Surviving members of Joacem Costa's family, wife Laili Costa and two daughters. (PhotoDipal Barua)

Laili Costa said, “My husband left me and my two daughters. What he earned hardly supported our family, and he did not leave any savings. The owner of our previous home had already kicked us out from there, and we had just found a second home. The owner there is going to kick us out within days. I will not be able to have Christmas with my children.”

She went on, “I am striving daily for my small children. My elder daughter was kicked out of school, since I cannot pay the tuition fees, and my younger daughter is suffering from serious malnutrition; she could die at any time.”

With extreme fear and tears in her eyes, Laili Costa said, “On July 14, 2009, around 9:35, I got a call from one of my neighbors that my husband was shot by thugs in the Sadhon Para area. I immediately called my husband’s younger brother, Leo Costa, and rushed to the place. As I reached the place, I did not find my husband. He had been taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.”She continued, “An eye witness said that a group of highly armed people came and shot a gun once, and my husband asked them, ‘Why you are doing this? Don’t kill me, I have a family and a wife and small kids.’ He begged, ‘For the sake of Jesus and my family, don’t kill me. What do you want?’ Then they shot three times.”

She said, “My husband fell down in the road and asked people for help, saying ‘Please take me to the hospital’ and ‘Call my family’, but no one came forward to help. I went to police, but as I cannot give a bribe, the local police officer Mohamed Moinul Islam, who is the investigation officer of the case, is not properly investigating the case.”

Leo Costa said, “I filed a case with local police. I am afraid the thugs who killed my brother may kill me also.”

Local police inspector Moinul Islam told Asia News that the killing was cloaked in mystery and police are still investigating the case.

The parish priest of Holy Rosary church said, “I heard about this sad incident, may his soul rest in peace. We have a parish with more than 20,000 Catholics who also have a lot of problems and needs. We are trying to help this Laili Costa with spiritual guidance, but we do not have the ability to help her and her kids financially.”

Catholic human rights activist Annie halder said that persecution against Catholics is growing, and that previously a family was gunned down in the Kafrul area of Dhaka.

A Catholic priest, Joseph Arsenault, the parochial vicar at St. Bridget’s Church in Abington in the Archdiocese of Boston, said about the case: “First of all, it is a shame that such a crime happened in the first place. To take a life is just wrong. Secondly, the fact that the wife, who I assume is an innocent person in all of this, becomes a victim twice. She loses her husband, and now she loses her home and means of support. As Christians, the community, I hope, is there to support her so she does not end up on the street. As Matthew’s gospel tell us, we are obliged to feed those who are in need and make sure the most vulnerable are taken care of. Justice would also demand that the killer of her husband should face the courts.”

Joseph Arsenault told, “I will be offering the Holy Sacrifice of Mass for her intentions and that of her family on Dec. 1st.”

Free Christian Churches of Bangladesh has been active for 25 years and has 320 churches and 30,500 members. The church has faced severe problems during the second Iraq War, and, at various times, evangelists were persecuted.

Police Sub-inspector Mohammed Wahid, of the Sahabag police station, said, “On Sept. 12, at around 8 p.m., I got a message that an unidentified man was found seriously wounded outside of Suhrawardi Park. I rushed to the scene and found the wounded man, and immediately took him to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Meanwhile, we came to learn from him that his name is Swopon Mondol and that he is a worker of Free Christian Churches of Bangladesh. His wife, Lucky Mondol, came to the hospital when she was informed about the incident. I left him at the hospital for treatment since his wife was there. Later, I came to know that Mondol died at 12:10 p.m., meaning in the early hours of Sept. 13.

“From local people, I came to know that Swopon Mondol and three or four people with him ran after some Dhaka University students over the issue of a theft. One of the students ran to the nearby campus and brought more students, who then beat Mondol brutally, until he fell down onto the floor.”

Lucky Mondol, the wife of the dead Christian evangelist, said, “My only son, Diptoo (age 10), and I rushed to the hospital. Some youth came to the hospital and wanted money, threatening me. My husband was fighting for his life, and this group of violent youths were threatening me and demanding 1400 taka, saying that my husband stole one of their mobile phones. I found myself helpless. I prayed for my husband.

