Persecution watchdog Open Doors has warned that there is a “growing sense of fear” among Christians in Bangladesh after a spike in attacks on religious minorities.
In the latest incident, a priest was injured in Dhaka when robbers broke into St Eugene de Mazenod Catholic Church in the early hours of the morning on 27th April. After waking up and trying to intervene Fr Subash Gomes was assaulted, before the thieves stole his passport and around £1,000 in cash. He’s receiving medical treatment and is understood to be in a stable condition.
A spokesperson for Open Doors UK & Ireland said: “This incident has added to a growing sense of fear among members of the church community, as the attackers targeted a place of worship and harmed a religious leader.
“People consider churches places of peace and prayer, but this event has shaken the sense of security among Christians in that area.”
The sharp increase in violence follows national elections in February when Bangladesh's main opposition party Jamaat-e-Islami made gains. As a result, leaders of minority communities demanded government intervention with more than 50 incidents of violence reported in the country following the elections.
The Bangladesh National Party (BNP) which won election in a landslide victory has promised to build a “Rainbow Nation” in which all communities would be respected.
However, leaders of minority religions say that Hindus and Christians are both experiencing an increase in attacks in areas where Jamaat-e-Islami won seats.
In one such area, a fundamentalist Islamic religious primary school teacher has started a campaign of harassment towards Christians. According to Open Doors sources, he has formed a group which pressures Christians to convert to Islam and if they don’t, they tell them they will not be allowed to stay in the village. One such Christian, Mizan - whose name has been changed for security reasons - was accused of disturbing the peace of the society and told to find another place to live.
An Open Doors partner in Bangladesh said: "Christians in many areas are facing increasing social and religious pressure from sections of the Muslim community. Christian converts from Islam are especially living under fear and threat, as many of them are being directly pressured and repeatedly visited by local religious leaders who demand that they renounce their faith in Christ.
"In some areas, Christians are being publicly questioned, harassed, and intentionally humiliated. Some incidents are even recorded and shared on social media, where negative comments and threats against believers continue to spread. This has increased fear among many convert families, as their identities and faith are being publicly exposed."
Open Doors said that because of those pressures, many converts and leaders are limiting their movement, avoiding public gatherings, and in some cases going into hiding for the safety of their families. The organisation said this is not only affecting convert communities but are also creating discomfort and fear among the wider Christian community in their relationships with Muslim neighbours, friends, and colleagues.
Calling for the government and local authorities to take stronger steps to address the violence and ensure the rights and safety of religious minorities, it continued: "We hope to see practical action taken against those who intentionally target and persecute Christians."
Bangladesh is number 33 on Open Doors’ World Watch List, an annual ranking of the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution.