Bangladesh every day is falling into a deeper pothole filled with the vile, bestial ideology of Islamism and it is becoming increasingly difficult for the Bangladeshi minorities, especially for Hindus. Apart from rampant attacks on Hindus, their business places, their houses and temples, and overt Islamisation of the society, Islamist forces in Bangladesh are also gunning for its “secular” constitution.
Recently, Bangladesh’s Attorney General, Md Asaduzzaman, came up with the proposal of deleting the term “secular” from the country’s Constitution, asserting that “90 percent of the population living in Bangladesh is Muslim.”
He also suggested a revision of the title granted to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who is recognized as the “Father of the Nation.”
Also Read: Bangladesh: Yet Another Example of Why Religious Fanaticism Fails as State Policy
During a court hearing on the constitutionality of the 15th Amendment before Justices Farah Mahbub and Justice Debashish Roy Chowdhury, Attorney General Asaduzzaman argued that these changes would bring the Constitution in line with the nation’s democratic and historical identity. He cited Article 2A, which mandates equality in the practice of all religions, stating it contradicts the principle of Bengali nationalism found in Article 9.
Further, Md Asaduzzaman argued that designating Sheikh Mujib as “Father of the Nation” could polarize society and impede free speech. He acknowledged Sheikh Mujib’s significant role in Bangladesh’s history but emphasized that legally enforcing his title could divide citizens rather than unify them.
After Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to leave the country and Muhammad Yunus took over Bangladesh, reports from across Bangladesh paint a grim picture of the situation for Hindu communities since then, who are being constantly targeted because of their religious identity. The Daily Star, a leading Bangladeshi newspaper, had reported that Hindus have been attacked and persecuted in at least 27 districts of Bangladesh. These attacks include mob violence, murders, rapes, the burning of homes and businesses, vandalism of temples, and the desecration of religious idols.
Prior to the Durga Puja celebrations in Bangladesh, Islamists had issued threats against the public observance of the festival. They had also asked for a huge sum of money to celebrate the festival. Leading up to the festival, idols of Maa Durga in Kishoreganj and Comilla were vandalized, with temple donations stolen in Comilla. In Dhaka’s Tanti Bazar area, a petrol bomb was thrown at a Puja mandap on October 11, and worshippers who tried to intervene were assaulted.
Additionally, a gold-plated crown gifted by Indian PM Narendra Modi to the Jeshoreshwari Temple in Satkhira was stolen.
Moreover, Hindu teachers and academicians have been purged on a massive scale with over 100 of them being forced to resign by Islamist mobs who stormed and held them hostage in their offices solely because of their Hindu identity.
The widespread persecution of Hindus has reignited fears of ethnic and religious cleansing within Bangladesh, an issue that has plagued the nation intermittently over the years. It has been more than 3 months since Muhammad Yunus took control of Bangladesh, but the persecution/genocide of Hindus and other religious minorities continues unabashedly with a few developments indicating a state-sponsored sanctioning.
