"Bomb Explosion During Mass Stirs Fear, Public Outcry in Bangladesh"
Suspects linked to rash of attacks
Todd Hertz | posted 6/01/2001 12:00AM
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The blast stirred protests, rallies, and condemnations from several church and political organizations.
The Independent reported that the Bangladesh Christian Association (BCA) named June 3 as "Mourning and Hatred Day." It will be a day marked with mass prayers and processions each year. The group also issued a nine-point resolution demanding a judicial probe.
According to the paper, leaders of the Church of Christ demanded special security for Bangladesh's Christian community. Meanwhile, hundreds of Christians and Muslims responded to the attack with a June 7 protest march through the capital.
Datta said Christians are afraid for their safety in other areas of Bangladesh as well. Approximately 90 miles from Baniarchar, 50 Protestant families have been threatened with eviction from their homes by Islamic fundamentalists.
"We have 30 million unemployed youth in Bangladesh," Datta said. "These youth have become easy prey for the fundamentalists. Some of them go abroad in the Middle East and get connected with Islamic fundamentalists who believe in terrorism and violence. When they return home, they are supported financially to do various terrorist activities."
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Related Elsewhere
'The pineapple-like bomb was made in Chile,' according to The Daily Star.
The Bangladesh Christian Association will observe Mourning and Hatred Day every year on June 3, according to The Independent.
The June 18 political rally blast during an election meeting brings the total killed in bomb explosions over 80 in Bangladesh since 1999.
The Daily Star reports on the rumored reasons behind the church blast.
Coverage of the protests, calls for arrest, and multiple condemnations is available from The Daily News, Yahoo! and The Independent.
A Daily Star editorial calls the bombing a deliberate ploy to disrupt religious equanimity.
The attack not only killed ten, says an Independent editorial, but man's entire moral and ethical heritage and values have been subverted.
For more articles, see Yahoo's full coverage area on Bangladesh.
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