Bangladeshi authorities called a five-month halt to construction of a church in northern
A pastor of Calvary Ishai Fellowship, started building a church in early November 2008 in Palashbari Mondol Para in Kurigram district, 350 kilometers (218 miles) north of the capital city,
At the urging of local Jamaat-e-Islami leaders, more than 100 Muslims gathered in a mosque on Nov. 7 to protest the church construction.
The villagers wanted to stop the building.
A police official said that Muslims were concerned about conversions from Islam to Christianity if the church was built.
“The construction work of the church has been stopped by the protest of the local Muslims. Local people said, ‘Why should there be a church in the predominantly Muslim area?’” the official said. “This church is the first church in this area.
Nevertheless, a district official said that construction would resume soon.
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