The Future of Chagos

 

Against the backdrop of the 55^th national independence day of his beloved homeland, in his Friday Sermon of 10 March 2023 ~17 Shabaan 1444 AH, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius spoke about a profound question of collective injustice and gross violation of human rights: the colonial Great Game over the Chagos Archipelago, and the arbitrary expulsion as well as the continuing forced prevention of the Chagossian people from returning to their homeland.

 

In a recent research report entitled 'That’s When the Nightmare Started’ UK and U.S. Forced Displacement of the Chagossians and Ongoing Colonial Crimes’ published by the Human Rights Watch called attention to the colonial crimes in Chagos islands and the need for reparative justice to the victims. In their Cold War rivalry with the USSR for global supremacy and military dominance in the Indian Ocean region, the United States and the United Kingdom secretly colluded to establish a naval base in the Diego Garcia and deployed inhuman machinations to dispossess an indigenous community of access to their historic land and means of livelihood through forcible expulsions. The searing injustice meted out to a hapless people by the superpowers of the day, and the continuing struggle of the people to justice and fairness is gaining increasing international attention now. 

With the ground beneath its feet shifting, the United Kingdom is constrained to be losing out on international legitimacy in its treatment of the larger Chagos question, including the patently illegal detachment of sovereign territory from Mauritius before granting national independence in 1968. Indeed, from outright denial of any legal responsibility in the past, to be seen to be sitting at negotiating table with Mauritius now, the United Kingdom is politically affected by the eroding global support to its conduct on the question of Chagos. As the wheels of international politics turn once again, it is feared that the ruling elite in Mauritius might be tempted to cut a deal with the foreign powers for profit without due regard for the legitimate expectations and basic rights of the Chagossian people.  In this discourse, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) warns against the impulses for unjust deal-making, urging national authorities to respect the entitlements of the displaced Islanders in the spirit of solidarity and national unity.  

  

Read the Friday Sermon Below

The Complex Chagos Issue & The Independence of Mauritius

 

In less than two days from the celebrations marking the 55^th anniversary of Mauritius’ accession to Independence, the crucial matter to ensure the conclusion of the decolonization process, in particular the thorny question of the exercise of Mauritius’ right of sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago suddenly rose to the surface. Admittedly, the undeclared intention of London (UK) and Port-Louis (Mauritius) is to be able to conclude the round of bilateral consultations under the terms of the joint declaration of Thursday, 03 November 2022 as soon as possible - And why not the 12^th of March 2023 for its 55 years of independence? Even if to date no official announcement has been made, however, a few weeks ago, Human Rights Watch (HRW), an international non-governmental organization committed to the protection and defense of human rights, came to put emphasis on the matter and put it to light with a report of 145 pages published on 15 February 2023, titled: ‘That’s When the Nightmare Started’ UK and U.S. Forced Displacement of the Chagossians and Ongoing Colonial Crimes.

 

This non-governmental organization (NGO) recommends full reparations and puts on the table at the international level the offense of crime against humanity and reproaches London and Washington for the most degrading treatment inflicted on the Chagossians by expelling them from their native archipelago more than half a century ago.

 

For the purposes of the publication of this report, setting out in detail the chronology of the expulsion of the Chagossians from their native islands and their ordeal since, and the excision of this part of the territory of the Republic of Mauritius on the eve of the independence, Human Rights Watch ensured that the content of these denunciations were published in the international press.

 

Admittedly, no significant details have been made public as to the holding of discussions between the two heads of government within the commonwealth, except that “The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak welcomed opportunities to work even more closely together, including on tackling regional and global security challenges and growing trade and investment. They also covered the ongoing negotiations on the exercise of sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory/ the Chagos Archipelago”.

 

But this prime ministerial conversation could not attenuate the echo in the international press of this accusation of a crime against humanity made against London and Washington with the illegal occupation of the Chagos and the forced exile of the Chagossians. Worse, the new King Charles 3, whose coronation will take place on Saturday, the 6^th of May, finds himself with an unequivocal summons to present “a full and unreserved apology” to the Chagossians.

 

The question of the fate of the Chagossians is again on the table because with the coronation of King Charles 3, who succeeds his mother, Queen Elizabeth 2, a new window of opportunity is found open because the late queen by way of “order in council” had blocked the process of the “resettlement” of the Chagossians. As a result, with Charles 3 as king, this “resettlement” and discussion will then become possible on the basis of a judgement from the highest British authorities, and as a result it will represent little consolation to the soiled dignity of our ancestors. Especially when we take into consideration the lapidary document of the “office of the chief Naval operations” of 26^th of March, 1971 to the effect that “copra workers on Diego Garcia absolutely must go”.

