Unjust power leads to oppression against minority communities

The oppression against minority communities is nothing serious than a pandemic like Covid-19. The exception being that oppression has managed to plague the world for a lot longer. Much like the virus, it takes on different forms among different populations, but in all cases, it hinders humanity to flourish. Irrespective of the jurisdiction – either in Asia, Africa, America or Europe - the plight of the minority communities has been  a matter of great concern for ages, and in all cases, the acknowledgment of the concern and our responses towards it have been grossly inadequate.

As for instance, the black community members in America have historically been discriminated in many of the public spheres of their lives. Displaced from their homes and forcefully brought in for hard labour without compensation or remuneration of any form, they started their time in most first world nations as "property". Dehumanised and degraded, these communities were for the longest time denied any means of recognition as deserving for dignity. The end of slavery in America signalled the possibility for change. Yet, for decades after the official legislation, the black community has been structurally and systematically disenfranchised. They have been denied access to meaningful justice, education, property or means of production. Tormented by mass incarceration, harassment and abjectly ignored by leaders placed in power to help them break the shackles that once bound them. They have battled disproportionate policing mechanisms and brutality for the longest time. The wounds from their history have left scars that has crippled them for generations and continue to do so. At every turn, the community has had to fight for their rights through mass protests and pay for it with blood. The "American Dream" managed to weaponise capitalist structures and inflict nightmares on people whose backs it was built on.

In contrast, most other minorities in America were introduced under relatively different circumstances and treated very differently over the years. Chinese and Japanese immigrants were denied voting rights for the longest time, but they were given access to education and property a lot earlier and were later brought in through immigration for high skilled workers. Similarly, in 1965, South Asian immigrants were brought in to fill high skilled job vacancies. This skewed perception through the creation of the 'model minority'. Naturally, individuals brought in as 'property' would be seen differently to those brought in to fill important societal roles. A classic example of divide and rule.

The mistake we make is believing that this only happens in America. It is true that the black community in America has faced the brunt of this form of blatant discrimination. However, the spectres of oppressive colonial history still haunt nations all over the world. All nations under colonial rule at some point or the other were subject to division based on race or religion.

The systematic oppression of minority communities is just as rampant in Bangladesh as in other countries. Adapted from our history of oppression under the Pakistani rule, Bangladesh's adaptation of the so-called enemy Property legislation displaced the minority Hindu communities from their own property. Years of attempts at reformation and restitution has at best resulted in a rhetorical change with only the smallest number of cases being decided by the judiciary. Yet, there is no real means of formal restitution. Without even addressing the constitutional significance of having a state religion, it is no secret that Bangladeshi society has been less than kind to its religious minorities. Evidence of violent actions and targeted attacks lay in abundance, accompanied by the brutal assaults on the indigenous communities. The impacts here are less evident, arguably because the size of our minority is only about ten percent. That is to say, that they are unable to raise their voice when it is most needed. What is worse is that this demography is sometimes terribly reflective of the majority's willingness (or lack thereof) to support or protect the minority communities in any meaningful way.

The impacts of being systematically denied property and access to means of production results in a cycle. First, it indiscriminately disempowers individuals by taking away their access to wealth which they could use to fund housing, education or a search for a job. Because these individuals are too busy looking for their basic needs, they are willing to overlook their need for civil and political rights, making them almost unwilling to engage politically. Not by choice, but because they are put in the difficult position of having to choose between political engagement and finding shelter. Secondly, the inflicted lack of education makes them unable to seek jobs or argue reasonably for better access to wealth or rights, civil and political aside, this also infringes on their ability to demands socio-economic rights. As a result of the two preceding impacts, these individuals are then unable to collectivise. Too busy trying to survive, these individuals are hence unable to form critical mass effective enough to meaningfully engage with the systems that govern them. All of this has transgenerational impact. If the minority community cannot improve their position or access to wealth, the following generations are subject to the same dehumanising process where they are continually denied education or jobs. The problem perpetuates unless policy makers actively make the effort to make change.

However, change is naturally harder to bring about. The system of political engagement thrives on this divide between the majority and the minority. Democracy is a system where leaders are born from the support of the many. Naturally, there is an intuitive desire to support the majority population. Unless the minority communities can form enough political clout to form a voting bloc, the incentive for political parties to care for them significantly declines. The problem is made even worse by the fact that even where the minority is able to join in numbers, their ability to engage with the system is still grossly hindered due to the systems in place. Not only does their lack of access to wealth or property make it difficult for them to engage, but also, they fear retribution. It is not unfounded that those who are made to feel powerless by the system, fear those who are perpetually empowered by the system. From over-policing to something as common as communal violence, minority communities all over the world, have been subjected to abject instances of violence every time they have managed to demand their rights.

The Black Lives Matter movement in America is emblematic of the struggles against oppressive systems of governance. The ubiquity of injustice now needs to end through the collectivisation and galvanisation of the oppressed. Whether one is a part of the concerned minority or otherwise, where unjust power structures exist, no one is safe from its crippling impacts. It is all of our job to ensure that each member of the society, each human being of our nations, is afforded with the opportunity to live meaningful lives, free from the shackles of unjust power.

The writer, a Barrister-at-Law, is pursuing LLM in International Law and Governance at Durham University.