Over 1000 minor Hindu, Sikh and Christian Girls are Kidnapped, Forcibly converted and married off each year, while blasphemy laws are used to target religious minorities: CoHNA
INDIAN OBSERVER POST
COLORADO, US: Over 1000 minor Hindu, Sikh and Christian girls are kidnapped, forcibly converted and married off each year in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, while blasphemy laws are used to target religious minorities and subject them to unprecedented abuse, and places of worship are destroyed or converted into commercial properties, said Nikunj Trivedi, President of The Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA).
He was addressing a two-day virtual conference titled “CAA: A Lifeline for Religiously Persecuted Minorities” to showcase their experience of daily atrocities and discrimination in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan on November 22nd, 2020.
In his opening remarks, Nikunj Trivedi shared the dire situation of religious minorities and the apathy of various human rights organizations toward them in these countries.
With hundreds attending the live audience and video replay views that have crossed over 50,000, the conference is among the first to draw attention to how India’s Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) provides a much needed relief and a voice to some of these groups.
Richa Gautam, President of CoHNA’s Colorado chapter, moderated a moving session featuring Dr. Omendru Ratna, founder of Nimittekam, a NGO helping Pakistani refugees, along with defence and policy expert Colonel (Ret’d) Jaibans Singh and Mr. Ashok Karmaker, Esq., Chairman of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council USA.
Dr. Ratnu spoke of the extreme hardship and the existential threats driving refugees to flee Pakistan. Explaining Nimitekkam’s work, a teary eyed Dr. Ratnu shared the story of a Hindu migrant from the “Dalit” community, who, when asked why he didn’t just convert to save himself, replied “How can we abandon the faith of our ancestors?”
Col. Jaibans Singh outlined the situation of the Sikh communities in the region, tracing the historical atrocities faced by them, leading to the final exodus from Afghanistan in September of 2020 and their dwindling numbers in Pakistan. Col. Singh also called upon the global community to recognize that the CAA was a humanitarian law and nothing else. “India is one of the oldest civilizations and legislation of the CAA is in line with the civilizational ethos of our country.”