“I am afraid to file a police report. Who will guarantee my safety and give me money to pay for the case? I don’t doubt that the violent people who beat my husband brutally and even came to the hospital afterward might kill me if I file a police report. And now it’s a challenge for me and my son Diptoo to even survive, because my husband was the only earning member of our family.”

Sulekha Mondol, Mondol’s sister, said, “We are so poor, and we are in the minority. My brother Swopon was very pious and very patient. He preached the good news of Christ, yet such a good man was killed like an animal. Now we are afraid, and we don’t feel safe. Many Christian evangelists have been killed, and no one has gotten justice. On Sept. 13, we buried my brother in fear and hoping for justice in our village. We could hardly arrange for the money to bury my brother and transport his body from the hospital to our village in Khulna.”

Bishop Albert P. Mirdha of Free Christian Churches of Bangladesh said, “Swopon Mondol was really a very active church worker over the last 14 years, and we are all shocked by his murder. Minorities are not safe in Bangladesh.”

Human rights activist Annie Halder said, “According to Art. 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ‘no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment,’ and, according to Art. 3, ‘everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.’ Here, we have seen that there is no security of life and that the Christian evangelist was tortured like an animal.”

Inspector Wahid said, “I have been working for the police for a long time, and when I saw Mondol, he looked like a simple and gentle man. I can’t imagine that he would steal anyone’s mobile phone. Recently, at Dhaka University, some violent students have been harassing innocent people, and, in this case, a gentle man was brutally tortured and killed. A source has told us that the group of students were from Mohasin Hall and were led by Mohammed Rajan.”

Radha Rani Halder

Ms. Halder worked for the local NGO, the Shariatpur Development Society (SDS).

Mr. Dipankar Bairagee, husband of the slain woman, said that, at about 11 a.m. on June 27, Ms. Halder went for loan collection, as part of her work with the NGO, to the house of local village leader, Mr. Halim Matubbar, in South Goaldia village.

But when she did not return until afternoon, her co-workers started searching for her as she didn’t return on time to the office with the money, and that her mobile was not responding, said Mr. Quamrul Hasan(Badal), the Sector Chief of SDS.

“Finally after frantic search until on late at night, we discovered the unclothed dead-body of Ms. Halder with her throat half-slit near Hajeer Pukur of Palong Upazila in Shariatpur”, said Sector Chief Hasan.

Mr. Bairagee, the devastated husband of the deceased, said, “We got married about 2 months ago. She took up the job to relieve the family of its hardships, but got killed in this brutal way”.

“We have filed a case with the police, but they failed to arrest any of the perpetrators”, said he.

“Local Muslim Mohammed Kalam, Borhan and Motaleb killed my wife after raping her; and they also snatched an amount of Tk 43,996.00, as well as a golden chain and earring from my wife”, added Mr. Bairagee.

Shariatpur police chief said, “The case is under investigation; we are doing our best; and we have arrested one of the suspect”.

Annie Halder, a Catholic human rights activist, expressed anxiety over growing attacks on the minorities in Bangladesh.

“We demand proper investigation of this case and due justice to theperpetrators”, said she.

Ban Ki Moon

By Zin Linn

U.N. Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari visited Burma for two days last week to prepare for a trip by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the ruling junta’s state media reported. State television reported on June 27 that Gambari met with Foreign Minister Nyan Win in the capital of Naypyitaw and discussed preparations for the visit.

“The secretary-general looks forward to returning to Burma to address directly with the senior leadership a broad range of issues, including longstanding concerns to the United Nations and to the international community,” a spokesperson told reporters at the daily press briefing held at U.N. headquarters in New York on Monday.

Ban arrived in Japan on Tuesday for a three-day visit, during which he planned to meet Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone to discuss the trial of Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

Ban told reporters at U.N. headquarters in early June that he was prepared to visit Myanmar (Burma). “Promoting democratization, including the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners, has been one of my top priorities and it will continue to be my top priority,” Ban said.

Suu Kyi’s trial has outraged her local and international supporters, who say the military regime is using the story of John Yettaw – the uninvited American who swam across a lake to her home, allegedly breaking the rules of her house arrest – as a pretext to keep her in custody through elections scheduled for 2010.

This will be Burma’s first election since the one Suu Kyi’s party won in 1990. It is widely believed that the junta wishes her off the political stage during the run-up to the polls.

