by Sumon Corraya

Catholics and Protestants, along with some Muslims, take part in a peaceful march. On 22 March, the churches of Bangladesh will celebrate a prayer service in memory of IS victims.

Dhaka (AsiaNews) - About 500 Christians, including Catholic nuns and priests, and some Muslims took part in a peaceful march in Dhaka, to protest against the killings in recent months by militants of the Islamic State (IS) group.

Organised by the Bangladesh Christian Association (BCA), the rally was held on Saturday in front of the National Press Club in the capital.

"We protest strongly against the murder of innocent Christians by IS in the name of religion," Sister Carmal Reberio, of the Congregation of Our Lady of the Missions, told AsiaNews.

Promod Mankin, a Catholic lawyer and State Minister of Social Welfare, was present at the march. "Last February," he said, "IS militants killed 21 Egyptian Copts in Libya. This killing is totally criminal, a terrible injustice. We call on them to stop."

"I call on the whole human family and on world leaders to protest strongly in order to stop the killings by the IS," said Mankin, who is also BCA's president. IS "militants have no right to kill our Christian brothers and sisters in other countries."

At the end of the rally, the BCA observed a minute of silence, calling on the churches of Bangladesh to celebrate a prayer service on 22 March in memory of the victims of the Islamic State group.

• bangladesh
• dhaka
• islamic
• state
• group
• is
• christian
• protest