After attacks on minorities, Bangladesh Sufi shrines targeted

DHAKA: After violence against minorities and their places of worship, Sufi shrines in Bangladesh have come under attack and vandalism in recent days.

Sufi shrines have been known for years as places of worship for all irrespective of caste or creed. The latest attacks raise questions about the interim govt's ability to rein in such attacks as fundamentalists apparently gather strength and feel emboldened. Interim govt chief adviser Muhammad Yunus's office has blamed the attacks on "miscreants".

The targeting of Sufi shrines is seen as an attack on sects and practices that fundamentalists consider deviants and at odds with their hardline version of Islam. Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, both involved in religion-based politics, have not been seen protesting such attacks.

But many others are alarmed. Arifujjaman Amiree, who lives inside Hazrat Amirul Awlia Syed Amiruzzaman Shah mazar area, pointed out that Bangladesh was a land of many Auliyas (saints) who helped promote Islam. These included Hazrat Shahjalal, Hazrat Golap Shah, Bayazid Bostami, Shah Amanat and Shahchand Auliya.

According to Amiree, shrines are not just places for Muslims but people from other faiths, including Hindus, visit them. "Such attacks must stop," Amiree said.

The Muhammad Yunus-led interim condemned the attacks on Sufi shrines. "The government is acting to bring unscrupulous forces involved in the attacks to book and initiate stringent action against them," chief adviser Yunus's office said in a statement.

Stressing that the attacks have been carried out by "miscreants", the interim govt said law enforcing agencies had been instructed to take adequate measures to protect shrines and cultural sites. "We are stating in unambiguous terms that we will remain a country of harmony and any attempts to disturb religious or cultural tolerance will be strongly dealt with without discrimination."

Robert Simon, prominent French human rights activist and Chief Adviser of JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France, termed the systematic violence against minority communities in Bangladesh not only an attack on their fundamental rights but also an affront to principles of equality and justice. "The international community, along with the Bangladesh govt, must take immediate action to protect these vulnerable people."