Reuters AlertNet Full site
Homepage | Newsdesk | NGO Latest | Crisis briefings | Country profiles | MediaWatch | Jobs | Alerting | Login

NEWSDESK

Bangladesh detains Islamists for damaging sculpture
30 Nov 2008 07:32:38 GMT
 Source: Reuters
DHAKA, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Police in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka arrested eight Islamists after they attacked a sculpture depicting a group of white storks, in a continuing campaign against statues and artwork they say are forbidden by Islam.

"We detained eight members of a fanatic Islamist group for damaging the sculptures at Dhaka's Motijheel commercial area around midnight on Saturday," police officer Fazlul Haq told Reuters on Sunday.

Witnesses said nearly 400 Ulama Anjumane Al-Baiyanat activists gathered around the sculptures with shovels and hammers, chanting slogans calling for the demolition of all stoneworks, which some hardline Islamists consider to be idols.

First they tried to pull down the 41-foot (13-metre) high sculptures by putting ropes around the necks of the storks.

Unable to do this, the group attacked the base with hammers and other tools, the witnesses told reporters, before clashing with police trying to disperse them.

Various Islamist groups, including the Al-Baiyanat, have been vandalizing sculptures in Muslim-majority Bangladesh in recent months.

They destroyed a huge statue of mystic poet Lalon Shah outside the Dhaka international airport in October, triggering a national protest.

"These are attacks on Bengali culture and a state of impunity has encouraged them to carry out such acts," said Mrinal Haque, who sculpted both Lalon and the storks. (Reporting by Masud Karim; Writing by Anis Ahmed; Editing by Alex Richardson)


AlertNet news is provided by
Email this article       Send comments

NGO latest

•  The campaign to end child hunger
ACF - UK

•  Recent Cyclones in Myanmar and Bangladesh Highlight Need to Plan Before Disasters Strike
Save the Children - International Alliance

•  Financial crisis proves politicians can take on climate change challenge
World Vision - Asia Pacific

MORE >>

Latest news

•  Bangladesh detains Islamists for damaging sculpture

•  INTERVIEW-U.N. sees credible elections in Bangladesh

•  Bangladesh to launch polio vaccination drive

•  India PM says attacks plotted by overseas groups

•  Bangladesh to lift emergency before poll - minister

MORE >>

AlertNet news is provided by

Background information

Facts & figures
Bangladesh

Related articles

Breaking stories
 Bangladesh detains Islamists for damaging sculpture (1 minute ago)

INTERVIEW-U.N. sees credible elections in Bangladesh (1 minute ago)

AlertNet insight
 Experts call for better data on climate change migrants (1 minute ago)

Aid agency news feed
 The campaign to end child hunger (1 minute ago)

Blogs
 CLIMATE CHANGE BLOG: Does poverty equal vulnerability? (1 minute ago)

Maps
 MAP: Global Incidence of H5N1 Virus (1 minute ago)


Del.icio.us Del.icio.us  |   Digg Digg  |   NewsVine NewsVine  |   Reddit Reddit   
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-11-11T134905Z_01_DHA001_RTRIDSP_2_BANGLADESH-PROTEST_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/DHA001.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-10-03T193356Z_01_DEL53_RTRIDSP_2_INDIA-BLASTS_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/DEL53.htm

Policemen hit supporters of the Jamaat-e-Islami Party during a protest outside the national mosque Baitul Mukarram in Dhaka November 11, 2008. Bangladesh police on Tuesday broke up the rally in the ...


More pictures | Galleries
Disclaimers |  Copyright |  Privacy |  Contact Us |  Feedback |  About Us |  RSS XML

Last updated:Sun Nov 30 07:35:43 2008