Winnipeggers from Bangladesh taking action about home country’s unrest

Unrest in Bangladesh has some Winnipeggers taking action through a gathering of the local community.

Members of Manitoba’s Bangladeshi community say minority groups are being persecuted in the South Asian country. They say the problems stem back four decades, when Bangladesh became an independent country.

Rumel Halder is one of two Christians in Manitoba from Bangladesh, a country where 90 per cent is Muslim. Less than 0.5 per cent identifies as Christian.

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Unrest in Bangladesh has some Winnipeggers taking action through a gathering of the local community.

With family amidst the unrest, Halder is uneasy.

“Sometimes your neighbour turns into a different person,” said Halder.

An Islamic cleric was recently indicted for alleged war crimes in the country’s 1971 independence war.

Halder says that as a result, Bangladesh’s largest Islamic political party is lashing out against the government and targeting religious minorities.

He said, “They kill people. They burn houses and mostly minority religious groups.”

Scenes of unrest are becoming more frequent on the streets of Bangladesh.

Places of worship and buses have been burned on top of regular protests, and that worries Ahmed Tazmeen.

“We feel that whatever is happening right now back in Bangladesh, we have a role to play,” said Tazmeen.

Their role is to raise awareness about the rights of minorities in an inclusive environment at their gatherings. Halder said, “When we are coming here, we are not bringing our religion.”

Tazmeen is also inspired, saying the country’s young generation is rising to the occasion. He said, “They have brought this issue which has been dormant for about 40 years, since independence. The trial of the war criminals. And now we are all raising our voices.”

Together, the men are hoping it won’t take another 40 years to see change.

The group held a gathering at Fort Richmond Baptist Church on Saturday until 7 p.m.

– with a story by CTV’s Rajeev Dhir