Issue and Solutions for Various Minority Groups in South Asia
Introduction
The term “South Asia” is given to the nations occupying the southern section of the Asian continent. This area is dominated by the region of the Indian Plate, to include the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka (United Nations Statistics Division: Composition of Macro Geographical Regions, Geographical Sub-Regions, and Selected Economic and Other Groupings). South Asia’s population is said to be about one-fifth of the world’s total population, and thus it is known to be the most densely populated geographical region in the world (South Asian Regional Gateway: South Asia Regional Overview). This short essay will focus on certain elements of the culture of this unique region, namely, the status of minorities in the region. This paper posits that migration and religion are the two main bases for the creation of minority groups in the region, and that minority groups are oftentimes not allowed to declare their own identity and instead defer to the culture and influence of the mainstream populations therein. This essay is therefore intended to create a basic level of awareness on the part of the reader, such that he or she will know that there are important issues dealing with minorities in almost all of the South Asian region which need to be solved in order to promote unity within it.
This paper will first provide the different issues besetting the various minority groups in several nations in the South Asia region. After this, a recommendation on how these issues can be solved will be provided toward the end of the paper.
Literature Review
Experts count over 2000 ethnic groups living in this region. The main ethnic groups are the Dravidian, Indo-Iranian, Tibeto-Burman and Austroasiatic groups. The combination of these groups through migration and intermarriage has produced many other sub-groups, but these combinations of groups and cultures have common beliefs and traditions. However, there are strong and dominant cultures in the region such as the Bengali and South Indian cultures. The languages spoken in the region are Hindi, with over 400 million speakers, Bengali, with over 200 million speakers, as well as Punjabi and Urdu – which is largely spoken in Pakistan. These languages, being similar to one another, have been grouped into what is called the Indo-Aryan subgroup of the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. Another language group under the Indo-Aryan subgroup is Dravidian group, which includes the other South Indian languages such as Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, as well as the Brahui dialect of Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan (Alberts and Irving, 4-7).
Minorities in South Asia and UN Policy
It is said that all peoples have the right to “self-determination”, which means that all people have the right to declare their political status and then to pursue their own cultural, social and economic goals. Thus the right to self-determination includes the right of people to choose and develop their own cultural identity. Thus a minority group, for as long as there is a perceived unique identity for them, constitutes a group of “people” and therefore also has the right to self-determination. There is also the conclusion that an indigenous people in a particular region, which may constitute a minority group cannot be denied this right. This is because these people certainly have their own identity. They have their own language, beliefs, customs, traditions and history. As a recognized group, they must be included in the phenomenon of nation building, and in all required political processes of the state in which they reside and conduct themselves. However, for almost all indigenous people and minority groups around the world, they have long been excluded from these processes. The United Nations has declared that inclusion and diversity are key to further national development, and thus these people must be included in these processes (Mishra and Singh, 285-291).
Minorities in Bhutan
Bhutan is a sovereign country in the South Asian region. It is a constitutional monarchy, and its economy has grown in the last few years. Economic growth is thought to have been aided by the construction and operation of the Tala Hydroelectric Power Station, which then sells power to India (Power Technology: Tala Hydroelectric Project, Bhutan). It also has a growing tourism sector, and the per capita income of the country is now at $ 2370.00 as of 2015 (World Bank: World Development Indicators: Size of the Economy). The country is known for its idyllic scenery and peace-loving people. However, there reports to the contrary when it comes to the government’s treatment of its refugees. Despite the government’s efforts to integrate the minorities, especially the Lhotshampas of Nepalese origin, into mainstream society, this was put on hold because of the increasing influx of Nepalese into Bhutan. The government declared laws on the wearing of the traditional Bhutanese garments for everyone, which was not a practice of the Lhotshampas. Nepali was also removed as a medium of instruction in schools, which did not sit well with the Lhotshampas, who had populated the southern region of the country. This had the net effect of isolating this minority group, with many members of this group not knowing how to speak and write in the national Dzongkha language of the country (Mishra and Singh, 29-33). It is said that in the late 1980s, over 100,000 Lhotshampas have been forced out of Bhutan, becoming refugees in nearby Nepal.
Minorities in Afghanistan
The ethnic Hazaras in the province of Markaz Bamyan in Afghanistan, have long known the position of being marginalized. This is despite the fact that almost the entire nation has been left decimated by the wars, invasions and occupations by groups such as the Soviets and the Taliban in recent times. Hazaras are mostly Shia Muslims, and are thus frowned upon by the ruling Sunni Muslim group. The end result of discrimination beginning in the 1800s has converted the Hazaras into a servant class, with many of them sold into slavery in the early 20th century. Their ancestral lands were confiscated, and they have been taxed heavily as well. They have also been excluded from occupying civil and other government posts. The Hazaras also fell victim to a special form of ethnic cleansing by the Taliban, with many male members of Hazara families being tortured and murdered. There is a bit of relief at the moment as there are many international relief agencies working in Bamyan today, but once these agencies leave the area, the Hazaras will once more become isolated in a land that has experienced very little peace over the years (Chiovenda, 3-11).
