Bangladesh: Protection of the minorities

The Savar tragedy shone a glaring light on the vulnerability of our workers, who suffer death and injury because of the malignant clutch around their and all our throats of the tentacles of greed, corruption and nonchalance of those who have power for the lives of those without a voice in Bangladesh. In the early hours of the Savar building collapse, we also witnessed an incredible coming together of the common people of Bangladesh who flocked to help the victims of the tragedy, even at a time when the instruments of state seemed paralyzed by the enormity of the tragedy. For those of us who remain optimistic about Bangladesh, some would say delusionally so, in spite of all the darkness that swirls around us on a daily basis – for us, it is the belief in the inate good of the people and their ability to step up and face oppression and danger is what keeps our optimism afloat. I write this piece with our common people in mind, and hope to start the conversation on how we can engage the type of volunteerism that came alive during the Savar tragedy for the protection of another vulnerable group of Bangladesh, our religious and ethnic minorities.A few weeks back, thugs attacked a 200-year temple and burnt it to the ground; a few days back, another group of the same monsters attacked Buddhist temples; tomorrow it might be more of the same, if not worse. The violence towards Bangladesh’s religious and ethnic minorities continue unabated, and stories of this violence and the destruction of our fellow citizens’ property and religious artefacts are far from an aberration in our country; unfortunately, and to our collective shame, they have become common practice, and the frequency of the attacks and the inability of the law enforcers to forestall them or punish the perpetrators make a mockery of our much touted claims of being a progressive and peaceful nation. As we the majority, seemingly silent and “neutered” watch on, our fellow citizens continue to suffer from this type of barbaric violence, which goes against the core faith of Islam (the religion of peace), whilst the perpetrators of this violence disappear without any consequence and with impunity. This is where we are now: with the likely issuance in the coming days and weeks of more severe verdicts by the War Crimes Tribunal and the worsening political situation and breakdown of law and order, it is likely to get much worse for our fellow citizens from the minority or other vulnerable groups. The fundamental principle in any working democracy is not simple majority rule, but having a rule of law that provides protection of all minority groups and their values within the society. It is a disgrace to us all as citizens of a democratic country, a country that was birthed out of the sacrifice of millions of people, that due to our impotence in protecting our fellow citizens, we are weakening the very foundation of the establishment of our country.We are outraged and ready to act, but what can we do, we ask – after all, we are unarmed ordinary folks whilst the enemy is armed, ready to kill and maim, with a special taste for and skill in cutting the tendons off the ankles of their unfortunate victims. Even the government and the police seem unable to protect the minorities – heck, the police seem unable to even protect themselves against the viciousness of the political thugs. After discussions with a few friends, we came up with a non-exhaustive list (that is, a list that you the readers can add to and we can all work towards) of steps we can take to act to protect our fellow citizens and bring to account their attackers (calling Shahbagh to take this up as an immediate cause): (a) use all our resources in and out of the government to lobby the government to provide special police protection for minority enclaves and areas (and remind the government that as these reprisals are a foreseeable consequence of the government’s actions and the War Crimes Tribunal’s verdicts, it is the government’s obligation to pre-empt such reprisals – there is very little doubt that history will not look kindly upon the government’s continued failure to do so); (b) along with the media, sponsor GSM connected tablets or smart phones that will be kept with volunteers at the enclaves/around Hindu/Buddhist temples and Christian churches, which will allow for citizen journalism and immediate recording and uploading off any videos of the attackers; (c) organize concerned citizens including Muslim groups who loathe to let a small group of their own besmirch the core values of Islam through their actions, in and around minority areas/temples/churches and provide them the tools (GSM connected tablets/smart phones) to act as an early warning system, so they may contact the police and the larger public and inform them as to any groups that may be moving towards such areas (an application can be uploaded into the tablets to enable instant messaging to local authorities, media personnel, etc.’s. mobile phone numbers and e-mail addresses, twitter, etc.); (d) create a refuge in our and other volunteers’ homes for any citizens who are in fear of attack or have already lost their homes; (e) provide funds and other assistance to those who have been hurt or have lost their homes; (f) for those of us who can, to go in large numbers and stay in or around the minority areas so that we may be able to join those being attacked in the defence of their lives and property; and (g) contact relevant international agencies for support, and for the international media to highlight attacks on vulnerable groups in our country. The beacon of progressive idealism that Bangladesh was at its conception may have been snuffed out by the transgressions of the years following its birth, but it can still be lit by the flint of collective action of its people. It is never too late to start.