DHAKA: Bangladesh has rebuked Washington’s intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard, saying her comments on religious violence in the South Asian country were unfounded and risked fanning sectarian tensions.
Gabbard arrived this week for a diplomatic trip to India, whose relations with Bangladesh have soured since a student-led uprising overthrew the latter nation’s government last year.
New Delhi has repeatedly accused its Muslim-majority neighbor of failing to adequately protect its minority Hindu citizens – charges denied by the caretaker administration now in charge.
But Gabbard appeared to give credence to the claims when she was asked about violence in Bangladesh during a Monday interview with Indian broadcaster NDTV.
“The long-time unfortunate persecution, killing, and abuse of religious minorities... have been a major area of concern for the US government,” she said in response.
She added that the issue, along with Islamist extremism, remained “central focus areas of concern” and said the Trump administration has already raised them with the Bangladeshi government.
Bangladesh responded in a statement late Monday that Gabbard’s comments were both “misleading” and “damaging” to the country’s image and reputation.
“Political leaders and public figures should base their statements, especially on sensitive issues, on actual knowledge and take care not to reinforce harmful stereotypes, fan fears, or potentially stoke sectarian tensions,” the statement said.
Hindus make up about eight percent of Bangladesh’s 170 million people.
In the chaotic days following the August ouster of autocratic ex-premier Sheikh Hasina, there was a string of attacks on Hindus – seen by some as having backed her rule.
The caretaker government that replaced her has insisted that many of those attacks were motivated by politics rather than religion.
It has also accused India’s media and government of spreading disinformation exaggerating threats to Bangladeshi Hindus.
Gabbard met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington last month soon after her confirmation as director of national intelligence under President Donald Trump.
The pair met again on Monday and Gabbard used a speech to a geopolitical conference in New Delhi to praise the enduring partnership between the United States and India.
“I am confident that this partnership and friendship between our two nations and our leaders will continue to grow and strengthen,” she added.
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Bangladesh rebukes US spy chief over religious violence remarks
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Bangladesh rebukes US spy chief over religious violence remarks
- Washington’s intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard arrived this week for a diplomatic trip to India
- New Delhi has repeatedly accused its Muslim-majority neighbor of failing to adequately protect its minority Hindu citizens
UK govt bans pro-Palestinian march over alleged Iran support
- The UK government has banned an annual pro-Palestinian march planned for Sunday which London police claim is organized by a group “supportive of the Iranian regime“
LONDON: The UK government has banned an annual pro-Palestinian march planned for Sunday which London police claim is organized by a group “supportive of the Iranian regime.”
Interior minister Shabana Mahmood said late Tuesday she had approved the rare police request to prevent “serious public disorder” if the Al-Quds Day march and counter-protests had gone ahead.
It is the first time a protest march has been banned since 2012 but a static demonstration will be permitted, according to London’s Metropolitan police.
Mahmood said she was “satisfied” a ban was “necessary” due to “the scale of the protest and multiple counter-protests, in the context of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.”
The minister added that she expected to see “the full force of the law applied to anyone spreading hatred and division.”
The Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), an NGO which organizes the annual Al-Quds Day march, said it “strongly condemns” the decision, which it called “politically charged.”
“We are seeking legal advice and this decision will not go unchallenged,” it added, accusing the Met of having “brazenly abandoned their sworn principle of policing without fear or favor.”
It said the London force “unashamedly regurgitate Zionist talking points about the IHRC “without a shred of evidence.”
The group describes the day and march as an “international demonstration ... in support of Palestinians and all the oppressed around the world.”
- ‘Unique risks’ -
Al-Quds day, which takes its name from the Arabic for Jerusalem, originated in Iran in 1979 in support of the Palestinian people, and is now marked annually in various countries, notably in the Muslim world. It aims to protest Israel’s occupation of east Jerusalem.
But the Met’s Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said it was “uniquely contentious having originated in Iran and in London is organized by the Islamic Human Rights Commission.”
He claimed that the organization was “supportive of the Iranian regime.”
“The threshold to ban a protest is high and we do not take this decision lightly,” Adelekan said.
He noted the Met has “a proven track record” of permitting free speech and protest rights at dozens of major pro-Palestinian and other demonstrations in recent years.
“But in our assessment this march raises unique risks and challenges,” he said.
“We must consider the likely high numbers of protesters and counter protesters coming together and the extreme tensions between different factions.
“We have taken into consideration the likely impact on protests of the volatile situation in the Middle East, with the Iranian regime attacking British allies and military bases overseas.”
The ban on the march and any associated counter-protest marches is valid for a month from Wednesday.
Interior minister Shabana Mahmood said late Tuesday she had approved the rare police request to prevent “serious public disorder” if the Al-Quds Day march and counter-protests had gone ahead.
It is the first time a protest march has been banned since 2012 but a static demonstration will be permitted, according to London’s Metropolitan police.
Mahmood said she was “satisfied” a ban was “necessary” due to “the scale of the protest and multiple counter-protests, in the context of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.”
The minister added that she expected to see “the full force of the law applied to anyone spreading hatred and division.”
The Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), an NGO which organizes the annual Al-Quds Day march, said it “strongly condemns” the decision, which it called “politically charged.”
“We are seeking legal advice and this decision will not go unchallenged,” it added, accusing the Met of having “brazenly abandoned their sworn principle of policing without fear or favor.”
It said the London force “unashamedly regurgitate Zionist talking points about the IHRC “without a shred of evidence.”
The group describes the day and march as an “international demonstration ... in support of Palestinians and all the oppressed around the world.”
- ‘Unique risks’ -
Al-Quds day, which takes its name from the Arabic for Jerusalem, originated in Iran in 1979 in support of the Palestinian people, and is now marked annually in various countries, notably in the Muslim world. It aims to protest Israel’s occupation of east Jerusalem.
But the Met’s Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said it was “uniquely contentious having originated in Iran and in London is organized by the Islamic Human Rights Commission.”
He claimed that the organization was “supportive of the Iranian regime.”
“The threshold to ban a protest is high and we do not take this decision lightly,” Adelekan said.
He noted the Met has “a proven track record” of permitting free speech and protest rights at dozens of major pro-Palestinian and other demonstrations in recent years.
“But in our assessment this march raises unique risks and challenges,” he said.
“We must consider the likely high numbers of protesters and counter protesters coming together and the extreme tensions between different factions.
“We have taken into consideration the likely impact on protests of the volatile situation in the Middle East, with the Iranian regime attacking British allies and military bases overseas.”
The ban on the march and any associated counter-protest marches is valid for a month from Wednesday.
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