With Bangladesh’s national elections just days away on February 12, minority groups are grappling with profound insecurity. A detailed report reveals how political disarray and growing religious extremism have intensified threats against Christians, Hindus, and Buddhists.
Bruce Allen from Forgotten Missionaries International described the country’s social fabric as unraveling. Under the Yunus-led interim administration, there’s been a troubling tolerance for militancy, leading to heightened persecution, economic woes, and public fury. “Everything is in total disarray,” he remarked in the Mission Network News report.
Public anticipation for the elections coexists with deep frustration over the current state. Generation Z’s political push, once promising, now seems splintered. The National Citizen Party’s recent pact with the contentious Jamaat-e-Islami underscores the shifting alliances.
For minorities, the dangers are acute. Allen noted that extremists are exploiting the chaos to target faith groups aggressively. New church builds are particularly vulnerable; Pastor Mintu’s project, for instance, remains frozen after Muslim locals blocked it over a year and a half ago.
Land ownership issues exacerbate the crisis. Christians often reside on precarious plots controlled by the state or neighbors, facing imminent displacement risks. In this power-imbalanced society, minorities navigate relationships with extreme caution. The report calls for urgent intervention as polls near, warning of potential violence spikes.