Bangladesh has descended into utter chaos as Islamists have taken over the country after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned from her post and left the country. While violent protests and vandalism have been rampant since July, on the 5th of August, the violent protestors destroyed several Bangladeshi historical heritage sites in their bid to wipe out the legacy of “Bangabandhu” Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Several heritage sites associated with Bangladesh’s founding father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, were vandalised during the recent conflict.
On Monday, the unruly mob destroyed the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in the Dhanmondi area in Dhaka. This museum was dedicated to Hasina’s father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was assassinated in 1975.
Rahman’s residence “Bangabandhu Bhaban” was also attacked by the protestors
"Bangabandhu Bhaban", the residence #Bangaldesh's founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman has been vandalized & set to fire. Bagabandhu was assassinated at this very house on August 15, 1975
— Indrajit Kundu | ইন্দ্রজিৎ (@iindrojit) August 5, 2024
📍Dhanmondi, #Dhaka | August 5, 2024 pic.twitter.com/rjMBC8mTlY
Similarly, the protesters in Dhaka climbed atop a large statue of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s father and hammered the statue’s head with an axe. Who would have thought that one day the very people Mujibur Rahman sought freedom for would destroy his legacy?
Video shows the moment protesters in Bangladesh’s Dhaka climbed atop a large statue of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's father, and hammered the statue's head with an axe. pic.twitter.com/1ocSkKguR0
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) August 5, 2024
Notably, back in 2020, it was reported that two Madarsa students vandalised Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s statue in Kushtia after being influenced by the anti-sculpture statements from Hefajat-e-Islam leaders Mamunul Haque and Faizul Haque. Clearly, the ideology behind the assassination of Rahman was very much active in the country over the years and has ultimately taken over Bangladesh.
The unrest, which started as a student movement against the quota system, soon witnessed the involvement of opposition parties like Jamaat-e-Islami and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), fuelling widespread chaos and destruction.
Bangladesh was established in 1971 to escape the horrors committed by Pakistan’s military and Islamist radicals during the Liberation War. The ongoing vandalism of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s legacy contrasts sharply with Pakistan’s attitude towards its historical and cultural heritage. Pakistan, motivated by Islamist fundamentalism, frequently targets and destroys its ancient heritage sites, even ancient monuments thousands of years old, because the Islamists believe idols are ‘haram’.
Interestingly, while the usual suspects describe Sheikh Hasina’s departure as a “democratic takeover” and “liberation,” it is in reality, Pakistan’s ultimate victory. After decades of teaching false history to pat its own back despite no military achievement whatsoever, Pakistan finally has a victory to boast. Bangladesh was not liberated on the 5th of August 2024, but rather trapped back under the shackles of Islamist terrorism, communal hatred, discrimination, anarchy, and destruction.
Bangladesh is becoming everything it fought against, turning back into the very Pakistan it fought against for “liberation”. In just one day, the unruly protestors vandalised the statues and buildings linked to the “Bangabandhu”.
Pakistan, since its birth in 1947 has been tirelessly wiping out its Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh heritage. The ideology, the mindset behind destruction in both countries is one, Islamic fanaticism. It is pertinent to mention here how the Islamic State destroyed the heritage sites like the ancient city walls, the Tomb of Jonah, and the Mosul Museum since they called the artefacts in this museum “idolatrous”.
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan was created out of hatred for Hindus and other non-Muslim communities and since then, its identity has always been intertwined with its hostility towards India, consistently overshadowing its extensive Hindu heritage. In its attempt to create an Islamist identity, Pakistan has neglected and even systematically destroyed ancient sites, similar to the Taliban’s infamous destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan, which shares ideological roots with certain Pakistani Islamist groups. This destruction is driven by Islamists and backed by government and Pakistani military establishments, reflecting their broader designs of cultural and religious erasure.
The Islamist mob have over the years destroyed several pre-partition era Hindu temples. OpIndia has time and again reported such incidents. Be it the 100-year-old Hanuman Temple in Pakistan’s Lyari, the desecration of the historic Hinglaj Mata Temple, or that of Mata Bahtiyani Devi Temple and more, the third or fourth-generation Islamist converts have targeted historic Hindu temples to vent out their hatred against kafirs and erase Pakistan’s Hindu history.
