Muslims and Hindus from Sydney's Bangladeshi community stood alongside each other to condemn Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia over the treatment of minority groups in their homeland.
About 100 protesters waved placards and black flags as Ms Zia arrived at the Regent Hotel in the city, fresh from the CHOGM conference where Zimbabwe was under diplomatic attack from Commonwealth members for undemocratic electioneering.
The protesters claim that members of a Hindu minority are being systematically terrorised, murdered, raped and tortured while government authorities fail to take action against the ethnic cleansing.
Ms Zia did not acknowledge the noisy crowd shouting from behind a police line as she slipped between bodyguards into the hotel where she is staying the night.
Doctor Abdur Razzaque, a university lecturer, joined the protest which he said was attended by Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Christians from Sydney's 12,000-strong Bangladeshi community
Dr Razzaque said the current government's coalition partners had proclaimed a policy for making Bangladesh an Islamic state and he warned Bangladesh could become the next stronghold of Afghanistan's Taliban regime.
"The Taliban have lost their base in Afghanistan, they are about to lose their base in Pakistan and they need a base in the Indian sub-continent."
"This government of Bangladesh is too eager to provide that."
Dr Razzaque said at least 20 per cent of the 140 million Bangladeshi population were being persecuted and he said the government was guilty of either committing or permitting the terrorism.
"Khaleda Zia and her coalition partners started killing, raping and burning the homes and places of worship of Hindus and other minority groups before the election in October 2001.
"Since that time after taking power by rigging the election, the killing and other human rights abuses have continued at an accelerated pace.
"While the world has turned its attention to Afghanistan and the fight on terrorism, the lives of Bangladeshis are being put at risk."