Sheikh Hasina’s head strong government crumbled a mere two days ago, a government plagued with allegations of corruption, nepotism, extrajudicial killings and many more. A government that saw itself as a leader to the Bengalis but was viewed locally and globally as a threat to democracy and human rights. And finally, the mask of democracy it wore over Bangladesh is gone, but so is the mask it held over the true state of religion in Bangladesh.

Just recently, I made a post calling for a discussion on how likely it would be for an Islamic government to rise to power in this immense power vacuum that has formed, possibly the largest of its size ever seen in world history if you consider our huge population. That post brought a lot of attention, and with it a lot of heated debate, but the general conclusion was that the likelihood was immense but the students would work against that and if necessary protest again. And there have also been many instances of students working with religious institutions to protect holy sites of minorities such as temples.

Now, Dr. Yunus has been made the chief advisor and by extension de facto head of the country, though it will be a while before we see his leadership in full force. What we can say for sure is that he will be under immense pressure from both the young generation alike as well as the various political parties in the country who have already started milking the situation in their favour where possible. And as an international figure, the whole world might very well be watching Dr. Yunus, who himself remains a politically safe but slightly controversial figure amongst certain groups of society. Amongst the many issues he will now have to handle, a large one that is albeit exaggerated by some but under estimated by others is the communal tensions.

The Bangladesh Awami League, under the leadership of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, led the modern nation we call home today to independence. They have fallen heavily in the eyes of the public since those days, but one of the biggest advantages they had in terms of popularity over the other parties that later formed was the promise of secularism. Sheikh Mujib had enshrined secularism as one of the core values of the new nation he had helped establish, and since then it has retained its status in the constitution. When Ershad came to power, he took a contradictory position when he made Islam the state religion of Bangladesh, but for the average Bangladeshi nothing much changed. Once the Awami League was firmly back in power, they retained their political image of secularism which helped them continue their relations with the Indian government which remains to this day. And all this time, that image was one of veiled lies, lies that the country was free from religious extremism.

In just two days after the Awami League government collapsed, we have witnessed the whole veil of lies removing. The Pandora’s box that the Awami League had said was locked was never locked but rather just had a weak hand pushing down the lid to contain the overflowing box. And now the hand which held the illusion is gone, and the contents are out in show. There is no illusion hiding it.

Statues of liberation war heroes are vandalized and defaced. Hindu homes are burnt down. Statues of Hellenic gods which represented various non religious institutions and ideas are broken. Taliban flags are flying proudly in Bangladeshi soil. There are demands for the national anthem to be replaced. The slogan ‘বাংলা হবে আফগান’ is being chanted by various individuals across the country. Images are spreading of women promoting the importance of Arab and Islamic garb such as Burqa, Hijab, Niqab, etc. And regardless of your political stance, the statues of Sheikh Mujib being broken down has been nothing short of a reputation disaster for Bangladesh globally. Ironically, Bangladesh’s largest internal revolution against its undemocratic institutions has become a sore talking point globally. And such simultaneous acts of religious imposition have given the critics of the movement legitimacy.

Without any illusion of secularism being provided by those who gave us an illusion of democracy, the truth is very clear no matter how much some of us may not want to cope with it. Bangladesh is not secular. It never was secular. It possibly may never become secular. The cries of Joy Bangla, a national slogan politicized by the dirty politics of the country, never was louder than the chants of Allahu Akbar. The thousands of mosques that stand throughout the country have always been a source of admiration for its citizens. Not the flag. Not the history. Not the culture, and definitely not the religions that most of our people once believed in.

Those who want the country to be secular are nothing but a minority. A minority is of little to no consequence to a country when the overwhelming majority holds beliefs directly contrary to them. Their voices will always be silenced, either by being drowned out by other voices, or by the loss of life. Whether you are for or against the rule of Islam in Bangladesh is up to you. Everyone should be able to think for themselves as to what they most desire in a society. But those who are promoting that religious harmony and protection of minorities is actively going on are only trying to revive the illusion that the Awami League blinded us with. Except now that they are gone, it will never work again. At least not for a very long time from now.

Truth be told, this subreddit was always an echo chamber. The average Bangladeshi does not care about minorities, else they wouldn’t be fleeing to India in the first place. The average Bangladeshi does not care if they are forced to wear Hijab due to social pressure, they just accept it as part of life. The average Bangladeshi does care if Islam is criticized, as we now see counter propaganda spreading regarding the conditions of minorities in Bangladesh. I know most students are against such mindset, but what they have failed to understand is that they are not the average Bangladeshi. And when the time comes for the average Bangladeshis to have their say, they will have that say loudly. And they will be the ones to steer this country forward. For that is what Bangladesh truly wants, not an illusion but a set in stone reality, one that the Awami League and their supporters can no longer hide.

Edit: Fixed grammatical error