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.
Bring the evil "Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat" to justice
Plagued by anger and grief, I updated on Facebook, "Sylhet is the capital of Bangladeshi version of political Islam where Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia almost ceremonially proclaims the power of political Islam, prior to every national election. This government neither willing nor have the political capital to bring the perpetrators to justice."
We must honour our dissenters - An interview with Maryam Namazie
In a personal conversation with Maryam Namzie I shared the story of Mukto-mona, discussed on key global issues what sort of future we envisage.
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.
Commemorating Niloy Neel - Perished by Al-Qaeda's Sword, Immortal with the Pen.
Bangladesh, especially the secular progressive section of the country, is under attack by two extremely brutal Islamic terror organizations, namely Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and Islamic State (IS). Both of these organizations belong to the Sunni sect and they adhere to tow different strategies to establish Islamic rule in Bangladesh. While IS can be thought of as an authoritarian movement that indiscriminately attacks and kills on Shites, Ahmadiyas, foreign nationals and other non-Muslims, AQIS thinks of itself as a populist movement and focuses on targets who have the ability to motivate people on secularism, atheism or any progressive values that AQIS deem as anti-Islamic or pro US. For the time being AQIS affiliated group in Bangladesh Ansar Bangla is avoiding the killing of Sunnis and ignoring other minority groups such as the Shites. As they concentrate on their progressive targets, they want to create an impact on the mind set of Sunni population who they want to be on their side.
Ansarullah Bangla Team - Genesis and Beyond
In Bangladesh, a climate of fear has engulfed the secular activists of the country with the advent of a radical Islamist group. Known under the name of "Ansarullah Bangla Team," its members are believed to be highly engaged in social media and also tech-savvy. Over the past few years, this youth-oriented radical Islamist group stole global media attention after successfully carrying out some fatal attacks on prominent secular activists, bloggers, writers, and publishers. Contrary to ISIS, so far ABT has been meticulous in choosing their targets. ABT has even condemned the atrocities committed by ISIS, standing from its self-defined higher moral ground.
How Zakir Naik's Words can Hurt
[caption width="1600" align="aligncenter"]
Zakir Naik, who suggested Every Muslim Should be a terrorist. [/caption] to the Islamic preacher.
In the Time of the Assassins
It cannot be said that the activists dedicated to turning countries like Bangladesh into Islamic theocracies kept their intent a secret. In the latest incarnation of the Wahhabi-inspired mission, not too long ago ISL (Islamic State of the Levant) announced appointment of their leadership for the Indian subcontinent, including Bangladesh. What is a bit surprising how fast they have progressed and how expertly they have manipulated even the top leaders of the country and seduced the civil society in facilitating implementation of key stages in their goal to make it a part of the caliphate. The agents of extremism have become adroit in exploiting existing vulnerabilities and creating pressures; they are prepared to strike whenever an opportunity presents itself. The insistence by the Prime Minister that there is no ISL in her zamindary was truly pathetic: about the same time an US agency, tracking extremists around the world was downloading from an ISL outlet on the net pictures of the jihadists they were proudly displaying, announcing their arrived at the gate of heaven from that restaurant in Dhaka after butchering their victims like animals to be butchered at the festival after Ramadan. Prime Minister's bragging must have drawn a big laugh at the ISL's head-tent: what could be a better target than one that does not seem to have any connection with reality, and also one of the sickest to boot?