Two continents, one moral fault line
On January 31, Minnesota joined more than two dozen cities across the United States in a coordinated national call for justice for Hindus in Bangladesh.
The purpose was straightforward: raise awareness about the ongoing persecution of Hindus and other religious minorities, a crisis too often ignored by governments, media, and even segments of the global Hindu diaspora.
But something different happened in Minnesota.
What began as advocacy for Hindus thousands of miles away became a deeper conversation about something much closer to home.
Because even as speakers described religious persecution abroad, many in attendance were quietly confronting another reality unfolding in their own neighborhoods, the visible presence of large numbers of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agents. Their surge has already resulted in deaths and, more significantly, a climate of fear across immigrant communities and others.
One may think of different continents and different systems, but the same moral fault line.
When dignity erodes, everyone feels it.
Bangladesh: A minority under siege
Let us be clear about what is happening in Bangladesh. The continued violence against Hindus is not sporadic, not “communal tension,” and it is certainly not accidental.
It is systemic. For decades, Hindus have faced targeted attacks — homes burned, land seized, temples desecrated, women assaulted, men lynched, families forced to flee.
The demographic evidence tells the story with brutal clarity. In 1951, Hindus made up roughly 22% of Bangladesh’s population. Today, they are barely 8%, not due to a natural decline but attrition under sustained pressure and atrocities.
At the Minnesota rally, organizers read aloud the names of 21 Hindus killed in just the last eight weeks- shopkeepers, daily wage earners, young and old, men and women. An example of a horrible incident and gruesome killing is shown below. Ordinary lives ended because of religious identity, which was not of their choosing. As each name, age, and description of their death was read, the room fell silent because statistics numb us. Perhaps names do not matter as much.
Minnesota: A different fear emerges
Yet Minnesota’s gathering unfolded in a uniquely local context, unlike many cities across the US, with peaceful rallies. The Minneapolis-Saint Paul area had experienced a sharp escalation in federal immigration enforcement under Operation Metro Surge. The presence of ICE and other federal personnel had become highly visible across neighborhoods.
Agents were seen regularly. Stops became more frequent. Communities felt watched and threatened.
Then came the shock. Two US citizens, not undocumented migrants, were shot and killed during ICE enforcement actions.
For many residents, that changed everything. Because when enforcement becomes aggressive and indiscriminate, legal status begins to feel secondary to perception. Anyone who “looks different” suddenly feels vulnerable. Anyone who “behaves differently” and is not compliant with the expectations of ICE agents begins to feel vulnerable and violated. Legal status suddenly became secondary to perception, and fear grew faster.
Parents hesitate to attend public events. Families avoid gatherings. Communities withdraw. Even some members of the Hindu community quietly admitted reluctance to show up at the rally, not out of disagreement but out of caution.
When fear begins to shape civic behavior, something deeper is wrong.
Elected officials connect the dots
The Minnesota event drew an unusually strong civic presence, including mayors, city council members, administrators, and local law enforcement. Many openly acknowledged they had not fully understood the scale of the atrocities facing Hindus in Bangladesh. They appreciated the education.
But several also made an immediate connection. One elected official stated plainly, “Every human being deserves dignity. No one should be afraid because of who they are or where they come from.”
Another expressed “profound sadness” after learning of the violent targeting of Hindus. A third observed, “When any community lives under constant scrutiny or threat, democracy itself weakens.”
These were not partisan remarks. They were moral ones reflecting something important: local leaders recognized that while Bangladesh and Minnesota are not identical situations, the principle at stake, respect for human dignity or lack thereof, is the same.
No false equivalence
Let us be precise.
Bangladesh faces religious persecution, mob violence, targeted killings, and demographic erasure.
Minnesota faces an immigration enforcement crisis, federal overreach, civil liberties concerns, and the tragic use of force.
They are not equivalent, but connected by a deeper truth:
When systems of power treat people primarily as targets rather than human beings, dignity collapses.
In Bangladesh, Hindus were marked because of their faith.
In Minneapolis, immigrants, and sometimes even citizens, felt marked because of their appearance or perceived origin.
In both places, trust eroded, communities retreated, and fear became normalized.
Important to point out that the normalization of fear is dangerous because once fear becomes routine, injustice is tolerated, and that is how societies quietly lose their moral center.
A disciplined and peaceful stand
The Minnesota rally was intentionally calm, organized, and non-political. No slogans. No chaos. No partisan theater.
The organizing team included just families, volunteers, and community leaders who were committed to peaceful advocacy and interfaith dialogue. Together they cared for atrocities with Hindus in Bangladesh and the violation of human rights of the Minnesota community.
A resolution was read which called for: protection of minorities in Bangladesh, diplomatic engagement, consistent human rights standards, and vigilance against injustice everywhere. Human rights cannot be selectively applied; they either exist for everyone or eventually for no one.
The lessons we cannot ignore
Minnesota gathering on January 31 offered a rare moment of clarity. It reminded us that defending Hindus abroad while ignoring the erosion of dignity at home is intellectually inconsistent. Equally important to underscore is that criticizing domestic overreach while ignoring persecution abroad is morally hollow.
Both must be confronted simultaneously and unapologetically because human dignity is not defined by geography, religion, or appearance.
No Hindu child or adult in Bangladesh should fear mobs.
No immigrant family in Minnesota should fear stepping outside.
In fact, no human being anywhere should be treated as collateral damage.
If any group lives under threat, the social fabric weakens for all. That is not politics but a civilizational moral compass.
And that is why the message from Minnesota mattered not just for Hindus, not just for immigrants, but for anyone who believes justice must be consistent.
We gathered not to inflame division based on religion, but to affirm a universal principle shared by Hindus, Jews, Christians, and all people of conscience: dignity, accountability, and equal protection for all communities.
- Political change must never become a license for violence.
- Equal citizenship must never be conditional.
- No community should live in fear because of who they are.
- Justice that applies selectively, and not for all, is not justice at all.
Note:
1. Text in Blue points to additional data on the topic.
2. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.
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Formerly, a researcher in Italy, Japan, and France, he has widely travelled and came to the US in 1978. He was a faculty and academic administrator in several different universities in PA, TX, NJ, MN, WI, and NY, and an Executive Fellow in the White House S&T Policy during the Clinton administration.
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