Hezbut Tawheed - Oman

Protest Held in Front of UN Headquarters Against Attacks on Hezbut Tawheed
Memorandum Submitted to the UN Secretary-General
Hezbut Tawheed USA organized a human chain and protest rally in front of the United Nations Headquarters in New York to condemn the escalating attacks and threats faced by its members in Bangladesh. The event took place on Monday, October 7, 2024, at 11:00 AM New York time.
During the demonstration, Hezbut Tawheed called upon UN Secretary-General António Guterres to take immediate action to address the ongoing violence and threats against the movement. A memorandum was also submitted to the UN Secretary-General on behalf of Hezbut Tawheed.
The President of Hezbut Tawheed USA, Harun A. Rashid, addressed the gathering, highlighting that the life of Hezbut Tawheed’s honorable Imam Hossain Mohammad Salim is under severe threat. He stated that extremist groups have threatened to destroy the residence of the Imam. So far, nearly fifty families living near the Imam’s house have been attacked, and eight district offices of the movement have been vandalized across the country, causing losses worth millions of BDT.
Harun A. Rashid further emphasized that Hezbut Tawheed is a non-political religious reform movement. Over the past decade, it has organized nearly two hundred thousand public awareness meetings against religious extremism, advocating interfaith harmony, women’s advancement, and healthy cultural practices—values that contradict the extremists' ideology. As a result, Hezbut Tawheed has become a target of these extremist groups.
He also mentioned that recently, these groups held multiple illegal gatherings in front of the Imam’s residence with the intention of creating a mob, threatening to evict Hezbut Tawheed from the area. Similar attacks were carried out in 2016, when false rumors were spread to incite violence. At that time, a mosque under construction was destroyed, homes were looted and set on fire, and two members of Hezbut Tawheed were brutally killed. To date, no justice has been served for these incidents.
During his speech, Harun A. Rashid urged the United Nations to take measures to protect Hezbut Tawheed members, particularly vulnerable women, children, and the elderly, from persecution and violence. Members of Hezbut Tawheed USA strongly condemned the attacks and threats against their counterparts in Bangladesh and called for international intervention to prevent further violence and safeguard their human rights.