Mob Justice Unleashed: Bangladesh in Turmoil over Alleged Blasphemous Post

Around 2,500 people were arrested in Bangladesh on June 4th after an allegedly blasphemous Facebook post defaming the Prophet Muhammad sparked street violence in the Muslim-majority, South Asian nation.

Most of those arrested for participating in the violence in the country’s capital Dhaka were unidentified. Bangladeshi authorities also arrested a man named Mohammad Sohel for making the reportedly blasphemous social media post.

Hindu's Anti-Islam Post: 10-Year Sentence in Bangladesh

A young Hindu man from Bangladesh was arrested and convicted for allegedly insulting Islam and the Prophet Muhammad through a social media post around six years ago.

On May 23rd, a court in the city of Rangpur in northwestern Bangladesh convicted a man named Titu Roy for making derogatory, anti-Islam remarks on Facebook, sentencing him to ten years in prison.

Bangladeshi Man Receives 7 Years in Jail for "Insulting" Prophet Muhammad

A Bangladeshi man is currently facing a seven-year prison sentence for sharing an allegedly blasphemous post on Facebook back in 2017.

Bangladeshi Teacher Arrested for Saying "There Is No Evidence in Religion"

On March 22, a high school teacher in Bangladesh was arrested by authorities for allegedly hurting religious sentiment. Hriday Chandra Mondal, a teacher at the Binodpur Ram Kumar High School in Munshiganj district, was arrested for telling students that "religion is a matter of faith."

Mondal followed up on his statement by comparing religion to science. "Science looks at the evidence," he said.

Four Sentenced to Death for Murder of Bangladeshi Secularist Blogger

On March 30, a Bangladesh court sentenced four men to death for the brutal killing of a secular blogger in 2015. Judge Nurul Amin Biplob of the Sylhet Anti-Terrorism Tribunal gave the death penalty to four out of the five suspects in the murder of Ananta Bijoy Das.

Why Does Facebook Keep Killing Bangladeshi Atheists?

Recently, several Bangladeshi atheists and secularist bloggers lost access to their Facebook accounts as they found that Facebook was mourning their apparent deaths. Alarmed and shocked, the bloggers soon realized that this was the outcome of a planned attack on many popular online activists/bloggers within the Bangladeshi blogosphere. Facebook is still one of the most popular social media platforms for a wide demographic of Bangladeshis.

USA Announces $5 Million Reward for Info on Murder of Atheist Writer

By Abdulla Gaafarelkhalifa

On December 20, 2021, the US Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, with its Rewards for Justice office, has offered a $5 million reward for information on the terrorist attack and murder of Avijit Roy, an Atheist blogger and naturalized American citizen, which took place nearly seven years ago in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Bangladesh Hints at Removing Islam as State Religion

Murad Hassan, the State Minister for Information of Bangladesh, said that he would speak to Parliament to begin plans to revert to the 1972 constitution. Hassan's remarks were made during the 57th birthday celebration of Sheikh Russell, the youngest son of Bangladesh's founder Sheikh Mujib.

"Disrespected" Quran Leads to Deadly Violence in Bangladesh

At least seven people were confirmed killed during the violence last week in the city of Cumilla in the Chittagong Division, Bangladesh. On Wednesday, October 13, the city government deployed paramilitary troops for the Durga Puja festival, a significant Hindu festival in Bangladesh. Four Muslims were killed on Wednesday after the police opened fire on the crowd.

Six Sentenced to Death for Murder of Bangladeshi Gay Rights Activists

April 2016 was a dark time for Bangladesh’s LGBTQ+ community. On April 25, 2016, Bangladesh’s top gay rights activist, Xulhaz Mannan, was brutally murdered along with actor Rabbi Tonoy, identified by the local media as Tanay Mojumdar. Both are figureheads, pillars in Bangladesh’s thriving LGBTQ+ community.