Christians Forced Out of Village by Buddhist Extremists - Thursday May 6, 2010

Four Christian families in southeastern Bangladesh were forced to leave their village Sunday under pressure from radical Buddhists when they refused to repudiate their faith. As the eleven Christians in the village of Jamindhonpara were preparing to gather for their weekly prayer meeting, some 20 to 25 Buddhists patrolled the streets carrying sticks and bamboo clubs.  The village is approximately 340 kilometres southeast of Dakha.

The day before the Buddhist extremists marched in the streets chanting “we will not allow Christians to live in this area” and other anti-Christian slogans such as “we will not allow them to build a church here” and “Christians cannot live in Buddhist areas.”  The mob captured four men and a woman who had gathered in a home, threatening to kill them if they didn’t become Buddhists within 24 hours.  They were released after the extremists ripped crosses off the walls of their homes and ordered them to stop praying and worshipping in their area.

One church member told Compass News Direct that “Just two hours before our church service [on Sunday], a group of people swooped into our houses and drove all of us out so we could not attend the church service.”  He went on to say “When they come, they do not listen to us.  They arbitrarily do whatever they like. The situation is indescribable – they hunt us down the same way that one hunts down a mad dog to kill it.”

The persecution began when Christians established a church in the Lotiban area in December.  They have tried to expel the pastor by using a variety of threats.  The pressure has only toughened the resolve of the followers of Jesus.  65 year old Biraj Kumar Chakma said “We left everything.  We can go through any kind of ordeal, but we will not leave Jesus, even in the face of death. I have not seen in my life a book like the Bible. To stick to it, I left my ancestral house under huge pressure of the Buddhists. They applied much force to give up our faith.”

The Christians escaped to a nearby village. 

The Rev. Sushil Jibon Tripura, president of Khagrachari district Baptist Fellowship Church, told Compass that the daily life of the Christian villagers has become intolerable, as they have sacrificed their livelihood for their faith.

“Buddhists are not giving them any work,” Tripura said. “They are not allowed to collect drinking water from local deep tube wells. Nobody mixes with them. They are not allowed to shop in the village market. So the Buddhist villagers have ostracized them.”

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