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This year in March, while this writer was serving as a short-term resident scholar in New York, an MA Class student of Islamic studies at New York University (NYU), posted an online request for “prayers for Bangladesh”. The NYU student wrote:

“We request prayers for the easing of hardships faced by Bangladeshi students. At Dhaka University, a long-standing tradition among Muslim boys to break their fast (iftaar) in the halls were physically assaulted because they were consuming beef as part of their meal. One student even sustained injuries and began bleeding due to the violence inflicted upon him”. This set me thinking and pondering about what was going to happen in Bangladesh. Far from my country, I was doing a prognosis: what in the near future would be the fate of the nation I have always known as “the most moderate Muslim polity” in the Indian neighbourhood. In light of the violent incidents in March, the student fraternity in Bangladesh backed by an alleged support from some foreign forces (read American) student unions were getting more and more mobilised. This gave them an enabling environment to create an uproar in their country which has now resulted into the regime change. This is precisely what was behind the change of guard in Bangladesh on the 5th August of 2024.

Now when Bangladesh has accepted the regime change after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has resigned following a mass rebellion that killed nearly 300 people, my bewilderment, which worries me more than before, is: what if the crisis would spill over to India? Amid the anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh, be it politically or religiously motivated, the change of guard in bleeding Bangladesh could be bad news for Indian Muslims too.

This change comes as very difficult to many moderate and mainstream Indian Muslims who adhere to the religiously pluralist, peaceful and culture-friendly Islam. The political unrest and communal violence and radical Islamist rise among the Bangladesh people is a serious threat to the Indian Hindu-Muslims’ historically healthy relations back home.

Therefore, most significantly, speaking up for the victims of violence and fostering peace and tranquillity amidst the crisis and multifaceted challenges in Bangladesh is more sagacious and essential on part of us Muslims. It will consequently help mitigate the continuing or potential communal tensions in the South Asian region.

In an unequivocal, strong press statement, IMSD has condemned the attacks on the life and property of Bangladeshi Hindus. The Daily Star published from Dacca, and other newspapers reported that on the day the students’ movement declared “independence” from the Awami League’s authoritarian regime, at least 142 people were killed in attacks and clashes around the country, with hundreds injured. Hindu houses and businesses were looted and torched in at least 27 districts. “In the anarchic situation that prevails in the country, fearing for their lives, a large number of Hindus living close to the border have been attempting to cross over to India leaving behind their homes, businesses and motherland”, the IMSD said.

The strongly-worded statement supported and endorsed by over 50 Indian Muslim intellectuals further reads: “The attack on temples, Hindu homes and businesses, and the targeting of Rahul Ananda’s secular musical space is clear indication that some fanatical Islamist groups — there is no dearth of them in Bangladesh — are pursuing their own intolerant agenda”.

Most significantly, the statement in its conclusion exhorts and urges the majority of Muslims in India and Bangladesh not to be mute and silent spectators. It rather awakens them and says: “Bangladesh politics must not be allowed to degenerate into majoritarianism as India’s has. Communalism is a sub-continental malaise and must be fought across borders. We call upon Muslim organisations and individuals in India to strongly condemn the targeting of minorities in Bangladesh.”

Not that no Islamic organisation or conventional Muslim outfit in India or Bangladesh is speaking out against the lynch mobs, arsonists looters and fanatics. We have heard and seen how a human chain was built by some Madrasa students to protect Hindu places of worship in Bangladesh. Even some of the Islamist preachers who otherwise played a communal and sometimes viciously divisive role in the past have showed a totally different face of theirs standing up for the Hindu victims of violence.

Most strikingly, the largest Islamist party in Bangladesh (Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami) and even Jama’at-e-Islami Hind (JeI) in India have condemned the attacks on Hindus. The JeI’s wing in Delhi-NCR (Faridabad) issued a press release in Urdu newspapers in which Maulana Jamaluddin of JeI has been quoted as saying: “Targeting any community or religious group is condemnable; we must condemn it unequivocally or this disquiet will spread.…We have urged all leaders of the community to come together to address this issue and promote a harmonious culture of understanding”.

It would not have been surprising if these words were to come from the Sufi Sunni ulema and clerics who repeatedly issued clichés like these. Astonishingly, even the Salafis and Ahl-e-Hadith as well as the Jama’at-e Islami, Hind have been known for non-tolerant attitudes towards non-Muslims and their places of worship have condemned the anti-Hindu attacks. More surprisingly, they came out to condemn these acts of violence targeting the minorities in Bangladesh with several verses from the Qur’an, as well as Ahadith and Asaar-e-Sahaba (sayings and actions attributed to the Prophet’s companions).

For instance, Assam’s well-known Deobandi scholar, Maulana Nurul Amin Qasmi who is famous for his distinct da’awah (preaching) style, went as far as to say: “We cannot comment on the internal issue of the neighbouring country. But as an Indian Muslim, I urge the Bangladeshis not to target the minorities in their country. Whether they are Hindus, Christians or Buddhists, any form of attack on innocent minority communities goes against the teaching of Islam and traditions of the holy Prophet (pbuh). Maulana Qasmi has extensively quoted from the Qur’an and Hadith to substantiate the point.

Syed Muhammad Ashraf Kichauchwi, President of All India Ulama and Mashaikh Board and chairman of World Sufi Forum, who has a huge following in Bangladeshi Sufi-Sunni pockets, especially in Chittagong, remarkably told this writer:

“The extremist fundamentalists who were in jails in Bangladesh and were banned from preaching also came out on the streets and they were doing their job under the cover of protesters, which emerged as a grave threat to the peace of the entire region. The basic idea of ​​Bangladesh was about tolerating everyone with an all-embracing faith based on love and peace, but now people with an ideology of deep-seated hatred are active. They are taking advantage of the situation to further their nefarious ends.”

