Space Summary
The Twitter Space #SaveBangladeshiHindus | CoHNA hosted by CoHNAOfficial. #SaveBangladeshiHindus | CoHNA focuses on advocating for Hinduism, community matters, and cultural understanding in North America through grassroots efforts. They address challenges, promote inclusivity, and drive positive change through education, collaboration, and community engagement. CoHNA's long-term goals include sustainable advocacy and increased awareness to benefit the Hindu community.
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Questions
Q: What is the main focus of #SaveBangladeshiHindus | CoHNA?
A: The organization aims to improve understanding of Hinduism and address community issues in North America.
Q: Why is grassroots advocacy important for CoHNA?
A: Grassroots efforts are effective in raising awareness and driving positive change within communities.
Q: How does CoHNA promote inclusivity and cultural understanding?
A: By fostering education and engagement, CoHNA works towards creating a tolerant and informed society.
Q: Why is collaboration key for advocacy organizations like CoHNA?
A: Collaboration enhances outreach, support, and impact in addressing community challenges.
Q: What role does education play in CoHNA's advocacy efforts?
A: Education is fundamental in dispelling misconceptions and promoting cultural awareness.
Q: How can individuals support CoHNA's mission?
A: Engaging in dialogue, spreading awareness, and participating in community events can help further CoHNA's goals.
Q: Why is preserving cultural heritage important for organizations like CoHNA?
A: Preservation of cultural heritage fosters identity, pride, and understanding within communities.
Q: What challenges does the Hindu community face in North America?
A: Issues such as misconceptions, discrimination, and lack of representation pose challenges for the community.
Q: How can CoHNA contribute to positive change within the Hindu community?
A: Through advocacy, education, and community support, CoHNA aims to address challenges and promote unity.
Q: What are the long-term goals of #SaveBangladeshiHindus | CoHNA?
A: Long-term goals include sustainable advocacy, increased awareness, and positive impact on the Hindu community in North America.
Highlights
Time: 00:13:45
Advocacy for Cultural Understanding Discussing how CoHNA advocates for cultural awareness and inclusivity.
Time: 00:27:20
Community Engagement Initiatives Exploring the role of community engagement in driving positive change.
Time: 00:40:58
Challenges and Solutions Addressing challenges faced by the Hindu community and proposing advocacy solutions.
Time: 00:55:10
Educational Outreach Programs Highlighting CoHNA's educational initiatives for promoting understanding.
Time: 01:10:45
Collaboration and Unity Emphasizing the importance of collaboration and unity in advocacy work.
Time: 01:25:30
Preserving Cultural Heritage Exploring the significance of cultural preservation for community identity.
Time: 01:40:15
Future of CoHNA Discussing long-term goals and visions for #SaveBangladeshiHindus | CoHNA.
Time: 01:55:00
Supporting CoHNA Ways individuals can support and contribute to CoHNA's advocacy efforts.
Key Takeaways
- Promoting understanding of Hinduism is central to #SaveBangladeshiHindus | CoHNA's mission.
- Advocacy plays a vital role in addressing issues impacting the Hindu community in North America.
- Grassroots initiatives are effective in creating awareness and driving positive change.
- Education and awareness are key components in promoting cultural understanding and inclusivity.
- Collaboration and community engagement are essential for the success of advocacy efforts like CoHNA.
- Empowering communities through knowledge-sharing and support fosters a sense of unity and strength.
- Addressing challenges faced by the Hindu community requires proactive advocacy and dialogue.
- Advocacy organizations like CoHNA contribute significantly to cultural preservation and awareness.
- Creating a platform for open discussions aids in addressing misconceptions and promoting tolerance.
- Continued efforts in education and advocacy are crucial for sustaining positive impact and awareness.
Behind the Mic
Introduction and Purpose of the Space
Hey, everybody, we're gonna give it a couple minutes since we're expecting a bunch of people to show, and then we'll get started. All right, I'm going to go ahead and get started just because apparently I can't fill in the. I had the music playing, but it stopped and I don't know how to turn it back on, so. All right, guys, why don't we get started? I'm going to run this space a little bit differently than other spaces I've been in. This is Kona's first official Twitter space that I'm proud to be the host of. My name is Ashwin Arab. I am the managing director of Cyan Kona's Youth Action Network, which is a sub department of Kona. And I really wanted to try spaces because I know a lot of our community is on and obviously things are moving very fast and this is definitely the place to have these conversations and obviously topic very relevant.
Highlighting the Situation of Bangladeshi Hindus
Bangladeshi Hindus need our help and we are trying to do this space for two reasons. One is to obviously bring a. As much visibility as we can. I know things are trending, people are working furiously, and I'm so proud that our community has shown up for this. I mean, this is the moment that many of us have been waiting for to see the kind of response, like quick response to things that are happening, to mobilize, to protest. And we're going to go over all that stuff little by little. So we're going to run this as a little bit of a program, going to have a bunch of bengali speakers from all over the world. And what I want to do is I want to prioritize their stories. So, so much of the hindu narrative has gotten lost over time. And the most important thing that I think we've reclaimed in maybe the past few years is our voice.
Sharing Stories and Reclaiming Narratives
Right? So many of these stories, whether it's partition or 1971, many of these stories have gotten lost because we just didn't tell anybody. And for the first time, we are finally speaking our truth. And it's so much more powerful when you hear it from people in your community talking about, hey, this happened to my grandmother, this happened to my parents, this is happening to my cousins right now on the ground. We need that, and I think that's what we need this space to be. Before we get started, I want to talk a little bit about Kona, since many of you may not know what we do. Kona is a north american grassroots organization for Hindus in Canada and America to advocate for themselves in every place that you are a lot of people will ask me, what is advocacy?
Understanding Advocacy and Community Engagement
The word sounds very vague. It's very like HR term. And I tell them, in the very simplest terms, advocacy is about bringing your full self to the spaces that you already inhabit, whether that's a boardroom, your school, your library, your mandir, whatever that might be. Show up as hindu. And the reason I say that is that there are a lot of indian organizations out there, south asian organizations out there, but very few hindu organizations. And when we interface with lawmakers, administrators, leaders in various places, you would be surprised or maybe not surprised how many times a lawmaker will say, I didn't know I had any hindu constituents. And as crazy as that sounds, it's because no one ever bothers to show up from our community.
Call to Action and Community Support
Bakona shows up and we show up as Hindus in many places for the first time that a Hindu has ever been there. So please go to our website, look at all that we've accomplished for the hindu community and what initiatives we're working on. Sign up to volunteer, get updates, donate and become a member. We have two petitions for the US and Canada. You don't need to put any. You don't need to know who your elected representatives are. All you need is an address and it will automatically go and find, you know, what people, you know, what your elected representative is and send them an email. It's the very least that we can do for our brothers and sisters in Bangladesh.
Emotional Context and Community Response
And, you know, it's. We can't even fathom what they're going to right now. So I think for a space like this, it's a very emotional. It's a very emotional time, obviously. But we are, you know, I think, the premier volunteer organization for Hindus in America right now. So I do have to say this. Give a little disclaimer that not all of our guests speak for Kona. So standard disclaimer that, you know, people will say things and those are going to be their own individual opinions. So with that being said, I want to talk a little bit about the program and what we're going to do. This will run. This space will run officially for about an hour.
