Heed the Cry for Peace

The Middle East is once again the scene of bombings, and the theatre for the death of many civilians, including babies. The entire region is devastated by violence, and both sides are affected. Of course, this is a very complicated war, and we all know which side is right or wrong, depending on the side one has chosen! What is more: both sides have reasons to think they are right! Such certainty is common whenever there is a conflict, or even when there is serious disagreement over an issue. The real problem is that in this festering slow war in the region, both sides are convinced that they can solve the problem only by using bombs. The bombs are getting stronger by the day, the violence is getting more mindless, and the leaders are taking more hard line positions than ever.

It is indeed a mad world. While the bombing is going on, the leaders of the rich world are calmly examining the financial costs and efforts required to rebuild the region. Of course the most important question on their minds is who should be allowed to do it! They could instead concentrate their energies on stopping the destruction! Meanwhile, property continues to be destroyed, and irreplaceable human lives are being lost.

Of course, in the present atmosphere, I would be considered naive if I said that it would be better for the two sides to sit around a table and to try to solve the problem by diplomatic means. But there is no other alternative, and such a viewpoint may find support from the peace groups in Israel and in Lebanon, because they have understood that violence just breeds new violence. These groups are made of brave men and women who have dared say what they believe in, despite the war mongering that has been going on.

We must always dream of a better world – but we need not just dream about it, we could also act to make it better! Imagine a better world and think of the means to reach it! Getting rid of a mentality where war is seen as the way to solve conflicts would be the first step!

Divided Societies

The division of people into ranks and classes is probably as old as human society. Those who are familiar with Asterix comics have no doubt been amused that the village chief did not ever walk – he was carried on a shield! What that means of course is that he was thought more valuable than the others in his village. And those who were ‘allowed’ to carry the chief were obviously more valuable than those who were not strong enough to carry out this task – women and children for instance. It is true that the blundering shield-carriers in the story were comically incompetent – but the important thing for me is that such societies still exist in today’s world – societies where hierarchies persist, defeating the notion of equality of all human beings. And this is not a situation that can make one laugh. It puts us all to shame.

It is not so long ago that ‘Apartheid’ disappeared from South Africa. It takes time and effort to change the laws in a society, but to change people’s mentalities takes even longer – and it is even harder. Black Africans were not seen as equal human beings during the apartheid regime, and even though they do have equal rights
today, and even though there are black politicians in power, there is still a long way to go – for the black Africans have been victims for several generations.

In Asia, 200 million Dalits are struggling to survive each day. At least 170 million of them live in India. A Dalit is an outcast from society – in fact, a Dalit is completely out of the Hindu caste system. A Dalit is untouchable and is considered filthy. In many parts of the country, a Dalit is not treated like one would treat a human being. The situation is terrible in the small villages – the Dalits are not allowed to use the same water pump as the others in the village, and they are still condemned to do the dirtiest of jobs like scavenging and carrying night soil. On top of their miserable living conditions there is the violence that they have to endure silently. Every hour 2 Dalits are beaten, 3 Dalit women are raped and 2 Dalit houses are burned down.

Leaving the System

Some Dalits have tried to reclaim their human dignity – only with partial success – by ‘leaving’ Hinduism. They hoped to get rid of their untouchability by converting to Islam or Christianity. They were wrong of course, because the religions which they have embraced are not exactly the bastions of equality and freedom! And the
ex-Hindus have continued to be Dalits in the eyes of the Hindus as well as in the new religions they have adopted. But, the law is on their side, and the Indian constitution forbids the practice of untouchability. What is more, the Indian government is committed to undo the cultural, educational, political and economic deprivation through positive discrimination. The least one can say is that this has not succeeded. There is resistance from the upper castes. Also, some Dalits have profited from the opportunities created by positive discrimination policies, but have forgotten their Dalit origins and have only attempted to corner the limited opportunities for personal benefit.

A Role for Organised Humanism

If religion – be it the one they left or the one that they have embraced – has failed to help, can Humanism perhaps be a better solution for their miserable problems?

I think so. And here, there is an important role for IHEU. Through our member organisations in India, we should campaign against this system which violates the most basic of human rights of a huge number of people. We should support and start projects for their empowerment and emancipation. IHEU’s member organisations should help the Dalits organise themselves and make sure that their constitutional rights are not a myth anymore. Humanists have the duty to respect human rights, and they have the duty to enforce their application all over the world, irrespective of politics or religion. It is not just in India – there are Dalits in other South Asian countries, especially Nepal, and also in Japan. And then there are untouchables in some African countries.

We will depend on our member organisations in the affected regions to initiate action. Much can be achieved through the existing legal framework. As a first step it is the duty of all our member organisations and supporters to bring the Dalit problem into the public sphere. Our representatives in the international bodies will be able to focus international attention on the situation of the Dalits. Where possible, we have to work together with other organisations which act in favour of the Dalits.

And we can make the shame of the system visible to as many people as possible. It is a disgrace that we live in the 21st century with such advanced science and technology, while millions are treated worse than one could even imagine. It is possible for all of us to make a difference, and Humanism can show the way.

Sonja Eggerickx