Online Session B3

Intersecting Narratives : Justice, Religion, and History in South(east) Asia

Innocent Victims of Injustice and Indigenous Community of India 

Ilayavel Shanmugam, Aruna Iyappan, Asha Sundaram

Even after 75 years of independence, a section of Indian population known as ‘kuravas’, experience police atrocities and suffer under extreme police discrimination. Research studies on the police discrimination and prejudice against this triple marginalized group, with no voting rights, are very limited. The naked reality is that the Tamilnadu, India police and justice system branded them as unlawful and as the ‘primary suspect’ of certain criminal activities. This qualitative research initiative explores their victimization under police custody. This study brings to the limelight the hidden facts of police brutality. The challenging experience of the respondents revealed the fact that how the social stigma has a devastating impact on the life, individual rights, discrimination and police brutality. Total 18 victims were interviewed in various districts of Tamil Nadu in their locality in 2023. The initial plan was to interview only primary victim but on seeing the veracity and seriousness of the issues related to Tamil Nadu police brutality and victimisation of the mass indigenous people of this community in addition one to one interview with 12 secondary victims added later for in depth research. Few focus group discussions were conducted, and each group consists of 12 to 14 members from selected districts of Tamil Nadu totally (56 Members) participated.  

Until this time, it can be perceived that if a crime happens in and around the areas of Kuravas’ inhabitance, they allegedly were taken into custody on the pretext of suspicion and the treatment being given is as if they were history sheeters and habitual offenders. Their family members too were placed under illegal detention, women of the community were sexually abused, and false FIR will be filed against them. Distressing is that the public and judiciary recites the same attitude towards the kurava community.

Islam and its Compatibility with Bangladesh Democracy 

Arefa Sultana

Using religious ideology by Bangladeshi political parties can be identified by many authors as a significant strategy for electoral success, but their use of Islam to gain voter support has become a threat to the country's democracy. Many authors argued that Islam and democracy are not compatible. Even a Muslim country has a 50% higher risk of becoming undemocratic than a non-Muslim country. Voters in Bangladesh are unaware of such policies parties would pursue if they vote for them. Some parties believe in extremism, leading to militancy and marginalization of religious and ethnic minorities. Despite these challenges, Islam is an integral part of Bangladeshi politics and enjoys a political advantage. Using World Value Survey (WVS) wave 7 data, this study will examine the presence of Islam in Bangladesh's politics to determine if using religious ideology is compatible with democracy and political stability for the country. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impact of Islam on Bangladesh's democracy so that the use of Islam and its compatibility with Bangladesh's politics can be identified.  The main research question to achieve this aim is: How is the presence of Islam in Bangladesh politics compatible with democracy? 

The Forward Movement of Theravada Buddhism from the Pyu Civilization in Myanmar 

Pan Htwa Myo Sein 

Buddhism had been adapted in Myanmar from north-eastern India by monks, traders, and travellers throughout Pyu civilization around the 200 BCE to the 9th century CE. Especially Theravada Buddhism is absorbed by court circle and ordinary people on whom they were true believed in Buddha’s philosophy as in the ‘Ye Dharma Hetu’ stanza ~ “Of all those things that from a cause arise, Tathagata (Buddha) the cause thereof has told; And how they cease to be, that too he tells, this is the doctrine of the Great Recluse.”  

During the age of maritime trade, Islamization and Christianisation had been successfully established from wealthy commercial communities in the ports of Southeast Asia to Muslim and Christian states. The point of view on the matter is that the other religions cannot overwhelm the whole country because of the credibility of Theravada Buddhism in which most Myanmar people are resting. Throughout history, Myanmar Buddhists are unable to reform religious revolutions to other religions because of their belief system, which is not polarized. Therefore, Theravada Buddhism movement will be moving forward to the future. Nowadays, many of the Buddhists and diverse minority religious groups are living in harmony in the Buddhism boundary in Myanmar.

Translation of Children’s Rhyme Bible Storybook on “The New World” from English into Indonesian 

Adolfina  Krisifu, MR Nababan, Riyadi Santosa, Agus Hari Wibowo

Children’s literature varies in genres. The rhyme Bible storybook belongs to children’s literature although it has been adapted from the Bible. The difference is on the language and additional inclusion of colourful pictures. This book has been translated into various target languages and published everywhere in the globe. By doing this, foreign culture has moved coincidentally along with the translated books including pictures of the original text. In relation to rhyme texts, some experts in translation said that translating rhyme texts are challenging due to its certain rhyme patterns.  In addition, it may not be straightforward to maintain similar rhymes on words and lines of the source text into the target text. As a consequence, the translation shift may well occur in reproducing rhyme in the translation version. This paper aims at investigating translation techniques to maintain the rhymes and to trigger to translation shift in translating children’s rhyme Bible storybook. This is a descriptive qualitative study and the data are rhyme words. The method of data analysis employed is a combination of domain, taxonomy and componential analysis. The results show that there are certain translation techniques liable the rhyme reproduction and translation shift in the target language.