He continued: In such a situation, people with the philosophy of love and acceptance should be more cautious now and should maximise their efforts to restore peace. We cannot be among those who silently watch the crisis as onlookers. He appealed to the people of Bangladesh not to give a new impetus to the ongoing riots and work for the restoration of peace on the ground. He also asked the people in India active on social media to act with restraint.

There is an urgent note of caution here. People spreading the agenda of communal hatred in our country also try to take advantage of bleeding Bangladesh to further spoil the sensitive environment and communal atmosphere in India. The way videos and pictures coming from Bangladesh are floating on the internet and the kind of provocation they are creating, pose serious threat to peace and harmony. The Indian government should put every possible check on this. It will have to think deeply and devise a decisive policy for the mitigation of the communal clash and tensions snowballing from the neighbouring country. The state agencies will have to keep an eye so that the fundamentalist ideology does not get nourished and nurtured in this backdrop. Otherwise it will be fatal for both: the country as well as the community.

Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi is Sufi Mystic Indo-Islamic Scholar & Author based in Delhi. He can be reached at grdehlavi@gmail.com 

The post Bangladesh: Why Indian Muslims’ voice against anti-Hindu violence matters appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Reports in the last few days in the The Daily Star, The Daily Tribune and others published from Dacca, record that at least 142 people were killed in attacks and clashes around the country, with hundreds injured, and Hindu houses and businesses were looted and torched in at least 27 districts, on the day the students’ movement declared “independence” from the Awami League’s authoritarian regime.

In the anarchic situation that prevails in the country, fearing for their lives, a large number of Hindus living close to the border have been attempting to cross over to India leaving behind their homes, businesses and motherland.

The once iconic cultural hub of Rahul Ananda has been vandalised, 3,000 rare musical instruments burnt down. The attack on temples, Hindu homes and businesses the targeting of Rahul Ananda’s secular musical space is clear indication that some fanatical Islamist groups – there is no dearth of them in Bangladesh — are pursuing their own intolerant agenda.

In the midst of the continuing mayhem, there are reassuring reports that student leaders have directed their supporters to guard the places of worship of fellow countrymen from the Hindu and Christian communities. Several video clips are circulating in the social media showing students and civilians including madrasa students, setting up committees to protect temples, churches or houses of minorities.

The Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami (BJI), the largest Islamist party in the country, has condemned the attacks on Hindus, saying there is no question of majority or minority and that all citizens have equal rights.

IMSD applauds all those organisations and individuals in Bangladesh who are speaking out against the lynch mobs, arsonists looters and fanatics, in particular those who have thrown civilian security rings around their fellow countrymen from the minority communities. We welcome the statement now even as we note that their own questionable role in the past speaks otherwise.

But the main burden of responsibility lies with the interim government to restore the rule of law, ensure peace, comfort the Hindu victims of the wanton violence, reassure them that they will be fully compensated for the destruction of their temples, homes and businesses and the perpetrators of violence will be brought to justice.

In his first address to the nation, the Noble laureate Mohammad Yunus, now the chief advisor to the new interim government, has warned those who spread the poison of anarchy would face the full power of law enforcement agencies, along with the victorious students and the people, who will make them fail.  “As the first duty of the government, we will suppress these conspirators with a heavy hand,” he has promised. The interim government must now walk the talk.

Signatories:

1. J. Jawad, Advocate, Chennai
2. Aftab Khan, Journalist, Nasik
3. Akbar Shaikh, IMSD, Solapur
4. Ahmad Rashid Sherwani, Educationist, Hyderabad
5. Amir Rizvi, IMSD, Designer, Mumbai
6. Anand Patwardhan, Documentary films maker, Mumbai
7. Anjum Rajabali, Film Writer, Mumbai
8. Anwar Hussain, Corporate Executive, Mumbai
9. Arif Kapadia, IMSD, Business, Activist, Mumbra, Thane
10. Arshad Alam, IMSD, Columnist, New Age Islam, Delhi
11. Ashhar Khan, Jaunpur
12. Askari Zaidi, IMSD, Senior Journalist, Delhi
13. Bilal Khan, IMSD, Activist, Mumbai
14. Dipak Malik, Varanasi
15. Feroze Mithiborwala, IMSD, Co-convener, Bharat Bachao Andolan, Mumbai
16. Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi, Sufi Mystic Indo-Islamic Scholar & Author, Delhi
17. Hasan Ibrahim Pasha, Fiction writer, Allahabad
18. Hasina Khan, Bebaak Collective, Mumbai
19. Irfan Engineer, IMSD Co-convener, CSSS, Mumbai
20. Javed Akhtar, former MP, poet, lyricist, Mumbai
21. Javed Anand, IMSD Convener, CJP, SabrangIndia Online, Mumbai
22. Javed Siddiqi, IMSD, writer, author, Mumbai
23. Kasim Sait, Businessman, Philanthropist, Chennai
24. Khadijah Farouqui, IMSD, Activist, Delhi
25. Mansoor Sardar, IMSD, Bhiwandi
26. Masooma Ranalvi, IMSD, We Speak Out, Delhi
27. Mohammed Imran, PIO, USA
28. Muniza Khan, IMSD, CJP, Varanasi
29. Najid Hussain, PIO, USA
30. Nasreen Contractor, Co-convenor, IMSD, Mumbai
31. Nasreen Fazelbhoy, IMSD, Mumbai
32. Neelima Sharma, Theatre, Social activist, Delhi
33. Qaisar Sultana, Home maker, Allahabad ()
34. Qamarjahan, Lucknow
35. Qutub Jahan, IMSD, NEEDA, Mumbai
36. (Dr) Ram Puniyani, IMSD, Author, Activist, Mumbai
37. Rashida Tapadar, Academic, Activist, Nagaland
38. Riyaz Shaikh, Mumbai
39. Sabah Khan, Parcham, Mumbai.
40. Salim Saboowala, Social activist, Mumbai
41. Shabana Azmi, Actor, Former MP, Mumbai
42. Shafaat Khan, IMSD, Writer, Mumbai
43. Shalini Dhawan, Designer, Mumbai
44. Shama Bano, Social activist Varanasi
45. Shamsul Islam, Author, Delhi
46. Sheeba Aslam Fehmi, IMSD, TV Commentator, Delhi
47. Sultan Shahin, Editor-in chief and publisher, New Age Islam, Delhi
48. Teesta Setalvad, IMSD, CJP, SabrangIndia Online, Mumbai
49. Vibhuti Narain Rai, IPS (retired), author, commentator, Noida
50. Yash Paranjpe, Activist, Mumbai
51. Zaheer Ahmed Sayeed, Neurologist, Chennai
52. Zeenat Shaukat Ali, IMSD, Wisdom Foundation, Mumbai

