I/III. http://scroll.in/article/747252/bangladesh-police-had-advised-murdered-blogger-to-leave-the-country
Bangladesh police had advised murdered blogger to leave the country In a Facebook post in May, Niloy Neel described the frustrating experience of trying to register a police complaint about his fears for his life. Scroll Staff · Yesterday · 04:30 pm A few months ago, when Bangladeshi blogger Niloy Neel complained to the police that he feared a threat to his life, the authorities told him to leave the country. Neel was hacked to death on Friday in his home in Dhaka by a group of men posing as prospective tenants. He is the fourth blogger espousing secularist views to be killed in the country in recent months. In May, he wrote a Facebook post describing a visit to a police station after he thought two men had followed him home after he attended a rally to protest against the murder of another blogger, Ananta Bijoy Das. That post has been translated on Mukto-Mona, a rationalist internet site to which he contributed. “Two men were following me two days ago. This happened when I was on my way back from attending the rally organized to protest the murder of Ananta Bijoy Das. First, when I reached a certain place via public bus, they came with me to the same spot. Then, when I got on to a Laguna to reach my destination, one of them climbed aboard the Laguna with me. On the Laguna, I realised this was the same guy who was on the bus with me, but there were two of them then. I thought to myself, well, it’s possible; perhaps one of them was going somewhere else so he took a different route. Until then it seemed as usual. But on the Laguna, the young man was continually texting from his cellphone which made me suspicious. When I exited the Laguna before I reached my actual destination, he got off with me. I was quite scared, and hurried into a unfamiliar alley. Later when I looked back, I noticed that another young man, who had also been on the bus, had joined this young man, and they had not followed me into the alley; they were waiting at the alley entrance. Then I was quite certain that I was being followed. Because even if their destination was the same, they reached their through separate routes, following me. I went farther into the alley, and took a rickshaw keeping the hood up, and traveled to my destination. I reached in apparent safety with the help of a friend nearby. When I tried to lodge a General Diary about this incident, I faced an even more bizarre situation. A police officer had told me in confidence that the police do not want to accept General Diaries like this because the officer who accepted such a General Diary, related to the personal safety of an individual, remains accountable to ensure the personal safety of said individual. If the said individual faces any difficulty, then the relevant police officer may even lose his job for negligence in duty. This is what I saw when I visited the thanas to file a General Diary. When the surveillance on me had occurred, I had had to pass by several thanas, and so today when I visited one that had been in the vicinity, they refused to accept my General Diary. They told me this isn’t under our jurisdiction, go to this other thana, it’s their jurisdiction, and also, leave the country as soon as possible.” Mukto-Mona put out this statement about Neel's murder. "Ansar Al Islam, the Bangladesh branch of Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent has claimed responsibility for murdering Niloy Neel in his own home, in front of his family, because of his writing. The fundamentalists continue in their tradition of responding to the pen with machetes; the government of Bangladesh continues to supply the fundamentalists with all that is necessary to keep their machetes honed. One by one the enlightened, the freethinking writers, and activists of Bangladesh, are being brutally murdered. Their only crime is taking a stand against injustice, and superstitions prevalent in society. A machete may kill, in a cowardly manner, a human being of flesh and bone; it cannot kill their ideology. Our fight will continue. With all our strength we will continue to speak our minds, our dreams. For as long as there is even a single member of the freethinking community alive; for as long as a single sentence written by freethinking writers survives. …With his life he has proved that people who are atheists, non-religionists, secular, anti-fundamentalist, and pro-freedom-of-speech are not safe in Bangladesh; as if they have no other choice than to leave their country. They are not safe even in their own homes ‒ Niloy Neel was murdered in his house. One man gained entrance to his house by pretending to be there to rent an apartment; then others entered, locked everyone in the house in one room, while hacking Niloy to death in the other. Niloy died right there; his blood spattered over all the books he loved, his computer. The Mukto-Mona family will always remain by the side of Niloy Neel’s family. The pain of losing a child or a husband in this untimely and brutal manner is not to be forgotten. But know that there are thousands of us beside you ‒ and we will be there forever… Mutkto-Mona strongly condemns the continuing murders of writers, bloggers, and humanists. We call to the government of Bangladesh: Do not pander to fundamentalism anymore. Because no state has been spared by compromising with fundamentalists. Take immediate and effective steps to quell fundamentalism, and to create public awareness against it." II/III. http://thediplomat.com/2015/07/exile-from-extremism-in-bangladesh-a-conversation-with-ananya-azad/ Exile From Extremism in Bangladesh: A Conversation with Ananya Azad *The Diplomat*‘s Sanjay Kumar speaks with Ananya Azad about freedom of expression in Bangladesh. [image: sanjay-kumar-q] By Sanjay Kumar <http://thediplomat.com/authors/sanjay-kumar/> July 02, 2015 <http://thediplomat.com/2015/07/exile-from-extremism-in-bangladesh-a-conversation-with-ananya-azad/#disqus_thread> The options for him were either exile or death. He chose the former. Ananya Azad, 25, left Bangladesh on a self-imposed exile to save himself from attack by Islamic fundamentalist forces, who have marked him as a top target. A decade ago Humayun Azad, his father, became the first victim for radical Islamists for his writings against fundamentalism. The young Azad has also faced constant threats on his life and he was one of the names on the list of 84 bloggers that Bangladeshi extremist groups have marked for targeting. *The Diplomat*’s Sanjay Kumar spoke to Ananya Azad just a day before he left Bangladesh. An excerpt of the interview follows. *The Diplomat: **Why you are leaving the country?* *Ananya Azad: *I am quitting the country as my life is under threat. It has become difficult for me to be normal. I write against fundamentalism, war criminals, religious intolerance. I write against those who use religion to misguide this society. As such, people think that my writing is harmful for them. That’s why they want to kill me. For the last few months, I have been living almost in hiding; I left my job, scaled down my writing, put my webpage on hold—for me life has lost its normalcy. *You are scared that if you stay back in Bangladesh you will be killed?* Yes. The present situation in Bangladesh is very uncertain. There is no security for anyone who writes against irrationalism and advocates secular values. The fundamentalists have already killed nine bloggers who have been fighting for free thought. There are many writers, bloggers, and editors who are on the hit list of the fundamentalist forces for writing against Islamic extremism. The government is doing nothing to protect the lives of these bloggers. The bloggers are living in constant fear and there is no attempt by the regime to address their security. *Why do you think the government is not able to protect you and other bloggers?* There is no law, there is no justice and the government does not stand by secular forces. It seems as if they are in cahoots with the killers. Despite open threats to writers and bloggers, the government is not able to rein in fundamentalist groups. The condition inside the country is not good. Maybe fundamentalist forces and the government are working in tandem. That’s why the police buy the argument that the bloggers are atheist and should be targeted. Why someone should be killed for having an independent mind about religion and politics? This is not a sign of good politics. I think day by day the condition of this country is getting worse and there is an urgent need to intervene and restore the fundamental principles of the country. *Who do you blame for this systematic attack on bloggers?* It is true that Pakistan supports war criminals in Bangladesh and we in the country are against war criminals and their anti-liberation ideology. Therefore, there is a connection between the attacks on bloggers and support for anti-liberation forces. There is always a danger of Bangladesh turning into a Pakistan or a Afghanistan, a breeding ground for the Taliban and similar extremist forces. *Fundamentalist forces allege that you write against Islam and Prophet Mohammad?* This is not true. This is a political conspiracy. Bloggers are said to be atheists and anti-Islam. See, our only agenda is to read and write and create awareness in the society about fundamentalism and war criminals who created havoc in 1971, during Bangladesh’s freedom struggle. We criticize forces which exploit Islam for their own political and personal benefit. We condemn those who kill people in the name of Islam. Such writings expose them and thereby we become a natural target. Bangladesh is a predominantly Muslim country and the fundamentalists try to incite religious passions by calling us atheists and anti-Islamic; this way they justify the killings of secular writers. This is a deep-seated conspiracy to radicalize Bangladeshi society which identifies itself as Bengali first and Muslim second. *How has your family reacted?* They are very supportive and stand by my struggle against obscurantist forces. They are scared but they believe in the cause we stand for. *Your father, Humayun Azad, lost his life in the fight against fundamentalist forces.* He has made a great contribution for the country. By giving up his life, he has kept the flame of secularism and rationalism alive in Bangladesh. He is an inspiration not only for me, but also for those who want to see Bangladesh as a progressive society. *Do you get support from the common people ?* The new generation respects religion, but they are very scared of the religious extremism. They don’t like Jamaat-e-Islami, which can do anything in the name of religion. The new generation respects secularism, but they don’t want to be branded as atheists by fundamentalist forces because that invites certain death.People are afraid. *Why do you think it is important for Bangladesh to be a secular country?* The whole premise of our separation from Pakistan was Bengali nationalism and secularism. We rejected Pakistan because it was an Islamist country. But unfortunately, the composition of Bangladesh is also changing today. Our country is not a secular country in the strict sense of the term. Islam is our religion now. This is not good. We should have the liberty to choose our way of life and have the freedom to be critical of religion if it is exploited by vested interests. *What are your plans now?