title: Human rights and religious backlash: the experience of a Bangladeshi NGO.
abstract: As part of a human rights education campaign, the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee fixed 700,000 posters throughout Bangladesh. This met with opposition from the religious organizations.  This paper investigates the nature and cause of the backlash and sets out strategies for how development organizations can achieve their objectives in the face of opposition.  The opposition was found to be in response to interpretations of the posters based on the Holy Koran and Islamic practices, and a perceived intrusion into the professional territory of religious organizations, which affected the socioeconomic interests of these organizations' representatives.  It was therefore concluded that development organizations should pre-empt such opposition by spelling out their objectives to potential critics, and formulating programs that do not provide scope for opponents to undermine their development activities.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rafi
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Chowdhury
mesh_terms: D001208:Asia; D001290:Attitude; D001459:Bangladesh; D001519:Behavior; D003142:Communication; D003625:Data Collection; D003906:Developing Countries; D004467:Economics; D006806:Human Rights; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008402:Mass Media; D009938:Organizations; D011584:Psychology; D011639:Public Opinion; D012106:Research; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: Asia; Attitude; Bangladesh; Behavior; Communication; Communication Programs; Data Collection; Developing Countries; Economic Factors; Group Interviews; Human Rights; Interviews; Mass Media; Nongovernmental Organizations; Organizations; Printed Media; Psychological Factors; Public Opinion; Research Methodology; Socioeconomic Factors; Southern Asia