HAF wrote a Letter to the Editor in response to a Wall Street
Journal Editorial, "Islamists vs. Democracy"
(September 27, 2004), about the growth in violence attributed
to Bangladesh’s Islamist movements, in which the genocide
and terrible human rights condition of Hindus was not even
mentioned. HAF feels that the atrocities against Bangladesh’s
Hindu minority are largely being overlooked by the international
community and need immediate attention. HAF, as a human rights
group, will continue to highlight the plight of Hindus in
Bangladesh. The Wall Street Journal article is avaible online
through The Foundation for Defense of Democracies here.
Dear Editors
Maneeza Hossain's "Islamists vs Democracy"
(editorial page, September 27, 2004) highlights the growing
radicalization of yet another Islamic democracy in Asia,
one largely ignored by western observers and commentators
thus far. However, the growing influence of radical Islam
is not an entirely recent phenomenon in Bangladesh, as Ms.
Hossain seems to suggest. In fact, the assassination attempt
on opposition leader Sheikh Hasina is only the latest, although
perhaps the most blatant, attempt at subverting democracy,
and religious and intellectual freedoms. Ms. Hossain mentions
the stabbing in 2004 of a novelist who'd spoken out against
the abuse of women. Even back in 1993, a fundamentalist
organization called Soldiers of Islam issued a fatwa, calling
for the killing of award winning author and human rights
activist Taslima Nasreen, forcing her into exile in Europe.
The ostensible provocation was her book Lajja (Shame), which
described the atrocities against Hindu minorities by Muslim
fundamentalists.
Since independence from the British in
1947, Bangladesh's minority population has been steadily
diminishing as repressive policies and violence have forced
many to leave. This is particularly true for the Hindu minority,
many of whom have either been killed or have emigrated to
India. While Hindus constituted 25 per cent of the Bangladesh's
population at the time of the partition of India in 1947,
they only accounted for about 10 per cent in the 1991 census.
The global database of Internally Displaced Persons, established
by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) in 1998 at the request
of the United Nations, records 200,000 Hindus and other
minorities who were forced from their homes in the aftermath
of the October 2001 election victory of the Islamic Bangladesh
National Party. This spike in violence against Hindus, and
the assassination attempt on the more moderate Sheikh Hasina,
eerily similar to the attempts on President Musharraf in
Pakistan, should be cause for worry for all who value freedom
of religion and expression, and the cause of democracy in
the Islamic world.
Warm Regards,
Swaminathan Venkataraman
Member, Working Group
Hindu American Foundation
The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) is
a human rights group whose purpose is to provide a voice
for the 2 million strong Hindu American community. HAF interacts
with and educates government, media, think tanks, academia
and public fora about Hinduism and issues of concern to
Hindus locally and globally. Promoting the Hindu and American
ideals of understanding, tolerance and pluralism, HAF stands
strong against hate, discrimination, defamation and terror.
The Hindu American Foundation is not affiliated
with any religious or political organizations or entities.
HAF's website is http://www.hinduamericanfoundation.org
