Bangladesh

Members of the Islamist extremist group Hefazat-e-Islam are accusing Christians and missionaries of forcibly converting people to Christianity. “Most Christian missionaries are converting people by offering money among the poor people to give them a leg-up,” said a spokesperson. “Once the poor people take money, the missionaries put pressure on them to be converted. That is why we are protesting – to stop missionaries converting [people].” Hefazat-e-Islam has been violently protesting in the streets of Dhaka, demanding a strict blasphemy law, resulting in death and injury to many. Their accusations, say Christians are mere propaganda. “Conversion is not an event in which missionaries give money and people are converted,” said a Reverend in Bangladesh.

With the persecution of Christians increasing in Bangladesh the World Council of Churches has reached out to believers in the country to express solidarity.

Members of the extremist group, Hefajat-e-Islam marched through the streets of Dhaka yesterday continuing to demand a Blasphemy law in Bangladesh. They attacked the police with machetes in clashes between “hundreds of thousands of Islamists” and police. Twenty-two are dead and hundreds are injured. This Islamist group grew out of Islamic training centers, or madrassas, which are dispersed throughout the country.

As pressure from radical Islamist groups in Bangladesh increases, so does persecution against minority religious groups including Christians, Buddhists and Hindus. The World Council of Churches’ commission on international affairs sent a delegation to meet with persecuted groups who shared with them that they have been living in “nightmarish” conditions as non-Muslims.

With demands of Radical Muslims laid out in Bangladesh, and their ultimatum deadline approaching, Christians wonder what is next for Bangladesh. They say, “Their demands are against the religious rights which are enshrined in the Constitution…If they are met, the religious matrix of the country will be upside down and the country will be on the slippery slope towards hatred and confrontation like Pakistan.”

As minorities, Christians in Bangladesh are routinely marginalized. The believers who are part of tribes in remote areas also suffer poverty and lack of education. This article shares some of what life is like for them, as well as the glimmers of hope that have been seen since the year 2000.  

Young people in Bangladesh are against the “13-point demand” of radical Islamists, which in part demand a blasphemy law. In their march, a spokesperson said, “We would not remain silent . . .the new generation will resist attempts turn Bangladesh a Taliban state."

Hefajat-e-Islam is an extremist Islamist group that is demanding a “blasphemy law with provisions for death penalty for people making derogatory remarks on Allah, Islam and the Quran.” Obviously, such a law would be detrimental for the country, specifically for religious minorities.  The group is demanding this law if the government wants to stay in power. The next few weeks may prove to be very important for the future of Bangladesh.

Muslim extremists are demanding a new blasphemy law, and giving the Bangladeshi government three weeks to meet their demands. The Prime Minster, however, continues to say “no.” Let’s pray he does, because history shows us that blasphemy laws have produced nothing but persecution for Christians, and other religious minorities, in the countries in which they are enacted and enforced.

Raised as a Muslim, a young man discovers the love of Christ and chooses to get Baptized on Easter Sunday as a statement of his conversion. Bangladesh is nearly 90% Muslim, so such an action is in fact quite bold and daring.

Authorities in Bangladesh have a challenge in front of them to “crush” the newly discovered extremist group Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT).  They claim to be affiliated with al-Qaeda and have already wreaked havoc in the capital city, Dhaka. Members of the group were arrested for the murder of blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider who spoke out against Islam. Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid said, "We have a zero-tolerance policy regarding religious extremism. Unfortunately, a section of the younger generation is being derailed with false promises."

In a huge rally on Saturday, hundreds of thousands in attendance, Islamists in Dhaka demanded the execution of “atheist bloggers for allegedly defaming Islam.” Hefajat-e-Islam, an Islamic group supported by tens of thousands of seminaries demanded that a new blasphemy law be put into place in Bangladesh. The Prime Minister has said that there will be no such law. As it is, bloggers or “internet writers” can receive ten years in jail for defaming any religion.

An extremist Muslim group called the Hefajat-e-Islam organization has been calling for a blasphemy law in Bangladesh. Members and supporters have rallied, protested and enforced a general strike in their demands. The Prime Minister,  Shaikh Hasina has said that there are no plans to bring in a new blasphemy law because “we don’t need it.” Since the arrest and trials of Islamists charged with murdering an anti-Islamist blogger in January, “at least 96 people have been killed during protests.”

With the recent arrest of bloggers for “insulted Islam” it is clear that the tide is turning, in a dangerous direction, in Bangladesh. Since February it is estimated that 100 people “have been killed in clashes” as Islamists gathered in the streets to demand blasphemy laws. Also, it is reported that “bloggers, journalists and passers-by have been beaten and hacked to death.” There is great concern for all citizens of Bangladesh, particularly religious minorities, if the radicals are permitted to continue down this path of violence and extremism.

We all know what damage blasphemy laws have done to Christians in Pakistan, Egypt and other countries where Islam is a majority and Christianity a minority.  While there is currently no blasphemy law in Bangladesh, never-the-less authorities in Dhaka have arrested three bloggers for “offensive comments about Islam.” If this trend continues Christians, already a minority and poorly treated in Bangladesh, will see the level of persecution they experience rise dramatically.

Christians in Bangladesh are a small minority, less than 1% in a 90% Muslim country. Due to this, they are often taken advantage of, forcibly converted to Islam (through marriage and other means), and struggle to keep their land.

When Mark Huda Junayed’s step-mother found out he’d converted from Islam to Christianity, she had him abducted and forced him to marry a Muslim woman, 20 years his senior, in an Islamic ceremony. Accused of “torturing” his bride by refusing to pay the dowry, Junayed remains in hiding as he awaits his trial. “A former Muslim, [he] views his trial as part of a wider crackdown by Islamists on minority Christians, who comprise less than 1 percent of the country's mainly Muslim population of over 150 million people.”

A Christian family in Bangladesh claim that local Muslims are blackmailing them and that they have been sent to court over false charges of human trafficking. “Junayed, a former Muslim, said it was part of a wider crackdown by Islamists on minority Christians, who comprise less than 1 percent of the country's mainly Muslim population of over 150 million people.” The family is accused of abducting and selling their 14-year old house maid.

It seems religious minorities in Bangladesh (Christians, Hindus and Buddhists) are being undercounted by the population census. Christians currently account for less than 1% of the population. If they are undercounted they will not be eligible to vote in upcoming elections.