Bangladesh doesn't seem religious

[Anakin]

I don't know where from you got the information about steep decline in hindu population. According to census conducted in 2001' date=' the % hindu population remained same over the last 30 years.[/quote']:haha::haha::hysterical::hysterical:

[Guest dada_rocks]

I don't know where from you got the information about steep decline in hindu population. According to census conducted in 2001' date=' the % hindu population remained same over the last 30 years.[/quote'] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism_in_Bangladesh there u go help urself with the data

[karina]

Majority Bangladeshis don't mix religion with sports. Bangladesh is a moderate muslim country which have its own culture' date=' and is also eager to protect its own heritage. Unlike India or Pakistan, Bangladeshis are much more tolerant about religion, and that's why we don't have any record of riot or similar mishaps in our history.[/quote'] Hi Miraz, welcome to the forum. Come on guys, Miraz has little or nothing to do with declining hindu population. :whatchutalkingabout I have attended a few BD functions and the first time I did so, I was really surprised to see most women dressed beautifully in trendy saris, low cut blouses et al, bindis and bangles. Reminded me of Calcutta chic. And most of the people I met were completely chilled out and friendly.

[Anakin]

Nobody's blaming Miraz. It's the usual nonchalance of most decent people that some take advantage of.

[karina]

Nobody's blaming Miraz. It's the usual nonchalance of most decent people that some take advantage of.

I get you. But sometimes politics can become a sticky subject. :saint:

[sumon77]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism_in_Bangladesh there u go help urself with the data

dada babu... oil your own machine. To Ravi ....good observation.... and what Miraz said is correct. We do follow Islam but we dont bring religion to everything like sports. even if you visit our cricket forums you wont find religious threads. As I find here, some of the active members LOVE to criticise (even sometimes imrpovise to get an opportunity), you wont find it there. We are more tolerate type. And for the culture, simply we are muslim Bengali, we share Bengali culture with west bengal, only difference, ours is islam influenced where as west bengal is hindu influenced. so you will find a lot of similarities in cultural activities, food habbits, dress and so on. it looks like many of you actually dont have that much idea about bangladesh, may be you didnt get a chance to mix with Bangladeshis. I am sure if you could, many confusion would go straight away.

[The Outsider]

Most Bangladeshis I have come across in my life have been very simple and highly cultural people. The influence of the Bengali culture with its emphasis on the arts and sciences is there to see in them and none of them are overtly religious. Ofcourse, I've met all of them in the West so they represent the Bangladeshi elite just as I and all of us on the board from India represent the Indian elite. Pakistanis used to be on similar lines, though not to the extent of Bangladesh, till Zia-ul-Haq completely radicalized their political system and unfortunately over the last decade Bangladesh has started charting a similar route according to these people I've met ie. the growing influence of the fundamentalists in national politics. It'll be interesting to see how the future unfolds for Bangladeshi politics.

[Miraz]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism_in_Bangladesh there u go help urself with the data

d_r, thanks for providing the links. Well, if u take the pre independence era or British era, it is really difficult to comment. There is some migration of Hindu population from Bangladesh to India, true but that has no relation to religious freedom or oppression. I grew up in Bangladesh with a good number of hindu friends, we were like brothers and never ever heard anything from their community about Muslims preventing their religious freedom or anything similar. There was harmony and there is. Now, social crime always happens in a third world country and miscreants sometimes takes the opportunity to oppress minority. But, that's insignificant and no way more than similar crimes against poor muslim families by the same group of miscreants. Extremists are everywhere, but in Bangladesh they are not able to set the tone of relationship between Hindus and Muslims. There are exceptions from my statements, and we all know in every society exceptions happen, and they should be treated as exceptions.

[CC1981]

There is some migration of Hindu population from Bangladesh to India, true but that has no relation to religious freedom or oppression.

Utterly false. You may not know this, but there are other Bongs here too. I have an aunt living very close to the Bangladesh border- town called Bongaon if you may know. Every year there are hoardes of hindu bangladeshis ( and far lesser # of muslim bangladeshis) crossing over. Temple destructions and forced conversions in Barisal, Chottogram, etc. happen to this day, though it is far less prevalent/sporadic than what went on/goes on in Pakistan. I will agree however that the vast majority of Bangladeshis don't have any hangups over religion. Some of my father's closest friends are Bangladeshis and they've done a lot for each other. But Bangladesh at the same time, has a continued presence of anti-hindu violence. The reason why Bangladesh still has a pretty significant hindu population and a good level of social calm, is that Bangladesh started out with a LOT more hindus than Pakistani areas did. You guys ended up with close to 20% of hindu population - that is 1 out of every 5 person. Pakistan ended up with less than 1 out of every 10. Not to mention, when Bangladesh was a Pakistani territorry, most of the 'ethnic cleansing of hindus' were focussed in Pakistan proper, since we all know that Pakistan gave itself prefferential treatment when it was West Pakistan and Bangladesh was East Pakistan. So in essence, bangladeshi hindus have had a relatively calm period till the 1970s. The madness that continued in Bangladesh after your independence flared into anti-hindu sentiments, which are still continued today.

