Bangladeshi Americans in Michigan celebrate the removal of Sheikh Hasina

Bangladeshi Americans poured into the streets of Detroit and Hamtramck to celebrate the overthrow of a political leader in their native land they see as a tyrant. Others in the community expressed concern about the future of the eighth most populous country in the world, where a growing number of Michiganders have roots in.

Waving Bangladeshi and American flags, hundreds gathered Monday evening at Jayne-Lasky Park in Detroit just north of the border with Hamtramck to mark a historic day in Bangladesh, where Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was flown out of the country after weeks of protests against her rule led to the military taking over. About 1,000 people marched briskly towards Hamtramck on Conant Avenue, part of which is named Bangladesh Avenue because of the city's sizable population of Bangladeshi residents. Among cities in the U.S. with more than 10,000 residents, Hamtramck has the highest percentage of people with roots in Bangladesh.

"Everybody's happy," said Asm Kamal Rahman, a longtime community activist in Hamtramck of Bangladeshi ancestry who opposes Hasina. "It's a celebration because the anarchy has ended … and that democracy will prevail."

Sweets in local Bangladeshi restaurants were sold out because so many were buying them to eat and celebrate, Rahman said.

Nazmul Haque, of Hamtramck, was at the rally, helping sell specially-made T-shirts out of the back of a van. He wore a green T-shirt with a yellow map of Bangladesh on top of a red circle, symbolizing the colors used by protesters. Other T-shirts on sale for $25 showed pictures of protesters in Bangladesh, who have been demonstrating against Hasina for months, initially to oppose a government quota system created to help people who fought to liberate Bangladesh more than 50 years ago.

"We're celebrating," Haque said. "We were having so much trouble with the ruling government. They killed more than 300 students. … Sheik Hasina, she leave the country. And students now they get the freedom, we get our country back."

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Hundreds have died in Bangladesh in recent weeks amid the protests and government crackdown, the Associated Press and other media outlets have reported.

In recent weeks, there have been several rallies in Hamtramck and Detroit both opposing Hasina and supporting her. The two previous rallies opposing Hasina were held at Jayne-Lasky Park on Sunday evening and on July 27, which State Sen. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit, attended to show her support for the "student movement in Bangladesh and against the killings and oppression by the current government," Chang said on Instagram. Another rally was held on July 18 outside Hamtramck City Hall.

There have been some rallies in Hamtramck in support of Hasina. Md Rabbi Alam, a Bangladeshi-American activist in Michigan, and Hamtramck Mayor Pro Tem Abu Musa, a city councilman, spoke out in support of Hasina at earlier rallies last month.

"It's a great shame for the nation" of Bangladesh, Alam, chair of the Bangabandhu Commission and president of the Bangabandhu Society of USA, two groups that supported Hasina, said of her being removed. "It's a great harm and great loss for the developing country."

Alam, who said his father and some uncles fought in Bangladesh's liberation war in 1971, accused the people opposed to Hasina of being religious extremists who will hurt the development of Bangladesh.

Others on the city council of Bangladeshi descent appear to have supported the student protesters and are opposed to Hasina. The political divide reflects differences in Michigan's diverse Bangladeshi-American community, who are of different religions and come from various regions of Bangladesh. Hasina was seen as more of a secular leader and so some minorities in Bangladesh have expressed concern about the country's future.

Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib posted a statement on Facebook Monday that said: "Glory, victory and peace are my wishes to Bangladesh."

Outside Aladdin Sweets and Cafe in Hamtramck, free Bengali sweets were distributed Monday to people celebrating the removal of Hasina. On the corner of Conant and Commor outside the popular Bangladeshi restaurant, signs reads "Bangladesh Ave." and "Celebrating Our Diversity" on top of the street sign for Conant. Several gathered early Monday morning shortly after the news broke that Hasina had fled, posts on Facebook showed.

Just north of the restaurant, on Conant Avenue and Caely Street, a large stone mural of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, known as Bangabandhu ("Friend of Bengal"), the father of Bangladesh, used to sit on a lawn inside a fenced area. But on Monday evening, all that remained were its charred remains and a sign describing him lying in the lawn that read: "Father of the Nation. Bangladesh. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman." On Sunday, at about noon, a Facebook post showed the mural partially burnt with smoke coming out of it. A Hamtramck police dispatcher said Monday night she was not aware of any reports or arrests made. The mural has been vandalized before.

The destruction of the mural echoed scenes out of Bangladesh, where a giant statue of Rahman was toppled Monday by protesters, reported the BBC and other media outlets. Hasina is a daughter of Rahman, who was assassinated in 1975 when he was Prime Minister of Bangladesh. Rahman is seen by many Bangladeshis as a hero who liberated the country in 1971, but there have been growing protests against Hasina in recent years. Up until recently, there were posters or paintings of Rahman on walls in Hamtramck, but no longer appear to exist.

There are close to 16,000 residents in Michigan of Bangladeshi descent, with about a quarter of them, 4,113, in Hamtramck, according to 2020 census data. A majority of Michigan's Bangladeshi American population are believed to be Muslim with many also in Hindu, Buddhist and Christian communities. There are mosques, Hindu temples and a Buddhist center in metro Detroit with Bangladeshi American congregations.

Some in Michigan's Bangladeshi American Hindu communities have expressed concern about their status in Bangladesh, holding some protests over the years in metro Detroit. They were worried about reports that some religious minorities were being attacked by protesters on Monday.

"We're very concerned to see the unrest in Bangladesh and are especially concerned with reports of violence and vandalism of local temples and people at risk there," said Lakshmi Vadlamudi, executive board members of the Hindu Community Relations Council of Michigan. "We have a vital Bangladeshi community here in Michigan and our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Bangladesh."

Rahman said that there has been "lots of bloodshed" in recent weeks. "A lot of people died."

He said it was time for Hasina to leave.

"People are happy," Rahman said. "They've been in power for a long time, without any good elections. They had this election, but they were rigged."

Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department, addressed the events in Bangladesh during a press briefing.

"We are monitoring the situation carefully," Miller said Monday. "The United States stands with the people of Bangladesh. We urge all parties to refrain from further violence. Too many lives have been lost over the course of the past several weeks, and we urge calm and restraint in the days ahead. We welcome the announcement of an interim government and urge any transition be conducted in accordance with Bangladesh’s laws."

Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@freepress.com or X @nwarikoo