Suu Kyi’s trial, conducted at a special court set up in Insein Prison, is scheduled to resume on July 3, the same day Ban arrives, according to a National League for Democracy source.

After his talks with Nakasone, Ban told reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday that he was aware of concerns about his July 3-4 visit coinciding with the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi, the main opposition leader, who has been under house arrest for several years.

“It may be the case that the trial happens during my visit to Myanmar (Burma). I am very much conscious of that,” Ban told reporters. “I consider that three of the most important issues for Myanmar cannot be left unaddressed at this juncture,” he said.

According to Ban, the first issue on his agenda will be the release of all political prisoners, including Suu Kyi. The other two points are the resumption of dialogue between the military rulers and the opposition and the creation of conditions favorable to a trustworthy election.

For Burma, there can be no proper democratic system while the Lady and some 2,100 fellow political leaders languish in the junta’s prisons. It is ironic that Suu Kyi, the freedom icon of our generation, is put through such inhumane treatment while the autocratic military talks of democracy to the world and to its citizens.

Burma’s pro-democracy movement has urged the international community to have responsible plans in place if the situation boils over in the approaching days. The area around the prison compound is heavily guarded and roads have been blocked off, as the military regime fortifies itself for a possible protest at the treatment of the democracy icon and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

Around 70 Burmese were killed and hundreds were imprisoned following the last major public demonstrations, known as the Saffron Revolution, in September 2007. Currently there are over 2,100 political prisoners – including student leaders, ethnic leaders, members of Parliament, influential monks and many intellectuals – in various prisons in the military-ruled country.

The people of Burma have been asking for a concerted effort from major powers like India, China, the United States and the European Union, as well as regional bodies like ASEAN, to work together to find a solution to this unsustainable situation.

First, the United Nations should provide the most effective means of solving this crisis. It must work to defuse current tensions and secure the release of all political prisoners, including Suu Kyi.

Secondly, an emergency session of the Security Council should be convened without delay to discuss the situation in Burma and to decide upon what collective action can be taken in an effective manner.

This is precisely the time that the United Nations must lead, rally all powers, and show the world it is not organized to sit absentmindedly by while extensive injustice is perpetrated on the people of Burma.

The United Nations, the European Union and ASEAN ought to collaborate to convince China to cooperate in finding a solution for the crisis in Burma. Regional players should urge the military regime to abandon its recalcitrant policies in the interests of dialogue and reconciliation.

Burma’s generals must take into account the immediate release of the Lady and all political prisoners if it seeks peaceful settlement and reconciliation. It is a rare confluence of views that have seen the international community from the U.N. Security Council, the United States, the European Union and ASEAN taking the same view on the question of Aung San Suu Kyi.

To create a win-win equation, the military must recognize Suu Kyi as the ideal – indeed, the only relevant – dialogue partner for national reconciliation in Burma. If the generals continue their anti-dialogue stance, the poverty-stricken people of Burma will face further socioeconomic problems. This could cause a strong reaction against the 2010 elections, seen as a charade.

Besides, as long as Suu Kyi is in confinement, her popularity – which gave her a sweeping victory in the 1990 election – will not fade, it will only grow stronger. The fact is that people already know the process of the junta’s general election next year has almost nothing to do with democracy.

Nyan Win, the spokesman for Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy and a member of her legal team, told the media that his party welcomes Ban’s visit.

“His visit will focus on three main things: to release all political prisoners, to start dialogue and also to ensure free and fair elections in 2010. Regarding these three things, he needs to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi,” Nyan Win said.

Therefore Ban must cautiously handle the sensitive question of Burma during his July 3-4 trip, not only to keep his own promise, but also to produce a fruitful solution to a half-century-long political conflict.

–

(Zin Linn is a freelance Burmese journalist living in exile in Thailand. he is working at the NCGUB East Office as an information director and is vice-president of Burma Media Association, which is affiliated with the Paris-based Reporters Sans Frontiers. He can be contacted at uzinlinn@gmail.com. ©Copyright Zin Linn.)

Injustice on Women

Khulna, Bangladesh, June 26 — Various organizations and individuals have been fighting for decades to ensure justice for women and children in Bangladesh. While progress has been nominal, violence continues to be notable.

