By Ramakrishnan
Bangladesh Hindus participate in a rally demanding that an interim government withdraw all cases against their leaders and protect them from attacks and harassment, in Chattogram, Bangladesh, Nov. 1, 2024. (Chittagong, famous during India’s freedom struggle, was renamed Chattogram, the old name.) An ultimatum was issued :Settle by Monday (Nov 5), or else…Notably all this is timed with US polls, where Indian-Hindu voters matter.
This article deals with this subject, instrumentalization of religion for political ends…how the disease extended from India to USA too. In the first part of the article “Bangladesh: Exporting politics of Hindutva and itching for gross interference” we argued that hindutva is getting more ominous. Indeed it became so, fast and aggressive, as we see in this article.
Prof Ali Riaz, author and political scientist, of Illinois University, commented: Trump’s statement on Diwali day “reveals instrumentalization of religion for both immediate and long-term political gains…In some measure, this has been a global phenomenon in recent decades, especially by the autocratic leaders. This is the latest example, he wrote on FB. (Times of India, Nov 2). It was in the context of the news being highlighted by VOA… Trump mentioned “Modi my friend”, and made an appeal in the language of Hindutva..In Canada too such signs appeared..
About 30,000 minority Hindus rallied Nov 1 Friday, and demonstrated at a major intersection in the southeastern city of Chattogram, Bangladesh, Associated Press reported, and Voice of America- VOA carried: They rallied to demand that the interim government in Muslim-majority Bangladesh protect them from an alleged wave of attacks and harassment, and to drop sedition cases against Hindu community leaders. Even as police and soldiers guarded the area, other protests were reported elsewhere in the country.
In fact, Hindutva lobbies in India, through social, and ‘anti-social media’ too, intensified their shrill campaign in India, and linked it to their electoral politics, particularly in Maharashtra now.
We concluded the above article with these words:
“ Both(Congress and BJP ) had supported Hasina, helped her for so many years, also in manipulating the polls there. Both were one in fishing in troubled waters of Bangladesh. Indeed, Vajpayee had hailed PM Indira Gandhi as ‘Durga mata’, supporting India’s military intervention in internal affairs that led to the bifurcation of Pakistan. Both are expansionists, collaborating with imperialists as their junior partners. Both play divisive, caste and communal (hard or soft forms of Hindutva) cards. There is little to choose between them.”
They prove to be quite apt as the issue becomes part of electoral campaigns of both Modi in India and of American leaders in Presidential polls there.
The issue has reached beyond Bangladesh, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi voicing concern about reports of attacks.
While the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden says it has been monitoring Bangladesh’s Human Rights issues since Hasina’s ouster, U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump exaggerated and hyped the issue.
VoA reported:
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Trump said: “I strongly condemn the barbaric violence against Hindus, Christians and other minorities who are getting attacked and looted by mobs in Bangladesh, which remains in a total state of chaos.”
Trump also promised Hindu Americans that he would “fight for your freedom.”
Trump ended his post with Diwali greetings. “Happy Diwali to All. I hope the Festival of Lights leads to the Victory of Good over Evil!” he wrote.
Trump’s post was quickly welcomed by Bangladeshi Hindus and organisations representing them. An overwhelming majority of the comments that the post evoked were laudatory in nature.
Trump asserted: “It (the attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh) would have never happened on my watch. Kamala and Joe have ignored Hindus across the world and in America..”.
Not to be left behind, Biden highlighted Diwali celebrations in the White House, apart from mentioning Bangladesh.
Trump invoked the name of his “friend Modi” too, and linked it with his appeal to Hindu voters: “Under my administration, we will also strengthen our great partnership with India and my good friend, Prime Minister Modi,” he said in his post.
The “immigrant” Hindus should help, but not hurt his MAGA base. So he said:
“Apart from Hindus from around the world, a huge number of white Christians also praised Trump for speaking out boldly against persecution of religious minorities in Bangladesh.”
Hindu activists have been staging protest rallies in the capital, Dhaka, and elsewhere since August. Now they come to press a set of eight demands, including a law to protect minorities, a ministry for minorities and a tribunal to prosecute acts of oppression against minorities. They also seek a five-day holiday for their largest festival, the Durga Puja. (In India itself, in most places, only one day is declared a public holiday)
Protests will go on in coming days and weeks. Notably, Nov 1 Friday’s protest in Chattogram “was hastily organized” after sedition charges were filed Oct 30 Wednesday against 19 Hindu leaders, including prominent priest Chandan Kumar Dhar, over an October 25 rally in that city. Police arrested two of the leaders, angering Hindus.
The charges, and the sedition case, stem from an incident in which a group of rally-goers allegedly placed a saffron flag above the Bangladesh flag on a pillar, which was considered disrespectful to the national flag.