The post Indian Muslims strongly condemn attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh appeared first on SabrangIndia.

For the vibrant Anti-Discrimination Students Movement and Mohammad Yunus who is slated to take over the reigns of power in an unusual move, the challenge is both stark and immediate.

Reports from the Daily Star, Dhaka Tribune and even the Times of India have clearly detailed these attacks, eschewing any attempts at denial, even as they were condemned by rights activists within Bangladesh.

According to the Dhaka Tribune, in Jessore, the warehouse of Babul Saha, chairman of Bhagarpara’s Narikelbaria, was attacked and looted, while 22 shops of the Hindu community there were looted, and several houses were vandalised and plundered. The vandalism and attack took place on Monday night it was reported. At least 200 Hindu families live in the area, locals said. People from every house are now guarding the area at night. The newspaper also reported that during a visit on Wednesday, it was seen that Gobinda Saha, a resident of the area, was cleaning the broken window panes in front of his house, which were vandalized on Monday night. He told the newspaper that around 20-25 miscreants attacked their houses with machetes and sticks around 9:30pm on Monday.

“All of us in the family gathered inside the house and watched everything through the window. Around 10 people tried to break the main gate of my house. Later, they smashed the window glass with a brick,” he narrated. Biplab Kundu, a tenant of Shankar Kumar Mallick’s house, said: “After the attack on houses, we are keeping watch at night. Both men and women are having sleepless nights in fear.”

Govinda Saha said: “On information, three army patrol vehicles visited the spot. Activists of BNP and Jamaat had come to assure us of their support at night. Still, we cannot feel safe.” Additionally, the house of one Lakshmi Rani was also attacked and ornaments were looted on Monday night.

Hindus constitute about 8% of Bangladesh’s 170 million people and have historically largely supported Hasina’s Awami League. Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council leader Kajol Debnath said the attacks that targeted 200 to 300 houses and businesses and 15-20 temples left around 40 Hindus injured. “The situation is grave. We urge the army to ensure security for the minorities and bring the perpetrators of the attacks to book immediately,” Unity Council’s general secretary Rana Dasgupta is reported by The Times of India to have said.

For me, both journalist and rights activist, as heart-breaking as these accounts was the once iconic cultural hub of Rahul Ananda being vandalised and 3,000 rare musical instruments burnt down. The Daily Star reported the incident on August 6:

1 of 3

“Rahul Da and his family are shaken and take shelter to a secret place known to only a few. We could not contact him yet. It was not even his house, it was a rental space he was living in for decades,” said Saiful Islam Jarnal, one of Joler Gaan’s founding members,” reported The Daily Star. As soon as they had broken the gate, they started ravaging the house taking whatever they could find for themselves. They took everything from furniture, mirrors to valuables. After that, they torched the whole house along with Rahul da’s musical instruments,” said another close family source, to The Daily Star. In response, the Joler Gaan posted a song from their official page with a caption, “The house on Dhanmondi 32, once a sanctuary for Rahul Ananda and the Joler Gaan ensemble, was not just a residence but a creative hub where countless songs and instruments were crafted. Known for its open-door policy, the house welcomed all, where Rahul meticulously designed instruments that captured the unique sound of Bangladesh.

“However, this haven was tragically reduced to ashes, taking with it all of the band’s musical instruments, archives, and the family’s belongings. While the residents escaped safely, the loss extends beyond physical possessions, reflecting a deeper lament over the destruction of dreams and creative spirit. Despite the devastation, the message of resilience and the hope for a compassionate future remains, urging people to preserve dreams and not let anger overshadow love and understanding,” the post concluded.

What does this targeted, hopefully limited violence mean for Bangladesh, for the Indian sub-continent and South Asia? For those of us who have battled the corrosive intoxication of hate, from the time when Hindu temples were desecrated in that country –Bangladesh–after the shameful demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992, close to 35 years ago, it seems like the beginning of a nightmare that refuses to end. A deadly spiral of tit-for-tat communal targeted violence that has once so bitterly torn us apart between 1946 and 1948. Reverberations and upheavals from that violent past tear us apart still be it in Ranchi, Ahmedabad (1969) Bombay-Bhiwandi in the early 1970s, Nellie (1983), Delhi (1984) Maliana-Hashimpura (1987), Bhagalpur (1989), Bombay 1992-1993 and Gujarat 2002. Not to mention Muzzafarnagar (2013) and the sickening individual lynchings of individual Muslims in India over the past decade.

