Author: Alastair Lawson
Publication: BBC News
Date: February 18, 2003
URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2775461.stm
Thousands of people in the Bangladeshi
port city of Chittagong are flocking to a Roman Catholic church where tears
are reported to have been seen on a statue of the Virgin Mary.
Many of those visiting the church
are Muslims, eager to see what some locals believe is a sign of the Virgin's
dismay over the recent outbreak of violence in the country and elsewhere
in the world.
Roman Catholic believers say it
is the first time in Bangladesh that tears have been seen on a statue of
the Virgin Mary.
In a country which is overwhelmingly
Muslim, it is unusual for a symbol of the Christian faith to attract much
interest.
But so many people are gathering
outside the Chittagong church that police have been deployed to ensure
law and order is maintained.
'Inquisitive'
Muslims are queuing to see the statue
even though the Koran warns believers against showing an interest in religious
idols.
Roman Catholics in Chittagong say
that most people are queuing up to see the statue because they are inquisitive.
Around 90% of Bangladesh's 130 million
population is Muslim.
In Chittagong, the second-largest
city in the country, there are only around 8,000 Christians in a city of
over four million people.
Many churchgoers claim the cause
of the Virgin Mary's tears is recent outbreaks of violence in Bangladesh.
They point out that she has had
a lot to be upset about in the last week alone.
On Monday, five people were gunned
down in local election violence in the south-western district of Jhenida
and, before that, there were a series of bomb explosions in the northern
town of Dinajpur.
Scientists have already said that
one possible explanation for the tears is the fact that the marble statue
is kept in a glass case, which could lead to condensation appearing on
the Virgin Mary's face.
