Friday’s attack on Hindu worshippers in an Iskcon temple in Sylhet was an affront to everything the country stands for.
The violence broke out after Muslim worshippers from a nearby mosque told the Hindu worshippers to stop playing their devotional Kirtan music during Jumma prayers, leaving at least 10 people injured. If the Jumma worshippers did indeed have an issue with the timing of the Kirtan, a meeting between the leaders of both groups could have been arranged for a peaceful resolution. A sudden attack that breaks the religious harmony is not acceptable.
We are passing a time when preachers of minority religious communities -- Hindus, Buddhists and Christians -- have come under murderous attack from terrorists. It is worth remembering that the same terrorists have also attacked moderate Muslim preachers. These terrorists are the common enemy of us all, irrespective of religion. To rupture harmony between and within different religious communities is one of the goals of the terrorists. So, while we cherish communal harmony at all times, as a fundamental value, we especially regret any attack on it at a time when solidarity is so important.
Let us not forget that these attacks came from people who themselves want the right to worship in peace, while denying the same right to others.
We need to take this incident seriously and bring the perpetrators to book swiftly. A clear message must be sent by the government that acts of sectarian violence, and the depriving of any group or individual of the right to worship, will not be tolerated.
Bangladesh has a long and proud of history of secularism. Muslims, Hindus, Christians, Buddhists and other groups live in this land and call it their home.
This latest attack on the Iskcon temple is just another attempt to silence the voice of minorities, curb their freedoms of expression and worship, and make them live in fear.
Secularism is embedded in the spirit of the Constitution of Bangladesh, which guarantees everyone the freedom to practise their own religion.
Let us never forget that.
