On August 6, 2024, the Australian Jewish Association (AJA) condemned the ongoing violence against Hindus in Bangladesh after the country’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned a day before. Calling out the violence by radical Islamists against Hindus in Bangladesh, AJA CEO Robert Gregory said that such incidents show the threat and danger posed by radical Islam all over the world.
“As Jews, we are familiar with persecution under radical Islam. We have seen terrible footage from Bangladesh, including the violence directed against Hindus. Our thoughts are with the victims. These scenes are reminiscent of scenes in numerous countries across the world and show the danger of radical Islam,” the official statement said.
“The Albanese government must speak out against these atrocities. I urge Foreign Minister Penny Wong to make a statement. The Albanese government has provided thousands of visas to Gazans where polls show extremely high support for Islamic terror groups. Members of the Hindu community in Bangladesh would be much more suitable candidates for visas to Australia, Gregory added.
After Sheikh Hasina’s resignation as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, several Hindu temples have been attacked at the hands of the Muslims. Also, more than 50 attacks on Hindus have been perpetrated. According to the X handle of the Voice of Bangladeshi Hindus, these attacks have occurred within five hours of Hasina’s resignation. The number of attacks on Hindus may be more than 50, while some state the number to be 54.
Along with several other local temples, the Islamists also attacked the ISKCON Temple as confirmed by the Spokesperson of ISKCON India, Yudhistir Govinda Das. “As per the information I have received, one of our ISKCON centres rented in Meherpur was burnt including the deities of Bhagwan Jagannath, Balabhadra (Balram) and Subhadra Devi. Three devotees somehow managed to escape and survived,” he said.
The Islamists are also believed have targeted Hindu families residing in the country, the videos of which have been making rounds on social media. While the political landscape of Bangladesh is witnessing the toughest times in history, Hindus and other minority communities are the most vulnerable as Islamist mobsters are taking advantage of the situation to attack them. Amidst these attacks left liberals and Islamists have been seen either denying or justifying these attacks.
