In the most recent attack in the name of Islam, Muslim protesters attacked Buddhist villages in Bangladesh, after an image portraying a burnt Koran was posted on Facebook.
Witnesses said angry crowds set fire to homes and temples in the Cox’s Bazar district, forcing families to flee the area, BBC news reported.
Hundreds of protesters reportedly rampaged Buddhist neighborhoods on Saturday and into the early hours of Sunday morning, smashing statues, burning down monasteries and attacking houses.
The man accused of posting the image is in protective custody. Police say he was tagged in the photo but did not post it himself, according to the BBC.
“Before they set fire to my home, they looted everything,” resident Sumoto Barua said, according to the news agency. “They took our possessions, money, gold and even computers. Then they torched the house. I am now living under open sky.”
Bangladeshi Home Minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir described the violence as “premeditated and deliberate acts of communal violence against a minority”.
A curfew has been imposed and security forces are patrolling the streets.
Approximately 200 monks marched peacefully in Bangkok on Wednesday, calling for the U.N. to intervene in an effort to bring about an end to “Muslim Terrorism.”