US leader urges end to violence against religious minorities

A US congresswoman has called for an end to violence against religious minorities and secular activists in Bangladesh.

"In Bangladesh, the horrendous, brutal street assassinations of members of minority religions, secularists, and atheists violate every single value we hold dear," she said.

Speaking on the House floor in Washington DC on Thursday, Tulsi Gabbard, who is a member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, condemned violence against religious minorities, including the murder of Nazimuddin Samad and other secular activists who have been killed in Bangladesh over the past 14 months.

Just two weeks ago, 28-year-old Nazimuddin was hacked to death in Dhaka after speaking out against the persecution of religious minorities on social media, according to a press release available on her website.

In Bangladesh, she said, discrimination and deadly violence against atheists, secularists, Hindus, Buddhists, and other religious minorities has unfortunately become a regular occurrence.

"This underscores the absolute necessity of not only defeating this global wave of intolerance, but standing up and fighting for the right of others to freely express their views regardless of whether you agree with those views or not," Tulsi said.

In this context, she referred to a resolution, which she introduced last year, calling on the government of Bangladesh to protect the rights of all of its religious minorities, including Christians, Hindus, atheists, and others.