Bangladesh
The region now called Bangladesh was known as Bhati in Medieval India. This region was farthest from any Mughal power and out of the hands of any central authority. Yet, they converted enmasse. As a comparison, Agra district, which served as capital of one of the mightiest Muslim powers in history, is 89% Hindu. But far off Bhati where Mughal power was never felt and even regional bengal sultanate hold very weak is majority Muslim.
“Hindus of East Pakistan (Bangladesh) are Indians left behind. They are our brethren and we must protect them at all costs” - Sardar Vallabhai Patel in 1948.
Jogendranath Mandal - one of the founding father of Pakistan
Jogendra Nath Mandal, the founding father of Pakistan, thought that dalits would be better off with Muslims. Soon he realized how wrong he was, he resigned and took asylum in India.
In response to Jogendranath Mandal’s resignation to Liaquat Ali, where he detailed gory acts of rape and violence, the new minister, Dwarka Nath Barori, discredited him, saying, ‘Sri Mandal began his career as a Hindu Mahasabhaite and ended it as such."
The newspaper Hindustan Standards report the response from Liaquat Ali government on 19/10/1950. East Bengal Scheduled Castes Federation asked:- “Is it too much to say that he has betrayed the Scheduled Castes of Pakistan whose salvation (he so loudly professed) was at his heart?”
In December 1963, the so called “Prophet’s hair” was stolen from a Dargah in Kashmir. As soon as the news reached East Pakistan (Bangladesh), Jihad was declared against Hindus from Mosques in Dhaka.
Rioters went around shouting “kill the Hindus”. A 20,000 strong Muslim mob gathered to loot Hindu properties and set them on fire. Hindus were lynched on streets. Hindu women were rαped in public. Bellies of pregnant Hindu women were ripped out. They made pyramids from the skulls of killd Hindus. Hindus were warned by WAQF board to leave immediately. Central minister Abdus Khan declared that he would skin Hindus alive and make shoes out of it.
Hindu temples were destroyed. Hundreds of Hindu villages were burnt to ashes. Walls were painted with slogans like “Kill Hindus, Hindu Maaro”. Young Hindu girls were abducted and forcibly converted to Islam.
About 5000 Hindus were killed and 2000 Hindu women were forcibly converted in Khulna alone. 4000 Hindus were killed in Dhaka alone. 10,000 Hindus were killed in Rajshahi alone. Thousands of Hindu women were raped. There were many cases of Muslim childhood friends killing and raping their Hindu friends. Many Hindus babies were thrown into river. Lakhs of Hindus fled Bangladesh.
Bangladesh is 2000 kilometers away from Kashmir. Most Bangladeshi Hindus did not even know about Hazratbal, much less about relic theft. They had nothing to do with Kashmir. Why were they attacked with such barbarity?
After a few days, the stolen relic was discovered. It turned out that three Kashmiri Muslims were behind the theft. They were arrested. But since when have facts mattered to them? The attacks on Hindus continued unabated even after these arrests.
It is 2024. Attacks on Hindus, who had nothing to do with Sheikh Hasina, have started. Just like they did not need any reason in 1964. They do not need any reason now.
They never need any reason to attack you. They will attack you and seek to destroy you wherever they have power. They will play victim card and secularism wherever they have no power.
Colonel Nadir Ali, a retired Pakistani Army officer, poet and short story writer:
“My first action was in mid-April 1971. ‘It is Mujib-ur Rahman’s home district. It is a hard area. Kill as many bastards as you can and make sure there is no Hindu left alive,’ I was ordered.
‘Sir, I do not kill unarmed civilians who do not fire at me,’ I replied.
‘Kill the Hindus. It is an order for everyone. Don’t show me your commando finesse!’”
- The Pakistan Garrison State: Origins, Evolution, Consequences (1947-2011)
- https://x.com/buddhimedia/status/1823405025890029693
Mujib implemented Vested Property Act. After 1971 Hindu genocide, Hindu genocide victims wanted to sell their properties and leave Bangladesh. Mujib saw in this an opportunity to loot Hindu genocide victims and passed this act.
According to this act, every Hindu riot victim who intends to leave Bangladesh is an enemy. No Hindu can sell his property and leave the country. If any of your family members leaves, your entire family is declared as enemy of the state and the property of every single member of your family will be confiscated. In this manner, Mujib government confiscated properties of lakhs of Hindu genocide victims.
There is a myth that Sheikh Hasan and her party Awami League are secular and “protected Hindus”. But nothing could be further from truth. Sheikh Hasina herself is a venomous double faced Islamist. When India revoked article 370 and implemented CAA, Hasina warned India. She warned that there could be retaliation against minority Hindus in Bangladesh.
Sheikh Hasina is no secularist. She supported capital punishment for atheist bloggers who were accused of “blaspheming Islam”. She further said any offense to Islam will not be tolerated under her watch as she is a Muslim herself.
Under Hasina’s rule, destruction of Hindu temples continued unabated in Bangladesh. Perpetrators were hardly ever punished. According to Sheikh Hasina, Secularism means Quran, Ummah and lailaha illallah. She vowed to expand Halal economy and Halal tourism. Allahu Akbar is printed in the first page of Awami League manifesto.
One could also argue that Jinnah was more secular than Sheikh Hasina. He used to openly eat pork, drink alcohol and question the usefulness of religion. The fact is that in any Islamic society, personal preferences/ideology of leaders is never a major factor. Both Jinnah and Hasina could have been personally secular and/or atheist, but their fanatic electorate pushes them to take an Islamic hardline. Otherwise, they lose their own relevance.