Already the shrill and sectarian voices from those that rule Delhi and Lucknow have been heard and will no doubt impact the lives of innocent victims from among Muslims in irrational acts of “revenge”. As if the imposed plight of religious minorities under the present Indian self-proclaimed majoritarian dispensation was not bad enough to begin with.

What the young leadership in Bangladesh has brought in response this time, however has been a swift and reassuring response. “A special announcement resonated from a loudspeaker inside a mosque in Bangladesh, issued by the ‘Students Against Discrimination’ group. In a call for peace during the country’s turbulent period, the announcement urged all citizens to maintain communal harmony and protect Hindu minorities. The message emphasised the collective responsibility of safeguarding the lives and property of the minority community from potential threats posed by miscreants or evil forces. The group implored everyone to remain vigilant and uphold the values of unity and protection, highlighting the importance of solidarity in these challenging times.

On Facebook and X photos annotated with English translations in the photo text, so that non-Bengali friends also can understand and acknowledge the efforts show visuals of Muslims protecting Hindu Buddhist and Christians spaces and places of worship. So, while attacks on minorities indeed took place in many areas in the country, that is precisely why the students, the people of Bangladesh spontaneously in Chittagong and elsewhere, came forward for protection, to fight the bigots of their country. India and Indians needs to condemn the violence against Hindus in our neighbouring country but also fight the bigots within ours and their poisonous narratives, using these pictures. Let us all learn how to behave responsibly as majority population in a turbulent time like this.

It has been these abiding acts and images that have offered hope even as the new dispensation yet to be seen in Dacca faces a serious test. For us in India, the challenge is to first unequivocally condemn any signs of targeted violence in Bangladesh while supporting a genuinely democratic upsurge. This is both complicated yet imperative.

Are there enough of us in India and Bangladesh to do both? Both passionately and unequivocally?

Related:

Chaos in Bangladesh provides opportunity to right-wing social media to spread misinformation regarding Hindus, temples being attacked in the country

The post Lessons from a ‘Democratic Revolt’: Prevent the slide into majoritarianism appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Courtesy: The Aidem

The post Bangladesh Situation Tumultuous, But Does Not Signify Islamic Extremist Dominance appeared first on SabrangIndia.

It is to be noted that Hasina’s decision was prompted by the weeks-long protest against 30% reservations to select groups in government jobs and educational institutions. After this decision for reservation was made public, protestors took to the streets to question the quota of reservation being granted to the third generation of freedom fighters, and demanding a total merit-based recruitment. While the protests had begun peacefully in June against the quota system, the student-led movement later turned into a people’s movement. This escalated to a protest to oust Sheikh Hasina, who won for the fourth time in the January elections. The protests against the dictatorial government saw violence as brute force was used by the police against protestors, leading to the deaths of dozens of people. Over 100 people died over the weekend prior to the resignation of ex-PM Hasina. The weekend also saw the Bangladesh government ordering a complete internet shutdown as protestors asked the general public to join a “Long March to Dhaka”. A nationwide curfew had also been imposed indefinitely. However, around 1:15 pm on Monday, a government agency gave a verbal order to start broadband internet.

Soon after Hasina left the country, jubilant crowds waved flags and danced in front of cameras. Videos showing tens of thousands of people surrounding government offices and residences in the capital Dhaka started coming up on social media. People could be seen entering the official residence of ex-PM Hasina and stealing things from her house, which included fishes, utensils, clothes, etc. However, the celebratory protests also took a turn for the worst as videos of people vandalising an imposing statue of Hasina’s father, independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in Dhaka, attacking the head with an axe also emerged.

Chaos in the neighbouring Bangladesh had a ripple effect in India as well. As more and more social media images and videos of the protest started coming out, certain social media accounts, known for making inflammatory comments and spreading false claims, started spreading misinformation regarding the Bangladeshi Hindus being attacked by the Muslims in Bangladesh. Claims of the minority population of Hindus being physically attacked and facing sexual violence went viral, along with allegation of temples and Hindu structures being burnt by mobs. However, most of these claims were false and were being spread by fake-news peddlers to create disharmony in India and showcase that the Bangladeshi Hindus were being targeted by the Muslims. Twisting the events into Hindu-Muslim communal agenda has the potential of creating a false narrative, leading to a law-and-order situation between the Hindu and Muslim population in India.

While it is understandable that the unpredictable situation prevailing in Bangladesh as well as the history of violence against minorities in the country would lead to people being apprehensive regarding the safety of Hindus and Christians, the false sense of panic that is being created through propaganda is only contributing to the chaos. However, to counter the misinformation being aired by these certain right-wing social media accounts with the aim of creating panic, a different section also took up the task of correcting ad clarifying these narratives. Mohammed Zubair, a fact-checker with Alt News, has been continuously analysing these false posts and fact-checking these posts.

False narratives and myth busting:

It is essential to note that since yesterday evening, the hashtag of #AllEyesOnBangladeshiHindus had been trending on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter). Even political leaders fanned these misleading narratives and delivered inciteful and violent hate speeches. Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Nitesh Rane, who is a habitual hate offender and spreads his divisive ideology, took up this chance to encourage violence. Taking to X, Rane wrote “If Hindus are targeted and killed in Bangladesh, why should we allow even one Bangladeshi to breathe here. Hum bhi chun chun ke marenge.” (We will also kill each of them selectively)”

https://x.com/NiteshNRane/status/1820527693206892574?t=Pq8anhxMzlofvYKKgsyoCQ&s=08

A series of misleading posts were also put out by the social media account of “Mr. Sinha” through which he had posted unverified videos to directly inflame the situation through fake news, exaggerations, and claims of an imminent genocide on the back of the Hindus in Bangladesh.

