This monk was injured by the Bangladesh Army. The Bangladesh
Army attacked his village and temple during the Matiranga, Panchari massacres
on 30 April - 1 May 1986, they destroyed the temple, Buddha images and Buddhist
texts. This monk like many others had to seek refuge in Tripura, India.
The
destruction of Jumma peoples' religious and cultural life in the CHT have been
a marked feature of the CHT conflict since the early 1970s. The Jumma peoples
of the CHT are Buddhists, Hindus, Christians and Animists. These religious
groupings reflect ethnic differences.
The
Chakma, Tangchanya and Marma are mainly Buddhists, the Tripuras Hindus and some
smaller groups such as the Bawm and Pankhua are Christians. Mru and Khumi
practise what is known as Animism. Religious tolerance has been a long
tradition of the Jumma people.
One
way of understanding this tolerance is to see it in terms of an underlying
element common throughout the CHT which consists of different manifestations of
an underlying stratum of animistic traits which coexists with Buddhism,
Hinduism and Christianity.
The
Jumma people consider themselves culturally very different from the
Bangladeshis. Bangladesh has Islam as the state religion. The state education
is oriented to 'mainstream' nationalism and in some cases, according to the
pupils and teachers, has a strong Islamic influence.
Bengali
predominates over other languages and, apart from the few cases where the Jumma
people have developed their own schools, the educational system in the CHT is
designed to draw the Jumma people into the Islamic culture of Bangladesh.
Saudi Arabia's Al Rabita. |
It has
a main office in Dhaka and offices in Rangamati, Langadu where it also has a
hospital, Barkal, Alikadam of the CHT. At Alikadam, in 1990 the Al Rabita missionary center converted 17 Marma
people to Islam.
Throughout
the CHT the mosque construction continues to take place. Loudly amplified calls
to prayer frequently punctuates the lives of the Jumma people. The Bangladeshi
authorities argue that their religious tolerance can be seen in Buddhist, Hindu
and Christian Welfare Trust.
One
Chakma fellow said that he went to the Central Audit Bureau to seek support
from the Welfare Fund and was told: "Why don't you become a Muslim and
we'll all be brothers". The most disturbing aspects of religious
persecution in the CHT are the destruction of temples, prevention of worship,
violence motivated by religious hatred and forcible conversion to Islam.
There
have been numerous incidents of forcible conversion in the CHT. Chakma women
who marry Bangladeshis whether by choice or abducted by force, have to convert
to Islam.
The
Jumma prisoners who are detained in Chittagong, Rangamati or Khagrachari jails are
placed in cells with a majority of Muslims whose task it is to try and convert
the Jumma persons.
Jamat-i-Islami Islamist Extremist Party. |
In
recent years the Jamat-i-Islami (Islamic fundamentalist political
party) has been very active in the CHT. It builds mosques, actively promotes
Islam and it was responsible for destroying Buddhist and Hindu temples in the
CHT.
An
account by one of the monks now in Tripura described in detail an incident in
1986 which took place in Panchari where a group of hill people were attacked
because they were not Muslims.
"Before
this happened, one day 13 of us went to market. I was not a monk then. The Bangladesh
Rifles (paramilitary force) and settlers caught us and out of 13, nine were
killed and four of us escaped. The reason was that we were not Muslims; they
wanted us to be Muslims to take Islam.
It
was in the market itself and some of the people were also caught up from
around. Among the people whom they caught was my wife. They cut her with daos
(machette) - some of the marks on her neck are still there. She is in Karbook
(refugee camp in Tripura). This took place in the market itself on market day,
Wednesday.
The
others ran away. They also tried to cut me with daos on the neck. Luckily my
shirt collar was thick and I escaped from being killed. As they killed the
others they shouted: 'Oh Chakmas, will you not become Muslims? If you refuse we
will kill you now'."
A
Buddhist monk from the temple at Kalanal described to the Amnesty International
the persistent harassment of the Jumma villagers by the military personnel and
the settlers:
"For
many months now soldiers have been regularly visiting us and slaughtering cows
in our shrine.... They always said that if we did not agree to this (conversion
to Islam) they will come one day and kill us."
"On
the morning of 1 May they carried out their threat by escorting a group of two
to three hundred settlers, some of whom were dressed in the uniform of home
guards, to our village and began their depredations by attacking Buddha Vihar
(the temple).
Most
of us were, however, able to flee but soldiers pounced on Purnananda Bhikku
(one of the monks) and after beating him with rifle butts handed him over to
the Muslims who threw him into the shrine which was by now on fire. He died.
Later
when I met more people from my village they said that two young girls of the
village had been raped mercilessly by troops and Muslims and then killed with
bayonets."
