21. November 2013

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Das US-Außenministerium (US Department of State, USDOS) schreibt in seinem Jahresbericht zur Religionsfreiheit vom Mai 2013 (Berichtszeitraum 2012), dass unter anderem Sikhs weiterhin zum Ziel von Verfolgung und Diskriminierung geworden seien, obwohl sie ihre Religion öffentlich ausüben dürften. Lokale Bevölkerungsgruppen der Hindus und Sikhs seien weiterhin mit Problemen konfrontiert gewesen, Land für Einäscherungen zu erhalten, und seien während größeren religiösen Feiern schikaniert worden. Sie seien zudem auf dem Arbeitsmarkt und in öffentlichen Schulen von Diskriminierung betroffen gewesen.

In Kabul gebe es drei aktive „Gurdwaras“ (Gebetsstätten der Sikhs), zehn weitere in anderen Teilen des Landes.

Unter anderem in Kabul gebe es Schulen für Kinder von Sikhs. In Dschalalabad gebe es keine Schulen für Sikhs, obwohl geschätzt werde, dass fast ein Viertel der Bevölkerungsgruppe der Sikhs in Dschalalabad lebe. Die Regierung habe Sikh-Schulen in eingeschränktem Ausmaß finanziert.

Das USDOS berichtet weiters über den Fall von Baljit Singh, einem 23-jährigen Sikh, der laut eigenen Angaben während seiner 19-monatigen Haft von Mithäftlingen und Gefängniswächtern mehrmals geschlagen und beleidigt worden sei. Er sei zudem gezwungen worden, seinen Turban abzulegen. Das Büro des Generalstaatsanwaltes habe die Behauptungen bestritten.

Hindus und Sikhs hätten sich auch im Jahr 2012 darüber beschwert, dass sie Tote nicht nach ihren Bräuchen einäschern hätten können. Nach der Intervention durch einen Senator, der den Sikhs angehöre, habe die Regierung Land zur Verfügung gestellt. Einige Sikhs hätten sich jedoch beschwert, dass das Land weit außerhalb städtischer Gebiete und in einem unsicheren Gebiet liege und es deshalb unbrauchbar sei.

Es habe im Berichtszeitraum keine Berichte über gezielte Diskriminierung von Sikhs durch die Regierung gegeben.

Mindestens zwei Angehörige der Sikhs würden in Regierungspositionen dienen. Anführer der Sikhs hätten sich weiterhin über das Fehlen von garantierten Parlamentssitzen beschwert. Die Gemeinschaft der Sikhs habe keine kostenlose Elektrizität für Gurdwaras erhalten. Moscheen würden jedoch kostenlose Elektrizität erhalten. Obwohl Sikhs auf Mechanismen zur Streitlösung wie dem Speziellen Gericht für Land und Eigentum zurückgreifen könnten, habe sich die Gemeinschaft ungeschützt gefühlt.

Unter anderem Sikhs seien weiterhin von gesellschaftlicher Diskriminierung und Schikanierung und in einigen Fällen von Gewalt betroffen gewesen. Diese Behandlung sei nicht systematisch erfolgt, jedoch habe die Regierung nur wenige Maßnahmen ergriffen, um die Bedingungen zu verbessern. Unter anderem Sikhs hätten davon berichtet, von Nachbarn in ihren Gemeinden schikaniert worden zu sein. Sikhs seien weiterhin diskriminiert und eingeschüchtert worden. Im November 2012 habe eine Gruppe von MuslimInnen Steine auf eine Gruppe von Sikhs geworfen, die ein Einäscherungsritual auf einem dafür vorgesehenen Gebiet in Kabul vorgenommen hätte. Die lokale Polizei sei Berichten zufolge nicht eingeschritten. Viele Sikhs hätten ihre Kinder nicht in öffentliche Schulen geschickt, da sie Berichten zufolge von Missbrauch, Schikanierung und Mobbing durch andere SchülerInnen betroffen seien. In den vergangenen Jahren hätten Sikhs ihre Kinder in private Schulen geschickt, jedoch seien viele dieser Schulen aufgrund der sich verschlechternden wirtschaftlichen Umstände geschlossen worden. Anführer der Sikhs hätten zudem von wirtschaftlicher Diskriminierung und einem fehlenden Zugang zum Arbeitsmarkt berichtet:

„Non-Muslim minority groups, particularly Christians, Hindus, and Sikhs, continued to be targets of persecution and discrimination. […] Local Hindu and Sikh populations, although allowed to practice publicly, continued to encounter problems obtaining land for cremation and harassment during major religious celebrations. They also continued to face discrimination in the labor market and in public schools.” (USDOS, 20. Mai 2013, Executive Summary)

