The Cycle of Violence

As I observed Durga Puja this October, I learned that in the midst of attacks against Hindus in Bangladesh, a family friend was killed. Multiple attacks against Hindus in Bangladesh took place during Durga Puja, one of the most important religious festivals for Bengali Hindus. The violence was met with retaliation by Hindu fundamentalist groups, who scapegoated and attacked Muslims in the Indian state of Tripura. There has been little Western media coverage on this issue despite the attacks reflecting a trend of violence between Hindus and Muslims that has risen since the Partition of India in 1947. During the partition period, over 15 million people were relocated, between one to two million died due to ensuing violence, and approximately 75 thousand women were raped. Today, attacks against the Hindu minority in Pakistan and Bangladesh are common, and violence against Muslims in India has increased under the Modi government, which has propagated Hindu nationalism. As a Hindu whose parents are from Bangladesh, I fear for my family in Bangladesh and question how a religion that values peace and love can be used to promote violence and hatred.

The violence during Durga Puja began on October 13 following the circulation of a viral social media post that depicted the Quran being placed at the feet of a Hindu idol in a temple in Cumilla, a city in Bangladesh. Muslim fundamentalists involved with radical groups, like Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, and the conservative political party Jamaat-e-Islami saw this occurrence as a desecration of the Quran and used it as an excuse for violence against Hindus in Cumilla and other areas of Bangladesh. Throughout the country, several Hindus were killed, at least 17 temples were vandalized or destroyed, and the homes of many Hindus were raided. Though Hindus were blamed for the dishonor to the Quran, CCTV footage revealed that Ikbal Hossain, a 35-year-old Muslim, had placed the Quran at the feet of the idol in an attempt to incite the resulting outcry and violence. The attacks are not uncommon in Bangladesh; there have been 3,679 reported attacks on Hindus since 2013.

India has done little to reduce Hindu-Muslim tensions. The growth of Hindu nationalism in Modi’s India has led to more sectarian feelings between Muslim and Hindu communities which are propagated by right-wing Hindu organizations connected to the Bharatiya Janata Party. Rallies organized by the right-wing organization Vishwa Hindu Parishad in response to the incidents in Bangladesh led to violence that began on October 21 and lasted throughout the week, forcing many Muslims to flee. At least 16 mosques were vandalized, and witnesses reported seeing about 3,000 people carrying iron rods, sticks, swords, and cans of kerosene and preparing to attack the homes and businesses of Muslim residents of Tripura.

The radical groups that work against Hindus in Bangladesh fail to understand how their actions influence violence against Muslims in India. Radical groups that work against Muslims in India have a similar gap in understanding as to how their actions fuel violence against Hindus in Bangladesh.

Government actions often fuel these radical groups, allowing violence to continue on both sides. While Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina has pledged to “hunt down” the attackers and the Bangladesh government has made 583 arrests related to the attacks so far, there are doubts as to whether the government will be successful in holding the attackers accountable. The ruling Awami League Party prides itself on secularism but has often appeased the interests of radical Islamic groups in Bangladesh and failed to prosecute those who ignite attacks against religious minorities. On the other hand, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said nothing about the attacks against Muslims in Tripura. Police in Tripura denied that the riots took place and prevented those whose homes and businesses were targeted from filing cases against the fundamentalist groups. While the two governments handled the situations very differently, both need to do more to protect religious minorities in their nations.

I sympathize with the Hindus in Bangladesh and fear for my family members. My parents moved to the United States to escape living in fear of persecution. When talking to my family in Bangladesh, I see how many of their fears have shifted to indifference; they’ve started to see the attacks against Hindus as commonplace, as something that is bound to happen and surge as Hindus celebrate Durga Puja. Learning that a family friend was killed in the attacks in Bangladesh made the news on the violence in Bangladesh feel closer to home and the possibility that the violence may impact my family feel much more likely and much more real.

At the same time, I felt guilty as Hindus in India weaponized their beliefs to attack Muslims. I saw how easy it was for people to scapegoat and justify their violence toward innocent people as retaliation for an attack by others in a different country. I felt frustrated at the lack of Western media coverage on these incidents. This lack of attention demonstrates that, as a global community, we’ve failed to live up to our responsibility to protect the rights of religious minorities. International governments need to create pressure on the governments of Bangladesh and India to hold attackers accountable for their actions and to prevent sectarianism, fundamentalism, hatred, and violence from growing.

With increased media coverage and awareness of the violence between Hindus and Muslims in Bangladesh and India, we can expect more people around the world to speak out against the issue. With international attention, we can pressure the Bangladeshi and Indian governments to fulfill their duty to protect religious minorities, ultimately allowing Hindus and Muslims in Bangladesh and India to live peacefully without fear of being persecuted for their beliefs and identities.