Space for dissent shrinking

The adoption of certain restrictive legislative and administrative measures has led to a shrinking space for religious or political dissent and frank public discourse, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief Heiner Bielefeldt has said.

He made the comment in a report on Bangladesh to the UN Human Rights Council mainly describing what he said during his visit to Dhaka last year.

Even, it says when the rules were enacted with the intention to defend secular democracy and may thus inadvertently erode the very principles that the measures were supposed to protect.

The UN expert undertook a visit to Bangladesh from August 31 to September 9, 2015 and he presented the report on January 22 and it made public on Wednesday.

While appreciating the government's commitment to further develop an inclusive secularity of the state, which is supposed to provide space for the free unfolding of religious diversity, the special rapporteur also noted ambiguities in the interpretation and implementation of that principle. He furthermore analysed the situation of people of various religious minorities, some of whom are also from ethnic minority communities.

In his report, he sensed much positive commitment among different stakeholders to maintain the harmonious interreligious coexistence, open-mindedness and secular democracy, particularly in the face of rising religious polarisation. He said the government was encouraged to uphold its commitment to promoting the principle of secularism, as enshrined in the constitution.

With such an inclusive understanding of secularism, he said, Bangladesh may provide an important contribution to international debates, in contrast to other restrictive concepts of secularism that prevail in many parts of the world. "The Government is reminded that, when fighting the instrumentalization of religions, it should also refrain from using religion to achieve political goals," the report reads.

The report said the government should double its efforts in facilitating and encouraging interreligious and cross-boundary communication, in order to maintain peaceful coexistence and reduce possible suspicion and misunderstanding among different religious and belief communities.

The government should be consistent in expressing its position against any acts of intolerance, discrimination and extremism, it said. The report also recommended that the government should protect the vibrant civil society and pluralistic society in Bangladesh by addressing the existing anxiety expressed by members of religious and ethnic minorities who feel vulnerable in the face of rising religious extremism and acts of violence perpetrated against them.