„Leaders of minority religious communities estimate there are 350 Sikh families and 30 Hindu families. […] There are three active gurdwaras (Sikh places of worship) in Kabul and 10 in other parts of the country; there were 64 gurdwaras throughout the country before the mujahideen era, when many were seized. There are five remaining Hindu mandirs (temples) in three cities: two in Kabul, one of which shares a wall with a mosque, one in Jalalabad, one in Helmand, and one in Kandahar.“ (USDOS, 20. Mai 2013, Section 1)

„There are schools for Sikh children in Ghazni, Helmand, and Kabul. There are no Sikh schools in Jalalabad, despite estimates that nearly one-quarter of the Sikh population lives there. The government provides limited funding for Sikh schools, including for teachers for the basic curriculum. A few Sikh children attend private international schools. There are no Christian schools in the country. Hindus do not have separate schools, but sometimes send their children to Sikh schools. […]

In January, media reported on the case of Baljit Singh, a 23 year-old Sikh. Detained in 2010 on charges of falsely claiming Afghan citizenship after the United Kingdom deported him, Singh was in detention for over 19 months until being released on February 1. Singh alleged that during his detention, fellow prisoners and prison guards beat him on multiple occasions, insulted him, and forced him to remove his turban. Singh also alleged that he was deceived into converting to Islam while in prison; officials recorded and later broadcast his conversion on Tolo television. Officials from the attorney general’s office disputed the claims of mistreatment and told media that non-Muslim prisoners routinely converted to Islam in the belief they would receive more lenient treatment. Singh was granted asylum and returned to the United Kingdom in July. […]

As in previous years, Hindus and Sikhs complained of not being able to cremate the remains of their dead in accordance with their customs due to interference by those who lived near the cremation sites. On two occasions, Sikh religious leaders organized demonstrations to protest the government’s failure to protect their rights. While the government provided land upon the intervention of a Sikh senator, some Sikhs complained that the land was far from any major urban area and in an insecure region, thus rendering it unusable. […]

There were no known reports of targeted discrimination against Hindus or Sikhs by the government, as opposed to apostates and Bahais. […]

At least two Sikhs served in government positions, including one as a senior economic advisor to President Karzai and one as a presidentially appointed member of the upper house of parliament. Sikh leaders complained that they lacked political representation, noting that most Afghans fail to distinguish between Hindus and Sikhs despite significant religious differences. They also continued to complain about a lack of guaranteed seats in parliament. The constitution affords 10 seats for the Kuchi (Sunni) ethnic group but offers no such arrangements for other minority communities. The government provided free electricity to mosques. The Hindu and Sikh communities did not receive free electricity for their mandirs and gurdwaras, which were charged as business entities and paid higher rates. As of the end of the year, the government had not addressed repeated requests from the two communities to receive the same treatment as mosques. Although Hindus and Sikhs had recourse to dispute resolution mechanisms such as the Special Land and Property Court, in practice the communities felt unprotected.” (USDOS, 20. Mai 2013, Section 2)

„Non-Muslim minorities such as Sikhs, Hindus, and Christians continued to face social discrimination and harassment, and in some cases violence. This treatment was not systematic, but the government made minimal effort to improve conditions. […] The Hindu population, which is less visibly distinguishable than the Sikh population (whose men wear a distinctive headdress), faced less harassment, although both groups reported being harassed by neighbors in their communities. Both communities, although allowed to practice their religion publicly, reportedly continued to face discrimination, including intimidation. In November a group of Muslims threw rocks at a Sikh group carrying out cremation rituals in a designated area in Kabul; local police reportedly did not provide assistance. Many in the Sikh and Hindu communities did not send their children to public school because of reported abuse, harassment, and bullying by other students. In previous years, Hindus and Sikhs sent their children to private Hindu and Sikh schools, but many of those schools closed since the community’s deteriorating economic circumstances and shrinking population have made private schooling unaffordable for most families. Sikh leaders also reported economic discrimination and lack of labor market access.” (USDOS, 20. Mai 2013, Section 3)

