Most people of Bangladesh feel that the current interim government is providing more security to religious and ethnic minorities than the previous Awami League government. However, the survey results showed some differences in perceptions of security between Muslims and non-Muslims.
In this survey conducted by Voice of America Bengal at the end of last October, 64.1 percent of the respondents think that the interim government has been able to ensure more security for the minority population than the Awami League government. Only 15.3 percent of the respondents felt that minorities are getting less security under the current government than before. 17.9 percent of the respondents think that the situation remains unchanged.
The opinion of 1000 respondents from eight categories was taken in the survey. Equal numbers of women and men were polled to maintain demographic diversity, of whom 92.7 percent were Muslim. More than half of the respondents were under 34 years of age and a quarter lived in urban areas.
The Situation of Minorities: Past to Present
After the fall of the Awami League government, especially after August 5, attacks on minority communities increased. In different parts of the country, the homes, businesses and places of worship of the minorities were vandalized and set on fire. Human rights activist Noor Khan said that both political and religious reasons worked behind these attacks. An example of this is the burning of the houses of the Ahmadiyya community in Panchagarh.
But Dr. The interim government led by Muhammad Yunus has taken important steps to improve the situation. The situation was kept under control by guarding the places of worship of the minorities with the initiative of the local administration, religious institutions and common people.
Differences in views of Muslims and non-Muslims
According to the survey, 13.9 percent of Muslim respondents believe that the current situation is worse than before. On the other hand, 33.9 percent of religious minorities feel that the current government has failed to ensure their security.
Jayati Sarkar, a resident of Dhaka, said that she was never worried about her safety before, but now she is not completely sure. However, many minorities felt that the 15-year rule of the Awami League had brought an end to their land grabbing and selling, which brought a sense of relief.
International response
The international community has expressed concern over the increase in violence against minorities after the change of government in Bangladesh. India's Ministry of External Affairs and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken spoke to the interim government of Bangladesh on the security of minorities.
However, the interim government termed these attacks as isolated incidents and denied the allegations.
A crisis of confidence
Human rights activist Noor Khan thinks that the crisis of confidence in the security of minorities has not completely resolved. He said that the confidence of the minority community will depend on the government's actions in the next six to nine months.
Human rights activists have called on the government to take more effective steps to ensure the rights and safety of minorities.
