A Pakistani soldier during Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971 checks to see if this man is circumcised

A Pakistani soldier during Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971 checks to see if this man is circumcised. (Hindus were usually not circumcised). That must have been so embarrassing!

britishhindus A West Pakistani soldier checking if a Bengali is circumcised to determine whether he is Hindu or a Muslim during the 1971 East Pakistan genocide (photograph above).

Exactly 49 years ago marked the end of the Bangladesh Liberation War and birth of Bangladesh. 3 million Bengalis were murdered in a brutal genocide by Pakistan's Army. During this period, Hindus were disproportionately targeted and made up 2 - 2.4 million of those killed in this genocide.

An estimated 200,000 - 400,000 women were systematically raped, the majority of whom were Hindu. The Enemy Property Act also resulted in millions of Bengali Hindus having their ancestral lands snatched and occupied after they fled the region. The Hindu population was decimated and today stands at under 8% of Bangladesh.

In 1947 Hindus comprised 28% of the population, but studies suggest by 2050 no Hindus could remain in Bangladesh. Despite all their hardships during Bangladesh's liberation, Hindus continue to face violence, systematic discrimination and religious persecution to this very day.

Sources: AP 30 Dec. 2000; Agence France Presse 3 Oct. 2000, Bangladesh Census figures. The Political Economy of Reforming Agriculture: Land Water Bodies in Bangladesh - Prof. Abul Barakat.

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