Staff Reporter :
The US State Department has found religious discrimination in different strata of the society including the Bangladesh government’s frequent use of Digital Security Act, influence and guidance on the contents of sermons to imams as well as failure of the government to punish the perpetrators.
The State Department came up with the revelation in its “2023 Report on International Religious Freedom” published on its website on Friday.
The Department of State submits this annual report to the Congress in compliance with section 102(b) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-292), as amended. This report covers the period between January 1 and December 31, 2023.
US embassies prepare the initial drafts of country chapters based on information from government officials, religious groups, nongovernmental organizations, journalists, human rights monitors, academics, media, and others.
Regarding religious freedom in Bangladesh, the report said that the Constitution of Bangladesh designates Islam as the state religion but upholds the principle of secularism.
It prohibits religious discrimination and provides for equality for all religions.
But, the report said, leaders of religious minority communities continued to say the government frequently used laws such as the DSA to target members of religious minority groups, particularly Hindus, for ‘hurting the religious sentiments’ of Muslim populations.
In almost all cases, courts took harsher measures against members of religious minorities for posting allegedly derogatory content on Facebook than against the perpetrators of retaliatory violence. Several cases followed this pattern during the year, the report said.
The annual report also mentioned that Muslim leaders said the government continued to influence the appointment and removal of imams and provide guidance on the content of sermons to imams throughout the country.
Mentioning an incident in April last year, the report said that a Muslim scholar and three village elders faced charges after issuing a fatwa ordering a woman accused of an extramarital affair to be caned and stoned.
The scholar and elders violated laws prohibiting local religious leaders from settling matters of religious practice and prohibiting fatwas from being invoked to justify meting out punishment.
The State Department finds that human rights NGOs and some religious leaders continued to report harassment and social isolation of, and physical violence against, converts to Christianity from Islam and Hinduism.
The Ambassador and US embassy officials engaged throughout the year with host government officials to express concern over violence against the Ahmadi community and other religious minorities and the use of the DSA against members of religious minority communities, it added.
The Ambassador also met with leaders of major religious communities to encourage interfaith harmony and hosted events during which he stressed the importance of respect for religious diversity.
The embassy continued public outreach programs and used social media to encourage interfaith tolerance.
Embassy officials met with a wide range of religious organisations and representatives to discuss the state of religious freedom in the country, underscore the importance of religious tolerance, and identify challenges encountered by religious minorities.
The US government estimates the total population at 167.2 million (mid-year 2023).
According to the 2022 national government census, Sunni Muslims constitute approximately 91 percent of the population and Hindus approximately eight percent.
The remainder of the population includes Christians, with approximately 400,000 Roman Catholics, approximately one million Theravada-Hinayana Buddhists and small numbers of Shia Muslims, Ahmadi Muslims, Baha’is, animists, International Society for Krishna Consciousness members, agnostics, and atheists.
The report also mentioned that the government continued to deploy law enforcement personnel at other religious sites, festivals, and events considered potential targets for violence, including during Durga Puja, Diwali, Christmas, Easter, and the Buddhist festival of Buddha Purnima.
Quoting “Freedom House’s 2023 annual report”, State Department stated violence and discrimination against religious minorities remained significant problems in the country.
The report stated that members of religious minorities – including Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, and Shia and Ahmadi Muslims – continued to face harassment and violence, including mob violence directed against their houses of worship.