Online Desk  :   The Bangladeshi interim government has strongly refuted allegations made by U.S. National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard regarding the persecution of religious minorities in the country. In a statement, the government criticized her remarks as “misleading, unfounded, and damaging” to Bangladesh’s reputation.  During an interview with NDTV, Gabbard claimed that religious minorities, including Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians, faced long-standing persecution in Bangladesh. She further linked the issue to Islamist extremism, suggesting that terrorist groups sought to establish an “Islamist caliphate.”

Responding to her remarks, the interim government said in a social media post, “We note with deep concern and distress the remarks made by DNI Tulsi Gabbard, in which she alleged ‘persecution and killing’ of religious minorities in Bangladesh and that ‘the threat of Islamic terrorists’ in the country is ‘rooted’ in the ‘ideology and objective’ to ‘rule and govern with an Islamist caliphate’. “This statement is both misleading and damaging to the image and reputation of Bangladesh, a nation whose traditional practice of Islam has been famously inclusive and peaceful and that has made remarkable strides in its fight against extremism and terrorism.”

The interim government said Gabbard’s comments are “not based on any evidence or specific allegations”. “They paint an entire nation with a broad and unjustified brush. Bangladesh, like many countries around the world, has faced challenges of extremism, but it has continuously worked in partnership with the international community, including the US, to address these issues through law enforcement, social reforms, and other counterterrorism efforts,” it said. The interim government said “groundlessly linking Bangladesh to the idea of an ‘Islamist caliphate’ undermines the hard work of countless Bangladeshis and their friends and partners around the world who are committed to peace, stability, and progress”. “Bangladesh strongly condemns any efforts to link the country to any form of ‘Islamist caliphate’,” it said.

“Political leaders and public figures should base their statements, especially about the most sensitive issues, on actual knowledge and take care not to reinforce harmful stereotypes, to fan fears and potentially even stoke sectarian tensions. In support of our shared global efforts to combat extremism and terrorism, the Interim Government of Bangladesh remains committed to engaging in constructive dialogue based on facts and on respect for the sovereignty and security of all nations,” the interim government said. In her remarks yesterday, Gabbard said, “The threat of Islamist terrorists and the global effort of different terror groups are routed in the same ideology and objective – which is to rule or govern with an Islamist Caliphate.” “This obviously affects people of any other religion, other than the one that they find acceptable, and they chose to carry this out with terror and very violent ways and means.”

The US, she said, is deeply concerned about the situation in Bangladesh and that the Trump administration is focused and committed to defeating “Islamist terrorism” globally.