Ahmadiyya prayer centre vandalised during pro-Palestine rally in Rajbari

The vandals continue to destroy the building despite urges to restrain themselves

A prayer centre belonging to the Ahmadiyya Muslim community has allegedly been vandalised by pro-Palestine protesters in Rajbari’s Pangsa Upazila.

The incident occurred around 5pm on Monday, Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at said in a media statement.

According to it, protesters were passing the prayer hall while chanting anti-Israel slogans when they noticed the building and started to attack it.

The vandals pulled out the corrugated sheet walls, and smashed the doors and windows in, it said.

They also destroyed the areas designated for the call to prayer and religious sermons, despite the repeated requests made over loudspeakers for them to stop attacking the hall, it added.

Ahmad Tabshir Chowdhury, the organisation’s spokesperson, said: “Members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at in Bangladesh have often been target of attacks by certain extremist religious groups under different pretexts. We strongly condemn this communal attack on the Ahmadiyya prayer centre in Bahadurpur and demand justice.”

He also highlighted the “irony” of the incident, as the attackers tried to undermine the violence by implying that it supports the “Palestinian cause”.

However, the statement expressed solidarity with Palestinians, saying: “The worldwide leadership of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at has consistently appealed to global powers to take action to stop the brutal oppression of the Palestinian people.”