Fanatics target Sufi shrines in Bangladesh

New Delhi: Bangladesh has witnessed an alarming rise in religious violence that extends beyond minority persecution, with over 100 Sufi shrines targeted across the country in the wake of the political upheaval on August 5 last year that unseated the Sheikh Hasina government.

While Hindu, Christian, Ahmadiyya and indigenous communities have faced documented violence and repression over the past year, widespread attacks have also targeted sacred sites within the majority Muslim community, specifically Sufi shrines, dargahs and pilgrimage centres deeply rooted in Bengali spiritual and cultural tradition.

Since August 2024, attacks on over 100 Sufi shrines and sacred sites have occurred with regularity across the country and the state has remained a mute spectator.

“These assaults, marked by vandalism, arson and looting, are seen by many as direct attacks on the fabric of Bengali culture and religious harmony. Analyses of these incidents reveal a disturbing trend – most attacks are perpetrated by hardline religious mobs invoking monotheistic purity, attempting to legitimise their violence in the name of Islam,” according to a recent report by Canada-based Global Center for Democratic Governance (GCDC).

“Despite the growing frequency and scale of these events, the interim government has yet to take substantive action to halt the violence or bring perpetrators to justice… The Sufi tradition, in particular, has played a vital role in shaping the country’s spiritual and cultural landscape. However, that long-standing tradition is now under threat,” according to GCDC.