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January 27, 2012 Special Dispatch No. 4456

Bangladeshi Academic Examines Bangladesh's Struggle for Secularism, Criticizes the Government's Decision to Retain Islam as State Religion

January 27, 2012
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bangladesh | Special Dispatch No. 4456


Courtesy: thedailystar.net

In a recent article, noted Bangladeshi academic Dr. Anish Mondal examined the history of the popular movement in Bangladesh in favor of establishing a secular democratic state. In 1971, Bangladesh, formerly known as East Pakistan, became independent from Pakistan following a linguistic movement led by the majority Bengali-speaking people, who were militarily supported by India.

Dr. Mondal, who is a professor of English at Amrita Lal Dey College in the Bangladeshi town of Barisal, traces the history of the secular movement in Bangladesh and the introduction of Islam as the state religion during the autocratic rule of General H. M. Ershad in the 1980s. In the article, titled "State Religion for Whom?", he laments that the current government led by the secular Awami League party capitulated to popular opinion by retaining Islam as the country's official religion.

Regardless of the criticism, it should be noted that the current Bangladeshi government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has steered a robust campaign against jihadist and Islamist forces in Bangladeshi society, politics, and government.

Following are excerpts from the article:[1]

"[After 1952] East Pakistan Muslim Chhatra League Dropped the Term 'Muslim' from the Name of the Organization, and Afterwards East Pakistan Awami League Waived the Term 'Muslim' from the Party's Name"

"The four principles of democracy, socialism, secularism, and nationalism in the constitution of Bangladesh had been established through a ceaseless struggle of the people. The people of the then-East Pakistan [now Bangladesh, which was part of Pakistan until 1971] began to realize their discrimination by the religion-mongers of Pakistan, and their first realization came into being when the East Pakistan Jubo League was established as a secular youth organization in 1951.

"Following the historic language movement [led by majority Bengali-speaking people of East Pakistan] in 1952, the East Pakistan Chhatra Union, a non-communal students' organization, and Ganotantri Party, a non-communal political party, were established. In the process of the non-communal trend, East Pakistan Muslim Chhatra League dropped the term 'Muslim' from the name of the organization, and afterwards East Pakistan Awami League waived the term 'Muslim' from the party's name. In 1954, the coalition-front (Jukto-Front) adopted a 21 point resolution in which there was no promise of Islamization.

"While in 1956, during the formation of the first Constitution of Pakistan, Awami League opposed the naming of Islamic State, at the same time Awami League took the resolution to the joint electorate system for East Pakistan, and thus the party gave its final stroke to the root of the two-nation theory – a theory of the state on the basis of religion [that Hindus and Muslims cannot live together, which led to the creation of Pakistan].

"Awami League, National Awami Party, and different students' organizations started to spread a secular trend across the country. In 1969, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman [who led the movement for the independence of Bangladesh] warned the whole [then-Pakistani] nation of the abuse of religion in politics."

"In 1970, General Yahiya Khan, President of Pakistan, Imposed the Legal Framework Order … [Saying] that Pakistan Would be an Islamic State and the President of Pakistan Must be a Muslim; East Pakistan Chhatra League Strongly Opposed this Communal Trend in the State Machinery"

"In 1970, General Yahiya Khan, President of Pakistan, imposed the Legal Framework Order where it said that Pakistan would be an Islamic State and the president of Pakistan must be a Muslim. East Pakistan Chhatra League strongly opposed this communal trend in the state machinery and the organization demanded repeal of the law.

"In February 1971, a front-line students' organization named Chhatra Union proposed that the state would be a secular, democratic people's republic.

"During the emergence of Bangladesh during the Liberation War, the leaders of Bangladesh always spoke of secularism. During the War of Independence, the first prime minister of Bangladesh, the prime minister of Mujibnagar Government Tajuddin Ahmed, the acting president Sayed Nazrul Islam, the home minister AHM Kamruzzaman, and foreign minister Khondokar Mustaque Ahmed at different times in their speeches declared repeatedly three state principles: democracy, socialism, and secularism.

"Freed from the imprisonment of the Pakistani gaol, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman clearly stated that the foundation of Bangladesh would be democracy, socialism, secularism, and nationalism. The four principles of democracy, socialism, secularism, and nationalism were accepted in the Constitution of Bangladesh in 1972 [the year after independence from Pakistan].

"It is needless to say that the four state principles neither came to us overnight, nor were they injected by anybody into the Constitution of 1972; rather, it was the people's aspirations for which they laid down their lives. The acceptance of the four state principles was not in the interest of any vested quarters but for the people of Bangladesh."

"During the [1983-1990] Autocratic Rule of General Ershad, the Introduction of State Religion [Islam] to the Constitution Dealt a Severe Blow to the Basic structure of the Constitution of Bangladesh; The Establishment of State Religion Divided the People of Bangladesh into Two: Muslims and Non-Muslims"

"During the [1983-1990] autocratic rule of General [H. M.] Ershad, the introduction of state religion to the Constitution dealt a severe blow to the basic structure of the Constitution of Bangladesh. The establishment of state religion divided the people of Bangladesh into two: Muslims and non-Muslims.

