Islamist group threatens to bomb Dhaka’s Notre Dame and Holy Cross colleges over alleged conversions, alarming Church leaders ahead of Christmas and elections
Newsroom (04/12/2025 Gaudium Press ) The Catholic Church in Bangladesh has sounded the alarm after an Islamist outfit sent written threats to two of the country’s most prestigious educational institutions, vowing attacks unless they halt what it called Christian proselytization.
In letters delivered on December 2 to Notre Dame College and Holy Cross College in Dhaka, a previously unknown group calling itself Tauhidee Muslim Janata (“faithful Muslim people”) accused the Catholic-run colleges of converting Muslims to Christianity. The Bengali-language warnings explicitly threatened churches, cathedrals, chapels, and missionary institutions if their demands were ignored.
“If you do not pay heed to our warning, we will not spare your places of prayers,” the group wrote, citing unverified media reports that claimed around 200 Muslims in northern Rangpur district had converted since September 2024.
Archbishop Bejoy N. D’Cruze of Dhaka, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Bangladesh and chairman of the Bangladesh Catholic Education Board, described the threats as “a grave concern for the Catholic Church,” particularly with Christmas approaching and national elections scheduled for February 2026.
“The priests and nuns who run these institutions are living in fear and anxiety. We are living in panic,” Archbishop D’Cruze said in a statement released December 3. He categorically rejected the conversion allegations, emphasizing that both colleges are among Bangladesh’s most respected academic institutions and that the overwhelming majority of their students and faculty are Muslim.
The Catholic Church operates one university, 18 colleges, 76 high schools, and roughly 1,000 primary schools across the country, serving students of all faiths.
Father Jyoti F. Gomez, secretary of the Catholic Education Board, confirmed on December 4 that all Catholic institutions have been directed to adopt heightened security measures. Many schools and colleges plan to remain closed throughout the Christmas period. Both threatened colleges intend to file formal police complaints.
The threats follow a string of attacks on Christian sites in the capital in recent weeks. On November 7, two crude bombs were hurled at the gate of St. Mary’s Cathedral hours before a major liturgical celebration. The next day, similar explosive devices were thrown at St. Joseph’s Higher Secondary School and College. On October 8, Holy Rosary Church in Tejgaon—one of Bangladesh’s oldest Catholic churches—also came under attack.
The surge in violence against religious minorities began after the ouster of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024. The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council documented 2,624 attacks on minority homes, businesses, and places of worship between August 5, 2024, and October 31, 2025.
The interim administration has maintained that most incidents were politically motivated rather than communal and insists perpetrators have faced legal action.
Catholic institutions have additionally reported pressure from anti-Hasina student organizations, some of which accused Catholic teachers of supporting the former ruling party.
Beyond Christians and Hindus, other minority groups—including Baul mystic singers, Sufi shrines, and members of the Ahmadiyya community—have faced attacks and threats over the past sixteen months, underscoring broader concerns about rising intolerance since last year’s political upheaval.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from UCA News
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