US expects Bangladesh to speak out forcefully against violent extremists: Ambassador Bernicat

The United States expects that the Bangladesh government will speak out “forcefully” to condemn the ongoing acts of violent extremism, Ambassador Marcia Bernicat has said.

“….and in their expressions to make sure it’s clear that no matter what you say, no matter what you write, no matter which God you pray to, or chose not to pray to any God, no matter who you choose to love, that is not the reason ever to justify being killed or being brutally murdered,” she told the CNN on Wednesday.

She was interviewed by the American cable channel via Skype in Dhaka on her reactions to the recent murders of Xulhaz Mannan and Mahbub Rabbi Tonoy.

Xulhaz, a USAID staffer who had previously worked at the US Embassy, was an editor of Bangladesh’s only LGBT magazine Roopbaan.

He was hacked to death along with his theatre activist friend Tonoy at his apartment in Dhaka’s Kalabagan on Monday.

They were the latest in the long list of casualties that includes secular bloggers, online activists, publishers, teachers and dissenters in Bangladesh. But the government has not been able to bring any of the perpetrators to justice.

Ambassador Bernicat said they had tracked 35 similar attacks in the last four months and of them 23 had been claimed by terrorist groups Al-Qaeda or Islamic State.

They had created “fear” among people, she said, but added that what had been happening here were “not the characteristics of Bangladesh at all”.

“I can tell you that the fact that these attackers are brutally going after anyone who does not believe in their ideology, their violent ideology has created fear here among people.

“At the same time, this is a country that has a long tradition of tolerance, of free speech and certainly diversity of religion and culture that has been cherished here.”

But she lauded Hasina government’s track record in fighting terrorism in the past.

“It is led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who has said terrorism knows no religion and no boundary. The government shows zero tolerance to any form of terrorism.”

She said the United States was working “diligently” with the government, civil society and the media to help strengthen Bangladesh in its fight against terrorism and prevent violent extremism.

The ambassador earlier met the home minister at his office and discussed the progress of the investigations.