IsIamists are on rampage in #Bangladesh, they’re attacking Hindu houses and abducting Hindu girls…pic.twitter.com/5TfTFFuhus

— Mr Sinha (@MrSinha_) August 5, 2024

Don’t let ISIS toilet cleaners whitewash the Hindu genocide in #Bangladesh.
Be careful (like no fake thing goes by mistake) while sharing news related to Bangladesh, but share all the real events as much as you can…

The world needs to see it…!!

— Mr Sinha (@MrSinha_) August 6, 2024

Multiple such posts were then fact-checked by Zubair. In one such post, Zubair provided how an old video of a sexual assault case in Bengaluru city involving Bangladeshis was now being shared with a communal claim that Hindu girls are being raped in Bangladesh.

Beware of the Fake News factory run by Right Wing accounts in India. An Old video of sexual assault case in Bengaluru, India involving Bangladeshis is now shared with a communal claim that Hindu girls are being raped in Bangladesh. Such claims are amplified by like @jsaideepak… https://t.co/vizkpRjlKd pic.twitter.com/yCYHGaqE3n

— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) August 6, 2024

Right wing propaganda account @SonOfBharat7 is sharing an old and unrelated Rape video claiming it to be recent incident from Bangladesh. This is 2021 Bengaluru incident, in which a Bangladeshi woman was gang-raped. Please reported this tweet for sharing a rape video.
C’C… pic.twitter.com/byMhM5udXZ

— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) August 6, 2024

Zubair also fact-checked the claims made by other right-wing groups that had provided that a temple had been set of fire by a mob in Bangladesh. Correcting the same, Zubair stated that only a shop in front of the temple in Moulvibazar Kali Bari was set on fire and the temple had remained safe.

Fake News by RW Propaganda accounts like @SaffronSunanda.
The Temple wasn’t burnt. A fire was set to a shop in front of the Temple.

2. Fire in a shop near the Temple.
3 & 4. The person Sonjoy Deb present there claims, Temple is safe.
Location : Moulvibazar Kali Bari.

C’C… https://t.co/TZXZ3DrqBM pic.twitter.com/sQhxcV2PQl

— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) August 5, 2024

Another lie was making rounds on social media, wherein it had been stated that the house of a Bangladeshi Hindu cricketer Liton Das had been set on fire. However, Zubair had clairifed that the house of Mashrafe Mortaza was the one that was set on fire and the news about Das’s house was being wrongly shared to give a communal colour to the incidents.

Mashrafe Mortaza’s house on fire. The image of his house burning is shared as Liton Das’s house by right wing accounts in India. #BangladeshBleeding pic.twitter.com/wb7UOel4ud

— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) August 5, 2024

Other ‘X’ users also fact-checked posts that were spreading misinformation.

FAKE!
Bangladesh Unrest: 2021 Bengaluru Gangrape Video Shared With Communal Claim | BOOM (https://t.co/BvO0jkGAqE) https://t.co/wnpgZ1qsv7

— Swasti (@SwastiChatterje) August 6, 2024

Fake Alert: There were no incidents of rape in Rangpur, and no women were burnt alive. https://t.co/OHv6s9Uvms

— Shohanur Rahman (@Sohan_RSB) August 6, 2024

That’s a fake propaganda Telegram group, Haradhon was not killed for his religion. Yesterday, more than 10 AL men were killed. Haradhon is one of the 2 Hindus, & for that, you are spreading propaganda. What about the Muslims who were killed at the same place?

Stop communalizing pic.twitter.com/FAHgC8c4og

— Shohanur Rahman (@Sohan_RSB) August 5, 2024

Calls for maintaining harmony and protecting minority Hindus reverberate Bangladesh:

Videos showing Muslims in Bangladesh raising calls for protecting the minorities in the country also emerged on social media. In a video shared by Zubair, a Muslim man can be seen and heard making announcement to maintain communal harmony on a loudspeaker from inside the Mosque in Bangladesh. The man can be heard saying “Dear Citizens, we ‘Students Against Discrimination’ are requesting you, during this period of unrest in the country, we all must maintain communal harmony. We should protect Hindu minorities. Protect their lives and their wealth from miscreants/evil forces. It is your responsibility, our responsibility, and everyone’s responsibility. Let’s all be vigilant.”

A Special Announcement on a loudspeaker from inside the Mosque in Bangladesh.

“Dear Citizens,
We ‘Students Against Discrimination’ are requesting you, during this period of unrest in the country, We all must maintain communal harmony. We should protect Hindu minorities.… https://t.co/lPYvfwRI7p pic.twitter.com/lcXTGzZETS

— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) August 5, 2024

Zubair also shared pictures of the Muslim community members standing vigil outside Hindu temples to ensure that no miscreant takes advantage of the situation and creates communal disharmony.

Students safeguarding the Dhakeshwari Temple late at night #ProtectMinorities pic.twitter.com/QWlsMoZaqR

— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) August 5, 2024

A Special Announcement on a loudspeaker from inside the Mosque in Bangladesh.