* I cannot tell you right now. If I reveal my plans, it would be very problematic for me. But what’s certain is I cannot stop my writing. I will publish my next book. I am an ardent supporter of secularism and rationalist thinking and I will continue to write on these issues. III. http://thediplomat.com/2015/04/bangladeshs-existential-fight-against-islamic-extremism/ Bangladesh’s Existential Fight Against Islamic Extremism Bloggers, under increasing threat from Islamists, are the last line of defense for secularism in Bangladesh. sanjay-kumar-q By Sanjay Kumar April 03, 2015 It’s no exaggeration to say that secular bloggers are under siege in Bangladesh. On Monday, Oyasiqur Rhaman, a young blogger, was hacked to death in full public view for his liberal views on religion. “We have to keep on fighting,” Animesh Rahman, president of the Dhaka-based Blogger and Online Activist Network, asserts. “I know my life is at risk at every moment. For people like me there is no other option but to stay back and fight. We are putting our life at risk to keep the soul of Bangladesh alive.” Rhaman’s death follows the killing of blogger Avijit Roy, murdered outside Dhaka University five weeks ago. Roy, a U.S. citizen, had just participated in the Ekushey Book Fair, Bangladesh’s largest literary event. He was an online presence that challenged fundamentalism and extremism in Islam. That stance made him the target of fundamentalists, and Roy paid the ultimate price. Rhaman, an ardent follower of Roy, was so shaken by the death of his idol that he created a Facebook page in his memory, called “I Am Avijit.” According to The New York Times, he also mourned the 2013 killing of blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider, known online as Thaba Baba, and vowed to keep fighting for his belief. His open defiance of Islamic extremism cost him his life. So why are bloggers being targeted in Bangladesh? In January 2014, I met with a group of bloggers in Dhaka, living in hiding. We met just a few months after the Shahbag movement, popularly known as Gonojagaran Mancha or National Awakening Stage, upheaval which was driven by online agitation demanding the death penalty for Islamist leaders involved in atrocities during the war of liberation in 1971. At the same time, Islamists led by Jamaat-e-Islami were counter-mobilizing. They asked for the release of the arrested Islamists, the majority of whom were from the organization’s rank-and-file. That bitter ideological divide, between the secular nationalists and fundamentalists, claimed the life of Ahmed Rajib Haider in February 2013, a pro-Shahbag blogger. Haider was brutally killed outside his home by machete-wielding youth, much in the same manner as Avijit Roy and Oyasiqur Rahman. Arif Jebtik and Maruf, bloggers who I met in central Dhaka, had gone underground due to threats from Islamists. Anti-liberation forces, who opposed Bangladesh’s independence movement in 1971, are proactive and known to target anyone who is opposed to the country being declared an Islamic state. “The war of liberation in Bangladesh is not over,” Animesh Rahman says. He was friendly with Oyasiqur Rhaman, who he knew from the Shahbag movement. “The fight between secular forces and Islamic fundamentalists is still going on. Bangladesh is free from Pakistan, but not from the extremism that Islamabad sowed here.” Still, Rahman is defiant. “The whole community of bloggers is living in fear,” he says. “We may die, but we will not stop writing. Islamic extremism may be spreading its wings all over the world, but we will continue to fight them. The war of liberation still motivates us.” Rahman’s website, muktochintablog.com (meaning free-thinking), focuses on progressive politics and rationalism. Some youth leaders blame the Awami League government, led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, for tolerating Islamic fundamentalism. “We fought for a secular state in 1971 but our government still patronizes madrassas,” Bappaditya Basu says. He’s the former president of Bangladesh’s Chatra Moitri, a student organization. “Sheikh Hasina plans to open 500 mosques all over the country. If you ally with the fundamentalists, how will you fight them?” Basu was one of the main organizers of the Shahbag movement, and has found himself in the crosshairs of radicals on many occasions. “Fundamentalist forces have threatened me more than a thousand times,” he says. “In December, they threw bomb toward me but I escaped unhurt. I don’t fear for my life. We are a fighting nation. We have to save the country from turning into a place where Islamic radicalism rules.” Basu is bitter that Hasina’s government, which represents secular forces in the country, patronizes Hefazat-e-Islam, a conglomerate of Islamist fundamentalist groups. That group was the main force organizing against the Shahbag movement. The killing of Ahmed Rajib Haider, a leading voice in that movement, is blamed on Hefazat. These killings mirror Bangladesh’s history of violence. When East Pakistan was fighting for liberation from Islamabad, Jamaat-e-Islami, opposed to the move, indulged in target killing. The group killed thousands of civilians: artists, intellectuals, and anyone who advocated for secularism. Bengali nationalism was the impetus for carving a separate nation from Pakistan. Muslims in Bangladesh consider themselves Bengali first and foremost. Islamic extremists hope to alter the fundamental character of the country. Young men like Animesh Rahman and Bappaditya Basu are putting their lives on the line to save the soul and spirit of Bangladesh. They’re among the country’s last defenders of secularism. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
