Murder of NGO workers

In fact this is not the first attack that we have seen against faith-based NGOs and workers, and it is becoming clear that a pattern of rabid intolerance towards them and their activities is emerging. Nor is it only NGO workers and missionaries who are at risk. The on-going campaign against the Ahmadiyyas in many parts of the country is another example of the intolerant mind-set quietly taking hold.

Needless to say that the Bangladesh constitution upholds religious freedom and that no sentient person can be anything but appalled by these kinds of attacks. Bangladesh is a multi-faith society, in which different religions and communities have lived side by side for centuries.

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There are two points to be made here. The first is that these murders and other attacks shame us all. The fact that any member of minority communities is denied as much right as every other citizen of the country is a blot on our national conscience.

The second point is less obvious, but well worth mentioning. The majority Muslim population of the country is very concerned about the rights of the Muslim minority in other countries. Just as we want Muslim minorities in other countries to enjoy equal rights with the majorities, so must we be prepared to give unfettered rights to followers of other faiths in our country. We lose the moral high ground of demanding equal rights for Muslims in other countries, if we fail to protect the same for the members of any minority community in the country. Let there be no mistake about it.