Hindu repression in Muslim nations
Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
September 01, 2009
News of repression of Hindus in Muslim nations are continuing to reach almost every day.
Malaysian Muslim community threatened local Hindus late last week over a proposed Hindu temple relocation. When a proposal to shift the Sri Mariamman Hindu temple to a new area was floated by the government, local residents rushed out of the Shah Alam State Mosque after Friday prayers carrying a severed cow's head. Muslim community leaders threatened bloodshed against Hindus if the temple was built and then threw the cow's head at the door of the building for the state Secretariat while kicking and spitting upon the carcass. Police did not intervene in the protest and have yet to identify any of the leaders of the Muslim mob, a stark contrast from the disruption of any illegal gathering that is held in Malaysia.
The cow is revered by Hindus as a symbol of purity, motherhood and ahimsa [non-violence], and its use during the protests was an ugly first in the country.
Various human rights reports over the last five years have documented the deteriorating situation of minority rights in Malaysia. In a country with nearly 40% of its population as minorities, Malaysia practices a Bumiputra policy that provides affirmative action to its majority Muslim Malay population, a Shariah court system that intervenes in any custodial affairs that involve at least one Hindu, and a government that allows for the large scale demolition of numerous Hindu temples and the arrest of Hindu-Malaysian leaders who peacefully speak in protest of such actions. One of the highest profiled cases was that of Revathi Massosai, who was admitted to an Islamic rehabilitation center when Shariah courts noticed that her birth certificate bore a Muslim name, despite being raised as a Hindu and professing the Hindu faith. Till date, Massosai has not been granted custodial rights of her daughter, and has not been reunited with her Hindu husband. Similarly, leaders of the Hindu Rights Action Force [HINDRAF], which organized a peaceful rally in November 2007, to protest discriminatory government polices were held in detention under draconian laws and denied adequate medical care without a trail or hearing.
On June 24, 2009, at about 10-30 to 11.00 p.m. Ms. Archana Rani Rajbangshi [victim adolescent girl] came out from her house to fetch water from tube well in darkness. Suddenly the perpetrators namely 1. Sadhan Sarkar, 2. Mohammed Halem Uddin, 3. Mohammed Golap Shikdar, and 4. Mohammed Iman Bepari grabbed the victims mouth and abducted her to a nearby bush, robbed of gold ornaments, unclothed her, and finally gang raped. While raping, as the victim tried to resist, the perpetrators made assaults on her body with hand, nails and teeth. At one stage, the victim became senseless.
The perpetrators after gang rape, being confused, tied her in a branch of tree with wearing scarf for murder to show a drama as suicidal case. But the victim fell down luckily from brunch of tree and came to sense. Subseuqnetly locals came to rescue her at her hue and cry. She was taken to Sir Salimullah Medical College in Dhaka for treatment.
On 25th June, 2009 at 12-30 p.m. the victim along with her brother went to local Police station with a written complain for lodging a case, but Mokbul Hossain Mollah – Officer-in-Charge of the Police station refused to register the case and tried to settle the matter amicably with the perpetrators of crime as they belong to the ruling party.
At one stage, the officer-in-charge drove the victim and her brother out of the police station, as he was continnuously getting pressure from the local Awami League leaders in not recording the case against the hooligans of the ruling party.
The victim later approached Shekh Mohammed Maruf Hasan- Superintendent of Police –Manikganj for taking necessary steps against such denial but till date no action had ever been taken either to register the case or to ask explanation from the officer-in-charge for non lodging the complaint.
On 25th June, 2009 at about 12.30 p.m. Mizanur Rahman – Sub-Inspector of Police went to the house of victim and demanded Taka 7,000 [US$ 100] as bribe for lodging the complaint of the abduction and rape. As the minority family could not pay such amount of money to the police officer, they have been deprived of all legal assistance and protection.
The victim and her family made an appeal to Sheikh Hasina – Prime Minister of Bangladesh on August 20 2009 seeking her immediate help in this matter. But, the Prime Minister´s office did not pay minimum attention to this letter from a Hindu minority family.
In another incident, on August 25 2009, a group of hoodlums numbering 15-16 under the leadership of Ripon – President of Fazilpur Union Awami League attempted to kill Banamali Das with pistol. The rulling party leader placed the gun at the chest of Banamali Das, a Hindu community member in the locality. Seeing this situation the Hindu neighborhood with Manik Das, Ananda Mohan and Ajit Das started protesting. As a result the ruling party thugs became more furious and attacked houses of religious minorities, started beating children and women mercilessly and even tried to rape some of the women and girls.
There are series of allegations of repression of Hindu community members in various parts of Bangladesh. On the other hand, there are several allegations of harrassing human rights activists in the country, who are working for minority rights in particular. AdvocateRabindra Ghosh of Bangladesh Minority Watch in their website reported a recent incident of harrassment on him by some police officers at Chandpur district.
