{"id":33692,"date":"2024-12-09T22:51:09","date_gmt":"2024-12-09T22:51:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/65.0.30.127\/blogs\/satsangs\/?p=33692"},"modified":"2024-12-09T22:51:11","modified_gmt":"2024-12-09T22:51:11","slug":"wake-up-call-a-humanitarian-crisis-in-bangladesh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mohanji.org\/blogs\/satsangs\/ahimsa\/wake-up-call-a-humanitarian-crisis-in-bangladesh\/","title":{"rendered":"Wake Up Call: A Humanitarian Crisis in Bangladesh"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

My dear friends,<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Namaste. Greetings to all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve seen various reports in mainstream and social media about the dire situation in Bangladesh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am here to wake you up once again because the situation is getting worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Genocide.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ethnic cleansing of minorities\u2014Hindus, Christians, and Buddhists\u2014is happening in Bangladesh as we speak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unrest has persisted in Bangladesh for months and has worsened recently. This nation, which won its freedom in 1971, has seen its minority population decline from 25% to less than 8%, according to some statistics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This has been accompanied by heavy persecution and religious conversion, but now it has escalated into a serious terror campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Plight of ISKCON in Bangladesh<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We all know the ISKCON movement, a global, peace-loving, and generous community all over the world. ISKCON has consistently added value to societies worldwide, providing millions of people with food through their charity services, including extensive relief work in Bangladesh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, the key leader of ISKCON in Bangladesh, Sri Chinmoy Krishna Das, has been imprisoned on sedition charges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The charges claim he tied a saffron flag above the Bangladesh flag\u2014a narrative with no evidence. The Bangladesh government is attempting to portray ISKCON as a fundamentalist organization, which is absolutely nonsensical to anyone familiar with their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are no lawyers ready to represent Sri Chinmoy as they all have been terrorised, threatened, and one of them even murdered by the radical groups. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(In this video, Bangladesh layer association president is warning that any lawyer who defends Sri Chinmoy Das, who is currently in jail and declared as a terrorist, will be killed in the court premises itself.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sri Chinmoy Krishna Das is in prison, awaiting trial. He is a vegetarian. The prison isn’t providing his chosen diet. Some of his teammates who brought him food were also arrested and imprisoned. There is an absolute violation of human rights. In Bangladesh, as I understand, the punishment for sedition is death. The same law for blasphemy charges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Sri Chinmoy Krishna Das is in jail, the ISKCON center has been attacked. Their animals, including cows and bulls, were brutally killed, and temples destroyed by radical groups spreading terror.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a blatant violation of human rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Silence Is Not an Option<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

My friends, we must make our voice heard. We must speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. We must stand firm and speak up whenever adharma or unrighteousness takes place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember the story in the Mahabharata<\/em>, Bhishma lay on his bed of arrows and asked Lord Krishna why such a fate had befallen him despite living righteously. Krishna replied, \u201cThis is because you supported Adharma.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bhishma protested saying he had never committed Adharma himself, but Krishna explained that his silence in the face of injustice in the court of Duryodhana, he had allowed unrighteousness to prevail. Supporting unrighteousness directly or indirectly by being silent. Watching injustice being inflicted on innocent and helpless people, is equal to committing a crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We must always remember that silence in such times is passivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let us not repeat Bhishma\u2019s mistake. When injustice occurs, it is our duty to act and speak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Crisis in Bangladesh<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Reports of atrocities are being censored or banned, keeping much of the violence hidden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are just some of the reported atrocities:<\/p>\n\n\n\n