Yusha Rahman, TwoCircles.net
An image of a screenshot from a video showing a woman being raped went viral on social media. The image was accompanied by a description, suggesting that Islamist forces were celebrating the rape of Hindu women in Bangladesh and encouraging other Muslims to seize Hindu properties there.
This image gained widespread popularity in India with claims that the video depicted atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh.
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However, many fact-checkers debunked these claims and clarified that the viral video is from 2021. Although the victim was indeed a Bangladeshi citizen, the incident occurred in Bangalore.
Similarly, another video showed a man being brutally beaten to death by the public. It was shared on social media with the claim that Hindus are being attacked by Muslims in Bangladesh.
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Later, fact-checking revealed that the video depicted an Awami League leader named Shahidul Islam Hiron.
Not only trolls but also some Indian media organizations reported that Muslims were killing Hindus in Bangladesh. For instance, a prominent media organization took a video from social media and published it as a report claiming that a Hindu girl was supposedly assaulted by a Muslim mob in Bangladesh.
The report was provocative and included a quote from a BJP leader suggesting that India should prepare to resettle Hindus from Bangladesh while sending Rohingyas and Bangladeshi Muslims back to their nations.
After being called out as fake news, the report was taken down, but the archive can be seen here.
These are just some of the many posts that went viral in India to show atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh following Sheikh Hasina’s ouster from Bangladesh, amidst nationwide student and public protests against the government.
Intent to Create Communal Unrest?
These communal rhetorics are not new. Posts on social media often depict the plight of Hindus in neighboring nations where Muslims are in the majority. However, this time, even national media reported irresponsibly.
Major news outlets, alongside Hindu extremists, used Bangladesh’s political unrest as a scapegoat to polarise Indian Hindus and scare them about their next-door Muslim neighbors.
Some posts and media outlets also suggested that secularism is a flawed concept if Muslims are in your country, as they allegedly will not show any mercy while killing Hindus.
The result of these posts was seen on the ground when Hindu Raksha Dal, a Hindu right-wing outfit, destroyed the shanties of Muslims living near the railway station in Ghaziabad. The right-wing extremists also assaulted a group of people, calling them Bangladeshi infiltrators. It was later discovered that these individuals were not Bangladeshis but Muslims from Shahjanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
The Condition of Bangladeshi Hindus
Reports of vandalism, looting and assaults in various places in Bangladesh have emerged. There have been reports of communal attacks as well. However, in many cases, these attacks were politically motivated against those aligned with the Awami League, the party led by Hasina.
Tanvir Mahatab Abir, senior fact checker at Rumor Scanner Bangladesh, noted that political attacks are often given a communal dimension, which is concerning. Such rumors impact people and threaten security.
Talking to TwoCircles.net, he said, “Undoubtedly, such attacks at a time of unrest have affected communities. However, the people of the Muslim community are spreading messages of awareness and promoting communal harmony. They are also guarding numerous Hindu establishments at night against any plunder. This bond of harmony shows the real image of Bangladesh.”
Another report by the Times of India suggested that minorities were being forced to resign from jobs. Rashad Ahamad, a staff correspondent at New Age, a Dhaka-based English language newspaper, clarified that those forced to resign were supporters of the Awami League. “At least 5,000 people who were appointed by the ousted dictator Hasina were forced to resign. The number is unaccounted for because after the fall of the government, this is happening everywhere. It is based on loyalty to Hasina, not anything else. Only 12 were Hindus, the rest are Muslims,” he claimed.
Jamaat-e-Islami and Politics in Bangladesh
Three days after Hasina’s resignation, an interim government in the country was formed with Mohammed Yunus as the chief. As soon as Yunus assumed command, he condemned acts of violence against minorities and assured the safety of Hindus and other minorities in the nation.
However, many people fear that the Jamaat-e-Islami, a Muslim extremist group in Bangladesh, might rise to prominence in country’s politics, disrupting the country’s secular fabric.
Many media reports (here and here) suggested that the Jamaat-e-Islami is supported by Pakistan and was a significant force behind the student protests in Bangladesh, leading to civil unrest and Hasina’s ousting.
Some predicted that Jamaat’s active involvement in Bangladesh’s politics would further increase violence against minorities. This prediction is based on the organisation’s ideology, which aims to bring the world under Sharia law.
A report also suggested that the Jamaat-e-Islami opposes the secular constitution of Bangladesh.
Many media reports also mentioned that the Jamaat-e-Islami had a strong alliance with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and was banned by the Awami League for terror activities. However, such news reports failed to mention that the Jamaat had enjoyed alliances with both the Awami League and the BNP at different times.
In the 1990s, the Jamaat shared an amicable bond with the Awami League as both parties opposed the BNP government led by Khaleda Zia. They were both critical of the BNP’s governance and electoral practices. In 1996, the Awami League allied with the Jamaat to form the government, but the alliance was short-lived. In 2009, the Awami League declared the Jamaat and its student wing, Chhatra Shibir, as terrorist organisations.
The interim government of Bangladesh includes people from the secular front. It comprises a mix of civil society members and retired bureaucrats. Ahmad said, “If Jamaat had too much influence on Bangladesh’s politics, women would not be part of the Cabinet as they oppose women leadership. The interim government has 4 out of 17 women members. This, in itself, is evidence that the Jamaat does not have too much influence.”
TwoCircles.net also spoke to Deep Halder, a journalist and author of the book titled ‘Being Hindu in Bangladesh: An Untold Story’. He said that there are reports of violence against Hindus in Bangladesh, but these are independent of Sheikh Hasina’s resignation. He further stated, “The current constitution of Bangladesh is secular, and Yunus’ statement to stop any atrocities against Hindus is a much-appreciated move.”
Halder also mentioned that the Jamaat has long been willing to establish Sharia law in Bangladesh, irrespective of the current political scenarios, which might be a cause of concern for minorities and their culture. “There are cases of Hindus being attacked in Bangladesh since the liberation, but they must come together and raise their voices against it. Promulgating fake news will only dilute their cause,” he added.
Impact of Fake News in Sowing the Seeds of Polarisation
According to a recent World Economic Forum report, misinformation and disinformation are linked with the polarisation of society, meaning they can exacerbate each other. If a society is divided, more people will believe information that supports their existing views, even if it is false, deepening polarisation among the masses.
Psychotherapist Hena Faqurudheen said, “It should also be noted that those favoring extremist beliefs will attempt to create scenarios for conflict (real or otherwise, as seen by the proliferation of fake news in the last decade) to convince group members that they are under threat. Thus, group members need to reflect on why extremist thoughts are being favored.”
Many fact-checking organizations across India and abroad are trying to curb the menace of fake news in this scenario or otherwise. However, major media organisations have also reported on the incident in ways that confirm existing biases. Thus, all the efforts of fact-checking seem to be a drop in the ocean.