Bangladesh – Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)

Bangladesh – ISIS Terrorist Bomb Attack at Ahmadiyya Muslim Mosque

On Friday, December 25, 2015, a terrorist attacked an Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat mosque in Bagmara, Bangladesh, reportedly killing one and injuring others. Press reports states that the terrorist attack, appeared to be a suicide bombing, which took place during Friday’s weekly prayer in the mosque in Bagmara area in Rajshahi district. This is approximately 150 miles from the Bangladesh capital of Dhaka.

On December 26, 2015, the ISIS terrorist group took responsibility for this terrorist suicide bombing on this mosque.

ISIS has been linked to similar recent attacks in Bangladesh.

In addition to deaths, the Bangladesh press is now reporting 10-12 injuries, with several critical: “10-12 people got injured by bomb splinter. Police said three have critical condition among the injured. They are Moyej Uddin (40), Shaheb Ali (36) and Noyon (12). They have sent to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital.”

Terrorist Suicide Bombing at Sayedpur Bokpara Ahmadiya Muslim Jamaat mosque in Mochmoil village of Bagmara upazila during Juma prayer

Prothom-Alo reported: “A man was killed in a blast while exploding bomb in a mosque of Ahmadia community at Bagmara upazila in Rajshahi during Jumaa prayers on Friday. Many people, members of 15-16 families of Ahmadia community in the Syedpur Bokpara neighborhood, were injured in the blast. Witnesses said the bomb blasted instantly in his hand as he detonated it taking out of his pocket after the first Rakaat of Jumaa prayers standing in the first row of the congregation. Bagmara police officer-in-charge Motiar Rahman said the identity of the man could not be known yet. The injured have been admitted Rajshahi, Bagmara and Mohanpur hospitals.”

Al-Manar reported: “Ahmad Tabshir Choudhury, a spokesman of the Ahmadiya Muslim Jamaat in Bangladesh said there were two unknown people who came to the mosque where nearly 100 people including women joined the Friday prayers. ‘The bomb was detonated during the prayers. One of the two unknown people died. It appears that he was a suicide bomber,’ Choudhury told AFP. He added that four Ahmadis were injured including one whose condition is serious. No group has claimed responsibility, but in recent months, homegrown outlawed militant group, Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), and the so-called ‘Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’ (ISIL) takfiri group claimed responsibility for bomb attacks on a top Shiite shrine and a Shiite mosque in northern Bangladesh.”

News Bangladesh now also reports:

Bangladesh Mosque Attack (Source: News Bangladesh)

“Law enforcers have surrounded the Bagmara Ahmadiyya mosque after explosion during Jumma prayer on Friday. Bagmara, Rajshahi: There was another person during the suicide bomb attack at Ahmadiyya mosque at Bagmara in Rajshahi, said Saiful Islam, president of the mosque supervising committee. Narrating the description of the attack, he revealed it on Friday evening. Saiful said there is no permanent imam at the mosque. He himself was leading the prayer as the imam during the blast. A youth was killed in suicide blast during the Jumma prayer at Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Jame Mosque at Mojmoil Chalkpara in Syedpur under Bagmara upazila. Besides, seven devotees were injured. Of them, critically injured Moyez Talukder, Saheb Ali and Nayan Uddin were admitted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital. Saiful said, “I started ‘Khutba’ at 1:05pm. After the Khutba, Jumma prayer began. I heard the sound of a huge explosion during uttering Sura Fateha on the second rakat of the prayer. Instantly, the devotees started getting out of the mosque. Everybody started crying. At that time, there were some 60 devotees at the mosque. Women devotees also took part in the prayer.” The four walls of the mosque are built of bricks. The rooftop was covered with tin. Plaster was not done on the inside walls. Saiful said another mosque is situated very close to the mosque. Prayer was also going on there. Hearing the sound of explosion, devotees from the mosque also hurriedly came here. He said, “When everyone was trying to get out of the mosque, I saw a youth was screaming. His left hand was blood stained and badly damaged. I think the bomb was exploded by the youth. He was wearing a jacket and jeans trousers.” Saiful said the youth was unknown. His face was not affected by the explosion. There was another person with him. He fled away after the explosion. Members of Police, Rapid Action Batallion (RAB) and CID have surrounded the mosque right now. Senior police officials visited the spot after the suicide attack. They included Abdullah Al Mahmud, Additional IG (DIG) of Rajshahi Range of police, and police super Misharul Arif.”

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Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) stands in support of our universal human rights for all, and we stand in defiance against those, including terrorist and hate groups, which seek to attack such universal human rights, dignity, and security for all.

We cannot support human rights, if we also do not reject those who seek to rob our brothers and sisters in humanity of their lives and security, which are also our universal human rights.

Cowardly ISIS Terrorists Claim Responsibility for Bangladesh Mosque Attack

Once again, Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) has learned that the ISIS terrorist group has claimed responsibility for another murderous attack, and once again, they have attacked another Islamic mosque, this time in in Bogra, Bangladesh. Terrorist gunmen came into a Shiite mosque during evening prayers on Thursday November 26, 2015, and shot at the 20 Muslim worshippers, killing 1 and wounding 3. The Bogra mosque is about 125 miles northwest of Dhaka, in Bangladesh. In the ISIS attack on the Muslim mosque in Bogra, reports state the ISIS terrorists killed the muezzin and injured the imam.

