Of late the minorities in Bangladesh and India have experienced the widespread communal violence on them especially on the eve of election and religious festivals, resulting in huge loss of life and property and fear and panic among citizens of both countries. It impedes peace and socio-economic growth among them. Conversely the Govt. seems to have failed in dealing with the situation properly.
Humanity is strangulated and shattered when a Hindu youth named Dipu Chandra Das, a resident of Mymenshing district in Bangladesh was lately lynched to death. He was ruthlessly thrashed and burned alive by a mob for allegedly insulting some Muslims. During the last Durga Puja, Hindus were targeted in their residential areas and their holy places vandalised and destroyed aiming to prevent them from observing Pujas with pomp and gaiety.
Islam condemns what is happening against Hindus in Bangladesh. Islamically, the minorities in a Muslim country are treated as the protected people (dhimmi) and its Govt. is under obligation (Farz) to safeguard their life, property and reputation at any cost. Prophet Muhammad ﷺwarns: “On the Day of Resurrection, I shall dispute with him who has oppressed a dhimmi , infringed his rights, put a responsibility beyond his strength and snatched something away from him against his will”.
Again, he says: ‘’Of the great sins, the greatest is Shirk, then killing an innocent man, then disobedience to parents and then telling a lie.” If an enemy comes with forces to kill a dhimmi, an Islamic Govt. is duty- bound to protect him from the enemy. Thus, it is prohibited (haram) for a Muslim to continue atrocities on dhimmi anywhere in Islam.
On the contrary, the minorities especially Muslims and Christians in India continue to suffer from atrocities and loss of life caused by the communal violence every year since its Independence. Muslims have to yet forget the Muslims slain in wholesale rate in Nellie during Assam Movement in1983 and in Gujarat and other parts of India after demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992. Even it is alleged that Assam is teemed with Muslim foreigners from Bangladesh and thereby spreading hatred and animosity against them. A few years back, Mohammad Akhlaque, a resident of UP and an employee of Indian Air Force was lynched to death by a cow vigilante group on suspicion that he stored beefs in fridge at home. There is a list of mob-lynching incidents executed on Muslims in India (vide Radiance 18-24 August 2019).
During the last Christmas, Christians were confronted with a grim communal violence disturbing them in observing Christmas festivals in India. The churches decorated for Christmas were vandalised and destroyed in many parts in India. The bestiality is widely condemned even abroad. Thus, minorities are consistently feeling unsafe and insecure in these two countries.
I fail to make it out why a minority community is not allowed to gently practise and propagate its religion in its own country wherein it is lawfully permissible. If the minorities are thus persecuted and slain and deprived of their other constitutional rights and privileges because of their religion in a country, they would not be able to live in the country and would, one day lose their existence.
The UN is a global body formed aiming to ensure peace and security in the world. Already, the UN has, to a great extent, succeeded in upholdingpeace and security among some racially conflicting sects in Congo, Rwanda, Somalia and Mali in Africa. Similarly, the UN can also take some pragmatic measures for upholding peace and security among religiously conflicting sects resulting in a reconciliation and harmony among them in a country. Let all flowers bloom and beautify the garden!
[The author is a retired Associate Professor teaching financial management at PB College, Gauripur, Dhubri, Assam.]