'Ahmadiyya Sect Targeted In Bangladesh Violence', Says Mumbai Community

The violence in Bangladesh following the student protest against reservations and the subsequent flight of its Prime Minister has been followed by attacks on the lives and properties of the country's religious minorities, especially Hindus.

Members of the Ahmadiyya sect in Mumbai have said that they have received news about attacks on their mosques and houses in the riots. The Ahmadiyyas or Ahmadis, one of 74 sects in Islam, are a small minority among Bangladesh's Muslim majority.

They have said that in the aftermath of the departure of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, anarchy took over the country. They said that thousands of protestors attacked the Ahmadnagar Ahmadiyya mosque, Jalsa Gah, and houses of Ahmadis in the area. Rioters are reported to have captured and broken the wall of the mosque and other Ahmadi properties. Houses of Ahmadis were attacked and set on fire and many members of the Ahmadiyya community were injured. The civil administration has failed to control the violence.

The Ahmadiyya's community in Bangladesh said that five mosques, including shrines in Ahmadnagar (Panchagarh), Taraganj in Rangpur district, Bamnail in Rajshahi, and Sherpur, were attacked. Around 22 people are reported to have been injured in the attacks. 

Dhaka resident Ahmad Tabshir Choudhury, a former information technology personnel in a bank and a spokesperson for the community said that the attacks have now stopped. "Three mosques were set on fire and two have been completely destroyed. Around 117; Ahmadiyya homes were attacked," said Choudhury 

There are an estimated 100,000 Ahmadiyyas in Bangladesh, with the community having its beginnings in 1903 during the lifetime of its founder.

"There is no constitutional or official ban on Ahmadiyyas, but there are incidents of violence after provocation by fundamentalists," said Choudhury.

The in-charge of the Bangla Desk of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, Feroz Alam Sahib, has been quoted in the weekly Al Hakam that over 80 Ahmadi homes in Ahmednagar have been burned and demolished. She said that the local mosque, including its prayer hall, guesthouse, and the entire ground floor was also destroyed. Jamia Ahmadiyya, their educational institution, came under attack, resulting in injuries to many students.

The army stopped the further ingress of rioters. A total of 22 community members have been injured, and five mosques and other structures demolished, it has been reported.Unlike Pakistan where Ahmadiyyas are not recognised as Muslims, the Bangladesh government does not treat them differently from other Muslims. However, Masarrat Ahmed of Mumbai's Ahmadiyya community said that there is fear in Bangladesh.

"The extremist leaders in Bangladesh hold similar views as their counterparts in Pakistan. The earlier government was liberal, but some of the partners in the new administration are not. There is a worry about persecution," said Ahmed. "When extremists kill innocents only for their belief, people are scared," Ahmed added that victims of the violence are finding it difficult to register complaints as the police are often sympathetic to the rioters. 

The Ahmadiyya sect was founded in 1889 by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in Punjab. He is considered the long-awaited messiah prophesied by the prophet of Islam, Muhammad. The mainstream sects consider this belief as heresy as they say that Muhammad had announced that he was the last prophet in a line that includes Moses and Jesus.