Organized Cultural Aggression Must STOP!
Will the Govt. react cowardly by letting the miscreants go scot-free so that the Awami League leaders can remain in the good books of Jamaat?
Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2012 22:25:33 +0530
Subject: BANGLADESH: A STAGE PLAY AND THE ATTACK ON HINDU AND A FEW MUSLIM HOUSEHOLDS
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"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
-Beatrice Hall [pseudonym: S.G. Tallentyre], 190
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Will the Govt. react cowardly by letting the miscreants go scot-free so that the Awami League leaders can remain in the good books of Jamaat?
Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2012 22:25:33 +0530
Subject: BANGLADESH: A STAGE PLAY AND THE ATTACK ON HINDU AND A FEW MUSLIM HOUSEHOLDS
BANGLADESH: A STAGE PLAY AND THE ATTACK ON HINDU AND A FEW MUSLIM HOUSEHOLDS
=======================================
Extra / New Age, April 13, 2012
Anarchy staged
Ananta Yusuf investigates the attack on Hindu and a few Muslim households in two villages of Satkhira district following propagation of Islam's abuse in a stage play
At the Fatepur High School, in the Kaliganj upazila of Satkhira, students arranged a stage performance on March 27. This was an annual programme for the school on the occasion of Independence Day. The event was open for all in the village and the turnover did not disappoint the organisers either. The drama, Huzur Kebla was based on a story of eminent author, Abul Mansur Ahmed.
The drama began timely but roughly 10 or 15 minutes through the play, Abdul Hakim Sardar, member of Fatepur High School, stopped it in the middle. The play had mentions of Prophet Muhammad and apprehending that it may be misinterpreted by some villagers, he opted to hold the stage play.
Although villagers did not react to the drama, it was not long before Hakim's assumption was proven right.
On March 31 and April 1, thousands of people from different parts of Satkhira district attacked on Hindu and few Muslim households at Fatepur and Chakdaha. They were agitated and claimed that the Hindus staged indecent and objectionable remarks about Prophet Muhammad in a play at Fatepur High School on March 27. Panicked, the Hindus fled the troubled area with family. At least 12 houses were burned down to aches and two villages were ransacked during the two-day long vandalism in the area.
The play, Huzur Kebla, based on a famous story of Abul Mansur Ahmed is a part of the National University curriculum. It was taken from his acclaimed book called Ayna, which includes satiric pieces of stories criticising mostly the pirs. It was famous even during the British and Pakistan period because of its stand against Khilafat Movement.
Locals from Fatepur claim they did not find any indecent remark about the Prophet in the play, which was closed even before it was fully performed. As a result there was no possibility for such comprehension.
However, grievance stuck when a local newspaper called Drishtipat propagated the play as having indecent remarks about the Prophet on March 29. It claimed the play used foul and vulgar words against Hazrat Muhammad and urged the Tawhidi Janata to protest and stop the drama. The local newspaper reportedly circulated complimentary copies of the newspaper to different houses, bazaar and mosque. This interpretation spread whines in Satkhira on March 30 and the people started protesting in different villages.
In the meantime, a group of people under the banner Tawhidi Janata, started hyping the incident to protect Islam from the Hindus. A case was filed on the day in Kaligonj Thana under penal code 153 and 295(a) for hurting religious sentiment of the folks and consequently the head master Rezwan Harun of Fatehpur High School and the school's assistant headmaster, Mita Rani Hazra including Sydur Rahman, a student of class IX. After Juma prayers, Muslim devotees brought out a procession and a sit-in demonstration in front of the UNO office and blocked the Kaliganj road for an hour.
The next day morning, former Ameers of Satkhira Jamaat e Islami, Muhaddis Abdul Khaleq visited Fatepur and claimed penalty from the people associated with the drama. Right after his departure, vandalism started in Fatepur. Theft and robberies were taking place in Hindu households as fundamentalists destroyed seven dwellings and one shop. Agitators also set fire to the office of a local youth organisation, Fatepur Sangskritik Club and a house owned by one Ziad Ali.
Ziad claimed that Jamaat e Islami fuelled the whole situation, and their presence on March 31 at Fatepur clearly shows the linkage with the vandalism and false accusation by a pro-Jamaat newspaper.
In spite of its presence the police did nothing to calm the situation. As the police remained silent bystander, the vandalism spread under its gaze to Chakdaha, another neighbouring village. Based on rumours about Muhammad being insulted, another five households were torched and looted in front of the police.
A victim, Lolita Sardar Rani alleges that the attackers waited there till the houses were burnt to ashes. The agitators robbed and burned all their commonage including cash, furniture, gold, goat and cattle, alleged Lolita.
Abdul Hakim Sardar, a member of Fatepur High School shares with Xtra that the vandalism at Fatepur and Chakdaha was not an attack against minority but against humanity. He never experienced such incident in the area; moreover he claimed the cultural integration binds different religions in the region, so he fears the possibility of fundamentalists repeating the incident if the government overlooks the incident.
A victim Lakshmi Pad Pal from Fatepur tells Xtra that Drishtipat propagated the news to the people without knowing about the story or the script. He says that except a few, the vandals were from outside the two villages.
The Fatepur High School was supposed to conduct its first term examination on April 17 but the way students and teachers fled their homes, Abdul Hakim believes, it will not be possible to take the exams. 'This is not expected in an independent country,' he regrets.
He points out that among those who participated and led the agitation like Julfikar Shapui from South Sripur and Musharraf Hussain from Krishna Nagar failed in the last Union Parishad elections. 'This could be an attempt of revenge as they believed it is the Hindus who really made the difference in the poll results,' he adds.
The deputy commissioner Satikhira, Md Anowar Hossain Hawladar informs Xtra that strict action would be taken against the propagators but he denied of any attacks against minorities. 'On that day both Hindu and Muslims were victims by the agitators so one cannot say it was an attack against minorities alone.' He however, says that a few politicians including a newspaper tried to propagate the whole incident without mentioning any name. Whether any action will be taken against the newspaper or the people have not yet been decided, he says.
After the incident two police officers, Satkhira police superintendent Habibur Rahman Khan and Syed Farid Uddin, officer in-charge of Kaliganj police station were closed for failing to maintain law and order in Kaliganj.
Propaganda
In 1936 through his book Ayna, Abul Mansur Ahmed depicted how the downtrodden Muslim community of undivided Bengal were being subjugated or exploited by the so called pirs in the name of religion. Huzur Kebla is the fiction of a quack pir whose unholy practice in the name of religion destroyed two young lives. Emdad, an educated new follower of the pir, observed closely and revolted against him.
Xtra found nothing in the script that slays the image of Prophet. Although the regional daily Drishtipat propagated the script to be containing elements that disgraced Islam, local Muslims failed to comprehend any indecent remarks towards the religion.
Ainul Islam from Fatepur village divulges that the drama did not even last to its end. He questioned the authenticity of the report and evidences based on which vandals laid their grudges on the houses.
Xtra has obtained copies of Drishtipat where it published similar news reports in the past, which alleged the Hindus continuously attacking Islam and the Prophet. Last year on October 25, it published news about Shushanto Kumar Dhali, a Hindu teacher of Nalta High School, accusing him for criticising the Prophet in an objectionable manner, subsequently leading to student protests. Locals in the village however, denied the claim to Xtra.
The same month, the newspaper alleged an English teacher Arun Kumar Sarkar of Khulan Paikgacha Degree College accusing him of threatening Allah with offensive words. However the editor of the newspaper, GM Nur Islam claimed the newspaper published the reports with adequate evidence and was willing to divulge them only if the court asked. He refused to show evidences against the allegations saying, 'Unless we are not bound to reveal it.' He also alleged that subjugation on journalist is going on in the country.
The connection of Jamaat with the attacks becomes strong given its present political state and trial of war criminals. Muhaddis Abdul Khaleq tells Xtra, 'I visited Fatepur to express my concern about Islam, nothing else.' He emphasized, it was his personal visit to Fatepur not on behalf of Jamaat e Islami.
However, Abdul Hakim interprets his visit as one of the turning point in the agitation and founds his involvement in fueling such events. He alleges, 'Khaleq did this to create an obstacle in war crimes tribunal, because if anything went wrong in the country the government will be compelled to postpone the trial.'
The story Huzur Kebla was written almost 80 years back. Abul Mansur Ahmed dared to write it during the colonial regime and at the time nobody came to kill him because of revealing the truth of the story. Poresh Shordar divulges in sorrow, 'It is misfortune that so many houses were burnt just for a play!'
Cry for justice
Agitators burned down Hindu temples, houses and shops on February 9 and 10 at Hathazari. They claimed that Hindus have destroyed their mosque. Based on rumours eight temples and several shops were burned down to ashes. In about a month's interval, similar incident broke off at Satkhira.
Including Abdul Hakim, locals alleged the pro-Jamaat newspaper and some Jamaat leaders were behind instigating agitation in the area. However, no steps have been taken to investigate the matter. He also alleges the local newspaper abused freedom of expression which is guaranteed in the constitution and he claimed the newspaper should be brought to book.
In the constitution, freedom of expression is guaranteed and considered as one of the fundamental human rights in article 39 (1). Article 39(2) states, 'subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interests of the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign states, public order, decency or morality, or in relation to contempt of court, defamation or incitement to an offence – the right of every citizen to freedom of speech and expression, and the freedom of the press, are guaranteed.'
Although Drishtipat legitimises its act under Article 39(2), section 295(a) of Bangladesh's Penal Code (1860) reads, any person who has a 'deliberate' or 'malicious' intention of 'hurting religious sentiments' is liable to imprisonment, which may extend to two years, and or with fine.
Bangladesh is also a signatory of 'International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)', which ensures the freedom of practicing religion in the country. According to Article 21 of the ICCPR, 'The right of peaceful assembly shall be recognised. No restrictions may be placed on the exercise of this right other than those imposed in conformity with the law and which are necessary in a democratic society in the interest of national security or public safety, public order, the protection of public health or morals or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.'
Lolita Rani urges the government to work on restoring the cordial relation among Hindu, Muslims in the region, 'My house was destroyed, they looted many valuable stuffs from us but I don't want to get back all those things. Rather I demand justice for the people and restoration of relationship in the region,' she adds.
--
Peace Is Doable
=======================================
Extra / New Age, April 13, 2012
Anarchy staged
Ananta Yusuf investigates the attack on Hindu and a few Muslim households in two villages of Satkhira district following propagation of Islam's abuse in a stage play
At the Fatepur High School, in the Kaliganj upazila of Satkhira, students arranged a stage performance on March 27. This was an annual programme for the school on the occasion of Independence Day. The event was open for all in the village and the turnover did not disappoint the organisers either. The drama, Huzur Kebla was based on a story of eminent author, Abul Mansur Ahmed.
The drama began timely but roughly 10 or 15 minutes through the play, Abdul Hakim Sardar, member of Fatepur High School, stopped it in the middle. The play had mentions of Prophet Muhammad and apprehending that it may be misinterpreted by some villagers, he opted to hold the stage play.
Although villagers did not react to the drama, it was not long before Hakim's assumption was proven right.
On March 31 and April 1, thousands of people from different parts of Satkhira district attacked on Hindu and few Muslim households at Fatepur and Chakdaha. They were agitated and claimed that the Hindus staged indecent and objectionable remarks about Prophet Muhammad in a play at Fatepur High School on March 27. Panicked, the Hindus fled the troubled area with family. At least 12 houses were burned down to aches and two villages were ransacked during the two-day long vandalism in the area.
The play, Huzur Kebla, based on a famous story of Abul Mansur Ahmed is a part of the National University curriculum. It was taken from his acclaimed book called Ayna, which includes satiric pieces of stories criticising mostly the pirs. It was famous even during the British and Pakistan period because of its stand against Khilafat Movement.
Locals from Fatepur claim they did not find any indecent remark about the Prophet in the play, which was closed even before it was fully performed. As a result there was no possibility for such comprehension.
However, grievance stuck when a local newspaper called Drishtipat propagated the play as having indecent remarks about the Prophet on March 29. It claimed the play used foul and vulgar words against Hazrat Muhammad and urged the Tawhidi Janata to protest and stop the drama. The local newspaper reportedly circulated complimentary copies of the newspaper to different houses, bazaar and mosque. This interpretation spread whines in Satkhira on March 30 and the people started protesting in different villages.
In the meantime, a group of people under the banner Tawhidi Janata, started hyping the incident to protect Islam from the Hindus. A case was filed on the day in Kaligonj Thana under penal code 153 and 295(a) for hurting religious sentiment of the folks and consequently the head master Rezwan Harun of Fatehpur High School and the school's assistant headmaster, Mita Rani Hazra including Sydur Rahman, a student of class IX. After Juma prayers, Muslim devotees brought out a procession and a sit-in demonstration in front of the UNO office and blocked the Kaliganj road for an hour.
The next day morning, former Ameers of Satkhira Jamaat e Islami, Muhaddis Abdul Khaleq visited Fatepur and claimed penalty from the people associated with the drama. Right after his departure, vandalism started in Fatepur. Theft and robberies were taking place in Hindu households as fundamentalists destroyed seven dwellings and one shop. Agitators also set fire to the office of a local youth organisation, Fatepur Sangskritik Club and a house owned by one Ziad Ali.
Ziad claimed that Jamaat e Islami fuelled the whole situation, and their presence on March 31 at Fatepur clearly shows the linkage with the vandalism and false accusation by a pro-Jamaat newspaper.
In spite of its presence the police did nothing to calm the situation. As the police remained silent bystander, the vandalism spread under its gaze to Chakdaha, another neighbouring village. Based on rumours about Muhammad being insulted, another five households were torched and looted in front of the police.
A victim, Lolita Sardar Rani alleges that the attackers waited there till the houses were burnt to ashes. The agitators robbed and burned all their commonage including cash, furniture, gold, goat and cattle, alleged Lolita.
Abdul Hakim Sardar, a member of Fatepur High School shares with Xtra that the vandalism at Fatepur and Chakdaha was not an attack against minority but against humanity. He never experienced such incident in the area; moreover he claimed the cultural integration binds different religions in the region, so he fears the possibility of fundamentalists repeating the incident if the government overlooks the incident.
A victim Lakshmi Pad Pal from Fatepur tells Xtra that Drishtipat propagated the news to the people without knowing about the story or the script. He says that except a few, the vandals were from outside the two villages.
The Fatepur High School was supposed to conduct its first term examination on April 17 but the way students and teachers fled their homes, Abdul Hakim believes, it will not be possible to take the exams. 'This is not expected in an independent country,' he regrets.
He points out that among those who participated and led the agitation like Julfikar Shapui from South Sripur and Musharraf Hussain from Krishna Nagar failed in the last Union Parishad elections. 'This could be an attempt of revenge as they believed it is the Hindus who really made the difference in the poll results,' he adds.
The deputy commissioner Satikhira, Md Anowar Hossain Hawladar informs Xtra that strict action would be taken against the propagators but he denied of any attacks against minorities. 'On that day both Hindu and Muslims were victims by the agitators so one cannot say it was an attack against minorities alone.' He however, says that a few politicians including a newspaper tried to propagate the whole incident without mentioning any name. Whether any action will be taken against the newspaper or the people have not yet been decided, he says.
After the incident two police officers, Satkhira police superintendent Habibur Rahman Khan and Syed Farid Uddin, officer in-charge of Kaliganj police station were closed for failing to maintain law and order in Kaliganj.
Propaganda
In 1936 through his book Ayna, Abul Mansur Ahmed depicted how the downtrodden Muslim community of undivided Bengal were being subjugated or exploited by the so called pirs in the name of religion. Huzur Kebla is the fiction of a quack pir whose unholy practice in the name of religion destroyed two young lives. Emdad, an educated new follower of the pir, observed closely and revolted against him.
Xtra found nothing in the script that slays the image of Prophet. Although the regional daily Drishtipat propagated the script to be containing elements that disgraced Islam, local Muslims failed to comprehend any indecent remarks towards the religion.
Ainul Islam from Fatepur village divulges that the drama did not even last to its end. He questioned the authenticity of the report and evidences based on which vandals laid their grudges on the houses.
Xtra has obtained copies of Drishtipat where it published similar news reports in the past, which alleged the Hindus continuously attacking Islam and the Prophet. Last year on October 25, it published news about Shushanto Kumar Dhali, a Hindu teacher of Nalta High School, accusing him for criticising the Prophet in an objectionable manner, subsequently leading to student protests. Locals in the village however, denied the claim to Xtra.
The same month, the newspaper alleged an English teacher Arun Kumar Sarkar of Khulan Paikgacha Degree College accusing him of threatening Allah with offensive words. However the editor of the newspaper, GM Nur Islam claimed the newspaper published the reports with adequate evidence and was willing to divulge them only if the court asked. He refused to show evidences against the allegations saying, 'Unless we are not bound to reveal it.' He also alleged that subjugation on journalist is going on in the country.
The connection of Jamaat with the attacks becomes strong given its present political state and trial of war criminals. Muhaddis Abdul Khaleq tells Xtra, 'I visited Fatepur to express my concern about Islam, nothing else.' He emphasized, it was his personal visit to Fatepur not on behalf of Jamaat e Islami.
However, Abdul Hakim interprets his visit as one of the turning point in the agitation and founds his involvement in fueling such events. He alleges, 'Khaleq did this to create an obstacle in war crimes tribunal, because if anything went wrong in the country the government will be compelled to postpone the trial.'
The story Huzur Kebla was written almost 80 years back. Abul Mansur Ahmed dared to write it during the colonial regime and at the time nobody came to kill him because of revealing the truth of the story. Poresh Shordar divulges in sorrow, 'It is misfortune that so many houses were burnt just for a play!'
Cry for justice
Agitators burned down Hindu temples, houses and shops on February 9 and 10 at Hathazari. They claimed that Hindus have destroyed their mosque. Based on rumours eight temples and several shops were burned down to ashes. In about a month's interval, similar incident broke off at Satkhira.
Including Abdul Hakim, locals alleged the pro-Jamaat newspaper and some Jamaat leaders were behind instigating agitation in the area. However, no steps have been taken to investigate the matter. He also alleges the local newspaper abused freedom of expression which is guaranteed in the constitution and he claimed the newspaper should be brought to book.
In the constitution, freedom of expression is guaranteed and considered as one of the fundamental human rights in article 39 (1). Article 39(2) states, 'subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interests of the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign states, public order, decency or morality, or in relation to contempt of court, defamation or incitement to an offence – the right of every citizen to freedom of speech and expression, and the freedom of the press, are guaranteed.'
Although Drishtipat legitimises its act under Article 39(2), section 295(a) of Bangladesh's Penal Code (1860) reads, any person who has a 'deliberate' or 'malicious' intention of 'hurting religious sentiments' is liable to imprisonment, which may extend to two years, and or with fine.
Bangladesh is also a signatory of 'International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)', which ensures the freedom of practicing religion in the country. According to Article 21 of the ICCPR, 'The right of peaceful assembly shall be recognised. No restrictions may be placed on the exercise of this right other than those imposed in conformity with the law and which are necessary in a democratic society in the interest of national security or public safety, public order, the protection of public health or morals or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.'
Lolita Rani urges the government to work on restoring the cordial relation among Hindu, Muslims in the region, 'My house was destroyed, they looted many valuable stuffs from us but I don't want to get back all those things. Rather I demand justice for the people and restoration of relationship in the region,' she adds.
Peace Is Doable
__._,_.___
****************************************************
Mukto Mona plans for a Grand Darwin Day Celebration:
Call For Articles:
http://mukto-mona.com/wordpress/?p=68
http://mukto-mona.com/banga_blog/?p=585
****************************************************
VISIT MUKTO-MONA WEB-SITE : http://www.mukto-mona.com/
****************************************************
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
-Beatrice Hall [pseudonym: S.G. Tallentyre], 190
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