Home Featured A SHIMMER OF HOPE FOR BANGLADESH’S CHRISTIANS

    A SHIMMER OF HOPE FOR BANGLADESH’S CHRISTIANS

    A Shimmer of Hope for Bangladesh’s Christians

    By Elvira Hattingh

     

    Christians in Bangladesh are allowing themselves some optimism after years of persecution, following the landmark general election of 12 February 2026, won by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

    Bangladesh seems to be entering a new political chapter. In his early public statements, Rahman declared that the country belongs equally to Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians, pledging that the state would protect all citizens regardless of their faith.

    Following his victory, Rahman said: “We are all free from today… Under no circumstances should peace and order be disrupted. We will not tolerate injustice, unlawful acts, or attacks by the strong against the weak, regardless of political affiliation, religion, or opinion.”

    Cautiously Optimistic

    “We thank God that the BNP won the election. My personal opinion is that this is positive for the Christian community – but there are others with different opinions,” says Pastor Peter Saiful, speaking from the UNHCR Transit Centre (TC) in the Kutupalong Refugee Camp, where he has been living with about 25 other Christian families for more than five years while awaiting resettlement.

    Saiful, a prominent Rohingya Christian pastor, photographer, and human rights defender, is a key leader within the small Rohingya Christian community in Cox’s Bazar — a community that often faces significant persecution and security risks.

    Although born in Bangladesh, Saiful has lived his entire life classified as a refugee. The government designates Rohingya as “Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals” rather than refugees, limiting their legal protections. After a major attack on his refugee camp in January 2020, Saiful and 25 other families were moved to the Transit Centre for protection.

    Since then, abuses against religious minorities reached an all-time high in 2025, with 522 cases of violence and intimidation reported by the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC) across the country. In January 2026 alone, 42 incidents of communal violence were recorded — including 11 murders and nine attacks on churches and temples. Bangladesh also ranks 33rd on Open Doors’ World Watch List 2026, scoring 71 out of 100 for levels of persecution — a slight improvement from the previous year, though pressure on Christians remains high, and they often face killings, assaults, church vandalism, and widespread social intimidation. Converts from Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and the Rohingya community are particularly vulnerable.

    Hope and Scepticism

    Pastor Saiful attributes the heightened violence in 2025 to unstable political circumstances. “Our conditions are definitely improving. I believe that, as Rahman was in self-imposed exile for about 17 years and exposed to the Western world, he learned a lot and will not be a radical leader. Yet, as was the case during the previous election, there are no Christian leaders in parliament. The future remains uncertain, but there is hope that the country will likely remain stable.”

    Saiful and other residents of the centre have described the facility as an “open jail” where they have to live because their lives are under threat, and they cannot leave freely.

    “I am facing death threats every day,” he confirms, yet he maintains active contact with the roughly 1,500 Rohingya Christians living across various camps in Bangladesh. Apart from providing leadership within the centre, he manages outreach posts on the Bethel Church: Rohingya Christian Fellowship Facebook page.

    On the question of how Christians worldwide can assist or pray for them, Pastor Saiful mentions that the Rohingya don’t have a Bible in their own language. “We are still busy translating the Bible,” he says. The project has been ongoing for about 14 years and has been slowed by a lack of funds, yet the community has successfully translated and published roughly ten books from the New Testament, whilst a Rohingya Bible app was released in November 2024 to provide free digital access to the global Rohingya diaspora.

    “Also, the Rohingya are struggling to have their basic needs met when it comes to food. They are deprived of economic activities and have no other means to survive. They are also tired of fighting and need your prayers,” he adds.

    The monthly food voucher of $12.50 USD that the World Food Programme (WFP) provides each Rohingya refugee is not much, whilst they are prohibited by the government from seeking legal employment outside the refugee camps. Roughly 95% of them are entirely dependent on international humanitarian assistance for food, medicine, and basic hygiene.

    Broader Christian Community

    Christian groups like the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Bangladesh, the United Forum of Churches Bangladesh, and the Bangladesh Christian Association, in separate statements, also congratulated the new government on its victory, urging it to prioritise the safety of faith communities. The President of the Bangladesh bishops’ conference, Archbishop Bejoy Nicephorus D’Cruze of Dhaka, expressed hope in a statement on 15 February that new leaders will be “putting the country first,” and that it will be “a haven of comfort, security, and hope, helping to improve the quality of life of the country’s backward and minority communities.”

    Yet past experience tempers hope, as political change or post-election unrest has sometimes been followed by spikes in communal violence. The presence of more conservative religious actors in the political landscape raises concerns about whether pledges will translate into meaningful protection on the ground.

    Several Christian, interfaith, and international organisations continue to monitor violence closely while engaging the Rahman administration to protect religious minorities. Dialogue with civil authorities has intensified to prevent retaliatory attacks, promote transparency, and ensure investigations when abuses occur. Persistent patterns of land disputes, vandalism, and intimidation — often carried out with confidence that legal proceedings will stall — remain a major challenge.

    A History of Persecution

    Christians in Bangladesh remain a small minority at about 950,000 people representing less than 0.5% of the population, but have historically played an outsized role in education, healthcare, and social development, according to Open Doors. Tribal Christians in the Chittagong Hill Tracts have also reported land seizures and periodic violence linked to ethnic tensions.

    While Article 41 of the constitution affirms religious freedom, in practice it is often not upheld, and some legal provisions have been used in ways that inflame tensions. Even unsubstantiated allegations can provoke mob attacks before courts intervene, creating a volatile environment for minority faith communities.

    Nevertheless, this political transition could become an important turning point if promises are kept. If the Rahman administration follows through on its commitments — strengthening law enforcement, prosecuting attackers, and ensuring equal access to justice — Bangladesh could move towards a more secure future for its minorities. If not, scepticism will harden into disillusionment.

    Please join us in prayer for the people of Bangladesh:

    1. Pray for real protection — that the new government’s promises will result in tangible safety, justice, and equal rights for Christians and other minorities.
    2. Pray for Pastor Saiful and Rohingya Christians — for daily protection from threats, provision amid severe poverty, and strength as they await resettlement.
    3. Pray for the Rohingya Bible translation — for funding, progress, and wide access so believers can read God’s Word in their own language.

    Resources:

    Footnote: This article was updated to replace a previously submitted version. Some content have been revised to reflect the corrected submission.

    Footnote 2: A quote in the second article version has been shortened following a request from the source.

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