Bangladesh Hindus

DHAKA: A mob of nearly 3,000 attacked Hindu households and a temple in eastern Bangladesh after two youths from the community allegedly insulted the Prophet Muhammad on Facebook.  Police on Monday arrested 17 people, including the principal of Bagmara Madrasa, for the attack on the temple and over two dozen households at Homna in Comilla district, about 100km south east of Dhaka, last week.   "We so far arrested 17 people and some of them made confessional statements regarding the attack. A manhunt is under way to arrest the rest of the culprits," police chief of Homna, Aslam Shikdar said.   He said suspected mastermind of the attack Nazrul Islam is still on the run.   The local police chief said steps were under way to put the accused on trial on charges of attacking the Hindu households and the temple under a planned manner.   A makeshift police camp was setup at the village where the incident took place on April 26 following rumours that two Hindu yo

Washington, D.C. (June 11, 2014) --The plight of religious minorities in Bangladesh took center stage on Capitol Hill yesterday, as the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) marked its 11th Annual D.C. Advocacy Days.  Hindu American delegates from around the country met with nearly 80 Congressional offices, asking them to support a bipartisan Congressional letter, spearheaded by Representatives Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) and Aaron Schock (R-IL), that urges U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to make human rights and the protection of minorities in Bangladesh a priority in U.S. - Bangladesh relations.  Rep. Gabbard receiving HAF's Pride of the Community Award from Rishi Bhutada, Board member "Promoting a stable and democratic Bangladesh is important to U.S. economic, political and security interests in the South Asia region," wrote Reps. Gabbard and Schock in a message circulated to their colleagues earlier today. "Under domestic law, the Bangladesh government is obliged to