Setting the Agenda for the Discussion
After that, we can probably find someone to host it and then we can, you know, switch it to someone else. But we're gonna. I'm gonna try and get as many Bengalis as speakers and bring. We're gonna bring them up to the podium and have them talk a little bit. Like, just speak, you know, whoever wants to speak, please raise your hand. I'm gonna try and do my best to keep track of everybody, actually. Yeah. So we'll. I'm gonna do my best to try and keep track of everybody's hands. And definitely whoever wants to speak, we're gonna get to everybody. I know this is a big space, and I'm running this for the first time, so please bear with me.
Focus on the Current Situation in Bangladesh
I see some requests coming in. Give me a second. Going to invite some people as well. All right. Okay. I see more requests. Hold on. So, as we all know, Bangladesh has been. Bangladeshi Hindus specifically have been under siege for a few days now. A lot of things have happened since Sheikh Hasina fled, and the whole country is kind of in disarray right now. For whatever reason, the first targets are the most vulnerable, the Hindus who didn't have a hand in any of the decisions, who are purely innocent people getting attacked. And I want to use this space to share some of their stories.
Personal Accounts of Violence and Challenges
So, Vladimir, do you want to unmute yourself? Thank you. Welcome. Rana Mapsahi ko and thank you for this opportunity. Firstly, I would like to start by saying that this violence which is happening in Bangladesh, this is nothing new. In fact, it is. People will be hard pressed to find a three year or a five year period without major attacks going on Hindus in Bangladesh since before independence. So this one, I will just say two lines. People say, ISI radicalized Bangladesh. It's not really there. It's the other way around. Islam is the problem which poisoned and destroyed the entire bengali culture, what it means to be a Bengali. Now, coming to that, I would like to come to the current situation.
Protests and Future Hopes
First, the current situation. One of these times, the protests which are happening, those are what to say. Those give some hope. There are some demands and manifestos being created. Ten points have been demanded that there continuous protests. The Hindus are telling in cities. But there are some fundamental problems there. These cities, these protests can only be done in with the situation in Bangladesh, are in three or four select areas where the hindu population is there. And first thing which we have to understand is that the hindu population there receives no benefits.
Genocide and Historical Context
Bengali they called Kumbhar. So. And what happened? Like, most of them got either got killed or kicked out to. From Bangladesh. Genocide started from. I'm not talking about 47. Genocide started from there, 1964. Then in 1971, same thing happened. 71. It was a war, actually. And the brunt of the war was on Hindus, actually. So somehow the same Pakistani and method, what is happening today? The same thing happened in 71. They thought Hindus are the indian agent and Hindus must be killed. Yes. Bengali Muslim did die. 20 lakh to more than 20 lakh. Lakh means. I don't know. It's around two, 3 million people died actually. And majority of them were Hindus, actually. Surprised to know. And rape was used as an instrument of war for the first time in Bangladesh. War, actually 3400,000 women were raped in that war. And 70% might be hindu women. Because it was the pakistani army wanted to punish somebody. So imagine a muslim soldier goes to war instead of raping a muslim woman. He thought it's okay to repay kafiro man. So that happened.
Systematic Genocide
Then after that, it was a like systematic genocide. Anything happens, they kill couple of Hindus. Most of the districts were in my village. I will. Last time I went to my village in Sialaat was in 2012. Like there are hardly any hindu families left. Actually. One time when I was growing up, I used to. I remember I used to go to Durga puja, Kalipuja, enjoy. With my hindu friends. I think two, three hindu families are there. They are too poor to migrate to India or too poor to go out anywhere. They just. They're just living. They just given up, actually. And some, I know, couple of families, they accepted Islam and that's how they survived, actually. And you, if you don't accept Islam, the strong man, muslim strong men. They will take. Forcefully take out a. They will take your land. And it's very common. Actually it's common in Pakistan and Bangladesh to kidnap hindu men, forcefully get them married. Bangladesh, it little less.
Hindus' Rights in Bangladesh
But as a Hindu, you have to give up your land. Actually there is nothing. So just the same thing happens. Suddenly somebody will come up and they'll say, this is a work plant. And you are you hindu. You are forcefully taken. Walk plant is something. Let's see a mughal ruler or somebody 200 years back. Hundred years back, given that land to the. Allah named that land in the. Allah donated that land. There is no record. Nothing like walk is a very interesting thing. Even the land has any islamic character. That land. Walk board in Bangladesh can claim that land. Islamic character means like, let's say you have a land. I go one night and build a major baja means like a small islamic shrine. Then I, after three years or two years, I can claim, oh, this land has islamic character. This is my work plan. So walk Bo takes it. And the strongman in the village, he can give that land to sell that land to somebody else. Sorry. Use that for some business.
Rising Violence Against Hindus
This is, to be honest, if you ask me why this is happening, this is just a hate. They just hate coopers. Like, same thing happened in Afghanistan. Same thing happened in Pakistan. This is happening in Bangladesh. You know it now is just because you read it Internet, you read some newspaper. Newspaper forced to report. Now BBC is supposed to report. New York Times is forced to report. But this is. I have seen when I was a little kid, I have seen we. I remember like my village islamic strongman. They would tell, let's go destroy that Kali puja nude omen. How can somebody in the islamic country pray a new domain? So this is like insult to islam. Bangladesh islamic country. This thing happening, actually. So I. You might be surprised. I am not at all surprised. And this will keep on happening no matter who is in the Bangladesh. It will stop for some time because Bangladesh needs international aid. Bangladesh needs business. But again, it will start actually. So I don't have any hope.
Hope for the Future
The only hope I have is that India takes all its all the hindu people. That's all. Thank you. I'm here if you have some pointed questions, I'll definitely try to answer. Yeah, I think as we go through, we are definitely going to open it up for questions and people. They're going to keep the discussion going. We'll definitely keep you up as speaker and then as people filter in and out, we'll get more questions? More speakers. Thank you. By the way, I forgot to tell you, Rahul Anand is a popular singer. I listened to him. Somebody like Kisur Kumar of India or somebody Mukesh of India. He is that popular. Actually, Runa, Leila and Rahul Anand, his house was burned. In fact, he was supporter of student protest. Actually, to be honest, and I have seen his articles, his blogs. He was supporting student protests. His house was burned. But just because he is a cooper and he is an indian agent, imagine if a famous singer house is burned.
Conditions Under Current Government
What is happening to average Hindus? Actually, it not only happened in with Hindus. I'm not sure if any of you know, it happened with Chakma. Chakmas are tribes in north of Bangladesh. They're predominantly buddhist. They were driven. Actually, all the Chakmas are now in. Mostly. Either they got converted to Islam, Muslim Islam, or they are driven to Meghalaya and Assam. Actually, there is very few Chakmas tribes are there in Bangladesh now. Thank you. Thank you, Shimon. Let's try again. I want to bring you up. Yeah, sure. Last time I had trouble hearing you. No, that. That was. That was a problem probably at my end also. Sorry about that. So I know, first of all, thanks for the opportunity.
Overview of Current Situation
Hello, everyone. You can't hear me again. Yes, I can hear you. I can hear you. Go ahead. Okay, so, yeah, so I wanted to. Bring a speaker up, Shimon, but apparently I can't hear him. I think maybe everybody else can. Let me put you. Can you mute me and bring you back? Thank you. Okay, I want to kind of shift gears. I know we've been talking a lot about the history and a lot about bangladeshi society. It's 630 right now. So I just want to. I'm going to reset the room a little bit, and I know a bunch of people have joined. This room is the first. This room is the first space that Kona has put on. We are an advocacy organization in North America, in America and Canada.