Innocent souls are crying for justice. From January to March 2009, 73 women and children were the victims of rape or attempted rape; among those, 29 were gang raped and 13 were between ages 7 and 12. In May alone, 33 women and girls were the victims of rape. Among those, 16 were women and 17 were children under the age of 16. Out of the 16 women, five were victims of gang rape and three were killed after being raped. Out of the 17 girls, five were victims of gang rape and two were killed after being raped.

Between January and March 2009, six serious acts of violence against women were instigated by fatwas. When I discussed this issue with the law minister, he denied the necessity of introducing a specific law to ban fatwas. I repeatedly insisted on the necessity of a specific law to fight fatwa, as well as a law to identify the paternity of a child in cases where it is disputed.

Dowry is another social disease in Bangladesh. From January to March 2009, 44 women faced dowry-related violence; among these women, 23 died.

Bangladesh has the highest maternal mortality rate in the world: 440 per 100,000 live births, according to UNICEF, and more than 20,000 women in Bangladesh die annually from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth.

In Bangladesh, women do their best to fulfill their duties and take care of all their men’s needs; yet, from January to March 2009 alone, 45 women were abused by their husbands or their husbands’ relatives. Very recently, a woman, Parul Akter, who was seven months pregnant, was killed and her body thrown in a river; her two other children are still missing. This is the reality that many women in Bangladesh face.

We can name thousands of ways that women and children are facing oppression and repression in Bangladesh. Confucius said, “We should feel sorrow, but not sink under its oppression.” I do agree with that. For almost two decades, Bangladesh’s prime ministers have been women. The number of people who oppose and oppress woman and children are larger than the number of people who are oppressed or suppressed.

Women’s empowerment alone will not solve the problem; we need to treat women as human beings first, rather than simply as women. We need to break the silence and stand up against religious and cultural traditions that encourage the repression of women and children. I dream of a day when a woman will be treated as a human being first, when women will really be empowered and lead the nation toward a more humane way, as they are the source of the human race.

The whole system in Bangladesh is male-dominated, inspired by common prophet religions that have a culture of suppressing woman historically. We need to deal with these oppressors first. Many aw and wonderful steps had taken to bring an end to the suppression to woman and children but hopefully none of them succeed.

Sometimes, a police officer who oppresses his wife in the home is used to investigate a case of oppression against a woman. In this case, the police officer should be brought to trial before anything else. Bangladesh even has cases where, after being raped, the woman gets raped again in the police station by police officers.

More than anything, the religion of Islam encourages the majority of people in Bangladesh in the historical cultural traditions of oppressing women. Laws can change, while religion inspires adherents through heaven and hell; in this light, how will jail or capital punishment be able to make any significant change?

The Prophet Mohammed said, “I was standing at the edge of the fire (hell) and the majority of the people going in were women.” When the Quran and the Prophet Mohammed guide the majority of people in Bangladesh, and the Quran (4:34) orders a man to beat his wife if she doesn’t obey him, how will the law prevent the beating of women? Laws and conventions contradict the holy sayings of the Prophet and Allah and will surely fail to ensure the rights of women.

I silently cry for justice for women like Parul, Rahima, Rebeka, Shima, who was raped in front of her father, and Mili Rani, a minority girl who was raped and later committed suicide. All this happened inside of the society before you and me.

We need to break the silence and step up a revival for humanity and justice.

Fatwa on a Woman

Comilla, Bangladesh, July 08 — Piara Begum (age 40), a widow, and Mamun Miah (age 25), from the Debidwar Upazila (subdistrict) in the Comilla district in southeastern Bangladesh, were mercilessly whipped after a fatwa decree.

Piara Begum’s husband had died five years earlier, leaving behind five children. Locals said that, after the death of her husband, Piara developed illegal intimate relations with her neighbor, Mamun Miah. On June 19, late at night, some young people of the Khaiyar village found Piara in an intimate situation in Mamun’s room, locals said.

The villagers called for arbitration the night of June 20, and the assistant super of the Debidwar Dakhil Madrasa, Mawlānā Md Manirul Islam, ordered a fatwa (religious edict) that both Piara and Mamun be fined Tk 30,000 each, that Mamun will marry Piara, and that, for their alleged involvement in activities against society, Piara be whipped 202 times and Mamun 101 times, locals said

On June 20, at night, Piara was whipped 202 times and Mamun 101 times. Piara was whipped mercilessly until she lost consciousness. After her public ordeal and soon after the lashings, she was taken to the Debidwar Upazila Health Complex. The doctor that treated Piara said, “Her condition was critical. I was shocked at the brutality of the treatment.”

