14 DAY TRIAL // In the aftermath of several riots started by the infamous movie “Innocence of Muslims,” supposedly mocking the prophet Mohammad, the Muslim community feels insulted, once again. This time the spark that lit the fuse is a photo of a burnt Koran published on Facebook.
The photo was allegedly posted by local Buddhist Uttam Barua, and it was linked to an “Insult Allah” group. As a result, some 25,000 rioters took to the streets in Ramu, some 350 kilometers (216 miles) from Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, rt.com reports.
Eleven Buddhist temples were reportedly torched in Barua's home city of Ramu and in the surrounding areas, as were a few private residences. Barua's home was torched and looted, as was the case with the temples, the Buddhist's homes and the businesses they owned in the area.
“I have seen 11 wooden temples, two of them 300 years old, torched by the mob. They looted precious items and Buddha statues from the temples. Shops owned by Buddhists were also looted," local journalist Sunil Barua described.
Riot control police arrived at the scene, and because of their quick response time, crowds were controlled and no casualties have been reported. The damage to the Buddhist properties has not been evaluated at this point.
"At least 100 houses were damaged. We called in army and border guards to quell the violence," district administrator Joinul Bari explained.
Before resorting to violence, Muslims joined on Facebook to form “Stop 'Insult Allah'" groups, to no avail. Dozens of users stated that Barua was not the one that posted the photo, it was just linked to him by someone tagging his name after the pic was published on the “Insult Allah” page.
Nonetheless, he was made an example off. The “Insult Allah” Facebook page has been taken down.
Ironically, the protesters were chanting “God is Great” as they were burning down religious artifacts.
Bangladeshi Buddhist monks formed human chains in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka, yesterday, protesting against further attacks on Buddhist temples and homes.