The wall of Bawm Tribal Baptist Church in Rangamati district in southeast Bangladesh was demolished by unknown masked men. (Photo supplied)
Ethnic Christians in a remote, hilly village in Bangladesh are under pressure from Buddhists to renounce their faith after two mob attacks severely damaged a Baptist church, says a pastor.
The Bawm Tribal Baptist Church in Sundrapara village in Rangamati district was attacked on July 15 and July 22 by dozens of black-masked men, said Jyotilaso Chakma, the church's head pastor.
The attackers demolished the brick wall of the church building, windows, doors and its tin roof during the first raid in the dead of night, he said, adding that during the July 22 attack the church's gate and cross were smashed.
Rangamati is one of three forested districts collectively called Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in southeast Bangladesh near the border with Myanmar and India.
The pastor said the attacks came after weeks of threats from Buddhists demanding the shutdown of the church and asking Christians to reconvert to Buddhism.
“They have not only demolished the church but also told us to convert to Buddhism. They also threatened us to prepare for worse if we don’t convert or if we go to the police,” Pastor Chakma, an ethnic Chakma, told UCA News.
Maybe I will need to flee to another district to save my life. I’m afraid about my family
Pastor Chakma said some 30 families in the village converted to Christianity from Buddhism in the church in 2008. Most have fled the area due to pressure from Buddhists, but eight families still live in the village, he said.
Pastor Chakma said he is living in extreme fear with his nine-member family.
“Maybe I will need to flee to another district to save my life. I’m afraid about my family. The radicals might kill me and my family if we don’t convert,” he said.
Anonda Bikash Chakma, 44, another Christian villager and father of four, said his family are also living in fear since the attacks.
“One of my children told me about the attack on July 15. I found the church was badly damaged. It was a saddening moment,” he told UCA News.
He said a similar attack was carried out on July 22 and more damage was done to the church.
“They threatened us that if we don't go back to Buddhism they will kill us. But I am determined that, no matter what happens, I will remain a Christian," he told UCA News.
Both Pastor Chakma and Anonda said the attackers were unknown to them. However, some media reported that the attackers were members of the United People's Democratic Front (UPDF), an armed political party in the CHT.
Pinaram Chakma, the headman in Sundrapara, said he is aware of the attacks and tensions in the Christian community, adding that he is mediating between Buddhists and Christians for peace.
“As far as I know, there was no problem between Buddhists and Christians in the village since the church was set up in 2008. I think the violence was carried out by outsiders. I am making efforts to bring back peace by talking to both Buddhists and Christians,” Chakma, a Buddhist, told UCA News.
I am not aware of allegations of church break-ins or forced conversions as no one came to us to report it
Police officer Mostofa Kamal, who is in charge of Naniarchar subdistrict that covers the village, said he is still in the dark about the matter.
“I am not aware of allegations of church break-ins or forced conversions as no one came to us to report it. If a complaint is filed, we will investigate the matter,” he told UCA News.
The Catholic Church strongly condemns such injustices against Christians as well as all minorities and demands justice for the violence, said James Gomes, coordinator of the interreligious dialogue commission of Chittagong Archdiocese.
Bangladesh's constitution allows everyone to have freedom of religion and anyone attempting to curtail the right to religion or to ruin peace should be identified and punished, he said.
The CHT is a home to more than dozen ethnic groups, mostly Buddhists and some Christians. Since the 1980s, the region has experienced a massive influx of Bengali Muslim settlers under state-sponsored migration schemes. The settlers were accused of encroaching on the land and livelihoods of ethnic communities, triggering sectarian tensions and violence.
A militia outfit formed by ethnic groups started attacking Muslims and law enforcers backing them. In response, the government deployed the military and a deadly bush war between the insurgents and the army claimed hundreds of lives over about two decades.
The bush war came to an end with the signing of the CHT Peace Accord 1997 between the government and Parbattya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samity (PCJSS), the main ethnic political party.
Despite the treaty, the region is still heavily militarized, while sectarian conflicts largely due to land disputes and deadly rivalry between armed ethnic groups are common.