CNN reported on November 27, 2015: “ISIS — a Sunni extremist group that’s taken over vast swaths of Syria and Iraq and has been tied to terror attacks across Asia, Africa and Europe — claimed credit for the attack in a statement distributed online by supporters.”

ISIS Terrorist Attack on Muslim Mosque in Bogra, Bangladesh - November 26, 2015 — ISIS Terrorist Attack on Muslim Mosque in Bogra, Bangladesh – November 26, 2015

ISIS previously claimed responsibility for an October 24, 2015 terrorist attack on a gathering of Shiite Muslims in Dhaka, Bangladesh, which killed a 14 year old boy and wounded more than 50 other people. Five bombs were reportedly thrown at the Muslim procession, which police described as “explosive devices and almost like grenades and fitted with batteries.”

ISIS Terrorist Bomb Attack on Shiite Muslim Procession in Dhaka, Bangladesh, October 24, 2015 (Source AFP)

Let us make sure that the world knows – THIS is how ISIS treats Muslims – both Shiite and Sunni. The children, women, elderly, poor, the helpless – this is the “revolution” that they would bring… of misery, death, and destruction to Muslim people.

Another recent attack was the shooting of an Italian priest in Dinajpur on November 18, 2015.

November 19, 2015 - An Italian priest sits wounded as he is treated after being shot in Dinajpur. (Source: AFP) — November 19, 2015 – An Italian priest sits wounded as he is treated after being shot in Dinajpur. (Source: AFP)

The ISIS terrorist group has boasted of previous attacks in Bangladesh before. This included the September 2015 shooting of Italian national Cesare Tavella (an aid worker fighting to stop hunger).

At the beginning of October 2015, R.E.A.L. reported on this such attacks including a growing number of attacks on Christians, including our reference: “While the ISIS terrorist group claimed responsibility for the murder of Cesare Tavella and the murder of Kunio Hoshi, the Bangladesh government states this was the responsibility of a ‘Bangladesh internal opposition’ group. The Japan Times reports that Bangladeshi Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said: ‘Oh, it’s absolutely rubbish, there is no IS in the country, no way. Why would IS do this here? These are incidents for creating instability in the country.’ “

Bangladesh: Attempted Murder of Christian Pastor – Follows Murders of Japanese and Italian Men

In Bangladesh, a Christian pastor survived an attempted murder attack by terrorists who sought to kill him, while pretending to want to learn more about Christianity. Three men (aged 25-30) attacked 52 year old Christian pastor Luke Sarker with a knife at his home in the northwestern district of Pabna. While the terrorists sought to slit his throat, Pastor Sarker escaped with minor injuries after his wife discovered the attack and the terrorists fled.

The AP reports that: “Sarker, the pastor of Faith Bible Church, said by telephone that the men had phoned him about two weeks ago saying they wanted to visit him to learn about Christianity. After they arrived at his home on Monday, the men suddenly attacked him with a knife and tried to slit his throat, Sarker said. But as he shouted, his wife came to his rescue and the men fled. Police later recovered a motorbike from outside his home. Rahman said that police had no clues yet about the identities of the three men but suspect they could be members of a fundamentalist group.”

Minority Christians have been targets of violence and abuse in Bangladesh.

Nirmal Rozario, general secretary of the Bangladesh Christian Association (BCA), a Christian activist group, told AsiaNews that “We are very concerned about the attack.” “We Christians are vulnerable in this country, as are other Muslim minorities. We can be attacked at any moment.” Mr. Rozario stated: “I call on the government in Dhaka to ensure security in all churches and for all Christians in Bangladesh. The police must arrest the three assailants and impose an exemplary punishment.”

Those concerned about attacks on religious minorities have previously protested to seek protection for their shared universal human rights.

Bangladesh Christian Association (BCA) - has sought security and universal human rights for Christians and other religious minorities in Bangladesh (Source UCA News) — Bangladesh Christian Association (BCA) – has sought security and universal human rights for Christians and other religious minorities in Bangladesh and Pakistan (Source UCA News)

The attack follows two recent murders of foreign workers.

On September 28, 2015, Cesare Tavella, 50, an Italian aid worker died, after he was shot three times by attackers, who fled on a motorcycle, in the Gulshan area of Dhaka.

On October 3, 2015, Kunio Hoshi, a Japanese agricultural worker, was shot to death in Mahiganj village in Rangpur district, 300 km (185 miles) north of Dhaka, Sunday. Masked assailants riding a motorbike shot Kunio Hoshi, and escaped. Two suspects are reportedly being held in connection with this murder.

While the ISIS terrorist group claimed responsibility for the murder of Cesare Tavella and the murder of Kunio Hoshi, the Bangladesh government states this was the responsibility of a “Bangladesh internal opposition” group. The Japan Times reports that Bangladeshi Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said: “Oh, it’s absolutely rubbish, there is no IS in the country, no way. Why would IS do this here? These are incidents for creating instability in the country.”

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Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) promotes the shared Universal Human Rights for all people. R.E.A.L. supports our Universal Human Rights for all people, including the freedom of religion, equality, security, and dignity, as defined by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

Terrorist and extremist violence which seeks to deny our universal human rights, our human dignity, and religious freedom has no boundaries. It can strike anywhere against anyone of any faith. Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) urges people of all faiths, all races, all ethnic backgrounds, all nationalities, all genders, and all identity groups to stand together united for our shared Universal Human Rights and defy those terrorists of every kind who would deny us the inherent freedom that we share together.