Shiksha Andolan Mancha Held Protest Rally

Ajoy Roy

Published on May 03, 2009

Shiksha Andolan Mancha yesterday (7^th September) held a protest rally in front of the ï¿½Swoparjita Swadhinaï¿½ (the sculpture depicting wining of Independence by ourselves erected by Shamim Shikdar in a triangular park in front of the Teachers Students Centre-TSC) condemning the uncivilized utterances and threat of life made by the Shibir, the student front of Jamat against one of our popular and well known literary personality (novelist and short story writer) and professor of Philosophy of Rajshahi University, now retired, Syed Hasan Azizul Haque, and Dr. Zarar Iqbal, Professor of Department of Computer Science, Shah Jalal University, Sylhel--also a popular science fiction writer.

The protest meeting, presided over by Professor Ajoy Roy was addressed by five student leaders belonging to five progressive student organizations including Chhatra Front, Biplobi Chhatra Moitri, Chhatra Union, Samajtantrik Chhatra Front and among others Mr. Obaed Ferdous, Assoc. Professor, Department of Journalism, DU, Professor Shahidul Islam, Syed Abul Kalam, MM Akash, Lecturer, Asia Pacific University, et al.

In his presidential address Professor Roy pointed out that threat of life and declaring murtads to our learned and important personalities of our national life by the fundamentalists who wants to make Bangladesh a taleban style Islamic State of Afghanistan or Pakistani Model is not a new phenomenon. We are accustomed to their threats and activities since fifties while ï¿½I was student in the Universityï¿½. They have killed in recent past Professor Eunus of Rajshahi University, Professor Taher of the same university. This evil force couple of years back fatally injured with an attempt to murder Dr. Humayun Azad that ultimately led to his untimely death. The same force killed Principal Muhury of Chittagong, burnt alive seven Hindu family members in Bashkhali, Chittagong. Professor Roy made a clarinet call to fight against this anti-people, anti-democracy evil force of communalism and religious fundamentalism. He urged upon the young progressive elements to get united forgetting their party line difference against the common enemy of secularism, civil liberty and liberalism that has now become a real threat to the very existence of free and liberal Bangladesh. Dr. Roy assured Professor Hasan Azizul Haque and Dr Zarar Iqbal that they will always find him and his organization with them. He call upon the law agency forces and the government machineries to take appropriate and stern action who are relenetlessly thraeting the great sons of Bangladesh.

After the rally, a procession was brought out that paraded around the campus chanting full throated slogans in favour of secularism, liberalism democracy, secular education and down with Jamat and similar anti-people forces. The rally ended at the feet of the Shahid Minar where Mr. MM Akash, the secretary general of Shiksha Andolan Mancha thanked the participants for making the function a success. The protesters made a promise to stand behind Professor Hasan and Iqbal

Background

Both Hasan and Zarar Iqbal are quite known to me while Zarar Iqbal was a student of mine in physics department in early seventies, Professor Hasan Azizul Haque is a very good friend, and a co fighter against fundamentalism and communalism. Both are known for their liberal views, and quite popular. The Shiksha Andolan Mancha has lunched a secular movement throughout Bangladesh holding seminars, rallies, human chain formations etc with a view to make the country back to its secular status and introduce a secular education system. In this series we held a seminar at Rajshahi.

As you know by this time that on 18^th August a seminar was arranged by Shiksha Andolan Mancha, Rajshahi unit, on ï¿½Secularism, State and Educationï¿½. The seminar was presided over by Professor Hasan Azizul Haque, also the convener of Shiksha Andolan Mancha, Rajshahi unit. More than 300 audience, mostly students attended the seminar held at Rajshahi University campus. Among others Professor Shahidul Islam of Rajshahi University, Vice President of Shiksha Andolan Mancha and Professor Abidur Reza of Mymensingh Agriculture University and some students spoke at the seminar. The speakers raised their voices in favour of a secular state, secular society and secular education policy. The speakers pointed out that secularism is closely connected with humanism and human rights and liberalism. After the speeches delivered by the speakers a lively open discussion followed. Many relevant questions were raised from the audience to which the learned speakers and the president replied. Neither tension nor any unpleasant events took place. It was a most lively and successful seminar, opined many who were there. In his presidential speech Hasan Azizul Haque spoke very eloquently on secularism, and why we need a secular state, a secular society and a secular education. He emphatically said that the English term religion and the Bengali term ï¿½Dharmaï¿½, are not synonymous. The later term means whatever property an object holds or a view an individual or a society cherishes is a dharma, which has nothing to do with religion or the creator and creation. If one believes in `God and the doctrine that Universe is His creationï¿½- this belief is his dharma; equally if one does not have faith in the existence of God, then this non-belief (known as nastikata in Bangla, atheism) is the dharma of that gentleman. Both these views have anything to do with that state affairs or the government, which is currently managing the state. But the state will see that the believer and the non-believer both get the protection of the state if oneï¿½s view is attacked by the other. In the eye of the state and the state laws all citizens are equal irrespective of whether they follow the doctrines of Muhammad, or of Krishna or of Buddha or the Son of God, no matter. If the state allows one religionists to preach their views, it should then allow others to do the same including the views of the atheists, or the state would not allow anyone to preach his belief. This is what the secularism stands for. Professor Hasan in his speech precisely said this to his enthusiastic audience who applauded him time and again as he was continuing. As I know him he is a charming personality with good oratory skill who can take his audience with him. This was not to be liked by the Jamatis that Hasan had so much charming influence over his young audience. But this was not the end. Hasan pointed out that todayï¿½s problem is not who believes or who does not belief in God- the real threat is the terrorism and it springs out from religious fanaticism of Islam. Lovers of Islam either failed to suppress it or they have the approval. But root problem is the exploitation; so long exploitation continues Bangladesh could not be made a secular state. He pointed out that throughout the history of civilization religion played a significant role in exploitation of common mass. Hasan warned his audience that so long we couldnï¿½t make ineffective the hand of exploitation of religion, sufferings of common mass of Bangladesh will continue.

Contents and spirit of his speech was intentionally corrupted and misreported by the fundamentalist group. A story was made in Jamati daily, Naya Diganta on the following day. It quoted many a points out of context intentionally to prove the choef religious sentiments. The Shibir students who has virtually made the RU campus under their seize for some time past brought out a procession inside the campus on 19^th August burning his effigy, and calling him a murtad with filthy language.

Ajoy Roy

Dhaka, September 9, 2006, 2006

Prof. Ajoy K. Roy is a reputed scientist and human rights activist from Bangladesh.