Fanatics Always Turn On Their Creators

A reminder for those trying to ride the religious extremist elements to power in Bangladesh

- Mamun Al Mahtab

It all started with an untoward incident in Cumilla. Someone had reportedly placed a copy of the Holy Quran on the lap of Hanuman at a Durga puja venue, which led to widespread vandalism of places of worship, residence and work of the Hindu community in Bangladesh. It is incredible that people would actually believe that Hindus in Bangladesh would risk ruining their biggest festival by an act that deliberately offends Muslims. But it seems that human beings can turn to savages abandoning rationale, humanity and morality in the name of religion.

Seeds of hatred

The genesis of what is happening today in Bangladesh goes back to the tragic partition of Bengal or ‘Banga Bhanga’ in 1905. Although Bangladesh enjoys a millennia-old heritage and culture of secularism, except for the brief period of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s government and the current 12 years of uninterrupted governance by his daughter Sheikh Hasina, the country has always experienced tension in the name of religion. ‘Banga Bhanga’ was in fact a way of reprogramming the Bengali mindset that they are not one people. Rather there are two sects among them, namely Muslims and Hindus, and if they have to prosper, they can only do so by competing with each other and not through cooperation.