Although Amnesty International U.S. Chapter’s annual conference held this month focused on upholding human rights, no mention was made of the current repression of Muslim immigrants in the United States, save for three immigrants – an Arab American, and Indian American and an Afghani American – who described the dangerous harassment that has persisted in the aftermath of the 9/11 in the name of security. There was also little discussion on Iraq and no one protested or showed any sympathy when news of the killing of Hamas leader Abdul Aziz Rantisi reached the conference.
“Vigilant Justice – Securing Human Rights in Today’s World,” a three-day conference held at the Brooklyn Marriott Hotel on April 16 to 18, brought together 1,100 human rights organizers, lawyers, volunteer organizations, community leaders, writers, journalists, artists and intellectuals from 10 different countries. An international exhibition of posters on human rights violations was set up in the hotel lobby.
The opening plenary held on April 17 included: Mary Robinson, executive director of Ethical Globalization Initiative and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; John Shattuck, CEO of the John F. Kennedy Library and Foundation; Jessica Stern, from the Harvard John F. Kennedy School of Government, an expert on security and terrorism; and controversial feminist writer Taslima Nasrin, also from the Harvard John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Nasrin raised the issue of vandalism by the religious extremists in Bangladesh whose distorted interpretation of the Koran allows for the torture of women. Because the Bangladeshi society is male dominated, women are shamed into keeping quiet and not protesting. “But so long I am alive, I will continue to protest against it,” exclaimed Nasrin.
She revealed that the government did not provide her with security when the extremist fundamentalists announced the death penalty against her, censored her, and went to her home looking for her. Instead, the government supported the fanatic forces and the court sanctioned while she was out of the country. “There was no hope of defending myself. The judiciary system in Bangladesh is being controlled by the fundamentalist forces,” she said.
Nasrin is the author of 27 books, some which have been banned by the government. “I have shared my story with innumerable Bangladeshi women and told them how I was tortured. My heart weeps for the people of my country. I want to reach my readers, but I can’t since the government is not allowing them to read my books. I will always speak out for women’s rights, write for them and protest against their torture,” she stated. “I cannot tolerate the repression of women who were raped but remain silent due to fear of social humiliation. I have written about all this in Amar Meya Bela (My Girlhood).”
According to Nasrin, the activities of extreme fundamentalists are increasing day by day. “Fundamentalist forces also attacked the newspaper offices which published my books. After that, clerics who give religious interpretations to all social activity – a process initiated to eradicate terrorism after 9/11 and that angered moderate Muslims – filed a case against the editors. The policy should be changed because not all Muslims are terrorists or extremists.” Nasrin’s presentation received a standing ovation.
In her speech, Mary Robinson said, “The events of 9/11 have brought changes to the daily lives of the people. We should join efforts if we want to uphold human rights in the world. We also need to develop alternative ways to overcome this situation.”
John Shattuck said that the differences between human rights and terrorist activities must be understood before taking any action. “We must make sure that human rights are not trampled in the name of eliminating terrorism and maintaining security,” he admonished. “International terrorism is destroying human rights in Bosnia, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. We can track terrorism and still uphold human rights.” Shattuck alleged that President Bush’s program in the aftermath of the 9/11 has obliterated human rights. Sudan, Nigeria, Congo and Haiti are glaring examples of that, he commented, and Muslims in China and Russia are also being oppressed.
Referring to the human rights of the detainees at Guantanamo Base, Steve Macpherson Watt, Assistant Legal Director of New York’s Center for Constitutional Rights, said that they were not given access to legal representation. “The Bush administration has blocked the way for obtaining legal help and there is no provision in the constitution of the United States to support such action,” he said. “Many innocent immigrants have also been harassed because they have no documents, all in the name of controlling terrorism. Many of them have been deported.”
The last day of the conference dealt with how public life, particularly for Muslims, in the United States was affected by the war against terrorism. Participants included: Dalia Hashad, the Arab, Muslim, South Asian Advocate for the American Civil Liberties Union; Sanjna Singh, founder of Chai Break Films; and Adem Carroll, 9/11 Relief coordinator for Islamic Circle of North America. Singh’s “Out of Status,” a documentary that shows how the lives of Muslim immigrants from 24 countries were destroyed by the U.S.’s Special Registration program, was shown at this session.
At the closing plenary of the conference, Kathy Bachman, chair of the board of directors for Amnesty International USA, and Paul Hoffman, chair of the international executive committee for Amnesty International, spoke of human rights violations. Hoffman pointed to the abusive governments of Rwanda, Congo, Haiti, and South Africa. He made no mention of the miseries of Muslim immigrants in United States and made just a passing remark about Iraq.
