Author:
Publication: Mayerdak
Date: December 18, 2002
URL: http://www.mayerdak.com/minsitdec2002.htm
The ultra Islamic coalition government
of Bangladesh's Prime MInister Khaleda Zia includes as it's partner the
Islamic supremacist Jamaat-E-Islami. For many years, the Janaat was led
by Golam Azam, a rabid communalist, who had returned from Pakistan when
General Zia, Khaleda ZIa's husband was still alive and in power as the
nation's president.
Right wing Islamic chauvinist groups
in Bangladesh are campaigning to turn the country into a state similar
to Taliban ruled Afghanistan or Islamic Sudan, where minorities are non-existant
and/or enslaved and liberal Muslims and women are marginalized. The Jamaat-E-Islami
and other Bangladesh based hate groups have a idol in Osama bin Laden,
the terrorist who masterminded the 2001 attacks on the United States resulting
in the deaths of over 3000 civilians.
Golam Azam resigned in December
2000, and Motiur Rahman Nizami, another reactionary Muslim fundamentalist,
took over as the new amir (chief) of the party amid wide protests and demands
that he be put on trial for war crimes he committed during the liberation
war as the head of a notorious paramilitary force, the Al-Badar. In one
particular incident on December 3, 1971, some members of that force seized
the village of Bishalikkha at night in search of freedom fighters, beating
many and killing eight people. When Nizami's appointment was made public,
veterans of the liberation war burnt an effigy of him during a public rally.
In October 2001, Nizami was appointed minister for agriculture, an important
post in a mainly agricultural country such as Bangladesh. His deputy, Ali
Ahsan Muhammad Mujahid, became minister for social welfare.
New York : Activists of the Hindu
Buddhist Christian Unity Council protesting against the repression
on minorities and liberal Muslims in Bangladesh by the Islamic fundamentalist
groups, often covertly and overly backed by government consituents.
Various international groups including
HRCBM(Human RIghts Congress for Bangladesh Minorities), International Federation
of Bangla Hindus, along with the Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity COuncil
held protests all over the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe.
Jamaat has 17 seats in Bangladesh's
parliament - and two ministers in the government - suggest a dramatic increase.
Its youth organization, Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS), is especially active.
It is a member of the International Islamic Federation of Student Organizations
as well as the World Assembly of Muslim Youth and has close contacts with
other radical Muslim groups in Pakistan, the Middle East, Malaysia and
Indonesia. One of its main strongholds is at the university in Chittagong,
and it dominates the Deobandi madrassas all over the country, from where
it draws most of its new members. It has been implicated in a number of
bombings and politically and religiously motivated assassinations.
Ongoing incidents of the increasing
violence perpetrated by the right wing Muslim organizations on the religious
and ethnic minorities in Bangladesh, reported by Mayer Dak correspondents
based there, are listed below: -
Buddhist Monk Jayan Joyeti was murdered
by a right wing Muslim gang. His head was completely separated from
his body. This incident occurred in the Buddhist monastery during midnight
at Raojan under Chittagong district. The cadres of BNP central leader &
Advisor on Parlamentery Affairs of Prime Minister Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury
claimed credit for this crime.
( 1 ) Recently, the Buddhist
residents of Motherbuniya village in Bangladesh's Cox Bazar district are
facing severe persecution from local right wing Muslim reactionary groups.
The minority community'swomen are suffering from sexual harassments. A
land belonging to a Buddhist temple committee was forcefully captured by
the fundamentalists. The Buddhsits protested against them. As a result,
one Islamic extremist died in the clash and confrontation. After this incident
attacks on tribal buddhists have surpassed all previous records. Different
areas under the Ukhia police station locality are now the target of the
fundamentalists.