Understanding Community Violence
We advocate for the hindu community, interfacing with government agencies, legislators, police departments, other first responders, to let them know about things that are affecting us and how we can make lives better for the hindu community and also advocate them from abroad, like we're doing right now, trying to be part of this global movement to save our brothers and sisters in Bangladesh. So right now, I want to bring Rana up to the stage. Rana, if you want to unmute yourself. Hi, Ashwin. Yeah. Okay. Thanks for arranging this talk. We really needed to share our stories. And thanks for all the efforts for addressing the issue going on in Bangladesh.
Current Challenges Faced by Hindus
Absolutely. Thanks for being here. Can you tell us a little bit about what is going on the ground right now? If you have any family members, you don't have to give any locations or obviously anything like that, but tell us a little bit about what's going on right now. So I think just to give some idea, like, what is going on right now, I would just take a step back and explain, like, how it unfolded. So Sheikh Hasina, government has been in power in last 16 years, which literally the most of the time I spent when Bangladesh was under Sheikh hasn't government. So Sheikh has a government has. A large voter bloc of Hindus used to vote for Sheikh Hasina because Aomilik has always itself aligned itself with secular policies, which kind of supported a lot of hindu issues.
Political Climate and Hindu Issues
But since 2010, Aomili government started shifting its tone, and there has been a lot of infiltration by radical islamist elements in Aomili government. So Hindus were kind of, their trust in a government was always deeply misplaced outside because most of the riots or mass killed violence, even if you consider 2021, which has been another mass scale violence in Bangladesh, happened under Sheikh Hasina's watch. And there was like 2016 Nasi Nogar violence. There has been 2012 also violence during the Gano Jagarmoncho, anti war criminal activism. So, like someone mentioned there, I think the first speaker mentioned there would be like, you cannot find three or four, five years of gap, but there has always been anti hindu program and mostly kind of orchestrated by aomilic people, lawmakers and something like that.
Corruption and Land Disputes
For example, the minister of land and agriculture, Javed, he used his own men to seize large chunk of hindu lands. And even the top cop, Benazir, who was the police head, he also oppressed Hindus, just grabbed their land and properties from Hindus. So, like I said, like Hindus. Sheikh Hasina's government deeply misplaced. Hindus and Hindus were never safe from land grabs, and violent attacks aimed at driving them away occurred constantly during Sheikh Hasina's reign. So this actually made a lot of Hindus disenfranchised from. Hindus have always been disenfranchised because they honestly do not have any political option.
Hindus' Dilemma in Politics
You either vote for Aamili, which is, quote unquote secular, but not anymore or not, has been in last ten years. On the other hand, you have BNP Bangladesh Nationalist Party, and their alliance is with hardcore islamist party Jamaat Islami, which literally wants to drive Hindus out of the country. So Hindus has always been out of options to vote for. So we had to vote for Aomilik, even though we agreed that Aomilik is not the best party for the Hindus or hindu issues. And during the protest of, like the 18 July, which is student protest against quota movement, a lot of hindu students actually joined the quota movement.
Student Protests and Violence
Even the first casualties of students, like 200 students, 16 plus students were from or 16 plus casualties was from hindu community. So Hindus in a large scale joined the protest of quota reform. When Sheikh Hasina government failed to address the issues, she obviously, she's an autocrat. There is no denying. So she kind of took the heavy handed option, like shooting and her student body attacking the unarmed and the peaceful protesters. So the movement went out of over the top. It just reached tipping point. There was no way of going back. And then the demand was wonde, one point demand that she step down from the power. At that point, it was pretty much anticipated for us that something bad is going to happen to Hindus community.
Repetition of Historical Atrocities
We very well remember the 2001, post election violence when the BNP Jamaat Islamic came to power. There was mass scale violence on Hindus in 2001. So I kind of anticipated that after the. If the one point demand succeeds and if Sheikh has been a government falls, which was going to happen anyway because there was no way she can recover it, recover from it. So we anticipated, like, there is going to be something, mass kill violence on Hindus similar to 2001. But the August Hindu massacre, if I may say so, or August hindu atrocities kind of surpassed beyond anything, it kind of reminiscent of 1971, where Hindus were genocided by Pakistan army.
Situation of Religious Minorities
And other context is like Islamists have long sought to establish a caliphate in Bangladesh. Even several islamist parties have been vocal about this goal, and they even held a significant demonstration in front of the country's largest national mosque yesterday. So the hindu minority, which makes up nearly 8%, might be less now after four or five days of unabated violence, seen kind of as an obstacle to establishing that caliphate, leading to much animosity and hatred towards Hindus. According to. If I may give some reference, according to Reuters, Hindus were directly attacked in 52 out of 64 districts, which is unprecedented even in 2021. Violence. Around 30 districts were attacked when someone just placed a Quran in a.
Involvement of Extremist Elements
Under the hindu deity and which kind of considered a blasphemy. But the person who put the Quran under the deity was himself a Muslim. And there has there. After that, the whole. All the hell broke loose on Hindus and lot of Hindus were attacked and temples were destroyed and burned. Hindu villages were arsoned and targeted. So now at least thousands of Bangladeshis, Hindus in August this violence have been attempted to flee to the neighboring country India to escape the violence, particularly in two villages in northern districts. I think one is in Pontchagar, the other one is Thakurgaon. But they faced kind of backlash from BGB, the border guard of Bangladesh and BSF because BSF is also not opening the borders and BGB is also fired like someone mentioned already fired at them to push them back inside the countryside.
Consequences of Violence
So they are literally in a limbo kind of situation. And the mob in after August 5, the mob attacked like police stations and killed many officers in the streets. Videos even surfaced showing them checking the circumcision of a lynched cop and cheering when they discovered that he was hindu and branding him as well someone mentioned as an agent of India or pimp of India. Under Sheikh Hasina's government, Hindus were involved or mostly employed in government jobs unlike during BNP and Jamaat Islamic rule when Hindus faced discrimination. This led opponents of Aomelig and islamist group to harbor conspiracy theories and anger believing that Hindus were running the country.
Fear and Protection Money
A Hindu even just to give an example like what's the situation right now? A hindu goldsmith in northwind area about an hour from Dhaka who did not like mention his name reported that two youth demanded protection money from 1 million Bangladeshitaka. So there has been many cases that we heard that going on like Hindus literally have to pay protection money for their safety. And on August 5. So this is my own personal account. On August 5 from 03:00 p.m. to 07:00 p.m. literally all hell broke loose on Hindus. When on August 5 at 03:00 p.m. we the news spread that Sheikh Hasina has fled the country and army chief is doing his first press briefing with Chief of Jamaat Islami and BNP next to him and he even mentioned Jamaat Islami chief with respected tone like he has Jamaat Islami and other islamist leaders to address the situation.
Total Breakdown of Law and Order
And after that from 03:00 p.m. to 07:00 p.m. literally the mob ransacked places, hindu places and as the police hid inside the stations and army was withdrawn. Just imagine, there is no cop, there is no army, there is nothing. And the horrors Hindus endured were unimaginable. So that night, particularly the night of August 5, was itself reminiscent of March 25 of 1971 when Pakistan army launched Operation Searchlight and indiscriminate attacks were carried out of hindu areas by pakistani army. So. So this is what the situation went on with some slight progress in some specific areas, but in still rural areas, hindu houses are attacked.
