ICC Note:

Religious minorities in Bangladesh, including Christians, Buddhists, and Hindus feel threatened following last week’s killing spree that saw two Hindus, one Christian, and the wife of an anti-terror official murdered. Islamist terrorists have gripped Bangladesh with fear as they have committed a spree of brutal murders against individuals they believe stand against their fundamentalist ideology. In total, 48 people, including religious minorities, secular bloggers, gay rights activists, and academics, have been targeted by the terrorists who claim affiliation with ISIS and Al-Qaeda. In response, Bangladesh has arrested over 5,000 in an attempt to restore law and order to the country. Despite this, religious minorities still feel under threat.  

6/15/2016 Bangladesh (The Catholic Register) – The killings of two Hindus, one Christian and the wife of an anti-terror official in Muslim-majority Bangladesh last week have left members of minority religious communities afraid for their lives and skeptical of the government’s ability to provide security.

Separate targeted attacks on Hindus, Christians, Buddhists and atheists have left the country reeling. On top of the violence, some churches have received death threats from Islamist militants.

“The Islamists said that Bangladesh would be ruled only by Shariah law,” said William Proloy Samadder, secretary of the Bangladesh Christian Association. “We all are really frightened.”

Islamist groups have for years agitated over issues that allegedly threaten their hegemony despite the fact that 90 percent of Bangladesh’s 160 million residents are Muslim.

The recent wave of religious intolerance began in 2013 when militants brutally killed an atheist blogger.

More recently, the victims have included foreigners, Shiites, liberal Muslims and members of other religious minorities.

In all, 48 killings over the past 18 months have been blamed on Islamist militants.  The so-called Islamic State claimed responsibility of more than half of the killings, including last week’s hacking to death of a Hindu priest, a Hindu monastery worker and a Christian grocer. Al-Qaida claimed responsibility for most of the rest, according to the U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group.

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