PERSISTENT attacks on cultural and religious sites — shrines, darbar sharifs and baul establishments — are gravely concerning. At least, three attacks on such sites in September 29–30 suggest that the government has not adequately addressed the issue. At least, 30 people, mostly followers of Sufism, were injured as a group of villagers attacked a shrine at Savar, on the outskirts of the capital, on September 29. The next day, a group vandalised and burnt books and musical instruments at Lalon Ananda Dham, a baul establishment, at Bhanga in Faridpur while a similar attack happened on Rashidiya Darbar Sharif in Kushtia. The incidents suggest that the government, which in a statement on September 14 condemned the attacks on Sufi shrines and instructed the law enforcement agencies to take measures to protect religious shrines and cultural sites, has not adequately addressed the issue. The unabated attacks show that the condemnation and instruction are not only inadequate to prevent such attacks but also reflective of a sort of reluctance at addressing the issue properly. The deplorable attacks on shrines of pirs, fakirs and cultural and religious sites, moreover, pose a big question mark on the success of the interim government in keeping law and order.
In the past few weeks, there have been attacks on at least 50 shrines, cultural and religious sites and dozens of devotees of pris, fakirs and Sufi Islam in different parts, leaving many shrines damaged and many devotees injured. Devotees of different shrines say that they have not received enough cooperation from the law enforcement agencies when they sought protection. The attacks on shrines are believed to have come from a number of Islamic groups, political and otherwise, that adhere to a puritan form of Islam that interprets and terms the shrine culture as un- and anti-Islamic. When it is natural that there are differences, ideological and religious, between different sects of Islam and that some sects hold objections against the shrine culture, Sufism or other forms of cultural practice, it is dangerous that such differences lead to attacks on shrines and cultural and religious sites, which have a special place and significance for thousands of people who have their own interpretations of religion, rituals and their meanings. Allegations are also there, with some evidence, that some vested quarters are out to destabilise the country through attacks on shrines and cultural sites as these attacks paint a negative image of the country by showing that religious harmony is under threat.
The government should, therefore, provide security for all the shrines and cultural sites. In so doing, it should address the fragile law and order and take initiatives to engage local communities, including Islamic scholars and clerics. It is also imperative for the government to investigate the incidents, identify the perpetrators and take action against them. The authorities must be stringent enough to deter any further incidents of attack.