Malaysian Muslim community threatened local Hindus late last week over a proposed Hindu temple relocation. When a proposal to shift the Sri Mariamman Hindu temple to a new area was floated by the government, local residents rushed out of the Shah Alam State Mosque after Friday prayers carrying a severed cow's head. Muslim community leaders threatened bloodshed against Hindus if the temple was built and then threw the cow's head at the door of the building for the state Secretariat while kicking and spitting upon the carcass. Police did not intervene in the protest and have yet to identify any of the leaders of the Muslim mob, a stark contrast from the disruption of any illegal gathering that is held in Malaysia.
The cow is revered by Hindus as a symbol of purity, motherhood and ahimsa [non-violence], and its use during the protests was an ugly first in the country.
Various human rights reports over the last five years have documented the deteriorating situation of minority rights in Malaysia. In a country with nearly 40% of its population as minorities, Malaysia practices a Bumiputra policy that provides affirmative action to its majority Muslim Malay population, a Shariah court system that intervenes in any custodial affairs that involve at least one Hindu, and a government that allows for the large scale demolition of numerous Hindu temples and the arrest of Hindu-Malaysian leaders who peacefully speak in protest of such actions. One of the highest profiled cases was that of Revathi Massosai, who was admitted to an Islamic rehabilitation center when Shariah courts noticed that her birth certificate bore a Muslim name, despite being raised as a Hindu and professing the Hindu faith. Till date, Massosai has not been granted custodial rights of her daughter, and has not been reunited with her Hindu husband. Similarly, leaders of the Hindu Rights Action Force [HINDRAF], which organized a peaceful rally in November 2007, to protest discriminatory government polices were held in detention under draconian laws and denied adequate medical care without a trail or hearing.
On June 24, 2009, at about 10-30 to 11.00 p.m. Ms. Archana Rani Rajbangshi [victim adolescent girl] came out from her house to fetch water from tube well in darkness. Suddenly the perpetrators namely 1. Sadhan Sarkar, 2. Mohammed Halem Uddin, 3. Mohammed Golap Shikdar, and 4. Mohammed Iman Bepari grabbed the victims mouth and abducted her to a nearby bush, robbed of gold ornaments, unclothed her, and finally gang raped. While raping, as the victim tried to resist, the perpetrators made assaults on her body with hand, nails and teeth. At one stage, the victim became senseless.
The perpetrators after gang rape, being confused, tied her in a branch of tree with wearing scarf for murder to show a drama as suicidal case. But the victim fell down luckily from brunch of tree and came to sense. Subseuqnetly locals came to rescue her at her hue and cry. She was taken to Sir Salimullah Medical College in Dhaka for treatment.
On 25th June, 2009 at 12-30 p.m. the victim along with her brother went to local Police station with a written complain for lodging a case, but Mokbul Hossain Mollah – Officer-in-Charge of the Police station refused to register the case and tried to settle the matter amicably with the perpetrators of crime as they belong to the ruling party.
At one stage, the officer-in-charge drove the victim and her brother out of the police station, as he was continnuously getting pressure from the local Awami League leaders in not recording the case against the hooligans of the ruling party.
The victim later approached Shekh Mohammed Maruf Hasan- Superintendent of Police –Manikganj for taking necessary steps against such denial but till date no action had ever been taken either to register the case or to ask explanation from the officer-in-charge for non lodging the complaint.
On 25th June, 2009 at about 12.30 p.m. Mizanur Rahman – Sub-Inspector of Police went to the house of victim and demanded Taka 7,000 [US$ 100] as bribe for lodging the complaint of the abduction and rape. As the minority family could not pay such amount of money to the police officer, they have been deprived of all legal assistance and protection.
The victim and her family made an appeal to Sheikh Hasina – Prime Minister of Bangladesh on August 20 2009 seeking her immediate help in this matter. But, the Prime Minister´s office did not pay minimum attention to this letter from a Hindu minority family.
In another incident, on August 25 2009, a group of hoodlums numbering 15-16 under the leadership of Ripon – President of Fazilpur Union Awami League attempted to kill Banamali Das with pistol. The rulling party leader placed the gun at the chest of Banamali Das, a Hindu community member in the locality. Seeing this situation the Hindu neighborhood with Manik Das, Ananda Mohan and Ajit Das started protesting. As a result the ruling party thugs became more furious and attacked houses of religious minorities, started beating children and women mercilessly and even tried to rape some of the women and girls.
There are series of allegations of repression of Hindu community members in various parts of Bangladesh. On the other hand, there are several allegations of harrassing human rights activists in the country, who are working for minority rights in particular. AdvocateRabindra Ghosh of Bangladesh Minority Watch in their website reported a recent incident of harrassment on him by some police officers at Chandpur district.
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