For the second time in nearly six months after Sheikh Hasina’s Government in Bangladesh was ousted in August 2024, the establishment in the neighbouring country has come up with the argument that incidents of atrocities on minorities, including Hindus, Buddhists and others, were ‘political and not communal’. In September 2024, it was the Chief Advisor of the Interim Government of Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus, who had taken this line. Now, reports indicate that it is time for the Bangladesh Police to parrot the same line.
According to a report in The Hindu, a complaint was filed by the Bangladeshi Buddhist Hindu Unity Council alleging that the minorities were being targeted. The Council, as per the report, had claimed that there has been a total of 1,769 incidents. However, the Bangladesh Police replied that a total of 1,234 incidents had occurred, and out of these, only 20 were communal.
Howsoever convoluted the argument may be, in a way, the Bangladesh Police are correct. Before one jumps to any conclusion, let this be explained.
By all available accounts, Jihadis have taken over the system in Bangladesh. It is extremely safe to say that Yunus has been propped up purposely to give the semblance of a soft face to the extreme Islamic elements within Bangladesh, given his own near-admission for the well-planned ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s Government in August 2024 at a function in the United States, after he assumed the charge of Chief Advisor of the Interim Government.
Khaleda Zia, the head of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), is a widow of former President of Bangladesh, Ziaur Rahman. Rahman was founder of the BNP and the first elected President of Bangladesh, after it became a new country following the 1971 Indo-Pak war. He was a military officer and had read out the declaration of Bangladesh Independence in 1971 on behalf of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the first President and tallest leader of Bangladesh.
In 1977, Ziaur Rahman presided over accommodating religious overtones in Bangladesh’s Constitution, which was a shift away from the cornerstones of Bangabandhu in governance and politics. Cardinal principles of nationalism, socialism, secularism and democracy were replaced with religious overtones in the Constitution. For instance, through Proclamation Order No. 1, the words to the effect that everything was in the name of Allah; and Clause 1A where it was said that absolute belief in Allah would be the sole basis for all actions were introduced.
Subsequently, ban on five religious parties like the Muslim League and Jamaat-e-Islami were lifted. While ostensibly still promoting nationalism, the Zia Government accommodated pro-religion entities, which continued to become stronger. By the advent of the 21st century, the Islamic fundamentalist elements were firmly in the driver’s seat; the BNP forming the Government with the help of Jamaat-e-Islami.
In the years when Sheikh Hasina was at the helm the last time (2009 to August 2014), she had reined in these elements, which earned her the sobriquets of being autocratic and a muzzler of freedom of speech and expression and dissent. The BNP had boycotted the last poll held in January 2024, which gave legitimacy to a section of the press in the international media, to level the allegation against Sheikh Hasina that she had become autocratic, and justify her ouster.
As soon as the Interim Government took over, Khaleda Zia was released from her house arrest. Other Islamic fundamentalist forces were also freed. The ban on Jamaat-e-Islami was revoked.
- To enumerate the kind of harassment and atrocities levelled on the Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh will be to repeat the obvious. But still, some of these have been : Arson, murder, rapes, vandalisation of homes and temples, forcing people to resign from Government jobs, not allowing Durga Puja celebrations or demanding ransom for being allowed to do so, attacking Makar Sankranti celebrations, conversions; the list goes on.
Also, such atrocities are not always physical or visible.
For instance, note what exiled Bangladesh litterateur Taslima Nasreen posted on X on 18th January 2025. She wrote :
“In Bangladesh, Jihadists are attacking restaurants that do not serve beef. They claim that in a
Muslim-majority country, selling beef is mandatory. Otherwise, restaurants will be destroyed or shut down. If the restaurant belongs to Hindus, the threats and attacks increase fourfold. They are determined to force Hindus to consume beef. What more must Hindus do just to survive in their own land ? The anti-Hindu Jihadists are attacking Hindus in ways that should not go unnoticed by the Government of Yunus. Has any action been taken ? Of course not. I also saw a video showing two mikes tied to a tree at the Ramna Kali Mandir, broadcasting Islamic prayers. There is no mosque nearby, nor is there any religious gathering happening in Ramna. This act seems intended to hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus and keep them in a state of fear. The Jihadists are leaving no stone unturned in their misdeeds. Why are Muslims so intolerant ?”
To cut a long story short : When Islamic fundamentalists say that matters are ‘political’ and not ‘communal’, it is a case of two separate value-sets having similar nomenclature leading to confusion to the lay observer.
For those believing in the concept of ‘Jiyo aur jeene do (Live and let live)’, there is a difference between the religious and non-religious or secular. Although ‘secularism’ is a Western construct, let us use it for the sake of ease of understanding.
For such people, which includes Hindus, political matters pertain to issues of governance, law-and-order and policies, Nation’s development, etc.
When it comes to the religious, people are enthusiastic and celebrate their festivals or observe the daily routines (or, if they are not being followed, then they express concern and try to do something about it).
Of course, there are issues that overlap – yet, the stridency is generally not there. Or, at least, it is not related to inflicting harm or harassment on a fellow religious community.
Of course, in the Sanatan scheme of things, Dharma has a completely different connotation from the narrow definitions of religion and politics. An entirely secular king or head of state can be an adharmi (who does not follow his Dharma), if, say, he is lost in enjoying the spoils of the power and not caring about his country’s border security. On the other hand, the same king can be completely Dharmic if he upholds all the good values of law and governance, though, say, he himself may not religiously go to a temple.
- For the Islamic fundamentalists, religion-is-politics-and-everything-else. Not only the person or such a leader is interested in his own religiosity, but is determined to make the entire country equally religious. Of course, this can be possible only by force. That is what his politics is about. For him, it is not a communal issue. His politics is only about his religion – and anything and everything around it.
Therefore, when Yunus, or the Bangladesh Police, say that the matter is ‘political’, and ‘not communal’, one should not look at their nomenclature from our value-sets.
They are, indeed, speaking the truth because, for them, their politics is all about religion – a religion that must be followed by all and sundry at all times, without any question to their authority. That is why they ‘draw’ their political power in the name of Almighty – because, it will always be very difficult for any normal human being to challenge the might of the Almighty.
To put it in simple words, the whole politics of the Islamist fundamentalist leadership is to establish Islamist principles in every aspect of a country’s existence while holding complete control over it, again, at all times. Hence, the kind of communal atrocities they are unleashing is, indeed, ‘political’ for them !
(Courtesy : Article by Prashant Pandey posted on hindupost.in; 19.1.2025)
| The politics of the Islamist fundamentalist leadership is to establish Islamist principles in every aspect of a country’s existence ! |
Two more temples burned to ashes in Bangladesh
Islamists attacked two temples in Kashiani of Gopalganj and set them on fire, reported Dhaka Tribune. The incident happened in the wee hours of 21st January, when a Durga Temple and a Shitala Temple were attacked. Both temples suffered severe damage from the flames, which destroyed worship materials and Idols. However, the perpetrators are yet to be identified. The authorities also arrived at the scene to evaluate the damage after learning of the occurrence. This is the latest attack on minorities and their religious places in Bangladesh.
Promoth Biswas, who worships at the Temples every day, spoke of his dismay at witnessing the destruction. “I went to the temple for my usual morning prayer on Tuesday and found the bamboo door open. Inside the Durga Temple, I saw that the worship materials had been burned. Additionally, the statue of Shitala Devi in the nearby Shitala Temple had been set on fire using straw. I immediately informed others about the situation”, he voiced.
(Courtesy : opindia.com; 23.1.2025)
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