Muslims make up 90% of the population of Bangladesh; Hindus comprise 8.5%, Buddhists 0.6%, and Christians only 0.4%.
“How are Christian children persecuted in Bangladesh?,” Open Doors, October 25, 2024:
Around the world, children are particularly vulnerable to faith-based persecution. Sometimes they are targeted to destabilise families and communities and to undermine the future of the church. Sometimes, if they choose to convert, they are persecuted by their own families. You can find Rumana’s story from Bangladesh on the Open Doors website. Bangladesh is just one of many countries where young believers face persecution. In this interview, Sister Hadassah – an Open Doors partner who supports Rumana and her family, among many others – explains the persecution they face and how their faith remains resilient, with your help. Why are Christians persecuted in Bangladesh? The Bangladesh Constitution gives every citizen the right to ‘profess, practise or propagate’ any religion, and also states that no person attending any educational institution shall be required to receive religious instruction. However, this so-called freedom is on paper only; the reality is quite different. The Constitution also mentions that, though Bangladesh is a secular country, the state religion is Islam. That shows the government is pro-Islam. At the same time, we need to understand that 90% of the population is Muslim. Due to social and religious prejudices, Christians are facing more direct persecution and pressure from their family, relatives, non-believing community and radical Muslims – and indirect pressure and persecution from individual Muslims who work for the government. How are Christian children persecuted in Bangladesh? The main persecutors of Christian children are non-Christian relatives, neighbours, non-believing classmates, playmates, their parents and teachers. Christian children and youth endure considerable levels of violence as their parents choose to follow Jesus – including verbal, physical, psychological and sexual violence. Often, they are bullied, mocked and discriminated against at school. They are isolated and can be even a target for abduction and drug addiction. Adult Muslims take their revenge through young children of converted men and women. For instance, as just one example, recently I was talking to some women and one of the mothers shared that her 13-year-old boy was about to be sexually assaulted by his Muslim cousin. By the grace of God, he was able to escape. As Christians are a minority, persecutors know that they and their parents don’t have enough means to fight back….
