A new report from Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), an international Catholic pastoral aid organization, is calling attention to an increase in anti-Christian discrimination and attacks against Christian communities in Bangladesh. Along with instances of violence and oppression against Christians, the report suggested that there could be worse to come.
ACN spoke with an anonymous source within the Church who refused to be named due to the risk of backlash. The source claimed that Catholic schools and universities are being targeted by an Islamist political party called “Jamaat-e-Islami,” which has ties to the government. They described a “mob of Islamist extremists” who burned down a local Catholic school, destroying several classrooms.
In addition, Catholic institutions of education have been subjected to increasing pressure to yield their administrations to Islamic leaders. The source suggested that the goal is to take over administration of Catholic schools to implement new rules in line with the Islamic faith. These include making Catholic school girls wear the hijab and boys wear a taqiyah, the Muslim skull cap.
The source indicated that efforts to subvert Catholic school leadership have been successful in some locations. They cited a Catholic school in which two religious sisters were forced to step down from leadership roles, and a university where “a priest has been forced to quit.”
These difficulties have arisen despite religious freedom being protected by the Bangladeshi constitution. The situation has led an interfaith committee of legal experts to band together in an “appeal for justice.”
The report went on to note that the lack of consideration for Christian holidays has become another point of contention between the two faith communities. Islamic holy days dominate the national holiday schedule, while Easter is not observed. Christian students must attend class and take tests rather than celebrate.
Additionally, religious discrimination has made it hard for Christians to find employment in some areas of the country.
The source praised ACN for its assistance to the Christian communities of Bangladesh, explaining that many of the nation’s Christian churches remain open thanks to Aid to the Church in Need’s charitable donations.
