As unabated persecution against religious minorities in Bangladesh continues, a call for action to support peace in the country, and to unite humanity has been made with the #BangladeshStopHate campaign, that was kicked off on Friday, December 14, and saw the successful and smooth completion of its first session.
The campaign has come into being with the efforts of Soundarajan Narendran, who is a data scientist with over 25 years of experience in both business and government.
The introductory session of the #BangladeshStopHate campaign began as a wake-up call to unite for justice to humanity, with the vision of protecting both human and animal life that is being mercilessly attacked in Bangladesh, as reports of murder, rape, arson, pillage, and other heinous crimes being committed against the minorities in the country are surfacing. Not only humans, but even animals are being killed in cold blood.
The first session under the campaign saw the participation of global religious and spiritual leaders, who came forward and pledged to contribute towards peace and saving fellow living beings.
The introductory discussion began with the welcome address delivered by Narendran, who highlighted how world attention and awareness towards the crisis in Bangladesh and the genocide of living beings were required.
At the outset of the discussion, Sarah Snyder, Head, Rose Castle Centre for Reconciliation, who is a renowned evangelist of global peace, said, ‘As a Christian, I look forward to seeing a response from the Anglican Church to the religious persecution of the minorities going on in Bangladesh, as we speak.’
Taking the discussion forward was Paramahamsa Vishwananda, Founder of Bhakti Marg, Germany, who remarked, ‘If we cannot respect each other, we cannot have peace. It is sad to see the minority, that once flourished in Bangladesh, which is actually the land of Baul tradition, suffering and being persecuted for their beliefs. I believe the government of India has a huge role to play in curbing this persecution of minorities going on currently.’
Further, Barbara Walshe, Head, Glencree Centre for Reconciliation, raised a pertinent point and asked, ‘Even though we could see the evident angle of people’s faith being questioned and them being persecuted for the same, are there any hidden factors underneath this happening? Are there any players manipulating this situation?’
Other crucial facets she touched upon were India’s role in supporting Bangladeshi minorities, and whether there were any peace-makers who could facilitate a dialogue between the Muslims, Hindus, and Christians in Bangladesh.
‘Where are the local peace-makers of Bangladesh?’, questioned Barbara.
The next to share his valuable viewpoint on the burning issue was Gauranga Das, monk, spiritual leader, and author, who is the director of the ISKCON Govardhan Ecovillage.
Beginning to address the participants of the session, Das outlined a brief history of how the Gaudiya Vaishnav tradition, which is followed by ISKCON devotees across the globe, actually has its roots of origin in present-day Bangladesh itself, which was a part of erstwhile Bengal. He said, ‘What Bangladesh is to ISKCON is what Mecca is to the Muslims. Various places like Chittagong and Jessore are key centres of the Gaudiya Vaishnav tradition.’
Das continued, ‘ISKCON started spreading in Bangladesh since the late 1970s, and has more than 2,00,000 followers, large swathes of property, and 120 Mandirs. This is why during crisis situations like the current one, when religious minorities in the country are attacked and tortured, ISKCON and its followers become a “sitting duck”, because they cannot leave the deities behind, in order to escape.’
Explaining how the attack against Hindus in the country is not a new phenomenon, he revealed how back in 2003, when he visited Bangladesh with his mates at ISKCON, they were advised by the ISKCON devotees of the country, to change their saffron clothes, erase their Tilak, and wear pants and shirts, while moving around Bangladesh, and they did the same in order to stay safe.
This revealed, as pointed out by Das, that Hindus have always been persecuted in the country, especially during festivals like Durga Puja, the only factor is that while sometimes people notice this persecution, at other times, they do not. Apart from this, the condition of religious minorities in Bangladesh has always remained the same.
Steering the session ahead, it was Pandit Satish K Sharma, Dharmic Theologian, philosopher, international speaker, and Yoga acharya, who remarked, ‘The Hindu ideology of Astoma Sadgamaya, Tamasoma Jyotirgamaya is the north-star of the vision for peace.’
Speaking his mind, Pandit Sharma went ahead and stated, ‘With what is unfolding in Bangladesh, we could soon see the creation of another Hindu Kush. Throughout history, Hindus have been at the centre of persecution and hatred, be it in Pakistan, Tibet, Afghanistan, Kashmir, or in Bangladesh, Hindus have always been killed horribly.’
‘And every time this has happened, not a single non-Dharmik tradition has come forward to support us, rather, they have always made things worse’, added Pandit Sharma.
Highlighting the fact of how ISKCON, as an organization, and its followers, are at the centre of target in Bangladesh, Pandit Sharma questioned, ‘Despite the fact that ISKCON is a global organization, and has its presence around Islamic countries too, has a single Islamic country showed solidarity officially with ISKCON?’
‘At this point, dialogue is not an option, it is not possible anymore. What the Hindus in Bangladesh need is physical force’, commented Pandit Sharma.
Further ahead, Ravi Kumar Iyer, social worker, and global thinker, in the wake of the current crisis in Bangladesh, and keeping in mind, the history of attacks that Hindus have faced, said, ‘While India gave asylum to innumerable groups of peoples, like the Jews and Zoroastrians, on the other hand, nobody is unaware of what has left of Hindus in Afghanistan, Pakistan, or Bangladesh.’
‘While the so-called minority of Muslims in India is flourishing, Hindus everywhere else are being killed and persecuted horribly. The difference is simply because of the Hindu way of life prevalent in India. Hindus identify divinity in all living beings, and not only in human beings’, added Iyer.
Denny Braggins, CEO, Faith in Leadership, UK, commented, ‘The atrocities and the violence has to stop; and certainly, words cannot help with that. I believe the United Nations needs to wake up, and everyone has to be better prepared for what is next.’
Talking on how the situation in Bangladesh could be controlled and the minorities could be protected, Swami Suryananda, senior spiritual leader, Skanda Vale, said, ‘It is the power of spirituality that is needed to find respect for all living beings around us; it is spirituality and its paths that teach us that all life forms are sacred.’
Mohanji, global spiritual leader and humanitarian, Founder, Mohanji Foundation, Ammucare Charitable Trust, ACT Foundation, and World Tribal Alliance, remarked, ‘Dialogue needs maturity, and in such a condition of moral bankruptcy, dialogue is not possible. This is another wave of ethnic cleansing, and religious leaders hence cannot be complacent now.’
‘People cannot remain silent because it is not something happening to them, and I believe ISKCON, as an organization, should play the lead role in fighting against this barbarity’, remarked Mohanji.
Agreeing to what Mohanji opined, Dr. Chinmay Pandya, Pro Vice Chancellor, Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidhyala University, stated, ‘The persecution of minorities has been continuing in a sustained manner since its independence. Therefore, the time for passive observations in this scenario is now over. We cannot be silent spectators and watch horror unfold.’
At the end of the discussion, Maitreya Dadashreeji, spiritual leader, global humanitarian, and Founder, Maitribodh Parivaar, commented, ‘Throughout history, Indians faced suppression from invaders, we were oppressed, we faced the partition and the gore that ensued, later, we also witnessed and experienced the bloody 1971 War. Amidst all this, the Indian mindset has been challenged constantly, and that is why, enough is enough.’
‘A positive outcome would result when spiritual leaders from across the globe come together and find a way out of this conundrum, once and for all’, he stated.
