A/55/280/Add.2 on 10 October 1999; and the attacks against an Ahmadi place of worship at Natore on 12 November 1999. The Ahmadi representatives believed that these events were directly linked to the actions of Muslim extremists who considered their community as heretical. Furthermore, they deplored the fact that in the majority of cases, the response of the forces of law and order was passive and/or ineffective. They believed that this response reflected the authorities’ fear that efforts to combat extremists would translate into losses among the Muslim electorate. 61. The representative of Jamat-e-Islami in Dhaka said that there were no religious restrictions in Bangladesh, and that the constitutional recognition of Islam as a State religion had changed nothing, especially since there was a Muslim majority in Bangladesh. With regard to the Ahmadis, he recalled that Muslim communities — notably the Sunni and Shiite communities — had concluded that the Ahmadis were not Muslims. He said that Ahmadis had the right to exist as a community, but questioned whether they had a right to exist as a religious community. He rejected any suggestion that Jamat-e-Islami was responsible for the attacks on Ahmadi places of worship, attributing the attacks to religious fanatics, and even to the Ahmadis themselves. He said that his organization did not harass Muslims who had converted to another religion. He condemned the use of fatwas by unqualified persons. With regard to Taslima Nasreen, he said that the people’s reactions to her were spontaneous and justified, and that those reactions had not been organized by Jamat-e-Islami. He stressed that it was wrong to insult a religion in the name of freedom of expression, but noted that the Taslima Nasreen affair had been blown up out of all proportion. He explained that Jamat-e-Islami had no objection to devout Christians or to a minority of Christians with whom common ground could be found. He rejected any allegation that Jamat-e-Islami was involved in attacks on Christians. With regard to Buddhists and Hindus, he said that these communities should be respected. B. Situation with regard to religious minorities 1. Buddhist minority 62. The representatives of the Buddhist community said that they were able to practise their religion without interference from the authorities. However, they said that their community was in an unsatisfactory situation. With regard to the teaching of their religion in public schools, they lamented the fact that the State did not always make enough Buddhist teachers available to meet student demand. They described the looting and destruction of temples, as well as the harassment of Buddhist monks and other Buddhists by Muslim extremist groups. In this context, they deplored the absence of a genuine police reaction. They also said that Buddhists suffered discrimination with respect to public-sector jobs (there were very few Buddhists in the civil service, and Buddhists very rarely held positions of responsibility, despite the fact that they possessed the required qualifications and experience). Finally, they noted that most Government funds allocated to Buddhists were now allocated to ethnic communities of Buddhist confession in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. 2. Christian minority 63. Bangladesh’s Christian minority comprises all the main Christian denominations, especially Catholicism and Protestantism, but also many others (around 50 denominational churches, mission bodies, and other gospel-centred organizations). The Special Rapporteur was able to interview Anglican and Catholic religious officials. (a) Anglican community 64. The representatives of the Anglican Church said that the Government did not present obstacles in the area of religious affairs. However, they did describe difficulties encountered by foreign missionaries in their attempts to win converts among Muslims (difficulties that could even lead to expulsion), as well as difficulties encountered by all Muslims converting to Christianity. They thought that their community’s situation should be improved. They wished to see an end to discrimination against Christians with respect to access to public sector employment, including access to police and army jobs. They said that Muslims (with the exception of the liberal and secular elite, who 15