Another
woman described her experience that happened in March/April 1989 to the CHT
Commission as following:
"Some
soldiers came to our house and woke us up and poured cold wate on our heads. I
had two daughters. The soldiers tried to take my daughters, they were 9 and 11
years old. They hit me on the head with lathi (bamboo stick).
My
head was bleeding. My daughters were crying As my head was bleeding heavily,
the soldiers gave me some medicine Then they asked me whether I would become a
Muslim. I said: 'No, I'd rather die.'
Then
they said: Will you be able to stand naked before us and also 'If you give us
your daughters, we will release you.' They beat me then and left."
Desecration
is invariably accompanied by violent attacks against worshippers. The following
case was told by a Marma monk describing an event in Pablakhali, Dighinala in
1985:
"On
that day first the settlers and the army surrounded the temple. I was caught
and my hands were tied with rope as were my legs. Water was poured through my
nostrils. I was kicked with boots and my leg was cut. People came into the
temple and caught all the girls.
They
took the girls a little way from the temple. I heard the cries of the girls -
maybe they were raped but I did not see it with my own eyes. After a few days I
met one of the girls but as a monk I have some restrictions and could not ask
her what had happened.
The
army performed desecration in the temples. They go in with boots on and throw
away food in the temple. Every day before 12 o'clock we offer food to Lord
Buddha. The Muslims say: 'then why does not stone eat it'?
The
army uses guns to break plates. Once I was about to offer food to the Buddha
and the Muslims entered and said 'let's see if stone can eat', then they said
'stone can't eat' and they took the plate from my hands and threw it on the
floor.
They
bring animals into the temple and slaughter them: goats and cows. Buddhist
people never kill animals so you cannot worship in the temple after that has
happened. I have witnessed it.
At
Pablakhali in 1985, before the attack, about 35-50 army personnel entered the
monastery with 100-150 settlers remaining outside.
They
cooked inside the temple and burnt wood on the dirt floor and brought wood in.
They killed the animals outside the temple but within the boundary of the
temple. They did this to crush Buddhism and establish Islam. There was no other
reason for this."
The
second incident took place in Mani Gram, Khagrachari in 1986 and was also
described by a Marma monk:
One display of Bangladesh Rifles' atrocities. |
The
soldiers said: 'You cannot wash God because this is a Muslim state. You cannot
worship the Lord Buddha, you have to abandon this religion and become Muslim.'
We refused to do so.
Then
the soldiers caught us and tied our hands and started to pour water on our
heads. I was the only monk there, the others were villagers numbering around
20. All of us were tied in pairs and the soldiers starting pouring water and
when they were not satisfied by pouring water they started kicking us with their
boots.
The
water was not just water, but it was mixed with green chilies. When we were
tied up they stood with bayonets over us so we would not struggle. My skin
started burning and most of us were injured as I was. I had cuts and sores on
my legs.
We
were tied up in afternoon and they started to burn the house of the village
which we could see. We were tied up from eight in the morning to four in the
afternoon, a total of eight hours. The soldiers untied us.
A Buddhist monk being killed by Bengali-Muslims. |
I
reached the border of Tripura (India) and Karbook camp. In that lot we were
around 450 people. Before 12th June there was no other incident. The only
reason for the attack was religion. If we became Muslim we could stay safe.
I
know one Marma who was my friend called Uchmang. He was threatened that if he
did not become a Muslim he would be harmed with his relatives. He was forcibly
converted. He came from a different village, Mahalchari in Khagrachari
District."
A Marma
monk in Tripura explained how the military authorities control religious
ceremonies in the Chittagong Hill Tracts:
"Religious
functions need a permit from the authorities, for example, the Purnima full moon celebrations and several Purnima functions numbering about six in a
year. We need permits for other functions too.
Many
people come to these functions. For a funeral ceremony no permit is necessary,
but seven days later, the seventh day ritual after cremation needs permission
from the authorities.
When someone becomes a monk you need such a permit.
To
celebrate functions you have to collect money and so permission is needed. The
permit is for both money collection and the ceremony. The army officers give
the permit. It was always army officers who give it. There is no cost for the
permit. I used to go for the permit and was never refused but it was a lot of
trouble, waiting to meet the officer etc."
Chitmarang
is the most sacred shrine of Buddhism in the CHT. Although it is in an area
which is predominantly Marma, thousands of Chakmas traditionally traveled there
annually to pay their respect to the ancient image of the Buddha in the old
temple.
For
several years because of constant checks by the military, it has been
impossible for Buddhists to reach Chitmarang temple. Chitmarang no longer
functions in this capacity. The army have to give permission which is granted
only to the lucky few or to those who can afford to bribe the army.