Author:
Publication: www.mayerdak.com
Date: October 18, 2002
URL: http://www.mayerdak.com/minsitoct2002.htm
While the media spotlight has been
focused on Pakistan and Afghanistan, the rise of Islamic extremism in nearby
Bangladesh has not attracyed sufficient notice. Minority Hindus, Buddhist,
Christians, Tribals, and liberal minded Muslims are under threat as religious
intolerance takes hold following the victory of the Bangladesh National
Party (BNP) in the October 2001 elections.
The BNP is led by Khaleda Zia, widow
of the assasinated military dictator General Zia, who amended the original
Constitution, replacing secularism with the "Sovereignty of Allah". The
Islamic supremacist Jamaat-e-Islami party is a key consituent in her governing
coalition. The party has argued that strict Islamic sharia law should be
implemented in Bangladesh, just as it was by the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Jamaat collaborated with Pakistan during the bloody 1971 war of liberation,
in which 3 million civilians were murdered.
Mrs Savitri a Hindu housewife was
gang raped by right wing Islamic zealots in front of her husband, who was
tied up and beaten. She was 5 months pregnat at that time. Village: Chandshi,
Gournadi, Barisal District; (Immediately after the 2001 Bangladesh elections)
Recent incidents of the ongoing
persecution on the religious minorities in Bangladesh by religious Islamic
fundamentalist outfits, reported by Mayer Dak correspondents based there,
are listed below: -
(1) 21st September 2002, at the
Chandpur district of Bangladesh, in the Kaladi village of the Matlab Corporation
area, a Hindu villager Manjurani (48) who is the wife of Sukumar Chandra
has been severely injured by tow Muslim fterrrorists named Jalil Majhi
and Ataul Majhi. They chopped off Manjurani's tongue. Besides, they looted
all the furnitures and valuable goods from Sukumar Chandra's house. At
present, Manjurani is under treatment in the Chandpur hospital. A case
has been filed at the nearby police station.
(2) 14th September 2002, at Bangladesh
in the Norail district under Noragoti police station, a Hindu villager
named Ramkrishna Pal (35) of the Mohajon village has been brutally murdered
by radical Islamic fundamentalists. His corpse was found at the nearby
pond.
(3) 18th September 2002, the two
daughters of Haralal Das, Kajalrani Das (31) and Rupallibala Das (17) staying
at the Karbishnupur village under the Shonagagi police station of the Feni
district has been gang-raped by a group of right wing Islamic fundamentalists.
The leader of this fundamentalist gang has been arrested by the police
who is a popular man of that locality. The name of the arrested person
is Abul Bashar.
Bangladesh's Islamic radical groups
idolize Osama Bin Laden, the founder of Al Queda, the international right
wing Islamic network that wants to establish the supremacy of Islam all
over the world.
(4) 9th September 2002, At the Brahmanberia
district of Bangladesh, Kandipara's Ananda Saha is a owner of a Hindu temple.
His family priest was threatened by reactionary Muslims by sharp weapons.
Afterwards, they took away all the properties of the temple by force.
(5) 19th July 2002, at the Barishal
district of Bangladesh, in Agoiljhara Christian-palli some right wing Islamic
radicals attacked members of the Christian community, destroyed four houses
and mercilessly injured seven persons. Those seven men are now seriously
injured.
(6) 11th September 2002, at the
Lakkhipur district of Bangladesh, in the Kabirajbari area of Bhangakha
union several Hindu families were tortured by Muslim fundamentalists. Tow
Hindu girls named Shikha rani Saha (16) and Shiulirani Saha (14) has been
forcefully kidnapped. Their father Janardan Saha tried to save his daughters,
but was unfortunately shot by the Islamic radicals. At the present moment,
he has been hospitalised and his life is in danger.
Rita Rani Das, a 8 year old Hindu
girl was gang raped by activists of the rabidly communal Jamaat-E-Islami,
one of the constituents of the present Bangladesh government. Her village
of Annada Prasad under Char Lal Mohan in Bhola district was attacked in
October 2001; Rita ram for her life, but the Muslim zealots caugt and she
was raped by multiple adult males.
(7) 9th September 2002, at the Bogura
district of Bangladesh in Karunakanda Uchcha Vidyalaya of the Gabtoli sub-district,
a Hindu named Dwijendranath Mali (65), the night guard of the school has
been murdered by a group of muslim terrorists.
(8) 7th September 2002, at the Naugaon
district of Bangladesh in Sultanpur Sagarika Das (18), the wife of a Hindu
fisherman of that area has been kidnapped by a group of right wing Muslim
fundamentalists. Sagarika's mother in law wanted to save her and became
seriously injured.
(9) 11th September 2002, at the
Coxbazar district near Ukhia sub-districts of Motherbunia region local
Islamic fundamentalists of the Chakma para attacked several houses. The
houses were looted and destroyed. Three buddhist Chakma woman were gang
raped by the Muslim fundamentalists. ''Ka Ja Ching'' the local Chakma leader
have requested the district magistrate and the Prime Minister for security.
(10) 15th September 2002, at the
Netrokona district of Bangladesh in the Shahabazpur village of the Purbadhala
sub-district a right wing Islamic reactionary gang has demanded one lakh
rupees (U.S. $2,000) from the Hindu villager Nikhil Chandra Devnath as
Zizia tax (tax imposed by Muslims on non_Muslims). If he refuses to pay
the tax, he has been threatened with death.
The Bangladesh government is hard-pressed
to defend the West's charges of harbouring terrorists.
(11) 23th September 2002, at the
Nator district of Bangladesh, in the Haroa village of the Baraigram sub-district
the an Islamic fundamentalist gang attacked two Christain families. Their
houses were destroyed and looted. Hindru Cruz and Babul Cruz's houses have
been captured by Ershad Ali who is a local Islamic leader. 30 armed Muslim
terrorists attacked their houses, two Christian women were made fully naked
and beaten up mercilessly.
(12) 24th September 2002, at the
Gopalgunge district of Bangladesh, the district correspondent of ''Dainik
Prothom Alo'' a Mr. Subroto Saha, a Hindu has been murdered by Islamic
fanatics.