ethnic, linguistic and religious minorities of south asia

Ethnic, Linguistic and Religious Minorities in South Asia : 

Ethnic, Linguistic and Religious Minorities in South Asia By DR. AFROZ ALAM ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF POLITICS NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, ORISSA MOBILE: +919438303041 E-MAIL: afrozalam2@gmail.com

Minorities In South Asia : 

Minorities In South Asia South Asia is one of the world’s most dynamic regions. It has been understood to include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and Afghanistan. All the States in the South Asian region are plural societies, rich in diversities. Minorities, religious, linguistic or ethnic or almost all of them living in their historical homelands and seek to preserve their distinct identities. At the same time, minorities in South Asia are no longer content with constitutional and legal safeguards alone. They seek a share in decision-making at the national level, especially in matters which directly impinge on their rights and interests. Contd…

Minorities in South Asia : 

Minorities in South Asia The history of minorities in South Asia is a history of increasing discrimination, deprivation and fear psychosis for physical security and undermining in the process the historical tradition of living together, even if with differences. The root of strong feeling amongst minorities for “separatehood” conclusively perpetuated by the infamous British policy of pitching one community against the other. The numerical strength is a necessary, though not a sufficient condition for the constitution of a minority. The constitution of a minority is primarily contingent upon two factors. 1. the self perception of the group as a minority in relation to other groups in society on the basis of certain experienced disadvantages and, 2. discriminatory or hostile treatment meted out by the majority.

Issues of Minorities in South Asia : 

Issues of Minorities in South Asia More than half a century after their independence the South Asian states are still struggling to resolve majority-minority issues, which in some cases have generated long-running conflicts. Following are the issues that are significantly associated with the minorities of South Asia. A strong disinclination of the States to replace the colonial state structures with new models of governance to accommodate the diversities. Deliberate Indifference and neglect of the State towards the problems of minorities in this region. Problem of physical insecurity from the State sponsored and State supported majoritarian violence against minorities. Making constitutions that envisage centralised state structures and effectively exclude minority groups. Effective constitutional provisions to safeguards minority rights but defective implementation to protect them. Thus, relying on theoretical safeguards for minorities without adequate guarantees of their enforcement. Contnd…

Issues of Minorities in South Asia : 

Issues of Minorities in South Asia Failure to realise that poverty and shortage of economic opportunities make it impossible for minority groups to grow out of their primary social affiliations and accentuate their feelings of hurt at real or perceived discrimination. Lack of affirmative action to integrate majorities and minorities into single nations while hoping for assimilation without overt state intervention. Re-interpretation of self-determination in the interest of majorities. Politicisation of religious discontents, linguistic and ethnic divide.

Religious Communities in South Asia : 

Religious Communities in South Asia

Ethno-Linguistic Communities of South Asia : 

Ethno-Linguistic Communities of South Asia The ethno-linguistic communities of South Asia are broadly divided into two large groups, Dravidian and Indo-Aryan. These groups are further subdivided into numerous sub-groups, castes and tribes. Indo-Aryans form the predominant ethno-linguistic group in Pakistan, India (the central, eastern, western and northern regions), Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Dravidians form the predominant ethno-linguistic group in southern India and the northern and eastern regions of Sri Lanka. Iranian peoples, grouped with Indo-Aryans in the Indo-Iranian language group, also have a significant presence in South Asia, the large majority of whom are located in north-western Pakistan. Contd……………

Ethno-Linguistic Communities of South Asia : 

Ethno-Linguistic Communities of South Asia Dardic peoples form a minority among the Indo-Aryans. They are classified as belonging to the Indo-Aryan language group and are found in northern India and northern Pakistan. Minority groups not falling within either large group mostly belong to the Austro-Asiatic and Tibeto-Burman phyla. The Andamanese, barely survive on some of the Andaman Islands and speak a language isolate, as do the Kusunda in central Nepal, the Vedda in Sri Lanka, and the Kalto (Nahali) of central India. The people of the Hunza valley in Pakistan are another distinct population. They speak Burushaski, a language isolate. The largest ethno-linguistic group in South Asia are the Indo-Aryans, numbering around 1 billion, and the largest sub-group are the native speakers of Hindi languages, numbering more than 300 million.