"This new law created a kind of separate identity among the non-Muslims. For example, after the declaration of the state religion bill, the non-Muslims in Bangladesh launched their own organization named Bangladesh Hindu Bouddha Christian Oikya Parishad. The outcome of the state religion was obvious. Communal persecution against the non-Muslims in 1990, 1992, and 2001 were burning examples in this respect.

"State religion caused a loss of confidence among non-Muslims. As a result, a silent exodus of the religious minorities continued to occur. A new dimension was added to the politics of Bangladesh. A reality of separate electorate system for the non-Muslims and a reservation in the parliament for the non-Muslims came into being.

"When the state is biased in favor of a particular religion, drift and discrimination must come up. Many of us oppose it, and they put forward an example of the United Kingdom, where the religion of the Anglican Church is a state religion…."

"We Know That Half of the Member States of the OIC … Do not Have Anything Like State Religion…; the Liberation War in 1971 Taught the People of Bangladesh to Be Secular…; We were Right [Given what is Happening in Pakistan]"

"We know that half of the member states of the OIC (major organization for Islamic countries) do not have anything like state religion. Countries like Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, and Syria do not have any existence of state religion. Turkey is not only a secular country but its constitution embeds secularism in such a position that it is beyond amendment. In Turkey, women enjoy property rights and their freedom in line with the principle of secularism.

"The French Revolution taught the French to be secular; the Liberation War in 1971 taught the people of Bangladesh to be secular. We were right. We took secularism in 1970, we were bathed with secularism in 1971 and again we placed secularism in 1972 in the Constitution.

"We had a bitter experience in Pakistan in the name of religion. We got an enemy property act in the name of religion. We got the Hindu exodus during the Liberation War of Bangladesh. Nearly 10 million Hindu people - innocent, hungry, and helpless, tortured and damned - had been rooted out from their motherland in the name of religion [by the then-mainly West Pakistani rulers]. During the Liberation War we got the brutal Hindu genocide in the name of religion.

"And Pakistan did all these killings, rapes, lootings, and above all battered Bangladesh in the name of religion. Now the world is seeing how the present day Pakistan is being crucified in the name of religion. Today's Pakistan is a state of blood, death, terrorism, and conspiracy."

"[The Government Led By the] Awami League Made the 15th Amendment to the Constitution on June 30, 2011 and the Amendment Retained [Islam as thew] State Religion, which Permitted the Religion-Mongers to Indulge in Politics with Religion"

"We were right because we separated religion from the state. We prohibited politics in the name of religion. We learned something from history. But now history repeats itself.

"The League [party] used to play its politics with the help of religion. But the people understood the tricks. It was the people who sent the Muslim League into oblivion. It took only 20 years; very little time compared to the future ahead.

"A people-loving party Awami League [now the ruling party of Bangladesh] used to indulge in politics in the name of its people. Now the party has started its politics in the name of religion.

"People are not blind. People realize quickly, but they express themselves slowly. They have millions of eyes to observe. They are observing everything. In this day of globalization and rapid transportation, people will understand easily what to do with the Awami League. Who demanded state religion? The people of Bangladesh never demanded state religion. They demanded peace and prosperity.

"But the autocratic ruler gave them state religion instead of peace and prosperity. As a result, the people of Bangladesh gave an exemplary punishment to the autocratic ruler [General H. M. Ershad]. They ousted and buried autocracy through a mass upheaval of protest in 1990.

"Is it necessary for the Awami League to retain state religion? For whom? The Awami League made the 15th amendment to the Constitution on June 30, 2011 and the amendment retained [Islam as] state religion, which permitted the religion-mongers to indulge in politics with religion against secularism…."

Bangladesh's Islamist Leader Fazlul Haq Amini: "It is Very Urgent to Pass and Implement a Law on Hanging Persons Who Want to Change the Holy Koran, the Constitution of Allah"

"[Now] Fazlul Haq Amini, chief of Islami Ain Bastobayon Committee and chief of Islami Oikkya Jote, a component of the BNP [Bangladesh Nationalist Party]-led four party alliance, raised his fierce voice: 'It is very urgent to pass and implement a law on hanging persons who want to change the holy Koran, the constitution of Allah, in a Muslim majority country. Under the leadership of the present government, a deep conspiracy is going on to change and overthrow the Koran. And it is natural when an anti-Islamic party like the Awami League is in power.'

"Fazlul Haq Amini questioned how Islam and the Muslims could be safe under the party whose spokesperson Syed Ashraful Islam can claim to be neither a Hindu nor a Muslim, and minister Raziuddin Ahmed Razu can dare to say our children should practice music and dance to get rid of hizab (The Daily Star, July 19, 2011).

"Some other Islamic parties have started to allege that the present government has worked against Islam. They blame the Awami League because they have realized its weakness. They also know that rulers take shelter in religion when they lose trust of the public.

"History forgives none. Today, Pakistan is burning. What went around has come around to Pakistan. We cannot burn down ourselves. The people of Bangladesh no longer want state religion, but a secular state free from any kind of discrimination."


Endnotes:
[1] FORUM, a monthly magazine of The Daily Star newspaper (Bangladesh), August 2011. The text of the article has been lightly edited for clarity.

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