New York City witnessed a powerful airline banner message recently when Hindu-American group members flew it to appeal to the world to ensure an end to the ongoing violence on the community in Bangladesh.
The large banner flew over the Hudson River and circled the Statue of Liberty, a global symbol of human dignity, freedom, and equality, reported ANI.
According to reports, the Bangladeshi Hindu population has declined significantly from 20 per cent in 1971 to just 8.9 per cent today.
Bangladesh has recorded a massive spike in attacks on Hindu community members ever since the former PM Sheikh Hasina-led government collapsed in the country on August 5 in the face of massive violent protests against her regime.
Sheikh Hasina fled to India.
Sitangshu Guha, from the Bangladesh Hindu Community and one of the event organisers, highlighted the threat and told ANI, Hindus in Bangladesh are on the verge of extinction. Hopefully, this will raise awareness among the civilised world and prompt the UN to take action to save the victims of militant Islamic forces in Bangladesh. If Bangladesh becomes Hindu-free, it will become Afghanistan 2.0, and militants will spread to neighbouring India and other parts of the world, including the West. This is everyones problem.
Pankaj Mehta, another activist and member of the Interfaith Human Rights Coalition who helped organise the event, told the Indian news agency, It is time for the UN Human Rights Council to put aside politics and officially recognise the 1971 Bangladesh genocide, the largest genocide since World War II. Three US-based organisationsThe Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention, Genocide Watch, and the International Coalition of Sites of Consciencehave already recognised the atrocities committed by Pakistani occupation forces and their Islamist allies in 1971 as genocide, primarily targeting the Hindu minority. The UN must follow suit and take steps to prevent another looming genocide.
Surjit Chowdhary, founding member of Sree Gita Sangha in New Jersey, US, told ANI that the Bangladesh government should stop all violence against the Hindu community and address political differences through democratic processes.
Bangladesh is currently ruled by an interim government under the leadership of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.
