Queens-based non-profit the Arts4All Foundation joined U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar of Michigan to hold a “Peace For All Rally” at the US Capitol Wednesday, calling for an end to violence, atrocities and persecution of vulnerable, indigenous and minority populations in Bangladesh.
Community leaders of various backgrounds gathered outside the Capitol Building Wednesday, Dec. 18, to call on Congress to take action against rising violence in Bangladesh and prevent the genocide, human rights violations and displacement of minorities in Bangladesh, which has seen a rise in religious extremism and targeted attacks on minority religions since July.
Members of religious minorities in Bangladesh, which is one of the largest Muslim countries in the world, face harassment and violence, including mob violence directed against their houses of worship, according to a US State Department report.
Arts4All, a non-profit dedicated to educating, advocating and empowering individuals and communities to be artists of change, held last week’s peace rally in a bid to highlight the role that the US can play in safeguarding the human rights of one of the “most vulnerable populations” in the world.
Dr. Sumita SenGupta, the founder of the Arts4All Foundation and co-organizer of the peace rally press conference, said religious minorities in Bangladesh are “facing extinction” unless action is taken to reduce tensions in the region.
“Our message is simple: we call for peace and for all of the world governments to collaboratively work together and unify in preserving and protecting all human life,” SenGupta said at Wednesday’s rally.
Wednesday’s rally also heard how the interim Bangladeshi government run by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who replaced the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August, faces a critical and immediate challenge of addressing the resurgence of religious and ideological extremism as well as geopolitical instability in the region.
Reports from the United Nations indicate that hundreds of people have lost their lives and tens of thousands have been displaced due to religious persecution in only the last few months.
U.S. Rep. Thanedar, who co-organized Wednesday’s rally, said it was important to highlight “with a sense of urgency” the human rights violations ongoing in Bangladesh.
“Whether at home or abroad, we cannot remain silent while innocent people are subjected to unspeakable acts of violence due to their religious beliefs,” Thaneder said. “This is not merely a matter of foreign policy—it is a test of our moral resolve.”
Thanedar announced Wednesday that he has sent multiple letters to the United States State and Treasury Departments suggesting immediate, tangible steps, including humanitarian protection for persecuted minorities from Bangladesh by designating them as eligible for temporary protected status in the US. He has also called for congressional oversight, calling on Congress to convene hearings to assess the situation and explore policy responses that protect human rights.
Thanedar also called on the State and Treasury Departments to impose sanctions on those perpetrating these “heinous acts” against minorities in Bangladesh.
At a separate press briefing on Wednesday, Vedant Patel, the State Department’s principal deputy spokesperson, said the State Department has been “deeply troubled” by reports that hundreds of Bangladeshis have been forcibly disappeared over the past two decades.
“Enforced disappearance is an egregious human rights violation that inflicts the trauma of indeterminate detention or disappearance on its victims. It also inflicts the trauma of uncertainty on the families,” Patel said. “We welcome efforts by the interim government to investigate these crimes and encourage fair and transparent processes to provide justice for the victims and their family members.”
Bangladesh’s Hindu population, which makes up around 8% of the country’s population, has been the most targeted group based on their religious beliefs, with thousands of Hindu homes, businesses and temples vandalized, burnt and destroyed.