Ethno-Linguistic Communities of South Asia : 

Ethno-Linguistic Communities of South Asia INDO-ARYAN PEOPLES Bengali speaking people Sinhalese Sindhi Tharu Lhotshampas IRANIAN PEOPLES Baluchi people Pashtun people Hazaras Tajik people DARDIC PEOPLE Kalash people Chitrali people Shina people Kashmiri people DRAVIDIAN PEOPLE Malto Tamil Telugu Khonds

Ethno-Linguistic Communities of South Asia : 

Ethno-Linguistic Communities of South Asia AUSTRO-ASIATIC Munda people Khasi people Ahom SINO-TIBETAN Bhutias Sherpas Lepcha Gurung SEMITIC PEOPLE Indian Jews Muhajirs Arabs LINGUISTICALLY ISOLATE GROUPS Andamanese Hunza people Kusunda Nahali (Kalto) Veddas Irulas

Religious Communities of India : 

Religious Communities of India

Linguistic Communities of India : 

Linguistic Communities of India Hindi (40%) Bengali (8%) Telagu (8%) Marathi (7%) Tamil (6%) Urdu (5%) Guajarati (5%) Kannada (4%) Malayalam (4%) Oriya (3%) Punjabi (3%) Assamese (2%) Others (5%)

Religious and Linguistic Communities of Pakistan : 

Religious and Linguistic Communities of Pakistan Religious Communities Linguistic Communities

Ethnic Communities of Pakistan : 

Ethnic Communities of Pakistan

Religious &Ethnic Composition of Bangladesh : 

Religious &Ethnic Composition of Bangladesh Religious Communities Ethnic Composition Bengalis 98 %, Santhals, Chakmas, Garos, Biharis, Meitei, Oraons and Mundas. The most significant minorities are the Urdu speaking Biharis. About 96% of the Muslims are Sunni while over 3% are Shi'a and remainders are Ahmadis.

Religious & Ethnic Composition of Bhutan : 

Religious & Ethnic Composition of Bhutan Religious Communities Ethnic Communities

Religious Composition of Nepal : 

Religious Composition of Nepal Linguistic Communities Religious Communities Nepali (49%), Maithili (12%), Bhojpuri (8%), Tharu (6%), Tamang (5%), Newari/Nepal Bhasa (4%), Magar (3%), Awadhi (2%), Rai (2.79%), Limbu (1%), and Bajjika (1%).

Ethnic Composition of Nepal : 

Ethnic Composition of Nepal Ethnic Communities Ethnic Communities

Ethnic Communities of Sri Lanka : 

Ethnic Communities of Sri Lanka

Linguistic and Religious Communities of Sri Lanka : 

Linguistic and Religious Communities of Sri Lanka Linguistic Communities Religious Communities

Ethnic Communities of Afghanistan : 

Ethnic Communities of Afghanistan

Linguistic and Religious Communities of Afghanistan : 

Linguistic and Religious Communities of Afghanistan Linguistic Communities Religious Communities Muslims - Approximately 99% of Population Sunni Muslim: 84% Shi'a Muslim: 15% Other: 1% Hindus Sikhs Buddhists: 0.3% Christians (predominantly Roman Catholic)

Ethnic Conflicts in South Asia : 

Ethnic Conflicts in South Asia The term ethnic conflict may best be defined as a conflict between groups of communities that regard themselves different from other groups on account of shared characteristics such as myths of origin, language, religion, cultural heritage, race, and clan and tribal association, and perhaps most importantly, a shared sense of history. There is an abundance of ethnic conflicts in South Asia, and many extend beyond the state.

Ethnic Cleansing in Bhutan : 

Ethnic Cleansing in Bhutan Bhutan is a multi-religious, multi-cultural and multi-linguistic society. In the name of national integration, the government implemented various racial and discriminatory policies aimed at forceful homogenisation of multi-ethnic society. Ethnically, each ethnic group lived/lives in a particular region. 1. the Lhotshampas live in southern foothills, 2. the Sharchops in north-eastern districts, 3. Brokpas in northern highlands 4. Kurteopas in high north-east, 5. Khengs in central parts, 6. Bumthangpas in upper middle parts, 7. Drukpas or Ngalungs in North-western parts of Bhutan. They all live in cultural separation from one another in different territorial regions. Contd…

Ethnic Cleansing in Bhutan : 

