have complained about that often and still demand that people who live in temples get land, but we have no private property,” says Singh.

Hindus and Sikhs do not belong to the same religion, but due to their small numbers, they visit the same temples and belong to the same community. They are also viewed as one and the same group by other Afghans. And one problem unites them: the fact that they own no property. Mid November, they organized a protest march to demand a piece of property to build a crematorium. They chanted “Down with the government. Aren’t we also Afghans?”

“When you don’t even get a cemetery, that means you’re not welcome in your own country,” says Darniwar Singh, a Sikh.

“We have no crematorium to cremate our dead and perform our rituals. When someone dies, we have to burn them in a temple,” he explains. “But then, our Muslim neighbors complain about the smell and the smoke.

“The mayor of Kabul has promised to make land available for rituals and a park and build homes. Something that is urgently needed.”

‘Over our dead bodies’

The property, which the government has promised, however, already belongs to the Afghan Karokhail clan, and they have reacted sharply to the government’s concession. A visibly outraged clan leader said he possessed the official title to the property and had no intention of giving it up.

“We do not accept this. Ten thousand families live here and you can only get the land over our dead bodies, even if we have to fight to the death. The president personally decreed that we may live here,” he said.

The clan leader refers to rights granted to himself and to clan members.

As long as Hindus and Sikhs are guaranteed the right to shelter and to practice their religion on the one hand, and the residents of Kabul refuse to sacrifice their property on the other, it seems unlikely the row can be resolved.

Many of the country’s minorities feel singled out as the number of Hindus Sikhs continues to drop. Arandar Singh says there were once 120 minority families living in Kunduz before the war started and they fled the country. And while many have returned since the Afghan War, many of those people are leaving again as they face poverty and homelessness.

Singh is one of the lucky ones. He spends most of his days at his store. He says that means a lot for someone who has no roof over their head.

 

Afghan Sikhs protest over cremation

Source: Pajhwok Afghan News - By Abasin Zaheer Nov 16, 2012 – 16:21

KABUL (PAN): Members of the minority Sikh community rallied against residents of the Qalacha neighbourhood of Kabul for opposing the cremation of their relatives’ bodies.

Dozens of protestors in Pashtunistan Ward also accused the Afghan police and army of preventing them from burning their dead in line with their religious tradition.Afghan News they wanted to burn their dead relatives in Qalacha.

But area people and security forces did not allow them to perform the cremation ceremonies, he complained, asking the governme

They also carried a woman’s body in a vehicle and sought a place for cremating it. One protestor, Raji Singh Dilnawaz, told Pajhwok nt to drive Sikhs and Hindus from the country if it could not resolve the problem.

With his collar torn and a loudspeaker in his hand, Dilnawaz chanted: “Down with a government that can’t give us our rights. Aren’t we Afghan citizens, aren’t we sons of the soil?”

As the protestors wept and tossed bottles in the air, one of them, Darwand Singh, blamed Qalacha residents for opposing the cremation of Sikhs’ bodies in the area.

“Afghan police and soldiers slapped me and said we will never be allowed to follow our tradition,” warning of continuing their protest and blocking the road.

According to another demonstrator, Avatar Singh, the Ministry of Religious Affairs has failed to keep a 2003 promise regarding the creation of a crematorium. The problem needed to be addressed on a priority basis, he said.

A Sikh member of the Senate, Anar Kali Honaryar, also participated in the protest. She explained residents, not security forces, had prevented the cremation ceremony in Qalacha.

The lawmaker claimed winning a promise from the security personnel regarding an early solution to the problem.  She demanded the arrest of the elements stopping Hindus from burning their dead relatives.