1 October 2022
Dear Rt. Hon. Prime Minister Trudeau,
As concerned academics, activists, and citizens of Canada, we are writing to condemn the actions of Mr. Chandra Arya, the Liberal Party’s Member of Parliament (MP) for Nepean Constituency. On 5 July, 2022, MP Arya tweeted publicly that a poster for the film Kaali, by Toronto–based queer Indian filmmaker Leena Manimekalai, was “painful” to him. His tweet clubbed her artistic piece with“Hinduphobic articles in media” and demanded an apology from the Aga Khan Museum where Ms. Manimekalai’s film was launched. Chandra Arya’s tweet is an attack on academic freedom and a classic case of artistic censorship. Backlash resulting from MP Arya’s tweet, among others, seems to have prompted the Aga Khan Museum and the Under the Tent program at Toronto Metropolitan University (for which the film was made) to remove Ms. Manimekalai’s name and film from their websites.
Moreover, and importantly, MP Arya’s tweet seeking to censor Ms. Manimekalai’s artistic expression contributed to intensifying her harassment and the hate directed at her, including multiple police cases and threats of gendered violence. These have prevented her from returning to India, even to grieve the death of a close family member, and rendered her effectively stateless. Ms Manikmekalai continues to be subjected to vile abuse and horrific threats, almost three months after the film was screened.
Ms. Manimekalai is an award–winning filmmaker whose films have engaged with important social issues in India including violence against women, casteism, anti–Tamil repression, and rural and coastal livelihoods. She has been at the forefront of LGBTQ+ activism in India. Ms. Manimekalai’s films and activism highlight the failures of the federal and state governments in serving the interests of the most marginalized communities in India. As a graduate student in the prestigious Master of Fine Arts program at York University, Ms. Manimekalai has received several awards and scholarships. Her film Kaali was the output of a project that she was shortlisted and funded for as part of the Under the Tent program, a storytelling initiative funded by the Canada Excellence Research Chair at Toronto Metropolitan University to explore belonging under Canadian multiculturalism.
MP Arya is using his position of power as MP to engage in dog–whistle politics. His claim that artistic political expression challenging dominant religious norms is “Hinduphobia” mirrors the tactics used by supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ruling Hindu nationalist party in India, to silence and suppress its critics. The BJP has been widely condemned by human rights groups for attacking dissent and religious minorities. Groups such as “Overseas Friends of BJP” have been active in importing to Canada this hatred of religious minorities and critics of its Hindu supremacist project.
Ms Manimekalai challenges MP Arya’s use of the term “Hinduphobia,” arguing that, as someone born into a Hindu family, it is her “absolute freedom to claim and own the deity she grew up with from Brahminical [privileged caste] appropriation and keep [the goddess] Kali inclusive for all people from all kinds of backgrounds.”
Describing her trauma, Ms Manimekalai writes: “I am totally derailed by this grand scale witch–hunting, personally and professionally. I am still not able to fathom my “stateless” condition that has paralysed me, even unable to run for safety. I find it hard to comprehend the fact that I have eleven police warrants in seven different BJP–ruled states in India, a court case demanding the injunction of the poster and the film, and the unconstitutional calls for beheading on blasphemy charges, all for a film poster. People like Chandra Arya in powerful positions validated and even encouraged the organised hate crime of unleashing thousands of tweets with death/ rape threats, filthy abuse, and slander in the name of religious sentiments. Is Trudeau aware that his own MP is part of the Hindu fundamentalist outfits who want to rape a living woman in order to save their “goddess”?”
MP Arya’s tweet does not behoove an elected MP of the Liberal Party of Canada. It is appalling that an elected MP would put Ms. Manimekalai,an international student in Canada and a queer artist, in harm’s way through a tweet whose consequences he was surely aware of. We would like to underscore again that the tweet contributed to Ms. Manimekalai receiving numerous threats of sexual violence and even death.