Ethnic Cleansing in Bhutan Bhutan is experiencing a government sponsored Drukpa revivalist movement since eighties. It is aimed to restore and revive Drukpa social virtues at the cost of annihilating the culture, religion and language of Lhotshampas, Sharchhops and other minority, ethnic, religious and linguistic groups. The government is pursuing a programme to make Bhutan culturally homogenous through a policy it calls, ’One Nation One People.’ Under this policy, all other ethnic and minority groups are required to assimilate their social and cultural identity as distinct ethnic groups with the society dominated by politically and economically dominant Ngalung or Drukpa ethnic group. Forced national integration, through eviction, through depriving the Lhotshampas of their nationality, or through brutal intimidation and use of force have been the hallmark of state policy. The government issued Driglam Namza decree of 1988. It is a code of conduct or ethics of the feudal Drukpa society of the north-west. It deals with matters such as how to eat, how to sit, how to speak, how to dress and how to bow down before the authorities. Driglam Namza is a ploy for cultural and ethnic cleansing of Lhotshampa and state’s efforts of enslaving the Lhotshampas, thus making them subservient to Drukpa ethnocentrism. Contd…

Ethnic Cleansing in Bhutan : 

Ethnic Cleansing in Bhutan The Citizenship Act of 1958 that was amended in 1985 revoked the citizenship of Lhotshampas minorities and forced them to go with Naturalisation. The government stopped teaching Lhotshampa language in the southern schools. Burnt down books. Courts stopped accepting application written in local language. The national language Dzongkha was made compulsory although it is spoken by a small group of ruling elites. The government imposed strict rules against all the reaming Lhotshampas in Bhutan. One of such a harsh rule is that Lhotshampas are forced to obtain No Objection Certificate from Police in order to get anything from the government. Without NOC, the government do not give school admission, scholarship, employment, business license, travel documents, everything. Lhotshampas are forced to confine to the menial works. They have to construct roads, bridges, and army barracks, everything without payment. Contd…

Ethnic Cleansing in Bhutan : 

Ethnic Cleansing in Bhutan The extreme expression of Drukpa revivalism has been manifest in the change of the name of the places to wipe out the cultural traces of Lhotshampas from the state memory. Thus, the Nepali names of places like Chirang, Sarbhang, Samchi and Pinjuli in southern Bhutan were replaced with Drukpa sounding names like ‘Tsirang’, ‘Sarpang’ ‘Samtse’ and ‘Penjoreling”. The politically and economically dominant Drukpa ethnic groups over the years virtually monopolised everything in Bhutan- political, social, and economic powers, depriving the other minority groups of their legitimate rights. The Lhotshampas and other minorities are denied the right to equal employment opportunities and equal access to trade, business and industrial activities to enable their economic progress. The extent of development benefit is concentrated among the Ngalung community only. Mistrust on the loyalty of Hindu Lhosthampas and often accused of supporting Indian cause. Since eighties, the government is pursuing a policy of converting all the minorities into Drukpa Kargypa Buddhism, as practised by the ruling community. Christians in Bhutan, who make up two percent of the population, are facing some of the strongest opposition and persecution by the government. For decades, the Christians have not seen a church. Contd…

Status of Muslim Minority in India : 

Status of Muslim Minority in India The Muslim population of India was 140 million or 13.4 per cent in 2001, but faces  tremendous deprivation, discrimination and exclusion.  Here are some statistics from the Sachar Report: In rural areas: 94.9% of Muslims living below poverty line fail to receive free food grain. Only 3.2% of Muslims get subsidized loans. Only 2.1% of Muslim farmers have tractors, while just 1% own hand pumps. 54.6% of Muslims in villages and 60% in urban areas have never been to schools. In rural areas, only 0.8% of Muslims are graduates, while in urban areas despite 40% of the Muslims receiving modern education only 3.1% are graduates. Only 1.2% of Muslims are post-graduates in urban areas. While West Bengal has 25% Muslim population, only 4.2% are employed in state services. In Assam, with a 40% Muslim population, only 11.2% are in government employment. Kerala has 20% Muslims, but only 10.4% of government employees are Muslim.

