FT Hands For Rafeeque Taliparamba
Donation protected
Fund raising effort by the Freethinkers group from Kerala, India, in support of Rafeeque Taliparamba
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The Freethinkers group, an association of rationalists / humanists based in India, strongly condemns the attack on young videographer Rafeeque Taliparamba, whose studio in the city of Kannur in Kerala state, India, was burned down by suspected Islamic extremists on the night of Sunday December 27, 2015. Police in Kerala state have registered a case of arson, and have started investigations. While no organization has claimed responsibility for the attack, suspicion has centered on Islamic extremists in Kerala, who had abused and threatened Rafeeque in the days prior to the arson attack. Rafeeque was accused of insulting Islam through his comments in the WhatsApp group “What Is Islam”, where Rafeeque had criticized the practice of “burqa” or veil worn by Muslim women. Prior to the arson attack, Rafeeque had informed his friends of the threats he had received from Islamic extremists in person and in social media. Both before and after the arson attack, several messages circulated in social media where Islamic supporters expressed anger at Rafeeque’s comments and called for Rafeeque to be punished for his allegedly offensive comments on Islamic practices.
The arson attack has drawn attention from the media in Kerala and nationally in India. The popular TV channel “India Today” carried a news segment on the attack on Rafeeque Taliparamba (www.facebook.com/IndiaToday/videos/10154295124872119). Several newspapers carried the news, including The Hindu (www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/studio-set-ablaze-in-alleged-hate-campaign/article8032723.ece); Indian Express (http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/kerala-muslim-owners-studio-burned-down-after-provocative-comments); DNA (www.dnaindia.com/india/report-kerala-photographer-s-studio-burnt-down-days-after-he-questions-islamic-traditions-2159945); Zee News (http://zeenews.india.com/news/india/his-shop-was-burned-down-after-comments-on-purdah-by-muslim-women-heres-what-he-said_1839154.html); and the web portal Indiatimes (www.indiatimes.com/news/india/photographer-s-studio-burnt-down-for-asking-about-islam-s-purdah-system-on-whatsapp-group-248814.html).
According to media reports, Rafeeque stated - "It was not a public forum, but a group of people who knew each other. This was my personal opinion that I shared and I have faced a lot of vitriolic attacks because of it. Now my livelihood has been affected".
The arson attack on Rafeeque comes in the backdrop of increasing Islamic extremism in the state of Kerala and in India in general. Kerala has long been seen as a “model state” for its high literacy levels, advanced socio-economic indicators, and religious tolerance. With Muslims accounting for one quarter of the population, and a communist party that has widespread support, Kerala has traditionally enjoyed peace and harmony between religious communities. However, Islamic extremism has steadily risen in Kerala in the last two decades, at least partly due to the extreme version of Islam taught in “madrasas”, or Islamic schools set up and funded by Arab entities. Islamic extremism rose to prominence in Kerala in 2010, when a group of Muslim fundamentalists attacked and chopped off the hand of T. J. Joseph, professor at Newman College in Ernakulam district of Kerala, as punishment for his alleged blasphemy. Several Islamic organizations in Kerala, including the Popular Front of India (PFI) and the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), have been criticized or banned by the government of Kerala for their involvement in religious attacks. Expatriates from Kerala who work in the Arabian peninsula have also frequently become targets of religious extremists; many Keralites who make comments critical of Islam have reportedly been deported back to India or even imprisoned in the Middle East based on complaints filed by Islamic extremists in those countries. Facebook groups like the Freethinkers group have been repeatedly shut down, and social media profiles have been frequently blocked, due to “mass reporting” by religious extremists who are intolerant of all forms of dissent. Apart from rising Islamic extremism, India has also unfortunately seen rising extremism from the Hindu religion, which is related at least in part to the Hindu right wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rising to power in the 2014 elections.
The Freethinkers group calls upon Kerala police to vigorously pursue the investigation into the arson attack and bring the perpetrators to justice. We applaud the courage of Rafeeque Taliparamba and other brave liberals who continue the fight against religious intolerance in the face of abuse and threats from religious extremists. We believe that religious intolerance and extremism have no place in civilized society, and urge all responsible citizens to unite in condemning the attack on Rafeeque Taliparamba.
To express solidarity towards Rafeeque, the Freethinkers group has launched this fund raising effort to help Rafeeque rebuild his studio and continue with his videography business. You can make an online donation using your credit card at this GoFundMe website, and your donation will be transferred to Rafeeque Taliparamba's bank account in Kerala, India (after GoFundMe takes their 7.9% commission and a processing fee of $0.30 per transaction). The fund raising effort is supervised by a team of Freethinkers activities; you can see the full list at this page - www.facebook.com/groups/fthandsforrafeeque/admins. Volunteers are also invited to visit the page Facebook.com/groups/fthandsforrafeeque to express support for Rafeeque Taliparamba.
