Ethnic Cleansing in Bangladesh-Why #CAB is important for minorities in Bangladesh
- 11:13 PM
- By Anonymous
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On February 28, 2013, the international
crimes tribunal sentenced Delwar Hossain Sayeedi, Vice
President of Jamaat-e-Islami to death for war crimes committed during the 1971
Bangladesh Liberation war this led to large-scale and nationwide violence
against Hindus led by activists of the Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing
Islami Chhatra Shibir in which hundreds
of Hindus were killed more than 50 temples demolished and 1,500 Hindu homes destroyed.
Pakistan's 1951 census the first taken after the large population transfers that accompanied partition found Hindus to be about a third of the East Pakistani population. When Pakistan became Bangladesh in 1971 they were just under a fifth. 30 years later less than 1/10 and today an estimated 1 in 15, all of this despite increasing movement of Bangladeshi Muslims into West Bengal,
India. Apologists for the Bangladeshi establishment often say that "Oh! Hindus
leave Bangladesh for India so they can find better matches for their children."
The disappearance of Bangladesh's Hindus
has come about through continuous human rights atrocities that regularly include murder, rape (including gang rape), child abduction, force conversion, religious desecration and more. At the time of Bangladesh's liberation from Pakistan Hindus bore the brunt of one of the largest genocide of the 20th century. 2.4 million Hindus were brutally killed and most of Hindu home businesses were
destroyed.
According to BJ HM an alliance of Hindu organizations in Bangladesh: In 2017 alone,
107 Hindus were killed 31 abducted, 23 underwent forced conversion, 25 Hindu
women were raped and 235 temples were vandalized. What's important to know from
a tactical perspective is that the Bangladeshi government did not do these
things and that's one of the things that makes this so hard to get across to
people. There are no concentration campsin Bangladesh... no gulags, no killing
fields, no Hitler or Stalin. But do you think that matters to the millions of
victims? Of course not. The Bangladeshis are guilty because government after
government has created a culture of impunity that allows crimes against Hindus to go unpunished.
A country where you are likely to be killed if
you voluntarily change your religion from Islam to something else and your killer
will not be punished for it but also a country where forced conversion to Islam
is applauded.
A country whose police and lawmakers act in accordance with that. In
other words, killing the person who left Islam and abducting and forcibly
converting a Hindu child to Islam both will win you praise.
This human rights atrocity is a quiet case of ethnic cleansing because even though it has been proceeding for decades and victims number in the millions, very
little have been said or done about it.
Equally bewildering is the silence of the global media.
Nowhere. Why are they not leading
the charge to expose these crimes against Hindus? It surely is a quiet case of ethnic cleansing. But it need not have been quiet, if only Hindus of neighbouring India were more empathetic with their
co-religionists across the border. Now, I say Hindus and not Indians deliberately
because Muslims of India have always stood in solidarity with Muslims from
other parts of the world like "Palestine" or Myanmar. For example, in 2012 a protest
march called by Muslims of Mumbai against the treatment of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar
led to the Azam Maidan riots, resulting in two deaths and injuries to
45 policemen.
The indifference of India's Hindus is impossible to explain. Even on
the grounds of pure self-interest, India must work hard to protect the interests
of Bangladeshi minorities lest Bangladesh turns into a replica of
Pakistan and the whole point of liberating it in 1971 is lost.
Moreover, increasing India's involvement with Bangladesh is particularly
important now as India is negotiating a free trade agreement with Bangladesh.
Negotiating for equal treatment of all citizens under the rule of law must be
included as part of trade negotiations.
India must protect Bangladeshi Hindus by
asking the Bangladeshi government to:
1. Repeal the vested property act that has
legalized the seizure of most Hindu property in Bangladesh.
2. Prosecute and
punish all those who commit these crimes against Hindus as they would other crimes,
even if the leader is an imam
3. Sack any police or government employees who
participate in cover-up or in any way refuse to prosecute or punish the
criminals.
What is happening in Bangladesh is a quiet case of ethnic
cleansing. As people the same blood, it is morally imperative on India's Hindus to
raise their voice and force the political leadership of OUR country to
take action.
