Beginning of the End to Ethnic Cleansing?
Source: News Bharati Date: 7/2/2012 6:16:41 PM |

- Dr. Richard L. Benkin

In Bangla
Desh, Hindus who are religious minority there, are facing ethenic
cleansing at the hands of Jihadi extremists. The Human Rights groups
world over are trying to provide immidiete relief as well as seeking
solutions to the grave problem.
Dr.Richerd Benkin is one such activist who is engaged in such efforts.
He has written this report for News Bharati.
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Philosopher
Edmund Burke is thought to have said, “All that is necessary for the
triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” Evil has been
triumphing in East Bengal, taking its Hindus from a third of the
population to less than eight percent, while the evidence is still being
kept from those “good men.” Getting the facts to people in power
is the first step in knocking down the wall of silence and that of
inaction which follows from it.
The
process began on May 25 when I met with Bangladeshi Ambassador Akramul
Qader at his country's Washington embassy; and Bangladesh had better
take notice. Our meeting went as I expected. I told Mr. Qader that
I could provide Bangladesh the benefits they requested of me last year
in Dhaka, but would not as long as Hindus are being persecuted
there. He insisted—often in ridiculous fashion—that there was no
persecution, leading to an angry exchange. Qader finally retracted
his denial but claimed he knew of no incidents since those occurring
"at the time of elections years ago [and that] all the perpetrators had
been punished.” His tactic surprised me since practitioners of
ethnic cleansing at least try to seem credible. "Well then let me
enlighten you," I said and presented evidence that the supposedly
“pro-minority” Awami League government remains as complicit in
anti-Hindu ethnic cleansing as its rival BNP.

Forced to
admit that violence long-ago was not the end, he mentioned the
“incident” in Satkhira—an anti-Hindu pogrom outrageous enough to send
hundreds of students into the streets of Dhaka; but called it the work
of a few "religious fanatics" who he claimed have been arrested.
“Not so,” I countered and cited ongoing murder, rape, beatings, arson,
land grabs, religious desecration, and more; and so he challenged me to
send him evidence. Thank you, Mr. Ambassador, because I also sent
it to US Senators and Members of Congress, who now hold documented
evidence of anti-Hindu violence in this supposedly “moderate” Muslim
country. One of them, Congressman Robert Dold, has already raised
the issue in Congress. Now that the facts are circulating on
Capitol Hill, will they be equally dismissive of US lawmakers who
control foreign aid and tariffs on Bangladeshi goods?
Have
Bangladeshis reached a point where they are flailing about for denials,
no matter how ridiculous? Are they overconfident or
desperate? Judge for yourself. I finally told Qader that
"you don't go from a third of the population in 1965, to a fifth in
1971, to between seven and eight percent today simply through 'voluntary
emigration'" His response: "Yes, it can because they cannot find
suitable matches for their children, so they go to India where there are
more Hindus."
“You’re kidding, right?” I replied. He wasn’t.
But he was
confident that disinterest in the lives of Hindus will allow these
deadly actions to continue with impunity. As decent human beings,
we must prove him wrong.