President of Catholic Bishops in Bangladesh Raises the Alarm after 2 Catholic Colleges were Threatened Accused of Conversion

The president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Bangladesh has raised alarm after an Islamic group threatened to attack two prominent Catholic colleges in Dhaka, accusing them of converting Muslims.
UCAN News released that Archbishop Bejoy N. D’Cruze of Dhaka said the threat poses “a grave concern for the Catholic Church,” particularly ahead of Christmas and national elections scheduled for February. His statement was issued on Dec. 3.The warning letters, sent on Dec. 2 to Notre Dame College and Holy Cross College, were issued by a group identifying itself as Tauhidee Muslim Janata (“faithful Muslim people.”)
The letters, written in Bengali, accused the institutions of Christian proselytization and warned of attacks if their demands were not met.

“If you do not pay heed to our warning, we will not spare your places of prayers — churches, cathedrals, chapels, and missionary institutions,” the group wrote, claiming media reports showed some 200 Muslims in northern Rangpur had converted to Christianity since September 2024.
D’Cruze, who also chairs the Bangladesh Catholic Education Board (BCEB), rejected the accusations.
He said the two colleges are among the country’s most respected educational institutions and that the majority of their students and staff are Muslims.

“The priests and nuns who run these institutions are living in fear and anxiety. We are living in panic,” D’Cruze said, denying any involvement in forced or covert conversions.

The Catholic Church in Bangladesh operates one university, 18 colleges, 76 high schools and about 1,000 primary schools nationwide, serving students of all backgrounds.

BCEB Secretary Jyoti F. Gomez told UCA News on Dec. 4 that he had instructed all Catholic educational institutions to take precautionary measures. Many will remain closed during the Christmas period.

Gomez said both threatened colleges plan to file police complaints.
The threats come amid a series of attacks targeting Christian institutions in Dhaka in recent weeks.

On Nov. 7, two crude bombs were thrown at the gate of St. Mary’s Cathedral, hours before a major church celebration.

The following day, explosive devices were hurled at St. Joseph’s Higher Secondary School and College. On Oct. 8, Holy Rosary Church in Tejgaon — one of the country’s oldest churches — was also attacked.

Religious minorities, particularly Hindus, have faced widespread violence since the fall of the Awami League government on Aug. 5 last year.

The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council recorded 2,624 attacks on minority homes, shops and places of worship between Aug. 5 last year and Oct. 31 this year.

The interim government claims most incidents were politically motivated rather than communal and says action has been taken against perpetrators.
Church-run institutions have also reported pressure from anti-Hasina student groups, who accused some Catholic schoolteachers of supporting the former ruling party.
Other religious and cultural minorities, including Baul mystic singers and the Ahmadiyya community, have also faced attacks over the past year.
Edited from UCAN News