Continued Atrocities Against Hindus
Even there were like instances of settling old dispute, land dispute, threatening Hindus to leave and grabbing their land. There has been cases like that and mob lynching. And even women face the brunt of the violence as there has been like 30 documented cases of rape. The real number could be a lot higher than that. Even yesterday we got the news, unverified news, that four girls were abducted yesterday from my hometown, Chittagong. And there has been other cases like they tried to abduct the girl and they abducted the girl and she was found two days later in a horrible condition. And also there has been mobile mob preyed upon women who used to be activists of army league and other, just to mention army league leaders and army league grassroots level workers also lynched to death.
Detrimental Community Dynamics
Even there is one incident in somewhere where the army. He was both Almiric leader, local councilor and also the head of the Puja Ujapun Purushat, which is like, celebrates Durga Puja. It's the council of celebrating Durga Puja. He and his nephew were literally lynched to death. And some of the videos you cannot post in Twitter because Twitter removed the video because they were so violent and so gore even there were instances when people literally saying like, he is still alive, keep hitting him, keep torturing him so that he dies. And the situ, law and order situation was so bad that they could not recover his body for like six or 7 hours.
Aftermath and Law Enforcement's Indifference
And his body was hung from a statue or a sculpture there. So this is the situation has been. And even there were cases like, we literally called our family, literally called copse. And the cops, first of all, they did not answer. When they answered, they're like, we cannot go there because the situation is not safe for us. So because cops were also particularly targeted. So this has been the situation so far. And other things I can answer based on questions, but right now my family is extremely concerned. And they literally lived three days kind of inside the house.
Widespread Violence and Anarchy
And after the 8 August, there has been widespread cases of robbery happening all over the country. This is total anarchy and total mayhem and lawlessness. Literally hundreds and hundreds of cases. There has been a website literally made to document the robbery. And all over the country, if you go to that website, prothiro.net, you will see there are thousands of cases of robbery happening all over the country. And it's literally his who's, who's like, if you can protect yourself, protected, there's no one is coming for you. And there has been cases like hindu communities initiated guarding themselves.
Community Defenses Against Violence
Just coming up with sticks and bamboo sticks and some weapons, like sharp weapons to protect themselves from mob. And some of many of my childhood places that I've been that I can literally lived were torched. There has been a place of hindu goldsmith artisans, Hajari Golly in Chittagong, which was burned, significantly burned. And there has been widespread looting and like literally temples were specific target. But there has been one or two instances of some of the local muslim leaders or local muslim people came to guard the temple. But there had like thousands of temples, like you cannot literally guard all the temples.
Destruction of Religious Sites
So a significant number of temples were burned and from the islamist mob. So like right now there is like total lawlessness. The situation improved. Like I said, even some of the safest areas of the country had to people literally guard themselves. So just imagine what is going on in the rural areas where Hindus are particularly vulnerable. So that's the scenario right now. And if you have any questions, I'm happy to answer it because last four or five days I've been constantly on top of that on this issue.
Awareness in the Global Hindu Community
And one thing amazing I found is like the unprecedented level of awareness in global hindu community. I have seen protest in all over the North America which I have never seen, I have seen protests even indian university JNU, which is also very hopeful, makes me very hopeful. And I think it's a clarion call for us like global hindu community to learn and to introspect.
The Alarm of Hindu Vulnerability
Like if whatever happened to bangladeshi Hindus can happen to many places all over the world, if we do nothing, take care of each other, if we do not feel, if we do not work for our hindu unity and our hindu collective consciousness, we must take care of each other and we must be vigilant so that this anti hindu violence, anti hindu hate and hindu phobia must be properly addressed in both political space and social space. And we must also take particular concern and raise voice for the vulnerable Hindus wherever they are.
Global Hindu Community and Collective Support
It's not necessarily just there. In Bangladesh, there are vulnerable Hindus in Pakistan, there are vulnerable Hindus in many parts of the world. So we must take care of them so that the people who try, who feel us vulnerable, who think that we are weak, they must get this message. No, there are people who think of, think for them. There are people who care for them. So they are not alone, they are not separated from the world community. We Hindus are a global community and we need to live as one body.
Positive Outlook and Community Engagement
So that's what I would like to say in positive note. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I would be happy to answer. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Rana, I. It's hard for me to really say anything that can really. I don't know. There's nothing. There's nothing nice to say. But you did end it on a very positive note.
Mobilization and Awareness Efforts
And thank you so much for telling your stories. I wanted to make a couple comments before we move to the next speaker. I did. Pinna, an actually really nice, heartwarming post. Kona has been involved with many other hindu groups in trying to mobilize our community to bring awareness through protest. And even despite some of the heavy rains that are kind of lashing the east coast right now, thousands of people showed up in New York City to protest and to raise awareness about this issue.
Significant Hindu Mobilization
And so it's really heartwarming because I. You know, like what Rana was saying, I haven't really seen this kind of mobilization so fast ever for any hindu issue. And you just know that, you know, so many of these people are Hindus from other regions. You know, they're not just Bengalis. And so for the first time, really, we're seeing that feeling that people get that, like, we are Hindus, regardless of what region or whatever other identities we might have.
The Importance of Hindu Identity
At the end of the day, what matters is our hindu identity. And the people who are looting and putting violence on Hindus in Bangladesh, they're not asking for anything else. Right? They just see someone wearing a red thread or someone wearing a bindi or, you know, a swastika in someone's house, and that's it. They just know this person deserves violence.
Urgent Need for Awareness and Action
This person is gonna get. Is gonna have their land looted, their. Their homes robbed. So this is really important, and I am really happy to see these things. Before I bring on our next speaker, I did want to point out the other pinned posts here. Vladimir did post a kind of a data list, a spreadsheet with, you know, unfortunately, a list of incidents against the hindu community here.
Efforts from the Community
And I do see a few other lists posted by shimon. I don't know if I'm gonna hear you this time, but even if I don't hear you, please continue. It'll be part of our recording. Ashwin, can I add one more thing? Like, something I remember? Yeah, please. I literally begged my family when they go outside not to be visibly hindu.
Desperation and Religious Vulnerability
I mean, that's the desperation. Like, because, you know, bengali women, when they are married, they have something called conch shell Bengals, which is. And also Sindur, I literally beg my family not to be visibly hindu and just to remove any thread, sacred thread, if they have in their hand. So this is the alarming situation. I never had to tell this before in 2021, but this year, in, after August, I literally begged them for the safety and they literally did so because they are particularly vulnerable if they are visibly hindu.
Personal Accounts of Hindus in Bangladesh
So this has been the situation. Just to want to add that, based on what you said. Thank you. Thank you so much. Vladimir, I do see your hand up. I do want to give Shimon the chance to speak. I know he didn't get to say his piece. After him, I'll let you go and then we'll get some of the other speakers as well. Shimon, do you want to unmute yourself?
The Dehumanization of Hindus
Ashwin, am I audible now? Yeah, I can hear you. Perfect. Okay, great. Hey, first of all, thanks a lot. See, the last few days have been really troublesome. So. And all of us have witnessed the dehumanization of the defenseless, right, where majority of our people are Hindus. And that includes, you know, there are videos with even kids with three, four years old, they are being hanged.
Genocide and Injustice
And women also supporters and the leaders of BNP and law enforcement officials, for example, Bangladesh police. But I will try to, try not to mention what has been already been mentioned by Rana and Vladimir. So we have also seen hindu genocide enablers. And people should understand this. People we know are also playing different role.
