‘No justification for such actions’: Jama Masjid Shahi Imam condemns injustice against Hindus in Bangladesh | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid in Delhi, has criticized the attacks on the Hindu minority in Bangladesh. He urged Muhammad Yunus, the head of Bangladesh‘s interim government, to take immediate action against these injustices.
In a letter, Bukhari emphasized the close ties between India and Bangladesh. “Since the founding of Bangladesh, our national leadership, media, civil society and influential circles have maintained close relations with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, his daughter Sheikh Hasina Wajid and their party, the Awami League. In the field of diplomacy, regional affairs, international affairs and issues relating to the Muslim world, Bangladesh has always supported us as a close ally,” he said, according to an ANI report.
Bukhari expressed concern over the unrest following Sheikh Hasina’s departure to India, which has affected both Muslim and non-Muslim supporters of the Awami League. He specifically condemned the violence against the Hindu minority.
“Until now, this remained an internal matter of Bangladesh. However, the continued injustice, attacks and unilateral actions against the Hindu minority are condemnable and must stop immediately. There is no justification for such actions. The Government must always recognize the role we have played in their settlement and development process, as well as our unparalleled history of supporting and caring for millions of refugees. We were the first to assist them in every natural disaster,” he wrote.
Bukhari also referred to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Minorities and called on Yunus to intervene. “As a credible neighbor, close ally of Bangladesh and custodian of shared cultural heritage, I expect that the current head of Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel laureate, will take immediate steps to address injustices against the Hindu minority. He must ensure that his international reputation remains untarnished. As a Muslim-majority country, Islam and Islamic jurisprudence inherently leave no room for any form of prejudice or injustice against minorities in Bangladesh,” Bukhari added.
More than 60 monks were stopped from entering India at the land port of Benapole in Bangladesh over the weekend, according to an ANI report. ISKCON Kolkata spokesman. Moreover, a court in Bangladesh has set January 2, 2025 as the hearing date for the Hindu spiritual leader Chinmoy Krishna Daswho was arrested on charges of sedition. Das is currently in custody in Bangladesh.