Washington: Describing the ongoing atrocities against religious and ethnic minorities in Bangladesh as an “existential threat” from Islamist forces, a coalition of Bangladeshi American Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians has urged President-elect Donald Trump to intervene and help protect minority communities in the country.
Urging Trump to secure the immediate release of monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, who they said has been falsely imprisoned on sedition charges, the group on Sunday said Bangladesh risks descending into radicalisation, which could have far-reaching effects not only for South Asia but for the rest of the world as well.
Das, a former ISKCON leader, was arrested at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on November 25. A court in Chattogram sent him to jail, rejecting his bail petition as he was accused of a sedition charge for allegedly disrespecting the country's flag. The hearing in the case will be held on January 2, 2025.
In a memorandum addressed to Trump, the group suggested linking Bangladesh’s participation in United Nations peacekeeping missions to the cessation of internal ethnic and religious persecution.
The memorandum also proposed a comprehensive Minority Protection Act to recognise minorities and indigenous groups officially.
Key recommendations included the establishment of safe enclaves, a separate electorate for minorities, and laws against hate crimes and hate speech to protect religious practices and cultural heritage, according to a media release.
Sullivan raises concerns with Yunus
Earlier last week, amid growing outrage in the United States about the large-scale attack on minority Hindus and their places of worship in Bangladesh, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke with the interim government’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and both leaders expressed their commitment to protect human rights in this 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 readout of the call between Sullivan and Yunus.
The call comes less than a month before the Biden administration passes on the power to Donald Trump, who would be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States on January 20 next year. This 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.
(With inputs from agency)
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