The arbitration council was presided over by Dudmiah, while Wahed and Jalil executed the whippings, locals said.

Piara Begum filed a case with the Debidwar police station, accusing 8 people specifically and 10 to 12 unidentified people.

The arrestees are Dakhil Madrasa Assistant Super Moulana Mohammad Manirul Islam, Dudmiah, Ibrahim, Wahed, Jalil, and Mamun, the victim. All six were produced before the Comilla court.

In a landmark judgment in 2001, the Bangladesh High Court declared that fatwas were illegal, resulting in violence.

Gomes Investigating Parul's Case

Rupgonj , Bangladesh, July 07 — Parul Akter, a 30-year-old woman living in poverty, was missing for five days. Her mother, Nur Jahan Begum, told Asia News, “I went to visit my daughter in her husband’s house in Rupgonj on June 12th, but her husband’s relatives said that my daughter had a fight with her husband and left for my house on June 9th. But I wondered about their response. My daughter, Parul Akter, was tortured by her husband and their relatives many times in this year. I said to Karim, the husband of my daughter Parul, that my daughter did not come to my house.”

Rob Mia, the brother of Parul Akter, told Asia News, “I rushed to the Rupgonj police station on June 12th and filed a general report. From the police station, they called me and said that a body was found in the nearby Sitolokha River. After searching the river, we find my sister’s body. I cannot stop my tears. Why did this happen to my sister?”

A young girl, Shuma Akter, told to Asia News, “Last week, we saw another body in the river. The police did not even come, but some people informed the police.”

Begum, the victim’s mother, said, “I doubt that Karim, the husband of my daughter, and his relatives tortured and killed my daughter.”

The Rupgonj police chief told Asia News, “Parul Akter’s brother filed a murder case with our police station, and we are working on the case.”

Parul Akter had two children: Rohan (age 6) and Shorna (age 3). The family fears that her husband’s relatives may even have killed the children, said Begum.

She went on, “My daughter had 15,000 dollars, and Karim and his relatives were trying to get that. My daughter always refused to give it to them; that is why they brutally tortured her several times.”

“My daughter always told me, if she files a police complaint, then how will she live with her husband, and that she needed to think of the future of her two children.”

“The brutal people not only killed my daughter, they even killed the seven-month-old unborn baby of Parul, which was inside her womb.”

Human rights activist Dipal Barua said, “I highly condemn such violence against woman and children. It’s not only murder, it’s double murder and it’s the killing of humanity.”

Several human rights organizations have highly condemned this inhuman act and have demanded justice.

Common God but not Religion

Dhaka , Bangladesh, March 23 — There is major fact that every atheist is itching to believe and every believer is itching to doubt, and that is the existence of God. Around the world, religious people and those seeking peace are trying to come up with an abstract concept that there is one God who made all of us.

This idea shocks the minds of people who believe in one God. They do agree that one common God has created them. But just after that, when it comes to the point of religion, the same people who are united by the idea of common God principle isolate themselves on the issue of different religions, like which is the first religion, which is the right religion, and so many other theological points. All the arguments end with, “You are wrong, I am right.” George Bernard Shaw once said, “There is only one religion, though there are a hundred versions of it.”

In different religions, people portrayed the image of God in different ways. Mother Teresa said, “I see God in every human being. When I wash the leper’s wounds, I feel I am nursing the Lord himself. Is it not a beautiful experience?” The Hindu religion portrays God with a goddess in thousands of images. Islam portrays God as the highest holiest. Atheists are reluctant to believe in God. God has many names and many images in different countries and religions. John Lennon said, “God is a concept by which we measure our pain.”

In them name of religion, people keep themselves as virgins and do great works, like those of Mother Teresa or the great Ramakrishna. On the other hand, in the name of God, thousands of innocent people have been killed. These brutalities were carried out by the followers of religions following different ethics.

