Though we often expose the barbarism that is rooted in Pakistani society, another Islamic country in South Asia doesn’t get as much notice for the rampant jihad activity there: Bangladesh. While international organizations such as the United Nations foster development and build the country’s infrastructure, Bangladesh’s internal machinery is busy nurturing Islamic jihadis. These jihadis are on a mission to wipe out Hindus and Hindu temples from the entire nation of Bangladesh, and with Sheikh Hasina’s poor leadership, they are achieving great success month after month.
Bangladesh can pride itself on yet another horrific attack on the tormented Hindu minority: this one was carried out on the night of February 4-5, when Muslims tore down 14 temples in just one night. The synchronized attacks were carried out between Saturday night and Sunday morning in various villages in Charol, Dhantala, and Paria Unions in Baliadangi Upazila in the Thakurgaon district of Bangladesh. The vandals ransacked the temples and struck down multiple idols of Hindu deities that were inside them.
Bidyanath Barman, the general secretary of Baliandani Upazila Puja Celebration Council, reported that nine temples in Dhantala, four in Paria, and one in Charol were ravaged. These temples were dedicated to Hindu gods and religious figures including Lord Krishna, the goddess Manasa, the goddess Laxmi, the goddess Kali, and Haribasar, among others.
“The idol’s hands, feet, and heads were smashed to bits. Some were broken and left in the pond,” stated the general secretary. “We want the authorities to investigate this thoroughly and apprehend the real culprits,” he added.
After inspecting the temples, a police officer revealed what was already public knowledge: “After taking a look, it appeared to me that the act was intentional,” he said. He also vowed to identify the culprits and make those responsible for this destruction face justice. But Bangladesh has a lengthy history of not punishing the perpetrators of violence against Hindus. At best, when caught, the accused are pronounced mentally unstable.
The police officer further claimed that the planned attacks were made to “disrupt the peaceful situation of the country.” This timid statement glosses over the systematic jihad attacks on the Hindus and the institutionalized discrimination to which Bangladeshi Hindus are subjected. The crude and barbaric behavior of all too many Muslims in Bangladesh and the inaction of the government has forced hundreds of thousands of Bengali Hindus to relinquish their homes and livelihoods in their home country and seek refuge in India. Those faring better financially try to migrate to first-world countries in Europe and North America.
Dhaka University Professor Dr. Abul Barakat, after researching the exodus of Bangladeshi Hindus for several decades, has predicted that by 2050, Hindus will be completely wiped out in Bangladesh. From 1965 to 2006, Bangladeshi Hindus were robbed of an estimated 2.6 million acres of land through the crooked application of the Vested Property Act, along with other illegal means.
The police officers in Bangladesh fail to admit that the repeated attacks on the Hindu temples result from the Islamic injunction claiming there is no other god besides Allah, and the designation of “idol worship” as shirk, the greatest sin. A majority population that believes in this doctrine and recites it so many times a day, and which also believes that those who commit shirk must be warred against, can never tolerate a pluralist society. The increase of the madrassa culture in Bangladesh also adds to the environment of intolerance and hatred.
To counter the growing intolerance and abject display of hatred toward them, the Hindus gathered around the ruins of the Hindu temples after the desecration and vandalism. They expressed their anger and fear over the violence. The general secretary of the district Puja celebration council, Tapan Kumar Ghosh, accompanied by local Hindus, also visited the temples. Police had to be deployed at every temple site, as those who visited them faced the danger of being attacked. After witnessing the mayhem at the Haribasar Temple in Sindurpindi, Ghosh cried: “This temple is large and a traditional one. Many people regularly visit this place. All the idols here have been smashed. This is tragic and frightening.”
Interestingly, the district of Thakurgaon has derived its name from the Hindu sect, Thakur. A large Brahmin community once lived in this area under the reign of Maithil Brahmins and Bengali Brahmins. The erstwhile Hindu-majority district shares its borders with India. Known earlier as the abode of Thakurs, the Thakugaon district today, disrobed of its sanctity and godliness, stands as another victimized stretch of land with the debris of multiple Hindu temples scattered around.
