Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy launches digital platform for minorities

KARACHI: Two time Academy Award winner Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy is making headlines again, this time with her newly launched digital platform, ‘White in the Flag’. An SOC Films initiative, White in the Flag is Pakistan’s first digital platform that is dedicated to representing the voice of the minorities of the country.

Around 3.8% of the entire population of Pakistan is made up of religious minorities, yet, they still continue to struggle. “Between forced conversions, abductions, terrorism at their places of worship and target killings, Pakistan’s minorities face an uphill battle just to exist,” says Chinoy. For her, understanding their plight was just the first step, the actual goal was to provide them with a platform to be able to discuss their grievances and to give them a chance to have their voices heard. “With White in the Flag, we want to ensure that citizens experiencing religious discrimination in our society are able to have their voices heard on issues that are important to them, protect and promote their rights, have their views and wishes genuinely considered when decisions are being made about their lives and communities.”

White in the Flag is an interactive website that aims to serve as a platform for students, activists, and legislators to come together and be able to discuss and come up with possible solutions to the various problems religious minorities face. White in the Flag’s resource will provide a detailed record of the past, present, and future of the minorities in Pakistan. The platform will be a source of detailed information for those interested to understand and spread awareness about the issues they face.

Read: What have we done to the white on our flag?

In order to facilitate the initiative, SOC Films is open to collaborating with independent bodies, organizations or institutions who work with minorities.