Remembering the life and legacy of Avijit Roy
A software engineer by profession and a writer by passion Avijit Roy(1972-2015) was a leading Bangladeshi-American human rights activist, author and a pioneer in Bengali free-thought movement. In 2001, Avijit launched a virtual discussion group of freethinkers of mainly Bengali and South Asian descent. This small discussion group would eventually lead to the inception of the first secular humanist website in the Bengali language, called 'Mukto-mona.' The literal English translation of 'Mukto-Mona' is 'Free-thinker.' As an Internet congregation of freethinkers, rationalists, skeptics, atheists & humanists Mukto-Mona gave a platform for the secular ethos of Bangladeshi culture to be reinvigorated. In an interview with a daily newspaper, Avijit described his organization's aspirations by the following lines,
Do not play with our kids future
As school education makes a comeback on the public debate agenda for all the wrong reasons, and none but the Islamic fundamentalists have come out to defend the government yet, here's a message for the Awami League policy makers: Open your eyes, stop substituting BNP-Jamat, act like the secular center left party it meant to be, show some leadership and do not even dare to play opportunistic games with our kids future for short term political greed. It might be of interest for few, but in the long term the social and economic consequences of such selfish practice will be severe, and you'll be judged for that, even long after you're gone.
Bonya Receives Freedom From Religion Foundation's 'Forward' Award 2016
Thanks to Freedom from Religion Foundation for the Forward Award. Thanks for being a partner at this critical time, helping the freethinkers in Bangladesh from half the world away. Let me introduce myself first and then I will come to the situation in Bangladesh.
The God Delusion - Curing virus of faith for a decade!
Ajoy Roy, father of murdered atheist writer Avijit Roy, an University professor and humanist, first started to translate The God Delusion in Bengali in 2007 knowing how important it was to deliver the book's message of science and reason for building a humanist, secular, rational society. The official Bengali translation of the book was later done by Kazi Mahboob Hassan. It was published in 2015 in the Dhaka Book Fair. The Fair is organized each February to celebrate the International Mother Language Day in honor of the Bangladeshis who died to retain Bengali (or Bangla) as the official language of then East Pakistan on February 21, 1952.
CNN Article - Whose death anniversary will I mourn next?
On the morning of February 26, as I was mourning the loss of my husband last year, I was left wondering something else: Whose death anniversary will I mourn next?
A Crowd Puller and his Zombies - The Indian government has been silent on snakes in their backyard.
By: Chris Emmanuel Dsouza
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.