Yet another picture of vandalised temples

"What is your religion?"—this peculiar question (yes, it feels peculiar when asked within seconds after being introduced to someone) followed me all through my life as my two names are Bangla words, while my surname is a common one used by people of different religions. I always wondered why knowing someone's religion was so important. I could believe in anything or nothing with the most "religious" of names and be an ardent believer with a not-very-religious name. "Who gave you this name?" and "how religious are you?" were some other odd questions that bugged me, the worst one being: "Why does your name sound like that if you were born into Islam?"

But I have stopped shrugging my shoulders and shaking my head in disgust as instances of intolerance towards any religion other than Islam (our state religion) have become quite prevalent in Bangladesh. It's no surprise then that pictures of headless statues of Hindu gods and goddesses have once again appeared in mainstream and social media.

On August 7, four Hindu temples, at least 10 idols of gods and goddesses, six shops, and two homes of the local Hindu community were vandalised in an attack carried out by miscreants in a Khulna village. Any concrete reason behind the attack is yet to be officially stated but it "may have" taken place because some Hindus were singing Kirtan (a devotional song) while on their way to a temple. Unfortunately, that very hour happened to be the time of Isha prayers, according to newspaper reports.

Earlier in March, several hundred supporters of Hefazat-e-Islam attacked, vandalised and looted at least 75 Hindu houses in Sunamganj's Noagaon village over a Facebook post.

Jhumon Das Apon, who made the post criticising Hefazat leader Mamunul Haque, was, among others, detained under the Digital Security Act 2018 and is yet to be released despite demands raised in a written statement by 24 eminent citizens. Here, another point to be noted is that the attackers not only vandalised the homes because their leader was criticised in a Facebook post by one Jhumon, but also vandalised several idols and looted valuables from the houses in that village.

Hefazat has been making the headlines for quite some time now with its violent activities and demands, but one particular instance mentioned in the 2020 Report on International Religious Freedom will leave most in despondence.

The report released by the US Department of State mentions an incident that took place in Brahmanbaria in July last year, when local residents exhumed the body of an Ahmadiyya Muslim infant buried in a government graveyard and later dumped the body by the side of the road. The protesters considered her family to be "infidels"; the body was later buried in a Ahmadiyya graveyard.

Human rights groups termed the incident a "crude example of violence against religious minorities and abuse of human rights," reads the report, which describes the status of religious freedom in every country.

Violence against religious minorities is not the result of people taking their opinions to Facebook. Rather, it is the hatred stemming from a deep-seated sense of superiority that comes with blind faith and a lack of tolerance.

Even amid the coronavirus pandemic, the country saw 17 deaths and 30 cases of rape and torture (motivated by religious intolerance) from March to September last year, according to Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist, Christian Unity Council and Bangladesh Minority Watch. Their study, carried out on the persecution of religious minority communities throughout 2020, mentions that 37 idols were smashed, 23 temples were attacked, vandalised and set afire, 26 houses were evicted, five religious institutes were taken over, 60 families were forced out of their villages, and four people were threatened with forced conversions and seven others were forced to convert.

Also last year, as many as 88 houses and business institutions were vandalised and looted, while 247 individuals were physically assaulted and four others detained over complaints of making "negative remarks" on religion, the report stated.

Speaking of negative remarks, I cannot help mention the videos of religious sermons, where speakers took pride in vilifying all the Hindu gods, particularly Durga, that too on the eve of Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of the Hindus. These videos—which can unquestionably hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus—are not only derogatory towards Hinduism itself, but also towards women in general.

Although at the beginning of this year, Md Monirul Islam, then chief of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Bangladesh police, said they would keep an eye on mahfils to identify those delivering indecent speeches, such provocative sermons are still largely available on YouTube. They are also being shared on Facebook.

A select and small group is usually targeted by the instigators of communal riots and violence. At this point, a redesigning of the country's educational curriculum—particularly at the primary level—seems crucial, where children can become attuned to the values of communal harmony.

I want to conclude by recalling a statement of a well-known Bangladeshi actress. She once said on a radio programme that children in our schools read novels by writers from home and abroad, they study theories from various social scientists, and they practice equations invented by different mathematicians. Then why not also introduce them to all the different religions that exist in the world, so that they can learn to respect diversity and adherents of different faiths?

Promiti Prova Chowdhury is a journalist.

She can be reached at promiti.chowdhury@gmail.com