Friends Of South Asia

Friends of South Asia (FOSA) is a California, United States–based social and political activist organization. Founded jointly in 2001 by Americans of Pakistani and Indian origins, the group describes its mission as "achieve a peaceful, prosperous, and hate-free South Asia...work ngthrough people-to-people contacts, dialog, and other non-violent, non-exclusionary means." FOSA activism has touched upon issues inside South Asia, as well as outside South Asia such as those relating to Israel and United States policy in Cuba and Venezuela among others.Boycott Israel? Amitav Ghosh & the Dan David Prize
Pulse Media, May 9, 2010
January 16, 2011

History

FOSA was founded in December 2001 by a group of nine Pakistani Americans and Indian Americans, concerned that "the place we call home was full of war cries and that South Asia was on the brink of a war." Members organized candlelight vigils and letter-writing campaigns for peace, initially in collaboration with groups like the Sikh Qaumantri Punjabi Bhaichara (Punjabi International Friendship) Group of California. The local vigils grew out of a series of vigils for peace in South Asia held simultaneously in 18 cities around the world.

FOSA registered as a tax-exempt non-profit charitable entity in Arts, Culture and Humanities category with United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Its non-profit status remains revoked by the IRS, as of November 2013, because FOSA has failed to file required annual reports and certifications under United States laws for three consecutive years.

FOSA has an informal organizational structure, and a number of members have served as spokespeople. Group members have often collaborated with or co-sponsored events with other California South Asian American anti- communal organizations like EKTA and the Coalition against Communalism.

Positions and activities

Friends of South Asia was described by ''Metro Santa Cruz'' in April 2006 as "a hodgepodge of mostly secular-leaning South Asian Hindus and Muslims—university students, Silicon Valley engineers moonlighting as activists, etc.—who regularly organize local vigils, poetry readings, films and speaker events relating to South Asian issues." Between 2008 and 2013, FOSA activities have included a variety of issues inside and outside South Asia.

Activism on issues in India and Pakistan

Friends of South Asia has been involved with several campaigns inside India and Pakistan, including opposition the 2002 Godhra riots, Pakistani military actions in Balochistan, Pakistan, and the 2006 bombings in Varanasi, India, as well as support for victims of the Bhopal disaster, advocacy for the civil rights of immigrants to the United States, support for the Right to Information movement, and the proposed expansion of reservations (quota-based affirmative action) in higher education for members of Indian castes defined as Other Backward Classes. FOSA has also specifically focused on highlighting art and activism linked to social change movements in Pakistan, including issues like peace with India, ending the Indo-Pak nuclear race, opposition to censorship and ending religious intolerance against the Ahmadiyya Muslim minority who have been victims of pogroms in Pakistan.

Bangladesh garment worker rights

Friends of South Asia organized and participated in protests against Walmart and Gap for buying clothes in Bangladesh. They claimed it is always a race to the bottom in garment industry: they give the contract to whoever produces the goods most cheaply, that vendors will be certain to take out their share, leaving very little for wages and improving workplace safety.

Campaign against FDI, for agrarian livelihood rights in India

Friends of South Asia has actively participated in a campaign to block foreign direct investment projects in India, and in support of traditional way of life and agrarian livelihoods. For example, activists of FOSA participated and co-authored a report on POSCO India, by forming a so-called Mining Zone Peoples’ Solidarity Group. This activism targeted to stop the $12 billion foreign direct investment by the South Korean company in the Indian state of Orissa. The co-authors of this report included others such as Biju Mathew and Balmurli Natrajan. In 2011, FOSA independently, as well as the front organization Mining Zone Peoples’ Solidarity Group, co-signed and submitted a letter to the Prime Minister of India asking that the POSCO project be cancelled.

California Hindu textbook controversy

Friends of South Asia was a prominent participant in the Californian Hindu textbook controversy, in which it joined a number of other groups in petitioning California's Curriculum Commission to reject allegedly revisionist edits to California's textbook curriculum on Hinduism and India, as suggested by two American Hindu organizations. In 2006, during the textbook controversy, then-graduate student Anupama Mandavilli was a primary spokesperson.

Condemnation of Indo-U.S. civil nuclear deal

The group advocates against what they term "militarism in India, Pakistan, and the United States." According to a 2006 statement, "We express our deepest disappointment with the recently concluded visit of George Bush to India and Pakistan, and unequivocally condemn the Indo-US nuke deal...The United States' imperial designs in its war on Afghanistan and Iraq and the submission of the Indian and Pakistani governments to go along, is not lost on their people who came out in thousands in both countries to protest against Bush and his agenda."

Condemnation of Israel

Friends of South Asia endorsed and sponsored speeches and signed letters denouncing Israel as a colonial occupier of Palestine. In 2010, it criticized novelist Amitav Ghosh

HOME


Content is Copyleft
Website design, code, and AI is Copyrighted (c) 2014-2017 by Stephen Payne


Consider donating to Wikimedia



As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases