Dear Moderator, I would be delighted if you publish the following
piece on the martyred intellectual day 2008 anniversary. The piece
has appeared in Bangla in Prothom Alo on December 14th, 2008. Many
thanks, Dr. Nusrat Rabbee
The Legacy of the Jewels of Our Crown
=====================================
My father, Shaheed Dr. Mohammed Fazle Rabbee, was not a man of
ordinary intellect. The remarkable combination of his intellect,
personality and humanity were recognized by all those who knew him.
When the news of Professor Rabbee's assassination reached worldwide,
Mrs. Rabbee received over 200 telegrams of personal condolences. One
of the messages was from Sir Francis Avery Jones, the most
distinguished British surgeon of his era. It read, "Mrs. Rabbee, in
the next 100 years, I doubt that the indo-pak subcontinent can
recover from the loss of a physician of the magnitude of your
husband".
On my father's 37th death anniversary today, I feel compelled to
commemorate the vision of these legendary martyrs, in light of the
recent attacks in Mumbai where a Bangladeshi national had allegedly
played a role.
Dr. Rabbee did not believe that religion should be used to
perpetrate violence and repression of ordinary people. In fact, he
believed in humanism which is a philosophy which affirms the dignity
and worth of all people. Humanism can be traced back to Greek,
Islamic, Judaic and Roman roots where religious thinkers opened up
to the ideas of equality, education (including music, poetry, dance
and science) and human dignity for everyone.
The martyred intellectuals believed in the struggle for freedom, but
their path forward was a non-violent one. Their conviction in truth
and justice was more powerful than the massive military force of the
Pakistani government, which was ultimately defeated.
Professor Rabbee was a captivating presence when lecturing his
students on medicine, science or philosophy. He urged them to open
their minds and hearts in compassion to the patient. He did not
concern himself a great deal with life after death, nor did he count
on supernatural interventions during one's lifetime. He put great
emphasis on the way we live our lives, here on earth, on a daily
basis. He knew that no society can progress when so many people are
left behind, as was the case with East Pakistan . He urged everyone
to be self-reliant, but also help each other to get out of hopeless
situations. So powerful were his lectures, that the Pakistani army
took him into their headquarters one evening and questioned him
about his incredible popularity in 1970. Professor Rabbee inquired
whether he had committed a crime. They released him promptly then
but such harassments from the army continued until the war finally
began in 1971.
Professor Rabbee was completely engaged in the liberation war for
its entire duration. Towards the end, he looked forward to building
a country where the constitution would reflect the core values of
all religions: equality, tolerance, secularism, human dignity and
honor. He knew that the new government would need to prioritize
education, nationalized health care, and poverty elimination at the
top of its agenda. The Islamic fundamentalists were opposed to such
progressive ideas. So strong was their hatred of Bangalees, they
killed nearly 3,000,000 innocent people, in the name of Islam,
within nine months. Like the Nazis in Germany , the terrorists in
east and west Pakistan, had a clear blueprint for methodically
destroying the economic, intellectual, logistical infrastructure of
East Pakistan prior to surrendering to India on December 16th, 1971.
With the help of India , we soundly defeated Pakistan . Since that
time, Bangladesh has been a sovereign nation for thirty seven years.
The paramount sacrifices of 1971 have made this journey possible.
Even though Bangladesh has waivered between military regimes and
democracy over the years, most would agree that she has also made
substantial progress; gaining international recognition in the
export-oriented garment industry and the microloan programs of the
Grameen bank.
At this critical time, we must clearly acknowledge that the same
dark forces of 1971 continue to use the name of Islam to justify
their actions of fear and violence in our region. In fact the
history of terrorism dates back even farther to the repression of
our language movement in the 50's, to the assassination of Mahatma
Gandhi in 1948 by a Hindu extremist, as well as to the violent
partition between India and Pakistan in 1947.
We cannot honor the birth of Bangladesh and the supreme sacrifice of
our martyred intellectuals without making these historical
interconnections.
If Bangladesh is to continue her journey in the new era of global
commerce, science and technology and regional stability, we will
need to be mindful to stop these dark forces before the cost is too
dear to us once more. Should we just stop at merely condemning the
unconscionable acts of terrorists in the Mumbai attacks, including
those of the Bangladeshi national who had allegedly participated in
them? I think not. Education and elimination of poverty need to rise
to the top of the national agenda. Professor Rabbee dedicated his
life to truth and justice by tirelessly working towards eliminating
the struggles of the common person. The lives of heroes like him
should inspire each of us to continue on the path of light. I end
with a quote from the beloved Mahatma Gandhi,
"When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of
truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers
and for a time they seem invincible, but in the end, they always
fall — think of it, always."
Dr. Nusrat Rabbee, PhD, is the daughter of Shaheed Dr. Mohammed
Fazle Rabbee and Late Dr. Mrs. Jahan Ara Rabbee. She can be reached
at nrabbee@yahoo.com .
------------------------------------
[Disclaimer: ALOCHONA Management is not liable for information contained in this message. The author takes full responsibility.]
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