& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Bangladesh has substantial religious freedom

Visiting US diplomat David Saperstein tells press, expresses concern over repression on Rohingyas in Myanmar

Staff Correspondent
A visiting US diplomat yesterday said there was substantial religious freedom in Bangladesh in terms of freedom of worship and peaceful coexistence of various faith-based communities.
There are concerns at the same time as some religious minorities have become targets for harassments and attacks for years, and their houses of worship have been attacked, he said, terming it a new and complex challenge for the country, which could not be overcome overnight.
David N Saperstein, US ambassa-dor-at-large for International Religious Freedom, made the observations to a group of four journalists at the American Center in the capital after wrapping up his five-day visit to Bangladesh.
Appreciating Bangladesh's long traditional religious tolerance and harmony, he said if it was seen whether the minority communities were being able to organise religious festivals freely according to their beliefs and values, whether they were able to build houses of worship, whether they were able to worship freely, there was substantial
religious freedom in this country.
Prior to the view-exchange meeting with the journalists, he called on Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali at the State Guest House Padma and termed Bangladesh an "extraordinarily free country”.
Bangladesh is a country that has prided itself by its own history and religious diversity and harmony among different communities, he said. The religious minorities with whom he talked in the last few days have affirmed it too, he added.
Referring to attacks on religious minorities, the envoy said it did not change the reality as every time incidents happened, every member of the communities felt vulnerable and endangered. The concerns that the minority community feels are quite deeper, he added. He said the government deserved appreciation for responding to attacks on minority communities, for taking steps, rebuilding some of their buildings that were destroyed, looking for the perpetrators, holding them accountable, and to providing security.
"On the other hand, I think that there is a degree of concern that in some cases perpetrators have not been found, in some cases it seems that the government has been slow in maintaining judicial process," he said, referring to the incident of Ramu.
About the Rohingya issue, he said Bangladesh deserved praise for the generosity it showed to the displaced people. At the same time, he said, his government was concerned about the repression on the Rohingya minorities in Myanmar and wanted constraint engagement to put an end to the repression there.
The US diplomat said his government still had sanctions on Myanmar related to human rights issues, and those would continue if the situation did not improve and the US government was not convinced.
MEETING WITH FOREIGN MINISTER
During the meeting with the foreign minister, the ambassador-at-large described his visit to Bangladesh as a "gratifying experience" and said he found the religious tradition of Bangladesh to be quite remarkable.
He assured his government's continued support and cooperation to Bangladesh in addressing religious intolerance and discrimination based on religious belief.
Welcoming him to Bangladesh, the foreign minister mentioned that the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had reinstated secularism in the constitution of Bangladesh and had been taking necessary steps to ensure rights of people of all faiths.
Among others, US Ambassador Marcia Bernicat was also present during the meeting.