“Protect Rights Of All Faiths”: America’s Tough Talk To Bangladesh Amid Attacks On Hindus

Amid growing violence against minority Hindus in Bangladesh, the United Nations has asked Dhaka to ensure the protection of the human rights of all Bangladeshi citizens, irrespective of religion. During a phone conversation with US National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan, Bangladesh’s interim government chief Muhammad Yunus expressed commitment to protect human rights in the troubled South Asian nation.

“Both leaders expressed their commitment to respecting and protecting the human rights of all people, regardless of religion,” the White House said in a statement about the call between Mr Sullivan and Mr Yunus.

The call comes less than a month before the Biden administration is set to pass on the power to Donald Trump, who would be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States on January 20 next year. It also came at the backdrop of attacks on Bangladesh’s Hindu minority and their places of worship.

Mr Sullivan during the call thanked Yunus for his leadership of Bangladesh during a challenging period, the White House said.

“Sullivan re-iterated the United States’ support for a prosperous, stable, and democratic Bangladesh, and offered the United States’ continued support in meeting the challenges Bangladesh faces,” said the readout of the call.

Outrage Of Killing of Hindus In Bangladesh

There have been a spate of incidents of violence against Hindus and other minorities, as well as attacks on temples in Bangladesh after the fall of the Hasina government.

On December 13, the White House said that President Joe Biden is closely monitoring the situation in Bangladesh and the US will hold the country’s interim government accountable for ensuring the protection of religious and ethnic minorities.

The conversation between Mr Sullivan and Mr Yunus comes days after Indian American Democratic Congressman Shri Thanedar urged the White House to strongly raise the issue of the killing of Hindus and destruction of their temples in Bangladesh with the head of the country’s interim government.

“The United States has a storied history of championing the oppressed and this issue should be no different. When we receive a global call for help, we must respond appropriately as the world’s bellwether of human rights. We must urge Prime Minister Muhammad Yunus to fulfil his promise of restoring peace and rebuilding the nation on principles of equality and justice,” Thanedar said last week.

Advocacy group HinduAction said that disturbing reports of brutal attacks against the Hindus continue to surface, particularly over the past two weeks, as desperate pleas for help pour in from those affected on the ground.

HinduACTion executive director Utsav Chakrabarti said what has happened in the last five and half months in Bangladesh clearly reflects that “Muhammad Yunus has failed to contain” his allies in the Jamaat-e-Islami who are now running around the country, burning temples, killing people, raping women and indulging in atrocities against priests and leaders from the Hindu community by incarcerating them.

“It is incumbent upon our current administration as well as the upcoming administration to put sanctions on Bangladesh, as Congressman Thanedar has pointed out,” Chakrabarti said.

“It is important that we clearly chart out a path for safe autonomous zones for the Hindus, all 15 million of them, along with the Buddhists and Christians within the boundaries of Bangladesh,” he added.