A/55/280/Add.2 I. Introduction 1. From 15 to 24 May 2000, the Special Rapporteur on the elimination of all forms of intolerance and of discrimination based on religion or belief visited Bangladesh, at his own request, and at the invitation of the Government of Bangladesh. The Special Rapporteur visited Dhaka (15 to 21 May, 24 May) and the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Rangamati (21 to 23 May). 2. During this visit, the Special Rapporteur spoke with government authorities (Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Religious Affairs, Minister of Justice, Minister of Education, Minister for the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Secretary for the Interior, Secretary for Women and Children, Secretary for the Chittagong Hill Tracts), the Chief Justice and authorities of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (Deputy Commissioner; Mr. Shantu Larma, President of the Regional Council; and representatives of the Rangamati Hill Council District). He also spoke with a representative of the Islamic Foundation in Dhaka. 3. The Special Rapporteur was also able to speak with representatives of the Muslim community and of the Buddhist, Christian, and Hindu minorities, and also met with representatives of the ethnic 1 communities (essentially those living in the Chittagong Hill Tracts). Lastly, the Special Rapporteur met with a number of non-governmental organizations (such as Ain o Salish Kendro (ASK), the Coalition for Human Rights (ODHIKAR), and Land Rights and Development, as well as a number of experts and prominent personalities (including Kamal Hossain, Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan and former Bangladeshi Minister of Foreign Affairs) and visited several places of worship. 4. The Special Rapporteur would like to thank the authorities for their full cooperation during this visit, which he was able to conduct in complete liberty and without hindrance. 1 The Special Rapporteur has used the term “ethnic communities” subject to the clarifications to be found later in the report, and with the understanding that the terms used by indigenous populations are also pertinent. The term “tribes” was also frequently mentioned during the Special Rapporteur’s consultations. 5. The Special Rapporteur focused his attention on the legal aspects of freedom of religion or belief, on the influence of politics on the freedom of religion or belief, as well as on the status of women. 6. The Special Rapporteur would like to begin by presenting the following data and statistical considerations. According to the most recent census carried out in Bangladesh, in 1991, the religious distribution among the population is as follows: – Muslims 88.3 per cent – Hindus 10.5 per cent – Buddhists 0.6 per cent – Christians 0.3 per cent – Other religions 0.3 per cent 7. This census does not include information about non-believers. According to the Minister of Education and representatives of non-governmental organizations interviewed, there are very few atheists in Bangladesh. Most atheists are members of elite circles, and do not publicly admit their belief, because this would be perceived negatively by society. 8. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs provided the following statistics about places of worship and religious officials. Places of worship Mosques 192,800 Temples 20,000 Pagodas 1,700 Religious officials Imams 192,800 Porohits (Hindu) 20,000 Shromon/Vikhu 3,500 The Ministry for Foreign Affairs informed the Special Rapporteur that he had no information concerning Christian places of worship or Christian religious officials. 9. We should note that whereas Muslims, Hindus, and Christians are distributed across the entire country, Buddhists live mainly in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. 10. In order to give a more accurate impression of this religious landscape, we should also mention 3