Section 57 of ICT (Amendment) Act-2013 of Bangladesh has made Technology (ICT) Act-2006 ridiculous by allowing law enforcement authorities to arrest any person without warrant. According to Article 57; sub-sections (1) and (2) of the Act, any inflammatory write-ups deliberately published in electronic media on sensitive religious issues to hurt the religious belief can be considered as a crime and those responsible can be slapped with a 10-year imprisonment and a fine of Taka 10 million. It also suggested that the crime is non-bailable.
It is extremely unlikely that the non-Muslim minorities of Bangladesh have strength, ability, support and courage to indulge in such activities. On the other hand, Muslim Bangladeshi need not have to resort to such approach. They have been constantly persecuting the minorities under the protection of all ruling classes and with support from majority Muslims of the society since the days of East Pakistan. So the only group left who may upload its protest in electronic media against the Islamic hegemony and bigotry is intellectuals-rationalists-athiests combine of Bangladesh. The members of this group may challenge the Hefazot, Jamaat-Shibir, Tabligs, war criminals, their supporters and other radical Islamic groups in cyber world.
Thus this draconian Act is aimed at muzzling the voice of human conscience in Bangladesh and give free hand to Islamists and fundamentalists. The recent arrest of two students in Chittagong on 30th March 2014 under this Act is a pointer to that effect.
King of Saudi Arabia on the other hand, after the recent 'name game', has proclaimed atheists as terrorists. The first question that comes to one's mind is "was Buddha a terrorist?" The second question is "is Richard Dawkins a terrorist?"
Well, here we find some sort of similarity between Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh. Bangladeshi Kath Mulla must be very happy to find this similarity.