Concept paper of round table discussion held on 28 January 2004 at Planning and Development Academy, Dhaka, organised by ‘South Asian people’s Union against fundamentalism and Communalism’

Multi Dimensional Communal Repression and Proposed Blasphemy Law

Shahriar Kabir

The unprecedented persecution that started on the minority religious and ethnic communities under government patronisation since four party alliance assumed power has now taken a multidimensional character. It first started with torturing the Hindu community, then spread on the Christian, Buddhist and indigenous communities. Recently this persecution has spread to the Ahamadya Muslim Community.

The largest political party of the country Bangladesh Awami League which led the liberation war has also become victim of torture and as well as the journalists, human rights activists, intellectuals, officers and employees of government, semi government and other organizations believing in secular democracy are often persecuted. The Persecutions mentioned on the later groups are result of political vengeance. In the case of minority persecution the reason is more communal than political avenge. In order to convert Bangladesh into a monolithic Islamic country the govt. of four party alliance is encouraging all kind of repression on minorities. By creating an atmosphere of terror they are forcing the minority communities to leave their homeland.

The year 2004 has started by the killing of indigenous community leader of Modhupur Piren Snel. Piren was killed on 3rd January by bullet fired by the police of alliance government while he was protesting the set-up of Eco Park in Modhupur forest removing the aboriginal Garo inhabitant. Following the killing of the tribal leader Piren Manik Shaha, the BBC Correspondent, local CPB leader, a strong voice against fundamentalism and communalism was brutally killed on 15 January by bomb blast in Khulna. CPB has directly accused Jamaat-Shibir clique for killing Manik. Piren killing by police in Modhupur and Manik Shaha killing by hired killers of Jamaat-e-Islami in Khulna are not separate incidents. The killers of Piren and Manik know that they will remain safe. Nothing has happened to those who killed, raped and tortured and looted minority religious and ethnic groups after the alliance government of Khaleda-Nizami that took control of power since October 2001. Not even the law order enforcing agencies take any measure against these criminals when the government party and alliance is with them. Rather government patronization has encouraged the members of law-orders enforcing agencies to commit such atrocities, the crude example is the death of 58 innocent people in custody during military operation in late 2003 and the declaration of indemnity to protect those from trial who are responsible for such killing.

We have noticed a new dimension of persecution on minority religious group in the beginning this year through the government order banning all kind of publication of Ahmadya Muslim community on 9 January 2004. Banning of publications which are a part of preaching of religion of a particular community is against the Constitution of Bangladesh1 and as well as against the Universal Deceleration of Human Rights of adopted by the united Nations2. Those states, which do not permit the right to practice and preach religion peacefully to their citizen, are known as barbarians to the civilized world. The alliance government is trying to introduce Bangladesh as a barbaric country to the world in the process of persecuting the Ahmadya Muslims and other minority communities to avenge their defeat in the liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.
One top leader of alliance government’s fundamentalist party said that they would not abide by any order of the High Court, Supreme Court when the aggrieved leaders of the Ahmadya community expressed that they would appeal against the ban on their publication to the higher courts3. Before this incidence the same leader branded two Judges of Supreme Court as ‘Murtad’ (person eligible to kill) and said that Bangladesh would run by ‘Fatwa’ when these two judges declared ‘Fatwa’ as illegal. The fundamentalist allies are continuously uttering aggressive and provocative words in public meetings against a minority religious sect and trying to create a social unrest by threatening to destroy them, like those seen in Germany and Italy at the time of Hitler and Mussolini. Fundamentalists are relentlessly threatening to annihilate those also who speak in favour of Ahmadya sect. The Jamaat-e- Islami lawmaker Delwar Hossain Sayeedi called the allies of Kadianis as the ‘enemy of Islam’. (Inqilab22 January 2004)

In the past fundamentalists declared in public meetings that they would not obey any law against the ‘Holy Quran’ and ‘Sunnah’ in Bangladesh. Unfortunately no measure has yet been taken against continuous speeches defying the court and the constitution.