( 2 ) 15th October, 2002:
At the Gonergaon village of the Kotiadi sub-district of Kishorgunge district,
Namita Rani Suttradhar (13), the daughter of Gopal Chandra Suttradhar,
a Hindu resident has been raped by a Islamic extremist. Namita is a student
of class seven. Namita's father filed a case againt the culprit in the
local court. Now a group of Muslim fundamentalists are continuous threatening
the Suttradhar family.
( 3 ) 19th November, 2002:
At the area under Madhukhali police station of Faridpur district, the traditional
''Rash'' festival of the Hindus was attacked and totally destroyed by the
Bangladesh police. The police inspector Mohammed Nure Alam appeared 12
hours before the festival started. He tortured the organiser of the function
Sujit Mondal. Ten thousand Hindus could not perform and participate in
the Rash festival.
Desecrated and destroyed murthi(deity)
of Goddess Durga at Fatullah, Bangladesh. The Durga Puja(religious
function) is the grandesh of Bangladesh's Hindu population and has been
celebrated since time immemorial (9th October, 2002).
Countless Durga Puja pandals all
over Bangladesh have been attacked, desecrated, and destroyed. In many
localities, as in 1990, Hindus were forbidden to even perform this festival
and some Hindu groups only did 'Ghat' (symbolic) Puja.
( 4 ) 4th November, 2002:
A Hindu named Monimohan Abadi (87) of the South Jalirpar village of the
Muksudpur sub-district of Gopalgunge district has been mercilessly tortured
by a group of Muslim fundamentalists. They threw a acid bottle towards
him. Monibabu's eye has been destroyed in acid. At present he is under
threatment.
( 5 ) Recently, at the Baroshila
village of the Pabna district a Hindu villager Khudiram Haldar, a Hindu
was being mercilessly tortured by Islamic supremacists, who threatened
him to leave Muslim majority Bangladesh and leave for India.
Madan Gopal Goswami, a prominent
Hindu priest was knifed and stabbed to death in the Hindu temple
where he preached at midnight by the the members of the extemist Jubadal,
the youth group of BNP(the party of the nation's prime minister) at Manikchari
under Khagrachari district.
( 6 ) Recently, the Hindu
family of Gopal Ram (45) and Naresh Ram (55) of the Saheb- bazar area of
the Rajshahi district are facing severe persecution. Islamic zealots have
planned to take away all their lands and properties. Some of the armed
men threatened this hindu family to leave Bangladesh immediately and migrate
to India.
( 7 ) Recently, ten crores
takas (U.S. $ 2 million) has been displaced in the office of Bangladesh
Railways. But this news was leaked out by a Hindu worker of the Bangladesh
Railways named Dulal Chandra Dutta. As a result, Dulal was mercilessly
beaten up by some Muslim fundamentalists, which also included railway workers.
Dulal has been suspended. The incident took place in Gaibanda station.
( 8 ) A Hindu female student
named Shipra Rani Sarkar belonging to the Chatol Uchcha Vidyalaya of the
Katiyadi sub- district of the Kishorgunge district was kidnapped by a group
of Islamic fanatics on 20th August.
Cadres of the Islamic Oikyo Jote(Islamic
Unity Council), another right wing Muslim fundamentalist group holds
regular rallies to enact and popularize their brand of Islam.
( 9 ) On 6th November, 2002,
Vimal Chandra Chakma (40), the teacher of the Karikang governmental primary
school has been kidnapped by a group of Muslim supremacists as he refused
to pay a zizya tax (tax levied by Muslims on non Muslims) of fifteen lakhs
(U.S. $ 30,000).
( 10 ) 4th October at Tangail,
2002, at the Dhanbari municipality area a right wing Muslim fundamentalist
gang destroyed the murthi (deity) of Durga goddess in the Singhata Puja
pandal. A case was filed by the Hindus in the Dhanbari police station.
The police have arrested two local Muslims.
( 11 ) Recently, another news
have come to us lately that at the Karmakar Patti of the Chitolmari sub-district
of Bagerhat, some Muslim fundamentalists have destroyed a Hindu murthi
(deity) of Vishwakarma.