Die United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) schreibt in ihrem Jahresbericht zur Religionsfreiheit vom April 2013 (Berichtszeitraum 2012), dass sich unter anderem die Lage der kleinen Sikh-Gemeinschaft seit dem Fall der Taliban gebessert habe. Sikhs sei es erlaubt, ihre Religion auszuüben. Sie würden über öffentliche Gebetsstätten verfügen, aber sie seien von Sicherheitsbedrohungen und Diskriminierung durch die Regierung betroffen. Im November 2012 hätten afghanische Sicherheitskräfte und örtliche BewohnerInnen Sikhs davon abgehalten, Einäscherungszeremonien von verstorbenen Verwandten abzuhalten. Baljit Singh sei im Jahr 2010 bei seiner Ankunft in Kabul verhaftet worden, da er fälschlicherweise behauptet habe, die afghanische Staatsbürgerschaft zu besitzen. Singh sei im Juli 2012, nachdem er Berichten zufolge getäuscht worden sei, um zum Islam überzutreten, freigelassen worden. Er sei in das Vereinigte Königreich abgeschoben worden:

„The situation of Afghanistan’s small communities of Hindus and Sikhs has improved since the fall of the Taliban. Hindus and Sikhs are allowed to practice their faith and have places of public worship, but they continue to face security threats and discrimination by the government. In November 2012, Afghan security personnel and local residents reportedly prevented Sikhs from performing cremation ceremonies for their deceased relatives. In 2010, a Sikh man, Baljit Singh, was jailed after being pulled from a customs line at the Kabul airport due to his distinctive turban. Singh, who was returning to Afghanistan after 18 years outside the country, was arrested for falsely claiming Afghan citizenship. Singh was released in July 2012, reportedly after being tricked into making a televised conversion to Islam. He was deported to the United Kingdom.” (USCIRF, 30. April 2013, S. 215)

Laut einem Bericht der Minority Rights Group (MRG), einer Menschenrechtsorganisation, die sich für die Rechte von ethnischen, religiösen und sprachlichen Minderheiten und indigenen Völkern weltweit einsetzt, zur Lage von Minderheiten vom September 2013 würden die Taliban weiterhin weite Teile Afghanistans, insbesondere im Süden und Osten des Landes, kontrollieren, wo die Lage für religiöse Minderheiten unsicher sei. MRG berichtet ebenfalls über den Fall von Baljit Singh, der laut eigenen Angaben in Haft von Mithäftlingen und Gefängnisbeamten misshandelt und gezwungen worden sei, zum Islam überzutreten:

„The Taliban continue to control large areas of Afghanistan, particularly in the south and the east, where the situation for religious minorities along with dissenting Muslims is insecure. In territory controlled by the Afghan government, too, there have been incidents of violations of religious freedom. In July, the case of Baljit Singh, a Sikh, raised concerns about attitudes towards religious minorities. Singh was held in detention in Afghanistan and later released over allegedly ‘false claims’ of being an Afghan national after having been deported from the UK, where he had unsuccessfully sought asylum. Singh described how he had been abused by Afghan security personnel and other prison inmates, and forced to convert to Islam. Singh was detained for 18 months but was never formally charged with any crime. The case shone a spotlight on both the Afghan criminal justice system and the Afghan Sikh community, which has gone from several thousand families to merely a few hundred in the last decades.” (MRG, 24. September 2013, S. 128)

Der Afghanistan-Experte Fabrizio Foschini schreibt in einem Artikel für das Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN), eine unabhängige, gemeinnützige Forschungsorganisation mit Hauptsitz in Kabul, vom September 2013, dass die Sikhs in größerem Ausmaß als MuslimInnen von den aktuellen Schwierigkeiten und der Unsicherheit in Afghanistan betroffen seien. Sikhs seien weniger von Feindseligkeit durch MuslimInnen als von der konstanten Erosion der Sicherheit und von Handlungsräumen, die für die Ausübung von Geschäften und religiösen Zeremonien notwendig seien, betroffen:

„Over the past 15 years, Afghan Hindus and Sikhs have been caught between an excessive, unwanted visibility and a total lack of it. The few thousand remnants of a once numerous community do not make the news often, and when they do the reporting is usually about the problems they face. As a minority community, and a religious one, they feel the current hardships and insecurity in Afghanistan even more than their Muslim neighbours. […]

The Hindu-Sikh community’s present position seems to be undermined not by harsh and concerted hostility from their Muslim neighbours, but rather by a constant erosion of the security and room for action required for carrying on their business, their religious ceremonies and, in short, a normal life. And that is enough for many to decide it is not worth it anymore, and to send their families away, first from Khost or Kunduz to Kabul, and eventually from Kabul to New Delhi as well as to progressively wind down their economic activities and move out of the country altogether.” (Foschini, 23. September 2013)