The initiative to pass the ‘ Blasphemy Law’ in the Parliament is the latest instance of activities to tarnish the image of Bangladesh a secular and democratic country.4 On 22 January one law maker of BNP submitted a bill to enact the ‘Blasphemy Law’ in the Parliament Assembly. On 25 January 2004 Delwar Hossain Sayeedi of Jamaat demanded during the session of the parliament to implement the ‘Blasphemy Law’. 5
Alliance government of Khaleda-Nizami has been destroying all the achievements of liberation war one after another after assuming power. Introducing ‘Blasphemy Law’ here in Bangladesh would be a great leap towards Pakistanization of our society & politics. This law will create lot of hindrance in practising and preaching of non-Muslims religion. Government will get the license to persecute both the minority religious sections and secular Muslims once this ‘Blasphemy law’ is introduced. In Pakistan 80% victims are secular Muslim intellectuals and social workers after the introduction of ‘Blasphemy Law’, the latest example is Dr. Yunus Sheikh6.

The versions of proposed “Blasphemy Law’ that we have seen in different pro-government dailies though in one place says that abusive language, sarcastic utterance, malicious comments can not be expressed against the state religion Islam and Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and other religion, but in another place it said no insulting comments can be expressed against the Holy Quran, Sunnah or Islami Shariah in written or any other form. Our questions are 1) punishment against hurting religious sentiments is already existing in Bangladesh Penal Code under section 295 –A.7 What is the need and motive behind enacting the ‘Blasphemy Law’ right now in spite of the existence of such Law? 2) In the beginning although Hinduism, Christianity is mentioned but later on specifically mentioned the Holy Quran, Sunnah and Islami Shariah. Here who will define Islami Shariah? Hafejji Huzur of Bangladesh and other Islamic scholar and religious leaders of the subcontinent declared that the Jamaatis who are trying to pass ‘Blasphemy Law’ in parliament are not true Muslims.8 who will assure that civil war among Muslims will not start if ‘Blasphemy Law’ is introduced in Bangladesh?

According to Muslims Hindus, Buddhists, Christians all are Mushrik (Idolater). Christians also believe in trinity. Any Hindu-Buddhist-Christian can be jailed or fined for trifle reason or without any reason if this bill is passed.
Muslims have 73 Ferka (Sect). Each ‘Ferka’ has various followers of different political parties and opinions. When Jamaatis will employ ‘Blasphemy Law’ to punish some one following Sunni system will not allow to get rid of the law if the victim is belong to any other party than Jamat.

From our experience in Pakistan we know that those who are arrested for Blasphemy, their cases are not investigated as a normal way. The learned Judge of Lahore High Court Justice Ali Newaj Chauhan commented on one case ‘ police do not want to investigate fearing the fury of the fire of Mullahs in one hand and on the other the Judges do not dare to deliver right verdict when cases are dealt under ‘Blasphemy Law’. 9

The alliance government has tarnished the image of Bangladesh substantially to external world by snatching fundamental rights and resorting to unprecedented repression on minority religious and ethnic groups after taking power. If ‘Blasphemy Law’ is passed or Ahmadya Muslims are declared Non-Muslims Bangladesh will be placed in the rank of the uncivilized countries. And in this way the collaborator of Pakistani occupied forces of ’71 will accomplish their avenge of defeat.
The alliance government is destroying achievements of our great liberation war in a planned way after coming into power. Unfortunately Awami League which led the liberation war and other political parties upholding the values of liberation war could not create any resistance forging together against these repressions, tortures and activities to destroy ‘values of liberation war’ by the alliance government. It is indeed true that the political parties have protested from their own platforms but these fruitless protests could not reduce a bit of the atrocities on m minorities by the alliance government. The lack of unity among the pro-liberation political and social forces has helped the fundamentalists and communal evil forces to become more violent and brutal.

The conscious citizens on Bangladesh nave to think about how to build up resistance coming out of the role of silent spectators at this critical juncture of the country and nation against the anti-people, anti-constitutional and above all activities opposing the values of liberation war by the government.
We have to take responsibility to remove the obstacles in uniting the pro-liberation forces. Forces against unity must be identified, and should be brought to accountability.
There is no other way for salvation from the violent clutch of fundamentalist & communal government other then the united resistance from the pro-liberation forces.