Many Hindus have emigrated, while those who have stayed view themselves as second-class citizens.
The growing Islamisation of Bangladesh has put the Hindu community at risk since the population continues to decline year after year. As a result of religious violence, many Hindus have emigrated, while those who have stayed view themselves as second-class citizens.
Bangladesh was the first country in South Asia to declare itself a secular state with Islam as its state religion. As stated by the 2019 Report on “International Religious Freedom: Bangladesh”, in Section II, Status of Government Respect for Religious Freedom, “The state religion of the Republic is Islam, but the State shall ensure equal status and equal rights in the practice of the Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, and other religions.” According to statistics, the Hindu population in Bangladesh has shrunk by 7.5 million in the last 50 years. According to Bangladesh Hindu Buddha Christian Adivasi Oikoyo Parishad (translated from Bangla), the population was 22% in 1951 and 8.5% in 2011.
A book titled, “An Inquiry into Causes and Consequences of Deprivation of Hindu Minorities in Bangladesh through the Vested Property Act,” by Dr Abul Barkat, mentioned that the concentration of Hindus was significant only in some districts. In 1961, the concentration of Hindus in some regions was: Jamalpur (6.3%), Kushtia (9.2%), Chandpur (12.6%), Narayanganj (12.8%), Kishoreganj (13.3%) and Pabna (13.6%), Khulna (35.3%), Dinajpur (29.7%), Faridpur (27.3%), Sunamganj (25.1%), Jhenaidah (21%), and Barisal (20.9%). However, it was observed that in 1991, the significant population of Hindus decreased in Jamalpur (2%), Kushtia (4.2%), Chandpur (7.2%), Narayanganj (6.4%), Kishoreganj (6.8%) and Pabna (4.5%), Khulna (25.7%), Dinajpur (20.6%), Faridpur (11.9%), Sunamganj (16%), Jhenaidah (11.7%) and Barisal (13.1%).
The main causes of the low population are large-scale mob violence, outward migration, and low fertility among Hindus. As per the journal titled, “Hindu Population Growth in Bangladesh: A Demographic Puzzle”, “The Hindu population has been growing at a slower rate than adherents of other religions, resulting in a decline in their relative share in the national population. Hindus have lower fertility, higher mortality and higher international out-migration rates than Muslims.”
While explaining the historical scenario of Islamisation in Bangladesh, Tapas Das, a Researcher on Bangladesh politics, told The Sunday Guardian, “When Bangladesh attained independence in 1971, there were two groups: liberation supporters and anti-liberation supporters (who supported Pakistan). Bangladesh revoked the citizenship of many anti-liberation supporters, who then sought refuge in Pakistan. After 1977, however, they gradually returned to Bangladesh and took up government positions. After that, they formed Jamaat-e Islami, a political party (deregistered from the election commission).”
Also, several Islamist soldiers served in the Afghan war in the 1970s, and when they returned in the 1990s, they sought to bring the same concept of Islamic rule to Bangladesh. After 1992, radicalism increased in parallel with the formation of civil society, led by Shaheed Janani or Jahanara Imam, who formed the Ekattorer Ghatak-Dalal Nirmul Committee.
He further explained, “From 1991 to 1996, Bangladesh was controlled by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Sheikh Hasina (Awami League) pledged to Bangladesh during those years that her party would punish war criminals. Eventually, in 2008, she established an international criminal justice court to prosecute war crimes. After the death sentence of Islamist leader Delwar Hossain Sayeedi was announced by a Bangladeshi tribunal in 2013, Hafezat-e-Islam (an Islamic Advocacy group of madrassah teachers and students) staged a protest. When protestors in the Shahbag movement stood up to the Hafezat-e-Islam, and the distinction became even evident.”
The pace of Islamisation accelerated in the 1990s. Hafezat-e-Islam presented a 13-point agenda in 2013, which included gender segregation, the release of imprisoned Islamic scholars, and the removal of “atheistic” poems and stories from standard textbooks. To stay in power, the Awami League agreed to those demands ahead of the 2014 election and Narayan Chandra Saha, the chairman of the National Curriculum and Textbooks Board stated that these changes were a part of routine revision.
All subtle changes culminated in several disputes, including a terrorist attack in Dhaka’s Holey Artisan cafe in 2016. Since then no government has been able to reduce the number of communal atrocities. It has been observed that the atrocities committed during the rule of the Awami League are far greater than those committed during the rule of the BNP, who follow Islamist ideology; consequently, atrocities against Hindus are still not minimised.
“Other communities are automatically considered second-class citizens when a country defines Islam as its state religion; additionally, the Vested Property Act, which allows the government to seize property from Hindus who have fled to other countries, has a significant political impact, as Hindus have no choice but to vote for the Awami League or have their lands taken by local leaders,” Das said.