- Home » Expat News » Expats deliberately targeted in Dhaka terrorist attack
Expats deliberately targeted in Dhaka terrorist attack
| Published: | 4 Jul at 6 PM |
Want to get involved?
Become a Featured Expat and take our interview.
Become a Local Expert and contribute articles.
Get in touch today!
Become a Local Expert and contribute articles.
Get in touch today!
Tagged: Citizenship, India
Radical Islam’s hatred of non-Moslems has spread to relatively peaceful Bangladesh, focusing mainly on local targets such as liberals until the murderous attack which killed 26 people.
The Holey Artisan Bakery café and eatery where the terrorist attack took place was known as an elite meeting point for businessmen, journalists, politicians and those in diplomatic service at overseas embassies. According to an official from the Bangladeshi security ministry, the militants had issued warnings to local people to stay clear of the area that evening.
The majority of the 26 fatalities were expats living and working in Dhaka and were deliberately targeted by hate-filled jihadists. One of the attackers cursed a local businessman who was dining with foreign business colleagues, accusing him of sitting with non-Muslims during Ramadan and yelling that Bangladesh will now be recognised as an Islamic state.
Diners were bullied into reciting verses from the Koran, with those unable to do so being tortured. A number of those who died were Japanese nationals working with aid programmes in the country.
Expat business owners who are part of the country’s 26-billion dollar garment export trade are now concerned for their safety and the financial effects of foreigner-aimed terrorism on their businesses, whilst the World Bank is warning that militancy could destroy the country’s chances of becoming a middle-income state.
Tragically, many expats who were regular visitors to the café saw its cosmopolitan vibes as a symbol of integration in the predominately Muslim country. According to an eyewitness who was dining at the café with his wife and two daughters, the terrorists behaved normally with Bangladeshi nationals, ordering them evening meals during the stand-off. One Indian doctor’s life was spared as he was fluent in Bengali and was therefore considered a citizen, but a 19-year old Indian girl was killed during the massacre.
The Holey Artisan Bakery café and eatery where the terrorist attack took place was known as an elite meeting point for businessmen, journalists, politicians and those in diplomatic service at overseas embassies. According to an official from the Bangladeshi security ministry, the militants had issued warnings to local people to stay clear of the area that evening.
The majority of the 26 fatalities were expats living and working in Dhaka and were deliberately targeted by hate-filled jihadists. One of the attackers cursed a local businessman who was dining with foreign business colleagues, accusing him of sitting with non-Muslims during Ramadan and yelling that Bangladesh will now be recognised as an Islamic state.
Diners were bullied into reciting verses from the Koran, with those unable to do so being tortured. A number of those who died were Japanese nationals working with aid programmes in the country.
Expat business owners who are part of the country’s 26-billion dollar garment export trade are now concerned for their safety and the financial effects of foreigner-aimed terrorism on their businesses, whilst the World Bank is warning that militancy could destroy the country’s chances of becoming a middle-income state.
Tragically, many expats who were regular visitors to the café saw its cosmopolitan vibes as a symbol of integration in the predominately Muslim country. According to an eyewitness who was dining at the café with his wife and two daughters, the terrorists behaved normally with Bangladeshi nationals, ordering them evening meals during the stand-off. One Indian doctor’s life was spared as he was fluent in Bengali and was therefore considered a citizen, but a 19-year old Indian girl was killed during the massacre.
Comments » No published comments just yet for this article...
Feel free to have your say on this item. Go on... be the first!
