'It's Concerning': Vivek Ramaswamy Condemns Targeted Violence Against Hindus In Bangladesh

Former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has condemned the targeted violence against Hindus in Bangladesh after the fall of Shiekh Hasina’s regime.

In a long post on X, Ramaswamy said a quota conflict in Bangladesh created to rectify the wrongs of rape and violence in 1971 is now leading to more rape and violence in 2024.

While expressing concern, the former Republican presidential candidate also said that it is hard not to look at Bangladesh and wonder what lessons we would do well to learn right here at home.

“The targeted violence against Hindus in Bangladesh is wrong, it’s concerning, and it’s a cautionary tale for victimhood-laced quota systems. Here’s what happened: Bangladesh fought a bloody war for its independence in 1971. Hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshi civilians were raped and murdered. It was a tragedy, and it was rightly mourned. But in its aftermath, Bangladesh implemented a quota system for jobs in their civil service: 80% of the jobs were allocated to specific social groups (war veterans, rape victims, underrepresented residents, etc.), and only 20% were allocated based on merit,” he wrote in the post.

“The quota system proved to be a disaster. In 2018, protests led Bangladesh to scrap most of the quotas, but the victim-patrons fought back…and the quota system was reinstated this year. That triggered more protests which toppled the government, and the prime minister fled. Once chaos begins, it can’t easily be reined in. Radicals are now targeting Hindu minorities. A quota conflict created to rectify the wrongs of rape and violence in 1971 is now leading to more rape and violence in 2024. Bloodshed is the endpoint of grievance and victimhood. It’s hard not to look at Bangladesh and wonder what lessons we would do well to learn right here at home,” he added.

Yunus Promises to Punish Those Responsible for Attacks on Hindus

Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday reached out to the distressed Hindu community as he visited a centuries-old temple, where he urged them to “exercise patience” and assured them that his government would punish those who attacked the minority members.

The 84-year-old economist, who took charge as the Chief Advisor of the interim government on August 8 amid ongoing violence and vandalism, visited the Dhakeshwari temple – one of the prominent Shakti peethas – in Dhaka and said each one’s rights should be ensured and blamed “institutional decay” for the predicament that his country has fallen into.

His visit comes on a day when the Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance said that the minority community faced attacks and threats in 278 locations across 48 districts since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government on August 5 and termed it as an “assault on the Hindu religion.” “Rights are equal for everyone. We are all one people with one right. Do not make any distinctions among us. Please, assist us. Exercise patience, and later judge — what we were able to do and not. If we fail, then criticise us,” Yunus was quoted as saying by The Daily Star newspaper.

“In our democratic aspirations, we should not be seen as Muslims, Hindus, or Buddhists, but as human beings. Our rights should be ensured. The root of all problems lies in the decay of institutional arrangements. That is why such issues arise. Institutional arrangements need to be fixed,” said Yunus, who was accompanied by Law Adviser Asif Nazrul and Religious Affairs Adviser AFM Khalid Hossain.

On Monday, Hossain’s ministry set up a hotline asking people to provide information about attacks on temples, churches or any other religious institutions.

“If a temple, church, pagoda or any other religious institution is attacked or attacked by miscreants, it is requested to report its information by calling this mobile number 01766-843809 or by sending a small message,” Bengali language daily Prothom Alo reported, citing a notification issued by the ministry on Monday.

(with inputs from PTI)