Washington, Feb 10
A US congressional briefing on Bangladesh warned that the country is heading toward a “political cliff,” with democratic institutions under strain and religious minorities facing growing threats ahead of national elections scheduled for February 12.
Speaking at the briefing organized by HinduAction and CoHNA at the Rayburn House Office Building, Michael Rubin, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said how a country treats its religious minorities is “a better metric than anything else” to judge whether claims of reform are real.
“When it comes to Islamist parties, like in Bangladesh’s case, like Jamaat Islami, they engage in incitement because they want to use religion to avoid accountability,” Rubin said. “Once tolerance is lost, it’s extremely difficult to win it back.”
Rubin warned that Bangladesh is “well on its way to become a state of particular concern with regard to religious freedom,” adding that the country’s trajectory should alarm Washington across party lines.
“This is not what we want to see in Bangladesh,” he said. “Bangladesh is one of the most significant countries in terms of population and economy. I would argue that it is very much the barometer for South Asia.”
He cautioned against what he called a reactive US approach. “The United States across administrations, whether they’re Republican or whether they’re Democratic, has a bad habit of being reactive rather than proactive,” Rubin said.
Rubin also criticised what he described as diplomatic evasiveness in reporting political violence. “By using the passive voice, what you’re showing is you don’t know who set off the bomb or you’re trying specifically to hide the subject,” he said. “You’re in effect whitewashing terrorism.”
During a question-and-answer session, Rubin said Jamaat-e-Islami should not be treated as a normal political party. “I believe it’s a terrorist organization,” he said.
Adelle Nazarian, a journalist and geopolitical analyst with HinduAction, said the February 12 election is more than a domestic political event.
“This election is not merely a domestic Bangladeshi contest,” she said. “It is a regional and global security event.”
Nazarian said the exclusion of the Awami League from the electoral process sends a dangerous message. “When a major party is excluded from the electoral process, the message sent to society is simple and dangerous,” she said. “Power is decided by force, not legitimacy.”
She warned that fear has become a political weapon. “When rumors become verdicts, when a whisper becomes a death sentence, peace is not merely broken,” Nazarian said. “It is replaced by fear.”
Nazarian urged US leaders to act. “The United States should state unequivocally that a credible election requires political inclusion, a free press and equal protection under law,” she said. “International observers are a non-negotiable.”
She added that Washington must be prepared to impose consequences. “Words matter, but follow-through matters more,” Nazarian said.
The briefing was held days before Bangladesh’s scheduled national elections and featured speakers, including academics, journalists, and community leaders, focused on religious freedom and democratic governance.
