Religious Tolerance in Bangladesh

This news story is a homegrown example of “cultural enrichment”, and is typical of the Muslim treatment of infidels in a majority-Muslim country. It’s a demonstration of the famous Islamic religious “tolerance” in action.

Apologists for Islam will no doubt tell us that this sort of violence is un-Islamic. It’s contrary to the Koran, does not accord with sharia, and is the behavior of extremists who are not supported by the vast majority of Muslims.

However, there are several features about the incident that militate against such explanations and make them difficult to sustain:

1.		The attack on Hindus is part of a pattern. In Bangladesh, this kind of violence against religious minorities is widespread.
2.		The attack took place in public, and was committed by a substantial crowd of Muslims. It was not perpetrated by a handful of “extremists” skulking through the shadows. Regardless of whether they represent the majority of Muslims, the majority of their neighbors made no move to stop them.
3.		Acts like these are against the law of the land, but in many cases the perpetrators are not punished by the law. Violent crowds of Muslims know that they can carry out vigilante justice on infidels in their midst with near-impunity.

All of these facts point to an inescapable conclusion: Violent intolerance of non-Muslims is not a bug in the Islamic program. It’s a feature.

According to Asia News:

Bangladesh: Muslims Attack Hindus, Ransack a Temple and Destroy Four Houses

The incident took place at night on 25 July. Five people were hospitalised because of their injuries. For Annie Halder, a local Catholic human rights activist, the episode highlights the deep sense of insecurity felt by religious minorities living in the largely Muslim country.

Dhaka (AsiaNews) — A group of Muslims attacked four Hindu-owned houses after ransacking a Hindu temple in Narsangdi District, about 50 kilometres from the capital Dhaka. The episode occurred at night on 25 July in a village called Charsindhu.

The armed attackers from the local Muslim community stormed a local Hindu place of worship. Local Hindus came running to protect their temple but were beaten up instead. Eventually the attackers turned against the houses of some of the Hindus. Five people were eventually hospitalised

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Local police moved in quickly and arrested those responsible for the violence.

Annie Halder, a local Catholic human rights activist, told AsiaNews that the episode in Charsindhu is indicative of the deep sense of insecurity that pervades the lives of religious minorities in this predominantly Muslim country.

Attacks by Muslim groups against Hindu and Christian families are frequent, especially in the villages. In many cases the culprits are not pursued by the law.

Bangladesh is home to about 143 million people, 60 per cent of whom live in rural areas.

Muslims constitute about 85 per cent of the population. More than 16 million are Hindus who are the country’s largest minority.

Hat tip: C. Cantoni.