[The Outsider]

It was closer to the 15% mark in Pakistan than 10%.

[CC1981]

It was closer to the 15% mark in Pakistan than 10%.

At the moment of partition, yes. This balance declined very drastically in the western side compared to the eastern side. Primarily because there wernt that many crossing the border on the east side ( over 70% of the population exchange at partition occured in the west border with today's pakistan). Also, violence against remaining hindus in Pakistan was chiefly caused by newly arrived (and thus, landless and property-less) muslims in Pakistan. Consider the fact that in the Bengal side, due to tremendous slaughter of hindus, 3.5 million hindu bengalis moved to west bengal while only 700,000 of bihari muslims/west bengali muslims went to bangladesh. Due to this huge disparity in population transfer, the bangladeshi muslims/arriving muslims in Bangladesh had ample property to take over. ( while on the west border, almost 2 million more muslims moved into today's Pakistan than hindus who left, creating serious issues with landless muslims attacking land-owning hindus, particularly in Sindh). Due to this, post-independence violence against hindus in Bangladesh was significantly lesser than in "west" Pakistan. Ofcourse, Pakistan killed a crap-load of hidus in Bangladesh during the late 60s along with a lot of bangladeshi muslim intellectuals to try and pre-empt independence ideas. Not to mention, the madness in Bangladesh through the 70s snowballed into hindu-hatred in some areas that are still continuing. I know this because i know my family history- i've visited my grandfather's ( father's side)ancestral village outside Dhaka and my grandmother on mother's side comes from Rajshahi.

[sumon77]

Utterly false. You may not know this, but there are other Bongs here too. I have an aunt living very close to the Bangladesh border- town called Bongaon if you may know. Every year there are hoardes of hindu bangladeshis ( and far lesser # of muslim bangladeshis) crossing over. Temple destructions and forced conversions in Barisal, Chottogram, etc. happen to this day, though it is far less prevalent/sporadic than what went on/goes on in Pakistan. I will agree however that the vast majority of Bangladeshis don't have any hangups over religion. Some of my father's closest friends are Bangladeshis and they've done a lot for each other. But Bangladesh at the same time, has a continued presence of anti-hindu violence. The reason why Bangladesh still has a pretty significant hindu population and a good level of social calm, is that Bangladesh started out with a LOT more hindus than Pakistani areas did. You guys ended up with close to 20% of hindu population - that is 1 out of every 5 person. Pakistan ended up with less than 1 out of every 10. Not to mention, when Bangladesh was a Pakistani territorry, most of the 'ethnic cleansing of hindus' were focussed in Pakistan proper, since we all know that Pakistan gave itself prefferential treatment when it was West Pakistan and Bangladesh was East Pakistan. So in essence, bangladeshi hindus have had a relatively calm period till the 1970s. The madness that continued in Bangladesh after your independence flared into anti-hindu sentiments, which are still continued today.

CC... cant agree with you. False allegation. I know there are hundreds of hindu (as well as muslim as you claimed) cross over the border but you better check whether they go there to migrate or to visit relatives as around the border most of the families have relatives in both sides. they cross the border just like walking across without any passport or legal things and come back. if you were right then why muslims (as u mentioned) even a single one will go to india? There are some hindu goes over and start living due to some reasons like marriage, business or they have relatives there, so just prefer to migrate, but very little and not due to any kind of oppression. and temple destruction, forced conversion? my God you are too dependent on your media or dreaming I guess. As if many of you here have done Ph.D on social problems in Bangladesh. I am sick of these comments and top of it, it comes from the citizens from a country who herself has huge issues with religions... riots.. killing... burning trains inside people.. killing ppl in the temples...and so on so on. please do a favor to human being by first trying for solution for your own country. sorry to be rude but couldnt help.

[Lurker]

CC... cant agree with you. False allegation. I know there are hundreds of hindu (as well as muslim as you claimed) cross over the border but you better check whether they go there to migrate or to visit relatives as around the border most of the families have relatives in both sides. they cross the border just like walking across without any passport or legal things and come back. if you were right then why muslims (as u mentioned) even a single one will go to india? There are some hindu goes over and start living due to some reasons like marriage' date=' business or they have relatives there, so just prefer to migrate, but very little and not due to any kind of oppression. And temple destruction, forced conversion? my God you are too dependent on your media or dreaming I guess. As if many of you here have done Ph.D on social problems in Bangladesh. I am sick of these comments and top of it, it comes from the citizens from a country who herself has huge issues with religions... riots.. killing... burning trains inside people.. killing ppl in the temples...and so on so on. please do a favor to human being by first trying for solution for your own country. sorry to be rude but couldnt help.[/quote'] Sumon. It is not a "your" media propaganda it is simple truth. See Bangladesh problem is two-fold. One its economy is really in bad shape. Two, there has been a increase in Islamic hardliners. It would be imprudent to deny either of these two. Both these have resulted in bad situation for Hindus and given a chance they like to escape to India where the economic livelihood is better, and there is no fear of religious persecution. xxx

[CC1981]

cant agree with you. False allegation. I know there are hundreds of hindu (as well as muslim as you claimed) cross over the border but you better check whether they go there to migrate or to visit relatives as around the border most of the families have relatives in both sides. they cross the border just like walking across without any passport or legal things and come back.

