Bangladesh PM Hasina wants Islam as state religion ~ return to the bad old genocidal days??

Prime Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina dreams of an Islamic state

Not so smart !!

I can remember an interview with the former Bangladeshi PM, where he stated clearly, We are a Muslim majority country, Bangladesh is not an Islamic state.

No doubt this statement from the current PM, did not come out of nowhere and that there is likely pressure being applied ~ more $$oil$$ for Islamic law.

One of the reasons, in fact her own father, also a PM, moved towards secularism, was the bloodshed spilled by Pakistan led Islamists, against the educated elite and non-Muslims of that country, then East Pakistan.

At least now someone who converts from Islam has rights and some protection under the law.


The problem with these genies ~ is how do you control them once they are let out.

Following a 1971 war of independence against West Pakistan, Bangladesh gained independence, creating the second largest Muslim-majority nation. That war was concurrently anti-Hindu anti-Bengali genocide by Islamic Republic’s army and its Bengali and Urdu speaking Islamist allies.


The book documents the decade-wise “missing” Hindus from Bangladesh Census: over 49 million; larger than 163 of 189 nations listed in World Bank’s April 2003 World Development indicators database - and over 3.1 million (larger than 75 of 189 nations) Hindus lost their lives through the process of Islamization. [+]



Pakistan comprised of two segments: East Pakistan and West Pakistan. In 1971, East Pakistan became Bangladesh, a separate country. Both Pakistan and Bangladesh have been declared as Islamic republics.

Hindus have always been threatened and discriminated against in Pakistan and Bangladesh on religious grounds. Though in 1947, Hindus accounted for 24 per cent of the present day Pakistan’s population, now the numbers less than two per cent. Situation is equally grave in Bangladesh where Hindus numbered 31 per cent in 1947, but now number nine per cent. Most of the Hindus / Sikhs have either been driven out, or have been killed or forcibly converted in Pakistan and Bangladesh. However, in India, the present percentage of Muslim population is much higher than that was in 1947.

Pakistan and Bangladesh have never explained what they have done to their Hindu population. [+]

Dhaka, April 27 (IANS) Bangladesh’s ruling Awami League would like to retain Islam as the state religion but wants all religions to enjoy equal rights, Prime Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said.

In a reversal of a policy laid down by her late father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who led Bangladesh to freedom, Hasina said she favoured retaining ‘Bismillah-Ar-Rahman-Ar-Rahim’ above the preamble of the constitution.

The 1972 constitution had secularism as one of its pillars. This was removed after Mujibur Rahman was assassinated in 1975. Bangladesh is now an Islamic republic, with 90 percent of its people being Muslims.

Hindus constitute about nine percent and indigenous tribals follow Buddhism. There is a sprinkling of Christians.

Hasina told the media after a two-hour meeting with the parliamentary committee that her party ‘is not against having Islam as state religion’.

She suggested that the constitution should have ‘provision for ensuring equal rights to people of other religions’, The Daily Star reported Wednesday.

Hasina also said her party was against banning religion-based political parties but it wanted some restrictions on them.

This is the first time a prime minister appeared before a parliamentary committee that is reviewing the constitution in the light of a Supreme Court verdict last year that annulled several amendments brought about during 1975-90 when Bangladesh was a military-ruled nation.

Jatiya Party, a major component of the Hasina-led ruling alliance, wanted the state religion to be retained.

But the Left leaning Workers Party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, Ganotanri Party and National Awami Party strongly opposed the Jatiya Party proposal.