A group of more than 50 people from all walks of life from the Greater Boston area assembled in Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA, to protest against the unabated pace of mob lynchings and the growing threat to human rights of citizens in India, especially those of Muslims, Dalits, and other minorities. The protestors demanded justice for the victims and their families, as well as urged for immediate public action to bring an end to hate crimes against minorities. The attendees of the event included individuals of Indian, South Asian, and American origin as well as representatives from various organizations.

Concerned citizens also protested in Chicago to demand immediate action against the perpetrators of lynchings as well as the politicians encouraging them. They said, “We, the concerned citizens of India and of Indian Origin living in US condemn such lackadaisical attitude of the government towards mobocracy and therefore, encouraging Law of Jungle and demand that the country be saved from falling into a dark era where mobocracy takes over”.

“It is a matter of grave concern for all people to raise their voices against this attack on Right To Be of a section of people and individuals. It is an attack on all people and is a form of state terrorism carried out by the ruling elite to attack , divert and divide people, who are struggling hard to find solutions to basic problems such as food, water, shelter, safety and security which are caused by the rule and plunder of a handful few. We must not let this pass” said Jaspal Singh who lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

A poet present in the group read a poem written in remembrance of Tabrez and how Ram’s name is being used to spread fear and hatred. University students, doctors, scientists, workers, teachers and many others were part of the gathering in the famous Harvard Square.

Another attendee said, “Lynchings are a political tool designed to subjugate and terrorize minorities and other vulnerable sections of society. The shameful history of lynchings in the US should be enough to outrage us and take immediate public action to stop it in India”.

On June 17, Tabrez Ansari, 24, was beaten up by a group of people in the Seraikela -Kharsawan district of Jharkhand, on suspicion of theft. The mob tied him up and forced him to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Jai Hanuman’ as he bled, and handed him over to the police the next day. This incident was filmed and went viral on social media. Four days later, the young man was declared dead while in custody without getting proper medical attention. According to the website https://lynch.factchecker.in/ there have been 175 major assaults due to cow-related violence causing 47 deaths.

“Human history, time and again has proven that hate doesn’t accomplish anything. Inclusiveness and tolerance are two key characters of the developed, progressive societies of the world. No civilized society accepts mob lynchings. And India with one of the world’s ancient civilizations, a history of tolerance and adapting a secular constitution cannot afford to take the path of hate in the name of religion to reach its goal of becoming a world leader” said Vinay Vikas, a biotech professional from Waltham, Massachusetts.

The event in Harvard Square ended by the group singing songs and chanting slogans to call for a people’s movement to end oppression against minorities and strive for a plural, secular and inclusive India, where all the sections of the society feel safe.

Courtesy: Two Cirlce

The post Protests in Boston and Chicago call for an end to mob lynchings in India appeared first on SabrangIndia.

This Monday, July 17, Boston city has launched a poster campaign to fight Islamophobia by encouraging bystanders to intervene, in a nonconfrontational way, if they witness anti-Muslim harassment. Starting Monday, the city began installing 50 posters around the city with advice on what to do if you see Islamophobic behavior. The posters recommend sitting by a victim of harassment and talking with them about a neutral subject while ignoring the harasser.

POSTER

Designed to break the silence of the ordinary bystander, “The technique is called ‘non-complementary behavior,’ and is intended to disempower an aggressive person by countering their expectations,” The Associated Press reports.

The cartoon how-to guide was conceived of by Paris-based artist named Maeril and translated into English for The Middle Eastern Feminist group on Facebook.

“These posters are one tool we have to send the message that all are welcome in Boston,” Mayor Marty Walsh said, according to the AP. “Education is key to fighting intolerance, and these posters share a simple strategy for engaging with those around you.”

A similar campaign is underway in San Francisco, the news agency service reports. The posters will be in place for 6 months to raise awareness and encourage a climate of citizen’s interventions. The initiative has been welcomed by Yusuf Vali, executive director of the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Centre.

India has seen a spate of lynchings, brutal and gruesome, especially since the Modi government took power (May 2014). In many cases, be it Haryana, Rajasthan, Jharkand or Maharashtra, law enforcement authorities have been reported to have stood by and watched. In the case of Mohd Akhlaq, Dadri or Maharashtra, the victim (killed in the first instance) and beaten in the second have thereafter ‘been charged with carrying beef.’

The June 2017 killing of 15 year old Junaid (preceded by the murder of Zafar Hussain in Rajasthan as a senior official of the city council encouraged the crowd to violence) and that of cattle trader Pehlu Khan have drawn nationwide outrage and #Not in My Name protests. Will Indian cities (leave alone the vast rural hinterland) go that extra mile and design a Poster Campaign like Boston and San Francisco have done?

Yesterday the Upper House of the Rajya Sabha had an impassioned discussion on India’s  spate of lynchings where we have slipped into a medieval public mindset from the modern.

Or will the fear of such Posters being pulled off by authorities or the Mob itself,  limit our interventions, yet again?
 
Related Articles:
1.High Powered CPM Delegation Meets HM Rajnath Singh on Mob Lynching but Serious Questions Unanswered
2.As Indians Rise in Protest Against the Mob, Time to assert: Mob Terror is as Vicious & as Dangerous as Bomb Terror
 
 

The post Boston’s 50-Poster Campaign Against Islamophobia, Will Mumbai & Delhi Follow? appeared first on SabrangIndia.