An Occidental Islam - Between Culturalist and Reformist Expediencies
In the west, the discourse on Islam has been greatly shaped by contentious debates on the role of the state. The germination of radical ideas among the European-Muslim millennials and recent terrorist attacks across Europe has bolstered the edifice of the populist right-wing ideas, and there is a rising trend in the popularity of the far-right political parties who promulgate such ideas. The current scenario in the Western world is pretty much an evocative picture of the pre-Second World War political turmoil. The shadow of a disintegrated European Union looms on the horizon. Across the Atlantic, Donald Trump rose to power hurling disparaging remarks towards Muslims while promising a Muslim ban and extreme vetting of the Muslim immigrants. In these altercations, the culturalists and the reformists, the two different schools of thought gained prominence offering very different connotations of the Islamic pedigrees and culture in their attempt to dispense with the problem of "Radical Islam."
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,
Women's rights is not a pity party
Just a day after being inaugurated as the 45th president of the United States, Donald J Trump and his band of right-wing fascists were fearsomely warned by millions of women from all across the globe that misogyny is not an accepted norm, and any attempt of further degradation of women would be challenged vigorously.
India-Bangladesh relationship - Look beyond economics
The relationship between Bangladesh and India mainly concentrates on economics and often on divisions- religious divides, land and border disputes, export-import imbalance, sovereignty, nationalism, difference between political trends and often hatred.
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.
Hypatia comes to our town
In one of the most despicable attempts to restrict free expression to be seen in recent times, Bangla Academy has tried to impose a two-year ban on "Srabon Prokashoni," a secular publishing house.
Bangladesh - Do not legitimize Paedophilia
There is no room for argument, that the child marriage epidemic in Bangladesh is a concern for a leader as ambitious as Seikh Hasina, whose leadership is often praised and seen as pivotal for Bangladesh's success in gender equality and in eradication of poverty.
Racist Sayedul Hoque must be ousted
Citizens from all aspects of life and from every corner of the country along with several civil liberty groups have demanded ousting of the Fisheries and Livestock minister Sayedul Hoque for his racist comment hurled at the Hindus after the attack in Nasirnagar of Brahmanbaria district.