Ethnic Cleansing in Bangladesh Latest Steps in Islamization

Gatestone Institute 5 October 2012
By Mohshin Habib

Despite what officials state, the Islamists of Bangladesh have been violently urging all non-Muslims to get out of the country. Buddhists, for example, mostly settled in the southeast part of Bangladesh and less than 1% of the population of 150 million, have been struggling to survive. More than 1,000 have fled; the situation is no different for Christians and Hindus.

What is clear is that Rabita Al Alam al Islami, known as Al-Rabita, a powerful Saudi Arabia-based non-governmenal organization [NGO] has taken charge of Islamization, especially in the remote areas. Since 1980, Al-Rabita has been working throughout southeast Bangladesh to convert the hill people to Islam. There is serious concern that Al-Rabita has been funding terrorists (See: "Islamic NGOs Funding Terror in Bangladesh").

Throughout the area, construction of mosques and madrassas [Islamic religious schools] continues. There are now 800 mosques and nearly 300 madrassas built by Al-Rabita. Al-Rabita also has an Islamic Missionary Center with the goal of converting poor tribal people. This Saudi NGO has been spending millions of dollar to promote Shariah law and violent Islamism in the country.

And because Saudi Arabia is one of the top foreign aid donors to Bangladesh -- the government of Bangladesh has taken no action against this NGO. Saudi Arabia has also threatened that if it is discontented, it will send back to Bangladesh the tens of thousands of laborers who work in Saudi Arabia.

For three days beginning September 29, more than 25,000 radical Muslims attacked different Buddhist communities in Bangladesh, as reported in news coverage worldwide. The Islamist attackers claimed that a photo of a burned copy of the Koran was posted on Facebook by a Buddhist youth. The youth denied the allegation and proved that someone else posted the photo in his Facebook wall. (continue reading...)