“Dear Citizens,
We ‘Students Against Discrimination’ are requesting you, during this period of unrest in the country, We all must maintain communal harmony. We should protect Hindu minorities.… pic.twitter.com/AszMMk2gyN

— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) August 5, 2024

Some people are spreading rumors that we Bangladeshi are against minorities. Here is ” A Thread” that how the students and common people are saving the temple and started their duty from tonight. pic.twitter.com/jnSsZuBGdp

— 𝑯𝒊𝒎𝒊 (@feelslikehimi) August 5, 2024

#HindusAreSafeInBangladesh

1. Students protecting the Dhakeshwari Hindu Temple

2. Students of Islami Chhatra Shibir guarding a Hindu temple in Chakaria Upazila

3 & 4: Students guarding other Hindu temples#Bangladesh #SheikhHasina #Bangladeshstudentprotest #HindusUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/FNDMvdTiox

— Muslim Spaces (@MuslimSpaces) August 6, 2024

The hashtag #HindusAreSafeInBangladesh has also been trending on ‘X’.

Related:

FIRs for hate speech registered against BJP MLAs Nitesh Rane and Geeta Jain: Maharashtra Police to Bombay High Court

Violence Unleashed: Kanwariya Yatra 2024, police vehicle and shops vandalised

Will Bangladesh’s Politics Of Revenge End?

‘Counterproductive’: Attacking symbols of Bangladesh liberation, degrading its founding leaders

The post Chaos in Bangladesh provides opportunity to right-wing social media to spread misinformation regarding Hindus, temples being attacked in the country appeared first on SabrangIndia.

First and foremost, the new government has to provide protection to the cadres and the leaders of the party in power so far, as the Awami League’s sympathizers remain exposed to the wrath of two other political outfits, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the proscribed Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh (JeI). Both these parties have suffered immensely in the last one and a half decades. Their leaders and cadres have ‘disappeared’, top leaders have been executed in ‘a show trial’ or forced to leave the country and elections have been rigged. Yet the history of ‘revenge politics’ has not helped Bangladesh.

While justice has to be delivered to the victims, new victims should not be created. There should be both justice and reconciliation, indicated Nelson Mandela, at the time of transfer power in South Africa. While celebrating the people’s uprising and victory, Bangladesh should remember Mandela’s speeches in 1994. However, alarmingly, violence is gaining momentum.

The residence of the country’s founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman – a museum– was attacked; his statues were denigrated, while the households of the Awami League cadres and the minority Hindus were torched. The houses of the government officers who were considered close to the previously ruling dispensation were targeted. Such attacks should not continue as it did in 2001 when BNP-Jamat-led four-party alliance came to power and if it does then India needs to initiate a dialogue with the dispensation in power as both the Leaguers and the minorities will be largely dependent on Delhi.

In the process, Delhi needs to question its traditional foreign policy of aligning with one party or coalition and disengage with the rest. Though Delhi may have had a covert dialogue with the opposition, optics indicate that Delhi is not close to Bangladesh but rather to the Awami League. As a result, an overwhelming majority of Bangladesh is against India tonight. India’s powerful neighbour – China – never does that. For example, at this point, Beijing is talking to all sides in Myanmar. However, the students’ uprising has also indicated that a new Bangladesh is emerging. In this movement, religious and ethnic minorities have joined hands with the majority community. Placards have been displayed where it was written that ‘the army should be back to barracks both in the plains and the hills’. Hills signify the presence of the ethnic indigenous minorities, who have been facing army repression for decades.

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The previously controversial reservation system was revoked by the government and later enforced by a High Court ruling, which was ultimately scaled back to a mere 5% by the Supreme Court.

I’ve often stated that while chaos may attract media attention and intrigue experts, it ultimately takes a toll on the nation, with ordinary citizens bearing the brunt of the consequences. The protests currently taking place are often romanticized on social media, but once mass gatherings occur, these movements can be commandeered for other agendas.

We have witnessed this in various instances, including the protests in Egypt’s Tahrir Square, the unrest in Sri Lanka and Pakistan, and now in Bangladesh. The situation is far more complex than it appears.

Is the recent violence and looting in Bangladesh truly an organic student-led movement? This appears to be a coordinated effort, as evidenced by the Prime Minister being forced to flee in just 45 minutes. Instead of rejoicing, we see crowds vandalizing symbols of Bangladesh’s hard-won independence and attacking Hindu minorities and their temples — an unnecessary and troubling development.

It’s clear that Sheikh Hasina lost touch with the reality on the ground and became increasingly unpopular due to her economic policies and heavy-handed governance. This is a recurring issue in our part of the world: a powerful leader can become isolated and above the law, leading to external forces exploiting public dissatisfaction.

We cannot overlook the American approach to regime change — while they may not have succeeded in Russia, they’re striving hard elsewhere. Terms like “democracy,” “rule of law,” and “human rights” come into play.

The issue is not whether we should embrace these ideals but rather how we ensure a true democratic process, one that respects opposition and fosters economic improvement.

Bangladesh has enjoyed impressive economic growth, yet it has largely benefited industries, leaving the youth feeling increasingly suffocated by dwindling job opportunities. In this region, government jobs are highly coveted, and any attempt at implementing quotas or reservations will inevitably please some while alienating many.

In an era of social media, governments must tread carefully; while social media can be a powerful tool, it can also incite chaos when mainstream media is under the control of elites disconnected from the realities faced by the people. One cannot combat an ideological opponent solely with administrative power and policing.

When the public rises up, even law enforcement is likely to disengage, and we’ve seen this in Dhaka, where Sheikh Hasina’s official residence was attacked and looted in a matter of minutes. Is this the transformation we envision? Why was there such a lack of security?

