Christians Call for Justice in Bangladesh Murders

Edward Ayub, a respected Christian leader in Bangladesh, said the two men had received verbal threats from Hafez Abdullah al-Mamun, the supervisor of the madrassa (Islamic school) in Dhopapara village, Faridpur district, where the two men were based.

Following the murders, Abdullah left Dhopapara on July 31, telling people he would visit his home village in Narail district and return that afternoon. When police arrived at the madrassa to question Abdullah on August 1, he had not yet returned.

Police regard Abdullah as a suspect. Before he left Dhopapara, however, Abdullah said he had never met Roy or Mardi and denied threatening the two men.

Police arrested a young man named Yunus Kazi on August 2 on suspicion of murder but released him that night after questioning. Kazi is the nephew of a former local politician, Kazi Sirajul Islam. Many area Christians believe Kazi was released as a result of the influence his uncle still wields.

“Everyone knows he escaped [prosecution] because of political influence,” one local Christian said. “This is an open secret.”

Christians have since organized several protest rallies calling for justice in the case of Roy and Mardi, and in that of Dulal Sarkar, a lay pastor who was violently murdered on March 8.

Sarkar’s widow, Aruna, who witnessed his murder, identified the killers, who were then arrested and taken into custody. But they escaped prosecution due to pressure from a local member of parliament, according to Ayub.

Likewise, area sources say police know who murdered respected Christian doctor Abdul Gani on September 18, 2004, but have yet to apprehend them. The local sources say the killers are still threatening Christians in Jamalpur district.

Christians held a protest meeting in the capital, Dhaka, in the week following the latest murders to demand justice. They also held a silent procession in Faridpur district and submitted a memo of protest to local councilors.

The regional committee of the Hindu, Buddhist and Christian Unity Council also organized a meeting in Faridpur district and visited the site of the killings to express solidarity with the victims’ families.

With the growth of Islamic extremism in Bangladesh and the climate of impunity (see sidebar below), further violence is expected. Ayub recounted another incident on August 9 in which three young Christian men were threatened with death.

The men, identified only as Helal, Iqbal and Masud for security reasons, were distributing tracts on the streets of Dhaka when they were approached by two Muslim men whom they later described as gangsters. Having read the tract, the men began asking questions and eventually a large crowd gathered. Two imams (Muslim religious leaders) were summoned; after reading the tract, they declared it was the “work of infidels,” in which case it would be “no sin” if the young men were killed.

Helal, Iqbal and Masud were then taken to the banks of a river, where the mob beat them and further intimidated them. A gun was pushed into Helal’s pocket, and the mob threatened to call the Rapid Action Battalion -- which has powers to arrest anyone possessing unregistered firearms. The mob threatened to kill them.

The gangsters then told the Christians they could purchase their lives with a sum of money. The young men declined.

The situation was eventually defused after five hours of tense confrontation. Incidents such as these, however, show the need for Christians and other religious minorities in Bangladesh to exercise great caution in an increasingly hostile environment.

SIDEBAR
Bombings Reinforce Fears of Islamic Extremist Growth

More than 400 bombs exploded almost simultaneously in Bangladesh on August 17, reinforcing fears that Islamic militants are gaining power and influence in the country.

The blasts, which killed two people and left 150 injured, were the latest in a series of bombings attributed to Islamic extremist groups over the past five years.

An outlawed Islamic group, Jamatul Mujahideen Bangladesh, has claimed responsibility for last week’s mass bombing, which affected 61 of 64 districts in the country.

According to a BBC report on August 18, leaflets printed by Jamatul Mujahideen and found at some of the blast sites declared, “It is time to implement Islamic law in Bangladesh.”

Police are still searching for Sheikh Abdur Rahman, the leader of the organization. Security officials believe Jamatul Mujahideen and a sister organization, the Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh, were behind the attacks, Agence France-Presse reported on August 23.

Militant groups run several training camps in the south, unhindered by the government and security forces, according to U.S. State Department reports. (See Compass Direct, “Death of Evangelist Highlights Growing Tension in Bangladesh,” June 2, 2003.)

At least two parties in the ruling coalition are Islamic, with suspected links to militant groups.

Militants suspected of involvement in previous bombings have not been apprehended.

With a population of more than 144 million, widespread poverty, corruption and frequent environmental disasters, Bangladesh a fertile recruiting ground for extremists.

Bangladesh has suffered from religious tensions since 1971, when the nation was partitioned from Pakistan. Following its independence, Bangladesh was established as a secular state, but in 1972 the constitution was amended to make Islam the state religion. Tensions have increased dramatically since the election of a strongly Islamic coalition government in October 2001.

Copyright 2005 Compass Direct. Compass Direct Focus News is distributed as available to raise awareness of Christians worldwide who are persecuted for their faith. Articles may be reprinted by active subscribers only.