A/55/280/Add.2 favoured religious harmony) regarded them with suspicion. This was due to several factors, such as stereotypes representing Christians as anti-Muslim (because of the Crusades); an extremely restrictive civil society; and the absence of any real interchange between the Christian and Muslim communities, especially in urban environments. Because of this suspicion — which in their view was rooted in ignorance and intolerance of others — Muslim officials had, for example, opposed plans to extend a Dhaka church, on the grounds that Anglican hymns were too noisy (this, despite the fact that mosques used loudspeakers for prayer). However, the Anglican officials stressed that extremist Muslim groups were responsible for manipulating the uneducated Muslim population, against Christians. As a result, Christians were accused of being agents of an “anti-Islam” West — particularly during certain international events. For example, it was recalled that during the Gulf War, the Anglican church in Old Dhaka had been attacked by a crowd of Muslims trained by extremists. (b) Catholic community 65. The Catholic officials said that they were not subject to Government interference. However, they noted that the situation for Catholics was not entirely without difficulties. The officials said that despite constitutional guarantees concerning freedom of religion and religious practice, it was not possible in practice to engage in conversion activities among the Muslim population. They added that any Muslim converting to another religion — as a result of a mixed marriage, for example — was forced to go into hiding, and even to leave Bangladesh, in order to avoid public condemnation. With regard to the teaching of religion in public schools, the officials lamented the fact that the authorities did not, in practice, recruit Christian teachers, even though there were enough Christian students to justify such recruitment. Indeed, it was pointed out that Muslim, and sometimes Hindu, teachers were in charge of Christian teaching, even though they were not qualified to do so. Because of this, the Catholic Church organized Christian teaching at its own institutions, outside normal school hours. However, the Catholic officials said that this was not the best solution, as it excluded students who could not pay the cost of transporting them to the Catholic institutions offering this teaching. 16 66. With regard to places of worship, it was pointed out that extremist Muslim groups often opposed the use of bells and loudspeakers for hymns. This hostility could even be translated into acts of violence during certain international events, such as the Gulf War, which were immediately interpreted by extremists as attacks by the West against Islam. It was explained that on such occasions, extremists would take it upon themselves to train crowds of Muslims, urging them to commit acts of destruction or looting against places of worship belonging to the Christian community, which would be accused of working on behalf of an “antiMuslim” West. The officials deplored the passive, even complicit approach taken by the police in such situations. The officials noted that even beyond specific international events, there was a strong current of anti-Christian activism. For example: on 28 April 1998, the Saint Francis Xavier’s Girls High School suffered attack, looting, and damage to property at the hands of a crowd of Muslims. They had been spurred on by extremists using mosque loudspeakers to accuse the Catholic authorities (falsely, as they well knew) of having destroying the mosque (see communication by the Special Rapporteur, E/CN.4/1999/58, para. 36). The incident was part of a conflict over boundaries, and the extremists were seeking to oppose renovation work being carried out on a Catholic Church property adjacent to a mosque. It was again noted that during these serious incidents, the forces of law and order remained largely passive. The Catholic officials also lamented the fact that, due to electoral considerations, the Prime Minister had not responded to their request for a public condemnation of such attacks or to their request for symbolic reparations. They also noted that legal decisions in favour of the Catholic Church, concerning the use of their property, had not been applied, because extremist Muslims had opposed their application on a variety of grounds. The officials also wished to see an end to discrimination against Christians in the area of public-sector jobs, especially positions of responsibility. The officials expressed the wish that Christian nationals be able to enjoy all the rights deriving from their Bangladeshi citizenship. 3. Hindu minority 67. The Hindu representatives said that they were able to enjoy freedom of religion and worship, without interference from the authorities, as well as Hindu religious holidays. They expressed dissatisfaction, however, with regard to their community’s situation.