Religion plays a very important role in history and in people’s lives. By dint of religion, we find out great souls like Jesus or the great Ramakrishna. In followers of religion, we see remarkable charity like that of Mother Teresa. We also experience the atrocities committed by Islamic extremists against the Twin Towers, in Mumbai, in Bangladesh, in London, and which are still being done all over the world. All of this happened in the name of religion. Robert Green Ingersoll said, “Religion has not civilized man, man has civilized religion.” But the question is, how civilized is religion?

Seneca the Younger said, “Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful.” Yes, religion is very useful for the politicians. Bangladesh has witnessed a mass brutalities against its minorities in the name of religion, committed by politically motivated people in 2001.

History also witnessed the brutal killing of six million Jews in the Holocaust in the name of religion. The atheist argues to abolish religion with some belief that believes itself an uncategorized religion indeed. Sheik Abdel-Aziz Ibn Baaz said, “The earth is flat, and anyone who disputes this claim is an atheist who deserves to be punished.”

In the name of religion, the Christians are persecuted in India by hardline Hindus, while Hindus are persecuted by Islamic fascists in Bangladesh. These become the common gifts of religions. The heart of Islam becomes a living graveyard in the name of religion. Rabbi Ya’acov Perin said, “One million Arabs are not worth a Jewish fingernail.” Peace remains elusive in the Middle East in the name of religion.

Where Islam mostly neglects the rights of women, the same religious people are crying to prove themselves as women’s protectors. As a short example, Prophet Mohammed had several wives that even include a nine-year-old child.

Mohandas K. Gandhi said, “The most heinous and the most cruel crimes of which history has record have been committed under the cover of religion or equally noble motives.” Countless innocents have died, several civilizations have been demolished, and every day, people are suffering because of religious persecution. If it is not possible to stand for a common God, a common religion, then let us stand together for one common reason: peace. The world’s religions should work for world peace.

Shadow Government in Bangladesh

Dhaka , Bangladesh, April 01 — Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) play a vital role in a developing country like Bangladesh. According to Wikipedia, the number of NGOs in Bangladesh is in excess of 20,000.

The news that Islamic NGOs with foreign funds are fueling the Islamic militancy has been bubbling all over Bangladesh. The Daily Star said that suspected NGOs include Rabita Al-Alam Al-Islami, Al-Muntada Al-Islami, Society of Social Reforms, Qatar Charitable Society, Islamic Relief Agency, Al-Forkan Foundation, International Relief Organisation, Kuwait Joint Relief Committee, Muslim Aid Bangladesh, Dar Al-Khair, Hayatul Igachha, and Tawheed-e-Noor.

The daily New Age of Bangladesh wrote, “During the previous BNP-led alliance government, some 473 local and 25 foreign NGOs were enlisted with the NGO Affairs Bureau. One hundred and twenty-nine of them are local and eight foreign NGOs who were enlisted in the financial year 2006-07. Since 1990, the NGO Bureau has approved 2,367 local and foreign NGOs who run on foreign funding.”

When the Bangladesh National Party-led alliance government was in power, 90,000 crore taka (over US$13 billion) in foreign donations, in the name of 11,000 NGOs, came into Bangladesh. That amount is nearly equal to the government’s financial budget for the year 2009, which is 99,962 crore taka (over US$14.5 billion).

The main process of registering an NGO and funding its operations is highly dependent upon the bureaucracy. That was and is the main reason that NGO activities in Bangladesh have become politicized. As a result of this, during the term of the BNP-led alliance government, the institutional outfit of the Islamic fascist interest triumphed.

The NGO registration process involves some powerful intelligence instruments of the government, such as the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), the National Security Intelligence (NSI), and the Special Branch of the Bangladesh Police.

There is clear evidence of corruption and political interference in the NGO registration process. The government’s policy is tricky on the issue of NGO registration, especially the NGO affairs bureau, which is under the prime minister’s office in name, but is mainly controlled by intelligence instruments like the DGFI and the NSI. It is notable that there are several Islamic fascist proponents placed in various important government instruments, including intelligence organizations, during the term of the BNP alliance government.

We have had a past record of 34 foreign-funded major Islamic NGOs, 15 of which are very active, back in 2005. In 1999, the intelligence agencies tracked an NGO named Suffering Humanity International, which had vibrant relations with Islamic fascists and the intention to establish an Islamic dictatorship in Bangladesh.