Social Responsibility and Media Awareness
These guys are known to us, some of our journalists, some of our political leaders, whitewashing facts and maybe our acquaintances friends who choose not to speak up to, you know, look cool or gain social acceptance. Most importantly, you know, basically what is happening is you will see influencers, mostly from Islamo leftist ecosystem and maybe to be correct, legally, allegedly under the payroll of western masters, would say, always want to you to understand basically that the nature of violence and why it is happening against Hindus.
Inflation in the Narrative
You have seen, I think, an article in New York Times that say, you know, revenge attacks after prime minister exits and after a lot of protests, they change that. That Hindus in Bangladesh, like face, adapt after prime minister exits. So these guys are, what they are trying is in.
The Denial of Hindu Suffering
There are multiple such attempts happening within India. They, in case of Muslims being attacked in anywhere, for whatever reason, they will come altogether to condemn that. But in case of Hindus being killed and their women are raped, firstly, they would try to say this has not happened, a complete denial of the facts. Then they would try to dismiss your fact or say that this is misinformation or islamophobia.
Minimizing Atrocities Against Hindus
And then they will try to minimize the gravity of the situation by stating the facts, you know, such a way so that they can minimize the atrocities and justify violence. And if you still sell not convinced that they would like you to understand why Hindus are being attacked. So there are few things I want to mention here.
Personal Involvement and Local Support
The situation has been already explained with Vladimir and Rana. What they have not mentioned is a couple of other things as probably Rana mentioned. I missed that part. I'm personally working with few people and you wouldn't believe, you know, these guys are in Dhaka mainly, you know, relatively better situation and trying to help others and Vladimir is also involved in some of them, with some of them and.
The Urgency of Humanitarian Aid
But the rural segment where situation is unimaginable, I think Rana was explaining there is no support from the local law enforcement. Police stations are open but they are confined within, you know, the police station. And you must be aware that, you know, several police officers were brutally killed and they are suspect of Aomi League supporters or sympathizers.
Unresolved Persecution and Logical Fallacies
And there is another guy, I mean, I just wanted to mention this incident, just that people know the hate towards Hindus. A police officer, his name is Shantar Shah, he was handed over to the Islamists by the Bangladesh army. The way it happens is, you know, huge number of mobs attacked a police station and basically prompting those polices to fire in defense.
Targeted Violence Against Hindus
And two people died at the scene and one more in the hospital. Then the Islamists came back and attacked the station again. And the Bangladesh army eventually took control. And the, under the pressure from the Islamists, the bangladeshi army handed over the hindu police officer to them and point to be noted, they only ask for the hindu officer after torture.
Alarming Trends in Police Authority
The officer was killed and the disturbing question is why was only the hindu police officer handed over despite several officers, including Muslims? Right. I mean, he is the only hindu officer being involved initial gunfire and this clearly shows the targeted act of hindu persecution over there.
Collaboration and Relief Efforts
Vladimir and I already talked about 73 plus folks. I mean, Hindus were not treated there because of their religion or not having enough financial means. That's why you are working together to figure out how to get money to those who needs it for their shelter, food, because there is no health coming from Bangladesh government.
Challenges in Aid Distribution
And this probably nothing will come again. And I was working with four people. This is again heart wrenching. I was working with four people three days ago and this is probably, this is another group that Vladimir is not aware of and they were desperately asking for help to cross the border and one of them were killed on that night I came to know the next day when I woke up and in the morning I made a phone call and then to the other guy.
Threats to Hindu Existence
And we couldn't make unofficial arrangement to take them inside. So these are facts. Right. Then. Now think about what is happening in Bangladesh. Hindu population reduced from 8.54 percentage to 7.958.54 in 2011 and 2022. I'm not even going to 1947.
Demographic Changes and Social Struggles
So 8.54 to 7.995 in 2022 census. And muslim population increased from nine point, I think, you know, to 91.4 or something. So at this moment we have approximately 160.5 million probably. Rana, you can. You can correct me?
Population Statistics
160 plus million Bangladeshis. Right. And approximately 14 plus million leaves in Dhaka. Exactly 170 million. Okay. Okay, thank you. So the main problem is, this is the situation we described you, all of this.
The Challenges at Hand
The main problem is how to keep them alive. Until indian government decides something that actually helps Hindus there. Even if you want to bring them there is no clear path to it. Right. Everyone's knowing their own opinion and those who are exposed in the human chain.
The Struggles for Protection
Yesterday in Dhaka and people whom I'm working with, they're saying, you know, now the problem is there is nobody to safeguard them. Vladimir was mentioning there is no police, there is no army. An army is always islamist aligned. Police is relatively.
The Void of Security
That's what I heard is relatively, you know, if we can call them secular in Bangladesh context, there's nobody to safeguard them. Now those Hindus are also exposed. Now how would you send financial aid and DC if you are here?
Aid through the Community
You are asking me just this is for you. We are working to figure out a channel so that it gets there not through certain big organization. So that, you know, so many things, you know, goes into the administrative cost. So we are trying to figure out certain way, whichever.
Funding Difficulties
So far they were able to collect only 20 lakhs. Right now. Another problem is Mohammed Yunus who will head the state. And what he said, if you remember recently, he said, if required, by the way, his in laws are from West Bengal.
Mohammed Yunus and Political Implications
There’s a place called Rani ganj. And he said, if required, I can create mayhem in my in laws cities. That is a statement he also made. Another problem is Pinaki Bhattachary. These are the name I'm throwing you.
The Impact of Leadership on Hindus
Just do some Google search. Pinaki Bhartacharju will be the foreign minister. And now search Google search and do some research immediately. It will not come back. Google also suppressed what has happened with Pinaki, with popular farmer in Bangladesh along with Musta Pherud.
Political Activism and Historical Scams
Jun Rahman. He's I think the MD of Popular foundation. This was the. This is basically a big scam that Pinaki did. And he is an islamist even though his name is Pinaki Wata Charja.
The Complex Political Landscape
Bengali. Bengali Brahmin. He operates from France and there's an Interpol case against him. So I don't know how he will be coming to Bangladesh because he cannot come through Dubai. So there'll be definitely some special arrangement and then for all of you because you will be seeing lot of videos and everything, right?
Multifaceted Aid and Media Awareness
So Ashwin, I'm just requesting that in case, if you can help us create certain videos and we do not know how to do that with subtitle in different language, for example, English, Spanish, Hebrew, Portuguese, etcetera, whatever makes sense, right?
The Need for Compassionate Advocacy
So that is. And now I'm talking about the implication many people either are unaware of the, you know, Mohammed Yunus, he's specifically an islamist and anti India. He's carrying anti India sentiment and again, probably a known asset of american deep state.
Yunus's Political Implications
Who knows? That's what we have been hearing, right. And basically he has been appointed as the chief advisor despite. Think about it, despite his controversial background.
International Relations and its Effects
And these are the implications and some for India as well. Despite his controversial background in Eunice was received. Has received what numerous american political award including Noble Rahman Maxism Presidential Medal for Freedom.
The Global Context of Hindu Suffering
All these things. And you know, if you are not in the american good book and the asset you nobel, it's almost impossible to get. And another thing for Indians to be aware of that Yunus continues to discuss quote unquote economic policies with another great intellectual that India has ever got.
