Forcing religious conversions sparks concern in Bangladesh

Bangladesh has witnessed, in the last few months, an alarming instance of religious conversions with reports that people have been converting from Hinduism to Islam either under their own will or by force. Ratan Majumdar, a Dhaka resident, is one of them who changed to Islam on 15 September 2024 under the name Saifulla. This incident has aroused much debate because there is increasing pressure on religious minorities in the country.

Ratan Majumdar’s case is one of a larger issue that has picked up pace in different parts of Bangladesh. Reportedly, from local sources, Ratan-a 35-year-old man from a Hindu family-told reporters he was converting in a public ceremony. His family claims otherwise and says he was coerced by local religious leaders and harassed by community members. They contend that Ratan was coerced and had no choice but to embrace Islam for fear of social and economic repercussions.

This is not an isolated incident. Over the last few years, religious minorities in Bangladesh, mainly Hindus, have faced stiffer challenges. There have been numerous reports of threats, harassment, and coercion to convert into Islam. In a few cases, these threats and harassment by religious leaders and groups have targeted poor and vulnerable people who belong to weaker socio-economic classes with guarantees of financial security and social acceptance through conversion.

The news made his family members devastated. They fear that such a trend of religious conversion is threatening the secular fabric of the country. “We have always lived in peace with our Muslim neighbours, but now we are constantly living in fear,” says Ratan’s father. “This is not just about religion; it’s about losing our identity and being forced to live in a way that goes against our beliefs.”

Rights groups and organisations that are vigorously advocating for minorities have raised objections to the increase in pressures on the Hindu community. They argue that such a rise in religious conversions-forced or otherwise-manifests into greater communal polarisation within Bangladeshi society, where religious minorities continue to become more and more marginalised.

Political analysts believe that there is a worse political atmosphere influencing the matter. With all these political unrests, protests and tensions going high, radical groups are seen exploiting this uncertainty to impose their religious agenda. The government has condemned enforced conversions, but no strict measures have been taken to date to check this evil nor provide security to religious minorities who are victims of enforced conversion.

The more disturbing transformation, however, involves that of Ratan Majumdar-now known as Saifulla – where Hindus, perceiving a high degree of Islamic militancy, feel compelled to abandon their faith and religion in order to save themselves from certain Muslim aggression. Bangladesh has often taken pride in its secular identity and multicultural heritage. But within incidents such as these lies an ominous portent that the country may not be able to maintain these values any more in the face of increasing religious extremism.

In this context, religious freedom-which Bangladesh has enjoyed for decades-now appears to be under greater threat than ever before, which would spell very uncertain futures for its religious minorities. More incidents like Ratan’s may soon become the norm, apart from continuing to further fissure a social and cultural harmony that has always defined the nation.