Bangladesh activist threatened with assault and death as Islamists gain clout
‘Dhaka is on the brink of becoming a city of ghosts for trans … communities.’
A gathering of nurses attended by Bangladeshi health care and transgender rights activist Ho Chi Minh Islam led to violence last month, as doctors and anti-trans assailants attempted to assault her after the meeting, which the nurses had convened to seek changes at the National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital.
The human rights organization JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) condemned what it called “appalling acts of violence and hate directed towards our esteemed transgender activist.”
JMBF urged the Bangladeshi interim government, led by Professor Muhammad Yunus, to take immediate action against “those responsible for these vile acts, ensuring that justice prevails and that Ho Chi Minh receives the protection she rightfully deserves.”
The incidents came at a time of growing power for radical conservative Muslims, leading Ho Chi Minh Islam to fear for the transgender community in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka.
“Dhaka is on the brink of becoming a city of ghosts for transgender and sexual minority communities,” she says.
JusticeMakers described the events of Aug. 22 and 23 as follows, based on its sources in Bangladesh:
On Aug. 22, a gathering of nurses sought her participation to discuss their concerns at her workplace, the National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital. That same night, Dr. Humayun Kabir Himu, assistant professor at the institute, posted a defamatory comment on Facebook, referring to Ho Chi Minh Islam as an “autocrat” and shared a picture of her with former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted by student protests in early August.
That photo was taken when Ho Chi Minh Islam sought protection for the vulnerable transgender community, JMBF said, adding, “The comment section under this post was alarmingly filled with incitement to murder her.”
JMBF added:
On Aug. 23, during a meeting at her institute, Ho Chi Minh Islam faced brutal verbal harassment from around 20 doctors, who insulted her simply for her gender identity. The situation escalated horrifically when approximately 15 men attempted to physically assault her, aiming to kill her solely because of her sexual and gender identity. Her fellow nurses bravely intervened, saving her life.
Upon returning home, Ho Chi Minh received another Facebook post from Mohammad Sorowar Hossain — the individual responsible for canceling her talk at North South University last December — further inciting mob violence against her. The post included a video clip of her at work, which Ho Chi Minh believes was leaked by Dr. Himu to Sorowar, further putting her life in grave danger.
JMBF recognizes that this is not an isolated case of transphobic aggression. Since the former Prime Minister stepped down, radical Islamic extremist groups have grown in influence under the interim government led by Professor Yunus.
The banned extremist group Hujbut Tahid is openly campaigning to establish an Islamic caliphate in Bangladesh, flying the ISIS flag. These developments are directly linked to the violent threats Ho Chi Minh is facing.
[The growing influence of radical Islamists has occurred even though, more than a decade ago, Yunus was attacked by such groups when he was accused of being pro-gay because of comments he made supporting LGBT rights in Uganda.]
Ho Chi Minh Islam is a young trans woman activist who has worked for the Bangladeshi human rights organization No Passport Voice. She founded the community-based organization Krishnachura, which focuses on providing spaces for safe dialogue to gender minorities in rural Bangladesh. She worked as a frontline health worker during the pandemic, when she was employed as the first transgender nurse at Square Hospital.
As a young leader working for social change in Bangladesh, she was recognized and trained as a fellow of Acumen Academy in 2022.
She has served as a Senior Staff Nurse at the National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She holds a Post Graduate degree in Master of Public Health from BRAC James P. Grant School of Public Health and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Rajshahi.
Robert Simon, a prominent French LGBTQ+ rights activist and chief adviser of JMBF, expressed his outrage about the assaults on her last month:
“Violence and discrimination based on gender identity have no place in any society. This cowardly act of violence against Ho Chi Minh Islam reflects the pervasive transphobia that we must eradicate. The calls for murder are deeply disturbing. Such blatant hatred against a defender of human rights is an attack on all of us who believe in equality and justice.”
