US Int’l Religious Freedom Report for 2017

Minorities face attacks in Bangladesh: US

There were attacks on religious minorities, particularly Buddhists and Hindus, in Bangladesh during the last year, according to International Religious Freedom Report for 2017 released by the United States state department yesterday. The report, however, stated that the government continued to provide law enforcement personnel at religious sites, festivals, and events considered to be possible targets for violence.

“In June hundreds of Bengali Muslim villagers in the southeastern part of the country set fire to 300 houses belonging to members of the Chakma, a mostly Buddhist minority community. A 70-year-old woman died during the attacks,” said the report, adding, “The arson followed the killing of a local Muslim resident. In November, angered by a Facebook post reportedly demeaning Islam, a mob burned and vandalised approximately 30 houses belonging to Hindus in the northern district of Rangpur.”

The report states that the constitution in Bangladesh designates Islam as the state religion but upholds the principle of secularism. “It prohibits religious discrimination and provides for equality for all religions. The government provided guidance to imams throughout the country on the content of their sermons in its stated effort to prevent militancy and to monitor mosques for ‘provocative’ messaging,” the report says.

In November, police arrested two suspects with ties to an al-Qa’ida inspired group in connection with the killing of a US-born blogger critical of religious extremism in 2015. According to the press, one of the suspects confessed to involvement in the killing of four other secular activists, the report states.

Despite government orders to the contrary, the report states, village community leaders used extrajudicial ‘fatwas’ to punish women and other groups for perceived “moral transgressions.” Religious minority communities such as Hindus and Christians, which are also sometimes ethnic minorities, reported the government failed to effectively prevent forced evictions and land seizures stemming from land disputes.

The report also takes into account reports by local organisations and media that the Ministry of Education made significant changes to traditionally secular Bengali language textbooks, such as removing non-Muslim authors’ content and adding Islamic content to nonreligious subject matter.

In meetings with government officials and in public statements, the US ambassador and other embassy representatives continued to speak out against acts of violence in the name of religion and encouraged the government to uphold the rights of minority religious groups and to foster a climate of tolerance.

The ambassador and other embassy staff met with local government officials, civil society members, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and religious leaders to continue to underscore the importance of religious tolerance and to explore the link between religion and violent extremism. The report also notes the fact that the embassy provided humanitarian assistance to Rohingya people, who are nearly all Muslims, fleeing Myanmar.

US Intl Religious Freedom Report for 2017

Minorities face attacks in Bangladesh: US

There were attacks on religious minorities, particularly Buddhists and Hindus, in Bangladesh during the last year, according to International Religious Freedom Report for 2017 released by the United States state department yesterday. The report, however, stated that the government continued to provide law enforcement personnel at religious sites, festivals, and events considered to be possible targets for violence. In June hundreds of Bengali Muslim villagers in the southeastern part of the country set fire to 300 houses belonging to members of the Chakma, a mostly Buddhist minority community. A 70-year-old woman died during the attacks, said the report, adding, The arson followed the killing of a local Muslim resident. In November, angered by a Facebook post reportedly demeaning Islam, a mob burned and vandalised approximately 30 houses belonging to Hindus in the northern district of Rangpur. The report states that the constitution in Bangladesh designates Islam as the state religion but upholds the principle of secularism. It prohibits religious discrimination and provides for equality for all religions. The government provided guidance to imams throughout the country on the content of their sermons in its stated effort to prevent militancy and to monitor mosques for provocative messaging, the report says. In November, police arrested two suspects with ties to an al-Qaida inspired group in connection with the killing of a US-born blogger critical of religious extremism in 2015. According to the press, one of the suspects confessed to involvement in the killing of four other secular activists, the report states. Despite government orders to the contrary, the report states, village community leaders used extrajudicial fatwas to punish women and other groups for perceived moral transgressions. Religious minority communities such as Hindus and Christians, which are also sometimes ethnic minorities, reported the government failed to effectively prevent forced evictions and land seizures stemming from land disputes. The report also takes into account reports by local organisations and media that the Ministry of Education made significant changes to traditionally secular Bengali language textbooks, such as removing non-Muslim authors content and adding Islamic content to nonreligious subject matter. In meetings with government officials and in public statements, the US ambassador and other embassy representatives continued to speak out against acts of violence in the name of religion and encouraged the government to uphold the rights of minority religious groups and to foster a climate of tolerance. The ambassador and other embassy staff met with local government officials, civil society members, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and religious leaders to continue to underscore the importance of religious tolerance and to explore the link between religion and violent extremism. The report also notes the fact that the embassy provided humanitarian assistance to Rohingya people, who are nearly all Muslims, fleeing Myanmar.