Islamic fascists have fully succeeded in forming a shadow government in Bangladesh. NGOs connected with them have put money in several long-term investments in the banking, health, and education sectors. In a time of need, they could control the market and destabilize the country. This group has infiltrated the media sector, with an ulterior motive to promote ideological propaganda.

This same group is conspiring to bring a new crisis before the government. After the BDR mutiny, the prisons will be their next target in an attempt to destabilize the country, using prisons as places of recruitment to strengthen their terrorist activities. Young people come out of prison, join the terrorist groups outside, and take part in destructive works.

The government should be very clear to make all NGO activities from from the influence of the intelligence agencies and politics, to safeguard the country from further tragedy. The Islamic NGOs have become a shadow government in Bangladesh and the highest threat before Bangladesh, as well as to the security of the south Asian region.

Minors targetted by Islamic Terrorists

Dhaka , Bangladesh, May 21 — Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar [Child Rights] Forum is a network of 263 Bangladesh NGOs working in the area of child rights. According to Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum (BSAF), 394 children disappeared in Bangladesh in 2008.

The Bangladesh government has failed to protect and promote the rights of Bangladesh’s minors over the years. Minor children of ethnic and religious minorities have especially become the victims of rape, gang rape, kidnapping, and forceful conversion. Bangladesh has become a land of human rights violations; it has a high record of human rights violations against minors in Bangladesh.

Rising Islamic militancy has become a threat to minors in Bangladesh. Many Hindus were forced to leave the country because of communal violence.

In Bangladesh, there are 69,000 Qaomi [Koranic] madrassas. More than 700 militant training camps are in operation within these madrassas, according to press reports. Militants returning from fighting in Afghanistan or Kashmir, Palestine or Chechnya are training the young students of the madrassas with an agenda of shifting Bangladesh from its present democratic structure to an Islamic caliphate run by the Taliban. Minor children are targeted by Islamic militants to be indoctrinated with jihad ideology.

Recently, a Hindu minor, Poresh Chandra Sarker, age 13, disappeared with hardly a trace. After being missing for a long time, his parents received a letter, along with 58 dollars, telling them they would get their son back if they converted to Islam. The parents went to the police, but the police, being partial, left the boy in the hands of the Islamic fascists.

Afterwards, the parents approached the courts, but the courts sent the boy to safe custody instead of back to the parents. Finally, much later, with the help of the local human rights organization Sonatan International Foundation and the work of 37 lawyers, the boy was given back to custody of the parents.

Now, Poresh and his parents are reconciled. The Sonatan Foundation and International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) came to help the poor family. During his disappearance, Poresh was indoctrinated with jihad ideology and was forcefully converted to Islam. ISKCON, who gave the family temporary shelter, fears that they will be persecuted by Islamic fascists for doing so.

Jasada Nandan Acharjee, Sebait (chief priest) and Executor of Swai Bag Ashram, said to Asia News, “I do believe in the religious freedom of all people, but I highly condemn what happened to the poor Hindu boy Poresh. Islamic fascists brainwashed the boy with a message of hatred and jihad, and that is a violation of human rights.” He said that very often those minor children are targeted by Islamic militants to be indoctrinated with jihad ideology.

Rupauga Goar Das Bramachary of ISKCON said that, from the first time Poresh said that he would sacrifice his life for Allah, he was indoctrinated with the idea of jihad, but that now, after hearing the religious teachings of the Sonatan (Hindu) religion, he denied what he said before.

He also said, “We do believe in the religious freedom of every soul. When he is mature, he is entitled to any religion, but no one should misuse a minor child by indoctrinating them with the idea of Islamic jihad, destroying the boy and, through the boy, endangering other people’s lives.”

ISKCON Food for Life gave shelter to this boy and his parents, but are fearful about security. They feel responsible for the whole Hindu community related with them. For the sake of Poresh, the whole temple and other Hindus living nearby risk facing communal violence. The Sonatan International Foundation is helping the family to get legal aid.

Joint Secretary Pinaki Das said, “We have observed that some of the Islamic fascists are standing guard outside of the ISKCON temple. We are not sure how they came to know about the presence of the family in this temple, since only we knew about the presence of Poresh and his family at this ISCKON temple.”