JOYSEN, Bangladesh — Muslim neighbors of a Christian family scheduled to be baptized in September beat them and filed a false charge of attempted murder against them and other Christians, the head of the family said. Foyez Uddin, 62, said his neighbor Nazrul Islam and Islam’s relatives told him, his wife and his two adult children that as Christians they were “polluting” society and beat them Sept. 17 in Joysen village in Rangpur district, some 186 miles north of Dhaka. Islam is a policeman. Islam’s uncle, Abdul Mannan Miah, then filed false charges against Uddin, his family and three others, accusing them of trying to kill Islam’s sister (Miah’s niece), Uddin said by telephone after his release on bail Oct. 8.
Uddin said his family was fishing at his pond Sept. 17 when eight to 10 Muslim neighbors led by Islam appeared and began speaking abusively about their Christian faith. When he declined their proposal to return to Islam, they beat the Christian family and later vandalized their home, where their Faith Bible Church of God meets. The pastor of the church, Lavlu Sadik Lebio, said he complained to police of the attack, but officers did not respond.
Uddin was arrested for attempted murder the next day, with police filing a report stating that he collaborated with Christians and made defamatory remarks about Islam, he said. Uddin said the charge was fabricated, and that the accused have witnesses that can testify they were not present at the site of the alleged attempted murder. The accused include two recent converts who live 310 miles away, driven from the area because Muslims refused to give them work, he said.
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