From: samaddar@siemens.com (Sumitro Samaddar)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.bangladesh
Subject: Re: Treatment of Minorities in Bangladesh
Date: 14 Apr 92 14:45:34 GMT
Reply-To: samaddar@siemens.com
Originator: samaddar@orion

budaraju@cae.wisc.edu (Srinivas Budaraju) writes:

>were destroyed or damaged. This wave reached its height with the destruction
>or desecration of perhaps 80 % of Bangladesh's Hindu-Buddhist temples 
>and the devastation of thousands of Hindu homes and businesses between
>October 30 and November 1, 1990...

This was during the height of the Babri Masjid/Ram Janmabhoomi trouble in
India. It occurred to me that with all the Hindu-Muslim tensions in India
since 1947, the only reports of a damage to any Mosque in India that I have
read (Other netters can add here) were the slight damage to the dome of the
Babari Masjid in 1990. I also remember reading about a rural mosque having been
burnt down in Bhagalpur in 1989.

In contrast, in Bangladesh, damage to non-muslim places of worship has been
considerable. The irony of BJP's Ram Janma Bhoomi movement was that it ended
up doing more damage to Hindu temples (in Bangladesh) than it did to any
Mosque in India.

The reason more Muslims are killed in India in riots (than Hindus in
Bangladesh) is because Muslims in India are more aggressive in standing up
to any perceived slight to their religion or community. Perhaps Hindus in
Bangladesh are more submissive because of having been out of the power
structure for a long long time. A lot of Hindu-Muslim riots in India start off
when a Hindu procession for "B(V)isarjan" (dropping the idol in a river or sea
at the end of a festival) passes through a Muslim neighborhood. Invariably
this leads to some Hindu youth shouting some "provocative" slogan followed by
Muslims "retaliating" by throwing some home made bombs etc. Police comes in
after a lot of escalation and usually ends up killing many Muslims. I am not
condoning any of this. In most "communally sensitive" areas in India, the
district administration has strict orders to DISALLOW such processions by
Hindus. Still, lapses occur.

I am curious what happens in Bangladesh? Is the average Muslim concerned that
any overenthusiastic display of their religious fervor in a Hindu neighborhood
may be intimidating/offensive to the Hindus there? Is the administration
sensitive to this? Or is it that the Hindus never make an issue out of this?

Arun Gupta posted a Muslim account of the 1969 Ahmedabad riots. There was a 
fair for some Muslim saint's urs right next to a relatively major Hindu temple
(Lord Jagannathji's). Cows herded by some sadhus strayed into the fairgrounds
and some sadhus were beaten up in the ensuing fracas. Again I'm not condoning
the escalation of this incident by the Hindus that followed. But how would
this kind of thing developed in Bangladesh. Say, if some Mulla/Moulvis of a 
(major) mosque were beaten up by Hindu youths because of similar circumstances.
Though, even in Hindu majority India, I believe that an average Hindu would not
assault any Mulla/Moulvi on similar provocation. How would an average Muslim
Bangladeshi react to that?

One more thing. There are special programs on Indian TV and Radio during
festivals of all faiths. Is that the case in Bangladesh also? I think that it
is the case, but I would like confirmation neverthless. eg; do you have
broadcasts of "Mahalaya" during Durga Pooja?

Once I get convincing answers to these, I can believe boasts of Bangladesh
being tolerant of minorities.

Sumitro