Further, MP Arya’s tweet does not bode well for protected free expression in Canada nor for the future of Canada’s politics. While the Liberal Government rightly condemned the attack on Salman Rushdie, their own MP seems to have used a different set of rules. Elected representatives can and should bring important political issues to the fore. However, Mr. Arya’s targeting of a queer woman artist when she exercised her Charter-protected right to free expression in the form of artistic critique and his inciting of hatred and gendered violence is unacceptable. Mr. Arya’s actions also have a profound impact on members of Canada’s Christian, Dalit, and Muslim communities of Indian origin, many of whom came to Canada to escape this very atmosphere back in India.
Given the gravity of threats facing Ms. Manimekalai, we urge Prime Minister Trudeau to take urgent action to rectify the situation. In particular, we demand that:
- MP Arya is required to apologize publicly to Ms. Manimekalai and delete his tweet.
- An investigation is carried out into MP Arya’s activities in India and Canada and he is asked to step down as a Member of Parliament if it demonstrates affiliation to parties and organizations that promote intolerance and hatred.
- The government strongly affirms that the promotion of hate and of violence against women will not be tolerated in Canada.
- The government seeks an assurance from the Government of India that Ms. Manimekalai will not be put in harm’s way upon her return to India.
Signatories:
1. Aditya Dewan, Faculty, Dawson College
2. Adrian Smith, Associate Professor and York University
3. Ajay Parasram, Associate Professor
4. Alan Wong, English Professor, Vanier College
5. Alessandra Renzi, Associate Professor, Concordia University
6. Amar Bhatia Associate Professor, Osgoode Hall Law, York University
7. Amitoz Singh, Indian Farmers and Workers Support Group
8. Anna Flaminio, Assistant Professor, Ryerson University
9. Anita Badami
10. Anne-Marie Singh, Associate Professor, Criminology, TMU
11. Annette Lengyel, Human rights activist
12. Annie Khatchadourian
13. Anzar Hassan, Concerned citizen
14. Aparna Sundar, Independent Scholar
15. Ayesha Vemuri, McGill University
16. Baljit Nagra, Associate Professor, University of Ottawa
17. Banazeer Yaqoob, University of Alberta
18. Birinder Dhillon, Manager
19. Bruce Katz, Co-president Palestinian and Jewish Unity
20. Charlotte Kates, International Coordinator, Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network
21. Chinnaiah Jangam, Associate Professor, Carleton University
22. Dalbir Singh Bala
23. Daljeet Singh, Member, Punjabi Literary & Cultural Association, Winnipeg
24. Deepika Papneja, St James Town Community Corner
25. Denise Nadeau, Affiliate Assistant Professor, Concordia University
26. Dia Da Costa, Professor of Social Justice and International Studies in Education
27. Dipti Gupta, Teacher, Dawson College
28. Dolores Chew, Faculty, Marianopolis College
29. Donna Johnson.
30. Dorothy Geller, Research Affiliate, Simone de Beauvoir Institute, Concordia University
31. Dr. A. Goldenberg
32. Dr. Sujith Xavier, Associate Professor & Director, Transnational Law and Justice Network (TLJN)
33. Dr. Swapna Gupta, Retired Child Psychologist, Alberta Children’s Hospital, Calgary
34. Enver Domingo, A concerned citizen and activist for human rights
35. Fahad Ahmad, Assistant Professor, Toronto Metropolitan University
36. Faisal Bhabha, Associate Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University
37. Fayyaz Baqir, Writer
38. Feroz Mehdi, General Secretary, Alternatives International
39. Freda Guttman, Artist, activist
40. Ghazala Munawar, Coordinator at South Asian Women’s Community center
41. Gisele Amantea, Artist
42. Hamid Akbar, Retired Tax Auditor
43. Hesham Khbolli, Co-founder HRK International
44. Ian Angus, Professor Emeritus, Simon Fraser University
45. Ingrid Mittmannsgruber
