Frontline
November 1998
Observatory

Armed forces’ battle against racism
Over the past year or so, the British armed forces have been fighting what may be called ‘a battle against self’ — they are trying hard to rid itself of its racist past. And what better way to achieve this aim than to enlist an increasing number of past victims of discrimination — Asians and Blacks? That is precisely what the different wings of the British military establishment are busy doing. In order to lure young Asians and Blacks into its service, the British Army, for example, has hired Saatchi and Saatchi to run a 2.5 million-pound advertising campaign. "We now have more ethnic minorities in real positions of power than ever before. So nowadays, there’s only one group of people being held back. Racists," reads Saatchi’s ad copy. Started in the last week of October, the advert has created a bit of a stir as Saatchi decided to use the most ‘celebrated’ racist icon — Hitler — to send out a non–racist message. But, Nasir Khan, an ex–serviceman from Manchester who did a 12–year stint in the British Army and who has sued the ministry of defence for racial discrimination, has a different story to tell. "If they were really serious about tackling the issue of racism or equal opportunity in the Army, then they would be able to point to my case and say, ‘this happened and this is how we eradicated the problem.’ But no, they are prolonging my case with an equal opportunity investigation before the industrial tribunal is able to set a date to hear my case," says Khan. Looks like Khan has a point.

Sexual-abuse in Church-run schools
In October 27, the United Church of Canada, the country’s largest Protestant denomination, made a public apology for the physical and sexual abuse of native–Indian children staying in Church–run boarding schools over the years. The apology came a week after a Vancouver lawyer, Peter Grant, disclosed evidence suggesting that the Church and government officials came to know of such abuse as early as 1960 but did nothing about it. "I apologise for the pain and suffering that our Church’s involvement in the Indian residential school system has caused," Rev. Phipps stated at a news conference in Toronto. "You did nothing wrong," he said to victims who decided to make their suffering public. "You were and are the real victims of evil acts that cannot under any circumstances be justified or excused".

Until the mid–’80s there were over 80 such boarding schools run by Catholic and Protestant churches under contract with the federal government. The lawyer Grant is representing former students of one such school from British Columbia. He has now made public copies of correspondence between the government and the Church in 1960 in connection with an admitted case of sexual abuse by the vice–principal of a school in Alberta. The correspondence indicates that though government officials were concerned about sexual abuse at other boarding schools, they connived with the church to keep the matter secret. One victim is now demanding that the United Church should compensate victims of abuse at institutions run by them. In January this year, the federal government apologised for abuse at the residential schools and allocated U.S.$ 227 million towards a "healing fund" to be used in Indian communities.

Awaiting the verdict on Blasphemy
Nine years ago, Tehmina Durrani scandalised fellow elite from Lahore with her book, My Feudal Lord, recounting her abusive marriage to a powerful politician. She now has good reason to fear that her new book, Blasphemy, which went on sale in the third week of October, may generate more than scandal. Based on a true story, Blasphemy is a scathing attack on the institution of pirs who manage shrines of Muslim saints. The gullible hold the pirs in high regard but the pir in Blasphemy is a sadist who beats people to death on whim, pushes small girls into sex slavery and forces his own wife, the story’s narrator, into video–taped sexual encounters with a series of men. It is obviously not the kind of book that pirs and their followers will take kindly to. This is not the first time that pirs in Pakistan have been exposed for their misdeeds under cover of Islam. But should some of them decide to go for her blood, Durrani knows what to expect from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif given his current ‘Islamic zeal’. "When Islam is used by important and influential religious leaders, who distort the words of Prophet Mohammed and use God’s name to oppress people, I think those people are blaspheming", said Durrani explaining the rationale for the title of her book. Durrani has little sympathy for people like Salman Rushdie, Taslima Nasreen or even a person like Pakistani lawyer and human rights activist, Asma Jehangir, who has challenged Sharif’s controversial Shariah bill. But taking no chances she has hired four gunmen to stand vigil outside her home.

Columbus: Hero and villain
Christopher Columbus – the man who "discovered" America for the Spanish crown 506 years ago —is remembered as a hero in Europe and migrants from that continent to the U.S. But Latin Americans see his first voyage in 1492 as laying the basis for the subsequent Spanish conquests, slavery and the demise of a great civilisation. On ‘Columbus Day’ in mid–October this year, a mock trial by Indians in Honduras condemned Columbus to death for mass murder. And in Mexico, demonstrators who chose to be stark naked staked a claim to ancestral lands in Paraguay. Protest demonstrations were held elsewhere in Latin America, too, the same day. "We of the jury are demanding Spain pay indemnification to the indigenous people of Honduras, we are asking for reparation, that Spain publicly apologise for the genocide it caused", Nancy Jodaitis, a member of the ‘jury’ at the mock trial in Honduras told the protestors gathered on the occasion.

Protest over play on ‘gay’ Christ
In October 13, two groups of demonstrators were pitted against each other on opposite ends of a Manhattan block in New York. At one end were a group of about 2,000 Christians protesting the opening of a controversial play which portrayed Jesus Christ and his 12 disciples as gay. At the other end were assembled about 500 civil libertarians supporting the freedom of expression principle. Also present on the scene were over 100 police officers to ensure the protests remained peaceful. Corpus Christi, a controversial play by award–winning playwright Terence McNally, has been frequently condemned in the last few months by Catholic and even Muslim and Jewish groups as blasphemous. "These people (producers of the play) want to spit on us but we are not going to be nice little alter boys and girls anymore", warned William Donahue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights in the US. Donahue said he had seen the play at one of the tryouts the previous week and charged that Corpus Christi was nothing but a direct attack on Roman Christians.

Cops turn to the apostle of Ahimsa
Even the Supreme Court of India which once described Indian policemen as ‘criminals in uniform’ may be at a loss for words if faced with the violent misdeeds of the Brazilian police. Over the past seven years, police have killed 4,745 and wounded 14,693 others in Sao Paulo — the largest city in Brazil — alone. "These numbers are worrying, we need to retrain our staff," a local paper reported Sao Paulo’s police colonel Leopoldo Augusto Correa Filho as saying. According to the same report, a Mahatma Gandhi and non–violence project is part of the retraining being contemplated. Police officers may opt to study how Gandhi opposed British rule and won freedom for India through non–violent means.

No beards in the boxing ring
Karachi, August 20: Three Afghan boxers have been barred from an international contest opening here on Tuesday (August 20) because the tournament rules do not allow bearded boxers in the ring, a newspaper report said. The three boxers were informed they could not compete unless they shaved off their beards, the News said. Sources close to the Afghan boxers said that if they removed their beards the Taliban–led government would not let them re-enter their country, the report added. The boxers are accompanied by two officials. (AFP).


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