Bangladesh crisis: Jamaat-e-Islami condemns attacks on Hindus, says all have equal rights, amid student protests

Amid a series of attacks on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami (BJI) has condemned the incidents, saying there is nothing called majority or minority and that every citizen has equal rights.

Speaking in a press conference, BJI’s current Amir Shafiqur Rahman accepted that there indeed have been attacks on religious minorities, including incidents of vandalism, looting and arson.

“We have condemned these activities of the miscreants several times and still condemning it now. Under the circumstances, we have called upon the countrymen as well as the manpower of our organization to play the role of guardians in protecting the properties of the people of all religions. No one is majority or minority in our country,” he said.

Shafiqur Rahman further stated that everyone born in Bangladesh, regardless of their caste or religion, is a citizen of the country and enjoys “equal rights”.

“So, the question of majority or minority is invalid,” the BJI Amir said.

He asked citizens to resist the miscreants and their misdeeds, and said the party is ready to “give full cooperation to the administration”.

The massive student protests against a quota system for government jobs in Bangladesh, which has led to the deaths of over 400 people, have now turned into a widespread saga of vandalism and looting, with the minorities, especially the Hindus, facing ire. The attack escalated following the resignation as the Prime Minister and subsequent escape to India by Sheikh Hasina.

Multiple online videos showed temples being set ablaze, and houses and businesses of Hindus being attacked. An ISKCON temple in Meherpur, located in Bangladesh’s Khulna division, and a Kali temple were vandalised and torched. Meanwhile, two Hindu councillors were killed amid the protests.

The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council tweeted that as many as 54 attacks took place on temples, houses and establishments of the Hindu community. These include the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre, which promotes cultural exchange between India and Bangladesh.