Das Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR), ein internationales Netzwerk, das aus drei gemeinnützigen Organisationen aus Afrika, Europa und den USA besteht, zitiert in einem Artikel vom Juli 2013 die Angaben eines Betreibers eines Geschäftslokals in Kabul. Sikhs würden nicht wie Menschen behandelt. Sie würden beleidigt, geschlagen und nicht respektiert. Eine Parlamentsabgeordnete, die den Sikhs angehöre, habe bestätigt, dass Sikhs und Hindus von Problemen betroffen seien. Sie habe dies der Ignoranz innerhalb der weiteren Gemeinschaft zugeschrieben. Sie habe laut eigenen Angaben von Medien und dem Ministerium für religiöse Angelegenheiten gefordert, eine öffentliche Bildungskampagne zu starten. Sikhs in Kabul hätten angegeben, dass ein Umzug in andere Gebiete ihre Probleme nicht lösen würde und sie gefährdeter seien, wenn sie sich außerhalb der Hauptstadt befinden würden:

„‘We aren’t treated as human beings,’ Sikh businessman Amrit Singh said as he sat in his small grocery shop in the Kabul neighbourhood of Shor Bazaar. ‘When we are alive, we are disrespected, insulted and beaten…. And when we take our dead to the crematorium, which is our personal property, they won’t let us burn the bodies, saying it stinks.’ […]

Many Hindus and Sikhs, however, say they face threats, insults and even physical violence from their neighbours. ‘Our women can’t go out,’ said Bajan Singh, who has a grocery shop in Kabul. ‘When our children go to school, they are insulted by their classmates for being Hindu. A number of our Hindu brothers have been beaten and their money stolen. All of our rights have been trampled on. I wish [the government] would move us to some other country.’ Honaryar [Sikh member of the upper house of parliament] acknowledged that Sikhs and Hindus faced some problems, which she attributed to ignorance in the wider community. She said she had asked the media and the Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs to launch a public education campaign. […]

Hindus and Sikhs living in Kabul said moving to new homes would not solve their problems, and they would face more security threats if they were outside the capital. “ (IWPR, 11. Juli 2013)

Laut einem Artikel der afghanischen Nachrichtenagentur Pajhwok Afghan News vom Juli 2013 habe der stellvertretende Vorsitzende des Rates der Hindus und Sikhs, Rail Singh, angegeben, dass Hindus und Sikhs in den vergangenen Jahren ihres Eigentums und ihrer Häuser beraubt worden seien. Ihre Kinder seien in der Schule von Schikanierung durch andere Kinder betroffen. Hindus und Sikhs hätten bei verschiedenen Behörden zur Lösung ihrer Probleme angesucht, aber niemand habe ihre Bedenken aufgegriffen:

„Over the last couple of years, Hindus and Sikhs had been deprived of their properties and homes by powerful individuals, he [Rail Singh, deputy head of the Council of Hindus and Sikhs] alleged. Their kids could neither play on streets nor go to school because of harassment by other children, he complained. He said both Hindus and Sikhs had approached various departments and officials to have their problems resolved but no one addressed their concerns. ‘If our demands are not accepted, we will be forced to write to the United Nations to provide us asylum in a foreign country,’ Singh announced.” (Pajhwok Afghan News, 31. Juli 2013)

 

 

Quellen: (Zugriff auf alle Quellen am 21. November 2013)

·      Foschini, Fabrizio: The Other Fold of the Turban: Afghanistan’s Hindus and Sikhs, 23. September 2013 (veröffentlicht von AAN, verfügbar auf ecoi.net)

https://www.ecoi.net/local_link/259908/385588_de.html

·      IWPR - Institute for War and Peace Reporting: Tough Times for Afghan Hindus and Sikhs, 11. Juli 2013 (verfügbar auf ecoi.net)

http://www.ecoi.net/local_link/252653/377085_de.html

·      MRG - Minority Rights Group International: State of the World's Minorities and Indigenous Peoples 2013, 24. September 2013 (verfügbar auf ecoi.net)

http://www.ecoi.net/file_upload/1226_1380798377_asia-and-oceania.pdf

·      Pajhwok Afghan News: Hindus, Sikhs warn of leaving Afghanistan, 31. Juli 2013

http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2013/07/31/hindus-sikhs-warn-leaving-afghanistan

·      USCIRF - US Commission on International Religious Freedom: 2013 Annual Report of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, 30. April 2013

http://www.uscirf.gov/images/2013 USCIRF Annual Report (2).pdf

·      USDOS - US Department of State: 2012 International Religious Freedom Report - Afghanistan, 20. Mai 2013 (verfügbar auf ecoi.net)

https://www.ecoi.net/local_link/247437/371022_de.html