Bangladesh--Christian Persecution in Bangladesh

Asia: Bangladesh Bangladesh Report Last Updated: June 2003 Code: B-3 (Click here for a code description.)
	(Click here for a list of ICC articles on Bangladesh.) List of Articles Last Updated: June 15, 2003

Religious Atmosphere:

About 88% of the population is Muslim with another 10% Hindu. The remaining 2% are Christians, animists, and Buddhists. The Christian church is split into two groups: the visible church, which consists of converts from Hinduism and the invisible church, which consists of converts from Islam.

Government:

• Islam became the state religion in 1988.
       
• The constitution promises all citizens the right "to profess, practice or propagate any religion" (Article 41). However, the government has introduced a number of restrictions on the Christian community and continues to do so because of pressure from Islamic fundamentalists.
      
• One restriction is the requirement that all Christian organizations need to be registered as a Non-Government Organization (NGO), whose charter and board need to be presented to the government for approval. The board may be dismissed at any time and be replaced by another board appointed by the government.
      
• The NGO Affairs Bureau has imposed restrictions on Bible printing and importation. Distribution of Bibles must be limited to Christians.
     
• Proselytizing is permitted under the law. However, strong social resistance to conversion from Islam means most proselytizing is aimed at Hindus and tribal groups.
       
• Foreign missionaries may work in the country but their right to proselytize is not protected under the Constitution and they often have trouble obtaining visas.

 Extremist Groups:

• As with other Muslim countries, Bangladesh has extremist groups which push for Islamic law.

Recent Actions:

• May 30, 2003 - Moses, a Gospel for Asia (GFA) missionary, was kidnapped and taken into the jungle by a terrorist group. GFA leaders received notice that the group would kill Moses unless they received a huge amount for ranson. (ANS)
    
• April 24, 2003 - Hridoy Roy, a Christian evangelist, was stabbed to death by a group of 7-8 people as he returned home from showing the Jesus film. (ANS/Barnabas Fund)
     
• Ongoing - Most persecution of Christians occurs at a village level. People who convert from Islam are ostracized and in many cases are beaten, denied water from village wells, or even thrown out of the villages.
     
• April 28, 1998 - In Dhaka a group of Islamic extremists attacked the St. Francis Xavier Girls' High School, Holy Cross Church, St. Thomas' Church and another nearby Baptist church. The attack was instigated by fundamentalists who falsely announced that Christians were dismantling a mosque adjacent to the school.
     
• 1997 - Over 20 students aged 14 and younger were rescued from an Islamic school in Chittagong. The students had been chained because they were not excelling in their study of Arabic and memorization of the Koran.

Prisoners:

ICC is not aware of any Christians being imprisoned for their faith at this time. 

Suggested Actions you might take:

• Pray for the Christians of Bangladesh that they may be better protected from harm and harassment and that the Christian message may be heard and received by all.
     
• Write a respectful letter to one or more government officials at the address listed below. Request information about what steps the government is doing to ensure their protection and freedom to practice their faith laid out in the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights documents.
      
• Contact the elected national officials (Senators, Representatives, etc.) for your area as well as the U.S. State Department and express concern for the well being of the Christians in Bangladesh asking them to make an inquiry into the status.
     
• Please keep us informed of any replies or results you may receive! Contact ICC by email at icc@persecution.org.

*Although we try to make every effort to keep up with and reflect changes in the government of Bangladesh and the current human rights situation, it is not uncommon for changes to occur and not be immediately updated in the profiles. We appreciate your feedback if you find any discrepancies in this information. You can contact ICC by email at icc@persecution.org for this purpose. Thanks.

POSTED: June 6, 2003

ICC Articles on Bangladesh:

• June 15, 2003 - Prayer - Bangladesh, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, China, Indonesia, Laos
• June 1, 2003 - Prayer - Bangladesh, Colombia, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan