Zillur Rahaman :
Bangladesh is one of the cradles and examples of communal harmony. It is a matter of great honor and glory. India, a large neighboring country, claims to be a secular state but has been embroiled in occasional communal riots. But this has not been reflected in our country. The spirit of harmony and brotherhood of the people of this country is quite noticeable. Because there is a conscious mentality among the people, no evil reflection of the extreme communal activities and events of the neighboring countries has been observed in the heart of this country. Hindus, Buddhists, Christians have been living together for a long time with the majority Muslim population.
Not only today, this country has been bearing the example of this shining example of communal harmony since ancient times. Various communities have worked shoulder to shoulder in field-farms, mills-factories, offices-courts. They have shared each other’s sorrows and joys. Deep solidarity and unity among the people of different communities of Bangladesh has become a glorious tradition and history in the national history. Our glorious liberation war and youth uprising of 2024 are shining examples of that. In 1971, the Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and Christians of this country unitedly joined the liberation war and set a shining example of communal harmony.
But recently it has been alleged that the followers of the former defeated and fugitive fascist government are using a controversial religious group called ISKCON for political gain by destroying the atmosphere of communal harmony in Bangladesh. In continuation of this, a young lawyer was attacked and killed in broad daylight in Chittagong by the direct instigation of the fascist government and the direct attack of the above extremist group. Their main objective was to create a riot for political gains by destroying the atmosphere of communal harmony, questioning the 2024 revolution or youth uprising and creating a destabilizing situation at home and abroad to embarrass the current interim government. But the government has already arrested a leader of the extremist group and those involved in the lawyer’s murder have also been brought to justice so that the atmosphere of communal harmony is not destroyed in any way.
It is known from history that the riots that destroyed the communal harmony between Hindus and Muslims in this subcontinent have become a tainted chapter in the history of the world. Communal riots took place in Bihar from 24 October to 11 November 1946, in which Hindu mobs targeted Muslim families, known as the 1946 Bihar Riots. During the Mughal period, Hindu-Muslim riots broke out in 1730 over the dhol game, and millions of people lost their lives. Between 1920 and 1946, communal riots broke out in various parts of Bangladesh. Between 1922 and 1927, 192 riots were reported and many people lost their lives. From 1930 to 1946 riots occurred every year in India. There were minor riots in 1946 and 1990. The riots surrounding the Babri Masjid in India are indescribable. Thousands of people lost their lives in that riot. Behind this was the invisible hand of Indian political leaders. These riots are still not over.
However, although Bangladesh was declared a secular country in the 1972 constitution, most of the people in this country are Muslims. Most of the people of this country are religious but not fanatical as Muslims. But the previous government made many attempts to gain political advantage by destroying the atmosphere of communal harmony and trying to make common religious people known as fanatics at home and abroad. But in the end, their efforts failed and they were forced to flee the country due to the mass uprising of the youth. Young people are proud and witnesses of history in this historical event. In this regard, they have been able to create an example in the country. The religious people of this country firmly believe in the great mantra of communal harmony. They are bound by the bonds of nationalism.
On the other hand, India is already a communal state, especially during the BJP government, which has accelerated. Like India, Israel, a landlocked country in the Middle East, is also a sectarian and racist state. The surprising thing is that there is no one to stand up for the minorities in India, not the media, not the intelligentsia, not the highly educated Indians, not the actors and actresses of the film industry – nobody stands up for the minorities. It is as if everyone is united in a mission to exterminate the minority. But they are crying for the minorities of Bangladesh. Even though there are two isolated incidents in Bangladesh, there are many examples of the government taking quick measures and bringing them under the law. Many devout Muslims have precedents of worshiping traditional religious temples at such a critical moment, but on the contrary, minorities, especially Muslims, have been tortured for years with state asylum in India.
It is worth noting that the state-sponsored oppression of minorities in India is, in a word, appalling. What is more terrible is that the media and intellectuals who are supposed to protest and resist against this ferocity of the Indian government have also emerged as the foot-licking slaves of the government. In other countries of the world, journalists and media workers at least play a neutral role, but India is an exception. Most of the media in India is extremely communal. Like the fascist Hasina of Bangladesh, they are staunch supporters of the radical Hindutva policies of the radical Modi government. Indian media have always played the role of government’s accomplice in steamrollering minorities which is a real shame for the journalism profession. Many people may remember that in December 1992, many people were killed in a Hindu-Muslim riot planned and directed by the fascist Sheikh Hasina to hold the SAARC Summit in Dhaka. This time too, with the help of fugitive Hasina, India is running various misinformation against Bangladesh. Indian media has become an anti-Bangladesh platform and their statements echo the voices of the fascist Hasina government! Fascist Hasina’s strategy has led the Indian government to create an unstable situation in Bangladesh.
(The writer is a contributor.)
