Fiji, an island country within the South Pacific Ocean, is below the highlight over stories of persecution of the Hindu group. On the epicentre of the debate is Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, the Fijian Minister for Economic system, Civil Carrier and Communications. Hindus in Fiji contain about 27.9% of the whole inhabitants and the minority group is confronted with expanding instances of inequitable remedy and racial prejudice.
Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum is without doubt one of the maximum essential Ministers within the Cupboard of High Minister Frank Bainimarama. He’s accused of getting shut ties with the intelligence company of Pakistan, ISI, and fuelling the continued persecution of Hindus.
The allegations stem from his position in onboarding NADRA, the nationwide database registration authority of Pakistan for undertaking the 2018 elections within the island country. That is in spite of the declare of the company that it landed the Fiji contract in 2016 by means of a aggressive bidding procedure.
In 2017, NADRA got here below the scanner for tampering with voter registration in its house nation of Pakistan. As in keeping with a document through ABC Information, the company used to be accused of poll stuffing, corruption and giving id playing cards to terrorists.
In step with Hindu Put up, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum used NADRA to allegedly tamper with the 2018 election effects and make sure the victory of Frank Bainimarama.
Screengrab of the thing through the Hindu Put up
“Critics allege that Bainimarama gave Khaiyum a loose hand in go back for the victory, and Khaiyum grew to become all his consideration towards the Hindu inhabitants in Fiji. Now not most effective temple assaults become extra common, but in addition Hindu intellectuals are frequently picked up through the police and slapped with false instances,” it mentioned.
Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyume has been accused of ‘stuffing’ Pakistani-origin Muslims in key positions of energy through flouting regulations. One of the vital debatable appointments has been that of Saud Minam because the Leader Government Officer (CEO) of the Fiji Building Financial institution (FDB).
Saud Minam, a former Pakistani citizen, used to be initially eyeing the location of Fiji Nationwide Provident Fund. When he used to be made the CEO of FDB, questions have been raised concerning the way by which Fijian citizenship used to be granted to him.
“What a disgrace…Naturalising any person to grow to be a Fijian citizen after most effective seven years or so of him being in Fiji. Is that this for genuine? The deception to make use of their task to realize citizenship in Fiji makes me very very anxious,” legislator Aseri Radrodro identified ultimate yr.
Screengrab of the scoop document
Below the ‘supervision’ of Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, Muslims were appointed to an important positions of energy together with the Reserve Financial institution, Broadcasting Fee, Monetary Intelligence Unit, Twist of fate and Repayment Fee, Manager of Elections, and Everlasting Secretary Business (govt).
It will have to be discussed that Muslims contain most effective 6% of the inhabitants and their appointments were disproportionate to their inhabitants. Khaiyum’s aunt, Nur Bano Ali, controls the Fiji Chamber of Trade and is the Chairperson of Girls in Trade (Fiji).
She is alleged to have super affect within the personal sector of the rustic. Fiji additionally signed a Memorandum of Figuring out (MoU) with a ‘bankrupt’ Pakistan, resulting in the charter of the Pakistan Fiji Trade Council.
The unceremonious ouster of Hindus from positions of energy, alternate to Fijian Hindi on Radio Mirchi
Mohammed Saneem, who used to be appointed because the Manager of Elections through Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, had allegedly been curious about recalling the Top Commissioner-Designate of Fiji to India, Namita Thakar.
He had accused her of being anti-Muslim after Saneem insisted on having non-vegetarian meals all over Diwali. “…Khatri used to be meant to take Saneem out for a meal. However she stated since Diwali used to be close to she received’t consume meat however Saneem stated he sought after to consume meat,” reported Fijileaks.
“So Khatri’s deputy and Saneem stated “Good enough we can cross and consume meat”. On that Khatri stated “Oh you two Muslims, cross and consume meat”. Saneem allegedly advised Khaiyum that Khatri “is anti-Muslim”; she used to be later recalled from India,” the scoop portal added.
Namita Khatri presenting her credentials to President Mukherjee in 2016, symbol by means of Virtual Photograph Library of Rashtrapati Bhavan
Saneem has been accused of facilitating the wrongful termination of ‘religious’ Hindu, Sharvada Sharma because the Solicitor normal of Fiji. He had served in that place for 10 years. After a fallout with Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, he used to be unceremoniously ousted through the Fijian High Minister.
Reportedly, his termination letter got here when he used to be prepping for Puja at the instance of Diwali. Even supposing Sharma had challenged the topic prior to the Court docket, Khaiyum is accused of compromising the independence of the Judiciary and prolonging the case.
Coupled with the sacking of Hindus from key positions and the rising proximity with Pakistan, Aiyaz is paving the way in which for the Islamisation of the Christian-majority country.
