Bangladesh, once hailed as a beacon of religious tolerance in South Asia, now stands at a perilous crossroads. The recent resurgence of attacks on the Christian minority is not merely an outbreak of isolated violence—it is a symptom of a deeper malaise: the growing nexus between politics and radicalism. Since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s secular administration in August 2024, the fragile balance between religious harmony and political expediency has crumbled. The interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, appears to have failed—or worse, chosen not—to curb the rise of Islamist militancy. Instead, under Yunus’s stewardship, Bangladesh is witnessing a disturbing pattern of appeasement toward radical elements, leading to targeted atrocities against its most vulnerable communities.

The latest violence exhibited a grim reality. On November, 7 night in Dhaka’s Ramna area, the historic St. Mary’s Cathedral Church (one of Bangladesh’s oldest Christian landmarks) was attacked with crude bombs. One device exploded outside, while another, hurled inside the church, failed to detonate. Panic spread swiftly among worshippers, echoing a similar attack just weeks earlier on the Holy Rosary Church in Tejgaon. The Christian community, small yet steadfast, now lives in fear.

The Bangladesh Christian Association condemned these attacks as “a direct assault on the spirit of religious harmony.” Yet, despite such condemnations, the state’s response remains alarmingly muted. Police investigations have yielded little. Security at churches has been tightened superficially, but the perpetrators remain at large—mirroring a broader pattern of impunity that has haunted Bangladesh’s minorities for decades.

What makes these attacks particularly concerning is their timing. They coincide with the Yunus government’s increasing accommodation of Islamist factions—raising legitimate fears that the violence is not random but rather politically convenient.

Religious persecution in Bangladesh is not new; it is cyclical. Christians, though comprising less than one percent of........

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