Mate, i am talking about pretty grim stuff. Like how some family immigrated out of fear because some local muslim chokra took their eldest daughter, police did nothing and they are fleeing in concern of their other daughters. Or some guy fleeing because his land got 'taken over' by some muslim local goonda, police did nothing etc etc. I am not talking about 'ashe-jae' travellers, i am talking about people who flee Bangladesh due to religious persecution.

if you were right then why muslims (as u mentioned) even a single one will go to india?

because while there are hindu fanatics who hate muslims, they are far far smaller in number than islamic fanatics in any islamic society i've seen, plus the hindu fanatics drown you with rhetoric, they don't steal your women or stone you to death/make you disappear like muslim fanatics. For two, immigrating to India is infinitely more proposing a financial situation than staying in bangladesh. Make no mistake, bangladesh economy is an utter basket case compared to even the west bengali economy- which is India's basket-case. You get the picture how much better it is on this side of the border- not talking outta my arse, there are bong muslims pouring through everywhere in India - not just West Bengal, Bangladeshi muslims are arriving illegally by the droves in Assam and Tripura. This has already insanely pissed off the ULFA and i expect Tripura to go ballistic soon with this mass incursion of Bangladeshis because India to Bangladesh is much like US to Mexico. US whines about the Latino takeover, in East India (incase you havn't figured out yet, i am a Bengali ) everyone is whining about the Bangladeshi takeover.

? my God you are too dependent on your media or dreaming I guess.

I do not need the 'media' to tell me whats going on in Bangladesh. I *still* have family ties in Bangladesh, albeit distant. For two, 'my media' ? which media is that exactly ? I don't rely on Indian media or western media for that matter- i make up my mind independently.

I am sick of these comments and top of it, it comes from the citizens from a country who herself has huge issues with religions... riots.. killing... burning trains inside people.. killing ppl in the temples...and so on so on

I hate to say this but the common denominator from Bosnia, Afghanistan, Kashmir, Chechnya, Turkestan, Pakistan, Bangladesh,Thailand,Phillipines, etc etc. are : Muslims. Ever noticed much riots between Hindus and Christians ? Or Hindus and Jews ? Yes, there are still a lot of Jews in India too ya know ! Tell me when was the last hindu- parsee fight on any level. Or Hindu-Buddhist or Hindu-Jain. Hell, forget the hindu angle, tell me when was the last time India had riots and burnings and whatnot involving any of Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, Jains ? With the Sikhs too, it was once and pretty much only because a nutter extremist was camped inside the Harimandir Sahib armed to the teeth holding hostages. I am sorry but India's problems on religion issue is miniscule to non-existant (it is literally one big happy family!) once you negate Islam from the ledger. Thats the cold,hard, bitter truth.

please do a favor to human being by first trying for solution for your own country

Yes. I've been advocating either annexing Bangladesh and getting rid of extremist muslims there ( face it, Bangladesh is pretty dependent on India for everything, including 80% of its trade...you might as well join us and spare us the wa-wa over Farakkah) or putting up a huge electric fence around Bangladesh. Your choice.

[Miraz]

Having pre-conceived Idea or getting it from the media can be always misleading. What I saying is from my own experience in the society where we grew up. it's not the lite society, it's the middle class. Grew up in sub-urban areas of four cities of Bangladesh before settling in Dhaka. Witnessed many things which can never be seen through the eye of media. Slaughter,.... some other words, huh!! From these wordings I am sure, there is no point continuing discussion. I rest my case. You live with your version of stories.

[CC1981]

Having pre-conceived Idea or getting it from the media can be always misleading.

You are assuming that my ideas are preconcieved. They are not.

Slaughter,.... some other words, huh!! From these wordings I am sure, there is no point continuing discussion.

Over a million hindu bangladeshis killed during partition. Nearly another million killed between 69-70 by Pakistani Army guys (on religious grounds). Fits 'slaughter' in my books.

You live with your version of stories.

Ironic thing is,the blind is professing eyesight to the one with sight. Sorry bhai kintu tomar chobi-ta ulto.

[Guest BossBhai]

-- Removed on request of the user --

[varun]

:whatchutalkingabout do i see CC and Bheem agreeing on something there ?

[King]

Expect a catastrophe :tounge_smile:

[Guest dada_rocks]

There is some migration of Hindu population from Bangladesh to India, true but that has no relation to religious freedom or oppression. ************************ Even if I take ur point of Hindus migrate from Bangaldesh how did u come up with the conclusion it has nothign to do with religious oppression. To me it sounds like simple persecution. You don't just leave ur ancetrsal home unless and until faced with some problem. Even if I accept for a second that u guys are not killing bangaldeshi hindus but u most certainly are creating an environment where they don't feel safe and thereby are leaving in droves.