AWAAZ - SOUTH ASIA WATCH
PRESS RELEASE: Wednesday, January 05, 2005
ENQUIRIES TO: contact@awaazsaw.org
http://www.awaazsaw.org
HELP RECONSTRUCT LIVES & COMMUNITIES
BEWARE OF FUNDING HATE
The death toll from the deadly tsunami which has affected several Asian countries has now crossed 150,000; hundreds of thousands more people and communities have been devastated by the loss of families, friends, homes and property. Numerous dedicated volunteers and organizations have come together to organize relief and rehabilitation. Awaaz - South Asia Watch strongly supports these efforts and urges all generous individuals and organizations in the UK to continue to support these initiatives even after the media coverage inevitably decreases. The greatest need is for immediate relief followed by rehabilitation and the restoration of livelihoods - to provide people with the means to get back on their own feet.
To ensure that their well-intended donations do not fall into the wrong hands, Awaaz urges donors to channel their contributions through organizations with established secular, humanitarian and non-violent credentials. Unfortunately, there are a small handful of self-interested and chauvinist groups associated with religious fundamentalism in these regions that will make use of this disaster to expand their networks and cultivate religious and sectarian hatred. Some of these groups have powerful front organizations in the UK. Even if their appeals today sound well-meaning, the longer term consequences of the activities of religious fundamentalist groups are the same: fundamentalism creates strife between communities, polarizes societies, and foments hatred and large-scale violence.
BEWARE OF FUNDING SECTARIAN HATRED
We have been asked by numerous supporters in the UK about which charities they should donate money to. Supporters have expressed concerns that money they donate does not aid the expansion of extremist Hindutva organizations in India or extremist Islamist organizations in Indonesia, Malaysia or elsewhere. The following UK organizations have been or currently are under investigation by the Charity Commission.
Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS UK)
Sewa International (SI UK)
Vishwa Hindu Parishad UK (VHP UK)
Sewa International UK / Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh UK are currently under investigation by the Charity Commission in relation to the funds raised in the UK following the Gujarat Earthquake in 2001. Sewa International UK and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad UK are also leading members of the ëdisaster relief task forceí recently launched by the Hindu Forum UK. Sewa International UK, Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh UK and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad UK are all associated with a violent, fascistic, anti-minority Indian organization, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The RSS or its affiliates have been repeatedly implicated by numerous independent national and international human rights groups for involvement in violence and the promotion of hatred, including the anti-Muslim Gujarat pogroms in 2002 and the anti-Christian violence in 1998-2000. Following both the Orissa supercyclone in 1999 and the Gujarat earthquake in 2001, RSS front organizations expanded their activities considerably in these two
states. Awaaz believes that the tsunami disaster provides an important opportunity for the RSS to expand its activities in southern Indian states, including Tamil Nadu, areas where it has had relatively limited success. For further information, see http://www.awaazsaw.org and http://www.stopfundinghate.org.
HOW TO DONATE
We urge you to donate to neutral, humanitarian, non-sectarian organizations.
DONATING FROM THE UK
DISASTERS EMERGENCY COMMITTEE (DEC)
Donate online at: http://www.dec.org.uk/
or call: 0870 60 60 900
OXFAM
Donate online at: http://www.oxfam.org.uk/
or call: 0870 333 2700
BRITISH RED CROSS
Donate online at: http://www.redcross.org.uk/
or call: 08705 125 125
ACTIONAID
Donate online at: http://www.actionaid.org.uk/
or call: 01460 238 023
UNICEF ASIA EARTHQUAKE CHILDRENíS EMERGENCY APPEAL
Donate online at: http://www.unicef.org.uk/asiaearthquake
or call: 08457 312 312
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS / RED CRESCENT
http://www.ifrc.org/index.asp (Main)
http://www.redcross.org.sg/press_bayofbengal_appeal.htm (Singapore)
http://www.indianredcross.org (India)
http://redcrescent.org.my/campaigns/donate.html (Malaysia)
http://www.redcross.or.th/english/home/index (Thailand)
ACTIONAID
http://www.actionaid.org.uk
UNICEF
http://www.unicef.org
SAVE THE CHILDREN
http://www.savethechildren.org
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS/MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/index.shtml
OXFAM
http://www.oxfam.org.uk
ARCHITECTURE FOR HUMANITY
http://www.architectureforhumanity.org
DONATING DIRECTLY TO INDIAN ORGANIZATIONS
There are a very large number of humanitarian, secular and non-sectarian organizations in India currently providing relief and rehabilitation in the affected areas. The appeals Awaaz receives are regularly posted at http://www.awaazsaw.org/weblog/awaaz_wlog.html. Note that some Indian organizations are registered to receive funds from abroad, others are not - check with individual organizations before sending donations.
PLEASE DO NOT SEND ANY MONEY TO AWAAZ
ABOUT AWAAZ - SOUTH ASIA WATCH
AWAAZ - SOUTH ASIA WATCH is a UK-based secular network of individuals and organisations committed to monitoring and combating religious hatred in South Asia and in the UK.
Awaaz was established following the violence and killings of Indian citizens, mainly Muslims, in the state of Gujarat after February 2002. The Gujarat carnage was a turning point in the recent history of India and showed how genocidal Hindutva forces have established a firm hold on many aspects of Indian society.
Awaaz campaigns against religious fundamentalist control of the state, civil society, political life and personal freedoms. Awaaz campaigns for secular democratic state institutions and civil life where all citizens have the right to live in peace and security and fully participate in the political and civil process and decision-making.
Awaaz stands for peaceful resolution of problems between South Asian countries, opposes violation of human rights, and opposes discrimination based on caste, gender, religion, region, ethnicity, race, sexuality and other factors. Awaaz unreservedly condemns the political use of religion to attack individuals and minorities including Muslims in India, Christians and dalits across South Asia, Hindus in Bangladesh and Shias and Ahmaddis in Pakistan.
Awaaz - South Asia Watch is supported by leading civil rights and community organisations in the UK and abroad, including Aaj Kay Naam, Asian Women's Refuge, Friends of India / All India Christian Council (UK), Cambridge South Asia Forum, Campaign Against Racism and Fascism (CARF), Council of Indian Muslims (UK), Dalit Forum for Social Justice (UK), India Forum, Indian Muslim Federation (UK), Indian Workers Association (GB), National Civil Rights Movement (NCRM), Oxford South Asia Forum, Peopleís Unity, Southall Black Sisters, Peopleís Empowerment Alliance, Southall Monitoring Group, Women Against Fundamentalism and many more. Active members include Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Muslims, Christians and people of no faith.
AWAAZ - South Asia Watch
PO Box 304
Southall
Middlesex
UB2 5YR
UK
Email: contact@awaazsaw.org
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