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          Bangladesh Braces for More Muslim Attacks on Buddhist Sites

   by Anjana Pasricha

   Bangladesh has increased security in the south east after Muslim
   protesters set fire to Buddhist temples and homes. The attacks were
   triggered by a Facebook photo of a burnt Koran, the Muslim holy
   book.
   Soldiers and border guards Monday patrolled Buddhist-majority villages
   in Cox's Bazar district. Authorities also banned gatherings as people
   fled after angry Muslims went on a rampage Saturday and Sunday,
   torching Buddhist shrines, smashing statues and attacking homes.
   The wave of violence was triggered by a Facebook photo of a partially
   burnt Koran. Muslims blamed the burning of the book on a Buddhist boy
   tagged in the photo.
   Home Minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir has called the attacks a
   "deliberate" attempt to disrupt harmony. Authorities also promised to
   rebuild the temples. Sectarian clashes involving Buddhists and Muslims
   have been rare in Bangladesh -- a Muslim majority nation.
   But political analysts say tensions between the two communities have
   been building in recent months after deadly clashes erupted between
   Buddhists and Muslims in neighboring Burma.
   Bangladesh's Buddhists are less than one percent of the population, and
   most live close to the border with Buddhist-majority Burma, also known
   as Myanmar.
   "There was a simmering discontent among a section of the Muslims here
   in the bordering areas, who thought that the Muslims on the other side,
   in Myanmar, were treated wrongly, or badly in the hands of the regime
   as well as Buddhist religious people," said Ataur Rahman, a professor
   of political science at Dhaka University. "People travel across, they
   exchange news and views across the area. Of course you cannot rule out
   people trying to take political dividend out of it."
   Authorities in Cox's Bazar district say they are doing everything
   possible to quell tension and restore peace between the two
   communities.
   Rahman of Dhaka University says authorities in Bangladesh are on guard
   against the possibility of social media being used to incite trouble.
   "People in that part of the country, sentiment is very important, so
   you can hoot up the sentiment of people along religious lines," siad
   Rahman. "You can always incite, and if you can visually show that
   Muslims are tortured, and you can show it in Facebook, and you can
   share, then automatically people become angry."
   Last month the government banned the popular search engine, YouTube, to
   prevent people seeing the anti-Islam video that has sparked huge
   protests in many Muslim countries.
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   acks-on_buddhist_sites/1517988.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/bangladesh_braces_for_more_muslim_attacks-on_buddhist_sites/1517988.html