Sheikh Hasina was fortunate to escape the crisis relatively unscathed, and she — or her advisors — should have anticipated the unfolding events. It is crucial for Bangladesh’s political leaders, military, and student community to prevent the current crisis from becoming a permanent rift.

Bangladesh is blessed with intellectuals, political leaders, and social activists dedicated to the country’s welfare. After battling oppression, now is the time to unite in restoring law and order. Honor the sacrifices of those who fought against tyranny and maintained their dignity in the face of adversity. While it is easy to criticize Sheikh Hasina as a despot, attacking symbols of your liberation movement or degrading the legacy of your founding leaders is counterproductive.

I sincerely hope the people of Bangladesh will come together to protect their nation and its rich heritage of peaceful coexistence, resisting the urge to let forces of intolerance and hatred exploit the current crisis. There is an opportunity to reclaim and collectively build your country, preserving its secular and pluralistic legacy.

May peace and stability be restored to Bangladesh, allowing it to thrive once more in tranquility, harmony, and economic prosperity.

Author is Human rights defender

Courtesy: CounterView

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Images of injured protesters are being widely shared on social media platforms. These pictures evoke strong condemnation of the Sheikh Hasina regime. There are fears that the student wing of the ruling party is being encouraged to confront the protesters. The establishment is desperate to reduce the matter to a case of ‘law and order.’ The establishment-backed media are attempting to propagate the narrative of a clash between pro-quota and anti-quota student groups while defending the criminal actions of state authorities.

While more details of the police crackdown may emerge soon, and the exact number of protesters killed and injured may be ascertained, many facts are beyond doubt. First, the clash has been fuelled by the fight over limited government jobs due to massive privatization. It is a hard fact that the Bangladeshi economy cannot generate employment or address the legitimate demands of the student community due to its pro-rich economic policy. The Awami League government, led by Sheikh Hasina, has failed to provide relief to the people. As a result, it is becoming increasingly unpopular. However, the illegitimacy of the ruling establishment is evident not only in Bangladesh. Such a phenomenon is also witnessed elsewhere in South Asia.

Unfortunately, authoritarian tendencies and sectarian politics are weakening democracy from Dhaka to New Delhi. Ruling establishments across South Asia, instead of addressing the issues, are attempting to divide the people through concocted conflicts. In our region, narratives of Hindus versus Muslims and national versus anti-national are being propagated by the Hindu-right regime, while the current Bangladeshi establishment is attempting to foment polarization between freedom fighters and razakars (traitors). The term ‘razakar’ is an Urdu word that means volunteer. In Bangladesh, opponents of the Awami League were pejoratively called razakars for allegedly supporting Pakistan-backed militias.

Reviving her pet narrative, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has recently called the protesting students razakars. Instead of listening to the protestors, she chose to dismiss them and treat dissent as a crime. The world condemns the use of such divisive language in the strongest terms. Who will tell Sheikh Hasina that she is the leader of 170 million Bangladeshi citizens? She has taken an oath to treat all citizens without discrimination. She must not forget that raking up past horror would only weaken the present. Whatever happened during the Bangladesh Liberation War is a part of history and that cannot be a ground to judge a person who was not born at that moment.

Consider the example of British India. Many of the police officers and civil servants who worked for the British Raj until August 14/15, 1947, were considered freedom fighters disloyal to the Raj and criminals. However, the independent governments, headed by freedom fighters, did not attempt to take revenge on the officers. Nor was any attempt made to punish their children for the loyalty of their parents to the British Raj. Similarly, many supporters of the Congress and the Muslim League changed their loyalty after Partition and were not punished for their past associations. Similarly, the trope of the freedom fighters versus razakars can be useful for the ruling party to gain votes. But it cannot take Bangladesh as a nation to a big height. The sooner such a divisive narrative is buried, the better it will be for Bangladesh as a nation.

The reason why I cannot uphold the politics around divisive and emotive issues is because it hides the real fault lines in society. This is not to say that politics should become bereft of ideology. In fact, conflict, not cooperation, is a bigger reality of a property-based society. No one can deny that there is a fundamental conflict between the interests of the workers and the owners of all the resources. Similarly, in the South Asian context, caste, far more than religion, is the basis for the distribution of status, power, and wealth. Gender disparity, too, should also be a key factor in our analysis.

But it is also seen that the ruling party, which serves the dominant interests of society, always tries to hide the axis of inequality and discrimination. To hide them from the public discourse, imaginary issues and warring groups are created. It appears that the policy of giving 30 percent reservation to the families of the freedom fighters is a method to perpetuate the narrative of freedom fighters versus traitors discourse in Bangladesh. In this context, the protesting students are justified in opposing the 30 percent quota for the families of the freedom fighters. It is because no scientific study can show that the families of the freedom fighters are under-represented in Bangladesh and are historically, socially, and educationally marginalized.

Evidence suggests that the recent decision of the Bangladesh Court to uphold the 30 percent reservation was taken under political pressure. For, Sheikh Hasina, who is facing a big crisis of legitimacy, hopes to consolidate her support base by introducing a quota system for the family of the freedom fighters. She is quite aware of the fact that it would definitely be opposed by those who have not got the status of freedom fighters. However, she believes that the lingering controversy would create a sharp division in society. She hopes that such a polarization would draw their alienated supporters back to the Awami League. That is why it lends credence to the allegation that the student wing of the ruling party is given state protection to attack the protestors.

However, as the global community watches the brute use of power, her game plan seems to have backfired. Her statement shows that she is feeling anxious and getting nervous in the wake of the wider condemnation against her government. The use of force against the student community has dented her image of being a “liberal” face among Bangladeshi politicians.

