Dhaka (AsiaNews) – Thousands of people took to the streets of the main cities of Bangladesh yesterday to protest against rising prices and demand the resignation of the government accused of oppressing the population and imprisoning dissidents and activists. At the moment the toll is more than 40 injured and 43 arrests. More protests and strikes are planned in the coming days.

Interviewed by AsiaNews, Mgr. Moses M. Costa, Bishop of Dinajpur (northern Bangladesh), said that the economic and political crisis could give way to Islamic extremists, with a serious threat to the ethnic and religious minorities. For the prelate free education and the work of interreligious dialogue witnessed by the Church are the two basic elements to give more rights to minorities and lead the country towards full democracy.

Bishop Cote was ordained Bishop of Dinajpur in 1996. The diocese has about 50 thousand Catholics, mostly tribals. More than 2 million people live in the district of Dinajpur and Muslims are the majority.

How do you see the situation in Bangladesh in the light of the riots that occurred in the Middle East?

We are concerned about the events that are hitting the Arab nations. I discussed this problem with some of the faithful of my diocese and we are trying to figure out what kind of impact it could have in our country. The pressure of Islamic extremists is growing and over the past five years Saudi Arabia has financed more than 34 thousand new Islamic schools. A long time will be needed before we can arrive at a true democracy. Currently the two main parties, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Bangladesh Awami League, are led by two women who continue to struggle for power and this causes discontent among Muslims. But I am confident that something will change in the future. I have several contacts with the moderate Islamic groups that have more liberal positions, but they have made no public statements for fear of the fundamentalists.

What is the witness of the Catholic Church in Bangladesh?

The main witness of the Church is in education open to all. In Bangladesh we Christians are less than 1% of a population of 129 million and in our diocese we only have one high school and several elementary schools. The most important institution has about three thousand students. Of these, only 200 are Catholics, the others are all Muslims and tribal. Thanks to this openness, people willingly send their children to our schools and use our services for the poor and sick.

Another type of witness are the sisters of Mother Teresa. In the diocese of Dinajpur, there is only one convent of the Missionaries of Charity. Despite their small number, the nuns are doing a wonderful job. They assist patients of all faiths and visit the most remote villages, bringing hope to the people. Just because we are a tiny minority all benefit from our work.

How integrated are Christians in society?

In general we have a good relationship with the government and the majority of Muslims. But our problems go unnoticed because we do not have enough voice to make ourselves heard. We often suffer discrimination. The common people are not against us, but are indifferent to our problems. Our children will not go to public schools, where they are mistreated just because they speak a language other than the national language. For this reason the tribal need small schools to be able to learn Bangla, the national language, which is necessary to go to school and overcome the inferiority complex that separates them from society.

How does the state treat minorities?

Minorities are not named in the Constitution and do not have any guarantee. That is why our people have no possibility of development and emancipation. Tribal and other minorities have to compete with the Muslim majority in every aspect of life and do not have the proper training to face such difficulties. They are poor even from the religious point of view, because they do not deepen the meaning of what they believe in. We have conversions and vocations, but often the person asking to become a priest has a weak cultural background. The minorities need opportunities, particularly in vocational training, in order to exploit the most competitive sectors. Without training and education our people have little chance of development.