"I rise this evening to express my deep concern over the persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh.
"The coalition government of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which came to power on October 1, 2001, has initiated a violent campaign and since the BNP's parliamentary victory nearly three years ago, a campaign of terrorism, murder and religious cleansing has been unleashed on Hindus living in Bangladesh. I had written a letter to Bangladesh's Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in 2002 about this violent persecution, but I have received no response to date and it is a fact that unabashed violence has continued freely.
"Although the latest wave of violence has been ensuing since the BNP took power in 2001, Hindus have been a disappearing minority in Bangladesh at the hands of Bangladeshi forces who have employed human rights abuses, atrocities and ethno-religious cleansing tools. In 1941, Hindus comprised 28% of the Bangladeshi population but by 1991, the Hindu population dwindled to a meager 8%. A large part of this decrease in the Hindu population in Bangladesh can be attributed to the 1971 genocide by the then Muslim East Pakistan Party whereby 2.5 million Hindus were murdered and 10 million Hindus fled to India as refugees.
"Reminiscent of the Jewish holocaust, Hindu homes were marked by a yellow "H", which in fact guided the pillagers to their homes. Over the following 30 years, thousands of Hindu temples were destroyed, Hindus were systematically disenfranchised from holding political power, and prejudicial legislation ensured an unstable existence for Hindus. In fact, Islamic extremists have routinely dispossessed Hindus, and for that matter Christians and Buddhists, of their ancestral properties and land, burned down their houses and desecrated and razed temples, which has resulted in forcing many to flee as refugees.
"I have reviewed numerous reports that attest to the current violent persecution in Bangladesh. These reports have been written by the International Federation of Bangladeshi Hindus and Friends, Amnesty International, the U.S. State Department's Annual Report on International Religious Freedom, CNN, BBC and multiple Bangladeshi newspapers that reflect the testimonies of the Hindu victims.
'This campaign of minority cleansing in progress in Bangladesh must be stopped. Since 1971 when Bangladesh was born as a secular democratic country out of Islamic Pakistan, all minority populations have declined and this "Islamization" must be put to an end through the government's leadership.
"In an effort to uphold pluralistic democracy in Bangladesh and protection of Hindus and all minorities, the following must be implemented:
