Shia body condemns atrocities against Hindu minorities in Bangladesh

The All India Shia Personal Law Board (AISPLB) on Sunday issued a strong moral denunciation of the violence faced by Hindu minorities in Bangladesh, asserting that Islam stands unequivocally against the killing of innocent lives and that no act of brutality can ever be justified in the name of religion.

The condemnation came from the AISPLB’s annual convention, held amid the grandeur of Lucknow’s historic Bara Imambara, where ulema and Muslim scholars from across India, as well as from Bangladesh and Nepal, gathered to deliberate on faith, justice and communal harmony.

Addressing the media, AISPLB general secretary Maulana Yasoob Abbas said the convention unequivocally condemned the recent attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh. “Islam strictly prohibits the killing of any innocent person. Those who commit such inhumane acts in the name of religion must desist,” he said.

The statement follows a series of disturbing incidents across Bangladesh. Earlier this month, 27-year-old Dipu Chandra Das was lynched by a mob in Baluka in the Mymensingh district over allegations of blasphemy, his body later set on fire.

At least 12 people have been arrested in connection with the killing. In another incident, Amrit Mondal, also known as Samrat, was beaten to death by a mob in Rajbari town on 24 December. The Bangladesh government has maintained that Mondal was accused in multiple serious criminal cases and that the killing was not communal in nature.

The convention also turned its gaze to the wider scourge of violence worldwide. Abbas said the AISPLB declared that every act of terrorism, anywhere in the world, is unequivocally condemnable. Those who perpetrate terrorism, support it or provide assistance to terrorists, he said, are enemies of humanity itself.

Calling for collective resolve, Abbas urged the launch of a powerful global movement against terrorism, one that would isolate and deter what he described as a small but destructive minority.

The gathering unanimously adopted a 23-point resolution addressing a range of religious, constitutional and social concerns. Among its key demands were the withdrawal of the Waqf Amendment Act, reconsideration of the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code and the National Register of Citizens, the creation of a Waqf Protection Commission on the lines of the Minority Commission, and adequate representation for Shia Muslims in the Central Haj Committee.

The resolution also called on the Indian government to press Saudi Arabia to allow Shias to construct shrines at Jannatul Baqi in Medina for the daughter of Prophet Muhammad and the four Imams, and sought political representation for Shia Muslims through reserved seats in Parliament and state assemblies.

Expressing deep concern over incidents of mob lynching in India, the AISPLB demanded the enactment of stringent laws to curb such violence.

Abbas said the resolution acknowledged that a combination of misguided policies by some Muslim rulers in the past and the actions of extremist elements in the present had damaged the image of Islam and Muslims globally. Exploiting this, he said, anti-Islam forces have spread hatred and misinformation.

To counter this narrative, the AISPLB resolved to engage with individuals and organisations in India and abroad who, whether out of misunderstanding or prejudice, harbour misconceptions about Muslims. “We will present the true picture of Islam,” Abbas said, underscoring the board’s commitment to dialogue, clarity and peace.

With PTI inputs