Recent attempts to sabotage Catholic churches, threats to Catholic educational institutions, and the current political context of the country mean the upcoming Christmas will be a time of concern for Catholics in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.
“There is a sense of fear among us and from that point, all our parish priests have been warned,” Bishop Sebastian Tudu of the Dinajpur Diocese told CNA.
The prelate said that in recent weeks there have been crude bomb explosions targeting churches and church-run institutions in Dhaka and threats to Catholic educational institutions through letters. It is natural to be concerned, he said.
However, he noted that local law enforcement agencies have been active much earlier than in other years and are investigating various church institutions.
“We have already had a meeting with the law enforcement agencies here about Christmas security and they are working on it. However, we are in a state of panic and have instructed every parish priest not to hold Christmas programs until late at night,” Tudu said.
Christians make up less than 1% of the 180 million people in this Muslim-majority South Asian nation.
On Nov. 7, two crude homemade bombs were thrown at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Dhaka, one of which did not explode. The next day, the jubilee was celebrated at the cathedral, attended by 600 people from all over the country. A few hours later, a bomb exploded at the gate of St. Joseph’s Higher Secondary School and College, just a few miles from the cathedral.
Exactly a month before this incident, on Oct. 8, a similar bomb exploded at the gate of Holy Rosary Church in a Christian-dominated area of Dhaka.
On Dec. 2, a letter written in Bengali under the name Tawhidee Muslim Janata (“faithful Muslim people”) was sent to two of Bangladesh’s most prestigious colleges: Notre Dame College, run by the Holy Cross Fathers, and Holy Cross College, run by the Holy Cross Sisters, threatening them over alleged conversions.
Raju Biswas, 37, who works in a factory in Dhaka, goes to his village in the southern Satkhira district every year on Dec. 23 to celebrate Christmas with his family, and he plans to go this year as well.
“Since I have children, a wife, and parents at home, I will go to the village to celebrate Christmas with them. However, this time, there is panic; the political situation in the country is not good, and there was an incident of throwing bombs in front of the church,” Biswas told CNA.
He said the government should strengthen security in every church for at least four days, from two days before Christmas to the day after Christmas.
On Dec. 15, to discuss security measures for the upcoming Christmas, a delegation led by Bangladesh Christian Association President Nirmal Rozario and St. Mary’s Cathedral parish priest Father Albert Thomas Rozario of the Dhaka Archdiocese met the home affairs adviser of the interim government.
“The archbishop and we are not seeing Christmas this year as normal as other times. We are more worried and scared this time and have raised the recent security concerns with the home affairs adviser,” Father Rozario told CNA.
They have taken serious note of our concerns and have said that the government will take measures so that Christians can celebrate Christmas in a peaceful and joyful atmosphere, Father Rozario added.
Strict security measures have already been adopted at the archbishop’s house. There are instructions to install CCTV cameras in every church, archways at the gates, metal detectors, and manual checks.
“There are more meetings with the country’s police administration within a few days, where we will again raise our concerns and appeal to the government for security,” Father Rozario said.