The Intersection of Business and Politics
And he is Rahul Gandhi. And industrialists like Narayan Murthy supports his policies and him as a person now think about the kind of problem and the situation, the implications indian government and Modi ji is facing.
Central Issues Facing India
It's clear that business interests play significant role. And when you see Nayan Murthy's wife Sudha Murthy advocating for certain vaccines indian parliament along with gets federation.
Religious Persecution and Political Challenges
So I'm not getting there. So now can't focus on Bangladesh and see what is happening. Normal people there is always looking for white validation and unis is already validated by the white people.
Historical Contexts and Current Challenges
Therefore he is well accepted. And Yunis wanted to be in the power but for his islamist mindset, Sheikh Hashina kept him away. Now with jihadis and Islamists in the overall equation, the power Yunus is there.
Future Political Predictions
So eventually probe, I don't know. But probably they might also throw him out. Who knows? In that situation. Think about India's situation. Pakistan, Bangladesh and China, everybody is filled with.
Regional Security Dynamics
China is a different animal altogether. Pakistan, Bangladesh, which all Islamists and the terrorists. Therefore, India will have to invest significantly into its security and India growth trajectory will be impacted.
The Implications of Global Stability
And that's exactly what western powers want. And they do not want to see a broken India. But they also. But a strong India is basically also is.
The Complex Goals of Western Powers
Is not a wish list of the western power. Right. So that's. That's a huge problem for us. And you.
Reflections on Personal Experiences
The problem, you know, and another thing, you know, I just wanted to mention is that you asked about the personal experience, and I'll just end with my personal experience, what I heard from my grandmother a long time ago. Right.
Family Narratives and Historical Context
You know, they also moved from Bangladesh to West Bengal. And I know they often told us the story about how beautiful their old homes were and how they loved living there, but they did not. I mean, this is, again, I grew up in marxist West Bengal.
Complex Family Narratives
They did not tell us the whole story. What is the story? The story is the Dimmar told us the real reason why they had to leave. It was not about food.
Significance of Religious Identity
It was about protecting their religion. It was about keeping themselves safe. It was making sure, you know, their families, especially the women, were treated with respect, not raped, and keeping their last limb intact. That has never been told to us.
Hindu Exile Narratives
It was always saying that, you know, we came to India for a better life. No, you have been thrown out of that. That doesn't mean you start hating Muslims from tomorrow.
Hindu-Muslim Coexistence
No, there are. Because I'm working with people in Bangladesh, and they are currently being safeguarded by some of the BMP folks, and they are Muslims, very few, but at least they are. Therefore, I will never make that statement.
Building Awareness and Understanding
However, we'll have to keep educating people, the general mindset of the Islamic. So thank you. If you have any questions about anything. And by the way, if you are really willing to help us help these guys specifically to get.
Call for Support
Thank you, guys. Thank you so much. Yeah, we will definitely connect. I'll send you a message and then we can continue the conversation from there.
Time Management and Discussion Flow
All right, Vladimir, I said you could go next, but I want to try and keep it short so I can let, some other speakers go ahead. please unmute yourself. Thank you.
Adding to the Conversation
Thank you. I just want to add a couple of things, not just Mohammed Yunus is Ranigon's link. Thank you, Dada, for telling that. Also, Mohammed Yunus has almost no bangladeshi link.
Mohammed Yunus and His Linkages
He has no house or properties. His wife is also not of bangladeshi descent, so he does not have sufficient insight, incentives to treat Bangladesh well also.
Future Challenges in the Northeast
And the second problem, which bharat we will have is that our entire northeast is going to burn very soon, most likely. Already the violence of the church backed cookie terrorists in Manipur had started.
Emerging Violence in Manipur
Jamatulansar Chin cookies, Badarulik. These groups, every one of these groups have received american funding. Now, with this kind of a government at the helm, we are going to have a lot of headaches there.
Social Dynamics and Political Ramifications
Now, coming to the situation, I would like to go just into the social aspects of one or two things. Bangladeshi Hindus have suffered a lot and there are certain elements where you will see people telling secular words and other things.
Impact of Education Systems
Yes, communism, marxism and secularist education system has also affected. And one of the biggest problem in Bangladesh is that currently the madrasa type education system, it is made so cheap and the government has invested so much into it, particularly Sheikh Hasina, that the other and the other traditional educational system has been so neglected that 70% of bangladeshi minorities or Hindus cannot afford the traditional educational system.
Economic Disparity in Education
And even in the traditional educational system, Hindus are being taught that Islam is the only true religion that has been islamized a lot. So there is an inherent subversion of the education system going on.
The Impact of Religious Narratives
They had also learned from the church playbook. So these kinds of things, we do not have that much time because the more time it goes, the remaining hindu population is going to be deracinated.
The Urgency of Solutions
And what if the situations. And I would just like to come into the solution part. What is the real solution? The real solution currently is safeguarding them.
Immediate Solutions for Safety
And as we discussed, sending diplomatic envoys, ensuring that Bangladesh government acts honestly and allows fund transfers for humanitarian purposes and to protect them. But the long term solution, unfortunately, Bharat has to decide whether a stable Bangladesh is in the interest of their.
Long-Term Visions for Welfare
Of their well being. And also the territorial integrity of Bangladesh is as much a land of Hindus as anything. We have our shaktipets there. We have Chandranatham.
The Cultural Ties to Bangladesh
Every blade of grass there is ruled by Madurga. This cannot be islamized and Hindus cannot be thrown out and their lands be grabbed out. Sheikh Mujibar Rahman introduced the 1971 Enemy Properties act just to grab the land of Hindus who were victims of the 1971 genocide of the Pakistan army.
Historical Contexts of Persecution
So in this case, I would also like to say that maybe it is time to consider creating a buffer state or an autonomous zone or something, including the. Or parts of maybe indian states, including the Wrongpur, Khulna, parts of Rajshahi, parts of Moimon, Shinho, Srihotto and Chotogram areas, so that the minorities can live in a place where they are being treated like humans.
Creating Safe Spaces for Minorities
Because in Bangladesh, they are not. They lack basic human rights. And the way they, particularly women are being treated. Not even medieval society treated women like that.
Shuman's Introduction
This is Shuman. Just 10 seconds. So I will give three names in case. If you are seeing any YouTube or anything, just be careful. The first name is Ilya Suzanne. He's an NTV journalist in us, Elias Hussain. Second name is Jawad Nirjor. J A w A d n I R. J H O R. Operating from London. Another one is Zulkar nine seer. He's an Al Jazeera guy. Just make sure, you know, you were basically waiting every information. And they are, along with Pinaki and Yunuse, they all are anti Hindu and anti India. Thanks again.
Upcoming Vigil in Canada
Thank you. I want to share a post with you guys. Kona, Canada, is. We're going to be holding a vigil and Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto. Let me just share this. I want to pin this for you guys. If any of you are in Canada. Kona, Canada, has been extremely active trying to get protests and vigils for our brothers and sisters in Bangladesh. There was one in London, Ontario, one in Calgary. And then also we have one coming up in Toronto. I know probably most of you are in the GTA, the greater Toronto area. So if you're there, do definitely check out our pin post. And once again, you know, definitely go to kona.org see all of our initiatives, see how to get involved. We can definitely bring you into the larger hindu activist community so that we can continue, for example, making videos, keeping track of all the violence that's happening, so that we can definitely prove that hindu phobia is alive and real.
Hinduphobia and Media Response
I just want to make one point before we move on to our next speaker, Peter Shah. I think we'll have you next. But just one moment before we continue. There is a startling amount of whitewashing and complete denial about the violence. You know, I don't know who the reporters are. I don't know where they get their funding from or who their bosses are or whatever else. I can't comment on any of, you know, the media apparatus, but there seems to be a feeling that every time they write an article about Bangladesh, they talk about the student protests, talk about Sheikh Hasina being a non autocrat and that she fired on her own, on, quote, unquote, her own people. And there's just this. No one ever uses the word hinduphobia. And there will be people tomorrow, today, three months from now, six months from now, who are going to tell you straight to your face that hinduphobia doesn't exist.
Proving Hinduphobia Exists
I've had conversations here in America where people will just look you straight in the eye and say, hindu phobia doesn't exist. Or you make a post online and you say, hey, this is hindu phobic. And the very first thing that someone's going to post is say, hindu phobia is not real, man, you just made up that word. No, we have the evidence. We have proof. The fact that we even need proof is disgusting because we have video after video that this is not just political violence, as if that somehow excuses the violence. This is violence against Hindus because they are hindu. That is hindu phobia. So, Peter Shah, if you want to unmute yourself, please go ahead.
Creating a Plan for Action
No, thank you. And just to kind of dovetail, you know, we are not going to be able to change that. What we can do is within our hands. And, you know, folks like myself who live in the United States, you know, obviously we feel for all of you, especially the speakers. And, you know, the goal for, I would think in this opportunity, this space is to create a strategy, a plan. And, you know, the thing I've been tracking with what Kona. And again, thank you for all the work you guys have done, been doing h a f. Hindu action is number one. It's, you know, definitely the detailed documentation is very critical. Like you said, there's a lot of misrepresentation, a lot of just marginalization. We have to have that data. It's very critical. No one does anything unless you have true, hardcore data, facts.
Impact through Documentation
So I plot all those who are doing it carefully, meticulously, getting it to the right people. That's the key. The right people, because in this type of media, people can abuse it, manipulate it, they can take a video and they can swing it and say, look, you guys are lying, so keep doing that. I think the other is, we have to be able to get critical mass of elected officials, organizations. We're in a world where I, it's like fear of missing out. Birds of a feather flock together. There are groups who won't do anything unless they see this other group do it. And that's all just politicking. So whatever you can do. I know Kona has that. It's awesome. It's a great way to be able to say, hey, I'm going to put my name in it. I want that letter to go to my elected official.
Encouragement for Participation
But going for these vigils, these protests, sharing it with your friends, family, you know what it's going to do? It's going to get some level of impact with elected officials so that if there is a competitor, they're going to say, hey, if that person's doing it, I got to say something because it will look bad. And as a side note, we're in an election season in America. I believe in the term keep receipts, please, please keep receipts. Who spoke, who didn't, who was quiet, who was vague. We know who those people are. That's when the time comes for voting. This is where you use it. And then the idea of doing that is we're hoping and praying. And again, I could say a hope and pray, and that's not going to do anything for those who are there in Bangladesh.
Seeking Critical Mass for Humanitarian Efforts
But the goal is to get enough critical mass to say, look, we need to have some level of humanitarian aid. I can try to arm chair it from here and say, look, let's create a humanitarian corridor. You know, let's. We got to get bought it to go in there. You know, I'm going to use the quote that Kushamara had said. It's way above my pay grade. I know what I can do. But one thing, I'm very blessed by Bhagwan. If there's any opportunity to donate money to humanitarian groups. I saw human rights organization. I may be quoting it wrong, but it's a humanitarian rights organization of Bangladesh. They have done a great job in, you know, allowing for some type of donation.
Matching Donations and Support
And as a side note, you know, there's an opportunity if you are in a company where they allow you to match. And this is more applicable to those who are in working in a corporation, it's. It's important. That's what I have done. I've been able to try to donate that money and get it matched. So, you know, I want to end this with what we had heard about the march is Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna, Krishna. Hari, Hari, Ram. Hari, Ram. Ram, Ram. Hari, Hari. Thank you.
Urgency of Sharing Updates on Condition in Bangladesh
JC Krishna. Thank you, Peter Shah. If there are any other Bengalis in the crowd, Bangladeshis who know people or have some on the ground reporting that they can give us, I do want to give them priority at this time since things are extremely fluid, things are moving fast. We do want to hear those stories. So I think we have some speaker spots still available. If you would like to speak. Please send me a request. I'll bring you up on stage. Shimon, did you want to speak again? See your hand up.
Addressing Hinduphobia and Cowardice
Now there isn't. You were talking about hindu phobia. And there are people who, even from within our community, they talk about that this doesn't exist, but it does exist. And why we say that is because we're cowardice, some of us, not people over here. But it's not fun to accept that, you know, we are coward and we move on. Right? That's. That's not easy. So convenient approach is to somehow to find a way to convince ourselves that things are not that bad. Or maybe Hindus are at fault and then hindu pseudo intellectuals are very good at doing all these things. Right. Hence, you will see the repeat of silence from a certain segment.
Community Reaction to Recent Events
When you see a good move in New York City, you will see no move in. There are many other cities, in fact, where I live, and that's not only Bengalis, it's across non Bengalis also. There's nothing happening. People are planning for the weekend. So I just wanted to tell you that it's, it just exists within our mindset. Thank you.
Importance of Acknowledgment
Thank you. So I did want to bring up one thing that Peter did mention that's really important is keeping receipts of who has brought up the issue, who has said something and in which way they've spoken about it. Has it been a very tepid response or is it a kind of, you know, full throated, hey, something needs to be done, and here are some possible solutions. I can't speak to every single one of them. It's just, you know, because so little is usually said about our community. Even a little tweet is sometimes, you know, you feel that you're seen that people know things are happening because, you know, like you said, some of this stuff is definitely beyond our pay grade.
Recognition of Spokespeople
And so it is just nice to see someone say something. And I did. I did have a list here. If you guys go to our profile, we have done our best to thank every legislator and lawmaker in both America and Canada if they have spoken up and said something. I did notice today that I'm going totally butcher this name. Pierre Pohlivar, who's the head of the conservative party in Canada. They also, they just came out and made a statement. In America, Senator Chuck Schumer came out and said something. Of course, our good friend Representative Rokhanna put out a very tepid response, especially for someone who should have, you know, spoken a lot stronger and has spoken lot stronger about a lot of other issues affecting, you know, the quote unquote south asian community.
Importance of Advocacy
Some smaller representatives, Representative Pat Fallon and Representative Robin Bottleman, who from Florida have spoken out. You know, these are smaller representatives from very small areas of the country. But we're very happy to know that they have seen what's happening and just taken a few minutes out of their day. We just want to just bring attention to that and thank them for that. I see a couple other speakers. Let me bring some people up here.
Dr. Richard Sinha's Comments
Richard Sinha, Doctor Sinha, did you want to. Yeah, go ahead. Hi, Ashwin. Yes, I've been intently listening to all the speakers and first of all, I would like to make a comment on Ranaji earlier, who was speaking that the global hindu community is making a note. And, you know, it warms my heart to see how the global hindu community is standing up. I think something has changed this time. I can see that, you know, that sense of camaraderie is very real across the world. So we are with you on the comment that Shamon make about hindu genocide.
Commitment to Speak Up
Enabling and not speaking up. I completely agree. Not speaking up is not an option and that's enabling the hindu genocide that's going on in Bangladesh. So we all need to speak up. And I commend Kona and other hindu organizations across the world who are shedding light on this. And for people who deny hindu phobia, I would like to say that denying hindu phobia is hindu phobia and we need to just move on to the next stage. But people who are denying hindu phobia will keep denying it. I don't think we will ever be able to change it.
Mobilization Efforts
The only way to reverse that is by drowning those noises and keep going on with what we are doing, and we are doing it well without speaking too much about what's. Again, all the speakers have spoken a lot about what's happening in Bangladesh, but I just want to speak a little bit about a scottish hindu foundation, what we've done and how we are mobilizing our resources to help the bangladeshi hindu community. You know, we've written to David Lami and we've written to our first minister, bringing in light what's happening in Bangladesh.
Aid for Bangladeshi Hindus
There is, if you look at the scottish hindu foundation page, there is a scottish addendum. Somehow we had preempted this even before. So at the time of elections, we had written on our addendum the fact that there is refugees, hindu refugees in Pakistan, in Bangladesh, who are in a dire state and there is a scots strategy. So one of the things somebody mentioned how the indian government should help Bangladeshi is Hindus, but the owners to help Bangladeshis. Hindu is not just on the indian government, it's on the governments across the world, be it american, be it scottish, be it english, you know, it's across the world.
Community Responsibilities
And Hindus have to lobby for this. I think other faith communities are so very good at lobbying for asylum seekers to be brought and rehabilitated in different parts of the world. And somehow when things happen to Hindus, we always just look at the indian government and to come and support. So I think Kauna is doing a great job. And we here, through this court strategy, we are looking at how we can support and find a space route for at least a few Hindus in our limited resources, few Bangla Hindus, deshi Hindus that we can bring over and the engagement with officials and things we are just starting.
Connecting with Organizations
We spoke to ISKCON recently because one of the things, one of the worries was that, you know, you don't. You don't want to support someone who's. There was reports that a lot of non hindu community sometimes act like a hindu person to just get asylum outside. So we reached out to ISKCON and I'm happy to be connected with some of the Ranaji and some of the speakers here again, and we will be connected outside the space. So that's my two cent. And the proactive engagements, we are reaching out to all interfaith bodies because there's complete silence from the government officials in the UK hindu forum.
Lobbying for Recognition
Britain has sent a letter as well to David Lamy. So we are, you know, sort of lobbing for people to come out and at least put out a statement to say that this is something that matters to the hindu community and interfaith bodies, our representative and interfaith bodies, our hindu societies, we are all having discussions in the background to make sure that statements are put out in support. And more than that, we go ahead and then go to the next stage of how we can help our brothers and sisters in Bangladesh and keep creating the right voice for this.
Acknowledgments and Closing Thoughts
So, yeah, thank you very much for including me in the space. And we will be putting out more on scottish hindu foundation around this. Thank you. Thank you, Richard ji, appreciate your voice on this and nice to hear that Hindus all over the world are getting involved. Okay, let's see who else we can bring up here. All right. Neeraj, I know you've been waiting a long time, so thank you.
Neeraj's Reflections
Why don't you go ahead? Neeraj, are you there? Yeah. Thank you for sure. Thank you for hosting this space. It was much needed and I think Kona is doing a great job. I just want to say that, you know, the genocide of the Hindus in the indian subcontinent is not something new. What we have seen in Bangladesh today is actually a live. You know, visuals are being shown to the world. You can see yourself that. What's happening? What happened in the great Kolkata killings, what happened in Wakhali, what happened in Bhopala?
Historical Context of Hinduphobia
What happened? Input and many other genocides of Hindus all across the region. Now, you know, we can see only few videos coming from Bangladesh, but. But I am sure that the violence is much bigger. And I think earlier it was mentioned by Shimon and others that our temples are burned. ISKCON temple, Kali temple. You know, women are picked up, girls are raped. I mean. I mean, this is. This is too much. Rape is used as a tool to convert. But now, I mean, how. How brutal it is.
Global Leftist Influence
You know, these Islamo leftists. I always say that, you know, this cabal of Islamophob leftists is actually the problem of the world. Islamo leftists or the neo Nazis. Look at what they have done in Bangladesh. I don't want to name anybody, but it's the whole global left which has joined hands, and they have overturned a democratically elected government. And on the name of democracy, that's the irony over here.
Political Connections
You know, I was just watching video of Rahul Gandhi, the leader of opposition of India. He met all these people. He's well connected with all of them. He was talking to Mohammed Yunus, who is the. Who is heading this interim government, and all these Clintons and Obamas and the Biden administration. Everybody is actually linked with Mohammed Yunus. And there are also rumors of that. Rahul Gandhi has met the BNP Bangladesh National Party chairman. He's son of ex prime minister Khalid Azia. And his prime minister, his father was also, I think, president of Bangladesh.
Concerns Over Stability
So Rahul Gandhi met Tariq Rehman. It was a secret meeting. So, you know, lot of things are coming out. There were attempts to destabilize areas all around Indians. And, you know, when government of India said that it's an internal matter of Bangladesh and the interim government should help the Hindus over there, what was the reaction of Khalidazi and Muhammad Yunus? They both were pointing fingers at India and being. They were kind of showing their resentment and upset on day one.
Closing Remarks
Like, what did we say? We just said that, you know, protect the minorities in that country. Protect Hindus, Christians and other minorities in that country. So I don't want to take much of the time, but the only thing which I want to repeat, is the Islamo leftist of the problem, be it UK, be it Bangladesh, or beat any other part of the world. And these are the neo Nazis and creating ruckus and problems for the world. So I hope my hindu brothers are safe in Bangladesh and I don't know how to save them. We feel helpless, but we won't give up.
Determination to Fight Back
We'll fight back. With that. I'll just end up my speech. Thank you for giving me space. Absolutely. Thank you so much, Neeraj. All right, so this is. I think we're going to bring this space to a close. I know many of you are probably eager to keep speaking, and I do encourage someone from here to start another space. And please keep talking. Please give space to Bengalis to talk about it.
Awareness of Ongoing Struggles
I think many of us just don't know or didn't realize just how bad it was. You know, I mean, we hear stories. We do know that things are not perfect. We know that things are extremely tough. But I think for me, especially, I did not. I didn't realize just how constant it's been since 1947. I don't know that there's. It just feels like there hasn't been any space for the hindu community to breathe. And I really want more people to know that.
Encouraging Action Moving Forward
But we do have to bring this space to a close. I do want to say one more thing before we can. Before we close. Kona is definitely working tirelessly. I can tell you that in the past few days, I have seen people forego sleep and everything else, especially as the weekend comes, you know, comes for us, that they have put aside everything to make sure that we have put together protests, individuals and letters to our lawmakers and, you know, holding spaces like these.
Invitation to Participate
And I really implore you, for those of you who want to get involved, who've been sitting on the sidelines, definitely go to cona.org, comma. Sign up to become a volunteer. We can give you the tools to make the most impact in a situation like this. It's not enough to just say, you know, these things are out of my hands. Nothing is out of our hands. We can do it, and that's why we're here. Otherwise, we wouldn't be doing this. We wouldn't be sitting here for hours and hours making this happen if we didn't truly believe that we could make a difference.
Belief in Change
And I believe it. I believe it. With God's grace, we're going to do it. So I really encourage you all, sign our petitions, join our vigils, join our protests, continue to send letters to your lawmakers. And let's make life safer and better for our brothers and sisters in Bangladesh.
