South Asia Citizens Web

Is it possible for radical and progressive forces to find forms of public festivities which can rival the public religious festival? Is it possible to build a popular culture which does not rely on religion and communal identities? We will not know the answer till the battle is truly joined.

Islamic extremism is very real in the Maldives. It affects the daily lives of every Maldivian, and is gaining in scope, intensity and violence every day with the pseudo-democratic government that came to power on 7 February.

One of the major human rights issues if not the major one in Sri Lanka, relates to the rights of the Tamil and Muslim communities who constitute the principal minorities in the country to exercise devolution of powers. Post independence as well as post war, the Sri Lankan State has time and again failed to keep its promises of a political solution to the just grievances of the Tamil people and has unilaterally abrogated all agreements reached with the democratically elected representatives of the Tamil people of Sri Lanka.
At the last session of the UPR which was held on May 2008 the Government of Sri Lanka made a voluntary pledge to implement the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.

The most critical culprit in the current draft constitution being finalized by the Constituent Assembly is the definition of citizenship — who is a citizen? The draft constitution defines citizens as those whose identity is primarily Islamic, and, secondly, nationals of the country. In this conception of citizenship, the state aims to control and hegemonize citizens’ visions, stances and beliefs, working to entrench them and produce standardized citizens.

it is time that the world adopted a position that refuses to countenance Religion as an acceptable justification for, excuse or extenuation of – crimes against Humanity