Bangladesh: Institutionalized Jihad in CHT Over the last few years, a big controversy has been going on in Bangladesh among various walks of people over the identity of the 11 ethnic groups of Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). These ethnic groups, it may be noted, collectively identify themselves to be the “Jumma”, a generic term derived from jum, i.e. agricultural firming in hilly slopes, or “shifting cultivation”, as some scholars call it. They assert themselves to be an “indigenous people” in the context of the history of three successive colonial rules (the British 1860-1946; Pakistan 1947-1970; Bangladesh 1971-today) in their traditional homeland, and thereby they claim their inalienable right to self-determination and other associated rights, as implied and enshrined in international human rights standard, treaties, conventions and declarations, such as the “United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples”. Officially, Bangladesh does not recognize the identity of the indigenous people; she does not even acknowledge the existence of any “indigenous people” in the country. There are two mutually inclusive political reasons for it: (1) Bangladesh’s flat denial of the rights of the indigenous people as implied and enshrined in the said international human right standard, treaties, conventions and declarations; and (2) Her hidden agenda or “Islamization Policy” in CHT that leaves, in reality, only three options for the indigenous people: (a) face extermination, or (b) leave CHT, or (c) merge with the Bengali Muslim identity (embrace Islam). Before the 1997 CHT Accord, Bangladesh simultaneously applied all these three options against the indigenous people with a greater emphasis on the first; after the Accord her emphasis has been shifted to the third, i.e. silent genocide of the indigenous people with Bengali Muslim population-bombs or demographic invasion (for details about it please see my note “Bangladesh: Population -- A Soft Strategic Weapon”). Traditionally, Bangladesh used to identify the indigenous people as “tribe” in contrast to the latter’s assertion for “indigenous people’s identity”. Probably, the term (“tribe”) does not fit into her hidden agenda or “Islamization Policy” in CHT. That is why, she was, it appears, not comfortable with her position (“tribe”) on the identity of the indigenous people due to its legal implications--possible applicability of international human right standard, treaties, conventions and declarations on “tribal peoples”, such as ILO 169, with regard to them, if they are identified as “tribe”. So in order to exclude such possibility, she brought about a constitutional amendment in 2012 in which the 11 indigenous ethnic groups of CHT have been identified as “small ethnic groups” instead of “tribe” or minority people, ignoring the persistent demand of the latter for constitutional recognition of their identity as Jmma indigenous people. The net result of Bangladesh’s game behind this constitutional amendment is: now she is totally free of any obligation to international human rights standard, treaties, conventions and declarations so far as the rights of “indigenous peoples”, “tribal peoples” and “minority peoples” are concerned, for there is, as her constitutional implication goes, no existence of these categories of peoples in the country, as she, indeed, officially says at international forums, like the United Nations. Presently, there is no international treaty or convention or declaration on the rights of “small ethnic groups”, or as such. So she seems to be comfortable and feeling safe now with her position (“small ethnic groups”) on the identity of the indigenous people. Given her character and policy in CHT, she may bring about another constitutional amendment identifying the indigenous people something else other than “small ethnic groups” if the international community develops and endorses any international treaty or convention or declaration on the rights of “small ethnic groups” in future. You do not know real Bangladesh! Thus Bangladesh has fine-tuned her constitution with her Islamization Policy in CHT. It is an institutionalized jihad against the indigenous people. The present official position of Bangladesh on indigenous peoples is: there are no indigenous peoples in Bangladesh; if there is any, then all, including the Bengali Muslims, are indigenous. It is significant in terms of her “Islamization Policy” in CHT; it is perfectly synchronised with her said policy and with another provision of the said constitutional amendment which says that all citizens of Bangladesh will be known as “Bengali”. At a seminar chaired by Professor Arifin Siddiq, the Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University, held on 26 October 2013 in the University, Emeritus Professor Anisujjaman and other faculties of the University defended and justified the constitutional amendment concerning the status (“small ethnic groups”) given to the identity of the indigenous people in the Bangladesh constitution. This is just an example of how the so-called Bengali Muslim intellectuals and academicians distort the history of CHT and indoctrinate Bengali Islamic identity in academic institutions and thus help Bangladeshi establishments impose the same on the indigenous people. It may be mentioned in this context that these are the Bengali Muslim Professors who attend international conferences, seminars and multilateral dialogues aboard and project themselves and Bangladesh (Bengali Muslim society) there to be intellectuals, academicians and free-thinkers of high stature and ardent worshipers of liberal democracy, human rights, multi-cultural society and humanism. But they turn into fanatic Islamic fundamentalists and hardcore jihadis when back to home! So Sanchay Chakma, one of my Facebook friends, aptly quoted a line from Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s poetry, while describing the “true character” (as he says) of these so-called Bengali Muslim Professors and intellectuals. The line runs thus: “হে মুগ্ধ জননী! সাত কোটি সন্তানেরে রেখেছ বাঙালি করে মানুষ করনি”। It may be rendered into English thus: Hey mother (Bangladesh) obsessed (in your love and affection for your lads)! You have kept your 70 million (the total population of East Pakistan—now Bangladesh—during her independence gained in 1971; now her total population is around 170 million, an increase of 100 million in 42 years!) lads in darkness as Bengali and have not taught them to be man. In fact, the mentality, the character and the scope of intellectual faculty of Bengali Muslims are confined only to and revolved around their religious scripture; mentally and intellectually they are hardcore Islamic fundamentalists and jihadis. It is said that before the independence of Bangladesh, millions of Bengali Muslims were genocided and 35% of the Bengali Muslim women were raped by Pakistani soldiers. India saved the Bengali Muslims from Pakistani atrocities and helped Bangladesh gain independence in 1971. Now most of the Bengali Muslims are anti-India and pro-Pakistan in heart and soul! There is no reason for this paradigm shift in their mentality and attitude but only sheer solidarity and unity among Muslims of these two nations developed on the basis of a common religion they share called Islam. Everybody must understand the magic of this religion. Probably, nobody in the world, other than the Jumma indigenous people of CHT, will understand real Bangladesh. For more about Bangladeshi policy actions in CHT, please see the comments on my profile picture. Nikhil Chakma 30 October 2013
Posted on: Wed, 26 Mar 2014 11:44:12 +0000
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