Other than vandalism, the ancient Hindu and Jain temples have also been taken over and repurposed for commercial use. In this vein, a Jain Temple in Lahore’s Anarkali Bazaar and the Prahladpuri Temple in Multan were damaged after the Babri structure demolition in Ayodhya. This Jain temple’s one part was later used for commercial use and in the other, a Madarsa was opened. Similarly, many churches and Sikh heritage sites have also been attacked by Islamists in Pakistan.
Back in 2021, OpIndia reported how the nine feet tall statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the first emperor of the Sikh Empire at the Lahore Fort was vandalised by Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (an Islamist political party) workers. Back then, the TLP workers also chanted slogans against the former ruler of Punjab. The police informed that the attackers were of the view that it was against Islam to erect a statue of a Sikh ruler in a Muslim country.
The demolition of heritage sites is more than just a physical assault; it is a systematic attempt to obliterate the country’s cultural and historical identity. It shows an intolerant and Islamic fanatic view of the so-called “Riyasat-e-Medina” that does not allow room for the country’s ancient heritage to exist in glory.
Besides, vandalism and attack, deliberate neglect by the Pakistani authorities has also contributed in the destruction of ancient heritage sites that went to Pakistan after partition. Mohenjo-daro, one of the most important archaeological monuments of the Indus Valley Civilisation, is in catastrophic condition. Despite being a UNESCO World Heritage site, the ruins face degradation due lack of funding to ensure proper conservation. Similarly, Taxila, another UNESCO World Heritage site, once a hub of Hindu and Buddhist learning is now poorly maintained, with parts of it encroached on for illegal construction threatening its integrity.
Pakistan’s founding ideology, which was premised on an autonomous Muslim identity separate from Hindu-majority India, has evolved into a broader narrative in which antagonism towards India is a fundamental aspect. Pakistani political leaders and “Ghazwa-e-Hind enthusiasts frequently use this animosity to gain public support, divert attention away from internal issues, and justify the military’s enormous control over civilian affairs.
Following Sheikh Hasina’s resignation, Bangladesh demonstrated signs that it is sliding towards Islamic fanaticism with BNP and jihadist Jamat-e-Islami set to grab power, similar to Pakistan’s political trajectory. The ousting of Hasina, who was renowned for her somewhat secular and pro-India position, represents a major shift towards a more hardline attitude.
The destruction of Mujibur Rahman’s heritage sites in Bangladesh is a cruel irony: a country founded on the need to escape Islamist tyranny is now grappling with similar elements of fanaticism and violence.
Social media is rife with Bangladeshi ‘protestors’ saying that the Quran will be the new ‘constitution’ of the country. While it may be taken as an unofficial confirmation, the demolition of Mujibur Rahman’s statue and the Bangladeshi military’s silence on this is no less than an official confirmation that Bangladesh is becoming the new Pakistan. “The East Pakistan”.
BREAKING: Convenor of 'Anti-Discrimination Student Movement' Sarjis Alam has declared that Bangladesh will be turned into an Islamic Country after Sheikh Hasina ouster.
— Sensei Kraken Zero (@YearOfTheKraken) August 6, 2024
"Tomorrow's nation will be Islam, constitution will be Al QurAn – InshaAllah".
Hat-Tip @salah_shoaib pic.twitter.com/69Ktf0ELot
On the 25th of March, 1971, the Pakistan Army launched Operation Searchlight, a brutal crackdown on East Pakistan’s nationalist movement after Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s Awami League won 160 out of 162 seats in the East registering an absolute majority. He was, however, denied power. The genocide and rape of the Bengali people of the then East Pakistan was spearheaded by former Army chief General Yahya Khan. Even as per the conservative estimates, over 200,000 Bengalis were killed and in a deliberate campaign of genocidal rape, Pakistani military personnel and the Razakars raped between 200,000 and 400,000 Bengali women and girls.
Although India helped Bangladesh achieve freedom from Pakistan after the Pakistani army’s genocide of the Bengali population in the then East Pakistan, the present day Bangladesh has witnessed a surge in anti-India sentiments. Much like in Pakistan where India’s name is invoked to deflect attention from internal issues and exploit antagonism towards India to influence narratives, in Bangladesh, the anti-India BNP and JeI ran the vicious “India Out” campaign calling for boycotting Indian goods. In the latest display of hatred for India, the ‘protestors’ damaged the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC) in Dhaka. As the era of Sheikh Hasina ends and the legacy of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is destroyed, with Bangladesh falling into the hands of Islamists, the country has become identical to its erstwhile Islamist oppressor.
