With Islamist groups gaining more political influence in Bangladesh, Church sources are increasingly concerned about the treatment of Christians and ongoing attacks on Catholic schools. Christians often struggle to find work, church construction projects are delayed, and the future of Catholic schools is under threat, according to a Church source who wished to remain anonymous for security reasons.
Speaking with Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the unnamed source said that religious freedom – despite being guaranteed by the constitution – is not being respected. ACN’s contact added that “the fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami party”, which has ties to the government, “wants Islam to be the only religion in Bangladesh”.
“The list of holidays has recently changed, and more Islamic feasts have become national holidays. Christians are demanding at least one day for Easter, which is not even listed properly as a holiday. During Easter, people have to go to work and students have to sit exams, so they cannot attend Mass and other celebrations.”
The source explained that Christians cannot find employment in some parts of the country, and “the authorities are also making it difficult for us to build new chapels”, failing to issue permissions on time. ACN’s contact said that Catholic schools and universities have also been targeted – a mob “controlled by Jamaat-e-Islami” torched a school, and similar mobs have been putting increasing pressure on Catholic institutions to replace the people in charge. He added: “Their goal is to take over the administration of the school. They are demanding an Islamic dress code – the hijab for girls and the traditional ṭopi for boys. They are trying to take over the school’s managing committee and take control of the finances and everything else.
“They are telling the schools that they don’t want a particular priest, religious sister or teacher there. In several schools, our religious administrators have been forced to resign. In one school, two sisters have been forced to step down. At a university, a priest has been forced to quit.”The source highlighted that the Church has set up an interfaith committee of legal experts and other leaders who have been instrumental in helping Christian communities “maintain a peaceful situation” and “appeal for justice”.
ACN has helped the Church in Bangladesh with the construction of schools, churches, monasteries and convents, as well as providing vehicles for priests and supporting training programmes for catechists. The source spoke about the importance of this support: “Catechists often help village leaders with public administration and management as they are often more highly educated than the leaders themselves. We train our catechists in theology and Church teaching so that they can help run their communities well.”
And he concluded: “Priests also receive Mass stipends from ACN. This is much needed, because income in many areas is very low, and Mass collections yield very little. God bless ACN for your help.”