ISKCON in Bangladesh Under Fear of Attack by Muslim Terrorists

International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), a Hindu organization, fear attacks by Islamic militants after helping rescuedminor Hindu boy from madrasa.

Bangladesh government has failed to protect and promote human rightsof the minorities of Bangladesh over the years. Rape, gang-rape,kidnap and forceful conversion of members of the ethnic and religious minorities has turned Bangladesh into a land of human rights violation, opposed to the demand of UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The rising Islamic militancy threatens the existence of the minorities in Bangladesh. Many Hindus were forced to leave the country because of communal violence.

Recently, a minor Hindu boy, 13-year-old Poresh Chandra Sarkar, was traced out of his long disappearance. The boy from poor family took up job as child labour in a restaurant in the capital. Dhaka. Far from his village, there a Muslim man, named Hamdu Mia, came to know about the boy’s helpless condition, and with the help of some Maolanas (Muslim clerics) of a madrasa, they illegally converted this immature boy to a Islam from Hinduism and confined him in madrasa, away from all contact with his parents.

After lots of frantic searching for the boy, a clue came from a letter with $58 sent by Poresh to his father on 25.04.2008 through Genera Post Office (GPO) in Dhaka. Based on the clue, the boy’s father Krishna Chandra Sarker contacted a Muslim officer at the GPO. The officer informed Krishna Sarker that he knew of his son’s whereabouts and that he might get back his son if his family converted to Islam.

Failing to make contact with his beloved son, Mr. Sarker filed a police report (GD # 1498) with the Paltan Police Station, Dhaka.

The police then called in Hamdu Mia along with the Maulans to the Police Station. The parents, along with the relatives, beg to the police to hand over their son to them until late at night, but they were forced out of the Police Station with getting custody of the boy.

It appears that the police were connected to the extremists. The lawyers, representing the boy’s father, suspect that the innocent boy might have undergone terror-training in a camp somewhere like Bagmara, as the boy shout to his father over a cell-phone that, “I have sacrifice my life to establish the law of Allah in the world, and don’t try to find out me…..” (Allahar Ain Prothistha Korar Jonno ejibon utshorga koriachi Amar Khoj Korio na). He has been trained to keep shut himself under any circumstances.

Later on, the father and the son was brought before a court in Dhaka, chaired by magistrate Ms. Shamima Parvin on 07 April 2009. Unfortunately, ignoring the age of the victim and submission of Mr. Sarker’s lawyer, the magistrate ordered that the boy be sent to the Madrasa, instead of handing him over to his parents. But, faced with objection of the lawyers, she sent the boy to Jail Hajat (Safe Custody).

Later on, when the boy was produced before court again on May 5, he was handed over to his parents: the boy was rescued, thanks to his parents frantic efforts.

Poresh is slowly getting better decaling the extremist indoctrination and JIHAD mentality. But the parents, the boy, and ISKCON (who gave the family temporary shelter) are in fear of persecution by the Islamic extremists.

Many national and international organization has demanded to the government to take proper steps to secure the boy and his family and highly condemn the forceful conversion.

Jasada Nandan Acharjee, Sebait and Executor of Swai Bag Ashram said that “I do believe in the religious freedom of all people but I highly condemn what was happened with the poor Hindu boy Poresh, the Islamic fascist has brain washed the boy with message of hearted and Jihad and that is also violating the Human Rights”.

He said that many often the children of minority communities, targeted by the Islamic fascists, are indoctrinated with the message of Jihad.

Rupauga Goar Das Bramachary of ISKCON said that Poresh was initially saying that he would sacrifice his life for Allah, he was indoctrinated with the idea of JIHAD as the JMB (Jammatul Mujahedin, Bangladesh) people do; now after hearing the religious teaching of Hinduism, he is shedding the extremist teachings received at the madrasa.

He said we do believe in the religious freedom of every soul; when he becomes mature, he can entitled him with any religion, but no one should misguide a minor child with the Islamic JIHAD idea to destroy the boy’s life and endanger life of other people through him.

ISKCON’s food for life has gave shelter to this boy and to his parents. But the organization said: we have fear about the security; we have responsibility for the whole Hindu society related with us; for Poresh, the whole temple and other Hindu believers living nearby can face communal violence.

A small local Human Rights Organization, Sonatan International Foundation, is helping the family to get the legal aid.

The joint-secretary Pinaki said that “we have observed that some of the Islamic fascist are guarding outside of ISCKON temple, we are not sure how they came to know about the presence of the family in this temple, only we know about the presence of the Poresh and his family’s presence in this ISCKON temple”.

