Bangladesh: Islamists' Blasphemous Acts On Minorities

In the 1970s, “secularism” was removed from the constitution of Bangladesh by the fifth amendment, and, in the late 1980s, Islam was declared the state religion. Recently , Attacks on Bangladesh’s Hindu minority during Durga Puja celebrations last week left at least six dead and several injured. Police have so far arrested 450 people and filed 71 cases in relation to the violence, which allegedly began after a blasphemous post on social media about the Quran. Research by an economist and professor at Dhaka University, Abul Barkat, said that Bangladesh witnesses a daily exodus of 750 Hindus, most of whom try to get into India in the hopes of a more secure future and better economic conditions. After radical Islamists had launched an attack on Hindus in Bangladesh alleging insult of the Quran, police investigation has revealed that a Muslim man was behind the alleged ‘blasphemous’ act. Iqbal Hossain, 35, son of Nur Ahmed Alam, had kept Quran in the Durga Pooja Pandal in Comilla on October 13. The police are yet to arrest Hossain.The police scanned through multiple CCTV footage to ascertain the identity of Hossain. Hindus make up 8.5 per cent of Bangladesh’s 170 million population, while Muslims account for 90 per cent. According to government data, the Hindu population stood at 13.5 per cent in the 1980s. They reportedly accounted for about 30 per cent of the population at the time of Partition in 1947. meanwhile, ISKCON has called for a global protest on Saturday (October 23) to highlight the atrocities committed by Islamists against Hindus in Bangladesh.