The alleged persecution of minorities in Bangladesh has been questioned several times in the US State Department briefings. This time, the issue has come up in the White House briefing. The US President’s position on the matter has also been sought. The White House has stated America’s position on the security of minorities. This issue was questioned in the White House briefing on Thursday (December 12).
The briefing asked whether American Hindu groups across the country have been protesting outside the White House for the past few weeks, alleging the killing of Hindus and attacks on temples in Bangladesh after the fall of Sheikh Hasina. Is the president aware of this? Has he raised this issue with Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the chief advisor to the interim government of Bangladesh, in a sideline meeting at the United Nations conference? “We are monitoring this very closely. Even the president is monitoring this very closely,” said Admiral John Kirby, director of strategic communications for the White House National Security Council.
He said the security situation in Bangladesh has become very complex since the fall of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. We are working closely with the interim government to build the capacity of their law enforcement and security services to meet the challenges.
“We have been making it clear in our discussions with Bangladeshi leaders that the protection of religious and ethnic minorities is of utmost importance. The interim government has also repeatedly pledged to protect everyone, regardless of religion or ethnicity,” Kirby said.
Earlier on Tuesday (December 10), a question was asked at a briefing by the US State Department about the attack on the Bangladeshi Deputy High Commission in India. The briefing asked that the Indian Foreign Secretary had visited Bangladesh. Both Bangladesh and India have expressed concern about the violent attack on a Bangladeshi diplomatic mission inside India. Do you have any comments on this attack and India’s increasingly aggressive rhetoric towards Bangladesh? In response, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said, “We want all parties to resolve their differences peacefully.”
Earlier, the issue of alleged violence against minorities in Bangladesh came up in a briefing by the US State Department. Margaret McLeod, the US State Department’s Urdu and Hindi-speaking spokesperson, said in the briefing that the interim government’s chief advisor Dr. Muhammad Yunus has repeatedly called Indian media reports on violence against minorities, especially Hindus, in Bangladesh an exaggeration. In the meantime, the issue has again come up in the discussions of the US State Department. The department has again expressed deep concern about the news (trial of minorities) received from Bangladesh in this regard. In response, he said, we are monitoring the issue closely. We hope that every person in the region will be able to live according to their religion and beliefs. News source- Kalbela
