Bangladesh’s Christian minority and Catholic social missions are facing mounting pressure amid growing Islamist influence and deteriorating conditions for religious minorities following the collapse of the former Awami League government, according to a report published by America Magazine.
The report describes how Catholic charities, schools and outreach programs serving poor communities and street children are encountering intensified scrutiny, threats and restrictions in the aftermath of the political turmoil that followed former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ouster in August 2024.
Rights groups and Christian organizations say the environment for religious minorities has sharply worsened since the takeover by the army- and Islamist-backed interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.
Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority nation of around 180 million people, has historically maintained a constitutional commitment to secularism and religious freedom despite periodic sectarian tensions. Christians comprise less than one percent of the population, while Hindus account for roughly eight percent. Minority groups have long reported discrimination, land seizures and attacks by extremist groups, but Christian organizations say recent political developments have emboldened Islamist actors.
According to the Switzerland-based organization Christian Solidarity International, previous governments generally allowed Christian institutions and missionaries to operate without significant obstruction. The organization argues that the secular Awami League government restrained extremist Islamist elements and protected minority communities.
That environment has changed dramatically, according to missionaries working inside Bangladesh.
For nearly 22 years, Italian missionary Brother Lucio Beninati, a member of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions, has worked among Dhaka’s street children, offering informal education, healthcare support and recreational activities in impoverished slum communities.
But the 70-year-old missionary now says security concerns prevent him from living directly in those neighborhoods.
“I want to continue working for these children for the rest of my life, just as I have worked fearlessly for them for the past 22 years,” Brother Beninati told America Magazine in an interview published this month.
Beninati said Islamist groups have assaulted him during outreach activities and police have repeatedly detained and interrogated him on allegations of proselytizing and child trafficking.
“The police have interrogated me in various ways…but were forced to release me without being able to prove any of the charges,” he said.
Despite the risks, Beninati continues daily outreach programs for abandoned children in Dhaka, assisted largely by Muslim volunteers inspired by his humanitarian work.
International watchdog organizations have also expressed concern over the deteriorating situation.
The persecution monitoring group Open Doors International has reported increasing legal harassment against Christians in Bangladesh, including blasphemy accusations, attacks on churches and widespread impunity for perpetrators. The organization has warned that Christians seeking justice through the courts often face discrimination and politically motivated cases.
Human rights groups say the broader political climate in Bangladesh has become increasingly hostile toward dissenting voices and minority communities since the 2024 transition of power. Ain O Salish Kendra documented hundreds of killings during the unrest surrounding Sheikh Hasina’s removal, while minority advocacy groups reported thousands of attacks on Hindus, Christians and Buddhists across the country.
Christian educational institutions have also come under pressure.
Last December, anonymous letters signed in the name of “Tawhidee Muslim Janata” were reportedly sent to Dhaka’s prestigious Notre Dame College and Holy Cross College, accusing the Catholic Church of attempting to convert Muslims and Indigenous communities through education.
“In a country [which is 90 percent Muslim], you are trying to convert people by using educational institutions as a tool,” the letter alleged.
Such accusations carry serious risks in Bangladesh, where allegations of insulting Islam or encouraging conversion can trigger mob violence, arrests and imprisonment.
The report also notes that extremists targeted at least three churches and Christian educational institutions in Dhaka last November with grenade attacks intended to intimidate worshippers and discourage attendance at religious services.
Violence against Christians in Bangladesh predates the current political crisis. In 2001, a bomb attack on a Catholic church in Gopalganj killed 10 worshippers. In 2016, Catholic Indigenous communities reportedly faced arson attacks and land seizures, while Catholic grocer Sunil Gomes was hacked to death after attending Sunday Mass.
Missionaries currently working in Bangladesh say they must now operate with heightened caution.
Colombian missionary Father Belisario Ciro de Jesus Montoya, who serves in northern Bangladesh, said social and political pressures make open ministry increasingly difficult.
“Foreign missionaries like myself face scrutiny as well—visa restrictions, suspicions of ulterior motives and limits on public evangelism,” Father Montoya told America Magazine via WhatsApp.
Still, he said years of respectful engagement with Muslim communities have helped reduce tensions in some areas.
“My approach to spreading God’s word is centered on living out the Gospel more than aggressive proclamation,” Montoya said. “Jesus met people in their needs—with healing, dignity and truth—so we seek to do the same.”
Another Italian missionary, Father Giovanni Gargona, who serves in the industrial region of Mymensingh, said Christian workers migrating from different parts of Bangladesh often struggle to access religious instruction and pastoral support within overwhelmingly Muslim communities.
“My challenge is to provide pastoral care to those who come to work in this area from different parts of Bangladesh,” Father Gargona said.
Despite warnings from supporters and local Christians to avoid risks, Gargona said he continues visiting Christian villages outside the safety of his parish residence.
Observers say the situation reflects broader anxieties over Bangladesh’s political trajectory as Islamist influence expands within state institutions and public life. Rights activists warn that shrinking civic space, growing religious intolerance and weak accountability mechanisms could further endanger vulnerable minority communities in the coming years.
