Christians in the Dyenna area of Bangladesh’s Tangial district are living in fear after local people’s representatives threatened to evict them and stop the construction of a church.
Pastor Mrinal Kanti Baul of the Evangelical Holiness Protestant Church complained that they were being stopped from building the church by members of the ruling party in a village located some 100 kilometers from national capital Dhaka.
“The constitution of Bangladesh has given us freedom of religion. But here I’m being prevented from building a church and being threatened with expulsion from the village. We have informed the administration in writing,” he told UCA News.
The latest incident occurred on Jan. 22 but church leaders said they were first attacked by local Muslim mobs soon after they purchased the land and started building a church in 2013.
The evangelical church has been operating in the Dyenna area since 2010. The village has about 25 active members while their congregation across Bangladesh is 3,000-strong.
Accused Dyenna Union Council Chairman Afzal Hossain denied the allegations against him, saying that many local Muslims gathered near the under-construction church and, anticipating some trouble, he had asked for help from the administration.
The sacred constitution of Bangladesh has given us the freedom to practice our religion. But people are not able to practice their faith due to some radical Muslim groups
“I did it for the good of the Christian community. I am obliged to act according to what the administration says,” Hossain told UCA News.
District Commissioner Ataul Gani told UCA News that he had heard of the incident and asked police to investigate. “I have told the local Christians to report any further problem to the police and action will be taken in the matter,” he said.
A leader of the Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council in Tangail district, speaking on condition of anonymity, said interfering with religious freedom does not behoove a civilized man.
“The sacred constitution of Bangladesh has given us the freedom to practice our religion. But people are not able to practice their faith due to some radical Muslim groups. We, the minority community, protest and want to practice our religion freely,” the Hindu leader told UCA News.
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An estimated three million people belong to ethnic minority groups in the Muslim-majority nation of more than 160 million people.
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