Status of Muslim Minority in India : 

Status of Muslim Minority in India In Karnataka, where the Muslim population is 12.2%, 8.5% are employed in government services. While in Gujarat, of the 9.1% Muslim population, 5.4% are in state jobs; in Tamil Nadu, against a 5.6% Muslim population, 3.2% are employed in government. Though West Bengal is known as a political bastion of the left bloc, the ones who have always spoken strongly against parties entertaining communal bias, the state has zero% Muslims in state PSUs. While Kerala has 9.5% in state PSUs, Maharashtra has only 1.9%. Though the Sachar committee was not able to secure data regarding the presence of Muslims in the armed forces, it is fairly well-known that their percentage here is not more than three. Muslims form only 10.6% of the population in Maharashtra, but 32.4% of the prison inmates here are Muslims. In New Delhi, 27.9 % of inmates are Muslims, though they form only 11.7% of the population here. While in Gujarat, Muslims form 25.1% of the ones imprisoned, they form 9.1% of the population. In Karnataka, Muslims form 12.23% of populace and 17.5% of those imprisoned.

Issues of Religious Minorities in Pakistan : 

Issues of Religious Minorities in Pakistan Pakistani minorities consist of Ahmadis, Bahais, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jains, Kalasha (of Chitral), Parsis and Sikhs. Except for the Ahmadis, they all agree on their being non-Muslim. The constitutional scheme treats Muslims as a privileged majority while religious minorities are promised only protection. In the presence of Islamic provisions the minorities will always be at a disadvantage. Physical attacks, social stigmatization, psychological insecurity, forced conversions and continued institutional degradation characterize the position of religious minorities in Pakistan. Recent anti-Shia attacks also show a growing sectarian intolerance towards Muslim ‘minorities’. The emphasis on exclusionary nationhood as portrayed in the various forms of constitutional arrangements all the way from the Objectives Resolution to Zia’s amendments have increased minorities’ feelings of inequality. Even the wording of oaths for various offices hurt non-Muslims’ feelings. The addition of specific clauses and a flood of litigation on blasphemy have oppressed minorities and individual Muslims. Contd…

Issues of Religious Minorities in Pakistan : 

Issues of Religious Minorities in Pakistan Further, economic marginalization –such as minorities’ confinement to menial, low-paid and low-status work, especially for Christians and Hindus –has seriously diminished their self-esteem, besides consolidating ethno-religious stereotypes. With a few exceptions, most Christians (male and female) work as street sweepers and suffer from discrimination. The rural Hindus are mostly poor and lack organization, and are vulnerable to feudal and police oppression. There are inflammatory posters in the streets against minorities; for example, there are anti-Ahmadi statements outside mosques, and signs outside hair salons and water purification plants prohibiting non-Muslims’ entry. The lack of a proper educational system and a holistic syllabus that takes Pakistan’s plural traditions into account have only added to a great sense of loss. Contd…

Issues of Religious Minorities in Pakistan : 

Issues of Religious Minorities in Pakistan There have been instances when the incitement of religious hatred has been used to acquire properties belonging to minorities. Aside from religious feuds and socio-cultural/economic deprivation, the official policies of appeasement and the emphasis on religious uniformity have allocated second or even third-class citizenship to millions of Pakistanis. This has led to a rise in cases of socio-psychological depression among these communities. Suicide, abject poverty, immensely unhygienic living conditions and a high rate of unemployment are all linked to official policy. Pakistani Hindus suffer due to the communalization of Indo-Pakistani politics and their interstate rivalries. While Christians may be disliked and discriminated against, there have been no serious anti-Christian riots in Pakistan.

Ethnic Issues in Pakistan : 

Ethnic Issues in Pakistan Pakistan comprises the traditional homelands of several ethnic communities – Punjabis, Sindhis, Pakhtuns (also called Pathan) and the Baloch. They are concentrated in units of the federation, called provinces, that are named after them – Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan – except for the Pakhtuns whose land still carries the name coined by the British – the North Western Frontier Province (NWFP). The Pathans assert that they have been arbitrarily divided into three units – NWFP, Balochistan and Tribal Areas. The demand for their unification into a single unit through reorganisation of provinces on ethno-linguistic basis has often been raised. The Pathans in NWFP also demand the right to name their province Pakhtunkhwa (the land of Pakhtuns) just as other provinces (Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan) bear the names of their dominant ethno-linguistic communities. The Sindhis have been resisting being turned into a minority through continued influx of migrants from India and other parts of Pakistan. Balochistan, which is the largest of the provinces in terms of its territory and has the smallest population of them rejects the division of revenues on population basis. The ‘Mohajirs’ demand share in power in Sindh in accordance with their population but support the demand for provincial autonomy.

Slide 34: 

THANKS