Bangladeshis unite to fend off threat of communal violence

A man guarded the Dhakeshwari Temple throughout the night and performed his early morning prayers right in front of the temple gate. Photo: Facebook

It was 1 am on Tuesday when more than a dozen young people gathered at the Dhakeshwari Temple premises in Old Dhaka to safeguard the area from any potential harm. 

As the night progressed, the number of participants increased, and at one point, there were more than 20 people present. 

While most of them were Muslims, one was a highly devout one, dressed in a traditional Punjabi, pyjama, and cap. He took on the responsibility of guarding the front gate.

Around 4 am, a noise came from the nearby intersection, causing everyone at the temple to become more alert. The Punjabi-clad man, acting as the group's representative, stepped forward to investigate the commotion. It turned out to be a false alarm; some factory workers were arguing loudly with each other.

As dawn approached, the man performed his early morning prayers right in front of the temple gate.

This was a common scene observed throughout the country yesterday, with young people aged between 15 to 25 at the forefront. This speaks volumes about the mentality of today's youth, often referred to as Gen Z.

The reason for their vigilance was quite understandable: after the ousting of Sheikh Hasina from power, there was a high risk of attacks on minorities by miscreants looking to exacerbate the situation and gain political advantage in the process.

Unfortunately, this has been an ever-present possibility throughout the history of not just Bangladesh, but most South Asian nations.

But this time around, things look and feel different. 

Today's youth, after successfully ousting an autocrat, are determined to make a difference on the humanitarian front as well. They don't want their hard-fought victory to get hijacked in the darkness of the night. 

So, instead of going to sleep after three weeks of continuous demonstrations, they chose to stay awake once again. This time, for a cause equally noble: to ensure the safety and protection of their Hindu, Buddhist and Christian neighbours.

Fahim Ahmed, a first-year student at a public university, said that in his batch, there are five Hindu students and one student from an ethnic minority community. So, the students of the batch unanimously decided to divide into groups and stay with each minority friend, ensuring at least six or seven people were together at all times.

"It's not like every one of them was in imminent danger. In fact, none in my batch was. Still, we decided to do it. In times like these, even if there's no need to protect someone, it's important to give them a sense of belonging and make them feel that they are one of us and we are right beside them whenever needed," explained Fahim.

As always, most of these activities were once again organised with the help of social media. 

One example is a WhatsApp community named "Resistance Dhaka United," which was divided into more than 20 groups for each neighbourhood of Dhaka. People residing in each area joined the group for their respective group to see if anyone from the minority community in their area was in trouble. 

As soon as they saw anyone seeking assistance, they rushed there to provide support. 

Some people from these groups also went to different temple premises and stayed there throughout the night. 

Some private groups were created on Facebook by like-minded individuals, where anyone from the minority community could post if they felt threatened. Whenever someone posted about feeling unsafe, they were provided with emergency phone numbers to contact, and people from their area would also rush to their house in person to help protect them.

Apart from all these, there were numerous posts, be it texts, photos or videos, calling for going forward to save the minorities, or make them feel safe. It looked like people from all walks of life were fully dedicated to make sure that no harm was being done to minorities. 

Some popular influencers, like Saiyed Abdullah or Liliput Farhan, came on Facebook Live to explain how attacks on minorities could be carried out to take the country's situation in a different direction and destroy the spirit of the movement. 

Then there were some posts on Facebook from people living abroad, offering financial assistance to any members of minority communities who had suffered from communal violence.

Despite all these efforts, there were still instances where minorities were attacked, and their houses were set on fire, vandalised and looted. Some others were threatened with attacks if they did not leave their homes.

While it is impossible to independently verify every incident, it can be said that multiple such incidents have left a palpable sense of unease across the nation.

A Hindu university student, who wished to remain anonymous, reported that some unidentified individuals came to their house in Satkhira on Monday evening and warned them of an impending attack.

After asking for help on Facebook, some young people decided to guard their house all night. Despite this, her family is now living in constant fear that something bad could happen at any moment.

"It's not like our house will be guarded all the time. What if the attackers come when no one is around?" she asked. 

Another person, currently living in Kolkata, contacted this journalist on Monday night, expressing deep concern about his family's safety back in Bangladesh. "We wanted to celebrate the victory like everyone else. But when my community isn't safe, how can I celebrate?" he asked.

"I don't know who is to blame for this situation. I don't care if Jamaat-Shibir is doing it, or Awami League is doing it to put the blame on Jamaat-Shibir. All I know is that a revolution would only succeed if each and every single member of the country is in the right mind to enjoy its success," he concluded.