Another athiest blogger, Washiqur Rahman Babu hacked to death in Bangladesh

Another Bangladeshi blogger has been hacked to death in the country’s capital Dhaka. Police arrested two suspects near the scene after the latest attack targeting atheist writers in the predominantly Muslim country.

Three men attacked blogger Washiqur Rahman Babu near his home in Bangladesh’s capital just weeks after a prominent Bangladeshi-American blogger Avijit Roy was killed by unidentified assailants.
The 27-year-old, who was attacked with machetes, was declared dead when he arrived at Dhaka Medical College Hospital early Monday morning (local time).
“Blogger Washiqur Rahman Babu was brutally hacked to heath this morning…just 460 meters (500 yards) from his home at Dhaka’s Begunbari area,” deputy police commissioner Wahidul Islam said.
“They hacked him in his head and neck with big knives and once he fell on the ground, they then hacked his body,” he added.
Babu was an atheist blogger who wrote under the pen name Kutshit Hasher Chhana, meaning Ugly Duckling, on Facebook.

We condemn this attack and urge all rationalists, freethinkers and humanists to join the protest.

 

 

The constitution of Bangladesh, adopted by the Bangladesh Parliament on 4 November 1972, in its preamble paragraph 2 accepted “nationalism,” “socialism,” “democracy” and “secularism” as state principles. In the context of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of the nation, defined it in the following words:

“Hindus will observe their religion; Muslims will observe their own; Christians and Buddhists will observe their religions. No one will be allowed to interfere in others’ religions. The people of Bengal do not want any interference in religious matters. Religion cannot be used for political ends.” (Government of Bangladesh, Parliament Debates, October 12, 1972 (Dhaka: Government of Bangladesh, 1972), 20.)

 

To implement the above, Article 12 of the constitution stated that the principle of secularism shall be realized by the elimination of:

• Communalism in all forms;

• The granting by the state of political status in favor of any religion;

• The abuse of religion for political purposes; and • Any discrimination against, or persecution of persons practicing a particular religion.

(The Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Ministry of Law (Dhaka: Government of Bangladesh, 1972), 5.)

Article 38, paragraph 2 of the constitution further states: No person shall have the right to form or be a member or otherwise take part in the activities of, any communal or other association or union, which in the name or on the basis of any religion has for its object, or pursues a political purpose.

(The Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Ministry of Law (Dhaka: Government of Bangladesh, 1972), 13.)

The Mujib regime was brought to an abrupt end through his gruesome murder by a group of army officers on the night of 15 August 1975. With the change of regime, nationalism in Bangladesh also took an explicit turn toward religion.  The coup leaders obviously wanted to capitalize on the existing public mood, which was increasingly enthusiastic about the adoption of Islamic values. The coup leaders therefore used Islam to secure—and to a certain extent legitimize—their position. It is therefore not surprising that the coup of August 1975 was declared in the name of the “Islamic Republic of Bangladesh.”

Through the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution of Bangladesh on 7 June 1988, Islam was declared as the state religion of Bangladesh (Article 2, Clause A) with the provision that other religions may be practiced in peace and harmony in the republic. (Government of Bangladesh, The Constitution, 5.)

But in 2010, the High Court held up the secular principles of the 1972 constitution.

The High Court also strengthened its stance against punishments by Islamic edict (fatwa), following complaints of brutal sentences carried out against women by extra-legal village courts.

However both  BNP as well as  Awami League continues to please the fundamentalist Islamic group.

In 2013, number of secular and rationalist bloggers were arrested blasphemy law and IT Act of 2006 sec 57A by Bangladesh government lead by Awami league.