Minority repression raised in US Congress
Staff Correspondent
Minority repression in Bangladesh and restoration of secularism in the Constitution have recently been raised in the US Congress. The Bangladesh Government is yet to give its reaction on this sensitive issue.
US Congressman Frank Pollone Jr. of New Jersey raised the issue in the US Congress on May 17. Pollone expressed his deep concern over the persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh. He said, "the Coalition Government of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, has initiated a violent campaign after its coming to power on October 1, 2001." He told the US Congress "Since the BNP's parliamentary victory nearly three years ago, a campaign of terrorism, murder and religious cleansing has been unleashed on Hindus living in Bangladesh."
He informed the House that he had written a letter to Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia in 2002 about the violent persecution on minority community but did not receive any response from her. "It is a fact that unabashed violence has continued freely," Pollone told the US Congress.
In an effort to uphold pluralistic democracy in Bangladesh and protection of Hindus and all minorities US Congressman placed seven proposals to the Speaker of the US Congress. His proposals include restoration of secularism in the Constitution of Bangladesh, passage of affirmative action and hate crime laws for acknowledging minority com-munities of Bangladesh, pro-duction of a white paper on atrocities against the minorities over the years, ending of oppression on journalists and writers who report minority and human rights violations, termination of illegal torture in custody of members of secular parties and allow an independent commission to investigate the atrocities perpetrated against minority groups in Bangladesh.
Pollone in his deliberation pointed out that Bangladesh was born as a secular democratic country out of Islamic Pakistan in 1971. But he observed "Islamic extremists in Bangladesh had routinely dispossessed Hindus, Christians and Buddhists of their ancestral properties, land and temples which forced them to flee the country as refugees."
About the disappearing minority in Bangladesh, Pollone also informed the US Congress that Hindus comprised 28 per cent of the population in 1971 in Bangladesh territory while in 1991 the number of Hindu population dwindled to 8 per cent.
It may be mentioned here that the Western media have been focusing the minority issue and the rise of fundamentalist groups in Bangladesh. The US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Christina B Rocca during her visit last week also raised the issue of persecution of Ahmediyya community and the activities of a fundamentalist group led by 'Bangla Bhai' in Rajshahi Division.
Source: http://www.bangladeshobserveronline.com/new/2004/05/24/front.htm