Imagine if an Islamic flag is placed likewise above Indian flag, even in the disturbed state of Kashmir. What a hell of fury and repression would be launched can well be imagined. However, it is a different standard for others like Bangladesh, and ultimatums are issued. The VOA report continues:
“ Hindu community leaders say the cases are politically motivated and demanded Oct 31 Thursday that they be withdrawn within 72 hours. Another Hindu rally has been planned for Saturday in Dhaka.”
And it is increasingly politicised by the parties:
“Separately, supporters of Hasina’s Awami League party and its allied Jatiya Party have said they also have been targeted since Hasina’s ouster. Jatiya’s headquarters was vandalized and set on fire late Thursday, Oct 31. “
On Friday, Jatiya Party Chairman G.M. Quader, heating up the campaign, said his supporters would continue to hold rallies to demand their rights “despite risking their lives.” For better effect, he adds to the issue and said they would hold a rally Saturday at the party headquarters in Dhaka to protest price hikes of commodities, and what they call false charges against their leaders and activists.
Later Friday, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police announced it was banning any rallies near the Jatiya headquarters. There was no immediate response from the party about whether it would press ahead with its attempts to hold the rally or change the venue.
“Religious political parties in Bangladesh have become active in national politics since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ouster,” VOA’s Sarah Zaman reports from the capital, Dhaka, on their impact:
“Religious groups prepare to test their power in Bangladesh”, October 29, 2024, by Sarah Zaman. See video clip:
https://www.voanews.com/a/religious-groups-prepare-to-test-their-power-in-bangladesh/7843519.html
It is internationalized too:
UN Human Rights officials and other rights groups have expressed concern about human rights in the country under Yunus.
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‘Our task is to tell the truth in transparent, compelling way’
That is how Bangladesh officially reacted, politely refuting Trump’s claims.
Chief adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam stressed that their task in the government is to tell the truth, reported UNB, Dhaka, Sat Nov 2, 2024.
“From the onset, Shafiqul said, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus’s strategy was to invite all foreign journalists, researchers, and experts to come and visit Bangladesh.
“Let them discover Bangladesh in their own way, for we are confident of our society, our people, our country,” said the press secretary.
He referred to Netra News as a most respected investigative news outlet on Bangladesh, which according to Shafiqul did an “excellent piece” of journalism.
“It shattered some of the lies propagated by the umbrella minority group, Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council,” Shafiqul said on a Facebook post…the group’s claims played a big part in building the most false narrative on the revolution, especially on the violence targeting minority communities.”
“We don’t deny that some religiously motivated violence didn’t take place. But they were isolated incidents and even then hugely exaggerated. Lies don’t trigger a revolution — you have to give credit to the collective intelligence of the people,” said the press secretary.
“Momentarily, those motivated groups might win. But soon they will realise that their narrative does not have any legs. No amount of social media boosting or banners on New York public transport system and vans can then help their cause,” he said.
Mushfiqul Fazal Ansarey, who was recently appointed as an ambassador of Bangladesh, thanked Donald Trump for acknowledging the importance of protecting minorities wherever they are, regardless of their religion. (His vitriol against immigrants is thereby reminded.)
“However, fact-checking is essential to understand the real situation on the ground,” he said in a reply to Trump through his X handle.
Ansarey also shared a “fact-checking” report of Sweden-based news organisation Netra News that sheds light on what is being circulated by certain vested groups regarding Bangladesh.
For more, visit: https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/diplomacy/news/our-task-tell-the-truth-transparent-compelling-way-3742496
“Trump’s statement is not based on facts
We urge everyone to do their due diligence about Bangladesh”
Bangladesh media, as seen in the above caption, also politely refuted the allegations made by Trump, the Big Brother, who may after all win and hence the caution and politeness.
“ However, as a sovereign country, we expect that the elected leader of the US will be well-informed about the reality in Bangladesh, especially as we seek to not only maintain good relations with the US but take it further forward…Trump characterized the incidents as “barbaric violence” against Hindus, Christians, and other minorities in Bangladesh.
“This portrayal is both unfounded and totally contrary to facts, and we hope the US diplomatic team in Bangladesh will provide Donald Trump and his team with accurate information,said a comment. (Nov 2, 2024) https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/editorial/news/trumps-statement-not-based-facts-3742781
“ The reality is that, following the removal of former autocratic Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5, Bangladesh has been under a transitional government—one that the Bangladeshi people believe will prioritise democracy and reform. Yes, some instances of unrest have occurred, that also against only one community. But as various media investigations have revealed, they have largely been politically—not communally—motivated. Nevertheless, even those incidents are highly condemnable. However, the number of such incidents were handful and significantly went down once the interim government took office.”
(other reports showed their numbers came down within 5-6 days)
“ These incidents have also been greatly exaggerated by segments of some foreign (read Indian) media and social media. For example, an investigative report by the BBC’s Disinformation Team confirmed that many videos shared online to portray communal violence against Hindus in Bangladesh are misleading—if not entirely false and manipulated.”
