Machettes, fundamentalism and rationalism - what does history tell us? Video of Rafida Ahmed Bonya's presentation at UC Riverside
Within the last year five Bangladeshis who have promoted rationalism and free thought, including authors, bloggers, and their publishers, have been brutally murdered for professing their views. Rafida Ahmed, herself savagely attacked as her husband was murdered, will reflect on issues associated with these murders within the wider context of history of free thinking and the recent rise of religious fundamentalism. She discusses her unique perspective in conversation with Prof. Nigel Hughes of the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of California, Riverside. Click here to see the video presentation.
Razor's Edge - A documentary on the current situation of the Bangladeshi atheist bloggers
Lamenting Avijit's Jeopardous Trip to Bangladesh
In the morning of February 26 last year both my wife and I were at our computers in our home office in the greater Washington DC area. I was doing my office work, and she was browsing news on the internet. She was much startled by a news item, and started reading it loudly, so that I could hear it. It was about the murder of Avijit Roy, writer and blogger, at the Ekushe Book Fair in Dhaka. Before she could say "writer and blogger" after "Avijit Roy", my heart started pounding. I felt like I was having a nightmare; I did not want to believe the news. I screamed, no, no! The next phase of my reaction was mostly swearing at Avijit for going to Bangladesh.