 

Like Pravind Jugnauth’s previous historic statement accusing the United Kingdom of crimes against humanity on the Chagos, thus setting a course in diplomatic relations, the Human Rights Watch report with its international outreach reiterated that “The United Kingdom is committing an appalling colonial crime, treating all Chagossians as a people without rights” is most damning for the English colonizers.

 

Dwelling on the fact that “The UK is committing crimes against humanity after removing people from the Chagos Islands”, Human Rights Watch elaborates on three aspects of this alleged crime against humanity, namely, and not least, the “continued forced displacement of Chagossians people, prevention of their return home and persecution of them on the grounds of race and ethnicity”. Human Rights Watch wrote:

 

“The UK and the US, who together expelled the Chagossians from their homes, should provide full and unconditional reparations to generations for the harm they have caused and affected by its forcible displacement of Chagos Islands inhabitants in the 1960s and 70s. The US administration could start righting these wrongs today by publicly announcing it supports the right of all Chagossians to return to all the Islands.”

 

But it is unlikely that Washington will let the Chagossians return there because Diego Garcia is the main island where there is their military and nuclear base installation.

 

I as a Mauritian and Messenger of the One God religion, advocate that the United States should come clean about its role in the last 60 years in the forced displacement of the Chagossians from their homeland, and in preventing their return, by publishing all relevant documents.

 

So, the Biden administration has the opportunity to finally take a step in the right direction and acknowledge the fact that the African ancestry of the Chagossians is part of why the U.S treated them as if they could be exiled thousands of miles away from home and kept there [wherever it was] indefinitely. While it is improbable that the island is restored to the Chagossians and Mauritius, the United States maintains that it remains steadfast in its respect for and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms of individuals around the world and acknowledges the challenges faced by Chagossian communities. The manner in which Chagossians of that period were removed is regrettable.

 

Now for its part, Mauritius is called upon to translate its commitment into reality, fully supporting the right of return of all Chagossians, whatever their nationality, for the 55^th anniversary of the independence of Mauritius, which we are celebrating on Sunday the 12^th of March 2023. This is the appeal I make to Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth and his government and all parliamentary members and even all political parties and all Mauritians regardless of their religion. Let us bring joy to our hearts to our Chagossian brothers and sisters by making the necessary effort to re-establish their rights, but their cause must not be a screen for doing profitable business by pushing London and Washington out of the colonial lands of the Chagos and to take these lands in order to continue to make profits by encouraging nuclear bases and taking the Chagossians as bait to regain possession of these islands, and then pushing them back in order to take over the military bases of the Chagos [i.e. by cooperating with the US]. May God preserve Mauritius and its government from such a crime, and may the intention for the restoration of human rights be successful so that justice may triumph.

 

We all together in one voice say: “All individuals of Chagossian origin wherever they live in the world, who wish to resettle in the Chagos Archipelago will be able to do so in accordance with the laws of Mauritius.”

 

As we say in the National Anthem every 12^th of March for Independence Day, “as one people and one nation”. These words must not be on our lips only but also in our actions. It is only then that God Almighty will be happy with us that we have fought against this injustice with a clean intention where the United States in the last 60 years has usurped their homes and made them homeless. This is what humanity and being humane forces us to do: to help establish justice whenever injustice goes out of hand and become a poison and hell for the innocent.

 

Let us pray that one day Allah enable those people to return to their homeland and be in touch with their past, and move forward in life for the enrichment of their own souls and peace of mind. Insha-Allah.

 

So, I make this prayer which is appropriate in this battle of truth and justice against the oppressions of powerful entities who try to impose their laws while disregarding the rights of others.

 

“O Allah! Do not leave on this earth any people who are oppressors, wrongdoers, law-breakers, troublemakers, criminals and hypocrites.” (Ameen)

 

This prayer originally from the Holy Quran (Surah Nuh, 71: 27) has been taught by the Almighty in this era by way of divine revelations to include such people who are false against their own selves and against the established laws of their countries and the laws of Allah. These are verily revelations from the Unseen which God Almighty shares to His Chosen One to motivate to righteousness and encourage the people to Duah (prayer).

Jamaat at 15

 

And today, it is my pleasure to announce to you all that while our country is celebrating its 55^th Independence Day, we, the believers of the Divine Manifestation of this era, and members of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam, we thank Allah for having blessed our Jamaat with 15 wonderful years of success in the world by opening the hearts of truth-seekers to His truth and guiding them to their solace and peace of mind by believing in His Khalifatullah of this era, and joining the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam for the re-establishment of the glory and truth of Islam in the world. Insha-Allah, Ameen.

 

Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Zindabad, 

Haqq’ul Allah Zindabad!

Long Live Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam, 

Long live the truth of Allah!