Violence directed against members of minority religious groups continued to result in the loss of lives and property in Bangladesh and the most common type of abuse was arson and looting of religious sites and homes.
“But it was difficult to determine whether the true motives were religious animosity, criminal intent, personal conflict, property disputes, or some combination thereof,” according to International Religious Freedom Report 2012
There were reports of societal abuses and discrimination based on religious affiliation, belief, or practice and there were scattered attacks on members of minority religious and ethnic groups, most notably against Buddhists in Ramu in September and October, the report said.
As example, the incidents of Fatehpur, Satkhira, Ramu, Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar, and Patiya were highlighted in the report.
Members of minority religious groups were often at the bottom of the social hierarchy and had the least political recourse, it said.
Societal groups at times incited violence against or harassment of members of minority religious groups.
The report, in its executive summary section, said the constitution and other laws and policies protect religious freedom and, in practice, the government generally respected religious freedom.
“The trend in the government’s respect for religious freedom did not change significantly during the year,” it said.
It also said there were no reports of abuses of religious freedom, government institutions and the courts generally protected religious freedom. “However, some government practices restricted members of minority religious groups. There were no legal hiring preferences for government jobs based on religious beliefs.”
In contrast to previous years, the report said, there were no reports of members of minority religious groups being disadvantaged in access to military or government jobs.
The report, however, mentioned that the government made limited progress on the long-standing issue of returning “vested property” to Hindus dating from the country’s liberation war, and also took steps towards equalizing family law for Hindus through legislating optional marriage registration.
Although government officials, including police, were sometimes slow to assist members of minority religious groups who were victims of harassment and violence, there were examples of timely and effective police intervention, the report said.
It said most attacks consisted of arson and looting of religious sites and homes because many members of minority religious groups also had low economic and social status. “They were often seen as having little political recourse.”
Members of Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, and Ahmadiyya Muslim minority groups experienced harassment and sometimes violence from the Sunni Muslim majority population.
The government and many civil society leaders stated that violence against members of minority religious groups normally had political or economic dimensions, and could not be attributed solely to religious belief or affiliation.
In meetings with officials and in public statements, the U.S. embassy encouraged the government to protect the rights of members of minority religious groups.
The embassy denounced acts of religious intolerance publicly and privately, and called on the government to ensure due process for all citizens. U.S.development programs in the country supported religious tolerance.
Source: UNBConnect
It’s not at all surprising that in Bangladesh where the minority people count only 10% are over-sympathized by both local and international organizations. But the fact is the garment workers killed and maimed comprised more than 90% who belong to the majority community. And who drove them into the death trap? Of course they were also Muslims (?). Here in Bangladesh the majority Muslims are being disgraced, tortured, humiliated and even killed by their co-religionists but nobody bothers about that. But when a minority man/woman suffers due to personal feud, land dispute of business interest, people from both inside and outside the country label it as communal violence. Nobody bothers when half a dozen people of the majority community are killed by miscreants or thugs or political rival but if one minority man/woman is tortured and killed for mare personal reason, a big hue and cry by a section of media and ‘sushil samaj’ (?) rends the air. In fact in the name of secularism Bangladeshi Muslims have become a real minority. Just compare the percentage of population with posts held in both govt and other organizations by the people belonging to the minority community..Our so-called progressives and ‘sushil samaj’ cry hoarse of democracy but they are not ready to listen to the people who comprise 90% of the total population. And this naked hypocrisy is very much bold in this unfortunate country.