WASHINGTON, D.C., August 1, 2007: An exhibition of photos and panels vividly describing the atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh caught the attention of influential Congressmen and key policy makers from the Bush administration this week.
The two day-exhibition titled “Asru” was held at the Rayburn House Office Building at the US Capitol on July 30 and July 31. The exhibit of 28 panels, which graphically chronicled the deteriorating condition of the Hindus and other religious minorities in Bangladesh over the past several decades, was put together by the Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities (HRCBM) and Foundation Against Continuing Terrorism (FACT).
“It is time that the world knew what is happening with the Hindu minorities in Bangladesh,” said Amalendu Chatterjee, HRCBM Director. The population of the Hindus in this Muslim-majority country, he pointed out, has dropped from as high as 37 percent in 1940s to a mere 11 percent now. “It is all because of the atrocities perpetrated on the Hindus by the ruling class all these years,” he said.
In organizing an exhibition on the plight of Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh for the first time in the history of the Capitol, the efforts of HRCBM and FACT did cut ice among the Congressmen and key policymakers who took time out of their busy schedule to take a look at what was on display. “All the representatives and their staffers reiterated the need to protect the rights of minorities and to deal with Islamic groups in a resolute manner,” said Utsav Chakrabarti, the designer of the exhibit and member of FACT.
The exhibition received bipartisan support from Congressional leaders and was attended by concerned citizens, political analysts and human rights representatives.
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