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The Freethinkers group, an association of rationalists / humanists based in India, strongly condemns the attack on young videographer Rafeeque Taliparamba, whose studio in the city of Kannur in Kerala state, India, was burned down by suspected Islamic extremists on the night of Sunday December 27, 2015. Police in Kerala state have registered a case of arson, and have started investigations. While no organization has claimed responsibility for the attack, suspicion has centered on Islamic extremists in Kerala, who had abused and threatened Rafeeque in the days prior to the arson attack. Rafeeque was accused of insulting Islam through his comments in the WhatsApp group “What Is Islam”, where Rafeeque had criticized the practice of “burqa” or veil worn by Muslim women. Prior to the arson attack, Rafeeque had informed his friends of the threats he had received from Islamic extremists in person and in social media. Both before and after the arson attack, several messages circulated in social media where Islamic supporters expressed anger at Rafeeque’s comments and called for Rafeeque to be punished for his allegedly offensive comments on Islamic practices.
The arson attack has drawn attention from the media in Kerala and nationally in India. The popular TV channel “India Today” carried a news segment on the attack on Rafeeque Taliparamba (www.facebook.com/IndiaToday/videos/10154295124872119). Several newspapers carried the news, including The Hindu (www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/studio-set-ablaze-in-alleged-hate-campaign/article8032723.ece); Indian Express (http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/kerala-muslim-owners-studio-burned-down-after-provocative-comments); DNA (www.dnaindia.com/india/report-kerala-photographer-s-studio-burnt-down-days-after-he-questions-islamic-traditions-2159945); Zee News (http://zeenews.india.com/news/india/his-shop-was-burned-down-after-comments-on-purdah-by-muslim-women-heres-what-he-said_1839154.html); and the web portal Indiatimes (www.indiatimes.com/news/india/photographer-s-studio-burnt-down-for-asking-about-islam-s-purdah-system-on-whatsapp-group-248814.html).
According to media reports, Rafeeque stated - "It was not a public forum, but a group of people who knew each other. This was my personal opinion that I shared and I have faced a lot of vitriolic attacks because of it. Now my livelihood has been affected".
The arson attack on Rafeeque comes in the backdrop of increasing Islamic extremism in the state of Kerala and in India in general. Kerala has long been seen as a “model state” for its high literacy levels, advanced socio-economic indicators, and religious tolerance. With Muslims accounting for one quarter of the population, and a communist party that has widespread support, Kerala has traditionally enjoyed peace and harmony between religious communities. However, Islamic extremism has steadily risen in Kerala in the last two decades, at least partly due to the extreme version of Islam taught in “madrasas”, or Islamic schools set up and funded by Arab entities. Islamic extremism rose to prominence in Kerala in 2010, when a group of Muslim fundamentalists attacked and chopped off the hand of T. J. Joseph, professor at Newman College in Ernakulam district of Kerala, as punishment for his alleged blasphemy. Several Islamic organizations in Kerala, including the Popular Front of India (PFI) and the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), have been criticized or banned by the government of Kerala for their involvement in religious attacks. Expatriates from Kerala who work in the Arabian peninsula have also frequently become targets of religious extremists; many Keralites who make comments critical of Islam have reportedly been deported back to India or even imprisoned in the Middle East based on complaints filed by Islamic extremists in those countries. Facebook groups like the Freethinkers group have been repeatedly shut down, and social media profiles have been frequently blocked, due to “mass reporting” by religious extremists who are intolerant of all forms of dissent. Apart from rising Islamic extremism, India has also unfortunately seen rising extremism from the Hindu religion, which is related at least in part to the Hindu right wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rising to power in the 2014 elections.
The Freethinkers group calls upon Kerala police to vigorously pursue the investigation into the arson attack and bring the perpetrators to justice. We applaud the courage of Rafeeque Taliparamba and other brave liberals who continue the fight against religious intolerance in the face of abuse and threats from religious extremists. We believe that religious intolerance and extremism have no place in civilized society, and urge all responsible citizens to unite in condemning the attack on Rafeeque Taliparamba.
To express solidarity towards Rafeeque, the Freethinkers group has launched this fund raising effort to help Rafeeque rebuild his studio and continue with his videography business. You can make an online donation using your credit card at this GoFundMe website, and your donation will be transferred to Rafeeque Taliparamba's bank account in Kerala, India (after GoFundMe takes their 7.9% commission and a processing fee of $0.30 per transaction). The fund raising effort is supervised by a team of Freethinkers activities; you can see the full list at this page - www.facebook.com/groups/fthandsforrafeeque/admins. Volunteers are also invited to visit the page Facebook.com/groups/fthandsforrafeeque to express support for Rafeeque Taliparamba.
Organizer
Partha Sarathy
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA