Muslim mob in Bangladesh attacks and destroys houses and shops of Hindus over blasphemy charges
Dhaka Division, Bangladesh 
14 January, 2023
Case Summary
A mob of Islamists vandalised the residence of a Hindu family in Uttar Kandi village in Kotalipara upazila in Gopalganj district in Dhaka Division of Bangladesh. As per reports, the violent mob accused a Hindu youth of committing blasphemy and ‘hurting’ the religious sentiments of the local Muslims over a Facebook post. Soon after Islamists descended on the residence of his extended family and destroyed the property. A total of 8 shops and 4 houses belonging to the Hindu community were attacked. While recounting the horror perpetrated by the Islamists, a cousin of the Hindu boy said, “On Sunday, we saw some 400-500 people coming to our place and vandalizing our house.”
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Attack not resulting in death. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Attack over 'blasphemy'. Blasphemy essentially refers to the desecration of anything which is held sacred/holy to a group of people. However, for religious supremacist groups, the elements of ‘blasphemy’ are ever-changing, shifting and expanding – leading to infringement on the rights of other religious groups, freedom of speech and expression, threats and even physical violence. There are instances where blasphemy is also used as a dog whistle to target Hindus owing to intrinsic animosity towards Hinduism. There are several instances where stating truths as mentioned in the non-Hindu doctrine itself has led to unmitigated violence against Hindus. There have also been instances where non-Hindus have themselves created a ‘blasphemous’ situation, like placing a Quran in a temple, to use it as an excuse to attack Hindus. Essentially, Blasphemy charges are often made up and/or are used to shut down any form of criticism of non-Hindu faiths and as a tool to target Hindus. Any physical violence over Blasphemy charges against Hindus are foundationally based on animosity for Hindus and their faith owing to religious supremacist ideologies, therefore, such attacks would be documented as religious motivated hate crimes under this category. In this instance, a mob of Islamists descended on the residence of a Hindu youth's extended family and destroyed their properties. The violent mob accused the Hindu youth of committing blasphemy. The misuse of blasphemy law by Islamists poses a significant threat to Hindus. As seen in several cases, this law is often used as a tool of oppression and violence, leading to false accusations, mob justice, and social ostracization of Hindus, especially in Muslim-majority countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh. The misuse of blasphemy laws against Hindus is often motivated by religious prejudice. Hindus are targeted because of their religious identity. In this case, too, the Islamists in the name of blasphemy, launched a vicious attack against the Hindu youth and his family. This was done out of sheer hatred and animosity against the Hindu youth and his religious beliefs, making this case eligible to be documented in the hate tracker.
Case Status
Complaint not filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