Minorities in Pakistan
The government of Pakistan is not without its faults when it comes to its minorities. It enacted particularly repressive laws. In 1986, it implemented the Blasphemy Act that provided sanctions for those who were thought to have offended the Koran. The end result was that many Christians were punished and even killed for having “slandered” the Muslim faith, with many not even being brought before a court or investigated at all. The law is always emphasized by those fundamentalists in the Pakistani government who have desired to create a more conservative government. There have been cases wherein the law has been abused, resulting in the death of innocent individuals and the appropriation of the property of others. There is the infamous case of John Joseph, the former Roman Catholic bishop of Faisalabad, who committed suicide in 1998 to protest the inhumane treatment of Christians by Pakistani Muslims. He wished to protest against the execution of a man who was wrongly accused of blasphemy by Pakistani Muslims (Jones, 19).
Minorities in India
India, being the home of a very diverse set of groups and people, also has its share of issues when dealing with the minority. Recently, tensions between Hindus and Muslims have escalated, and it is said that incidents of communal violence because of these tensions have risen by 10%. In 2013 alone, there were about 823 such incidents, resulting in the deaths of 133 individuals. The tension is greatest against Muslims, where many have left their places of residents and have become refugees elsewhere. The situation in the refugee camps is deplorable, and problems such as high child mortality have crept in. Unfortunately, it appears that there are no real government rehabilitation plans for them, and that the families were offered small amounts of compensation in order to never return to where they came from. It would seem that acts of violence against the minorities in India continue at an alarming rate because there are no police forces employed to stem the tide of violence. Thus the acts of violence are committed with impunity, as there are no law forces in charge of preventing them (Lantos, 2014).
Conclusion
The problem of minorities in Asia is real. These issues stem from the differences in culture, and from the refusal of the state in question to integrate these minorities into regular mainstream society. What was surprising in the conduct of research was the plight of the Lhotshampas, who had been living in the southern part of Bhutan for quite a long time already. Bhutan is known to the outside world to be a home for peace and unity, and yet the minorities there are also persecuted via exclusion and sometimes expulsion. Some minorities would rather bear these incidents of violence against them for as long as they are able to move to another place in exchange for compensation. However, more often than not, nothing is done in order to prevent these incidents of violence from happening, and nothing is also done in order to alleviate the plight of those who have experienced violence.
How can these issues be solved? The solutions are in the hands of government. Education is one tool that can be used. Children as young as in the elementary grades must be taught about diversity and inclusion, and how these ideals benefit both the government and its citizens. Years of hatred and prejudice can eventually disappear if the young are enlightened and educated already. Governments must implement policies of diversity and inclusion. It is this blend of cultures, talents, and traditions that will provide many perspectives that governments can use for their development and progress. Governments must also increase their powers to investigate these acts of violence and prejudice, and punish all those who are found guilty of committing these. Once there is consistency in the investigation and sanctions of those found guilty, then these acts are preventable indeed. While the emigration and religion have brought about differences in beliefs, states and governments in South Asia can still bring about unity and lasting peace therein by promoting a culture of diversity and inclusion among their ranks.
Works Cited
Alberts, Tara and Irving, D. Intercultural Exchange in Southeast Asia. 2013. NY: I. B. Tauris. Web.
Chiovenda, Melissa. Memory, History and Landscape: Ethnic Hazaras’ Understanding of Marginality in Bamyan, Afghanistan. In State, Society and Minorities in South and Southeast Asia, S. Kukreja, editor. 2015. Web.
Jones, Owen Benett. Pakistan: Eye of the Storm. 2003. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Print.
Lantos, Tom. The Plight of Religious Minorities in India. 2014. Web.
Mishra, Navin and Singh, Sudhir Kumar. Status of Minorities in South Asia. 2002. New Delhi, India: Authors Press.
Power Technology. Tala Hydroelectric Project, Bhutan. 2016. Web.
South Asian Regional Gateway. South Asia Regional Overview. 2014. Web.
United Nations Statistics Division. Composition of Macro Geographical Regions, Geographical Sub-Regions, and Selected Economic and Other Groupings. 2014. Web.
World Bank. World Development Indicators: Size of the Economy. 2016. Web.
