Originally published at The Crux
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Bangladesh has its first indigenous Catholic woman in the Muslim-majority nation’s National Assembly, and she is hitting the ground running.
Anna Minj is a leader from the Oraon indigenous ethnic community and has served for over three decades in leadership roles at BRAC International, an entrepreneurial and solutions-focused nonprofit development organization.
Founded in Bangladesh in 1972 as a small relief outfit, BRAC International has grown into a major leader based in and led by people from the global south.
On May 27, the newly elected MP was felicitated at the Archbishop’s House of St. Mary’s Cathedral in Dhaka.
In remarks on the occasion, Archbishop Bejoy N. D. Cruze OMI of Dhaka expressed high hopes for Minj’s service.
“We have a lot of concerns and struggles for the indigenous people and Christians,” Cruze said.
“So, we hope that through you, both of these will be coordinated and you will represent us in the national parliament,” said the archbishop.
Cruze also noted how the small Christian population of Bangladesh is punching far above its weight in the country, providing a range of social services, often without institutional support and sometimes even in the face of resistance.
Caritas Bangladesh, schools and colleges,