While expressing my solidarity with the protestors against the illogical quota, let me also make it clear that I am not comfortable with the language of “meritocracy” emerging within the protesting groups. It is true that my assumption is based on media reports as I could not have access to protestors. However, I have read in the newspapers that protestors are demanding that “merit” should be followed in the allocation of jobs and that the quota should be kept to a “minimum” level. Both these arguments appear to be elitist in nature.

There should not be any confusion that the basic goal of affirmative action, including reserving seats in educational institutes and employment, is to ensure proportional and effective representation of historically, socially, and educationally marginalized communities including minorities. Merit or poverty cannot be grounds to fix a quota for any particular person or section.

The reason why I do not accept the merit logic is because merit is a trope invented by the elites and socially dominant classes and castes. The language of merit is employed to instil a sense of inferiority among the weaker sections and to deny them equal opportunities. The elite sections often repeat the term merit every day but no one has ever given a definition of merit that is acceptable to all. For example, who is considered meritorious in Bangladesh? Is he a person good at English? Or a candidate who can speak fluent Bangla? Or an Adivasi who can only speak her own language and knows very little of English or Bangla? If public examinations were conducted in the Adivasi language, all those proficient in English and Bangla would fail.

For me, only the marginalized communities, including minorities and indigenous communities, deserve to be given reservations. The marginalization can be defined by an objective study and it should not be left to the whim of any particular leader. While the principle of equal opportunity should be given to all, historically, socially, and educationally marginalized social groups can be included in decision-making by ensuring proportionate and effective representation. That is why, although some members of the dominant groups are found to be poor, they do not deserve to get reservations. This is because their social group is not underrepresented. The state, apart from the reservation, is within the ambit of the democratic Constitution to make welfare policies for economically poor people.

As is evident here, the logic of reservation is so simple to grasp, yet so much confusion has been created around it by the elites. Reservation is one of the means to achieve social justice in society. The principle of social justice is indispensable in a stratified society. Even official figures say that Bangladesh, like other countries in South Asia, is a highly unequal society. A handful of people, who are ranked higher in status and possess a large share of resources, use all kinds of unfair means to check the entry of the marginalized into the process of decision-making. That is why, seats are reserved to ensure the entry of the marginalized groups into the process of policy-making.

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, who was elected from Jessore and Khulna constituencies from undivided Bengal, now part of Bangladesh on the eve of Partition or the creation of Pakistan, has fought for proportionate and effective representation of minorities throughout his life. His definition of minorities was much broader as it included both religious and historically and socially marginalized groups. Speaking on the last day of India’s Constituent Assembly on November 25, 1949, Dr. Ambedkar, the drafting chairman of the Constitution, underscored the indispensability of representation in any democracy in the following words: “Because I feel, however good a Constitution may be, it is sure to turn out bad because those who are called to work it, happen to be a bad lot. However bad a Constitution may be, it may turn out to be good if those who are called to work it, happen to be a good lot. The working of a Constitution does not depend wholly upon the nature of the Constitution. The Constitution can provide only the organs of the state such as the Legislature, the Executive, and the Judiciary. The factors on which the working of those organs of the State depend are the people and the political parties they will set up as their instruments to carry out their wishes and their politics.”

At this critical moment, democratic forces stand in solidarity with the protestors against the illogical freedom fighter quota because such a social group is a creation of political elites desperate to gain political mileage. That is why there is no substantive evidence to show that the freedom fighter category as a social group is historically, socially, and educationally discriminated against. No doubt, they suffered a lot during the Liberation Movement. The principle of justice demands that they should be rehabilitated and properly compensated.

But such solidarity is not unconditional. Our solidarity cannot go along with those protestors who are opposing the quota in the language of merit. Similarly, the logic of a “minimum” quota coined by some protestors is also not democratic. Instead, the protestors should immediately give up such elitist tendencies and firmly uphold the proportionate and effective representation of all marginalized communities.

(Abhay Kumar was a student activist at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Email: debatingissues@gmail.com)

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“The allegation of violating the Labour Law against him has been proved. It appears that the allegation has not been barred by limitation (either),” said labour court judge Sheikh Merina Sultana while pronouncing the judgment, according to PTI.

Along with Muhammad Yunus, three other executives of Grameen Telecom, a social business company he founded, were awarded six months of simple or non-rigorous imprisonment. They were immediately granted one-month bail after furnishing bonds of Taka 5,000 each.

“This verdict is unprecedented,” Abdullah Al Mamun, a lawyer for Yunus, told AFP. “We did not get justice.”

It is reported that the convicted individuals are expected to appeal the verdict in the High Court.

Yunus’s supporters have described the charges against him and the firms he founded are a result of his protracted row with Sheikh Hasina’s government. Hasina accused him of “sucking blood” of the poor. The charge against Yunus and three colleagues from Grameen Telecom is that the firm violated labour laws by failing to create a workers’ welfare fund in the company. Yunus is facing as many  as 100 other charges in connection with the same.

Yunus, the 83-year-old Nobel Prize winner, who won the award in 2006, has been acclaimed for lifting millions out of poverty through his anti-poverty campaign through the Grameen Bank, a mode which was replicated across continents.

However, since 2008 when Hasina assumed power, Yunus’s nearly 50 social business firms have been through several investigations for allegedd violations of several laws. In August, 160 global figures, including former US president Barack Obama and ex-United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, published a joint letter denouncing “continuous judicial harassment” of Yunus. The letter, which was also signed by over 100 Nobel Prize winners, said they feared for “his safety and freedom”.

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