Following the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, there has been a surge in violence against religious minorities, notably Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians, in Bangladesh. European media outlets have consistently crafted a narrative that downplays the communal and religious aspects of these attacks. Instead, they depict the violence as being primarily politically motivated, with the victims targeted due to their perceived association with the ousted Hasina government. Major news organisations, including the BBC (UK), DW News (Germany), and France 24 (France), have led this narrative, subtly suggesting the need for a new government in Bangladesh while expressing their disapproval of the previous administration.
Escalating Violence Against Religious Minorities
Since August 5, 2024, Bangladesh has witnessed a significant increase in violence directed at its religious minorities, particularly Hindus. Numerous reports have documented incidents of vandalism and destruction targeting Hindu homes, businesses, and places of worship, including temples. Social media platforms have been inundated with harrowing accounts from Hindus, describing the threats, assaults, and violence they have faced. These reports have sparked widespread outrage among Hindu communities globally, reviving deep-seated grievances that trace back to the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War and even earlier periods of persecution.
Organisations dedicated to protecting minority rights in Bangladesh have verified these reports. For example, the Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council released a detailed account of attacks on Hindu temples, homes, and businesses amid the political unrest following Sheikh Hasina’s removal from power. The Voice of Bangladeshi Hindus, a prominent social media group on platform X, highlighted that these assaults occurred within a brief five-hour window, though the actual number of incidents may be even higher than reported.
Selective Coverage by the BBC
The BBC, the UK’s state-funded broadcaster, has faced accusations of attempting to minimise the suffering of Bangladeshi Hindus by selectively fact-checking the events. In an article titled “Far-right spreads false claims about Muslim attacks in Bangladesh,” the BBC claimed that “far-right influencers in India” were sharing “false videos and information” that distorted the reality of the violence. The article alleged that many online claims were misleading and suggested that the ruling Awami League, which includes members from both Hindu and Muslim communities, was the primary target of the violence. By framing the events as politically rather than religiously motivated, the BBC effectively dismissed the global concerns regarding the plight of Hindus in Bangladesh.
DW News’ Narrative
Germany’s state-owned broadcaster, Deutsche Welle (DW), has similarly been criticised for downplaying the religious aspect of violence against Hindus in Bangladesh, especially during recent anti-government protests. In a video published on August 19, 2024, DW acknowledged the attacks on Hindus but suggested that many claims circulating on social media were false or exaggerated. The video portrayed the violence as politically driven, linked to opposition against the Awami League, rather than as attacks motivated by religious hatred. DW featured ‘experts’ like Thomas Kean, who argued that the true motives behind the violence were unclear, implying that religion was not the primary factor despite evidence to the contrary.
Violent anti-government protests in Bangladesh have fueled many false claims of attacks against the nation’s Hindu minority.
Here’s what’s been circulating online: pic.twitter.com/cwbXyhOLp8
— DW News (@dwnews) August 19, 2024
DW further shifted the narrative by discussing an instance where an arson attack on a Muslim shrine was falsely represented as an attack on a Hindu temple online. The broadcaster suggested that disinformation spread by Indian social media users was inflaming tensions, framing the issue as one manipulated by external actors with political motives rather than addressing the core issue of religious violence.
France 24’s Approach
Following the pattern set by the BBC and DW, France 24, a French state-funded international news network, has also engaged in similar narrative framing. On August 16, 2024, France 24 released a video on their Facebook page, captioned, “Ever since students toppled #Bangladesh’s government on August 5, many Indian internet users have been claiming that the #Hindu minority is in danger. Rape, violence, or attacks on temples… these images have gone #viral. But they have been taken out of context. According to regional experts, Hindus are not specifically attacked because of their #religion, but rather because of their #political affiliation.”
In this video, France 24 discussed the “claims” of violence against Hindus with various fact-checkers, including Alt News. While acknowledging that some videos circulating on social media were from different time periods and unrelated to Hindus, the video downplayed the ongoing attacks on Hindus and Hindu temples in Bangladesh. The video featured a Bangladeshi journalist, Zillur Rahman, who described the attacks as ‘politically motivated.’ Rahman, who allegedly received funding from U.S. sources to combat disinformation, has been accused of spreading information that aligns with his political views, further complicating the narrative.
France 24 also included commentary from Abhishek Kumar of Alt News, who argued that Hindu nationalists were attempting to “defame the Muslim community by portraying Hindus as victims.” Kumar claimed that this narrative would “damage the image of Muslims in India and normalise the persecution they suffer in India.” Additionally, the video highlighted efforts by Bangladeshi students to conduct night patrols to prevent further attacks on Hindus, suggesting that the situation was under control.
Strategic Narratives and Global Impact
It appears that European media outlets are strategically shaping a narrative that resonates with Western audiences while supporting the push for a new government in Bangladesh, particularly an interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. By suppressing or selectively presenting information, these media outlets may be seeking to advance their political and economic interests, including potential trade benefits, by aligning with a preferred government in Bangladesh.
Despite the narrative portrayed by European media, multiple regional reports confirm that minorities in Bangladesh, especially Hindus, have been subjected to systematic attacks and vandalism. The ongoing ethnic cleansing of Hindus in Bangladesh is well-documented, and Western media cannot dismiss or trivialise these events by selectively presenting certain facts.
Struggles of Hindus in Bangladesh
According to the 2022 census of Bangladesh, Hindus make up about 7.96 per cent of the population, with other minorities (including Buddhists and Christians) constituting less than 1 per cent. Muslims account for a vast majority, 91.08 per cent, of Bangladesh’s population of 165.16 million people. In a democratic context, gaining electoral support requires substantial backing from the majority Muslim population, which had previously supported Sheikh Hasina. However, following her ousting, Hindu temples and minority sites have been disproportionately targeted, with no reports of similar attacks on mosques or Muslim sites. Labelling this violence as purely political overlooks the clear communal dimensions, misrepresenting the reality of the situation.
(With inputs from The CommuneMag)
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