Each of the Four Cups was raised to symbolize Uyghur’s captivity and hoped-for deliverance.
by Ruth Ingram
First, they told the Uyghur men they could not wear beards
And I did not speak out, because I was too busy to listen.
And then they put the Uyghurs in slave labor,
And I did not speak out, because I wasn’t sure who Uyghurs were.
And then they took the Uyghur women to camps and abused them,
And I did not speak out because they seemed so far away.
And then the Uyghurs began to be disappeared,
And I awoke!
And realized I had been unfaithful to the words
“Never Again.”
Echoing the poem written by Martin Niemöller after the Second World War, Jews stood shoulder to shoulder this week with Uyghurs as they celebrated their own liberation from Egyptian slavery more than 3000 years ago.
On day four of their week-long Passover celebration, Jews from around the world held a unique Passover Seder using the Exodus story to mirror not only their own struggle for freedom but also the captivity of Uyghurs in their homeland. Eminent Jews, including former Canadian MP and lawyer Irwin Cotler, Rabbis, Jewish activists, and Holocaust survivors gathered online to renew their determination to seek liberty and justice for all people, and to declare “This year we are slaves. Next year may we all be free.”
Religious extremists and the “encroachment mafia” likely cooperated in the attack in Purana Qila.
by Massimo Introvigne
It was the evening of March 27, Saturday, in the Purana Qila area of Rawalpindi. Suddenly, a mob stormed the 100-year-old Hindu temple. They damaged the main door, another door, and a staircase. Reportedly, some also tried unsuccessfully to set fire to the historical temple.
When the police arrived, those responsible had escaped. They have not been identified, but the police promised to protect the temple and the home of Om Prakash, the temple administrator.
The temple was undertaking renovation and should be opened soon. No personnel were working in the temple at the time of the attack, as Hindus were preparing for their Holi festival, which this year fell on March 28 and 29.
