The much-covered general elections in Bangladesh culminated in another victory for Sheikh Hasina; with this, the Awami League’s matriarch retained the Islamic republic’s prime ministership for the fifth consecutive term. The comparatively secular image of Hasina and her party might have been a threat to her retaining power in Bangladesh, which has suddenly seen a surge in Islamic jihad sentiment.
Bangladesh’s Muslim majority aspires to follow Pakistan’s path to full Sharia rule, and the message didn’t elude Hasina: abandon the idea of secularism or lose. Hasina long ago chose to emulate Pakistan while maintaining political camaraderie with India in order to manipulate public perceptions. Her electoral victory was another reason for Muslims to celebrate by unleashing violence on the few hapless Hindus left in the country.
On January 19, Muslims attacked a “Kirtan” programme, in which Hindus gather and sing devotional songs, in the Poyla village of Tangail district. Attackers were armed with sticks and other weapons; they threatened the devotees not to organize such events, assaulted them, and vandalized several houses belonging to Hindus.
This wasn’t an odd incident of Islamic barbarity; in fact, such cases have been increasing at an alarming rate after the general election results were revealed. As per reports, on Sunday, January 14, Muslims burned down a boat and fishing nets, the only resources for their livelihood, belonging to Hindu fishermen in the Domkhali village of Saherkhali Union in the Chattagram district.
One of the victims, Badal Jaldas, recounted: “Soon after the results, unknown miscreants burnt down my boat and fishing nets worth seven lakhs [700,000] BDT [$6,372]. I am now helpless. I have nothing left now. The boat was my only source of living.” Miscreants also reportedly burned the fishing nets of other Hindu fishermen, Rabi Jaldas and Arjun Jaldas.
“My husband went to the field for work. During the afternoon, Islamists Anowar Bepari, Jahangir Alam and others brought my husband in a rickshaw and left him in front of our house. He was unconscious then. He couldn’t walk, as his legs and hands were broken,” complains Jhantu Mondal’s wife, Urmila Mondal.
Mondol, a Hindu farmer from Madaripur, Bangladesh, was mercilessly beaten by Muslims on Saturday, January 13. His house was also ransacked and plundered. The attackers attempted to molest Mondal’s 14-year-old daughter, but Urmila somehow managed to run away with her minor daughter; it was a close call. Mondal is now undergoing treatment in the capital city of Dhaka. Fearing that the attackers may come again and torture her as they did her husband or even worse, Urmila didn’t file any police complaints, either; she even fears going to the local market to get groceries for the household.
These are just a few of the innumerable cases of persecution of Hindus that began after the election results came out. It is believed that the targets are mainly those Hindus who had worked as workers for the Awami Party, or voted for it, and helped Hasina’s party register success. However, the party obviously did little or nothing to safeguard its Hindu supporters from Islamic barbarity after the results.
42-year-old Barun Ghosh was hacked to death by some Muslim men on Tuesday, January 9. Ghosh was an Awami League (AL) functionary at Jhenaidah town in Khulna district, campaigning extensively for the party; for doing so, he had reportedly received many threats. His seniors at AL had assured him of his safety, but could do nothing to protect him.
Not just the political opponents of the AL, but many leaders of the League are also accused of torturing the Hindus, suspecting they didn’t actually vote for the party.
Hindu houses were looted, and temples were desecrated for two days continuously in Sirajganj, Rajshahi, because despite their candidate’s victory, Muslims affiliated with the League were not convinced that the Hindus had voted for it. The situation was not different at Gaibandha in Rangpur, either. Supporters of the League destroyed many Hindu homes and vandalized a Hindu shrine. Hindus who had not even voted were targeted by these tyrants because it appeared to them that these people were supporting the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) calls to boycott the elections.
In places where the AL spared the Hindus, fanatics of the BNP took over.
Regardless of which political party is in power, the Hindus in the Islamic republic bear the brunt of political clashes. But are these clashes political at all? Or do they only derive motivation from Islam’s hatred for the Hindus?
“The political affiliations of the attackers — all of them radical Muslims — are fluid. They may belong to the BNP or AL or Jamaat or Hefazat, but they are united in their hatred for Hindus,” observes a leader of the Bangladesh Hindu Bouddha Christian Oikya Parishad. We couldn’t agree more.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
People love to live in time warps. Here in the US, there are still many people who believe that the Democrat Party is still the party of JFK, despite the treatment meted out to his nephew. In the larger West, there are still people who think that Russia is the Soviet Union. And in the sub-continent, among Hindus, there are still Hindus who believe that Sheikh Hasina & her party are sympathetic to, if not pro-Hindu
First of all, the perception that even her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahaman, was pro-Hindu, is a myth. In 1946, he was a close aide of one Suhrawardy, who was instrumental in the genocide of Hindus in Bengal, where he was premier. Then in 1971, after the war and despite Indian support, which was the only reason that Bangladesh became independent, he refused to restore the properties of Hindus that had been stolen by the vanquished Pakistani army. When he & most of his family members were assassinated, Sheikh Hasina happened to be in Delhi & was sheltered in India for a while, before it was safe for her to return
Despite all this, all the political parties in Bangladesh have always been in a race for jihadist votes, which is why none of them are fair to Hindus. Hindus there however still vote for Sheikh Hasina’s party despite their conditions not improving, instead of boycotting them. India’s support to Bangladesh in the meantime, is pathetic, and one more reason to root for Modi’s ouster
Finally, all those atrocity merchants who wail about Gaza should instead look at Bangladesh, Pakistan and even India for the persecution of Hindus in all 3 countries
Mike says
As in Pakistan, the remaining Hindus, Sikhs and Christians in Bangladesh should leave for India and apply for refugee status and eventual citizenship. Or, try to move to the West or even Japan if possible.
It’s sad, but there isn’t much of a future for them in Bangladesh or Pakistan, until those countries (especially Pakistan) start to become more tolerant and respectful towards religious and ethnic minorities in general.