Islam and Genocide: The Case of Bangladesh in 1971

Abstract:     
In 1971 Pakistani army carried out a genocide in East Pakistan. According to Adam Jones at Gendercide, “the mass killings in Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) in 1971 vie with the annihilation of the Soviet POWs, the holocaust against the Jews, and the genocide in Rwanda as the most concentrated act of genocide in the twentieth century.” Unfortunately, it remains little known and studied, nonetheless.

This was probably the only genocide in modern times where a so-called Islamic Republic committed genocide against Muslims, even though minorities, especially the Hindus, were targeted. Islam served as the foundation to slice Pakistan from British-colonized India. It was abused in committing this genocide. There may be legitimate questions about abuse of Islam for genocide; in context of the 1971 genocide in Bangladesh, we’ll explore them.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 6

Keywords: Islam, Genocide, Bangladesh, Pakistan, 1971, Jamaat-e-Islami, Tikka Khan, Yahya Khan, Sheikh Mujib, Awami League, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, PPP

JEL Classification: Z00

Accepted Paper Series