“ In fact, prominent leaders from Bangladeshi minority communities themselves have publicly rejected claims of organised violence against minority communities. They emphasised that recent disturbances had resulted from broader political instability rather than communal tensions.And the chief adviser to the Bangladesh interim government has repeatedly stated that the government is committed to ensuring peace and protection for all citizens—which we strongly support.”
“Bangladesh is committed to restoring democracy and upholding human rights after years of repression. During this critical transition for Bangladesh, we urge all our friends—including the US—to extend us their full support.”
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Falsehood exposed by India’s fact-checkers, long ago, is still circulated to serve electoral ends in USA as well as India
The Hindutva campaign, aided by falsehood and distortion, apparently gave some political mileage to Trump, as seen by reactions to his remarks. He is notorious for his conviction in post-truth concept.
“In a post on X that garnered more than 2.2 lakh ‘likes’, 14,000 comments, and more than half a million re-posts (as of writing this), Trump also promised protection to Hindu Americans “against the anti-religion agenda of the radical left.”. Trump is hailed as “the first world leader to speak out against violence against religious minorities in Islamic Bangladesh.”
(comment by Right-wing, pro-Modi “MAGAzine”Swarajya,
Nov 01, 2024..It is captioned: Donald Trump Draws Praise By Condemning ‘Barbaric Violence’ Against Hindus And Minorities In Bangladesh.
“The caretaker government in Bangladesh, led by Muhammad Yunus, has tried to underplay the violence and accused the Indian media that highlighted the attacks on Hindus of exaggeration.” (Swarajya)
“Hindu women abducted and raped by Muslims” mentioned the comment, false and baseless in nature. That Swarajya stooped to tell such blatant lies like an yellow journal, itself merits analysis. So many Indian media outlets, not to mention BBC, in August itself, published fact-checkers exposing lies. The Wire (Aug 9) trashed rumors and reports including those on allegations of rape of Hindu women in the current turmoil in Bangladesh. India Today Aug 13 exposed lies on rapes. It showed incidents where they were not Hindu women, but Muslim supporters of Hasina. Newsmobile.in, Aug19 showed how a video-clip from Hathras stampede of UP was linked with Bangladesh. Factly.in exposed how some old incidents were doctored.
(For the story of Swarajya ..
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Jamaat-e-Islami too clarified its policies in the new environment. In a detailed interview with The Daily Star Oct 22, 2024, its ameer (chief ) Shafiqur Rahman said:
“Then again, and this was perhaps the first time in history that with the changeover many people began guarding the places of worship of the minorities. We were among them too. This has never happened before. But I am not willing to accept that either. I believe every citizen has the same right. If my mosque doesn’t need guarding, why should someone’s temple? Or pagoda? That means there is a security concern here. It is unfortunate that our society could not ensure that. We must address this concern…”
“ Religion and party, to each his own. But the state belongs to everyone. Everyone has the same right to security. Everyone must converge on this basic point of agreement. Without exception. Otherwise, it will never be beneficial for any society or state…”
Practice will show all in their real colors.
We have seen 8 demands of Hindutva. Some of them are brazenly reactionary. The demands presented by the leaders include:
- Formation of a tribunal to expedite trials for those involved in minority atrocities.
- Appropriate compensation and rehabilitation for victims.
- Enactment of a minority protection law without delay.
- Creation of a ministry of minority affairs.
- Construction of places of worship for minorities in every educational institution.
- Establishment of prayer rooms in every hostel.
- Modernisation of the Sanskrit and Pali Education Board.
- A five-day holiday for Durga Puja.
Imagine reaction in India, and among Hindutva lobbies, if similar demands are placed by minorities .
The bangladesh govt had said, ‘we hear the people’ and announced the enactment of a two-day holiday for Durga Puja, marking the first time this has occurred in the country’s history.
Prof Ali Riaz, author and political scientist, of Illinois University, commented: Trump’s statement on Diwali day “reveals instrumentalization of religion for both immediate and long-term political gains…In some measure, this has been a global phenomenon in recent decades, especially by the autocratic leaders. This is the latest example, he wrote on FB. (Times of India, Nov 2).
Trump and Modi have close affinity in this. Rabid Hindutva is being promoted on a larger scale, and in alliance with Zionism; we see it in imperialist countries too. We repeat our conclusion to part-1 of this article:
All this calls for organized mass resistance, going beyond media platforms, and necessary ideological-political education and struggles against imperialists, Zionists and their supporters, open or subtle.
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Ramakrishnan is a political observer, a regular contributor to countercurrents.org.
See Part-1 of this article:
Bangladesh: Exporting politics of Hindutva and itching for gross interference
See also his recent related articles:
Five eminent citizens Call from Dhaka, Colombo and Kathmandu for an end to Indian interference (15/08/2024)
Bangladesh: Student leaders on Role of Religion in politics (15/09/2024)
https://countercurrents.org/2024/09/bangladesh-student-leaders-on-role-of-religion-in-politics/
4 November 2024
Source: countercurrents.org