His brother, Riyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, has been accused of severing the Indic roots of Hindu Fijians. Riyaz, who serves because the CEO of Fiji Broadcasting Company, even modified the medium of instruction on Radio Mirchi from natural Hindi to an adulterated model known as ‘Fiji Hindi’.
Screengrab of the scoop document
Whilst talking concerning the building again then, Hindu flesh presser Mahendra Chaudhry stated, “It’s not most effective demeaning, it sounds completely ridiculous when one hears Radio Mirchi announcers expressing themselves on this medium.”
“This can be a gratuitous insult hurled on the Indians, specifically the fans of the Hindu faith. To dilute one’s language successfully method diluting one’s tradition as a result of language is so intrinsically tied up with the follow and preservation of 1’s tradition and traditions,” he had emphasized.
Riyaz Sayed-Khaiyum had then again defended the transfer and claimed that it will assist maintain ‘Fiji Hindi’ for many years and generations to come back.
Systemic assault at the Hindu Indo-Fijian group
In step with the Hindu American Basis (HAF), Indo-Fijians belonging to the Hindu group were topic to systemic violence because the first army coup in Might 1987.
“Within the months following the coup, racial tensions escalated and indigenous Fijians attacked Indians in popular violence. In a single bout of violence in Might 1987, just about 200 Indians have been injured through a rampaging mob of 1000’s of coup supporters,” it mentioned whilst mentioning a New York Occasions document.
Any other coup, which came about in the similar yr, witnessed the exodus of 30,000 – 40,000 Indo-Fijians from the island country. In step with HAF, systemic violence had observed a metamorphosis in demographics with the Indo-Fijian group now accounting for most effective 37% of the inhabitants (from 50% in 1987).
Screengrab of the thing through the Hindu American Basis
The Hindu advocacy workforce identified that Lt. Colonel Rabuka, who orchestrated the primary two coups in Fiji, prepared the ground for a brand new charter in 1990. The stated charter reportedly created a race rift, by which majority of Parliamentary seats have been allotted to indigenous Fijians.
This quickly escalated to real-life violence towards the Hindu group and arson assaults on temples and sacred shrines in October of 1991. A yr after the island country had its first Hindu PM (Mahendra Chaudhary) in 1999, he used to be held hostage and toppled from his place of energy.
“Therefore, violence towards Indian Hindus greater and threatened their elementary proper to follow their religion,” HAF stated. Regardless of the secular nature of the Charter followed through Fiji in 2013, the concentrated on of Hindus continues unabated.
This comprises instances of vandalism and robbery at more than one temples around the nation. Here’s a complete checklist of such incidents:
June 2016 – Vandalism of Hindu temple in Lautoka, desecration of Hindu symbols and hate graffiti concentrated on native Indian scholars.December 2017 – Vandalism of Tirath Dham temple (Nadi), robbery of donation packing containers, desecration of Hindu murtisJanuary 2018 – Vandalism of a temple close to Suva.July 2019 – Robbery at Sita Ram Mandir (Calia) and Hindu temple at MaloloAugust 2019 – Vandalism of temple doorways and home windows of Kaliamman Temple in Lautoka. September 2019 — Robbery at a temple within the Suva town of Fiji.
The Hindu American Basis identified that Indo-Fijians nonetheless have much less land possession [pdf] in comparison to indigenous Fijians and the previous depends on leased lands for farming from the latter.
But even so the specter of Islamisation, Hindus in Fiji additionally face demanding situations from the hegemony of the Methodist Church of Fiji and its get to the bottom of to make the island country a ‘Christian State’.
In 2012, the then Fiji Methodist Church’s President Tuikilakila Waqairatu claimed, “Fiji used to be given to God…Once we say that Fiji is a Christian state … we are saying it used to be made up our minds through our chiefs who ceded Fiji to Nice Britain that Fiji be a Christian nation.”
“When it used to be given to God, it has already established its covenant courting with God, and that covenant courting is everlasting – it can’t be withdrawn,” he had asserted then
Fijian High Minister cries foul
In the meantime, Fijian High Minister Frank Bainimarama has reacted strongly to the thing posted through Hindu Put up.
In a video, he stated, “The Fiji I lead does no longer tolerate antagonism towards any religion. Christians, Hindus, and Muslims are all beloved, approved and safe in Fiji, that’s the persona of our nation, that’s the safety equipped through our charter.”
“What’s in reality fairly unhappy is that no different flesh presser has condemned this nonsense for what it’s, even if they comprehend it is a lie,” the Fijian High Minister disregarded the allegations.
“Atypical Fijians know precisely who’s maximum chargeable for the communal and non secular department that almost tore our nation aside within the Nineteen Eighties and Nineties. Those similar other folks need to drag us again to the darkness,” Frank Bainimarama claimed.