Prof. Nikhil Chandra Pal said that “The situation is very fearful. At any time, anything bad can happen to us and to the boy and his parents; we are all targeted by the Islamic extremists”.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), a US Congressional panel, has recently dropped Bangladesh from its Watch List of countries that violate rights of minorities to religious freedom. Bangladesh was in the list from 2005 to 2008.

USCRIF removed Bangladesh from the Watch List in its May 1, 2009 report, urging the new Awami League administration to strengthen protections for all Bangladeshis to enjoy the right to freedom of religion or belief, and undertake efforts to improve conditions for minority religious communities.

The commission hoped that the government of Bangladesh would investigate and prosecute, to the fullest extent of the law, the perpetrators of violent acts against members of the minority religious communities, women, and non-governmental organizations, committed in the past.

The fate of minorities, nonetheless, remains unchanged and their religious freedom is far from adequate.

In that case the 2nd accused is the brother of general secretary of local Awami league. On 30th April 2009 , a group 7 unknown young men forcefully took him to Ranigonj Market by Motor Cycle .On the way they gave him bag and they took him to police station. Next day the police send the poor Hindu Minority in court filing a case of revering 20 “Fensidel” from this poor farmer.

Fascism Funded by Islamic NGOs

Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) play a vital role in a developing country like Bangladesh. The number of NGOs in Bangladesh is in excess of 78,000 by the midst of the year 2009 registered with five different government instruments.  

The news that Islamic NGOs with foreign funds are fueling the Islamic militancy was bubbling all over Bangladesh. The Daily Star said that suspected NGOs include Rabita Al-Alam Al-Islami, Al-Muntada Al- Islami, Society of Social Reforms, Qatar Charitable Society, Islamic Relief Agency, Al-Forkan Foundation, International Relief Organisation, Kuwait Joint Relief Committee, Muslim Aid Bangladesh, Dar Al-Khair, Hayatul Igachha, and Tawheed-e-Noor.  

The daily New Age of Bangladesh wrote, “During the previous BNP-led alliance government, some 473 local and 25 foreign NGOs were enlisted with the NGO Affairs Bureau. One hundred and twenty-nine of them are local and eight foreign NGOs who were enlisted in the financial year 2006-07. Since 1990, the NGO Bureau has approved 2,367 local and foreign NGOs who run on foreign funding.” 

When the Bangladesh National Party-led alliance government was in power, 90,000 core taka (approx. US$1,300) in foreign donations, in the name of 11,000 NGOs, came into Bangladesh. That amount is nearly equal to the government’s financial budget for the year 2009, which is 99,962 core taka (approx. US$1,450).  

The main process of registering an NGO and funding its operations is highly dependent upon the bureaucracy. That was and is the main reason that NGO activities in Bangladesh have become politicized. As a result of this, during the term of the BNP-led alliance government, the institutional outfit of the Islamic fascist interest triumphed. 

The NGO registration process involves some powerful intelligence instruments of the government, such as the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), the National Security Intelligence (NSI), and the Special Branch of the Bangladesh Police. 

There is clear evidence of corruption and political interference in the NGO registration process. The government’s policy is tricky on the issue of NGO registration, especially the NGO affairs bureau, which is under the prime minister’s office in name, but is mainly controlled by intelligence instruments like the DGFI and the NSI. It is notable that there are several Islamic fascist proponents placed in various important government instruments, including intelligence organizations, during the term of the BNP alliance government. 

We have had a past record of 34 foreign funded major Islamic non-governmental organizations (NGO) and 15 are very active ngo’s back in year 2005. In 1999, the intelligence agencies tracked an NGO named Suffering Humanity International, which had vibrant relations with Islamic fascists to establish an Islamic dictatorship in Bangladesh.  

The Islamic fascists have fully succeeded in forming a shadow government in Bangladesh. The Islamic fascist outfit Ngo turned the money in several long time investments such as in Banking, health and hospital and education sector. In the time of need they will control the market and destabilize country. Even the same quarter has engulfed in the print and media sector with an ulterior motive to play ideological propaganda.  

The same quarter is nursing to bring new crisis before the government where the treatment of government is very poor. After the pilkahan revolt the prisons are the next target of the vested quarter to destabilize the country. The vested quarter is using prisons as recruiting office to strengthen their terrorist activities. The young people come out from the prison and join the source outside and take part in destructive works.  

The government should make it very clear to make the whole ngo activities free from the influence of the Intelligence and politics to safe the country from further massive failure. The Islamic ngos has turned into shadow government in Bangladesh and the highest threat before Bangladesh as well as to the security of south Asian region.

William Gomes is an independent human rights activist, a Catholic ecumenical activist, and a political analyst. He is also the Executive Director of the Christian Development Alternative (CDA), a national organization against torture and human rights violations.

Anyways, a friend from youtube requested me to feature his rebuttal on the  BS theories going around regarding 26/11 attack. Enjoy…