Advocate Shahanur Islam, Bangladeshi LGBTQ+ rights activist and founder president of JMBF, added:
“Ho Chi Minh Islam is a fearless advocate for the transgender community. The violence she has faced is a stark reminder of the threats and prejudices faced by gender-diverse individuals in Bangladesh. We call upon authorities to hold the perpetrators accountable and ensure the safety and dignity of every member of the LGBTQ+ community. Justice must be served to prevent further incitement of violence.”
JMBF added:
JMBF stands united in condemning these heinous acts of violence, discrimination, and hate-mongering. The actions of Dr. Himu and others who perpetuate such targeted hate against a transgender woman are utterly unacceptable and a grave violation of human rights.
JMBF also calls for the immediate decriminalization of homosexuality in Bangladesh by repealing Section 377 of the Bangladesh Penal Code, as well as the enactment of laws that protect the rights and safety of homosexual individuals.
JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) remains resolute in its commitment to advancing LGBTQ+ rights and ensuring that no one suffers such brutal attacks simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Ho Chi Minh Islam described her experience as follows, in an X/Twitter post published for her by a supporter:
Dear Family, Friends, and Allies, I am trying to update you with every assault that is happening to me on an everyday basis on one simple ground: I am a transgender nurse who, despite all odds, decided to stay in my country and make it livable for everyone in my community. It feels like the days of Anne Frank during the Holocaust when she was writing her diary. She was sixteen. I am yet to touch thirty. The similarity is that we are both counting our days just because of our identity.
Today, something happened that has left me deeply shaken and frightened. My workplace, which I once considered a safe haven, has become incredibly unsafe. Coming back to today’s incident: Thursday, there was a gathering by fellow nurses at my workplace to discuss some issues they were facing. I was requested to attend, and I did. Later that night, one of my colleagues forwarded me a Facebook post made by Dr. Humayun Kabir Himu, an Assistant Professor at the National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital, who also claims to be associated with the American College of Physicians (ACP). In his post, he called me an “autocrat,” with no mention of any supposed atrocity except for my picture with the former Prime Minister, whom I met to ask for protection for my community. The entire comment section of that post (as you could check) is filled with calls to murder me.
Despite this, I decided to attend the office today. During a meeting in the Director’s room at my institute, where around 20 doctors were present, the atmosphere turned hostile. They called me names and questioned why I was working in such a prestigious institution even after being a transgender (post-operative) woman! Can you believe that 15 men physically rushed to assault me, to kill me, just because of who I am? If not for my fellow nurses who shielded me, I might not have survived today.
After enduring such trauma, I met with a lawyer to discuss the escalating threats, as my anxiety has reached an unbearable level. Then I returned home only to receive another Facebook post from Mohammad Sorowar Hossain, the same person responsible for canceling my talk at North South University, who has been relentlessly trying to incite mobs against me. Sorowar succeeded today. This time, the post contained a short video clip of me at work. It’s clear that Dr. Himu leaked my workplace information and footage to Sorowar, putting me in even greater danger.
As a human rights activist who has been working for over 12 years—starting from when I was in the 12th grade, organizing for the rights of sexual minorities—I have always done my activism with honesty and integrity. But do I really deserve this? It feels like I have no right to life or liberty in this country anymore.
What breaks my heart the most is that this is happening under Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Professor Yunus’s regime.
I recently met with Sharmeen S. Murshid from the Social Welfare Ministry, and we had a productive conversation. I am also trying to meet with Professor Yunus, though I’m unsure if that meeting will happen. Every life has the right to live, and I cannot—or should not—be collateral damage. This government must speak up for minorities like us. I am desperately seeking your attention and support. Please, I may die, but I ask you not to let it happen easily. Don’t let these people succeed in their attempts to silence me. Please remember what happened to Malala, Shirin Ebadi, and Rosa Parks—whose legacy I am striving to uphold. …
Dhaka is on the brink of becoming a city of ghosts for transgender and sexual minority communities. I fear this outcome is imminent. My situation is dire, and I fear for my life every day. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers, and if there’s anything you can do to help, I would be eternally grateful.
With a heavy heart and deep concern,
Ho Chi Minh Islam,
Trans Feminist, Gender and Sexual Rights Activist
