On 6 August, Senator Penny Wong issued a statement and the next day Australia put Bangladesh on the ‘Do not travel’ list because “the security situation is extremely volatile.”
This advisory was issued due to a distressing turn of events following the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after bloody and violent protests. After the fall of the government, Bangladesh, a country that is 90% Muslim, has been engulfed in religious violence targeting its Hindu minority merely 8% of the 170 million population.
Since then, Islamist extremists from Jamaat-e-Islami have been targeting Hindu temples, unleashing a wave of terror across multiple districts. Reports indicate that numerous Hindu homes and temples have been destroyed, and in some instances, Hindu women have been abducted and raped as well.
A Bangladeshi-Australian Hindu told The Australia Today on condition of anonymity to protect his family, “Hindus are most often on the receiving end of any chaotic religio-political situation in Bangladesh.”
The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC) said more than 300 Hindu homes and businesses as well as 20 Hindu temples have been vandalised and damaged by the Islamist mob.
Rana Dasgupta of BHBCUC told Reuters:
“Until my death, I shall fight for them. I may not be able to physically protect them, but I can give them courage. I may not be able to resist attacks, but I can protest.”
Eyewitness accounts and videos from the affected areas depict horrifying scenes of Islamist mobs burning Hindu homes and looting businesses. The lawlessness and impunity with which these attacks are carried out have left the Hindu community in fear for their lives.
The local media has reported that more than 25 journalists have been injured in incidents of assaults across the country and Pradip Kumar Bhowmik, a Hindu journalist with Daily Khoborpatra, was killed in a mob attack on Rayganj Press Club in Sirajganj.
The 140-year-old house of well-known Bangladeshi icon and Hindu musician Rahul Ananda – who last year met French President Emmanuel Macron when he visited Dhaka – was also torched. It is reported that over 3000 Musical Instruments were burnt to ashes, house furniture was looted, and the house was gutted.
In a televised address, Bangladesh’s Military Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman confirmed Ms Hasina’s resignation and departure. Tarique Rahman, the exiled acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), described this undemocratically forced resignation of an elected prime minister as proof of “the power of the people.”
Interestingly, these so-called democratic protesters climbed atop a large statue of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the independence leader and founding father of Bangladesh. They garlanded the statue with shoes while chanting “Allahu Akbar,” urinated on it, and chiselled away at the head with an axe.
Shiekh Hasina is his daughter and leader of the Awami League party. Reports suggest that besides the attack on Hindus, Awami League leaders have also been murdered in Bangladesh after the Government fell.
Former PM Hasina and her sister, who are awaiting asylum, are currently under the protection of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, which has offered them safe passage.
Addressing the Indian Parliament on the situation in Bangladesh, External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar said that India is “deeply concerned,” especially about the Hindu community.
“We are monitoring the situation with regard to the status of minorities. There are reports of initiatives by various groups and organisations to ensure their protection and well-being. We welcome that, but will naturally remain deeply concerned till law and order is visibly restored,” Dr Jaishankar added.
Many left leaning Hinduphobic journalists based in India and Western countries, often allies with Islamist organisations, have gone to the extreme of not only ignoring the persecution of Hindus but also denying its occurrence.
However, even the United States embassy in Dhaka has now called for “calm,” expressing its “concern about reports of attacks on religious minorities and religious sites in Bangladesh.”
The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) has also meticulously documented numerous incidents of violence against the Hindu community, highlighting the alarming rate at which their safety and security are deteriorating.
Prime Minister Albanese’s silence is particularly troubling given the historical context. The Hindu minority in Bangladesh, as well as Pakistan (the controller of East Pakistan now known as Bangladesh), has long faced discrimination and violence, often viewed as supporters of the secular Awami League party.
Avirup Sarkar a Bangladeshi Hindu told BBC that the Islamist mob shouted at the residents of his locality before leaving with the loot.
“You people are descendants of the Awami League! This country is in a bad shape because of you. You should leave the country.”
The current wave of violence is not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of religious persecution in Bangladesh which the world conveniently ignored. In 2021, Islamist mobs attacked Hindu households and temples during and after Durga Puja. Hindu rights and other religious minority groups have raised concerns at reports of many such attacks on Hindus earlier too.
The Australian Jewish Association (AJA) also issued a statement concerned with recent events in Bangladesh, especially the shocking violence against Hindus. “As Jews, we are familiar with persecution under radical Islam. We have seen terrible footage from Bangladesh, including the violence directed against Hindus. Our thoughts are with the victims,” AJA CEO Robert Gregory noted.
The Hindu Council of Australia has also issued a statement strongly condemning the killing and destruction targeting the Hindu community in Bangladesh.
Despite the severity of these atrocities against Hindus and their documentation over the years, Albanese’s response has been conspicuously absent, raising questions about his commitment to defending human rights and addressing religious persecution of Hindus in the region.
What is astounding is the fact that by failing to address these ongoing atrocities, the Australian Prime Minister also risks being seen as indifferent to the plight of Hindu communities in Islamist countries such as Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Sadly, today the world is merely watching as Bangladesh descends further into chaos taking a toll on the Hindu community. More than 51,000 people from Bangladesh call Australia home and Albanese’s lack of response to these valued members of our society is a stark contrast to the urgency and severity of the situation.
The Australian government which has been vocal about other conflicts, has not demonstrated its commitment to combating human rights abuses especially the religious persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh so far by Islamist mobs.
It must act now by not only issuing a strong condemnation of the violence against Hindus but also offering support to international efforts to protect the Hindu minority in Bangladesh.
Prime Minister Albanese, it is time to speak out and take action. The Hindu victims of this Islamist violence in Bangladesh are counting on you “because our words and our actions matter.”
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