Leaders of the Catholic Church in Bangladesh have expressed deep concerns that the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan will spark a revival of Islamic extremism in their own country.
“Bangladesh has struggled against religious extremism and militancy, which came from mujahidin and the Taliban of Afghanistan,” said Father Liton Gomes, secretary of the Bishops’ Justice and Peace Commission. “Now, the victory of the Taliban in Afghanistan and the Bangladesh government’s support for a Taliban regime have potential for a major boost and rise in militancy in Bangladesh again.”
The priest was reacting to a recent statement by Bangladeshi Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen welcoming the rise of the Taliban. “If the Taliban form a government which is of the people, our door will remain open for sure for them,” Momen told reporters on August 16.
In his response, Gomes underscored the problems inherent in a Taliban regime, which will be radical by its very nature.
“Not only Catholics but no one should support any extremist government. Extremist government is not good for any society, any country,” the priest told UCA News before urging his own government not to embrace the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan.
“I hope the Bangladesh government will not accept the Taliban government to prevent the rise of militancy in Bangladesh,” he said. “The people of Afghanistan are fleeing to other places amid fears of Taliban oppression, so Bangladeshi authorities should not accept the Taliban government.”
Pope Francis presides over a meeting with priests and novices at the Church of the Holy Rosary complex, where the Mother Teresa House is part of, in Dhaka on December 2, 2017.
Pope Francis arrived in Bangladesh from Myanmar on November 30 for the second stage of a visit that has been overshadowed by the plight of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees.
/ AFP PHOTO / PRAKASH SINGH (Photo credit should read PRAKASH SINGH/AFP via Getty Images)
Bangladeshi Catholics are not the only Christians in the region to express reservation about the return of Taliban rule in Afghanistan.
Pakistani priest Father Mushtaq Anjum warned Friday that the Taliban victory would embolden Islamic extremist forces in Pakistan. As a result, religious minorities, especially Christians, would suffer badly, he said.
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