46. Irina Ceric, Assistant Professor, University of Windsor Faculty of Law
47. Jacky Vallée,Teacher, Vanier College
48. Jaswant Guzder, Professor
49. Jillian Rogin, Assistant Professor, University of Windsor, Faculty of Law
50. John Greyson, Associate Professor, York University
51. Joshua Sealy-Harrington, Assistant Professor, Lincoln Alexander School of Law at Toronto Metropolitan University
52. Juvaria Yasser, Centre Manager
53. K. Kersplebedeb, Publisher
54. Kaleem Siddiqi, Professor of Computer Science, McGill University
55. Kanwal Kalirai
56. Karen Rodman, Executive Director, Just Peace Adovcates
57. Leila Bdeir, Teacher, Vanier College
58. M. V. Ramana, University of British Columbia
59. Madhav G. Badami, McGill University
60. Malavika Kasturi, Associate Professor, University of Toronto
61. Mali Daimee, Canadian citizen
62. Mangaie Saravanabavan, South Asian Women’s Community Center
63. Mansoor Ali
64. Marie Boti, Women of Diverse Origins/Femmes de diverses origines
65. Marika Hadzipetros, Humanities Teacher, Vanier College
66. May Chiu, Attorney
67. Mela Sarkar, Associate professor, McGill University
68. Mélanie Ederer
69. Michelle Hartman, Professor, McGill University
70. Mukhtiar Singh
71. Nafees Ahmad
72. Natalie Kouri-Towe, Assistant Professor, Concordia University
73. Naved Bakali, Assistant Professor, University of Windsor
74. Norma Rantisi, Professor, Concordia University
75. Paul F. Wilkinson, PhD, Applied Anthropologist
76. Peter White, Independent Curator and Writer
77. Pieter Friedrich, Journalist
78. Qaseem Khan, Retired
79. Rachel Berger Associate Professor of History, Concordia University
80. Radhika Desai, Professor, Dept. of Political Studies, University of Manitoba
81. Rahul Varma, Artistic Director, Teesri Duniya Theatre
82. Ricky Chohan, Canadian citizen
83. Riley de Groot
84. Rita Acosta
85. Riyazuddin Mohammed, Consultant
86. Robert Hornsey, Executive Board Member, West Coast Coalition Against Racism
87. Saadatou Abdoulkarim, Doctorante en sociologie à l’UQAM
88. Sailaja Krishnamurti, Gender Studies, Queen’s University
89. Salman Siddiqi
90. Sam Boskey, Former Leader of the Opposition, Montreal City Council
91. Samir Shaheen-Hussain, Assistant Professor (Department of Pediatrics) and Associate Member (School of Population and Global Health), Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, McGill University
92. Sandra Wesley, Executive director, Stella, l’amie de Maimie
93. Satwinder Bains, Director, South Asian Studies Institute
94. Shiri Pasternak, Assistant Professor, Toronto Metropolitan University
95. Sima Aprahamian, Ph.D., Research Associate, Simone de Beauvoir Institute, Concordia University
96. Sonia Sikka, Professor, University of Ottawa
97. Sophie Toupin, Concordia University
98. Sudharshana Rajasingam, psychotherapist
99. Suja Selvaraj
100. Sunita Viswanath, Executive Director, Hindus for Human Rights
101. Tanisha Ramachandran, Associate Teaching Professor of religion, WFU
102. Tess Sheldon, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, University of WIndsor
103. Thashika Pillay, Assistant Professor, Queen’s University
104. Thelma Castro, Member, Women of Diverse Origin
105. Vasanthi Venkatesh, Associate Professor, University of Windsor
106. Vijay Puli, South Asian Dalit Adivasi Network, Canada
107. Vincent Wong Assistant Professor, University of Windsor Faculty of Law
108. Vrinda Narain,Associate Professor, Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism, Faculty of Law, McGill University
109. Zahir Kolia, Assistant Professor, Department of Criminology, TMU
110. Zahra Moloo, Filmmaker and PhD student, University of Toronto
And 100 others who wished to withhold their names from the media
The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister
The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs
The Honourable Anthony Rota, Speaker of the House of Commons
Mr. Jagmeet Singh, Leader, New Democratic Party