by Dimitra Staikou
At present, the international community is experiencing one of its greatest contradictions. Incidents of Islamophobia are being condemned in Europe, while in Asia and Africa, Muslims are oppressing religious minorities who have the misfortune of living near them beyond all limits.
On September 9, 2025, nine mosques in the greater Paris area were desecrated by the placement of decapitated pig heads at their entrances, one of the most extreme manifestations of Islamophobia in France in recent years. The Macron government condemned the incident as “absolutely unacceptable,” stressing that such acts of hatred violate the fundamental values of democracy and respect for religious freedom. At the same time, the persecution experienced by Hindus in Bangladesh and Christians in Sudan is reminiscent of the Middle Ages at best. The convergence of these two cases—despite significant differences in historical and political context—reveals key commonalities: a lack of meaningful protection for minorities, targeting through property rights, and simultaneous religious and social isolation. In Bangladesh, the pattern is targeting the Hindu minority with attacks on land, property, and religious sites. In Sudan, religious oppression takes place within an armed environment.
In Bangladesh, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was removed from power on August 5, 2024, as she was considered to be perpetuating a regime of lawlessness and discrimination. Power in Bangladesh was taken over by Nobel Prize-winning economist Muhammad Yunus, who promised to bring stability to a country that was bleeding. Unfortunately, however, the reality so far shows exactly the opposite. Under Muhammad Yunus’s rule in Bangladesh, the situation for journalists and political dissidents has deteriorated significantly. From August 2024 to July 2025, at least 878 attacks against media workers were recorded, while at least 28 journalists were arrested, many without full charges or access to a lawyer. On August 28, 2025, journalist Monjurul Alam Panna was detained under the terrorism law during a journalism event in Dhaka.
Under the transitional government of Mohammad Yunus, the influence of Islamist groups has grown dangerously. Demonstrations held on Friday, October 30, in Dhaka and Kartogram called for a nationwide ban on the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). The protests, led by radical organizations such as Hefazat-e-Islam and Indifada Bangladesh, characterized ISKCON as an “extremist Hindutva organization,” amid increasing attacks on Hindu temples and ISKCON centers following the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government.
Recent events in Bangladesh demonstrate that religious and ethnic minorities are at risk. In September 2025, violence erupted in the mountainous regions of Chittagong. Believing that members of the indigenous Jumma community had killed a Bengali settler, mobs attacked ethnic minorities and burned their property. When Jumma youth protested, the army used live ammunition to disperse the gathering. At least four people were killed during the violence. Independent international human rights observers and journalists continue to be barred from the area.
In October 2025, several important developments took place in Bangladesh concerning cases of torture, “disappearances,” and judicial accountability. According to a Human Rights Watch report on October 9, the government filed charges against 28 individuals for “enforced disappearances,” secret detention, and torture—a move described as “a step toward justice.” On October 29, Hasina, speaking from exile, warned of a mass boycott of the upcoming national elections after her Awami League party was banned from participating, in protest against the political transition set in motion by the government under Muhammad Yunus. At the same time, legislation on victims’ rights to compensation and protection is pending—for example, the Prevention, Treatment and Protection from Disappearances has already been approved by the government’s Council of Advisors, as shown in a publication dated October 30.
At the same time, the RRAG (Rights & Risks Analysis Group), a think tank on human rights violations, highlighted the abuse of judicial and cyber laws against minorities, referring to the case of Shrinath Roy, a BUET student who was suspended on October 21, 2025, for “offending religious sentiments” through posts on Reddit and arrested the next day under the Cybersecurity Act of 2025. His imprisonment was considered by RRAG to be “a glaring example of the use of the judicial system as a weapon against minority voices.”
In the last 17 months since August 2024, a total of 637 persons have been lynched to death, and 281 persons were injured in lynching related violence in Bangladesh. In the immediate aftermath of Sheikh Hasina’s removal, 1090 attacks on religious minorities were recorded between the 5th to the 20th of August, 2024. The extent of persecution of religious minorities reached unprecedented levels in Bangladesh. A total of 2485 attacks on religious minorities, including Hindus and Christians, were recorded since August, 2024.
Attention then turns to the long history of the oppression of Christian and other religious minorities in Sudan, which has deep roots dating back to the presidency of Islamist dictator, Omar al Bashir, as the country’s policies since his overthrow in 2019 continue to strengthen the influence of Islamist groups. General Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, chairman of the Transitional Sovereign Council and head of the SAF, appears to be pursuing Islamist-oriented policies, as Bashir did.
The escalation of violence is evident in multiple incidents since April 2023: an attack on a Pentecostal church in Khartoum, bombings in Khartoum and Bahri, air strikes that killed worshippers in Wad Madani, and harassment of communities in Shamaliya. Christians are now forced to gather in secret, as the collapse of constitutional protections reverses gains in religious freedom following Bashir’s fall.
The deterioration of religious rights is directly linked to the strengthening of Islamist paramilitary groups working with the SAF, such as the Al Baraa Ibn Malik Brigade and the Sudan Shield Forces (SSF), which promote jihadist rhetoric, attack churches, civilians, and humanitarian organizations such as the ICRC. Their leaders, linked to the dissolved National Congress Party and Muslim Brotherhood networks, underscore the return of Bashir-era Islamists under Burhan’s supervision. In areas such as the Nuba Mountains, there are reports of rape, abductions of minors for military training, and terrorizing communities because of their Christian identity, while international organizations warn that impunity and aid cuts further undermine peace efforts.
In the city of El Fasher, capital of Sudan’s northern province of Darfur, mass killings are being carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary forces, led by General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo (known as Hemedti). The attacks have been recorded on video and widely shared on social media, demonstrating the brutality and widespread violence being inflicted on civilians, many of whom belong to Christian and other minority communities.
The videos circulating show scenes of executions and torture, such as the execution of an elderly man and young civilians in makeshift clinics and academic buildings. The RSF uses soldiers and young observers to record the massacres, reinforcing the message of terror and demonstrating their impunity. The RSF’s absolute dominance in the region after the capture of the city on October 26, 2025, has allowed for the escalation of mass executions and torture of civilians.
The situation in Bangladesh and Sudan is not just a local crisis; it is a wake-up call for the international community. Impunity and the strengthening of Islamist organizations show how quickly the oppression of minorities can become a systemic threat to stability and peace. As Nelson Mandela reminds us, “As long as there is injustice anywhere, peace everywhere is threatened.” It is therefore imperative to prioritize the defense of the religious rights of minorities in Asia and Africa over political correctness in the West.
About the Author:
DIMITRA STAIKOU is a Greek freelance journalist and professional writer who writes about India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, and the Middle East in the Greek and the International Press.